IN THE NAME OF THE CHILDREN
How to get compensation by getting the innocent convicted.
Panorama BBC1 Sunday 25 Nov 2000 investigated the case of Roy shuttleworth, accused, convicted and imprisoned for supposedly sexually abusing boys 20 years ago. Now 67 years old, he and his family insist he is innocent. Roy had worked at a Warrington care home for young offenders from 1974 to 1986. His son (also called Roy) continues the campaign started by his mother and along with his sister visits his father in Wakefield prison fortnightly. His sister was too frightened for herself and her family of the hate brigade to be identified and was filmed in silhouette. She said mud sticks and that is how people react. Their father had been a bus and lorry driver. His wife Irene had persuaded him to work with her in the children's home. She loved kids and Roy loved his wife so he agreed. It gave them more time together.
Interviewed about the national care home scandal, Claire Curtis-Thomas MP had found that there was over 700 claims and 300 accused being investigated. She said she was concerned that money was playing an unhealthy role in the accusations. The programme found there were 90 enquiries and more than 2000 care workers under suspicion. Accusers who were formerly in care often now had substantial criminal records. Chris Saltese a solicitor said there was usually no real evidence and unsubstantiated claims against care workers dated back 10 to 30 years, often making them impossible to defend. It would start with one complaint and the police would then write to other former residents asking them if they would also like to complain. The law had been changed in the early 90s to make it easier to obtain convictions, the court could now accept that accusations could reinforce each other without any independent evidence.
One former resident at the Warrington home said that abuse was not going on but the police were pushy, and eager, to put words into his mouth. While others interviewed were meeting with police they were already preparing compensation claims. More than a year before the case went to trial the police were sharing information with a solicitor acting for them. However the police trawl did produce accusations against two carers at the same Warrington home who pleaded guilty.
It was revealed that when the police questioned Roy at his home they asked if he had any photographs of his time there. They took away a photo album with pictures of sports days and other happy events and then used this to show to potential accusers. Pointing to pictures of boys they would say, "he was one - and he was one, wasn't he." One accuser had left the care home in 1967 long before Roy started to work there in 1974 - but still claimed he had been abused by Roy. The police realised this and dropped that case. However they found another seven accusers and the trial was then based on corroboration by volume. All were now grown men in their 30s and with criminal records. The programme asked why did it take them so long to make a complaint.
The police raided the home of Roy and Irene and arrested him in July 1995. His whole family were devasted. With her husband in custody Irene would phone her daughter in the middle of the night absolutely terrified the police were going to return and raid her home again. They had never been apart all their married life and after leave to appeal had been refused in 1999 Irene suffered a heart attack and died. At her funeral Roy was kept handcuffed, not allowed to grieve and immediately returned to prison.
The programme profiled four of the accusers of Roy Shuttleworth, they were referred to as Jim, Dave, Tony and Peter. Fictitious names used for legal reasons. Jim had convictions for theft and burglary and suffered from a psychosis but a psychiatrist said he was fit to testify. He claimed that Roy shuttleworth had sexually abused him in the shower and that Roy had banged his head on the shower door as he had been pushed away. The programme found the shower had no door and the ablutions room was open plan and other people would have been about. This man's best friend at that time in the home was interviewed and said that this story was impossible because it was a case of "all in - all out." The boys showered together at the same time and there was more than one carer on duty. The doors to the block were always kept locked but Jim claimed that he ran naked, except for a towel, unseen across open ground to the headmasters office and was then caned. Interviewed by the Panorama team he changed this story to say that he had climbed out of an upper floor window, but it was found that the windows were restricted so that they could only open by five inches!
Dave claimed he had been abused by Roy in a swimming pool and claimed that he and Shuttleworth had keys. The head of Physical Education said there were only two keys to the pool, he had one and the duty carer would have the other. Use of the pool was time-tabled and there was a handing-over ceremony of the key. A statement was made by a man called Higginson who had been in the home, he said that Dave had told him while they were both in Walton Prison that he had made the claim to get money. Dave had 35 criminal convictions for assault and arson and had been sentenced to 10 years.
Tony, the third accuser, had 46 convictions for theft and drug related crimes. He claimed that Shuttleworth entered the dormitory during the night to abuse him but another former resident who shared the room said this was impossible, two others who also shared the room said that any noise would have been heard. Tony claimed that he had cried out in pain and bit the finger of Roy shuttleworth and that two other adult care workers had heard and come running. They too said this did not happen. Another prisoner and former resident of the same home questioned this man while they were in prison together and said that Tony told him he was doing it for the money and nothing had really happened. He suggested that he did the same, but the other prisoner said that he told him that what he was doing was sick. This was the second time Tony had made a claim for criminal injury.
The fourth accuser they called Peter. He too already had convictions including one for trying to defraud the Criminal Injuries Board, claiming he had been attacked. He had even had another man slash his back as part of a conspiracy to get compensation.
It was said that the police know that prisoners are aware of how much money can be made. The figures of 10 to 30 grand are discussed amongst themselves. Were jurors aware of this or was it kept from them along with the records of the accusers?
Roy was found guilty and sentenced to 10 years imprisonment (and his wife to death!). Never mind, the police, prosecutors and judiciary will be proud of themselves, once again they got the result they wanted. Is not what they do also sick? Roy shuttleworth's daughter said that the people involved in this business had ruined a good man and killed her mother.
The man Tony later made a further claim against one of the carers he said came running when Roy shuttleworth was supposed to be abusing him in the dormitory. This carer was found not guilty in court because his defence was able to show that the accusations were a carbon copy of those used to get Roy Shuttleworth convicted. In spite of being found innocent this carer said he now found himself on a government black list and was unemployable. So his life had been ruined. Another success for the professionals involved in the absolutely filthy business that passes for British justice. Are these people plain stupid or do they get pleasure out of fitting people up? If investigative journalists can get at the truth so can they.
www.slimeylimeyjustice.org