04/06/09 GREENWICH ROUNDUP'S INTERNATIONAL CORESPONDENT: STOP INJUSTICE NOW (SIN)

'Stop Injustice Now' Newsletter News and Stories 6th April 2009 Please Tell Me What You Think Of Our NEW Newsletter - Feedback In The News Paedophile jailed for tot assault A paedophile who admitted indecently assaulting a 17 month old baby has been given an indeterminate prison sentence. Andrew Lintern, of Five Acres in Kings Langley, was arrested when he believed he was meeting a 13 year old girl intending to have sex with her. The "child" whom he had been grooming for months online went under the name Jessie and was in fact a covert police officer. At Southwark Crown Court in London on Monday (March 16) the former Oxford University research chemist was jailed for a minimum of three-and-a-half years. After this time he can be considered for parole. He had previously pleaded guilty to indecently assaulting a 17 month old baby seven years ago, making, distributing and possessing 20,000 indecent images of children and travelling to meet a 13 year old girl after grooming her via the internet. The Full Article Father had children snatched from him for five years after partner made false paedophile claims, High Court told A father branded a paedophile in a police and social services 'witch hunt' is claiming damages for being put through a 'ghastly nightmare' five years long. The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was suddenly accused by his disturbed ex-girlfriend of abusing their three-old-daughter - and an investigation was launched. Although the mother was later said to be suffering from Munchausen's Syndrome by proxy - in which parents fabricate afflictions for their children - her claims were treated with deadly seriousness. A social worker, Sandra Sullivan, and a policewoman identified only as WPC Grey, carried out an 'outrageous and oppressive' interrogation of the toddler, and decided sexual abuse had definitely occurred. And it is claimed that WPC Grey then falsely told the father, identified only as B, that medical evidence proved he had abused his daughter, known only as L. The Full Article Child abuse whistle-blower arrested A controversial Jersey politician who claimed officials on the island covered up child abuse is considering legal action against the police after he was arrested. Whistle-blower Stuart Syvret was arrested in the parish of Grouville in connection with an alleged breach of data protection law. The 43-year-old senator was not charged and, after a day in custody, was released "pending further inquiries". He said officers searched his home and he was kept in a police cell all day other than for a two-hour interview. He claims the police did not have a warrant to search his property and believes the arrest was politically motivated. Mr Syvret said: "The whole exercise was designed to intimidate and harass me and to intimidate the whistle-blowers who give me information. This was an act of oppression against the person who is leading the opposition to the establishment on this island. The Full Article Family Justice - Camilla Cavendish's campaign Family justice: what we can do to protect our children A ten-point plan to make our courts system fairer and safeguard it from forces which are largely unaccountable Family justice: your word against theirs In the third of our special articles, we look at the pernicious types of allegation that are almost impossible for parents to disprove Family courts: the hidden untouchables In the second of our special articles, we explain how family courts operate in secrecy Family justice: the secret state that steals our children Every year thousands of children are taken from their parents, largely on the say-so of ‘experts'. Moving response to our justice campaign The Times call for an end to secrecy in family courts has produced a huge reaction The public needs confidence in family courts Professionals are well aware of the difficulties they face Times wins battle over secrecy of family court Details disclosed of a private family court case that led to a mother fleeing the UK with her son after he was placed in care Adoption case a 'disgrace' and cannot be repeated Family judges want greater openness of proceedings so that their decisions can be seen to be fair and they can rebut criticisms of bias Family Justice: share your stories and experiences We're trying to find people who've been involved with the family courts system. You can help by taking our anonymous survey. Plus Many More..... The Full Article Bloggers excluded as family courts opened Thousands of family hearings that take place behind closed doors will be opened to media this month, Jack Straw, the Justice Secretary, said yesterday. Under the reform, accredited media will be able to attend all levels of family courts from April 27, removing the inconsistency of access between magistrates’ courts, which are generally open, and the county and high courts, which are closed. Courts will still be able to restrict attendance if a child’s welfare requires it or if it is necessary to do so for the safety and protection of parties or witnesses. Parties to cases will be able to make representations to a court if they feel that there are good reasons for excluding journalists. The Justice Ministry said that journalists who attended family courts would have to be accredited through the British press card scheme, which has a wide membership and is open to those working wholly or mainly in the media. The scheme is not open to Bloggers, those who write occasional newsletters or to foreign media. The Full Article Kind Regards, Ian Walton 'Stop Injustice Now' Doncaster: The rotten borough they call the Haringey of the north The social services department in Doncaster has such an appalling record of caring for children at risk that it is known to social work insiders as the 'Haringey of the North'. This is a grim reference to the equally hapless North London council which failed to prevent the deaths of Victoria Climbié and Baby P. Less than a month ago, Children's Secretary Ed Balls said there were 'serious weaknesses' in Doncaster's provision for youngsters and ordered a new management team into the crisis-hit authority. He was forced to act because, despite repeated criticism, the figurehead of the so-called 'Rotten Borough', its controversial mayor Martin Winter, has refused to accept responsibility for - or even recognise - the department's chronic mismanagement and lack of accountability. The Full Article Social worker struck off after biting son Woman whose sons were placed on protection register should not be in position of responsibility for other children, panel rules A children's social worker was struck off the professional register today after biting her son while under the influence of alcohol. The General Social Care Council (GSCC) said it could not name the individual or reveal the local authority where she worked. It received medical evidence that she suffered from an abnormal personality and longstanding mental health issues. The case was heard in private by a conduct committee in Birmingham, under rules that guaranteed the social worker's anonymity. She did not attend. The committee accepted evidence that the woman's two sons were considered at risk of emotional abuse and placed on the child protection register for 11 weeks in 2003. The Full Article Spare us from state-regulated grannies If grandparents are paid for childminding, the bureaucrats will inevitably want to regulate them It was fairly inevitable, I suppose, that sooner or later a pressure group would demand that the taxpayer pay grandparents for looking after their grandchildren. After all, there is barely anything in life these days that passes unpaid, so the climate must be right for some judicious exploitation of this most uncomplicated of relationships. So, we are told, your average granny would now like to be rewarded for her hard work with little Sofia or Emily or Jack. Or all three at once. Looked at through accountant's spectacles, grandparents are a big business proposition. The UK has an estimated 13 million of them, more than a third of whom are said to spend the equivalent of three days a week caring for their grandchildren. If they all received extra state funding - in the form of national insurance credits and two weeks' “granny leave” - and if their children received childcare tax credit for using them as carers, we are looking at a scheme that involves a considerable bill for the taxpayer. The Full Article Quick Links On Line Help Our Latest News News Archive Join Our Forum Visit Our Blog Sitemap Books Site Search Download Our Toolbar Email @ Webmaster Site Disclaimer Our Main Site www.stopinjusticenow.com