A former Provincial Superior of the UK Province of the Salesians of Don Bosco, has been investigated by Greater Manchester Police following allegations of sexual abuse spanning decades. The investigating officer, Detective Sergeant Keith Isherwood, explained the outcome of a year long investigation into Fr George Williams thus:
Mr WILMER.
Regarding your allegation of sexual abuse at the hands of Fr George WILLIAMS.
The matter was jointly investigated by the Child Protection Unit at Bolton and Bolton Social Services.
All the information raised in your complaint has been passed to DC Mike HOBBS from Surrey Police, by DC PARKER of our unit.
The reason for this was that the historical offences you outlined in your complaint were committed in the Surrey area.
The Salesian College has been visited and Fr Michael WINSTANLEY is aware of the allegations.
Fr WILLIAMS is now house bound and has no contact with any vulnerable persons, and he is deemed currently not to be a danger to children.
In respect of the Police at Bolton there are no further lines of enquiry to pursue.
Regards.
Keith Isherwood
Detective Sergeant
PPIU
Child Protection Unit
The primary reason why the investigation has not resulted in a prosecution is that the victims who came forward, following the publication of my book Conspiracy of Faith, in which I tell the story of how Fr Williams protected my abuser, Hugh Madley, were not willing to make a formal complaint to the police. Such is the power of the Catholic Order on vulnerable children and vulnerable adults.
It's not over yet, though!
Tuesday, 30 December 2008
Monday, 29 December 2008
Picking Up The Pieces
Picking Up The Pieces - A survival guide for all victims of childhood sexual abuse
Written by Graham Wilmer and fellow survivors, this book will be of real help to survivors, counsellors and all other professionals working with victims of child abuse.
It also includes an up-to-date, comprehensive review of the criminal and civil law in England in relation to victims of abuse, and the moving and disturbing accounts of more than fifty survivors of child abuse - voices of courage, who have told their stories here, many for the first time ever, to help other victims understand that they are not alone and they can recover.
Written by Graham Wilmer and fellow survivors, this book will be of real help to survivors, counsellors and all other professionals working with victims of child abuse.
'Picking up the pieces' answers all those difficult questions - like how to tell someone that you have been sexually abused; who to tell; what will happen next; where to get help and what type of help is available. It includes first hand information on how sexual abuse affects children and their development, and unique insights into the mental health problems that often occur later in life, resulting from abuse.
It also includes an up-to-date, comprehensive review of the criminal and civil law in England in relation to victims of abuse, and the moving and disturbing accounts of more than fifty survivors of child abuse - voices of courage, who have told their stories here, many for the first time ever, to help other victims understand that they are not alone and they can recover.
Monday, 1 December 2008
I haven't 'gone away'.
28 November 2008
Hugh Madley
52 Hale Lane
Mill Hill
London
NW7 3PR
Dear Hugh
I am writing to advise you that I have decided not to proceed with the civil action for damages against you that I have been preparing. My barrister (a leading specialist in child sexual abuse claims) has advised me, after looking at my case, and based on all of the evidence available (which includes the statements you made to Surrey police after your second arrest in October 2004) that, while I have a 70% chance of wining a claim against you in the High Court, the amount of damages I could expect, if I won, would not be that great, probably in the order of between £15,000 and £30,000 maximum.
Against this, I have had to weight the prospect of taking the claim through to trial, if you were to decide to fight the claim rather than make a part 36 offer, something that my barrister said is possible, given your previous decision to fight the criminal charges against you, despite you having admitted to the police everything you did to me.
I have also taken into account the fact that any judgement of damages I might obtain from the court would then have to be extracted from you, which would involve me placing a charging order on your house, which could take years to realise.
Then there is the psychological cost of having this hanging over me for perhaps several more years, as against the more palatable prospect of being able to draw a line under it all now by accepting that we are where we are and leaving things at that.
I think even you would understand that, when everything has been taken into consideration, there is more likely to be a better overall outcome for me, in terms of my recovery, in not proceeding with a claim for damages than there is in me proceeding, so that is my decision.
While this decision, I am sure, will be good news for you, I want you to know that I still carry the same level of cold hatred towards you as I did after the trial collapsed in September 2005, which I accept was partly due to the errors made by the police, but only happened because you chose to plead not guilty, when, of course, we all know you clearly are guilty, as you have admitted publicly on at least two occasions since.
You should also know that your decision to ignore the subsequent letters both I and David Williams have written to you has not helped matters in respect of where we go from here, as, my decision not to proceed with a civil claim for damages against you does not mean that I have forgiven you, as I have not.
Since my book Conspiracy of Faith was published, numerous other victims have made contact with me and revealed allegations of child abuse against the Salesians, which are now the subject of ongoing police and child protection team investigations and civil actions as well. You will no doubt have seen the recent criminal trial (September 22nd) of Fr Peter Carr, who is now in prison, this being just one of them, and others will follow.
I can tell you now that at least one of these allegations involves you and a Battersea boy called Andrew, whose mother has told me about the events that occurred when you took Andrew (a vulnerable boy whom I am told was diagnosed with a mild form of ‘Ausberger’s Syndrome) away on a camping holiday. She told you subsequently, when you tried to arrange a further holiday with Andrew, several months after he had actually left the school, that she did not ever want you make contact with her or Andrew again.
Her version of events was also confirmed to me independently by a former teaching colleague of yours, Kevin Boyle, who was also a close friend of Andrew’s family, and who taught Andrew for a while at some stage. This particular allegation emerged after my story was published in the Guardian in August last year, in which you admitted to Frances Beckett that you had abused me, although you tried to temper the account by claiming that it was all my fault - we all had a good laugh at that as it was such a pathetic claim to have made and so typical of you.
So, I will continue to investigate the allegations against the Salesians, which continue to grow, passing what information I have to the relevant authorities as the evidence emerges, which, hopefully will lead to more prosecutions in time, including yours, as the police, and myself of course, have never accepted that I was the only child you abused. It is simply a matter of time before sufficient evidence emerges to enable the police to prosecute you again, hopefully next time with a more positive outcome.
I am not expecting you to reply to me, although I would would like to hear your views on all of the above, but I want you to understand one thing - I will never give up until I have seen you prosecuted, so don’t think that ignoring me will make me go away - it won’t. I will pursue you to the end, wherever, whenever and however that occurs.
Yours sincerely
Graham Wilmer
Hugh Madley
52 Hale Lane
Mill Hill
London
NW7 3PR
Dear Hugh
I am writing to advise you that I have decided not to proceed with the civil action for damages against you that I have been preparing. My barrister (a leading specialist in child sexual abuse claims) has advised me, after looking at my case, and based on all of the evidence available (which includes the statements you made to Surrey police after your second arrest in October 2004) that, while I have a 70% chance of wining a claim against you in the High Court, the amount of damages I could expect, if I won, would not be that great, probably in the order of between £15,000 and £30,000 maximum.
Against this, I have had to weight the prospect of taking the claim through to trial, if you were to decide to fight the claim rather than make a part 36 offer, something that my barrister said is possible, given your previous decision to fight the criminal charges against you, despite you having admitted to the police everything you did to me.
I have also taken into account the fact that any judgement of damages I might obtain from the court would then have to be extracted from you, which would involve me placing a charging order on your house, which could take years to realise.
Then there is the psychological cost of having this hanging over me for perhaps several more years, as against the more palatable prospect of being able to draw a line under it all now by accepting that we are where we are and leaving things at that.
I think even you would understand that, when everything has been taken into consideration, there is more likely to be a better overall outcome for me, in terms of my recovery, in not proceeding with a claim for damages than there is in me proceeding, so that is my decision.
While this decision, I am sure, will be good news for you, I want you to know that I still carry the same level of cold hatred towards you as I did after the trial collapsed in September 2005, which I accept was partly due to the errors made by the police, but only happened because you chose to plead not guilty, when, of course, we all know you clearly are guilty, as you have admitted publicly on at least two occasions since.
You should also know that your decision to ignore the subsequent letters both I and David Williams have written to you has not helped matters in respect of where we go from here, as, my decision not to proceed with a civil claim for damages against you does not mean that I have forgiven you, as I have not.
Since my book Conspiracy of Faith was published, numerous other victims have made contact with me and revealed allegations of child abuse against the Salesians, which are now the subject of ongoing police and child protection team investigations and civil actions as well. You will no doubt have seen the recent criminal trial (September 22nd) of Fr Peter Carr, who is now in prison, this being just one of them, and others will follow.
I can tell you now that at least one of these allegations involves you and a Battersea boy called Andrew, whose mother has told me about the events that occurred when you took Andrew (a vulnerable boy whom I am told was diagnosed with a mild form of ‘Ausberger’s Syndrome) away on a camping holiday. She told you subsequently, when you tried to arrange a further holiday with Andrew, several months after he had actually left the school, that she did not ever want you make contact with her or Andrew again.
Her version of events was also confirmed to me independently by a former teaching colleague of yours, Kevin Boyle, who was also a close friend of Andrew’s family, and who taught Andrew for a while at some stage. This particular allegation emerged after my story was published in the Guardian in August last year, in which you admitted to Frances Beckett that you had abused me, although you tried to temper the account by claiming that it was all my fault - we all had a good laugh at that as it was such a pathetic claim to have made and so typical of you.
So, I will continue to investigate the allegations against the Salesians, which continue to grow, passing what information I have to the relevant authorities as the evidence emerges, which, hopefully will lead to more prosecutions in time, including yours, as the police, and myself of course, have never accepted that I was the only child you abused. It is simply a matter of time before sufficient evidence emerges to enable the police to prosecute you again, hopefully next time with a more positive outcome.
I am not expecting you to reply to me, although I would would like to hear your views on all of the above, but I want you to understand one thing - I will never give up until I have seen you prosecuted, so don’t think that ignoring me will make me go away - it won’t. I will pursue you to the end, wherever, whenever and however that occurs.
Yours sincerely
Graham Wilmer
Friday, 7 September 2007
Sex abuse claims
Letters - Friday August 24, 2007 The Guardian
Hugh Madley, the teacher who admitted sexually abusing me when I was a child (Breaking the silence, G2 August 3 http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,,2140727,00.html), claims he did not initiate the abuse. This is not the first time he has made that defence of his actions; he said the same to police in two interviews under caution in October 2004. How is it then, that in the many letters he wrote to me earlier in 2004, in whch he asked me and my family to forgive him for destroying my life, he tells a different story. (His letters are on my website, http://www.grahamwilmer.org.uk/) Madley's defence of his actions is not uncommon in paedophiles, once they are caught, and can be discounted.
What is more serious, and needs radical change if we are to resolve the fact that only 5% of child abuse cases in the UK ever get disclosed, is the way the criminal justice system deals with historical child abuse cases. At present, the victim is made to feel like the guilty party for having dared to speak out, as I was in court during my case. What is needed is better training of those involved in investigating and prosecuting historical child abuse cases. "It happened a long, long time ago" is not an excuse for failing to take action, particularly for those responsible for child protection in religious organisations and faith schools.
Graham Wilmer - Wallasey, Wirral
Hugh Madley, the teacher who admitted sexually abusing me when I was a child (Breaking the silence, G2 August 3 http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,,2140727,00.html), claims he did not initiate the abuse. This is not the first time he has made that defence of his actions; he said the same to police in two interviews under caution in October 2004. How is it then, that in the many letters he wrote to me earlier in 2004, in whch he asked me and my family to forgive him for destroying my life, he tells a different story. (His letters are on my website, http://www.grahamwilmer.org.uk/) Madley's defence of his actions is not uncommon in paedophiles, once they are caught, and can be discounted.
What is more serious, and needs radical change if we are to resolve the fact that only 5% of child abuse cases in the UK ever get disclosed, is the way the criminal justice system deals with historical child abuse cases. At present, the victim is made to feel like the guilty party for having dared to speak out, as I was in court during my case. What is needed is better training of those involved in investigating and prosecuting historical child abuse cases. "It happened a long, long time ago" is not an excuse for failing to take action, particularly for those responsible for child protection in religious organisations and faith schools.
Graham Wilmer - Wallasey, Wirral
Secrets & Lies
Francis Beckett
This summer the Scottish Cardinal Keith O’Brien said that sex education in schools was like “state-sponsored sexual abuse” of children. And the Catholic Church should know a thing or two about sexual abuse of children.
It knows about other sorts of abuse too. In the ‘50s and ‘60s, in some British Catholic schools, hundreds of childhoods were blighted through sexual abuse, beatings or simply lack of care.
Everyone knows Catholic priests abused and brutalised children in other countries. In the USA, the Los Angeles Diocese alone recently paid out $660 million to settle 550 cases out of court. In Ireland one Catholic order, the Christian Brothers, was forced to take advertisements in all the country’s national newspapers in 1998, apologising for years of brutal beatings and abuse.
Read the full article by clicking on this link: http://newhumanist.org.uk/1576
Thursday, 6 September 2007
Breaking My Silence
by Graham Wilmer
http://www.grahamwilmer.org.uk
I was born in Bedford, England on 20th October 1951. Three years later, my parents moved to Pyrford in Surrey, where I grew up with my four sisters. I went to Pyrford Primary school, where I was very happy and did well. In September 1963, aged eleven, I went to the Salesian College in Chertsey, Surrey, an independent Catholic school for boys. For the next three years, I enjoyed school, made good friends and continued to do well academically.
Then, in September 1966, a new teacher joined the school. Hubert Madley. Within a few weeks, he began to be very friendly to me, taking me home after school and working his way into my family. Then it began, and for the next two years he sexually abused me as often as he could and wherever he could.
In February 1968, following the tragic death of my closest friend, Martin Allen, I went to confession and told my housemaster, Fr Madden, what Madley was doing to me. Fr Madden then told the headmaster, Fr O'Shea, who informed the Rector, Fr Gaffney and the Provincial Superior - Fr George Williams.
But, instead of helping me, they swore me to silence and moved Madley to the Salesian College in Battersea to protect him and the school's name - or so I thought at the time. I was left to fend for myself, without any support from the school. Neither my parents nor the police were told. I failed all my exams and was thrown out of the school.
The impact of the sexual trauma I had suffered was compounded by the betrayal of the Salesian priests, after I had gone to them for help, a combination which created deep- seated psychological issues within me that would continue to damage me for years to come. This damage manifested itself in different ways as I developed a range of harmful behaviours as 'coping mechanisms', in order to survive, including alcohol abuse, self-harm and sex addiction.
I found it difficult to settle and was incapable of forming lasting relationships. I tried to pretend that it had never happened by burying the memories deep in my mind, and for the next 30 or so years, I stumbled on through life, but the legacy of guilt, confusion and anger was never far from the surface.
Then, in 1995, the hidden memories began to re-emerge. A trickle at first, then more, and more, each time becoming sharper in focus and more detailed. They pervaded my mind during every moment of every day, and haunted my dreams at night. Eventually, at the beginning of 1997, I broke down, unable to cope with the force of these awful images, which totally overwhelmed me and took me to the brink of self-destruction. I was lucky though, I had someone who stood by me. She looked after me while I tried to find the support and counselling that I needed, and, eventually, I began to recover.
During my treatment, I was advised by my counsellor to tell the police about what had happened to me, so, in November 1999, I made a full statement to Surrey Police who launched an investigation. In April 2000, Madley was arrested, but he denied that anything had gone on between us. Fr O'Shea also denied knowing anything about it, and, based on their denials, the CPS decided not to prosecute due to lack of evidence, even though the police had not even interviewed Fr Williams by the time they made that decision.
Fr Edward Joseph O'Shea SDB was Headmaster of the Salesian College, Chertsey from 1967 to 1977. This is what he told Surrey Police in an interview on March 27th 2000."I became the Headteacher at Salesian College, Highfield Road, Chertsey Surrey in September 1967. I remained at the school for ten years until I left in 1977. I have been asked by the police if I recall a boy named Graham Wilmer coming to me and making an allegation of sexual abuse against a teacher called Hugh Madley. I do not recall any allegation of this kind being made. I am sure that if it had been I would remember."
Despite this, I was not prepared to give up, so, In October 2000, I informed the Salesians that I intended to start civil proceedings against them They responded by offering to mediate with me, although they continued to deny having any knowledge of what I had happened, saying that it would be far less painful and much quicker to mediate, rather than go through the courts. I agreed, and they began conducting their own internal investigation in preparation for the mediation.
Fr George Williams SDBProvincial Superior of the Salesians in the UK in 1968, yet, although a primary witness, Fr George Williams was never even interviewed as part of the Salesian investigation in Feb 2001. The lawyers acting for the Salesians responded to me by saying:
''SDB have conducted a thorough investigation into the allegations you have made, and there is no evidence to support your claims. The Salesian Order know nothing about this matter.''
The mediation took place in February 2001, at which the Salesians continued to deny having ever had any knowledge of what I was claiming. However, they offered me a token sum of money on the understanding that I would not sue them or Madley, nor would I say anything about the matter ever again.
I took the money, but I did not stay quiet. Instead, I began my own investigation, using some of the money to fund it. The breakthrough came In April 2004, after I tracked Madley down and told him that I intended to bring a private criminal prosecution against him.
This time, instead of denying everything, he wrote me a series of letters asking me to forgive him, and he had numerous telephone conversations with my friend David Williams, in which he confessed everything he had done to me. He also disclosed the full nature of the conspiracy the Provincial, Fr George Williams, had cooked up with him in 1968 to keep the lid on everything.
This is part of what Madley wrote on 5th August 2004 to the Salesian's lawyers, because they were still claiming that they knew nothing about the matter. The full text is contained in the section 'Written Evidence,' on my web site http://www.grahamwilmer.org.uk/
"Not long after this, Graham informed me he had told the Salesians about us. Although I told Graham at the time that I would deny it, I did in fact go to see Fr Gaffney, the Rector, and confessed to him what I had done. He asked me to resign, which I did. He said at the time that he would see Fr O'Shea the following morning and tell him that I had resigned. Fr Gaffney asked me to promise him that I would never offend against a child again, and I made him that promise.Some time afterwards, I can't recall exactly how long it was, Fr Gaffney died, and at his funeral, Fr Williams told me that he knew what had happened and he wanted to hear it from me. I told him the full story and he asked me why I had done it. I told him that on the first occasion, I was unable to control my feelings for Graham. He said he could accept that on the first occasion, but he asked me about the subsequent times and I had no answer for that.Fr Williams asked me what I was doing for the future following my resignation. I told him that I had applied for a couple of posts, but had not been successful. He told me that there was a teaching post vacant at Battersea and that were I to apply for it, he would not stand in my way. He said that he would arrange an interview for me. He also asked me to repeat to him the promise I had made to Fr Gaffney, which I did.I applied for the post and was appointed following the interview. Fr Foley, the head teacher at Battersea, told me that I was to be supervised and that I was not to have contact with any boy on a one-to-one basis. The rest is history."
Surrey police decided that these letters, together with the phone calls, which David had taped, contained enough information to enable them to launch a new investigation, so, Madley was arrested again on October 17th 2004, at his home in North London, and taken to Collingwood police station, where he was interviewed under caution. Madley was subsequently charged with buggery and indecent assault, under the Sexual Offences Act 1963, and sent for trial in December 2005. The full story of what happened to me, and the struggles I endured in my quest for justice, is told in my book 'Conspiracy of Faith', which was published by Lutterworth Press on 22 February 2007.
Since then, allegations of sexual abuse have emerged aginst Fr George Williams, spanning decades and involving pupils at Shrigley Hall, the former Salesian Missionery College in Macelsfield, Cheshire. These alleagtions have been brought into the public domain by a former Salesian Priest, and are outlined in an open latter, published by the former priest on 23 August 2007 (see below). These new allegations are currently being investigated by Greater Manchester Police, and a meeting of the Salesian's Child Protection Team, and independant group led by a senior member of the NSPCC, has been called to examine them as well. Fr Williams is still alive and lives amongst the Salesian community at Bolton, now the provincial HQ of the Salesians in the UK.
http://www.grahamwilmer.org.uk
I was born in Bedford, England on 20th October 1951. Three years later, my parents moved to Pyrford in Surrey, where I grew up with my four sisters. I went to Pyrford Primary school, where I was very happy and did well. In September 1963, aged eleven, I went to the Salesian College in Chertsey, Surrey, an independent Catholic school for boys. For the next three years, I enjoyed school, made good friends and continued to do well academically.
Then, in September 1966, a new teacher joined the school. Hubert Madley. Within a few weeks, he began to be very friendly to me, taking me home after school and working his way into my family. Then it began, and for the next two years he sexually abused me as often as he could and wherever he could.
In February 1968, following the tragic death of my closest friend, Martin Allen, I went to confession and told my housemaster, Fr Madden, what Madley was doing to me. Fr Madden then told the headmaster, Fr O'Shea, who informed the Rector, Fr Gaffney and the Provincial Superior - Fr George Williams.
But, instead of helping me, they swore me to silence and moved Madley to the Salesian College in Battersea to protect him and the school's name - or so I thought at the time. I was left to fend for myself, without any support from the school. Neither my parents nor the police were told. I failed all my exams and was thrown out of the school.
The impact of the sexual trauma I had suffered was compounded by the betrayal of the Salesian priests, after I had gone to them for help, a combination which created deep- seated psychological issues within me that would continue to damage me for years to come. This damage manifested itself in different ways as I developed a range of harmful behaviours as 'coping mechanisms', in order to survive, including alcohol abuse, self-harm and sex addiction.
I found it difficult to settle and was incapable of forming lasting relationships. I tried to pretend that it had never happened by burying the memories deep in my mind, and for the next 30 or so years, I stumbled on through life, but the legacy of guilt, confusion and anger was never far from the surface.
Then, in 1995, the hidden memories began to re-emerge. A trickle at first, then more, and more, each time becoming sharper in focus and more detailed. They pervaded my mind during every moment of every day, and haunted my dreams at night. Eventually, at the beginning of 1997, I broke down, unable to cope with the force of these awful images, which totally overwhelmed me and took me to the brink of self-destruction. I was lucky though, I had someone who stood by me. She looked after me while I tried to find the support and counselling that I needed, and, eventually, I began to recover.
During my treatment, I was advised by my counsellor to tell the police about what had happened to me, so, in November 1999, I made a full statement to Surrey Police who launched an investigation. In April 2000, Madley was arrested, but he denied that anything had gone on between us. Fr O'Shea also denied knowing anything about it, and, based on their denials, the CPS decided not to prosecute due to lack of evidence, even though the police had not even interviewed Fr Williams by the time they made that decision.
Fr Edward Joseph O'Shea SDB was Headmaster of the Salesian College, Chertsey from 1967 to 1977. This is what he told Surrey Police in an interview on March 27th 2000."I became the Headteacher at Salesian College, Highfield Road, Chertsey Surrey in September 1967. I remained at the school for ten years until I left in 1977. I have been asked by the police if I recall a boy named Graham Wilmer coming to me and making an allegation of sexual abuse against a teacher called Hugh Madley. I do not recall any allegation of this kind being made. I am sure that if it had been I would remember."
Despite this, I was not prepared to give up, so, In October 2000, I informed the Salesians that I intended to start civil proceedings against them They responded by offering to mediate with me, although they continued to deny having any knowledge of what I had happened, saying that it would be far less painful and much quicker to mediate, rather than go through the courts. I agreed, and they began conducting their own internal investigation in preparation for the mediation.
Fr George Williams SDBProvincial Superior of the Salesians in the UK in 1968, yet, although a primary witness, Fr George Williams was never even interviewed as part of the Salesian investigation in Feb 2001. The lawyers acting for the Salesians responded to me by saying:
''SDB have conducted a thorough investigation into the allegations you have made, and there is no evidence to support your claims. The Salesian Order know nothing about this matter.''
The mediation took place in February 2001, at which the Salesians continued to deny having ever had any knowledge of what I was claiming. However, they offered me a token sum of money on the understanding that I would not sue them or Madley, nor would I say anything about the matter ever again.
I took the money, but I did not stay quiet. Instead, I began my own investigation, using some of the money to fund it. The breakthrough came In April 2004, after I tracked Madley down and told him that I intended to bring a private criminal prosecution against him.
This time, instead of denying everything, he wrote me a series of letters asking me to forgive him, and he had numerous telephone conversations with my friend David Williams, in which he confessed everything he had done to me. He also disclosed the full nature of the conspiracy the Provincial, Fr George Williams, had cooked up with him in 1968 to keep the lid on everything.
This is part of what Madley wrote on 5th August 2004 to the Salesian's lawyers, because they were still claiming that they knew nothing about the matter. The full text is contained in the section 'Written Evidence,' on my web site http://www.grahamwilmer.org.uk/
"Not long after this, Graham informed me he had told the Salesians about us. Although I told Graham at the time that I would deny it, I did in fact go to see Fr Gaffney, the Rector, and confessed to him what I had done. He asked me to resign, which I did. He said at the time that he would see Fr O'Shea the following morning and tell him that I had resigned. Fr Gaffney asked me to promise him that I would never offend against a child again, and I made him that promise.Some time afterwards, I can't recall exactly how long it was, Fr Gaffney died, and at his funeral, Fr Williams told me that he knew what had happened and he wanted to hear it from me. I told him the full story and he asked me why I had done it. I told him that on the first occasion, I was unable to control my feelings for Graham. He said he could accept that on the first occasion, but he asked me about the subsequent times and I had no answer for that.Fr Williams asked me what I was doing for the future following my resignation. I told him that I had applied for a couple of posts, but had not been successful. He told me that there was a teaching post vacant at Battersea and that were I to apply for it, he would not stand in my way. He said that he would arrange an interview for me. He also asked me to repeat to him the promise I had made to Fr Gaffney, which I did.I applied for the post and was appointed following the interview. Fr Foley, the head teacher at Battersea, told me that I was to be supervised and that I was not to have contact with any boy on a one-to-one basis. The rest is history."
Surrey police decided that these letters, together with the phone calls, which David had taped, contained enough information to enable them to launch a new investigation, so, Madley was arrested again on October 17th 2004, at his home in North London, and taken to Collingwood police station, where he was interviewed under caution. Madley was subsequently charged with buggery and indecent assault, under the Sexual Offences Act 1963, and sent for trial in December 2005. The full story of what happened to me, and the struggles I endured in my quest for justice, is told in my book 'Conspiracy of Faith', which was published by Lutterworth Press on 22 February 2007.
Since then, allegations of sexual abuse have emerged aginst Fr George Williams, spanning decades and involving pupils at Shrigley Hall, the former Salesian Missionery College in Macelsfield, Cheshire. These alleagtions have been brought into the public domain by a former Salesian Priest, and are outlined in an open latter, published by the former priest on 23 August 2007 (see below). These new allegations are currently being investigated by Greater Manchester Police, and a meeting of the Salesian's Child Protection Team, and independant group led by a senior member of the NSPCC, has been called to examine them as well. Fr Williams is still alive and lives amongst the Salesian community at Bolton, now the provincial HQ of the Salesians in the UK.
'Bombshell' letter reveals wider abuse.
On 23rd August, 2007, I received a letter from a former Salesian priest, confirming what I had always suspected - that a former Provincial Superior of the British Province of the Salesians of Don Bosco, Fr George 'Gus' Williams, had silenced me back in 1968, when I told him that I was being sexually abused by Hugh Madley, a teacher at my school (the Salesian College, Chertsey, Surrey), because he was himself a child abuser. I have given this letter to the police.
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