Eileen Kersey writing out of Yorkshire, England

Is British justice class based, Adam Johnson and Andrew Picard

3/3/2016

Andrew Boeckman aka Picard

Op-ed: Question-when is a paedophile not a paedophile? Answer-when he has links to the establishment and comes from a wealthy background.

This week ex-England footballer Adam Johnson, 27, has been found guilty of "a charge of sexual touching, but not guilty on a charge relating to another sexual act." The victim was a 15-year-old girl.

[Underage sex is a lesser known section of the Sexual Offences Act of 2003. It deals with sexual activity between adults and children who are over the age of 13 but under the legal age of consent, 16. Simply, if a grown-up has sex with a consenting teenager aged between 13 and 15, the act is not automatically considered rape.]

The abuse began after Adam Johnson accepted a Facebook friend request from a teenage superfan. They exchanged numbers and began chatting; she told him her age 15. The pair arranged to meet. They allegedly engaged in 'sexual activity' in his Range Rover, following almost two weeks of flirting via WhatsApp. Johnson admitted kissing her but denied anything further.

After he stood her up when they had arranged to meet for a third time she sent Snapchats from outside his home to friends and the rumour machine went into overdrive. She told all to her father and they went to the police.

Johnson, who grew up in a working-class northern, coal-mining community was told by the judge Wednesday to expect a jail term of between 5 and 10 years. When he has served his time in jail he will be allowed back into society but will be placed on

He has squandered his career, family life and personal wealth; all the privileges that go hand in hand with a successful career in football in the UK are lost. He has brought the game into disrepute.

"Judge Jonathan Rose has warned Johnson he faces jail and told him to "say goodbye to your daughter"."

You can read more about Johnson's crimes here at BBC News.

But then we have a young man, an Eton College student, Andrew Picard who was found to have more than 2,000 indecent images of children on his computer; Picard encouraged youngsters to strip for him on a webcam.

According to the Daily Mail Picard was aged 17 when he committed the crimes between January and February 2015; crimes which include "making and distributing ‘appalling’ indecent images of children and bestiality film clips." In October a magistrate's court decided the charges against Picard were too serious for him to be tried at such a court.

We shall leave the Picard story there and hand over to the text of a petition to Alison Saunders, the Attorney General DPP which demands "REVIEW SENTENCE OF ETON STUDENT ANDREW PICARD WHO SHARED PHOTOS OF CHILD OF 2 BEING RAPED."

Eton student who shared 'appalling' abuse photos from his dorm computer of children as young as two being raped is SPARED jail.

*Andrew Picard had 2,000 indecent images of children on his computer
*Top lawyer's son sat in college dormitory sharing pictures in chat rooms
*Was caught aged 17 sharing material with an undercover police officer
*He admitted child porn charges but was given suspended jail sentence

The 18-year-old [now] son of a top lawyer sat in his college dormitory sharing the pictures in chat rooms and was 17 when he was caught sharing material with an undercover police officer.

Picard, who was arrested at Eton after his IP address was traced there, admitted ten counts of child pornography - and at Oxford Crown Court was today handed a ten-month prison term, suspended for 18 months.

He was let off jail after being credited for his work with doctors in the past year to address his offending - but this was said to be a perk of his privileged position.

The offences dated from January to February last year when Picard made indecent images of youngsters and shared them via chat messages on Skype.

Thousands of images and clips were found on Picard’s computer and hard drive that showed acts so appalling that Judge Peter Ross could not bring himself to describe them.

Others showed children as young as two being raped and forced to have sex with dogs.

Cathy Olliver, prosecuting, said the undercover officer had entered a ‘teen’ chatroom, for those aged between 13 and 19 years, on February 9, 2015, when he was contacted by a user called 'AP16MUK' - standing for Andrew Picard, aged 16, male, from the UK.

Picard messaged the undercover officer asking: ‘Do you want to see pics of boys and girls your age, nude?’

Boasting of having hundreds of videos, Picard added the officer on Skype and shared indecent images of a boy aged ten and girls aged eight and 14 years.

Asking the undercover officer for proof he was aged 14 years as he said and not some ‘old’ man, Picard later shared a video of his own face.

‘His IP address led police to Eton school in Berkshire where staff were able to identify him as a pupil,’ Ms Olliver said. ‘He was arrested from school on suspicion of distributing indecent photographs of children.’

Picard admitted one count of possessing indecent pictures of children, one count of making indecent pictures of children and eight counts of distributing indecent photos or recordings of a child.

Detectives found 1,185 indecent images and videos on his computer and on hard-drives seized from his school dormitory.

They also discovered chat logs from the chatrooms where Picard boasted about the ‘quality’ of his videos and asked users who claimed to be as young as 14 to exchange naked shots of themselves for indecent videos he would provide.

Ms Olliver said it was a feature of Picard's offending that he would send images in return for the user to strip, showing him their ‘underarm or groin’.

She added: ‘There are aggravating features, the children are very young, in obvious pain and distress, and the number of photographs distributed.’

Dressed in jeans, trainers and a navy jumper, brown-haired Picard squeezed his eyes shut as Judge Peter Ross described some of the vile Category A material found in his possession.
One of his videos showed a girl as young as three being raped, while others showed young children being forced to have sex with dogs.

Sallie Bennett-Jenkins, QC referred to her client's remorse and pointed to the good work he had been doing with doctors in the past year, undergoing constant treatment with numerous doctors and psychiatrists.

‘This is a young and very able man who has hopes for the future,’ she added. ‘He was able to have this opportunity [to seek help] and this was something Andrew sought for himself, by himself.’

Sparing Picard jail, Judge Ross said a term of custody would undo the good work he had done in the past year undergoing extensive counselling.

He said: ‘This defendant Andrew Picard was a privileged young man. His family are clearly wealthy enough to send him to school in Eton.

‘Quite how you found your way into this unpleasant world Mr Picard, the world of chatrooms and exchanging this material, is not clear to me.

‘Why you did it doctors and others have sought to explain - the emotional difficulties you had, issues around your sexuality.’

However he blasted all those who deal in child sexual exploitation, saying they were not ‘victimless crimes.’

‘All too often in these courts we see the internet and chatrooms providing a degree of assumed detachment in terms of what is said and the material that is viewed.

‘Please make no bones about it, these are children, some of them very tiny, and they are being abused and tortured simply to provide sexual gratification, mainly, to adult males.

‘All over the world, too often in the third world, children being made objects of the most appalling abuse.

‘It forms a currency and you played a part in that. You were seeking to obtain your own sexual gratification.’

A mental health treatment requirement was added to his sentence for 18 months, which will continue with his existing providers. He was made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and was ordered to pay £1,200 in prosecution costs.

Picard's wealthy family live in prime real estate next to the Houses of Parliament in Westminster. His father is a managing partner in the London office of a large American corporate law firm.

The judge added: ‘It has been said that you and your family have suffered deeply as a result of your arrest and public exposure. ‘Your family didn't deserve that but it is a consequence of this sort of offending. Inevitably your privileged background and where you were going to school added a degree of frissance to the reporting.’

One man, a young father aged 27, the other ten years his junior a teenager well-used to a life of privilege.

The first could be jailed for up to ten years but the second was handed down a ten-month prison term, suspended for 18 months.

Johnson had to sign the sex offenders' register Picard as far as we know did not.

In fact there are rumours that Picard is in fact not his real name - Andrew Boeckman was allowed to use his mother’s maiden name of Picard during his trial and the subsequent reporting.

In the case of Picard Judge Peter Ross, who passed the sentence, said some of the images were so appalling that he could not bring himself to describe them.

Eton is a prestigious private school near Windsor, Berkshire, where many leading Tory politicians have been educated, including David Cameron and Boris Johnson. If Piggate is true David Cameron and some other old Etonians get up to strange shenanigans once they leave that school and go on to Oxford University.

Please sign the petition by following this link

Further reading:
Andrew Picard: Did he get a soft sentence for being an Etonian?
Westminster paedophile ring: 'Missing' Dickens Dossier of alleged child abusers handed to John Mann MP

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Another sir as police investigate Edward Heath abuse allegations

4/8/2015

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Savile and Heath Daily Mirror image

Op-Ed: There have been vague allegations and whispers online for some years that the former Tory P.M. Sir Edward Heath had links to historical sex and child abuse but this week the proverbial has hit the fan.

Police are now appealing for anyone with information about the late Heath which could be relevant to allegations.

One person in the 90's reportedly had charges dropped when they threatened to name and shame Ted Heath. The IPCC, independent police complaints commission now investigate "whether Wiltshire police shelved a criminal inquiry after a suspect in another case threatened to expose the former Conservative premier as a paedophile."

The Wiltshire police force has also reopened investigations into allegations of abuse against Heath.

Tuesday there were reports that Scotland Yard is investigating allegations against Heath; but by the end of the day it was revealed five forces across the U.K. are looking into allegations of abuse.

The Met, Wiltshire, Kent, Jersey and Hampshire forces are now investigating but the Sir Edward Heath Charitable Foundation said it was confident he would be cleared of any wrongdoing.

The Daily Mirror report the person at the centre of the initial allegations as a 'madam' who "told detectives she would stand up in court and reveal lurid details of the Tory politician’s perverted sex life if she was ever charged with any offence."

Heath's sexuality was always questionable but we should not forget that does not make him a paedophile and that during his time as U.K. P.M. from 1970 - 1974 stepping out of the closet was a new phenomenon if it did exist at all. Homosexuality was legalised in England and Wales in 1967 but that did not extend to Scotland or Ireland.

Heath was a single man.

Have you noticed there seems to be a pattern developing? Heath died in 2005, aged 89, and was also a 'Sir'. How many of the accused celebrities and establishment figures have been honoured by the Queen after nomination by the P.M. of the day and how many are already dead?

The last one means that justice will never be truly served but the victims or survivors of abuse will get closure and a form of justice.

Those survivors who were dismissed years ago by police and the authorities as simply 'making up stories' deserve that at the very least.

There is always a problem with allegations that date back some years but particularly when the accused is dead.

There are always two-sides to every story but that does not mean allegations of abuse are fantasy.

But it does mean that hearing from the accused is not possible; there could be witnesses but the situation is far from ideal.

If police had properly investigated a series of allegations when they were made against people such as Jimmy Savile we would not have this terrible situation ongoing in the U.K.

Times change but abuse is abuse.

When will the police involved be called to account?

When will these 'honours' be removed?

More as available

From the Mail Online 2014 - Ted Heath's young oriental companion, and the gay friend who claims the ex-PM hid his true sexuality his entire life - Jeremy Norman, Mr Heath's friend, believes he was a closet homosexual.

Related at NEWTEKWORLDNEWS:
CSA inquiry costs and Justice Goddard pay deal
Police inquiry into Cliff Richard significantly expanded
What happened to the Westminster paedo ring abuse inquiry
Child sex abuse inquiry may last until 2020
Investigation into Cyril Smith arrest closed
Lost abuse documents found as parliament breaks for summer

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Lost abuse documents found as parliament breaks for summer

23/7/2015

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Op-Ed: British Prime Minster David Cameron owes the victims and survivors of alleged abuse by establishment figures over many years a huge apology.

In November 2014 Cameron called claims of a Home Office paedophile cover-up a 'conspiracy theory'. He dissed the survivors and did nothing to help speed up justice.

In December 2014 there were claims of at least one homicide linked to the abuse but as we reported “Homicide links to paedo ring but Cameron wants to move on."

Wednesday, a day after British Parliament broke for a long summer recess, a series of documents relating to allegations of an historical child and sex abuse ring with links to Westminster and the establishment it was publicly revealed they had been miraculously located.

Tuesday night Sky News, which had been pushing the government on the matter for some time, was finally successful.

When you look at what the documents are likely to allege and who may be involved suspicions of a cover-up, especially until some of those involved shuffled of this mortal coil, will fail to subside.

The Daily Mirror Wednesday named "Margaret Thatcher's former parliamentary secretary the late Sir Peter Morrison, former Home Secretary Sir Leon Brittan, former diplomat the late Sir Peter Hayman and former minister the late Sir William van Straubenzee" as involved but they are all deceased.

Although some of the allegations date back many years how many others still living were involved? How deep did the abuse run into the British Establishment? Looking at some of the names bandied about on social media this week it could have run very deep.

Looking at those accused including those from the world of celebrity in a separate investigation what stands out is all these men had been 'honoured' in the Queen's honour lists of various years.

Those who are honoured are promoted in part by the PM and government of the day.

With allegations that the late Margaret Thatcher was well aware of sleaze at Westminster why would she recommend any of these vile men received a royal honour?

The contents of the documents are not public knowledge at this time but will be useful for the CSA inquiry if not vital.

Since revelations in January Sky News has pushed for the release of 'missing files'.

It came after the Government released the details in January of a file prepared for Mrs Thatcher's office on the ‘unnatural sexual’ behaviour of one of the men Sir Peter Hayman.

The new batch of file names reveal there were further Government papers relating to the former MI6 man and career diplomat.

The content of the papers have not been revealed, however.

Sky News said the documents have been shared with the police and will be passed to the Child Abuse Inquiry led by Justice Lowell Goddard. Daily Mirror

Cameron is likely to call those who question the timing of the release of these documents as 'conspiracy theorists' but it is telling. How come these documents could not be found until after the 2015 General Election? How come they were lost until after Leon Brittan died in late January?

MPs it seems also thought the 11th hour release of the papers was 'fishy'.

The Daily Mirror reports "There was fury from MPs that ministers had revealed the information on the day after the Commons rose for its summer break. Labour MP Tom Watson, who has campaigned against child abuse, accused the Government of "sneaking out" the documents during the parliament recess. This meant MPs could not "scrutinise properly" the papers nor "hold ministers to account," he said. "They suggest allegations were made around child abuse in the mid 1980s involving politicians and for whatever reason the security services and police failed to follow through these allegations," he said. "Three years ago no one would have believed that very powerful people could have abused people and the agencies of the state covered them up to protect their reputations.

Why did Home Secretary Theresa May in 2014 appoint two successive women with strong links to the establishment to chair the CSA inquiry?

Delays, disbelief and disrespect for the survivors from those in power and it is fair to conclude many knew what had really happened.

The Westminster paedo ring 'conspiracy' is a myth and it is way past time justice was served.

In late June we reported "As allegations of child and sex abuse in the UK, that date back many years, rumble on here at NEWTEKNEWS we are looking back at some of the background to this continuing story as the 'survivors' are left still yearning for justice."

Check out our earlier reports for the background and more:

More at:
The S.A.F.F.

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CSA inquiry costs and Justice Goddard pay deal

13/7/2015

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UK Home Secretary Theresa May

July 13: Op-Ed: July 9 we reported that a long delayed inquiry into child sex abuse in the UK had finally got underway.

Justice Lowell Goddard, 66, the third person appointed to chair the inquiry following the resignations of Baroness Sloss and Fiona Woolf, in opening the inquiry said it may last until 2020.

We wondered what Goddard would be getting paid for her role as chair asking part cynically and part jokingly what she was getting paid and whether it would be lucrative for her to hold a long inquiry.

Monday her pay for undertaking the role has been made public.

Goddard will receive an annual salary of £360,000, with an additional an annual rental allowance of £110,000 and £12,000 a year to cover utilities. As the BBC reports "The Home Office will also cover the cost of four return flights from the UK to the judge's native New Zealand." The flight cost includes her husband and there is provision for immediate family members. Her pay deal is worth £480,000 a year plus without those flights.

Of course she would never be able to fund the flights herself out of a measly £360,000 a year.

While it is an important inquiry and vital that justice is finally served the figures are staggering.

Was it so difficult to find a truly independent British person qualified to chair the inquiry? Did Home Secretary Theresa May set this pay deal?

But of course Goddard's pay is just the tip of the financial iceberg. With an estimated cost of £17.9m cost for one year:

Panel members will receive £565 a day, with staffing costs accounting for 41% of the overall budget. Costs relating to the set-up and running of offices across England and Wales make up 21% of the budget, while operational costs, such as safeguarding support, account for 17% of the budget.

UK Home Secretary Theresa May has approved the budget of £17.9m for 2015/16. Where do they get these figures from?

The inquiry was set to run from April 2015 until December 2018 but can be extended if necessary by mutual agreement.

The costs are staggering but what about the human cost of our failed justice system to the survivors of abuse?

Check out the CSA inquiry facts and figures here

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Child sex abuse inquiry may last until 2020

9/7/2015

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Op-Ed: UK: As survivors of child sex abuse continue their long wait for justice news Thursday that the inquiry could last until 2020 will feel like a slap in the face; that will take it toward the next General Election in the UK, could mean it is left for a successive government to complete, may get lost in political news but may mean that perpetrators of the abuse have shuffled of their mortal coil; abuse over decades from as long ago as the 60's and 70's still lacking justice-what a black stain on the UK and its justice system.

Of course one of the issues with this inquiry is the finger points at Westminster and members of the establishment.

Accusations of a cover-up, potential whitewash and conspiracy theories continue as time ticks away and will let some of the abusers off the hook.

Sadly some survivors of the abuse are also moving into old age with obvious implications for any investigation and attempts at justice.

Memories unravel, evidence becomes skewed, people die, become ill, move abroad and more.

Lord Greville Janner looked set to escape prosecution for allegations dating back decades but on June 29 we reported "Decision not to prosecute Janner overturned, what now for DPP."

Janner's deteriorating health was initially cited as a reason not to prosecute but how many more befuddled old people are involved in the allegations?

As justice has been postponed, dismissed, and swept away over many decades is a further delay productive?

The survivors may get their day in court and some satisfaction but closure tends to come when justice is meted out.

Thursday BBC News reports:

The sexual abuse of children has left "scars" on victims and society, the chair of an inquiry into historical abuse in England and Wales has said

Justice Lowell Goddard was speaking as she formally opened the independent inquiry which she hopes to end by 2020.

It will examine how public bodies handled their duty of care to protect children from abuse.

She said the task ahead was "daunting" but "could expose past failures of institutions to protect children".

Goddard was appointed as Chair of the inquiry following two appointments by the coalition government; the two earlier appointments had links to the establishment and it was plain to see they were not as independent as necessary. In the end the British government appointed New Zealander Goddard; we have been unable to find out what she is getting paid for her role; if it is an annual salary that will stack up between now and 2020.

It is important that the inquiry finally gets underway and people are held to account in as short a time frame as possible.

After letting the survivors of celebrity sex abuse down badly prosecutions and jailing have been fairly swift.

Why the snail's pace in this inquiry?

If there is a will there is a way-is the will lacking?

Related at NEWTEKNEWS:
What happened to the Westminster paedo ring abuse inquiry
Cyril Smith abuse inquiry police threatened
Alleged historical paedophile network Westminster

Related at TEK archived blogs
Baroness Sloss steps down from Westminster paedophile inquiry
Fiona Woolf second resignation, who will be appointed next

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What happened to the Westminster paedo ring abuse inquiry

16/6/2015

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Victims, or as most prefer to be called survivors, of establishment paedophile abuse in the UK await justice years later.

Historic unresolved allegations regarding child sex abuse in the UK with possible links to high-office rumble on, hurdle after hurdle preventing justice. Similar allegations relating to some celebrities have resulted in court cases and jail. Some of those investigations are ongoing but in December 2014 PM David Cameron was accused of preferring that we all move on from allegations involving the establishment.

As we reported at that time "Weeks ago the media reported a possible homicide linked to the case. Thursday there were reports that police are investigation three possible homicides. The Guardian reported "Claims that boys were murdered by VIP sex ring are credible and true - police"."

Those still desperate for justice had faced a challenging year and it was to get worse.

Background

Before allegations of sex abuse by the late Jimmy Saville became news, victims of historical child and sex abuse in the U.K. searching for justice were largely ignored or in some cases dismissed as liars; for many justice was and is a long time coming and the scandal continues to unfold showing the terrible extent of abuse.

Allegations that a sex abuse ring with links to high-office in the U.K. operated for some years were finally to be investigated.

The high-profile accused abusers are from the military, the police and the political establishment. The accusations date back many years but suspicions about whether such abuse ever really ended will need investigating and questions must be answered.

But in 2014 an inquiry into allegations of a Westminster paedophile ring stalled more than once.

The appointment of members of the establishment with dodgy links to others accused of involvement stank from start to finish. In July Baroness Butler-Sloss did the decent thing and stepped down from her newly appointed role as head of the Westminster paedophile network investigation, but did she jump or was she pushed we wondered?

It took time for a replacement to be found but again it was a person who seemed far from impartial and independent. "Fiona Woolf quickly became the second resignation", and we wondered who will be appointed next?

In February 2015 a New Zealand judge, Lowell Goddard, 66, became the latest chairwoman of the troubled child abuse inquiry.

With accusations of missing files and police and investigators previously threatened to drop enquiries can this investigation ever run and hold those guilty to account.

As time moves on the survivors and perpetrators of abuse continue to age and in some cases shuffle off.

In April the CPS, Crown Prosecution Service of the UK announced Lord Janner, a high-profile Labour peer, will not face sex abuse allegations which date back to the 1970's and 1980's due to his advanced dementia. Following an outcry that decision has been reviewed recently.

One survivor sent an Open letter to David Cameron, Prime Minister, in late May 2015. According to reports Tuesday it will be read out in Parliament.

But as those embroiled in the whole affair squirm and try to wriggle of the hook when will the inquiry run its course?

David Mellor Member of Parliament (MP) for Putney from 1979 to 1997

The establishment accusations cover many years and political persuasions but many date back to the Tory years. Now that the Conservatives are back in government will justice ever come?

The "right honourable" David Mellor, a former Tory MP, presents a Saturday morning broadcast for LBC, when people can call in and ask him questions. Our contact has been trying to get Mr Mellor to answer questions relating to a meeting which he appears to have "forgotten" pertaining to the Westminster paedo allegations.

LBC said they would call her back but did not. They have opted to ignore all her tweets and requests.

In 1997 Mr Mellor took part in a parliamentary debate on the sex offender’s bill.

In 2015 he seems unable to remember meetings pertinent to child abuse and not prepared to answer questions people want to ask via LBC.

He is however keen to try to discredit Geoffrey Dickens who compiled an abuse dossier.

One accusation on Twitter says "3 years after Brittan/Dickens meeting David Mellor managed 1 short speech on paedophiles, then nothing for 12 years."

Will Mr Mellor come out of the woodwork and answer phone-in questions Saturday relating to the PIE, paedophile information exchange and more?

Related reading:
Guardian There was no Home Office cover-up over Geoffrey Dickens' dossier David Mellor July 2014

Cyril Smith abuse inquiry police threatened

BBC News Leon Brittan and Geoffrey Dickens' notes from 1980s released

Related petition: AN ENGLISHMANS HOME IS HIS CASTLE

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Is British justice class based, Adam Johnson and Andrew Picard

Another sir as police investigate Edward Heath abuse allegations

Lost abuse documents found as parliament breaks for summer

CSA inquiry costs and Justice Goddard pay deal

Child sex abuse inquiry may last until 2020

What happened to the Westminster paedo ring abuse inquiry

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