U K ELDER JAILED 2 YRS, TODAY (page 2)

Kenneson

How much longer before the Watchtower Society acknowledges it has a problem? The Catholics couldn't hide it forever and neither will they. It's better to confess ones failures and fix the problem than lose credibility.

abbagail

Sorry guys, I don't know how to paste the actual website in here like you old timers do (which is really cool, bw), but here's the email that just rolled in from SilentLambs (which had pictures in it of the perv and the victim), along with a little more detail.

I agree 2 years sounds like NOTHING compared to 10 years of abuse. What gives with that? Are their sentencing guidelines that lame?

Thanks for the inside opinion from the bro that knew this weasle Barratt.
Remember, pedophiles are the MOST CHARMING, FRIENDLY, OUTGOING types of people. I knew 2 very well (1 JW, 1 not), and they both were, like, WHO WOULD KNOW??? Certainly not from their personalities.

Cheers for bro Grant for taking the perv all the way to court and jail!

GRITS

-------------------------------------------------
From: "silentlambs" < [email protected]>
Date: Thu, 11 Jul 2002 22:00:12 -0500
To: < [email protected]>
Subject: Elder sent to prision

BBCi
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/england/newsid_2123000/2123546.stm

Thursday, 11 July, 2002, 20:28 GMT 21:28 UK

Jehovah's Witness jailed for abusing boys

James Barratt is led away to begin his sentence (pic)

An elder in the Jehovah's Witness church has been jailed for child abuse.
James Barratt, 45, of Rugby, Warwickshire, a married man with two children, was found guilty of indecently assaulting two teenagers entrusted to him for Bible studies and counseling. The court heard that Barratt, a church elder, had "systematically" abused two former members of his congregation over a 10-year period. Warwick Crown Court heard that Barratt, a trusted friend of the boys' families, had used Bible lessons and counselling sessions as an opportunity to indecently assault the teenagers.

Victim Gordon Grant
Throughout the four-day trial Barratt maintained that he had tried to be a father figure to the boys. Sentencing him, Judge James Pike said he had been entrusted with vulnerable young people. He was, he said, an arch-hypocrite. Barratt was jailed for two years with 12 months suspended. He will be put on the sex offenders' register for 10 years. Detective Inspector Jim Hill of Warwickshire Police: "I consider him to be an extremely dangerous individual. His approach to the victims was via the parents.

Go straight to police and get it dealt with by people who are experienced

Victim Gordon Grant (pic)
"He formed a very strong bond with the families and clearly he has gone on to abuse that trust." One of his victims, Gordon Grant, now 23 , said he had been disappointed by the church's reaction to the allegations. "If people have got this problem don't go to the elders or the leaders of the church. Don't bother with them. "Go straight to police and get it dealt with by people who are experienced and know what they are doing."

Breaking News

Jehovah's Witness found guilty of child abuse
An elder in the Jehovah's Witness church is tonight beginning a jail sentence for child abuse. James Barratt, a married man with two children, was accused in court of being an arch hypocrite.

A jury at Warwick Crown Court found 45-year-old James Barratt guilty of indecently assaulting two teenagers trusted to him for bible studies and counseling at a church in Rugby.

He has been jailed for two years with 12 months suspended, after denying eight charges of indecent assault dating back to the 1980s. He will be put on the sex offenders register for 10 years.

Edited by - grits on 11 July 2002 23:54:23

the dog

If all he got was a 2 year sentence with 12 months suspended then I guess the maximum time he will spend locked up is 1 year. Take off any time he has already spent in custody. Take off any time he earns for 'good behaviour' and my guess is that this sick f**k will be out in 6-8 months and reinstated a year or so after that. I bet he'll be knocking on doors before Christmas 2004.

Hope the nice guys inside give him the 'real' punishment he deserves.

nicolaou

I learned today that the Rugby Kingdom Hall was scheduled for a complete refurbishment and partial re-build this weekend. However, in the light of yesterdays news the Society (unsure whether UK branch office or Brooklyn) has instructed that the work should be postponed to avoid the potential of further publicity.

Smart move Wt.

home_and_dry

I was told by a JW that knew him well that he would regularly visit Bethel and treat the bro's there with his homeopathic stuff. I was told he visited Bethel 'once a week' but i can't see that being likely. I know that alot of JW's from far and wide would go to him for his remedies and the like. Sounds like he had a booming trade with JW's.

zenpunk

Yes he certainly did. I got the Chicken Pox at the age of 22 when I was a JW in Rugby and everyone insisted - I was not to go to the hospital - James Barratt could cure me with a little white pill under my tongue. Needless to say Chicken Pox as an adult is quite serious and I suffered for a month with high fevers, etc. In my delerium I decided that I could cure it by getting drunk and watching horse racing on tv. Needless to say he had a thriving practice.

ISP

2yrs seems a light sentence....but a conviction is a conviction.

He may not be df'd at all...he could be 'repentant' or the cong. may not accept the verdict...

Lots of witnesses I knew were into homeopathic cures and vitamins. Natures Sunshine was one that employed a lot of JWs.

ISP

Ice Blue

I fail to see how elders can set themselves up as judge and jury especially in the case of paedophilia. These monsters are vile and cunning. Subtle enough to gain the trust of innocent victims and manipulative enough to convince others that it is they who are the victims. It's all well and good to say 'Jehovah will reveal it if it is so' - well just maybe when these kids come forward that is exactly what is being done! I work with vulnerable children and our child protection policy is very strict - not uncommon in any profession in the UK that deals with children. So why does the Borg allow convicted paedophiles to go from door to door unaccompanied? Why are they not prevented from having close association with children? I have seen the evidence with my own eyes, I don't need anyone to tell me. It turns me cold and sickens my soul.

ISP

Thats why the WTS' policies do not protect children. On notification of a case, the matter has to be reported to the authorities, both social and enforcement...i.e. those who are experienced in dealing with these types.

ISP

nicolaou

A great many Rugby JW's remain convinced of James Barratts innocence. There is a whole conspiracy theory going on over there. One thought doing the rounds is that he got off with such a light sentence because the trial judge himself was unconvinced by the evidence and had little choice but to accept the verdict of the jury.

I've heard that the judge offered Barratt the option of a non-custodial sentence if he would plead guilty - Barratt refused, mainaining his innocence. Even so, the judge has allowed Barratt periodic 'home visitation' and the prospect of release within six months.

It is alleged that London Bethel advised Barratt not to reveal certain aspects of his defence (which may have been damaging to WT) promising him that the Society would give him every legal assistance he needed. A lot of Rugby dubs are now questioning why the Society has allowed Barratt to wind up in a cell. Have the Society stiched him up and left him hanging?

This story isn't over and I'll admit to feeling pretty unsure about just what exactly is going on in Rugby.

Nic'

U K ELDER JAILED 2 YRS, TODAY

Share this