Posts by besty

11

Memorial 2008 Protest - will you join me?

by besty in

there's been a few threads about how to campaign against the wts - various suggestions including appointing a charismatic leader, (do they get appointed?

i thought they just kind of appeared, self-appointed), printing a brochure(ok we're in the 21st century lets make it a blog, cheaper and easier to distribute), calling the bethel and boycotting a meeting.

which all got me to thinking, what can i do, and what if everybody else (or a lot) could do the same?

besty

erm yes I am really gonna do that - why not? as my 2 year old boy frequently asks

15

The Times - Churches braced for flood of abuse claims after landmark ruling

by besty in

basically there was a 6 year time limit after which a claim would go 'stale' and could no longer be brought to the courts - this has now been overturned..... http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/law/article3279532.ece.

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/law/article3276026.ece.

churches, schools and charities braced for flood of claims after ruling on lotto rapist, iorworth hoare.

besty

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7218552.stm

Legal milestone for abuse victims

Professor Jon Silverman
University of Bedfordshire

The Lords aimed to tidy up a legal anomaly

There is little doubt that the Lords judgment is a highly significant one - even a landmark.

But it is unfortunate that media discussion has tended to be dominated by the case of the so-called "Lottery rapist", Iorworth Hoare, because the impact is likely to be far more profound on the other class of case - claims for compensation for sex abuse committed many years before.

As Lord Hoffmann says in his lead judgment: "People who commit sexual assaults are seldom worth suing." And Mrs A brought her action against Hoare only after she heard he had won the lottery.

Thus, it is unlikely that we will now see a spate of claims brought by their victims against rapists and sex attackers.

But the position of people who claim that they were abused as children in homes and institutions has immeasurably improved. This is because the law at the moment requires a court to take account of their "state of knowledge" when deciding if they have a legitimate claim for negligence.

'Dragging on'

In other words, they have to establish when they realised that they had suffered a significant injury as a result of the abuse.

My phone has hardly stopped ringing since this judgment alt

Paul Durkin
Solicitor

In the case of claims against homes run by Catholic charities, for example, this has proved a considerable obstacle and many cases have been bogged down in years of unproductive litigation.

The Lords ruling means that courts will now be able to use their discretion when deciding what it called cases of "systemic negligence".

Solicitor Paul Durkin, of the specialist firm, Abney Garsden McDonald, is representing 120 claimants in three class actions against charities which ran homes where sex abuse is alleged.

"My phone has hardly stopped ringing since this judgment," he says. "Two of these cases have been dragging on for 11 years because the defendants - the charities - have been arguing that the actions are out of time.

"But I believe that the Lords ruling will encourage them to settle now because my clients have a far better chance of proving negligence."

Taking heart

The Lords themselves gave an example where the present law produced a bizarre anomaly. In 1995, a woman sued both her father and mother for sexual abuse committed by the father.

The action was begun almost 10 years after the last act of abuse and was struck out on the grounds that too much time had elapsed. The case against the mother was based on negligence and was allowed by the court using its discretion.

It was this anomaly which persuaded the Law Commission to examine the issue in 2001, producing a report which called for law change which was never implemented by the government because it had wider implications for the limitation on legal actions.

Although there is likely to be a greater willingness by defendants to settle as a result of this judgment, some will, no doubt, continue to argue that they are disadvantaged in having to counter claims of abuse allegedly committed years, perhaps decades, before.

The balance has certainly changed - and survivors of childhood abuse will be taking heart from that.

15

The Times - Churches braced for flood of abuse claims after landmark ruling

by besty in

basically there was a 6 year time limit after which a claim would go 'stale' and could no longer be brought to the courts - this has now been overturned..... http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/law/article3279532.ece.

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/law/article3276026.ece.

churches, schools and charities braced for flood of claims after ruling on lotto rapist, iorworth hoare.

besty

please if you have been a victim of JW child abuse contact andersonsinfo or ladylee or PM me

11

Memorial 2008 Protest - will you join me?

by besty in

there's been a few threads about how to campaign against the wts - various suggestions including appointing a charismatic leader, (do they get appointed?

i thought they just kind of appeared, self-appointed), printing a brochure(ok we're in the 21st century lets make it a blog, cheaper and easier to distribute), calling the bethel and boycotting a meeting.

which all got me to thinking, what can i do, and what if everybody else (or a lot) could do the same?

besty

ok no praying afterwards

15

The Times - Churches braced for flood of abuse claims after landmark ruling

by besty in

basically there was a 6 year time limit after which a claim would go 'stale' and could no longer be brought to the courts - this has now been overturned..... http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/law/article3279532.ece.

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/law/article3276026.ece.

churches, schools and charities braced for flood of claims after ruling on lotto rapist, iorworth hoare.

besty

Basically there was a 6 year time limit after which a claim would go 'stale' and could no longer be brought to the courts - this has now been overturned....

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/law/article3279532.ece

and

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/law/article3276026.ece

Churches, schools and charities braced for flood of claims after ruling on Lotto rapist, Iorworth Hoare
The removal yesterday of a six-year limit on seeking compensation for a sexual assault clears the way for many more victims to sue
Frances Gibb. Legal Editor and David Sanderson

Thousands of victims of sexual abuse including a woman whose life was ruined by the so-called Lotto rapist are preparing to lodge compensation claims after a landmark ruling by Britain’s highest court yesterday.

Local authorities, churches, schools, charities and insurers are bracing themselves for claims that could total millions of pounds.

The ruling by five law lords comes in six test cases, including that of Mrs A, a retired teacher attacked by Iorworth Hoare, who later won £7 million on the lottery while in prison. He served 16 years of a life sentence for her attempted rape. At least two more of Mr Hoare’s victims are considering legal action, DLA Piper, the firm that represented Mrs A, said. The women approached the firm in November.

As The Times revealed yesterday, the law lords swept away the bar on bringing claims for sexual assault more than six years after an attack. Instead, courts should have discretion to allow claims to go ahead outside the time limit, they said.
Related Links

* Great news, says neighbour — I hope she takes every penny

* ‘I did not bring this case for the money – it is a fight for justice’

All the individual cases will now go back to the courts so that they can be reconsidered in the light of the findings by Lord Hoffmann, Lord Walker of Gestingthorpe, Baroness Hale of Richmond, Lord Carswell and Lord Brown of Easton-under-Heywood.

Mrs A, who received £5,000 in compensation two years ago from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board for the attempted rape in 1988,is maintaining her anonymity. In a statement read by Sandra Baker, of DLA Piper, she said: “I am delighted and relieved that my appeal to the House of Lords has been successful and that I have succeeded in changing a law which will provide others with a means of achieving justice.”

Mrs A’s claim and the other test cases are likely now to come back to the courts within months. Mrs A hopes to recover enough to repay the £5,000 from the compensation board.

That, her lawyers said, was her aim. “If there is anything awarded above that, it is a bonus. But she has always said this is not about money,” they said.

Mrs A was originally ordered to pay Mr Hoare’s £100,000 legal fees after unsuccessful attempts to bring a case for compensation in the High Court and Court of Appeal. Costs for the appeal have yet to be decided but it is likely that Mr Hoare will be ordered to repay the £100,000 plus legal costs.

In another of the cases, Kevin Young, 49, claims that he suffered sexual abuse when in the care of Catholic Care in Leeds in the 1970s and in a Home Office detention centre. He sought to bring a claim in 2003, more than 20 years after the expiry of the time limit for such claims.

Kathy Perrin, of the law firm Hill Dickinson, who acted for Catholic Care, said that it took comfort from the ruling because not all historic claims would be able to proceed. Judges would have a discretion in such cases and if victims delayed a claim for “psychosocial reasons” that would not be enough to allow a claim to go ahead late, she said.

The law lords ruled that the present law was anomalous and forced victims to try to prove negligence to get around the time bar. Judges have discretion on whether to allow negligence claims to proceed, but sexual assault claims have a six-year limit.

Test of time
Five other test cases were involved in the landmark decision:

C v Middlesbrough council The claimant was subjected to sexual abuse between 1982 and 1988 at a council-managed school. The judge said that C would have got damages of nearly £100,000 but that the claim was barred by the Limitation Act and dismissed allegations of negligence against the council

H v Suffolk County Council The appellant claimed that while at a school for difficult children managed by the council he was sexually abused by a member of staff. He brought proceedings 12 years later. Case was thrown out because it was out of time

X, Y v Wandsworth London borough The two appellants allege that between 1984 and 1987 they were abused by one teacher at a council-managed school. They brought proceedings more than 15 years later and were told that they would have won damages but for the fact that they were outside the time limit

Y v Catholic Care and Home Office The claimant alleges that sexual abuse by employees at a school and a detention centre. His claims were again barred by the Limitation Act

11

Memorial 2008 Protest - will you join me?

by besty in

there's been a few threads about how to campaign against the wts - various suggestions including appointing a charismatic leader, (do they get appointed?

i thought they just kind of appeared, self-appointed), printing a brochure(ok we're in the 21st century lets make it a blog, cheaper and easier to distribute), calling the bethel and boycotting a meeting.

which all got me to thinking, what can i do, and what if everybody else (or a lot) could do the same?

besty

Charlie Russell was a curtain maker from Pittsburgh - not really the Devil.

I don't believe in the Devil or his table and I'm certainly not going to let a 2000 year old collection of arbitrary rantings tell me what to get into or out of.

What KH shall we meet at Tula? :-)

43

This is my first post after many years of reading this site

by And He Ran in

this is my first post after many years of reading this site.

i am from the west midlands, england.

i was raised as a jw and got baptised aged 17, started "fading" whilst at university when i started to broaden my outlook and realised that all the so-called "worldly people" i had for so long been encouraged to avoid associating with were actually often open-minded, honest, generous and loyal people.

besty

welcome to JWD And He Ran (AHR) ahhhrrrr - reminds me of National Talk Like A Pirate Day...anyway

I also lurked for a couple of years before posting - and likewise the comments on the board were a massive help - if not actually what pushed me over the edge to leave...

Stick in and you will make lots of friends here - why not start your own Apostafest?

All the best

Paul & Sam (SweetPea)

11

Memorial 2008 Protest - will you join me?

by besty in

there's been a few threads about how to campaign against the wts - various suggestions including appointing a charismatic leader, (do they get appointed?

i thought they just kind of appeared, self-appointed), printing a brochure(ok we're in the 21st century lets make it a blog, cheaper and easier to distribute), calling the bethel and boycotting a meeting.

which all got me to thinking, what can i do, and what if everybody else (or a lot) could do the same?

besty

I've had a quick look at the Fleece the Flock book and Letters to BOE and can't find any reference to counting those taking the emblems that aren't members of that particular KH.

Can any elders advise?

11

Memorial 2008 Protest - will you join me?

by besty in

there's been a few threads about how to campaign against the wts - various suggestions including appointing a charismatic leader, (do they get appointed?

i thought they just kind of appeared, self-appointed), printing a brochure(ok we're in the 21st century lets make it a blog, cheaper and easier to distribute), calling the bethel and boycotting a meeting.

which all got me to thinking, what can i do, and what if everybody else (or a lot) could do the same?

besty

There's been a few threads about how to campaign against the WTS - various suggestions including appointing a charismatic leader, (do they get appointed? I thought they just kind of appeared, self-appointed), printing a brochure(OK we're in the 21st century lets make it a blog, cheaper and easier to distribute), calling the bethel and boycotting a meeting.

Which all got me to thinking, what can I do, and what if everybody else (or a lot) could do the same? And the memorial is definitely a special occasion on which to mount an attack.

Is there a way to screw up the partakers figures? Boycott a meeting? Raise doubts with active JW's? All in one easy hit that wouldn't cost much time, money or effort...so here's my cunning plan for 2008 Memorial night.

Go to the nearest Memorial meeting where nobody knows you. Suited, booted, NWT + songbook. (You are going to be anointed for one night only so you may as well look the part)

Sit near the front.

Take the emblems with the right amount of fuss to get noticed, but not too much.

Hang around afterwards, offering to pray with any nosey parker elders, telling them you are out of town on business or whatever seems right.

If you are an active JW you have missed your own Memorial (statement to those who notice) - any people from your own K asking where you were you could tell them that you feel uncomfortable going to a meeting for the anointed, what with the the society teaching we need the WTS as an intermediary and Jesus not being our Mediator and all. You felt best to pray and read scriptures at home - (insert appropriate scriptures supporting Jesus as only mediator, no one comes to the Father etc etc). You have also added 1 to the partaker figure, and got the congregation you are visiting chatting to each other for sure - mention loudly the relief you felt when the 1935 teaching had been scrapped. You can't close the door to heaven after all....right?

If you are inactive all of the above applies equally - it might just be easier to find a KH nearby where you are definitely unknown.

Well thats my plan and I'll post the results after the Sham-orial.

57

How much does a house cost in your area - Is it affordable???

by Witness 007 in

where i live in australia nice newer 3 bedroom brick houses go for $220,000 up.

i think this is reasonable.

(aust.

besty

SweetPea and I are moving from London to LA in the next few weeks - we've just sold our 1500sq ft 4 bed 2 bath house (we hope)

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/viewdetails-16645357.rsp?pa_n=1&tr_t=buy

£575,000 - got the asking price within 10 days of putting it on the market - so out of the small part of the global property market that actually affects my wallet I have to say that things are not at all bad.

We are moving to Manhattan Beach in LA - take a bow Dogpatch for blazing the trail for 27 years - which is also a pretty pricey part of the world. Renting a 4,500 sq ft 5 bed 4 bath house for $10.500 per month, probably worth about $2m.