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Allegations
of Abuse in Institutions |
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A Presbyterian group is
refusing to deal with at least 14 people who say they were sexually abused at
a Wellington children's home if they have hired a lawyer or gone public with
their claims. Presbyterian Support
Services spokesman Trevor Roberts said former residents who engaged a lawyer
or spoke to the media would have to prove their claims in court. "If someone else
turns up, we have a process in place to deal with that. But we are not going
to get into the details, that is between us and the claimant." At least 14 former
residents of a Presbyterian Support children's home in Berhampore went to
police last year with claims that they were sexually abused by the home's
then head of social services, Walter Lake, an OBE and justice of the peace. Police have confirmed
they were poised to charge Lake with multiple sex crimes when he died on
November 21, aged 84. The Presbyterian Church
has distanced itself from the allegations, saying the children's home was not
under its management, or control, and was run by Presbyterian Support. Both
organisations are separate legal entities but share a "common
heritage". Kathleen Batchelor, 57,
– the first complainant to come forward – told The Dominion Post last night
that she had tried approaching Presbyterian Support without a lawyer and had
got nowhere. "If any of us went on our own to talk with (Presbyterian
Support) without a lawyer (it) would use us as doormats." While some claimants
wanted compensation, the most important thing was that Presbyterian Support
admitted the abuse, she said. "They knew and did nothing; they are as
liable as Lake." Ms Batchelor said Lake
sexually assaulted her when she was 13, in his car parked at the Petone
foreshore. She complained to a matron
at the home after she was abused but was called a liar and sent to bed. She also says she told
a senior Presbyterian Church minister about the abuse but no action was
taken. Ms Batchelor laid a
complaint with police in 1985 but Lake denied the allegations and was not
prosecuted. In 2001 she took her
allegations to Presbyterian Support but was told to lay a complaint with
police. She did, but once again there was not enough evidence to act. Last year, when Ms
Batchelor went public with her allegations, culminating in an investigation
by TVNZ's Sunday programme last night, more former residents at the
Berhampore home came forward with similar abuse claims against Lake. Among
the complainants were the Millans. Karen, 43, and Louise
Millan, 45, of Paraparaumu, were just two and three respectively when they
were placed in the home. They recall being told to strip naked while in
Lake's car together, then they were sexually assaulted. They are unsure of
what age they were, other than it was before Louise turned eight. Karen also recalled
Lake fondling her while helping her undress. Louise said he masturbated on
her. Louise also says she
witnessed her older brother Kevin stripped naked and bent over a chair in the
girl's dance hall, with Lake standing behind him. "My brother was
yelling stop, stop. I knew he (Lake) was hurting him. I just backed out and
left." Kevin, now 49, told his sister he was abused "hundreds"
of times but listed just three in his statement to police. Lake was also accused
of raping the boy at the Presbyterian Support head office in Ghuznee St. Detective Sergeant
Glenn Williams said 14 formal complaints had been made against Lake.
"Police had interviewed a large number of people and had come to the
conclusion there was strong similarity in a large number of the complaints
and that led us to believe there was sufficient evidence to put it before the
courts." Former staff were also
interviewed and a number said they had "had concerns" about Lake
but were not aware of specific incidents. Mr Roberts, a lawyer,
said Presbyterian Support was not liable for the alleged crimes and
"would not expose itself to allegations of a cover-up by writing out
cheques". Those who hired a
lawyer or spoke to the media should take their claims to court. "There is a rough
chance that the truth will emerge rather than the story," he said.
"In some cases money is clearly at stake here." Presbyterian Church
spokeswoman Josephine Reader said Presbyterian Support Services had operated
as a separate entity since 1909. Though the church was
not responsible for the alleged sexual misconduct, it was responsible for the
alleged inaction of the Church minister who was told about the alleged abuse.
That minister had since died and investigations had failed to reveal any
record of a complaint. The process for managing sexual misconduct complaints
had since been "significantly strengthened", she said |
