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Allegations of Abuse
in Institutions |
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The extent of a former Salvation
Army officer's sex offending appears wider than first thought. John Gainsford
was found guilty last night of three rape charges and 19 indecency charges. Now though, Major Ross Gower from
the Salvation Army says a significant number of people have contacted the
Salvation Army about the abuse - in excess of 50 people. Major Gower says
compensation has been discussed with some of the victims, but he will not how
much. He says not all of victims were after a payout, and that some just
wanted the chance to have their story heard. The Salvation Army hopes
yesterday's guilty verdict means victims can now regain some normality in
their lives. The charges against Gainsford dated back to when he worked at
the Salvation Army's Bramwell Booth children's home in Temuka. Major Ross Gower says the Salvation
Army has already expressed sympathy to the victims, and he hopes Gainsford's
conviction will provide some sort of closure for them. |
