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Allegations of Abuse
in Institutions |
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The Salvation Army has paid out
compensation for the sexual abuse suffered at a Temuka children's home after
former officer John Francis Gainsford was yesterday found guilty of over 20
rape and sexual indecency charges. Gainsford, 69, of Auckland, was
found guilty in the High Court in Timaru of three charges of rape and 18 of
indecency dating back to the Bramwell Booth Children's Home in the 1970s. He was found not guilty on one
indecency charge and had already pleaded guilty to four others. Salvation Army spokesman Major
Ross Gower today told NZPA compensation had already been paid to some
complainants who said they were abused by Gainsford. "There have been some that
have asked for compensation and we've been able to reach an amicable
agreement." He would not say how many
complainants were involved or how much they had been paid. "We have said in our
discussions with the complainants we will not divulge the details of those
conversations," he said. "What the complainants do is
entirely their business in terms of confidentiality - we have not required
them to be confidential. It's not hush money." Not everybody wanted compensation
- some just wanted the Salvation Army to hear their stories. Mr Gower said the majority of the
Gainsford complainants had contacted the Salvation Army and he invited any
further complainants to make contact. "We are very keen to be in
conversation. We recognise that it's a very difficult time for them and we
want to be as supportive as we possibly can." He hoped the guilty verdicts would
allow complainants to put some of the "horrendous" things that had
happened behind them. Mr Gower said the Salvation Army
would have to wait and see if any civil actions were launched against it in
the wake of Gainsford's guilty verdicts. The former children's home was now
a home for "psychiatrically challenged people - those who suffer from
mental health situations". Mr Gower said the home was
well-run. "We're very confident that
our staff are operating a very good service there." It was at least 15 years since the
home was strictly for children. Mr Gower said at the time of the
offending the understanding of child abuse and inappropriate behaviour had
not been as good as it was today. "The Salvation Army, as with
all organisations, is made up of individuals, and sometimes individuals do
let the corporate standard down." It took the jury nearly 10 hours of
deliberations after a two-week trial before they found Gainsford guilty
yesterday. His lawyer Paul Dacre in summing
up said some of the complaints defied logic. In particular was one
complainant's evidence that Gainsford had put the child's hand over his penis
while on a bus full of children. Mr Dacre also told the jury the
evidence of a male complainant who alleged he had been assaulted by Gainsford
was quite outrageous as it would have had to have occurred on a Saturday
morning and in a public area of the home. |
