|
|
Allegations of Abuse
in Institutions |
|
Former children's home residents
sexually abused by a Salvation Army captain entrusted with their care are
planning what to do next after the man was found guilty of more than 20 rape
and indecency charges. The Salvation Army has already
paid out to some of the victims of John Francis Gainsford, 69, who was found
guilty in the High Court in Timaru on Friday of three charges of rape and 18
sexual indecency charges on top of four he had pleaded guilty to at the start
of his two-week trial. The charges stem from events at
the Bramwell Booth Children's Home in Temuka in the 1970s where Gainsford was
a captain with the Salvation Army. He was acquitted on one indecency
charge. The Salvation Army says it has
reached confidential compensation agreements with some of Gainsford's victims
but others are considering their position in light of the guilty verdicts. One victim told National Radio she
would be getting together with other former residents of the home to plan
what action to take. She said justice had been done
against Gainsford but the Salvation Army was also culpable, failing in its
duty to protect the children and ignoring their complaints of his sexual
abuse. Salvation Army spokesman Major
Ross Gower said times had changed since the incidents in the 1970s. "There is a new awareness
that sadly these issues are there and we just have to make sure that for the
residents we have in our care we have to do everything we possibly can to
ensure that they are safe and well-handled," he said. "We have looked very closely
at our procedures and now have different procedures, not only screening
processes for people coming in but also accountability procedures while they
are working for us." Bramwell Booth in Temuka was now
home to "psychiatrically challenged" people. Mr Gower said the Salvation Army
deeply regretted what had happened. "We are very disappointed
that people of trust have misused that trust," he said. "We feel sorry for the
complainants who have had to go through horrendous issues." The Salvation Army would have to
wait and see what kind of action victims brought but some had already been
paid money. "There have been some that
have asked for compensation and we've been able to reach an amicable
agreement." Mr Gower 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." The Salvation Army is not alone in
running into trouble over alleged abuse at its former children's homes, and
has already paid out compensation to former residents of homes in Wairarapa
and Waikato. In March the St John of God
Catholic order said it had paid about $5.1 million to boys complaining of
sexual abuse at Christchurch's Marylands home in the 1970s. Activities at Anglican homes and
government homes in Levin, Lower Hutt, Wairarapa, Wellington and Otago have
also been called into question. |
