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Allegations of Abuse in
Institutions |
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In the 1970s several little girls told
Christina Cullen they were being sexually abused at Temuka's Bramwell Booth
Home. The teenager reported the abuse -- and 30 years later gave evidence in
a High Court trial dealing with the same incident. Christina Cullen has a very clear
opinion of those who suspect sexual abuse but fail to do anything about it. "If they don't they are
basically condoning the actions and protecting the perpetrator," she
said from her Hawera home yesterday. Cullen was the unexpected witness
in the trial of former Salvation Army captain John Gainsford on sexual abuse
charges. "Most of us have got
children, grandchildren, sisters or nieces, and how would they like something
to happen to them and no-one to speak up for them? "Go to the police and give a
statement, then the onus will be on the police to follow up. If something
like that is opened up it is probably surprising how many other people may
have seen or experienced what was going on as well. "You can't walk away. If you
don't speak up you are almost as bad as the perpetrator." Cullen became involved in the
court case by chance. She was reading the Timaru Herald's website and saw the
story of the first day of Gainsford's trial. The abuse described was
identical to what she had witnessed 30 years earlier. "I was in absolute shock when
I read it on-line. It blew me away." She made a statement to police that
day, and was in court 48 hours later. In 1974 the then 19-year-old was a
St John cadet leader. One day several of the girls told her Gainsford was
abusing them. She never doubted them, especially
when she drove into the home and saw him indecently touching a young girl he
was piggybacking -- just as the girls had described him doing. "I couldn't believe he
continued doing that when I drove past -- and for him to be talking to
someone at the same time. "The man was so blatant. He
must have got away with a lot of stuff, or no-one was doing anything about
it. She asked the girls if they could
tell someone at the home. They said they had, but no-one believed them. She immediately rang her St John
superior, who in turn informed a local doctor. |
