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Transcripts of Interviews with
child witnesses
Kari
Lacebark aged 6, 3rd interview recorded 18
Mar 1992
(Names as used
in the book "A City Possessed"
)
A .... can we have a little
break from talking?
Q Now there’s just, yeah, we’ll
have a wee break. Who was the first person you told about him hurting your
bottom?
A Um, Mummy and Daddy. I said I
want to have a break of talking.
Q I know, okay, if you, could
we have a break and could I just go and talk to [male name] and then I could
come back in? Is that all right?
A Yep, can I come and see
what’s happened?
Q When?
A On that special TV.
Q Oh, on the special TV. Yeah,
later on you might be able to or I could stay in here and play with you then.
Well, let’s have a break cos after we’ve had a play, there’s something else I
want to talk to you about, okay. What are we going to do here?
A Don’t know. You could bring
the bath out.
Q Yep.
A And .... that could be a
different … going to the toilet. This little girl is okay. This little girl,
hey, she hasn’t got any knickers.
Q Oh no, she hasn’t. Here you
are, here’s some knickers for her. Did they, who was there when that happened
to your bottom and your vagina?
A Just Peter and me.
Q And have you seen that happen
to any other kids before or not?
A Oh no. How long will we be
here for now?
Q We’ve been here for 25
minutes.
A That’s pretty long.
Q Yeah. Feels like a long time
when you’re five doesn’t it?
A Yeah, I really want to go.
Q Okay now.
A Can we have some, do some
drawing?
Q Yeah, what a good idea.
A Have you got any felts?
Q Yeah, there’s a whole box of
felts. Bring your paper doll here.
A … there’s a whole box of
felts.
Q Yeah. What are you going to
draw. You can draw one there and I’ll draw on here. Put the pens on this
side.
A You can have crayons.
Q Oh, can I?
A Yeah.
Q Oh, okay, you want the whole
box to yourself, do you?
A Yes.
Q And you sit over there and
I’ll sit here.
A Okay. What’s happened to this
pen?
Q It’s a pencil isn’t it.
A .…
Q What are we going to draw?
A You can draw anything. What
are you drawing?
Q I’m going to draw a big sun.
Is it sunny outside today?
A No.
Q Isn’t it?
A No, you could draw a cloud.
Q What sort of face has my sun
got?
A Smiley face. Can I have my
shoes off?
Q Yeah.
A I’m going to have sweaty
feet.
Q Getting hot, sweaty feet.
A Yeah. [Male name] came to our
house.
Q Did he.
A Yeah.
Q And what did he say?
A I was scared of going to
jail.
Q Were you?
A Yeah.
Q What made you think you would
go to jail?
A Oh, should we have a break of
talking and drawing?
Q It’s hard to talk about
sometimes isn’t it.
A Oh, I want to go home.
Q Do you? Okay.
A We’ll come tomorrow.
Q Well, it’s best if we just
get all the talking over and done with today.
A No.
Q Then you don’t have to keep
coming back. Do you like the mountains?
A Yes.
Q I love the mountains.
A Why. Could draw you on the
mountains?
Q Yes. Shall I draw me on the
mountains?
A Yep.
Q Okay I’ll show you what I do
in the mountains.
A What. Have you got a husband
yet?
Q No, no.
A Did you used to?
Q Oh, yes, once I had one.
A Who was that?
Q Oh he’s gone now.
A Where’s he gone to?
Q Away. There we are, that’s
what I do in the mountains.
A That’s a silver crayon. What
do you do?
Q Aye?
A What do you? Do you walk in
the mountains?
Q No, can’t you tell what I’m
doing?
A No. Skiing?
Q Yeah, that’s me and the
mountains.
A There’s my picture.
Q And what are you drawing?
A Not telling you. Just wait
and see.
Q Okay, all right, it will be a
surprise then.
A Yeah. Don’t look at it, okay.
Q Okay.
A You can draw something else.
You can guess now.
Q Ah, it’s a flower.
A No.
Q What is it?
A I’m not telling. I’m just
going to get it open. I want to come back tomorrow.
Q I don’t think that I can see
you tomorrow though because I haven’t got any spaces for you.
A Why?
Q I’ve got other things to do.
A Who’s coming to see you
tomorrow?
Q Oh, I’ve got some kids to
talk to tomorrow. What is that?
A I don’t, you have to wait and
see.
Q I have to wait and see. Okay.
A I’ve got a crayon look. I’ve
got a crayon, see look see, it was in here.
Q Was it?
A Yeah.
Q Oh right, crayons are quite
fun, aren’t they?
A Yeah. … because I just …
these ones. Don’t look.
Q Oh I’m not supposed to be
looking. Oh, okay.
A You can look if you want.
Q Oh, can I?
A Yes.
Q Please tell me what it is.
What is that? I can’t work out what it is so you’ll have to tell me what
you’re drawing.
A No. That’s pretty, isn’t it.
Q Do you think it is?
A Yes. You want a … can I? I’m
going to draw all this space.
Q Okay.
A I’ll tell you in a minute,
okay.
Q Yeah.
A You know a minute is later.
Q Later than what?
A Later than 9 o’clock. Okay,
I’ll tell you.
Q What?
A It’s a castle. Do you like
it?
Q Yeah and what’s happening
inside the castle? What’s that inside the castle?
A Nothing. It’s a flower, it’s
a little dandelion flower.
Q Oh, it’s a dandelion and
what’s that there, what’s that black bit there?
A What? It’s the stalk.
Q Oh, I see.
A A little fairy.
Q Oh, it’s a fairy there too.
A Yeah.
Q Okay.
A Just a fairy here with this
funny little …
Q Is it a good fairy?
A Yeah.
Q What do the fairies do?
A Oh they get, it’s a tooth
fairy.
Q Oh.
A Oh, sorry, I need that silver
crayon.
Q Are there any other fairies?
A No, oh yes, there’s a fairy
godmother. I have a fairy godmother.
Q Oh, do you?
A Yeah, she, I have to get
another wand.
Q Do you? Have you got a wand?
A No, it’s broken. It wasn’t
real.
Q Wasn’t it, did you have one
of those glitter ones?
A Yeah.
Q Oh, did it break?
A Glass one.
Q Oh, a glass one.
A Do your little girl have one
of those.
Q No, but I’m going to get one
though. Yes, I know, yeah, my little girl has got one of those.
A Where is she? Where does she
put it?
Q Oh, she just keeps it in her
bedroom.
A Is she, is she little?
Q No.
A I want to, I want hers.
Q You want what?
A Hers.
Q You want hers. Oh, you’re
going to get your own, aren’t you?
A No.
Q Because she’ll want to keep
hers.
A Does she want hers?
Q Mm mmm.
A How would she still use it?
Q I’m going to get one soon.
A Why are you going to get
yours?
Q Oh, I’m just going to get
one.
A I’m going to draw a sun. I’m
going to draw a cloud.
Q Okay, big cloud.
A Yeah.
Q Mm mmm.
A It’s a purple cloud. I want
to come tomorrow because I want to have my lunch.
Q Do you?
A I could come another day.
I’ve got, I’ve had prick.
Q Oh, what did you have a prick
for?
A Um, they had to test my
blood.
Q What for?
A Because Peter might have been
hurting me and might have had sick blood or something.
Q Right.
A Hurt a little bit.
Q Right, so you said Peter
might have been hurting you.
A Yeah.
Q Right, did he hurt you or
not?
A I’m going to draw a big sun
too.
Q …
A Yes.
Q He did.
A He hurt me a little bit. My
blood was fine.
Q Was it? Have you had your
tests back.
A Yeah, this is a lovely sun.
Q What else did the doctor do?
A Nothing. He gave me
jellybeans.
Q What else did the doctor do?
A I don’t know.
Q Did the doctor check anything
else on your body?
A No.
Q Just your blood?
A Yep. I’m going do a sun up
here. Can we share the crayons?
Q Mmm.
A You can share my felts then.
Q Okay, now, look, we’ve just
about finished our drawing, haven’t we?
A No, so I can go home.
Q Well, there’s just a couple
of things that I just need to talk to you about.
A Here’s a list at the door.
Q Oh, no, I’ve got my list.
A Thought it was. I want to
play pin the donkey.
Q Pin the donkey. We haven’t
got that here.
A We could play pin the
elephant.
Q That’s a good game, isn’t it?
That’s a game that you can play at parties, isn’t it?
A Yes.
Q Pin the tail on the donkey.
A … into the cupboard … goes
and there goes all the dolls.
Q What, oh, we don’t , no,
because they’re special dolls. They’re like these dolls here that I use,.
Those are called special dolls.
A Are they?
Q Yeah.
A Oh, let me go home. I want to
go.
Q Okay, all right, well we
might just have to do that and.
A I’ll come back.
Q Well … your mum said that you
only, this would be the last time, didn’t she? She told you this would be the
last time.
A I want to go, okay. I do.
Q Okay.
A All right. Well first of all
we have to check that out with Mum, okay?
Q Yeah.
A That you can come back. Um,
it’s 24 minutes to 12, to 1.
A Come on.
Q Okay, I’m just trying to
learn to say the time. It’s quite hard sometimes. 24 minutes to 1, okay.
You’ve got everything.
A Oh, I have to check with Mum
first.
Q Okay.
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