Political parties unite over Matt George

Published 28 Jan 2010 15:54 79 Comments

Largs man Matt George is poised to commence a make-or-break appeal against his imprisonment - and can count on the key support of local parliamentary members when he does so.

Matt, 60 - who continues to insist he is innocent while on interim liberation - has been assigned eight days in May or June for his appeal and remains hopeful that a verdict of miscarriage of justice could be reached by judges re-examining his case.

The former Kerelaw Residential School art teacher was originally set aside four days and believes that the irregular granting of such an extension could represent tentative grounds for optimism as he fights to prove that key evidence was withheld from his original trial.

He has also been given support from local MP Katy Clark and MSP Kenneth Gibson, who have both met with the George family and expressed a willingness to aid Matt's appeal bid.

Mr Gibson has made requests for evidential documents under the Freedom of Information Act and is set to investigate the 'Moorov doctrine' - a legal device which allows prosecutors to prove a case without direct corroborative evidence and a system that was used in Matt's trial.

However, while Matt and wife Yvonne desperately hope to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary together at home next year, they also fear the grandfather-of-four will be forced to return to prison once more.

Matt, of Rosebank Gardens, was convicted of physical and sexual abuse charges in 2006 and sent to Edinburgh's Saughton Prison where he was forced to rub shoulders with notorious killers Peter Tobin and William Beggs.

Furthermore, despite serving 21 months, Matt still has another four years and 11 months of his sentence left hanging over him.

Since he was sentenced at the High Court in Edinburgh, the couple have seen their faith in justice shaken to the core and their trust in others destroyed as they found themselves plunged into "the middle of a nightmare".

FULL EXCLUSIVE MATT GEORGE INTERVIEW IN THIS WEEK'S LARGS AND MILLPORT NEWS

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• 

  The Truth
  Unregistered User
  Jan 28, 17:06
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  Matt George is good and honourable man and so says every decent man, woman and child of this town.
  
  I understand that I have to be very careful in what I state here or Mr Cochrane will be duty-bound to purge it however please afford me the latitude to allow anyone browsing this the opportunity to at least read between the lines and come to their own conclusions.
  
  - Not a single hint of abuse ever existed, prior to compensation being offered in return for allegations of same - a tad odd given such a lengthy, distinguished and unblemished career.
  
  - At one point, almost 140 separate abuse allegations were tabled within a six month period alone.
  
  - NOT A SINGLE CLAIM was ever corroborated in precognition. Moreover much of the tabled corroboration blatantly contradicted the allegation in question, yet, due to rules within Scottish jurisprudence, this could never be presented in Matt's defence.
  
  - For those of you unfamiliar - Kerelaw School is a school generally for kids who are well known to the criminal justice system; many having committed offences so serious that they could never be schooled in the mainstream system. Many of the claimants were actually in jail when filing claims.
  
  - The claimants were largely represented by the most notorious claims lawyer in Scotland. You can do your own homework on this - the chap's name is Cameron Fyfe.
  
  - I have spoken off the record to many senior figures regarding this case – not one believes there's a grain of truth to it.
  
  - Many of the successful claims are actually physically impossible with the remainder being highly implausible. I don't want to take a flippant tack here but how good would one have to be at golf for some of the allegations to be true?
  
  Matt George is a fine man and must be allowed to once again walk tall and proud within a society that he has selflessly dedicated his life to serving. Matt George did absolutely nothing wrong.
  
  This is the biggest ever travesty in Scottish Legal History.
  
  MATT GEORGE IS INNOCENT. FREE MATT GEORGE.
  
  Recommend?   Yes 1     No 6

• 

  Neil Innes
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  Jan 29, 14:32
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  I couldn't agree more with this comment. Having followed this case in the wee paper over the last few years, I believe Matt George is not guilty of these crimes. He must be set free now.
  
  Recommend?   Yes 1     No 3

• 

  Hermux
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  Jan 29, 20:07
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  I agree also with the first author. If people wish the truth to be acknowledged about Kerelaw they must first do away with the compensation rewards. This would allow for the true alegations (if any) to be known as anyone who was genuinely abused physically or emotionally would be happy with the judicial judgement alone withont the need to be paid for it.
  
  Good Luck Mr George!
  
  Recommend?   Yes 1     No 3

• 

  Kerelaw ex employee
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  Jan 30, 00:28
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  This is an extract from an article I penned in July 2006 after Matt's sentence at the High Court in Edinburgh (and co-accused John Muldoon):
  
  "Kerelaw School: A Contrary View from the Inside
  
  "I know Matt George. I know John Muldoon. I knew many of the young people accommodated at Kerelaw School over the period April 1988 to Jan. 1997. I was a Senior Manager at Kerelaw School: I would work days, nights, and week-ends. I have concerns that we are now witnessing a grave miscarriage of justice. My experience of working with John and Matt over an eight year period does not ring true with the press coverage I have been reading over the last few months about their conviction after jury trial, and sentence. This is said with all due respect to Lady Paton the presiding judge, and members of the jury, who seemed to struggle with reaching a decision. There were originally 85 charges, spanning a period of 30 years. Matt George was found guilty of 18 charges, and John Muldoon guilty of four charges. The standard of evidence required in court has to be confirmed in law as "beyond all reasonable doubt". I have concerns that there is a substantial opinion of doubt. I am also concerned as to the use of the legal principle, referred to as the "Moorov doctrine", in this particular case. There are many examples in case law of unsound convictions secured on this principle being overturned on appeal."
  
  I concluded this exposition with the following:
  
  "An appeal should be lodged at the earliest, and given earnest consideration by those in the legal fraternity with some knowledge of the residential social care task as it has changed and evolved over the preceding thirty years.
  
  For good measure, this process should be characterised by those willing to evidence a degree of common sense and humanity."
  
  Matt George deserves a medal for a life dedicated to helping and supporting the most disadvantaged and troublesome young people being looked after by the state and in local authority care.
  
  Matt and his family continue to have my utmost respect and support. I remain confident about the outcome of this appeal hearing later this year.
  
  Recommend?   Yes 1     No 5

• 

  john morrison
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  Jan 30, 09:05
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  Whilst laudable that the wee paper is throwing its support behind Matt George he wasn't the only person convicted at trial.
  
  Mr Muldoon where is he ?
  
  Did he appeal?
  
  Did he do his time without appeal?... if so ..Why?
  
  The comments from the ex Kerelaw employee appear a direct lift from the archives of the wee paper with what appears to be a paragraph from a journalist tagged on to the end of it.
  
  If it is not then I apologise .
  
  Lets have all the facts instead of the "biased" way this matter (tragic for the George family and others lets not forget)has been reported in the wee paper.
  
  How many people received compensation ?
  
  Many of the ex residents of Kerelaw are now in the justice sytem and in prison...failure at Kerelaw then or were they born to be in prison?
  
  Demonisation of some ?
  
  I await with interest on how the matter is reported to the end in the paper ...balanced journalism please...many questions on all sides remain unanswered not just those of Matt George or the wee paper.
  
  Recommend?   Yes 3     No 0

• 

  ******
  Jan 30, 14:02
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• 

  
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  Jan 30, 16:38
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  As a former resident of Kerelaw i also lend my full support to Matt George, and confirm that the allegations are in my opinion the biggest load of fabrications possible!
  
  Having personally come across some of the characters who have testified against Mr George, (yes being resident at the school at the same time as them)I have no doubt at all in Mr George's innocence!
  
  Mr Morrison i think it very laudible for the principles that you are trying to uphold about balanced arguements, BUT am afraid that i believe you to be totally misguided! One particular character who gave evidence against Mr George currently boasts on his bebo profile how he has got away with murder, attempted murder, police assaults etc, his face is also covered in much the same way as you would expect to see a terrorists face covered! This character went into the witness box and declared himself to be RAMBO!!!
  
  This is the callibre of individual that led to the conviction of Matt George!!!
  
  Secondly you talk about the wee papers "bias" here i have to say to you considering the demonisation of MR GEORGE by most of the press at the time of his trial and at the publishing of earlier reports by Glasgow city council, then i think it was very admirable and very brave of the wee paper to take the stance that it did by sending it journalists out too look for the truth!
  
  I also have to point out that since the wee paper took this stance and since myself and others approached other media and told them that we believed this to be a gross miscarriage of justice, then other journalists have now also taken the same standpoint as the wee paper! Due to the ongoing appeal we cannot produce all our evidence at the moment, in fact we can say very very little but believe me if u could see some of the things that have been going on your hair would stand on end! What we can say however is that the recent scottish government enquiry into Kerelaw should be enough to show that not everything was as originally reported!
  
  As for your point as to whether those that are in the prison system were failed by Kerelaw i answer that with an EMPHATIC NO!! They were failed by themselves, everyone at Kerelaw had equal opportunities, some of us took them and some of them didnt! Some of us became university graduates, some of them became career criminals and habitual drug addicts!!
  
  I have attended the court throughout Mr George's Appeal Process and will continue to do so and will not rest until his name is cleared! Mr George was an art teacher who went way and beyond the call of duty in his efforts to help kids at Kerelaw and as a result diverted MANY away from the criminal justice system!! For this he should be applauded NOT have a ten year prison sentence due to the lies of some rather unsavoury people!!
  
  Now i will conclude by saying as well that I am speaking up without the chance of a single penny reward, my reward will be when Mr George's name is cleared and secondly i have given up my anonymity and put my name forward because I will NOT stand seeing an innocent man in prison!!!
  
  What similar points can be made against Mr George's accusers!
  
  Sincerely Yours,
  
  Craig Diver, (Dip.App.S.S.Open)
  
  FORMER KERELAW RESIDENT!
  
  Recommend?   Yes 2     No 3

• 

  vigilo
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  Jan 31, 10:47
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  If people at rock bottom of the social pyramid are made aware that large amounts of cash compensation are available - as long as they make nasty allegations against others - why should anyone expect that justice and truth will prevail?
  
  Remove the temptation of cash handouts for complaints and offer 'counselling' instead, then lets see how many of these injured parties get off their backsides to be witnesses against decent people!
  
  Recommend?   Yes 1     No 2

• 

  Ex Kerelaw teacher
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  Feb 2, 13:53
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  As an ex colleague of Matt George and John Muldoon, having worked and soc*alised with them for over 20 years, I know that they are innocent of the charges made against them.The idea of such acts is totally abhorrent to both men.On speaking to any former Kerelaw staff and pupils they all agree on the innocence of both men and condemn the compensation culture which has encouraged such false accusations.
  
  Recommend?   Yes 3     No 1

• 

  ex neighbours
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  Feb 2, 19:57
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  As ex neighbours and close friends of Matt and Yvonne we have completely lost any faith in our justice system. It is beyond belief that a conscientious, caring person who got great personal satisfaction when he achieved positive results from the youngsters that he taught ended up in this terrible situation. It was patently obvious to anyone who followed the trial that the accusations were unfounded and without substance with the chance of compensation the major factor. The family ( who are a very close loving unit) have worked extremely hard to investigate and check documents etc in preparation for the appeal so we can only hope that the correct decision will be made by the authorities and they will realise that an innocent man was sent to prison Our thought are with all of them at this difficult time
  
  Recommend?   Yes 0     No 2

• 

  Serpico
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  Feb 2, 21:56
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  As a Teacher who works within the residential School setting I have absolutely no hesitation in supporting Matt George and his family in attempting to unwind and appeal this travesty.
  
  Be aware that Matts accusers are not your every day young people, it is rumoured that some of these 30/40 year olds may have spent some time within our prison system! in fact they may even have been interviewed in their cells imagine that.
  
  Call me cynical but would stretch our adult balanced minds to to consider that these individuals planned this for financial gain, I would suggest just that.
  
  My understanding of Matt George is that he was a first class Teacher, someone who was prepared to go the extra mile for some of Scotlands most disturbed and violent young people in residential care, our legal system now crucifies him and his family, shame on us all for not acting. Who amongst us is next to face the Moorov Doctrine? Dont know what this is? if you work in Education or Care you better find out because when you have done your duty and are ready to retire or wind down this is what will be used against you. Beware some of the young people in our care progress into the adult prison system often with severe emotional behaviour difficulties and some of these people tell lies.
  
  Matt I have never doubted your innocence.
  
  Recommend?   Yes 1     No 2

• 

  Ex Kerelaw Manager
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  Feb 2, 23:00
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  Matt George's trial and finding of guilt was seriously flawed in a number of significant ways:
  
  (i)"Presumption of Innocence" this is a fundamental tenet of Scots Law - Matt seemed to have been branded as "guilty" from the outset, and now having to prove his innocence (the starting point should be "innocent until proved guilty", and the standard of evidence should be "beyond all reasonable doubt" - the element of doubt in Matt's conviction is overwhelming in my view;
  
  (ii)"Police Trawling for Evidence": what chance would any Kerelaw employee have in such circumstances? I understand large numbers of ex Kerelaw pupils were traced, many known to be convicted criminals (see Craig Diver comment above), were interviewed, shown a picture of Matt, asked if they knew him at Kerelaw, and allegedly asked if they wished to make any complaint? These practices (leading questions)are biased and should be inadmissible in any judicial proceedings (please refer to "The Secret of Bryn Estyn - The Making of a Modern Witch Hunt", by Richard Webster;
  
  (iii)"Financial compensation" was the carrot held out to tempt anyone willing to make a statement. This is obscene, and prejudices any prospect of a fair hearing
  
  (iv)Use, or abuse, of "Moorov Doctrine" (ie no independent corroborated evidence) - I am not surprised that the Scot Govt has recently invited the Law Commission for Scotland to review the practice of using this doctrine to convict alleged perpetrators, in the absence of any other evidence. Will their findings come too late for Matt's appeal (I hope not)?
  
  (v)Witness Evidence: I am reliably informed that Crown Prosecution witnesses were in some cases unwilling to testify in court against Matt,on the basis of statements previously given to the police, and for this reason were arrested by the police and taken in hand-cuffs to the court. I believe many were held together in the court witness room before giving evidence. Is there not a grave risk in these circumstances of "contamination of evidence" between witnesses, prior to evidence being presented in open court?
  
  Matt, Yvonne and their family have many supporters watching these proceedings with great interest. I am pleased that at last our political representatives, from different political persuasion (MP Katy Clark and MSP Kenneth Gibson) are now rallying behind Matt and doing all they can to lend their support to this appeal. Matt has been on interim liberation from Saughton Prison for over two years now. However, this "Damocles sword" is still threatening his liberty, and his life, and that of his family, remains on hold. They are to be admired for how they have coped to date. The sooner this wrong is righted, the better.
  
  Thank you to the Editor, and Reporter David Walker, of the "Largs and Millport". You have chosen an unpopular but just stance in this case.
  
  Recommend?   Yes 2     No 1

• 

  Diane Nolan
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  Feb 8, 21:29
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  I would just like to point out that the only reason John Muldoon and Matt George were sent to trial, was due to a fabricated charge by the police to link these two men together. This was proven in court....fact! The jury were faced with an overwhelming amount of charges, leaving in there minds, no smoke without fire. I am 100% certain that if John and Matt were not linked by this false charge, they would not have seen the inside of a courtroom. Leading us to believe that the police deliberately misled in order to strengthen their case. Many other ex Kerelaw employees were charged and threatened with similar allegations by many of the same people. However, these were not pursued, as stand alone cases they were laughable.
  
  Throughout the whole case against these two men, there was not one shred of evidence to support the allegations that were made, hence the use of the Moorov Doctrine. Similarly, how do you defend against that which simply does not exist and you are denied access to vital records?
  
  As for an appeal for John Muldoon, there are also a number of people working tirelessly to clear his name. These people will not rest until this grave miscarriage of justice is overturned.
  
  Recommend?   Yes 1     No 1

• 

  Ek Kerelaw manager
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  Feb 8, 22:33
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  Diane is absolutely right to continue in her support of John Muldoon, who also continues to protest his innocence, despite having served all of his sentence. Nothing more needs to be said in support of John than to quote from one of the PROSECUTION prime witnesses at the time of the trial, who for some mysterious reason was NOT called to give evidence in Court. I wonder why? Perhaps his explanation, quoted below, more than one year after the trial, provides a clue:
  
  "Abuse Convictions Raises Expert's Concerns -
  
  (02/08/07)
  
  
  
  "One of the UK's leading experts on child abuse has raised doubts about the conviction of a social worker after an investigation into a residential school in Ayrshire.
  
  "Ray Wyre, who works as a consultant to police investigations and public inquiries into child abuse, said staff at Kerelaw School found guilty of physical assaults were judged by standards which did not apply at the time the offences were said to have happened.
  
  "The trial of Matt George and John Muldoon, two former staff members at Kerelaw, took place in early 2006. There were 85 charges against them.
  
  "Mr Wyre was in court as an expert witness for the prosecution, but he was not called to give evidence.
  
  "He has now claimed this was because he made no secret of his doubts about some of the prosecution evidence.
  
  "When the prosecution finished, he closed his laptop and went to speak to Mr Muldoon. He said he told him he ought to be acquitted.
  
  "The Crown Office said it was a matter for the fiscal to decide who was called to give evidence."
  
  What greater exoneration could John receive, than this statement from a UK renowned "expert" prosecution witness. I similarly support John and sincerely hope he will find the will and the resources to mount an appeal - hopefully on the back of a successful appeal by Matt George.
  
  Recommend?   Yes 0     No 1

• 

  Ex Kerelaw Social Worker
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  Feb 8, 23:28
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  Campbell Martin, ex list MSP and an ardent supporter of ex Kerelaw staff John Muldoon and Matt George, campaigned for a public inquiry into events at Kerelaw school, and also submitted a motion to the Scottish Parliament just prior to the recess in April 2007:
  
  "Business Bulletin No. 61/2007: Monday 2 April 2007
  
  Campbell Martin: Kerelaw Residential School — That the Parliament notes with concern the ongoing situation in relation to Kerelaw Residential School in North Ayrshire; recognises the devastating effect that allegations and subsequent investigations and suspensions can have on individuals and their families; believes that a public enquiry should be held to determine exactly what happened at the school, and expresses concern over the conviction of ex-Kerelaw worker, John Muldoon.
  
  Campbell Martin is now the editor of the web site www.the3towns.com and continues to follow and report on the convictions of both Matt George and John Muldoon, and has expresssed major concerns about the inherent weaknesses of convictions obtained on evidence relying solely on the use of the Moorov Doctrine.
  
  Recommend?   Yes 0     No 1

• 

  Ex Kerelaw Ass't Head
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  Feb 9, 22:56
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  "If two people accuse you, then you are guilty. They get COMPENSATION, you get JAIL."
  
  Who says so? Read on. (See also "Serpico", Ref 8363 above, and Diane Nolan Comment)
  
  By Alasdair Palmer
  
  Last Updated: 12:01am BST 22/10/2006
  
  "Last week, Anver Sheikh was released from prison after the Court of Appeal ruled, for the second time, that he should never have been sent there. On May 9, 2002, Mr Sheikh was convicted of sexually assaulting two boys at the care home at which, more than 20 years ago, he used to work. He was branded a paedophile. His world collapsed as he was sent to prison for the unspeakable crimes that he did not commit. The only evidence against him was the uncorroborated testimony of two former inmates of the care home. But the jury believed the accusers and not Mr Sheikh: he was sentenced to eight years."
  
  "For one who has been through the harrowing ordeal of being imprisoned for something he did not do, Mr Sheikh was surprisingly calm on his release last week. He remarked only that he was "bitter at the system – at the system that failed me". He had good reason. The system for dealing with accusations of sexual abuse is a disgrace. It has manifest failings that are known to lead to wrong verdicts but which remain uncorrected, and which continue to send innocent men to prison."
  
  "Chris Saltrese is a solicitor who has handled many appeals for those accused of sexual crimes...
  
  Mr Saltrese believes that there are "certainly scores, and very possibly hundreds" of men who have been convicted of sexual crimes who are rotting in prison with no prospect of release, but who are not guilty and should never have been sentenced."
  
  "These men have all been convicted on the uncorroborated allegations of people they knew 10, 20, sometimes even 40 years ago, and whom they have not seen since. It seems incredible that, in English (and Scots) law, such unsupported allegations should be enough to get a man sent to prison for a decade or more. But that is the present situation. Thanks to the steady erosion of the rules of evidence governing sexual offences, culminating in decisions by the Law Lords in 1991 and 1995, a defendant can face multiple allegations at the same trial. None of those allegations need have any corroboration; each, considered on its own merits, may be insufficient to suggest sexual abuse took place, but the effect of the Law Lords' rulings has been that together, multiple allegations are, in law, enough to prove not just that the abuse happened, but that the defendant was the perpetrator."
  
  "People are regularly being convicted of sex crimes because that dangerous principle has been embedded into our law. The situation is made worse because of the way the police collect evidence in "historical abuse cases". Knowing that multiple allegations can produce a conviction, they attempt to trace all former residents at care homes where abuse is believed to have taken place, and to then ask if they have any recollections of abuse."
  
  "Police interviewers do not always take "No" for an answer. They justify multiple visits and interviews of the same individual on the grounds that they need to "build a relationship of trust with the witness", and that the "trauma of the event will lead many to deny it at first, and only later to be able to admit what happened". Such interviews are not video recorded or even taped by the police as a matter of course. As a consequence, it is impossible to identify whether or not they have "coached" witnesses."
  
  "Police officers can also point out to the people they question that there are financial advantages to making accusations which lead to men being convicted, as victims of sexual abuse are entitled to compensation. Care homes are liable for misconduct by their staff and their insurers will not defend claims for compensation when the alleged perpetrator has been found guilty in the criminal courts. The average compensation pay out is in the region of £20,000, but can go as high as £100,000.
  
  The combination of financial incentives for making allegations, and rules for evidence which do not require those allegations to be corroborated by anything except other, similar allegations, is a recipe for injustice. Entirely predictably, complainants have admitted to making up their accusations. Unfortunately, their admissions usually happen only after people have been imprisoned because of their initial complaint."
  
  "
  
  More innocent people will be convicted unless the law is changed so that uncorroborated allegations are not enough for a guilty verdict. Trials under the present rules are clearly not fair. The Government knows it, and has known it for years. But there are no plans to change any of the procedures to increase the likelihood that those accused of sexual crimes will be acquitted. On the contrary: the Government insists the conviction rate is too low, and wishes to change the rules again to make convictions more likely.
  
  It can only mean that there will be many more people who end up "bitter with the system" because they have had their lives unjustly destroyed by it."
  
  MATT GEORGE AND JOHN MULDOON HAVE BEEN "HUNG OUT TO DRY" BY A SYSTEM RIDDLED WITH MASSIVE INJUSTICE AND FABRICATION - THIS NOW NEEDS TO BE CHALLENGED BY THOSE WHO SHOULD KNOW BETTER
  
  Recommend?   Yes 0     No 1

• 

  Ex Kerelaw manager
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  Feb 13, 12:27
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  Police "Trawling for Evidence" - This article, extracted from the3towns.com exposes some of the less desireable practices relentlessly pursued by police and joint investigation teams, in their quest to seek convictions of many innocent child care workers, who now find themselves on the receiving end of allegations made some 20, 30 or 40 years ago (referred to as historic abuse allegations):
  
  "A new genre of miscarriages of justice for Scotland. Matthew George and John Muldoon started 10 year and 2 ½ year prison sentence on the 1st June 2006, for crimes they did not commit. I am one member of Matthew's family who sat through a 12 week High Court trial, which was the most unbelievable, surreal and heartbreaking situation I have ever found myself in. Matthew was found guilty of 18 charges out of a charge list of 49, which include sexual and physical assaults on 10 teenagers (now adults) who were residents of Kerelaw residential school in Stevenston in Ayrshire. I am sure the jury must have been thinking ‘No smoke without fire', as they listened to 49 charges being read out one after the other, but consider for one moment that the people who were accusing did not come forward to make a complaint, but were approached by either the Glasgow City Council Kerelaw Investigation Team or by Strathclyde Police and asked if they had any complaint to make. This investigative technique is sometimes known as ‘Trawling for evidence'. If police officers interview hundreds of damaged young people who have long records of deception and dishonesty, with the aim of gathering allegations of abuse against those who once cared for them, it would be surprising if they did not succeed in provoking a large number of false allegations. Particularly when it is known that such allegations can result in thousands of pounds being paid out by the criminal injuries compensation authority. My father-in-law worked as an art teacher in Kerelaw for 30 years. Through his career he has taught thousands of troubled, difficult and aggressive adolescents who are now in their 20's, 30's or 40's. Broadly speaking, most of the people who were making these false allegations are still troubled or disturbed in some way, either in prison, drug dependant, prostitutes or maybe just caught in the poverty trap. They all labelled their future life troubles as the aftermath of their abuse at Kerelaw. Of course not one complainer said that they were motivated by compensation, ‘they just wanted to put the past behind them'. The main problem I have with this line is that a very high number of the residents in Kerelaw were there for a reason. This could be as simple as being outwith parental control, not going to mainstream school or for committing crimes such as murder, attempted murder or serious sex offences, a very broad spectrum of clients. Kerelaw did not make them the way they were and certainly Matthew George did not make them the way they are today. I feel it must also be pointed out that Matt and my mother-in-law Yvonne have received many letters and cards from ex-pupils stating how much they respected Matt and how much of a help he was to them at such a pivotal point in their lives. This is not to mention the overwhelming support we have received from Matt's work colleagues, friends and his local newspaper, the Largs and Millport Weekly News. The national papers have reported these allegations for the last two years, naming Matthew George as the accused and even giving his home address. Is it any wonder that ex-residents would want to get a slice of the compensation pie? It has been reported that Glasgow City Council may receive compensation claims of up to £8,000,000. Solicitors Cameron Fyfe, who are supporting the claims from former residents, expect up to 160 ex-residents to come forward. They suggest an average payout in cases such as this would be £50,000. In July 2002 the House of Commons Home Affairs Committee, after a three month enquiry, concluded that such trawling operations have led to ‘a new genre of miscarriages of justice'. It is already too late for Matthew George but the Scottish law lords must look, along with the chief police officers, at the system of gathering good quality evidence in cases of historic abuse. This would not only protect against innocent men and women being sent to prison, it would help with the gaining of strong convictions against true criminals. The law must now, as a matter of urgency, be changed and reformed before more innocent teachers, carers, nurses and doctor's are behind bars.
  
  Select Committee on Home Affairs – Fourth Report (Oct 2002) THE CONDUCT OF INVESTIGATIONS INTO PAST CASES OF ABUSE IN CHILDREN'S HOMES ‘It has been suggested, and we believe it to be so, that a new genre of miscarriages of justice has arisen from the over-enthusiastic pursuit of these allegations. Those who argue the case, contend that police methods of 'trawling' for information, from a wide net of former residents, produces unreliable evidence for the prosecution and, hence, unsafe convictions. There is deep concern over the conduct of police interviews with witnesses and the integrity of witness testimony. In addition, trawling is said to provide fertile conditions for the generation of false allegations. Set in the context of a growing compensation culture and a shift in the law of 'similar fact' evidence (Moorov Doctrine), the risks of effecting a miscarriage of justice in these cases are said to be unusually high'. I have read and agree wholly that by convicting innocent defendants of offences they have not committed, justice can itself become a form of inadvertent crime. More terrible for the fact that it is committed, or abetted, by servants of the state. I have spent the last 13 months studying Police and Glasgow City Council Witness Statements, Procurator Fiscal precognitions and trial papers relating to my father-in-law. I now have no doubt that the investigation strategy pursued was not to establish the truth and the motive behind so many allegations of abuse, but at a very early stage to ensure a conviction was realised. At the end of the trial the jury was told that, as all of the allegations of abuse took place in private and were not witnessed by anyone, they were allowed to use the ‘moorov doctrine' to corroborate one crime with another, should they be similar in time, nature and purpose. This is a stand-alone reason for the convictions being unsafe. If you have a convicted murderer who is serving a ‘life' prison sentence corroborating the allegation of a man who is in prison for fire arms offences and other crimes of dishonesty, how can you believe beyond reasonable doubt that the story they are telling is the truth? How could they be considered as credible and reliable? We know Matt and John are innocent and we will not stop fighting this miscarriage of justice until their names have been cleared."
  
  (Robert McKnight)
  
  I now urge other ex Kerelaw staff and those child care workers still involved in caring for children and young people in care, including foster carers, to rally together in support now of Matt and John. There appear to be out-dated fundamental principles of law impeding the judicial system in its pursuit of the truth.
  
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• 

  Ex Kerelaw manager
  Unregistered User
  Feb 13, 22:33
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  Re comments above about historic abuse claims by child victims (now adults), previously in residential care, and payments of compensation being pursued by solicitor Cameron Fyfe of Ross Harper, evidence of the likely incidence of compensation claims in the pipe-line was reported by the Scotsman in 2008:
  
  "Thousands of abuse victims to get justice as case deadline lifted."
  
  (19 February 2008 )
  
  By MICHAEL HOWIE – The Scotsman
  
  "THE floodgates are set to open within weeks for compensation awards to thousands of abuse victims, with a legal ruling which will overturn a ban on historical claims.
  
  "A lawyer representing about 1,000 victims of historic abuse in children's homes in Scotland has told The Scotsman he "fully expects" a "time-bar" rule to be swept aside following a House of Lords ruling last month.
  
  "Under Scots law, personal injuries claims can only be lodged within three years of the incident occurring. When the victims are children, claims must be made within three years of their 16th birthday.
  
  "Last year, appeal judges ruled three former residents of Nazareth House in Glasgow could not pursue their actions because the alleged abuse, which occurred in the 1960s and 1970s, happened too long ago. The judgment shattered the hopes of hundreds of victims who have waited for years to have their day in court.
  
  "But those hopes have now been revived by a law lords' ruling last month involving the "Lotto rapist" Iorworth Hoare. The House of Lords ruled that a woman whose life was ruined following an attempted rape by Hoare now has the right to pursue a damages claim against him, despite the time limit.
  
  "Cameron Fyfe, who said that on his books he has 1,000 former children's home residents claiming abuse, added he expects the time bar north of the Border to be overturned at the Court of Session next month.
  
  "Judges will decide whether an action raised by ___________, a former pupil of Kerelaw school in Ayrshire who is seeking £35,000 in damages from Glasgow City Council, can go ahead – despite the alleged abuse taking place more than a decade ago.
  
  "Mr Fyfe said: "This will be the first time a Scottish court has been asked to rule on a historic abuse case since the Lords judgment. The implications for victims of abuse in Scotland will be huge if we are successful.
  
  "It is not automatic that the ruling will apply in Scotland, but the law in England and Scotland is very similar so we fully expect the courts will follow the lead.
  
  "The House of Lords is a higher authority than the Court of Session, and we already have appeals lodged on the Nazareth House cases so I believe the timebar will be removed.
  
  "Mr Fyfe said only one of the cases he is handling currently overcomes the time-bar hurdle. "There will be many more cases to follow if we succeed next month," he said. They include 28 former pupils of Kerelaw, each seeking between £30,000 and £40,000 damages.
  
  "A three-year investigation (by Glasgow City Council) into the residential unit claimed to have uncovered about 40 alleged abusers among staff. Investigators also warned more workers knew of the abuse, but did nothing about it."
  
  (The Frizzell Inquiry into Abuse at Kerelaw School did not find evidence to support the allegation that 40 staff at Kerelaw abused children & young people.)
  
  I am seriously concerned that we don't have a level playing field, and many ex care workers are not so fortunate in securing legal representation to defend these allegations and support their claims of innocence, as more cases wind their way into court. Legal aid is not so readily available to ex employees. Many legal firms are now openly advertising their professional services to alleged abuse victims now serving custodial sentences in UK-wide prisons.
  
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  Ex Kerelaw social worker
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  Feb 15, 16:39
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  Are residential child care staff becoming human punch bags for young people in care to ill-treat and abuse? Recent evidence from Unison suggests so. This culture now of "ye cannae touch me or I'll report ye" is leading to a break-down in adult/child carer relationships, unruly behaviour going unchecked, and more and more staff feeling vulnerable and unsupported in their work-place:
  
  "98% of Glasgow childcare workers threatened or abused"
  
  By Daniel Lombard on February 15, 2010
  
  "A survey of Unison's members in children's homes in Glasgow has found 98% have been threatened or verbally abused and 53% have suffered physical attacks over the last 12 months.
  
  "Unison Scotland released the shocking figures as the union, which has 300,000 members in social care across the UK, issued a ten-point plan to combat violence in social care.
  
  Unison is calling for:
  
  Funding from central government to invest in measures to protect staff
  
  Risk assessment and prevention strategies
  
  Better recording of incidents
  
  Improvements in the way incidents are dealt with locally
  
  National system to monitor incidents of abuse
  
  Better access to counselling for staff who have experienced abuse
  
  Banning lone working on risky visits
  
  Greater focus on employers' responses to incidents in inspections
  
  Closer relations between police and employers
  
  Better police and ambulance back-up for mental health admissions"
  
  Many ex Kerelaw staff will be able to sympathise with these sentiments, but on reflection will be saying ... "I told you so ... too little, too late". Many carers in Children's homes now feeling the brunt of fewer and fewer residential school places available for the more difficult and unruly young person in care. The closure of Kerelaw school, and Secure Unit, as with many other resid school closures, reduces the choice available in placement options. Ch homes do not have education facilities and teachers on the premises. Main stream schools now feeling the impact - or truancy rates from children in many ch homes have gone through the roof. Political and social work dogma is now requiring to be questioned.
  
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  Ex Kerelaw Social Worker
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  Feb 16, 00:23
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  Ross Harper, solicitors, have the following information displayed on their web page re role of solicitor Cameron Fyfe in pursuing compensation claims for ex Kerelaw pupils:
  
  
  
  "Abuse Victim Wins Right to Pursue Case"
  
  
  
  "March 2009 - Cameron Fyfe in our Litigation Department currently represents a number of former residents of Kerelaw School in Ayrshire who are making claims against the local authority for the treatment they received whilst resident at the school. Two former staff have been convicted of offences including physical and sexual abuse towards the pupils who were within their care at the school. Many of the victims of such abuse find pursuing a legal case impossible due to the rules on timebar. These state that any such claim must be raised within three years of the victim turning eighteen. For victims it can take many years to come to terms with the abuse and thereafter take the steps necessary to raise a claim meaning that often by the time they are ready to do so it is no longer competent. However, in a landmark ruling by Lord Malcolm at the Court of Session Michelle Wright, now 28, has won the right to sue in relation to the abuse she suffered whilst at Kerelaw between the ages of 10 and 15. This ruling also opens the way for other victims of abuse caught in the same position. Mr Fyfe has said that it is a major step in the right direction for those denied justice for so long."
  
  Comment: If pupil M____ W____ was in Kerelaw when 10 years' old I'll eat my hat! This is an example of half-truths and downright lies. Is this how cases are pursued and represented in court ... and juries misled? And defendants have no recourse to challenge as any evidence in terms of school records don't seem to be readily available (or destroyed)!
  
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  Gwen Hurst
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  Feb 16, 12:40
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  Sorry Matt that you have been caught up in the witch-hunt that is still sweeping the UK.
  
  Despite evidence presented to the Home Affairs Committee in 2002, very few politicians have had the courage to stand up for the real victims or take matters forward. I would like to applaud and congratulate those who are supporting you. I know of one MP who took up the cause and was officially warned that it was political suicide.
  
  Why have most politicians, judges, juries, employers and the general public not realised what is happing on such a massive scale and the cost involved? Why has nearly every children's establishment throughout the UK been investigated by police following allegations made about events that allegedly happened years previously?
  
  The good work done by yourself and thousands of other staff in very difficult and often dangerous circumstances should be recognised by all, not least by employers.
  
  Apart from the misery it's caused to a lovely family like yours, what a waste of money and resources, spent on large police operations trawling for evidence, barristers, solicitors, court and prison costs; not forgetting the compensation paid to claimants. Over the last twenty years, the cost must have been £millions, all of which would have been better spent on children's services.
  
  You are in my thoughts and prayers.
  
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  Bob Douthwaite
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  Feb 19, 15:39
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  As the Honorary Secretary of the North Wales Branch of F.A.C.T. (Falsely Accused Carers and Teachers) I offer our full support to Matt and John in their fight for justice. This scam, which has spread throughout the country, must be stopped by the politicians who seem to be scared to stand up for the honest and decent men who did so much good work in the training and education of the youths (now men) who are now telling lies about their former carers.
  
  British justice has been stood on its head when it is now only necessary to make false allegations to secure a conviction.
  
  Best wishes to Matt and John and may their courageous fight be successful.
  
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  Anonymous
  Unregistered User
  Feb 20, 17:01
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  Your readers may be interested in the following two items of recent news, both of which can be related to the present concerns being expressed about the margin of doubt in the sentencing of Matt George and John Muldoon, respective ex Kerelaw teacher and care worker:
  
  Conviction Appeal Upheld (Feb 12th, 2010):
  
  "A blind musician from Sheffield has been cleared of all charges after being accused of molesting a schoolboy over 20 years ago.
  
  Keyboard player Michael Higgins, aged 46, of Portland Court, Langsett, had denied two allegations of indecent assault which the supposed victim claimed happened in 1987.
  
  Mr Higgins was acquitted at the Old Bailey in London yesterday afternoon after a trial spanning four weeks."
  
  His solicitor Chris Saltrese told The Star afterwards:
  
  "It was clear from the outset the evidence was very weak, stemming from a complainant who has a history of drug addiction and offending. The question must be asked why the prosecution decided to press this case on such a flimsy basis going back two decades.
  
  "There needs to be a thorough review of uncorroborated historic sex cases and the value of claims made after so many years.
  
  "There are far too many cases putting innocent lives at risk in this way. It's a waste of public money and undermines the integrity of the criminal justice system in Britain."
  
  Source and Acknowledgement: Yorkshire Star
  
  More on the MOOROV DOCTRINE, from the Scottish Law Commission web page, 12 Jan 2010:
  
  "The Moorov doctrine is a mechanism which applies where a person is accused of two or more separate offences, connected in time and circumstances. In such a case, where each of the offences charged is spoken to by a single credible witness, that evidence may corroborate, and be corroborated by, the other single witnesses, so as to enable the conviction of the accused on all the charges. In order for the doctrine to operate, each of the offences must be competently charged. It is not possible to rely for corroboration of a charge upon evidence of conduct, however similar, in respect of which the accused has previously been convicted or acquitted. The operation of the doctrine involves similar issues to cases of similar fact evidence, since it permits evidence relating to one alleged crime to be used in support of a charge relating to a separate incident. We shall consider the origins and present state of the doctrine, and whether any reform is required. In particular, we shall consider whether it would be appropriate, as part of a wider reform of the law of similar fact evidence, to allow corroboration to be found in evidence of similar offences which cannot be tried on the same indictment, such as, for example, offences in relation to which the accused has already been tried and acquitted or convicted."
  
  "We aim to publish a DISCUSSION PAPER in late Spring 2010, to be followed by a 3 month public consultation."
  
  For more information, please contact: alastair.smith@scotlawcom.gov.uk
  
  Perhaps the "Largs and Millport" can act as a catalyst in compiling and forwarding concerns to the Scottish Law Commission, from the many supporters of Matt George and John Muldoon whornwere convicted solely on the basis of uncorroborated evidence, as is presently permissible in law under the Moorov Doctrine (if the evidence is considered to be reliable and from CREDIBLE witnesses).
  
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  Ex Kerelaw manager
  Unregistered User
  Feb 20, 18:12
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  See Ref 8870 above from Bob Douthwaite, FACT, N. Wales.
  
  In researching their web site I came across the following, which is of great interest to us here in Scotland:
  
  "FACT North Wales call for a re-think on the findings of the Waterhouse Inquiry a decade ago".
  
  "A group critical of those who made false allegations during a child abuse scandal are calling for people with information to come forward. North Wales Fact (Falsely Accused Carers and Teachers) group wants justice for the men they say were vilified during the Bryn Estyn care home case of the early 1990s. Members of Fact are asking any witnesses from the Wrexham area to now come forward and help the men they say were wrongly imprisoned and labelled paedophiles.
  
  "One man who was falsely accused by a former pupil at Bryn Estyn, and wished to remain anonymous, has spoken for the first time of the experience. The former teacher, who lives in the Wrexham area, was visited by North Wales Police officers one morning in March 1992. He said they entered his home and searched rooms looking for ****ographic material. The man, who is married and now in his seventies, worked at Bryn Estyn 20 years previously. He recalled how police told him allegations had been made by an ex-resident of the school.
  
  The man said: "Of course I denied any misdoing but they wanted to search the house. I asked what they were looking for and was told they were searching for videos and photographs. I pointed out we did not have a video player.
  
  He added: "I was taken to the police station and put in a cell. I was questioned twice before being released later that day on bail and told to return to the station in six weeks time.
  
  "It was a horrible time, then six weeks later I received a letter from North Wales Police informing me I did not have to answer police bail.
  
  "Since that day, almost 18 years ago, I have not had any communication with the police about this matter."
  
  The Fact group pointed to historian Richard Webster's 2005 book "The Secret of Bryn Estyn: The Making of a Modern Witchhunt". In the book, Webster examined much of the evidence presented to the Waterhouse Inquiry of 2000 regarding the allegations made in respect of homes across North Wales. Having taken 10 years to examine everything in detail, Webster decided the Waterhouse Inquiry was a "travesty of justice" that broke every guideline from the opening speech by counsel.
  
  In 2002, the Home Affairs Select Committee set up a further inquiry to look into allegations of abuse in children's homes.
  
  "Evidence was gathered from across the UK, including North Wales. They concluded miscarriages of justice had arisen from the ‘over-enthusiastic pursuit of allegations relating to children's homes'.
  
  "A police inquiry had led to 10 convictions with abusers imprisoned for offences committed at homes throughout North Wales over decades. However, there were claims some or many of those accused were victims of false allegations.
  
  "Fact was initially formed to support staff who had been falsely accused or wrongly convicted of child abuse. It campaigns for reform in the criminal justice system to prevent miscarriages of justice, and for improvements in investigative practices to remove the presumption of guilt.
  
  The man added: "There have been miscarriages of justice in these cases and the Home Office do not seem to want to listen to the truth.
  
  "Many men have had their lives ruined, their careers turned upside down and in some cases their families destroyed.
  
  "There are people out there who know what really happened. It's time they came forward and told the truth."
  
  Source: Daily Post (North Wales)
  
  More supporters of Matt and John now need to come forward, and tell the truth. Also, I appeal to ex pupils of Kerelaw School, to make their views known, via the columns of the "Largs & Millport".
  
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  Jim Hepburn
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  Feb 20, 19:59
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  I would like to congratulate Drew Cochrane and the people of Largs for their support for Matt Georgein his fight for justice.
  
  Matt and his colleages at Kerelaw dedicated their lives to look after youths who were beyond parental control andcould not fit in to mainstream educational establishments.
  
  Glasgow City Council owe these dedicated people a huge debt of gratitude and should be ashamed of the way they have amandoned them.Unfortunately, there are many people all over Scotland, England and Wales who find themselves in a similar position to Matt`s.
  
  These ex-residents who have been in and out of prison most of their lives find the police who never believed a word they ever said suddenly hanging on to every word they now say,and egged on by the chance of gaining large sums of money only too willing to ruin the lives and reputations of the ones who tried to help them.
  
  I am also a member of FACT and as has already been said, we are dedicated toto people all over the country who find themselves in Matt`s position.
  
  I wish Matt every success in his appeal this summer, so he and Yvonne and their family can get on with their lives.
  
  If Matt is successful it should also help John Muldoon in his fight for justice.
  
  Jim Hepburn.
  
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  Ex Kerelaw manager
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  Feb 21, 16:13
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  "Michelle Wright, now 28, has won the right to sue in relation to the abuse she suffered whilst at Kerelaw between the ages of 10 and 15. This ruling also opens the way for other victims of abuse caught in the same position. Mr Fyfe has said that it is a major step in the right direction for those denied justice for so long." See Ref 8724 above.
  
  There is incontrovertible evidence that M___ W___ was NOT a pupil in Kerelaw school when aged only 10 years' old. She was at least 13 years' old on admission. Case records will be able to corroborate this fact. Kerelaw open school did not admit children of primary school age.
  
  Perhaps Glasgow City Council Insurers should be advised of this fact. Also, at the High Court trial of Matt and John the charges brought by the CPS on behalf of M___ W___ were disposed of as "Not Guilty".
  
  A more thorough and detailed investigation is clearly required in respect of claims for compensation being pursued by ex Kerelaw pupils.
  
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• 

  David Whelan
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  Feb 26, 19:35
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  Dear Largs and Millport News.
  
  While I cannot personally comment on the Kerelaw issues as I was never in the institution. I can say that that there were attempts to discredit genuine true victim survivors of Quarriers Homes by former carers and others who were involved in the intimidation of witnesses after some ex/employees were convicted including Mr John Porteous and Mr Sandy Wilson. True Justice is not served if there has been a miscarriage of justice in this Case, but it is for the Courts and the Juries independently to decide based on the facts and evidence presented it is also the same in relation to convictions.
  
  Having been at the recieving end of a campaign by FACT members, Mr and Mrs Porteous, Secrets or Lies, BBC Frontline Scotland. I am aware of the reach of such an organisation. I also contacted Michael Barnes on a number of issues and how FACT propogate there message in relation to some of the historical abuse issues. Not everyone who claims that there are innocent will be, just as not everyone who claims to have been abused will be telling the truth. Genuine true victims of such historical abuse should not be tainted nor tarnished in the processes either.
  
  David Whelan, Former Quarriers Homes Boy.
  
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  Anonymous
  Unregistered User
  Feb 27, 13:01
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  In response to David Whelan:
  
  FACTS:
  
  (i) Complainer M___ W___ was not a pupil at Kerelaw School when 10 yrs old as claimed by her solicitor, now pursuing compensation;
  
  (ii) Charges brought by complainer M___ W___ against two former Kerelaw employees were disposed of as "Not Guilty", after trial;
  
  (iii) I agree with your statement "...not everyone who claims to have been abused will be telling the truth". This is why the supporters of Matt George and John Muldoon are so incensed with the court verdict, and fully supportive and behind Matt and his family in his present appeal.
  
  May I ask Mr Whelan what "Facts" supported the prosecution? No independent corroboration, no credible third party witness, no forensic evidence ... the ultimate findings of guilt all based on the now much discredited Moorov Doctrine.
  
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  Craig Diver
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  Mar 4, 12:15
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  I too would like to respond to Mr Whelan! I AM A FORMER KERELAW RESIDENT and I can ASSURE YOU that the charges against MR GEORGE are FALSE!!!
  
  If i had any doubt at all I WOULD NOT have given up my ANONYMITY in order to SUPPORT him!!!
  
  I would suggest that you read my substantial posting above!!
  
  As has been mentioned elsewhere Mr George was convicted under the "Moorov Doctrine", that means NO FORENSIC EVIDENCE, NO EVIDENCE WHATSOEVER IN FACT, AND NO WITNESS EVIDENCE. All that was required was that certain people said the same thing had happened to them over a period of time of Mr George's tenure at the school!!
  
  Now in my above postings i gave examples of the callibre of individuals making these allegations and i stick by that 150%.
  
  Mr Whelan i am sorry for your horrendous pain and what has happened to you (i have suffered abuse myself NOT AT KERELAW I HASTEN TO ADD) so therefor even more i say to you if Mr George had done these things I WOULD BE LEADING THE CAMPAIGN TO HAVE HIM CONVICTED AND NOT LEADING THE CAMPAIGN FOR HIS AQUITTAL IN WHAT IN MY VIEW IS A SERIOUS MISCARRIAGE OF JUSTICE!!!
  
  Craig Diver,
  
  Dip. App. S.S.(Open) Former Kerelaw Resident!
  
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  Craig Diver
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  Mar 4, 12:23
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  I too would like to respond to Mr Whelan! I AM A FORMER KERELAW RESIDENT and I can ASSURE YOU that the charges against MR GEORGE are FALSE!!!If i had any doubt at all I WOULD NOT have given up my ANONYMITY in order to SUPPORT him!!
  
  I would suggest that you read my substantial posting above!!As has been mentioned elsewhere Mr George was convicted under the "Moorov Doctrine", that means NO FORENSIC EVIDENCE, NO EVIDENCE WHATSOEVER IN FACT, AND NO WITNESS EVIDENCE. All that was required was that certain people said the same thing had happened to them over a period of time of Mr George's tenure at the school!!
  
  Now in my above postings i gave examples of the callibre of individuals making these allegations and i stick by that 150%.Mr Whelan i am sorry for your horrendous pain and what has happened to you (i have suffered abuse myself NOT AT KERELAW I HASTEN TO ADD) so therefor even more i say to you if Mr George had done these things I WOULD BE LEADING THE CAMPAIGN TO HAVE HIM CONVICTED AND NOT LEADING THE CAMPAIGN FOR HIS AQUITTAL IN WHAT IN MY VIEW IS A SERIOUS MISCARRIAGE OF JUSTICE!!!
  
  Craig Diver,Dip. App. S.S.(Open)
  
  Former Kerelaw Resident!
  
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  David Whelan
  Unregistered User
  Mar 5, 00:11
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  As I have stated it is for the Appeal Courts to decide based on the facts and evidence. If anyone has fact and evidence to support the fact that this is a Miscarriage of Justice,in this case then they should provide that evidence and facts to the defence team of those convicted to enable a full hearing on all the facts and evidence. As I have said I cannot personally comment on the Kerelaw issues as I was never in the institution.I will say it again, True Justice is not served if there has been a Miscarriage of Justice in this case and clearly many individuals are alledging that is the case in this particular case concerning Mr George.
  
  David Whelan
  
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  Ex Kerelaw manager
  Unregistered User
  Mar 6, 13:04
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  Thank you David, I admire your objectivity and willingness to listen to a contrary view, without bias and prejudice, and to acknowledge that there is more than a remote chance that Matt George and John Muldoon are innocent.
  
  The dice was loaded against Matt and John from the very outset, and there was a malicious campaign orchestrated by the local authority and the police (Operation Chalk) to secure convictions, by whatever means. I can find no evidence whatsoever of any critical examination of statements made against former Kerelaw staff.
  
  It is unfortunate to say the least that a number of ex Kerelaw pupils, now adults in their 30's and 40's, most with blemished characters and serious criminal convictions, were persuaded to jump on the compensation bandwagon and to give "evidence" to the police, and then later in the highest court of law in the country, over a twelve-week trial. (High Court Edinburgh, trial ended June 2006.)
  
  It is this evidence that is now open to question, especially if it is now known that claims were made for abuse to have been perpetrated against a particular pupil at dates when the pupil concerned was not even resident in Kerelaw. (see ref. 8724 above).
  
  This was how Richard Webster was able to systematically and painstakingly challenge and confront evidence against many former teachers and carers working in residential care homes in Wales, as can now be read in his renowned publication: "The Secret of Bryn Estyn - The Making of a Modern Witch Hunt" Orwell Press, 2005.
  
  Quoting from the cover of this book: " By February 2000, when Sir Ronald Waterhouse made damning findings of extensive abuse in north Wales, the police trawling operation which had begun there had spread to the entire country. Police forces across Britain collected allegations against 5,000 former care workers and hundreds were arrested."
  
  David - you have impressed me with your comments and you have undoubtedly gone up in my estimation. Perhaps if you met Matt and heard his story, you would also be able to offer some help, similar to the support consistently being offered by Craig Diver, ex Kerelaw pupil (see refs above).
  
  Craig sat through all of Matt's 12 week trial, so strongly did he feel in his views, and in his respect for Matt, matched only in intensity by his contempt for those making the allegations.
  
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  ex Kerelaw employee
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  Mar 9, 09:41
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  Interesting observation from recent events in Glasgow City Council surrounding the unexpected exit of Council Leader Steven Purcell, and then his resignation as councillor. He's reputed to be sunning himself in Australia.
  
  DID YOU KNOW?
  
  (i) The Frizzell Report into alleged abuse at Kerelaw School (Joint Glasgow CC & Scot Govt) was published on 11th May 2009. Many ex Kerelaw pupils, many also known in the present-day Glasgow underworld as hardened criminals, were led on to believe there would be big bucks payouts coming there way - figures in excess of £8m mentioned in the press at that time;
  
  (ii) Steven Purcell we now know was interviewed by the police Drugs Agency, as he was known in the gay scene, a confessed abuser of coccaine, and was being blackmailed??
  
  Is this pure coincidence, or is there a direct link to be established between the two dates - 11th May 2009 and 12th May 2009? and Steven Purcell's high media exposure and vulnerability?
  
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  ex Kerelaw employee
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  Mar 9, 10:14
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  Re last Comment and confirmation of date when Steven Purcell was interviewed in the City Chambers by the police in May of last year -
  
  From The Scotsman:
  
  "The news came as it emerged the former leader of Glasgow City Council had a "private meeting" with officers from Scotland's elite drug squad.
  
  Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency officers spoke with Mr Purcell in his office in Glasgow City Chambers on 12 May last year. Mr Purcell was not cautioned or formally interviewed.
  
  However, the fact the meeting took place will inevitably fuel speculation about his lifestyle and his "chemical dependency".
  
  SNP MSP John Mason is asking some relevant questions:
  
  "Yesterday, the former opposition leader in the city council, SNP MSP John Mason, said he had written to the chief executive of the council, as well as Audit Scotland and the Accounts Commission, "to urge an open and transparent investigation into the practices of the council in recent years".
  
  Mr Mason, and current opposition leader James Dornan said that, on the back of claims some Labour figures had concerns about Mr Purcell's drug misuse as far back as the 2008 Glasgow East by-election, the party must set the record straight.
  
  He said: "The issue people in Glasgow want answers to is what has been going on in City Chambers not just in the last few weeks but over a period of years."
  
  Is there a sinister link to be evidenced and established between ex Council Leader Steven Purcell and the events at Kerelaw School?
  
  There is a bad smell emanating from the City Council and some pertinent questions now require some answers!
  
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  anonymous
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  Mar 9, 21:47
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  PROVERB:
  
  ‘The fish', as the saying goes, ‘always stinks from the head downwards.'
  
  The freshness of a dead fish can be judged from the condition of its head. Thus, when the responsible part (as the leader of a council, etc.) is rotten, the rest will soon follow. Gr. ἰχθὺς ἐκ ṯῇς κɛϕαλῇς ὄζɛίν ἄρχɛṯαί, a fish begins to stink from the head.
  
  If the prouerbe be true,‥that a fishe beginneth first to smell at the head,‥the faultes of our seruantes will be layed vppon vs.
  
  [1581 G. Pettie tr. S. Guazzo's Civil Conversation iii. 51]
  
  The guilt of criminality attaches to those responsible. ‘Well,' said the Aga Khan, ‘fish goes rotten by the head.'
  
  [1915 W. S. Churchill Letter 3 Dec. in M. Gilbert Winston S. Churchill (1972) III. Compan. II. 1309]
  
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  anonymous
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  Mar 10, 23:14
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  From The Scottish Law Reporter:
  
  Thursday, March 04, 2010
  
  "Lord Advocate's lawyers Levy & McRae tried to block media reporting over Glasgow Council Chief resignation as details unravel of clinic escapade
  
  Steven Purcell, former leader of Glasgow City Council. The recent turmoil of Glasgow City Council, which saw the resignation late last week by its leader, Steven Purcell has taken a new twist as Mr Purcell's lawyers, Levy & McRae, now appear to be targeting the media in an attempt to prevent further reporting on Mr Purcell's situation and the facts surrounding his resignation from Glasgow City Council, facts which only now are coming to light after furious attempts by the law firm to gag the City Council itself and news organisations investigating the affair."
  
  Questions remaining unanswered -
  
  (i) Why did Glasgow CC Legal Services Dept not represent Mr Purcell's best interests at a time of so-called personal stress and threats (?) of blackmail?
  
  Answer: Is there a potential (waiting in the wings) conflict of interest? Glasgow CC itself may be liable for some of the actions of its one-time Council Leader (this is self-evident). Can a link be established with events at Kerelaw School and many ex pupils' (now underworld criminals, active in extortion rackets) expectations that big bucks were coming their way from Glasgow CC or their insurers (Figures in excess of £8m being banded about in the press);
  
  (ii) How can a known, self-confessed drug abuser leave the country without any call to be accountable? Polite visits by the Drug Enforcement Agency - no sniffer dogs in the City Chambers, no search of his property, his car, no surveillance of his activities?? A veil of silence - rather ominous. The media/press will sniff this one out and will ultimately have their day. Better to come clean now;
  
  Has Purcell been given a one-way ticket by the City Council to avoid embarrassment and legal action?
  
  (iii) Steven Purcell's right to privacy - this is a smoke screen. Once you stand for public office and advance to the highest position in the biggest council in Scotland, then your right to privacy is sacrificed.
  
  More questions than answers. Frizzell Report into Abuse at Kerelaw School published on the 11th May 2009 - Steven Purcell visited by police in the City Chambers on 12th May 2009. I suggest your readers do a Google search into the headlines on the 11th May 2009 re Kerelaw and media/press coverage and comment from Steven Purcell. This would not go down well in certain quarters. Did he become a marked man?
  
  There is a smell of ... corruption, at the very highest level.
  
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  anonymous
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  Mar 10, 23:32
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  One Google search reveals the following:
  
  Kerelaw Report MONDAY 11 MAY 2009. News RSS Feed ... Commissioned by both Glasgow City Council and the Scottish Government, the inquiry team led by Eddie ... Councillor Steven Purcell, Leader of the Council, originally called for the inquiry along ... www.glasgow.gov.uk
  
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  anonymous
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  Mar 11, 23:45
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  One law for Joe Blogs ... another law for ex-City Councillor supremo! His lawyers and media PR advisors have the upper hand ... so far!
  
  Another excellent article from Joan McAlpine on the Steven Purcell affair, and the fact that the Press and TV are ignoring the story. There is, as she says, much interest in the issue as I can testify from the hits on this blog, many indeed from Glasgow City Council.
  
  It is as I said on Sunday time for an Investigation, Joan has this to say on the subject:
  
  Given the closeness of his coterie, the investigation needs to be independent ie outwith the council. The reason for full disclosure is not really about Purcell's cocaine use/addiction. There have been plenty of functioning alcoholics in positions of power. And the TV industry in London, I'm told, does more than its bit to support Columbia's criminal classes. The class A drug use of Purcell is just a symptom. It hints at a recklessness, and a belief that the law which applies to "ordinary" citizens does not apply to oneself. One wonders if this attitude shaped other aspects of his behaviour in office? More precisely, we are getting a picture of a somewhat weak, vain and – dare I say it – malleable man, whose love of a lifestyle that certainly appeared lavish may have left him open to compromise. I don't want anyone to snoop into Purcell's medical records, or swab the private bathroom looking for traces of the white powder. But we do need to know exactly who attended those Friday lunch clubs and who paid for them. Who is paying for his lawyer's bills now, his private medical treatment and his current extended holiday?
  
  Let's review the land deals and all contracts and licences awarded since 2005. Who benefitted under the Purcell Presidency and can we make sure they did so without favour.
  
  It is time that someone in the Council or indeed out Scottish Government showed some backbone on this issue an demanded that it wasn't swept under the carpet, otherwise yet again Scotland will be laughing stock.
  
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  anonymous
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  Mar 11, 23:57
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  Unscrupulous Practice or what?
  
  SOLICITORS are advertising in jails for prison inmates to make compensation claims for abuse against former carers and teachers. Some of the claims involve allegations stretching back decades.
  
  The prisoners contact the lawyers to inquire about payouts and are told to make complaints to the police about their alleged abusers, partly in order to shore up their compensation claims. They can net up to six-figure sums.
  
  In addition to genuine cases of historical abuse it is feared that some former carers and teachers could be wrongly accused — and socially stigmatised — by hardened criminals attracted by the lure of compensation money.
  
  Falsely Accused Carers and Teachers (Fact), a group that supports those subjected to dubious allegations, said the adverts were "absolutely deplorable".
  
  George Jensen, a former headmaster and chairman of Fact, said: "This is tantamount to promoting allegations whether false or true and I don't think that is acceptable. If anyone has an abuse complaint they should go first to the police, and if they want a solicitor they should contact a local one."
  
  Despite previous concerns over false claims, inquiries into alleged abuse, sometimes decades old, still go on. Last week West Yorkshire police confirmed they have launched an investigation into allegations of abuse at a large number of care homes.
  
  The inquiry is the result of allegations made to a legal firm that advertises every month in Inside Time, a free prison newspaper.
  
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  mcbamm
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  Mar 14, 22:31
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  if it wasnt involving real people, it would be funny. There has been a lot of words spoken here on the net, Matt was my art teacher for nearly two years, as a grown man (nearly 40) i can tell you there was no abuse. if anything the only abused people were the staff at Kerelaw.
  
  We werent there because we were angels....
  
  I have four kids. i think of my time in Kerelaw and i hope that none of them go into any such a place, not because it was a bad place, but because that i learned enough to teach my kids not to end up there.
  
  Kerelaw might be nothing more than a field right now, but Matt and John have a mountain to climb,
  
  And i would like to think that all the people they helped along in lifes journey, will help them out.
  
  I was there, i seen what went on, i was in the middle of it, and i can tell you, it didint happen.
  
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  Ex Kerelaw manager
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  Mar 20, 12:47
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  Previous Comment from ex Kerelaw pupil communicates a very POWERFUL message for their Lordships in consideration of Matt's Appeal later this year ...
  
  "I WAS THERE, I SEEN WHAT WENT ON, I WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF IT, AND I CAN TELL YOU, IT DIDN'T HAPPEN."
  
  There are no further words to be said in support of Matt, stronger than this viewpoint from ex pupil.
  
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  Ex Kerelaw manager
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  Mar 21, 21:49
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  STEVEN PURCELL, Glasgow City Council and Kerelaw School.... "MURKY CORRIDORS" ... OR, as in the Blog above -
  
  There is a smell of ... corruption, at the very highest level.
  
  On Sunday 21 MARCH, Ms Sturgeon said there was a "political cloud" hanging over the "great city" of Glasgow. But she added: "It is not because of the personal circumstances of an individual. It goes much, much deeper than that. It is because of a culture, a Labour culture of secrecy, a Labour fear of transparency."
  
  She told delegates that council functions had been "hived off" to arms-length bodies, meaning that accountability to the public was "virtually non-existent".
  
  She also claimed: "It often seems like the interests of the few are given more importance than those of the people who provide and use the services of the council. Concerns of opposition councillors and trade unions are arrogantly brushed aside."
  
  And she demanded: "It is time to shine a light - a very bright light - into the murky corridors of Labour controlled Glasgow City Council."
  
  Please note - Kerelaw School Inquiry published 11 May 2009, Steven Purcell interviewed by police drugs agency on 12 May 2009. Purcell keen to emphasise in Glasgow CC web page - "Kerelaw School has been demolished" ... too damn quick in my view, given it was designated as a "crime scene". Land in Stevenston now sold off by Glasgow CC as "prime house-building site ...". Does Percell's one-time buddy and renowned businessman Mr Haughey have any interest in this desireable location for new-build housing?
  
  The smell is fast becoming a STENCH! Where is Purcell? Why the media cover-up? Will the Audit Commission of Scotland order an Inquiry? Will the Labour Group of Glasgow CC answer some pertinent questions now being asked by the SNP?
  
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  anonymous
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  Mar 21, 23:04
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  Another good contribution from Joan MacAlpine in the Sunday Times Scotland on 21 March (why no BBC reporting?):
  
  "More questions. If the police and council officials knew Purcell was involved in something dodgy, why were the citizens of Glasgow kept in the dark? Is there one rule for city council heads and another for voters? Purcell did not step down. He was given a "second chance". That's perfectly fine and dandy, but perhaps the people who elected him should have been made aware of this decision.
  
  "The warning about organised crime rings alarm bells because it is not the first time it has been reported as impinging on political life in the west of Scotland.
  
  "We need to shine a light on such matters. As one former policeman who is concerned about organised crime infiltrating public life, told me last week: "Glasgow is a very poor city. It's totally unacceptable if the political representatives of people whose poverty is exploited by criminals, are mixing with those same criminals, perhaps even giving them an unfair advantage."
  
  "More questions. What on earth was Haughey doing with Purcell in his darkest hour, when he was about to leave the country — allegedly — after his breakdown? The Sunday Times reported last week that Haughey helped to orchestrate Purcell's departure from politics. These are hardly the actions of men who are not close associates, friends even.
  
  "Is it appropriate that Haughey was awarded public money from Scottish Enterprise Glasgow, a publicly-owned development body to which the last Labour Holyrood administration appointed him chairman? Should we not be concerned that he attended the meeting which awarded him the money before handing the chair to Purcell for the decision to be made?
  
  "The (Labour) party has been more successful in convincing a great many observers that the Purcell story is not worth pursuing. It has hardly featured on the BBC, for example. This is partly because of the closeness of the political establishment in Scotland. There is also the matter of human compassion. It sounds like the man suffered a very serious breakdown in his mental health. There have even been suggestions of a suicide attempt while he was being cared for in a rehabilitation clinic.
  
  "But there are serious allegations about the way Purcell ran Scotland's largest local authority, suggestions that public money was misused. Given that many people are about to lose their jobs in council cuts, ordered by Purcell shortly before he left, any misuse of funds is worth investigating.
  
  Purcell's alleged "murky" underworld connections with the criminal classes would inevitably bring him into contact with some ill-renowned ex Kerelaw pupils, now in their 30's and 40's, disappointed that Frizzell (author of Kerelaw Report commissioned by Purcell) was not going to write them a blank cheque in respect of historic allegations of abuse at the school? (£8m being quoted as likely cost to Glasgow CC).
  
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  anonymous
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  Mar 22, 21:12
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  Glasgow humour is brilliant:
  
  "Stephen Purcell is in the Camyan Islands, which is to where Messrs Levy & McCrae and Messrs Hook, Line and Sinker went First Class shortly after Stephy Boy was sprung fro his treatment clinic.
  
  A certain Fridge Magnet from Glasgow has a wee
  
  "pied-a-terre" there, curiously enough.
  
  All the dots joined up for you now?
  
  Also, if you are interested in the Glasgow Heralds, watch the difference between the stories coming out of the daily edition and the Sunday one.
  
  There is nothing happening in Glasgow at all, according to the daily one but the other is turning up all sorts of shenanigans about hired car (block) contracts and funny land deals.
  
  I wonder if anybody at the top of either of the two versions has had and still is very close contacts with the West Cost Labour Mafia. Just asking."
  
  Baggy trousers said:
  
  "Everybody keeps blaming the Media for not reporting on Purcell's whereabouts etc, however you have to remember Purcell's lawyers were quick to pounce and silence the Media.
  
  I think the Sun Newspaper knows his whereabouts but can't report it yet.
  
  But rest assured the truth will oot, as they say."
  
  "What is it with Labour activists, that they have to be run over before they know there is a bus coming?" (!!)
  
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  anonymous
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  Mar 23, 22:49
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  The Glasgow Mafia (contd) -
  
  Evening Times:
  
  "An arms-length firm created by former Glasgow City Council leader Steven Purcell has pulled out of this weekend's Labour Party Spring Conference.
  
  City Building is understood to have booked and paid for space at the Labour conference several months ago. A City Building spokesman said: "Given the Glasgow City Council advice that ALEOs should no longer attend party political events we have decided not to attend this week's conference."
  
  The ban followed revelations City Building had donated £2000 to Labour at a dinner and spent more than £50,000 taking exhibition space at Lab­our Party conferences."
  
  This GCC public services funded firm seems to be raking in massive profits if it can squander £50,000 on space at labour party conferences! Steven Purcell's buddy Willie Haughey.
  
  By the way, it's gone very quiet on Purcell ... allowed to slip into the night unnoticed ...
  
  Col.Blimp IV "Comment" in The Scotsman (22/03/10):
  
  "Is anyone else concerned about Steven Purcells apparent disappearance from the face of the earth?
  
  Having fallen foul of the Weegie Mafia, is there cause to fear he may be "sleeping with the fishes"?
  
  Has the reason for Danus McKinlay's sudden death been established?...two weeks ago the Police's "not being treated as suspicious" statement, seemed a tad more plausible than it does now.
  
  Are Levy & McRae and Media House really on Purcell's payroll or were they hired by some other person or persons unknown to protect their interests?
  
  So - Where in hell is Steven Purcell?
  
  Shout it - WHERE IN HELL...IS STEVEN PURCELL?
  
  ..................WHERE IN HELL...IS STEVEN PURCELL?
  
  Are the media now on his trail but silenced by threat of libel?
  
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  anonymous
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  Mar 23, 23:13
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  More on STEVEN PURCELL SCANDAL:
  
  Would Granny swear by Levy McRae ? Law firm in the dock as newspapers ‘evaluate relationship' with legal advisers over Steven Purcell scandal
  
  Peter Watson of Levy McRae, back from the Cayman Islands ? In an editorial comment in today's Sunday Herald, further extraordinary details have emerged about the involvement of the well known Glasgow law firm Levy McRae, along with its senior partner Peter Watson and the crisis management media spec*alists Media House, in attempts to manage media coverage of the scandal surrounding the Glasgow City Council Chief Steven Purcell, who fled the country after resigning by telephone.
  
  The Sunday Herald ends its editorial by stating : "We are taking this problem very seriously and are assessing our relationship with our legal advisers this week. We certainly need to be assured that there is no potential for similar conflicts of interest in future and we are making our position very clear to Levy & McRae."
  
  Time will tell!
  
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  anonymous
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  Mar 24, 23:02
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  Levy & McRae profile - frightening off the media in their pursuit of... whatever ... ?
  
  "The Firm
  
  Levy & McRae is one of Scotland's leading law firms. The firm has a particularly strong reputation for litigation, media and personal injury.
  
  Principal Areas of Work
  
  Litigation: Extensive litigation practice including representing British Sky Broadcasting Limited in the enforcement of all copyright and licensing matters arising in Scotland.
  
  Media: One of the largest media law practices in the country providing advice to an extensive range of clients in the print and broadcast media.
  
  Dispute Resolution/Reputation Management: Prominent individuals from the world of business, TV, film, music and sport retain the services of Levy & McRae to ensure that reputations are protected from unwarranted intrusion and defamation."
  
  BY THE WAY ... WHERE IS STEVEN PURCELL??
  
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  Ex Kerelaw manager
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  Mar 27, 21:35
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  In today's Mail:
  
  "The unteachable pupils sent back to terrified staff despite assaults and sex attacks"
  
  By Laura Clark
  
  Last updated at 12:57 AM on 27th March 2010
  
  Comments (61) Add to My Stories
  
  Unteachable children are described in a dossier as a teaching union accused governors of not protecting staff.
  
  It is a shocking document which lays bare the realities of teaching in increasingly unruly schools.
  
  One teacher reports the case of a 14-year-old boy who attacked her and sexually assaulted a female classroom assistant.
  
  Another boy, this time aged only five, threatened to stab a member of staff with a pair of scissors and threw chairs in his reception class.
  
  Most disturbingly, the culprits have all been returned to the classroom against the wishes of teachers - often after initially being excluded or expelled.
  
  Nine 'unteachable' children are described in a dossier produced by the NASUWT union. Five were expelled by head teachers only to be reinstated by governing bodies.
  
  The union accuses governors of being more concerned with placating parents of troublemakers than protecting staff."
  
  Read more: http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/news/article-1261033/The-unteachable-pupils-sent-terrified-staff.html#ixzz0jPeykGgL
  
  Kerelaw School accommodated 90 Young People, many expelled from main stream schools (some from Primary School age), and many also involved in serious criminal activity. Teaching staff and SW staff had no final sanction, such as "expelling the most unruly", and remember these Young People were resident in the school 24/7, many with no homes or parents taking an interest in them. They had no commitment to anyone, had suffered from poor parenting from a very early age, and often had no investment in their future. So, nothing really to lose then! May as well take out my revenge on whoever crosses my path... also cause a bit of vandalism in the process ... try a bit of absconding, housebreaking, steal a car, sniff out some hash, and let others worry about the consequences.
  
  20 or even 30 years later their predicament is even more desperate, many incarcerated in penal establishments. Some benign police investigator comes along and wishes to embark in dialogue with them about the possibility of being physically or sexually abused when in care at Kerelaw (or where-ever), mentions a few staff names, and holds out the prospect of considerable financial compensation as an outcome.
  
  Let's get real. What do you expect? And if sufficient numbers will "sign up", then conviction(s) are a foregone conclusion, under an outdated legal device referred to as the "Moorov Doctrine".
  
  Matt and John from Kerelaw have been, and continue to be, innocent victims of this scandalous state of affairs. The "establishment" washes its hands showing no real insight or understanding of what it is really like to care for such unruly young people, and pursues with relish a culture of blame, scapegoating those in the "front line" of care, the most vulnerable staff unable to defend themselves. This is quite shameful and should not be countenanced.
  
  Responsible local authorities, govt departments and the judiciary all seem to hide under a cover of endless reports and inquiries, which are conducted by those with good intentions but with little or no knowledge, skill or experience of having actually worked in such settings (vide Frizzell Report on Kerelaw headed by ex Civil servant from the Dept of Agriculture!). Incidentally, how can a joint Public Inquiry set up by the Scot Govt and Glasgow City Council, be held in Private? Is there not a contradiction in terms here? Similar, to the present Inquiry into the War in Iraq (altho after protest, most of this now being held in public).
  
  I wish Matt every success in his appeal and encourage more of his supporters to come forward to present the contrary view of what actually did go on in Kerelaw. As one ex pupil above has commented:
  
  "I WAS THERE, I SEEN WHAT WENT ON, I WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF IT, AND I CAN TELL YOU, IT DIDN'T HAPPEN."
  
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  Ex Kerelaw manager
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  Mar 27, 21:47
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  By the way, the "Comments" in the Mail article referred to above are brilliant - worth a read!
  
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  Ex Kerelaw manager
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  Mar 27, 22:15
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  Sample "Comments" from this article in the Mail:
  
  "The school has duty of care to the children, and as an employer, to the teacher. If a pupil is disruptive continually, then that child should be removed and placed in a spec*alist school. Unfortunately, the spec*alist schools have been closed as the liberal elite wanted all children to taught together. Another failed experiment, just like the abolition of grammar schools
  
  - CW, Llangollen, 27/3/2010 10:05
  
  "Before I became a teacher, I worked for some years on an acute psychiatric admissions ward in a large mental hospital (that's in the days when there still were such institutions - the majority of such ex-patients are now roaming our streets). The abuse, verbal and physical, that I both witnessed and experienced in that environment was infinitely less than I found in 13 years of teaching in a 'bog standard' comprehensive school. Parents rush in to schools to complain about any discipline of their little darlings at the merest whiff of a moan from Jane or Johnny.
  
  The weak, useless Head, despite his/her £770000 pa, safely installed in a comfy office away from the action, supports them, not you or the other staff members 'on the chalk-face'. I loved teaching, but those who think it's a soft option need to see more clearly what's going on into Nu Leibour's broken Britain.. It's heartbreaking for the teachers and the worst of all possible futures for our nation's children."
  
  - Desperate, Lincoln, Lincolnshire, 27/3/2010 10:09
  
  "As a Governor of a school and a parent. I am amazed at the lack of support which my fellow Governors seem to be providing the teachers that man the battle lines every day at their schools. A 14 year old sexually assualts a teacher and is let back ino the school?? Are you joking. He should have been held for the police and charged. When did the rights of these trouble makers start to take priority over the rights of the rest of the students, and teachers, to work and learn in a safe/ secure environmet?"
  
  - M. Thomas Brooks, Abbots Langley, U.K., 27/3/2010 10:34
  
  "Name and shame the governors. If they don't have the backbone to get rid of children who are a threat to teachers and fellow children they should have to justify their decision to ALL the parents. Well done to the union for stepping in BUT they shouldn't have to.
  
  Special schools for violent kids where they can learn discipline (the hard way if need be) and education for the chavvy parents who cant control their kids. Remember its what the kids are NOT learning at home that often causes these problems."
  
  - Mark, Southend, 27/3/2010 10:50
  
  "Pupils who continually disrupt classes and attack teaching staff should be sent to a SCHOOL BOOT CAMP the parents should have their child allowances stopped until they learn the meaning of RESPECT, I was at school the beginning of the 60's and this when it all started parents must take FULL responsibility if you do not have dicipline in the home you might as well give up.
  
  - Chris, Merseyside UK, 27/3/2010 11:01
  
  "I dont understand why this generation of children who have not been smacked/ caned or been shown any physical abuse are more violent than ever before. We didn't hear of stabbings attacking teachers etc when we were at school and yet we received physical punishment. Why are todays kids more violent and yet have had no violence shown to them? IF violence is supposed to breed violence? Any psychologists out there?
  
  - janet, beverley east yorks, 27/3/2010 11:34
  
  "Both political parties are culpable. The golden age for british education was half a century ago when any child with ability and drive could get a first class education at no cost. Since then both parties have fallen over one another to wreck standards of achievement and behaviour. Thank God I retired ten years ago!"
  
  - John, Axminster, 27/3/2010 12:12
  
  "The government should sack the governors involved in these reinstatements. These are criminal acts we are talking about. Jail the children and fine or jail the parents who created these little monsters."
  
  - ernest Oglesby, larnaca, cyprus, 27/3/2010 11:32
  
  And etc.
  
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  Mcbamm
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  Mar 28, 09:17
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  lol at the comment from chris from Merseyside in the previous post,
  
  In Kerelaw we:
  
  Got out of bed in the morning,
  
  Had a wash/shower,
  
  went and had breakfast,
  
  went to classes during the day,
  
  After dinner at about 5.30 we could do pretty much as we pleased, watch tv,play pool or even just go and sit in your room for a bit of peace and quiet.
  
  At the weekends there was money available to the staff to take you swimming,the local magnum centrern or even just a drive in the van.There was also Kerelaws football team and we played against other List'd' schools.
  
  Kerelaw was a bit of 'boot-camp' it installed a routine into you and you were in close quarters with young men your age and had to deal with that.
  
  As an adult i cant imagine sharing a house with ten other guys would be easy.
  
  The teachers at Kerelaw should have got blue peter badges just for turning up in the morning.
  
  I wouldnt want to have done thier job, but i felt more at ease with all the teachers in Kerelaw than i ever did in my other schools,the classes were smaller and more relaxed, at the inquirey i told them that i would turn every school in the country into a Kerelaw, i got the feeling it didnt go down to well...
  
  As for all the political stuff about Purcell, i rather the accusers admitted lying and Matt and John get found not guilty.
  
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  vigilo
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  Mar 31, 08:31
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  However, getting back to the Moorov doctrine - how can it be right or just that if two individuals accuse you of a similar crime without any corroborating evidence, the testimony of twenty witnesses who say you didn't do it counts for nothing.
  
  The Moorov Doctrine works only in one direction, to the benefit of accusers. Not surprising really when it was a legal mechanism originally devised to obtain convictions in sexual cases when the real evidence didn't stack up.
  
  More questions need to asked of the Scottish Government why this outmoded and dubious device is still used against people.
  
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  Kerelaw ex employee
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  Mar 31, 21:48
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  Interesting article from The Times which will ring true with Matt and John in terms of their experiences with the police and judiciary:
  
  Beyond Reasonable Doubt - By George A Jensen, from Inside Time (March 2007)
  
  George A Jensen, Chairman of the North Wales branch of FACT (Falsely Accused Carers and Teachers) highlights the highly emotional and contentious issue of child abuse.
  
  " AN article in the December issue of Inside Time by solicitor Peter Garsden caught my eye. I am not in the compensation culture class, I am on the other side of the fence in that I am concerned to assist the unfortunate men who, having given many years of patient care to those less fortunate than themselves, now find themselves rewarded by long terms of imprisonment for offences that in the vast majority of instances were almost certainly never committed.
  
  Let me state quite categorically that I have absolutely no time whatsoever for those who have actually abused children, and in my opinion they deserve lengthy sentences. Unfortunately the reality is quite different. Many of the allegations are, and can be proven to be, untrue, yet have still caused men to be convicted and imprisoned.
  
  The proud boast of the British legal system that one is ‘innocent until proven guilty' no longer applies. It has been prostituted by the need to obtain convictions however they are achieved. Some examples of the corruption of the judicial system in cases of historic abuse are legendary. Cheshire Crown Court in the Guardian (May 9th 1998) … "You are entitled to compensation even if the person against whom you complained is found not guilty"- surely an open invitation to make false allegations? The Government assures me that the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) carry out ‘robust reviews' of evidence the police place before them. Let me give you a couple of examples of the ‘evidence' that was subjected to robust reviews – taken from actual court cases.
  
  Mr Justice Curtis, Cardiff Crown Court, referring to one of the complainants, stated: "He is making very serious allegations, with persuasive skills, which can be and have been shown to be fundamentally untrue".
  
  Or the case where a complainant claimed to have been abused in a public toilet – ten years before local authority records show the date of its construction.
  
  The Home Affairs Select Committee (HASC) reported the Government has noted that: ‘Failure to disclose evidence inconvenient to the prosecution case was a factor in many, if not most, proven miscarriages of justice'. Disclosure is the making available to both parties in a trial that evidence and material which is important to the satisfactory conduct of that trial.
  
  Peter Garsden explains how it is that what the police call disclosure is the result of memories too painful to recall without some form of stimuli. I fully concur with his analysis, but would give a somewhat different explanation of the stimulation experienced. It is the ‘stimulation' of money, not compensation, for the term compensation infers that it is in recompense for some unacceptable happening; the simple explanation is greed.
  
  The HASC reported in 2002 that they were ‘concerned that there had been many instances where a miscarriage of justice had occurred'. The number of instances where the conviction of men accused of historic abuse of children in residential homes has been quashed serves to emphasise that such concern was properly founded.
  
  The heading above the article by Mr Garsden is ‘Abused by the legal system'. That is absolutely correct, with the caveat that he identifies the wrong victim of the judicial abuse. The real victims are those men who have given sometimes a quarter of a century of service to help those unfortunate young people that society did not want to know about. They have been vilified, in many cases their families destroyed, their children mocked at school, not for any wrongdoing on their part, but because of the greed of the so-called victims.
  
  This article appears in Inside Times under the following categories:-
  
  Child AbusernMiscarriages Of JusticernBeing on the receiving end of false and malicious allegations must be the worst conceivable nightmare any residential teacher or social care worker has to contemplate throughout their career.
  
  The more you manifest care to the most vulnerable and disadvantaged in your work-place, the more likely it would appear you will face allegations, and the nightmare scenario.
  
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  anonymous
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  Apr 3, 20:05
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  Where in Hell is Steven Purcell? (See post above). Could there be a clue in the following news item?
  
  Man in court after cocaine seizure.
  
  Last updated 3 Apr 2010 - 4:35 pm
  
  Police found 1.5 kilos of cocaine during a search in Stonebank. A man has appeared in court charged in connection with the discovery of £75,000 worth of cocaine. Police found 1.5 kilos of the drug during a search in Stonebank, Ladywell, near Livingston, at about 4pm on Friday. The man, 30, appeared before Livingston Sheriff Court charged under the Misuse of Drugs Act and was remanded into custody.
  
  A Lothian and Borders Police spokesman said: "We are delighted to have recovered these drugs before they could circulate among our communities. "The high-value seizures over the last few months should send a clear message to these crime groups that their actions will not be tolerated and we will continue to pursue them and shut down their operations. "Anyone with information that can assist us in identifying and locating crime gangs in their local area is asked to contact police immediately."
  
  © Press Association 2010
  
  Perhaps NOT Purcell. Some will be asking how and why he appears to have got off Scot Free. One law for the ..... another for the ..... (fill in the blanks!)
  
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  Ex Kerelaw manager
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  Apr 6, 22:58
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  A Historical Pespective - the times they are a changing! (Crime and punishment).
  
  
  
  I came across this extract earlier this evening when researching care and treatment of young offenders in ex Approved Schools/List "D" Schools (such as Kerelaw where Matt and John worked). Kerelaw actually abolished corporal punishment, long before it was declared illegal. This particular piece relates to the approved use (or abuse) of corporal punishment:
  
  Sixties discipline was 'savage business'
  
  Article | Published in TESS on 9 January, 1998 By: David Henderson
  
  David Henderson opens the Scottish Office files of 30 years ago.
  
  Boys in the former approved schools sometimes defecated when waiting for the next whack of Lochgelly leather on their buttocks, Scottish Office inspectors protested in 1966. They reported almost 1,000 floggings that year.
  
  Papers released under the 30-year rule show rising concern throughout 1967 about punishment beatings in approved schools and children's homes, sparked by a government inquiry south of the border and press outrage.
  
  The Labour administration at the Scottish Office pressed for the gradual elimination of corporal punishment and, privately, officials acknowledged extensive ill-treatment. "Curious things went on at Guthrie's Girls' School (Edinburgh) and Wellington School (Penicuik) for many years," the inspectors stated.
  
  Geilsland, a Church of Scotland-run school in Beith, Ayrshire, had the highest number of punishments among the country's 26 approved schools. More than 250 punishments took place in an 18-month period. Mr A Munro, the head, was told there was "no justification for striking or cuffing" and was warned about his behaviour.
  
  Mass revolts were avoided narrowly in several schools and one at Mossbank, Glasgow, was "hushed up". Staff at several schools were afraid to express their concerns because of the "terrifying power" of the heads.
  
  An inspector wrote his briefing partly in long-hand to avoid the Scottish Office typist anguish and embarrassment. "Corporal punishment is still quite a savage business and . . . boys scream when a stout Lochgelly is applied on their buttocks . . . The records show that many floggings are administered in our schools. Nor am I in any doubt about bruised buttocks which show scars long after the event; this would be particularly the case when special thin pants cover the behind. These are, of course, made of 'ordinary cloth'."
  
  He continued: "The instrument is a light tawse. What is 'light'? It is all quite legal but at times so brutal that boys defecate when waiting the next whack. I am sure that if outside MOs were reporting publicly on the effect of such a flogging many members of the public would be glad to know these young 'thugs' were getting the right medicine. The more humane minority would be shocked."
  
  Later in 1967, a Scottish Education Department official revealed: "While there were complaints from various sources about Guthrie's Girls', which should have alerted everyone concerned, there were none about Wellington. Boys do not know their rights, nor do their parents. Sometimes staff do not know the rules. Boys and parents expect severe punishment in these schools and will complain only occasionally and sometimes after persistent breach of the rules over many years."
  
  But Bruce Millan, the Education Minister, was advised against abolition. "The associations and schools are fully aware of our views on corporal punishment, and any declaration now of an intention to eliminate it at an early date would be regarded by the approved schools not only as a failure to recognise and support them in their undoubted difficulties but as a handicap in the sense that it would create uncertainties before positive alternatives and a change of attitude could be achieved."
  
  Officials added: "It might have the effect, too, of inducing irregular and concealed punishment."
  
  Mr Millan was told that "irregular, unrecorded and excessive punishment is by definition very difficult to detect".
  
  New guidance about the extent of punishments was issued to approved school headteachers, one of whom was removed after Scottish Office investigations. Another deputy was forced to quit.
  
  The process of eliminating corporal punishment in all schools was accelerated by a special committee, including representatives from the teaching unions. But Judith Hart, Mr Millan's predecessor, was advised in early 1966 against setting up pilot projects. This might set back the trend towards abolition, officials warned.
  
  A committee on alternative sanctions was told by the Scottish Secondary Teachers' Association, which favoured abolition, that "somewhat paradoxically, the treatment of minor offences appears to present the greatest difficulty. The firm view was expressed that for this type of offence the best treatment is swift, summary justice - in fact corporal punishment."
  
  Too late now to turn the clock back, as many now advocate. Have we gone "soft" (even in main stream schools), and are children now too much in control of the adults whose job it is to care for them? Are teachers and carers too afraid of the consequences of instilling discipline to maintain control? All rhetorical questions, of course!
  
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  Kerelaw ex employee
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  Apr 7, 10:25
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  Re earlier post on the "historical perspective" re use of corporal punishment in approved schools, and the gradual shift in policy on discipline, from which emanate many of our current day problems and confused thinking on looking after and caring for Children and YP in trouble.
  
  Quoting from above post:
  
  But Bruce Millan, the Education Minister, was advised against abolition. "The associations and schools are fully aware of our views on corporal punishment, and any declaration now of an intention to eliminate it at an early date would be regarded by the approved schools not only as a failure to recognise and support them in their undoubted difficulties but as a handicap in the sense that it would create uncertainties before positive alternatives and a change of attitude could be achieved."
  
  We seem still to be struggling with the concept of
  
  abolition of corporal punishment and still lacking in any commitment to identifying "positive alternatives and a change of attitude ...".
  
  Once abolition was legally implemented, some staff were left struggling ... and sinking. Many debates ensued about the use of alternative sanctions, and indeed their effectiveness -
  
  * Withdrawal of so-called "privileges" (from children who had little or nothing?). In practice this resulted in fewer "smokes" being handed out!! At the time I suggested Local Authorities/parents would be suing schools for colluding with the practice of aiding and abetting under-age children to smoke, with all the associated health risks which we accept more readily today!
  
  * "time out" facility in designated space or bedroom (who would supervise?). If not adequately supervised, absconding would inevitably follow. Is bedroom not supposed to be an emotionally secure and comforting environment (stress free and providing the opportunity for private time and reflection and contemplation)?
  
  * Reducing or withdrawing week-end and holiday "leave" to family or alternative carers. This proved to be a double-edged sword. Research clearly indicates the need to maintain and sustain family and community contacts, if any prospect of rehabilitation is likely to be successful, and these trial periods of home leave provided the opportunity for this on-going assessment to be "tested" in practice, and regularly reviewed. Many of these YP would of course fail to return from leave and would end up in further trouble with the law or with their familioes. Stopping leave was seen as counter-productive, and SW staff became increasingly exasperated if leave was stopped by educational staff (who in most cases didn't supervise these YP in the evenings and week-ends!). The negative impact was left with the social care staff to manage (or not). A school full of disaffected and angry YP at week-ends was a recipe for further trouble. Parents' advocates would also complain that they were denied the "right" of regular contact with their off-spring.
  
  * Increased Staffing ratios - individual attention to YP to help address deep-seated and chronic problems in relationships and personal behaviour (such behaviours now referred to as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ADHD). School Rolls fell and staff ratios increased to address this "deficit" in pupil/staff ratios. Result: costs now exorbitant, schools considered by LA's to be providing "poor value for money" and alternative strategies pursued by LA's (most of the schools functioning in the sixties have closed).
  
  I contend that many of the problems which were experienced and addressed by the old Approved Schools in the 1960's and 70's have now been transferred to main stream schools (many now requiring police presence), as a consequence of the closure now of most of these residential schools. We read this week of two Church of Scotland Schools under threat of closure - Geilsland School, Beith and Ballikinrain School, Balfron. Weekly charges now running at up to £3500 per child per week (ie £182,000 per annum). Interestingly, Geilsland now accommodates 25 YP - in my day this school had up to 65 YP in residence (with fewer staff than today).
  
  The History of the residential school sector is worthy of closer study, before it disappears completely. There is much that can be learned ... if we are only willing to admit our mistakes!
  
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  James Hepburn
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  Apr 9, 18:21
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  I should like to raise one point with regard to the previous comment.
  
  I don`t know what the situation was at Kerelaw, but in most establishments teaching staff did extraneous duties on evenings and weekends and were concious of the extra workload when week-end leave was stopped.
  
  In fact, when I started to work in an approved school in the 1960s, all staff, even maintenance staff had to do 15 hours per week extraneous duties - even doing sleeping-in.
  
  Even in the 1980s I did these duties, and I was an instructor.
  
  Jim Hepburn
  
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  Kerelaw ex employee
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  Apr 11, 12:18
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  Jim - thanks for this important note re practice on 24/7 staffing cover in Approved Schools/List D Schools in the 60's and 70's. Kerelaw Snr Mge't team withdrew extraneous duty allowances for teachers, and others, in the 80's, and most evening and week-end duties were undertaken by residential social workers.
  
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  mcbamm
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  Apr 13, 19:53
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  Excuse me for getting a bit lost between Moorove doctrines and extraneous duties but Matt has spent a long time in prison and faces more time in prison, can we not find more ex-pupils and ex/current employees to help Matt?
  
  Between hair-splitting about staff duties and legal technicalties i would say reaL people standing up and giving evidence in person would count for more.
  
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  Kerelaw ex employee
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  Apr 13, 20:01
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  Couldn't agree more. As blog 9879 above ends:
  
  I wish Matt every success in his appeal and encourage more of his supporters to come forward to present the contrary view of what actually did go on in Kerelaw. As one ex pupil above has commented:
  
  "I WAS THERE, I SEEN WHAT WENT ON, I WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF IT, AND I CAN TELL YOU, IT DIDN'T HAPPEN."
  
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  Jim Hepburn
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  Apr 14, 22:47
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  OK, point taken. Enough about who does what.
  
  I have been a supporter of Matt for several years and joined a demo for him and John Muldoon in George Sq. but I have never visited Kerelaw.
  
  There are 3 months till Matt`s appeal hearing and it`s up to ex-residents who know what happened to come forward. Anyone you know who is interested in the truth, try and get them to come forward.
  
  You will get frustrated, because you will find some ex-residents have made a success of their lives, and perhaps their wives or partners don`t even know about their past lives, and therefore unwilling to come forward. But keep trying.
  
  Remember, it`s always easier to tell the truth than to try and make up lies.
  
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  Jillian Blair
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  Apr 15, 15:35
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  As a former pupil of Matt Georges at Kerlaw School for nearly four years, i feel the allegations made against him are complete and utter rubbish. I never saw or heard of any abuse taking part. If anything it was the staff that were abused by the pupils. I always found Matt to be a very fair teacher, who went out his way to help us. I wish Matt all the best in his appeal as this has been a miscarraige of justice.
  
  Good luck Matt
  
  former Kerlaw Resident
  
  Jillian Blair
  
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  mcbamm
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  Apr 15, 20:20
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  I can see the sense in what your saying Mr.Hepburn, about folk being 'embaressed' about being in Kerelaw to thier families.
  
  To me the staff in Kerelaw shaped me into the man i am today,and im gratefull for for the input they had in my life, they showed me that even though id been a bad puppy to end up in Kerelaw i wasnt totally beyond help...
  
  From reading the Kerelaw Inquirey report, i despair that words on paper seem to be more important than those spoken at the time in Kerelaw. i doubt Mr. Frizzell would have lasted more than a week as a care worker or teacher in Kerelaw, from speaking to him and being spoken down to by him, i only saw a lap-dog obeying his masters whishes...before his master whent to rehab....but we wont go there....:-)
  
  Mr. Frizzell gave me the impression that i was still in the wrong after all these years i was still a bad puppy, well if Mr. Fritzzell wants to come to down to my local community and speak to some of my regular customers(im a builder) he might find out how full of s**t he is.
  
  But i doubt that will happen..
  
  I live in the real world, socialworker-land is a place where nobodys feelings or emotions get hurt and nobody shouts or swears at each other or gets into fights...great when the tax payer is paying for your salary/sick pay/holidays and pensions...
  
  When all this is over and Matt and John get cleared, Mr Fizzell better hope his reputation is whiter than white,cause if it aint...he might find out how it feels to be on the wrong side.
  
  Nice to see another former pupil joining in Jillain, thanks.
  
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  anonymous
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  Apr 15, 22:35
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  Where in hell is Steven Purcell? Well ... we may be about to find out quite soon ...Glasgow polis now on his trail...why did it take them so long?
  
  The Herald reports today:
  
  "Police confirm Purcell criminal probernA criminal investigation has been launched over "allegations of drug taking" and "other matters" concerning the former leader of Scotland`s largest local authority, police said today."
  
  What goes around comes around!
  
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  Kerelaw ex employee
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  Apr 20, 11:54
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  Who says children and young people don't lie about abuse and have no other personal agenda?
  
  From The Scotsman (Date: 17 April 2010)
  
  By VICTORIA RAIMES
  
  A TEACHER who was cleared in court of having sex with a pupil today told how she wanted to become a lawyer to "help other people going through a similar ordeal".
  
  Hannah McIntyre, 25, who lived in Stockbridge and attended the prestigious Fettes School, said she would not return to teaching because she could "never trust pupils again" after the 16-year-old teenager claimed he had slept with her."
  
  Matt may not be interested in becoming a lawyer, but I'm sure he shares similar sentiments, as expressed by this young teacher.
  
  FACT: Children do lie, and especially children and YP who were placed in care and now spending most of their adult lives in prison.
  
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  mcbamm
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  Apr 20, 20:06
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  Im not a big fan of the Conservative party but when Mr. Camerons spin doctors came up with the phrase 'we need to stop treating children as adults and adults as children' they hit nail on the head.
  
  In kerelaw you were treated part child and part adult when the situation required,i get the feeling this is being exploited and the accusers are using the fact they were young adults (for want of calling them children) to thier own ends.
  
  The young teacher from stockbridge got off lightly, due to the accuser haveing previous suspensions for violent conduct and mis-behaviour,
  
  If he hadnt she would have got hammered i would say.
  
  Having previous suspensions for violent conduct and mis-behaviour and worse was generaly why you ended up in Kerelaw.....
  
  Doesnt matter if its Kerelaw or Fettes, young adults will lie.
  
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  anonymous
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  Apr 21, 23:19
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  Re previous comment. Perhaps some of the ex Kerelaw "children", now adults, who gave evidence in court against Matt and John will by now have had time to consider their evidence, given under oath, as well as others who have testified to nothing other than wholehearted support for Matt and John. There seems to be a discrepancy in what actually did happen, if all sources of information is being considered (and reconsidered). This of course is presumably one of the main reasons why an appeal by Matt is being actively pursued, and presently proceeding through a court process. I have always thought that the actual evidence was sp**** and lacking in credibility, with no corroboration. Innocent until proved guilty ... beyond all reasonable doubt? This is the fundamental question now being asked.
  
  More young adults with experience of care in Kerelaw should come forward (as Jillian and McBamm have done here).
  
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  mcbamm
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  Apr 22, 20:59
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  There cant really be any discrepancy about what actually did happen at the time, you cant change the past. What you can change is peoples versions of events that happened at the time.
  
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  anonymous
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  Apr 22, 23:03
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  Exactly. A High Court decision in May 2006 sentenced Matt to 10 years imprisonment on "peoples' versions of events that happened at the time" - this is how the judicial system works, based on what is called "evidence", given by "witnesses" (telling the truth or lying), and at the conclusion of the hearing of all the evidence, all the "evidence" is considered and decided upon by a "jury" (some of whom I am reliably informed fell asleep during the 12 week trial).
  
  I agree, "you can't change the past", but if erroneous versions of the past (dim and distant) have been given under oath, mainly by ex-residents, then as I have pleaded, more ex Kerelaw residents now urgently need to come forward to say so!
  
  This is the contrary view which requires more unequivocal evidence of support for Matt and John - sooner rather than later.
  
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  anonymous
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  Apr 23, 15:59
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  ACTION required: If the three ex Kerelaw contributors here, Craig, Jillian and McBamm,each contact at least two former residents known to them whilst they were in Kerelaw and start a PETITION for more support, who knows what may follow. If this can be cascaded to include a significant number of others with positive experiences of Kerelaw, and Matt and John in particular, then the outcome may be in Matt's best interests over the next few weeks.
  
  The Chair of the Frizzell Inquiry advertised extensively in press, media and through Local authorities and other residential establishments for ex Kerelaw residents to come forward to meet with the Inquiry team. The response was very poor.
  
  Their agenda was of course to seek evidence of abuse. As mcbamm has said above the team didn't seem too interested in hearing a contrary view being expressed - this was also my experience.
  
  There is much more that can be said in support of Matt and John - let's have it properly documented and reported in these columns.
  
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  Craig Diver
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  Jun 11, 09:59
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  With regards to the above comment, id love to but where would i start? I have publically said wha****hink in the newspapers, television, radio, i have written to the first minister,i've attended as many of Matt's court dates as i can!! I do not have any contact with any former residents apart from those who are popublically known!!! Its important that people put their own heads up above the parapet because if we go looking we could find more trying to jump on the bandwagon! Anyone with a conscience who has seen any of the reports should come forward!!!!
  
  Best Wishes,
  
  Craig
  
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  Jim Hepburn
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  Jul 2, 19:30
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  In case anyone is not aware, I`d like to remind everyone that Matt`s Appeal Hearing starts next Tuesday 6th in the High Court in Edinburgh.rnI`m sure everyone of you who have written on this page will join with me in wishing Matt good luck. and let`s hope that common sense prevails.rnAll the best Matt,rnJim Hepburn.
  
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  casababes
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  Jul 15, 03:06
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  tonight i was browsing through internet and came across the kerelaw abuse well as an ex resident in the late 1980,s at being a teenager put into care after my parents divorce and not going to mainstream school i was put into kerelaw, i knew of a relationship between a member of staff and young girl my age , i myself suffered abuse at the hands of staff i was hit on the head with drum sticks , i witnessed staff having sex in a caravan that i was taken too the woman staff had left her husband and moved into local caravan park , i was restrained for answering back to jibes that humilated me in front of other people, im amazed iv not realized before that it wasnt only me this happened to i left care and got my own place at 16 married had a family and opened up by own business but the memories have never left i was scared and felt alone i never done the drug life but was a teenage drinker and ranaway most nights i stayed there only to be found and returned by the police, butnow i will be going to lawyer asap and have justie done WHY should they BASTARDS get away with doing that to me and EVERY OTHER VULNERABLE CHILD when they were ment to look after us and i will not be one to hide my identity i will face the devils who abused they should be hung.. not be looked after .......... caroline mcshane
  
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  Mcbamm
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  Jul 15, 22:24
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  Caroline,
  
  if you knew of a relationship between a a staff member and a pupil...why didnt you report it....and as long as the staff you wintnessed having sex werent abusing you at the time...erm... so what....i doubt you were in Kerelaw because you were an angel...and by reading your comment you sound as if you are jumping on the Kerelaw abuse bandwagon....and maybe looking for some compensation money...as are Matts accusers, they werent there too look after you thats what parents do....to them it was a job...one wich most of them done well.
  
  When you entered Kerlaw you stopped being a child and became a problem to society...as you said you drank(meaning you broke the law) and ran away, so you didnt play by the rules either...
  
  So if you wish to run along to a lawyer do so...then get a job in social work working with young people(some of whom were convicted of violent offences) and who wouldnt hesitate to use violence or verbal abuse on you. Or even get brought back by the police in a drunken state. You might just change your tune.
  
  Mcbamm.
  
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  george1964
  2 posts
  Sep 9, 15:49
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  I KNEW MATT GEORGE, HE WAS A BRILLIANT TEACHER AND I FIND IT HARD TO BELIEVE THE ACCUSATIONS. I WAS IN KERELAW SCHOOL FROM 1977 TO 1980, AND NOT ONCE DID I SEE ANY BULLYING OR WHATEVER FROM ANY OF THE TEACHERS. GLASGOW COUNCIL WERE WRONG TO MIX SEXES, AS THAT WAS ONLY ASKING FOR TROUBLE FROM TROUBLED GIRLS!!
  
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  george1964
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  Sep 9, 15:51
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  I KNEW MATT GEORGE, HE WAS A BRILLIANT TEACHER AND I FIND IT HARD TO BELIEVE THE ACCUSATIONS. I WAS IN KERELAW SCHOOL FROM 1977 TO 1980, AND NOT ONCE DID I SEE ANY BULLYING OR WHATEVER FROM ANY OF THE TEACHERS. GLASGOW COUNCIL WERE WRONG TO MIX SEXES, AS THAT WAS ONLY ASKING FOR TROUBLE FROM TROUBLED GIRLS!!
  
  GEORGE MCGUFFIE
  
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  leanne melvin
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  Mar 22, 14:11
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  i used to live in kerelaw school for about 3 years and i know its alot of rubbish. out of all the teachers he was the nicest. he was good at teaching us and most classes we would never listen or do any work but his art class was brill. he helped me with my problems a couple of times and he would only listen nothing else. he got found guilty, for helping us and being a good teacher thats wrong. the 3 years i lived there for 3 years and i dident want to leave. i felt safe and cared for. if i could go back i would! good luck mat from leanne melvin.
  
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  DUNFERMLINEBOY1
  7 posts
  Mar 31, 15:23
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  Well Said Leanne!! :-)
  
  Craig Diver, Former Kerelaw Resident!!!
  
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  Jim Hepburn
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  Apr 10, 14:18
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  At last Matt has his date to return to court. Tuesday 19th April.
  
  I`m sure all of you who have contributed to these comments over the months will join with me in wishing Matt the verdict he deserves, and put an end to this travesty of justice.
  
  Good luck Matt.
  
  Jim Hepburn
  
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  ******
  Sep 8, 14:38
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  ComprarVmx
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  Jan 15, 01:30
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