IICSA: WITNESS STATEMENT – WESTMINSTER STRAND: OHY005577 (Part one)

INDEPENDENT INQUIRY INTO CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE

WITNESS STATEMENT

WESTMINSTER STRAND

OHY005577

 

On the final day of the three weeks of hearings of the Westminster strand of the inquiry, a number of documents were quietly uploaded to the iiCSA site.  No mention had been made about them previously, and no announcement was made about their inclusion.  It was independent journalist Mark Watts who alerted people to the fact these documents had appeared.  Interestingly, they were far more revealing that then documents that had been referred to in hearings and raised questions as to who and why at iiCSA had decided not to openly discuss the contents during the public hearings.

A number of these documents were very revealing and I have decided to transcribe as many as I can in case it helps people’s research.

(The following is part one of two statements made by GB.)

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WITNESS STATEMENT

CJ Act 1967, s.9; MC Act 1980, ss.5A(3)(a) and 5B; Criminal Procedure Rules 2005, Rule 27.1

 

Statement of: GB

This statement (consisting of 3 pages each signed by me) is true to the best of my knowledge and belief and I make it knowing that, if it is tendered in evidence, I shall be liable to prosecution if I have wilfully stated anything in it which I know to be false, or I do not believe to be true.

Signed: GB                                                                                       Date: 20/12/2016

 

My name is GB and I live at an address known to police.  On Tuesday 5th July 2016 and Tuesday 20th December 2016 DC DRUMMOND and TDC HAYES attended my home address to speak to me in relation to allegations surrounding Green Lane Children’s Home and Melanie Klein House both of which were children’s homes on Greenwich Borough which I have no recollection of having dealing with those children’s homes whilst working in the CID at Eltham between DPA 1985 and DPA 1988.  DC DRUMMOND explained that she was from Professional Standards Department within Operation Winterkey which is the investigation into allegations of historic child abuse involving institutions and prominent people.  I have been asked whether I am hapy to have the meeting recorded which I am happy to agree to.

My employment history whilst in the Metropolitan Police is as follows: I joined in 1978 and was based at Chelsea where I spent four years.  I then transferred to Kensington on the Crime Squad and then moved back to Chelsea on the Burglary Squad until 1984.  From 1982 I was based at Brixton Main CID office until 1985 and then in 1985 until 1988 I was based at Eltham CID.  From 1988 I transferred to Rotherhithe CID office until 1991 and then in 1991 I went to 3 Area HQ where I was Child Protection Unit at Shooters Hill.  I did five years at CPT and in 1996 I moved to the Paedophile Unit based at NSY where I stayed until 1999 and from May 1999 I was specially employed within the Integrity Testing Unit until DPA 2000.

As I have already mentioned I was part of the CID department at Eltham in 1988 and part of my general duties would have been to deal with any prisoners who would have been booked in at Greenwich police station.  As a DC I would have been allocated major crimes such as burglaries, assaults, robbery.  From memory, the CID team I worked with in 1988 would have been DC John WOOD, DC Bobby THATCHER who is now deceased, DC Tim MYNALL, DC Colin DELL, DS Alistair MACKENZIE and DI Graham whose surname I cannot remember.  The CID office was very small and I remember that Eltham Division had about 20 uniformed officers who worked on the ground floor.  I do not remember any squads using Eltham Police Station as a base for larger investigations at that time, as it would have been too small to accomodate any outside squads.  They would generally have used either Orpington or Bexley Heath as they had more space.  The second and third floors were the command for 4 Area HQ.

I have no recollection of having any dealings with Green Lane Childrens Home or Melanie Klein House when I was part of CID at Eltham in 1988.  I remember that any allegations which were made involving Social Services and children being abused would be dealt with directly by a DI and it would not be allocated to a DC to investigation nor would we have been expected to assist with Child Protection investigations on our own.  I do remember an occasion in around 1988 where by a Councillor by the name of Chris FAY made a complaint.  I seem to remember that he lived on the DPA in DPA.  If I recall rightly he was involved as a Senior Social Worker and complained about police arresting Social Workers during the investigation of Kimberly Carlile.  This investigation was about the murder of a child in care but she was not a resident of either Green Lane Childrens Home or Melanie Klein House.  Apart from this occasion that is the only Child Protection investigation I recall being involved with at Eltham.  One of the Social Workers I arrested in connection with the Kimberley Carlile murder was related to Chris FAY in some way and I remember that they lived on the same estate.  I cannot remember the name of this social worker.

I have been shown a copy of a letter exhibited as CF/104.  From my observations of this letter I can see, what I believe to be, a number of discrepencies within the text.  I notice that the crest logo at the top is too far over to the right and would normally have been more centred.  The phone number for Eltham Police Station is written as ’01-835 8380/8289′ however in 1988 I believe that the phone number would have been changed to 0208.  I think the phone number for the CID office at Eltham was something such as 02088536014 and each CID office in each police station the last four digits always denoted the CID office.  The last four digits of the phone number would have always been the same.  Each station would have had their own prefix.

Within the text of the letter it states ‘The officer appointed to investigate this matter is DC GB”.  I was the only DC GB based at Eltham Police station in April 1988 although I do know that there was another officer with the surname GB who was a dog handler at that time.  If the letter had related to an investigation involving child abuse at GLCH or MKH I would not have been allocated the investigation as it would have been dealt directly by a DI in accordance with General Orders.  I remember that any major crime would not have been reported by the station officer as they would have called for a CID officer to speak to the person at the station face to face at the time of reporting or attend an address or venue to speak to them.  I can see that the crime reference number is shown as DPA.  The ‘C’ represents a major crime such as robbery, serious assaults and other major crime but I do know that the crime reference number would have been shown as DPA during that time.  RD would represent Eltham police station and DPA would represent the year of the crime report.  The bottom paragraph of the letter offers Victim Support Scheme however I am sure that there was no Victim Support Scheme in place in 1988 and I find it strange that this letter would mention it.  If a victim or witness was attending court they would have had a Case Officer to support them at court.  The signature at the bottom of the letter shows that it was signed by ‘PC746R Crime Desk Officer‘ however in 1988 we did not have a crime desk so I find it strange that it mentions Crime Desk Officer.  In my opinion, and from my memory, I believe that this letter is a fake.  I am sure in 1988 letters were not sent out to people reporting crimes and I am sure that we, as Detectives, had to type and send our own letters out.  In my opinion I believe that the letter I have been shown has been generated from a computer but in 1988 we did not have computers and letters were types on typewriters.

I have been asked if I know the name Chris FAY.  I seem to remember the name possibly involved in child abuse but not from the time I was a DC in Eltham but from when I was working in the Child Protection Unit in 1995.  I seem to remember his name being mentioned during Social Services Case conferences although I do not remember having any dealings with Chris FAY personally.  He may have been a Social Worker but I cannot remember.  I seem to remember him being arrested for something to do with child abuse.  I think this was sometime during my role on the Child Protection Team sometime between 1991 and 1996.  I remember Chris FAY‘s name came up during the time I was engaged in Operation Hatton which was around the Paedophile Information Exchange.  I think Mr Fay was connected by his telephone number which came up during intelligence gathered around persons connected to PIE.

Generally any investigations involving child protection matters were normally dealt with by the DI and we may have helped out with enquiries.

I have been asked by DC DRUMMOND whether I ever remember working with DI/DCI Richard THOMPSON.  I do not remember ever working with DI/DCI Richard THOMPSON whilst I worked on CID at Eltham Police station in 1988.  I do remember that there was a DCI Richard THOMPSON based at Greenwich but I never really had any interaction with him.  I think DCI THOMPSON may have been the person who made the decision to arrest the social workers.