5 men that had pedophile ring charges dropped hit out at ‘serial fantasist’ accuser
Charges against five men accused of being in a pedophile ring have been dropped two weeks before trial and their accuser labelled “serial fantasist” after it was revealed the woman had made false allegations on multiple occasions.
A medical expert also said that the woman’s account of her backyard abortion – allegedly performed on her by one of the accused – had been lifted from TV show portrayals of abortions on programs like ‘Call the Midwife’ and the film ‘Vera Drake’.
In 2016 the woman, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, made accusations against the men, saying that she had been abused at parties between 3 and 15 years of age. She said she was forced to have an abortion and help the men torture other kids.
The allegations saw retired GP Stephen Glascoe, 67, retired social worker Patrick Graham, 61, and three other men due to stand trial on January 29 for their alleged involvement in a Cardiff pedophile ring in the 1990s.
During her most recent rape accusations, the woman told police that one of the men had sent her a package from Amazon that included wires twisted in the very same way that her hands had been allegedly tied while they abused her. She later conceded that she had actually ordered the parcel herself.
She made another complaint in 2012 that saw her awarded £22,000 in damages from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority, despite refusing to cooperate with police during the investigation.
As a teenager, the woman had admitted to making false rape allegations. Ten years ago she also alleged on a BBC program that she had been raped by another guest, but no charges were ever brought.
The five men, who were due to stand trial on January 29 over the woman’s most recent accusations, have now called for a national inquiry into how police handle rape and sexual abuse allegations.
Glascoe said while his solicitors had been cautiously optimistic, he felt the case was on a “knife-edge.”
“We have been living in fear,” Glascoe said. “This issue of automatically believing complainants [in sexual abuse cases] conflicts with the requirement of an objective investigation.”
Glascoe hit out at director of public prosecutions Alison Saunders over her comments that many men cleared of rape were not falsely accused.
“Does Alison Saunders still believe that I am guilty? Surely not,” he said. “Does she accept that a miscarriage of justice has been narrowly averted? While I feel bitter about the way the police have dealt with this they have only been following orders right from the top.
“It was not long ago that women who were victims of rape were denied justice because the police did not believe them. Then after Jimmy Savile everything changed, and the pendulum has swung too far the other way.
“Allegations must be treated seriously but not unquestionably and believed from the outset. Rape and serious sexual assaults are common and false allegations are rare, but I know what happened to me is not unique.”
Glascoe also said that “it is not surprising that false allegations are made when there is the incentive of cash compensation.”
Graham, Glascoe’s co-accused who was charged with indecent assault, said: that police simply believed everything she said and “even when she changed her story they continued to accept it.”
“She is a serial fantasist who has admitted making up allegations before,” the retired social worker said. “They were willing to wreck five families’ lives on the police altar of better statistics for rape prosecutions.”
Defense lawyers called for prosecutors to drop the charges after receiving evidence about the woman’s therapy and her close relationship with Detective Constable Beverly Norman.
Glascoe’s lawyer Christopher Clee wrote that the woman had “throughout manipulated the proceedings, disclosing incidents of alleged abuse as and when it suits [sic] her purposes; these allegations emerging through counselling sessions which in themselves are of dubious standing.”
“She has found a powerful ally in the police, who have acted upon her allegations without question, ignoring obvious lines of inquiry and seeking to undermine potential evidence that contradicts her allegations,” he added.
A South Wales police spokesman said: “Throughout any investigation we regularly communicate with the victim in order to offer them support and keep them updated on progress.
“This particular case involved a vulnerable woman who required additional support, not only throughout the investigation but in the lead-up to the court case.
“She lived outside Wales, which meant that officers had to rely on electronic means of communication, such as text messages and email.”
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