Tag Archives: Sex Abuse

Hundreds Contact Police Over Sex Abuse In UK Football

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British police officials say hundreds of people have filed reports of child sex abuse within the country’s football system.

In a statement released on Thursday, the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) said 350 people had approached police forces across the UK with allegations of child abuse in football clubs.

Officials said the police would be investigating all of the reports they receive, with many believed to be dating back decades.

“We continue to encourage those who have been the victim of child sexual abuse to report it, regardless of how long ago the abuse may have taken place,” said Chief Constable Simon Bailey, NPCC spokesperson.

“We will listen and treat all reports sensitively and seriously. Anyone with any information regarding child sexual abuse is also urged to come forward.”

The police statement came as the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) said it had received more than 800 calls on a dedicated phone line set up to report abuse in football.

“The number of prominent footballers bravely speaking out about their ordeal has rightly caught the attention of the entire country,” said Peter Wanless, NSPCC chief executive.

“We have had a staggering surge in calls to our football hotline which reveals the worrying extent of abuse that had been going on within the sport.”

The flood of reports follows revelations by former Crewe Alexandra player Andy Woodward detailed abuse he suffered in the 1980s.

Read More: aljazeera

Catholic Diocese Sacks Four Priests For Sex Abuse

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Four priests of the Catholic diocese of Lyon in eastern France have been relieved of their duties for sexual abuse, a diocesan source said Thursday.

A panel of experts recommended the measure, the source added, declining to say whether the clerics had already been named since the diocese’s predator priest scandal came to light in March, rocking France’s Catholic Church.

French judicial authorities are aware of all four dossiers, the source said. The dismissals come three weeks after Cardinal Philippe Barbarin, the archbishop of Lyon, was questioned by police over allegations that he covered up the sexual abuse of boy scouts.

One of France’s most powerful Catholic leaders, Barbarin has been accused of failing to remove a priest, Bernard Preynat, from his diocese when he became aware the man had sexually abused young boys 25 years ago.

Preynat was relieved of his duties last year. Pope Francis issued a decree early in June that senior Catholic officials guilty of negligence in child abuse cases can now be dismissed from office.

The nine-member expert panel — which included a psychiatrist, a psychoanalyst, a doctor and Church legal expert — also recommended that the diocese keep an eye on other priests who have already been investigated.

Credit: vanguardngr