Catholic clergy in Illinois sexually abused more than 1,900 minors, state attorney general says in report
May 25, 2023 Comments Off on Catholic clergy in Illinois sexually abused more than 1,900 minors, state attorney general says in report
Catholic clergy in Illinois sexually abused more than 1,900 minors, state attorney general says in report BY CARA TABACHNICK MAY 23, 2023
“In many instances, allegations were reported and not acted upon, the report found.”
An investigation has substantiated child abuse claims against Catholic clergy in Illinois by more than 1,900 victims, state Attorney General Kwame Raoul said in a news conference detailing the findings of the office’s five-year investigation that uncovered hundreds more cases than first reported by the dioceses in 2018.
More than 100,000 pages of diocesan documents and 600 confidential contacts with survivors of child sex abuse helped the state’s office piece together the 696-page report released Tuesday on clergy sexual abuse in all six Catholic dioceses in Illinois, the office said….
Raoul’s predecessor, former Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, began investigating the scope of state clergy sexual abuse in 2018 after a Pennsylvania grand jury report documented the abuse of 1,000 minors in six dioceses in that state, the office said. The revelations in that report shocked dioceses around the country and numerous state attorneys general pledged to investigate clergy within their own states – Illinois included.
At that time, the Catholic dioceses of Illinois publicly listed only 103 substantiated child sex abusers, the office said.
The investigation covered all six Illinois dioceses — Chicago, Belleville, Joliet, Peoria, Rockford and Springfield — which serve the state’s 3.5 million Catholics. Investigators substantiated child sex abuse allegations against 451 clerics and religious brothers. The largest number was in Chicago, where there were 150 reported abusers, and Joliet, with 52 reported abusers, the report found. Since some reported abusers were registered in two dioceses, there were a total of 494 substantiated abusers reported, the report said.
The depth and breadth of the sexual abuse varied – as did the punishments they received, the report states. In many instances, allegations were reported and not acted upon, the report found. In 1993, two survivors accused one priest at the Chicago Diocese of abuse, but the review board did not recommend that the priest be punished, the report said. Instead, the clergy had him monitored and he was still allowed to meet with teenage girls, the report found. The abuse continued and at least three more survivors reported abuse at the hands of the priest until in 2002 – almost a decade later – he was removed from the clergy, the report said.
One priest accused of abusing numerous young boys was known by the parish children as “Happy Hands,” the report said, but he evaded punishment for years. Prosecutors often declined to move the case forward — an assistant state’s attorney told Our Lady of the Snows parishioners, “It was our decision not to put the children through any court process, because we feel that our goal can be achieved without doing that,” the report said. The priest moved from parish to parish after accusations against him started in 1990 but he didn’t leave the Catholic church until 2008, the report said. He was never punished for his alleged abuses, the report said, and instead, he resides at “his cottage—the same residence where he had been accused so many times of abusing young boys.”
At least 1,997 survivors reported being abused by Illinois clergy, the report said. Sexual abuse survivors shared their narratives – which were essential to the report’s investigation said the Illinois Attorney General – and many spoke frankly about the struggles they’ve faced since their abuse.
Nearly every survivor struggled with mental health issues, the report found, with some turning to alcohol, addiction and others having anxiety, and feelings of unworthiness…. Some survivors struggled with suicidal thoughts, while others dealt with physical health and financial issues.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/illinois-catholic-clergy-sexually-abused-over-1900-minors/
Illinois clergy sex abuse investigation uncovers hundreds more cases in Catholic church
BY BRAD EDWARDS, MEGAN HICKEY MAY 23, 2023
CHICAGO (CBS) — A nearly five-year investigation by Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s office has uncovered hundreds more cases of child sex abuse by Catholic clergy members than first reported by church officials.
A nearly 700-page report released Tuesday features detailed narrative accounts of child sex abuse committed by Catholic clerics.
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/illinois-attorney-general-clergy-sex-abuse-report/
Survivorship Celebrates Its 34th Year Helping Survivors at its Eleventh Annual Conference
May 23, 2023 Comments Off on Survivorship Celebrates Its 34th Year Helping Survivors at its Eleventh Annual Conference
PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif., May 22, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Survivorship of Extreme or Ritualistic Abuse 2023 Online Conference https://survivorship.org/the-survivorship-ritual-abuse-and-mind-control-2023-online-conference/
At the conference, participants reported they received a lot of information. They appreciated having a chance to get support and ideas to help them heal from their traumas.
In her discussion on Researching Ritual Abuse and Mind Control in Art and Literature: One Art Historian’s Journey, Lynn Brunet PhD talked about the connections between a person’s art and their past trauma memories. She discussed her book Answer to Jung: Making Sense of ‘The Red Book’ and Freemasonry. https://independent.academia.edu/LynnBrunet1
Neil Brick discussed The Effects of Social Movements on Survivor Support Systems and Survivor Recovery. He explained how those that attack trauma victim’s stories use techniques like DARVO (Deny, Attack, and Reverse Victim and Offender) and how they may suffer from the Dunning-Kruger effect (overestimating their knowledge). https://ritualabuse.us http://neilbrick.com
Rainer Kurz talked about the Enmeshment of the British False Memory Society and the British Psychological Society and his efforts to correct their views to reflect the actual memory research in the field. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Rainer_Kurz2
Evidence-Based Practice Guidelines and Standards Relevant to the Psychological Care of Extreme Abuse Survivors was discussed by Dr. Randall Noblitt. He discussed the research supporting survivor stories and different types of evidence-based standards. https://ritualabuse.us/smart/randy-noblitt/
Ellen Lacter Ph.D. talked about Systematic and Organic Psychological Mechanisms that Perpetuate the Cycle of Extreme Abuse. She covered the topics of ritualistic abuse, production of sadistic child abuse materials, and sex-trafficking of young children to multiple perpetrators. https://endritualabuse.org
Shelby Rising Eagle’s topic How to Create a Successful Recovery Path for Disassociated Survival Skills and DID discussed how to create a successful path of recovery for survivors of severe abuse. She talked about her own abuse story as well.
Patricia Quinn in her presentation on Creating Calm talked about ways art can help survivors of child abuse heal.
Since 1989, Survivorship has been helping survivors of severe abuse. Through advocacy, education, publications and support groups, Survivorship has provided research and important knowledge to help survivors and their helpers. https://survivorship.org
Resources for Survivors of Extreme Abuse
Ritual Abuse Evidence https://survivorship.org/ritual-abuse-evidence/
Child Abuse Wiki – Ritual Abuse http://childabusewiki.org/index.php?title=Ritual_Abuse
The Survivorship Ritual Abuse and Mind Control 2022 Conference Presentations
https://survivorship.org/the-survivorship-ritual-abuse-and-mind-control-2022-conference-presentations/
The Survivorship Ritual Abuse and Mind Control 2021 Conference Presentations https://survivorship.org/the-survivorship-ritual-abuse-and-mind-control-2021-conference-presentations/
Ritual Abuse Survivors’ Perspectives on Research Participation: An Exploratory Mixed Methods Online Study
May 23, 2023 Comments Off on Ritual Abuse Survivors’ Perspectives on Research Participation: An Exploratory Mixed Methods Online Study
Ritual Abuse Survivors’ Perspectives on Research Participation: An Exploratory Mixed Methods Online Study
Laurie Matthew & Ian Barron – Journal of Child Sexual Abuse
09 May 2023
ABSTRACT
This exploratory study sought a deeper understanding of the perspectives of self-defined ritual abuse (RA) survivors, who had experienced sexual victimization, on participation in research. A mixed-methods qualitative design involving online survey and follow-up virtual interviews included 68 adults across eight countries. Content and thematic analysis of responses indicated that RA survivors were keen to be involved in a range of research activities to share their experience, knowledge, and support for other survivors. Having a voice, gaining knowledge, and feeling empowered were reported as advantages of participation, while concerns included exploitation, researcher ignorance, and emotional dysregulation caused by content discussed. To enable their engagement in the future research, RA survivors identified participative research designs, anonymity, and increased opportunities for inclusion in decision-making.
https://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/VIVGQKKJ4MPFPUMCH9D5/full?target=10.1080/10538712.2023.2211578
Matthew, L. & Barron, I. (2015). Participatory Action research on help-seeking behaviors of self-defined ritual abuse survivors: a brief report. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, 24(4):429-43.
The existence of ritual abuse is the subject of much debate. Ritual abuse survivor perceptions of seeking help have not been explored, and studies have yet to utilize self-defined survivors as collaborative researchers. This study addresses both issues. Participatory action research was utilized to design a survey and semistructured interview to investigate ritual abuse survivor experience of seeking help.
Sixty-eight participants completed the survey, and 22 were interviewed. A group approach to thematic analysis aided validity and reliability. Participants reported experiencing disbelief and a lack of ritual abuse awareness and help from support services. In contrast, participatory action research was reported by participants as educative and emancipatory. Future research should explore the benefits of participatory action research for survivors of different forms of oppression.
In the 1990s, a modest number of research articles (Faller, 1994) and clinical guides were published on ritual abuse. Moreover, a considerable number of clinicians reported encountering ritual abuse (RA) cases in their practices, about 10% in a study of members of the American Psychological Association (Bottoms, Shaver, & Goodman, 1991). Media hysteria, the rise of the False Memory Foundation (Salter, 2008), and the failure of feminism to fit RA into dominant paradigms of sexual abuse led to many professionals becoming wary of RA (Scott, 2001). For practitioners, investigators, and journalists, it was reassuring and convenient to redefine RA as a nonphenomenon. However, it is likely, this left individuals who self-defined as RA survivors
more isolated and disbelieved….
DISBELIEF
Fear of disbelief was a prevalent theme across participants’ responses (n = 12). During interviews, participants explored the reasons behind this as well as consequences for survivors. Many tried to understand the reasons behind this lack of belief. “We face denial and disbelief on a scale that beggars belief. They can’t handle our abuse at all but they don’t have to, they just have to
listen, but they don’t.” Others felt angry, particularly when speaking about their experiences of not being believed in childhood. Some expressed child protection concerns. “How can we safeguard children from something that is not known about or recognized?”
Issues of mental illness and vulnerability were reflected in experiences of participants when seeking help. “I was given ECT [electroconvulsive therapy] . . . at the age of 13. They diagnosed posttraumatic stress disorder, at 16 a counsellor diagnosed False Memory Syndrome” and “when I started with my new therapist and started to remember ritual abuse she didn’t believe me.
I was devastated. It is hard enough trying to cope with some of these very extreme memories without having professionals disbelieve.”….
Conclusions
The current study found survivors appeared to suffer from the continued polarized discourse around belief, memory, and mental illness. The researchers discovered that survivors reported low awareness of RA issues among professionals, which in turn resulted in services being perceived as
poor. As a consequence, participants reported they were reluctant to reveal histories of RA due to anticipated negative reactions. The authors suggest there is a need for survivor agencies to raise awareness of issues for RA survivors, share the experiences of survivors, and encourage development of survivor-sensitive services.
Class action suit by families of those brainwashed in Montreal medical experiments gets go-ahead, Brainwashed: The echoes of MK-ULTRA
May 23, 2023 § Leave a comment
Class action suit by families of those brainwashed in Montreal medical experiments gets go-ahead
Treatments included chemically induced sleep for weeks, rounds of electroshocks
CBC News Mar 03, 2022
A lawsuit against the Canadian government, the Royal Victoria Hospital and the McGill University Health Centre is moving ahead.
About 55 families of victims who underwent medical experimentation in the 1950s and 1960s are suing for millions of dollars.
Alison Steel says her mother was never the same after undergoing brainwashing experiments at Montreal’s Allan Memorial Institute.
Treatments included chemically induced sleep for weeks, rounds of electroshocks and experimental drugs….
Steel is one of the main plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the Canadian government, the Royal Victoria Hospital and the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC).
How the CIA’s MK-ULTRA mind-control experiments laid the groundwork for torture methods used today
The plaintiffs allege the Government of Canada funded psychiatric treatments by Dr. Ewen Cameron at the Allan Memorial Institute between 1950 to 1964. They claim the government played a role in the supervision and control of these experiments, which were part of the CIA’s MK-ULTRA program of covert mind-control.
The defendants had moved to partially dismiss the case, but Quebec Superior Court dismissed the defence’s request on Feb. 23.
Lawyer Alan Stein says the lawsuit, seeking about $1 million per family on top of legal costs “to compensate them for their [physical and emotional] loss,” can now move ahead….
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/class-action-lawsuit-families-montreal-brainwashing-mk-ultra-1.6371416
Brainwashed: The echoes of MK-ULTRA
During the Cold War, the CIA secretly funded mind-control experiments on unwitting Canadians in a program codenamed MK-ULTRA. The experiments laid the groundwork for modern-day torture techniques. And victims and their families are still seeking recognition and justice.
By Michelle Shephard, Lisa Ellenwood and Chris Oke
October 21, 2020
The following story is based on material from the CBC podcast Brainwashed, a six-part series co-produced with The Fifth Estate that investigates the CIA’s covert mind-control experiments — from the Cold War and MK-ULTRA to the so-called U.S. war on terror.
But many of the details are laid out in a thick file of documents, correspondences and reports. He has news articles and pictures spanning decades, all describing what his family went through. And he has his mother’s heartwrenching medical report that is still hard for him to comprehend.
“She had her 30th and last day of sleep on March 24th,” Schrier said as he read from the 1960 hospital record.
“They gave her all the drugs … about four or five barbiturates and amphetamines at a time.”
Esther Schrier received electroshock therapy, massive amounts of drugs and so-called psychiatric treatments that sound as if they were lifted from the pages of George Orwell’s dystopian novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four.
She was a patient at Montreal’s Allan Memorial Institute in the 1960s. She had gone to “the Allan,” as the hospital is known, to seek treatment for what today would be considered anxiety or postpartum depression.
But once she walked through those hospital doors and into the care of a psychiatrist named Dr. Ewen Cameron, she became an unwitting experiment subject for a massive CIA brainwashing operation codenamed MK-ULTRA.
And Schrier was part of this clandestine program, too, because his mother was pregnant with him at the time.
“It’s crazy,” said Schrier. “I don’t think it was fair to do that to a developing fetus.”…
Hundreds of relatives whose loved ones were experimented upon by Cameron are now demanding compensation for family members and an apology from the Canadian government.
Canada has never provided a list of the victims of the experiments that took place during Cameron’s tenure from 1943 to 1964. In the decades since, no government has ever admitted liability, let alone apologized — despite the fact that part of the experiments in Montreal were funded not only by the CIA, but also by the Canadian government….
But the story of MK-ULTRA isn’t just relegated to Cold War history.
The idea of mind control — the theory that breaking a person down will make them do something against their will — has been constantly revisited by governments during other periods of fear and uncertainty, when the military and medicine collide.
What happened at Montreal’s Allan Memorial Institute laid the groundwork for torture spanning decades to follow….
https://newsinteractives.cbc.ca/longform/brainwashed-mkultra/
Maryland attorney general releases report on decades of sex abuse by Catholic priests
May 2, 2023 Comments Off on Maryland attorney general releases report on decades of sex abuse by Catholic priests
Maryland attorney general releases report on decades of sex abuse by Catholic priests
April 5, 2023 By The Associated Press
BALTIMORE — The Maryland Attorney General’s Office has publicly released a redacted version of an investigative report detailing sex abuse allegations against more than 150 Catholic priests and examining the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s response.
The redacted findings were made public Wednesday afternoon, marking a significant development in an ongoing legal battle over its release and adding to growing evidence from parish es across the country as numerous similar revelations have rocked the Catholic Church in recent years.
Former Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh launched the probe in 2019 and announced its completion in November, saying investigators had reviewed over 100,000 pages of documents dating back to the 1940s and interviewed hundreds of victims and witnesses. The report’s contents weren’t immediately released because they include information obtained from church officials via grand jury subpoenas, which are confidential proceedings in Maryland.
Lawyers for the state asked a court for permission to release the nearly 500-page document, which identifies 158 priests accused of abusing more than 600 victims over the past 80 years, and Baltimore Circuit Court Judge Robert Taylor ruled last month that a redacted version should be made public. Officials recently started making the necessary redactions, which included removing the names and titles of 37 people accused of wrongdoing….
State lawmakers are currently considering whether to end the state’s statute of limitations for when civil lawsuits related to child sexual abuse can be filed against institutions. Similar proposals have failed in recent years, but the issue received renewed attention this session and the current proposal is nearing passage in Annapolis, where lawmakers have until midnight next Monday to give final approval and send the bill to Gov. Wes Moore, who has said he supports it. Currently, victims of child sex abuse in Maryland can’t sue after they turn 38. The bill would eliminate the age limit and allow for retroactive lawsuits….
When Maryland prosecutors asked to release the findings of their recent investigation, they summarized some of the report’s contents, which paint a damning picture. Sexual abuse was so pervasive, the filing said, that some parishes, congregations and schools had more than one abusive priest at the same time — including one congregation where 11 abusive priests practiced over 40 years. In some cases, victims ended up reporting abuse to priests who were abusive themselves, prosecutors wrote.
The investigation also revealed that the archdiocese failed to report many allegations of sexual abuse to authorities, conduct adequate investigations, remove abusers from the ministry or restrict their access to children.
“Instead, it went to great lengths to keep the abuse secret,” the court filing said. “While the Archdiocese reported a large number of allegations to police, especially in later years, for decades it worked to ensure that the perpetrators would not face justice….
_._,_._,_
The Survivorship Ritual Abuse and Mind Control 2023 Online Conference
April 21, 2023 Comments Off on The Survivorship Ritual Abuse and Mind Control 2023 Online Conference
The Survivorship Ritual Abuse and Mind Control 2023 Online Conference
Survivor Conference – Saturday and Sunday May 20 – 21, 2023
Clinician’s Conference – Friday May 19, 2023
Both conferences will be online.
International Speakers
Please write info@survivorship.org if you would like to get on our conference mailing list.
Conference information is at: https://survivorship.org/the-survivorship-ritual-abuse-and-mind-control-2023-online-conference/
Prices are as low as $50. Please see our conference website for more information.
Conference Speakers
Survivors may want to use caution reading this material or read it with a safe support person.
Researching Ritual Abuse and Mind Control in Art and Literature: One Art Historian’s Journey – Lynn Brunet PhD
The Effects of Social Movements on Survivor Support Systems and Survivor Recovery – Neil Brick
The History of Ritual Abuse and the Effects of Social Trends on the Therapeutic Profession – Neil Brick
How to Create a Successful Recovery Path for Disassociated Survival Skills and DID – Shelby Rising Eagle
The Enmeshment of the British False Memory Society and the British Psychological Society. – Dr. Rainer Hermann Kurz
Child Trafficking through Family Court Proceedings: A UK Case Study – Dr. Rainer Hermann Kurz
Some Evidence-Based Practice Guidelines and Standards Relevant to the Psychological Care of Extreme Abuse Survivors – Dr. Randall Noblitt
Creating Calm – Patricia Quinn
Programmed and Internal Psychological Mechanisms that Perpetuate the Cycle of Extreme Abuse – Ellen P. Lacter, Ph.D.
Lynn is an art historian, artist and survivor of Masonic ritual abuse. She fi
rst began to remember her abuse in her mid-forties but realised that she had been unknowingly making art about it for most of her career as a professional artist. In 1999, alongside her recovery, she began a PhD into Masonic themes and trauma in contemporary art. It was based on the realisation that artists can make disturbing art, often for a lifetime, without realising where it comes from. She was a lecturer in art history and theory at the time, and during the 1990s in my field there was a lot of interest in the relation between art, memory and trauma. Her talk will trace the series of case studies where she has uncovered traces of ritual abuse in the work of some key artists and writers in contemporary art and from earlier in the 20th century.
In 2017 she came across Carl Jung’s Red Book, a magnificent volume containing his disturbing mid-life fantasies along with his own exquisite paintings. She recognised at the first reading that this could be ritual abuse and in 2019 published Answer to Jung: Making Sense of the Red Book. It demonstrated that his fantasies were not entirely original but were based on abusive forms of Masonic rites practiced in Switzerland when he was a child. This talk will be accompanied by a slide show depicting examples of these artists’ work.
Lynn Brunet (PhD) is an Australian art historian, artist and survivor of Masonic ritual abuse. Her research examines the coupling of trauma and ritual in modern and contemporary Western art and literature. In particular, it traces the connection between Masonic and other fraternal initiation rites and complex trauma in the work of so-called ‘tortured’ artists and writers.
The Effects of Social Movements on Survivor Support Systems and Survivor Recovery – Neil Brick
Neil Brick will speak about the history of ritual abuse and the effects of social movements on survivors. He will present historical information regarding the literature of clinicians and researchers. He will describe the effects of social and historical movements on survivor support systems and survivor recovery.
The History of Ritual Abuse and the Effects of Social Trends on the Therapeutic Profession – Neil Brick
Neil Brick will speak about the history of child and ritual abuse and the effects of social trends on the therapeutic profession. He will present historical information regarding the literature and the practice of clinicians and researchers. He will describe the effects of social and historical movements on the clinical field and clinical practice.
Neil Brick is a survivor of ritual abuse and mind control. His work continues to educate the public about child abuse, trauma and ritual abuse crimes. His child abuse and ritual abuse newsletter S.M.A.R.T. https://ritualabuse.us has been published for over 28 years. http://neilbrick.com
How to Create a Successful Recovery Path for Disassociated Survival Skills and DID – Shelby Rising Eagle
How to create a successful path of recovery for DSS (disassociated survival skills) (DID) of Satanic/Ritual Abuse. Topics will include: Understanding our boundaries as a victim. Learning what boundaries are for healthy people. Healthy boundaries. How to recognize toxic shame vs. healthy shame. Self-Honesty guidelines. Learning to see life from different viewpoints for similar situations. Understanding memories. Learning to understand and see what happened in the past and how it affects you today. Creating your life as you want it to be. Healthy boundaries, life skills that work in a positive manner for your happiness. Never give up and always believe in yourself.
Shelby Rising Eagle was born in the SF Bay Area raised in the Mormon Church. Mother was a multi-generational Mormon; father was a convert. She reports both parents participated in satanic worship, pedophile sex ring in the church. She has done over 20 years of recovery work. She is the writer of two books – How Would You Know? & How Would You Know My Whole Story? She owns and operates a Martial Arts School and is a Master in her style of martial arts and now testing for her 6th degree black belt. She is a master gardener and loves growing vegetables and flowers. She does workshops with therapists on working with victims with DID and the recovery process. She practices meditation for centering her life and progress towards a better life. She is committed to helping to up lift others in their recovery work. She teaches that everyone that they can recover and claim their life back from extreme abuse.
The Enmeshment of the British False Memory Society and the British Psychological Society. – Dr. Rainer Hermann Kurz
This presentation builds on an article ‘The Policy Alignment of the British False Memory Society and the British Psychological Society’ published in 2022 by Dr. Ashley Conway and Professor David Pilgrim in the Journal of Trauma & Dissociation. It outlines the exemplary response of the British Psychological Society (BPS) in 1995 to the ‘Memory Wars’, subsequent ‘policy capture’ in 2008 through individuals associated with the British False Memory Society (BFMS), and the ongoing battle to restore a credible position on Memory-Based Evidence. A new BPS Task and finish group is currently working on this difficult topic and is expected to return to the ‘gold standard’ of the 1995 document. The presentation will feature examples where a Discourse of Disbelief derailed proper procedures.
Child Trafficking through Family Court Proceedings: A UK Case Study – Dr. Rainer Hermann Kurz
This presentation builds on a decade-long investigation into two index incidents that led to the transfer of parental responsibility for a toddler boy from a mother to a Local Authority, and eventually adoption by the foster carer in suspicious circumstances marred by procedural irregularities. Index Incident 1, dismissed as untrue in 2013 by a Family Court Judge in Cardiff, concerned the mother’s claim that she gave birth to a baby at age 14 that succeeded from incestuous rape by her father (in the Kingston-upon-Thames area in South-West London), and ‘disappeared’. Index Incident 2, that was also dismissed in the same judicial process, concerned a daytime sexual assault on the toddler boy in broad daylight in a Cul-de-Sac in South Wales. The presentation draws on a 60-minute audio recording describing the two index incidents and information submitted to a document review by complex trauma specialist in the process of preparing an appeal application. The content of the presentation is potentially triggering but provides rare insights into the workings of an Organized Ritual Crime Abuse Network (ORCAN) in the midst of society.
Rainer Kurz is a Chartered Psychologist based in London. Since 1990 Rainer has worked in Research & Development roles for leading test publishers. His PhD dissertation was on enhancing the validity and utility of ability testing. Rainer developed 50+ psychometric tests and authored more than 100 publications. He is a Consultant Editor for Test Reviews at the Psychometric Testing Centre (PTC) of the BPS. Rainer has been investigating complex trauma assessment problems since 2012. He presented 30+ posters on trauma, dissociation and healing at international peer-reviewed conferences that are available here: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Rainer_Kurz2
Some Evidence-Based Practice Guidelines and Standards Relevant to the Psychological Care of Extreme Abuse Survivors – Dr. Randall Noblitt
We will review the APA’s (2021) Professional Practice Guidelines for Evidence-Based Psychological Practice in Health Care, and discuss its relevance to the care of extreme abuse survivors. We will also critically examine Clinical Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in Adults (APA, 2017) and the ISSTD (2011) Guidelines for Treating Dissociative Identity Disorder in Adults, Third Revision. Included will be discussion of the roles of common factors and empirically supported treatments in implementing guidelines and standards.
Randy Noblitt is a professor of Clinical Psychology at Alliant International University, Los Angeles and a licensed psychologist in Texas. He has evaluated and treated extreme abuse survivors clinically since 1979. He has authored three editions of the book Cult and Ritual Abuse with Pam Noblitt (1995, 2000, 2014). Together they also edited Ritual Abuse in the 21st Century (2008) and they have authored a recent book, Navigating Social Security Disability Programs: A Handbook for Clinicians and Advocates (2020).
Creating Calm – Patricia Quinn
Art making is a form of expression available to all, though many have felt discouraged to continue to enjoy it. It’s sensory and motor aspects engage the reward system of the brain (Kaimal et al 2017). Using art materials can help modulate the survival-oriented mid-brain with the higher cortex which we use to plan, and contextualize experience (Lusebrink 2004; Lusebrink & Hinz 2019). We can use various art materials to bring ourselves into the present and to help focus us on what we want. Using a future-oriented directive to attain a feeling of stability and peace, along with a brief lead in describing stabilizing elements of nature, participants will learn a way to use art for restoring the nervous system.
Patricia Quinn is an artist and art therapist who worked in the fields of psychiatry and addiction for 30-plus years. She’s taught graduate and undergraduate students in art therapy since 1994, and has recently published “Art Therapy in the Treatment of Addiction and Trauma” (Jessica Kingsley Publ., 2021). She has served for the past ten years on the committees and boards of several large mental health agencies that provide addiction, mental health, and developmental disabilities services. She strives to promote awareness of the effects of ritual abuse and complex trauma.
Programmed and Internal Psychological Mechanisms that Perpetuate the Cycle of Extreme Abuse – Ellen P. Lacter, Ph.D.
This presentation will examine the psychological mechanisms that perpetuate the cycle of extreme child abuse, including ritualistic abuse, torture-based mind control, production of sadistic child abuse materials, and sex-trafficking of young children to multiple perpetrators. We will explore many of the ways that the cycle of extreme abuse can be perpetuated: 1) within victims, as in ongoing abuse, abuse re-victimization, psychological suffering, self-injury, suicidality, harmful relationships, re-enactments of psychological, physical, and sexual abuse, etc., and sometimes, 2) by victims, in abuse against others, including abuse of one’s children (intergenerational transmission).
Two mechanisms by which extreme abuse is perpetuated will be presented: 1) externally-applied, calculated, manipulation of victims’ dissociated self-states to control victims long-term to serve abuser agendas, i.e., mind control programming, and, 2) naturally-occurring internal responses that yield long-term psychological symptoms, suffering, and, in some case, harm to others. Finally, we will discuss broad approaches to treatment to break the cycle of extreme abuse.
Ellen P. Lacter, Ph.D., is a California licensed Clinical Psychologist and Registered Play Therapist and Supervisor. She is Academic Coordinator of the Play Therapy Certificate program at University of California – San Diego, Division of Extended Studies. She worked in community mental health settings from 1975 to 1984, and in private practice thereafter. In the mid-1990s, she acquired expertise in the treatment of dissociative disorders and extreme abuse, particularly victims of ritualistic abuse, torture-based mind control, child sex-trafficking, and production of sadistic child abuse materials. She is an activist on behalf of survivors of extreme abuse, based in her website: http://www.endritualabuse.org.
Survivorship is one of the oldest and most respected organizations supporting survivors of extreme child abuse, including sadistic sexual abuse, ritualistic abuse, mind control, and torture.
Survivorship provides resources, healing, and community for survivors; training and education for professionals who help survivors; and support for survivors’ partners and other allies. The organization helps survivors who may be isolated emotionally or geographically. Through community outreach and training, Survivorship also raises awareness about these difficult issues.
Woman Reveals How She Escaped A Cult
April 21, 2023 Comments Off on Woman Reveals How She Escaped A Cult
‘If You Talk, You Die’: Woman Reveals How She Escaped A Cult By Sophie Lloyd On 4/9/23
https://www.newsweek.com/meet-woman-escaped-cult-cheryl-rainfield-1783011
describes abuse
….Cheryl Rainfield was 17 when she ran away from home. Born into several multi-generational cults that included elements of Nazism, satanism and the KKK, the award-winning author of Scars uses her books to help others dealing with trauma, torture and abuse.
….What makes me want to be here is my books, and helping other people,” Rainfield told Newsweek. “I want things to change. I want other survivors to know they’re not alone.”
Although only the most sensational stories make the news, Bethany Burum—Lecturer on Psychology and Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University—said cults are “more common” than people think.
Burum said a wide range of belief systems fall under the term “cult,” from religious zealots to “sex cults.”
The tactics may vary, but Burum said that cults exert the same patterns of control, isolation and abuse to keep members in line.
“Cult leaders make it very difficult to leave,” she told Newsweek. “Some members might fear violent retaliation. They might track them down and try to bring them back.”
Even if a member physically manages to escape, years of mind control can make it difficult for survivors to adapt.
Some continue to believe the cult’s messages, while others struggle with intense trauma. This is especially true for victims such as Rainfield, who were born into a cult rather than inducted.
“I think many people fail to realize the power and extent of the influence tactics that cult leaders use,” Burum said. “I imagine that this could make it quite difficult for cult members to be believed.”
‘If You Talk, You Die’
The cult Rainfield grew up in had many overlapping belief systems, such as white supremacy, antisemitism, homophobia and misogyny, and used threats, mind control techniques, rape, torture and murder to keep victims in line.
The abuse was broken down into categories. There was formal abuse, which involved rituals, torture and specific ceremonies, and the ongoing, daily abuse designed to reinforce the cult’s “messages.”
Rainfield describes these as mind control techniques, designed to maintain the cult’s hold over its victims and ensure they didn’t reach out for help.
“Things like, ‘if you talk, you die,'” she said. “They teach this in so many ways.”
Rainfield recalls a traumatic memory as a young child, in which she was tricked into believing the cult had inserted a bomb into her chest.
“They take you in [to a fake operating room], they freeze you with drugs, and the people are wearing scrubs,” she said.
“They put you on a [gurney], they show you a scalpel and they cut down the chest and there’s blood. It’s fake blood, but it looks real to a kid, and there’s pain.
‘And they say ‘look, we’re putting this little tiny bomb in you, and this will go off if you talk.'”
Cult members told the children that if they reported the abuse, they would “blow up.” She was also taught that the cult could hear her at all times, which they “demonstrated” with a test of her loyalty.
They put Rainfield in a room with a “nice, friendly” adult who would ask questions about her well-being. If she talked about the abuse, the cult would take her away and repeat everything she’d said “word for word.”
“Then I would know they could hear me. There would then be torture because I had talked,” she said. “Now I can see through it, but as a kid I thought they were all-powerful.”
Since the cult members regularly tortured and killed both animals and people, Rainfield had cause to believe her life was in danger.
Many of the perpetrators were born into the cult, including Rainfield’s parents, and were abused themselves.
Rainfield refused to hurt others. She agreed to participate only after being physically forced to, or made to watch other victims be hurt. Sadly, most fellow victims grew up to become cult abusers, continuing the cycle.
“Some child victims chose to hurt others the way the cult wanted them to, which meant they were abused less themselves,” she said. “Many cult abusers got pleasure from inflicting pain and abuse on their victims, but they were also tortured and had mind control used on them as children.”
Despite the environment she was raised in, Rainfield doesn’t understand why her abusers—or anyone—would enjoy inflicting pain on others.
“When I was about 5 or 6 and being raped and tortured on an altar, I made the conscious choice that I would never be like them. I chose to be the opposite of them,” she said….
Still, escaping wasn’t easy, and it would take years for Rainfield to fully break away from her parents and the cult.I’ve written a book that is the closest to my experience as a cult torture survivor and of having DID as a direct result of cult torture that my agent has on submission. I’m hoping that it will sell because it doesn’t sensationalize cult abuse and did the way so many movies and TV shows and books do. DID is a creative, intelligent way of coping – not just coping but surviving horrendous torture and abuse that the child could not have survived otherwise. I’m so grateful that I could split, that I could break off parts of myself who could handle each of the torture events that I couldn’t handle, that helped me stay alive, that helped me keep going, and compartmentalize the things I needed to to keep on living.
Everywhere Rainfield went, her family ensured there was a cult member nearby to watch her, and there were teachers who were involved with the cult at her school.
“My parents had to know where I was all the time,” she said. “But to other people, it just seemed as though they were overprotective.”
Her parents wouldn’t allow her to participate in most extracurricular activities, engage with pop culture or enjoy hobbies like other kids. As cell phones weren’t mainstream at the time, she also had no way to ask for help without being caught.
Rainfield showed signs of the trauma physically and emotionally. She was shy, introverted and scared. Loud noises, and even being touched unexpectedly would terrify her, which made her a target for bullies.
Despite the horrific abuse Rainfield endured, the cult and its behavior went under the radar for her entire childhood. From the outside, Rainfield, her parents and her brother looked like a normal—albeit conservative—Canadian family.
Her parents’ relationship was an arranged marriage, decided by senior leaders in the cult.
They had friends both inside and outside of the cult, and her mother volunteered at Rainfield’s school, made cookies for the bake sale and sang in the church choir. Her father taught Sunday School and was part of the local neighborhood watch.
“That’s a huge part of how they continue,” she said. “They are very skilled at masking socially.”
Her mother and father would act like doting parents whenever Rainfield’s teachers would express concerns about her introverted behavior, but when she wrote a story about a child rape victim, a worried teacher called Child Protective Services.
The detective she met was sensitive and kind, and kept asking questions, but understandably, Rainfield was too scared to talk, knowing the punishment that would face her if she did.
Once she turned 17, Rainfield ran away from home. She started working with a therapist who believed her story, and she was diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID).
Although she couldn’t have survived the abuse without dissociating, she would initially forget that the group knew where she lived and was continuing to abuse her.
“I’ve worked hard in therapy to have co-conscious DID, where every part of me is aware of each other [and] to not lose time,” she said. “It’s a huge part of what helped me get safe.”….
“I want to help more people to realize that it happens, that there are so many people hurting,” she said. “The more survivors hear about other survivors, they realize that maybe they can get safe and heal too.”
The Survivorship Ritual Abuse and Mind Control 2023 Online Conference
February 21, 2023 § Leave a comment
Survivor Conference – Saturday and Sunday May 20 – 21, 2023
Clinician’s Conference – Friday May 19, 2023
Both conferences will be online.
Please write info@survivorship.org if you would like to get on our conference mailing list.
Conference information is at: https://survivorship.org/the-survivorship-ritual-abuse-and-mind-control-2023-online-conference/
Special Low Prices are available until March 1, 2023.
Prices are as low as $50. Please see our conference website for more information.
Conference Speakers
Survivors may want to use caution reading this material or read it with a safe support person.
Researching Ritual Abuse and Mind Control in Art and Literature: One Art Historian’s Journey – Lynn Brunet PhD
The Effects of Social Movements on Survivor Support Systems and Survivor Recovery – Neil Brick
The History of Ritual Abuse and the Effects of Social Trends on the Therapeutic Profession – Neil Brick
How to Create a Successful Recovery Path for Disassociated Survival Skills and DID – Shelby Rising Eagle
The Enmeshment of the British False Memory Society and the British Psychological Society. – Dr. Rainer Hermann Kurz
Child Trafficking through Family Court Proceedings: A UK Case Study – Dr. Rainer Hermann Kurz
Some Evidence-Based Practice Guidelines and Standards Relevant to the Psychological Care of Extreme Abuse Survivors – Dr. Randall Noblitt
Lynn is an art historian, artist and survivor of Masonic ritual abuse. She first began to remember her abuse in her mid-forties but realised that she had been unknowingly making art about it for most of her career as a professional artist. In 1999, alongside her recovery, she began a PhD into Masonic themes and trauma in contemporary art. It was based on the realisation that artists can make disturbing art, often for a lifetime, without realising where it comes from. She was a lecturer in art history and theory at the time, and during the 1990s in my field there was a lot of interest in the relation between art, memory and trauma. Her talk will trace the series of case studies where she has uncovered traces of ritual abuse in the work of some key artists and writers in contemporary art and from earlier in the 20th century. In 2017 she came across Carl Jung’s Red Book, a magnificent volume containing his disturbing mid-life fantasies along with his own exquisite paintings. She recognised at the first reading that this could be ritual abuse and in 2019 published Answer to Jung: Making Sense of the Red Book. It demonstrated that his fantasies were not entirely original but were based on abusive forms of Masonic rites practiced in Switzerland when he was a child. This talk will be accompanied by a slide show depicting examples of these artists’ work.
Lynn Brunet (PhD) is an Australian art historian, artist and survivor of Masonic ritual abuse. Her research examines the coupling of trauma and ritual in modern and contemporary Western art and literature. In particular, it traces the connection between Masonic and other fraternal initiation rites and complex trauma in the work of so-called ‘tortured’ artists and writers.
The Effects of Social Movements on Survivor Support Systems and Survivor Recovery – Neil Brick
Neil Brick will speak about the history of ritual abuse and the effects of social movements on survivors. He will present historical information regarding the literature of clinicians and researchers. He will describe the effects of social and historical movements on survivor support systems and survivor recovery.
The History of Ritual Abuse and the Effects of Social Trends on the Therapeutic Profession – Neil Brick
Neil Brick will speak about the history of child and ritual abuse and the effects of social trends on the therapeutic profession. He will present historical information regarding the literature and the practice of clinicians and researchers. He will describe the effects of social and historical movements on the clinical field and clinical practice.
Neil Brick is a survivor of ritual abuse and mind control. His work continues to educate the public about child abuse, trauma and ritual abuse crimes. His child abuse and ritual abuse newsletter S.M.A.R.T. https://ritualabuse.us has been published for over 28 years. http://neilbrick.com
How to Create a Successful Recovery Path for Disassociated Survival Skills and DID – Shelby Rising Eagle
How to create a successful path of recovery for DSS (disassociated survival skills) (DID) of Satanic/Ritual Abuse. Topics will include: Understanding our boundaries as a victim. Learning what boundaries are for healthy people. Healthy boundaries. How to recognize toxic shame vs. healthy shame. Self-Honesty guidelines. Learning to see life from different viewpoints for similar situations. Understanding memories. Learning to understand and see what happened in the past and how it affects you today. Creating your life as you want it to be. Healthy boundaries, life skills that work in a positive manner for your happiness. Never give up and always believe in yourself.
Shelby Rising Eagle was born in the SF Bay Area raised in the Mormon Church. Mother was a multi-generational Mormon; father was a convert. She reports both parents participated in satanic worship, pedophile sex ring in the church. She has done over 20 years of recovery work. She is the writer of two books – How Would You Know? & How Would You Know My Whole Story? She owns and operates a Martial Arts School and is a Master in her style of martial arts and now testing for her 6th degree black belt. She is a master gardener and loves growing vegetables and flowers. She does workshops with therapists on working with victims with DID and the recovery process. She practices meditation for centering her life and progress towards a better life. She is committed to helping to up lift others in their recovery work. She teaches that everyone that they can recover and claim their life back from extreme abuse.
The Enmeshment of the British False Memory Society and the British Psychological Society. – Dr. Rainer Hermann Kurz
This presentation builds on an article ‘The Policy Alignment of the British False Memory Society and the British Psychological Society’ published in 2022 by Dr. Ashley Conway and Professor David Pilgrim in the Journal of Trauma & Dissociation. It outlines the exemplary response of the British Psychological Society (BPS) in 1995 to the ‘Memory Wars’, subsequent ‘policy capture’ in 2008 through individuals associated with the British False Memory Society (BFMS), and the ongoing battle to restore a credible position on Memory-Based Evidence. A new BPS Task and finish group is currently working on this difficult topic and is expected to return to the ‘gold standard’ of the 1995 document. The presentation will feature examples where a Discourse of Disbelief derailed proper procedures.
Child Trafficking through Family Court Proceedings: A UK Case Study – Dr. Rainer Hermann Kurz
This presentation builds on a decade-long investigation into two index incidents that led to the transfer of parental responsibility for a toddler boy from a mother to a Local Authority, and eventually adoption by the foster carer in suspicious circumstances marred by procedural irregularities. Index Incident 1, dismissed as untrue in 2013 by a Family Court Judge in Cardiff, concerned the mother’s claim that she gave birth to a baby at age 14 that succeeded from incestuous rape by her father (in the Kingston-upon-Thames area in South-West London), and ‘disappeared’. Index Incident 2, that was also dismissed in the same judicial process, concerned a daytime sexual assault on the toddler boy in broad daylight in a Cul-de-Sac in South Wales. The presentation draws on a 60-minute audio recording describing the two index incidents and information submitted to a document review by complex trauma specialist in the process of preparing an appeal application. The content of the presentation is potentially triggering but provides rare insights into the workings of an Organized Ritual Crime Abuse Network (ORCAN) in the midst of society.
Rainer Kurz is a Chartered Psychologist based in London. Since 1990 Rainer has worked in Research & Development roles for leading test publishers. His PhD dissertation was on enhancing the validity and utility of ability testing. Rainer developed 50+ psychometric tests and authored more than 100 publications. He is a Consultant Editor for Test Reviews at the Psychometric Testing Centre (PTC) of the BPS. Rainer has been investigating complex trauma assessment problems since 2012. He presented 30+ posters on trauma, dissociation and healing at international peer-reviewed conferences that are available here: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Rainer_Kurz2
Some Evidence-Based Practice Guidelines and Standards Relevant to the Psychological Care of Extreme Abuse Survivors – Dr. Randall Noblitt
We will review the APA’s (2021) Professional Practice Guidelines for Evidence-Based Psychological Practice in Health Care, and discuss its relevance to the care of extreme abuse survivors. We will also critically examine Clinical Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in Adults (APA, 2017) and the ISSTD (2011) Guidelines for Treating Dissociative Identity Disorder in Adults, Third Revision. Included will be discussion of the roles of common factors and empirically supported treatments in implementing guidelines and standards.
Randy Noblitt is a professor of Clinical Psychology at Alliant International University, Los Angeles and a licensed psychologist in Texas. He has evaluated and treated extreme abuse survivors clinically since 1979. He has authored three editions of the book Cult and Ritual Abuse with Pam Noblitt (1995, 2000, 2014). Together they also edited Ritual Abuse in the 21st Century (2008) and they have authored a recent book, Navigating Social Security Disability Programs: A Handbook for Clinicians and Advocates (2020).
Daniella grew up in The Family, then joined the army — where she experienced toxic control, again
January 31, 2023 Comments Off on Daniella grew up in The Family, then joined the army — where she experienced toxic control, again
Daniella Mestyanek Young’s first day of military training, she stands among her fellow recruits holding a duffle bag high in one arm above her head.
Amirault case – Gov. Baker withdraws pardon request for siblings convicted in daycare sex abuse case
December 23, 2022 Comments Off on Amirault case – Gov. Baker withdraws pardon request for siblings convicted in daycare sex abuse case
Amirault case – Gov. Baker withdraws pardon request for siblings convicted in daycare sex abuse case
Jennifer Bennett is a Fells Acres Victim. She testified at trial against the Amiraults when she was a child.
“They were found guilty for a reason. Because they are guilty. We the children lost our childhoods to courtrooms. We lost our childhoods to a monster that raped us. And molested us. And did horrible things to us,” Bennett said.
Gov. Baker withdraws pardon request for siblings convicted in daycare sex abuse case
Bob Ward
December 14, 2022
Governor Charlie Baker withdrew his controversial pardons for members of the Amirault family just one day after a contentious Governor Council’s hearing on the issue.
“It’s apparent there are not sufficient votes from the Governor’s Council to support a pardon for the Amiraults. Therefore, the Governor is withdrawing his pardon petition,” Lt. Governor Karyn Polito announced at Wednesday’s meeting of the Governor’s Council.
It was a stunning reversal. Baker’s proposal to pardon Gerald Amirault and his sister Cheryl LeFave for their convictions in the Fells Acres Day Care Sex Case in the mid-1980s is now off the table, just one day after an hours-long hearing before the Governor’s Council.
During their hearing, some councilors criticized the proposed pardons — which the Parole Board voted not to recommend — and aired frustrations at Baker over what they described as a lack of explanation for his decision.
Baker, who last month said he believed the pair should be pardoned because he has “grave doubt regarding the evidentiary strength of these convictions,” announced he would scrap his plans just minutes before the council was set to convene an assembly on Wednesday.
“I’m so excited, I’m so lost for words today,” Jennifer Bennett said.
Jennifer Bennett is a Fells Acres Victim. She testified at trial against the Amiraults when she was child.
“They were found guilty for a reason. Because they are guilty. We the children lost our childhoods to courtrooms. We lost our childhoods to a monster that raped us. And molested us. And did horrible things to us,” Bennett said.
The Amiraults have long contended they were wrongly convicted, that their convictions were the result of overzealous prosecutors who coerced victims into making false accusations….
But the Amirault’s prosecutor, Laurence Hardoon said, the evidence in the Fells Acres case was strong, that two juries got it right, and that the Amiraults do not deserve pardons.
“All of the misleading claims that somehow investigators had tried to mislead the children and coach them and coerce them is utter nonsense because the kids had all spoken about the abuse before they were ever connected with the investigators,” Hardoon said.
Both Gerald Amirault and Cheryl LeFave are listed on the Massachusetts Sex Offender Registry.
If they were pardoned, they would have been removed from the Registry.
Gerald Amirault is scheduled to complete the conditions of his parole in 2023.
https://www.yahoo.com/now/baker-withdraws-pardon-request-siblings-171150893.html
Fells Acres – Amirault Case
http://web.archive.org/web/20010719201703/http://www.vocal-nasvo.org/hardoon.htm
Letters to the Editor: The Real Darkness Is Child Abuse WALL STREET JOURNAL (J) 02/24/95
excerpts:
As the chief prosecutor of both of the Amirault cases I am writing to prevent the public from being misled into believing that an injustice occurred as Dorothy Rabinowitz alleges in her Jan. 30 editorial-page piece “A Darkness in Massachusetts.”
Her suggestion that the convictions were based on “some of the most fantastic claims ever presented” presumptuously ignores the reality of the cases. The three Amiraults — Gerald, Violet and Cheryl – were convicted after two trials before different judges and juries almost one year apart. They were represented by able and well-known defense counsel. The convictions were upheld after review by state and federal appellate courts. The McMartin case in California was the result of a botched legal system and Kelly Michaels’s conviction was overturned because of legal errors. Contrary to Ms. Rabinowitz’s implication, the Amirault convictions were neither of these.
Studies show, as did testimony from a nationally recognized pediatric gynecologist, that most sexually molested young children have absolutely normal physical examinations. However, in Amirault, the majority of the female children who testified had some relevant physical findings, as did several female children involved in the investigation who did not participate in the trial. The findings included labial adhesions and hymenal scarring of the sort present in a very small percentage of non-sexually abused children.
Ms. Rabinowitz’s article is a superficial, one-sided look at a case handled extensively and carefully by the legal system. The victims and their families in these cases have been irrevocably harmed by what was done to them by the Amiraults. Every argument raised by Ms. Rabinowitz was ably presented by the defense at the trials. The juries, by their verdicts, rejected these arguments. Justice was done.
see for actual case evidence http://abusearticles.wordpress.com/category/commonwealth-vs-amirault/
http://abusearticles.files.wordpress.com/2007/12/common-vs-amirault-424-mass-618-page-624.jpg
http://abusearticles.files.wordpress.com/2007/12/common-vs-amirault-424-mass-618-page-622.jpg
“All nine children testified in a broadly consistent way…The children testified to numerous instances of sexual abuse. Some of the children testified that they were photographed during this abuse, describing a big camera with wires, a red button, and pictures which came out of the camera. The children testified that the defendant threatened them and told them that their families would be harmed if they told anyone about the abuse….The Commonwealth also presented a pediatric gynecologist and pediatrician who examined five of the girls who testified…She made findings consistent with abuse in four of the girls.”
Amirault’s accusers reveal their faces, and their pain Boston Herald – Boston, Mass. – Peter Gelzinis – Aug 7, 2001
Mass. Victims Fight Commutation Plea By Leslie Miller, Associated Press Writer http://web.archive.org/web/20010807011330/http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20010802/us/preschool_abuse_3.html
excerpts:
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) – Victims in the Fells Acres child abuse case broke down Thursday as they described their pain publicly for the first time in hopes of keeping the last person convicted in the case behind bars. Victims urged her to keep Amirault in prison. “During counseling meetings as a child, I would speak of a tall man touching me and taking pictures of me,” Phaedra Hopkins, 20, said at an emotional news conference. “So many times, Mr. Amirault hovered over me, touched me and hurt me and committed many disgusting acts of abuse.” Those children, now adults, stood by their testimony Thursday.
“This family raped me, molested me and totally ruined my life,”said Jennifer Bennett, who was 3 1/2 years old when she started at Fells Acres. “We weren’t coaxed. We weren’t lying. We’re telling the truth and we always will,” said Bennett, 22. “I was there. None of you were there. We weren’t coaxed, nor were we ever ever ever brainwashed.”Brian Martinello, 21, said he was sexually abused by Amirault. His mother, Barbara Standke, claims her son came home from the day care with sores on his genitals and other people’s underwear. “I think it’s an absolute disgrace to let anyone out of prison for such a disgusting crime,” Martinello said.
Governor explains Amirault decision Says she needed to ‘live with myself’ By Douglas Belkin and Frank Phillips, Globe Staff, 2/21/2002
In her announcement, Swift said her first consideration was whether there was ”overwhelming evidence” to contradict the jury conviction and two decisions by the Supreme Judicial Court upholding the verdict.
”I concluded there was not,” she said. Swift said that she also considered the two guidelines for a commutation: that the sentence is too severe and that the person had made ”exceptional strides in self-development.” ”Again, my answer was no,” Swift said. ”I concluded after that review that the jury and the Supreme [Court] decisions should be upheld and that under the commutation guidelines commutation was not warranted,” Swift said….But ultimately, she said, she concluded that the sentence was appropriate and consistent with other cases. Pressed on how she could come up with a far different judgment than the five members of the Parole Board, Swift said her staff conducted ”a more exhaustive review of all of the legal aspects” than the board did. http://web.archive.org/web/20020221235441/http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/052/metro/Governor_explains_Amirault_decision+.shtml
Witness praises Amirault decision By John Ellement, Globe Staff, 2/23/2002 CAMBRIDGE – Jen Bennett wants to give Acting Governor Jane Swift a bear hug in appreciation, and she wants Gerald Amirault to admit he sexually abused her when she attended the Fells Acres Day Care Center in Malden in the 1980s. Bennett was one of nine children who testified against Amirault during his three-month trial in 1986, which ended with his conviction on multiple rape and molestation charges. He was sentenced to 30 to 40 years in prison….As for Amirault, ”I want to say to Mr. Amirault: Admit your guilt, you did this. He is where he is supposed to be. I will fight against you to the end. He destroyed my childhood.” Harriett Dell’Anno, whose daughter was one of the victims, echoed Bennett’s insistence that children were sexually violated and also thanked Swift for keeping Amirault in prison….Hardoon also said the quality of the investigation and the actions of prosecutors, police, and social workers working with the children were all scrutinized intensely during Gerald Amirault’s trial – and still the jury convicted.
He said Amirault supporters are focusing on 2 percent of the children’s claims that ”seem inexplicable and they are conveniently ignoring the 98 percent of the case that was overwhelming” against Amirault.…Middlesex District Attorney Martha Coakley, who inherited the case from former district attorneys Scott Harshbarger and Thomas F. Reilly, said Amirault’s insistence that he is innocent does not make it true. She drew a parallel between John Geoghan, the former Catholic priest sentenced to 9 to 10 years in prison Thursday for molesting a child. Like Amirault, Geoghan insisted that he, too, was innocent, she said. ”Admitting to child abuse is a very difficult and often, a never-seen thing,” she said. Coakley said it was time for Amirault and his supporters to end their pursuit of an early release from prison so that the victims can finally begin to fully heal from the trauma he caused them as children. http://web.archive.org/web/20020224045327/http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/054/metro/Witness_praises_Amirault_decision+.shtml
Swift won’t free Tooky by David R. Guarino and Elisabeth J. Beardsley Wednesday, February 20, 2002 Convicted child molester Gerald “Tooky” Amirault lost his best shot at freedom yesterday, denied commutation of his sentence by acting Gov. Jane M. Swift in another stunning turn to the roller coaster abuse case. Swift rejected the unanimous July Parole Board recommendation that there was “real and substantial doubt” of Amirault’s guilt. Taking sides in a highly charged case as she drops in election-year polls, Swift said Amirault should be jailed at least until he’s up for parole in 2004 on his 30- to 40-year sentence. “She carefully analyzed every bit of information generated through the investigation and came to her decision that the verdict was just and the sentence was appropriate,” said Swift spokesman James Borghesani….victims rejoiced last night, praising the acting governor for standing up to the Parole Board and claiming vindication after years of doubts about the case. “All along, they’ve always told the truth,” said Harriet Dell’Anno of Lynn, whose daughter, Jamie, remains in therapy over the incidents. Barbara Standke of Tewksbury, whose son, Brian Martinello, was molested when he was 4, said, “He may be doing 20 years, but my son’s doing life.” Amirault, his sister, Cheryl LeFave, and their mother, Violet, were convicted after a parade of children told horror stories about being fondled, raped.
http://web.archive.org/web/20020305205020/http://www2.bostonherald.com/news/local_regional/swif02202002.htm
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