Wednesday, February 12, 2025
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The Dangers of Party Loyalists

The Dangers of Party Loyalists

by TIM HICKS

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Introduction

I have been covering the on-going failure by North Yorkshire Police (NYP) and North Yorkshire Council (NYC), to investigate non-recent child abuse at the former North Yorkshire County Council (NYCC) administered Throxenby Hall Residential Care Home. This was perpetrated by a rape gang of NYCC Residential Care Officers, Jimmy Savile and Peter Jaconelli. It was known to both NYCC Social Services and NYP, which it is alleged did nothing to prevent it.

It is alleged that there have been multiple suicides by former pupils at Throxenby Hall as a result of the abuse they suffered there. The NYE has identified one of these cases and another of a boy who drowned in the swimming pool there where it is alleged that neglect was a contributing factor in his death. NYP is refusing to respond to a request for a media comment on how many suicides of former pupils from Throxenby Hall it is aware of on the grounds that:

“we can neither confirm nor deny if North Yorkshire Police does or does not hold the information you have requested. It is estimated that the cost of complying with your request for information would exceed the “appropriate costs limit” under Section 12(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.”

The NYE has also investigated the abuse of boys at Kirklevington Detention Centre (KDC) by Prison Officers, which is also alleged to have been known about by Officers from NYP and five other Police Forces – who all ignored it.

Various Police investigations (Operations Magnolia, Hibiscus, Manuka and Yewtree) over the years have failed to obtain any convictions in respect of these allegations of abuse at Throxenby Hall or KDC.

Neither NYP, NYC (the successor to NYCC) or City of York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority Deputy Mayor for Policing, Fire & Crime Jo Coles, who is responsible for holding NYPe to account will comment on these shocking allegations. Every Chief Constable and Police & Crime Commissioner (or equivalent) for the other five Forces alleged to have been involved in concealing abuse at KDC are also refusing to comment.

So – as usual – when investigating corruption and misconduct by the Police, the NYE has been faced with a wall of silence by six Police Forces, NYC and the Deputy Mayor – a record, even for the NYE.

Enter Mrs Alison Hume MP for Scarborough and Whitby

The newly-elected Labour MP for Scarborough & Whitby is Mrs Alison Hume MP. She can be seen below in her acceptance speech in July 2024, having been duly elected as MP for Scarborough & Whitby:

In her speech, she movingly pledged her support for women and girls who had been the victims of violence and assured them she would ensure they get justice. Stirring stuff!

I interviewed Mrs Hume when she was the Labour Party candidate for the 2021 election to be Police, Fire & Crime Commissioner for North Yorkshire and I was very impressed with her. She appeared to be open, intelligent, highly articulate, very well briefed on local issues, supportive of the NYE and passionately committed to openness by the Police. My interview can be read in full here. I would draw specific attention to this quote from Mrs Hume:

“I am completely supportive of citizen and community journalism and believe the public should be allowed to know what is going on. I am aware of the NYE’s work and would congratulate you on your campaigning style of journalism. You are turning over stones that other people want to be left untouched, which is healthy for the community. The police should have nothing to hide and I don’t understand why they don’t want to engage.”

So, I wrote to Mrs Hume in my capacity as an NYE journalist about the ongoing cover-up into sexual, emotional and physical abuse at Throxenby Hall.

“Although I am not one of your constituents, I write for the North Yorks Enquirer Internet News Magazine, which is located in Scarborough and is widely read there. I would therefore like to ask you for a media comment on this situation and to write to Chief Constable Forber and Deputy Mayor Coles, asking them to initiate an investigation into the sexual abuse of children at Throxenby Hall and Kirklevington Detention Centre (KDC) and the failure to investigate these crimes by officers of NYP and NYCC.”

I was confident, based on my initial impressions, that her statements above and in her acceptance speech (see video, above) would be confirmed and I would get action.

Exit Mrs Alison Hume MP for Scarborough & Whitby

Instead, Mrs Hume ignored my request. I have had no response from her of any sort whatsoever.

So, I am afraid that the conclusion is inevitable that, despite her fine words, Mrs Hume has abandoned her principles and is refusing to take any action.

This is particularly disappointing, given that many of the NYCC Residential Care Officers that abused boys at Throxenby Hall and the NYCC Social Workers that protected them at the time are still alive and could face prosecution. One of the reasons that child abuse is so prevalent is that the detection rates are low, so there is no deterrent to offending.

This clearly does not correspond with the assurances issued by Mrs Hume when she was elected that she would obtain justice for victims. The question now arises why has she abandoned them?

The Danger of electing a Party Loyalist

Mrs Hume has never voted against the official Labour Party line since she has been in parliament. Perhaps this is because she is a party loyalist. Perhaps it is because Sir Keir Starmer will not hesitate to suspend the Labour Party whip from anyone that fails to toe the party line. Should this occur, it would damage her political career.

One thing is now clear. Alison Hume will not criticize a Labour Deputy Mayor for Policing, Fire & Crime – even if it is to expose child abuse and help bring the abusers to justice.

Compare this to the way Sir Julian Smith, Conservative MP for Skipton & Ripon, never hesitated to publicly criticise the former Conservative-led North Yorkshire Police Authority and various Conservative Police, Fire & Crime Commissioners for North Yorkshire.

So, in summary:

    1. Chief Constable Forber is refusing to investigate child abuse at Throxenby Hall, or comment on it.
    2. The Chief Constable is being backed up in this decision by the Labour Deputy Mayor, Jo Coles, who is responsible for holding NYP to account
    3. Deputy Mayor Coles is being backed up by the Labour Mayor of York and North Yorkshire, David Skaith, and the Labour MP for Scarborough & Whitby, Mrs Alison Hume, who are responsible for holding the Deputy Mayor to account.

Only the NYE is continuing (to quote Mrs Hume’s words) to:

turn over stones that other people want to be left untouched, which is healthy for the community.”


NYE Appeal for information

If you have had a bad experience of being strip searched or if you were badly treated in an NYP Custody Suite or were at Throxenby Hall, or Kirklevington Detention Centre, please contact the NYE in complete confidence using the letters@nyenquirer.uk email address.

The NYE would particularly like to hear from anyone who knew Martin Mennell, who drowned in the Throxenby Hall swimming pool.


Right of reply

If you are mentioned in this article and do not agree with the views expressed in it, or if you wish to correct any factual inaccuracy, please let me know using the letters@nyenquirer.uk email address with your views, and a correction will be published if appropriate.


 

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