FROM THE BIRMINGHAM POST JANUARY 13TH 2011 BY SARAH PROBERT
"The director of Birmingham’s troubled children’s social services department has been suspended, the Birmingham Post has learnt.
Colin Tucker, who took up the post in the summer of 2009, was suspended from his post at 1.30pm yesterday (Wednesday), a move approved by the chief executive Stephen Hughes.
The suspension came less than 24 hours after cabinet executive member for children’s social services Len Clark told a full council meeting to expect significant management changes in the department.
The council confirmed that Mr Tucker’s suspension had nothing to do with any current child abuse or court cases.
The Post understands that the council is serving a compromise agreement on Mr Tucker, which will allow him to leave and pursue his career elsewhere without a stain on his character.
Coun Clark said: “Mr Tucker has been suspended and we will continue to review the situation and the position is now under careful review.”
FROM THE DAILY MAIL 3RD MARCH 2008
"A British teacher faces jail in Ethiopia after being convicted of defamation for her role in exposing paedophiles working in a children's charity.
Jill Campbell - who could be locked up for six months - and her husband Gary compiled a dossier of evidence that helped to convict a British sex offender who admitted abusing a child in his care. And a second suspect committed suicide.
But Swiss charity Terre Des Hommes-Lausanne (TdH) succesfully brought a defamation case after the couple claimed care home staff tried to cover up the scandal.
Mrs Campbell, 45, will find out on Friday whether she will go to prison after a failed appeal.
Her lawyers have told her that she will be found in contempt of court if she refuses to apologise and could be jailed for six months.
Friends have said that she was distraught at having to tell her two adopted ten-year-old children that she might have to go to prison.
Her husband has apologised to TdH so that one parent will be able to remain at home.
In a statement published by the Ethiopian media last week, he apologised to the charity for alleging that it ?knowingly removed their country director, David Christie (also known as David Allan) from Ethiopia in order to cover up a crime?.
The couple have lived in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, for 14 years and are well known for their charity work.
Friends have rallied to defend the Campbells and insist that without them paedeophile activity would not have been exposed.
?Instead of TdH apologising to the victims, they are forcing Gary and Jill to apologise for blowing the whistle and stopping the chain of homosexual abusers victimising orphans in the care of this Swiss-based NGO,? said told The Times.
Clare Rees, a teacher who works with Mrs Campbell at Sandford English Community School, said: ?She's seen as a saint.
?If you walk along the streets here you meet so many people she has helped. That's why this whole thing is so unfair.?
Mrs Campbell became aware of the allegations of sexual abuse through a colleague at the school whose boyfriend worked at Jari.
In December 1996 staff members saw a boy escaping from Christie's bedroom window.
He was dismissed by the charity and left Ethiopia. He was subsequently arrested in 2001 as he travelled to Zambia.
The Campbells had drawn up a dossier of evidence against him, which they circulated widely.
Christie, originally from Bournemouth, was eventually found guilty of abusing boys under 15 and of procuring children for his friends. In 2003 he was sentenced at a court in Addis Ababa to nine years in prison with hard labour.
One of his associates and a frequent visitor to Jari, Mark Lachance, committed suicide after posting a confession on the internet in 1999.
Colin Tucker, a spokesman for TdH, declined to discuss the charity's motive in suing the whistle-blowers.
?Read the judgment. That's the best we can say,? he said. ?They defamed us and we have successfully prosecuted them.?"
WHAT THE HELL HAS BEEN GOING ON?
45 comments:
I don't know why all those question marks are there, thats how it is on the webpage.
Terre des Hommes (literally: Land of Men) is an international charitable federation concentrating on children's rights, founded in 1959 and based in Lausanne. Terre des Hommes campaigns for a more equitable relationship between the countries of the North and the South, without racial, religious, political, cultural or gender-based discrimination. It is named after the book "Terre des hommes" of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, which was translated as Wind, Sand and Stars into English.
Several independent organisations coexist under the name of Terre des hommes and work together under the aegis of the International Federation of Terre des hommes (IFTDH). The various national organisations of Terre des hommes met in 1966 to form the International Federation of Terre des hommes, headquartered in Geneva. Today, eleven organisations in Denmark, Germany, France, Italy, Canada, Luxembourg, Holland, Switzerland, Spain and Syria belong to the Federation. An important part of the IFTDH work is as a consultant to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
From Wiki
LAND OF MEN?
WHAT?
I think the choice of name reveals a lot about this organisation!
Barbara Richards
14 January 2011
Dear Birmingham City Council,
Please can you provide me with some information about Colin Tucker,
the director of Birmingham's children's social care department? I
would like to see his previous work record and qualifications
before he took this post, plus any other information which might be
relevant.
Yours faithfully,
Barbara Richards
Birmingham City Council
17 January 2011
Dear Barbara
Thank you for your request for information held by the Council under the
provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 which was received on
14-01-11.
We will contact you again once it has been ascertained what data is held
by Birmingham City Council. In some circumstances a fee may be payable
and if that is the case, we will let you know. A fees notice will be
issued to you, and you will be required to pay before we will proceed to
deal with your request.
If you require any further information or are not happy with our response
please do not hesitate to contact me quoting the reference number above in
any future communications.
Yours sincerely
Steve Cullen
Data Protection and Freedom of Information Manager
Children, Young People and Families Directorate
Birmingham City Council
Tel: 0121 464 4591
Email: [email address]
Data Protection Act 1998
The information you have provided within your Freedom of Information
request will be held on our database and may also be held within manual
records for a period of 2 years from the date Birmingham City Council
received your request. Any personal data that you provide to Birmingham
City Council will be held in line with the requirements set out within the
Data Protection Act 1998.
Re Use of Public Sector Information
Where Birmingham City Council is the copyright holder of any information
that may be released, re-use for personal, educational or non-commercial
purposes is permitted without further reference to the City Council. Where
the re-use is for other purposes, such as commercial re-use, the applicant
should notify the City Council in writing to seek approval or agree terms
for re-use.
Birmingham City Council
18 January 2011
Dear Barbara
I am writing in respect of your recent enquiry for information held by the
Authority under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000:
Please can you provide me with some information about Colin Tucker, the
director of Birmingham's children's social care department? I would like
to see his previous work record and qualifications before he took this
post, plus any other information which might be relevant.
Please find herewith the following:
We are unable to provide the information you request as it is personal
information relating to living individual and, as such, is exempt from
disclosure under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act. All we can
say is that when Colin was appointed he satisfied the requirements for the
post through a comprehensive recruitment process.
If you are not satisfied with the response you may ask for an internal
review. If subsequently you are not satisfied with the Council***s
decision you may apply to the Information Commissioner for a decision.
Generally, the ICO cannot make a decision unless you have exhausted the
complaints procedure provided by the Council. The Information Commissioner
can be contacted at the following address:
The Information Commissioner
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Telephone: 01625 545745 Web Address: www.ico.gov.uk
Yours sincerely,
Steve Cullen
Data Protection and Freedom of Information Manager
Children, Young People and Families Directorate
Birmingham City Council
Tel: 0121 464 4591
Email: [email address]
Re-use of Public Sector Information
The information provided is subject to Birmingham City Council copyright,
however, it may be re-used for personal, educational or non-commercial
purposes without further reference to the City Council. If the re-use is
for other purposes, such as commercial re-use, you should notify the City
Council in writing to seek approval or agree terms for re-use. Where
Birmingham City Council does not hold the copyright, it has indicated the
copyright holder. Permission for re-use should be sought from them
directly.
Barbara Richards
18 January 2011
Dear Birmingham City Council,
I asked to see proof that the director of Birmingham's children's
social care department had appropriate qualifications and work
experience to qualify him in this crucially important public
servant post. I have not asked for any information about this man's
personal life, just information about his qualifications and work
record. I have a right to this information.
Yours faithfully,
Barbara Richards
Barbara Richards
18 January 2011
Dear Birmingham City Council,
Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of
Information reviews.
I am writing to request an internal review of Birmingham City
Council's handling of my FOI request 'Colin Tucker, the director of
Birmingham's children's social care'.
I asked to see proof that the director of Birmingham's children's
social care department had appropriate qualifications and work
experience to qualify him in this crucially important public
servant post. I have not asked for any information about this man's
personal life, just information about his qualifications and work
record. I have a right to this information.
A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is
available on the Internet at this address:
http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/co...
Yours faithfully,
Barbara Richards
24th January 2011
Dear Sir,
Request for Internal Appeal about Colin Tucker- Freedom of Information Act 2000
I am writing further to your response, dated 18th January 2011, to my email dated 18th January 2011, regarding my request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, and my request for an appeal of the decision to withhold the information.
I want to see Colin Tucker’s professional CV, which he would have submitted to the board responsible for employing him as Director of Children’s Social Care in Birmingham. I do not want to see anything of Colin Tucker’s personal life or interests, just the evidence of his suitability to be employed in a position which is of vital importance to every parent in the West Midlands.
I note that our current Prime Minister, David Cameron, has put not just his professional CV but a detailed account of his educational history and personal life, including his hobbies, for all to see, on his own website. I am not asking to see anything like that detail of information about Colin Tucker. I only want to be able to check to see if Colin Tucker’s CV contains the sort of experience and training that should be expected of someone who is employed by the public purse in such a responsible and important official capacity.
I believe every parent in the West Midlands has a right to see this information, and if it is denied to me I will have to take the matter further.
Yours faithfully,
Barbara Richards
Barbara Richards
13 April 2011
Dear Birmingham City Council,
On 14 January 2011 I asked for information about the credentials of
Colin Tucker, the director of Birmingham's children's social care
department.
I would like to know if Birmingham City Council was aware of Mr
Tucker's involvement with the Swiss charity Terre Des
Hommes-Lausanne (TdH), which translates into English as "Land of
Men". I would also like to know if Birmingham City Council were
aware of the legal case against Jill Campbell and that charity in
which Mrs Campbell was threatened with imprisonment for defamation
after whistleblowing on child abuse involving a British sex
offender who was working for TdH?
Yours faithfully,
Barbara Richards
Well well well, there is more interesting Colin Tucker information dribbling out, despite Birmingham City Council's reluctance to submit info.
I found this today, very interesting!
10 April 2010
Dear Birmingham City Council,
Can you please conform whether you were aware of the concerns
relating to Sandwell MBC Children's Services at the time you
appointed Mr Colin Tucker who, of course, previously worked in
Sandwell.
OFSTED's Review of Sandwell Children's Services was that
'Safeguarding' was 'Inadequate' and prospects for improvement were
also 'Inadequate.' See:
http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/oxcare_provider...(id)/5290/(as)/LAC/lac_2010_333.pdf
Given that Mr. Tucker 'presided' over the parlous state of
Sandwell's Children's Services do you consider that he should be
placed on Performance Management scrutiny in view of that and, if
not, how are you seeking to ensure that he does not cause the same
problems in Birmingham?
Yours faithfully,
Philip J Measures
Birmingham City Council
12 April 2010
Dear Mr Measures
I confirm receipt of your request:
Can you please conform whether you were aware of the concerns relating to
Sandwell MBC Children's Services at the time you appointed Mr Colin Tucker
who, of course, previously worked in Sandwell.
OFSTED's Review of Sandwell Children's Services was that 'Safeguarding'
was 'Inadequate' and prospects for improvement were also 'Inadequate.'
See:
http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/oxcare_provider...(id)/5290/(as)/LAC/lac_2010_333.pdf
Given that Mr. Tucker 'presided' over the parlous state of Sandwell's
Children's Services do you consider that he should be placed on
Performance Management scrutiny in view of that and, if not, how are you
seeking to ensure that he does not cause the same problems in Birmingham?
I am unable to provide a response to your request as it does not
constitute a legitimate request for information under Freedom of
Information legislation. Essentially you are asking for opinions to be
expressed, rather than for data to be disclosed, which is the purpose of
Freedom of Information legislation.
Yours sincerely,
Steve Cullen
Data Protection and Freedom of Information Manager
Children, Young People and Families Directorate
Birmingham City Council
Tel: 0121 464 4591
Philip J Measures
12 April 2010
Dear Birmingham City Council,
I do not regard the first part of my Request as being an opinion
issue - I am specifically asking if Birmingham was aware at the
time of Mr Tucker's Appointment of the concerns in Sandwell.
I accept that your response to the second part is appropriate.
Yours faithfully,
Philip J Measures
Birmingham City Council
22 April 2010
Dear Mr Measures
Mr Tucker was interviewed for his post in March 2009 and, at that time,
Sandwell MBC was judged adequate. A 2 day, unannounced Ofsted inspection
of Sandwell's front line Social Care Services was carried out in early
July 2009 during Mr Tucker's last two days with the authority. The report
is a matter of public record so Birmingham Council would have known the
outcome of this after Mr Tucker had been appointed but before he started
working for Birmingham City Council. The report identified no children at
risk of harm, no priority actions were identified and it concluded that
all child protection cases were allocated appropriately, managers were
provided with regular supervision, children and their parents views were
taken into account, and staff reported good levels of management support
and training opportunities. There were some specific areas for development
identified relating to the functioning of the Contact Centre, provision of
family support, need for greater case file auditing and workload
pressures. It was entirely a matter for Sandwell MBC as to whether or not
they addressed these issues before the November inspection.
It is a matter of fact that the Ofsted inspection which identified that
safeguarding (rather than Looked After Children Services, which were
deemed adequate) was inadequate, took place in November 2009. This was
months after Mr Tucker had left Sandwell MBC and almost a year after he
had chaired his last Local Safeguarding Children's Board in Sandwell MBC,
on behalf of all the agencies involved in safeguarding.
Yours sincerely,
Steve Cullen
Data Protection and Freedom of Information Manager
Children, Young People and Families Directorate
Birmingham City Council
Tel: 0121 464 4591
Philip J Measures
22 April 2010
Dear Birmingham City Council,
http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/oxcare_provider...(id)/5290/(as)/LAC/lac_2010_333.pdf
If you refer to Paras 10-14 in particular you will see that there
were serious concerns in relation to the Sandwell LSCB and practice
/ supervision standards especially over which Mr Tucker presided.
The deterioration did not happen 'overnight' and Sandwell was not
in a healthy state at the time that Birmingham appointed Mr Tucker.
Birmingham as such a large Local Authority should have made further
enquiries even when the Report you referred to graded aspects as
'Satisfactory' - Satisfactory is inadequate for a major Local
Authority such as Birmingham in hopefully making rigorous efforts
to appoint someone with a track record of being able to
substantially and consistently drive up standards.
The bottom line is that the Safeguarding Board was clearly
inadequate.
Did Birmingham apply 'due diligence' in the appointment process and
do everything to ensure that Mr Tucker was a 'safe' appointee and
the best person for the job?
I appreciate that you may not feel that any further response is
indicated but I leave it up to the Authority to seriously consider
the historically severe concerns over Sandwell for which I do
believe that Mr Tucker has to at least share very significant
responsibility.
Thank you for your responses to date,
Yours faithfully,
Philip J Measures
Birmingham City Council
29 April 2010
Dear Mr Measures
Mr Tucker was not just assessed on the performance of Sandwell MBC during
his time there but also his record in East Sussex County Council and Kent
County Council where he had spent 25 years of his career in children's
services, 10 of which were in a senior management position. Both those
authorities were high performing.
Yours sincerely,
Steve Cullen
Data Protection and Freedom of Information Manager
Children, Young People and Families Directorate
Birmingham City Council
Tel: 0121 464 4591
Jane Webb left an annotation (14 January 2011)
I raised concerns in 2005 about mr tucker and his team at sandwell council not following the victoria climbie recommendations
Philip J Measures left an annotation (15 January 2011)
Colin Tucker has now been suspended by Birmingham.
Keith Martin left an annotation (15 January 2011)
I had first hand experience with Colin Tucker when he was commandant of Sandwell.
I had fostered a boy for 6 years that Sandwell put in a childrn's home. I had approval to take him out of the home for a couple of days. He was suicidal and refused to return to the home.
I informed social services I was going to take him to see a solicitor. The response was that the Police were told he had been kidnapped. They handcuffed the 16 year old boy and took him away. I was arrested but when the Police found out the full story I was released without any charge.
There were a lot of other issues at the time that we couldn't prove.
The boys older brother who was over 18 by that time was still living with us.
WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IS THIS - WHERE IS COLIN TUCKER WORKING NOW?
I CONSIDER THAT MAN TO BE A DANGER TO CHILDREN.
Birmingham City Council are taking rather a long time to answer myu last letter - I wonder why?
DISSEMINATING COUNCIL USING LAWYERS to answer simple questions from the PUBLIC.
Philip J Measures
22 March 2011
Dear Birmingham City Council,
a) Can you please confirm the date that Mr Colin Tucker was
suspended from work and whether he still remains subject to such
Suspension?
b) Is he subject to any Disciplinary Proceedings and, if so, what
do they relate to?
c) If he is no longer employed by Birmingham City Council i) did he
receive any negotiated financial settlement and, if so, how much?
and
ii)was a positive Reference supplied for him?
Yours faithfully,
Philip J Measures
Birmingham City Council
23 March 2011
Dear Mr Measures
Thank you for your request for information held by the Council under the
provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 which was received on
23-03-2011.
We will contact you again once it has been ascertained what data is held
by Birmingham City Council. In some circumstances a fee may be payable
and if that is the case, we will let you know. A fees notice will be
issued to you, and you will be required to pay before we will proceed to
deal with your request.
If you require any further information or are not happy with our response
please do not hesitate to contact me quoting the reference number above in
any future communications.
Yours sincerely
Steve Cullen
Data Protection and Freedom of Information Manager
Children, Young People and Families Directorate
Birmingham City Council
Tel: 0121 464 4591
Email: [email address]
Data Protection Act 1998
The information you have provided within your Freedom of Information
request will be held on our database and may also be held within manual
records for a period of 2 years from the date Birmingham City Council
received your request. Any personal data that you provide to Birmingham
City Council will be held in line with the requirements set out within the
Data Protection Act 1998.
Re Use of Public Sector Information
Where Birmingham City Council is the copyright holder of any information
that may be released, re-use for personal, educational or non-commercial
purposes is permitted without further reference to the City Council. Where
the re-use is for other purposes, such as commercial re-use, the applicant
should notify the City Council in writing to seek approval or agree terms
for re-use.
Birmingham City Council
13 April 2011
Dear Mr Measures
As we are still awaiting communication from Mr Tucker as to whether his
personal data may be disclosed, there may be a delay in responding to this
request. As soon as we receive an answer we will provide our response.
Yours sincerely,
Steve Cullen
Data Protection and Freedom of Information Manager
Children, Young People and Families Directorate
Birmingham City Council
Tel: 0121 464 4591
Email: [email address]
Birmingham City Council
20 April 2011
Dear Mr Philip J Measures
Freedom of Information Act 2000 *** Request for Information
I am writing in respect of your recent enquiry for information held by the
Authority under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
Please find herewith the following:
Request
a) Can you please confirm the date that Mr Colin Tucker was suspended from
work and whether he still remains subject to such Suspension?
b) Is he subject to any Disciplinary Proceedings and, if so, what do they
relate to?
c) If he is no longer employed by Birmingham City Council i) did he
receive any negotiated financial settlement and, if so, how much? and
ii)was a positive Reference supplied for him?
Response
With regard to your request, Colin Tucker is not suspended from Birmingham
City Council and no longer works for the Authority, the contract was ended
by mutual agreement. No further details can or will be released due to
legal requirements.
If you are not satisfied with the response you may ask for an internal
review, please contact the corporate team at the address below:
Corporate Information Governance Team
3rd Floor, 1 Lancaster Circus
Birmingham
B4 7AB
or
[1][email address]
If subsequently you are not satisfied with the Council***s decision you
may apply to the Information Commissioner for a decision. Generally, the
ICO cannot make a decision unless you have exhausted the complaints
procedure provided by the Council. The Information Commissioner can be
contacted at the following address:
The Information Commissioner
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Telephone: 01625 545745
Web Address: [2]www.ico.gov.uk
Yours sincerely
Corporate Information Governance Team
Re use of Public Sector Information
The information provided is subject to Birmingham City Council copyright,
however, it may be re-used for personal, educational or non-commercial
purposes without further reference to the City Council. If the re-use is
for other purposes, such as commercial re-use, you should notify the City
Council in writing to seek approval or agree terms for re-use. Where
Birmingham City Council does not hold the copyright, it has indicated the
copyright holder. Permission for re-use should be sought from them
directly.
Philip J Measures
20 April 2011
Dear Birmingham City Council,
Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of
Information reviews.
I am writing to request an internal review of Birmingham City
Council's handling of my FOI request 'Colin Tucker Children's
Services Director'.
It was widely reported that Mr Tucker had been suspended from work
and as a senior public official it seems entirely reasonable to
request the dates of any such Suspension and whether he was ever
subject to any Disciplinary Proceedings - also the terms on which
he left the Authority.
I believe that issues of public confidence are involved.
Please ensure that your response is posted onto this website.
A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is
available on the Internet at this address:
http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/co...
Yours faithfully,
Philip J Measures
Dear Mr Measures
Please see the attached for your request for an internal review.
(See attached file: Appeal Acknowledgement.doc)
Yours sincerely
Corporate Information Governance Team
Barbara Richards left an annotation (23 April 2011)
I would like to know if Colin Tucker has been transferred to another department, and if it is a department where he has access to children. I would also like to know how many complaints Birmingham City Council has received about Colin Tucker.
Our Ref: FOI 5282
20th May 2011
Email response to Mr Philip J Measures
Dear Mr Measures
FOI APPEAL
I write further to your email dated 20th April 2011 seeking a review of the decision of the City Council to refuse your request.
Request
a) Can you please confirm the date that Mr Colin Tucker was suspended from work and whether he still remains subject to such Suspension?
b) Is he subject to any Disciplinary Proceedings and, if so, what do they relate to?
c) If he is no longer employed by Birmingham City Council i) did he receive any negotiated financial settlement and, if so, how much? and ii)was a positive Reference supplied for him?
The Appeal panel met on Tuesday 10th May 2011 to consider your request. In deliberating its decision the panel gave consideration to:
• The original request
• Response provided
• Request for an internal review from the requestor
• Additional appeal submission from applicant
The panel concluded that in dealing with your request, Birmingham City Council was obliged to consider the information in existence as of the date of the request, not the date responded or the date of appeal.
The panel also felt that the response provided was deficient as it did not provide adequate information to the requestor as to why information could not be disclosed, such as a failure to set out the exemptions which allowed Birmingham City Council to withhold information, such as s.40 Personal Data, nor did the panel believe that the questions were fully answered.
In relation to the first request:
Can you please confirm the date that Mr Colin Tucker was suspended from work and whether he still remains subject to such Suspension?
The Appeal panel considers that this information was in the public domain due to the number of press articles relating to the suspension. The date of the suspension was widely reported, (12 January 2011). At the date of the request, Mr Tucker was suspended. This information was easily accessible by alternative means, namely the media, and as such, was exempt from disclosure under s.21, information easily accessible by alternative means.
However, as of the date of the request, Mr Tucker was still employed by the Council, albeit suspended.
In relation to b), the existence or not of any ongoing disciplinary processes is personal data, which under s.40 of the Freedom of Information Act is exempt from disclosure. Whilst Birmingham City Council accepts that there is a public interest in disclosure of this information, it considers that the disclosure of this information would potentially contravene the non disclosure provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998.
In relation to c), as of the date of your request, Mr Tucker was still an employee of the Council. However, subsequently, a settlement agreement has been reached between Mr Tucker and the Council, which contains a confidentiality provision which states that Birmingham City Council will "keep the existence and the terms of this agreement and the circumstances concerning the termination of the Employee's employment confidential."
Whilst the existence of the agreement is in the public domain, the terms of the agreement are still confidential, and accordingly, Birmingham City Council considers that the information is exempt under s.41 of the Freedom of Information Act, namely, that disclosure of the information would give rise to an actionable breach of confidence.
The panel:
a) upheld the original decision not to disclose the information in respect of request a), but for different reasons than set out in the original decision;
b) upheld the original decision not to disclose the information in respect of request b), but considers that the original response was deficient;
c) in respect of request c), as Mr Tucker had not left the Council as of the date of the request, Birmingham City Council did not hold the information requested, as it did not have any settlement agreement agreed.
We trust this is satisfactory. If however, you are not satisfied with the City Council’s decision, you may apply to the Information Commission for an independent review at the following address:-
The Information Commissioner
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Tele No: 01625 545700
www.ico.gov.uk
Yours sincerely
Malkiat Thiarai
Corporate Governance and Information Manager
‘Father’ who shattered dreams of orphans46
Child sex ring won trust of children with friendly words and sweets
Audrey Gillan
Friday August 8, 2003
The Guardian
It was supposed to be a village for orphans of the Ethiopian famine, a shelter for children who had lost their parents
to the ravages of drought, crop failure and starvation. Here, they could eat plentifully and become part of one bigger
“family” of orphans and their carers.
Instead, this safe haven was targeted by a group of paedophiles led by a Briton, David Christie, a former aid worker
who was yesterday sentenced to nine years hard labour in jail in Addis Ababa for sexually abusing 15 boys in his
care. He was also found guilty of procuring five boys for two of his paedophile friends.
Christie came to work for the Swiss-based charity Terre des Hommes, Lausanne, (TdH) in July 1994, moving to
Ethiopia to become its children’s representative. He operated from two bases, one in the capital Addis Ababa and
the other at Jari, an eight hour drive away in the parched region of South Wollo.
What neither Terre des Hommes, nor the children, knew was that Christie had been convicted of a sexual offence in
Britain in 1965 when he was training to be a teacher. A court found that he had “groomed” a young boy and taken
him to a country lane where he put pressure on him to perform a sex act.
Another black mark would have been found had they known that Christie had worked for an organisation called
Acord (Agency for Cooperation and Research in Development) on a project in Uganda for children and families with
AIDS. His contract was terminated at the end of four years over his “management style”. He also worked on
projects in Togo and in Tanzania and spent time running a development project breeding tropical fish in Negombo,
Sri Lanka. While there, he was friends with a Canadian, Denys Benjamin.
In 1995, Benjamin was arrested in Sri Lanka for gross acts of indecency. Two weeks later, he was given work by
Christie as an English teacher at the children’s village in Jari. Benjamin was in Jari for only a few weeks when it was
discovered that he had spent the night with one of the orphans. The incident was reported to Christie who sacked
him and told him to leave the village immediately. The matter was not reported to the police, even though the boy
was only 12 and had been found almost naked.
Christie had hired Benjamin on the advice of his friend Mark Lachance, another Canadian and founder of Circus
Ethiopia, a group of acrobats, jugglers and other performers recruited from street children. In October 1998, 15
members of the circus sought asylum in Australia on the grounds that they had been sexually abused. They named
Lachance as their abuser. Ethiopian police were investigating when he killed himself.
In 1997, TdH dismissed Christie after he too was found to have taken one of the village boys to his bedroom. Other
men were also allegedly involved.
Despite Christie confessing to sexual abuse to TdH, and admitting “to having a single improper sexual relationship
with a project beneficiary”, the charity did not tell the Ethiopian authorities, and Christie was allowed to leave the
country. Instead it said Christie had left for “budgetary reasons”. Again it probably realised the terrible irony of the
situation it found itself in. But it now admits it made a grave mistake, and this year when fresh allegations of abuse
surfaced it did tell the authorities. A man is now the subject of an investigation
Alemseged Gebre-Yohannes, deputy commissioner of the Ethiopian police, said his central investigation department
is looking into all the allegations. “I think this is a very organised kind of crime. We don’t know how many boys have
been abused,” he said. “We do wish Tdh had not allowed Christie to go, and he was made to face charges here.
He could have been a very useful deterrent for this kind of act. He could have got five to 10 years’ imprisonment.
The next person we catch will be prosecuted.”
TdH did, however, alert Scotland Yard to the possibility that he might be back in the UK. Christie did, indeed, come
back to Britain, and settled at an address in north London, changing his name by deed poll to David Allen and taking
a job as a taxi driver. Neighbours told the Guardian that he was often abroad, and that he was planning to leave the
country permanently.
Christie’s offences pre-dated the 1997 Sex Offenders Act, which allows British courts to try UK nationals for similar
crimes committed abroad. Frustrated by an inability to prosecute, Scotland Yard closely monitored his movements.
Colin Tucker, a British spokesman for TdH who was stung by criticism of his organisation, which famously works to
fight the problem of paedophilia across the world, began working to ensure that Christie could not exploit children
abroad. Information came to light that Christie was planning to travel to Zambia to begin working with a project. In
conjunction with the police, Mr Tucker informed the Zambian authorities, who could do nothing but deport Christie.
Presented with a ticket to the UK, Christie could not have imagined that on his stopover for refuelling at Addis Ababa
he would be removed from the aircraft and arrested for the sex crimes he thought he had walked away from.
A clinical psychologist, Tizita Gebreu, was employed by TdH to investigate the children’s allegations and help them
work through them. One of the children, Berihun Kebede, said: “We feel very sorry because we are the victims and
we are unhappy. If David didn’t admit it himself, no one would have told on him. They told us they liked us and loved
us, and we didn’t know it was wrong - Christie was like our father. Everybody liked him and trusted him and loved
him. We don’t have a mother or a father and we are poor, and they took advantage of us. We feel betrayed. We
were very proud to be Tdh children and now we are ashamed. We don’t want anyone to think we have been
sexually abused.”
From her work with children and staff she has concluded that paedophiles targeted the organisation and that they
had a very tight, closed system. “They were almost working a dictatorship here.” It was clear, she added, that the
children were longing for love and that Christie and others took advantage of their needs.
Shaking her head, she said: “I suspect I will find a lot more victims. It could be more than we think. We will just
have to give it time.”
After yesterday’s sentence, Det Supt Peter Spindler, of Scotland Yard’s child protection group, warned: “This
sentence sends a strong message to any British paedophile who choose to go and offend in countries where they
think they are out of our grasp. They are not.”
The ‘saviour’ of street children wanted on sex abuse charges47
Daily Telegraph
21 August 2004
A charity that provides shelters for street children in Tanzania and which is backed by British fund-raisers is being run
by a Briton wanted in India on charges of sexual abuse against young boys. Duncan Grant, 61, a former Royal Navy
reservist from a distinguished military family, is the subject of an international arrest warrant issued by the Indian
authorities two years ago.
They want to put him on trial over allegations that he beat and sexually abused street children at similar shelters he
ran in Bombay.
As the Indian authorities searched unsuccessfully for him, he was living in the Tanzanian capital, Dar es Salaam, and
had set up three shelters identical to his operation in India.As Grant was traced to Tanzania this week, it emerged that the British Jesuits, who had sent volunteers from some
of their schools, had suspended dealings with him.
That followed concern expressed by some volunteers about the way some street children were being treated -
concerns which they passed to the British police and the Charity Commission.
Denying the allegations yesterday, Grant said they had been invented by the Bombay police, a lawyer and a rival
volunteer. “They cooked up some story that we were part of a paedophile ring and using the shelter for all sorts of
child abuse,” he said. “It was all nonsense.”
He said that at first he was determined to go back and clear his name “but my solicitor advised me not to because
she thought I would be arrested and locked away for years without a proper trial”. He said the boys had since
withdrawn the allegations.
The Bombay shelters received money through British schools and churches where Grant gave illustrated talks, and
from the British charity Rescue-a-Child.
The shelters were never formally registered with the Bombay state authorities but by 1999 they had a full
complement of some 50 to 60 boys aged from eight to 18. An official Indian report found the homes to be
“ramshackle and filthy and the children were being beaten indiscriminately”.
In 2001 when some of the children alleged that Grant and another Briton, his friend Allan Waters, had beaten and
sexually abused them, Bombay police began an investigation. By then both men had left India and an international
arrest warrant was issued in April 2002.
Waters, who is said to know Grant through the Royal Naval Reserve and who was a regular visitor to the Bombay
shelters, was arrested in New York last year when he triggered an Interpol alert at JFK airport on his way to
Bermuda.
Indian police are expected to travel to America next week to take custody of him after a New York judge confirmed
his extradition this week.
The British Jesuits said they immediately withdrew their gap year students when they learned of allegations about
mistreatment of children. They said they had later been told that an Indian high court judge had exonerated Grant.
When Grant established his Anchorage Shelters in Tanzania, they allowed gap year volunteers to go only after
carrying out a detailed inspection.
Ged Clapson, the Jesuits’ spokesman, said: “However, the students assigned to the Anchorage shelter project by
the gap year programmes in January this year expressed their concerns to their supervisor in London about the way
that some of the children were being treated.
“The matter was referred to the British Jesuit Provincial, who reviewed the reports from the students and . . .
decided immediately to withdraw gap year students from the shelters.
“Once they were safely back in Britain, the Provincial referred his concerns to the police. The Jesuits have also been
co-operating fully with a Charity Commission investigation into this and related matters.”
A student not part of the Jesuit programme defended Grant. Tom Baker, from Shropshire, who returned home on
Thursday after six months as a volunteer in Tanzania, said: “He is doing an amazing job.
“Without the shelters a lot of those boys would be dead. I am flabbergasted at the allegations. It is the first I have
heard of them. If anything like that had been going on, I would certainly have drawn attention to it. I can vouch for his
good character.”
Vicky Robertson, the chairman of Safe Havens-Tanzania, said she had not been involved with Grant in Bombay but
started raising money when he went to Dar es Salaam.
“Duncan Grant was represented to me with impeccable references,” she said. “When I started fund-raising for his
work in Tanzania I did not know about the allegations in India. I was told and, because of the references and
confidence I had in Duncan’s work, we decided these 240 children should not be deserted.”
Mrs Robertson, a retired lawyer from Norfolk, is about to visit the Dar es Salaam homes. She said: “I have every
confidence that there are absolutely no grounds for these abuse allegations. Street boys can be bought for five
pence halfpenny and you are talking about evidence in a third world country where corruption is rife. Do you think I
would support a charity where there is any suggestion of abuse? I have children myself.”
Aruna Buxton, a trustee of Rescue-a-Child, which gave grants to the Indian shelters, said no money had been sent
to Tanzania.
She said: “I was aware of the accusations that had been made against him but when we made inquiries there did
not appear to be any substance to them.”
Tanzanian police officers were sent to question Grant last night.
[align=left]
"Child rights lawyers are demanding an immediate inquiry by the British Sea Cadets after one of its most senior officers was convicted of sexually abusing street children in Bombay.
Lt Cdr Allan Waters, 57, who has worked with the Sea Cadet Corps in Britain for more than 30 years, was jailed for six years and ordered to pay £20,000 compensation for having "unnatural sex" with street children ...
A fellow former naval officer, Duncan Grant, 61, was also jailed for six years at the Bombay sessions court.
Grant, a Royal Naval Reserve officer from a distinguished military family, had set up the Anchorage shelters in Bombay, where the abuse took place ...
The court heard that the street boys, aged from eight to 18, were used as objects of "sexual lust" by Grant, Waters and several other foreigners who frequently took boys with them "on holiday" to coastal resorts in Goa.
Boys were also subjected to a brutal regime of corporal punishment in which they were stripped naked and regularly caned by Jesuit-educated Grant and the local manager of his shelter.
Both Grant and Waters were convicted of "unnatural sex acts" and conspiring to "obtain minors for immoral purposes"...
Grant, the grandson of Maj-Gen Sir Philip Grant, who rallied the defence against the German offensive of March 1918 in the First World War, used a wealth of establishment contacts to raise funds for his Anchorage shelters.
His supporters, including the actress Felicity Kendal, two Tory MPs, high-ranking naval officers and the British Jesuits, were convinced that Grant had given up a comfortable life in the West to devote himself to India's impoverished street children ...
The conviction of Waters raises serious questions about his conduct in Britain, where, The Daily Telegraph has learned, he was formerly accused by a fellow officer of sexually abusing a sea cadet ...
Information received by The Daily Telegraph said that Waters was caught in a compromising act with a young cadet while he was commanding the Clapton unit of the Sea Cadets in London in the early 1980s. Waters, the sources alleged, dismissed the allegations as "an initiation ceremony" and after a brief suspension was reassigned to another unit, where he continued to rise up the ranks of the organisation.
Waters, who also worked as an education social worker with the Inner London Education Authority in the 1980s, was appointed superintendent of the Sea Cadet training centre in Portsmouth in 1996 ..."[/b]
(Source: Daily Telegraph, 20 March 2006)
"His supporters, including the actress Felicity Kendal, two Tory MPs, high-ranking naval officers and the British Jesuits were convinced that Grant had given up a comfortable life in the West to devote himself to India's impoverished street children ...
"
See how people can be tricked.
"the children were longing for love and that Christie and others took advantage of their needs."
Those men who did those foul things to these children don't even know the meaning of the word love. Those children, they probably feel so guilty, because the victims of this sort of abuse too often end up blaming themselves for years.
People have got to stop comncealing all this stuff, and start doing something about it instead.
Where is Colin Tucker, see above
Prospects Care Wrexham
Colin Tucker, Fostering Manager
Where is Colin Tucker
Prospects Care Wrexham
Fostering Manager
OH MY GOODNESS!
COLIN TUCKER APPEARS TO BE IN CHARGE OF FOSTERING IN SEVERAL COUNTIES IN THE UK
Thank you very very much for this info Anonymous.
Someone is going to be for the high jump over this, it is a bloody outrage.
http://www.prospectscare.co.uk/index.php?id=64
Colin Tucker has a fostering agency in Wrexham called 1st affinity
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