Personally identifiable information and links to judicial documentation will not be shared in this article due to legal reasons. Comments will be moderated.
Hampstead Satanic Cult Story Clouds Isolated Case of Abuse
Children retracted their allegations of satanic ring but accused mother’s partner of physical violence – records reveal history of abuse.
Documents and video relating to a judicial review request of the Hampstead satanic child abuse allegations have been leaked online. They reveal that the the police who carried out the initial investigation in September, 2014, and independent experts reviewing their handling of the case, both agree that the children have embellished their allegations. This was either through direct coaching of what to say, or the tendency to want to give the mother’s alleged abusive partner the answers he wanted to hear.
While the independent expert called by the mother believes the case needs further probing, they agree that elements of the story are impossible.
Police believe that the widely circulated videos that many careless bloggers and social media users took at face value as evidence of a widespread satanic cult, may fall within the context of the abuse itself rather than being a truthful account of what happened.
Medical evidence supports allegations of neglect, and physical and sexual abuse, but there is nothing to substantiate infanticide, secret rooms in buildings, and some of the other implausible claims. The expert (a former Met police officer), says it would be helpful to exhaustively catalogue and investigate all of these claims as only some of them were focussed on.
Man In Videos Implicated
The man heard off camera in the disturbing clips posted on Youtube, who was the mother’s partner at the time, was ultimately implicated by the children in numerous instances of physical abuse. Records show he has previous convictions against his own children.
The case was first investigated in September after the mother and partner informed the police that they believed the children had been sexually abused by their estranged father. During initial interviews the children named 60 adults and numerous other victims as part of a satanic ritual abuse network operating in the local school, church and wider community, which their father was allegedly a high ranking member. After the children had been taken in to care and interviewed further they retracted their allegations and instead accused the mother’s partner of physical abuse.
The police closed the case, conceding that isolated incidents of both physical and sexual abuse are likely to have happened, but that due to changing stories and a lack of evidence in either direction it’s unlikely that the accused could be prosecuted. Despite the nature of the videos police could also not find a suitable crime as grounds for arrest for their creation, though some of those since found sharing them are being sought.
It was determined that in light of the physical evidence and nature of the allegations that the children were much safer in foster care, where they remain.
A review of past records show a history of neglect and physical violence in the home, prior to the mother and father separating. Social workers also made contact in July, 2014, after a third party reported aggressiveness from the new partner towards the children. He had a history of violence against his own children.
It was shortly after this that the initial satanic abuse allegations were made.
Opportunities Missed
The independent expert believes more needs to be done to ascertain and document how the children came to verbalize such heinous acts, whether through coaching, indirect suggestion, or actual abuse.
There is an allegation that some sexual knowledge was gleaned from a third child who has not been contacted. At this stage however nobody else has come forward to corroborate allegations of a wider ring in the local community.
Judicial proceedings may continue, but no charges have been filed.
Hysteria
In light of this information it shouldn’t have to be repeated that the public need to take a rational and cautious approach to the story, and certainly should not be sharing videos, names and other personal details. Nobody has been charged and the investigation may well continue.
It is clearly a complex case that ordinarily would not have been hashed out online by armchair experts, some whose blind belief in satanic ritual abuse is clouding what may have actually happened.
RELATED:
– Hampstead Cult Believers: 6 Questions YOU Must Answer
– Judge: Hampstead Children Were Abused By Mother And Partner, NOT Satanic Cult
– Hampstead Abuse Allegations And Online Vigilantism: The Post Savile World
