• between Plaintiff "Mrs. T", Defendant "NT", Defendant's son "S" & The Family
• investigating another notion of love
• mother claims inalienable right to love God
• caught in the spider's web
• public interest is best served by Open Court

THE PARTIES

• the Plaintiff + background
• the Defendant + background
• the Defendant's brother CT + background
  
  Events from 1986-92
  • NT joins the Family in 1986
  • CT meets The Family in India - 1988
  • Plaintiff discovers Heaven's Magic = COG
  • meeting with anti-cult organization 1992
  • CT travels to Thailand with Family, in fear of deprogramming
  • birth of NT's son "S"
  • start of wardship proceedings
• The Children of God
  • founder and leader David Berg
  • pre-COG Berg, early COG -1953-70
  • special freedoms at TSC
  • COG's rapid growth - 1968-73
  • Berg & Maria use sex as witness - 1973
  • COG structure and RNR - 1978
  • Fellowship Revolution 1981
  • death of Berg and new structure
  • Creations Department
  • current demographics (1994)
  • categories of membership
• The Anti-cult Movement
• The Joinder of Issue
  • scope of enquiry expanded
  • keen involvement of WS, Berg & Maria
  • judgement uncontaminated by Family's past - 1000s of pages of evidence
  • The approach of the task
• The Basic Law
  • The 7 Disputed Issues

An Assessment of the Family

• Control
• the Mo Letters
  • shocking, blasphemous & obscene
  • sexual aspect of the Holy Spirit
  • Christ sufferring veneral disease
  • function of court
• Group Loyalty and Obedience
  • Mo - the endtime prophet
  • the mother loves and venerates Berg
  • as Peter Amsterdam explained
• Obedience, Criticism amd "Murmuring"
  • sins deserving of excommunication
  • a "suggestion" is an "order in love"
  • "Grumblers Get Out"
• the Role of the Mo Letters
  • shock treatment
  • matter of personal faith & conscience
  • 1978 - the RNR letter
  • 1979 - You Are What You Read
  • 1979 - Book Burning
  • 1989 - D.O. is for DOers
  • 1989 - Heavenly Security
  • 1992 - Summit 92
    • the message to teens: obey
• the Family's view of the Outside World
• the Family's Perception of Persecution
• the Family's Attitude to Lies and Deception
  • the "deceivers yet true" doctrine
  • advice on how to handle accusations
  • lack of frankness and truth
  • "selah" practice and flee-bags
  • not trusting their own lawyers & experts
  • ingrained habit of lying
  • economical with the truth
• Sexually Inappropriate Behaviour
  • general attitudes to sexual matters
    • Berg's menage a trois
    • Berg's early sex life
    • sexual freedoms for children
    • paving the way for flirty fishing
  • the "Law of Love"
    • a singularly disgusting picture
    • a millenium of sexual freedom
    • Berg's definition of love vs lust
    • true free love
    • deceptive answer to Interviu
    • Berg on incest & child sex
  • Evidence on Sexual Attitudes Generally
    • NT pleads for cornerstone of Family's creed
    • law of love - a pernicious doctrine
  • Flirty Fishing (FFing)
    • early beginnings in London
    • Flirty Little Fish
    • King Arthur's Knights - explicit instructions
    • literature freely available to children
    • Jesus babies
    • widespread practice & pressure
    • ESing
    • Berg deceiving gullible girls
    • making it pay
    • onset of AIDS and DFing
    • the evidence on FFing
      • the power Berg wields on followers
      • harmful to children
      • no risk that it will be resumed
  • (Sexual) Sharing
    • the Family acknowledges practice
    • 1981: Fellowship Revolution - VD causes ban on inter-home sex
    • "sacrificial sex" vs "promiscuity"
    • n the presence of children
      • avidito
        • ine and sex for a 3 yr old
        • tterly deplorable exposure
      • eaven's Girl comic
    • ral Evidence Relating to Sharing
      • K
      • 's biological father
      • T pregnant again
      • o flagrant public activity in UK
      • T has been discreet
      • ommonplace for children to see their own parents with other partners
  • nappropriate Videos and Dancing
    • emale members perform for
    • child sex on video evidence
    • indignant about exposure, Family more forthcoming
    • Family curbs this liberality
    • Berg without moral judgement or scruple
    • videos for the entire Family
    • Berg utters caution
    • Berg gave detailed instructions
    • insight into Berg's personality
    • Berg feared anti-child porn laws
    • The oral evidence of the dancing
      • overwhelming evidence - adults and children involved
      • 3 matters of continuing concern
        • members universally capable of deception
        • outright denial and lies
        • little acknowledgement by Family of corrupting effect
  • Sexual Activity Between Children
    • Family denies encouraging sexual activity for children
    • the Literature
      • 1973: "Revolutionary Sex"
      • 1977: "Child Brides"
      • 1977: "My Childhood Sex"
      • The Davidito Book
        • Davidito at 17 mths old
        • Davidito at 2 yrs old
        • Davidito at 3 yrs old
        • the index
        • designed to give current force to recommended practice for all Family's children
      • Letters from Members
      • "Teen Sex"
        • clear instruction to school children in the law of love
        • "...as long as the system doesn't know..."
        • Berg decries worldwide movement for protection of children as from the devil
      • "Questions You Always Wanted to Ask"
        • Berg condones child sex
      • "Make It Work"
        • 2 boys to a girl
      • Family tried to supress document stating: "we were promoting promiscuity"
      • EM condemned by own words
      • Berg contradicts himself to avoid blame
        • Judge: pure humbug
      • "Teen Marriage Rules"
    • Oral Evidence on Sexual Activity Between Minors
      • MB's experiences
      • AB, JG - son of Apollos
      • KJ, daughter of CJ, aka Simon Peter
      • SC and FC
      • the P family
      • striking confirmation by MA
      • DR
      • Conclusion
  • dult-Child Sex
    • defendant claims "My Little Fish" written before establishment of "the Family"
    • Family admits to instances before 1986
    • Family denies it was policy
    • the Literature:
      • 1973: "Revolutionary Sex"
      • 1976: "Little Girl Dream"
      • 1977: "My Childhood Sex"
      • 1978: Berg's daughter Faithy admits openly to incestual practices
      • 1977: "Uncircumcision"
      • The Davidito Book
        • Berg claims credit, responsibility & gives approval for book
        • Davidito at 20 mths
        • Davidito at 2 yrs
        • oral sex on Davidito approved by Berg
        • some words of caution
        • Family re-publishes sanitized version
        • Davidito at 3 yrs
        • leadership expected book to be acted upon by Family
      • 1980: "The Devil Hates Sex"
        • Berg certainly advocated sex with children
      • letters from Shuly, a 16 yr old
        • Berg's failure to respond appropriately
      • letters from other children
      • Adult refers to sharing with child on video
      • 1983, allegations on TV of incest and sexual child abuse - disingenous denial of knowlege by leadership
      • Heaven's Girl
        • Berg has sex with his daughter Techi
        • crude and explicit reading, standard for Family children
    • oral evidence of adult-child sexual abuse
      • Family condemned by their own experts
      • MB
      • AB
      • the G brothers
      • EG
      • RF and RD
      • The P's
      • DK
      • KJ
        • rape, molestation and abuse throughout childhood
      • MS, daughter of Jeremy S, MWM
    • the Family's response to this abuse
    • dishonest to lay blame on Sara
    • no sight of original memorandum - discrepancy in dates: manufactured evidence or awareness of adult-child sex since 1982?
      • different version of same document in 1992
    • more retroactive claims on Family forbidding adult-child sex
    • shifting the responsibility of abuse to the minors
      
    • teens admit to having sex with step-fathers
    • "Liberty or Stumbling Block"
    • Family withholds incriminating documents
    • few teens in Family offered guidance
    • despite purge, current literature still advocates adult-child sex
    • Berg did not renounce statements about adult-child sex
    • court rejects "published by oversight" claim
    • 1989: "Child Abuse: A Final Warning"
      • no apology or help to teenagers,
      • Maria: "simply not wise", not categorically wrong
      • tacit admissions by Maria that Family's sexual ethos corrupted children
      • grudging acknowledgement and flawed belief
        
    • 1990: "Don't be Ignorant of the Devil's Devices"
      • more acknowledgements about abuse
      • WS knew full well abuse existed
      • Maria asking teens to suppress past is unacceptable
      • the first half-hearted apology and tacit admission
        • woefully lacking acknowledgement of responsibility or wrong-doing
    • 1991: "Qs & As on Sex, Freedoms & Relationships"
      • no acknowledgement of harm done
    • 1992: "Beliefs & Teaching re. Sex"
      • Berg did more than just broach the subject
    • apology statement by WS
    • any progress undone by 3 subsequent Mo letters with strident affirmations of policy
      • Bergs chilling words reminiscent of leaders instructions to suicide
    • "Summit '93"
      • nothing put in writing to avoid incrimination
      • extremely worrying attitude of letter
    • Conclusions
      • there was widespread sexual abuse
      • Berg caused foreseeable harm
      • Berg made children sexual objects
      • child's consent is never free will
      • unacceptable for Family to cast blame on the immature and weak
      • a deplorable period of their history
  • Incest
    • the Literature
      • 1980 "The Devil Hates Sex"
        • Berg: "nothing at all wrong... no age or relationship restrictions"
        • Maria: "At least not let them find out..."
      • 1982: "Sex with Grandma"
        • Berg wishes he had had sex with his mother
      • "Heaven's Children" - Berg has sex with granddaughter
        • reprehensible to give to children to read
    • The oral evidence
      • important testimony of MB - a credible witness
        • slight corroboration in "The Last State"
        • other strange evidence
      • conclusion: sexual abuse took place in Berg's household
  • Leaders' involvement in sexual abuse
    • David Berg obsessed with sex
      • KJ: it's just more covered up and secretive now
    • Maria
    • Sara Davidito
    • Peter Amsterdam
    • Gary
    • CJ - (Simon Peter)
    • Michael G. - Apollos
    • Jeremy S.
    • Paul P. - Josiah
    • EM
    • Overwhelming Evidence Against Leadership
    • No Evidence against those at NT's Home

MEDICAL NEGLECT

• illness - a punishment for sins
  • Berg took the opportunity to manipulate Shuly
    • emotional abuse to an intolerable degree
  • retarded, deformed chronically sick & handicapped not welcome
    • a mitigating story
  • FFing and sexually transmitted diseases
  • denial of medical treatment for teens
    • shepherds conforming to leaders' examples
  • Mo letters causing irreparable damage
  • MB's appaling treatment
    • "seemingly too good"
    • 1987: "The Last State" - MB's excorcism
      • physical violence
      • Berg indicates his son Aaron's death was suicide
      • yanking her head off
      • "I represent God to you..."
      • "tie her to the bed"
      • 24-hour guard
    • "Traumatic Testimony" letter
    • Dr. Cameron's evidence
    • MB's evidence
    • The Family's description of MB in Macao
    • affidavit from KG
    • MB is about Family's present, not their past
    • Family must acknowledge inexcusable wrong-doing on Berg's part
  • courts duty to concentrate on S's well-being
    • clean bill of health for mother and home

IMPAIRMENT OF EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

• Berg's early aspirations
  • control imposed - "You Are What You Read"
    • "Book Burning"
• 1986: Training Camp for disillusioned teenagers
• 1988: Heavenly City School
  • Berg recognises crisis
• Establishment of Victor Programmes
• 1990: Maria acknowledges difficulties
  • complete overhaul
• 1991: "Back to Basic Home Requirements"
• The Family's Policy Statement on Education
• 1993: schooling hours reduced by 33%
• 1994: Peter explains new education policy
• The Oral Testimony on Matters of Education
  • good education for very young children
  • poor education from secondary level upwards
    • educational environment inadequate
    • "Book Burning" probably no longer rigorously enforced
  • children not wholly free to pursue intellectual interests
  • narrow environment - enquiring minds suffer
    • broadening material not advocated
    • enquiring minds regarded as room for Devil
    • leadership's judgement clouded by exaggerations against public schooling
  • 1993 Local Education Authority visited for 1 day
    • positive conclusion
    • 1994 further visits - good, but Science lacking
    • Conclusion
  • Tertiary Education may entail leaving Family
  • Family education leaves children at a disadvantage for higher education

IMPAIRMENT OF EMOTIONAL, SOCIAL OR BEHAVIOURAL DEVELOPMENT

• Areas of Concern
• Background and Chronology of Events
  • early hippie community
  • metaphor of an army powerfully deployed
  • the movement's "selah" practice - secrecy
  • bound together by religious fervour
    • forsaking all
  • 1993: Maria advocates separating children from parents for privilege of being a member
  • Children of God urged to fragment
  • MWM brought Family back together again
  • events in the 80s
• MB's upbringing
  • watching adult videos at age 9
  • abuse in Berg's home at age 11
  • MB went through a form of torture
  • sent to Teens Detention Camp in Macau
• The Philippines Jumbo
  • public humiliation through demerit system
    • OHR - Open Heart Reports
    • Silence Restrictions
    • Family evidence neither full nor frank
    • Corporal Punishment - The Paddle
    • Most Children without their parents
• The TTC in Japan
  • "Revolutionary Boot Camp Training Programme"
  • teen schools followed 1987 "Basic Training Handbook"
  • some goals at the TTC
  • highly emotionally charged and pressurized environment
  • robbing children of personal identity
  • invasion of personal freedom
• Macau
  • disgraceful 3 year experiment
  • Family propaganda a travesty of truth
  • physical and psychological brutality
  • evidence from the Family's own witness
  • dragged out half conscious
  • beaten till stuttering incoherently
  • barbarous treatment of MB, who needed psychiatric help
    • MB going insane
  • deep psychological problems
    • suicides
    • Ben
  • spirits broken by whatever means
    • freedom of thought beaten out of DR
    • the spirit of a young girl died in Macau
  • Silence restriction
    • prolonged and abusive
  • Isolation
    • bucket for a toilet
    • 3 or 4 days without food
  • hard labour
    • digging, refilling and re-digging trenches
    • excessive punishment
  • Conclusions
    • merciless physical & mental atrocity
    • leadership must stand condemned
    • WS knew full well
    • Family attempting to rewrite the truth
    • Teen Special Letter - rural idyll & nonsense
  • Victor Programmes
    • WS's description
    • EM was architect
    • Family's claims of success
    • Cross-fertilization - VIctor programmes throughout the world
    • Maria institutes DTR
      • Davidito contemplated suicide
      • Techi's emotional breakdown
    • may leadership remember their own words
    • enormous pressure on Techi
    • Fear, not love - Family's weapon of control
    • individuals singled out and publicly humiliated
      • Berg: "Repent or Perish in the System"
      • Berg: "make him a flunky"
      • not suprising to obtain confessions
    • Judge's 3 matters of prime concern
  • separation of children from parents & relatives
    • "Forsaking All" and "One Wife" recurrent themes
    • calls for equality of treatment necessary for communal life
    • parents can be pressured to forsake children
    • Berg to murmurers: get out
      • children have nowhere else to go
    • Maria: close communication with relatives is dangerous
    • acute tension between defectors and relatives remaining in group
    • surprising lack of deep emotion
    • clear Family policy to separate children from parents
    • Family's fruits - emotional bruising
    • "the Lord" requires it of children
    • Safe conclusions
      • separations more likely within Family
      • heavy compulsion
      • prolonged separation threat to chiildren's stability
      • fractured relationships with non-members
      • children without relatives may suffer
      • these factors harmful to S.
• Summary of Findings on Emotional, Social & Behavioural Impairment
  • isolation and silence restriction damaged the children
  • OHRs capable of unfair exploitation
  • undue pressure and fear on children
  • children socially isolated
  • forsaking all was harmful
  • Self was subjugated to service of Family

PHYSICAL ILL-TREATMENT

• The relevant literature
  • 1972: "Home Discipline"
  • 1975: "Lashes of Love"
  • 1983: "Baby &Toddler Discipline! - begins at 6 mths"
  • 1976: "Child Discipline"
  • 1984: "Chaild Care Discipline Jewels"
  • 1985: "Dad on Kidz Correction"
  • Evidence of Corporal punishment
    • no doubt widespread
    • included savage beatings
    • more severe than necessary
    • motive for public beatings: fear & humiliation
• The recent application of these practices in the UK
  • Oxford/Didcot Home
  • Tewkesbury Home
    • The Wantage School
    • Secrecy
    • Silence Restriction
    • Isolation
    • Open Heart Reports
    • Bubble Bursting Sessions
    • Worse: children required to report on each other
    • Corporal Punishment
    • Callisthenics
    • Emotional Pressure
  • Burnt Farm
    • Social Services Dept.'s negative report
      • suspicions roused
      • anti-cult organizations contacted
    • Judge: several features of real concern
    • "Deceivers yet True" in action
  • Tewkesbury
    • leaders in charge of the Victor Programme
    • Unreliable testimony
    • Vicious attack authroized by leadership
    • Family's stoutest efforts to cover up
  • Rugby
    • in many respects a happy home
    • mostly good impressions of members
    • teen shepherd with storm-trooper mentality
    • not entirely acceptable treatment of children
    • frequent paddlings
    • appallingly insensitive retribution - corporal punishment on a young lady, MS
      • love cannot excuse 20 bruising strokes
      • the fear of the unknown system was greater
      • utterly disgraceful incident
      • 7 weeks of silence restriction & isolation
    • others isolated for 3 months
  • Other Victor Programmes
    • corporal punishment endemic in the UK
• responsibility for these excesses
  • Family produces incredulous document
  • Why was Mary Malaysia not called to give evidence?
    • attempt to shift blame on Mary disingenous
    • Judge questions "little over discipline" statement
    • wholly lamentable failure to face the truth
  • EM cannot accept the damage she caused
  • EM would be willing to separate child from mother
  • EM's frightening evidence
  • EM's doubtful testimony
  • SPM - Family Spokesman
    • Plaintiff: chiildren harshly disciplined
    • SPM denies charges
    • SPM's damage control statement
    • SPM's denies knowledge of Tewkesbury
    • Judge: no satifactory explanations at all
    • Judge: SPM not fully frank
    • Judge: no checks and balances
  • EM partially reveals details of meeting
    • witholds from court her report to WS, produces statement blaming Mary
    • many others practiced excessive corporal punishment
  • European Shepherds single out Mary Malaysia for blame
    • suggests SPM must have withheld evidence
    • more blame on Mary
    • WS to enact safeguards
• S's day to day care
  • Local Authority's Investigations
    • The tasks of the 2 social workers
    • Social workers' findings
    • adults claims from interviews
    • children enjoying Family life but feel isolated
    • teens at a disadvantage if they choose to leave
    • S and other children happy and secure
    • restricted contact & understanding of outside world
    • NT fully committed to S.
    • conclusions and consequences
    • not overlooking the favourable aspects of report
• other investigations
  • Family vacated premises overnight
• Police enquiries
• The expert evidence
  • blind faith, weakened wills, pressure & fear
  • cataclysmic religious conversions
  • Professor James Richardson
    • accurate analysis & predictions from 1976 assessment
    • Judge: witness is enthusiastic but objective
      
  • Dr Susan Palmer
  • Judge: less than impressive - seemingly over compensating
  • discernable rise in defections
  • true that not all is black
  • weak analysis of Victor Programme
  • Judge: frank acknowledgement of past firs
  • healthy, safe, fun & exciting
  • tends to find NRMs delightful & amusing
  • Judge: not at all convinced of her objectivity
  • Dr. Gordon Melton
    • positive appraisal
    • adult-child sex happened
    • Judge: witness is independant and objective
  • Rev. Dr. David Millikan
    • started investigations with degree of antipathy
    • felt manipulated and angry
    • reservations concerning education of children
    • children's emotional & spiritual health not at risk
    • present literature rejects past sexual excesses
    • Judge: impressive witness - hard-headed Aussie
• 536 The Psychological & Psychiatric Evidence
  • Dr Lawrence Lilliston
    • children receive positive reinforcement
    • Judge: observations superficial, lack academic credibility, rose coloured spectacles
  • Dr Michael Heller
    • no cause for significant concern
    • The Family is inbred
    • corporate punishment ought not have happened
    • deeply deplores excesses in discipline
    • Family denied more relevant information
    • expects more acknowledgement of wrong-doing
    • condemns Family's failure to state adult-child sex unutterably wrong
    • scathing criticism about Family's failure to blame Berg
    • "Good Thots" misleading
  • Dr Hamish Cameron
    • S. given excellent start in life
    • NT may become separated or absent mother
    • risk: sexual, emotional & physical abuse
    • risk: neglect of needs, dereliction of duty to higher education
    • University preparation must be drastically improved
    • favours wait and see option
    • Q. does NT place S. first before Family?
      • NT's motherly instinct overridden by belief system
    • Q. does NT accept past wrong-doings & understand need for court's intervention?
      • NT unable to think independantly nor use own judgement
    • Q. dies NT accept limiting education is disadvantageous to the young?
    • condemns open heart reports as abuse of the confessional
    • Family proioritizes safety of group over child
    • baffled about treatment of MS
    • concerned about EG being in charge
    • alarmed about Tony series - pressure to conform
    • Family endorses child abuse but doesn't want to get caught
  • The Plaintiff's Evidence
    • fair meeting with KJ not an attack
    • Plaintiff aquitted for trying to "kidnap" CT
    • Plaintiff's original allegations
    • Satisfied about Plaintiffs plans and wishes
  • NT's Evidence
    • Day 63, NT responds to 54 witnesses preceding her
    • unable to accept testimonies against Family
    • upholds Berg: "I love and trust him"
    • NT's strained relationship with mother
    • paternity test
    • upheavals in NT's life
    • NT had child from sharing with RB, with consent from wife VB
    • this is not a court of morals
    • NT's reduced capabilities of meeting S's needs

Evidence of change

• recent trends and developments
  • 1982: Berg justifies upheavals for children
    
  • 1983: children becoming focus of attention
  • 1984: China & East Bloc, Deb's book
  • 1985: difficulties with teenagers
  • 1986: Teen Training Camps
  • 1988: School Vision
  • 1988: campaign to fight for children
  • threat of violence nothing more than good fighting talk
  • 1989: Victor Programmes for troubled teens
  • 1990: School Vision a failure
  • 1990: Summit meeting a coup d'etat for Berg?
  • 1990: authorities remove 22 children in Spain
  • 1991: Discipleship Training Revolution
    • Maria's good intentions create stifling pressure
    • 1-hour family time a far cry from "One Wife"
  • communal needs not overlooked
  • mandatory guidelines for home schooling
  • 1991: teens allowed more contact with outside world
  • 1992: population 2/3 children
    • 142 children removed from homes by Australian authorities
    • media persecution in Japan
    • Family now submitting to law and facing detractors
      • Summit '93: Family accepts being forced into the open
      • 1993: start of PR campaign
      • Family establishes contact with scholars and sociologists
  • Judge disconcerted about Family withholding relevant minutes of meetings
    • Family not truly forthcoming, does not trust even it's own legal representatives
  • Maria blind to impairment of emotional development in teen(s)
  • Judge not convinced that Family has learnt lessons
    • Judges decision hinges on whether Maria can force changes
    • Maria's new guildelines and limitations
      • "Conversation Restriction"
      • Time Out
      • Corporal Punishment
      • Public Ridicule
      • Forced Restraint
  • 1994: still no recantation of Berg's ideas of discipline
  • teens seeking further education should become TSers
  • new policies for TSers
  • ministry of reconciliation
  • Judge satisfied with Family's recent fundamental changes
• Evidence of change experienced by members & former members
  • BS inconsistent - now a passionate apologist
  • JG: some breathing space
  • SD: rules relaxed since 1993
  • MB: Family will nnot admit Berg was wrong
  • MS: changes are for outward appearance
  • CA: ambivalent, still fearful
  • spokesperson SPM: the Family has matured
  • acknowledgements from Peter Amsterdam
• The Opinion of Experts on the Likelihood of Change
  • Dr Palmer: definite pattern to be more conventional
  • Dr Melton: change inevitable
  • Judge's concern: Berg will rule from grave
  • Dr Millikan: irreversible changes made
  • Prof Richardson: all groups evolve
• My findings
  • past sexual excesses eradicated
  • not completed ban on inappropriate discipline
  • wider avenues of education offered
  • more ready to engage outside world
  • perhaps more amenable to changes required

The official Solicitor's Case

• Family misunderstood Official Solicitor's Role
• NT fell far short of satisfying Dr Cameron's conditions
• Dr Cameron: S would almost inevitably suffer educational neglect, emotional pressure; danger of sexual abuse
• Dr Cameron recommends custody of S to grandmother

The Law

1. Mother's right to bring up her son
2. Court's approach to Religious Controversies and moral dilemmas
3. Religious Tolerance and the Law
4. Religious Freedom
   • European Convention
     • Article 8
     • Article 14
   • Austrian precedent
   • The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
   • the Children Act of 1989
     • Article 3
     • Article 5
     • Article 12
     • Article 13
     • Article 14
     • Article 15
     • Article 16
     • Article 18
     • Article 19
     • Article 28
     • Article 29
     • Article 30
     • Article 34
     • Article 37
     • a significant number of breaches of this convention by Family applied to children
       • not at all satisfied children are prepared for life
       • no spirit of tolerance
       • no freedoms to express views
       • no freedom to pursue ideas
       • no rights to freedom of thought or association
5. Corporal punishment and other forms of discipline
   • The Children & Young Persons Act
   • child correction is a good defence
   • Dept of Health guidelines for corporal punishment
   • Section 66(1) of the Children Act 1989
     • definition of foster care
     • limitations on discipline under foster care
   • Children's Homes Regulations 1991
     • no form of corporal punishment allowed
     • no deprivation of food or drink
     • no restrictions on visits and communications
     • Education (No.2) Act 1986
       • Corporal punishment abolished in all but private schools
   • European Convention on Fundamental Human Rights
     • defines Family discipline as assault
     • In UK, fundamental human rights abused only in cases of MS and S4
6. On the law generally

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

1. An Assessment of The Family
2. Sexually Inappropriate Behaviour
3. Educational Neglect
4. Medical Neglect
5. Emotional, Social or Behavioural Harm
6. Physical Ill-treatment
7. Change
8. NT
9. The Plaintiff

CONCLUSIONS

• S's ascertainable wishes & feelings considered
• S's physical eMotional & educational needs
• The likely effect of change on S
• S's relevant background & characteristics
• S's harm suffered or risk of suffering
• capability of S's parents or other relevant persons
• the range of powers available to court
• S's best interests
• Family's opportunity to change
• requirements for the mother, NT
  • reconsider Dr Cameron's hurdles
  • no separation exceeding 2 weeks
  • categorically forbid corporal punishment
  • proper educational opportunities for S.
  • allow contact with relatives
  • must reside in UK& inform of whereabouts
  • must permit access to Official Solicitor
  • must elicit help of Maria and Peter Amsterdam regarding matters below
• requirements for WS
  • categorically ban infliction of corporal punishment
  • Family must be allowed to consult Local Educational Authorities
  • must maintain programmes of reconciliation
  • must denounce David Berg;
    • acknowledge his responsibility for children's sexual abuse
    • not just a mistake but wrong
    • Family must be encouraged to face up to shameful history - help those harmed to come to terms
    • Berg's dark side must be revealed
• NT will likely resent Court's imposition
• grandmother has done a public service exposing pernicious practices
• closing words