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Topic History of: Private Eye and historic abuse allegations Max. showing the last 5 posts - (Last post first)
Jo |
It doesn't look as if Private Eye is likely to question historic abuse allegations, judging from an article in the 27 July to 9 August edition (No 1475):
Sea sickness
The great and good in the naval port of Plymouth were severely embarrassed by the conviction of former Royal Navy commander Charles Howeson, who received a seven-and-a-half year sentence at Bristol crown court last month, having been found guilty on ten counts of sexually abusing eight young men between 1985 and 1994.
Although Howeson's CV includes a senior role at Coutts, the Queen's bank, and posts as the former chair of First Great Western and chair of the now defunct South West strategic health authority, it was his "exemplary" Royal Navy career that his defence counsel, led by Daniel Janner QC, focused on.
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The defence enlisted the help of 54 character witnesses, many of whom attended court in person, and many of whom hold or have held prominent positions in Plymouth.
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On the other side, those who suffered abuse at the hands of Howeson were characterised throughout the trial by the defence as wastrels, drug addicts, alcoholics, criminals and only in it for the money.
Disturbingly, it appears that the Royal Navy could have called time on Howeson's activities at the outset in October 1985, when a junior rating serving under Howeson on HMS Cleopatra was groped inappropriately. Within hours of the incidents Howeson was winched off Cleopatra, James Bond-style, allegedly on health grounds, while the rating was left in no doubt that his career would suffer if he wasn't careful. So much for the duty of care.
Meanwhile, Plymouth council is wondering what to do about the naming of HowesonLane, which is built on land given to it by "Mr Plymouth", a term Howeson's QC used frequently when referring to the disgraced commander. |
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