By David Pilditch
Daily Express [United Kingdom]
April 27, 2007
http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/5550
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| BULLY: Halliday used 'fierce behaviour' to force himself on victims |
The Church of England was accused yesterday of covering up child sex abuse.
The claim came after a paedophile choirmaster escaped justice for 17 years because officials refused to report him.
Peter Halliday, 61, admitted he had sexually abused young boys after one of his victims raised the alarm.
| "When a child has the courage to speak out they should be taken seriously" The NSPCC |
But church leaders allowed him to leave quietly on condition he had no more contact with children. Police were never informed.
However, a chorister he had molested told of his nightmare after he met Halliday again on a Christian charity's music course.
Incredibly, Halliday was even able to carry on as a governor of a secondary school until 2000.
Yesterday married Halliday was behind bars after he confessed to sexually assaulting three boys during years of abuse.
He was jailed for 30 months at Winchester Crown Court after pleading guilty to 10 counts of indecent assault.
Last night church leaders faced fierce criticism over their handling of the case which shattered the lives of his victims.
Jailing Halliday, Judge Ian Pearson told him: "They would have looked up to you as their choirmaster and you abused that trust for your sexual gratification.
"It is perhaps unfortunate, in hindsight, that the matter was not reported to police."
Halliday was ordered to pay £2,000 compensation to each of his three victims. He was also banned from working with children and placed on the sex offenders' register – both for life.
The court heard he abused his position of trust to groom three boys, aged nine to 14, in five years as choirmaster at St Peter's Church in Farnborough, Hants.
One boy, who was 10 when it began, said: "It happened in his house when I was alone with him having individual tuition but it also happened on trips. It even happened when I was in dormitories with other boys.
"I was horrified. When your first sexual experience is a 40-year-old man forcing himself on you it's pretty horrific."
The court heard Halliday "bullied" his victims – all members of the choir – and used "fierce behaviour" to force them into performing sex acts with him.
Prosecutor Ruth Bowskill told the court: "Choristers would go to Halliday's house for private lessons and for lunch.
"He would take them swimming. They would even be taken on holidays to Polzeath, Cornwall, and for sleepovers."
The abuse began in 1985 when the first victim was just nine. Two of the boys did not report him but he should have been caught when a distraught victim told a youth leader and his parents. He was confronted by vicar Alan Boddington and confessed.
Instead of calling police, Mr Boddington consulted the Bishop of Dorking, David Wilcox.
Halliday was forced to resign, told to attend counselling and ordered not to work with children again. But he was allowed to carry on as governor of a school in Farnborough and continued to do voluntary work with The Royal School of Church Music. One victim who saw him again on an RSCM residential course said: "Younger brothers of friends of mine were there. I was scared for myself but also terrified for them."
Last year one of the victims contacted police after watching a TV documentary about child abuse and Halliday confessed.
Last night a Hampshire Police spokeswoman said: "We would encourage anyone else who has encountered Halliday or anyone who knows anything else about his actions to come forward." Children's charities condemned the church's handling of the case.
An NSPCC spokesman said: "When a child has the courage to speak out they should be taken seriously."
Mr Wilcox, who retired as Bishop of Dorking in 1995, said yesterday: "I believe that we sought to act in the best interests not only of the Church but of the family and everybody concerned at that time.
"Things were very different then. I think we make the mistake of trying to read back what we now know and how we now do things. I don't think we have that knowledge or that experience and I don't think the court systems, the police systems were geared up as they are today."
The RSCM insisted the abuse was "entirely unconnected" with its organisation and "strenuously" denied claims it knew about the offences as early as 1993.
The C of E said it carefully selected and trained ordained and lay ministers, volunteers and paid workers who worked with children and young people.
It said it did background checks on each person using the Criminal Records Bureau – among other tools – and responded without delay to complaints. It said it co-operated fully with police and social services investigations.
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