• About
    • Privacy Policy
  • GSW
  • Guide To Making A Subject Access Request
  • In Dad’s Shoes
    • An Overview
    • Invitation
    • Media
    • Photos
    • Press Release
    • Soft Launch
    • Speeches
    • Summary
  • Media Coverage
  • Parliamentary Debates
  • Voice of the Child Podcasts

Researching Reform

Researching Reform

Daily Archives: June 25, 2015

Vishambar Mehrotra’s Moving Speech For Westminster Child Abuse Inquiry Conference

25 Thursday Jun 2015

Posted by Natasha in child abuse, child abuse inquiry

≈ 4 Comments

There are few worse things that can happen to a parent than losing a child and then discovering that he has been murdered, and possibly sexually abused beforehand, but that is the terrible nightmare Vishambar Mehrotra and his family live with, daily.

Vishambar’s son Vishal went missing when he was eight, in 1981, and eventually parts of his body were found in a woodland in West Sussex in February 1982, seven months after he vanished. There was no trace of his legs, pelvis or lower spine or of his outer clothes or Superman underwear. 

At the time, Mr Mehrotra received a call from a male prostitute who claimed Vishal may have been taken by paedophiles to the Elm Guest House near Barnes Common. The man mentioned that judges and politicians were abusing little boys there. Vishal’s father then tried, unsuccessfully, to get the police to investigate his son’s disappearance. No-one would help.

Convinced that there was a cover up at work, Mr Mehrotra continues to campaign for a full and proper investigation into his son’s death. As such, he offered to write a statement for the recent White Flowers Group conference inside Westminster which was instigated to pressure the government into prioritising child sexual abuse investigations, and it is very moving.

We add the statement below:

“For nearly 34 years I had relied completely upon the integrity and competence of the Police. Recently however in the last few months, several matters have come to light, not to mention a very highly redacted report of a review conducted by Sussex police in 2005 which has raised far more questions and in my submission, shed a bad light on the integrity and competence of the Police department.

I understand that my son’s investigation did not even deserve a case number.

Ever since recent revelations by other victims and in particular Tom Swarbrick of the LBC’s investigation, have opened my eyes to the possibility of serious misgivings/negligence by the Police.

There are strong suggestions and your eminent speakers today would probably concur with this view that cover ups have happened.

I thought I had emotionally come to terms with the loss of my son but now all I can do is have nightmares imagining the events that must have led to my son’s murder and the questions that keep bothering me, how, when and where, which nobody seems to know.

We seem to be now concentrating on the ‘why’ of this enquiry.

34 years in a very long time and many have passed on. I do not consider that I am going to get any relief of joy from the Police force or in fact the IPCC unless there is a re-investigation carried out.

I am now concerned more than ever that in light of yesterday’s revelations on the new that the number of Child Sexual Abuse cases which have come to light are alarming to say the least.

Parents beware The Police blame the Politicians for not giving them enough money and resources and the Politicians want to set up committees which I understand can take up to 8 years for any report to be submitted (I am talking about Lady Goddard).

Finally I feel extremely strongly that the time has come for the Met Police to form a small team of highly experienced investigating officers and forensic specialists to investigate all such heinous crimes committed and to ensure that the people who are committing such offences are caught quickly, lest this cancer be to allowed to fester and spread.

I wish you and the Whiteflowers Campaign Group all success and i believe you are doing an excellent job of bringing awareness to the public.

Last but not least I cannot understand why after 34 years the Police continue to be so secretive that even I am forbidden to see an unredacted report on my sons disappearance and murder.
Regards,
V Mehrotra”

With deep thanks to Terri Thatcher and Mr Mehrotra for allowing us to share this statement.

Share this:

  • WhatsApp
  • Pocket
  • Telegram
  • Share on Tumblr
  • Email
  • Print

Like this:

Like Loading...

Voice of the Child Conference 2015

25 Thursday Jun 2015

Posted by Natasha in Researching Reform

≈ 5 Comments

It’s that time of the year when the Voice of the Child Conference is almost upon us, and this year it takes place on July 23rd, with the theme of “Effective Participation: Make it happen – Make it better.”

Whilst we have absolutely no clue who wrote the article announcing the conference on the Cafcass website (which is a little unfortunate as they talk about themselves in the first person), the day is set to be designed so that professionals can reflect on their practice and find ways to make it better. President of the Family Division James Munby will be in attendance.

Researching Reform are champions of this conference – it is the only one around dedicated to the Voice of the Child – but now that they are in their fifth year, we need to see some measure of its impact. Tell us what changes have been made as a result of the annual meetings, how children are responding to the system and what benefits have accrued five years on from the conference’s inception.

It must surely be time.

voice_of_the_child_DVD_cover

Share this:

  • WhatsApp
  • Pocket
  • Telegram
  • Share on Tumblr
  • Email
  • Print

Like this:

Like Loading...

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 8,452 other subscribers

Contact Researching Reform

Huff Post Contributer

For Litigants in Person

Child Welfare Debates

June 2015
M T W T F S S
1234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
2930  
« May   Jul »

Children In The Vine : Stories From The Family Justice System

Categories

  • Adoption
  • All Party Parliamentary Group on Family Law and The Court of Protection
  • Articles
  • Big Data
  • Bills
  • Case Study
  • child abuse
  • child abuse inquiry
  • child welfare
  • Children
  • Children In The Vine
  • Circumcision
  • Civil Partnerships
  • Consultation
  • Conversations With…
  • Corporal Punishment
  • CSA
  • CSE
  • Data Pack
  • Domestic Violence
  • Encyclopaedia on Family and The Law
  • event
  • Family Law
  • Family Law Cases
  • FGM
  • FOI
  • forced adoption
  • Foster Care
  • Fudge of the Week
  • Fultemian Project
  • Huffington Post
  • Human Rights
  • IGM
  • Inquiry
  • Interesting Things
  • Interview
  • Judge of the Week
  • Judges
  • judicial bias
  • Law to lust for
  • legal aid
  • LexisNexis Family Law
  • LIP Service
  • LIPs
  • Marriage
  • McKenzie Friends
  • MGM
  • News
  • Notes
  • petition
  • Picture of the Month
  • Podcast
  • Question It
  • Random Review
  • Real Live Interviews
  • Research
  • Researching Reform
  • social services
  • social work
  • Spotlight
  • Stats
  • Terrorism
  • The Buzz
  • The Times
  • Troubled Families Programme
  • Twitter Conversations
  • Update
  • Voice of the Child
  • Voice of the Child Podcast
  • Westminster Debate
  • Who's Who Cabinet Ministers
  • Your Story

Recommended

  • Blawg Review
  • BlogCatalog
  • DaddyNatal
  • DadsHouse
  • Divorce Survivor
  • Enough Abuse UK
  • Family Law Week
  • Family Lore
  • Flawbord
  • GeekLawyer's Blog
  • Head of Legal
  • Just for Kids Law
  • Kensington Mums
  • Law Diva
  • Legal Aid Barristers
  • Lib Dem Lords
  • Lords of The Blog
  • Overlawyered
  • PAIN
  • Paul Bernal's Blog
  • Public Law Guide
  • Pupillage Blog
  • Real Lawyers Have Blogs
  • Story of Mum
  • Sue Atkins, BBC Parenting Coach
  • The Barrister Blog
  • The Magistrate's Blog
  • The Not So Big Society
  • Tracey McMahon
  • UK Freedom of Information Blog
  • WardBlawg

Archives

  • Follow Following
    • Researching Reform
    • Join 813 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Researching Reform
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...
 

    %d bloggers like this: