Clitheroe 422324 (Editorial), 422323 (Advertising), Burnley 422331 (Classified)
Ex-local paedophile priest conviction today with Jesuit
by Tim Procter
YET more unwelcome pub licity is being attracted to Stonyhurst College this week by the appeal of the Jesuit former teacher
unmasked as a paedophile. The case of Fr James Chaning
Pearce comes before the Court of Appeal today.
His superiors quickly went
public last week to explain the "he is a member of our family" reason they were paying his legal costs. They say that the question of compensation for the three boys he admitted assaulting was dealt with months ago. The college itself is keen for
everyone to remember th a t Fr Chaning Pearce (pictured) was removed over three years ago after questions about him were raised. The seven indecent assaults for which he was jailed for five years last September went back to 1992 and 1993. The case attracted national
publicity but Stonyhurst and the Society of Jesus emphasised the
new outlook and procedures in place to prevent any repetition. Fr Chaning Pearce had been
"spiritual father" of Syntax House, and taught mathematics, physics, and religious studies. He was said to be well liked and an excellent preacher and communi cator. There was a renewed furore
last week when a national news agency revealed that Fr Chaning Pearce's appeal against convic tion for the four indecent assaults, all against the same boy,
which he had denied, was being funded by the Jesuits. If the appeal is successful, a
su b s tan tia l reduction of the prison term which will be actual ly served is certain. This is because defendants convicted by a jury do not receive any of the credit or discount on sentence automatically given when there is a guilty plea. Defendants in sex cases whose denials force a com plainant to give evidence re-liv ing what happened are least like ly of all to attract mercy from judges. But Fr Chaning Pearce admit
ted three offences and if only the prison time for them remains after the appeal he could be given his freedom very soon. If not, he will still actually serve much less than five years. The remorse and regret he is said to have expressed and the determination of the Jesuits to look after him will be important features of con sideration for parole. I t is not known on what
grounds the appeal is being made bu t Fr Ian Tomlinson, the Jesuits' Provincial Secretary for Great Britain, defended the deci
Hospital acts after panel reports on hanging mystery
ACTION - including the appointment of two extra consultants -has been taken on several management fronts after a tragedy at Calderstones Hos pital, Whalley, six months ago. The d e a th of M r nearer his home.
Chris topher Saunders, who was found hanged in a shower, ha s received
• widespread publicity. An open verdict was
returned by the jury at an inquest, and afterwards a special review panel was set up to investigate profes sional issues surrounding the management of the case. This step is often taken after serious inci dents. The panel members
included an independent forensic psychiatrist, Dr Anthony Wilson, a mem ber of the South and West Devon Health Authority, Mrs Eileen Flavelle, and.a
♦ n o n - e x e c u t iv e m em b e r o f th e Calderstones NHS T ru s t ) : Mr- Mahendra Kohari. The panel has pro
duced 22 recommendations for Calderstones to consid er and Chief Executive Mr Russ Pearce said this week th a t action had already been taken on them. "We are now considering
the longer term implica tions of the points raised by the panel," said Mr Pearce, repeating that the trust was determined to learn everything it could from the tragedy. I t has no duty to reveal
an y th in g ab o u t the report. But although the full version is being kept confidential between the family of Mr Saunders and those health service organisations involved in his treatment, the trus t has disclosed the main points. Some arise because Mr Saunders came from Plymouth and was treated there before a place was found for him at Calderstones - there was nowhere su i tab le any
The panel therefore wel
, Over half the panel’s rec ommendations referred to communications between services and between the different professions involved in the care of Calderstones residents. There had been some criti cism of the accuracy of let ters written by NHS staff in the Devon area. The trust managers say
process as there is a grave national shortage," says the trust.
they have now reviewed communications and strengthened and clarified responsbility for the receipt and passing on of information. More effec tive monitoring has been introduced. Four recommendations
related to record keeping - the trus t had previously ordered a software package to enhance existing sys tems. Because of the num ber of specialists who could be involved in the care of any one person, records tended to be large and unwieldy and a system is being introduced involving only one file. Staff training in mental health issues is being extended and a new forensic diploma course has
improvements and the trust has responded to this by appointing two extra consultant phsychiatrists. "This has been a difficult
comes the decision of his home area health authori ty to develop the sort of service he needed, that for vulnerable patients need ing rehabilitiation in an intensive supported envi ronment. "We hope th a t this is replicated in other areas of the country," said the report. I t recommended service
meetings should be ratio nalised as a m a t te r of urgency," recommended the panel, with systematic detailed minutes made. It would be preferable if clini cal record material was typewritten. All staff should have
reflected some points made at the inquest on Mr Saun ders. It suggested that the time allocated to handover between shifts be reviewed to enable detailed informa tion about individuals to be communicated effective ly between those con cerned. The report also referred to the necessity of having bathroom locks which would balance the needs of privacy and digni ty with those of staff access in an emergency. "The system of clinical
been developed in conjunc tion with Manchester Uni versity, starting in Septem ber. The panel's report
sion to pay the costs. He said: "We are not supporting his appeal because we think he is innocent. He thinks he is inno cent and so he has a right to have that tried. Fr Chaning Pearce is a member of the Society of Jesus and so is a member of a family. We simply do our best to make sure that we help him to be a per son who does not offend again." The costs will certainly run
into thousands of pounds for the time of the top flight solicitors ' and barristers involved at Court of Appeal level. At the time of the trial, the
Jesuits emphasised th a t they would care for Fr Chaning Pearce on his release, and seek forgive ness, reconciliation, and suitable work for him - with no possible contact with young people. The amount of whatever com
pensation has been paid is unlike ly ever to be publicly revealed. Deciding how much is appropri ate is especially difficult in cases where psychological rather than physical damage is involved. The Society of Jesus is keeping all details confidential, but if the appeal is dismissed it is expected
it will offer money to the fourth boy as well. A tree house largely inspired
by Fr Chaning Pearce was allegedly the scene of several assaults. Before the scandal broke i t was written about enthusiastically by several peo ple, including the priest himself. He gave a graphic description of its comfort and security, includ ing how it was decided to have hot showers installed, without any help from a plumber, and of the numerous other features of the hut and its vegetable bed, rockery, fish pond and barbecue area. The house was built in a tree
after a ground level version more distant from the main school was first damaged and then burnt down by vandals. After the scan dal broke, the tree house was demolished and later the head master of the time said it was an obesession for Fr Chaning Pearce. After his tr ia l , the school
allowed television cameras to film the site.
Millennium grants for Chipping
Village Hall
WORK to build a new village hall in Chipping could s ta rt in September following confirmation of a £70,000 Millennium Commission grant. Environment Minister
Cheery news as pub recovers
t>'.V
easy access to a risk assess- ment and management plan for each patient and the plans should be regu larly reviewed. Calderstones NHS
Trust is very aware of local unease about its forensic service, which houses peo ple with severe learning difficulties, some referred by courts after conviction for sometimes serious offences. Whalley residents con
tinue to express concern about the nearness of the patients to their homes, as well as about plans by the NHS to re-develop parts of the Calderstones complex for housing. The re-submitted plan
ning application for this is due to be heard by local planning councillors in a few weeks' time.
THE licensees of a Ribble Valley pub are enjoying a boom - just months after freak floods caused misery and devastation. Determined duo Mr
Stephen Ward and his wife, Bernadette, who run the Higher Buck, in Wadding- ton, have bounced back thanks to the help of Lan cashire brewery, Daniel Thwaites. Their world was turned
on its head at Christmas when a blocked culvert left the popular pub three feet deep in water. But, over the last five months, the pub has been fully refur bished and trade is better than ever. "Everything was com
pletely destroyed by the flood. We had to get new carpets, curtains, fridges, freezers and dishwashers to name but a few items," said Mr Ward. "It was a night mare, but we are over the
moon with the results and the locals love the new look." The freak floods
occurred a t the Higher Buck on Christmas Day, one of the pub's busiest days of the year. Mrs Ward commented: "Someone phoned to say that water was rushing down the vil lage and when we opened the back door the water just came gushing in." She added: "The brewery
has been very supportive and everyone here has real ly pulled together to get things sorted.” Thwaites district sales
manager Mr Rob Robson said: "It was a disastrous situation at the time, but it is surprising just what can be achieved when people roll up their sleeves and have a go." Our picture shows Mr
and Mrs Ward raising a toast to celebrate the pub's new look.
Mr Chris Smith, who is also chairman of the com mission, informed mem bers of the hall's steering committee th a t they had been granted the award under the 21st Century Halls for England scheme. They received the news only hours before local comedian Phil Cool opened Chipping's successful two- day steam fair, which raised more than £10,000 for the fund. The latest boost means
from the , European Regional Development Fund will be granted, as it will make the difference between a hall or no hall." The European money is
expected to be confirmed by next month, with work hopefully starting on the new hall in September. Efforts to raise money
were first launched by the committee last year in the form of a fun day, which raised £2,000, and a num ber of smaller events dur ing the year raised a fur ther £8,000. Ribble Valley Borough Council has donated £10,000 and the local Brabins Tru st has promised a "generous amount". Plans are afoot to sell the
present hall and site, val ued a t £80,000, to make way for low-cost housing or sheltered accommodation for local people. Provisional planning permission for the new hall on p a r t of the playing field has already been granted.
Local drink is a winner for sports energy
IF you ever wondered how top footballers, swimmers and even Olympic gold medallist Chris Boardman manage to keep their ener gy levels up, then just ask Brockhall-based firm Sci ence in Sport Ltd. For the company, which
moved to the Ribble Valley from Preston four years, manufactures energy drinks and snack bars used by many national sportsmen and women. Its clients include Black-
by Vicky Carlin
bum Rovers, Blackpool FC and Clitheroe FC players, as well as footballers from a number of other Premier ship teams. Top cyclists and swimmers, including James Hickman, also use the ener gy drinks as an essential part of their training pro gramme. But their most publicised
client is Chris Boardman, who briefly visited the area
at high speed last week as part of the Prutour Interna tional cycle race. Mr Board- man is a friend of Science in Sport's Mr Tim Lawson and Mr Peter Slater, who are both keen cyclists, and has even had a recovery drink, to be used to main tain energy levels after exer cise, specifically developed for him. Mr Boardman also uses
their PCB22 high-energy sp o r ts drink, which he takes before and during
his training. Up to last year, all the
energy drinks and snack bars were manufactured at Sports in Science's laborato ry at Ashwood, Brockhall, but the firm has recently expanded, with the opening of another unit at Altham. Snack bar production has already moved over there and it is hoped that the full manufacturing arm of the company will be there in the near future. The energy products are
made from natural ingredi ents and, according to Mr Slater, can be used at any time. He commented: "All our products help to main tain and restore energy lev els and there is no limit to how many can be taken in a day." He added: "Swimmers,
for example, may have their last training session of the day at 9 p.m. and have to be up at 5 a.m. the next day to s ta r t again. They would have had no time to eat
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th a t the fund has now raised £170,000 towards its £300,000 ta rg e t and according to the committee chairman, Mr John Joyce, everyone is absolutely delighted. He commented: "We now hope th a t the large tranche applied for
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T r o w e l W e a v i N Q
Clitheroe Advertiser & Times, June 4th, 1998 3
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