Begin forwarded message:
From: "Alamaine, IVe" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Date: October 26, 2008 5:20:06 PM PDT
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: [ctrl] Three British evangelicals cast blame on each other
Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/oct/27/tirana-orphanage-child-abuse-
trial
Three British evangelicals cast blame on each other in trials over
child abuse
at Albanian orphanage
o Edinburgh charity worker set up home for refugees
o Ten boys aged four to 13 testify against Britons
Paul Lewis in Tirana
The Guardian, Monday October 27 2008
Article history
The orphanage, a large brick house in Tirana's old quarter, promised
shelter to
the city's abandoned street children, who came barefoot and clutching
siblings
in search of a place to rebuild their lives.
For five years, dozens of boy and girls passed through the gates of 32
Dervish
Hekali Street, run by British missionaries in Albania's capital.
But what should have been a sanctuary for vulnerable boys and girls
became the
site of one of eastern Europe's most shocking child sex abuse
scandals. Three
evangelical Britons, including the director of the orphanage, David
Brown, have
been accused of abusing children in their care.
The trials of Brown, 57, and two helpers at his shelter - Dino
Christodoulou,
45, a social therapy nurse from Blackburn in Lancashire, and Robin
Arnold, 56,
a salesman from Cromer in Norfolk - have barely been reported outside
Albania.
But disturbing testimony from children delivered by video link to a
small
Tirana court will have far-reaching repercussions for child protection
mechanisms between the UK and other countries.
Who knew what about the abuse, how and when, are questions that have
yet to be
fully answered. The men themselves, in interviews with the Guardian
inside
their prison, did not deny that the abuse took place; instead they
blamed each
other for acts that have horrified Albania.
But there are some facts about the story that has been unfolding in
district
court one that nobody disputes.
It was in early 2000 that Brown, a charity worker from Edinburgh,
travelled to
Albania to help refugees who had crossed the border, fleeing the
conflict in
Kosovo. He encountered neglected Gypsy children begging on the streets
and
supported them with food and money.
The following year, with support from churches in Albania and the UK,
he set
about opening an orphanage which, claiming to be receiving
instructions from
God, Brown named His Children.
Missionaries affiliated with churches as far away as Oklahoma
travelled to
Tirana to care for the children and give Bible lessons. Brown became a
well-
known figure in Tirana; a tall man with a thick, white beard, he was
often seen
scouring the city's streets for children in need.
"He bought me biscuits, a coke and gave me 500 lek [£3.20]," said one of
Brown's first recruits to the orphanage, Nazmi Tatushi, now 21. "I had
no
shoes. No haircut. Stinking."
One of four young men who live in an apartment paid for by Brown, and
have
testified in his favour in court, Tatushi added: "David said to me: my
son, why
don't you come to my house? He was a good man for the street kids in
Albania.
Only ever did we see love in that house."
That, according to the testimony of other children, would soon change.
By 2004
Brown, who worked with children for 35 years in Scotland, had
developed a tense
relationship with Albanian social workers, who complained his home
lacked the
facilities for 40 children and babies.
By his own admission he failed to check the backgrounds of all the
missionary
volunteers who were given unsupervised access to children. He also
allowed two
young boys into his bed when they complained of nightmares, something
he later
described as "naive".
When, in October that year, children began to speak about being
sexually abused
at the home, Brown, who was at first not named by the children as a
perpetrator, devised a plan with the help of a close-knit group of
evangelical
Christians to keep the complaints secret from the Albanian authorities.
Brown said he concealed the sexual abuse suffered by children at his
orphanage
from the Albanian authorities because he feared they would close the
shelter,
and now regretted doing so.
Christodoulou and Arnold were banned from the orphanage after Brown said
children had identified them as abusers. Eighteen months later, in May
2006,
the scandal made headline news across the country after Albanian
police and
social services raided the orphanage and arrested Brown following a
tip-off
about allegations of sexual abuse.
Ten boys, aged between four and 13, eventually told police they had been
sexually abused by one or more of the three Britons, who have been
charged with
"homosexual relations with minors". Christodoulou and Arnold were
extradited to
Albania in May. In some cases the children claimed to have been bound
to a
balcony, gagged and raped.
Defence lawyers claim the children are unreliable witnesses who have
been
"manipulated" by the prosecution.
Although their trial is continuing, the men, who if found guilty could
face up
to 20 years in jail, spoke to the Guardian in Prison 302, a drab ex-
communist
jail.
Through iron bars, Brown accused Christodoulou and Arnold of abusing
boys
behind his back. "They were wolves in sheep's clothing.
"I came to Albania because I wanted to help the Albanian children.
Everything
that I set out to do has been violated. I was these children's father."
A verdict in Brown's trial, which rests on accusations from two boys, is
expected this week. Lawyers believe the outcome may determine the fate
of
Christodoulou and Arnold. Their trial - which is separate from Brown's
- began
last month.
Christodoulou faces the most serious allegations - eight boys say he
sexually
abused them. But, smiling, Christodoulou dismissed the accusations
against him
as "absurd". "I suspect [abuse] did happen at the home," he said. "I
have been
stitched up to take the blame for what the others have done. The
children have
been manipulated to say these things."
Arnold also denied abusing children at the orphanage, but admitted he
had twice
been convicted of indecently assaulting teenage boys in the UK. He
said it was
"obvious" abuse was rife at the home.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Alamaine, IVe
Grand Forks, ND, US of A
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"All are lunatics, but he who can analyze his delusion is called a
philosopher." - Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914)
"Being ignorant is not such a shame as being unwilling to learn." -
Poor Richard's Almanack, 1758 (Benjamin Franklin)
~~~~~~~
In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material is
distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior
interest in receiving the included information for research and
educational purposes.
------------------------------------
www.ctrl.org
DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER
==========
ctrl is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing
propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please!
These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-
truths, mis-directions and outright frauds—is used politically by
different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the
spectrum of time and thought.
That being said, ctrl gives no endorsement to the validity of posts,
and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. ctrl gives
no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply.
There are two list running, [EMAIL PROTECTED] and
[EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] has unlimited posting and is
more for discussion. [EMAIL PROTECTED] is more for informational
exchange and has limited posting abilities.
Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector.
Omimited posting abilities.
Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector.
OmYahoo! Groups Links
