Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

Case never closed if more information comes to light. All down to the CPS.

As he is dead he can't be prosecuted, but the investigation may have been kept open in case anyone else came forward.

So would Gloucestershire Police be able to say whether Christ's Hospital or an individual connected had written a letter of support for Ball?

In principle the answer is yes, but I doubt any police force would release such information to a member of the public.

jtaylor wrote: Wed Jan 15, 2020 10:15 pm Watched the second part tonight - harrowing.

The use of the phrase “non-recent” abuse or “historical abuse” by CH has always grated with me - somehow made it maybe feel like ages ago, and maybe somehow less significant.....but have never been able to articulate quite why.

They shouldn't be allowed to call it "historical abuse" until they have PROVED it isn't still going on. The default assumption should be that it still is. No one currently or previously employed there has been able to give any substantial, concrete description of how safeguarding procedures have improved, except for having a security perimeter, which actually makes things worse as it traps the kids inside CH more, it makes CH even more of an isolated community (and we know isolation enables child abuse). Every single child abuse act committed against the pupils of Christs' Hospital was done by people who worked there, as far as we know. There were no paedos lurking in bushes waiting for an unsuspecting pupil in Shelley's wood or desperately pawing at the gates trying to get in, every single crime that we know of was committed by a teacher or priest (priest is merely a synonym for useless layabout and manipulator, or worse).

Until CH explains how the abuse was able to happen, it can't say with confidence that it couldn't happen again.

If on the other hand it knows it can't happen again, then please explain how it was able to happen.

There were one or two stories of "dirty old men" from outside managing to gain access to the toilets by the changing rooms.

Like "paedo" Webb, those things weren't taken that seriously by the circles I moved in, instead viewed as harmless pervs, which looking back was very naive.

Little did we know what was really going on.

If memory is corrected, none of the house doors were locked at night. The mind boggles at who had access to where.

Same in my day, 1985 to 1992.
No doors ever locked, and no boundary security of any sort, except the mythical “night watchman”

I agree with both Julian and Richard.

jtaylor wrote: Sun Jan 26, 2020 8:08 am Same in my day, 1985 to 1992.
No doors ever locked, and no boundary security of any sort, except the mythical “night watchman”

Haha, that brings back memories, the night watchman with 1200 acres to patrol.

Ridiculous really, but I suppose it ticked a box in the insurance.

Masters could drive their cars freely through East, West and North Lodge Gates which were never closed.

Wopplegate was just a path with a stile at the end so not car friendly.

Never did know how they got to and from the Bax Castle.

Assume they drove the long way round.

No need to worry about drink driving in those days

There was a road out on Big Side onto Three Mile Ash (?). It wasn't that far to the Bax from there.

I remember being told that a the gates were locked one day a year to prevent the school roads becoming a public highway. I am sure that day was Christmas Day.

I remember four different doors to the outside plus the tube led straight up into the boarding houses.

Ridiculous absence of security. We could have been abused in our beds. Sadly some were.

jtaylor wrote: Sun Jan 26, 2020 8:08 amSame in my day, 1985 to 1992.
No doors ever locked, and no boundary security of any sort, except the mythical “night watchman”

During the day the whole place was wide open, but they did lock some of the doors overnight when I was there. Not exactly top-level security, symbolic more than anything else, to keep kids in rather than anyone out.
Met the (or a?) nightwatchman a couple of times. I guess reporting you for being out would have been more hassle than it was worth for him, so as long as you weren't doing anything stupid, he'd just have a chat and remind you to lock up when you went back to house.

scrub wrote: Sun Jan 26, 2020 11:58 pm Met the (or a?) nightwatchman a couple of times. I guess reporting you for being out would have been more hassle than it was worth for him, so as long as you weren't doing anything stupid, he'd just have a chat and remind you to lock up when you went back to house.

I was never sure if this mythical person was real. Was it a designated post or something that all staff members did on a rota?

Otter wrote: Mon Jan 27, 2020 12:16 pm

scrub wrote: Sun Jan 26, 2020 11:58 pm Met the (or a?) nightwatchman a couple of times. I guess reporting you for being out would have been more hassle than it was worth for him, so as long as you weren't doing anything stupid, he'd just have a chat and remind you to lock up when you went back to house.

I was never sure if this mythical person was real. Was it a designated post or something that all staff members did on a rota?

The fella I remember wasn't a teacher, but I imagine a few of them would also be out and about every now and then. I don't recall seeing any, but that doesn't mean they weren't there.