Abuse of the disabled

[Jim]

I expect most of us were disgusted, but not entirely surprised, at the persistent abuse of the 63 yeay old man who had learning difficulties. Whether the abuse caused his death may be hard to prove, but it hardly matters. His life was made intollerable for so many years by generations of mindless thugs despite, it seems, considerable police help. There have been other recent cases where the police and Social Services have not given any support. Sadly he will not be the last we shall hear about.

Today I listened to a news item about a suggestion that the age of criminal responsibility should be raised as the Bulger Murderers were too young to be aware of the error of their ways.

I have found these two news items quite disturbing.
 
When I started school, aged 5, a gang of boys and girls of that age regularly showered me with ridicule and stones. When my mother came with me they didn't. This suggests that at age 5 they knew right from wrong, and the consequences of being found out.

As for the abuse, physical and verbal, it has persisted all my life, usually from strangers, totally unprovoked, and thankfully infrequent. On the couple of ocassions when I have contacted the police they have responded sympathetically, visited once and explained how vulnerable people like me are. Not very reassuring. Usually members of the public pretend not to notice.

The result is I find it very difficult to trust anyone other than my wife and usually become quite worried when I have to go outside the front gate, but I force myself to do so.   

There are so many of us caught up in this lifestyle, those with mental health problems and us with our physical difficulties. We should make a concerted effort to change all this, but how?   

[HarryB]

Jim I agree with you on this matter, but it seemes there is very little we can do over and above what is already being done ?


harryb

[rosenam]

Hi all

I agree with all your thoughts/comments - it really is getting worse 

In Scotland we have the Children's Hearing System, this is supposed to 'rehabilitate' young offenders' - as I work with Criminal Justice Services I can see that this doesn't work for the vast majority of them - they go on to a criminal lifestyle from when they are released from Social Work Supervision (there are a few that resolve their issues but they are few and far between)

I watched the Tonight programme last night and my heart went out to James Bulger's mother, she has tried to get on with her life along with the campaign for 'Justice For James' but everything is now back in the forefront, she also feels that she was kept ill-informed (even though she had been promised that they would keep her updated) - she found out through the press what was going on.

Someone really needs to start taking a stand!!!

[Yvonne]

I am appalled at the thought of the age of criminal responsibility being raised. I agree with you Jim children do know from an early age the difference from right and wrong. We are not talking about stealing sweets here we are talking about pre meditated murder.  

As for the cases of abuse that have been in the news recently it seems to me that the police although sympathetic have not actually had the power to do anything until it's been too late.

[Cali]

Some time ago we had a really troublesome neighbour, I won't go into details but he 'arranged' to have windows broken etc. He would also call the police and make spurious complaints and be taken at face value.

Anyway, after he had arranged for a friend's window to be broken as her children were playing near it, as the then co-ordinator of the Neighbourhood Watch I went to his door to confront him. I felt reasonably safe as a great deal of neighbours were keeping watch, out of sight, and I was carrying a tape-recorder in my pocket.

Needless to say I didn't get too far with him, but about 30 minutes after I left and was in another neighbours house discussing it, Les phoned me to say the police were at my house to see me. I went home and was told there was a complaint that I had been threatening this neighbour!

I pointed out that he was an ex-paratrooper and I was a 50+ disabled woman and asked how far they wanted to take it? They left.

Fortunately he moved soon afterwards, but it takes a neighbourhood to stand up to these people and it's hard to get people involved.

Cali   

[Tuppence]

I was thinking that the age of responsibility should be actually lowered, since youngsters seem to grow up much more quickly these days and are very worldly-wise and savvy in comparison to decades ago.  And I do agree that very young children know right from wrong.  You only need to observe them to see that they usually look around furtively if they are about to do wrong!

It is disturbing that our police and social services seem to be unable to protect vulnerable people - it must be a terrible thing to actually see the bad stuff going on and being powerless to help.  That must be very depressing and de-motivating.  

Just caught your post, Cali, as I was writing - that must have been scary but well done for taking a stand.  What a scumbag your ex-neighbour is - good thing he moved, but he is probably terrorising someone else now.

[pumpkin]

Yes Jim, I was very disturbed and saddened to hear the death of the vulnerable man and shocked that in this so call 'aware' society that this can go on.  I dont think the age of responsibility should be raised - quite the reverse.  I know that my little grandsons, who are only 2, know what "no" means and by the age of 5 they certainly know right from wrong.

Cali - well done you for confronting a man who is just a bully - takes a lot of courage to do that.

[scottyted]

I have just read the various posts on this topic and there are a number of points I would like to raise in connection with this.

I have to begin by saying that I totally agree with those who say that the age of criminal responsibility should be lowered rather than raised.  I was actually under the impression that it was actually aged 8, but maybe that is Scotland rather than England.  Regardless, I would still be happier if it was lower.  Despite what may be said of some of these individuals only being children, the awareness of the difference between right and wrong is something that everyone learns very early on.  As Pumpkin says, even her 2-year-old grandsons know that 'no' means no and that there will be consequences if they continue with their behaviour.

I was not at all surprised to hear that there is the possibility that Jon Venables may not be formally charged with his latest offences as this would reveal details of his current identity and address.  I do not believe that he and John Thompson should have been released when they were 18, new identities or not.  Their crime was utterly despicable and I feel that they should have been sentenced to a total life in prison.  After all, John Bulger's mother is still suffering from the consequences of the death of her son in the light of the Venables' current behaviour.

As for the 'abuse of the disabled', I too think that the behaviour of some individuals is disgusting, when most of the disabled who are targeted did not have a choice in whether or not to become disabled, it happened to them and they have to live the rest of their lives trying to 'fit in' and get on as best they can.  Nothing is made easy for them and they have to fight for any rights they manage to have granted to them.

If you are the victim of abuse, or you know of someone who is, please do make sure that you report it to the police, and insist that it is categorised as a hate crime.  If it is categorised as such, the police are required to investigate it and to collate the figures to report to the Home Office (in England certainly).  This is important because the figures are reported annually and until the number of incidents becomes high enough, we will not get legislation that will make it a criminal offence to abuse a person simply because they are disabled.  I know it is not always easy to dapproach the police to report something ike this, but you can always take a friend along for moral support.  Remember that members of the ethnic minorities and the gay communities have already fought for and achieved such legal protection and we need to ensure that we fight for the same.

I know that the Scottish Government did have a bill on their list a year or two ago to give the disabled community similar protection, but I don't know what happened to it.  It was around at the same time as the Disabled Parking Bay Bill, so it may have got lost with the change from Labour to SNP.

[Jim]

What I would like to see is a united approach from all disabled people, all disability charities, carers, and anybody else you can think of!

On friday I heard an interview of an autistic man, on radio 4, where he described the abuse he regularly receives. This problem is so wide-spread, but when I have mentioned it to, or if it has been witnessed by, non-disabled people they find it hard to credit it happens. I'm sure many people think it is just an attempt to gain sympathy. Most of us know different.

Young men receiving aid from Help for Heroes have been ridiculed. People with learning difficulties, the autistic, those with Downs syndrome, the dyslexic, MS sufferers, and those with physical problems such as ours, are all selected for physical and verbal abuse and not just by those we describe as mindless yobs.

Volunteers for the organising committee, please. 

[Morpheus]

Disability Hate Crime:- is an emotive issue that authorities have been slow to respond to.  Given the long uphill struggle in our history with Racial & Gender abuse that took years before it was taken seriously, Issues that relate to Disability crimes are only just beginning to be addressed.  I personally have been to meetings at Disability Equality (North West) where the Police and CPS are beginning to act instead of papering over the cracks.

Sadly, crimes against the more vulnerable members of our society have a hard time convincing or getting successful prosecutions against some of the nasties out there.  However there is more being done to try and change this.  It will take time.

See:
CPS Policy on Disability Hate Crime

Respond:From Hurt to Healing

There is also a Consultation under way with the Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHCR)

See: 
Inquiry into disability related harassment

So some significant steps are being taken : Oddly enough the "Media" say little about it

[Jim]

Many thanks for the Links, Leo. Quite a bit of reading on them, but nice to know something is happening even though it is only just beginning.

It was a threatened physical assault, totally unprovoked and due to my disability, that set me searching for help and led me to rediscovering the Polio Fellowship. The incident was 10 years ago, but still affects my wife and I quite a lot.

This On-line Community is heaven-sent. Sincere thanks for all you did to set it up and what you do to keep it running.

[pumpkin]

Oh Jim, I hadnt realised that you'd suffered such abuse but so glad that you feel you can talk about it here and an ill wind and all that but it brought you in touch with the BPF without whom we wouldnt have had the pleasure of your company here.

[Yvonne]

Jim, that must have been really unsettling and I can understand how it must have undermined your confidence. 

[Gerry]

Oh Jim !  I hadn't realised you were intimidated by a despicable individual 

You're actually a brave man to talk openly about such an occurrance...in fact it takes one Hell of a man to openly discuss such matters.


Bless ya man

[Jim]

Don't praise me. My little wife pushed in front of me (me wobblin' about on my props!) and gave the swine a real tongue lashing. Problem is he is a local rat and still walks past our front gate a couple of times a day. Every time we see him all the memories flood back.

The neighbours were a real help. Next door told me about 'the weakest chicken in the farm-yard', another simply said 'stay away from him, he sounds like a nasty piece of work'. The latter was the perpetrator of the actions which our would be assailant used to justify his deed to the police. When I told him this he said I shouldn't try and put the blame on him and shut the door. I have no confidence in neighbours anymore and just acknowledge them if I see them.

The police only  had our word and were just  interested in keeping the peace. Which I understand. They asked that I speak to the rat when I see him to avoid any further bad feeling! I tried.

When the rat tried to have a go at me all he was saying was that I had no business using crutches as he had seen me gardening and someone should tell Social Services that I was a benefit fraudster. As I had paid him, rather well, to do gardening I couldn't manage I was amazed. I had been out and about on crutches for many years before his cowardly act. A couple of years later his wife and two sons threw him out as, we were told, he had been violent towards them for many years! We should have moved years ago, but I fear ending up in a worse situation with scum like that living next door.

We meet some very nice dog walkers, but do we feel isolated? Yes.