North Wales child abuse in state care homes

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Gordon Anglesea: Retired police chief one of those arrested as part of North Wales sex abuse investigation
22 January 2014 08:15 AM By North Wales Daily Post
He is questioned as part of Operational Pallial investigating claims of historic sexual abuse at 18 care homes
An ex-police chief has been arrested on suspicion of sexually abusing care home boys as young as eight, writes Tom Pettifor.

Retired North Wales superintendent Gordon Anglesea, 76, was questioned over allegations seven children were assaulted between 1975 and 1983.

He is the 18th person to arrested by police from Operation Pallial, investigating claims of historic sexual abuse at 18 care homes in the region between 1963 and 1992.

Mr Anglesea – a Rotary Club member and Freemason – was quizzed in December as part of the probe. He is now on bail.

A Rotary Club spokeswoman yesterday said: “Gordon Anglesea has been granted leave of absence until the end of April. We are not able to comment further until the legal process has been concluded.”

And the secretary of the North Wales Province of Freemasonry, Peter Sorahan, said: “In view of the fact Operation Pallial is ongoing, it would be inappropriate to comment.

“We welcome and strongly urge total transparency in every aspect of such investigations.”

Mr Anglesea, who lives with his wife, 65, was a policeman for 34 years and worked as an inspector in Wrexham between 1975 to 1983.

He became a superintendent and retired in 1991.

On Monday outside his home in Old Colwyn , he said: “I have no comment to make. All comments come through my solicitor.”

A spokeswoman for Mr Anglesea’s solicitors, Gordon & Slater, said yesterday that they had no comment to make.

Last month, a National Crime Agency spokesman said: “Officers arrested a 76-year-old man on suspicion of a number of physical and sexual assaults. The offences are alleged to have taken place against seven boys, between 1975 and 1983, when they were aged between eight and 16 years old.”

The following day the NCA said the man had been bailed until April. To date, one person has been charged with a large number of serious sexual offences.

The NCA launched Operation Pallial in 2012. It is one in a string of probes into abuse claims in North Wales care homes. In 2000, the Waterhouse Inquiry was launched to study allegations in former council areas of Gwynedd and Clwyd since 1974. Eight people were prosecuted, seven of whom were convicted.

http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/gordon-anglesea-retir ed-police-chief-6536447