24 June 2006

11 YEARS FOR GAY COUPLE WHO ABUSED THEIR FOSTER CHILDREN

By Lucy Thornton

A GAY foster couple were jailed yesterday for sexually abusing boys in their care.

Despite inflicting lifelong damage on at least one of their victims cynical predators Craig Faunch, 32, and his lover Ian Wathey, 41, showed no regret.

Judge Sally Cahill, QC, said: "Neither of you has shown any empathy or remorse, or accept any responsibility for your actions.

"You are presented as a couple. But this isn't about homosexuality. It's about an abuse of trust."

The judge slammed social services for failing to take action after indecent photos were found, saying the error was "incredible". An inquiry has been ordered.

Faunch was jailed for six years and Wathey for five.

The couple were approved as foster carers by Wakefield Council in July 2003.

But within months they were using the boys, who came from troubled homes, for their own sexual gratification.

Social services were alerted by a mother who came across alarming images of her eight-year-old twins in the toilet while in the men's care in November 2003.

Amazingly, officials accepted the couple's explanation that they used the pictures to embarrass the boys into closing the toilet door.

Merely rapping the men for being "naive and silly" they took no action. Piling blunder on blunder, they then lost the pictures.

As a result the abuse, which could have been halted, continued until January, 2005.

Wathey encouraged a child with Aspergers Syndrome to watch sexual activity on a gay porn video.

Faunch abused another youngster with a "very troubled background" who had been in the couple's care for only a few weeks.

Judge Cahill told him: "His need for care by you was obvious.

"That you chose to abuse that boy shows the very depths you were prepared to go to. You saw him as an ideal victim."

Police finally investigated after one boy told a woman he had been touched three times, and had repeatedly showered after an incident. Then a boy of 14 with special needs said he had also been a victim of the callous pair.

Judge Cahill told Leeds crown court it was "incredible" the toilet photos were not reported to police in time.

She told Faunch: "Once you realised social services were going to take no action, and believed your ridiculous story, you went on to abuse others in your care thinking yourself safe.

"It's quite impossible to know what the long term effects will be. There's no doubt that for one of those boys it will be lifelong."

Defence barristers had claimed the allegations were unfounded.

Faunch was convicted of two charges of making indecent photos of a child after using a camcorder to film naked eight-year-old boys in a shower. He was also convicted of five counts of sexual activity with a boy of 14.

Wathey was found guilty of four charges of sexual activity with another boy of 14 and of encouraging a child to watch sexual activity.

He was cleared of two charges of sexual activity with a child.

Both men, of Pontefract, West Yorkshire, were placed on the sex offenders' register and banned for life from working with children.

Saying they had abused their position of trust "most horribly", Judge Cahill branded them a continued risk to children and ordered them to serve an extended three years on licence.

The men had denied the claims at an earlier trial.

Wakefield social services said the department had reviewed procedures and launched a probe.

A spokeswoman said: "The allegations were referred to police as quickly as possible and made subject of a joint investigation.

"We've offered support, where appropriate, to children affected."


lucy.thornton@mirror.co.uk
mirror.co.uk

   

At least being gay will have prepared them a little for life in prison. Disgusting.

   

Man, I was so horrified when I read that in the paper. Sick Fucks.

   

Death would almost be too kind a sentence for these sick fuckers!

   

God damn bastards. 5 and 6 years.

But for some reason, I have a feeling that they won't survive long in jail. My father often says that if the justice system doesn't get them, the other prisoners do - they have children, and they will see to it that these men can't pull this shit again.

   

The first ones to go in jail are the child molesters.

   

And all this on pride weekend.

   

Give em the chair.

   

Put them in G.P.

   

Good catch Lily. Misleading media or honest error? One wonders.

   

sentenced to 5 and 6 years........ i can't comment......... i just do not get it! 5 and 6 years for abusing children repeatedly......... there must be something severely wrong with this world!