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Police fail to investigate sex abuse allegations
The court permanently suppressed the identities of the alleged perpetrator and the organisation he worked for, even though both were named in the media over separate sex abuse allegations decades ago
The police have failed to promptly investigate a complaint against an alleged paedophile, despite the individual being the subject of multiple allegations of sexual abuse of children in state custody being raised as far back as the 1990s.
One individual who was in the custody of an organisation contracted by the state in the 1980s says he has had very little response from police after making a formal complaint about the alleged perpetrator more than 18 months ago.
The alleged perpetrator was also the subject of a police complaint decades ago and was named in media reports at the time. He wasn’t charged. He was later the subject of a civil case in 2014 involving six victims, and the Ministry of Social Development has received multiple allegations of sexual abuse and violence against the individual and other former staff of the organisation he worked for.
Information obtained under the Official Information Act shows the ministry has received complaints of sexual abuse against 15 staff members of the organisation and further allegations against unnamed staff. There are a total of 60 sexual abuse allegations, with three of the staff the subject of 10, 12 and 16 allegations each.
However, the alleged perpetrator and the institution cannot be named because they were granted permanent name suppression in the civil case. The social development ministry was also a defendant in the case and the contracted organisation fought for and won permanent name suppression in the Court of the Appeal in 2016.
