Judgement of Lord Justice Ward - Revision history

Monger: changing to redirect (will move content)

2005-05-29T18:51:34Z

changing to redirect (will move content)

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:51, 29 May 2005
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	~~This document, originally 295 pages, was prepared by the Rt. Hon. [[Lord Justice Ward]] and signed [[1995]]-10-19.~~		#REDIRECT [[Judgment of Lord Justice Ward]]

	~~It is a ground-breaking legal document which details not only a trial for custody of a child born into [~~[~~The Family International]] and resident in the~~ [[United Kingdom]], but also how the [[:Category:Family Publications\|writings]], [[:Category:Beliefs\|doctrines]], [[:Category:Practices\|practices]], [[:Category:Leaders\|leadership]] and the group's treatment of children were placed under scrutiny.


	*'''[[Complete Judgment of Lord Justice Ward~~]]''' — Editor's Note: Around 650 KB.~~


	Leaving no stone unturned, the court investigated thousands of pages of never before revealed internal documents, employed the opinions of investigative experts and social workers, and personally interviewed many witnesses (see also: [[:Category:Testimony]]).

	Justice Ward ruled that The Family, including its top leadership, had engaged in [[:Category:Sexual Abuse\|abusive sexual practices]] involving minors, as well as [[:Category:Physical Abuse\|severe corporal punishment]] and sequestration of children. However, in a last minute turn around, he said The Family had abandoned these practices and that they were an acceptably safe environment for children. Conditional custody was granted to the mother, a full-time member of the group, with the requirements that the group cease all [[corporal punishment]] of children in the United Kingdom, improve the [[:Category:Education\|education]] of [[:Category:Current and Former Members\|members']] children, denounce their founder [[David Berg]]'s writings, and "acknowledge that through his writings Berg was personally responsible for children in The Family having been subjected to sexually inappropriate behaviour".

	As a result of this, The Family accommodated (albeit quietly) the custody-granting condition of admitting wrong-doing on Berg's part for literature which [[Berg on Pedophilia\|endorsed adult-child sex]]. In his apology to the Judge, [[Steven Douglas Kelly\|Steven Kelly]] (Peter Amsterdam) stated:

	~~<div style="padding: 1em; margin: 10px; border: 2px dotted green;">~~
	"The judgement refers in particular to '[[The Law of Love]]' and '[[The Devil Hates Sex]]', and we accept that as the author of ideas upon which some members acted to the harm of minors in 'The Family,' he [Berg] must bear responsibility for that harm. [[Karen Zerby\|Maria]], and all of us in [[World Services]] leadership, also feel the burden of responsibilty [...] Further, in [[1980]] [[Father David]]'s statements in his discourse entitled 'The Devil Hates Sex' opened the door for sexual behaviour between adults and minors, such sanctioning being the direct cause of later abusive behaviour by some 'Family' members at that time."
	~~</div>~~

	However, despite the group publicly renouncing former policies and doctrines that condoned or encouraged sex between adults and minors, in their internal publications there has been no such renunciation. Evidence of this is represented by the following quote from Family leader [[Karen Zerby]]:

	~~<div style="padding: 1em; margin: 10px; border: 2px dotted green;">~~
	This [sexual contact between adults and minors] is about the only subject where we're really going along with [[System\|the System]], we're playing along with them, we're acting like we believe what we did was wrong, because we have changed, and stopped doing it [...] We need to somehow explain to our [teenagers] that love and loving affection is not wrong. As it says in [Berg's writings], if it's not hurtful, if it's loving, then it's okay. Of course, having actual intercourse with a child wouldn't be okay as it wouldn't be loving, but a little fondling and sweet affection is not wrong in the eyes of God, and if they have experienced the same in the past they weren't 'abused.' [...] We need to explain to our [children] that any experience they may have had along these lines, if it was loving and if it was desired, was not wrong. We need to show them that even if in some case the experience for them wasn't so great, that by comparison to what goes on in the System, it still wasn't abuse. —[Karen Zerby], [[Summit '93 Mama Jewels]] #2, 1992. p.19.
	~~</div>~~

	~~[[Category:Legal Action]]~~
	~~[[Category:Testimony~~]]

Monger: major changes / additions

2005-05-29T18:50:02Z

major changes / additions

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:50, 29 May 2005
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	This document ~~was~~ originally 295 pages ~~long~~, prepared by the Rt. Hon. [[Lord Justice Ward]], and signed ~~on October 19,~~ [[1995]].		This document, originally 295 pages, was prepared by the Rt. Hon. [[Lord Justice Ward]] and signed [[1995]]-10-19.

	It is a ground-breaking legal document which details not only a trial for custody of a child born into [[The Family]] and resident in the [[United Kingdom~~\|UK~~]], but also how the writings, doctrines, practices, leadership and the group's treatment of children were placed under scrutiny.		It is a ground-breaking legal document which details not only a trial for custody of a child born into [[The Family International]] and resident in the [[United Kingdom]], but also how the [[:Category:Family Publications\|writings]], [[:Category:Beliefs\|doctrines]], [[:Category:Practices\|practices]], [[:Category:Leaders\|leadership]] and the group's treatment of children were placed under scrutiny.

	Leaving no stone unturned, the Court investigates thousands of pages of never before revealed internal documents, employs the opinions of investigative experts and social workers, and personally interviews many witnesses.

	While the Judge finds The Family lacking in frankness and disingenous in its attempts to skirt the responsibility and blame for lives damaged by its doctrines and pracrtices, he also found sufficient evidence through the duration of ~~the proceedings that there had been change and that the child was reasonably safe for the time being. Conditional custody was granted to the mother, a full-time member of the group~~.		*'''[[Complete Judgment of Lord Justice Ward]]''' — Editor's Note: Around 650 KB.

	As a condition for winning custody, The Family acknowledged, albeit quietly, wrong-doing on [[David Berg]]'s part for literature which endorsed adult-child sex. The Family's leaders admitted Berg's responsibility for harm done to children. In his apology to the Judge, [[Steven Douglas Kelly\|Steven Kelly]] (Peter Amsterdam) stated:

	<div style="padding: 1em; border: 2px dotted green;">		Leaving no stone unturned, the court investigated thousands of pages of never before revealed internal documents, employed the opinions of investigative experts and social workers, and personally interviewed many witnesses (see also: [[:Category:Testimony]]).
	"The judgement refers in particular to '[[The Law of Love]]' and '[[The Devil Hates Sex]]', and we accept that as the author of ideas upon which some members acted to the harm of minors in 'The Family,' he [Berg] must bear responsibility for that harm. [[Karen Zerby\|Maria]], and all of us in [[World Services]] leadership, also feel the burden of responsibilty... ~~...~~Further, in [[1980]] [[Father David]]'s statements in his discourse entitled 'The Devil Hates Sex' opened the door for sexual behaviour between adults and minors, such sanctioning being the direct cause of later abusive behaviour by some 'Family' members at that time."
			Justice Ward ruled that The Family, including its top leadership, had engaged in [[:Category:Sexual Abuse\|abusive sexual practices]] involving minors, as well as [[:Category:Physical Abuse\|severe corporal punishment]] and sequestration of children. However, in a last minute turn around, he said The Family had abandoned these practices and that they were an acceptably safe environment for children. Conditional custody was granted to the mother, a full-time member of the group, with the requirements that the group cease all [[corporal punishment]] of children in the United Kingdom, improve the [[:Category:Education\|education]] of [[:Category:Current and Former Members\|members']] children, denounce their founder [[David Berg]]'s writings, and "acknowledge that through his writings Berg was personally responsible for children in The Family having been subjected to sexually inappropriate behaviour".

			As a result of this, The Family accommodated (albeit quietly) the custody-granting condition of admitting wrong-doing on Berg's part for literature which [[Berg on Pedophilia\|endorsed adult-child sex]]. In his apology to the Judge, [[Steven Douglas Kelly\|Steven Kelly]] (Peter Amsterdam) stated:

			<div style="padding: 1em; margin: 10px; border: 2px dotted green;">
			"The judgement refers in particular to '[[The Law of Love]]' and '[[The Devil Hates Sex]]', and we accept that as the author of ideas upon which some members acted to the harm of minors in 'The Family,' he [Berg] must bear responsibility for that harm. [[Karen Zerby\|Maria]], and all of us in [[World Services]] leadership, also feel the burden of responsibilty [...] Further, in [[1980]] [[Father David]]'s statements in his discourse entitled 'The Devil Hates Sex' opened the door for sexual behaviour between adults and minors, such sanctioning being the direct cause of later abusive behaviour by some 'Family' members at that time."
	</div>		</div>

			However, despite the group publicly renouncing former policies and doctrines that condoned or encouraged sex between adults and minors, in their internal publications there has been no such renunciation. Evidence of this is represented by the following quote from Family leader [[Karen Zerby]]:

	*'''[[~~Complete Judgement~~ of ~~Lord Justice Ward~~]]''' ~~- Editor's Note: Around 650 KB~~.		<div style="padding: 1em; margin: 10px; border: 2px dotted green;">
			This [sexual contact between adults and minors] is about the only subject where we're really going along with [[System\|the System]], we're playing along with them, we're acting like we believe what we did was wrong, because we have changed, and stopped doing it [...] We need to somehow explain to our [teenagers] that love and loving affection is not wrong. As it says in [Berg's writings], if it's not hurtful, if it's loving, then it's okay. Of course, having actual intercourse with a child wouldn't be okay as it wouldn't be loving, but a little fondling and sweet affection is not wrong in the eyes of God, and if they have experienced the same in the past they weren't 'abused.' [...] We need to explain to our [children] that any experience they may have had along these lines, if it was loving and if it was desired, was not wrong. We need to show them that even if in some case the experience for them wasn't so great, that by comparison to what goes on in the System, it still wasn't abuse. —[Karen Zerby], [[Summit '93 Mama Jewels]] #2, 1992. p.19.
			</div>

	[[Category:Legal Action]]		[[Category:Legal Action]]
	[[Category:Testimony]]		[[Category:Testimony]]

Craven de Kere at 02:13, 25 March 2005

2005-03-25T02:13:17Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:13, 25 March 2005
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	*'''[[Complete Judgement of Lord Justice Ward]]'''		*'''[[Complete Judgement of Lord Justice Ward]]''' - Editor's Note: Around 650 KB.

	[[Category:Legal Action]]		[[Category:Legal Action]]
	[[Category:Testimony]]		[[Category:Testimony]]

Monger: added non-existant category:Legal Action

2005-03-15T15:14:36Z

added non-existant category:Legal Action

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:14, 15 March 2005
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	*'''[[Complete Judgement of Lord Justice Ward]]'''		*'''[[Complete Judgement of Lord Justice Ward]]'''

			[[Category:Legal Action]]
	[[Category:Testimony]]		[[Category:Testimony]]

Monger: added category:testimony

2005-03-15T15:13:22Z

added category:testimony

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:13, 15 March 2005
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	*'''[[Complete Judgement of Lord Justice Ward]]'''		*'''[[Complete Judgement of Lord Justice Ward]]'''

			[[Category:Testimony]]

Monger: removed Judgement... only the summary remains (will move judgement to another page)

2005-03-11T19:14:35Z

removed Judgement... only the summary remains (will move judgement to another page)

Show changes

Monger: added summary at beginning of article (slightly modified/edited from page on exfamily.org)

2005-03-11T04:25:10Z

added summary at beginning of article (slightly modified/edited from page on exfamily.org)

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 THIS IS THE JUDGMENT OF LORD JUSTICE WARD IN THIS CASE WHICH HE GAVE IN CHAMBERS ON THE 26TH MAY 1995 BUT WHICH IS BEING HANDED DOWN IN OPEN COURT TODAY. IT CONSISTS OF 295 PAGES AND HAS BEEN SIGNED AND DATED BY THE JUDGE.
@@ Line 7: / Line 23: @@
 SIGNED:
-''THE RT. HON. LORD JUSTICE WARD DATED 19TH OCTOBER 1995
 W 42 1992 IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUSTICE
 FAMILY DIVISION
 PRINCIPAL REGISTRY IN THE MATTER OF ST (A MINOR)
-'''Lord Justice Ward'''
+AND IN THE MATTER OF THE SUPREME COURT ACT 1991h</b>
 ==PREFACE==

Thorwald: Started article. Needs a LOT of work!

2005-03-11T03:56:24Z

Started article. Needs a LOT of work!

Show changes