Victoria, Australia: Brief Update - Steven Unthank is still Acting Prosecutor, etc.

by AndersonsInfo 41 Replies latest watchtower child-abuse

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  AndersonsInfo

  Court hearing results for December 6, 2011:
  
  Steven Unthank is still the Acting Prosecutor (and that's why he could not comment on the case on the"Dialogue" program), and all 5 cases are still before the courts. The Crown informed the court that the Office of Public Prosecutions are "acting as a facilitator at the moment"; and that the police investigation is "quite well progressed"; and that the police are awaiting response from the Department of Justice.
  
  The Magistrate acknowledged "the complexity of the case."
  
  Next court hearing date: February 21, 2012.
  
  
  According to members of the Traralgon Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses, the police turned up during the Theocratic Ministry School meeting at the Traralgon Kingdom Hall, last week on Tuesday, November 29th, and spoke with the body of elders who quickly escorted them into a back room.
  
  Further, during the same week, the police took a number of "Statements" (depositions) from parents and members of the Traralgon Congregation in relation to the body of elders actually working with children and having direct contact with children in breach of the Working with Children Act 2005.
  
  The police are now investigating breaches of the Working with Children laws committed by individual members of the body of elders in relation to 8 different children within the Traralgon Congregation.
  
  This more than likely is what the Office of Public Prosecutions was referring to in court today when they stated that the police investigation is "quite well progressed."
  
  Also, on the weekend the body of elders deliberately cancelled a Bible reading which was to be done by a young 10 year old child within the Traralgon Congregation during the Theocratic Ministry School tonight, after the court cases. The child is very upset and has asked if he is being punished. Those aware of the situation have never heard of any body of elders taking away a Bible reading from a young child.
  
  The meeting attendance sign outside the Traralgon Congregation has been pulled down and removed from public display following a personal visit in November by the Australian Branch Overseer who met with the body of elders in the Traralgon Congregation.
  
  Parents within the Traralgon Congregation have openly expressed concern that they may be victimised or targeted by the Watch Tower Society simply because they lawfully provided information to the police when they were contacted by the police while investigating breaches of the Working with Children laws committed by the body of elders in the Traralgon Congregation.

  Barbara
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  jwfacts

  That is a great result.

  I am surprised that so many parents in the congregation were willing to speak with the police. A difficult aspect in the case will be to get elders and witness families to be honest about unsupervised contact between elders and children.

  I remember as a child regularly going in door to door preaching alone with elders. On one occasion when I was about 10 I was with an elder in a block of units, and remember overhearing two people walk past and say "look at that man dragging that poor child around." That is the type of situation in which an elder should not be with a child without the WWC card, but I wonder how many active Witnesses would be willing to testify against an elder.
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  smiddy

  I think this perception that only elders in a congregation need to have working with children checks,needs to be addressed.

  Every adult jehovah`s witness who engages in the door to door ministry should be required to have a working with children check.

  Why ?

  Often times jw`s go from house to house unacompanied by another" witness" who happens to call on a household while both parents are out for one reason or another ,leaving the child unprotected with a stranger on their doorstep.

  In a talkback radio programe ABC/gippsland victoria with Celine Foenander about working with children checks and the problems people were having concerning these checks, a caller rang in to say they had a carpet cleaning business and they were required to get a wwcc simply because they could be doing their job when a child was home alone.

  So surely every jehovah`s witness who goes door to door needs to have these checks and not just elders in a congregation

  smiddy
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  mind blown

  I've been at the edge of my seat waiting for Dec 6th! Barbara, many many Thank You's for keeping us informed
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  smiddy

  It`s not just the children of jehovah`s witnesses who need to be protected here ,it`s the children of every home where a jehovah`s witness knocks on the door.

  smiddy
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  Gayle

  http://www.street-directory.com.au/sd3/gsv/?ll=-38.1864090,146.5526210

  googled Traralgon Kingdom Hall,,this a virtual type picture,,don't know 'when' this would have been printed or processed, zoomed in on sign, shows just "Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses," can't read the small blurred print there though. With the police coming to Kingdom Hall, Hope some just don't get all paranoid,,as they are taught that the "government" is going to try to come and get them at the time of the end. Here they (police and government) are just trying to protect the children. Thank you for all your 'in the know' updates. It is so wonderful to be out of the organization to be able to find the facts and ask questions about - everything. In the organization, we were always so suppressed to ask any such questions about anything. Told don't worry, the elders will take care of it. What a joke!
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  Aussie Oz

  Whats the bet the WT corporation leaves these elders hanging out to dry and denies having told them to not comply?

  I certainly hope the Dept of public prosecutions and the victorian police realize they are dealing with whole organizations bad policy and not just focus on 8 elders in one hall.

  oz
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  ABibleStudent

  Hi Barbara, thanks for the update.

  What has happened with the GB or their representative(s) attending the hearings? I know that it would be difficult to locate a FDS, but everyone knows who the GB are. So why, doesn't the GB just let the Australian branch lawyer represent them? Is the GB trying to locate a criminal defense barrister to defend them instead of a civil barrister?

  Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

  Robert
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  smiddy

  jwfacts

  I dont know if this is such a good result......,this case was first started in april ? and Steven is still the one who is prosecuting this case ?

  Doesn`t the legislation say that any who violate this law are liable for prosecution ?

  Why hasn`t the office of prosecutions taken over this case from the outset ?

  Why is it left to a private individual to bear this responsibility ?

  Is this legislation regarding working with children checks just a paper tiger ? with no teeth?

  Shouldn`t every other group who complied with the wwcc feel cheated that they complied while the WTB&TS gets off scot free ? (so far at least )

  Are they just hoping that if they string it along long enough people will just get tired of it then they can dismiss it and no one will care.?

  I hope that doesn`t eventuate

  It`s up to us to see that it doesnt

  smiddy
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  mind blown

  @ smiddy

  From what I've followed so far, this case has many twists and turns, one of which WTS attorney has stated there is no literal FDS, to denying there is a Jehovah's Witness Christian Congregation, to denying adults are not working with children, as well as the GB not responding to any of this.

  There has to be much investigation before there can be an actual prosecution and move forward.