Whatever happened to JW paedo Michael Porter?

LoveUniHateExams

I remember reading about this guy in a national newspaper in 2010 after he had had his trial for child sex abuse.

Porter avoided prison, despite being guilty of some acts child abuse.

The local elders defended him and were on his side and didn't DF him, from what I remember. Then after an outcry Porter was was DF'd, and I think sent to prison.

Anyone up-to-date on this?

Is he still in prison (where I believe he should remain for many years to come!), or is he back out in the community, living life as an active JW?

Phizzy

For those unfamiliar with this monster, this from an older Post :

Man escapes jail for sex attacks

Porter was put on the Sex Offenders Register

A Jehovah's Witness has escaped a jail term after admitting a series of sexual assaults on children and adults in Clevedon . Michael Porter, an elder in the religion, pleaded guilty to 24 counts of indecent assault and gross indecency on 13 victims aged 18 months and older. Among the individuals were others involved in the faith.
Judge Crowther at Bristol Crown Court sentenced Porter to three years of community rehabilitation.

Many of the families involved have been completely traumatised

Det Con Lisa Finch

Porter's sister, Tina Hughes, said: "I am absolutely disgusted. He should not have walked free.
"He has lost nothing. We have to tell the victims we have got no closure. He is an evil person. He is not human." Porter carried out the assaults between 1986 and 2000.
He was banned from working with anyone under the age of 18 and and put on the Sex Offenders Register.
Det Con Lisa Finch, of Avon and Somerset Police, said: "Many of the families involved have been completely traumatised. It has turned their lives upside down."
Porter declined to comment as he left court with his wife.He remains an elder in the religion.

Biahi

He REMAINS AN ELDER??? WTF?

carla

Here is an article on him-

https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2007/aug/24/ukcrime.stevenmorris

BluesBrother

He moved to Mill Hill, London as the storm broke and the last I heard remains a Witness.

An article on the Silent Lambs site carries this comment

”Peter Bell, presiding overseer of Jehovah's Witness centre, at Kingdom Hall, East Barnet Road, denied media reports that Porter had ever been an elder there. He said: "The courts misreported the facts. Porter has never been an elder here and never will be. He will not be an elder anywhere.”

https://silentlambs.org/news/why-is-brother-porter-smiling

Phizzy

He got 18 months in jail, after Baroness Scotland had the case looked at again, due to a Public Outcry.

Referring to the original sentence after jailing Porter on Wednesday, Lord Justice Gage said: "The judge took a course which he recognised as lenient and he described the case as exceptional.

"We can understand the judge's reasons for doing so. We recognise that the offender has made considerable efforts to ensure he doesn't commit any offences of this type again."

"But we have to recognise that these were serious offences committed on a number of young children and adolescents over a long time. These offences required an element of punishment as well as an element of mercy. They must be marked with a custodial sentence."

BUT where is he now ? he will ALWAYS be a danger to the vulnerable, and the JW Org. is a Paedophile Paradise, they have no active programme operating to protect the vulnerable.

Teddnzo

Apparently he had at least one child with his wife maybe more. Was that after he got out of prison or was it just before he went in?

If he is not allowed near children how does that work?

Diogenesister

Peter Bell, presiding overseer of Jehovah's Witness centre, at Kingdom Hall, East Barnet Road, denied media reports that Porter had ever been an elder there. He said: "The courts misreported the facts. Porter has never been an elder here and never will be. He will not be an elder anywhere.”

Yes Watchtower. Perhaps that's so. But only because of the "Worldly Outcry"....in fact Watchtower has only amended it's rules and mandated sex offenders no longer qualify to become elders because of the public's outrage!

Although the judge admits being too lenient initially, I would hazard a guess it was Watchtower who vouchsafed those "endeavours not to reoffend" - because we know abusers hide under Watchtower's veneer of respectability in these cases.

stan livedeath

wasnt Porter friends with Ron Drage ?

Teddnzo

I spoke to someone who knew him. How true all this is I don’t know for sure.

but apparently he was overseerer of the entire dinning room in Bethel at the time the first accusations broke. This means he was a single Bethel elder, one of the top dogs.

At first he denied it all and by the two witness rule nothing will happen. He was not removed from his privileges at all and everyone felt sorry for him. So much so that a sister in the congregation even agreed to marry him.

Then it all came out in the news he went to court and this sister still believed his story that he was innocent and they quickly got married in the Kingdom Hall.

soon after he was found guilty his legal advisers told him if he changes his plea to guilty it would be better for him and he then finally admitted the accusations were true after all.

this causes a problem under JW doctrine a wife can’t divorce or even separate for thing’s in the past only if unfaithful after marriage.

so she was stuck with him and to make matters worse she found she was pregnant

anyway he was eventually removed as a Bethel elder and went to prison

now he is out and not allowed near children but apparently he is still living with his wife and child. But he could never be left alone with his child

Whatever happened to JW paedo Michael Porter?

Share this