April 2004

NO MORE EXCUSES!

by Vivienne Legg of gaiaguys

Victoria Police and Premier’s Justice Department turn to blaming child welfare advocate and whistleblower for stalled "investigations"

The Victorian Police Commissioner's office and the Premier's Justice Department have recently turned to blaming child advocate, Dr Reina Michaelson, for lack of results in their latest police "investigation" into a powerful, elite pedophile ring operating in the State of Victoria. Dr Michaelson, the Executive Director of Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Program Inc., has repeatedly made reports and provided evidence to police about the existence and protection of this pedophile/child pornography ring, which involves politicians, business leaders, media personalities and police, among others. Ignoring the repeatedly documented and demonstrable reasons for Dr Michaelson’s lack of trust in the investigative bodies, (related more thoroughly in other gaiaguys.net pages) Justice Department official, Ian Killey, asserts that her current lack of willingness to provide more evidence, (in the form of vulnerable victims of these hideous crimes) could well deflect criticism of the investigation, as she would be seen to be at fault for not providing evidence. Who would see it this way, Mr Killey? Not the thinking public.

While Dr Michaelson and others have provided evidence of this group’s activities in the past, the police have demonstrably chosen to ignore it.

More that two years has passed since Dr Michaelson first brought this case to the appropriate authorities. During this time investigations by the Sexual Crime Squad, the Police Ethics Unit and the Ombudsman’s Office have been repeatedly sabotaged. KEY WITNESSES and KEY BODIES of evidence provided by Dr Michaelson, which point to the crux of her extremely serious complaints, have been persistently avoided. THREE leading investigators have been removed from investigations after Dr Michaelson revealed evidence of their duplicity and willingness to cover for child offenders. One was from the original Police Ethical Standards Division investigation, and two from the Ombudsman's investigation (one of whom was an officer that had been seconded from the ESD). Even one most basic, clear-cut, proven, criminal case has led to no charge whatsoever of the perpetrator (who has admitted in writing to delivering a verbal death threat).

Repeated breaches of trust have clearly occurred on the part of Victoria police, the most recent example involving a breach of an undertaking by current investigating officers that certain formerly involved, implicated officers would not even know about the current investigation, or have any form of influence over it. Dr Michaelson was discouraged from taping meetings with those currently involved, including the meeting in which this undertaking was given. She was told it would not be conducive to a trusting relationship. Two different current explanations by the Assistant Police Commissioner of the renewed involvement of one of these officers contradict each other and are not supported by witness accounts.

Perhaps most outstanding of all, in recent months Dr Michaelson discovered that previous corroboratory complaints to Victoria Police, about the same criminal network have been made, although she had been led to believe that hers was the first and only one. Once confronted with Dr. Michaelson’s knowledge of these previous reports Victoria Police at first denied that there had been any such previous reports. However they later reluctantly conceded that there has indeed been a previous formal report or reports concerning this criminal network.

Dr Michaelson has, in her care, a number of victim/witnesses of violent sexual abuse who have independently corroborated the information she has already provided. Some of those witnesses also testify to the fact that they provided this information to Victoria Police some years ago, but that those investigations also were suppressed. Written records of these reports have clearly since been lost, forgotten, destroyed or hidden, although one previous case has now been acknowledged, quite independent of Dr Michaelson’s, featuring obviously identical and striking characteristics. These include the involvement of high-profile celebrities and politicians as offenders, the production of child pornography, activities that can be described as satanic-ritual-abuse, and even human sacrifice. Incredibly this corroborating report has been dismissed, by the current "investigator" who remarked, "To be quite honest Reina I am not even certain that the matter … is the same matter as you have alleged." (Just how many such celebrity/politician, pedophile/pornography, ritual abuse groups are there in Victoria?!!!) Further pointing to the ludicrousness of this statement is the fact that two of the same offenders were specifically named in each case, as conceded by this officer. But, the Assistant Police Commissioner is clearly of the view that bothering over such details is not going to advance the investigation in any way. Such information, he asserts, does not constitute evidence. "In order for us to progress this investigation we need sufficient evidence to lay charges and bring prosecutions before the Courts. …Past information does not assist in that regard. It does not add to or detract from the seriousness with which we treat these allegations."

Consistent with all of the above, officers named by several witnesses as being involved in previous investigations, now outright deny being involved or "cannot recall" receiving allegations of child sex offences perpetrated by (arguably) Australia's most famous television celebrity PLUS a former Minister of Police. Interestingly, the officer who related the above case reportedly does recall being involved in such an investigation but "cannot recall" with whom.

Not only have these investigatory bodies given Dr Michaelson and the victims of these heinous crimes no reason whatsoever to trust them to carry out proper investigations, but in a recent interview another vulnerable and frightened victim/witness was discouraged from providing a statement. As she attempted to provide her statement about the previously mentioned death threat from one member of this group, she was repeatedly harassed and discouraged with the reminder that she may have to face the perpetrator in court. A child witness in a previous, related "investigation" had been severely and menacingly intimidated during an interview. One who had been severely bashed by someone just prior to giving evidence was not interviewed then, although she was at a later time. The police stated that because she did not disclose the first time (after she had suffered grievous bodily harm), they would not take any action if she disclosed in the future because, as she did not disclose the first time, a jury would not believe her.

Most significant of all, not only are the witnesses/victims of the pedophile network in fear for their lives, but most of them report members of Victoria Police to be among those who raped and/or sexually abused them. Clearly, as Dr Michaelson asserts, it would be unethical and DANGEROUS for her to hand over the witnesses to Victoria Police.

The astonishing implication, disgracefully and tellingly echoed by the Premier’s Justice Department, that Dr Michaelson is to blame for the delays for not providing the identities of these victims, despite the Victoria Police still demonstrating significant and repeated breaches of trust, and avoiding the most basic investigations, should be clear to all as an act of extreme hypocrisy. It is a demonstration of sheer contempt for justice for the many victims, not to mention a clear indication that those covering for this cruel and powerful network of child offenders are increasingly desperate to take the focus away from their indefensible position. Importantly, Justice Department’s Mr Killey had told Dr Michaelson, when she first approached the Premier’s Department, that hers was the strongest case they had ever received against the Ombudsman’s Office, (who also have recently insinuated that their delays in producing the now overdue report are caused by Dr Michaelson). But in response to her latest call for a Parliamentary Inquiry Mr Killey wrote, "While you may not trust the Police or the Ombudsman's investigation, I do not share that view and consider that they must be given the chance to do their jobs. And withholding information must inevitably hamper their ability to do so ? or at least allow a deflection of any criticism of an investigation to your lack of cooperation."

We put the following question to all rational people. If you were in this situation and you had witnessed REPEATED acts of sabotage, corrupt, unethical and improper conduct on behalf of the investigating bodies, and you knew that the witnesses under your care had reported being raped and/or sexually abused by members of Victoria Police, and that they were justifiably living in fear for their lives, would YOU hand them over to Victoria Police??

Dr Michaelson of Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Program Inc., Ms Hetty Johnston of Brave Hearts, president of Parents Victoria, Ms Gail McHardy, and we of gaiaguys.net continue to call for a parliamentary enquiry in the face of the Premier’s Justice Department now joining the growing chorus of blame-the-whistleblower, and pointing at Dr Michaelson as the cause of their own delays. For anyone to suggest as reasonable, that criticism of the investigation could be deflected by Dr Michaelson being seen to be at fault for not providing evidence, is an assault not only on common sense but an affront to basic human dignity.

Be sure to read the whole story here http//www.gaiaguys.net/vic.introduction.htm

Also read the supporting information page to see that Dr Michaelson’s case in neither fanciful nor is it isolated. http//www.gaiaguys.net/vic.links.htm

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