From: Julia Phillips Area: Base of Set To: Balanone 2 Sep 94 17:45:42 Subject: British Report on SRA UpdReq Hello Balanone! 25 Aug 94 04:25, Balanone wrote to Julia Phillips: B> On 21 Aug 94 16:51:36, Julia Phillips posted to Balanone B> concerning: British Report on SRA ... JP>> On a related issue, have you heard about the "Criminal JP>> Justice and Public Order Bill" which is about to be passed JP>> as Law in Britain? &etc.... B> No, that I hadn't heard. Assuming the police aren't simply being B> given the ability to arrest people for having a picnic on the B> moor, they need to be able to claim some kind of just cause. What B> are the causes which justify such arrest? "Due cause for concern", as far as I can see. All I know at the moment is from reports about the Bill, not from reading the Bill itself, so it can be difficult to evaluate. However, knowing some of the background and lead-up to this, I'd guess it is aimed primarily at Travellers, and attendees at "free" rock concerts (eg, Glastonbury). What concerns me is that a police officer (of any rank) is able to arrest someone just for attending a gathering, whether any hitherto "illegal" act is being perpetrated or not. Seems all too close to the medieval: "of course she's a witch; you can tell just by looking at her", for my liking. I haven't heard yet whether the Bill was passed, but most of my British-based friends are pessimistic about it failing. I'll pass on anything else I hear. B*B Julia 201434369420143436942014343694201434369420143436942014343694718 From: Albertus Magnus Area: Base of Set To: All 18 Sep 94 10:16:52 Subject: Falsely Accused Sues UpdReq SAN DIEGO - A Sunday school teacher cleared of inflicting satanic ritual abuse on children is suing prosecutors, therapists and the church where he volunteered. Dale Akiki was acquitted in November on charges that he sexually abused, tortured and kidnapped nine children, ages 3 and 4, at the evangelical Faith Chapel in 1988 and 1989. He was held without bail for 2 1/2 years. A grand jury later denounced handling of the case, concluding that therapists and parents prodded children into inventing stories of ritual abuse that never happened. The children testified that Akiki had killed a baby, sacrificed rabbits and slaughtered an elephant and a giraffe. They also claimed he forced them to eat feces, beat them and tortured them with scalding water. In a lawsuit filed Aug. 25, Akiki claimed emotional distress, slander, libel, false imprisonment, professional negligence and civil rights violations. The lawsuit, which didn't specify damages, was kept under seal until it was moved from Superior Court to federal court. The lawsuit said District Attorney Edwin Miller and prosecutor Mary Avery pursued a meritless claim and that Avery tried to use the case to get a judicial appointment. It also said the church where Akiki was a volunteer baby sitter placed him "in a position of peril and provided no safeguards to prevent false rumor, innuendo and accusations from escalating into ritual satanic abuse mass hysteria which led to (Akiki's) arrest and imprisonment." The lawsuit accuses therapists who interviewed the children of professional negligence and accuses prosecutors of deliberately selecting therapists they knew were inclined to find evidence of abuse. It accuses the district attorney's office of withholding evidence that might have cleared Akiki sooner. Linda Miller, a spokeswoman for the district attorney's office, deferred comment to Deborah Peterson-Lee, a county attorney. Peterson-Lee wouldn't comment. Akiki's attorney, Milton Silverman Jr., didn't immediately return a telephone call. 201434369420143436942014343694201434369420143436942014343694718