 |
|
| |
|
The Judgment of Lord Justice Ward
The High Court of Justice - Family Division, UK
From the Judgement of Justice Ward |
PRINT THIS
1995 |
| |
|
The Judgement of
Lord Justice Ward
There are 3 ways to view this 295-page document:
Depending on your personal preferences, browser, computer hardware and settings, you should find at least one or more suitable methods of web display:
Intro by WC
This document was originally 295 pages long, prepared by the
Rt. Hon. Lord Justice Ward, and signed on October 19, 1995.
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 UK; not only how The Family were
forced through the court's far-reaching international powers to comply with a significant
number of fundamental changes and requirements placed on them by the court; but
also how the writings, doctrines, practices, leadership and the group's treatment of children were
placed under scrutiny.
In effect, the entire Family was on trial.
Leaving no stone unturned, the Court investigates 1000s of pages of never before
revealed internal documents, employs the opinions of investigative experts and social
workers, and personally interviews many witnesses.
In a remarkable display of even-handedness, 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.
Having no means of evasion left, The
Family had no choice but to adopt a new strategy for handling its legal problems -
some of them actually attending court and facing charges instead of going underground once again.
Though the Court found The Family's representatives were far from forthcoming, and
that much of The Family's improvements seemed to be of a superficial and cosmetic nature, it also found sufficient evidence through the duration of the proceedings that real
change was inevitable and that the child was reasonably safe for the time being.
Conditional custody was reluctantly granted to the mother, a full-time member of the
group.
As a condition for winning custody, The Family acknowledged, albeit quietly, wrong-doing on 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, Peter Amsterdam (Kelly) stated:
"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. 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."
This appears to be a cosmetic apology. You can read more about this in detail in WC's article: Peter Amsterdam's Admission of Guilt.
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
|
