Children's Home Abuse Claimants Win Compensation
29/09/2008
Five men who claimed they were abused in a children's home in Berkshire 40 years ago have received an out-of-court settlement for an undisclosed amount. The allegations relate to Green Field House, Maidenhead, which was run by the now obsolete Berkshire County Council. The home was then managed by the late Don Prescott. The settlement, by one of the Council's successors - Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead Council - came despite no criminal convictions.
A spokeswoman for the Council said it could not accept liability for the alleged abuse, because the Council was simply administering something which had been left after Berkshire County Council disbanded in 1998. Alan Collins, the men's solicitor, said Mr Prescott allegedly rented the boys out to paedophiles as far afield as Leicester, London, Cambridge and Reading between 1964 and 1970. Mr Prescott was a former soldier who died about 21 years ago.
In November 2006, nine men, who were all former residents of the care home, received an out-of-court payout totalling more than £300,000 after claiming they were abused by Mr Prescott. At the time a civil trial had been due to begin at Winchester Crown Court but the former Berkshire County Council's insurers agreed the settlement.
The allegations came to light in 2000 when one of the former boys, now in his 40s, suffered a nervous breakdown. He went to Thames Valley Police, which immediately started an investigation. One man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was charged with sex abuse, but the case was dropped before trial due to a lack of evidence as only two men had come forward at that time. Mr Collins said police advised them to take advice about pursuing a claim for compensation.
In a statement, Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead Council said: "Solicitors, appointed by both the insurers of the former Berkshire County Council and Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead Council, as the successor authority, agreed an out-of-court settlement with the legal representatives of the men concerned.
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