This happened a few years ago, As a Foster Carer I was caring for a 14 year old lad called
Marshal (not his real name). My Custodial Son Michael spent a lot of time with Marshal. I'll give you an account of the events of spring 2007.
We have lived on our estate for about 15 years, our Custodial son Michael was About 18 (now 26) so he was a few years older than Marshal (14) at the time of the incident.
The two lads went onto the local cricket field to have a kick-about
with a football, Michael had often done this as he grew up. About half an hour
later our son Michael came rushing into the house and called for me to come
quick. As a foster carer I had quickly learned to respond to Michael when he
was supervising outside activities (he isn’t prone to panicking.) I rushed
outside onto our driveway and saw a man of about thirty or so, he had his hands
around Marshal's neck and he was pushing him backwards over the low wall that
divided our drive from the neighbours. I shouted at the man telling him to
“Back-off” as I was shouting I began pulling at the man’s arm with my left hand
and dialling 999 on my mobile with my right hand. I managed to make the man let go of Marshal and Michael C helped me check that he wasn’t too badly hurt.
I turned to the man who had attacked Marshal and asked him what he
thought he was doing attacking a child in my care. Just as I asked this the mans
father arrived on the scene – he began shouting abuse at me for bringing a load
of Fucking Foster Kids into a ‘nice community!” I replied “I am offering a home
to young people who need my care and support, please don’t be abusive to them or
my son and me we have not harmed the community by becoming foster carers, it’s
you and your son that are behaving abusively”. I turned around to see if Marshal was OK and saw him coming down the driveway with a sweeping brush in his
hands, As I put my arms out to block his path Marshal put the brush down and
fell into my arms and cried! (some thug!) I turned back to the two
troublemakers.
The father then claimed that Marshal had verbally abused him while they
were over on the cricket field. I asked Marshal if this was true and he said
he had been shouted at by both the younger man and his dad for playing football on the
cricket field. (something all the local lads did often) I asked the two men if
this was true and the dad said “I told him to keep of the F*cking field I don’t
want these F*cking Foster Kids coming into our community they are only in care
because they are F*cking trouble makers and vandals” I then said to the two men
“Please leave my driveway, you are accusing this 14 year old lad of things like
being a trouble maker and a vandal without proof and your son physically
attacked the same child on my private property! you have no right to treat him
or my family this way!” The father then said (with a serious face) your son is
still welcome to play on the cricket field! but I won’t have that F*cking thug
on my land!”
It was then that the Police arrived, I asked the two officers into our
house and we reported what had taken place. At first the police seemed to agree
that there had been a physical assault on Marshal and that Michael and I
would make good witnesses if the case came to court. The officers said they
would go and interview the local man and his father.
A few minutes after the police officers left, a neighbour from across the
avenue came over to speak to me she told me she had witnessed the whole incident
from her front bedroom window. I thought ‘Brilliant’ an independent witness, I
asked her to report what she had seen to the police and gave her the crime
number.
It was after a few days of hearing nothing that I heard (from another
neighbour) that the two adults involved in the incident had been interviewed by
the police – Unbelievably they had been asked to come to the police station
voluntarily rather than the police arresting them for assault and threatening
behaviour (which is what I believe we had reported) perhaps even attempted
murder the man did attempt to strangle a 14 year old lad. I went to see my
neighbour (across the avenue) and she confirmed that she had communicated with
the police using her specialist (hard-of-hearing) telephone. She is deaf. (This fact
didn’t affect her evidence because she saw the altercation from across the
avenue with a closed, double-glazed window between her and the events so
wouldn’t have been able to hear even if she was a ‘hearing person’.)
About 3 weeks later I received a telephone call from the police officer in
charge of the case. he said. “We (the Police) have interviewed Mr ** & Mr
*** and have decided that we do not intend to pursue the case because of lack of
evidence.
Marshal had been physically assaulted (hands around his neck) witnessed
by my son Michael a neighbour and myself! he had been verbally abused by both
men and accused of things that were untrue. Nobody arranged for a medical
check-up or even to look to see if Marshal had hand/thumb/finger marks on his
neck, and the police allowed the perpetrator to go into the police station ‘at
his convenience’(no arrest)
Marshal was in my care because he had been ‘Falsely' accused of a sexual assault of a younger girl
in his own community and was awaiting trial. I was providing him with a ‘Place
Of Safety’ away from his home community because some of the girls relatives had
threatened to ‘beat him to death’ if he went home. While this 14 year old child
was in my care this incident took place – the police effectively said he (&
we) were lying. About two weeks later the young girl who had accused Marshal
of showing himself to her and touching her ‘withdrew her accusation and admitted
to the court that she had been lying all the time’ The Judge dismissed the Case
and told Marshal he could ‘Go Home!’
I often wonder what happened to Marshal – did he manage to settle back
into his home community? did the Locals accept he was innocent of this assault?
did his family have to move to another area? will Marshal ever trust the
police to help him if he is wronged or in trouble?
I don’t know the answers to these and other questions. but I do know I am
just a little bit less sure of the police than I was before all this happened.
Abuse causes much deeper scars that it first appears to cause! The impact
of being abused and/or victimised is a life sentence!
This whole incident is factual and was reported to the police, my Fostering
Agency & the relevant Local Authority who arranged Marshal's placement
in my home.
I share this account to show how difficult it can be to get the police to act on behalf of Foster Children (young People), How frustrating it can be for Foster Carers when we make a report and we get 'fobbed off' with the 'not enough evidence' argument and to show how common prejudice in the community against young people in Foster Care!
