Ritual Abuse in the UK – Laurie Matthew

Information from conference PowerPoint

S.M.A.R.T.
The 2021 Online Annual Ritual Abuse, Secretive Organizations and Mind Control Conference Aug 14 -15 2021   https://ritualabuse.us/smart-conference/2021-conference

A video presentation is available at: https://ritualabuse.us/smart-conference/2021-conference/2021-conference-video-presentations-and-powerpoints/

All accusations are alleged.

Please note: None of the material on these pages or at the conference is meant as therapy, or to take the place of therapy. These presentations may be heavy to read for survivors.

Ritual Abuse in the UK – Dr Laurie Matthew OBE

Survivors of ritual and organised abuse have increasingly broken silence to protect children, raise awareness, challenge abusers and institutions and demand services for recovery, with varying success worldwide.

My presentation will focus on the challenges, experiences and perspectives of ritual abuse survivors in the UK and parts of Europe over the past 30 years and explore the current situation in the UK.

Eighteen And Under & R.A.N.S.

  • 18u 1994. Confidential long-term support for survivors under 18

  • Crisis drop-in, online forum, advocacy, y.p. involved.

  • Research: Confidentiality key to young survivors talking openly, exploring options, staying in control & ending abuse. (Matthew, Barron & Hodson, 2019) www.18u.org.uk

  • R.A.N.S. 2002. Support for adult RA survivors

  • Online forum, survivors’ involvement

  • Research: Survivors suffer backlash of 1980-90’s & continued discourse around belief, memory & mental illness. Low awareness of R.A. = poor/no services. (Matthew & Barron, 2015) www.rans.org.uk

Russia & Ukraine

  • Russia: 2010, 6 members of Satanic cult  jailed for 20 years for 4 murders. They sacrificed, dismembered and ate teenage victims. Found guilty of murder with aim of carrying out initiation ritual into a sect and desecrating dead bodies.

  • Ukraine: 2018, a 15 year old girl’s body discovered among remnants of satanic ritual. There were cockerels with heads chopped off at scene and satanic symbols drawn on the ground. A forensic examination established she had been raped and strangled.

Turkey & Greece

  • Turkey 2018, Muslim televangelist Adnan Oktar and over 160 associates arrested on charges including forming criminal enterprise, fraud, sexual abuse CSA, kidnapping children and adults, political and military espionage, money laundering and torture. 2021, Oktar and 13 others, sentenced to 9,803 years. Over 45 people from 6 countries, laid charges against him.

  • Greece 2016, Satanist Assimakis Katsoulas released from prison after 23 years. Katsoulas, and 2 others killed 2 women in black magic rituals. They admitted crimes in detail without remorse. They tortured, abused and killed a 14-year-old and offered her as a sacrifice to Satan. A year later posing as police they repeated their crime with a 28-year-old.

Scandinavia

  • Satanism recognised religion

  • Sweden 1992: 15-year-old accused parents of CSA and murdering children in satanic rituals. Claimed she and sister sold in sex clubs in Stockholm. Both parents convicted but in retrial mother freed and father’s sentence reduced.

  • Norway’s 1990’s: Black metal music alleged to become satanic cult. Musicians burned churches, self-harmed, suicide (eg Mayhem band member Dead),  band member (Vikernes) committed murder. Links with far right.

  • Denmark 2005. A father forced daughter into prostitution. Local government received 14 notices about abuse suspicions and child authorities held 30 meetings – without doing anything. 15 men sentenced to total of 45 years. Father (10 years) member of Satanisk Forening, a Danish satanist cult

  • Finland 1998. Jarno Elg, life for murder, eating body parts and instigating others to participate in ritual torture while listening to black metal. Partners 17-year-old girl, 20 year old and 16-year-old boy. The 3 “strongly influenced by Satanism”. Case sealed for 40 years. Most gruesome murder in Finnish history.

Legislation in Nordic Countries

  • Despite being top-ranking for gender equality, Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Norway & Sweden) have disturbingly high levels of rape survivors failed by justice systems (Amnesty International, 2019)

  • Iceland, Sweden & Denmark recently updated rape legislation to include lack of consent but myths, attitudes and legal systems still prohibitive.

  • Finland & Norway still define rape based on whether physical violence, threat or coercion is involved

  • Finland: 50,000 women experience sexual violence yearly. In 2017 only 209 convictions.

  • Sweden: only 6% of cases resulted in prosecution in 2017. Rape conviction rates since risen 75% in two years following major change in the law

  • Denmark: 24,000 women experienced rape in 2017, only 94 convictions.

  • RA not yet on agenda despite very high number of people with DID & trauma

Spain

  • 1999: 4 members of Satanic cult (White Universal Fraternity) arrested following death of woman during black mass. Husband and 3 others. Nataly Castlesor admitted to hospital covered with knife wounds and burns. House search found implements “that point to activities carried out by a ritual sect”.

  • 2018: Feliciano da Silva, head of religious sect “The Voice of the Serviam” sentenced to 66 years for sexual abuse, money laundering, tax fraud, criminal association and crimes against moral integrity. Other leaders imprisoned too. Former members of sect revealed sexual, physical and psychological abuse by leaders. A sect member said da Silva claimed “his semen contained the body of Christ, and this way he would purify her”.

Portugal

  • 1970’s: Abuse at Casa Pia children’s home, evidence of organised abuse available but inquiry shelved. Not investigated until 2002. 2010, Carlos Silvino, a driver, confessed to 639 charges of CSA and procuring children for others, 18-year sentence.

  • Trial lasted 5 years, 800 witnesses, 32 victims testified. Carlos Cruz (TV presenter) and Joao Ferreira Diniz, (doctor); 7 years; ambassador Jorge Ritto 6 years; Hugo Marcal, (lawyer) 6 years; Casa Pia governor Manuel Abrantes 5 years.

  • Other prominent people and govt ministers accused however…..

  • 2015: Rui Pedro, leader of Celestial Truth sect, sentenced to 23 years for CSA, child prostitution, child pornography etc. Wife and 4 men sentenced to between 7 and 19 years.

  • Victims told sect’s “Master” had supernatural powers and could perform “acts of purification”, which was the term for sexual abuse

Italy

  • 1998, 6 adults in Emilia-Romagna  arrested with allegations of prostituting their children and production of child pornography. Children reported to be involved in Satanic rituals.

  • 2000, Rome A nun was struck repeatedly by a brick, then stabbed 19 times by 3 teenage girls. Scribblings about the devil were found in teens’ writings, prompting prosecutors to hypothesize that fascination about Satan was motive for killing.

  • 2002, 4 people arrested for “Satanism and paedophilia” in Pescara. Police believed the group had abused dozens of children in rituals.

  • 2005: Members of heavy metal band Beasts of Satan, confessed to 3 ritual murders, jailed for 16-30 years. Andrea Volpe, Pietro Guerrieri belonged to a sect and killed 2 teenagers in a Satanic ritual in 1998. 3rd murder, 2004, Volpe’s girlfriend – shot and buried alive.

  • 2007: 6 people arrested for sexually abusing 15 children. Accused of filming children while engaging in sexual acts with ‘Satanic’ overtones.

  • 2020: Mateo Valdambrini arrested for leading Satanic cult where he sexually abused 13 kids and forced them to eat human meat, charged with sexual violence, slavery and child pornography.

France

  • 2020/21. horse murders and mutilations 153 investigations ongoing. Speculation about satanic cult performing ceremonies.

  • German documentaries (2012) about French children who alleged SRA against family and others. Children describing similar abuses 100’s of miles apart. Families in hiding

  • Revealed links with network of abusers in Belgium. Cases closed!

  • The #MeToo movement proving turning point in France

  • 2010: 20 firefighters & Julie,13. Police said she wanted it. 2019 appeal, judge agreed. 3 men admitted sex with Julie, said consensual and never faced jail or fines. 17 other men never charged.

  • 2021: French law finally classes sex with a child under 15 as rape. Before it could only be prosecuted as rape if there was proof the child was coerced through violence, constraint or surprise.

  • Gabriel Matzneff celebrated writer with powerful friends is an open paedophile. Wrote books about his penchant for sex with children. Discussed openly on TV. Reported to police for sexual abuse decades ago but never investigated…… until now

Belgium

  • Dutroux and others convicted 1989 for abduction and rape of 5 girls. Released 1992. 1996 arrested for kidnap, torture and sexual abuse of 6 girls, 4 died. Convicted 2004.

  • Allegations of corruption of justice system by a criminal enterprise. Believed he was part of a paedophile network which included members of Belgian establishment. Dutroux owned ten houses, had money, seemed protected

  • Judge removed from investigation. Reports claimed, prior to removal, he was on verge of publicly disclosing names of high level government officials who had been recognized on videos

  • Prosecutors didn’t follow up evidence about a cult called “Abrasax”. 25 unknown DNA profiles found. Prosecution never attempted to match DNA to accused people

  • Officer searched house while 2 girls still alive 1995. The locksmith suggested they search the whole house to find out where children’s screams were coming from, this didn’t happen

  • Over 20 potential witnesses died in mysterious circumstances. (4 in car crash, 7 suicide, 1 train fall, 5 murder)

  • Dutroux claimed he was low dog in powerful paedophile network. He planned human trafficking across Europe. Evidence pointed to connections to Slovakia and Czech Republic. This included a video of him raping a child in Slovakia that police failed to review.

Netherlands

  • 1989 parents alleged their children had been ritually abused in Oude Pekela. During investigation, only non-ritual aspects reported by press and investigated by authorities. Allegations unconfirmed.

  • 1989 news program Tijdseinreported allegations of Satanic ritual abuse, there was no official response.

  • Oude Pekela doctors alleged children abused in Satanic rituals. Reported in lecture at London University and published in journals.

  • 1993, national TV (“NOVA”) devoted two episodes to RA following 11 reports to Dutch Inspectorate for Youth Care.

  • This all led to parliamentary questions and creation of workgroup that investigated issue and questioned clinicians, clients, police. Workgroup took 6 months to conclude there was no evidence for existence of RA in Netherlands

  • 1994 Workgroup report stated there hadn’t been sufficient time to conduct in-depth investigations of cases. Recommended creation of specialist group, to examine possible RA developments, within literature, and practice.

  • Ten years later nothing had been done with recommendations.

  • 2005 group of professionals set up TGG (Dutch abbreviation for Transgenerational Organized Violence) Knowledge Center to research into ritualized abuse. https://kenniscentrumtgg.org/en/home-en/

  • 1999 LEBZ (Landelijk Expertisebureau bijzondere Zedenzaken) created (National Expert Team on Extraordinary Cases of Sexual Abuse).

  • Main objective to identify false accusations of sexual abuse, and to protect wrongfully accused people.

  • Establishment of LEBZ made even slimmer already slim chance of RA victims receiving legal protection under law.

  • Responsible for training Dutch police to detect false crime reports.

  • Since established, no reports of RA has led to a criminal case

Netherlands Argos Investigation

  • 2020: research report SRA. 140 survivors. 6 well-known people mentioned as perpetrators by multiple participants, and over 10 abuse locations. Warehouse marked for ‘storage’ and production of child pornography. Journalists received email stating they had to ‘beaware’ because ‘they’re going to get rid of evidence, as they did with Dutroux’. That day the warehouse burnt down. Cause of fire undetermined.

  • Parliamentary questions: Dutch Justice minister said ‘no independent investigation into RA’. Later House of Representatives voted requesting independent investigation into “organized sadistic child abuse”

  • Over 40 people currently treated at different Trauma Centers for childhood trauma caused by organized abuse, also, unknown number treated at other institutions or by independent specialists.

  • Therapists working with survivors for 30 years wrote to Parliament asking them to take RA allegations seriously and disband LEBZ. Suggested following German investigation method… the more thoroughly you investigate, the more you find.

Germany

  • 2020: father received 12-year sentence for sexually abusing daughter. Born 2017. Father, known as Jörg L. for legal reasons, started abusing daughter when she was 3-months old.

  • Case led investigators to vast online network. 30,000 people linked to paedophile chat groups under investigation. Some online chats had up to 1,800 participants at a time.

  • 87 suspected paedophiles identified in all 16 German states, 50 children, aged 3-months to 15-years, removed from abusive parents. Investigators traumatised by images.

  • Independent Inquiry into Child Sex Abuse highlighted RA

  • Members of Council of Affected Persons are committed to those affected by sexual violence. They carry concerns into political and public discourse. Members have experienced sexualized violence in the family, institutional and/or organized and ritual violence. They have individual and expert knowledge.

https://beauftragter-missbrauch.de/praevention/was-ist-sexueller-missbrauch/organisierte-sexualisierte-und-rituelle-gewalt

  • Due to mind control and programming RA victims struggle to leave abuse. Professionals need specialized training and should build support systems for each other and victims, to increase success rate for leaving RA. Government must increase funding and invest in awareness campaigns. (Morgan 2020)

  • Efforts needed to improve health care for people who experience severe and complex psychiatric disorders due to childhood ORA. (Schroder et al, 2018)

  • A modified narrative of “ritual abuse” as a (pseudo-)ideological, more violent subtype of organized CSA could enhance credibility and visibility of ORA (Schroder et al,2019)

German Websites

Vielfalt e.V. – Information about trauma and dissociation. (German association on ritual abuse and multiplicity.) http://vielfalt-info.de/

UK

  • 1987: 121 children in Cleveland removed from home and diagnosed as sexually abused. Later, test used was contested, and cooperation between professionals disintegrated. Parents contacted media. In response, 1988 Butler-Sloss report concluded most diagnoses were incorrect. 94 children returned home. Later, independent experts found 70% of diagnoses were correct. 2007, 2 children from scandal asked police to investigate their 1987 experience.

  • 1987: children removed in Nottingham,  family charged with multigenerational CSA and neglect. Report concluded there was no evidence of SRA claims made by children or corroborating adults. Though the children had been ‘sadistically terrorized’, allegations of Satanic abuse dismissed.

  • 1990: 9 children suspected of being sexually abused removed in Orkney. Abuse alleged to involve “ritualistic elements”. Parents approached media and made international news. 1991, court ruled evidence flawed and children went home. Official inquiry in 1992 described dismissal of first judgment as “most unfortunate” and criticized all involve

  • 2003: allegations by 3 children in Lewis resulted in arrest of 8 people. Investigation found extensive evidence of sexual, physical and emotional abuse. Police investigation resulted in allegations of “Satanic paedophile ring”, though charges dropped 9 months later following inconclusive investigation. A key witness whose evidence was “vital” to case of satanic abuse recanted testimony and the media raised questions about nature of police interviewing techniques. Police indicated that the witness was questioned appropriately and allegations were made by numerous witnesses.

  • 2011: 4 adults in Kidwelly convicted of multiple sex offences against children. The group was described as a “Satanic sex cult”. Members of cult were initiated in a ceremony involving sex with an adult, and were threatened with being killed if they did not take part in ceremony. Some victims were forced into prostitution.

  • 2012: 2 men in Cornwall jailed for “ritualistic” sex abuse of girls as part of a witches’ coven. Peter Petrauske, and Jack Kemp jailed for abuse dating back to 1970s. The trial featured “ritualistic, sickening abuse of young children”. Petrauske and Kemp wore ceremonial robes and had pagan paraphernalia when they abused girls. Petrauske described himself as the high priest.

UK Help for Survivors

Global Information & Support

  • isurviveis an online abuse survivor support group. A team composed of people from around the United States, Australia, Europe and the UK. https://isurvive.org

  • Rape Crisis Network Europe is a network of centres which support survivors of sexual violence. https://www.rcne.com

  • European Society for Trauma and Dissociation: membership organisation http://estd.org

  • Stop Mind Control and Ritual Abuse Today (S.M.A.R.T.) Newsletter disseminating information on secretive organizations, ritual abuse, and mind control and provide resources to survivors. https://ritualabuse.us

  • Survivorship supporting survivors of extreme child abuse, including sadistic sexual abuse, ritualistic abuse, mind control, and torture. https://survivorship.org

Currently R.A.N.S. & 18u

  • Providing services, training, consultancy

  • Carrying out ongoing research with survivors

https://umassamherst.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9ozsEDr3awE8geh

  • Lobbying & campaigning for recognition, change & better services

  • Raising awareness through published research, books, conferences

  • Building links and network across Europe, Asia, USA and further afield

  • Developing and delivering evidence-based abuse prevention programmes (Violence Is Preventable) for children and young people with focus on young children

Summary

  • Convictions and cases of RA in most European countries

  • Organised sexual exploitation and trafficking issue in all countries

  • Little recognition of RA – still focused on domestic abuse, rape

  • Contrast between Germany and Netherlands (denial v acceptance)

  • Services for survivors varied across Europe

  • Survivors tend to do the work themselves

  • Research patchy

  • Networks of abusers do not stop at borders!