WTBSB FIRES BOARD OVER ABUSE SCANDAL?

JW.org Fires UK Board WTBSB Due to Fear of Losing Charity Status?

Silentlambs has reported multiple scandals involving the JW.org/WTBSB (Watchtower Bible and Tract Society Britian) in the United Kingdom.  In 2010 an article discussed the close relationship of Ronald Drage (who served as chairman of the Board WTBSB) with a convicted elder child molester that served at the Mill Hill Bethel Branch called Michael Porter.  Porter was eventually prosecuted for molesting multiple children including an infant.  The matter was covered up for years by members of the UK WTBSB, the most powerful arm of the Jehovah’s Witnesses in England.  Porter even remained on the Board of Trustees for the Mill Hill Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses after he was prosecuted until Silentlambs exposed this fact, then he was promptly removed due to publicity.  Porter’s wife was reported in media as saying he was a “changed man” after molesting twenty-four children, as Drage and fellow elders told her he was “repentant”.  

A year later another elder buddy of Drage, named George Cockerill, was charged with over fifty sexual offenses against children over a forty-year period. The article that followed, Ron’s Rapists Strike Again! was a scandal the Governing Body wanted no one, from members, to the media, to be made aware of.  This article showed that management openly protected pedophiles and used them for privileges even after numerous allegations have come forward to the elders.  The evidence appeared to show that simply being a friend of the WTBSB Board would give you a license to rape children with impunity.  JW.org/WTBSB in its usual fashion ignored the facts, remained silent, and took no action by leaving matters and management in place.  Since then innocent children have been subjected to elders administrating the JW.org/WTBSB policy of putting children to court in front of their molesters after the Crown’s prosecution, (Rose, Manchester) or covering the entire matter up, (Leighton from Sutherland, Sewell in South Wales) while submitting the victims to ostracism.

The summer of 2014 was the beginning of the end for “Ron’s Rapists”. 

Two complaints were justifiably filed in the spring of 2014 by the Charities Commission regarding practices of the JW.org/WTBSB with child abuse and organizational ineptness that included improper behavior regarding the Rose, Manchester matter. These charges created an investigation that called into question continuing charity status for WTBSB.  Jehovah’s Witnesses after enjoying charity benefits and privileges for over one hundred years could lose this status if the charges are fully established.  At this moment critical investigations into these indictments are ongoing for the Charity Commission.

Sources report the JW.org/WTBSB in house lawyer was dispatched by Drage and Dowson to Newcastle to protect Elders; Preyser, Logan, and Scott who hid the pedophile Gordon Leighton in the Newcastle Congregation.

As a result Dowson and Drage became personally involved and complicit.  Drage’s close relationship with convicted molester George Cockerill (One of Drage’s personal friends) and Michael Porter, (an Elder at Bethel) all exposed by Silentlambs, was a public record that London Bethel could not ignore and once reported to the Governing Body, action had to be taken.

At the end of July, Silentlambs wrote a further article entitled, ”Jehovah’s Witnesses in United Kingdom Pedophile Paradise Exposed!”.  The article pointed out that in recent years twenty-six key members of Jehovah’s Witnesses had been convicted of child molestation.  This information was a torpedo to the mid ship for leadership of the JW.org/WTBSB Board.  The combined articles of Silentlambs showed that for years pedophilia was not only non reported but was covered up in a scandal that went to the top of the organization in the United Kingdom.

Three weeks later, at the end of August, the JW.org/WTBSB Board key fgures, made up of Drage, Dowson and Ellis were forced to resign immediately.

The JW.org/WTBSB Legal Department lawyer(s) and the new directors, Peter Bell and Phil Longstaff authorized the Drage, Dowson and Ellis “retirement” with the cover story of all three men being stricken with ill health within three weeks of our article.  It was abundantly clear if these men were allowed to continue in their position the Charities Commission could have been mindful to remove the JW.org/WTBSB charities status. 

Publicity was kept at a zero to do damage control and protect the three ringleaders from questions and allegations of complicity while in announcements to members they were thanked for their service. By establishing a new Board it was hoped to send a message to the Charity Commissions that JW.org is now taking a proactive role toward child abuse while protecting them from losing charity status that could affect them globally, financially, and personally.  By firing the long term JW.org/WTBSB Board, with the old guard gone, it could be said that the Watchtower can offer an defense for past offenses to the Charities Commission and say that they have swept the organization clean and all is now good – and any more offences are “Grandfathered” and will not be part of the modern organization which now has a strict child protection policy. 

In addition, across the UK all Kingdom Halls are being “repositioned” to protect them from becoming assets for future child abuse litigations.  This along with these new resignations, show leadership has little charity interest in protecting children but instead, its all about protecting their money and assets while preventing victims from being able to seek for compensation due to the offenses committed by the policies of the JW.org/WTBSB against children.

It might be mentioned that since August since the old guard were dismissed two more prominent appointed men (Furlong in Bournemouth and Dennis in Plymouth) have been convicted for molesting children.  Apparently the new Board is averaging one elder pedophile conviction every six weeks since taking control of the UK organization. 

Is that good stewardship?? Statistically it is much worse than the old guard they replaced!

Silentlambs went to London Bethel in 2002  to request a meeting with the JW.org/WTBSB Board in order to seek better policies to protect children.  We were refused that meeting and since 2002, according to http://ukpaedos-exposed.com/ – 38 Senior UK Jehovah’s Witnesses have been jailed for being pedophiles and child abusers.  We at Silentlambs wish to again call for a meeting, this time with the “new Board WTBSB” and victims to discuss a positive way to move forward to protect the children of Jehovah’s Witnesses as well as to discuss methods to support those injured by the practices of the old regime.

The silent lambs roar is being heard and felt by JW.org/WTBSB leadership.  Will these men prove themselves to be “honest hearted” and humbly address the needs of the flock or will they continue to ignore their cries in order to protect power and money?