A woman (name withheld) was subjected to prolonged and
appalling sexual abuse between the ages of four and nine by a ministerial
servant.
It is the first civil case in the UK of historical sexual
abuse brought against the Christian-based religious movement.
The
woman who claimed Jehovah's Witness elders failed to protect her from sex abuse
carried out by a paedophile has won a £275,000 payout.
The
woman, now in her 20s, alleges she was abused as a child in Loughborough by
ministerial servant Peter Stewart. A judge ruled the organisation was
liable for the abuse because it failed to take "safeguarding steps"
after Stewart admitted abusing another child.
The abuse took place at a number of locations, including Kingdom
Hall, a place of worship used by Jehovah's Witnesses, with Stewart forcing her
to keep silent by telling her "she was sinning" and "she would
not be saved".
In 1995, Stewart was convicted of separate child sex offences,
including rape and indecent assault, and jailed for five years.
He
died, aged 72, in 2001, shortly before police arrived at his home to arrest him
for sexually abusing the woman. (s:bbc)
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