The weight of child sexual abuse stories is all too fresh.
We’ve just watched a senior member of the Catholic church George Pell jailed for his crimes, and been left shocked by fresh allegations made against Michael Jackson.
The world watched on in horror as two men described on Finding Neverland what one of the most revered singers in the world allegedly did to them when they were children.
We couldn’t help but feel sickened by the fact that we watched Jackson with children, little boys, and thought it was strange. But brushed it off.
If Michael Jackson did what he’s been accused of, then it all happened in plain sight.
And he would hardly be the only celebrity to do so.
The trailer for the documentary Finding Neverland. Post continues after video.
Jimmy Savile
Sir Jimmy Savile was a DJ, TV presenter and charity fundraiser, and was one of the most famous names in the UK during the 60s, 70s and 80s.
A year after his 2011 death, hundreds of allegations of sexual abuse were made against him, broken by an ITV documentary, and he was eventually labelled by British police as one of Britain’s most prolific sex offenders.
The allegations were around during his lifetime, people knew, but they were dismissed and ignored. Savile even took legal action against some accusers. At least seven people made complaints to police while he was alive.
Investigators now believe Savile sexually abused hundreds of children and women at the height of his fame, with some victims as young as two-years-old.
An inquiry into sexual abuse at the BBC found that there was a culture of 'reverence' for celebrities, which helped Savile rape and molest victims unhindered for decades. The report also said there were members of the BBC who were aware of the abuse, but didn't report it because of "an atmosphere of fear."
The BBC's director general apologised to victims saying; "A serial rapist and predator sexual abuser both hid in plain sight at the BBC for decades. The BBC failed you when we should have protected you."
He is accused of abusing both male and female victims in studios, dressing rooms, lifts and canteens.
Filmmaker Louis Theroux told Mamamia, Britain as a society has struggled with the fact that he never faced court, or faced any consequences for what he did. Savile died with his knighthood in tact.
Woody Allen
Woody Allen has been brushing aside allegations of child molestation since 2013. His adoptive daughter, Dylan Farrow shared publicly that she was assaulted by her father in an attic when she was seven. She has been telling this story for years, but the powerful director vehemently denies it.
Farrow has described how her father instructed her to lie on her stomach and "play with my brother's toy train that was set up. He sat behind me in the doorway and as I played with the toy train, I was sexually assaulted."
Her story has been denied, downplayed and ridiculed with some saying her mother coached her into saying it.
"How is this crazy story of me being brainwashed and coached more believable than what I'm saying about being sexually assaulted by my father?" Dylan told CBS.
Allen is an Oscar winning director who has churned out at least one movie a year, for decades. He is highly respected for his work in the film industry.
His daughter's allegations were brought up in court during a custody battle, and in denying him visitation rights, the judge told him his behaviour towards Dylan was "grossly inappropriate and that measures should be taken to protect her."
Police investigated Dylan's allegations, but it was closed after 14-months because of "no credible evidence."
Roman Polanski
In 1977, film director Roman Polanski was charged with five offences against a 13-year-old girl in Los Angeles.
They included, rape by use of drugs, perversion, sodomy, lewd and lascivious act upon a child, and furnishing a controlled substance to a minor.
When Polanski learnt he'd be likely facing imprisonment and deportation for the crimes, he fled to France hours before he was to be formally sentenced. He has ever since, lived overseas and avoided visiting countries from which he would face extradition.
From Europe, Polanski went on to make a string of successful films including The Pianist, The Ghost Writer and Oliver Twist, and received many awards for his work.
In 2018, years after the success Polanski had enjoyed, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences voted to expel him from its membership over the child sexual abuse charges.
R Kelly
The stories about R Kelly go back to the 1990s. Many of them centre around the predatory pursuit of teenage girls.
In 1994, he married a 15-year-old girl in a secret ceremony in Chicago.
In 1996, he was sued by another woman, Tiffany Hawkins, who claimed the singer started having sex with her in 1991 when she was just 15.
He was sued by a 17-year-old intern in 2001, who claimed she was "treated like a personal sex object and cast aside."
Another woman sued him in 2002, claiming he impregnated her when she was underage, and forced her to have an abortion. He's also accused of filming another woman without her knowledge while having sex with her.
He was charged over 21 counts of child pornography in 2002 involving intercourse, oral sex and urination. It took six years for the case to come to trial during which time Kelly released his successful album; Trapped In The Closet.
A jury eventually concluded they couldn't prove the girl on the tape was a minor and he was found not guilty.
Just last year, Kitti Jones went public with claims the star had starved her, coerced her into sexual encounters and physically abused her. Kitti, along with other girls and women, told BBC Three Kelly used to "scout out women that looked young at parties."
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Top Comments
Out of genuine interest, what do people who are pro Allen people think of this? https://www.google.com.au/a...
The police, the judge, and the child psychologist assigned to the Dylan Farrow case all said they believed Dylan was abused. This is yet another case where the parents, police, child psychologist and Judge weigh up the trauma vs go to court argument, and shows that many cases don't go to court purely because the victim is deemed too traumatised to withstand a trial.
PS Your forgot Rolf Harris.
You have just published three total, verifiable falsehoods. Why did you publish them? Did you make them up yourself, or did you copy them from some stupid source?
"The police said they believed Dylan". The police said no such thing. You just made it up. Besides, the police NEVER say whether they believe one party or they other. It is not their job, too, to present 'beliefs'.
"The Judge said he believed Dylan". First, there NEVER was a Judge in this abuse case, since there never was a trial. Not even a charge was made. The only Judge you can refer to is the Judge in the custody case (Wilk), and he explicitly said that he did NOT believe Dylan, that the evidence fell short, and that Allen could NOT be succesfully tried for the abuse. So essentially you are LYING here.
"The child psychologist said she believed Dylan". Totally wrong again. Child therapist Susan Coates explicitly stated that Woody Allen's attention for his daughter Dylan was NOT sexual in nature. ALL OTHER child experts in the investigation of the assault concluded that Dylan was NOT abused: the experts at Yale-New Haven Hospital and the experts at New York State Child Welfare Dept.
Now ask yourself how you ever came to publish these three TOTAL FALSEHOODS. How come you invented them, and chose to publish them? Does, in your eyes, the importance of this case justify making up falsehoods?
Your explanation as to why this case did not go to trial is wrong. Had you read the prosecutor's (Frank Maco's) written statement, or Judge Wilk's written statement over the custody case, you would KNOW why the case never went to trial.
The real, and well-known reason, is that multiple, thorough, independent investigations into the case ALL CONCLUDED that the allegation was baseless, and the abuse did NOT take place. Dylan was declared non-credible as a witness, because she constantly changed her story. Indications were found that the child had been "coached" into telling the abuse narrative.
Both prosecutor Maco and Judge Wilk were aware of them standing 100% empty-handed, and both believed a trial for abuse would be unsuccesful. This is why Maco did not want to prosecute. We can only guess about his motive for his stupid, vicious reference to Dylan being 'too fragile' to take the stand.
Why stupid? Because Maco had just put the child through FOURTEEN MONTHS of investigations, interviews, inquiries, both mental and physical. And no suddenly ONE hearing would be 'too much' to put her rapist away? Crazy. Besides, it was Maco's job as a prosecutor to take REAL rapists off the streets of Connecticut. If he REALLY believed Allen was guilty, he had no choice but to prosecute him - which he chose not to.
Why vicious? Because by using this sad pretext, he essentially threw Allen under the bus. He portrayed him as guilty of a crime, while NOT prosecuting that crime, so depriving Allen of an opportunity to be declared NOT guilty and clearing his good name.
Prosecutor Maco was seriously reproached by his superiors for having made these unwarranted and reckless statements. And now you come here to rehash them? Counting on people not to rememeber? Sorry, you bet, you lose.