Scout: Lawyers say millions have paid out over UK abuses in the past 10 years

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By Paul Grant and Hayley Hassall, BBC Profile 4

1 hour ago

Lawyers say millions of pounds have been paid in the past 10 years to people abused in Scouting.

The BBC’s File on Number 4 contacted 13 law firms specializing in child abuse claims, and data from eight firms that responded revealed more than £6m had been paid out in compensation in the past decade.

Attorneys said about 166 cases were settled at the same time, and more survivors are now coming forward.

The Boy Scouts said it was “deeply sorry” that anyone had been mistreated.

It comes as two women, who both say they have been abused in Scouting, have begun a campaign demanding that the organization change its safeguarding policy.

Historical cases

File at 4 contact 13 firms that specialize in abuse claims, all of which are in the Child Abuse Lawyers Association.

According to the statements of the lawyers who responded, at least 260 lawsuits have been filed against the scouts in the past 10 years, and 166 cases have been settled. About 50 have not been successful and others are still continuing.

Scouts were asked by the BBC how much money they had made in the past 10 years.

The league said it had not been able to come up with a definitive figure because too much information about the cases was historical and was spread across many insurers – but the figure of £6m broadly matched what they were aware of.

According to the association, 96% of the lawsuits are for crimes that occurred before 2013 – many from the 1960s to the 1990s. But some of them have happened recently, including in the past few years.

Hundreds of thousands of children across the UK are registered as members of the Scout Association, whose programs include squirrels, beavers and cub scouts, as well as scouting and scouting for older children.

Abby Hickson, of Bolt’s Bordon Kemp Attorney, says her firm has settled more than 100 abuse claims in the past 10 years. The main problem, she said, was “protection policy depends very much on the integrity of the adult concerned”.

“Scout Leaders who sexually abuse children in their care are by nature highly manipulative, secretive, devious and opportunistic individuals. Their very aim is to separate the child from the group in order to facilitate this abuse.”

Dino Nucivili, of Leigh Day Attorneys, has spent the past 20 years representing survivors of abuse. He said that the number of complainants is increasing.

Young women have been able to join Venture Scouts since 1976. Then, in 1991, girls were allowed to join across all age groups—but it wasn’t until 2007 that Scout groups were required to accept girls.

“In the past 12 months, a number of women and girls have approached me about sexual abuse in Boy Scouts,” said Mr Nocivelli. “This is not an issue from the 60s, 70s and 80s. This abuse is happening in 2000, 2010 and unfortunately in 2020.”

photo caption,

Shanna Battlemaster and Lucy Pincott

Shianna Battlemaster, 27, and Lucy Pincott, 29, say they were abused when they joined the Boy Scouts, back in 2007.

Sheena was 13 years old, and her captain was 24. She says he noticed she was having an unhappy time in the house and offered to let her stay at his house one night a week after Scouts. It was there, she says, that he sexually assaulted her on numerous occasions.

Lucy was also 13 when she says she was being groomed by a young captain. He buys her necklaces and alcohol and then offers to take her to the Boy Scouts in his car.

Lucy says she was forced to have sex with him on one of these trips. She says the sexual abuse continued for nine months at the places where the Boy Scouts met and at the camps.

Lucy says other adult volunteers were aware of what was happening but failed to report the abuse. She subsequently sued the Boy Scouts Association for failing to perform her duty of care. She did not accept responsibility but it was settled out of court, paying Lucy £160,000.

Shianna and Lucy have now set up a petition asking the Scouts to change their safeguarding policies.

They want a paid Chief Protection Officer in every Boy Scout county in the UK, who will be responsible for monitoring the behavior of volunteers and ensuring that allegations of abuse are properly reported. They are calling for Scouts and Girl Guides to be put under a system of inspection, along the lines of Ofsted.

The campaign, called Yours in Scouting, includes a call for personal testimonials from anyone who has experienced abuse in Scouting.

“Any form of abuse is abhorrent and we regret Chyna and Lucy’s horrific experiences,” the Boy Scouts said in a statement to the BBC.

She added: “In the UK nearly half a million young people enjoy Scouting every week and nothing is more important than their safety. We have strong safeguarding policies, training and measures in place. They are now reviewed every two years by the NSPCC.”

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this story, you can visit the BBC Action Line.

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