50 years on, child rights
London, was jailed for nearly seven years and placed on the sex offenders’ register indefinitely last month at Blackfriars Crown Court in central London after he admitted three counts of indecent assault and two of serious sexual assault.
Details of the case mark a new low for the aid industry amid the furore sparked by Oxfam workers having sex with prostitutes after the 2010 Haiti earthquake.
Detective Constable Michael Lam-Hang, of the Metropolitan Police, said: “Newell committed a series of horrific sexual offences that have rightly resulted in a lengthy term of imprisonment.
“I would like to thank the victim for his courage in reporting these crimes to police and supporting this investigation. I would appeal to anyone who has been a victim of a sexual offence to come forward and speak to police.”
The court heard that the abuse took place at a number of locations in London and the South-east.
The victim reported Newell in March 2016 and Newell was interviewed by detectives last May and charged in October.
Newell’s child rights handbook is still used by governments, UN agencies and other human rights bodies as guidance on protection of children’s interests.
He also chaired a group called the Children’s Rights Alliance and was research co-ordinator for the Commission on Children and Violence in the UK. Newell received nearly £80,000 in fees from the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, Save the Children and Barnardo’s while co-ordinator of the anti-smacking pressure group Children are Unbeatable!
He also founded a group called Epoch – End Physical Punishment of Children, which campaigned vigorously against corporal punishment.
After it forced a government review of parents’ smacking rights, he said children need “the same protection against assault that adults have”.
Peter Saunders, founder of the National Association for People Abused in Childhood, who worked with Newell in the past, said he felt “betrayed”.
He added; “My first thoughts go to the victim, not to Peter Newell who is now in prison.
“What better cover for this man’s crimes than to choose to work in the world of child protection...echoes of some of those creeps who worked for Oxfam and sadly other charities.”
A Unicef spokesman said: “We are deeply shocked to hear of the arrest of Peter Newell. We had no knowledge of this crime when he worked as a consultant more than 10 years ago.
“Unicef has since set in place strong procedures to vet staff and consultants.”
Denise Stuckenbruck, chairwoman of Approach, an umbrella group which included the anti-smacking campaign, said Newell had resigned when accused of abusing the boy.
She added: “We condemn all forms of abuse perpetrated against children.”
The Charity Commission said it was informed about the allegations against Newell in 2016, adding that it believed its safeguarding procedures for charities involved with children are now “robust”.