Documentary on Diana helped to expose sex abuse
A BBC producer planning a documentary about Barnardo’s president Princess Diana inadvertently helped expose a child abuse scandal, an inquiry has heard.
The ‘extremely emotive and provocative’ TV series on the work of the UK’s biggest childcare charity led to alleged victims coming forward and thousands of requests for access to records.
The Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry (SCAI) heard yesterday that the three-part documentary – Barnardo’s Children – triggered 5,500 requests for the paperwork in a couple of years.
The SCAI in Edinburgh has been conducting a case study into youngsters’ care in non-religious and voluntary residential institutions – namely Aberlour, Quarriers and Barnardo’s.
Giving evidence yesterday, Kate Roach, a service manager with Barnardo’s, said the documentary led the charity to be more open about its records.
James Peoples, QC, senior counsel to the inquiry, told the hearing that the series aired in July 1995.
Reading from a statement by the organisation, he said: ‘By December, Barnardo’s had received 4,000 inquiries for access to records from former residents. When the documentaries were repeated in 1997, a further 1,500 inquiries were received.’
Miss Roach said a producer went to view the Barnardo’s photograph archive while looking to make a programme about Princess Diana, who was the charity’s president for 12 years.
On becoming ‘captivated’ by the old pictures, they decided to make a documentary about Barnardo’s. She said the BBC advertised for people who had lived with Barnardo’s to take part and around 800 put their names forward, with a ‘small handful’ taken on.
She described the first two episodes of the documentary as ‘extremely emotive and provocative’ and said a support system, including a phone number, was put in place.
Miss Roach said: ‘At the end of the programme, as soon as the phone number was put up, all the lights lit up for days afterwards with inquiries. Many were people who had experienced abuse. We had to learn quickly how to respond.’
She added: ‘We took the decision to prioritise those who made allegations of abuse. It took several years to work through all of those inquiries.’
The SCAI continues.