The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Council missed ‘red flags’ as sex abuser groomed children
Perth and Kinross Council has vowed to address the issues that led to shocking failings in its system exposed at the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry.
It has emerged that Paul Martin – jailed for sex offences against teens carried out while he was a foster carer in Perth in the 1990s – was allowed to continue fostering after admitting an assault on a child in his supervision.
The decision came after he apologised and claimed to be taking stress management and hypnotherapy classes.
And during this period the council’s social work team, accused of ignoring red flags in the aftermath of the incident, rated his caring “exemplary”.
Its current chief Jacquie Pepper admits Martin – also known as Pol and Paulnacha O’mairthini – “pulled the wool” over the eyes of social workers.
Ms Pepper said she would “consider what needs to be done in the present time and reevaluate our processes and practices and approaches in the current day”.
Martin, then 42, was jailed for eight years and three months in November 2008 after admitting five charges of sex offences against four teens and one charge of failing to appear at a diet.
The offences took place while he was a foster carer with Tayside Regional Council and then Perth and Kinross Council, between December 1993 and January 1999.
All of the sex attacks admitted by Martin, of County Louth in Ireland, took place at his then homes of Allison Crescent in Letham and Ashgrove in Tulloch.
At least one of his victims was in his care at the time.
Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry chair Lady Smith scrutinised Martin’s case using evidence from a report by independent consultant Jacqueline Conway.
Lady Smith interviewed both the sex offender, now 56, and Ms Pepper.
In 1995, social workers sought to have his role as a carer reviewed after a young person under his care was assaulted. But he was allowed to continue after an internal probe.
Martin – who came to Scotland in 1990 to work as an assistant manager at
Dalguise Activity Centre near Dunkeld – selfreferred himself after the incident and admitted in an interview with social workers to “slapping” the boy while on holiday in Nairn.
He then drove the boy to a nearby police station where the youngster refused to make a complaint or go inside.
At that time, the boy was on the child protection register under the category of “emotional abuse” as a result of his experiences at home.
Ms Pepper said: “When the case conference considered all of the information relating to this matter, they extended the registration to include the category of physical abuse, because they felt that he was at risk of physical abuse within his foster care setting.
“This was a clear challenge for social work on the basis that the placement offered by Martin was very good for boys facing challenges in their care and yet the boy had been assaulted.”
She explained a report was not made to the police because the boy did not want to take it further.
Martin alerted an unnamed MP to what had happened and the assault was investigated by education director Bob Mckay and social work administrator Bill Frew.
The report said: “Martin stated that the boy’s behaviour had been perfect.
“The social worker felt the relationship and placement had been positive for the boy.
“Martin apologised for hitting the boy and reported to be taking stress management and hypnotherapy classes.
“The decisions taken included a referral to Dr Field to look at strategies for managing conflict, and the social worker was to be more involved.
“It was agreed that the boy should continue to reside with Martin but Bill Frew would be visiting Martin to make it perfectly clear about the expectations of the department.”
Lady Smith said the report raised “red flags” regarding the assaulted boy’s reaction to the incident.
It said: “Apart from what is stated as a complaint against Martin by the boy, language such as saying ‘he loved him’ and ‘they made up’ and the boy ‘begging to be allowed to return’ to Martin do seem to ring an unhealthy alarm bell about this relationship, which did not appear to inform decisions but instead seemed to reinforce it as productive.
“This grooming was being carried out under the noses of the workers in this situation and they have not been able to recognise that or scrutinise it.”
Ms Pepper accepted this raised concerns around the understanding of sexual abuse, sexual exploitation and grooming process.
“And back in the 1990s,” she added, “I would suggest that that was something that had not come to the fore in social work practice at that time.”
Lady Smith asked how Martin, who had also worked at Letham Community Centre, was able to “pull the wool” over people’s eyes.
Ms Pepper said: “When you read this report and you see the number of staff who were involved with him in different capacities, his ability to do that was certainly quite noticeable.”
She said she is still “learning lessons” from the Martin case.
“There’s still some gaps that we need to
“The social worker felt the relationship and placement had been positive
address,” Ms Pepper said.
“There is merit in undertaking a learning exercise around this involving a whole range of staff, not just those that are involved in family placement.
“But those involved in child protection and using this, although it’s a historical case, to actually explore the deficiencies in practice in this time, consider what needs to be done in the present time and re-evaluate our processes and practices and approaches in the current day.”