I BELIEVE YOU- for Steven Messham and the other brave people trying to get the truth out there.

[mignonette]

twitter.com/smessham


I believe the men and women who now feel able to tell us about the abuse they suffered at the hands of powerful and apparently protected people

Time for an 'I believe you' thread again.....

[mcmooncup]

I believe you Steven and support you in every way in telling your story.

[mignonette]

Have emailed my MP and used your template Don'tPut. Thanks.

[Darkesteyes]

Im not normally a fan of celebrity trash mags but ive bought this weeks Grazia. They have interviewed an abuse survivor who was abused by an immediate family member.
When she finally found the courage to tell her parents her father slapped her across the face telling her she was bringing shame on the family by talking about it. She thought her mum would support her but her mother agreed with her father.
My parents have the same kind of attitudes and i got a real knot in the stomach while reading it.
"Asha" if you read this i am sorry for what youve been through and I BELIEVE YOU.

[Lottapianos]

Darkesteyes, I had a friend who was abused by her uncle as a child. When she told her parents, her dad refused to believe her and didn't believe her for years. How awful I'm not sure how they worked it out but she ended up having a close and happy relationship with her dad. I'm not sure I could ever forgive something like that though.

[Quenelle]

I believe you Steven and I'm grateful to you for speaking out so bravely.

[FatTuesday]

I believe you Steven. Have faith that the more people that know your story, the harder it is going to be for them to sweep it under the carpet again.

[MrsjREwing]

Steve, I want to let you know I still believe you. I am so sad that you were told the wrong name for your abuser.

[mignonette]

I still believe you and am deeply, deeply suspicious about what is being reported. Attempts to cover up and discredit? I think so. Why are other claims of abuse over many many years regarding a certain Tory not being pursued for libel????

[noddyholder]

I cannot believe that in all the years SM has been trying to get himself heard there has never been a photo to clarify that they are all talking about the same and correct person. It is highly suspicious that both SM and the other victim have said they were mistaken

[Sunnywithachanceofshowers]

I believe you Steven. Hope you're okay.

[Xenia]

You would have thought SM who had apparently thought it was Lord M for all these years might have gone on line and looked at a photograph of the man to check? It's all very strange, isn't it?

The problem is that the retraction by SM has caused massive damage to his own position. The media are now saying SM's evidence is tainted and wrong and he is an unreliable witness.

What I can't find out is what exactly did SM say on this - did he tell Panorama yes it was Lord M or did he say I was a bit too young to know but it seemed to be some quite senior posh people but I've no idea who they were?

[noddyholder]

I think you could find that out online if you have time to kill I think he must have named him.Surely the BBC would have wanted water tight information. Hasn't SM been making statements to teh police for years?

[goralka]

1.he was shown a photo by the police
2.he said that person had abused him
3.they told him a name
4.now he is apologising
Is that right?
the whole thing stinks from top to bottom, but mostly at the top
I believe all the victims of this, sadly many of them have died or been suicided.

[hackmum]

Xenia - I agree with you. It's all very odd. The late Richard Webster wrote a book (and articles) several years ago in which he cast doubt on the testimony of SM, among others. SM seems to me to be a very troubled man and I don't want to imply for one moment that he is making this up. But I think Newsnight should have been more careful about relying on the testimony of a single individual. As you say, it seems strange that he could be so certain about it being Lord McAlpine if he hadn't looked at a photograph.

[hackmum]

That's a very serious allegation, goralka.

[MrsjREwing]

On the other thread you will find a link showing two others naming the same abuser.

I think many people would be troubled if legs of tables had been inserted in their body as a child or if their throats were lightened with rope to near unconconciousness.

[noddyholder]

It really stinks.

[goralka]

is it really hackmum?
I don't think so.
It's all over the internet, along with just how many ex-inmates of Bryn Estyn and Bryn Alyn have met their deaths in mysterious circumstances.

[EverybodysSpookyEyed]

I believe him

I believe he was assaulted by a member of the mcalpine family and was told it was the household name to scare him. I don't think him apologising to lord m diminishes him. It makes the whole thing more scandalous. The abuser was still being protected, just for different reasons.

The important thing is that the truth does out. Names get put on the Internet for many reasons, a lot of them are by people who have their own agenda and want to use this scandal to pursue it or settle scores.

I hope these inquiries get to the truth about both the well known people and those who are not well known.

[PrincessSymbian]

I believe you, Stephen, and all those other people fighting to find some justice.

[noddyholder]

It was the police who told him who LM was and he then gave this info to newsnight. I was of the belief that the photos were given to the police by SM and subsequently destroyed so why is SM apologising and not the police who identified him from Stephens evidence?