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.....

[FrothyOM]

I still believe him.

It was an honest mistake, the BBC were the ones who should have done their research. It's not like these men were giving their names, was it?

[goralka]

He actually has quite a history of fabrication.
there is no doubt he was sexually abused in care by God knows who.

[MaryZezItsOnlyJustNovember]

I believe he was abused.

I believe he is still being abused - only now it is mentally rather than physically.

He was treated appallingly by society when he was a child, and now he is being treated just as appallingly by society as an adult.

[Feenie]

Lovely to see MNers jumping on this thread to stick the boot in.

[greenfern]

Can't believe some people have no empathy towards abused victims.

Is just they want to be controversial.

[EverybodysSnowyEyed]

I agree with maryzez

It doesn't actually matter who abused him because it doesn't change the fact that terrible things happened to him. He needs help and support. Not being fed to the lions.

[OliviaMumsnet]

evening all

[Feenie]

Thanks Olivia.

[NigellasGuest]

I believe you Steven
and I agree with MaryZ

[DioneTheDiabolist]

I still believe you Steven. I hope you get justice and find peace in the future.

[higgle]

What exactly is the point of a thread where only one point of view is allowed?
I think we would do well to remember the Orkney cases a few years ago. I practiced as a criminal defence solicitor for more than twenty years and ....well, not much point in expressing an opininon is there?

[NigellasGuest]

This is an I Believe You thread - the whole point is to express that I believe you

[MaryZezItsOnlyJustNovember]

It's part of the "We believe you" campaign, higgle.

It's not a place to debate the rights or wrongs of the BBC, or child abuse in general. It is a declaration by mumsnet that if people speak up, we start off from the position (in the absence of hard evidence to the contrary) of belief.

It started with believing women about rape. We can also believe men about rape.

[higgle]

I did post in support on the rape thread, on this occasion I have read the source material from some of the press articles and defer to the view of Gerard Elias QC, counsel to the Waterhouse inquiry.

[Xenia]

It's totally meaningless. No one doubts he was abused.
Obviously we do not believe those things he says are not to be believed.

We must always start from the position of everyone is innocent until proven guilty. Lynch mob "get the paedos" have no place in Britain.

[DioneTheDiabolist]

I Believe You threads are places where victims receive support. Very important for those who are living with the effects of sexual abuse and are faced with an adversarial legal system willing to do whatever it takes to discredit them.

Debate on the individual case is not prohibited. Just start another thread.

I Believe You should be a safe space.

[ashesgirl]

That's fair enough, Dione re: the safe space.

I think it's not clear however, about posting on a thread, if you are unfamiliar with the I Believe You campaign.

[higgle]

Where does it say this? where is the rule?

[Feenie]

Read the link Olivia kindly posted for you a few posts up.

[MaryZezItsOnlyJustNovember]

There is a link to the campaign from Olivia ^ up there.

[higgle]

Yes, read the link, but it doesn't actually say that. I think the campagn is very important but in view of the comments this person's own solicitor has made about him feel there possibly are better candidates for support. I will bo;w out now because I do not want to detract form the main point.

[AnyaKnowIt]

Better candidates to support? WTF

[DioneTheDiabolist]

Higgle, I don't think that explicit rules are needed. The campaign is clear in its aim. Anyway, is it too much to ask that a tiny space be safe for victims on a forum of this size?

As for better candidates, this isn't a scoreboard. If you wish to highlight a case, please do.

[WakeUpRosemary]

Steven Messham is on twitter and it looks like he's not coping too well. I hope he's OK and I believe him.

This whole thing stinks.