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Original poster

Have Scouts said anything about Assistant leader 'Baloo' Challenor?

194 replies

Doyenne · 27/08/2018 09:02

Just wondering whether the Scout Association have made any sort of announcement re their assistant leader being charged. They will have been told by the police at the very latest when he was charged so they have had plenty of time to prepare a statement

OP posts:
Destinysdaughter · 28/08/2018 23:08

Cov Pride have made a statement. It's on the Green Party thread.

vivariumvivariumsvivaria · 28/08/2018 23:36

Nutkin This is a mind field and I see what you are saying about DC but some of the anecdotal comments do throw the debate out of sync

Our situation is not anecdotal. It's a matter of public record - only because I refused to be dismissed.

Scouting, and every other large organisation, has it's first interests looking inwards. If you want details of what happened to my son I'm very happy to PM them. It is clear cut negligence, and clear cut damage limitation. Scouting's own 28 page report into the situation established as much. The sad thing is that they lost me, a skilled volunteer, and my kids, three very suited to uniform services beasue they wouldn't stand up to 23 scouters who were flouting rules and so convinced that they were right that they dismissed actual medical guidance about a vulnerable child.

I'm no hysterical female. I value uniformed services, but, I wouldn't let our DC and RC be in charge of our kids now.

It's a shame. It's also a fair fucking point.

DuckingGoodPJs · 29/08/2018 02:41

Just tying up what Empress said wayback about TRAs denying that DC is one of them (expected, tbh), he was a volunteer for Coventry Pride 2015-16 (see statement), as well as very active with the GP's lgbtwtfbbq designing things and policy (see 2017 GP conference). DC actually is/was a TRA - so most definitely one of their own! Regardless, part time cross-dressing is included under the trans umbrella, according to the TRAs. No True Trans'ing will NOT work in this instance. Suck it up TRAs, another of your own.

Which brings me to, if Coventry Pride can make a statement so quickly, why can't the Scouts also make a statement? Even if only to confirm DC's volunteering ended before the charges - at least the Scouts would come out looking good in this. No statement makes them look like part of the safeguarding problem, and reflects rather badly on them.

Banana8080 · 29/08/2018 07:17

Is it widely known on here that the Scout’s CEO used to be the CEO of NUS - Matt Hyde.

May impact how Scouts respond to all this furore.

Numbkinnuts · 29/08/2018 07:36

Why don't you contact by social media (Twitter) the Scouts celebrity ambassadors for answers.

Come at them from an different angle to put pressure on for a response ?

Tim Peake, Steve Backshall, Helen Glover, Ellie Simmonds, Anita Rani and many others.

VikingVolva · 29/08/2018 07:56

I didn't read Numbkinnuts's post as in any way letting Scouts off the hook. Just highlighting that it is illogical to demonise one organisation, when others which have safeguarding incidents are not receiving the same level of condemnation.

And that's right - there should be more of a fuss.

But what's the timeline here? It's not remotely clear that any of the time with Scouts overlapped the start of any known offending.

BoreOfWhabylon · 29/08/2018 08:30

I think that the Scouts would have been very quick to tell us if DC had been stopped from participating in scouting activities after he was charged.

The fact that they haven't made any such statement leads me to conclude that he wasn't stopped.

AngryAttackKittens · 29/08/2018 08:32

The reason people are focusing on the Scouts now is that there is a potential major breach of safeguarding that has just come to light, and they haven't clarified anything. If a similar case had just happened with a teacher people would be focusing on schools instead.

HotRocker · 29/08/2018 09:38

The problem with silence is it leaves one’s mind to run all over the place. It also leads one to believe that this is a deliberate, tactical response. Neither of which will reassure parents, in fact quite the opposite. If people, organisations, are hoping this scandalous mess just dies away, I sincerely hope they are wrong, but everything comes out in the wash sooner or later, and silence won’t protect them then.
Incidentally, has anybody posted this in aibu?

Juells · 29/08/2018 09:46

Coventry Pride 2015-16 (see statement),

Do you have a link to that statement?

Juells · 29/08/2018 09:48

Never mind, found it via google. Now that's a proper statement...

*We, the trustees of Coventry Pride, were deeply shocked to learn of the actions of Mr David Challenor as concluded by the court. The safety and welfare of children in our society must be paramount. May we offer our heartfelt thoughts and prayers to the child and family.

Mr Challenor volunteered for the Charity in 2015 and 2016 he assisted with event set up and take down, and designing some posters and leaflets. The Trustees were made aware of criminal proceedings being taken against Mr Challenor in November 2016. A directive was issued to those responsible for volunteer recruitment that Mr Challenor was not to be accepted as a volunteer at the Charity’s events and if he attended public events organised by the Charity he was monitored by the trustees. Mr Challenor no longer has any links with the Charity.*

How come they knew in 2016, but the GP didn't?

Juells · 29/08/2018 09:49

Bold fail Blush

R0wantrees · 29/08/2018 09:51

Re Scouts, some concerns were also raised in recent thread with regards Gregor Murray's actions (Murray also a Scout leader):

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3332582-Trans-councillor-leaves-roles-after-threats-to-life

Original poster
Doyenne · 30/08/2018 13:13

Seems DC is not the only scout leader who liked to dress up as a girl

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5375149/Paedophile-Scout-leader-dressed-girl-jailed.html

OP posts:
heresyandwitchcraft · 30/08/2018 22:23

We won't forget about this, Scouts. Gonna keep this on the first page....

MipMipMip · 31/08/2018 10:52

This is scary. Espescially that we know someone has personally pointed out that people are worried and they STILL aren't responding.

MipMipMip · 03/09/2018 21:57

Has there been a response at all that I've missed?

carceralfeminist · 03/09/2018 22:24

Not that I know of.

BlackeyedSusan · 03/09/2018 22:42

you can search for scout groups on the Coventry site listed above. It is not hard to find the closest groups.

Poppiesway1 · 03/09/2018 22:46

Sorry.. could someone post a link to what is going on? Ive tried looking through thread and can’t see one.. (I’m on my phone so may be missing it)
I’m a leader, our DBS is done every 5 years. I ask my leaders to redo their safeguarding training at same time, however they don’t have to do this.
I also work for the NHS, with children and vulnerable patients. My DBS (old CRB) hasn’t been checked with them since 2002! (This often worries me - whose not declaring anything to employers).

The Bristol pharmacist who tried to recruit people to join his extremism and showed beheadinn videos to children, also tried to join scouting to recruit children, he had a clear DBS but leaders on his interview panel didn’t think he was suitable for Scouting. Thank goodness!

Poppiesway1 · 03/09/2018 23:01

Found it.
Shocked! His children were removed by SS? And it was never declared? he was obviously public with his scouting and other sporting activities with children.. how did they not declare this to other services. (Lack of communication between people / services. Did they not learn from Victoria Cilimbie case Sad )

MipMipMip · 03/09/2018 23:15

It seems that very little has been learned.

arranfan · 03/09/2018 23:15

Shocked! His children were removed by SS? And it was never declared?

Children removed by SS. Convictions and barred from keeping animals (RSPCA). Status as Reverend from an internet qualification. Changes of name to submit FOI requests/other purposes. And the list continues...

Stickerladiesoftheworldunite · 04/09/2018 00:40

My sons attended a Scout camp near Coventry (we are based in Mids). It makes my skin crawl to think that DC could have been there too.