Orkney Island follow-up
In 1991 an 11 year old boy (Boy M) was woken at dawn in his home in the Orkney islands by a raid conducted by police and social workers who were on a mission to catch an alleged ring of ritual child-sex abusers. Their evidence was based on the imaginative statements made by an unstable teenager taken into care. Boy M and his brother were taken to the mainland but sent to different cities. He underwent 7 interviews and was sent to foster parents. He did not know what part of the country he was in and had no contact with his parents, who were being accused of terrible things Boy M knew they had never done to him.
Eventually public outcry and a £6 million inquiry under Lord Clyde resulted in all the seized Orkney island children being returned to their families, and the social workers and police criticised for their handling of the affair.
Each child received £10,000 compensation in March 1996 but Boy M, now aged 17, wants to also speak out publicly about the scandal. The law prescribes anonymity for children in sex abuse cases but Boy M is applying to have the law changed, so that he can speak out in his real name to clear his family’s reputation.