The Judgment of Lord Justice Ward CONCLUSIONS

CONCLUSIONS

1. I am totally satisfied that there was widespread sexual abuse of young children and teenagers by adult members of The Family, and that this abuse occurred to a significantly greater extent within The Family than occurred in society outside it.

2. Berg was well aware when he propounded his Law of Love that there was a high risk that many who followed it were not mature enough wisely and responsibly to use the freedom (that "dangerous toy") conferred on them in a way which did not cause harm. Harm to children was readily foreseeable as soon as he had schooled The Family to accept that even young children were sexual beings. By endowing children with the same sexual responses as were enjoyed by adults, he made them objects of sex. He placed them within the scope of the Law of Love. That law depends upon full free and informed consent being given to the contemplated activity. Children's consent to sexual activity can never be the product of a free will both because they do not have the maturity to understand the emotional consequences of any sexual engagement, but also because, due to the imbalance of power between adult and child, any decision of the child is made under influence and pressure. Apparent consent is thereby vitiated. The overwhelming body of psychiatric opinion across the world is dismissive of the apologia propounded in Good Thots and is firmly of the view that exposure to early sexuality is harmful to children. There is even enough acknowledgement in the documents that The Family now recognise that the teenagers involved in sexual relationships with adults suffered emotional upheaval which interfered with the Lord's work. It is not a difficult step also to acknowledge that in fact these children have suffered emotional harm.

3. It is, therefore, quite unacceptable for The Family to cast the blame upon the immature or weak members and not to face up to what is a harsh truth unpalatable to them that Berg bears responsibility for propagating the doctrine which so grievously misled his flock and injured the children within it.

4. This is a condign judgment on Berg , on those in authority who failed to curb these wild excesses and on The Family as a whole. It was a deplorable period of their history. They have been rightly vilified by the media and pilloried by the press for it. It was, however, a period of their history. I am now totally satisfied that The Family, I would think largely at Maria's prompting, has since 1986 made determined and sustained efforts to stamp out child sexual abuse and to prevent any inappropriate contact between adults and children whether young children or teenage children. I have no evidence that child sex abuse is presently prevalent any more within The Family than outside it.

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