Shopping trip treats for dangerous Midland rapists and paedophiles

Sep 28 2008 By Jeannette Oldham

DANGEROUS sex offenders are being allowed out of a secure Midland
hospital on day trips – because health chiefs are worried about
breaching their human rights.

Scores of convicted rapists and paedophiles held under the Mental
Health Act at Brooklands Hospital in Marston Green, Solihull, are
being taken on ‘supervised’ shopping and cinema trips and even visits
to McDonalds.

It is understood the patients are allowed out of their secure
psychiatric unit for several hours or entire days in a bid to
reintroduce them to community life.

We revealed last week how staff at Brooklands Hospital fear it is
dangerously understaffed after a series of patient escapes.

The unit houses up to 100 patients, including around 50 sex offenders.

A source said: “We have to take them out for their human rights – and
they can go pretty much where they want.

Hospital

‘‘A lot choose to go food and clothes shopping in nearby Chelmsley
Wood shopping centre. And they like having lunch out, either at
McDonalds or wherever.

“They can also go to the cinema but we make an assessment on what they
see.

‘‘And they can buy what they like – some of them do buy DVDs with kids
in them. We take everything back to the hospital and then decide if
they can keep them. If not, things go back to the shop and the men get
a refund.

“They’re always supervised by two either two or three staff, depending
on what’s stipulated on their care plan.

“I know some staff have had difficult moments.

“With the child sex offenders you know straight away. They’ll be
staring at a particular child as they walk past and we have to take
them aside and try and talk to them. We try to calm them down and if
they do then we’ll carry on with the trip. Other times you have to
take them straight back to the unit.

‘‘There was one man who was going out every week but it had to be
stopped because he admitted he’d have a child away if he could.

‘‘And some of the patients are considered so dangerous they’re not
even allowed outside in the gardens.’’

The public is unaware of the trips, the source added.

‘‘We take them out in a hospital vehicle or they go on the bus with
the public,’’ they said. ‘‘Local people in Chelmsley Wood have
probably got used to the sight of two men with a patient. There’s
always been a mental hospital at Brooklands so people probably know
they’re patients – but I don’t think they’d like it if they knew they
were sex offenders.

“The whole unit has been re-branded as a secure hospital for people
with learning disabilities. There are people there who have done
nothing wrong, but have, say, severe autism or Down’s Syndrome or
brain damage. And they have to mix with the sex offenders.”

Michelle Elliott, director of children’s charity Kidscape, attacked
the day-trips and said: “If there are dangerous sex offenders being
allowed out then the community has a right to know.

‘‘And the supervision if they are allowed out has to be incredibly
stringent, but I don’t think people in the community would feel
comfortable with this.

‘‘The reality and sad part of all of this is that these people cannot
be cured. They have to be contained and if they’re going out into the
community they will continue to be a risk to children unless they are
supervised 24/7.

“My concern is that people would have to be aware of the dangers and
actually able to physically restrain them. It’s absurd to have a
neighbourhood situation in which people with these kind of perverted
sexual urges have actually absconded.”

But a hospital trust spokesman defended the day-trips and said: “Care
programmes for our patients include an element of community
involvement. In all cases, appropriate arrangements are in place.

‘‘We take our responsibilities on these matters extremely seriously.”

And a Department of Health spokesman said: “Taking patients out of
units on supervised trips is a normal part of rehabilitation and as
such is the responsibility of the clinican in whose care the patient
is in.

“These visits can be to maintain family contact and can even be for
educational purposes such as going to college.

‘‘The important point to bear in mind is these outside visits are
subject to risk assessment.”

http://www.sundaymercury.net/news/crime-news/2008/09/28/shopping-trip-treats-for-dangerous-midland-rapists-and-paedophiles-66331-21917062/

****

‘‘And they can buy what they like – some of them do buy DVDs with kids
in them...."

The dirty fuckers.

"A 'Source' said ..."

“With the child sex offenders you know straight away. They’ll be
staring at a particular child as they walk past and we have to take
them aside and try and talk to them. We try to calm them down and if
they do then we’ll carry on with the trip. Other times you have to
take them straight back to the unit."

Paedo Frenzy.

"Michelle Elliott, director of children’s charity Kidscape, attacked
the day-trips and said: “If there are dangerous sex offenders being
allowed out then the community has a right to know."

"“My concern is that people would have to be aware of the dangers and
actually able to physically restrain them. It’s absurd to have a
neighbourhood situation in which people with these kind of perverted
sexual urges have actually absconded.”"

Paedo Frenzy.

"“These visits can be to maintain family contact and can even be for
educational purposes such as going to college."

They are allowed to do WHAT??!!!

WM
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