Social services stole our children from us: Six-figure sum for parents wrongly accused of abuse
By Andy Dolan
Last updated at 2:02 AM on 23rd December 2008
A couple whose children were taken away for two years after a false accusation of sexual abuse have been awarded a six-figure compensation payout.
Tim and Gina Williams's three young children were placed in separate foster homes after social workers wrongly suspected them.
Their ordeal began in May 2004, when Mr Williams discovered a semi-naked 11-year- old boy on top of his daughter, Courtney, then five, following a neighbourhood paddling pool party.
Six-figure payout: Tim Williams and his wife Gina with their children (left to right) Ieuan, Courtney and ZaraHe called police, but a medical examination resulted in social services stepping in, after a doctor claimed that the child had been the victim of abuse by an adult.
As a result, social services judged Mr and Mrs Williams could both pose a potential risk to Courtney and her siblings Zara and Ieuan.
In August 2004 the children were taken away.
Their parents were allowed just two 90-minute, supervised visits a week.
But two years ago, the family, from Newport, South Wales, were reunited after a judge exonerated the parents. The case collapsed a week before a final court hearing, after the family consulted a U.S. expert who found no suggestion of any sexual abuse.
A UK doctor agreed - and the original doctor who had examined Courtney then accepted their findings.
Newport council asked for the case to be dropped and the children were returned to their parents in September 2006.
The couple then began a compensation battle against Newport council and Gwent Healthcare NHS Trust.
And on Monday they were awarded an undisclosed sum in an agreed settlement at the High Court in Cardiff.
Afterwards their QC Robin Tolson said: 'The effect of what happened will continue to be felt for a long time. But at least this now marks the end of four years spent fighting for their children and their rights before the court.'
An initial report from the NHS Trust claiming that Courtney was being abused had been 'fundamentally flawed', their legal team said.
The family have previously spoken out to try to prevent other families from a similar fate. The parents said Zara, now 14, Ieuan, 11, and Courtney, nine, were like 'three little strangers' at times.
Zara had always been studious but was increasingly disruptive in class. Ieuan, who had had a sensitive, quiet inclination was often angry. And Courtney was too scared to sleep in case she woke to find her parents gone.
Mrs Williams, who waived her right to anonymity, said: 'None can bear to have us out of their sight because they think we won't come back. They believe they were taken into care because we didn't love or want them any more.'
Mr Williams, now 39, added: 'All three are extra clingy and constantly fight for our attention.
'If they don't see us at the school gates the moment the bell rings they freak out, so we have to get there ten minutes early and stand in exactly the same spot.
'But whenever we see the children angry or in tears, we have to remember that it's not their fault.
'They were ripped from us and still don't understand why.'
Under the settlement, the family are banned from commenting further on the case.
The NHS Trust said a serious case review had established that the doctor who examined the child had been working within her professional guidelines and no fault had been attached to her
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