Satanic abuse of children a myth, inquiry finds

THERE is no evidence of satanic abuse of children, a government inquiry reported yesterday. Claims which led to raids on the homes of children in Rochdale and the Orkneys, it says, were based on little more than imagination.

The finding, which will trigger compensation claims from families falsely accused by social workers, was welcomed by Virginia Bottomley, the Health Secretary, who said the controversy had been the subject of "speculation and scaremongering" for years.

She spoke after a report by Professor Jean La Fontaine, an eminent social anthropologist, said that children had been influenced into making disclosures by adults sucked into the ``powerful influence'' of evangelical Christians. Mrs Bottomley said: ``Professor La Fontaine has exposed the myth of satanic abuse. I hope the professionals will study it in detail, in particular the definitions and the terms used when discussing ritual, satanic or organised abuse, and learn lessons from it.''

Five families in Rochdale whose children were seized by social workers have issued writs alleging negligence and breach of statutory duty in a campaign for "substantial" compensation understood to total up to Pounds 100,000 in each case. These could lead to a flood of other civil actions. Some families called on local authorities to apologise and settle claims without the delay court action would bring.

Professor La Fontaine, Emeritus Professor of Social Anthropology at the London School of Economics, found no evidence to back claims of abuse by devil worshippers. No prosecutions followed the seizing of the children and the inquiry was set up as suspicions grew about the action.