How Could You? Hall of Shame-Australia -Hall & Chamings

This will be an archive of heinous actions by those involved in child welfare, foster care and adoption. We forewarn you that these are deeply disturbing stories that may involve sex abuse, murder, kidnapping and other horrendous actions.

From Australia, “a young couple who pleaded guilty to harbouring a foster child told a court they felt sorry for the girl and took her in when she complained of physical and sexual abuse in state care.

Scott Rowland Hall, 28, and Crystal Louise Chamings, 22, pleaded guilty in the Adelaide District Court to two counts of harbouring a child.

It heard they took the teenager to their house at Morgan twice, after she ran away from her residential care facility.

The court heard the couple was making a formal application to foster the girl and Families SA was aware the child had stayed with them unlawfully.

The court heard the girl had bruises and a cut to her lip and had told the couple she had been physically and sexually abused in care.

After an investigation, no charges were laid against anyone at the residential care facility.

Chamings’ lawyer Tim Heffernan told the court his client had always wanted to start a family of her own and her ‘nurturing’ side led her to want to look after the teenager.

“She wanted to be a mum, she wanted to have that sort of nurturing role with someone in her life,” he said.

“She is pregnant now, something which she is very pleased about.”

Judge David Smith questioned why the couple had not contacted police with their concerns about the girl’s welfare.

Mr Heffernan said his client was in a difficult position.

He said after each visit the couple had returned the girl to her residential care within a few days, when she felt ready to go back.

“It’s not an easy scenario and my client is not the most sophisticated person. She was 21 at the time,” Mr Heffernan said.

Hall’s lawyer Sean Richter said his client also felt sorry for the teenager and acceded to Chaming’s desire to help her.

“He felt sympathy for her as well,” Mr Richter said.

The court heard the situation went “pear-shaped” when the girl made sexual allegations against Hall, who was charged but later had those charges withdrawn.

Both defence lawyers urged the judge to release their clients without conviction or penalty, saying the harbouring matter would never have reached court had other allegations not arisen.

Prosecutor Jane Abbey said a conviction should be recorded on the harbouring charges to deter others from committing such offences.

“A conviction should be recorded because of the seriousness of the offence. There are presumably often other times when this offence is committed where people are doing it because they think they are doing the right thing,” she said.

“It is nevertheless against the law and an offence.”

The maximum penalty for an offence of harbouring a child is a fine of $12,000 or imprisonment for a year.

Hall and Chamings were due to stand trial but pleaded guilty to harbouring charges once prosecutors dropped the child sex charges.

They are to be sentenced in December.”
Pair kept foster child unlawfully, court told

[Australian Broadcasting Company 10/26/12 by Candice Marcus]

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