How Could You? Hall of Shame-Australia-Desmond Gore
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 Perth, Australia, foster carer Desmond Gore,73, is “accused of abusing six children under his care has told a jury the allegations against him are “rubbish”.
“It’s just lies, that’s all it is, complete and utter lies,” Desmond Gore said.
“It’s all about money, nothing else, nothing else.”
Mr Gore, 73, is on trial in the Perth District Court, facing 21 charges of child sexual abuse against seven children, including the rape of three eight-year-old girls, between 2007 and 2010.
An investigation into his status as a foster carer was launched in 2013 when a Department of Child Protection case worker stumbled across an old box filled with the belongings of one of his alleged victims.
In it was an ‘identity shield’ activity where the eight-year-old had written, ‘I feel safe when loved. I feel sad when I have sex with my granddad’.
The girl was one of three who informed the department directly they had allegedly been abused by Mr Gore, while the remaining three children alleged abuse years later when contacted by the DCP on behalf of police investigating Mr Gore in 2015 and 2016.
Mr Gore, who is a retired painter, gave evidence during his trial on Wednesday about he and his wife Carol’s time as foster carers at their Armadale home.
“You do your best with them and that’s [the accusations] what’s thrown at you,” he said.
“It’s sad. I don’t hate the children … I feel sorry for them.”
Mr Gore spoke of helping one foster child who was homeless, to go on to be dux of his school, and told the jury he and his wife would make sure the children had activities to do on the weekends.
“In the summer time it would be the beach … winter time we would go to the indoor play places,” he said.
“The kids had a choice, when it was their turn, they picked where we go.”
He told the jury he was an Irish immigrant and moved to Perth in 1968 with his first wife.
He met his second wife in the mid-1990s and the couple regularly attended church, which is where they were first approached to consider foster parenting.
They underwent the necessary training and, over the course of their time as carers, looked after about 30 children, some for days, others for years.
The couple took some of the children on their holidays instead of opting for respite and Mr Gore, when not working as a painter or caring for the children, volunteered to paint elderly people’s homes.
In 2002, Mr Gore had a leg amputated, and uses a prosthetic limb which restricts his mobility.
He also suffers from impotence issues since the mid-1990s.
During the time Mr Gore allegedly offended against his foster care children, he claimed he was physically unable to have sex.
He had a prescription for Viagra at the time, and had told his doctor the medication was going well, but admitted on the stand he only said that because he was “embarrassed” to admit nothing was working.
Mr Gore denied he has any sexual interest in children, repeatedly saying, “none whatsoever” each time he was asked.
He has pleaded not guilty to one count of attempted sexual penetration, 12 counts of indecent dealings, two counts of procuring an indecent act and six counts of sexually penetrating a child under 13 years old.
The trial continues.”
Perth foster carer accused of abuse says alleged victims are ‘lying for money’
[WA Today 5/23/19 by Heather McNeill]
REFORM Puzzle Piece
Update: “A former Perth foster carer will spend his first night behind bars after being found guilty of sexually abusing six children while they were in his care.
Desmond Gore showed no emotion as a jury found him guilty on 20 out of 21 charges of child sex abuse, including the rape of three eight-year-old girls, in the Perth District Court.
It took the jury a day to deliberate at the end of the eight-day trial, delivering their verdict on Tuesday.
The offences took place between 2007 and 2010 at Gore’s home in Armadale.
The department first suspended the 73-year-old retired painter’s foster carer status in 2013 and launched a review into his conduct after a case worker stumbled across an old box filled with the belongings of one of his victims.
The box was found two years after the girl had left his care and contained some of her possessions from her time at Gore’s Armadale home.
In it was an ‘identity shield’ activity – aimed at encouraging children to learn personal protection – where the eight-year-old had written: “I feel safe when loved. I feel sad when I have sex with my granddad.”
The discovery led to the girl telling the case worker she was sexually abused by Gore when his wife was not home.
The abuse occurred two years after the department first received a separate allegation of sexual abuse from another foster child living with Gore.
Mr Gore is accused of sexually abusing seven children, six of whom were his foster children.
Perth foster carer accused of abuse says alleged victims are ‘lying for money’
The District Court jury heard the first girl said Gore told her she “wasn’t worth it” and no one would believe her if she tried to tell anyone he had repeatedly raped her.
The young girl eventually told Gore’s wife about the abuse, who called the girl’s case worker.
She was removed from their care that same day and no charges were laid against Gore.
The Department of Child Protection continued to place children in his care.
Two other children later came forward, including the young girl who owned the ‘identity shield’ document that had been found, and another eight-year-old who was in the couple’s care for less than a month.
The three other foster care victims revealed the abuse against them when approached by the department in 2015 and 2016 on behalf of police investigating Gore.
Gore denied all claims from each of the seven complainants, and said it was “complete and utter lies.”
“It’s all about money, nothing else, nothing else,” he said.
He repeatedly told the jury he had no sexual interest in children, and claimed he was impotent during the time he was alleged to have offended.
One of the children involved was not in Gore’s care.
He will be sentenced on Friday, and has had his bail revoked.”
Perth foster carer stony-faced as jury delivers guilty verdict in child sex trial
[The Sydney Morning Herald 5/29/19 by Hannah Barry and Heather McNeill]
Recent Comments