A worker at a children’s home who sexually assaulted a 15-year-old boy, later found deceased by hanging, allegedly received protection from fellow members of the Freemasons within the legal system, according to a campaign by survivors. The boy was discovered dead in a bathroom at the infamous Shirley Oaks children’s home in Croydon in 1977, two years after the accused perpetrator, Donald Hosegood, was acquitted of abuse charges. Hosegood, a confirmed Freemason, faced trial in 1975 for multiple counts of sexual assault involving four children, but the case fell through.
Additional allegations of misconduct against Hosegood emerged in 1998 during the Operation Middleton investigation in Lambeth, South London, where authorities erroneously reported his death. Hosegood passed away in 2011 without being held accountable for his actions.
The Shirley Oaks Survivors Association is now urging the Metropolitan Police to look into the matter after Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley called for officers involved in secret societies to disclose their affiliations. This call to action follows the revelation that three out of five Metropolitan Police officers arrested for suspected cover-up of a sexual assault were Freemasons.
The association has exposed potential Masonic connections between a detective sergeant accused of molesting a colleague and two other officers implicated in suppressing the case.
Raymond Stevenson, the founder of SOSA and a friend of the deceased boy, expressed concern over the handling of Operation Middleton, suggesting a deliberate strategy to shield fellow officers within the clan, thus hindering justice and perpetuating a culture of protection for wrongdoers. Stevenson’s and Lucia Hinton’s investigation unveiled a significant child abuse scandal within the Shirley Oaks community.
Their report, “Justice Is Above The Law,” identifies police officers suspected of either perpetrating or concealing child abuse due to their links with secret societies like the Masons and the Catenians, an exclusive Catholic men’s association.
Stevenson plans to share this information with MPs and relevant bodies. The work of SOSA led to an Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, revealing widespread abuse endured by hundreds of children under Lambeth’s care.
While Hosegood reportedly brandished a Masonic handbook during his arrest, Stevenson suspects foul play in the death of his unnamed friend, allegedly at the hands of the house father, who purportedly threatened other children. Compensation has been awarded to five survivors abused by Hosegood, including a man who suffered ongoing abuse from a young age.
Former residents of Shirley Oaks have also implicated other abusers like William Hook and Fred Cummins, with Lambeth compensating over 100 individuals for their ordeals.
The testimonies of survivors like Shayne Donnelly and Tony Brown shed light on the pervasive abuse within the Shirley Oaks community, pointing to a network of perpetrators shielded by their affiliations and connections.
SOSA contends that members of the Catenian Association may have interfered with investigations, highlighting concerns about influential figures using their positions to obstruct justice.
Efforts by the House of Commons Home Affairs Committee in 1999 underscored apprehensions regarding the Catenian Association’s potential influence on legal proceedings, following a comprehensive inquiry into Freemasonry.
The United Grand Lodge of England stated that an independent inquiry in 2021 found no direct evidence of Freemasonry obstructing investigations into child sexual abuse, emphasizing their cooperation with the investigation.
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