Sexual abuse case collapses on appeal

Two men jailed over allegations of sexual abuse at a children’s
home following Operation Care, were freed on appeal last
week.

In August 1999, Basil Williams-Rigby was sentenced to 12 years at
Liverpool Crown Court for a variety of sexual offences, taking
indecent photographs and cruelty to a child.

Michael Lawson received a seven-year sentence after being convicted
of 17 counts of indecent assault.

But fresh evidence to the Court of Appeal revealed that a witness
lied during the trial of Lawson, and that of the former care worker
and football manager David Jones, in order to receive money to pay
for a sex-change operation.

Another witness told the court that the transsexual, whom Lawson
had met at the home, told him that Lawson “was in prison because of
her evidence and she had fabricated it to get money for the sex
change”.

There was also no independent evidence to support the four
complainants’ allegations against Williams-Rigby.

Jones, the current Wolves football club manager, was acquitted in
December 2000.