“May the true spirit of Christmas shine in your heart and light your path.” |
“We may not always get what we want,
but surely we will get what we deserve.”
— Douglas Horton (1891 - 1968)
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“Nothing strengthens authority as much as silence.” | Leonardo da Vinci | |
“All that is necessary for evil to succeed is that good men [or good women] do nothing.” | Winston Churchill | |
“It’s not paranoia when they’re after you !” | Enemy of the State |
“May the true spirit of Christmas shine in your heart and light your path.” |
— Douglas Horton (1891 - 1968)
“A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him.” David Brinkley (1920-2003) |
“To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate the beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch Or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded !” Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) |
From: Anne Callander
To: False Allegation
Sent: 05 January 2010 15:49
Subject: Anne Callander sent you a message on Facebook...
Look through my “intrusion” so far and compare it to what you have written. It is you who started the intrusion and it is you have forced me into what follows:
As a Headteacher myself I know that the safeguarding and protection of a child is paramount, above all other concerns, and there are procedures that simply have to be followed.
The outcome would have been so different and Jane would still be teaching today if she had accepted that she needed support during the difficult time she was having. Instead she chose a different route.
The Jane I once knew would have taken the correct advice and accept the support offered from the start. She would NOT have ignored the advice from her union, her friends and the supportive network at county. She would NOT have followed the corrosive and destructive path that was advised by her partner whose first contact with her after the suspension was to tell her to “Shut up and don’t say any more”.
None of this was reported at the hearing. I could have done had I chosen to, but I wanted to say as little as possible whilst still telling the TRUTH.
This was the stance I had taken all along which I now know was “sitting on the fence”. I also took this attitude during the phonecalls that I received from Jane possibly giving the impression that I was agreeing with her by responding with “mmmm” and expressive “oh nos” and the like.
I should have been more brave and admitted that I did have grave concerns about her behaviour over the years, and that I was now concerned that she was changing her story.
She had already relayed the whole story to me on the car park was now telling me that she had “no idea what I’m being accused of”.
If I am guilty of anything it is the dreadful weakness of being unable to confront her. I am guilty of not reinforcing my initial advice to listen to what her union advises and to take all the professional support she can.
No doubt this is what led to Jane expecting me to lie for her at the hearing. However, there I had to draw the line.
Jane DID admit to me that she had smacked the child. I could not lie about this. Friendship or no friendship I could not stick up for her and call the child a liar. And as a friend she should not have expected me to do so.
I repeat. This did not need to happen. The outcome would have been very different if the correct advice was taken. Support could have been given officially and she would have been supported by her colleagues too if she could have admitted that her actions were due to the enormous pressure she was under.
Jane chose this path herself. It is her OWN ACTIONS (on the ill advice from her partner) that have led to her “life of hell”, not my actions.
I hope Jane gets to read this and it is not kept from her by her partner who will know that all I am writing is the truth.
I pity her and what has happened and I am very sad that she is not happy. But it wasn’t down to anything that I did.
In response to her e-mail, albeit 8 years late, it was all down to you. You poisoned any opportunity for Jane to substantiate her innocence by telling your story to everyone you could and that’s why you had to change your statement to the brief two inconsequential sentences that you finally submitted.
You never actually knew Jane; that is so evident. If you had then you’d have known the impossibility of Jane ever assaulting a child. She’s professional and no matter what the circumstance, she’d never resort to temper, aggressive behaviour or assault – a 30 year unblemished career showed all that anyone wanted to know. She helped you through your times of need and loss. Jane has a real heart and is the best friend that anyone could ever wish for.
Did you consider recording the misery of her phonecalls to you when she believed you to be a friend ? She discussed the death of her dear father at these times too.
You alone judged her that day in her car; a decision that nearly destroyed her life and caused so much damage to her family and mine – something that we’ll never forgive or forget.
Few can appreciate what an allegation of child assault feels like and how it tears apart your very heart and soul. It is one of the worst crimes imaginable – to intentionally harm a child. An allegation such as this causes such anguish, pain and suffering – worse when you realize that this suffering will never diminish and will last a lifetime.
Almost everyday there are dramatic stories of abuse - sexual and physical - some celebrities and others just ordinary people. The stories MUST be true ! What did Anne Callander say in her e-mail ?
Everyone realizes that child protection is paramount; we all should live by that most basic and natural instinct.
“... procedures that simply have to be followed” - sadly over the centuries there have been so many who made the claim that they were only obeying rules ! Egotists and narcissistic sociopaths love the feeling of control and power over others but it should come down to accountability and responsibility in the hands of those who can appreciate commonsense.
“A false friend and a shadow attend only while the sun shines.”
Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)
“La falsedad tiene alas y vuela, y la verdad la sigue arrastrándose, de modo que cuando las gentes se dan cuenta del engaño ya es demasiado tarde.” Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616) “Falsehood flies, and truth comes limping after it, so that when men come to be undeceived, it is too late” Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) |
A.4.1 | I was in the pub at lunchtime with Mrs. Watts on Thursday 27 September. Mrs. Watts said, “I’m in trouble this morning.” I asked why. Mrs. Watts replied, “Because I tapped her on the wrist.” |
A.4.2 | On the following Sunday, I got a phonecall from Mrs. Watts. She was distressed. Mrs. Watts said she thought it couldn’t be what she told me on Thursday, because she wouldn’t have been able to reach over. She said it must have been when Ebony was running around. |
Kidd | : | Mrs. Callander had revised statement – I had original copies and electronic copies. Mrs. Callander said she wanted to amend it. |
Barrister | : | Your original statement – you wanted to add to it. Is that why it changed later ? |
Callander | : | Mr. Kidd wrote notes – it was me who decided to put it down in that way – it is what I wanted it to say. |
Barrister | : | Did you do that in January or was it signed in January ? |
Callander | : | I can’t remember the actual timing of it. I know he was making notes as I spoke to him but I didn’t see it written down until a later date. |
Barrister | : | You wanted to add to it later ? |
Callander | : | I wanted to make it a little more informed I suppose. |
“If you punish a child for being naughty and reward him for being good, he will do right merely for the sake of the reward; and when he goes out into the world and finds that goodness is not always rewarded, nor wickedness always punished, he will grow into a man who only thinks about how he may get on in the world, and does right or wrong according as he finds advantage to himself.” Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) |
“The better I get to know men the more I find myself loving dogs.”
Charles de Gaulle (1890-1970)
How To Handle Stress Like A Dog
If you can’t eat it or play with it then pee on it and walk away.
I have been asked many times about my life and how I coped with the aftermath of the events of 27 September 2007. It seems incredulous that 3,000 days have passed since that moment and how my life has changed.
My thoughts of the people who treated me so badly still touch raw and painful memories of the events and facts that led to the unjustified destruction of my career and life through malicious and cruel scheming.
I am proud: I have faced and survived the ordeal. I cannot begin to describe the pain and torture that resulted from such an allegation. Suffice to say that it is the very worst experience imaginable and the scars of the injustice never heal; I have learned to live with it but I can never forget or forgive !
I fought: My case has been the subject of several BBC television and radio productions. I have featured in numerous newspaper articles and my determined actions brought about a Parliamentary Review in the House of Commons by the Select Committee for Children, Schools and Families on 17 June 2009. I have spoken and corresponded with two prime ministers, ministers of education and even the offices of Her Majesty. I have the honour and satisfaction of contributing to numerous final year degree students’ dissertations and have participated in a host of other interviews, UK and internationally.
I am determined: Above all else, I wanted to establish my innocence. To whom and by whom remains an enigma ! The police detectives soon established that I had not committed the alleged assault. Yet, as they said, the absence of any evidence could not substantiate innocence. They commented that, in their opinion, I had been victimized.
I am grateful: In many respects, my polygrapher,
Don Cargill, saved me from the black depths of utter despair. He said to me, after my ordeal; “Remember Jane that you are an innocent person !” Without this conclusive statement, I would have been lost – he knew that I did not assault the child and so did I ! I clung onto his words and slowly re-emerged into the person I am today.
In February 2008, a month before my polygraph examination, I concluded that my career at Duke Street primary school had ended no matter what the outcome - ‘Catch 22’. I could never return to teach at a school that had taken so much of my very heart and soul. I would never again be trusted or respected in education in the UK; I would never allow myself to be a part of a system where bullies have free reign !
I believed in justice: However I had no expectation of fair treatment at my ‘trial’ hearing. The ‘quango’ court already had reached a point of no return and truth never had a part to play. The outcome made no difference – they could do no more to me and I could see new and fresh opportunities abroad. Don Cargill had been my saviour and provided me with the absolute assurance that I needed.
(They concluded that I had assaulted the child and I would be reinstated subject to a written warning. This decision made no sense; assault constitutes gross misconduct and demands dismissal.)
I am alive: My final hearing had been on 15 July 2008 but I’d already been laying foundations for my new life in North Spain. (‘Success’ had been my last blog entry prior to my hearing and indeed for some time afterwards – I had purpose again and little time ! If you look at my picture in that entry, the background is my beach !)
I had found the courage to ‘Handle Stress Like A Dog’ and walked away !
Less than a year later, to the exact day of my blog entry of 13 February 2008, I had started the process of moving to Spain as I set sail onboard ‘The Pride Of Bilbao’.
New beginnings: I enjoy a life that is rich, rewarding and full. Not easy and very hard at times but it is new, fresh, fun and challenging. I now speak Spanish; English language in this area is rare.
I started by teaching extra-curricular English in a state primary school after gaining TEFL qualifications. I soon chose to ‘retire’ from mainstream education to set-up my own language school.
My future: Everyday, my partner and I walk on the beach with our dog before teaching. My home has views over the Bay of Biscay and is situated in a wonderful and loving community of Spanish villagers.
I often stop to consider the hand of fate and destiny – the false allegation that changed my life forever. I am no longer the same reception teacher who was crucified by a Chorley school and its heartless management. I loved my job at Duke Street and working with children was all that I ever wanted. Yet if these events had never occurred, I would be still working there; worrying about Tilas / Wilfs and Ofsted whilst suffering the bullish management of Andrew Kidd, the head teacher.