Patricia Hewitt releases statement on NCCL/PIE links: “I got it wrong on PIE and I apologise for having done so”

Patricia Hewitt has responded to the furore over the historic links of the NCCL (now Liberty) to paedophile groups in the 1970s and 80s. Whilst Harriet Harman and Jack Dromey have both responded to varying extents to the accusations made against them, Hewitt – who was NCCL’s General Secretary  – has yet to respond, until now. Here’r the statement Hewitt released last night:

“I have been away for the last twelve days and have only now been able to study the allegations made by the Daily Mail and others.

Any suggestion that I supported or condoned the vile crimes of child abusers is completely untrue. When Jack Dromey, as NCCL chairman in 1976, vigorously opposed PIE at the NCCL AGM, he did so with the full support of the executive committee and myself as general secretary. As the NCCL archives demonstrate, I consistently distinguished between consenting relationships between homosexual men, on the one hand, and the abuse of children on the other.

NCCL in the 1970s, along with many others, was naive and wrong to accept PIE’s claim to be a ‘campaigning and counselling organisation’ that ‘does not promote unlawful acts’. As general secretary then, I take responsibility for the mistakes we made. I got it wrong on PIE and I apologise for having done so. I should have urged the executive committee to take stronger measures to protect NCCL’s integrity from the activities of PIE members and sympathisers and I deeply regret not having done so. In particular, Tom O’Carroll should never have been allowed to join the gay rights sub-committee.

The proposal to reduce the age of consent was not mine – it was the policy of the organisation and its executive committee at that time. I do not support reducing the age of consent or legalising incest.

I note some of the comments about Harriet Harman and her role. Harriet did not join the NCCL staff until 1978. She was one of two legal officers, neither of whom was a member of the executive committee.

NCCL in the 1970s played a leading role in anti-discrimination and equality campaigns. We helped to secure the Sex Discrimination Act, anonymity for rape victims and an end to discriminatory immigration rules against British women with a foreign husband. We also built support for equalising the age of consent for homosexual men – a change eventually made in 1998. I am proud of the contribution NCCL made to these and other important reforms during my time as general secretary.

Many people’s lives have been destroyed by sexual abuse in their childhood. Although the evil of child sexual abuse is now properly recognised, as a society we still have a long way to go in protecting children, tackling the sexualisation of girls and supporting the survivors of sexual abuse. I hope the lessons that are being learnt from the mistakes of the 1970s will contribute to those goals.”