Sparky
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Post by Sparky on Apr 11, 2021 7:09:09 GMT
In 1974, Yorkshire Television began shooting a documentary series about kids who ran away from home, and ended up on London. It was called "Johnny Go Home". As shooting progressed, the Director soon realized he was making another documentary and uncovered some pretty nasty goings on with these homeless kids being preyed on and ending up in Peadophile Rings.
The (then) government tried to get it pulled from transmission. YTV (across ITV) broadcast the 2 part film in July 1975 - and a bucket of maggots kicked over. The follow up "Whatever happened to Johnny Go Home" - ran in to legal issues. The first film won a BAFTA, both films never been repeated - and were taken from the YTV / ITV archives.
I was unaware there was a follow up and the original two part programme seems to be available at BFI Screen Online but you have to access it via a library or educational establishment. It doesn't seem to be available anywhere else online. The BFI have the two part film available? Wasn't one of the episodes subtitles "The Killing of Billy Two Tone".
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Lord Emsworth
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Post by Lord Emsworth on Apr 11, 2021 7:28:20 GMT
I was unaware there was a follow up and the original two part programme seems to be available at BFI Screen Online but you have to access it via a library or educational establishment. It doesn't seem to be available anywhere else online. The BFI have the two part film available? Wasn't one of the episodes subtitles "The Killing of Billy Two Tone".
Yes. More info here.... During production, a murder took place in one of the local hostels. The crew realised they had filmed many of those involved. With police permission they began documenting the unfolding investigation: 'The Murder of Billy Two-Tone' became the second half of Johnny Go Home, screened after the ITV 10pm news bulletin. It forensically uncovers the facts behind the killing, centring on the hostel's owner. His housing empire turns out to be based on sexual exploitation, religious cultishness, financial corruption - and bureaucratic ineptitude unable to see these behind his persuasively respectable front. Google Roger Gleaves and you'll find all kinds of unpleasant allegations
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Sparky
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Post by Sparky on Apr 11, 2021 7:48:02 GMT
The BFI have the two part film available? Wasn't one of the episodes subtitles "The Killing of Billy Two Tone".
Yes. More info here.... During production, a murder took place in one of the local hostels. The crew realised they had filmed many of those involved. With police permission they began documenting the unfolding investigation: 'The Murder of Billy Two-Tone' became the second half of Johnny Go Home, screened after the ITV 10pm news bulletin. It forensically uncovers the facts behind the killing, centring on the hostel's owner. His housing empire turns out to be based on sexual exploitation, religious cultishness, financial corruption - and bureaucratic ineptitude unable to see these behind his persuasively respectable front. Google Roger Gleaves and you'll find all kinds of unpleasant allegations I read an article some time ago, about the making of the film. There was a legal challenge to prevent it from being transmitted - which went in YTVs favour, as they showed it.
But the aftermath - including surprise and questions in the "house" gave me the impression they were all scrapping about crapping themselves trying to pass the buck, as they had known for years this had been going on and turned a blind eye. Despite all of the so called "investigations" carried out at the time - it seems, nearly 50 years later, not much has changed.
Gleaves got 4 years - and only served 2 - cleared of anything to do with the murder; and no action taken over the money he defrauded from the DHSS.
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Three Litre
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Post by Three Litre on Apr 11, 2021 8:42:41 GMT
The police have always been rubbish at investigating this sort of stuff, its contemptible frankly.
Children are one of the most vulnerable groups in society, look after them.
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Sparky
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Post by Sparky on Apr 11, 2021 17:05:49 GMT
The police have always been rubbish at investigating this sort of stuff, its contemptible frankly. Children are one of the most vulnerable groups in society, look after them. Social Services aren't particularly helpful either. Quick to react when a kid gets a bruise from playing football - but not in an actual abuse case. Heard this happen many times.
The Rotherham Child Exploitation is still rumbling on - as buck gets passed from one to another. The local news isn't far off having a dedicated section just for it.
It has been known that both the Police, Council, Social Services (those who should have been protecting kids) all knew what was going on and turned a blind eye. The Police wouldn't arrest anyone as they feared it would get them branded Racists - the Council took a similar view. It took a Social Services Whistle blower to bring it all out - and the extent.
How it ended...(kind of for a little while)
The "Whistleblower" was at first threatened with prosecution for breach of the "Official Secrets Act". It then came to light that the council didn't have a legal leg to stand on.
So - the "Whistleblower" was then subjected to a total smear and beating within the local press as the council suddenly discovered discrepancies in claims for expenses to the sum of £150,000. (A local council office with expenses of £150,000?).
The Chief of Police refused to stand down, the Crime Commissioner said "I wasn't in office back then", and the ex-head of Social Services (who turned a blind eye) was given a Golden Handshake of £50,000...
6 months later...
The "Whistleblower" made a statement to an equiry stating that she had reported abuse to her Supervisor (the one who got the handshake) and nothing was done about it - so she was forced to try and stop the abuse herself and go public.
The council were then dragged in to the equiry and asked to provide all paperwork and records. They explained that their records were digitised on stored on laptops and computers.
It then came to light that 20 laptops & computers used by the department had been "lost" - during a convenient move to new offices. That's 20 computers at Tax payers expense.
The "Whistleblower" ended up with compensation of about £10,000 and a very non public "Sorry, it won't happen again" from the council.
The police now claim nothing was reported to them... but are now undergoing a corruption investigation as it's been alleged that certain officers took bribes to let it happen and any reported evidence vanish.
And this has been going on since 2012.
Pretty much a Hollywood movie plot.
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Post by Arthur Pringle on Apr 11, 2021 18:30:55 GMT
Here is the entry for 'Johnny Go Home' in Halliwell's TV Companion, a two part documentary according to the info in brackets.
There's a low quality segment on it on youtube, apparently the full programme has been on youtube in the past but is continually removed. Apparently the Fine Young Cannibals song 'Johnny Come Home' was inspired by the programme.
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OnTheBusesHugeFan
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Post by OnTheBusesHugeFan on Apr 11, 2021 21:18:26 GMT
There's a interesting looking documentary on BBC2 on the 14 April at 9pm, Bent Coppers: Crossing the Line of Duty, that looks interesting, about corruption in the Met in the 70's when Rober Mark was the Commisioner. By coincidence I just read an unrelated book called Bent Coppers by Norman Pilcher who was in the drugs squad then and fell foul of the system and got stitched up and went inside, also good. Thanks For The Heads Up For This One Guv . i will setting my sky-q up to record it .
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Sparky
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Post by Sparky on Apr 12, 2021 6:18:47 GMT
Here is the entry for 'Johnny Go Home' in Halliwell's TV Companion, a two part documentary according to the info in brackets.
There's a low quality segment on it on youtube, apparently the full programme has been on youtube in the past but is continually removed. Apparently the Fine Young Cannibals song 'Johnny Come Home' was inspired by the programme.
Great find (once again) Arthur! (Arthur the Archivist)....
Interesting that Youtube constantly remove this when uploaded; but they fail to remove 80% of the other crap posted on there. Someone really doesn't want this seen again.
But if you are a member of the BFI, you can book to view it.
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Post by Arthur Pringle on Apr 12, 2021 13:55:59 GMT
Yes, if they are deleting it on a regular basis it's likely not because it infringes copyright. However I did notice in the clip that they give the full name & address of participants, perhaps the restriction on its viewing is as much to do with protecting the abuse victims. I'm assuming the young lad in the clip wasn't an actor & his real name was given.
Funnily enough there is another 2 part YTV documentary produced by the same team that caught my eye in Halliwell's book called 'The Secret Hospital', this is a 1979 expose into conditions at Rampton Hospital, a high security psychiatric hospital described as 'celebrated one hour documentary ( actually it's in two 50 min parts ) from Yorkshire TV exposing horrifying conditions at Rampton Mental Hospital'.
There's more info on it on Rampton Secure Hospital's wikipedia page.
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Sparky
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Post by Sparky on Apr 12, 2021 15:17:55 GMT
Yes, if they are deleting it on a regular basis it's likely not because it infringes copyright. However I did notice in the clip that they give the full name & address of participants, perhaps the restriction on its viewing is as much to do with protecting the abuse victims. I'm assuming the young lad in the clip wasn't an actor & his real name was given.
Funnily enough there is another 2 part YTV documentary produced by the same team that caught my eye in Halliwell's book called 'The Secret Hospital', this is a 1979 expose into conditions at Rampton Hospital, a high security psychiatric hospital described as 'celebrated one hour documentary ( actually it's in two 50 min parts ) from Yorkshire TV exposing horrifying conditions at Rampton Mental Hospital'.
There's more info on it on Rampton Secure Hospital's wikipedia page.
YTV and Granada made some phenominal documentaries.
But with all of these cases - Rampton, Johnny Go Home etc - the subject of Police and High Ranking Corruption is always lurking in the background.
Then there's the Baker Street Bank job in 1971 - alleged set up by intelligence to access a certain safety deposit box to recovers compromising photos of a certain member of the Royal Family. The Radio Ham enthusiast who initially detected and reported the robbery was arrested - but later aquitted - on charges of using an "Illegal Radio Set". Because he made the Met look a pack of idiots. The Jason Statham film "Bank Job" is loosly based on this.
Though I don't condone crime - I do have some respect for the trouble the villians went to - to dig a tunnel about 40ft long, 18inches wide, and then lug a Thermal Lance and bottles down there to access the vault.
Did any of those villians get nicked? Or did most of them "get away"?
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