Tories call for review of sexual assault investigations

The opposition PC party is calling for an independent inquiry into the investigations into allegations of sexual violence in eastern St. John’s.

This week, nearly 40 more charges were filed against one of the two elderly men charged in the case dating back to the late 1990s.

Tony Humby, 64, now faces 72 charges including sexual assault, sexual harassment, sexual exploitation and making and possessing child pornography.

Tony Humby (left) Bruce Escott (right)

The other man, 81-year-old Bruce Escott, has chosen not to contest the charges against him and is expected to be sentenced on November 22.

There are reports that previous allegations have been made but have not been investigated by police and social workers.

Conservative Party leader Tony Wakeham believes the case exposes the failings of the system and hopes an independent inquiry into the events will shed light on the perceived shortcomings.

“We need a review of the police files,” he said. “Has everything been done that could have been done? We need a review of the child protection files to find out exactly what was done. There are incidents that have been reported that have never led to anything, so I would like to look at all those files.

“I want to make sure that our children in group homes have the protection and supervision they need to ensure they are safe.”