Ms. Penny Mellor, unrepresentative and uninformed

GMC Promotes Child Abductor Conspirator

Charles Pragnell Dip.S.W. , L.R.C.C
Child and Family Advocate in Child Protection and Family Law matters

I have been and continue to be opposed to the views of the small number of paediatricians in Britain who support and promote the hypothesis, conjecture and speculatory assumptions of Fabricated and Induced Illness as a form of child abuse [MSBP], as such a conjecture has no foundation in scientifically conducted research and has been dismissed by high courts as having neither validity nor utility in child protection proceedings and remains a matter of continuing dispute in the medical and child protection professional communities. Whilst such a professional dispute continues, the UK Courts have been advised by Court Rulings to exercise extreme caution in accepting such evidence of alleged FII and to consider only factually-based evidence.

However, I do share the concerns and misgivings of a group of British paediatricians when they wrote recently in the British Medical Journal expressing their very considerable concerns and reservations at the appointment of a Ms. Penelope Mellor to a GMC Expert Panel on Child Protection, which presumably among other child protection issues, will be discussing the use of FII/MSBP by paediatricians. Although I have no associations nor affiliations with the British social work establishment, I am quite sure they will in large part have similar views to those of the paediatricians.

I also find it beyond comprehension and unconscionable that Ms. Penelope Mellor could have been appointed to the GMC Expert Panel on Child Protection as from my experience in this area of child protection practice, I consider that Ms. Mellor does not represent any body of informed knowledge in the matter and nor does she represent any significant group of persons involved in the matters relating to FII.

In fact Ms Mellor has been a distraction and obstruction to informed debate on the matter, as for example in a documentary film which focussed inappropriately on issues regarding the drug Cisaprid (Propulsid). In no sense of the term could it be considered that Ms Mellor has expertise in the subject of child abuse and child protection. She has also diverted and distracted the debate into a personalised and vengeful dispute with one paediatrician, a Professor David Southall, rather than an examination of the validity of FII and its application in child protection social work.

I can think of many others who are articulate parents and are far better informed on the issue than Ms. Mellor and who, unlike Ms. Mellor, have had direct experience of false accusations of FII and have suffered severe harm and damage to their lives as a consequence and have first hand knowledge and experience of the inappropriateness of child protection interferences in family life. Parents who represent widely recognised groups of parents with chronically sick and/or disabled children suffering serious illnesses and disabilities such as CFS/ME, Autism and ADHD, Brain Tumours, Chronic Febrile conditions, Vaccine Damage, genetically-inherited disorders, or medically or surgically caused iatrogenic child abuse and child deaths. Their personal experiences and the consequences of stigma, isolation, and social condemnation which such false accusations have had on their lives would have been invaluable to such an Expert Group.

I can only suggest that the inclusion of Ms Mellor in this group will completely undermine any credibility, authority, and authenticity any reports it may produce for either the relevant medical and child protection communities or in the various groups of parents who have experienced the malignancy of child protection interventions based on FII/MSBP.

Charles Pragnell Dip.S.W. , L.R.C.C
Child and Family Advocate in Child Protection and Family Law matters

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Related Links:
Child abduction conspirator hired to advise doctors
Nina Lakhani, The Independent
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