Comments for Matthew Cain's blog

Comment on Victims of Crime Trust mystery by Patricia Caputo

Patricia Caputo — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 12:26:36 +0000

I have been wondering why the VOCT haven’t contacted me for a long while – my calls and emails were no longer returned; the VOCT gave me much support after the murder of a child, I had attended meetings and it was comforting to be with people who genuinely knew what I was going through.

I decided to try one last time today to try to contact them and found this blog.

The VOCT may have been mis-managed but I find it extremely unlikely that it was deliberate fraud on the part of anyone rather that it was in fact the lack of funds to employ staff to manage it well and the reliance on volunteers. I for one received much help and support from them, furthermore, they put others in touch with me that I understand I helped – from a mother in the North who had a child murdered to a police officer in Northern Ireland who was setting up a Victim Support unit.

Norman, if you get to see this – many thanks for all your time and support.

Comment on Victims of Crime Trust mystery by A brennan friend

A brennan friend — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 14:41:47 +0000

The thing is we can all speculate on this, only Norman can answer allegations and its unfair to slur him further when he his no right to reply.

Dont forget that Gilligan is writing in a manor to place Norman in the worst possible light. He makes assumptions, inuendo and plays massively on negative half truths, whilst being economical with anything positve.

In the past when writing in the evening standard Gillgan wrote about Norman turing up for a press conference in a Porsche dressed in Black designer gear. The implication being he was using money from the VOCT to support a glamourous lifestyle.

The facts are, his porsche was a bottom of range 15 year example costing less then £10K (and a bit of a banger) and he was dressed smartly in black as he had just attended the funeral of one of the homocide victims whoose family he was supporting. Gilligan forgot to mention that!

So with Gilligan you are only getting half the storey and portrayed in an extremely negative light.

Norman is currently seeking legal advice to determine his next steps to clear his name.

Comment on Victims of Crime Trust mystery by Twickenham Man

Twickenham Man — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 14:19:23 +0000

I am led to understand from a colleague who has Charity Comm connections that VOCT filed no accounts since 2003/4.
Questions have been asked about funds and their use. During one of norman’s “career breaks” VOCT was placed in the position of paying his BTP salary, plus employer NIC’s and VAT, very expensive.
Gilligan’s article questions property transactions, but those who have known Norman over the years have been aware of many property purchases and rent outs.
We should all await the results of the Charity Comm enquiry which will be made public. But, failure to file accounts, for VOCT, Charathon and Protect The Protectors is an offence, which the Charities comm takes seriously.

Comment on Victims of Crime Trust mystery by A brennan friend

A brennan friend — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 16:35:07 +0000

As far as I know the charity is currently being wound up by the charity commission, I could be wrong, perhaps it’s worth while cancelling that Diect debit or contacting the comission to find out what the deal is…

Comment on Victims of Crime Trust mystery by Darren Milne

Darren Milne — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 14:00:09 +0000

Thanks for the above information. I was wondering what happened to the Trust. I have been paying a small direct debit to the Trust for well over 6 years and was beginning to wonder what was happening with it. I first met Norman Brennan as a result of coming to his assistance when he was being assaulted whilst on duty. I found him to be passionate about the injustice faced by victims of crime in the UK and determined to make the Government take note. At the court case that followed for his assailant, I saw first hand the nonsense that is British justice and decided to support his Trust as a result.