Child rights lawyers demand inquiry into sexual abuse case by Waters

London, Mar 20 (UNI) Child rights lawyers in Britain have demanded an inquiry into the alleged sexual abuse of a seat cadet by Allan Waters, who along with a fellow national, Duncan Grant, was sentenced in india in a child abuse case, while he was an officer in the British Sea Cadets.

A Mumbai sessions court had convicted three people including waters and Grant and sentenced them to six years impriosnment on March 18.

Grant, a Royal Naval Reserve officer, and grandson of Maj-Gen Sir Philip Grant had set up the Anchorage shelters in Mumbai where the abuse took place.

According to The Daily Telegraph, Waters was formerly accused by a fellow officer of sexually abusing a sea cadet.

Citing information received, the daily said Waters was caught in a compromising act with a young cadet while he was commanding the Clapton unit of the Sea Cadets in London in the early 1980s.

Waters, who worked with the British Sea Cadets for more than 30 years, dismissed the allegations as "an initiation ceremony" and after a brief suspension was reassigned to another unit, the daily reported.

He also worked as an education social worker with the Inner London Education Authority in the 1980s, was appointed superintendent of the Sea Cadet training centre in Portsmouth in 1996.

He was also a member of the Sea Cadet Council until he was arrested at JFK international airport, New York, in July 2003.

The Sea Cadets yesterday confirmed that it was aware "that a report was made by an officer who had concerns about Waters" in the early 1980s but said allegations had "not been substantiated".

Colin Bonner, the Sea Cadets' director of administration, said the organisation remained "unconvinced" that Waters was capable of sexual abuse.

He said, ''Since The Daily Telegraph reported to us certain allegations about alleged misconduct by Waters many years ago, when he was working for us at Clapton, we have made a great many inquiries into his past. We did find that a report was made by a Sea Cadet officer who had concerns about Waters. But he has been dead for many years and there was nothing to substantiate those allegations at the time and nothing since.'' ''I am not going to say that it is impossible that Alan could have done the things he has been accused off. Anything is possible.

But, from the man I know, I do not think it is likely. I do not believe he would abuse children and we have no evidence that he did,' he added.

UNI XC AK LR DB1915