A lady friend died recently. She was a social worker involved with "problem" children. I was one of the appointed executors of her estate and I discovered some files relating to cases she was working on, and had worked on. Some of the stories she was told by the children she was working with were very harrowing as they are real, unlike the stories posted here. However I feel they may have a place here. I shall therefore be posting some of these as stories. I have not, nor will not, change the story in any way other than to present it in story form, rather than as an impersonal report. I will title them Social Work. A few of the cases related to girls but most were boys and I will confine myself to those. This is the first case.
It was summer 1982. Shaun, 12, was sitting in his bedroom. He had been sent there by his father as soon as he had come in from school. Shaun was one of 5 children. His 15 year old sister Karen was in care of the local authority, placed in care after having become pregnant at 13, so he was the eldest living at home. Shauns "crime" was that he had forgotten to bring home bread from the shop. His father was unemployed so could easily have done it. Shaun had forgotten to take the money and had intended to nip along to the shop as soon as he got home. His father however had given him a hard smack across the face, told him he was a f***ing useless little b***ard and sent him to his room. Father had also told him he would give him a leathering later that evening. Leatherings were commonplace and were carried out using the buckled end of a heavy strap which father kept in a cupboard under the stairs.
There was a procedure for leatherings. The child was sent to his her room and knew they had to strip to underwear. In Shauns case this meant just underpants as, it being summer, he wore no vest. It being 1982 I suspect briefs or y fronts were what he had on. He had been sitting on his bed for about 2 hours when he heard his mum come in from the cleaning job she had. His mum had also felt her husbands hand across her face a few times and so although she didnt like hearing her kids thrashed said nothing about it. Straight away Shaun heard his old man swearing about him. Telling her that "Your sons a complete f***ing little w**ker" and how he was going to get the hiding of his life. Father almost always thrashed the kids when mum was there. It was as if it exercised dominance over her by doing something of which she disapproved.
A few minutes later he heard the heavy footsteps of his dad, still muttering, open the door of the cupboard under the stairs. Then he heard his dads heavy footsteps coming up the stairs. Instinctively Shaun shivered knowing what was now going to happen. His bedroom door (he shared with his 2 younger brothers) was thrown open. Dad lurched in. He was wearing a vest, jeans and slippers. In his hand he carried his belt with the buckled end swinging menacingly. Shaun stood. He started to plead for mercy saying he would have gone to the shop. His dad simply told him to "Shut the f*** up". He then pushed his son back onto the bed. Throwing the belt onto the bed he grabbed the boys pants and pulled them right off. Then he twisted the boy round so that he was lying face down on the bed. Picking up the belt he then methodically rained blow after blow down on Shauns exposed backside, legs and back. After about 20 blows he stopped. He threw the belt down again and lifted his son off the bed and pushed him against the wall. "I hope youve leant your lesson you little tart" he yelled into the boys face. He then threw the sobbing lad back onto the bed, picked the belt up again and whipped another 3 strokes across the front of Shauns legs as he had been thrown backwards. He then left the room slamming the door behind him but not before telling Shaun to "keep out of my face you little b***ard".
Unsurprisingly Shaun came to the attention of the police, and then the authorities which is where my late friend came into contact with him. Shaun was arrested twice for shoplifting, the second time earning a stretch of probation which is when he became a "case" for my friend. The story has a happy ending as Shaun was placed into care, eventually fostered out to a caring family, away from the brutal environment in which so many kids in Britain have to live with on a daily basis.