PETER HEMMING'S SHOCKING CRIMES IN BRADFORD: A HORRIFIC TALE OF NEGLIGENCE AND ABUSE AT ASHWORTH HOSPITAL

In January 1999, a disturbing incident came to light involving a young girl from Bradford who was reportedly collected from her school by a notorious convicted child molester, Peter Hemming. Hemming, a man with a long and heinous history of sexual offenses against minors, was allowed out of Ashworth Hospital on a day trip, raising serious questions about the safety protocols and oversight at the high-security facility.

The girl, now nine years old and identified as Child A in the official Fallon Report, was reportedly met at the gates of her Bradford primary school by Hemming, who had been deemed a danger to children due to his past crimes. Hemming, who had been sentenced to indefinite detention at Ashworth following a series of sickening offenses, had made at least seven separate visits to Bradford on day trips, according to the report. These visits were facilitated despite the known risks associated with Hemming’s history.

The report, compiled by former judge Peter Fallon QC, reveals that the responsibility for arranging Hemming’s leave of absence from Ashworth was delegated to a junior nurse named James Corrigan. This decision, which has been heavily criticized, ultimately allowed Hemming to visit Bradford and even interact with children in private settings. The report states that Corrigan was later dismissed for gross misconduct, highlighting the serious lapses in oversight.

Hemming’s criminal record is extensive. He had three separate convictions for paedophile activity, including forcing young girls as young as nine into degrading sexual acts. His convictions involved eight different children aged between seven and twelve. The Fallon Report details that Hemming visited Bradford on seven occasions between September 1993 and April 1996, often escorted by nurse James Corrigan. On one such occasion, Hemming visited the home of Child A’s father, and there is evidence suggesting that Corrigan accompanied the girl and her father to pubs during these visits. On another occasion, Hemming picked up Child A from her school, an act that underscores the troubling level of access he was granted.

The report further describes how photographs were found at Hemming’s hospital room depicting Child A lying on a bed at her father’s house. These photographs were later recovered from Hemming’s belongings, indicating a disturbing level of familiarity and possible grooming. The report suggests that the relationship between Child A and Hemming, as well as her friendship with another Ashworth patient, Paul Corrigan, was actively encouraged by her father, who himself was a convicted sex offender. Despite these troubling associations, there is no evidence to suggest that Child A was sexually abused by her father or the other patients. However, police and investigators believe that the girl was being groomed for future paedophile activity.

Alarmingly, Child A learned to regard Paul Corrigan—who had a history of torturing, sexually abusing, and murdering a 13-year-old paperboy—as her “godfather.” She reportedly told her school teachers that she was visiting her “godfather in hospital,” which raises serious concerns about the influence and potential grooming she was subjected to.

Senior officials from Bradford Social Services expressed outrage over the fact that a junior nurse like Corrigan was authorized to arrange day trips for Ashworth patients. They were particularly shocked that such visits could be made to private homes where children were present without any consultation or oversight from local social workers. The Fallon Report recommends closing this dangerous loophole to prevent similar incidents in the future.

In May 1998, further concerns arose when a senior doctor at Ashworth Hospital defended the handling of visits involving Child A. Consultant psychiatrist Dr. Zona Crispin stated that she and another senior medical officer had instructed that all visits be supervised by nurses. She claimed to have been aware that Child A was visiting Paul Corrigan, a convicted child killer, on Lawrence Ward, but denied knowledge of her visiting Hemming on the same ward. Hemming, described as having “a very substantial history of paedophile activity,” and Corrigan, who had a record of abduction and sexual assault of young boys—including the kidnapping, torture, and murder of a 13-year-old—represented a grave danger.

Patients and staff had raised concerns about physical contact between Hemming and Child A, with some alleging that she was sometimes dressed only in her underwear during visits. Witnesses like Stephen Daggett claimed that there was access to pornography, drugs, and alcohol on Lawrence Ward, further complicating the safety and oversight issues. Dr. Crispin admitted that she was unaware of Hemming’s visits to Child A, believing she was visiting her father and Corrigan, and stated that neither Hemming nor Corrigan were her direct patients. She emphasized that all visits should be supervised and that physical contact was prohibited, but acknowledged that no formal written policy existed to address such issues.

The inquiry also examined systemic failures within Ashworth’s management. Dr. Ian Strickland, another senior staff member, highlighted problems such as resource shortages, untrained staff, overcrowded wards, and remote hospital management, which contributed to the lapses in safeguarding. He was suspended following investigations into the murder of a patient in his care and a hostage incident, illustrating the broader issues within the hospital’s operational structure.

This case underscores the tragic consequences of institutional negligence and the failure to protect vulnerable children from known predators like Peter Hemming. It raises urgent questions about the procedures and oversight mechanisms in place at high-security psychiatric hospitals and calls for comprehensive reforms to prevent such breaches of safety in the future.