A REVIEW team member yesterday said she had had doubts about the wisdom of another member talking on a TV documentary about female abusers while the team was investigating claims of nursery child abuse.
Judith Jones said she had voiced concerns to fellow team-member Jacqui Saradjian, after finding out the show was also going to cover something about Newcastle's Shieldfield nursery.
At the time of the 1997 Panorama broadcast, the four-member team was in the middle of its investigations into claims that Dawn Reed and Christopher Lillie had abused children at Shieldfield.
Ms Jones was being cross-examined in the High Court by Adrienne Page QC, for Mr Lillie, 37, and Ms Reed, 31.
They have taken libel action against Ms Jones, Ms Saradjian and the two other authors of a 1998 report which concluded they had sexually, emotionally and physically abused children when they worked at Shieldfield.
They are also suing Newcastle City Council, which commissioned the report, and the Newcastle Chronicle and Journal Limited which published stories on it. They are claiming qualified privilege.
Four years before the report, the two workers were acquitted of indecently assaulting young children from the nursery.
The hearing continues.
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