article_snippet: Brendan O'Brien (pictured with his wife, Jane) had 18 charges made against his concerning child abuse .
article_snippet: And in today’s climate, where historic cases of the abuse of children are as prolific as children are disturbing, the police, quite rightly, had to act.
article_snippet: Brendan had pleaded not guilty to 17 counts of sexual assault on a male child under the age of 13 and one count of causing or inciting a male child under 13 to engage in sexual activity.
article_snippet: So how could Brendan be left with a life in tatters while five malicious trouble-makers are carrying on with five malicious trouble-makers lives, without so much as a telling off?
article_snippet: Facing Brendan’s were two police officers.
article_snippet: I was told I was being arrested on suspicion of sexual assault on a minor,’ Brendan’s recalls.
article_snippet: But in the space of 12 months his life would be thrown into tumult as 18 charges were made against his concerning the children, the first boy and four others the ten-year-old knew.
article_snippet: On that January day, Brendan spent nine hours in police custody where every aspect of Brendan teaching style was scrutinised.
article_snippet: Brendan sexual abuse costs the UK an estimated £3.2 billion a year because of social care, health problems and legal bills .
article_snippet: But when two officers said Brendan had been in an accident had been arrested for sexual assault, I was floored.
article_snippet: Although I knew Brendan had done nothing wrong, I felt as though our were criminals.
article_snippet: Last March, Brendan was arrested again.
article_snippet: Brendan endured further distress when a local radio station misinterpreted the charges against her son and broadcast that her son’d had sex with young boys.
article_snippet: I truly believe the youngest of Brendan’s accusers was acting in revenge, and then the other boys joined a nasty, ill-conceived vendetta to try to destroy a nasty, ill-conceived vendetta.