Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Boston Police Crimes Against Children Unit: Looking for Ayres Victims

[Original post date: 10/27/09 11:40am PST by Deep Sounding]  
[Updated post: 10/29/09 11:40am PST by Deep Sounding] 


Please note: I've received an update from Sgt. Detective Donovan, the correct number for the Suffolk County DA is: 617-619-4300. I've updated it below, as well.


We just received the following comment from Sgt. Detective John Donovan of the Boston Police Crimes Against Children Unit:

Boston Police
Crimes Against Children Unit
617-343-6183, 617-343-6186
DonovanJ.bpd@cityofboston.gov

I, Sgt. Det. John Donovan , am the Supervisor in the BPD CACU. I just recently became aware of this blog site.
If there are any victims out there or anyone that can provide any information on incidents that happened in Boston, MA, please contact me and or the Suffolk County DA CPT 617-619-4300. (phone number corrected 10/29/2009)
Please pass this info on.
Let me add a personal note about contacting the police about these kinds of crimes:

I’m 40ish years old; within the range of ages that men usually start to really deal with this kind of childhood crime against them. I can’t speak to reporting crimes in Boston, but I imagine that it’s similar to the experience that I had.

For me,  It was a difficult experience to talk to the police, but it has been liberating and focusing at the same time. I believe that it is the right course to take to begin bringing everything into perspective. I have also found that they seem to know exactly what I’m going through, and were not generally surprised or confrontational about what they heard from me, on the contrary, it is reassuring to find that the fears and concerns I mentioned are common.

9 comments:

  1. Thank you, Sgt. Donovan for your interest in the Ayres case.

    I have the utmost confidence that the Boston victims will come forward.

    By my calculation, they should range in age from about 54 to 62 years old.

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  2. I am sure the police (no matter what state or jurisdiction) have had training in handling these kinds of cases.

    In addition, police are generally more sympathetic towards the victim.

    Their job is to gather and compile the evidence and interview possible victims and suspects.

    It is up to the DA to decide if the case meets the standard of prosecution or sometimes even merits spending the money to prosecute.

    When I went to the police I was treated with respect. Ultimately, I was let down, by the DA who declined to use money to prosecute a misdeameanor.....

    I have no regrets in reporting any criminal activity to the police. They have generally been very helpful.

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  3. Here's the great thing about Massachusetts: They have a "Stop the Clock" law. That means that if they find a victim of Ayres ( not if, but when) in Mass., they can prosecute Ayres no matter how far back the abuse was. If it is found that a perpetrator like Ayres left Mass after molesting a child, then they can bring him back, no problem, and arrest him. The Massachusetts District Attorney's office has successfully prosecuted priests who molested boys in the 1950s under this law.

    I have been very impressed with the Boston Police Department and their interest in finding victims in the Ayres case.

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  4. If it weren't for this fine site and Victoria Balfour, Ayres would still be doing what he's been doing all these years.

    I have written comments before here, but want to thank all again for being advocates as well as giving information and support to the many victims.

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  5. Thanks for reading, Anonymous! It's good to know that we're (at least sometimes) helpful :)

    I'm sure Victoria will appreciate your kind words as well!

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  6. Is there any possibility that Victoria Balfour will get involved with the search for victims in Massachusetts?

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  7. To Gail:

    Victoria Balfour has been looking for victims in Boston since early 2003.

    Nearly seven years ago she put a small classified ad in the Boston Globe and found men who had been patients at Judge Baker when Ayres was there - although they were not his patients. None of these men said their psychiatrists ever touched them in any way, let alone gave them a "physical."

    There are Boston victims out there. But most do not know that Ayres has even been arrested.

    Many of us have long believed that the key - or the "rosebud" - of the Ayres case lies in Boston.

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  8. From: Sgt Donovan

    I put the wrong number for the DA on the post- can you change it

    The Suffolk DA number should be 617-619-4300

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  9. Ayres must be quaking in his boots at the thought of a Boston prosecution. They're much,much tougher on child molesters in that state than they are in California.

    In San Mateo over the years he made a point of buddying up to and buttering up all of the judges. That's one of the reasons a judge reduced his bail, because he snowed them all. But he doesn't know any judges out in Massachusetts. To the judges and DA out there, he's just another slimy pedophile. They are not going to give him the same kid glove treatment. Boston is well equipped to deal with a pedo like Ayres, having convicted an assembly line of pedophile priests. It's a big city, and they're not easily snowed by small town con artists like ayres.

    It's within the realm of possibility that ayres could be convicted in Massachusetts bfore California.

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