Brit’s home yields alleged abused kids

OLONGAPO CITY, Philippines – Five children, one of whom was tied to a chair with plastic handcuffs, were found in a locked room inside the house of a British woman by National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) agents and government social workers in Subic, Zambales, on Thursday, a Catholic priest said.

Fr. Shay Cullen, an Irish priest who runs Preda Foundation Inc., a shelter for abused children in this city, said the British woman, Lilian May Thomson, 65, faces charges of serious illegal detention and direct assault on government officials in the Olongapo City Regional Trial Court.

Maltreatment, sexual abuse

NBI agents arrested Thomson after receiving reports from Cullen and Preda social workers about possible maltreatment and sexual abuse of children in her home in Barangay Aningway-Sacatihan in Subic.

Cullen said foreigners had been seen coming and going to Thomson’s house, prompting him and the Preda social workers to suspect the children were being abused.

He said other charges related to child abuse and trafficking would be filed against Thomson on Monday.

“One of the children is a 6-month-old boy who was found severely malnourished,” Cullen told the Inquirer by phone on Friday.

Children in safe house

Three girls, all of them 7 years old, and a 5-year-old boy were among those rescued. Cullen said the NBI team and social workers found one of the girls tied to a chair when they searched the house.

The children, who are now in a safe house, have undergone medical examinations, which revealed that the three girls had been sexually abused, Cullen said.

He said Thomson resisted arrest and “became agitated, angry and used invectives against the [arresting] officers.”

Thomson was also charged with direct assault by the NBI agents when she allegedly picked up a spear and threw it at the social workers, he said.

The suspect is detained at Olongapo City police station 6, Cullen said.

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