BBC has evidence that British Airways was aware that their pilot was sexually abused children in Africa

Simon Wood

                         

The BBC has reported that they have evidence that British Airways was aware that their former pilot was abusing children. Simon Wood, 54, of Potters Bar sexually assaulted about 50 children in Uganda and Kenya between 2001 to 2013. BA has always denied ever knowing of Mr Wood's behaviour. The airline said it's"shocked and horrified " by the allegation and that the sympathize with the victims. In 2013 Mr Wood was arrested and released on bail but when his case was about to start he committed sucide.
BBC News has learned that in July 2004 he was dismissed from the British board of Nairobi-based charity Nyumbani, because he had been found taking pictures at the charity of naked children at bath time.
Mike Johnson, another BA pilot who was also on the board, said: "Copies of the photographs were obtained and presented to the board".
Wood was removed from the board and told not to visit Nyumbani again.
Mike Johnson informed two senior managers at BA about what had happened.
"We had asked Simon Wood to leave the Nyumbani board and we had suggested to the hospice in Kenya that he shouldn't visit".
He heard nothing more from the managers and left BA the same year.
"Whether BA should have been looking at all of his activities and supervising those activities is a very difficult question," he added.
The mother of one victim told the BBC that she sent an email to another member of BA staff four years later, in 2008.
               
                             
The mother claims that her daughter, who was then just 11, was raped by Wood at his hotel.
Other girls also complained about his behaviour.
Sarah's email was sent to another BA pilot involved in charity work in Kenya.
BBC News has seen a copy of the message, which reads: "Parents are complaining...that Mr Simon is using their daughters to satisfy his sexual desires".
"...whenever Mr Simon is in Nairobi he takes them to the hotel where he stays".
It appears that no action was taken by BA against Wood following the incidents in 2004 and 2008.
I met two of Wood's alleged victims. One used to live at a charity, where he was a frequent visitor.
She said: "At first he was good, he used to give us gifts and take us on outings."
He slept in a room next door, and would come in to her dormitory and abuse her, she was five years old.
"Now I hate him, now I don't feel like he was a good person," she said.
The second lived at another orphanage.
Wood liked to come early in the morning, line the girls up, then wash them one by one in a locked room.
"When he came that was the worst day of my life", she said.
"We had no choice - I felt very bad".
Now BA is being sued by the London law firm Leigh Day on behalf of 35 of Wood's victims.

Nichola Marshall, head of the firm's foreign abuse team, said: "They have a duty to ensure that the staff that are carrying out the charitable activities... are not abusing the children."