Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Victoria Balfour to Receive Media Award at the International Conference of the Leadership Council on Child Abuse and Interpersonal Violence

Victoria Balfour, Investigative Journalist, who has dedicated more than seven years to "crack" one of the biggest San Mateo County crime cases in recent years is receiving the media award at the international conference of the Leadership Council on Child Abuse and Interpersonal Violence for her work in bringing William Hamilton Ayres, M.D. to prosecution. The ceremonies will be held on September 25, 2009, in San Diego, California.

Past recipients include pro football player Herschel Walker and reporters from the New York Times and the film makers of the Academy Award nominated documentary "Deliver Us From Evil" about a pedophile priest in California.
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Below is a photo of Victoria Balfour and her brother (Freddie Balfour) taken in 2003. Victoria was a reporter at the Ladies Home Journal but her real passion was working towards getting a criminal investigation started regarding the reported child molestation by Dr. Ayres after a fellow aspiring journalist revealed he had been molested as a boy by Ayres while in therapy. Victoria's brother, Freddie, was an embedded reporter for BusinessWeek during the Iraq war. This photo was taken at a restaurant in Westport, Connecticut, celebrating his return with Victoria, her mother, and old family friends.

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The photo was taken when the first criminal investigation into Ayres was still going on. A few weeks later, the United States Supreme Court came down with a decision that overturned the statute of limitations for victims in California. This effectively "killed" the first criminal investigation into Ayres.

Victoria spent the next two years hunting for victims within the statute. She never gave up! I would like to personally congratulate Victoria on this tremendous accomplishment. I consider her a friend, a mentor, and most of all an inspiration..

It is said "uneasy lies the head that wears the crown" and Victoria has exposed William Hamilton Ayres through devoted and thorough investigative skills. This so called doctor was San Mateo County's own "sacred cow", untouchable, receiving awards, unreportable by his peers, and leaving a wake of victims in his path for more than 40 years. Ayres is facing a second felony criminal trial, has settled one civil lawsuit and has four pending civil lawsuits, all for child molestation.

Victoria Balfour put Ayres "under fire" and has essentially dragged him to the woodshed. She deserves this prestigious award for her years of dedicated advocacy for the victims and children of San Mateo County. There would be no case without her research and the brave victims.

I recall the day Victoria Balfour called me and told me she was taking the bus to Boston to meet with the Chief Operating Officer of the Judge Baker Children's Center (where Ayres claims he was trained to give boys genital exams, which has been thoroughly debunked). I honestly could not believe the determination on her part. We Californians get bent outta shape if our car is in the shop for an oil change, but Victoria takes the bus in the heat and walked a long distance up a hill to get to Judge Baker Children's Center. I still can't fathom what she was running on!

I will have to think of a better word than determination, perhaps propelled by God is more fitting, along with the crown she wore on behalf of the victims. Victoria Balfour did not want to let anybody down, and from what I know of her, mostly herself. She finishes what she starts against all odds.

God bless, Victoria Balfour!