Alabama Husband & Wife Arrested for Separate Sexual Incidents with Students

At a Christian School, nonetheless

© Reuters

A married couple were each arrested within two days of one another, both for having sex with two separate students at Pickens Academy High School in Alabama.

James Parker, 32, was arrested Wednesday for allegedly being “sexually involved” with a former student, a female, under the age of 19.

Parker’s wife, Charli was arrested Monday for having a sexual relationship with a male student.

On Tuesday, the 30-year-old woman was charged with 11 counts of engaging in a sexual act with a student under the age of 19, court documents said the relationship lasted from October 2014 to March 2016, the Birmingham News reported.

James and Charli Parker were both teachers and basketball coaches at the private Christian school in Carrollton, but District Attorney Chris McCool said the incidents are not related:

“The incidents are separate and unrelated in place of manner of commission. None of the criminal sexual activity occurred at the school,” he said.

Headmaster of Pickens Academy released a statement following the second arrest and asked for “prayers”:

“The primary concern of Pickens Academy is the safety of our students. Pickens Academy is very upset about the allegations against our employee. The employee will be suspended immediately and further action may be taken upon investigation. I request prayers for our school family and for all families involved.”

The arrests come one week after a bill was proposed that would require Alabama teachers to undergo one hour of training per year on ‒ among other things ‒ sexual or romantic contact in the classroom.

The Alabama State Department of Education said there have been nearly 200 investigations into inappropriate interactions between teachers and students since 2011 in Alabama alone.

The former chief of staff at the US Department of Education, Terry Abbott, called Alabama “ground zero” for the problem, saying the situation is an “epidemic”:

“Too many districts in Alabama and elsewhere have no policy prohibiting secret electronic communication between teachers and students. That’s a highway to hell”, said Abbott, according to wbrc.com.

Child sex abuse of all kinds seem to be epidemic in Alabama. I've posted more stories on this blog from Alabama than any other state in the union. Somebody needs to do something; and I think a lot of people need to do a lot of things.

An investigation is ongoing. If convicted the Parkers face up to 20 years in prison.

Carrollton, AL

Incestuous Pastor, Bail Jumper in Today's List of Pedophiles and Perverts

New Mexico man pleads guilty to child sex abuse

The Daily Times 

FARMINGTON — A Shiprock man on Thursday morning pleaded guilty in federal court to abusive sexual contact of a child.

Harrison Cambridge, 59, allegedly sexually abused a girl younger than 12 in December in Shiprock, according to a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice.

The girl was reportedly home with her grandmother when Cambridge visited the house, according to the criminal complaint. The complaint states the grandmother was sleeping in a back room when Cambridge knocked at the door.

Cambridge allegedly entered the house and sat on the couch to watch television. The complaint alleges Cambridge pulled the girl on top of him and touched her inappropriately.

After Cambridge left, the girl called her mother, who was at work, and told her what happened, according to the criminal complaint. Her mother then alerted authorities, the complaint states.

A sentencing hearing has not yet been scheduled.

Cambridge faces between 2 1/2 years and 3 1/2 years in federal prison, followed by supervised release, according to the press release. After his release, he will be required to register as a sex offender.

Shiprock, NM

Pennsylvania police search for man in child sex abuse case

Sentinel Staff

Upper Allen Township Police are looking for a Harrisburg, Pennsylvania man facing charges in a child sex abuse case.

Police said Christopher A. Blackwell, 35, of Harrisburg, had been out on bail and failed to appear for sentencing Tuesday. The Cumberland County Court of Common Pleas issued an arrest warrant Wednesday.

Blackwell was initially arrested June 2014 by Upper Allen police following an investigation that he had sexually assaulted a girl on several occasions earlier that year. He was found guilty by a jury in September 2015, of indecent assault of a child, unlawful contact with minors and corruption of minors.

I don't get this. The guy is guilty; you know he is going to serve jail time, probably several years, and yet he's out on bail until sentencing. What kind of lunacy is that?

Police said Blackwell has ties to addresses in the 900 block of Grand Street, Harrisburg, and the 2100 block of North 5th Street, Harrisburg.


Police ask anyone with information to contact them at 717-238-9676.

Upper Allen Township, PA

Alabama pastor's child sex abuse indictment involves family member, 

not church

Jackson Co. Sheriff's Office

A pastor in Jackson County was arrested on a seven-count grand jury indictment Monday night. Although the sensitive nature of the case prevents prosecutors from divulging much at this point, the district attorney's office has released what it can.

Jeffrey Allen Elkins, 55, is charged with five counts of sexual abuse of a child less than 12 years old and two counts of enticing a child for immoral purposes. He is a pastor at the Apostolic Church of Jesus Christ in Bridgeport.

Jackson County District Attorney Charlie Rhodes said the charges involve one victim who is a family member of Elkins. He said the alleged crimes do not involve his role at the church.

Rhodes could not say when the alleged incidents occurred because of the investigation and the victim's privacy.

The tentative trial date is May 23. That date may change later.


Jail officials said Elkins made his $50,000 bond on Tuesday.

Jackson county, AL

Child Psychiatrist Continued to Work After 2 CSA Convictions

Doctor ‘allowed to work’ after child sex abuse

Calls have been made for an investigation into the case of a child psychiatrist linked to Kincora Boys’ Home who was allowed to keep working as a doctor even after being convicted of child sexual abuse

Dr Morris Fraser. ©Pacemaker

Dr Morris Fraser was a senior psychiatric registrar at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast in the 1960s and 70s.

A new report has shown that he was allowed to remain on the British medical register for more than two decades after being convicted on sex abuse charges in both London and New York.

Its author Dr Niall Meehan also cites sources linking Fraser to abuse at Kincora, which has long been at the centre of allegations about a paedophile ring involving high-profile political and military figures.

Director of services for NSPCC NI Neil Anderson has said that the case shows how “absolutely vital” it is that information about individuals who pose a risk to children is shared by authorities.

“There must be a full investigation into the circumstances of this case,” he said.

“But it appears that the authorities knew about Dr Morris Fraser's previous convictions for child sexual abuse in both New York and London and did not share this information with his employers in Belfast. 

“To have allowed him to continue to have contact with children in this way is inexcusable.”

“THIS CASE SHOWS THAT IN THE PAST, SOME IN AUTHORITY 

WERE MORE WORRIED ABOUT KEEPING ABUSERS OUT OF 

THE COURTS THAN IN ACHIEVING JUSTICE FOR THE 

VICTIMS OF ABUSE.”

Neil Anderson, NSPCC NI

Amnesty International has expressed shock over the revelations and again called for a full public inquiry into Kincora.

“These are deeply shocking revelations,” Amnesty’s NI Programme Director Patrick Corrigan said.

“How could the authorities, here and in London, allow a convicted serial child abuser to continue to have trusted access to vulnerable children for over two decades?

“Public fears of a long-running establishment cover-up of child abuse in Northern Ireland will only be further heightened by the fact that, as recently as last year, the PSNI was refusing - on ‘national security’ grounds - to release information about Fraser’s activities.”

The Independent on Sunday reported last year that a Freedom of Information request to the PSNI about Fraser’s activities in Northern Ireland was turned down over “national security”.

Mr Corrigan added: “The only way to restore public confidence around Kincora is for its inclusion within the Goddard Inquiry, the only investigation with powers to compel files and witnesses.

“Nothing less than a full public inquiry – with all the powers of compulsion which that brings - can finally reveal what happened at Kincora."

“IT’S TOO LATE TO SAVE THE CHILDREN ABUSED BY FRASER. 

IT’S NOT TOO LATE FOR THE TRUTH TO COME OUT.”

Patrick Corrigan, Amnesty NI

Three senior Kincora staff were jailed in 1981 for abusing boys at the east Belfast home in the 70s.

But it has been alleged that security services blocked police investigations into the extent of the abuse.

The Westminster Government has also decided not to include Kincora in a UK-wide abuse inquiry headed by Justice Lowell Goddard.

Instead, the allegations will be examined in the ongoing Stormont-commissioned Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry led by Sir Anthony Hart.

One victim, Gary Hoy, has started legal proceedings in an attempt to challenge that decision.

Large Increases in Child Sex Abuse and Violence Against Women in Turkey

Oya Armutçu - ANKARA


Figures by the Justice Ministry have displayed the plight surrounding child sex abuse cases in Turkey, which have recently come under the spotlight, with the main opposition party leader suggesting child sex abuse has increased almost 500 percent since the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) came to power in 2002.

“What happened in 14 years? Violence against women increased by 1,400 percent,” main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu said on March 29. “Drug [use] has become widespread. One of each five marriages ends with divorce. The rate of increase in sexual abuse of children is 434 percent,” Kılıçdaroğlu said.

“There is no other figure which would better explain the degeneration of society,” he added.

I should point out that the AKP is Muslim. Turkey was adamantly secular in government for nearly one hundred years, but Erdogan and the AKP have been increasingly moving it toward a theocracy.

The issue of sexual abuse of minors recently came to the fore in Turkey after a 54-year-old teacher sexually assaulted a number of his male students at an apartment rented by the Karaman branch of the Ensar Foundation in Central Anatolia, where he had been teaching private courses.


Extraordinary conviction rates

According to 2014 figures from the General Directorate of Judicial Record and Statistics of the Justice Ministry, 18,104 cases on charges of child sex abuse were opened, with courts delivering 24,825 rulings in total in these cases. In 2014, 13,968 persons were convicted on charges of child sex abuse. 

According to official figures, there was a gradual increase in these cases from 2002 to 2005. After the new Turkish Penal Code (TCK) went into force in 2005, there was a short-term decrease. Yet, from 2008 to 2012, a constant increase was seen in regards to cases opened on charges of child sex abuse.

In 2004, the number of cases was 4,032 and the number of convictions was 3,728. The number of cases opened in 2012 on these charges was 17,589.

These are phenomenal conviction rates. Wow! If only western societies were as effective. And yet, the numbers are increasing exponentially so one has to wonder what sentences are being given out. No doubt the easy availability of pornography and child pornography is feeding this frenzy, but one wonders if the slide toward a more Islamic society is also feeding it?


Minimum sentence reduced

In December 2015, the Constitutional Court annulled the second paragraph of Article 103 of the TCK which prescribes that in cases of sexual abuse by inserting an organ or instrument into a body, the offender is sentenced to imprisonment of no less than sixteen years.

“[…] Increasing the minimum limit of sanction from eight years to sixteen years contradicts the principles of justice and equity which are the sine qua none of a state of law and the principle of the proportionality of crime and punishment; that underage marriages are common in rural areas and sexual intercourse between underage children are widespread in urban areas; that the minor defendants are not aware of heavy sanctions imposed on sexual intercourse with underage children; that there are no activities aiming to increase such awareness; that the heavy sanctions imposed on the children injure the public conscience; that the previous version of the provision imposed no less than eight years of imprisonment if the victim’s spiritual health is not impaired but, according to the current version of the provision, the minimum limit of the sanction imposed on the same act is sixteen years regardless of whether the victim’s spiritual health is impaired or not; that imposing different penal sanctions on acts against the victims of proximate ages leads to indirect forms of inequality. Accordingly, the said provision of law was alleged to contradict Article 2 and 10 of the constitution,” said the top court at the time.

Consequently, the court annulled the said provision of law as it was found contrary to Article 2 of the constitution and decided that the annulment decision be effective one year after it was published in the Official Gazette.

I would rather have seen them separate underage rapists from the Article, and perhaps even those already married to child brides. But those who marry child brides in the future ought to be treated like any other pedophile rapist. But, of course, that goes against Mohammed's example, so that's not going to happen.

Detroit Woman Charged in Child Sex Abuse Case

 fm - Macomb County Sheriff

A 38-year-old Dearborn Heights woman was arraigned Tuesday on multiple charges after she allegedly agreed to engage in sex with someone she believed was a father and his underage daughter.

Kristina Lynn Howarth is charged with two counts of child sexually abusive activity and one count of using a computer to communicate with another to commit a crime, according to the Macomb County Sheriff’s Office. Each charge is a 20-year felony.

According to the sheriff’s office, a detective from the Macomb Area Computer Enforcement on March 21 chatted with a woman online. She subsequently called the detective.

Over several days “the woman expressed a willingness to have sex with who she thought was a father and (underage) daughter,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement Tuesday.

Howarth was arrested Monday when she showed up for a prearranged meeting, officials said. She appeared via video arraignment Tuesday afternoon in 41B District Court in Clinton Township.

Bond was set at $75,000. Howarth is due back in court April 11.

Spotlight Focuses on Child Sex Abuse With Two More Incidents in Western Turkey

Unfortunately there are more questions than answers in this article, but we will have to run with it for now

Two further incidents regarding the sexual abuse of children are being investigated in the northwestern province of Kocaeli, Turkey, after news about a teacher raping eight male students at a private foundation hit headlines and sparked public outrage last week. 

Witness accounts of children crying “save us” from inside a building in Kocaeli created a frenzy on social media early on March 30. 

While reports revealed that the building was a rehabilitation center for children who had faced sexual abuse, officials claimed that children had “reacted to a regular search” inside the center. 

See what I mean? Were these children removed from their families because of sexual abuse? Were they 'housed' together in the rehab center? If so, is that really a good idea? What is a regular search? Does it involve touching the children, perhaps in intimate areas? If so, that is not conducive to rehabilitation but further traumatizing already vulnerable kids.

The provincial director of the Ministry of Family and Social Policies, Bekir Yümmü, said the children had shouted through the windows in reaction to a search conducted as a safety measure.

However, a witness account posted on Ekşi Sözlük (“Sour Dictionary” or “Sour Times”), one of Turkey’s most popular online forums, claimed to have heard female children screaming that they were locked up and being mistreated. 

“They were locked inside and said there were video cameras in fitting rooms, they were being tortured and they were not allowed to communicate with their families,” the online poster claimed. The facility did not have a sign bearing the name of the institution, but a security guard said it was a “secret rehabilitation center,” the same user added.

Yümmü rejected all claims, saying the building was temporarily locked as a security precaution. 

A separate incident from Kocaeli was also reported March 30, when parents of students at the Karşıyaka Barbaros Primary School in the Başiskele district filed a complaint against a fourth grade teacher, accusing him of inappropriately touching 15 female students. 

Police teams launched an investigation into the allegations, while Fehmi Rasim Çelik, Kocaeli’s provincial director of national education, also appointed an inspector to investigate the accused.

“We do not tolerate such matters. If he is guilty, he will suffer the consequences,” Çelik told reporters as parents insisted that the suspect be immediately dismissed from duty.

The issue of sexual abuse of minors has recently come under the spotlight in Turkey, after a 54-year-old teacher sexually assaulted his male students at an apartment rented by the Karaman branch of the Ensar Foundation in Central Anatolia, where he had been teaching private courses to students. Parliament decided on March 24 to form an inquiry commission to conduct an in-depth probe into the alleged sexual abuse of children following news reports on the issue. 

The decision received approval from all four political parties in parliament following a tense debate late March 23, when the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) rejected the opposition’s motion for an in-depth investigation on specific child abuse cases in Karaman.

An inquiry commission is always a good place to start. I hope it is adequately funded and appropriately commissioned. I also hope that it looks at Turkey's process of rehabilitation of sexually abused children.

New York's 'Worst in the Country' Statute of Limitations Robs Child Sex Abuse Victims of Justice

Lawmaker expects Assembly to vote on bill allowing sexually abused children to bring lawsuits as adults

BY KENNETH LOVETT  NEW YORK DAILY NEWS 

Assemblywoman Margaret Markey’s bill would also open up a one-year window for people abused as kids to bring civil lawsuits in cases where the current statute of limitations had already expired.

NY Assemblywoman Margaret Markey

ALBANY, New York — The sponsor of a bill that would make it easier for sexually abused children to bring lawsuits as adults believes the Assembly will take up the measure this year — the first time since 2008.

Assemblywoman Margaret Markey (D-Queens) said she is hopeful her bill will come to the floor for a vote before the legislative session ends in June.

Markey’s bill would also open up a one-year window for people abused as kids to bring civil lawsuits in cases where the current statute of limitations had already expired — a measure opposed by the Senate Republicans, the Catholic Church and even some Democrats in her own chamber.

Markey’s bill is sponsored in the Senate by Sen. Brad Hoylman (D-Manhattan). Hoylman said he’s using the Daily News’ Tuesday front page — part of a series highlighting New York’s worst-in-the-nation law that requires victims of child sexual abuse to come forward by the age of 23 or lose legal recourse — to urge his colleagues to co-sponsor the bill.

Hoylman told The News that having any statute of limitation for kid sex abuse survivors is unjust because many victims suppress the memories for years. Would you believe - decades!

But the measure is expected to again face a tough road in the Republican-controlled Senate, which in the past sided with the Catholic Church in opposing the idea of giving people a year to bring lawsuits in cases where the statute of limitations expired.

Dennis Poust, spokesman for the New York State Catholic Conference, said the bill could not only lead to financial ruin for the church and nonprofits like the Boy Scouts, but is also “contrary to justice” since it would not cover cases where kids were molested in public settings like schools or foster care programs. In cases involving public entities, a person must file a notice of intent to sue within 90 days of the incident.

So it appears that Markey and Hoylman's bill would throw the Catholic Church and the Boy Scouts to the wolves while protecting state run programs and institutions from any liability. This is hypocritical and just plain wrong!

At the same time, it is just so typical of the Catholic Church to be totally self-consumed with absolutely no regard for the well-being of its many victims of pedophile priests and supportive bishops.

Senate Republicans will go to bat for their financial supporters, but they are on the wrong side of this issue and should be made to pay a heavy price for it.

“I don’t see the impetus for this to move forward this year, but anything is possible,” said Sen. Martin Golden (R-Brooklyn) of the bill sponsored by Markey.

Assemblyman Michael Cusick (D-S.I.) opposes a one-year window for lawsuits in cases where the statute of limitations has expired. Cusick has a competing bill that would allow future cases related to child sexual abuse to be filed up until a person is 28, as opposed to the current 23. The church supports that bill.

Of course the church supports it, because it would probably not add a single victim to the list of victims eligible to sue. 

“It’s a sensitive issue and we want to address it and we want to do it in a fair manner,” Cusick said.

This isn't it Mr Cusick. Most, MOST, victims of child sex abuse suppress the memory of it until they are in their thirties or forties. No limitation is fair to them. Who are you representing, Mr Cusick, the people of New York or your benefactors?

A spokeswoman for Mayor de Blasio said, “We support ensuring that victims of sexual assault have a fair opportunity to file civil claims. We look forward to engaging with state leaders and stakeholders on this bill.”



BY BRAD HOYLMAN  SPECIAL TO THE NEW YORK DAILY NEWS 

The home of a Long Island foster parent who allegedly got away with abusing children for two decades.
DAVID WEXLER/FOR NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

The story that a Long Island foster parent allegedly got away with abusing children for two decades should make our blood boil. The question remains: Is Albany going to do anything about it?

Tragically, reports of child sexual abuse are familiar New York headlines. At the Horace Mann School in the Bronx, a recent report identified more than 60 former students abused by more than 22 employees since the 1960s. At Poly Prep Country Day School in Brooklyn, famed football coach Philip Foglietta was accused of abusing more than 10 students during his 40-year tenure.

New York State Senator
Brad Hoylman

In each case, the abuse tragically continued unabated for decades, in part because authorities don’t trust kids or regard them as reliable witnesses.

By the time many of these survivors came forward as adults to report the crimes, it was too late. New York’s antiquated statute of limitations robs them of their chance at justice. They have to file their cases by their 23rd birthday.

Such Draconian laws place New York State among the worst states in the nation for statutes of limitation. Justice cries out for us to fix this. Under the Child Victims Act, child sex abuse survivors would get just that.

This legislation I sponsor in the state Senate would eliminate the statute of limitations for civil actions for certain sex offenses committed against a minor. For survivors, the bill would also create a one-year “look back” period in which past claims could be revived.

In 2002, California passed legislation creating a similar one-year “look back” period for civil suits. As a result, more than 1,000 lawsuits were filed throughout the state providing justice and an immeasurable amount of closure for abuse survivors.

Vietnamese Entertainer Arrested on Suspicion of Child Sex Abuse in US

TUOI TRE NEWS

Hong Quang Minh, goes by the stage name ‘Minh Beo

A well-known Vietnamese entertainer has been arrested in the U.S. on suspicion of sexually assaulting a minor, the Orange County (California) District Attorney’s Office (OCDA) said on Monday.

Hong Quang Minh, who goes by the stage name ‘Minh Beo,’ 38, was charged on March 25 with three felony counts, according to an OCDA press release.

They include one felony count of oral copulation of a minor, one felony count of attempting to commit a lewd act upon a child under the age of 14, and one felony count of meeting with a minor with the intent to engage in lewd conduct, according to the document seen by Tuoi Tre News.

If convicted, Minh faces a maximum sentence of five years and eight months in state prison and a mandatory lifetime sex offender registration, the OCDA said.

Minh is currently being held on US$1 million bail and is scheduled for a continued arraignment on April 15, 2016.

Dung Taylor, a well-known show promoter in the U.S., told Tuoi Tre (Youth) Newspaper on Tuesday that Minh Beo was arrested on March 24 and has been detained at the Orange County Jail.

Minh Beo, who is a well-known Vietnamese entertainer with access to children, was invited to join a show organized by D&D Entertainment on April 9. At the time of the crime, Minh is accused of traveling from Vietnam and visiting Orange County and Atlanta, Georgia, according to OCDA.

On March 20, 2016, Minh is accused of speaking to a group of dancers at a talent show held at a radio station in Huntington Beach and telling the dancers that he was hosting auditions for a video project.

On March 23, 2016, Minh is accused of orally copulating minor John Doe 1 when the victim arrived for the audition. Shortly thereafter, John Doe 1 reported the crime to the Garden Grove Police Department (GGPD), who began investigating the case.

The next day, an undercover GGPD officer posing as a minor under the age of 14, communicated with the defendant while further investigating the case. Minh is accused of attempting to set up a meeting with the officer with the intent of committing a sexual assault. The defendant was subsequently arrested by GGPD.

The OCDA is seeking the public’s help in identifying potential additional victims of Minh Beo, encouraging them to contact investigators.

Minh started his tour in the U.S on March 18, according to the information published on his Facebook page.

Canadian Charged in 'Brutal Sexual Assault' in Denver, 3 Others Suspected

Colby Messer, 30, was arrested in Las Vegas earlier this month on 6 counts of sexual assault  (Denver District Attorney)

CBC News 

A Victoria, British Columbia man is awaiting his next court date in Denver, Colorado, accused of six counts of sexual assault in what is described as a "brutal sexual assault of a 27-year-old woman" in a Denver hotel room. Three other Vancouver Island men are considered suspects in the case.

A release from the Denver District Attorney's office says 30-year-old Victoria resident Colby James Messer has been in custody since his arrest in Las Vegas on March 4.

Messer was released after posting a US$300,000 cash bond, spokeswoman Lynn Kimbrough of the District Attorney’s Office says in an email on Monday.

The conditions of his release include that he must surrender his passport, remain in Denver and wear a GPS tracking device, she says.

Ken Eichner, a Denver-based lawyer listed in court documents as representing Messer, declined to comment on the case.

The arrest warrant and an affidavit from police detailing the woman’s allegations that have been filed in court say three other men from Vancouver Island are suspects in the case, but their identities have not been released.

The affidavit alleges that the woman was out celebrating her birthday with a friend when they met two men who offered to buy them drinks.

The woman told police that she remembers going to a bar and having drinks with the men, but does not remember going with them to a hotel.

She said she woke up naked on a hotel room bed, bleeding and felt that she had been sexually assaulted.

The documents allege that objects available in the hotel room were used in the sexual assaults.

Denver police identified four suspects by looking at hotel records and surveillance footage.

Officers contacted police in Vancouver, who told them that none of the men had a criminal record, the affidavit says.

The document says Vancouver police told their Denver counterparts that driver licence records for the four men showed two of the men lived in Victoria and two lived in Port Alberni, B.C.

All four suspects attended Alberni District Secondary School in Port Alberni.

The affidavit says all four returned to Canada the day after the assault.

Messer was arrested in Las Vegas last week.

“It is my understanding that he had travelled to Las Vegas to propose to his girlfriend,” Kimbrough says in an email.

Astonishing!

Messer is scheduled to appear in Denver court Tuesday.

Port Alberni, Victoria, B.C.

UN Investigates New Child Sex Abuse Complaints in Central African Republic

25 new cases in 2016 alone

How pathetic is it when the United Nations sends troops into a troubled country to protect its citizens, and those troops rape or gang-rape the country's children? And these are the 'good guys'!


© Siegfried Modola / Reuters

The United Nations is investigating new allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse by both UN and non-UN peacekeepers, as well as civilians in the Central African Republic.

The new allegations received by the UN Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) refer to incidents which occurred in 2014 and 2015 in the Kemo prefecture, according to UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric.

One of the accusations involves a minor and members of the Burundian military contingent.

"The allegations are in connection with the alleged rape of a 14-year-old girl which was first reported to the mission by UNICEF [the United Nations Children's Fund] last week," Dujarric said at a press briefing.

He also revealed details of a new case of sexual exploitation involving a member of the Moroccan military contingent which happened this year, bringing to 25 the total number of allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse reported so far in 2016.

A delegation led by the Secretary-General's Deputy Special Representative for the Central African Republic is visiting Kemo prefecture to gather more information on the allegations and engage with local communities and authorities.

“The Mission said that its primary concern was to ensure that victims have been assisted and all reports immediately investigated to ensure that any perpetrator is appropriately sanctioned. The integrated team will gather all available information and preserve evidence to the extent possible,” Dujarric said

Authorities in Morocco and Burundi have both been informed of the allegations; Morocco has said it will carry out an investigation while Burundi has until the end of the week to decide if it will conduct an inquiry. If it does not, the UN will conduct its own investigation.

The organization has come under fire over its handling of allegations of sexual exploitation and child abuse by its peacekeepers in the Central African Republic and Congo, and has vowed to investigate and address these allegations.

The previous head of the UN mission in the Central African Republic, Babacar Gaye, resigned last August while around 800 Congolese peacekeepers were repatriated last month.

The United Nations reported 99 allegations of sexual exploitation or sexual abuse involving UN staff members across the board last year - 69 of these involved personnel from 10 peacekeeping missions.

The United Nations currently has 106,000 troops and police serving in 16 peacekeeping missions.

Canadian Man Detained in Mexico on Child Sex Abuse Charges

Is he a pedophile, a lunatic, or what?

The Canadian Press 

ACAPULCO, Mexico -- Mexican authorities say a Canadian man is behind bars amid allegations he sexually abused minors on a busy street in Acapulco.

Reports say he was arrested Sunday after a passerby allegedly saw him embracing and touching young girls.

A passerby witnessed the event and filmed the aftermath of the alleged acts, posting the contents online.

The accused is confronted by the unnamed witness and repeatedly denies molesting the girls as he sits on a bench.

When confronted by the video-taker as to whether his behaviour is normal, the Canadian replies in Spanish that it is -- that he likes them and they like him.

During the video, he appears to kiss one of the girls, a toddler, on the mouth, with the father nearby, before a police officer stops him. A release from the attorney general in Guerrero state identifies the man as Walter Zuk, 68, and says he is from Quebec.

It actually appears that he is talking to a policeman when he suddenly leans over and kisses the little girl on the mouth.

The video was widely shared in Mexico and one local media reported a small protest against the accused in Acapulco on Monday.

Global Affairs Canada spokesman Francois Lasalle says the government is aware of a Canadian citizen having been detained in Acapulco, Mexico.

In an emailed statement, he said Canadian officials are in contact with local authorities and are ready to provide consular assistance.

Lasalle said the department could not provide any further information because of privacy laws.

If this is how he behaves in public, what does he do in private?

Italian Priest Suspected of Paying Teen for Sex Suspended

The alleged abuse occurred between 2009 and 2011

Gulf News, AFP

Cardinal Scola

ROME: The archbishop of Milan has suspended a 46-year-old priest charged with paying a teenage boy for sex, a statement said on Saturday.

Cardinal Angelo Scola appealed to parishioners for “unity” as he announced he was suspending Father Alberto Paolo Lesmo from his duties as parish priest in the Milan neighbourhood of Muggiano.

“Cardinal Scola and his colleagues express their distress and their pain, and pray for the victim, those close to him and for Father Lesmo,” it said.

It said it had only recently learnt that the priest was the subject of a probe launched in 2013 as he had hidden it from his superiors.

The alleged abuse occurred between 2009 and 2011. The alleged victim, a cocaine addict, was a teen at the time and prostituted himself to fund his habit.

The archdiocese has opened its own investigation.



Child sex abuse scandals have dogged the Catholic Church in recent years with alleged victims breaking their silence in the United States, Ireland, the Netherlands, Australia France, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Mexico and Poland.

Pope Francis has approved the creation of an internal church tribunal to punish bishops who cover up sex abuse by priests, but networks of abuse survivors are sceptical that much will change.

— AFP

9 Girls Sexually Abused, Raped, Trafficked in Bristol - Why?

Somali sex gang jailed for 116 years for raping children as young as 13 got away with it for six months thanks to failures by authorities

A Somali sex gang jailed for 116 years for raping children as young as 13 got away with their crimes for six months due to failures by the authorities.

Victims of the abuse ring were groomed online and have warned children to 'stay away from Facebook' as it was revealed that police are being investigated for failing to stop the gang.

The nine vulnerable girls aged between 13 and 17 were preyed upon, sexually abused and trafficked across Bristol where they were mercilessly passed around the men's friends for money.

One 13-year-old was raped three times at a Bristol hotel by gang members Jusuf Abdirizak, 20, (pictured checking in to the hotel) and Said Zakaria, 22
The girl was pinned to a bed in the hotel room and raped by Zakaria, before he took her into the bathroom and raped her a second time. The girl went back into the bedroom where Abdirizak raped her

One 13-year-old was raped three times at a hotel in the city by gang members Jusuf Abdirizak, 20, and Said Zakaria, 22, who are among the 14 men jailed in November 2014.

THE 14 MEN PROSECUTED AS PART OF OPERATION BROOKE 

A total of 14 Somali men were jailed in 2014 following two trials at Bristol Crown Court for child exploitation or drugs offences. They received sentences ranging from 18 months' to 13 years' imprisonment.

The first trial centred on a group of Somali drug dealers based in the Stapleton Road area of Easton in inner city Bristol and their exploitation of primarily one teenager.

She had been moved into a flat on her own off Stapleton Road and left almost unsupervised by social workers from outside the city, who had not told the Bristol authorities she was there.

Liban Abdi, 22, Mustapha Farah, 22, Arafat Osman, 21, Idleh Osman, 23, Abdulahi Aden, 22, Said Zakaria, 23, Mustafa Deria, 24, and Deria's cousin Mohamed Jama, 22, were all jailed for between 18 months and 13 years for either child sexual exploitation or drugs offences.

The second trial focused on another group of young Somali men - but included Zakaria - and their grooming and subsequent sexual abuse of young girls in Bristol.

Mohamed Jumale, 21, Mohamed Dahir, 23, Zakaria, Jusuf Abdizirak, 21, Omar Jumale, 21, Abdirashid Abdulahi, 23 and Sakariah Sheik, 22, were all convicted of child sexual exploitation offences and jailed for between two and 11 years.

Avon and Somerset Police launched its investigation, codenamed Operation Brooke, in the summer of 2013 when officers went to the flat off Stapleton Road looking for a 14-year-old runaway and found her hiding in a cupboard in just her underwear.

The teenager had gone to the flat because she was the younger sister of the 16-year-old tenant, who had been placed there at short notice in 'supported living accommodation'.

Social workers left her alone with just two hours of supervision a day from care workers and quickly fell victim to the Somali drug dealers she met on the Stapleton Road.

In sentencing the men, Judge Michael Roach had questioned the wisdom of social workers placing the girl alone and almost unsupervised in the flat, which was run by an independent housing and support company.

'I hope there will be an opportunity for the authorities to reconsider their thinking behind such a placement because it has, on any retrospective view, added considerably to the damage of that young person,' he said.

'STAY AWAY FROM FACEBOOK': ADVICE FROM THE VICTIMS FOR OTHER YOUNG PEOPLE 

Five of the nine girls who were preyed upon by the men spoke out during an independent review into the authorities' failings. 

The girls warned other children to 'stay away from Facebook' and also spoke of 'the Jimmy Savile feeling' - which they described as telling someone if you feel unsafe.

Telling a teenager to stay away from Facebook or other social media is like telling them to stop breathing - it just isn't going to happen. But they should be taught to avoid talking to complete strangers, regardless of whether they are friends of friends. They should certainly be encouraged to NEVER meet in person someone they met online.

Their key tip was 'don't hang around with people that you are not willing to take home or that you would not hang around with together with their families'.

They also advised: 'Don't try to fit in with your friends by using drugs and smoking, try and have self-worth and self-respect and talk to an adult.

'True friends can be helpful but sometimes it is hard to see whom your true friends are and they may spread stuff about you around.

'Go home and call police, tell someone - don't worry about being embarrassed, it happens to others and they will understand.

'Speak to teachers, let counsellors talk to you and help you sort your head out. Try not to dwell on things that have happened, think of other things.

'Having someone work with your Mum and family really helps. Finally, if you feel someone is not safe - what was described as the Jimmy Saville feeling - tell someone, you are almost certainly right.'

Sally Lewis, independent chairman of the Bristol Safeguarding Children Board, said children faced 'pressures' from social media.

'You can see what an easy tool it is to misuse for perpetrators in every way,' she said.

'Increasingly the location for abuse happening is on the internet. In terms of the controls we place on the internet, we know it can be a hugely helpful place for learning, it can also be a very dangerous location.'

THE SEVEN FINDINGS OF THE SERIOUS CASE REVIEW INTO THE SEXUAL ABUSE OF TEENAGE GIRLS BY A SOMALI SEX GANG

The multi-agency system is not set up to provide an effective response for adolescents (including those at risk of child sexual exploitation) with a complexity of needs at the time and pace they need it, leaving children with a fragmented and reactive response to different aspects of their behaviour.

A confused and confusing stance in national policy about adolescent sexual activity leaves professionals and managers struggling to recognise and distinguish between sexual abuse, sexual exploitation and/or underage sexual activity; this risks leaving some children at continued risk of exploitation in the mistaken belief they are involved in consensual activity.

The child protection process in England has primarily been designed for familial child abuse/neglect; in the absence of concerns about abuse or neglect by parents/carers, victims of sexual exploitation are likely to receive an inconsistent response to their safeguarding needs.

In cases involving sexual exploitation, there is a pattern of focusing primarily on trying to stop victims having further involvement with perpetrators, and less on the prevention of the abuse in the first place and the disrupting and prosecuting of perpetrators: this means victims often continue to be at ongoing risk of abuse by the same perpetrators.

Our current working methods and recording systems do not reliably identify patterns in individual and group behaviour. This reduces the chances of a timely response in the detection of victims and perpetrators of child sexual exploitation and leads to a more reactive rather than proactive approach.

The decision to make the investigation of these crimes into a complex investigation in May 2013 enabled the police to adequately resource an enquiry, which led to the successful prosecution of the offenders and the co-ordinated multi-agency support for the victims.

Local safeguarding children boards and the wider multi-agency partnership have collaborated to develop child sexual exploitation/missing strategy and action plans but these take time to embed so there is a disconnect between strategic understanding to drive improvement and the reality on the front line. 

Man in Wheelchair Charged With Child Sex Abuse

14 years later, man faces judge on Orange County child sex abuse charges

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. —
John Joseph Sweeney, confined to a wheelchair and flanked by his attorney, faced an Orange County judge this week, some 14 years after he was charged with sexually abusing three children.

Sweeney, 71, is accused of charming his way into a trusting relationship with a local family and abusing their three children, then aged between 4 and 8, police records showed.

Known as “Uncle Blondie” to the children, Sweeney fled the state before he could be arrested on the Orange County charges.

He had gone to New Hampshire, where he subsequently spent 10 years in prison on unrelated child sex abuse charges.

When he was paroled in New Hampshire and moved to Arkansas, a parole officer realized he was wanted in Central Florida.

Sweeney was brought back to Orange County where he faces 10 counts of sexual battery of a child younger than 12.

He has another court hearing on April 5.

In the meantime, he was being held without bond at the Orange County Jail.

Danbury, Connecticut - 4 Alleged Pedophiles Arrested in 4 Months

Another man charged with child sex abuse in Danbury

By Nelson Oliveira 

Arthur Tiscia, 46, of Norwalk, faces several felony charges in the sexual abuse of a 12-year-old girl in Danbury.
Photo: Contributed / Danbury Police Department

DANBURY — One day after a city resident was charged with sexually assaulting a toddler, police charged another man with child abuse.

Arthur Tiscia, 46, of Norwalk, was arrested Wednesday on several felony charges for sexually abusing a 12-year-old girl, police said.


A day earlier, a Maple Ridge Road man was charged in the abuse of a 3-year-old girl.

Rony Ortega, 34, of Maple Ridge Road, Danbury, is accused of sexually assaulting a 3-year-old girl.

Tiscia, who’s being held on $250,000 bond, was charged with two counts of first-degree sexual assault, four counts of fourth-degree sexual assault and three counts each of risk of injury to a minor with sexual contact and risk of injury to a minor while impairing the morals of a child.

Authorities said the abuse took place in August.

Norwalk police took Tiscia into custody after learning of a warrant for his arrest and brought him to Danbury for processing.

Tiscia faces another felony charge for a November incident in Danbury. According to the state Judicial Branch website, he was charged with third-degree larceny and has pleaded not guilty.

Carl Alcala, 58, of Danbury, has been charged with sexually assaulting an 8-year-old girl.

DANBURY — A Padanaram Road man was arrested Friday on allegations that he sexually abused an 8-year-old girl.

Carl Alcala, 58, has been charged with three counts each of first-degree sexual assault and risk of injury to a minor.

Police said they began an investigation into the case on Sunday. Alcala was taken into custody Friday morning, Dec 11th, 2015, without incident.

No details were immediately released.

Alcala is the second Danbury man to be charged with sexually abusing a child this month (December 2015).

Last Friday, December 4th, police arrested Arturo Hernandez, 36, on charges of fourth-degree sexual assault and risk of injury to a minor for the alleged abuse of an 11-year-old girl.

Hernandez was arrested by New York State Police in South Salem on Friday.

Hernandez was given a $50,000 bond and is currently awaiting extradition to Connecticut.

Danbury has a population of about 85,000
4 pedophiles in 4 months - either the police are doing great work, or there are a lot of pedophiles in that little city.

Volunteer Teacher, Pennsylvania Couple Among Today's Pedophiles and Perverts

Florida man charged for sex abuse of toddlers

Made victims watch porn

One of the child victims told representatives from Child Protective Team that Camargo touched her "cooch" and "chi chi" (referring to her vagina and breasts) as recently as Monday.

Lake Worth, FL

LAKE WORTH, Florida — Andres Camargo, 56, was charged with a felony for abusing two children under the age of 5 years old.

The child victim also described in detail the activities in which Camargo made her participate including watching pornography and making her touch his genitals.

In exchange for her silence, the child victim said Camargo gifted her with fake nails and candy. She said Camargo explicitly told her not to tell her mother about his behavior.

Another child victim told CPT that Camargo also made her watch pornography during a babysitting session at his home.

Camargo was charged with five counts of lewd or lascivious molestation. Camargo was also charged with two counts of showing obscene material to a minor.

Camargo admitted to touching one victim on her vagina and breasts when they were exposed, according to the police report.

Please, please, please people, do not use male baby-sitters; it's not worth the risk.

Pennsylvania man and woman sentenced to prison for child sex abuse

By Jocelyn Brumbaugh

Devon Lamont and Raelynn McGraw booking mugshots. Thursday, March 24, 2016. Submitted Photos/The Tribune-Democrat, 

EBENSBURG – A Johnstown man and a Butler County woman accused of child sex abuse were sentenced to time in state prison Thursday after a mixed verdict was delivered in December.

Devon Cashaw, 39, and Raelynn McGraw, 36, were each charged with multiple counts of indecent assault, aggravated indecent assault, endangering the welfare of children and corruption of minors in connection with abuse police say took place from 2005 to 2007 in a Richland Township home.

On Dec. 9, a Cambria County jury spent more than four hours deliberating before convicting Cashaw of two counts of aggravated indecent assault and indecent assault, along with one count each of corruption of a minor and endangering the welfare of children. The jury found McGraw guilty on one count each of indecent assault and corruption of minors and two counts of endangering the welfare of children. 

Judge Patrick Kiniry sentenced Cashaw to serve 81/2 to 17 years in state prison Thursday, pay $4,200 in fines and complete 20 years of probation.

He sentenced McGraw to serve 3 to 6 years in state prison, pay $2,400 in fines and complete 10 years of probation. Neither is to have contact with either of the two children involved until after completing probation.

Kiniry ordered both to complete sex offender treatment, and they will be required to register under Megan’s law for the remainder of their lives after release. Neither defendant was determined to be a sexually violent predator by the state sexual offenders board. 

During sentencing, McGraw’s attorney, Arnold Bernard, argued for less incarceration, pointing to her lack of criminal history, previous struggles with substance abuse and need for psychological help. “I ask this court to give Miss McGraw a second chance at life,” he said.

Since entering jail the night she was convicted, McGraw said she has lost more than 40 pounds and now weighs 95 pounds. She continues to stand by her innocence. “This is so devastating to me, that this is happening to me,” she said.

Assistant District Attorney Beth Bolton Penna said it’s time for McGraw “to accept responsibility for her own actions.” “Why don’t we consider the toll on these kids?” she said. “The toll on them is never-ending – it’s the rest of their lives because of her actions.”

Cashaw’s attorney, public defender Ryan Gleason, asked Kiniry for a sentence that will allow for parole in the future. Cashaw told Kiniry he made irresponsible decisions, “but that does not make me a child molester.”

You molested a child - that makes you a child molester!

Bolton Penna said one of the children suffered vaginal scarring at a time consistent with her claims that Cashaw abused her. “That’s evidence that just can’t be disputed,” Bolton Penna said. “It’s more than irresponsibility, it’s disgusting.” 

Butler Co., PA

Oregon man arrested for child sex abuse

PENDLETON, Ore. – Detectives for the Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office have arrested Jason Glen Drake, 41, of the Pendleton area for sex crimes against two young girls. 

Sheriff Terry Rowan says the investigation into Drake began earlier this month when the victims’ mother reported her daughters reported the suspected abuse to the Department of Human Services.

“The biological mother of the two victims said that her daughters had disclosed being sexually abused,” he said. “So, from there, numerous investigative hours went into it.”

Rowan says the two girls were interviewed at the Guardian Care Center and described the abuse.

“It all sort of came to a head when detectives Eric Palmer and Casey Ward began interviewing the alleged suspect,” Rowan said. “Through that process they believed that they had probable cause to make the arrest.”


Rowan says the suspect was known to the girls and their mother. Drake was taken into custody Wednesday and is charged with a number of felonies including two counts of first-degree sodomy, two counts of first-degree sexual abuse, and first-degree forcible rape. He is being held on $650,000 bail.

Pendleton, OR

Arkansas man arrested on child sex abuse charges

JOSH DOOLEY

A 47-year-old Bull Shoals, Arkansas man was arrested Thursday on child sex abuse charges, according to Marion County Sheriff Joan Vickers. James Michael Liaromatis was arrested on charges of sodomy or attempted first-degree sodomy, second-degree statutory sodomy and first-degree endangering the welfare of a minor.

Deputies were joined by officers from the Bull Shoals Police Department when making the arrest. The warrant for Liaromatis was issued March 17 out of Christian County, Missouri.

Liaromatis is currently being held without bond in the Marion County jail while awaiting extradition to Missouri, according to Vickers. In Missouri, depending on the circumstances of the incident and the age of the victim, a conviction on a charge of first-degree sodomy carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Volunteer reading teacher in Tooele charged with sexual abuse of a child in Utah

TOOELE, Utah — A volunteer reading teacher at West Elementary School has been arrested and charged with one count of aggravated sexual abuse of a child, a charge that is enhanced due to the man’s position of trust over the alleged victim.

According to court documents, 73-year-old Tyler K. Vorwaller was booked into jail and faces one count of aggravated sexual abuse of a child, which is a first degree felony.

The charge stems from an incident on March 21 when Tooele police were called to West Elementary School on a report of a sexual assault. According to a statement of probable cause, a 10-year-old girl reported that Vorwaller had touched her inappropriately during class.

The young girl said Vorwaller came to her desk to help her with a difficult word, but then he allegedly put his arms under her arms and grabbed her chest with his hands. According to the PC statement, the girl stated the man told her, “that she was becoming a young woman and then she pushed his hands away.”

Police responded to Vorwaller’s home and asked him to come down to the police department. Once advised of his Miranda rights, the man declined to speak further and requested an attorney.

He was booked into the Tooele County Jail Monday, and Wednesday he was formally charged with one count of aggravated sex abuse of a child as a first-degree felony.

Vorwaller was relocated to Davis County Jail. It was not clear why he was transferred to that facility.

Search for Chase Martens, Toddler Missing Since Tuesday, **UPDATE**

Chase Martens' little body was found in a creek, yesterday, just half a kilometer from his home. Foul play is not suspected, but an autopsy is being carried out and police are investigating the possibility anyway.
Please pray for his family.

2-year-old was last seen playing outside Austin, Manitoba, home at about 6 p.m. Tuesday

CBC News

Chase Martens search: Toddler 'vanished without a trace,' says dad
Searchers in 'race against time' for missing Manitoba boy Chase Martens.

Chase Martens is described as 2½ feet tall and 30 pounds with blue eyes and light brown hair. He was last seen wearing a blue jacket, black splash pants, a red hat and boots that light up as he walks. (Courtesy RCMP)

The search for missing toddler Chase Martens resumes today in rural Manitoba.

The two-year-old boy went missing Tuesday from his farm home near Austin, Man., about 120 kilometres west of Winnipeg.

Dozens of volunteers fanned out across fields and wooded areas around the community Thursday. Searchers formed tight clusters and scoured pasture land late into the evening.

On Friday, volunteers came together at about 9 a.m. CT and continued the search, RCMP Sgt. Bert Paquet said.

The search for two-year-old Chase Martens resumed near Austin, Man., Friday morning. (Riley Laychuk/CBC)

The search has expanded beyond a 1½- to 3½-square-kilometre radius around the farm Thursday, he added.

As a teen in Nova Scotia, I helped search for a toddler, smaller than Chase, whom we found about a mile and a half deep into the woods.

After a couple weeks of warm weather, temperatures have dropped below zero in the Austin area each night since the boy was reported missing, prompting search and rescue officials to issue an urgent plea for help in the search from residents in and around the community.

Manitobans search for missing toddler Chase Martens through snow, darkness Thursday night

Drone surveillance and an underwater recovery team were added to the efforts Thursday.

The toddler is described as 2½ feet tall and 30 pounds, with blue eyes and light brown hair. He was last seen wearing a blue jacket, black splash pants, a red hat and boots that light up as he walks.

RCMP are asking anyone with information about his whereabouts to contact their local police department.

Searchers line up to walk through some brush as part of Thursday's efforts to find Chase Martens. (Trevor Brine/CBC)

Michael Dunahee
Police say there is no evidence to indicate an abduction. Yesterday's search occurred 25 years to the day after the disappearance of 4 year old Michael Dunahee from a park in Victoria, British Columbia. Not trace of him has ever been found.


Michael Dunahee at 4                                                Composite of what Michael might look like today