'Pervert' priest dodges jail for child sex chats
An Anglican priest in Melbourne who was caught boasting about his child sex abuse fantasies online has been spared jail for his crime.
Former Sunshine vicar Philip John Murphy, 53, was today given a wholly suspended 12-month jail sentence after he was caught engaging in sexually explicit online chats about children.
The priest had pleaded guilty earlier this week in the Victorian County Court to transmitting child pornography material using a carriage service between 2016 and 2017.
Judge Phillip Coish said the priest's crime did not involve real children.
"I accept that there was no sexual activity with children, nor were there any photos or videos involved in these communications," he said.
Murphy was working at a parish in East Burwood when he began chatting online about his child sex abuse fantasies.
Under the username "Pervert", Murphy approached multiple men on Grindr and asked them if they were interested in children and arranged to chat to them on Skype. Murphy even sent photos of himself in his clerical collar to gain trust.
In one conversation, Murphy offered to get a motel so he could sexually abuse a boy. "Can't host I'm afraid. Church house. Can get motel," he wrote on December 29, 2016.
Two months later, Murphy told another man he was "loyal" to the Anglican Church. "Well you know my work and I have to be discreet. And other than abusing the trust of the Church in this matter, am loyal," he said.
Does he not know that God is watching? Does he have any real concept of God? Is that not necessary to be a priest in the Anglican Church?
In August police searched his home and Holy Apostles' Anglican Church in Sunshine West, before charging him with multiple child pornography offences.
Murphy also told one man that he wanted to sexually abuse hundreds of children as young as two years old.
"The communications were grossly offensive and deeply disturbing," Judge Coish said.
Murphy has also been ordered to undertake a sex offender program and be of good behaviour.
During his police interview, Murphy said he was drawn to the online chats because of his depression. He also told police he did not realise his chats constituted child pornography material.
The prosecution had pushed for an immediate jail sentence, but Judge Coish on Friday said he had decided it was appropriate Murphy be released.
A former Child Youth and Family (CYF) caregiver has been sentenced to 12 years in jail after he was found guilty of 15 sexual abuse charges.
Rex Lawrence Wilson, 64, was found guilty of 15 out of 17 sexual abuse charges, including rape and indecent assault of a child under the age of 12, in February.
The abuse happened between 2001 and 2007.
He showed no emotion as the sentence was handed down to him at the Christchurch District Court on Wednesday following an eight day trial.
Judge Paul Kellar said Wilson's offending "is about as serious as it gets".
He said Wilson "won't be released from jail until he's no longer at risk".
"He will have to move a long way from his stance now for that no longer to be the case."
OK, I think I know what that last sentence means, but I'm not sure he said what he meant!!!
‘Cruel Numbers 2017’ reveals child abuse statistics in Pakistan
SHIKARPUR: Child sexual abuse statistics reveal that in Pakistan 9 children per day experience sexual assault at the hands of the adults. In 2017, 3445 cases were reported in the category of rape and abduction.
However, it is anticipated that these figures do not represent the actual number of incidents that took place in Pakistan as many incidents are not reported to the police.
In fact, I am positive that they represent a very small (would you believe, single digit) percentage of reality.
The provincial coordinator of Sahil, an NGO, Barkat Ali Ansari shared the statistics during a media briefing entitled as ‘Cruel Numbers of 2017’.
The data includes cases reported by 91 national, regional and local dailies.
The data also includes cases that were reported to Sahil and other organisations as well, who offers free legal and psychological aid to the victims.
A gender split analysis shows that female cases are higher in number. From total 3445 children, 2077 were girls. In this time period, major crimes reported were abduction, rape/sodomy and gang rape/sodomy.
1039 girls and boys were kidnapped while 366 boys and 467 girls were reportedly abducted for rape and sodomy.
Cases of gang rape/sodomy include 158 girls and 180 boys.
According to the statistics, in 1421 cases, the abusers were acquaintances. Second category is ‘Strangers ally with acquaintance’, which has 595 cases. Other categories include relatives, neighbours, female abettor, police, religious clerics, doctors and others.
The age group that is most vulnerable to child sexual abuse differs for male and female, however for boys the most vulnerable age stands between 11 to 15 years. The age group includes 474 boys and 487 girls who were assaulted.
Between 6 to 10 years, 377 boys and 303 girls were abducted for abuse.
Between 16 to 18 years, 94 boys and 257 girls were assaulted.
Between 1 to 5 years, 99 female children and 70 male children were sexually assaulted.
Ages of 399 boys and 931 girls were not mentioned by the newspapers.
Geographical distribution of the cases illustrates that being the highest, 2168 cases were reported from Punjab. Sindh had 933 cases while 112 cases were reported from Islamabad. 78 cases were reported from the KPK and 139 cases from Balochistan. 12 cases were reported from Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
See what I mean? Aijaz Sheik (3rd story on link) molested dozens, if not hundreds of children in Kashmir alone last year. Few, if any, have made the papers.
Urban and rural areas have a lot of divergence. This is related to the fact that 70% of the population lives in rural areas. 24% (835) cases were reported from urban areas and 76% (2610) cases were reported from rural areas.
2505 cases of child sexual abuse were registered at police stations while status of 797 cases is unmentioned. 32 cases were not registered.
According to cruel number 2017, mostly incidents took place at the homes of children.
Rohtak Apna Ghar horror: 9 convicted of sexual abuse
Main accused Jaswanti Devi outside CBI court on Wednesday. Photo Ravi Kumar
Tribune News Service
Panchkula, India
The CBI Special Court on Wednesday convicted nine of the 10 accused in the Apna Ghar sexual abuse case. The quantum of punishment will be pronounced on April 24.
Jaswanti Devi, who ran Apna Ghar, an NGO for destitutes and orphans at Rohtak, her daughter Sushma alias Simmi, son-in-law Jai Bhagwan, brother Jaswant Singh, driver Satish and his sister Sheela were tried for rape, immoral trafficking, grievous hurt, molestation, forced abortion and treating children with cruelty. All were held guilty.
Veena, a counsellor with Apna Ghar, was convicted of causing miscarriage, unlawful labour, criminal intimidation and cruelty to children. Roshni was found guilty of taking away a child born to an Apna Ghar inmate and forging the birth certificate. Ram Prakash Saini, who worked in close liaison with Jaswanti, was convicted of making an inmate work at his house.
Angrez Kaur Hooda, then Child Development Project Officer, Rohtak, who regularly inspected Apna Ghar, was let off by the court. Defence lawyers SPS Parmar and Abhishek Singh Rana said she was accused of beating up inmates, but the prosecution failed to submit proof.
Jitendar Kumar represented the CBI. “There were allegations that Sushma filmed inmates naked but evidence proved otherwise. Since Roshni, Veena, Sushma, Sheela and Saini have not been taken into custody, they might get some relief,” defence counsel said.
About the case
Jaswanti Devi ran project for destitutes, orphaned children and another one, Swadhar, for women from a house called Apna Ghar in Rohtak.
A previous report states that Apna Ghar housed mentally ill Nepalese women.
Three inmates escaped on May 7, 2012, and reached Delhi where they spoke of “heinous activities” inside
National Commission for Protection of Child Rights team visited the home on May 9 and interviewed the inmates
Seven out of 10 persons who faced the trial were arrested on May 10; case was later handed over to the CBI
First chargesheet was filed on August 7, 2012, and supplementary on September 16, 2013, which named three more accused
TALES OF TORTURE
Caution graphic details follow
There were 35 victims among the witnesses — five were allegedly raped and the others subjected to molestation and beatings
When one of them refused to part with her newborn, Jaswanti allegedly beat her up with a bamboo and inserted scissors in her private parts
A victim said she was hit on the face due to which she had several broken teeth. She said Jai Bhagwan raped her twice.
Another victim claimed she was taken to Chandigarh by Jaswanti and Satish where she was raped by a policeman, but she could not identify him
Another girl said she was molested by Jai Bhagwan and Satish; examination revealed injuries with a blunt weapon
Another inmate said Jaswanti burnt her body with a pair of hot tongs when she resisted molestation by Jai Bhagwan
Bikers pack courtroom in West Edmonton Mall waterpark child sexual assault case
Paige Parsons
Swimmers enjoy West Edmonton Mall's indoor waterpark, which has a wave pool, water slides, children and family areas, a surfing pool and more. SUPPLIED / POSTMEDIA, FILE
Bikers crowded an Edmonton courtroom Tuesday in support of six teenaged victims in a sex-assault case at West Edmonton Mall’s water park.
Lawyers made closing arguments in the provincial court trial for Soleiman Hajj Soleiman, who is charged with six counts of sexual assault and six counts of sexual contact with a child.
Soleiman was arrested in February 2017 after several teenagers reported being touched by a man in the wave pool.
A verdict in the case is expected July 6.
When the trial began earlier this year, court heard testimony from some of the teen complainants, who were ages 13 to 15 at the time.
On the evening of Feb. 4, 2017, 16 girls from a soccer team were attending a birthday party at the pool, court heard. One of the complainants, then 14, testified she was in the wave pool when she heard other girls saying someone was touching them. She told court that as a wave hit, a man swam up under her and touched her breast and buttocks.
The identities of the teenage victims are protected by a court-ordered publication ban.
Two of the girls were in court Tuesday, surrounded by their family. Behind them, courtroom benches were packed with bikers who belong to two separate groups — Urban Bulldogs Against Kids’ Abuse and Guardians of Children — who came to offer support to the complainants.
Supporters of Soleiman also attended court Tuesday. Soleiman is a refugee from Syria.
Child sex predator deemed 'dangerous' loses fight to overturn conviction
Yvette Brend · CBC News A B.C. Supreme Court justice has dismissed a child sex predator's appeal of his conviction.
The child rapist, who is in his 40s, first pleaded guilty in 2012 to one count of sexual assault, three counts of sexual assault with a weapon and two counts of unlawful confinement.
His crimes involved girls between the ages of six and 14 and dated from 1995 until 2009.
In the case involving a six-year-old from Surrey, B.C., the court heard that Hexamer had threatened to stab her and forced her brother and his friend to lie on the ground in the woods and look away while he assaulted her.
Dangerous offender
He was designated a dangerous offender Feb. 6, 2016 and given an indeterminate sentence.
After that, he launched two appeals: one of his conviction, the other of his sentence, which had not yet been decided.
On Wednesday, the appeal of his conviction was dismissed.
In his April 18 appeal ruling, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Gregory Fitch said Hexamer admitted "to conduct that was predatory, violent and shockingly invasive."
Tried to back out of agreement with Crown
But two years after entering guilty pleas on six counts, Hexamer attempted to withdraw those pleas and back out of an agreement with the Crown prosecutor that stayed proceedings on 17 other counts and stipulated that Hexamer would be sentenced to 15 years imprisonment.
The plea deal also guaranteed that the Crown would not make an assessment report under s.752.1 of the Criminal Code, an application to have him designated a dangerous offender. That designation enables the court to prolong his stay in jail, potentially for his entire life.
In Hexamer's 234-page affidavit filed in January 2013 he alleged that the lawyers (between four and six of them) who represented him over the years, had not been effective and the Crown had reneged on the deal by moving forward to have him designated a dangerous offender.
Claimed abuse of process
Initially, Hexamer also argued there was an abuse of process in his case because he was arrested without a warrant and his mother was duped into licking an envelope by investigators who then harvested DNA, which linked Hexamer to the crimes.
But that aspect of the appeal was abandoned. Instead, Hexamer argued that the Crown had reneged on the plea agreement that guaranteed he would not be labelled a dangerous offender.
In 2009 a Lower Mainland businessman offered a $20,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the man accused of sexually assaulting a six-year-old girl. Ibata Hexamer was later convicted in the case. ((Courtesy RCMP))
Fitch said that when Hexamer tried to back away from his guilty pleas he was warned that could "backfire."
"The appellant's second lawyer testified that the appellant was 'well aware' that rejecting the deal would expose him to a dangerous offender finding," Fitch wrote in his decision.
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