9-yr-old Gang-Raped, Eyes Gouged Out, Burnt With Acid
in J&K; Step-Mother Among 5 Arrested
in J&K; Step-Mother Among 5 Arrested
According to the police, the accused woman has been harbouring a grudge against her husband's second wife and their children.
News18.com
Srinagar: A nine-year-old girl was allegedly gang-raped and brutally killed in Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla district, police said Tuesday, adding five people, including her step-mother and step-brother, were arrested in this connection.
The minor had gone missing on August 23 following which her father, a resident of Uri, filed a complaint with the police, Baramulla Superintendent of Police Imtiaz Hussain Mir said.
Her body was found in decomposed state on Sunday in a nearby forest area, he said, adding it appeared to be a case of murder. He said a special investigation team (SIT) headed by SDPO Uri was constituted to investigate the murder.
"The SIT interrogated the suspects and during sustained questioning of the step-mother of the deceased, a bone chilling and horrible account of murder and rape of the nine-year-old child came to light," Mir said.
It was found that the step-mother had been nourishing a long standing grudge against her husband's second wife and her children, he said.
"During questioning, she revealed that her husband would mostly spent time with her second wife and the girl was dearest to him," he said.
She hatched a conspiracy to eliminate her step-daughter. On the fateful day, she was armed with a sharp-edged knife and took the girl to the nearby forest area. Her 14-year-old son joined her along with his friends and committed the crime.
The SSP said the girl was gang-raped by the accused in presence of her step-mother. They all took turns to rape her and thereafter her step-mother strangulated her, Mir said.
Detailing the extent of brutality, the SSP said, "While the step-mother strangulated her, the step-brother hit her head with an axe. Another accused gouged out her eyes with a sharp knife and then sprinkled acid on her body parts. Physical condition and preliminary forensic analysis of the body substantiated all these facts".
He said they dumped the body in bushes and covered it with twigs and branches of pine trees.
All the material and weapons of offence, including the axe and the knife, have been recovered at the instance of the accused.
All the accused have been arrested, the police officer said.
Rotherham – Teenage girl ‘had sex with 100 Asian men
by age 16’ and was pregnant at 14
By Dan HallA YOUNG girl was "passed around" and had sex with 100 men by the time she was 16, jurors in a child sex abuse trial were told.
The girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, claims the abuse she suffered between 1998 and 2001 began when she was just 13 years old.
Her harrowing account was given in a video interview played at the trial of eight men accused of sexual abuse of five girls over a five-year period from 1998 to 2003.
They were arrested and charged as part of Operation Stovewood - a police investigation into sexual abuse launched after the Rotherham grooming scandal.
Sheffield Crown Court, South Yorks., heard how her phone number would be "passed around" between men.
She said: "I can honestly say that by the age of 16 I had slept with 100 Asian men - some I didn't see again.
Tanweer Ali, 36, is accused of two counts of indecent assault,
two counts of rape and one of false imprisonment
Iqlak Yousaf, 33, faces two counts of rape
and two counts of indecent assault
"The ones who come and use you for one time are the ones who are hard to remember.
"As soon as you get to know them your number gets passed around.
"Asian lads demanding to meet you - then you meet a new group and it went on like that.
"I didn't know at the time I was being passed around when I was 13 but I know now I'm older."
Salah Ahmed El-Hakam, 38, is charged with rape
Nabeel Kurshid, 34, is charged with two counts of rape and one of indecent assault
Tanweer Ali, 37, and Mohammed Imran Ali Akhtar, 37, are both accused of indecently assaulting the girl between 1998 and 2001 when she was under the age of 16.
Ali and Akhtar would have been aged between 17 and 20 during the alleged period of offending.
The victim described how she initially disliked Ali Akhtar, of Rotherham.
However she eventually "fell" for the delivery driver when he made her feel special by visiting her "every day" after he finished his shift in the early hours of the morning.
Amjal Rafiq, 38, faces one count of indecent assault
and one charge of false imprisonment
The victim claimed sexual activity with Ali Akhtar continued throughout pregnancy.
She told how and after their son was born, she "tricked" Akhtar into meeting his child when he visited her hoping for sex.
The victim told how her sister was also allegedly abused by Ali Akhtar.
She said: "We were children one minute and adults the next."
"We were snatched away."
Ali, also of Rotherham, and Ali Akhtar are on trial with six other men, all accused of committing historic sex offences in Rotherham against five alleged victims.
The trial continues.
Retired UK Catholic priest charged with
historical child sexual abuse offences
TIM REDIGOLOhistorical child sexual abuse offences
A retired priest of the Diocese of Northampton has been charged wih 20 child sexual abuse offences.
Francis McDermott, who withdrew from active ministry in 2005, was charged on September 3 for offences he is alleged to have committed between 1971 and 1978.
The 75-year-old of Atlantic Way, Westwood Ho, Biddeford, Devon, faces 20 charges of non-recent sexual offences which took place in High Wycombe and Norwich.
McDermott has been charged with the following in relation to six victims:
one count of rape of a female under the age of 16,
one count of a male person committing buggery with a boy under 16,
one count of gross indecency of girl under the age of 14,
four counts of gross indecency of a boy under the age of 14,
one count of indecent assault on a boy under the age of 14,
eight counts of indecent assault on a girl under the age of 14,
three counts of indecent assault on a girl under the age of 16, and
one count of indecent assault on a boy under the age of 16.
The case will be heard at High Wycombe Magistrates' Court on October 4.
The Right Reverend Peter Doyle, Bishop of Northampton, said the diocese would continue to co-operate fully with the court proceedings as he said the safeguarding of children and adults at risk is of paramount importance to the Catholic Church.
"As in all such cases, our thoughts and prayers are with those hurt by abuse in all forms," said a Northampton diocese spokesman.
In the event of any concerns arising from this case, the diocese has advised people to contact either the clergy advisor for safeguarding, Canon Michael Harrison (01536 203121), or the diocesan safeguarding co-ordinator, Danielle Dixon (01604 723514).
More Huddersfield men appear in court
Another 12 men have appeared in court charged with offences relating to the sexual exploitation of children in Huddersfield.
They relate to five women and are alleged to have taken place when the victims were aged between 12 and 18.
It was the second hearing at Kirklees Magistrates' Court in Huddersfield in connection with the police investigation.
On Wednesday, 17 men and a woman were bailed (2nd story on link) on charges including rape, trafficking and sexual assault.
Nine of the 12 men, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared via video link on Thursday and were released on bail.
The other three defendants are:
Manzoor Akhtar, (top right) 29, of Blackmoorfoot Road, Huddersfield, is accused of three rapes and trafficking
Samuel Fikru, 30, of Camden, London, is charged with two rapes
Mohammed Akram, (left) 41, of Manchester Road, Huddersfield, is charged with a rape and two counts of trafficking
Mr Akhtar and Mr Akram were granted bail, while Mr Fikru was remanded in custody.
I confess a little confusion with regard to Akram. He appears to be the same man who was jailed in 2006 for drug-running, re-arrested twice in 2015 and sentenced to 10 years, also for drug-running. I don't understand why he would be granted bail if he is serving time. Unless there are 2 Mohammed Akrams of the same age and criminal tendencies from Huddersfield.
All 29 men and the woman will next appear at Leeds Crown Court on 1 November.
Man arrested in Philippines for attempted rape,
child sex abuse
By Cyrus Garde child sex abuse
BACOLOD City – Allan Gibraltar Malone ended up behind bars in light of attempted rape and child sexual abuse charges filed against him.
Police arrested the 51-year-old on corner Cabahug Street-Gustilo Boulevard, Barangay Zone 1, Cadiz City, Negros Occidental.
Malone was charged with attempted rape, said Chief Inspector Rocky Desear, officer-in-charge of the Cadiz City police station.
Another case – for violation of Section 5 (b) of Republic Act 7610, or the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act – was lodged against him, too.
Officers served the resident of Barangay Daga, Cadiz City a warrant of arrest at around 2:20 p.m. Wednesday. Executive Judge Gwendolyn Jimenea of the Regional Trial Court Branch 60 (Cadiz City) issued the warrant on Aug. 30.
Malone was detained at the Cadiz City police station.
The court set the bail bonds at P120,000 for the attempted rape charge and P180,000 for the child sexual abuse charge. About $2200 & $3300 USD respectively.
Rapist transgender says new child abuse case
is ‘a load of bullocks’
In the courtroom
Martine Berg OlsenA convicted child rapist who now identifies as a woman told a jury that a new case against her is: ‘a load of bollocks.’
Carrie Cooper, 52, who was previously called Gary, is accused of sexually abusing a young girl in Hertford between 2007 and 2012.
A court previously heard that she crept into the girl’s bedroom and repeatedly molested her before telling the victim it was ‘their secret’.
Carrie Cooper, who is currently serving a 14-year-old sentence for raping a child, has denied the new allegations (Picture: SWNS)
Cooper is currently serving a jail sentence of 14 years and 4 months for raping a 12-year-old girl in Basingstoke in July 2011.
When she was questioned at Parkhurst Prison on the Isle of Wight, Cooper said about the new case: ‘It didn’t happen. It is not true. What she said is not real – not in this life time, not in any life time.’
In the witness box Cooper told the court: ‘I didn’t do none of this. It is a load of bollocks.’ In angry exchanges with prosecutor Wayne Cleaver, Cooper said: ‘I didn’t do it. Jog on.’
Cooper told St Albans Crown Court that the allegations were ‘a load of bollocks’ (Picture: PA)
At the start of the case, Mr Cleaver said: ‘Cooper began with sexual assault and progressed to assault by penetration. It was repeated, it was regular and it was unwanted. ‘The defendant actively discouraged her from revealing what was happening because it was their secret. ‘While it was going on, the girl knew it was wrong but she lacked the maturity of how to deal with it as she was only a child.’
The charges were brought after the alleged victim told a friend in June 2016, who encouraged her to tell her mother. The police were then contacted.
She’s serving time at Parkhurst prison
on the Isle of Wight (Picture: PA Archive)
Is that a women's prison or a men's prison?
On Thursday Mr Cleaver, in his closing speech, told the jury the victim’s evidence was ‘measured and restrained.’ He said Cooper was trying to be ‘manipulative and a chancer.’
He continued: ‘His protestations of innocence ring hollow. They come from a convicted sex offender who has admitted he has a sexual interest in girls.’
At the end of the prosecution case Cooper was found not guilty of five charges of assault by penetration on the direction of the judge, Recorder Mark Ockelton. She pleaded not guilty to five alternative charges of sexual assault of a child.
Cooper now faces six charges of sexual assault on a child under 13 and five of assault by penetration.
Perhaps, he, or she, should be required to have sex reassignment surgery before being released into the public again.
Care home girl "scared" of sex abuse taxi driver suspect, jury told
By David ParkerA WOMAN who says she was sexually abused by a taxi driver as a teenager has told a court she was “scared of him for a long time”.
Darren Hyett (54), of Broom Chase, Rotherham, is alleged to have sexually abused the girl when she was living at St Edmund’s Care Home, Thurcroft, as a teenager.
He had been working for A1 Taxis when he allegedly befriended the girl and gave her gifts, money, drink and drugs, Sheffield Crown Court was told.
Hyett denies five counts of rape, three counts of sexual activity with a child, one count of causing a person to engage in sexual activity with a child, and perverting the course of justice.
He was aged between 40 and 44 when the alleged offences took place, between 2004 and 2007. The complainant was aged between 15 and 18.
Under cross-examination yesterday (Wednesday), the woman, who is now in her late twenties, denied a suggestion by defence counsel Mr Matthew Buckland that she had only been to Hyett’s house once, after her 16th birthday.
“It was a single occasion where you had gone to his flat and things had progressed and you were in bed naked,” Mr Buckland said. “There was no further sexual activity than that.”
The woman said the claim was incorrect. “He wasn’t my boyfriend - he was my abuser,” she told the court. “I was scared of Darren for a long time.”
Ms Diane Wellings, who was a residential care worker at St Edmund’s Care Home, said she believed the girl had been having a sexual relationship with Hyett.
She said she had seen the girl going out and getting into Hyett’s taxi and the girl had once pointed out where Hyett lived during a bus journey they had shared together.
Ms Wellings read to the jury dozens of notes made by staff at St Edmund’s which documented the girl’s contact with Hyett — over the phone and in person.
Ms Wellings told the court: “It wasn’t appropriate (their relationship) and I was angry in a professional sense. “I was angry with Darren Hyett mainly and angry with the girl to some extent.”
Staff at the care home began to monitor the girl’s calls as a result of their suspicions, Ms Wellings said. Ms Wellings read out a note, written by a senior staff member at the care home, which revealed the senior worker had contacted A1 Taxis to raise concerns about Hyett’s contact with the girl.
“The A1 manager said he would be reminding drivers not to drive children who were unescorted or they would be putting their jobs at risk,” Ms Wellings, quoting the note, told the court.
Prosecutor Mr Matthew Bean told the court on Tuesday that after meeting the girl in a taxi, Hyett began to exchange messages with her before meeting her regularly. “He began to give her gifts, money, and, over time, drink and drugs,” said Mr Bean.
“This was done, the prosecution say, in order to gain control over (the girl) so he could engage in sexual activities with her. Against this background, the prosecution say he committed a number of serious sexual offences against her.”
He told the court that Hyett must have known she was staying at St Edmund’s and that the home cared for people who needed the support of the local authority.
The trial is part of the National Crime Agency’s investigation into non-familial child sexual exploitation in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013, dubbed Operation Stovewood.
Brisbane man who abused three foster siblings
could be free in five years
By Kristian Silva
PHOTO: The man's victim's were all aged under 12 years old. (AAP: Joe Castro)
A psychologist failed to act when a Brisbane man, who later went on to abuse four people, confessed to having sexual desires about young children, a court has heard.
The 25-year-old man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was the foster brother of three of the children who were abused for varying periods between 2012 and 2016, the District Court heard.
The victims were aged under 12, and one could have been as young as four when she was sexually assaulted, prosecutor James Marxson said.
"[The man] identified his sexual interest in children before the offending began and raised it with his psychologist and during the offending period addressed it with his psychologist," Mr Marxson told the court.
"She didn't address it appropriately it seems, and neither did [the man]."
At the time of the offences the man had a valid blue card and the foster family had not been the subject of previous complaints.
Victims now dealing with psychological issues
In sentencing, District Court Judge Michael Rackemann detailed the man's "abhorrent" offending, which included performing sex acts on the children and penetrating them with sex toys.
He said the man's actions caused highly sexualised behaviour to be normalised for his young victims, who were now all dealing with psychological issues as a result of the abuse.
Two of the victims came forward in 2017, and the following day the man handed himself into a police station at the urging of his mother and made a full confession.
On Thursday, the man was sentenced to nine-and-a-half years in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of indecent treatment of a child and two counts of maintaining an unlawful relationship with a child.
His parole date was set at March 18, 2023.
The man was originally charged with 10 offences including rape, but many of the charges were dropped.
On Thursday, prosecutors called for the sentence to be greater than 10 years, which would have triggered a mandatory 80 per cent of his term to be served behind bars.
However, Judge Rackemann reduced the sentence below the threshold, after taking into account the man's cooperation with police, guilty plea and willingness to rehabilitate himself.
"You were in a position of some trust with them,"
Judge Rackemann told the man.
Some of the victims' parents wept in court as the sentence was read out, and earlier in the day, one man in the gallery called the man a "******* maggot".
Defence barrister Michael Anderson said the man was a relatively young offender with no criminal history and a good prospects of rehabilitation.
"He did not seek to minimise or blame others for his offending," he said.
Mr Anderson said the man's confessions spared the children being put through potential cross-examination if the case had proceeded to a trial.
When the case made headlines last year, former child safety minister Shannon Fentiman described the offences as "incredibly shocking and extremely serious".
The allegations came to light weeks after the Government published a report into the blue card and foster care system, which found improvements could be made to the recruitment of carers and safeguards for children.
The report was undertaken after the death of Tiahleigh Palmer, a foster child who was murdered by her foster father in Logan, south of Brisbane.
Australian prosecutors seek tougher sentence for archbishop convicted of child sex abuse cover-up
Australian prosecutors have said they will appeal for a tougher sentence for the most senior Roman Catholic cleric convicted of covering up child sex abuse.
A magistrate last month ordered former Adelaide Archbishop Philip Wilson to be detained at his sister's house in New South Wales state for at least six months of a one-year sentence before he is eligible for parole.
The Australian director of public prosecutions' office said prosecutors are appealing the "inadequacy" of the sentence in the New South Wales District Court.
Wilson had faced a possible sentence of up to two years in prison.
He will appeal his conviction in the District Court in a hearing in November, Australian Broadcasting Corp reported.
Wilson denied the accusations and had refused to resign pending an appeal. However, Pope Francis accepted Wilson's resignation in July after pressure mounted, including from Australia's prime minister, for him to be fired.
He had failed four times to have courts throw out the charge since he was first indicted in 2015.
Wilson temporarily stepped down as Adelaide archbishop after he was convicted in May. Adelaide is the capital of South Australia state, which will bring in laws in October obliging priests to report evidence of abuse heard during a confession.
The Australian Capital Territory and Tasmania state are planning similar laws.
Wilson was once Australia's highest-ranking bishop as president of the Australian Catholic Bishops' Conference.
Paedophiles jailed for raping 'vulnerable' teenagers
A man described as a predatory sexual deviant who abused two teenagers has been jailed for 24 years.
He was also convicted of the rape and sexual abuse of a teenage boy between 2004 and 2007.
A second man, Barry Gaynor, was jailed for six years for his involvement.
The court was told that Gorringe first assaulted the girl when she was 15 after she came to the supermarket where he worked looking for a job.
He befriended the girl and her mother, buying her gifts in what prosecutor Alan Blake described as "the systematic corruption of a child". The abuse went on for four years, the court heard, and the girl was persuaded to have sex with other men.
The jury was told Gorringe had been working as a takeaway delivery driver when he befriended the "awkward and vulnerable" teenage boy. He raped and sexually abused the boy between 2004 and 2007, the court heard.
Sentencing, Recorder Stephen Lennard described Gorringe as a "dangerous offender". He said: "You are a predatory and manipulative sexual deviant who stopped at nothing to obtain what you wanted."
Gorringe was convicted of a total of 22 sex offences, including three counts of rape against the girl and two against the boy - and one count of causing child prostitution.
He was jailed for 24 years, with an eight-year licence extension. It means that he can be recalled to prison on his release up to the age of 90.
Det Insp Iain MacPherson, of Hertfordshire Police, said: "Gorringe eroded the free will and self-esteem of two young people so completely that their courage in facing him and giving evidence is all the more remarkable."
Paramedic caught with over 800 child abuse images is struck off after panel hearing
Alan Leyshon, 62, has been removed from the nursing register after he was convicted of making indecent images of children
A former paramedic caught with 820 images of child abuse has been struck off after a panel found him unfit to practise.
Now a Fitness to Practise Committee at the Nursing and Midwifery Council has concluded that he is no longer fit to work as a paramedic for the North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust. The panel assessed the details Leyshon’s offence and ruled he can no longer pursue a career in the profession.
A document outlining the decision said: “The panel noted that this case involved a serious sexually motivated criminal offence involving very young children, and that Mr Leyshon’s actions would greatly undermine public confidence in the profession.”
They concluded that “Mr Leyshon’s fitness to practice is currently impaired on public protection and public interest grounds.”
Leyshon, who was not present at the hearing, had been registered since May 1999 and started working at North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust in April 2010.
He had admitted the charge put before him relating to his conviction of making an indecent photograph of a child impairing his fitness to practise. He was dismissed from his role on February 5, 2018.
In a letter of reflection Leyshon expressed remorse, stating: “I make no excuses or blame anyone else for my actions and totally admit to the offences.” He added: “I do realise that my nursing career has ended and can only again apologise to all of the nursing profession and public for bring(ing) the profession into disrepute.”
A spokesman from North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust told Teesside Live: “Our main concern is always for our patients. The individual no longer works for the trust.”
‘Children, babies really’
Teesside Crown Court heard in February that Leyshon had the images on a laptop and a tablet at the home where he lived alone.
They mainly depicted girls aged between three and 10, with 76 images at the most serious level in law, including 60 videos, said prosecutor Emma Atkinson.
He admitted the three charges earlier this year and was given a one-year jail term suspended for two years with 30 days’ rehabilitation activity.
A sexual harm prevention order was also made and he will be on the sex offenders’ register for 10 years.
Sentencing him, the judge, recorder Dafydd Enoch QC, said at the time: “You know what you did and you know that what you did was unforgivable. (It) includes videos of very young children, babies really, being sexually abused and hurt and distressed.
“Loneliness, divorce, none of that begins to excuse or explain your possession of that sort of material, I’m afraid.
“You’re a man of good character. You’ve served your country and the public in productive positive ways. I consider that to be powerful mitigation. There’s no evidence you’ve indulged in this fashion ever before.”
His address at the time of sentencing was listed as a County Durham hotel.
Global Affairs intervenes to aid Ottawa police investigation
of Afghan diplomat's son
Judy Trinh · CBC News 
A case being investigated by Ottawa police's sexual assault and child abuse unit was delayed until police could get permission from the Afghan government to speak to the suspect, the teenage son of a high-ranking diplomat, CBC News has learned.
Under international protocol, Global Affairs Canada had to seek a waiver of diplomatic immunity from Afghanistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kabul to allow Ottawa police to question the diplomat's son.
Diplomatic immunity is not usually extended to family members unless the representative is from the senior ranks. This permission through international channels was recently granted. The diplomat's son has obtained a prominent criminal defence lawyer but has yet to be interviewed by police.
The complainant is a Canadian citizen and a high school student, sources tell CBC News. The incident was first reported in an online Afghan news service.
2nd waiver would be needed for arrest
If charges are warranted after an investigation, police would once again have to ask Global Affairs Canada to intervene to request a second waiver from Kabul to make an arrest.
Ottawa police said they do not comment on open investigations. CBC News has requested comment from the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, but has yet to receive a response.
The 1961 Vienna Convention outlines the rules of diplomatic law and prevents host countries from using their laws to pressure foreign representatives. The convention requires diplomats to obey the laws of their host country, but the only punishment permitted is expulsion unless immunity is waived.
The most controversial use of diplomatic immunity to avoid prosecution involves the 2001 death of Ottawa lawyer Catherine MacLean. MacLean was killed on Jan. 27, 2001, when she was struck by a vehicle driven by a drunk Russian diplomat.
Andrei Knyazev had claimed diplomatic immunity after the collision and returned to Moscow within days of the incident. He was later found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in Moscow.
BBC Asian Network editor charged over naming Rotherham child abuse victim
Matthew Moore, Media CorrespondentThe Times
A senior BBC news executive has been charged under the Sexual Offences Act over a report that identified a Rotherham child abuse victim.
The prosecution relates to a live broadcast on the radio station from a grooming trial in February, during which a reporter mistakenly named a victim of a sexual offence.
Last night the BBC attacked prosecutors for bringing criminal action against the editor personally, rather than the corporation itself, warning that the “worrying decision” creates “a climate of fear” for the media. Mr Ansari intends to plead not guilty.
The charges have been brought by the National Crime Agency. Its Operation Stovewood is investigating child sexual exploitation in Rotherham.
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