Child abuse has many faces. Abducting your children and keeping them from their mother without good reason is one of them.
B.C. mother pleads with Ottawa for help in returning children allegedly abducted to Lebanon by ex-husband
Wissam Tarabichi, subject of Canada-wide warrant by RCMP, took son and daughter to Lebanon 10 months ago
Michelle Ghoussoub · CBC News
Shelley Beyak wants her children returned to Canada after Mia, 10, and Liam, 8, were taken to Lebanon 10 months ago by her ex-husband, who's wanted by the RCMP on a Canada-wide warrant. 'It's a horrible thing to see my children in this predicament ...,' says Beyak, who is calling on the prime minister for help. (Shelley Beyak/Facebook)
Shelley Beyak thought that once she could get to Beirut, she would have a fighting chance to retrieve her two children, who were taken to the Lebanese capital by her ex-husband 10 months ago.
But since landing in the city where she once lived and where Mia, 10, and Liam, 8, were born, she has found hopes of getting them back home to Abbotsford, B.C., have been dashed.
She said the children seem stressed, wary and conditioned by their father, who won't speak to her. Because Canada has no jurisdiction in Lebanon, and Lebanese religious courts (read: Muslim courts) favour fathers for custody, there's nothing she can do to bring them home, although a Canada-wide warrant was issued months ago by the RCMP for her ex-husband's arrest.
She's now pleading for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to intervene.
"I need something tangible to be done to get the kids back home. I just can't do it on my own," she said in a phone interview from Beirut.
A bittersweet reunion
Beyak and ex-husband Wissam Tarabichi have joint custody of the children. She said that in March, he told her he was taking them to the United States for a week-long trip.
Instead, after arriving in Seattle, they boarded a flight to Paris, then another to Beirut.
For months she had no contact with her children, because Tarabichi refused to answer her calls.
In January, Beyak flew to Lebanon. Since then, she has had some victories, most notably being reunited with her children and obtaining visiting rights, as long as Tarabichi is present. But she said that first reunion in late January was bittersweet, taking place in a bleak government building in the seaside town of Jieh, which Beyak said had no heat and was "not fit for children."
She said the children did not hug her when they first saw her, and repeatedly left the room during their visit, which lasted several hours, to check in with their father, who sat outside a locked door.
"If the kids are this affected after 10 months, I'm so distraught about how they're going to be after a year, a year-and-a-half, it just cannot continue on like this," she said.
Beyak said the children were told — she suspects by Tarabichi — that they could not take photos together with their mom. As well, during the visit, they would not eat the snacks she brought them nor accept gifts she brought for Mia's 10th birthday.
When she asked them where they live and go to school, they hesitated to answer and told Beyak they couldn't remember or weren't sure.
A Canada-wide warrant was issued in April for Wissam Tarabichi's arrest on allegations of parental abduction, and notices were put through to Interpol that he's wanted internationally. But authorities here have no jurisdiction to force Tarabichi to bring the children back to Canada. (Courtesy of Shelley Beyak)
"Any child should be able to respond without fear that telling the truth is going to get them in trouble with a parent," said Beyak, who worked in child advocacy for years.
There is a Canada-wide warrant out for Tarabichi's arrest on allegations of child abduction, and notices have been put through to Interpol that he's wanted internationally.
In an interview, Tarabichi said he didn't abduct the children but "returned them to their home country. They don't want to go back to Canada. Their mother has to accept this if she really wants them to be happy," he said.
"The legal process is very clear in Lebanon: I have full custody here." Tarabichi said he took the children to Lebanon because the Canadian family law system is corrupt and discriminated against him.
Global Affairs said in a statement it was aware of the case and "our hearts go out to the family at the centre of this difficult situation," but declined to comment further, citing the privacy act.
An uphill battle
Beyak faces an uphill battle in retrieving her children.
Lebanon is not a signatory to The Hague convention, a multilateral treaty that protects children from international abduction. And the country does not recognize international child kidnapping by parents as a crime.
In Lebanon, women cannot take their children out of the country without written permission from their husbands.
Beyak is calling on Trudeau to speak directly with Lebanese President Michel Aoun and ask for a presidential order for the children to be returned to Canada.
"It's a horrible thing to see my children in this predicament and I'm absolutely disgusted that they're stuck here like this, knowing the prime minister could step in and say something," she said.
B.C. teacher loses licence for life after 'inappropriate' messages to teen girls
CBC News
A former elementary school teacher in B.C. has given up his licence for life after sending "inappropriate" messages to girls over the course of six months.
The girls were between 12 and 16 years old, according to an disciplinary agreement published online Wednesday. Some were Bryan Cederholm's former students and two were so uncomfortable, they blocked him from contacting them online.
The Office of the Commissioner for Teacher Regulation, the regulatory body for teachers in B.C., did not say where Cederholm taught, but CBC has confirmed the school is in the Kamloops-Thompson School District.
A Bryan Cederholm worked in the Kamloops-Thompson School District in 2015-16 after graduating from Thompson Rivers University, Kamloops, in 2014. He was hired as the only teacher in Vavenby Elementary in Oct 2016. He is no longer at that school. I cannot confirm that we are talking about the same Bryan Cederholm here, but it looks likely.
The messaging began in late 2016, months after he'd already received a warning from his school district.
Contacted 5 teenagers
A 13-year-old former student said Cederholm messaged her on various social media platforms between October 2016 and January 2017, sending an inappropriate message at least once.
That same January, the agreement said, Cederholm starting reaching out to two more girls he'd also taught when they were in elementary school. They were both 14.
The ruling said he sent one of them a photo he'd taken of the elementary school students he was teaching at the time. The second blocked Cederholm on Instagram after he tried to contact her there.
In March 2017, Cederholm "exchanged inappropriate" messages with a fourth former student, who was 12.
Cederholm's behaviour had already resulted in a two-day suspension without pay by the end of February 2017, but the district fired him on March 16, 2017, after the fourth incident came to light.
After he was fired, a parent came forward to report more inappropriate conduct.
The parent said Cederholm contacted their 16-year-old daughter over the course of a week in the 2016-17 school year. The agreement said the teacher also showed the student text messages in which he was talking to someone else about her.
That student also blocked Cederholm on social media.
The ex-teacher gave up his licence to teach on May 9, 2017. He agreed he'll never reapply as part of the disciplinary agreement published Wednesday.
The ruling noted the district had "advised" Cederholm "refrain from having inappropriate contact with students" in early 2016, but did not say what prompted the warning. It also did not elaborate on the nature of the "inappropriate" messages.
Ontario man charged with child porn,
incest on 6 month old daughter
CTV London, ONA London, Ontario man is facing numerous charges in connection with suspected child pornography and an alleged sexual assault on an infant.
Police say the man was unknowingly communicating with Toronto police through an Internet chat site from Jan. 23 to Feb. 2.
During that time, investigators say officers obtained information indicating a historical sexual assault had occurred involving the man’s then-six-month-old daughter.
On Wednesday, London police executed a search warrant at a home in the south end of the city, seizing a tablet alleged to contain multiple images of suspected child pornography and eight grams of methamphetamine.
There is absolutely nowhere too low for a person on drugs to stoop.
A 38-year-old London man is now charged with:
two counts of unlawfully possess child pornography
unlawfully access child pornography
sexual interference with person under 16 years of age
sexual exploitation of a young person
sexual assault on a person under 16 years of age
print/publish/possess to publish child pornography
import/sell/distribute, etc. child pornography
possession of a Schedule I substance
fail to comply with recognizance
The man's name is not being released to protect the identify of the victim, but police are confirming the child no longer lives with the suspect and the Children's Aid Society has been notified.
In a statement, London police Det.-Sgt. Glenn Hadley said, “This investigation illustrates the link that exists between the consumption of child pornography and child sexual abuse...The combined work of the two police services highlights the value of the Provincial Strategy in combating child pornography.”
The accused is expected to appear in London court later this month.
Another Ontario man facing charges in
child sex abuse investigation
By Laura Hampshire, Global NewsA 50-year-old man has been arrested, following an investigation into the sexual exploitation of children in Port Colborne.
Niagara Regional Police say the investigation began last month and led investigators to a home in the city, where a search warrant was executed on Thursday.
Police say a number of computer systems and storage media were seized and forensically examined.
As a result of the investigation, Todd Albert Klacko was arrested and is facing several charges, including sexual assault of a person under 16 years of age, invitation to sexual touching and failing to comply with a prohibition regarding children.
Police say Klacko has been held in custody pending a bail hearing Friday.
Investigators say they have reason to believe that there are additional victims within the community.
Anyone with information in this matter is asked to contact Det. Sgt. Dave Biggar at 905-688-4111 ext. 9128 or at david.biggar@niagarapolice.ca.
Members of the public are also encouraged to report crimes anonymously through Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.
Doctor who raped daughter hundreds of times
sentenced to just 8 years in prison
Meghan Grant · CBC News 
This Calgary doctor raped his daughter for years and was convicted in October. After his conviction, he collapsed in court and was taken to hospital. His face has been blurred to protect the victim's identity. (Meghan Grant/CBC)
The woman's father, a Calgary doctor, was convicted of sexual assault and sexual exploitation last October. On Friday, the 62-year-old man was sentenced by Court of Queen's Bench Justice Robert Hall, who called the doctor's crimes "abhorrent to society."
Prosecutor Kyra Kondro had asked the judge send the doctor to prison for 12 years, while defence lawyer Balfour Der had proposed a six- to eight-year sentence.
In a victim impact statement, read aloud by Kondro, the now 21-year-old woman wrote that she suffers from PTSD, anxiety and depression.
"I still love you, you were my dad, but you hurt and hid so much about me and my life, leaving me confused. You had so much power," wrote the victim.
The victim has been shunned by the rest of her family since she reported the crimes to police.
The man, who can't be identified in order to protect his daughter, began sleeping in the same bed with her when she was about six. The abuse ramped up over the years.
He would physically assault her if she resisted during sex. She testified her father would use religion to convince her to co-operate, telling her she must honour her father and obey him.
One report indicates that on one assault she deliberately made enough noise to wake her mother. The father jumped up and met the mother in the hallway. An argument ensued and the abuse stopped for awhile, then resumed. It was obvious the mother knew what was happening.
The doctor promised his daughter he would stop assaulting her when she turned 16, but he did not.
The victim testified that she believed her mother and brothers knew about the sexual activity but turned a blind eye to it.
In 2015, the victim, then 18 years old, told a co-worker about the abuse. The coworker helped her get police and Sheldon Kennedy Child Advocacy Centre involved.
When he was finally arrested, the father admitted the abuse to police, telling officers his daughter was "too close" to him.
Years earlier, when confronted by a family friend, the doctor confessed to having sex with his daughter but the friend never reported the allegations to police and the abuse continued.
It's unfortunate there is not more information about this family. After some research I have come to believe they practiced some form of Christianity. This family friend is described in a previous article as being 'an evangelist'. He is also described as owing the doctor money, which he never paid back.
After his conviction in October, the doctor appeared to pass out at the threat of being taken into custody by sheriffs. He was taken away by ambulance.
The offender has not expressed any remorse for his crimes.
8 years is a pathetic sentence for what he did to the girl. She is probably messed up for life unless she gets a lot of serious help. A father is supposed to represent a form of God within the family - how screwed-up her perception of God must be if she thinks of her father as an example.
The mother and the family friend should suffer some consequences for allowing the abuse to continue for years when they could have stopped it.
Prince Edward Island man sentenced to 1 year in jail for child pornography charges
Brittany Spencer · CBC News 
Waylon Molyneaux was sentenced to one year in jail for child pornography charges. (Brian Higgins/CBC)
The court heard that Molyneaux, 32, took photos of a young child on his cellphone, including some that showed the child's genitals, legs and buttocks.
During the trial, a witness testified they found the photos on Molyneaux's phone.
Molyneaux pleaded not guilty and said the photos must have been taken by accident when his phone fell out of his pocket.
But Judge John Douglas said he didn't believe that explanation, and ruled the photos were taken for a sexual purpose.
Victim suffering behavioural issues
The victim's mother reported that since the incident, the child has suffered from ongoing behavioural issues and trauma, resulting in temper tantrums at school that professionals are unable to manage.
Crown attorney Lisa Goulden asked the court to consider Molyneaux's denial of guilt and lack of remorse, and requested he receive the mandatory minimum sentence of one year in jail.
Wait? What? Consider denial and lack of remorse as reasons to give him the minimum sentence? Aren't they reasons to give him a longer than minimum sentence? Canadian justice makes me sick!
Molyneaux's lawyer Peter Ghiz asked the court to approach the victim impact statement with scrutiny, saying there is no evidence to connect the child's behavioural issues with the incident and noting that the child may not even be aware the photos were taken.
The defence also asked the judge to consider Molyneaux's own difficult childhood, which included years of physical and mental abuse.
2 years probation, sex offender registry
"This isn't your usual case considering the background of Mr. Molyneaux and what he has suffered over the years," Douglas said in handing down his sentence.
"It certainly demonstrated the danger and harm that results from child abuse."
The more important part of the sentence, Douglas added, is what's to follow Molyneaux's jail term.
After he gets out of jail, Molyneaux will be on probation for two years and his name will be added to the sex offender registry for 20 years.
Douglas said Molyneaux will have to undergo a sexual deviance assessment, mental health assessments and counselling to understand the nature of his crime and appropriate boundaries with children.
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