Brazilian faith healer forced women to work as fertility slaves on 'baby farms,' activist says
He sold the babies globally and murdered the moms!
© AFP / Evaristo SA
Alberta sees another record year of child abuse cases; 22% rise in 2018
By Kendra Slugoski Global NewsHe sold the babies globally and murdered the moms!
Disgraced Brazilian “psychic surgeon” John of God has been accused of running “baby farms” where young women were held captive and forced to produce children – then killed when they were no longer fertile.
As if the allegations that the faith healer, who shot to fame after appearing on Oprah Winfrey's show, sexually abused more than 600 women weren’t appalling enough, Brazilian activist Sabrina Bittencourt claims John of God (real name is Joao Teixeira de Faria) ran a baby-trafficking business for years on farms and mines he owned across Brazil.
Young girls were allegedly paid to live at these remote sites, where they were forcibly impregnated again and again, their babies sold to childless couples around the world. After 10 years of the constant abuse, Bittencourt says, the girls were murdered.
“We have got a number of testimonies,” the activist reported, claiming she spoke to women from at least three continents who purchased Brazilian babies from Teixeira for between $19,600 and $52,250.
“In exchange for food, they were impregnated and their babies sold on the black market. Hundreds of girls were enslaved over years, lived on farms in Goias, served as wombs to get pregnant, for their babies to be sold,” Bittencourt said. Her organization, Coame, helps women report sexual assault by religious leaders.
Bittencourt’s investigations initially led to Teixeira’s shocking arrest last month. He led authorities on a week-long chase before surrendering himself (4th story on link), and his police interrogations were marked by bizarre, seemingly supernatural phenomena.
Teixeira has so far been charged with two counts of rape and two counts of statutory rape in the continuing investigation. Last week, prosecutors added new charges that he and his son, Sandro Teixeira de Oliveira, threatened a victim at gunpoint, then attempted to bribe her to withdraw a sexual abuse complaint.
Victims began coming forward after Dutch photographer Zahira Leeneke Maus revealed on Brazilian TV that Teixeira had manipulated her into sex acts. Nine Brazilian women shared similar stories anonymously, and the floodgates subsequently opened, with stories pouring forth from all over the world from women who came to the celebrated healer to be cured, blessed, or enlightened and were instead – they say – abused.
The women’s ages when they were assaulted ranged from nine to 67, investigators said, and the incidents occurred from the 1980s to present day. All the women, however, had a similar story: Teixeira had invited them for “private consultations” that devolved into sexual acts, ostensibly as part of their “cure.”
Even his daughter, Dalva Teixeira, claimed he raped and abused her for four years – till she became pregnant. Then, she said, he beat her so that she miscarried. Dalva denounced her father as a “monster” in an interview with Brazilian media.
Teixeira, who claims over 30 different entities working through him can cure cancer and other diseases, has maintained he is innocent of all charges.
Alberta sees another record year of child abuse cases; 22% rise in 2018
The Zebra Child Protection Centre, which works with police and supports children impacted by abuse cases, saw a 22 per cent increase in child abuse cases in 2018.
Every year the caseload at the Zebra Child Protection Unit goes up and 2018 was no exception. Staff took on 834 child abuse cases last year — an increase of 22 per cent over 2017.
Most of those cases dealt with child sexual abuse.
Cheryl Diebel, chief executive officer of the Zebra centre, said while the numbers are alarming, it doesn’t necessarily mean there was more child abuse in Alberta.
“We think it’s linked to the fact that we’re out in the public more often,” said Diebel. “People are more aware of the signs of abuse and also more aware of where to call if they have issues.”
Diebel said most of the child abuse referrals come from RCMP, Edmonton police, Alberta Health Services and Alberta Children’s Services.
The Zebra centre is a safe place for abused children to tell their stories. It provides supports to children from Edmonton and communities north of Red Deer.
Specialized forensic interviewers meet with children so they only have to tell their story once.
Last year, more caregivers were also provided support through the investigation and court process.
Despite the progress in people reporting child abuse, Diebel wants everyone to know it is their duty. “We want to ensure that people understand their need to report child abuse if they suspect it,” said Diebel.
“It’s not an option… We want an environment free from child abuse.”
If you suspect child abuse, please contact any of the following:
Edmonton Police Service Complaint Line: 780-423-4567
Child Abuse Hotline: 1-800-387-5437 (KIDS)
Crime Stoppers: 1-800-222-8477
Online Exploitation: cybertip.ca
Or your local police/RCMP detachment
If a child is in immediate danger, please dial 911.
Every day for six years I thought: 'I hope I can get through this night without being abused'
One Survivor's Story
"When I woke up on a morning, the first thought that jumped into my head was, 'how can I get through this day without getting a beating?'
"The very last thought at night was, 'I hope I can get through this night without being abused'.
"That was every single day for six years."
Peter Smith, now aged 64, was a pupil at Stanhope Castle School in Weardale, County Durham, from 1963 to 1969.
Having given evidence at a national inquiry into child sexual abuse in the face of a legal challenge by Middlesbrough Council, Peter has bravely waived his right to anonymity in order to tell his story.
This is the harrowing account of a victim of child sexual abuse and brutal violence at the hands of pupils and staff at the notorious Stanhope Castle School.
'I walked miles in my bare feet'
Like many of the children who were placed at Stanhope Castle, Peter had a difficult start to life. Separated from his family and taken into care at the age of eight, Peter struggled to comprehend what was happening to him.
"Prior to Stanhope, I was at a children's home in Stockton, Hartington Road," said Peter. "I was only about eight then, but I kept running away. I wanted to be with my family. I missed my mam and dad. I missed my family.
"I know that on a number of occasions, probably about five or six, I actually walked from Stockton to Bishop Auckland. "A couple of days it would take me. I'd sleep in a field, in a barn."
On each occasion, after Peter was found, he would be sent straight back into the care system.
"They used to take my shoes off me," he said. "So I went in stockings and I walked from Stockton to Bishop in my bare feet. Then I was sent from the children's homes to what you would call a secure unit."
'You don't want to go to Stanhope' - everybody knew
Aged nine, Peter was sent from the secure unit to an assessment centre. From there, children were distributed to each of the different children's homes across the North-east.
But among the chatter of vulnerable children waiting at the assessment centre, there were rumours of a place that filled their hearts with dread.
"The one place you didn't want to go - because the reputation was that bad - was Stanhope," said Peter. "The other kids would say, 'don't go to Stanhope, you don't want Stanhope'.
"We'd all heard the stories. Everybody knew - it was common knowledge - it really was. The general public wouldn't have known - but people did know."
As chance would have it, Peter was selected for Stanhope.
It wasn't long before he discovered that the rumours were not only true - but that life at Stanhope was even more depraved than he could have ever imagined.
Slapped and called a liar for reporting abuse
"It was worse than I thought it would be," said Peter. "It was unbelievably sadistic and it was brutal."
Peter took a moment to collect himself, his partner Debbie Hannant, 54, comforting him until he was able to continue.
"The first time I was sexually abused, I had only been at Stanhope about three weeks," he said. "After lights out at 10pm, an older boy crept up to my bed and told me to come with him. I thought it was some kind of game.
"So I followed him and went into this bathroom and there was another older boy in there - they were about 14 or 15. They dropped their pyjama bottoms."
Peter described, in detail too graphic to publish, how the older boys subjected him to a serious and prolonged sexual assault.
"I started to cry - on purpose," Peter said. "I knew there was a teacher on duty. There was always a night teacher. I started to cry hoping to get his attention.
"Well - he came along. He opened the bathroom door and I remember him saying to me, 'what's happening here?' I was trying to explain, and then he told the other two boys, 'back to your dormitories'.
"He took me down the stairs to the headmaster's office. His house was in the school."
If Peter thought the headmaster would punish the boys who had abused him moments earlier, he was gravely mistaken.
"The teacher knocked on his door and he went in and spoke with the headmaster," said Peter. "After a while the headmaster came out and said, 'what's happening?' I tried to explain and he slapped me across the face and called me a liar.
"Then he took me into his office, which was next door, and I got one of the most severe beatings I've ever had in my life. Then he sent me back to bed."
'After that ordeal, I never reported it again'
Sadly, the headmaster's punishment was far from over.
When Peter got up the next morning - bruised, battered and traumatised from the previous night's ordeal - he was subjected to a public humiliation at the hands of the very people who should have been looking after him.
"I got up and I went down to breakfast," said Peter. "You were designated a table and your position on that table. "When I went that morning, there was a board - about 12in by 12in - and another one the same underneath it.
"They were attached on strings so that one went on the front and one on the back. The front one said, 'I am a pig'. The one on my back said, 'Treat me like a pig'.
"I had to wear that from the minute I got up in the morning until the last thing I did at night. I had to do that for two weeks. After that I never, ever again reported any sexual abuse."
Six years in hell
"Some of the other lads were abused by the teachers," said Peter. "With me it was just the other lads, the older pupils. "But there was one man, an ex-pupil who had joined the merchant navy.
"He was an orphan so when he used to come ashore for leave, he used to come to Stanhope. He was about 30 years old. The staff let him in, He was given his old bedroom and everything. He was treated like a member of staff.
"He used to creep up to my bed when the lights were out. He'd give me a handful of chocolate sweets. "He abused me."
Peter said it is impossible to get across the terror he felt, every day and every night, for six long years at Stanhope.
"I've tried to say this to other people and I don't do it justice," he said. "When I woke up on a morning, the first thought that jumped into my head was, 'how can I get through this day without getting a beating?'
"The very last thought at night was, 'I hope I can get through this night without being abused'.
"That was every single day for six years."
'I never talked - nobody was going to believe me'
Peter finally left Stanhope Castle aged 15 and spent the next 12 months jumping from job to job.
"But for the first 20 years or so after leaving Stanhope, I spent most of it in prisons of one type or another," said Peter.
"I ain't proud of it. There was no education - there was nothing. There is a report somewhere that says the boys who went to Stanhope are 'retards'. You're carrying that label for the rest of your life.
"Because my life was such a mess, I needed to get away from the North-east. I moved to the Midlands. I got a job and got married.
"Then, I don't know, I just got a thirst for learning. I went to night classes and I got four O Levels. The next session, I got two A Levels. Then I started doing the Open University. Then I went to college and got a training degree in mechanical engineering.
"About five or six years ago my marriage ended sadly. I came back to the North-east because that's where my family come from.
"I never talked about Stanhope Castle, the reason being - nobody is going to believe me."
'Men don't want to admit being a victim'
"Everything was done in private. So it's never going to get out," said Peter. "You know you can be asked the question, why didn't you report it, why didn't you let the authorities know?
"In a lot of cases of sexual abuse, there's a great element of shame. Certainly for a man, they don't want to admit that they've been abused like that. That's why people keep quiet for decades."
The truth begins to emerge - 'Stanhope was hell'
"One night I was on the internet and I did a search for Stanhope Castle," said Peter. "It took me to this site, Francis Frith was the name.
"I started to read and there were comments left by boys who had been at Stanhope. One said, 'Stanhope was hell'. They were mentioning names that I knew - teachers. I got in touch with this one person who made a comment.
"I thought I was the only one who was ever abused. He said no, there's a load. I joined the site and I couldn't believe there were so many people saying what I was saying."
Claims against Middlesbrough Council
Civil claims made regarding abuse suffered at Stanhope Castle fall to Middlesbrough Council.
The school was run by the Home Office before being transferred to Cleveland County Council in 1974. Middlesbrough Council took on the liability for the school after Cleveland was abolished.
Middlesbrough Town Hall (Image: Teesside Live)
So far the council has dealt with 33 claims of physical and sexual abuse relating to Stanhope Castle School.
Peter's claim has been challenged by Middlesbrough Council on the grounds that the abuse took place decades ago - a limitation defence - and because there are no remaining records of Peter's time at Stanhope.
Middlesbrough Council criticised at Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse
Middlesbrough Council's stance was heavily criticised during at a hearing of the Accountability and Reparation Investigation led by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) .
During the hearings in December, Chris Jacobs, a solicitor representing several victims, said: "On Monday, counsel to the investigation put to Mr Bromiley of Middlesbrough Council the point that a local authority has safeguarding responsibilities and that it is morally wrong for a council to say, ‘You are too late to tell us we abused you’.
“The reply was, ‘we are constrained financially. I don’t think it’s appropriate not to raise a defence where it’s possible to do so’. Those words, I submit, encapsulate what is wrong with the civil justice system."
Peter said: "That's the thing that got me. The insurers for Middlesbrough gave evidence at the inquiry. They knew about the abuse, and they've known about it for years.
"Why wasn't there an inquiry in 2002 when people first started suing the council? They've known about it since at least then, if not earlier."
'Why send a finance bloke?'
Middlesbrough Council was represented at the IICSA by its strategic director for finance, governance and support services, James Bromiley.
He said the council had dealt with 33 claims of physical and sexual abuse relating to the school, based on legal advice and following the law as it stands. Apologising to victims, he said: “On behalf of Middlesbrough Council I would like to express our deepest sympathy and apologise for any abuse that occurred in Stanhope Castle.”
Debbie said: "When we were at the inquiry in London, Professor Alexis Jay who is in charge of the inquiry cannot understand why it hasn't been talked about in Middlesbrough Council. "She even said to Mr Bromiley, 'has this been talked about in the Middlesbrough chambers?' "He said no, she said 'why?'
She added: "I feel sorry for Bromiley, I really do. When he had finished giving evidence, he got up to turn around, my heart went out to him - he didn't know where to go."
James Bromiley, of Middlesbrough Council, gave evidence at the inquiry about the authority's response to legal claims about Stanhope Castle, main image
Peter said: "Yeah, in fact I meant to see him on Wednesday night at the meeting and just shake his hand, because I wanted to make it clear that I don't hold him responsible."
Debbie said: "My question to Mr Carr, if he's the executive member for children's services, why didn't he go down? Why send a finance bloke?"
After the hearings a council spokesman told Teesside Live the authority had sought "core participant" status in the inquiry as part of its efforts to be transparent.
He added: “We have investigated, taken legal advice and applied the law as is stands at every stage – we cannot make payments without legal justification.”
Mayhem at a Middlesbrough Council meeting
There were chaotic scenes when the subject of Stanhope Castle was brought up at January's meeting of Middlesbrough Council.
Two councillors were ordered to leave the chamber after they refused to stop asking questions about the council's involvement with the IICSA.
The scenes led to an emotional outburst from Peter who shouted "shame" at the Labour benches who had voted to remove the outspoken councillors.
"I never get upset. I've been to inquiries, meetings, seminars - I do not get upset. But I think what it was, it was the way they shut it down. It was as if they were saying, 'we're not talking about it, no, no, we don't want to know'. It was that attitude, and I thought 'hold on'."
Debbie said: "We did feel at that meeting - we both did - as though we were a pawn in a political game. I didn't like it at all. I don't want to be involved in politics."
'We know council wasn't involved - but they pick up the tab'
Peter said: "Our biggest fear is that in 20 years time there's another inquiry into child sexual abuse. I think they should have been able to ask those questions.
"I know it's not as simple as some might think, but they should have said, 'yeah, you're right, we need to talk about it, but maybe tonight isn't the night for doing it'. Not the way they reacted."
After the councillors were ejected, many Labour members expressed their frustration by banging their desks shut. "The banging the desks and all that was so childish," said Debbie.
Peter agreed but added that he understood how councillors must have felt.
He said: "If you put yourself in the shoes of Middlesbrough Council, you do not want accusations of a cover-up of child sexual abuse. But we never said it was them, we know they weren't involved in Stanhope, they've got no part to play in what happened. But unfortunately they pick up the tab. It was just something unfortunate that they've inherited and we sympathise with Middlesbrough."
What now?
Peter said that after the meeting he spoke privately to Cllr Carr. He said: "I've got a lot of respect for Mike Carr. We had a good chat I thought he was quite honest and open. He said, 'there's no evidence' which I get. All my abusers, I either don't know them or they're dead. But have they paid out to those 12 people so far with no evidence?
"It does beg the question, why cling to this act of limitation if there's no evidence? What's the point? No evidence is sufficient as a legal challenge. There's no need to cling to this act."
Cllr Carr said: “I have talked to some of those affected, and will be meeting them again in the near future. They have a number of concerns, and we are looking at ways in which we can offer support.”
Peter lives with Debbie in Newton Ayecliffe.
He is a father of two and grandfather to five grandchildren - all boys.
He continues to pursue his civil claim against Middlesbrough Council for the abuse he suffered at Stanhope Castle.
Paris police officers found guilty of
raping Canadian woman
CBC News
Emily Spanton, who agreed to go public in the rape case, is shown arriving at court in Paris earlier this month. (Francois Mori/Associated Press)
Two French police officers from an anti-gang unit were found guilty on Thursday in Paris of raping a Canadian tourist.
The officers, now identified as Nicolas R. and Antoine Q., were each sentenced to seven years in prison and also ordered to pay fines equivalent to $30,000 Cdn, according to French news channel LCI.
Emily Spanton, a counsellor from St. Catharines, Ont., was visiting Paris in April 2014 when she met the officers at an Irish pub and later was given a tour of police headquarters, where the incident occurred.
When she left the building later, Spanton approached another officer and reported that she had been raped, her lawyer has said.
Spanton — who agreed to be identified publicly — first said she had been raped by four officers before revising her testimony to cite three police officers. Only two were ultimately charged.
According to court documents, DNA from the men were found on underwear submitted as evidence. As well, a medical exam performed after she filed a lawsuit showed she had bruises on several parts of her body and a gynecological lesion.
The officers, whose identities had not been publicly disclosed, faced up to 20 years in prison. One of the officers admitted he received oral sex but claimed it was consensual. The other initially denied any sexual relationship then admitted to some mutual touching.
Tests confirmed the complainant was legally intoxicated at the time.
The case went to trial after a French Appeal Court overturned a decision by a lower court to dismiss the charges against the officers, who work in the department's Brigades de recherche et d'intervention anti-gang unit.
According to a report from LCI, Spanton left the court building without making a statement, while the officers were handcuffed in court to be prepared for processing. They had been free pending trial.
Wait! What trial! They just had a trial!
2 girls left in Manitoba home after child sex assault allegations made against foster dad
This story contains graphic details that may disturb readers
Actually, the non-graphic details may disturb readers - they certainly do me.
Katie Nicholson, Joanne Levasseur · CBC News
A foster daughter was allegedly abused three months after her foster father was arrested, according
to court records. This stock photo does not show anyone involved in this case.
(Photographee.eu/Shutterstock)
"It's unbelievable to me. It's just negligence, pure negligence, leaving the child there. They should have all been removed," said Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs First Nations family advocate Cora Morgan.
"Any allegation of sexual abuse, all the children should have been taken."
CBC News has learned a foster father accused of sexual abuse against four of his foster daughters continued to live with two of the girls in the month following the start of the police investigation.
The girls, who cannot be named due to a publication ban, will be referred to in this story as Girls A, B, C and D.
Girls A and B — two young adults who had already moved out of the foster home — first reported abuse to Winnipeg Police Service in December 2016.
Girls C and D, aged 12 and nine, still lived with the foster father and were allegedly abused after the police investigation started. Police believe abuse against Girl C continued for a month and abuse against Girl D went on even longer, ending three months after the foster father's February 2017 arrest on sex charges against Girls A and B, according to the date of the offences.
The foster father pleaded guilty in March 2018 to abusing Girls A and B over a six-year period starting in 2008. Court heard he progressed from fondling to oral sex to intercourse. He is awaiting sentencing.
The foster father is currently before the courts, facing numerous sex abuse charges in relation to Girls C and D.
Where was CFS?
Winnipeg police said it notified All Nations Co-ordinated Response Network (ANCR), the Child and Family Services (CFS) agency tasked with investigating child abuse, and another unnamed CFS agency at the onset of the investigation in December 2016, adding "all protocols were followed in this case."
The First Nations family advocate says child welfare agencies have a very clear protocol to follow after the police alert them.
"The agency should go in and automatically remove those two children," Morgan said, adding an investigation by ANCR should ensue in addition to the police investigation.
"And the children should be placed in another facility or group home environment," Morgan said.
Instead of being placed in another home, the two foster girls were taken out of the country by the foster father and his wife, based on public photos.
Posts on social media show the two foster daughters with the foster father and his wife on a family vacation to the country where he was born. They took off approximately two weeks after the first police report in December 2016 and returned to Canada in early January 2017, according to the posts.
Foster children are only allowed to leave Canada when the guardian CFS agency consents, according to a provincial spokesperson.
First Nations family advocate Cora Morgan says leaving the girls in the home after abuse was reported to police is 'pure negligence.'
(Travis Golby/CBC)
When the man was arrested in February 2017, the Crown indicated he posed a flight risk, and he was required to turn in his passport. In a subsequent hearing, court was told the foster father has extensive international ties that stretch from Europe to South America, the United States and Mexico.
CFS intervenes
The earliest Child and Family Services involvement, based on court records, was in mid-January 2017, a month after Girl A went to police.
"On Jan. 13, 2017, the accused was advised by CFS, due to an ongoing investigation he was not permitted to have contact with children," said Crown counsel Andrew Slough.
The foster father's defence lawyer said the man moved out "voluntarily" at that point because the agency was threatening to take the foster children, court heard at his initial bail hearing. He was granted bail on Feb. 14, 2017 with conditions that include not being alone with anyone under 16 and living at a separate address from his wife and foster children, but he was not barred from going to the home.
Court later heard that foster children remained in the home with his wife until May 2017.
Families Minister Heather Stefanson said she is monitoring the situation but did not specify what this entails. (Trevor Brine/CBC)
"In all cases of alleged abuse, the immediate response is to ensure the safety of known victims and reduce safety risks to other children," said a provincial spokesperson for the Department of Families.
Safety is ensured by supervision, having a protective parent, creating boundaries, restricting access and providing direction to caregivers, the spokesperson said.
It is not clear when safety measures were first taken, as court records may not reflect all safety planning done by CFS.
Minister of Families Heather Stefanson refused to comment directly, citing privacy and the continuing court process. She directed questions to the CFS authority, which her department funds and oversees.
"The province has been made aware of this disturbing case and we are monitoring the situation closely," Stefanson said in an emailed statement, but she would specify neither what monitoring entails nor when monitoring started.
An agency under the Southern First Nations Network of Care authority was in charge of the foster home, according to Debbie Besant, CEO of the General Child and Family Services Authority.
Southern First Nations Network of Care CEO Tara Petti refused to say what actions she's taken, citing confidentiality. She oversees 10 CFS agencies including the one that licensed the foster home and ANCR, the agency Winnipeg police said it notified after Girl A disclosed abuse.
"Agencies have the authority to assess the situation and complete safety planning to support children from being disrupted in their homes when that is appropriate," Petti said in an emailed statement.
He was supposed to be their father and he grooms them
and rapes them over a several-year period.
— Crown attorney Andrew Slough
"We have young women who were placed in his care. He was placed in a position of trust over them. He was supposed to be their father and he grooms them and rapes them over a several-year period," Slough said.
Southern First Nations Network of Care CEO Tara Petti refused to say what actions she's taken, citing confidentiality. (CBC)
The repeated abuse of the two sisters progressed from fondling to fellatio to anal intercourse but he only had vaginal intercourse with Girl A, court heard.
"He told [Girl B] that he wanted to save her virginity for her husband," Slough said.
Girl A estimates he had intercourse with her 300 to 600 times, according to Slough.
Slough told the court the foster father built a large shed with a mattress where he would have "sleepovers" with the victims.
One of the victims said the abuse halted for two months after the foster father felt bad "because God is watching," Slough said. He said the abuse continued until they moved out.
Billie Schibler, CEO of the Metis CFS Authority, says her authority is reviewing internal processes for quality assurance but would not specify what this involves. (Trevor Brine/CBC)
Metis Child and Family Services Authority CEO Billie Schibler would not confirm the girls were under the care of one of its agencies, but she did say the authority is reviewing internal processes for quality assurance. She would not specify what the review entails or when it will be complete.
The foster father is scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on the charges related to Girls C and D on July 3. A request for comment to the foster father's defence lawyer did not receive a response.
Someone needs to be held accountable for this, otherwise it will happen again.
Massage therapist charged with sexual assault
of customers in Ottawa
Man also charged with sexual assault last October
CBC NewsOttawa police have laid two additional sexual assault charges against a 52-year-old registered massage therapist who was working at a west-end clinic.
Police said the women were alone with the suspect when the alleged assaults occurred while he was working as a massage therapist.
The man was also charged last October with one count of sexual assault for an incident at the clinic in March 2018 involving a woman in her 20s.
The accused is expected to appear in court Thursday.
Police believe there are other victims and are asking anyone with information to call 613-236-1222, ext. 5760.
While court slept for over a year, Kerala child psychologist accused of child sex abuse ran his clinic
An inordinate delay by the SC allowed Gireesh, a clinical psychologist, to continue to practice a profession where vulnerable clients have a hierarchical relationship with him.
Korah AbrahamIndian judiciary is overburdened, we all know this. But what justifies the Supreme Court delaying an appeal by the police to deny bail to a person accused of sexually assaulting a child – not for days or weeks, but for over a year?
A child psychologist in Kerala was arrested on Tuesday for sexually harassing a minor back in 2015 – but this is not the first case against him. In 2017, an FIR was registered against K Gireesh for sexually assaulting another minor, but the man gave a slip to the police and got a pre-arrest bail from the Supreme Court. And while the Supreme Court has hit the snooze button on the police’s appeal against this order for around 427 days, the man has been practicing in Kerala, in a profession where vulnerable clients have a hierarchical relationship with him.
How Gireesh was arrested
The victim had various learning difficulties because of which his parents had taken him to Gireesh’s clinic in 2015, for counselling sessions. The sessions used to take place once or twice every month in his clinic, during which the victim was allegedly sexually assaulted by Gireesh.
This had an adverse impact on the child’s mental health, making his parents take him to other psychologists, a police official investigating the case told TNM. “Recently, the victim was taken to a psychologist in the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College, who had advised that the boy be admitted to the hospital,” said the police official.
The clinic of Gireesh.
During one of the counselling sessions, the boy opened up to the counsellor about how Gireesh had sexually abused him. The counsellor then immediately notified the Fort Police Station. On receiving the complaint, the police recorded the statement of the boy after which Gireesh was arrested from his residence on the same day.
Gireesh has been arrested under sections 7 (sexual assault), 9(e) (aggravated sexual assault committed by management staff of a government or private hospital in that hospital), 9(l) (repeated sexual assault), 10 (punishment for aggravated sexual assault), 11(iii) (sexual harassment by showing an object or media to a child for pornographic purposes) and 12 (punishment for sexual harassment of a child) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
While this incident happened in 2015 and has only come to light now, the man has had access to vulnerable people – especially children – for at least one and a half years now simply because of an inordinate delay by the Supreme Court.
The cases in 2017
In January 2017, Gireesh was accused of sexual harassment by a 23-year-old woman, whom he was counselling, a police official told TNM. “A case was registered against him, but we were not able to collect enough evidence in order to arrest him.” The case was however quashed by the High Court after a few weeks, as the woman, reportedly under pressure from her family and Gireesh, told the court that she did not wish to pursue the case.
This happens in India all the time, especially with children.
But a few months later, the police received another complaint against Gireesh – this time regarding the sexual assault of a 13-year-old boy. In August 2017, the parents of a minor went to the Fort Police station, after the boy told the parents that Gireesh had sexually abused him during a consultation. The boy, who had learning difficulties, was traumatised after Gireesh touched his private parts and repeatedly kissed him.
Before the police could arrest him however, Gireesh went absconding and went to the Kerala High Court seeking an anticipatory bail. His lawyers argued that the since Gireesh was a clinical psychologist, him touching the boy could not be counted as an offence under Prevention of Children of Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The High Court rejected this argument and refused to give him anticipatory bail.
Gireesh, who was still absconding, then approached the Supreme Court.
Supreme Court snoozing?
On December, 1, 2017, a bench consisting of Justice Kurian Joseph and Justice Deepak Gupta, granted Gireesh pre-arrest bail. Despite the Kerala counsel telling the court that he was a repeat offender, the judges granted the bail and asked Gireesh to appear before the Fort Police for investigation.
The Kerala government opposed the bail and filed an application in the Supreme Court soon after. To ensure that Gireesh does not get bail, the government even engaged senior counsel V Giri, a former Kerala High Court judge, as counsel for the case. But until today – 427 days after Gireesh was given pre-arrest bail – the case has not been taken up by the Supreme Court.
This has allowed Gireesh to come back to his house and resume his practice. TNM visited Thanal, Gireesh’s two floor residence near Killipalam in Thiruvananthapuram; on the ground floor of this building is De Praxis, the private clinic that he runs. According to Fort Station police officials, the clinic is visited by a many clients.
The police official told TNM that with the court delaying on the case, there was not much the police could do. “We could not conduct the investigation as we wanted to do a custodial interrogation. We waited for the court to give an order,” the official said.
But now that a third case was filed against him, “we could finally arrest him,” the official said.
“In the present case, we were notified directly by the counsellor from the medical college and we were able to take the statement of the victim immediately and arrest him. And all of this happened without Gireesh’s knowledge, unlike the previous case where he knew what was happening which gave him enough time to abscond and approach the courts.”
Canberra sex offender who denigrated disabled victim jailed for at least five years
By Jordan Hayne
PHOTO: The man was found guilty of child sex offences last year. (ABC News: Ian Cutmore)
Sentencing the man earlier this week for the abuse of two young girls, ACT Supreme Court Justice Michael Elkaim labelled the man's denigration of one victim, referred to as SN, and her family as "callous".
In denying the allegation related to SN, who was born with a birth defect that resulted in physical and mental disabilities, the man referred to her as "a few sheep short of a paddock".
He furthered his denial by claiming "she is not even pretty".
SN was aged between 12 and 14 years old when she was abused by the man.
In October last year a jury found the man guilty of five counts of sexual intercourse with a young person, and one count of maintaining a sexual relationship with a young person.
Before he was sentenced, several victim impact statements were supplied to the court by SN and her family.
"You have no idea how hard I have worked to create a safe and loving environment for my daughter," her mother wrote. A world of promises, trust and confidence. You have destroyed everything that I set out to achieve to help SN be the best that she can be."
Justice Elkaim described SN's victim impact statement as a drawing of "a very sad face".
Sentence also covered abuse of partner's daughter
The man was also sentenced for a string of abuse of his then-partner's daughter when she was aged 10 and 11.
He repeatedly tricked her into performing sex acts under the pretence they were playing a game.
With regard to that offending, Justice Elkaim said the crimes were "objectively serious, taking into account the complainant's age and the devious subterfuge employed by the offender to bluff the complainant into playing the game".
The man, who cannot be named to protect the identities of his victims, was sentenced to seven years and six months in prison.
He will be eligible for parole in October 2023.
He ought not to get out while those girls are still children.
UK paedophile jailed after phone repairer
came across her videos of child sex abuse
Kristy Kimber has been jailed after she filmed herself
sexually abusing a young child
By Andy Robinson, Kent LiveA paedophile from Tunbridge Wells was caught with a video showing her sexual abuse of a young child when she got her phone repaired.
She appeared before Maidstone Crown Court yesterday (January 31) after admitting to multiple child sex abuse offences.
The court heard how police were made aware of her actions on July 20 last year. Kimber had arranged for a friend to repair her phone but told him to not look at any videos while laughing.
When the phone was inspected, a video was discovered which showed Kimber abusing a child.
She was arrested shortly afterwards.
Officers then seized a second mobile phone which also contained videos of Kimber forcing a child to engage in sexual activity.
In court, Kimber pleaded guilty to six counts of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, four counts of taking indecent photographs of a child and three counts of distributing indecent photographs of a child.
She also admitted to engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child and sexual assault of a child.
York Rd., Tunbridge Wells
Kimber was sentenced to nine years and four months imprisonment. She was also made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order.
Kent Police say that although it is "extremely rare" for a woman to be responsible for abhorrent crimes of this sort, the sentence is a result of just how horrific the "systematic sexual abuse" that she forced the child to endure was.
The following video from the charity NSPCC offers advice on preventing child sex abuse.
Det Insp Rob Chitham of the Paedophile On Line Investigation Team said: ‘"Kristy Kimber was responsible for the systematic sexual abuse of a very young child. She has made a number of videos which clearly show the child in distress and has then gone on to share images of the abuse.
"It is extremely rare for a woman to be responsible for these type of sexual offences, however the sentence passed by the courts demonstrates just how abhorrent her actions were. This conviction is part of a wider ongoing investigation by Kent Police involving other suspects who we are linking to facilitating, inciting or participating in the sexual abuse of children."
Man, 84, appears in court on historic Skegby Hall
child sex abuse charges in UK
An 84-year-old man has appeared before magistrates to face a number of historic child sex abuse charges alleged to have taken place at Skegby Hall Children’s Home.
Nigel Pipe, aged 84, of Llanwenarth View, Govilon, Abergavenny, appeared at Mansfield Magistrates’ Court today, Friday, February 1, charged with four counts of sexual assault on a boy under 16, 14 counts of indecent assault on a boy under the age of 16, and nine counts of inciting a boy under the age of 14 to commit an act of gross indecency.
Former Skegby Hall Care Home
Skegby Hall has been the subject of a number of investigations into historic child sex abuse cases over the last five years. It comes as part of a national inquiry into historic child sex abuse cases, which held a number of hearings at West Bridgford’s Trent Bridge Cricket Ground last autumn.
Ex-GAA coach wanted for nearly 400 counts of child sex abuse in Ireland - a 'flight risk', US court told
Shane Phelan Irish IndependentUS AUTHORITIES will resist any request by a former GAA coach suspected of child sex abuse to be released on bail pending the outcome of extradition proceedings.
The chief federal prosecutor for northern New York has argued the Irish man would be a flight risk and a danger to the community if released.
The suspect, who has been in custody since January 16 (2nd story on link), is due to appear at the United States District Court in Albany, New York today.
He fled Ireland in 2013 while gardaà were investigating claims he sexually abused two boys at a GAA ground and elsewhere between 2004 and 2009.
Ahead of today's hearing, a court filing on behalf of United States Attorney Grant Jaquith argued against the man's release on bail.
"Further flight from the US to yet another country or to an underground location in the US is a reasonable assumption," the filing said.
"Moreover, [the suspect] is also a danger to the community. He is charged with 394 criminal counts - including 210 of sexual assault and 177 counts of rape - arising from his prolonged sexual abuse of two minor victims."
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