Indian gang rape & murder convicts will be executed on March 20 after multiple delays
And if you believe that - I have a tropical island for sale off Labrador, cheap.
FILE PHOTO People shout slogans and hold placards during a protest in New Delhi December 29, 2012.
© REUTERS/Adnan Abid
The hanging of four death row convicts behind the brutal gang rape and murder of a young woman in 2012 will take place on March 20, a Delhi court has ruled, following a series of delays.
Two weeks should give the lawyers lots of time to come up with another lame excuse to delay the hangings, and the judges will honour the craziness.
In its ruling, the court said that the four men had exhausted all of their legal remedies – apparently signaling that the years-long ordeal to carry out the executions would finally be coming to a close.
The four convicts were set to hang at the start of March, but a last-minute court order deferred the execution indefinitely. The move represented the latest foot-dragging by authorities in a case that has lasted nearly eight years, sparking outrage across India.
The death warrant was issued a day after President Ram Nath Kovind rejected the mercy petition of Pawan Gupta, the last of the four death row convicts, NDTV said.
On Monday, the Patiala House court had refused to hold the execution of the four Nirbhaya case convicts, who were to be hanged at 6 am on Tuesday.
The new date of execution was fixed by Additional Sessions Judge Dharmendra Rana. The lawyer for the four death row convicts told the court that there was no legal impediment for it in proceeding to fix the date of execution.
Aston Villa and Leicester City settle sexual-abuse claims
By Jim Reed Reporter,
Victoria Derbyshire programme
Ted Langford was sentenced to three years in prison, in 2007, for sexual abuse between 1976 and 1989.
Aston Villa and Leicester City have paid damages to five victims of a football scout convicted of child sex abuse, the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme has learned.
Ted Langford was jailed in 2007 for the sexual abuse of four other young boys between 1976 and 1989. He died in 2012.
Both clubs settled a civil case for compensation weeks before it was due to be heard in the High Court. They expressed their "deepest sympathies" to the survivors.
'No apology'
Ted Langford worked as a part-time football scout in the Midlands in the 1970s and 1980s, identifying promising players for both Aston Villa and Leicester City.
Former professional footballer Tony Brien - who says he was abused by Langford from age 12 and has waived his right to anonymity - said he felt let down neither club had accepted responsibility for the abuse or apologised to the young boys involved.
"Saying sorry won't make things right but it would help and it would help the other four lads as well," he said.
Tony Brien played professionally for a number of clubs, including Leicester City, Chesterfield and Hull City. He did not play for Aston Villa.
It was Mr Brien's interview on the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme in 2017, in which he spoke of being abused while playing for a local youth team, that led four other former players to come forward alleging abuse while playing for youth teams linked to Leicester and Aston Villa.
None was involved in the criminal case against Langford.
The clubs reached an out-of-court settlement for damages in January. The amounts involved have not been disclosed.
Both said the claims, settled by their respective insurers, were on terms "acceptable to all parties" and without admissions of liability.
Tony Brien said he had been abused while playing for Dunlop Terriers
In 1985, four years after he says the abuse began, Mr Brien was signed for Leicester City, aged 16, by youth team manager Dave Richardson, having been recommended by Langford, a part-time scout for the club.
Two years later, Mr Richardson joined Aston Villa as assistant manager and Langford moved with him.
Later that season, Mr Brien says, he called Mr Richardson to warn him about Langford.
Aston Villa first-team squad photo 1988-89, featuring manager Graham Taylor (front and centre) and Dave Richardson (on his left with grey hair)
But he claims that, after a number of conversations with Mr Richardson and one with then-manager Graham Taylor, he was dissuaded from going public with his allegations.
Taylor, who went on to manage England, died of a heart attack in January 2017.
Mr Brien told Victoria Derbyshire that Taylor had said to him: "Look, you're a young lad starting out in the game. I know you've just made your debut. Could you really be dealing with all the obscenities from the terraces? So I just suggest you sweep it under the carpet."
The Football Association later set up an independent inquiry into historical sexual abuse across the sport, which is continuing.
Mr Brien has told the inquiry: "They discouraged me from going forward and never offered me a chance to go to the police or anything like that.
"I went into the kitchen at my mum's and my mum said, 'Well?' And I just said 'they just told me to sweep it underneath the carpet'. And I burst into tears."
The inquiry has also heard from a former Aston Villa player involved in the civil case who said Taylor and another unidentified member of staff had visited him and he had been discouraged from taking his abuse allegations further.
'Alarming allegations'
Mr Richardson has previously told BBC News he could not recall having a conversation with Mr Brien and strongly denied he would have advised the player he should not go public.
He said he had first been made aware of "alarming allegations" against Langford from other parents shortly after he had joined Aston Villa, in 1987, and an internal investigation had followed.
The parents involved had not wanted the matter reported to the police and, after consulting with Taylor and then chairman Doug Ellis, Langford had been "rapidly" sacked. Then, as now, there was no legal requirement for Mr Richardson or Aston Villa to report concerns about Langford to the authorities.
But BBC News has seen a document showing Langford was still acting as Aston Villa's official representative until at least March 1989. Mr Richardson said he did not consider it appropriate to comment further while the FA inquiry was continuing.
Gabriel Klein guilty of 2nd-degree murder in
Abbotsford, BC, high school stabbing
My home town! It happens I was waiting at a stop-light within sight of the school where this happened. The helicopter taking her to the hospital took-off and flew right overhead. Letisha and her family were well-known to many of my friends. She was a very strong Christian girl.
VIKKI HOPES
AbbyNews
There is no evidence to show that Gabriel Klein was suffering from a mental disturbance when he stabbed and killed 13-year-old Letisha Reimer on Nov. 1, 2016 at Abbotsford Senior Secondary, a judge ruled Friday.
Justice Heather Holmes said, for that reason, Klein is guilty of second-degree murder in Reimer’s death, as well as the aggravated assault of her 14-year-old friend (whose name is protected by a publication ban).
Holmes rendered her verdict in B.C. Supreme Court in New Westminster, reading a 15-page synopsis of her decision, which she said was a “manageable version” of the full 55-page judgment.
The courtroom was packed with supporters of the families, many of whom wore black-and-red “Abby Strong” T-shirts.
Before the proceedings began, a sheriff asked that, at the judge’s request, everyone wearing the T-shirts cover them up or remove them in order to ensure the “impartiality” of the court.
Defence lawyer Martin Peters had argued that Klein was suffering from a mental illness at the time of the attack, and should be found guilty of manslaughter. Peters said Klein had stolen the knife with the intention of stabbing a police officer to trigger a suicide-by-cop scenario.
Holmes said there was evidence at trial from various witnesses that Klein had, at times, seemed confused, anxious and agitated in the days and hours before the killing.
She said three witnesses had observed him acting strangely as he walked down the road about 30 minutes before the attack. One of them said he would have called police but he lost sight of Klein.
But Holmes said there were several other witnesses who described Klein as being “friendly and engaging” before the stabbing.
In the hours leading up to the killing, Klein stole alcohol from a liquor store and a hunting knife from Cabela’s. Holmes said witness testimony and surveillance video indicated that Klein was “purposeful and efficient” during these tasks.
Klein was diagnosed with schizophrenia in January 2017 while in custody at the Forensic Psychiatric Hospital in Coquitlam. Holmes said Klein spoke with several psychiatrists about the attack at the school, but there were numerous inconsistencies in what he shared.
In some cases, he described seeing witches, demons or monsters when he stabbed Reimer 14 times and the other girl four times.
But in other cases, he said he heard a voice saying, “Kill! Kill!”
If you've ever wondered whether demonic influence is real, wonder no more. This is exactly what it looks like.
The judge said there was no concrete evidence to prove that Klein was suffering from a mental disorder at the time of the attack or that he intended to follow through with a suicide-by-cop scenario.
Holmes said that, in the hours before the attack, Klein spoke angrily of “doing crime to get what he wanted. In my view, there’s no evidence in this case that any mental disturbance that Mr. Klein may have been experiencing at the time of the attack affected his ability to foresee the ordinary consequences of his actions,” the judge said.
Klein’s sentencing hearing has been scheduled for June 1 and 2. His lawyer said Klein is Metis and, therefore, a Gladue report will be presented to the court. This is a pre-sentencing report that includes, among other things, information about an individual’s Aboriginal background, so that it can be considered in sentencing.
A conviction for second-degree murder carries an automatic life sentence, but parole eligibility can range from 10 to 25 years and is determined by the judge.
Speaking outside of the courthouse, Dave Teixeira, spokesman for the Reimer family, said they were pleased the judge was “firm in her conviction” that, when Klein walked into the school, he had the intent to kill Reimer and harm her friend.
Teixeira said the second-degree murder conviction was “the best decision of a whole host of horrible options,” but it doesn’t change the situation.
“No matter what the sentence is … the sentence for them is they don’t get to be with Letisha … No sentence can bring her back. There’s no joy in this. The only thing we can now do is make sure that we honour Letisha’s memory,” he said.
But, they will be with Letisha on day, and forever.
Three cleared of attempted rape in Dubai
Ali Al Shouk, Senior Reporter
Gulf News
Dubai: A man, who was accused of attempting to rape a woman with the help of two friends inside an office, has been found not guilty by the Dubai Court of First Instance.
The 22-year-old Moroccan woman testified that she knew a 35-year-old Pakistani on WhatsApp and they decided to meet in October 2019 for dinner at Al Muraqabbat.
“The man took me to his workplace in the area for a quick visit. In the office, he introduced me to two of his friends. He then went to bring some food and I stayed back with one of the friends. He attacked me when I rejected his request to have an affair,” the victim said in records.
The 43-year-old businessman allegedly took her to another office where she claimed he raped her.
The victim said she fell conscious but the third defendant came and woke her up and booked a taxi for her to return home.
“The man whom I knew on WhatsApp was the one who planned the attack by the second defendant. The third defendant who was in the office locked the door while the attack took place,” she claimed.
The 43-year-old Pakistani defendant was charged with attempted rape while the other two defendants were charged with criminal abetting. All the defendants were cleared of the charges.
I wonder what the odds are of a man being convicted for raping a woman in UAE. The odds are very low that he will even have to go to court as the vast majority of rapes are unreported. This is because there is so little hope of getting a conviction. In some Muslim states, reporting a rape is liable to get a woman thrown in jail and charged with adultery, or being forced to marry her rapist.
Spared jail — Isle of Wight man discovered with almost 35,000 images of child sex abuse
David Bradshaw leaving the Isle of Wight law courts in Newport.
A ROOKLEY man in possession of almost 35,000 child abuse images has been spared jail at the Isle of Wight Crown Court.
David Bradshaw, 63, of Dolcroft Road, appeared on Friday charged with three counts of making indecent images of children and one count of possession of cannabis.
Bradshaw had previously pleaded guilty to possessing the images, at the Isle of Wight Magistrates' Court on February 14.
It was detailed how Bradshaw was arrested after he took his laptop into a computer repair shop to be fixed, and staff discovered a hidden folder containing the images.
Speaking at the earlier hearing, prosecutor Ann Smout said: "When they opened the folder, they saw thousands of thumbnail images they suspected showed children being abused.
"They immediately called the police and handed the laptop over. "Police discovered the laptop contained 34,638 images and videos of children, ranging from category A — the most serious kind — to category C.
"He said images of 12 to 14 year old girls had helped him deal with the break-up of a previous relationship."
Barry Arnett, defending, said: "After these charges were leaked to the public, Mr Bradshaw was repeatedly threatened and forced to move from a previous address."
"There will be quite severe implications for Mr Bradshaw. He is a man who has already lost quite a lot." Judge Roger Hetherington gave Bradshaw a 12 month custodial sentence, suspended for 24 months.
He was also placed on the Sex Offenders' Register for ten years, placed under a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for ten years. He must undertake 25 rehabilitation days. He was also ordered to pay court costs of £425 and a victim surcharge of £90.
An NSPCC spokesperson said: “The sheer extent of Bradshaw’s collection is truly appalling. Many of the images in it will be crime scenes showing abused children who will need a vast amount of support to recover from their ordeal.
“This case highlights the urgent need to address the online trade in such images. Law enforcement cannot solve this problem alone. Big tech must also be made to use their expertise and resources to quickly remove this terrible content from their platforms and identify who put it there in the first place.”
Former State Opera SA chief Timothy Sexton faces court accused of sexually abusing students
By court reporter Meagan Dillon
PHOTO: Timothy Sexton outside court where he is on trial for alleged child sex offences. (ABC News: Patrick Martin)
A "handsome and charismatic" orchestra conductor and composer used his charm and highly regarded reputation to seduce and abuse three teenage students almost three decades ago, prosecutors have told an Adelaide court.
The 59-year-old former State Opera of South Australia chief executive is accused of 17 sexual crimes against three girls across seven Adelaide suburbs between 1989 and 1993.
Charges include two counts of maintaining an unlawful sexual relationship with a child, seven counts of indecent assault and a further eight counts of unlawful sexual intercourse with a child.
Opening the trial in the District Court, prosecutor Carmen Matteo told the jury that his three alleged victims were "beguiled" by him. She said the music teacher was "talented, handsome and charismatic". "Mr Sexton was highly regarded and he was liked," she said.
"This was an ordinary state of affairs which gave him the
opportunity and freedom to sexually offend against these girls."
Ms Matteo said Mr Sexton was already an accomplished composer but would work part time in schools across Adelaide to teach singing. "They were children and the accused was their teacher," she said.
Students were 'carefully and effectively seduced'
Ms Matteo told the jury that each of the alleged victims was "flirtatious" with Mr Sexton, and that he reciprocated.
"He's in his late 20s, married, legitimately providing [alleged victims] with singing lessons and his conduct in private moments would look to a 16-year-old as a grown-up love affair," she said. "Look, touch, comments, little gifts — all very powerful things in the world of a teenage girl.
Each girl, on the prosecution case, describes being gradually,
carefully and effectively seduced by their singing teacher."
She said the girls were "willing participants" but each was underage at the time of the alleged crimes, and that willingness did not "exonerate" an adult from sexual activity with a child.
PHOTO: The trial is occurring in Adelaide's District Court. (ABC News: Gary Rivett)
"He said to her, 'if I give you the sort of kiss I want to, you'd be shocked or surprised' … her response was, 'maybe you should'," Ms Matteo told the jury.
She said the accused then allegedly kissed the girl on the mouth and, on a later occasion, allegedly had sexual intercourse with the girl.
The court was told that the three alleged victims were not known to each other, but had a "shared experience" through their dealings with Mr Sexton.
Mr Sexton pleaded not guilty in the Adelaide Magistrates Court in 2018 to offences including maintaining an unlawful sexual relationship with a minor and indecent assault.
He was the artistic director and chief executive of the State Opera from 2011 until his resignation in May 2017.
The trial, before Judge Geraldine Davison and the jury, continues.
Duo selling child sexual abuse material to school students held in Tamil Nadu
Priyanka Thirumurthy
In yet another crackdown on the distribution of child sexual abuse material (otherwise known as child porn), the Tamil Nadu police on Friday arrested the owner and an employee of a mobile shop in Ramanathapuram. The duo were selling pornographic and child sexual abuse material to adults and school going children in the area.
The arrests which took place on Friday, was based on an anonymous tip off that the district police received two weeks. According to district Superintendent of Police Varun Kumar, the person who called was a distressed student, who was concerned about his friends.
"He has called and informed us that this particular shop in Kamutha, near the bus stop was selling pornographic content. He said his friends were watching it and their minds were getting corrupted. We observed and monitored the situation for some time before carrying out a raid," he says.
After the police seized the material, they found that he had several videos which contained child sexual abuse material. They were all in a folder called 'School' and it contains 11 titles with material depicting minors in a sexual manner.
"Basically he downloads this material from the internet and stores it in his computer. Then he sells it to these children and fixes the rate according to the size of the file. The shop has been there for two years but we are still investigating how long this illegal activity has been underway," says the SP. "The children were downloading it in pendrives, their phones and hard discs," he adds.
The district police has already sent out an advisory warning those indulging in such activities of severe action and a minimum imprisonment of three years.
The accused in this case, K Pon Irul (41) the owner and his employee M Vazhi (31) have been booked under sections 292(2)(b) in Indian Penal Code, Section 15 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (punishment for storage of pornographic material involving child) and sections 67 (Transmitting obscene material in electronic form), 67B (a), 67B (b) and 67B (c) of the Information Technology Act, 2000 of the Indian Penal Code.
Verdicts in Sheffield child sexual exploitation case
Five men have been found guilty of their roles in the sexual exploitation of a Sheffield girl.
Ten individuals have been on trial at Sheffield Crown Court since Monday 6 January 2020. Nine were charged with sexual offences, while the tenth was charged - along with one of the other defendants - with conspiring to pervert the course of justice.
Returning their verdicts in stages over a six day period (Wednesday 26 February – Wednesday 4 March) the members of the jury unanimously found Shangar Ibrahimi and Kawan Omar Ahmed guilty of rape.They also returned a majority verdict finding Jasim Mohammed and Nzar Anwar guilty of rape. Anwar and another man, Saba Mohammed, were also both found guilty of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice by a majority jury.
The five remaining defendants - Usman Din, Tony Juone, Kamaran Mahmoodi, Saman Mohammed and Farhad Mirzaie - were all found not guilty of rape charges.
Speaking after the verdict, Detective Inspector Rob Platts, Senior Investigating Officer, said: “The bravery of the victim has resulted in the conviction of five very dangerous offenders for serious sexual offences. While the jury found some of the defendants not guilty of the charges faced, their decision has to be respected.
“The overall outcome demonstrates the complexity of these prosecutions and does not detract from the numerous guilty verdicts against five offenders.“I commend the victim, now a woman trying to rebuild her life, for her bravery in coming forward and speaking to police about the horrific abuse she faced.
“She had to recount incredibly traumatic incidents of sexual abuse and exploitation in front of the jury over several days and it is testament to her bravery that she elected to do this in person. I am so pleased her voice has been heard.”
The court heard how the victim, who is entitled to lifelong anonymity, was systematically groomed and exploited between 2010 and 2012 when she was aged 15-16.
The victim would be plied with alcohol and sometimes drugs, before being subjected to horrific sexual abuse, including rape.
DI Platts added: “At the time of the offending the victim was incredibly vulnerable and was deliberately targeted for the purposes of sexual exploitation.“It is difficult to put into words the damage and impact of sexual exploitation on children, but I hope that by hearing this brave woman’s account, other victims of this awful crime find the strength to come forward and tell someone what has happened or is happening to them.”
Anyone with concerns about child sexual exploitation should call 101, or 999 if a crime is in progress. Advice and support is also available by calling or texting the national helpline Say Something on 116 000.
The five convicted will reappear at court for sentencing on Friday 13 March.
Guilty verdicts in full
Jasim Mohammed, 37, of Maxwell Way, Sheffield – three counts of repeated offences of rape.Nzar Anwar, 40, of Exeter Drive, Sheffield – one count of rape and one count of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.
Saba Mohammed, 41, of Faranden Road, Sheffield – one count of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.
Kawan Omar Ahmed, 31, of Margate Drive, Sheffield – two counts of rape.
Shangar Ibrahimi, 30, of HMP Hull – one count of rape.
Not guilty verdicts in full
Usman Din, 35, of Seaton Crescent, Sheffield – three counts of rape and one count of trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation.
Tony Juone, 61, of Pitt Lane, Sheffield – one count of rape.
Kamaran Mahmoodi, 37, of Walkley Road, Sheffield – one count of rape.
Farhad Mirzaie, 28, of Ironside Road, Sheffield – two counts of rape. Mirzaie had previously pleaded guilty to drug offences, for which he will be sentenced on 13 March.
Saman Mohammed, 41, of Fox Street, Sheffield – one count of rape.
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