Ukraine busts ‘human trafficking ring’ that sold BABIES to Chinese ‘single men of certain orientation’
International Sex-Crime Inquiries Link UK Swim Coach Conviction & Arrest Of Child-Rape Suspect In Arizona
How long, Oh Lord, how long?
(L) Anton Gerashenko © Facebook; (R) FILE PHOTO © AFP / BORYANA KATSAROVA
Ukrainian police have raided a private reproductive clinic that has been allegedly “selling babies” to China. While the suspects are accused of “human trafficking,” surrogate motherhood is a legal gray area in Ukraine.
The scandalous case was brought to light by the country’s interior ministry late on Saturday. The police broke up a “human-trafficking” ring that was centered at a private reproductive clinic in Kiev.
Further details on the case were shared by the Deputy Interior Minister Anton Gerashenko on his Facebook page. The ring involved the head of the clinic, her son, as well as two other Ukrainian and three Chinese nationals. They were charged with human trafficking that may lead to 12 years in prison with property confiscation.
The majority of the clinic’s clients were single Chinese males of “certain orientation,” as Gerashenko put it. While the exact number of trafficked babies remains unknown, at least 140 more Chinese nationals are under investigation, the official added.
And what would the certain orientation be? Gays? Perhaps Paedophilia is an 'orientation' in Ukraine? The question is, are these babies used for sexual purposes? Are they used for 'infant pornography? With false papers, they could be used in snuff videos and no-one would ever know. If so, 12 years is nowhere near enough time for such monsters.
The price tag for a single baby was about $50,000. The hefty sum covered artificial insemination of a surrogate mom, legal support and organization of fictive marriages needed to facilitate smuggling children abroad. It’s unclear if the babies’ fathers were the ones who then adopted them.
Five newborn babies, believed to be about to be trafficked, were found by the investigators in private apartments across the Ukrainian capital and placed in maternity hospitals.
While the suspects stand accused of “human trafficking,” there’s a catch – surrogate motherhood is not regulated by any laws in Ukraine and lies in a legal gray zone. As it’s not explicitly prohibited by law, nothing more than a simple contract between a surrogate mom and would-be foster parents is required.
International Sex-Crime Inquiries Link UK Swim Coach Conviction & Arrest Of Child-Rape Suspect In Arizona
by CRAIG LORD - SWIMMING WORLD EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Swimming authorities have been placed on high alert after the conviction of a British Swimming coach and member of the trustees of a swim club in Yorkshire for possession of around 150,000 images of child pornography, including rape scenes, and the arrest of a 29-year-old man in Arizona alleged to be pictured committing sex crimes in several of the photos.
A special-police forces inquiry involving a tip off from Queensland officers in Australia and stretching from England to Arizona in the United States led to a 20-month jail sentence, suspended for two years, being handed down to Mark Anthony Boyce, 56, of Whitby, Yorkshire, last Thursday.
A suspended sentence! This is not unusual in the UK as there aren't enough prisons to hold all the child sex abuse voyeurs. But watching child rape videos ought to disqualify a person from having his sentence suspended. He has contributed to that rape, and to others, and should be held accountable for that.
Boyce, a member of the Trustee Board of the Whitby Seals Amateur Swimming Club, appeared before York Crown Court. He was sentenced to 20 months imprisonment (suspended) after previously pleading guilty to a series of offences including possession of indecent images of children.
The offences included ‘making’ 11,145 of the most serious Category A images, 12,177 Category B images and 121,047 Category C images. In law, ‘making’ an image can include opening an email attachment containing an indecent image, downloading such an image from a website or storing an image in a directory on a computer.
Boyce also admitted distributing two Category C images, possessing 150 prohibited images of a child and possessing 114 extreme pornographic images.
Among the images were several that allegedly show an American 29-year-old, Jesse Anthony Garcia, from Goodyear, Arizona, raping a child under 15 years old. Garcia was arrested on March 22 on suspicion of raping a child and then uploading photos and videos of the crime online, according to documents of the Maricopa County Superior Court.
In a UK newspaper report suggested that Garcia also has a connection to swimming but that has not been confirmed nor any record of him having coached at a swim club uncovered.
During investigations, agents learned that Garcia was dismissed more than four years ago from a high school in the “Phoenix Unified School District” after communicating with a student through social media, court documents show, according to the AZCentral.
Garcia faces a charge of sexual exploitation of a minor or worse. He is being held on a $1 million bond.
Boyce, meanwhile, had been remanded in custody for six months following his arrest last year. His sentencing included an intensive course of rehabilitation. Boyce has been placed on the Sex Offender’s Register in the UK, which rules him out from any future employment in work environments in which children are present.
'Trapped with abusers,' 7 kids rescued from
sex trafficker in Luzon, Philippines
'One unintended consequence of [the lockdown] is that vulnerable children are being trapped with abusers and traffickers in their homes,' says the International Justice Mission
Rappler.com
ARREST. Cops in hazmat suits storm the house of a woman suspected of sexually exploiting children, including her own, on April 22, 2020, somewhere in Luzon. Photo courtesy of IJM
MANILA, Philippines – Police arrested on Wednesday, April 22, a 25-year-old woman allegedly engaged in cybersex trafficking of minors, including her own children, in an undisclosed province in Luzon.
Rescued from the suspect’s house were 7 children, all but one of them male, ages 3 to 14. Four of them are the suspect’s children.
“We assure the public – and warn criminals – that our mandate to safeguard Filipino children from online sexual exploitation remains despite the community quarantines in effect around the country,” said Brigadier General Alessandro Abella, who heads the Philippine National Police (PNP) Women and Children Protection Center (WCPC).
It was the second police operation against online sexual exploitation of children or OSEC during the coronavirus lockdown imposed by President Rodrigo Duterte on Luzon since mid-March.
The PNP’s WCPC and Anti-Cybercrime Group conducted the raid with support from the United States Homeland Security Investigations and the International Justice Mission (IJM).
An hour-long chase ensues after a Korean national attempts to evade undercover cops who caught him pimping a woman in Angeles City
Last year, the Department of Justice Office of Cybercrime received more than 600,000 tips of images and videos of naked, sexualized, and abused Filipino children.
“We recognize lockdowns as an important step to contain the coronavirus, but we also acknowledge that one unintended consequence of this is that vulnerable children are being trapped with abusers and traffickers in their homes,” IJM Philippines director Samson Inocencio Jr was quoted in a statement.
Member organizations of the Child Rights Network (CRN) Philippines had earlier sounded the alarm on the potential rise of OSEC during the coronavirus lockdown.
Another arrest in Cebu
The WCPC’s field unit in the Visayas arrested on April 6 another suspected online sex trafficker (6th story on link) in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu.
Police secured an arrest warrant against the suspect, a woman, and her live-in partner in February. Her victim – who was abused from the age of 11 to 13 – was her first cousin who was rescued in 2019.
The suspect allegedly live streamed the sexual abuse of her cousin to a foreign sex offender in exchange for money. She was charged for producing and distributing child sexual exploitation materials.
If you come across any suspected case of online sexual exploitation of children, text ENDOSEC (space) (incident details) to 7444-64 for Smart network subscribers. You may also call the action line of the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking at 1343, or the WCPC at (032) 410-8483 for the Visayas, and 0917-180-6037 or 0928-604-6425 in Mindanao. –
Creepy UK teacher found guilty on 13 counts of
sexual assault, victims were girls as young as 7
Jonathan Philip Clayton, aged 27, committed these crimes between March and May 2019 while working as a supply teacher in a local school in North Yorkshire. His victims were aged between seven and 11. Clayton had only been at the school for 21 days and in that short space of time assaulted six little girls, some of them several times.
Detective Constable Gillian Gowling, the North Yorkshire Police officer who led the investigation, said that “he displayed an extremely worrying pattern of behaviour where he would take advantage of situations that arose at school to put his hands on the victims.” She added that these assaults usually took place when the young girls were distressed and done under the guise of comforting them.
There were also allegations that Clayton helped his victims put on items of clothing – such as tights – even though the victims did not ask for his assistance.
Notably, this was not the first accusation of sexual assault against Clayton. Similar allegations were made against him in a previous school where he was accused of molesting a pupil under the age of 11, although those charges were subsequently dropped.
Students at the primary school he worked in before reportedly referred to Clayton as “weird” and “creepy.”
The spokeswoman for the most recent school Clayton worked in said that he had passed all the statutory checks before joining as a supply teacher and that the previous allegations did not show up on his record.
Detective Gowling added that “due to the young age of the victims involved, it has been a complex and sensitive investigation” but that she also believes that “justice has been served.”
In addition to the eight-and-a-half year prison sentence, he has also been prohibited from any contact with girls under the age of 18 as well as being placed on the sex offenders’ register for life.
Two girls aged 14 and 15 kidnapped and gang raped, Polokwane, South Africa
The South African Police Service in Limpopo welcomes the jail term passed by the Polokwane High Court on Thursday 19 March 2020.
Tlou Caswell Ramasenya aged 27, was sentenced to an effective eighteen years imprisonment without the option of a fine by the Polokwane High Court following a rape incident that occurred on the 7 May 2017, in the Seshego policing precinct outside the City of Polokwane.
The rapist and his accomplices raped two girls aged 14 and 15 after they met them on the road at about 00:00 midnight. On that night, a group of men driving in an open bakkie between Ga-Matamanyane and Ga-Mabitsela villages, met the two girls walking in a group with other people.
They then stopped the vehicle and chased them until they grabbed and forced them into the car. The suspects then drove to one of the villages where they took turns raping the two girls.
Following the incident, police were notified and investigations activated. The case was then assigned to Sergeant Teffo attached to the SAPS Seshego Cluster Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) Unit.
Rwandan police chief accused of sexual assault
of child refugee at UN centre
Boy, 16, evacuated from Libya under EU scheme, alleges incident took place at Gashora transit facility during coronavirus curfew
Hundred of refugees are being accommodated in the Gashora transit centre, under an EU-funded scheme. Photograph: Sally Hayden
Sally Hayden,The Guardian
An allegation that a Rwandan police commander sexually assaulted a child refugee has rocked an EU-funded scheme, under which hundreds of refugees and asylum seekers have been evacuated from detention centres in Libya.
The allegation was made by a 16-year-old Eritrean boy, who had returned to Gashora transit centre, south of Kigali, after a coronavirus-related curfew on 13 April.
Refugees say the boy was detained there along with three others – an Eritrean and two Sudanese boys – between 6.30pm and 10.30pm, and picked out by the police commander in charge.
“(He) ordered him to take off his clothes,” said a refugee leader who spoke to the teenager afterwards. “The kid did as he was told since he thought he was going to be searched, but then he was asked to take off his pants, which he refused. The commander slapped and beat him all over his body using a stick. Then he proceeded to take out his gun and threaten him with it, but [the teenager] managed to escape.”
UN refugee agency spokesperson Elise Villechalane said her office is “deeply concerned” about the “alleged case of sexual abuse against a refugee at the Gashora emergency transit mechanism. Our protection teams are present at the centre and appropriate measures have been taken to provide the alleged victim with all the necessary support, including legal and psychosocial assistance.”
Rwanda’s police force has accused the refugees of lying, saying they were unhappy with coronavirus-related restrictions and that the boy was drunk.
“They conspired to make up a story of physical and attempted sexual assault. Preliminary findings show that the complainant used the occasion to try to avoid punishment for violating curfew and instead raised other grievances about the food menu, medical services, and police presence at the camp,” the organisation said on Twitter.
The police said refugees had been playing music in the week commemorating the 26th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide. Refugees said they were listening to a preacher read prayers in the run-up to Eritrean Easter. “When everyone wants to pray they use the speaker and everyone prays in [their] room, because everyone was using social distancing,” said one man.
“Still the commander is there, circulating all the time,” another said.
The Rwandan government did not respond to requests for comment, but confirmed an investigation is underway.
Most of the refugees evacuated to Rwanda are survivors of sexual or physical abuse and spent months or years in Libya with smugglers known to torture victims who can’t pay large sums of money. They were then caught trying to cross the Mediterranean to Europe and were locked up in detention centres associated with the UN-backed Libyan government, where forced labour, food deprivation and other abuses have been reported.
Evacuees arriving in Rwanda have been interviewed for the chance to be resettled. The first groups left for Sweden and Canada earlier this year, before the pandemic forced resettlement to be put on hold.
On Thursday refugees in Gashora held a protest presenting seven demands, including a proper investigation, the removal of the commander from the centre, and for a UNHCR staff member to be present at all times for their safety.
They also asked for Alight (formerly the American Refugee Committee), responsible for the protection of minors, to be replaced. Refugees said the organisation is not active or responsive. Alight did not reply to the Guardian’s request for comment.
The Guardian has visited Gashora twice, most recently last month, shortly before the lockdown. Refugees have repeatedly said they are happy to follow restrictions. Many have had tuberculosis or other health problems, making them vulnerable.
On Saturday, refugees told the Guardian they were growing increasingly upset and frustrated that the alleged assault was not being taken seriously. “[There is] no ***** justice in this society,” said one Eritrean in his 20s. “They want to suppress our voice totally. They will fade this incident and we can’t do anything about it because we are refugees.”
Strood, UK, sex offender jailed over historic
child sex abuse
By Katie May NelsonKent Online
A sex offender has been locked up after being found guilty of abusing a child in the 1970s.
Paul Hyland of Fulmar Road, Strood, indecently assaulted a child decades ago and when police went to his home to question him over the matters, they seized his laptops and found indecent images on them.
Hyland, 62, was said to have carried out the abuse between 1973 and 1980; his victim came forward in August 2017.
He pleaded guilty to five counts of making indecent images of children but denied two allegations of abuse, namely, indecent assault against a child.
After being found guilty by a jury, he was jailed for five years and three months.
Hyland was also placed on the sex offenders’ register and made subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, both indefinitely.
DC Wendy Tondeur, of the Medway vulnerability investigation team, said: "Sex offenders like Hyland wreak incalculable damage on their victims, many who will suffer in silence for years, or throughout their whole lives.
"Thankfully in this case the victim has shown extraordinary courage to come forward and I hope they can now take some comfort that justice has been served.
"I hope this result shows that it doesn’t matter how long ago this kind of abuse occurs, we will always investigate and ensure offenders are brought to justice. We have a dedicated team who deal with these types of cases with the utmost sensitivity and I hope this outcome encourages other victims of abuse to come forward."
An NSPCC spokesperson said: “Thanks to this individual’s courage and strength in coming forward and speaking out, Hyland has been held accountable for his horrific actions.
“Abuse ruins childhoods and its effects can last long into adulthood. We hope the survivor in this case has received the support needed to help them move forward with their life.
“Children can speak to trained counsellors at Childline on 0800 1111 or www.childline.org.uk.
"Anyone who wishes to report abuse, no matter how long ago it happened, or concerns about a child’s wellbeing can contact the NSPCC Helpline on 0808 800 5000.”
West Australia man charged over vile
child sex abuse videos
AAPWA News
A West Australian man has been accused of using an encrypted online messaging forum to share abhorrent videos of children being sexually abused and tortured.
Police said the 48-year-old man, who also allegedly hosted a group that shared abuse material, was caught after he had sexually explicit conversations with a covert investigator.
The Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation says some similar groups online have more than 17,000 members.
The WA Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team was enlisted to track the man to WA’s Mid West region and police searched his home on Tuesday.
Officers allegedly found child abuse material on his mobile phone and details of an online account used to communicate with the ACCCE investigator.
The man has been charged with using a carriage service to access and transmit child abuse material, and possessing child abuse material obtained from a carriage service.
He will face Geraldton Magistrates Court on Wednesday.
Australian Federal Police western commander John Tanti said it was unimaginable that children were being degraded and tormented to satisfy depraved predators.
“The impact of sexual abuse continues long after the images or footage are recorded and we are working tirelessly to identify and prosecute anyone involved in the exploitation of children,” he said.
“Obscene conversations, like those alleged in this case, are also classified as child abuse material and can normalise the harm of children.”
Dewsbury man has jail time increased after Huddersfield child sexual exploitation investigation
By Ian HirstDewsbury Reporter
On April 22, Shaqeel Hussain of Spen Valley Road was jailed for 12 months in a separate criminal case, also investigated as part of the wider Operation Tendersea enquiry.
The 36-year-old pleaded guilty to an indecent assault committed in Huddersfield between 2004 and 2005 on a 16-year-old girl.
 |
| Shaqeel Hussain |
Manzoor Akhtar (31) from Crosland Moor in Huddersfield was sentenced to four years, six months at Leeds Crown Court on April 22 after being found guilty of raping a young girl between 2005-2006.
Akhtar became the latest man to be convicted as part of West Yorkshire Police’s multi part Operation Tendersea investigation into the sexual abuse of young girls in Huddersfield between 1995 and 2011.
During proceedings, the court heard he subjected his victim to sexual assault when she was between 13-14 years old.
Commenting on the conviction of Manzoor Akhtar, Detective Chief Inspector Richard McNamara of the Kirklees District CID, said: “Akhtar richly deserves the prison sentence he has been given after being found guilty and convicted for the dreadful sexual abuse of this young victim.
“He thought nothing of this girl’s obvious very young age as he raped her and treated her in a fashion which can only be described as callous in the extreme.”
DCI McNamara said he was also pleased that the force was now able to name Shaqeel Hussain.
He said: “Hussain was convicted for rape in an Operation Tendersea trial in February 2020 but at the time we were not able to release his identity. He has now been sentenced after pleading guilty to an indecent assault on a 16 year old victim, and can be named as reporting restrictions have been lifted.
“He will face a total of nine years in prison in total for both of these depraved offences in which he showed no regard whatsoever for his victims.
He added: “A repeated feature of these cases has been the stunning bravery of the now young women who have come forward to tell us about the abuse they suffered and then doing everything they can to support the police and CPS in taking action against those who abused them.
“The courage of victims is helping us take dangerous predators such as Manzoor Akhtar and Shaqeel Hussain off our streets, show them for what they are, and put them behind bars where they belong.”
Peterborough County, ON, man faces child luring charges following OPP online investigation
BY GREG DAVIS GLOBAL NEWSA Peterborough County man faces child luring charges following an undercover online investigation by the OPP’s child exploitation unit.
According to Peterborough County OPP, the investigation led officers to execute a search warrant on Wednesday at a residence in North Kawartha Township where they seized “numerous” electronic exhibits.
One man was arrested at the scene. Colin Michael Morley, 35, was charged with one count each of luring a person under the age of 16 and sending sexually explicit material to a child under the age of 16.
He was released and is scheduled to appear in court in Peterborough on July 2, OPP said.
“The OPP will continue to aggressively identify and pursue individuals who use technology to exploit children,” said Staff Sgt. Sharon Hanlon of the OPP’s child sexual exploitation unit.
“Child exploitation is everyone’s business and police cannot do it alone. Everyone needs to know that these offenders operate amongst us and go undetected due to a lack of understanding. Everyone can make a difference by educating themselves about what child sexual exploitation really looks like.”
Hanlon says to help protect children, parents and guardians are encouraged to download “Child Sexual Abuse — It is Your Business,” which is a brochure from the Canadian Center for Child Protection.
