This Week's Global Pervs and Paedos List > DUP councillor arrested for grooming; Met cop cleared of rape charge; "Sex for Aid" Scandal continues; Rape Victims revictimized by courts

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DUP councillor arrested over claims of child sexual grooming

by 'paedophile hunter' group

He was arrested on suspicion of attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming

By Brendan Hughes Political reporter

21:04, 23 FEB 2022

A DUP councillor has been arrested on suspicion of child sexual grooming following claims made by a so-called "paedophile hunter" group.

William Walker is a representative for Newry, Mourne and Down District Council and works in DUP Strangford MP Jim Shannon's constituency office.

The 59-year-old councillor was arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming. He has been released on bail pending further enquiries.

The DUP said the allegations will be "expeditiously" examined by party officers. 

It follows claims made to the PSNI by an online paedophile hunter group based in England. The self-styled group uses what they call "decoys" to pose as underage children and wait to be contacted by adults. They converse privately online with adults and seek to identify those attempting to groom young people.

It is understood the PSNI probe centres on claims that a Facebook account was used to sexually groom two decoys posing as underage girls. A series of screengrabs appearing to show messages sent on both Facebook and WhatsApp have been shared with detectives.

In a statement, a PSNI spokeswoman said: "A 59-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming, yesterday (Tuesday 22nd February) in the Co Down area. He has since been released on police bail pending further enquiries."

A DUP spokesman said: "The party has only become aware of these allegations. These matters will be referred to the party officers who will expeditiously examine the issues."

Mr Walker, from Killyleagh, is a long-standing councillor who represents the Rowallane area of Newry, Mourne and Down council. He was previously chairman of the old Down District Council before the number of councils in Northern Ireland was reduced in 2015 under local government reforms.

Last year Mr Walker said he was "seriously considering" his future in the DUP amid party turmoil in the wake of Arlene Foster being ousted as leader. However, he stayed in the party after expressing confidence in its direction under new DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson.

British police officer cleared of rape charge

By Simon Druker

A member of Britain's Metropolitan Police was cleared of a rape charge Thursday, after the case was dismissed when prosecutors did not enter any evidence against the man who was accused of meeting a woman in a nightclub last year and later attacking her in a hotel. File Photo by Andy Rain/EPA

Feb. 24 (UPI) -- A British police officer was cleared of a rape accusation Thursday, after prosecutors dropped the case after failing to produce any evidence.

Metropolitan Police officer Adam Zaman had been accused of raping a woman in October after first meeting her in a nightclub.

Zaman, 28, has been a member of the Metropolitan Police since 2016 and has denied the allegation. He has been suspended from duty since he was charged but has been free on bail since December.

Britain's Crown Prosecution Service did not enter any evidence against Zaman on Thursday during a hearing. "The prosecution have taken a decision to offer no further evidence in this case," prosecution attorney Alison Hunter told the East London Advertiser.

"As part of our continuous review of this case, we have carefully considered material submitted to us by the police and have concluded that our legal test is no longer met," a spokesperson for the Crown Prosecution Service told Sky News.

A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said the department will carry out a misconduct review of the case and that Zaman remains on suspension, according to Sky News.

UK ignored ‘sex for aid’ scandal victims – watchdog

Abuse cases in the humanitarian sector remain underreported, despite efforts

to tackle sexual exploitation, a watchdog has said

General view of crates of Humanitarian Aid. © Andrew Matthews / PA Images / Getty Images

The UK government has failed to listen to victims of “sex for aid” scandals despite its efforts to address abuse in the humanitarian sector, an independent watchdog has said.

The report, released on Thursday by the Independent Commission for Aid Impact (ICAI), claims that the “top-down” approach taken by government officials falls short of what is required, because recipients of aid are not listened to and might remain reluctant to report abusive behavior.

ICAI said the UK “has played an important role in galvanising international action on protecting people from sexual exploitation and abuse in humanitarian crises,” but its commissioner Sir Hugh Bayley criticized officials for the system used.

“Its top-down approach requires those delivering UK aid to spend more time reporting back to the FCDO [Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office] than listening to the people they are seeking to protect and addressing their needs,” Bayley said.

The UK launched its efforts to combat sexual exploitation within the aid sector in 2018 after claims that Oxfam employees had sexually exploited victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake, with Britain later holding an international safeguarding summit.

Abuse cases are still being underreported, according to the ICAI’s findings, which cited a survey in Uganda where recipients remained hesitant to report cases over concerns about the length of the investigative process and fears over corruption.

Stephanie Draper, chief executive of Bond, a network of UK charities and NGOs, praised “important steps” taken by the FCDO but said that efforts had been hampered by the lack of information “around incidents of sexual exploitation and abuse and what works where, and how to address and prevent it.”

Responding to the claims, a spokesperson for the FCDO claimed the UK is a “world leader” in addressing abusive behavior within the aid sector. “We continue to prioritise this work, protecting the most vulnerable and making sure money does not go to organisations that fall short of high safeguarding standards,” the Guardian quoted the representative as saying.

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Rape victims ‘systematically failed’ by UK criminal justice system – report

Delays meant victims faced an average 706-day wait

between reporting an offense and a trial

Rape survivors in England and Wales are being failed by the criminal justice system, leaving them facing an average wait of nearly two years for a trial, a new report found.

The damning findings were released on Friday by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) and HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI), and accuse the system of a lack of collaboration between authorities, as well as poor communication with accusers.

"Rape victims are continually and systematically failed by the criminal justice system,” the report stated, criticizing its “deep divisions between the police and prosecutors.”

Divisions between the police and prosecutors should cost the police and prosecutors, not the victim.

The official report claimed that “the process is worse than the offence” for some victims, as they have to “wait years for a court date” and “experience multiple adjournments” in their quest for justice.

Part of the reason for the failures identified in the report was that authorities were still often listing rape cases as “floaters” or “backers,” which meant they could be moved and rescheduled, even at the last minute on the day of the trial.

This has to stop. The cruelty of this practice is way beyond reason.

One of the victims spoken-to had “21 court delays, most at 24-hours’ notice,” the report detailed, describing the situation as “almost unendurable.”

The investigation by HMICFRS and HMCPSI examined 556 files from the police and Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), and also spoke with rape survivors and victim support services.

The director of public prosecutions, Max Hill, accepted the report’s findings, stating that “strong collaboration between prosecutors and police is vital,” while also outlining the “extensive work” being undertaken to improve support services and communication.

Responding to the report, Dominic Raab, the deputy prime minister and justice secretary, described it as a “sobering and considered analysis,” and pledged that the government will work “to give victims greater support and swifter justice.”

‘Strong Correlation’ Between Latinos Reporting Fewer Sex Crimes and Deportation Fears ‒ LAPD

© AFP

Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck has warned that undocumented victims of sex crimes might not report them to the police, out of fear that deportations are on the rise under the Trump administration.

During a press conference Tuesday, LAPD Chief Charlie Beck said that there is a "strong correlation" between the dramatic drop in violent crime being reported by Latinos and fears of deportation under President Donald Trump’s increased immigration enforcement policies.

According to LAPD crime statistics, there has been a 10 percent decline in reports of spousal abuse and a 25 percent decline of reported rapes among Latino residents compared to the same time last year. Similar decreases were not seen by other ethnic groups in the statistics.

“While there is no direct evidence that the decline is related to concerns within the Hispanic community regarding immigration, the Department believes deportation fears may be preventing Hispanic members of the community from reporting when they are victimized,” a statement from the LAPD says.

At the press conference, Beck said he wants to “reiterate the importance of reporting crime to the LAPD and assure the community the focus of our investigations is to create a safer community for everyone,” according to the statement released by the LAPD.

“Imagine, a young woman, imagine your daughter, your sister, your mother … not reporting a sexual assault, because they are afraid that their family will be torn apart,” Beck said at the press conference, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Beck was joined by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, who also signed an executive directive entitled, “Standing with Immigrants: A City of Safety, Refuge, and Opportunity for All” that day. The directive expands protections for immigrants and prohibits law enforcement from using public resources to cooperate with federal civil immigration enforcement unless legally required to do so.

In February, Garcetti, along with two other city officials, sent a letter to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), asking them to stop introducing themselves as police. The letter claimed that ICE was undermining the trust built between immigrant communities and local law enforcement.

The statements from Garcetti and the LAPD echo what activists have been warning about Trump’s immigration policies – when immigrants fear deportation, they lose trust in the police and think twice before reporting a crime.

“We have entire communities of people feeling like it’s no longer safe or feasible for them to report crime,” said Jacquie Marroquin, director of programs for the California Partnership to End Domestic Violence, told the Huffington Post.

At the beginning of March, a coalition of more than 560 groups joined together to send a letter to ICE and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), saying the recent immigration policies “fail to protect immigrant victims of crime, reduce the likelihood of immigrant victims or witnesses reporting crimes, empower traffickers and abusers, contravene existing protections afforded by law, and create unprecedented fear for immigrant families and communities.”

However, Jessica Vaughan, of the Center for Immigration Studies, says that Beck’s claims are "extremely speculative" and questioned the correlation between a drop in reported crimes and the fears of deportation.

"This seems to be somehow politically motivated to try to get people to think increased enforcement is causing problems in the community," Vaughan told the Associated Press. "I think it is really a stretch to connect this decline with perceptions of increased immigration enforcement."

ICE spokeswoman Virginia Kice also refuted Beck’s claims, saying that the real problem comes from local law enforcement refusing to follow immigration laws.

“The inference by Los Angeles officials that the agency’s execution of its mission is undermining public safety is outrageous and wrongheaded,” Kice said, according to the Los Angeles Times.

“Rather than transferring convicted criminal aliens to ICE custody as requested, agencies, including the Los Angeles Police Department, are routinely releasing these offenders back onto the street to potentially reoffend, and their victims are often other members of the immigrant community,” she added.

Rape Victims to be Spared Court Ordeal & Law Against Grooming Children

Elizabeth Truss says ‘balance between the accuser and defendant will not change’

FRANCESCO GUIDICINI

Tim Shipman, Political Editor, and Tom Harper
The Sunday Times

United Kingdom - Alleged rape victims will no longer face cross-examination live in court under reforms announced today by Elizabeth Truss, the justice secretary and lord chancellor.

From September victims will be able to give evidence in a pre-recorded video that will be played to the jury once the trial begins.

In an exclusive interview with The Sunday Times, Truss revealed that she is bringing forward plans for recorded cross-examination for all adult sexual offences tried in crown courts after three cities used taped evidence in child sex cases.

She said the pilot schemes showed that defendants, when confronted with the strength of the evidence against them before the trial, were more likely to plead guilty early, reducing the trauma for rape victims, speeding up justice and saving money.

Pre-recorded evidence is already being launched nationwide for child sex cases.

Yes! Thank you! Great step forward.

Crackdown of grooming kids

The justice secretary also announced a crackdown on paedophiles grooming children on social media with a new offence of “sexual communication with a child”. Those convicted will automatically go on the sex offender register and face up to two years in jail.

Under plans for the new paedophile grooming offence, police and the courts will enforce an offence of “sexual communication with a child”, which will make it a criminal offence for anyone aged 18 or over to communicate intentionally with a child under 16, where the communication is sexual or intended to elicit a sexual response.

The offence has been on the statute book for two years, but has never been enforced due to lack of resources. The Ministry of Justice expects 170 prosecutions for the new offence this year, rising to 350 prosecutions in 2018-19.

Cross examination of rape victims

Truss said the change to rape trials would allow judges to cut out any inappropriate cross-examination of rape victims referring to their sexual history before it could be seen by a jury.

The move will also end the trauma of victims being confronted in court by their attackers. The minister said she had been shocked to learn about a case in which a defendant faced his accuser wearing the same clothes in which he had allegedly committed the rape.

“There is more we can do to help alleged victims in these cases give the best possible evidence they can give in an environment that is much more suitable than open court. We’ve been trialling this for children in cases of child sex abuse,” Truss said.

“What this has led to is a much higher level of early guilty pleas. That has a huge amount of benefit. It resolves the case much earlier for the victim. It reduces the level of trauma for the victim. I want to see that being the standard offer in those cases and that will give more victims the confidence to come forward.”

The justice secretary will outline both plans tomorrow, when MPs are scheduled to vote on the second reading of the Prisons and Courts Bill, which she described as the “most major change in courts since the Victorian era”.

She stepped in because the courts system is stretched to breaking point by a huge influx of sex cases.

There are plans for recorded cross-examination for all adult sexual offences being tried in crown courts after three cities used taped evidence in child sex cases

RUSSELL BOYCE/REUTERS

Disgraceful statistics

Domestic abuse, rape and sexual offences now account for nearly 19% of the Crown Prosecution Service workload, more than double the figure six years ago. In some courts it is half the caseload.

Campaigners claim only 5.7% of reported rape cases end in a conviction for the perpetrator. Sex cases also take far longer to resolve than normal trials. The average time from charge to prosecution is 70 days. The average time in sexual offences cases is 234 days.

Under the new regulations, victims and vulnerable witnesses would be able to give evidence “in a room in the court where it’s much less intimidating, where there are ground rules set by the judge,” Truss said.

Judges will be able to limit the length of the cross-examination to avoid victims having to testify for days on end and will determine the types of questions that can be asked.

Truss said: “At the moment prior sexual history can only be asked about in exceptional circumstances, but sometimes questions can be asked that verge on that territory. If you have the pre-trial cross-examination, much clearer ground rules are set. If a question is asked that is inadmissible, that can be cut out of the tape by the judge.”

The plan was welcomed by the family of Ceri Linden, 20, who took her own life after being raped on a night out with friends in 2014. She swallowed blood pressure pills soon after being told that she might have to relive her ordeal on the witness stand in court.

Before she took her own life, Ceri had helped police catch her attacker, Masood Mansouri, by outlining the rape in a video interview. It was the first time in Britain that a rape conviction had been secured without the victim being cross-examined and Mansouri was jailed for 13 years in April 2015.

Ceri’s mother, Eleri Linden, from Colwyn Bay in north Wales, said: “I do think it is outrageous that victims of such appalling crimes are made to be cross-examined and relive their traumatic ordeals all over again.

“Ceri was told there was a possibility she would have to give evidence. She was distressed about the thought of having to give evidence and I’m sure these reforms would have helped her a great deal.”

Others questioned whether the proposals would tip the balance of justice too far away from the defendant.

James Conte, who founded the website accused.me.uk, a support group for victims of false allegations, said: “Whilst we would welcome measures that would increase the rape convictions of people who really have committed rape, if you are a wholly innocent victim of someone trying to frame you, you will not welcome these changes because they will increase the chances that you will be wrongfully convicted. That does not serve the interests of justice.”

Zoe Gascoyne, chairwoman of the Criminal Law Solicitors Association, warned that taped interviews often took place long before the proceedings commenced and could not take account of real-time developments in the case. “This may be a step too far,” she said.

Truss responded: “This is not about changing the balance between the accuser and the defendant. The right to a fair trial remains a principle of our criminal justice system. In the trials we’ve been doing on childhood sexual abuse we haven’t seen a significant difference in the conviction rate.”