'Shameless and cruel' DJ raped 3 y/o boy in toilets
at West Yorkshire working men's club
TONY GARDNER, Wakefield Expressat West Yorkshire working men's club
A DJ from Castleford who raped a three-year-old boy in a toilet cubicle at a West Yorkshire working men's club has been jailed for nine years.
Ryan English went on to carry out further rape and sexual offences against the child on around 20 occasions.
Leeds Crown Court heard English, now 22, first attacked the boy when he (English, I presume) was around 15 years old when he was working as a DJ at the club. English also targeted another victim in 2017, in the toilets of a different working men's club where he was the DJ at a fifth birthday party.
Leeds Crown Court heard on that occasion English exposed himself and performed an indecent act in front of the child. English was arrested after the incident was reported to bar staff and police were contacted.
Louise Reevell, prosecuting, said English downloaded sickening videos on his mobile phone of children being raped after he was released on bail. Investigations revealed he had also been in contact with someone via WhatsApp requesting indecent images of children to be sent to him.
English, of Langdale Close, Castleford, denied the offences at trial. He was convicted of three offences of rape, causing a child to engage in sexual activity, engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child and three offences of making indecent images of a child.
A victim impact statement was read to the court on behalf of the mother of English's first victim. She described how her son had suffered nightmares and was severely traumatised by the abuse. She said: "He is an anxious, self-conscious and angry boy."
Recorder Abdul Iqbal, QC, described the offences as "shameless and cruel". He said: "They were crimes committed over a number of years against a young vulnerable boy. All of this was done to satisfy your sexual cravings in relation to young boys. You took away any semblance of a normal, happy childhood from that victim.."
Detective Inspector Vanessa Rolfe, of West Yorkshire Police, said: “Ryan English clearly presents a significant danger to children and we are pleased to see him convicted and jailed at court today. The fact that he chose to put his victims and their families through the ordeal of a trial only compounds the harm he has inflicted. I hope they may take some closure from seeing a dangerous man jailed for what he has done to them.”
Protesters want Canadian judge fired after ‘disgraceful’ sentence given to violent rapist
The decision caused a groundswell of anger and outrage and on Saturday, more than 200 people protested to have the provincial court judge stripped of his duties.
"I've been grounded for longer than two weeks for things that don't break the law," said protestor Hannah Dixon. “For somebody that violates somebody’s civil rights and takes away their sense of personal safety and gets two weeks in prison for that, that’s absolutely ridiculous.”
More than 200 protesters are calling on the provincial court judge to be fired.
According to the North Shore News, Judge Paul Meyers acknowledged the sentence may not be as long as what the victims would have liked.
The teen, who was 16 at the time of the attack, was found guilty of aggravated sexual assault and forcible confinement. The attack happened at Encore Dance Club for an all-ages party in February 2016.
The victim was found in the bathroom with such severe injuries that she was taken to hospital in critical condition.
The teen was also convicted of sexually assaulting a different girl just a few months before.
The identities of the perpetrator and victims cannot be revealed because of a publication ban.
“We refuse to have our own Brock Turner. We as a community will not protect rapists; we will not defend them and we will believe survivors,” said Yalda Kazemi, the rally’s organizer.
Kazemi, a grade 12 student, does not know the victims or attacker but felt compelled to organize the protest.
“As a survivor myself, I always felt too scared to speak up about my sexual assault because of systems like this, where the law actually fails the survivors,” she said.
Judge Meyers found the teen has already faced social ramifications after being shunned from the community and not being able to graduate high school with his peers, which contributed to his sentencing.
OMG! It was AGGRAVATED sexual assault (ie VIOLENT RAPE), leaving the girl in critical condition. And the judge felt empathy for the violent rapist because people don't like him. Where is his empathy for the victim? 2 weeks for a repeat rapist is like a reward; it's like a gold watch; it's encouragement to do it again. How is he going to learn that there are consequences for your violent behaviour in two weeks? How is he going to learn to respect the rights of women in two weeks? Canadian judges are so lame! Judge Meyers needs to be investigated by the Chief Judge and should probably resign; he's out of touch with reality.
“I was disappointed in those remarks when you consider the impact on the survivor and what she has to live with for the rest of her life,” said Jane Thornwhwaite, MLA for North Vancouver-Seymour.
It is unclear if prosecutors plan to appeal the decision, but a local criminal lawyer said they would have to determine whether the sentence was too lenient.
“They would have want to look again at the range of appropriate sentences, they would want to see if this falls so below that range that perhaps an appeal isn’t just describable, but necessary in order to maintain consistency in our judicial system,” explained lawyer Sarah Leamon.
An online petition is demanding that Judge Meyers be fired and has already garnered more than 350 signatures.
Welsh man jailed for sexually abusing young child over seven year period
A man who sexually abused a young child over a seven year period has been jailed. John Francis, now of Stephen Road, Prestatyn, Wales, abused the girl in Cambridgeshire on numerous occasions when she was aged between six and 13.
In police interview Francis admitted the offences and told officers he had struggled to fight off his ‘sexual sins’.
At Cambridge Crown Court Francis previously pleaded guilty to two charges of exposure, one charge of assault by penetration of a child under 13, and two charges of sexual assault on a child under 13.
He was sentenced at the same court on Thursday (November, 8) where he was handed a total of eight years in prison. Francis was also made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) for a period of 10 years and put on the Sex Offenders Register for life.
The SHPO prevents Francis from contacting the victim or her family. It also prohibits him from having any unsupervised contact with children under 16 and having any voluntary or paid activity with people under 18.
DC Clemie Yaxley said: “This offence has had a huge impact on the victim throughout her life. “She was very brave in coming forward and has shown great courage and dignity throughout the whole process. “I hope she is now able to find some closure from this traumatic period of her life."
Welsh teenager ordered to register as sex offender after downloading child abuse images
By Court Reporter, The LeaderA TEENAGER from Wrexham has been ordered to register with the police as a sex offender after he admitted making, by downloading, a number of indecent images of child sex abuse.
Haniel Lonergan, 18, of Galaxy Grove in Brynteg, appeared at North East Wales Magistrates Court at Mold where he pleaded guilty to making 64 class A images and movies, the most serious category.
He admitted making 181 category B, 303 category C and one prohibited image of a child.
Prosecutor Rhian Jackson said children as young as five were depicted in the most serious images.
District judge Roger Lowe said his powers were insufficient and Lonergan was rebailed pending sentence at Mold Crown Court in December.
Meanwhile, Lonergan is not have any unsupervised contact with a child under 18. He must make any device capable of connecting to the internet available for police inspection and must retain the history of use.
At the end of the hearing Lonergan said: "I have learnt from my mistakes.”
Wouldn't that be nice. Unusual, but nice!
Aussie rapist saved from jail by Doli incapax
'I have been waiting for this phone call for years':
Taped confession not enough to prosecute alleged rape of 3 y/o
By Belinda Grant Geary, nine.com.au
Rosemary* was three when she said she was raped by the son of a family friend. She said the alleged abuse destroyed her childhood and has continued to haunt her.
It took Rosemary more than 50 years to come forward to police. She was then told she would need to get a confession from her attacker if there was to be any hope of getting a conviction.
Rosemary, now 55, got that confession, only for the Department of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to throw her case out as the man who propped her up on a washing machine and "robbed her of her innocence" was "too young" to be found criminally responsible.
You look back on it now and go, 'Oh my god,'
Rosemary grew up in a small NSW town with her parents and sister. At a young age, Rosemary's father left her family.
Shortly after her mother made the decision to temporarily move in with a family friend in Sydney’s northern beaches while she looked for a job. "We were only there for six weeks but it felt like an eternity," Rosemary told nine.com.au.
The man she called Uncle Tom* was the first to "groom" her, giving her "special cuddles" in the lounge room before bed, Rosemary said, but it was his 13-year-old son Mike* who she claimed sexually abused her.
Rosemary alleged the most serious instance of abuse happened behind a closed door after Mike led her to a secluded laundry room at the back of the house.
She said he laid a plastic sheet on the washing machine and told Rosemary to stay quiet as he lifted her up and took off her underwear. "It was full penetration. I was screaming," Rosemary said.
Mike allegedly covered her mouth with his hand to muffle the sobs and dressed her when he was done. "It's okay. This is our little secret," he told the three-year-old, according to a statement made to police by Rosemary in 2016.
Fear and loathing
Rosemary claimed Mike threatened that if she ever uttered a word of what happened she would be taken away from her mother. The trauma has never left her.
"You don't really realise what it does to your life until you look back… I tried to kill myself a few times".
At the age of 53, Rosemary decided to report what had happened to police.
"I knew he had kids, mainly girls, and it made me think it could be happening to someone else."
Rosemary was three-years-old (left) when the alleged assault took place. She sits beside her 'Uncle Tom' (right). (Supplied)
'It's funny how he knew'
Rosemary said she felt physically ill thinking at the prospect of hearing Mike's voice again but dialled the number as she sat alone inside a room at the police station.
"He said, 'I have been waiting for this phone call for years'. That's when I knew I had him but still had to get exactly what he did to me out of him."
Mike told Rosemary he didn't mean to "ruin her life". "Everything I asked him and said, you did this to me, you put me on the washing machine, he would say, 'yeah I did, I know and I am sorry,'."
"I was on the phone to him for 20 minutes but it felt like 20 years. "
Two days later she received a call from the detective. "He went to Wollongong to arrest him and I think he felt just as good about it as me."
The officer said Mike "dropped to his knees" when he saw him, as if "he knew" it was coming.
NSW Police confirmed the man was arrested after an extensive investigation into the alleged historic child sexual assault. They charged him with carnal knowledge of a girl under 10 years.
However, the taped confession was not enough.
"The DPP rang me and said 'we believe you, and it's a really strong case, but there is a new ruling from the high court'," Rosemary said.
Age of criminal consent
The new ruling stemmed from a NSW district court case of a boy who was found guilty of sexually assaulting his brother when he was 11-years-old.
In legal terms it is known as Doli incapax – which states a child under 14 is "incapable of a crime under legislation or common law".
Good grief! High Court judges need to get to know some 13 y/os.
This presumption can be argued against in court, and in 2014 a judge in the NSW District Court felt there was enough evidence to rebut the presumption this child lacked the intent to constitute his actions as a crime.
The trial judge ruled the boy had the capacity to know offending was wrong as he used force to rape the victim, and placed a hand over his mouth and told him not to tell anyone.
However, the High Court overturned his conviction last year as there was not enough proof he understood his behaviour was “seriously wrong in a morale sense”.
Rosemary was told by the DPP this case created a precedence that made her case unwinnable.
A ruling in the High Court of Australia affected the DPP's approach with Rosemary's case.
(High Court of Australia)
Rosemary was shattered. "I had done all this work and I just really wanted him to pay after going through all that."
Rosemary told nine.com.au she understands in some cases children may not be aware of the seriousness of their offending, but Mike told her he knew what he was doing was wrong and did it anyway.
"It makes you feel even worse that you've got all that proof, but too bad, it doesn't fit into their (DPP) little box."
NSW Police said they proceeded with the arrest as they believed the evidence against Mike was strong enough for prosecution.
"The man was put before the courts; however, a decision was made to withdraw the charges," a NSW Police spokesperson told nine.com.au.
But the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions NSW said the taped confession was not enough to "rebut the presumption of doli incapax".
Names changed for legal reasons
Scottish child rapist convicted after
decades of sex abuse
A man who abused children between 1975 and 2017 has today, Wed. 14 Nov., been convicted.
In October 2017, officers from the Public Protection Unit based in Fife began enquiries into Grimes, and thereafter specialist officers from Police Scotland’s National Child Abuse Investigation Unit continued the investigation. Grimes was subsequently arrested and charged in January 2018.
Detective Inspector Mark Petrie from the National Child Abuse Investigation Unit said: “Grimes committed the most appalling crimes against young people who trusted him. He has shown no remorse for his actions and subjected the victims to the distress of a trial process.
“The horrifying acts he inflicted upon the victims will undoubtedly affect them for the rest of their lives and supporting them remains our priority. I want to thank the victims for their bravery and courage to come forward and assist us with our inquiries – it is thanks to them that Grimes will now face the consequences of his actions and I sincerely hope they can begin to put the ordeal behind them.
“Police Scotland will always investigate any reports of child abuse, no matter how long ago the crimes occurred, and we will work tirelessly to ensure those responsible are brought to justice.”
Grimes will be sentenced at a later date.
No verdict in trial of young York man
accused of child sex abuse
By Megi RychlikovaTHE jury in the case of a young man charged with sexually abusing a girl and attempting to rape her has been discharged.
After seven and a half hours in retirement, the jury foreman told Judge Simon Hickey they had been unable to agree verdicts on any of the 14 counts against Ashley Gordon Thomas.
The 24-year-old from Ascot Way, Acomb, denies three charges of attempted rape, four of sexual assault of a child, three of engaging in sexual activity in front of a child, two of causing a child to engage in sexual activity and two of sexual activity with a child.
Judge Hickey discharged the jury at York Crown Court and gave the prosecution seven days to decide if there will be a retrial.
Thomas was released on bail on condition he doesn’t contact the girl in any way or have unsupervised contact with any child under 16.
He showed no reaction as the jury foreman announced that the eight men and four women had been unable to reach any verdict on which at least 10 of them agreed.
The trial lasted six days.
New Zealand man jailed for possession and distribution of child sexual abuse
Tim NewmanA Nelson man has been jailed for 23 months for possessing and distributing objectionable images, including child sexual abuse, over social media.
Simon Peter Donker was sentenced in the Nelson District Court on Thursday, after pleading guilty to a total of 14 charges.
Thirteen charges referred to the possession of objectionable material, along with one representative charge of distribution of objectionable material.
Donker received and passed on the material as member of a WhatsApp social media group.
He was active on the group for at least three years, which included about 15 to 20 other people, who he did not personally know.
Group members uploaded objectionable images to the group, including those of child sexual abuse, which could then be shared and downloaded by other members.
During a raid on Donker's property in October 2017, police seized a cellphone which contained more than 500 objectionable images. Judge Tony Zohrab said some of the material was of an "very serious" nature, with some on the worst end of the scale.
Donker was also found to have distributed objectionable material in 2017, including 24 images from July 22 to October 18.
In her submission, police prosecutor Ruth Thomas said a prison sentence should be imposed, due to the "extremely objectionable" nature of some of the material.
Judge Tony Zohrab said some of the material was of an "very serious" nature, with some on the worst end of the scale.
Defence lawyer Tony Bamford said the sentencing was a "finely balanced situation", emphasising the need for rehabilitation as well as acting as a deterrent.
Judge Zohrab said the charge of distributing objectionable material took the offending to a another level, making a prison sentence "the only option" to hold Donker accountable.
"The reason children are being raped is because people like you view it, distribute it, and fuel its further use. Home detention is not appropriate in a case such as this, where real children are being raped and abused."
The initial sentence of three years and six months in prison was reduced to a total of 23 months in prison, following Donker's guilty plea and due to some of his personal circumstances.
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