Too soon to free man who had 180,000 child sex images
John Weekes
WHEN he faced sentencing after storing 180,000 child exploitation images, the court was told he was no threat to society.
Less than four years later, Rockhampton man Nathan Daniel Green was back in the dock.
And that time, he faced charges not only for abuse images, but of indecent treatment of a child under 12. Now, a judge must figure out whether 33-year-old Green should be freed again.
In Brisbane Supreme Court on Tuesday, Justice Martin Burns said he wanted two doctors to examine Green and prepare reports and "give evidence to the court in person" before the court could decide.
In Queensland, jailed sex offenders due to be released can be placed on supervision orders, released on parole with supervision, or kept in continued detention.
In November 2011, Rockhampton District Court heard Green accessed and paid to view 10 child sex abuse websites.
At that hearing, prosecutor Dearne Galbraith said Green's actions were not spontaneous - Green kept 99% of content he accessed.
Defence barrister Tom Polley said Green had a psychology assessment a year earlier, and sought counselling afterwards.
The psychologist's report found Green, at the time of apprehension, "was well on the way to paraphilia, namely pedophilia," the Morning Bulletin reported at the time. But the report insisted Green had not yet entered that stage and was no threat to society.
I think the psychologist may be the threat to society!
Judge Grant Britton sentenced Green to two years, nine months, to be released after nine months.
Most of the material Green had at that stage featured victims under the age of 12.
Two years later, police were at Green's home. Green had been using his mother's computer to download tens of thousands of child sexual abuse images.
In March 2015, Green pleaded guilty to five charges in Gladstone District Court, including possession of child exploitation material and indecent treatment of a child under 12.
At that hearing, defence lawyer Jordan Ahlstrand said his client's re-offending demanded a lengthy period of supervision.
Judge Michael Burnett jailed Green for four years. The next hearing for Green will be on November 27.
'You clearly have an interest in sexual abuse':
Former Surrey headteacher found with nearly 3,000
sex abuse images spared jail
Thomas Melling was sentenced after downloading videos, which included
a toddler being forced to perform sexual acts
Caution: disturbing graphic details below
BY MARK SHALES
A former Haslemere headteacher, who downloaded thousands of child sex abuse images, which included a sick video showing a toddler being beaten and forced to perform sexual acts, has been spared jail for a second time.
Married Thomas Melling was convicted of sexually touching a child in 1999 after kissing one of his pupils.
On Monday (August 21), he was sentenced at Guildford Crown Court after admitting three counts of making indecent photographs or pseudo photographs of a child, one count of possessing extreme pornography and one count of possessing an indecent image of a child.
The 67-year-old was found with 912 category A images, the most serious, 622 category B and 1,268 category C, as well as two extreme pornographic images involving a dog and a horse. Moving images and videos were also recovered.
Melling was also found with 12 cartoon indecent images of children on two hard drives and a computer seized by police earlier this year.
The court heard on Monday one of the videos saved on his hard drives showed a woman pulling down a toddler's nappy and pinching her vagina to make her cry before forcing the child to perform oral sex on her.
Another video showed a girl aged between six and 10 years with her ankles tied together with rope being punched and penetrated by two men.
WhatsApp messages found on two Samsung Galaxy phones seized by police also showed Melling had shown interest in a nine-year-old child from a family in Kenya he was sponsoring.
He was made the subject of a three-year community order and ordered to carry out a 100-day treatment program in addition to paying costs of £480.
He was also made the subject of a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order restricting his use of the internet and banning him from travelling to Kenya, and made to sign the Sex Offenders' Register for a decade.
Prosecuting, Tim Devlin told the court Melling, who was still being supported financially by his teacher wife, was convicted of sexually assaulting a child in 1999 in an historic case that dated back to the kissing of a pupil at an undisclosed school in the early 1980s.
He was arrested and released with a caution when police officers, alerted by peer-to-peer file-sharing software companies, raided his home on April 27 this year. Police seized his hard drives and computer, where they found the revolting images, as well as two Samsung Galaxy smartphones.
Sentencing, Judge Peter Moss said: "Thomas Melling, you pleaded guilty at the magistrates' court to five offences relating to indecent images of children. There were in count one 912 category A images, in count two 622 category B images and in court three 1,268 category C images.
"There are two further charges, one of possession of two extreme pornographic images and the last count of possessing 12 prohibited images of children which I understand to be cartoons. Those are all serious offences."
"It's difficult for most people to comprehend why someone would want to look at let alone store such material and you definitely have stored this material."
He added: "You clearly have an interest in sexual abuse and indecent images of children, both boys and girls and this is not the first time appeared before a court.
"In 1999, you were convicted after a trial of activity with a child of sexual touching which involved kissing a pupil of yours when you were in a position of trust."
He continued: "By your viewing [the indecent images], it perpetrates the production of such material that others are creating."
Melling, of Woolmer Hill Road, Haslemere, only spoke to confirm his name.
His seized hard drives and computer were due to be destroyed but he was allowed to have his two Samsung Galaxy phones returned by the police.
'SHUT YOUR MOUTH'
Corbyn ally, Naz Shah, shares Twitter message telling Rotherham sex abuse victims to be quiet ‘for the good of diversity’
Naz Shah claims she accidentally liked and shared message from parody Twitter account
By Ben Lazarus
A PROMINENT Labour MP and key ally of Jeremy Corbyn shared a social media message telling victims of sickening sex abuse to shut up for “the good of diversity.”
Naz Shah retweeted and liked a post on Twitter by an account parodying left-wing writer Owen Jones which said: “Those abused girls in Rotherham and elsewhere just need to shut their mouths. For the good of diversity.”
Her actions have reignited the furious row over Pakistani sex gangs which last week saw Labour MP Sarah Champion hounded out of Labour’s front benches for writing an article in The Sun addressing the issue.
Ms Shah, who later deleted the retweet and unliked the post, was a key figure in leading the furore against a column written by The Sun’s Trevor Kavanagh about the grooming sex scandal last week.
Equality and Human Rights Commission chief executive Rebecca Hilsenrath immediately condemned the Labour MP last night.
She said: “Ms Shah should know better.
“We need to keep the victims of these horrific crimes at the heart of the debate and always remember that diversity is not served by silence.”
The British-born Muslim MP, 43, who was once a key aide to Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell, accused Mr Kavanagh of using “Nazi-like terminology”.
She organised an open letter to The Sun signed by 107 MPs demanding action.
Ms Shah, who served on the influential House of Commons Home Affairs Committee, wrote The Sun’s piece was “irresponsible” and that it set “a dangerous precedent.”
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn praised her for the letter on his Facebook page.
Last year, Shah, the Bradford West MP, was suspended by Labour for anti-semitic online posts.
In one, she shared rants on Facebook calling for Israel to be uprooted and dumped in America. In another she likened Israeli policies to those of Hitler and also wrote: “The Jews are rallying.”
She later blamed her anti-semitism on “ignorance”. Ignorance, racism, arrogance, stupidity, etc., etc.
A total of 20 girls gave evidence during the trials at Newcastle crown court, which saw 17 men and one woman jailed for grooming.
A spokesman for Ms Shah said: “This was a genuine accident eight days ago that was rectified within minutes. To suggest otherwise is absolute nonsense.
“Her record speaks for itself. Naz has been working for over 20 years on the issues of child abuse, violence against women and grooming, which is well documented.
Maybe, but for which side?
Judge finds victim impact statement 'very compelling'
Saipan pervert gets 12 years for sexual abuse of a minor
By Bryan Manabat Variety News Staff
A victim-impact statement submitted to the court was the main aggravating factor considered by Judge Kenneth Govendo in sentencing 33-year-old Sidney A. Aldan to 12 years in jail for sexual abuse of a minor.
The judge read a letter from the victim, who is now 15 years old, stating that Aldan deserves the maximum sentence for what he did to her.
“I would like you to know, your honor, that what that monster did to me took away my childhood life, and he broke me into a million pieces — it hurts so much.”
The victim said she does not know what her future life will be like because of what she is going through.
“Will I ever overcome this? Will I ever live a normal life?”
She said she still cannot explain the pain she is going through.
“I feel like a million nails are stabbing all over my body. I just feel so sad and I hurt deep inside…that sometimes it makes me think I should just take my life and end everything.
“I never had a chance to be a happy child or even just a normal child. I was child growing up, always worried and scared and I found myself asking when would all this ever end.”
Judge Govendo found the victim’s statement “very compelling,” adding that she is still deeply suffering to this day.
During the sentencing proceeding on Tuesday afternoon, Aldan was represented by Assistant Public Defender Nancy Dominski while the government was represented by chief prosecutor Michelle Harris who asked the court to impose the maximum sentence, citing the victim’s very young age and Aldan’s prior violent incidents with his partner.
Aldan, through his counsel, presented a letter of apology to the victim, and a letter of apology to the community.
Dominski recommended a 10-year sentence for Aldan, saying the incident “is not as extreme as other cases,” and that the defendant is a “hard worker.”
But Harris said imposing the minimum range would be “an outrageous miscarriage of justice —it does not serve the community and it does not serve the victim.”
Judge Govendo sentenced Aldan to 20 years in prison, suspended except for 12 years to be served day by day without parole or early release but with credit for the 541 days he had already served.
Aldan will also be placed on probation for eight years and was ordered to pay a $2,000 fine, $125 in court costs in addition to probation fees. Moreover, he will register as a sex offender.
The judge said he wants to send a message to the community that such acts will not be tolerated.
Aldan pled guilty to sexual abuse of a minor in the first degree during a change-of-plea hearing held on Feb. 7, 2017.
Pervert with 275,676 images of abuse caught by new unit dedicated to finding child sex offenders
BY JASON EVANS
A 42-year-old man with a staggering 275,676 images and 6,220 videos of abuse - including a large number of the most extreme images, has been jailed.
Forensic investigators also found evidence that Ian David Croker, from Narberth, he had been filming men in public toilets.
Croker was caught by a new Welsh police unit dedicated to tracking down offenders who view and share indecent images of children on the internet.
He pleaded guilty to possessing indecent images of children and to voyeurism and was sentenced to 30 months in prison.
Polit's Martyn Griffiths
Dyfed-Powys Police’s online investigation team - Polit - was launched in March this year in response to a growing concern about people accessing indecent images on the web.
It has already carried out 16 warrants on suspects in the first five months of its existence.
The team, based in the force’s headquarters in Carmarthen , is made up of digital media investigators, forensic examiners, intelligence officers, and analytical staff – and its job is to track offenders and gather evidence of their online crimes.
Also caught by the team was Michael Nathan Cohen, from Kidwelly.
The former senior probation officer was caught red-handed watching a child abuse film when police raided his house on the morning of June 27.
Dyfed-Powys Police detective sergeant Mathew Davies said the officers chose to swoop on the 71-year-old’s house in the morning after analysis of intelligence showed that was the time of day he was most likely to be downloading images.
Cohen was still in his dressing gown when officers knocked on his door – on his computer they found more than 150 images and films of child abuse.
He was sentenced to eight months in prison, suspended for 18 months, and ordered to complete a rehabilitation course.
The team works with national and internal agencies including the UK Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre, and the American National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, as well as with police forces around the world.
Once individual computers used for downloading the images from the net have been identified, Polit swings into action – executing warrants at the addresses linked to those computers, arresting suspects and seizing computers for analysis.
Detective Davies said: “We are working closely with partner agencies in both the United Kingdom and US to identify offenders operating online viewing and sharing indecent images of children.
“The implementation of the Polit team at Dyfed-Powys embraces the need for improved digital working and makes a substantial contribution to the efficiency of bringing those offenders who commit this type of crime quickly to justice.
“The investment recognises the changing nature of crime – offenders are increasingly using the internet and technology to harm children.
“If people choose to engage in this type of hideous and despicable crime then they can expect that specialist police officers will detect their activity.
“Safeguarding young people and vulnerable persons is a priority for Dyfed-Powys Police and we would urge anyone with information about offences involving children to contact us.”
Detective Sergeant Davies said: “It is important to realise that downloading and watching indecent images and films is not a victimless crime.
“This has a huge impact on the young people involved, as well as the families of those who are offending.
“I would like to warn people living in the Dyfed-Powys Police force area that we are proactively targeting those who carry out such activities, and the next knock at the door could be officers from my team."
Nobel Peace Laureate Kailash Satyarthi announces Bharat Yatra on Child Sexual Abuse and Trafficking
New Delhi: Nobel Peace Laureate, Sh. Kailash Satyarthi, is embarking on a historic Bharat Yatra to spearhead the fight against child trafficking and child sexual abuse across the country.
This yatra (pilgrimage) is the manifestation of his belief in ‘Surakshit Bachpan-Surakshit Bharat’. The yatra will pass through 22 states covering 15,000 Kms and union territories over 35 days. The Yatra will start from Kanyakumari in the south, stretching across western India. Guwahati will lead the yatra from the eastern part of the country, while Srinagar will flag off the northern stretch. The culmination of the Yatra will be in the national capital of Delhi, on the 15th of October.
Kailash Satyarthi has been campaigning for the freedom, safety and security for children across the globe for the past 36 years. He has led the historic Global March Against Child Labor in 1998 that prompted the ILO to pass international conventions against the worst form of child labor, in addition to the Shiksha yatra in 2001, after which the Right to Education was included as a fundamental right in the Constitution of India. As a prolific thought leader, he has played a catalytic role in influencing social and political policies of our country. He won the Nobel Peace prize (2014) for his continuous efforts and struggle for the rights of children. The yatra will flag off from Kanyakumari on the 11th of September, from the Vivekanand Memorial, commemorating the anniversary of the great leader’s address at Chicago in 1893.
Announcing the Bharat Yatra with the parents of the survivors, Sh Kailash Satyarthi said,
“Today, I declare a war on child sexual abuse and trafficking. Today I am announcing Bharat Yatra, the biggest movement in history to make India safe again for children. I refuse to accept that the innocence, smiles and freedom of our children can keep getting stripped and raped. These are not ordinary crimes. This is a moral epidemic haunting our nation.”
As the architect of some of the largest civil body movements for a cause in the last four decades, Mr. Satyarthi’s lifelong mission is to eradicate all forms of violence against children. Mr. Satyarthi and his foundation KSCF have been preparing the ground for several months to launch the Yatra in September. As part of this ground work, Mr Satyarthi has travelled the length and breadth of country meeting citizens, faith leaders, employees and corporates, Parliamentarians, social organisations among others, all of whom have pledged their whole-hearted support to the Bharat Yatra, terming it as a necessary fight for our country to embark on and a noble cause to work towards.
Recently he met parliamentarians in Delhi to apprise them of the issue of child trafficking and child sexual abuse and seek their support in spreading the awareness against the menace. Last month he spoke with and inspired over 500 LinkedIn employees in Bangalore, about the need for corporations such as LinkedIn to take a strong stand for the future of our country and will continue to do this over the course of the next few months. He has been meeting with several faith heads in New Delhi and across the country to ensure that the fight permeates all sections of society, pan-India. The curtain raiser to this march in Delhi, saw the launch of the video for the Bharat Yatra, which highlighted the appeal of children across the country to unite and fight for their freedom, safety and security. The campaign is expected to reach 1 crore stakeholders of the country.
Bharat Yatra is the launch of the three year campaign against child rape and child sexual abuse which is aimed at increasing awareness and reporting of the cases, strengthening institutional response including medical health and compensations, ensuring protection for victims and witnesses during trials and increasing convictions of child sexual abuse in a time bound manner.
The launch also saw families of victims of trafficking and abuse who narrated the emotional and physical trauma they had to endure because of the misdeeds of a few. The families pledged their support hoping that it would bring about the revolution, the country needs to sustain its fight against the exploitation of children.
South Yorkshire man jailed for sexual offences
against children as young as two
ROBERT CUMBER
A South Yorkshire man who committed a string of sexual offences against children as young as two has been jailed. Adam Blunt admitted nine offences, including rape and sexual assault, against six victims aged under 13.
The 28-year-old, of Race Street, Barnsley, was sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court on Friday to 25 years behind bars.
He had admitted one count of rape, one of assault by penetration, five counts of sexual assault, one of possessing indecent images of children and another of taking indecent images of minors. South Yorkshire Police said the lengthy investigation into his crimes began after officers received a report relating to a victim he had abused numerous times.
Detective Constable Helen Swift, who led the investigation, said: "It took tremendous courage for the victims to come forward and report the horrific abuse they had suffered. I would like to personally thank and commend them for the way they have conducted themselves throughout the lengthy and protracted investigation. It was through their brave actions we were able to bring Blunt to justice and remove the threat he posed to members of the public.
"Blunt's victims have had their childhoods tarnished by the horrendous abuse they have suffered. However I now hope they are able to begin their steps in the recovery process and take some solace in knowing he is behind bars for a very long time.
"Tackling child sexual abuse remains our number one commitment and I would encourage anyone who has suffered this type of abuse, to report it to police. "No one should have to sustain this appalling abuse and support and advice is available for all victims.
If you have been, or know a victim of sexual abuse, please report it to officers who will work to try and bring offenders before the courts. "You can also call and text the national child sexual exploitation helpline Say Something on 116 000."
Australian military tolerated child sex abuse, Royal Commission finds
Senior military staff tolerated initiation rites - including physical and sexual abuse - among junior recruits, a royal commission inquiry has said. Those who reported abuse were told it was a "rite of passage."
The shoulder insignia of an Australian
soldier is seen at the Williamson airfield
(Getty Images/I. Hitchcock)
The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse on Tuesday published its findings that Australia's military had enabled sexual abuse of teens for decades.
The inquiry investigated reports of abuse that took place at two former Australian military training bases in the 1960s, 70s, and 80s.
Survivors who testified said they were 15 or 16 years old at the navy and army bases when the abuse took place. Teens were subjected to practices that included a junior recruit being held down while boot polish was forcibly smeared on his genital or anal area.
Others testified that they were forced to perform sexual acts on other recruits or senior staff members.
Junior navy recruits testified that "they made, or attempted to make, reports about incidents of abuse to staff and that they were not believed."
Senior staff also told them that the abuse was "a rite of passage" or they did not take any action on the reports.
Sexual grooming of cadets
The Australian Defense Force's (ADF) cadet program, which admits children as young as 13, was also investigated. A total of 154 incidents of abuse were recorded at the cadet program since 2001, the report said.
The ADF cadet training manuals falsely stated that the age of consent was 14, the report said. They noted that it is actually over 16 in Australia, depending on the jurisdiction.
The false information increased the risk of child sex abuse, the inquiry found.
Survivor testimony also showed that both boy and girl cadets were groomed by much older instructors and sexually abused.
The Royal Commission on child sexual abuse has held hearings for more than three years into abuse at churches, schools and government agencies. The commission is expected to deliver its final list of recommendations to the government in December.
Computer tech ‘plumbed depths of depravity’ trying to arrange child sex abuse online image
AN IT technician was caught by undercover police after arranging to sexually abuse children.
Steven Byrne was told by a judge that he had “plumbed the depths of depravity” after hearing the vile nature of his offending.
Byrne, who was given an extended prison sentence totalling eight years, was arrested during a police operation to catch paedophiles online.
Leeds Crown Court heard Byrne made contact with a fake profile set up by officers in an internet forum. Byrne believed he was chatting to a father-of-three and sent messages about wanting to have sex with babies and children.
Byrne stated that he was looking for parents who were prepared to let him have sex with their children. During the course of the internet exchanges Byrne also sent graphic images of child abuse.
Deborah Smithies, prosecuting, said Byrne arranged a meeting at an ASDA car park in Doncaster in June this year believing a he was meeting a parent and child and intended to sexually abuse the youngster. Byrne, of Elm Place, Knottingley, was instead met by police officers and arrested.
He pleaded guilty to arranging or facilitating a child sexual offences and three offences of making indecent images of a child.
The prosecutor said: “The view expressed is that this defendant presents a high risk of serious harm to children.”
Marcus Waite, mitigating, said Byrne, in IT technician, pleaded guilty to offences at an early stage.
He said: “The defendant has indicated that he does not want access to the internet ever again.”
He's an IT tech, and he doesn't want to access the internet? Sure!
Judge Geoffrey Marson, QC, told Bryne he considered him to pose a serious risk of causing physical or physiological harm to children in the future.
Byrne must serve a custodial period of four years, followed by a further four years on licence upon release.
He said: “You have plumbed the depths of depravity. It is difficult to imagine a more depraved case such as this. “There was an element of determination here and I am satisfied that had it not been undercover officers, sexual activity of the kind described would have taken place with a child.”
Chief Superintendent Mabs Hussain, District Commander of Wakefield Police, said: “Protecting young children from harm has been our key priority in Wakefield District and we have invested heavily, as has the rest of the force, in our specialist child protection teams.
“Byrne has been convicted following a thorough and detailed investigation by my officers who took the decision to arrest him at the earliest opportunity to prevent him having the opportunity to carry out his horrible and wicked intentions.
“We continue to encourage anyone who has information about sexual offending against children or anyone in Wakefield to contact us at Wakefield District Police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”
Child sexual abuse: Police file case against
popular talk show doctor
By Team Asianet Newsable
The police have registered a case against an eminent psychologist from the Thiruvananthapuram, India Medical College Hospital for allegedly sexually abusing a minor boy.
The accused has been identified as Dr K Girish, an assistant professor of psychology at the Medical College, who is known for making appearances on channel talk shows to offer psychological advice.
The case was filed after the 13-year-old's parents filed complaints to the Kerala Chief Minister, the state police chief and the city commissioner, alleging that no action has been taken, though several days have passed since they lodged a complaint with the local police station.
The incident happened when the boy and his parents visited Dr Girish's private clinic for counselling earlier this month on the directions of the boy's school teachers, who suspected he had learning disability, according to reports.
"We took our son to Girish's clinic on August 14 as directed by the school. After speaking to us for a while, he had our son alone in his room for around 20 minutes. When our son came out, he looked shaken. Later at home, he broke down and told us about the abuse. Girish kissed him several times and also touched his private parts. We immediately contacted childline, who informed the matter to the Thampanoor police the next day," says the boy's mother in the complaint filed to the commissioner.
However, the case was handed over to Fort police station a day later as the incident happened within its limits. Though they recorded the boy's father's statement, there was pressure on the family to reach a compromise, according to the complaint.
It is understood that the law forbids doctors who practice at Medical Colleges from running private clinics. However, Girish's even has a website in which he has advertised his clinic.
Dozens of police officers under investigation over child sex abuse scandal in Rotherham
A total of 35 police officers are under investigation over the child sex abuse scandal in Rotherham - three years after a damning report laid bare the scale of the issue.
Three years ago this week, Professor Alexis Jay published a report on child sexual exploitation in Rotherham, which revealed that around 1,400 children were abused between 1997 and 2013 while those in authority turned a blind eye.
Prof Jay was commissioned to write the report by Rotherham Council, with its shock findings triggering a series of resignations, including that of the council leader, chief executive and head of children's services.
South Yorkshire's Police and Crime Commissioner at the time, Shaun Wright, who had previously been Rotherham Council's cabinet member responsible for children's services, also stepped down.
The National Crime Agency was drafted in to investigate historic offences over the 16 years referred to in the Jay Report and the Independent Police Complaints Commission started investigating how South Yorkshire Police handled reported child sexual exploitation in Rotherham over the years in question.
There are currently 35 police officers still under investigation today. An IPCC spokesman said: “The IPCC’s large scale investigation into South Yorkshire Police’s handling of allegations of child sexual abuse in Rotherham is progressing well.
"The IPCC will publish an over-arching report outlining its findings once all 88 investigations have concluded. This decision has been taken because many of the themes emerging from the investigations are similar, and many of the investigations are very closely linked and often overlap."
"There are currently 35 officers under investigation."
The Jay Report found that vulnerable young girls, who were mainly white, were treated with contempt by police officers when reports of child sexual exploitation were made.
Men of largely Pakistani heritage were said to have been responsible for the abuse, which involved children being trafficked, raped, beaten and intimidated by men while those in authority failed to act.
Frontline staff raised the issue but managers downplayed their concerns. Prof Jay said there had been 'blatant' failings at Rotherham Council and South Yorkshire Police.
Since the publication of the report, there have been a number of successful prosecutions of offenders and tackling child sexual exploitation is now a South Yorkshire Police priority, with extra staff made available to tackle the issue and all officers trained in how to identify signs of children being at risk and how to safeguard them.
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