Man who fathered 8 children with daughter
gets 12 years in prison
By Allen Cone
UPI -- An Argentine man who fathered eight children by raping his daughter has received a prison sentence of 12 years and 8 months in the sex-slave case.
In the northern city of Santiago del Estero, three judges sentenced Domingo Bulacio, 56, in the case spanning 22 years until his arrest (5th story on link) in January 2016. He was known as "the monster of Villa Balnearia,"
Her daughter testified she became his sex slave at 11 years old after her mother left their home.
"At 6 years old, my dad told me 'you're going to be my wife' and at 16 I had the first child," she testified.
The victim known locally as Antonia said she was forced to "take the role of her mother" after two other siblings were sent away to live with other family members.
"From the moment my mum left home I became my father's wife," she said in a report by the International Business Times. "He would hit me and used to chase me round the house with a lump of wood when he saw me chatting to a neighbor or simply wanted to abuse me."
"He threatened me constantly and I always feared for my life. He told me he would kill me if I said anything."
DNA tests confirmed that Bulacio was the father of eight children his daughter gave birth to.
Despite being the victim, she said she's received death threats from family members.
"I am very afraid for my life and that of my children, because today I receive threats from my father's brothers," she said to Nuevo Diario in 2016.
Bulacio fled after the case was reported to police. Forty-five days later he was detained.
"I was not the only one, there are relatives of his who do the same to their sisters and daughters," the victim, now aged 30, told El Liberal newspaper after the trial.
In 2009, Josef Fritzl who was convicted at age 82 of imprisoning and raping his daughter in a Austrian cellar over a 24-year period. Elisabeth gave birth to seven of his children.
Fury as UK judges deny thousands of child
abuse victims compensation
Many of the abused will be unable to sue councils for negligence, even if records show social workers KNEW about their ordeals and failed to act
By Geraldine McKelvie
Rotherham abuse victim Sammy Woodhouse, who was groomed by a sex gang when she was 14 (Image: Andy Stenning/Daily Mirror)
Thousands of child abuse victims may be denied compensation after a court ruling stops claims against local councils.
Many of the abused will be unable to sue councils for negligence, even if records show social workers KNEW about their ordeals and failed to act.
The staggering judgment means local authorities have NO duty of care towards many of Britain’s most vulnerable kids – some of whom are raped and beaten in their own homes or groomed by sex abuse gangs.
Those at risk are children who were known to be suffering but were never put into the full-time care of the State.
Lord Justice Davis ruled in the case with two other colleagues (Image: Photoshot)
Lord Justice Irwin was also part of the judgment in the Court of Appeal (Image: Photoshot)
Lady Justice King was part of the trio of judges who delivered the judgment last week (Image: Photoshot)
And the decision could affect people who have already started legal proceedings against their local councils, such as survivors of the notorious grooming scandal in Rotherham, South Yorks.
Rotherham abuse victim Sammy Woodhouse, who was groomed by a sex gang when she was 14, said: “This shocking judgment gives professionals a free pass to neglect abused children.
“How are survivors like me supposed to rebuild their lives if we can’t hold the council to account?”
Another Rotherham victim said: “It seems to me like politicians and the legal system are more intent in protecting professionals than they are vulnerable children.”
Top child abuse lawyer Dino Nocivelli tonight called the decision “simply not fair”.
The judgment, delivered last week in the Court of Appeal by Lord Justice Davis, Lord Justice Irwin and Lady Justice King, mainly applies to children who are not subject to care orders from their local authority but who were known to be abused.
Lawyers plan to appeal but there are fears their bid will fail as Brexit means victims in the UK will no longer be protected by EU human rights laws.
Sources say cash-strapped authorities have heaved a sigh of relief at the move which will save them million in payouts – especially as the upcoming inquiry into UK-wide child sex abuse is expected to unearth hundreds more cases.
Rotherham survivor Sammy, 32, is in the process of suing the council after accessing records which show social workers were fully aware she was being abused as a teenager but did nothing.
Rotherham council chiefs were set to face a compensation bill running into millions after 75 women instructed lawyers to bring claims on their behalf.
It followed a 2014 inquiry which proved authorities turned a blind eye to the plight of 1,400 girls abused by grooming gangs, mainly from the town’s Pakistani heritage community.
Sammy has been advised by lawyers that her case, along with scores of other victims in the town, has been severely damaged by the controversial ruling.
Lawyer Dino, of Bolt Burdon Kemp, who has represented many victims in their cases against councils across the UK, said: “This judgment has a potentially devastating impact on survivors who have already been let down by social services."
“As has been seen in Rotherham and elsewhere, we cannot always rely upon local authorities to safeguard children and it is only right that they should be held to account where they have failed in their duty of care to protect the interests of vulnerable children.
“It is simply not fair for survivors to be punished for the failings of social services and to also allow local authorities to avoid compensating survivors for their failure to remove children from harm.”
An appeal to the UK Supreme Court is expected to take more than two years.
If the appeal fails, lawyers will be powerless to take the case to the European Court of Human Rights as the Government intends that the EU Human Rights Charter will have no effect in UK law once we leave the EU in 2019.
The ruling came after an unnamed mum took legal action against Poole Borough Council in Dorset for failing to protect her disabled son from the antisocial behaviour of neighbours.
The judgment said: “No duty of care can be owed by a local social services authority in the exercise of its child protection functions to investigate and take action to prevent significant harm to children, whatever its source.”
The move means social workers effectively will not be held responsible for some of the most shocking abuse cases if victims were not taken into care or made wards of court.
Councils were previously forced to pay out if lawyers could prove staff failed to act on information which could have helped protect a child from abuse.
Abuse perv Arshid Hussain (Image: PA)
Sammy was 14 when she was groomed by violent criminal Arshid Hussain.
Just months later, she fell pregnant to him and was missing for days on end as he lured her into his twisted world and forced her to commit crimes.
Social workers knew of her plight and her devastated parents eventually agreed she should be taken into care. But even while Sammy was with foster parents, Hussain was allowed access to the vulnerable teen and continued to rape and beat her.
Sammy’s records also pointed to a prominent politician in the town helping her abuser dodge justice.
Yet she will face an uphill battle to prove the council had a duty of care towards her throughout her hell because a care order was not in place for the entire period.
Good grief! That is just criminal!
Hussain was eventually jailed for 35 years in 2016 after Sammy told police about her ordeal and accessed social services records which revealed that the authorities were fully aware of her torment but did not act.
Sammy said: “I cannot understand why this ruling has come into effect. It’s astonishing and will have a devastating impact on child protection."
“The failure of the authorities to acknowledge my abuse is detailed in black and white. They knew exactly what was happening but they did not protect me.”
Another Rotherham victim, who targeted by paedophiles at 12, said: “Many abused children miss out on school or need therapy as adults to cope with what they have experienced. They use compensation money to access counselling or to get qualifications."
“It seems to me like politicians and the legal system are more intent on protecting professionals than vulnerable children."
“Now it looks like the professionals will get off scot-free.”
The ruling will also have a devastating impact on those who were abused in their family home as children.
Earlier this year, Danni Smith, now 27, sued Brighton Council for a five-figure sum.
Social workers knew he was starved, raped and beaten by his stepdad but did not remove him for nine years. Under the current rules, he would not be entitled to compensation.
The law is letting negligent councils and social workers off the hook. And, worst of all, they are demonstrating a shocking lack of compassion.
These victims are not chasing money or filing false claims. They are asking for compensation for their shattered lives. And that’s the least the people who failed to protect them can offer. These young people have been through enough.
This is just disgraceful and completely inexplicable in a modern society. I am so utterly disgusted!
Rotherham, UK
BBC sees surge in calls to helpline after year
of traumatic storylines
GULF TIMES
An image from Three Girls, the BBC drama based on the Rochdale abuse scandal
By Graham Ruddick/Guardian News & Media
More than 127,000 people contacted the BBC to enquire about support for sexual abuse victims this year after the broadcast of related storylines in high-profile dramas such as Three Girls and Apple Tree Yard.
Viewers were encouraged to get in contact with the BBC’s Action Line service if they needed support or information regarding issues in their own lives.
Three Girls was based on the true story of a child sex abuse ring in Rochdale, while Apple Tree Yard featured a graphic rape scene.
As well as support with sexual abuse, the BBC was contacted about LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) domestic abuse, post-traumatic stress disorder, and female genital mutilation.
Its helplines were contacted after regular shows such as Holby City, EastEnders and The Archers as well as one-off dramas such as Three Girls.
The total number of calls and online visits to Action Line this year was 54% higher compared with 2016, rising from 280,000 to 431,000.
Piers Wenger, the controller of BBC Drama, said the BBC’s role as a public service broadcaster meant it was “uniquely placed to help audiences deal with these difficult issues”.
He said: “The BBC’s produced some outstanding drama over the past year which has really connected with audiences. It’s important that we tackle difficult subject matters and I’m pleased that through the Action Line we’ve been able to give so many people vital information, help and support.”
The BBC promotes its support services at the end of programmes that address issues that could affect the lives of viewers. The broadcaster has promoted Action Line on-air 456 times in the last 12 months.
The BBC launched its helplines in 1995, as developments in the call centre industry made such a service viable. Since then, millions of viewers and listeners have contacted Action Line.
The phone service directs callers to charities and organisations than can help rather than offering people support itself, while the website provides contact details for a range of charities and organisations relevant to specific issues.
In 2016, thousands of people contacted Action Line about domestic abuse after a storyline in The Archers involved Helen Titchener being abused by her husband, Rob.
A donation page inspired by the storyline to raise money for a rescue fund for women affected by domestic abuse raised more than £135,000.
British police: 20,000 men interested in
sexually abusing children
Officer Simon Bailey warned that a growing threat to children came from live streaming and said the police wanted a fresh crackdown from tech companies on the use of platforms including Periscope, which is owned by Twitter, and Facebook Live.
By: IANS | London
The British police chief in charge of child protection says an estimated 20,000 men have shown an interest in sexually abusing children, the media reported. Officer Simon Bailey, the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead on child protection, on Friday said investigators monitoring a single online chatroom in 2017 identified 4,000 men using it from the UK alone, the Guardian reported. Bailey estimated the number of men interested in sexually abusing children at more than 20,000.
He added that limited resources meant not all perpetrators could be tackled, with the police forced to focus on the most dangerous offenders. “We are having to prioritise the threat… Some lower-level offenders cannot be arrested and taken to court. There is just not the capacity.” Bailey warned that a growing threat to children came from live streaming and said the police wanted a fresh crackdown from tech companies on the use of platforms including Periscope, which is owned by Twitter, and Facebook Live.
His warning follows reports that abusive behaviour is on the rise. Earlier this month, the NSPCC child protection charity said there had been a 31 per cent increase in the number of reported cases of child sexual abuse in the UK in the previous year.
In the first 11 months of 2017, the National Crime Agency received 72,000 referrals about online child sexual abuse imagery, up from 6,000 in 2010, the Guardian reported. The police chief said the children being targeted were not just those from homes where the parents or the adults in charge were neglectful.
“The victims have included children of very capable and very caring parents. It does not recognise social status. The victims include children of middle-class, educated parents who think they are internet-savvy,” he said. On the emerging issue of live streaming, Bailey urged tech companies to do more.
“Software providers have a critical role in policing the environment they create… They have a social and moral responsibility to make their platforms safe for children to use.”
Former N.L. priest John Corrigan convicted in sexual abuse scandal dead at 86
The Telegram
John Corrigan, a Roman Catholic priest once convicted in connection with the sexual abuse scandal that took place in the late 1980s died Thursday. He was 86.
In December 1988, Corrigan pleaded guilty to five charges of gross indecency and two charges of sexual assault on young boys who ranged in ages from 10 to 13. He received a five-year prison sentence.
Eight other charges originally filed against Corrigan were dropped.
Most of the offences occurred during the nine years Corrigan was a parish priest in Pouch Cove. Others offences were said to have happened while he served at St. John Bosco Roman Catholic Church in Shea Heights.
According to reports at the time of the court case, victims testified that Corrigan would invite them over for cookies and beer and often showed them homosexual videos and magazines. That led to oral and anal sex two or three times a week for the next two years.
In sentencing Corrigan, Judge Gordon Seabright said, “In his own life, the defendant began to drink heavily and the evidence shows that he was drinking at least a 40-ounce bottle of liquor daily … The evidence presented by the defence on the sentencing hearing is to the effect that Father Corrigan is a homosexual and had a real problem with liquor."
“He held a position of trust in that parents trusted him and the children would certainly not have been questioned (if) they were leaving their own homes to go to the priest’s house. In the case of the boys, they were provided with a hang out, free food and the comforts of this hangout, which was free from question. The only requirement in addition to their sexual favours was their silence.”
Seabright went on to say, “Gross indecency and sexual assault are probably the worst crimes against children that can be committed. They take the innocent and cause damage that … may never be fully discovered …. When we add that these crimes were committed by a person in authority, then the defendant offends not only against the child but against society as a whole.”
Those were all good words, but then he sentenced him to just 5 years. That may have been all that was allowed at the time, but I doubt it.
Corrigan also served at St. Michael’s, Bell Island (1967-1969); Holy Trinity in Ferryland with missions at Aquaforte and Calvert (1971-1973) and Ferryland-Cape Broyle (1974-1976).
Corrigan’s guilty plea came only two months after another Roman Catholic priest, Father James Hickey, also of St. John’s, was sentenced to five years in prison for sexually assaulting altar boys over 18 years. Hickey pleaded guilty to 20 offences and was sent to Dorchester penitentiary in New Brunswick to serve his sentence. He passed away in 1992.
5 years for 18 years of destroying God only knows how many boys. How pathetic!
Corrigan’s and Hickey’s convictions resulted in an investigation into sexual abuse at Mount Cashel Boys’ Orphanage to be reopened in February 1989.
A month later, former Mount Cashel resident Shane Earle went public with his story, triggering huge public reaction.
The provincial government took action, establishing a royal commission of inquiry, chaired by retired Ontario Supreme court Judge Samuel Hughes, to investigate how the justice system had handled complaints at Mount Cashel. The 156-day hearing saw more than 200 witnesses testify.
According to reports, Hughes concluded that that neither the RNC nor the justice department handled the 1975 and 1976 Mount Cashel files normally. It was found that government had acted improperly by giving Mount Cashel privileged status as a foster home.
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. John's also commissioned an inquiry in 1989 into the sexual abuse of boys by members of the clergy and Christian Brothers.
It was chaired by Lt-Gov. Gordon Winter, an Anglican. The commission strongly criticized the Archdiocesan administration for its handling of child abuse allegations, writing that it adopted a "minimal response policy,” which often amounted to no more than sending the offenders out of the province.
"Church officials aligned themselves with the accused;" the commission wrote. "Their response to victims was thus inappropriate and un-Christian and this compounded the victims' initial sense of betrayal by the Church.”
Archbishop Alphonsus Penney resigned as a result of the commission's findings. He passed away earlier this month at age 93.
As a result of the sex scandals over the decades, the A Roman Catholic diocese in Newfoundland has dished out millions of dollars in settlements and recently filed for bankruptcy protection. Many of the claims are still being before the courts.
No comments:
Post a Comment