Trial Starts for Football's Barry Bennell
In the first of what will likely be many such prosecutions
LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — A former soccer coach carried out the "systematic and persistent" sexual abuse of young boys, including assaulting two youth players in the changing rooms at Crewe Alexandra, the prosecution said at the start of the trial on Tuesday.
Barry Bennell, who worked as a youth coach in northern England from the 1970s to the 1990s, is accused of 48 counts of child sexual abuse.
The 63-year-old Bennell denies the offenses of indecent assault, sodomy and attempted sodomy against 11 complainants, who were aged from eight to 14 at the time of the alleged offenses. Bennell has pleaded guilty to seven counts of indecent assault.
Prosecutor Nicholas Johnson told a jury at Liverpool Crown Court that Bennell, who has since changed his name to Richard Jones, was a "predatory and determined pedophile" who targeted prepubescent boys.
As such, he had pretty much unfettered access to large numbers of young lads who dreamt of a life in professional football," Johnson said. "Although it seems that Mr. Jones/Bennell was a skilled and relatively successful coach, he had a much darker side."
Johnson said one complainant alleged he was abused in the changing rooms at the stadium at Crewe, which now plays in the fourth professional tier of English soccer. That alleged incident after a youth team game was interrupted by a teammate who Bennell then pinned against a wall and threatened he would never play soccer again if he spoke of what he witnessed.
Bennell is also alleged to have performed oral sex on another youth player in the changing rooms at Crewe.
Many of the alleged offenses took place at the home addresses of Bennell, who met some of the complainants while working as a scout for Manchester City, the prosecution said.
Bennell's home, where he would invite boys to stay, was described by one complainant as a "paradise" for young boys with a pool table, fruit machine, big televisions and unusual pets, which the court heard included a wild cat and a monkey.
Oh, and don't forget the pervert!
Cardinal Pell accuser dies before day in court
Sydney, Australia, - The legal case against Cardinal George Pell of Australia has taken an unexpected turn, after the death of Damian Dignan, who accused Pell of committing acts of sexual abuse.
Dignan died of leukemia last week in the Australian town of Ballarat, which will likely impact a committal hearing scheduled for March 5 addressing the sexual abuse charges levelled against Pell.
In March 2016, Dignan and two former classmates from St. Alipius school in Ballarat who together accused Pell of inappropriate sexual behavior when they were minors. The cardinal had previously been accused of acts of child sexual abuse dating as far back as 1961.
Without the sworn testimony of Dignan in court, it is possible that prosecutors could drop the case altogether. However, Victorian Police did not confirm or deny the plausibility of this happening, especially because the prosecution could still use sworn statements or evidence given under oath made before Dignan’s death.
In addition, up to 50 witnesses are still expected to testify during the upcoming committal hearing.
Former Victorian magistrate Nicholas Papas did note that convicting Pell without Dignan is a “more difficult task,” according to the DailyMail UK.
Dignan’s lawyer Ingrid Irwin said that it was “ridiculous” that Dignan died “without any justice,” according to the Herald Sun.
Cardinal Pell, who was ordained a priest in Ballarat in 1966, has pled not guilty to the multiple counts of sexual abuse. He has been on a leave of absence from his duties since last summer, which was granted by Pope Francis.
“I am innocent of these charges, they are false,” Cardinal Pell told journalists on June 29, saying “the whole idea of sexual abuse is abhorrent to me.”
Pell has testified multiple times before Australia’s Royal Commission denying abuse charges and is known to have spoken out against sexual abuses in the past.
“It is important to recall that Card. Pell has openly and repeatedly condemned as immoral and intolerable the acts of abuse committed against minors,” stated Holy See spokesman Greg Burke last summer.
However, Burke also underscored the importance of respecting the proceedings of the Australian justice system, which will ultimately “decide the merits of the questions raised.”
Chief Rabbi condemns sex offender’s
‘disturbing’ Torah scroll
Jenni Frazer
The Chief Rabbi has condemned as “extremely disturbing” the tactics of a child sex abuser who paid for and completed a Sefer Torah scroll before donating it to the Chabad community in Golders Green.
Menachem ‘Mendy’ Levy was criticised by Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis for trying to “seek public acclaim” by donating the scroll, which was subsequently rejected.
Last week there were celebrations in Golders Green after the completion of the Sefer Torah. According to a press release published — and then removed — from the crownheights.info website, “well over 1,000 men, women and children” joined in with “joyous dancing and celebration which was heard several streets away.
The new Torah made its way slowly to the local Lubavitch shul, Hechal Menachem, where it was greeted by the other existing Torah scrolls.”
A Sefer Torah is a hand-written Torah scroll. It requires extraordinary precision to make.
After the ceremony, there was celebration at Levy’s home, where, again according to the press release, “Rabbi Yossi Simon presented Levy with a thank you from Chabad of Golders Green.”
Levy was jailed for three years in 2013 for two counts of sexual assault against Yehudis Goldsobel, who waived her right to anonymity to encourage others to speak out against abuse.
On her Facebook page this week, she wrote: “A Sefer Torah dedication is a lovely thing, but how can a community of people ignore the fact that the person donating it is a convicted sex offender? Does this not somehow tarnish this mitzvah? I would think so.”
She said she had not known about the dedication until she was approached by a reporter, and that she continued to be shunned by members of the Chabad community in which she had grown up.
A spokesman for the Chief Rabbi told Jewish News: “The very idea that a man convicted of sexual abuse should seek public acclaim in this way is extremely disturbing.
“The Chief Rabbi has met Yehudis Goldsobel on a number of occasions. and knows her to be a brave and tireless campaigner against the scourge of abuse. It is impossible for us to appreciate the kind of pain that this episode must have caused her.
“What is essential is that a clear message goes out to all concerned that these kind of antics will never find support within our community. It’s also fair to say that everyone we have spoken to on this matter is in agreement with this position.”
On Sunday, Rabbi Simon issued a statement saying “an individual” — Levy — had “chosen to turn the completion of the sefer Torah into a public event, organising all the details, down to the production of the flyers and post-event publicity”.
Rabbi Simon said Levy had offered Golders Green Chabad the scroll, on loan, when Chabad moved into premises in the area. But in light of the nature of the celebration, it had decided against housing it, he said.
“We have also asked news outlets that publicised the donor’s article to remove it from their sites. We can only imagine the further anguish this matter has caused the victim, and our hearts go out to her and her family.”
Board of Deputies Vice President Marie van der Zyl said Chabad were correct to not accept the scroll, saying: “Sexual offences are extremely serious and, while we should give people the opportunity to express remorse and change their behaviour, care should be taken not to honour people who have committed these sorts of terrible crimes. I am therefore reassured to note that Chabad has decided not to accept the scroll. No one in the Jewish community must ever give the impression that sexual abuse perpetrators are to be accepted until it is clear they have genuinely repented.”
A spokesperson for the Jewish Leadership Council said: “We can only imagine the further pain that this event has caused Ms Goldsobel and her family and were encouraged to read of the strong action Rabbi Simon has taken. We continue to encourage our member organisations to have robust policies in place regarding safeguarding and work to ensure that victims of abuse are protected and respected.”
It is very good to see the leadership take such a strong stance. Now it needs to trickle-down to the community in general so victims are no longer shunned for speaking out against their abusers.
Golders Green, London
Catholic ex-priest refuses to speak at
sexual abuse trial in Germany
It's the second court session in which the 53-year-old declined to speak. He faces sexual abuse and other charges. He was expelled from the priesthood in 2008 but continued to pose as a cleric.
A 53-year-old former priest is currently on trial in a district court in the Bavarian city of Deggendorf. Thomas Maria B., who was born in Wuppertal, is accused of having sexually abused five German boys under the age of 14 a total of 110 times between 1997 and 2016. The man is also accused of the attempted rape of an 18-year-old in Austria. The attorney defending the former Catholic priest has said that the man "feels incapable" of testifying before the court. He also refused to address the court in December.
Mentally disturbed defendant
Public prosecutors in Deggendorf have said that the defendant is mentally disturbed and thus cannot be held entirely responsible for his actions. Nevertheless, they see a threat that he could repeat such offenses again in the future. They are therefore calling for the man to be permanently committed to a psychiatric institution.
He was previously imprisoned between 2003 and 2009 for the rape and abuse of two young girls.
Entered priesthood with fraudulent documents
After completing studies in theology, the man was ordained a priest in Poland in 1994. State prosecutors accuse the man of having used fake documents to fraudulently gain access to the priesthood. A church court in the German archdiocese of Freiburg removed the man from the priesthood in 2008, which officially forbade him from carrying out priestly work. That decision was upheld by another church court in Munich in 2012.
Won trust with fake ID
The man is accused of continuing, illegally, to present himself as a priest after his expulsion, dressing as such and using a fake identity card. He continued to hold religious services and collections; prosecutors alleged he illegally earned at least €100,000 ($120,000).
It is reported that Thomas Maria B. won the trust of especially devout families, allowing him to abuse their children on pilgrimages as well as in their homes, as he also sometimes lived with the families. Moreover, he allegedly misused the seal of confession with the children to keep them from telling their parents about the abuse.
Although the man is not expected to testify as the trial moves forward, witnesses were scheduled to begin testifying on Tuesday.
President invites people to build character,
eradicate child sexual abuse
Jakarta, Indonesia (ANTARA News) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has called on the people to jointly eradicate sexual harassment and violence against children by building the nation`s character.
"The character building in human resources, community, and the nation becomes a very important effort to avoid the crime," Jokowi stated in a press release of the Deputy of Protocol, Press and Media of Presidential Secretariat, Bey Machmudin, received here on Tuesday.
The president delivered the statement after inaugurating the Saina Reservoir in Rote Ndao District of East Nusa Tenggara Province.
Jokowi stated that the sexual violence against children often happens as a negative impact of irresponsible digital technology uses.
"The technology, unwittingly, has intervened in the people`s characters indirectly," he told the media in East Nusa Tenggara.
The president remarked that he had entrusted the law to judge and impose sanction on the perpetrators.
"We will punish the perpetrators according to the applicable law. There is also an option to create a deterrent effect on perpetrators. We have entrusted the law court to judge the incident," Jokowi revealed.hy
Previously, several cases of sexual violence to children had occurred in Tangerang of Banten Province, which was carried out by a teacher on 41 children.
Besides, police also investigated an adult video showing sexual coercion on children in Bandung City of West Java Province.
The Social Ministry noted that the total cases of sexual harassment and violence against children had increased in 2017.
Compared to 2016, the total cases increased from 1,956 to 2,117 in 2017.
And you can be certain that those numbers represent and extremely small percentage of the actual child sex abuse that occurs in Indonesia.
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