Sumo's chief referee to resign over sexual harassment of teenage official
Not exactly a #MeToo story, but shows child sex abuse is everywhere
© Toru Hanai / Reuters
Top-ranked sumo referee Shikimori Inosuke has been suspended by the Japan Sumo Association (JSA) and is expected to resign for sexually harassing a junior referee during a regional tour in December.
The incident occurred in Okinawa, Japan when Inosuke, who was reportedly drunk, repeatedly kissed the teenage referee and touched his chest. The victim has declined to file charges.
The JSA suspended the referee for three tournaments is expected to accept a formal resignation from him in May, after his ban has been lifted. Inosuke, who has previously been involved in drunken incidents, apologized to the association for his behavior, but insisted he couldn’t remember the harassment.
“At this time, following in succession after the assault issue, we had this incident of Inosuke’s inappropriate acts. I’m sorry for this,” JSA Chairman Hakkaku said at a news conference on Saturday, The Japan Times reported.
“My hope is that the wrestlers summon every ounce of strength they possess and put on a fine display of sumo. We need to put on a good show for the fans,” he added.
Drunken brawls, Royalty bows out
In the wake of the recent scandal, Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko have opted not to attend the current New Year Grand Sumo Tournament for the first time in four years.
The latest news comes just two months after the resignation of sumo grand champion Harumafuji, who brutally assaulted a younger wrestler, thereby tarnishing the highly ceremonial sport of sumo.
The 33-year-old Mongolian ‘yokozuna,’ the highest rank in sumo, hit Mongolian wrestler Takanoiwa during a drinking session at a bar in October, during a regional tour in Tottori, Japan.
Harumafuji was reportedly infuriated at Takanoiwa for fiddling with his mobile phone while senior wrestlers were talking. Harumafuji told him to pay greater respect to another yokozuna, Hakuho, who was speaking at the time, but the younger wrestler said he had received an e-mail from his girlfriend.
A verbal altercation between the two wrestlers escalated into a physical brawl in which Takanoiwa was immediately hospitalized after suffering concussion and a fractured skull. One month after the incident, Harumafuji announced his retirement, while admitting responsibility for injuring Takanoiwa.
In December, the former grand champion faced a summary indictment over assault charges, a court procedure which seeks payment of fines rather than a trial. The prosecutors decided in favor of a softer punishment, taking into account the fact that the wrestler had stepped down over the incident.
Okinawa, Japan
Child forced to carry out sex act on mum and pose for 'naked selfie' with her
File photo
A 10-year-old boy was forced to carry out a sex act on his mum and pose for a "naked selfie" with her, a court has heard.
The child was subjected to horrific sexual assaults and abuse from his mum and her partner, which was branded "despicable" by a judge.
Swansea Crown Court heard sex acts performed on the victim were filmed while a man repeatedly asked him if he was watching him have sex with his mum as the boy lay on a blow-up mattress under their bed.
The court also heard the youngster was forced to use a sex toy on his parent and pose for a “naked selfie” with her.
The couple, who come from the Swansea Bay, but cannot be named to protect the identity of the child, previously pleaded guilty to a string of sex offences, Wales Online reports.
The mum had pleaded guilty to sexual assaults, to taking an indecent photograph of a child, inciting a child to commit a sexual act, and causing a child to watch a sexual act.
While her partner admitted sexual assaults, and to inciting a child to perform a sexual act.
Both also pleaded guilty to a joint charge of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child.
Swansea Crown Court
Dean Pulling, prosecuting, said the abuse came to light “somewhat fortuitously” when a former partner of the man went to police to report concerns about his attitude to sex.
She said the man had wanted her to dress as a young girl and call him “daddy” when they had sex, and had an interest in incestuous online material.
The woman also found explicit videos on her computer which had been uploaded from his phone and which showed him talking about wanting sex with a child which the barrister characterised as “at best obscene, and in some cases described as disturbing and perverted”.
It emerged the man had been having an affair behind his former partner’s back with the mum of the boy he was abusing.
The court heard the woman downloaded the files she found onto a memory stick and handed it to the police.
Later that same day officers went to the house where the man was living with his new partner and co-defendant, and her son.
Mr Pulling said the young victim, who was 10 at the time, was initially reluctant to talk about what had happened to him in the proceeding weeks.
The boy is now frightened to be left alone, his dad said, but in the days that followed gradually began to open-up.
He said his mother had taken a “naked selfie” of them one morning before he went to school calling it their “little secret”, and he had been encouraged to use a sex toy on her. He also said she had performed a sex act on him while videoing it on a mobile phone.
The boy said that one night he had gone into his mother’s room because he was having a nightmare. While he lay on a blow-up mattress under the bed, the couple had sex above him. During the sex his mum’s partner repeatedly asked if he was watching them, and if he wanted a brother or sister.
The court heard the boy didn’t say anything about what was going on because he didn’t want to upset his mum, who he said loved her new partner.
The court heard a statement from the boy’s biological father in which he said the experiences had had a “catastrophic effect” on his son.
The dad said his son was now quiet and withdrawn, and was frightened of being left alone in case his abusers “came for him again”.
The statement concluded: “When he asks why they did it, I have no answer.”
Robin Rouch, for the boy’s mum, said she came from a good family, and there was no suggestion anything like the current offending had happened before she began a relationship with the co-defendant. He said she had made full admissions to police in order to spare her son from having to give evidence.
Ian Wright, for the woman’s partner, said his client had been an industrious man in the construction sector, and though he had previous convictions there was nothing of a like nature on his record. The barrister said that in entering guilty pleas, the defendant had accepted his wrong-doing and his need for help to address the issues he had.
Judge Peter Heywood said he wanted time to consider sentencing in the case, and whether the defendants should be considered “dangerous offenders”. He said: “They have both behaved in despicable manner, and will have to accept the consequences.”
Matters were adjourned until January 18, and the defendants were again remanded into custody. They were both warned they face lengthy prison sentences.
Case Against French Troops Accused of Child Sex Abuse in CAR Dismissed
© AFP 2018/ STRINGER
AFRICA
The French investigating magistrates have closed a case brought against a group of French soldiers accused of raping children in the Central African Republic (CAR) while on a peacekeeping mission, local media reported on Monday.
Last year, the Paris prosecution office called for the case to be dismissed over lack of convincing evidence. On Monday, the investigation stated that it could not confirm the fact of the sexual abuses, the BFMTV channel reported.
In March 2016, the AIDS-Free World organization reported more than a hundred new cases of sexual abuse, allegedly committed by foreign soldiers in CAR from 2013 to 2015. The majority of victims were said to be minors.
French troops were deployed in CAR as part of the Sangaris operation following the outbreak of the civil war in 2013. France withdrew the main bulk of the forces in October 2016, leaving only a rump force in support of the UN peacekeeping mission.
This is a disgusting result, but all too predictable. UN Peace Keeping forces are notorious around the world for sexually abusing children and almost never face the consequences in this lifetime. France, and the UN, should be ashamed and embarrassed for this result which is in itself abuse of people who have been abused by people who are supposed to stop the abuse by others.
Married dad used teen as ‘sex object’ - Western Australia
Shannon Hampton | PerthNow
TAKING in a mother and her teenage daughter who had nowhere else to go seemed like a selfless act of generosity.
But the real intentions of the 35-year-old WA man, who had a secret infatuation with the girl — aged just 14 and 15 — were far more sinister.
When they moved in, he groomed the victim — his daughter’s best friend — offering her gifts, drugs and affection until she believed it was appropriate to have a sexual relationship with him.
The married father, who cannot be named, was on Friday jailed for seven years over the repeated abuse. District Court Judge Ronald Birmingham described it as a damaging breach of trust.
His crimes spanned eight months between August 2014 and December 2015, with the abuse escalating from indecent touching and exchanging explicit images over social media to penetrative sex.
Judge Birmingham said the man, who was convicted of several child sex offences after a trial in September, viewed his victim as a “sex object” and exposed her to “numerous sexual ideas and concepts”. That included sending her photographs of sex toys and inviting her to have a threesome with a transsexual person.
He said the girl had instigated some of the sexual interactions, but found she had been manipulated by a man she saw as a father figure whom she believed she loved. “You abused her relationship and growing affection for you with conduct that was clearly wholly inappropriate in any circumstance,” he said.
Judge Birmingham said the girl now had panic attacks and waves of depression, with her mother feeling as though she had failed as a parent.
“You made them feel part of your family and it was just part of manipulating (the victim),” he said. “You persuaded her that you loved her. You gave her alcohol, cannabis and treated her as an adult.
“All of those things assisted in her confidence in her own maturity, to the point where she believed that there was an appropriateness to having a sexual relationship ... with you, being many years her senior.”
In a victim impact statement, the girl said her trust in adults had been tarnished.
“He stole my innocence and saw I was a vulnerable target,” she said. “I was a naive girl who, even though I consented to the sexual abuse, I was not old enough to do so and he knew that.”
The man will serve five years before he is eligible for parole.
Trial begins for former Young Canadians worker accused of sexually abusing children
By: Bill Graveland The Canadian Press
CALGARY — The trial of a former longtime employee of a performance group that entertains each year at the Calgary Stampede has heard that the accused would ask students to send him naked photos and was hoping for more "naked time" with them.
Philip Heerema, 55, pleaded not guilty to 20 charges Monday at the beginning of a trial on counts that include sexual assault, luring and child pornography.
Police began investigating in January 2014 after they received a complaint from a student and his parents of an inappropriate relationship with a "person of authority" in The Young Canadians troupe.
"The charges in this case are serious," said Crown prosecutor Martha O'Connor in her opening remarks. "The Crown alleges that the accused, Philip Heerema, used his position as the business administrator of The Young Canadians School of Performing Arts ... to commit sexual offences against the young people who were all at one time students at the performing arts school."
After the initial complaint was made, another seven males came forward, who were all between 15 and 18 years old at the time of the alleged offences, O'Connor said. Some 17 months later, in June 2015, police laid charges against Heerema.
Calgary police Det. Paul Ralstin conducted a lengthy interview with Heerema in which the officer questioned a number of social media exchanges between the accused and some of his alleged victims. In one, which Ralstin read, Heerema complimented the recipient on "working on your body" and "just looking great." Another one referred to photos as "our special secret."
"I consider you a friend, even perhaps a little brother," it read. "And now you have someone to share your art, playful, creativity photos with. On tour you can just come visit my room and pose in person."
"We're seeing classic pedophile behaviour. It's grooming. It's complimentary. It builds on their ego but then also keeps you in control," said Ralstin. "And you knew it was wrong. There were little messages: Don't share this. Just delete these messages."
Ralstin said the messages were from what he called "Friendship Phil" and then "Creepy Phil."
"I'll be happy to push you in your limits. I'll also pretend I'm going to bed with you and you can be completely open with me. You can sing into my eyes next. Come sleep over and soak in the hot tub. I need to take care of you," read another message.
"Ah. Next naked time. Naked time, reflex, breathing — all soon. Wish we could have done something more."
At one point in the interview, Heerema, who indicated he was told not to say anything without talking to his lawyer, said: "It's painful." He said he would have been considered to be a person in authority at The Young Canadians and added he had "never threatened any of them."
The alleged assaults occurred between 1992 and 2013. Police seized a number of computers, an iPhone and other electronic devices from Heerema's office at the Calgary Stampede and from his home.
O'Connor said Heerema resigned from the Calgary Stampede when the charges came to light in February 2014.
The Young Canadians school works with 120 students between 11 and 18 from the Calgary area. It offers them a chance to train in dance, voice and performance in a professional environment throughout the year.
Training culminates in a performance for an international audience of more than 150,000 at the Calgary Stampede's grandstand show every July.
Heerema had been listed on the school's website as business administrator and production services co-ordinator when he resigned. A cached profile from the troupe's website says he worked in many areas, including costuming, props, sets and lighting.
Victims watch as sex abuse ‘monster’ from Portsmouth is jailed for 23 years
BEN FISHWICK
Two brave victims who watched in court as a ‘disgraceful’ sexual predator was jailed for 23 years have said: ‘He’s a monster.’
Predatory Frederick Tubbs was expressionless as a judge jailed him over a video-link for 18 charges of sex abuse against a young girl and boy.
Portsmouth Crown Court heard how Tubbs, 40, plied his male victim with drink and drugs before carrying out the abuse, while ‘grooming’ the other victim.
When he abused the girl from the age of seven he warned her he would go on to rape her. ‘It was grooming, it was highly abusive, and it was completely disgraceful,’ judge David Melville QC said.
Speaking to The News after Tubbs, formerly of North End, was jailed, one victim said: ‘He’s a monster. ‘What he’s done is despicable and he’s ruined many people’s lives.’
Tubbs’ other victim said: ‘He’s not even a person.’ Both victims have been praised by police for their ‘remarkable bravery’.
In one incident that illustrated the youth of the girl, prosecutor David Richards said Tubbs was interrupted while abusing the girl. ‘Tubbs was interrupted,’ he said. ‘He asked her what she wanted to do. She said she wanted to play a computer game called Dora.’
Tubbs, whose eventual release will be decided by the Parole Board, had also raped the girl by when he ‘grabbed her head’ – with her running off after the attack. He also forced her to watch pornography, the court heard.
Police, who arrested Tubbs after his victim came forward, found scores of abuse images on his phone. Officers found he had five category A images – the worst rating – eight category B and 125 category C. When his computer was searched at a later date they found 14 category A films with 109 still images, two category B movies and 115 stills, two category C films and 216 still images, along with 190 prohibited images of children.
Jailing Tubbs, the judge added: ‘This is a very serious matter. ‘There’s a considerable number of offences in this case and you are an offender of public concern.’ The judge stopped short of ruling Tubbs was categorised as ‘dangerous’.
Tubbs was convicted at a trial of raping the girl, four charges of sexual assault against the girl, sexual activity with the boy, inciting the girl to engage in sexual activity and three charges of having indecent images of children.
He admitted three sex assault charges, inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, three charges of having indecent images of children and a charge of having prohibited images of children.
Mark Kessler, mitigating, said: ‘He sincerely regrets and apologises for what he had done and asks me to express that.’
In a statement after the hearing, investigating officer Det Con Jacqueline Doran said: ‘The victims in this case have had to endure a long and difficult process through the investigation and I am pleased that the custodial sentence given in this case will help them to start the process of moving on with their lives following his crimes. ‘Each showed remarkable bravery and courage and I hope this result gives any victim who has suffered abuse of this nature to come forward and talk to us. You can call us on 101, always dial 999 if a crime is in progress.’
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