1400 child sexual abuse survivors come forward to talk to NZ Royal Commission
Human trafficker, on the run for 17 years after prison break, found in Chinese cave by police drone
Tom Hunt, Stuff
Abuse survivor Toni Jarvis, now living in Alexandra, Central Otago, is critical of the Royal Commission of Inquiry. ROBYN EDIE
The Royal Commission into abuse in care is ramping up as it dives into New Zealand's darkest corners.
The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry has so-far had 1400 survivors of abuse in care come forward and suspects they are only the tip of the iceberg.
But the inquiry has been hit by multiple allegations, including that a child-sex offender attended meetings of abuse survivors and a call for commissioners to resign.
The inquiry was established in February, 2018, and had its initial meetings the following February.
A statement from the commission said it had already held more than 150 private sessions with survivors and expected to have done 200 by the end of October.
Judge Coral Shaw is one of the commissioners into the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care. TOM LEE/STUFF
Also in October the first formal public hearings, involving institutions, lawyers, academics, survivors and their networks will begin and last about two weeks.
"We have approximately 80 people working for the Royal Commission, both fixed term and contractors," a spokeswoman said.
"This number will increase in short term and change a lot over the course of the Inquiry because, as the nature of inquiries go, it's typically a bell curve in terms of resourcing."
They were now nearing the top of that bell curve, she said.
The Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care is increasing staff numbers.
LYNN GRIEVESON/NEWSROOM.CO.NZ
It would deliver an interim report to the Government by the end of 2020 and a full report by 2023.
Survivor Toni Jarvis has called for the resignations of two commissioners, who he claimed lied about a child sexual abuser attending meetings.
Jarvis, from Alexandra in Central Otago, was one of 20 appointed to a Survivor Advisory Group (SAG) for The Royal Commission but the joy of his voice finally being heard has now turned to bitterness.
Just weeks ago, Jarvis said he found out via media reports that the support person for one of the SAG members, who had attended at least one meeting of survivors in Wellington in August, was a convicted child-sex offender.
The Royal Commission in September said it took prompt action when it became aware of the convictions, to ensure the man had no further engagement with SAG. It said the man had not taken part in any meetings though was there for "informal gatherings and introductions".
Sir Anand Satyanand stepped down from the Royal Commission. DOMINICO ZAPATA/STUFF
But Jarvis said the man was present at a meeting of survivors in Wellington's Brentwood Hotel in August. He only left after multiple victims asked him to. At the time they were unaware of his convictions but thought it inappropriate that an outsider be allowed to sit in.
It is just the latest issue for the Royal Commission. Long-time Mongrel Mob member Harry Tam stood down as facilitator of SAG in June after multiple allegations of domestic violence were raised about him.
Chairman Sir Anand Satyanand offered his resignation - which was rejected by Internal Affairs Minister Tracey Martin - amid worries about a perceived conflict of interest because of his Catholic faith. He later stepped down on unrelated issues.
The Royal Commission has now released the list of witnesses who will give evidence at a contextual hearing in Auckland starting in late-October.
The long list includes Judge Carolyn Henwood, who chaired the Confidential Listening and Assistance Service from 2008 to 2015 and Children's Commissioner Judge Andrew Becroft.
There are also academics, survivors, and lawyers giving evidence.
© Yongshan Police
A 63-year-old man who had been on the run for 17 years after pulling off a daring prison break was finally captured by Chinese police, who tracked the fugitive to a cave using drones.
Song Jiang was apprehended at his mountainous hideout on September 19 by Yongshan police in Yunnan province, south-west China, after authorities used unmanned aerial vehicles to search the area.
Maybe if he hadn't been such a sloppy cave-keeper, he might not have been found? © Yongshan Police
Jiang was imprisoned for trafficking women and children, but escaped from prison in 2002. Police said they started to zero in on his whereabouts in early September this year after receiving a crucial tip-off.
Following a number of failed missions by personnel on the ground, drones were deployed and, after a five-hour-long aerial search, eventually revealed his hiding place.
© Yongshan Police
After spotting the small cave littered with rubbish on the side of a steep cliff, officers moved in on foot to take Jiang back into custody. Police said the fugitive had been living in complete seclusion for so long that he found it difficult to communicate with officers.
Yongshan is in the extreme NE of the farthest SW province, Yunnan
Calgary, Alta, sex offender ordered extradited to U.S.
facing new allegations
Kevin MartinCalgary Sun
He’s already served a 3 1/2-year sentence for possessing child pornography and internet luring.
And Calgarian Robert James Tyndall has been ordered extradited to the U.S. to face a potential minimum 10-year sentence there, in a ruling he has appealed.
Now Tyndall is facing new similar allegations in Calgary after being arrested two weeks ago.
Tyndall, 48, was granted bail Monday on five charges in connection with allegations he downloaded child pornography and breached a court order prohibiting unsupervised internet access.
Provincial court Judge Margaret Keelaghan agreed with defence lawyer Kelsey Sitar that Tyndall could be released on strict conditions, including house arrest, pending resolution of his latest Calgary charges. Crown prosecutor Carolyn Ayre had sought his detention.
At Sitar’s request, Keelaghan imposed a publication ban on evidence and submissions in the bail hearing.
Tyndall was arrested Sept. 19, and charged with accessing, possessing and making child pornography available to others.
He was also charged with two beaches of a court order that he not have unsupervised internet access.
Tyndall was ordered extradited to Pennsylvania on July 25, by Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Nancy Dilts, who ruled there was some evidence that a jury could find him guilty of allegedly luring a 14-year-old Philadelphia girl over the internet for the purpose of a sexual offence.
Sitar and co-counsel Sarah Rankin appealed that ruling and on Aug. 14, Alberta Court of Appeal Justice Barb Veldhuis ordered him released pending that hearing.
He had been in custody since his re-arrest Sept. 19, but Keelaghan determined he could be released again on conditions which include there be no internet availability at the Woodbine home he shares with his wife.
His wife and two other relatives must post no-deposit sureties totalling $10,000 for his bail.
Tyndall was sentenced in Calgary to 3½ years in November 2015, on charges of possession of child pornography and internet luring, after admitting to contacting a nine-year-old girl in Virginia.
His internet contact with the Virginia girl occurred around the same time he is accused of exchanging emails with a Philadelphia teen.
Sitar and Rankin had argued that sending their client to the U.S. to face similar allegations to those he faced in Canada would amount to an abuse of process.
They suggested that because Tyndall had already been charged, punished and rehabilitated for a similar crime, he should not be sent to the U.S. for the same purpose.
But Dilts noted his Canadian conviction had no relation to the Philadelphia girl.
His new Calgary charges return to court on Oct 18. His appeal is set for next May.
Of all the things Israel has been accused of, most of which are false, this is the one story that irks me the most
Malka Leifer released from custody on bail in Israel
over historical child sex abuse charges
By 9News Staffover historical child sex abuse charges
Former Melbourne school principal Malka Leifer who is accused of sexually abusing female students has been released from custody in Israel.
Leifer appeared before the Jerusalem District Court today and Judge Rom Vinograd released her to house arrest in B'nei B'rak, abuse survivor advocate Manny Waks said.
There has been lengthy legal argument over Leifer's fitness to be extradited to Australia to face criminal charges.
Former principal of a Melbourne school Malka Leifer has been granted bail in Israel, where she's been fighting extradition to Australia over 74 charges of historical child sexual abuse. (AP/AAP)
"Malka Leifer will now be released to the care of her sister at an address within around 500 metres of two schools and six synagogues," Mr Waks said.
"If Leifer is genuinely unwell, she should be held in a medical facility or jail where she can be appropriately cared for until her extradition to Australia is approved."
Dassi Erlich, one of the alleged victims who was a student of Leifer at Melbourne's Adass Israel School, said the bail ruling was a "massive betrayal of justice".
"Given that we are all aware that Leifer is a flight risk, as well as the potential of her reoffending, this blatant disregard for the wellbeing of the Israeli community is outstanding," she said in a statement to AAP.
Nicole Meyer, another of Leifer's alleged Melbourne-based victims, said diplomatic efforts needed to increase after almost 60 court hearings.
"Australia needs to step-up and put pressure on Israel for this not to continue. Enough is enough," she told AAP after the decision.
If Leifer is well enough to walk out of custody, she's well enough to walk onto an aircraft and return to Australia, Ms Meyer said.
Leifer's bail conditions include staying with an appointed family member, reporting to police, and attending a medical facility for treatment.
Prosecutors have until Friday to appeal the bail decision.
60 hearings, some of which were tainted by psyche reports in which a former minister in the government influenced the outcome. Yet, the saga continues. It is incredibly embarrassing to the Israeli judicial system and the government should intervene and say, "enough is way more than enough!" Put this ****** on a plane and allow her victims some form of justice.
UPDATE: Israeli official warns of damage to Australia ties over sex abuse suspect
Officials in Canberra and Jerusalem concerned about Jewish state’s handling of case of Malka Leifer, who is wanted in Australia since 2012, and could soon be freed to house arrest
The long-stalled decision on whether to extradite an alleged sexual predator from Israel to Australia appeared to put a strain on diplomatic ties on Thursday, with officials from both countries expressing concern about the protracted legal process.
On Wednesday, Jerusalem District Court Judge Ram Vinograd ordered that Malka Leifer, facing extradition to Australia on charges of sexual abuse against former students, be released to house arrest, sparking an international outcry.
Both sides then appealed to the Supreme Court, with the defense demanding an unrestricted release and the prosecution pushing for her to remain behind bars.
The Supreme Court ruled on Thursday it would keep Leifer in custody while it considers the appeal.
There is much more on this story on the Times of Israel.
Child removed as police find 'some of the worst' sex abuse material in Sydney raid
Kelly Burke, 7NEWSA child has been removed from what Australian Federal Police say is a "harmful situation" and placed in the care of relatives, following the arrest of a 37-year-old Sydney man on child pornography charges.
Police would not say if the child was at the home at Marayong, in Sydney's west, when it was raided on Tuesday.
But they said material found under the search warrant was "among the worst we have seen in investigating this crime type".
"It will be alleged in court that police found material the man had produced with a child who is known to him," an AFP statement said.
"The efforts of everyone today have also helped us remove a child from harm, whose ongoing welfare will remain a high priority."
The 37-year-old man faced Blacktown Local Court on Wednesday charged with multiple counts of child sexual exploitation and possession of child abuse material.
Detective Sergeant Jarryd Dunbar said the man was the first person charged by the NSW Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team since new anti-child sexual exploitation laws came into effect on September 21.
He was arrested following a tip-off by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations involving two Australians in NSW.
Perth man jailed for attack on teenager, child sex abuse
AAPA man who attacked and threatened to kill a teenage girl near a laneway in Perth and separately sexually abused another child has been sentenced to six years in prison.
Sean Wood, 51, grabbed the 15-year-old from behind as she was jogging in Mount Lawley in August 2017. He told her if she screamed he would kill her but she managed to bite his hand, break free and run, the West Australian District Court heard on Wednesday.
Judge Kevin Sleight found Wood intended to commit a sexual assault against the teenager.
The court also heard a nine-year-old girl was sexually abused in front of two other children in January and Wood was linked to both crimes through DNA evidence.
Referring to victim impact statements, Judge Sleight said the teenager was extremely shaken, suffered panic attacks and distrusted strangers.
He said the younger girl’s mental wellbeing had been significantly affected, describing her as angry and insecure, and noted that she listened to sad music alone in her room.
The two other children who witnessed the abuse were also affected, he added.
Judge Sleight noted Wood, who has a record of sexual offending, was a long-term user of methylamphetamine and had mental health issues. He also described the apology from the father of three as hollow.
Wood, who pleaded guilty to seven charges, must serve at least four years behind bars before he can be eligible for parole.
That's not nearly long enough! He has a record, and it appears he has no intention of slowing down once he's out. Why give him another chance? Why let him out while the younger girl will still be in her early to mid teens? Think about the victims here judge!
3 ex-students plead guilty to sex assault offences at Toronto's St. Michael's College School
CBC News ·
Three former students of Toronto's St. Michael's College School have pleaded guilty to sexual assault offences in hazing incidents that occurred at the private school.
The teens have pleaded guilty to charges of sexual assault with a weapon and assault with a weapon, stemming from two hazing incidents in 2018.
One of the teens has also pleaded guilty to one charge of distributing pornographic material. The teens cannot be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
A tentative sentencing date is set for Nov. 14.
Police launched an investigation last fall after a video that captured a sexual assault on the school's campus was shared on social media.
Overall, seven students were charged with assault and sexual assault offences that related to three incidents involving members of one of the school's football teams.
Four of the students charged were expelled and three withdrew from the school in the wake of the allegations.
Charges against one of those seven were withdrawn back in August after a prosecutor said a conviction was unlikely.
The cases against two other students also concluded that month, but Ontario's Ministry of the Attorney General would not say what the outcomes of the cases against the teens were, citing restrictions under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
One other teen's charges are still making their way through the court system. A hearing has been scheduled for Oct. 17.
St. Michael's is run by the Basilian Fathers with its roots dating back to the Congregation of St. Basil in France. The school's principal and its board president resigned amid criticism of its handling of the case.
The investigation touched off a national discussion about bullying and hazing in Canadian schools. Many alumni came forward with their own stories of abuse at the Catholic school, while others spoke about their positive memories of the institution.
An independent committee set up to examine the culture at St. Michael's found that bullying remained a "systemic" problem despite extensive measures taken by the school in the wake of the scandal. It also found that hazing was not a problem.
The committee issued a 123-page report in August that offered 36 recommendations, including developing a comprehensive strategy to address bullying and robust staff training to deal with the issue. The school promised to adopt all the recommendations.
Sicko who advertised daughter, 7, for sex on Craigslist moved to healing lodge
Canadian Justice seems to be just as criminal-friendly
Canadian Justice seems to be just as criminal-friendly
and anti-victim as Israel's
Brad HunterToronto SUN
The little girl is forever broken.
She was just 7 years old when any vestige of an innocent childhood was obliterated by a monster. And the man who orchestrated her sickening defilement?
On Wednesday, her stepfather was transferred from Warkworth Penitentiary to the Waseskun Healing Lodge in Quebec.
He pleaded guilty to sexual interference, making child pornography and possession of child pornography for the abuse that occurred between June 2015 to April 2016.
But not trafficking his own daughter, or incest!
“These are the most horrific crimes you can imagine,” the little girl’s aunt told The Toronto Sun. “You just don’t cure pedophilia.”
The little girl — who can’t be identified — was sexually abused by her 37-year-old stepfather while her mother apparently turned a blind eye.
A beautiful day in the neighbourhood as Waseskun Healing Centre where a Hamilton child molester is now living. CORRECTIONS CANADA
On Tuesday, her aunt received a letter from the Correctional Service of Canada informing her that her niece’s abuser was getting upgraded to first-class.
The man was sentenced to 13.5 years in prison in 2018 and had two years worth of chalk marks on the wall for time served. CSC gave the family one day’s notice.
“They were pretty vague when I asked why. I got the usual, assessed by a parole officer and he was deemed eligible to go to the healing lodge,” the aunt told The Sun. “I was shocked. We’ve lived with this for three years. I thought it wouldn’t be a worry again for another few years but here we are.”
Prostitute Sonja Lucas sobbed at her child sex abuse hearing in Hamilton that she was not “a monster”.
She has applied for day parole. FACEBOOK
She has applied for day parole. FACEBOOK
“Corrections Canada is there for the inmates. They are definitely not there for the victims,” she added.
The aunt said Kitchener hooker Sonya Lucas is also angling for day parole. Lucas came with a john named Rui Dasilva to take part in the sexual abuse. She got 10 years in prison and had already been jailed for having sex with her teenage sons.
One of the boys called her “a monster” during her sentencing hearing.
“She’ll probably get it (day parole) and will be roaming around Hamilton in no time, living in a halfway house,” the aunt said.
A buddy of the sicko stepfather, who also sexually abused the little girl and cried during his sentencing, was recently transferred to a minimum security prison. Another abuser got out of jail in January.
Corrections Canada told The Toronto Sun they couldn’t speak to specific cases but Section 81 outlines criteria for transfer to a healing lodge. Offenders must be classified as minimum security or, on a case-by-case basis, medium security and be willing to continue their “healing journey.”
The stepfather and ringmaster of this nauseating circus is eligible for day parole on Nov. 20. Eligibility for the healing centre appears subjective.
Advocacy group the Canadian Centre for Victims of Crime have also registered their displeasure with the transfer on behalf of the family. CCVC called the move “horribly re-victimizing” for the little girl — now 11 — and the rest of her family.
“Our organization is confused how it is even possible for this offender, who was in a medium-security institution to be transferred to a healing lodge with low security,” CCVC wrote in a letter to CSC Commissioner Anne Kelly asking for her intervention.
As for the victim, her “healing journey” will likely take a lifetime. “She’s getting better but her issues will be with her a very long time, she’s in therapy,” the girl’s aunt said, adding her father “can’t even talk about it.”
She added: “The only thing you can do is stand up and fight… or just let it slide. But I’m not going to let this go until he’s back in prison where he belongs.”
Former student demands $100m from Gold Coast boys school alleging child sex abuse
By 9News Staff
A former student of a prestigious Gold Coast boys school is demanding a massive payout alleging he is a victim of child sexual abuse.
The 51-year-old man, who cannot be identified, is threatening to sue The Southport School for $100 million, alleging he was sexually and physically assaulted by teachers in class between the ages of 13 and 15.
He told 9News the abuse was so bad at one point he ran away and the school failed to notice.
The man's lawyers have sent a letter to the school demanding the payment or he'll take them to court.
"Why not $100 million? They stole my childhood, education, my childhood, they stole that. You can't put it into words what you suffer, I mean you suffer every day," the man told 9News.
The school today declined to comment.
'Marry him or take money': TN govt lawyer accused of threatening child sexual abuse victims
Priyanka ThirumurthyThe News Minute
Shocking allegations have emerged against a Special Public Prosecutor in Tamil Nadu, who has been accused of threatening child sexual abuse victims and their families to drop cases against the accused.
Two families from Tiruvallur district have said that Dhanalakshmi ML of the District Mahila Court – who was assigned to represent them – has sided with the accused instead, and on one occasion, even put the minor victim in the same room as her alleged rapist and threatened her.
The families have now approached the Tiruvallur Superintendent of Police with complaints against Dhanalakshmi.
The family of a child with speech impairment and learning disabilities, who was sexually assaulted in 2015, approached the police on Monday. On Tuesday, a victim who was raped as a minor and is now 20 years old also approached the police with complaints against the same Public Prosecutor.
'Marry him or take money'
Twenty-year-old Maria (name changed) vividly recalls her first visit to the Tiruvallur Mahila Court. A resident of Madhavaram, she was raped by a neighbour in 2015, and two years later, had been called in for the chief examination before a magistrate. And while she bravely gave a statement against her alleged rapist, little did she know that she would be victimised again by a government appointed authority meant to protect her.
After the court session ended, the Special Public Prosecutor Dhanalakshmi, who was handling the case, allegedly summoned Maria to her room. "I was only 17 years old at that time and I wanted to take someone with me. But she didn't allow that," says Maria about Dhanalakshmi, "When I entered the room I saw that she had brought the accused Gopinath there as well. I was forced to sit across my rapist and have a conversation."
"I could barely speak when I saw my rapist. I started crying and I was frozen in fear," she recalls, "The Public Prosecutor then told me that I either have to marry Gopinath, or take his money and drop the case. She threatened that if I didn’t agree, I will not win this case and that she won't let another lawyer fight it either."
After her refusal to comply, the prosecutor made it look like she had been in love with her rapist during the arguments, says Maria. "Her questions in court would be leading. She would ask – 'You were in love with him, right?' or 'You were hanging out with him, no?'," she explains. "I suspect she was taking money from the accused," adds Maria.
And while this young woman's case is currently at the arguments stage, a couple from Ponneri allege that the rapist of child with speech impairment and learning disabilities has been acquitted due to the Public Prosecutor's interference.
'My daughter's rapist is free'
Raghu* and Sudha* (names changed), are seated on the stairs leading to the office of Tiruvallur Superintendent of Police, P Aravindhan. In March this year, Sreenivasan, a school headmaster who had allegedly raped their eldest daughter in 2015, walked out of the Tiruvallur Mahila Court as a free man.
"My daughter has learning disabilities, has difficulty speaking, walking, and one of her hands is disabled,” says Raghu. “She came back home one day, very upset from school. With great difficulty she managed to convey to my wife that the headmaster took her from class, seated her on his lap and touched her inappropriately. Can you imagine a child dealing with this harassment?" he asks, angrily.
Despite getting no support from relatives or other residents in the village, the family decided to file a police complaint and take the headmaster to court. But instead of fighting for justice, Raghu allegedly found himself struggling against his own prosecutor.
"She treated me like I was a beggar," says Raghu, a daily wage worker. "She would tell me to get out of her office whenever we tried to talk to her. Once she was talking to other witnesses in the case but when I tried to go in, she didn't allow me to. The two witnesses she was talking to turned hostile in court," he says.
This woman should be fired and her bank accounts examined.
There is more to this story on The News Minute.
Tiruvallur, Tamil Nadu
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