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Teen guilty of sex assault at St. Michael's College School in Toronto
given no time behind bars
WARNING: This story contains details some readers may find distressing
Liam Casey ·
The Canadian Press ·
Posted: Nov 02, 2021 8:08 AM ET
with a weapon after another teen was sodomized with a broom handle in a locker room at the school.
(Tijana Martin/The Canadian Press)
A teen found guilty of sexually assaulting another student at an all-boys Catholic school in Toronto was sentenced to two years of probation on Tuesday, with no time behind bars.
A judge found the teen guilty in June of gang sexual assault and sexual assault with a weapon after another teen was sodomized with a broom handle in a locker room at St. Michael's College School in 2018. An assault charge in the case was stayed.
Justice Manjusha Pawagi said she had to impose a sentence similar to those handed to other youth in the same incident. She also found that the teen was a strong candidate for full rehabilitation and unlikely to commit another crime.
"Given that two young persons involved in the same incident and in two others were sentenced to two years probation, and given the many mitigating factors described in detail earlier, I find that the less-restrictive alternative of probation would be a proportionate and meaningful consequence that would hold [the accused] accountable," Pawagi said.
The prosecution had argued the teen should spend three months behind bars for what it called a "violent and humiliating" incident.
The defence had argued the teen should receive a probationary sentence of two years with no jail time, like four others who pleaded guilty in the same incident.
The November 2018 sexual assault was captured on cellphone video and shared widely on social media before police launched an investigation.
The accused teen faced the same charges in a similar incident against another student in October 2018 but those were withdrawn earlier this year after the judge found there was not enough evidence to proceed.
7 students charged
News of the incidents and the subsequent police probe reverberated across the country and sparked a national conversation on hazing in youth sports. Police would eventually charge seven students for their alleged roles in the sex assaults.
No young person involved in the proceedings can be named due to provisions under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
Three teens previously pleaded guilty to sexual assault with a weapon and assault with a weapon. Each was sentenced to two years of probation. One of them also pleaded guilty to making child pornography for recording one of the sex assaults. Another received a two-year probationary sentence after pleading guilty. The charges against two others were withdrawn.
The accused teen's case was the last case to conclude.
Police launched their investigation shortly after the November 2018 incident. At the time, a video circulating on social media appeared to show a frenzied sexual assault on a teenager by others who held him down and sexually assaulted him with a broom handle.
The 22-second video, which was played in court during trial, showed students laughing and yelling at the time.
The accused teen testified earlier this year that he had been bullied on four different days that fall. He said in some of those incidents he was slammed on the ground and dragged by his feet.
On the evening of Nov. 7, 2018, he said a circle of boys in the locker room formed after a game. He said he was pushed into the middle of it and repeatedly told to hold the victim down.
He recalled then holding down his friend's arms while two others wielded the broom. The teen said he felt he had to participate, otherwise he'd be targeted.
His lawyer, Geary Tomlinson, described the locker room as a "chaotic, Lord of the Flies environment."
Crown attorney Sarah De Filippis said the teen knew what he was doing and participated in the sexual assault.
The judge, in finding the accused teen guilty, said he could have chosen not to participate.
German mother sentenced to life for killing FIVE of her children
in horror case
4 Nov, 2021 17:48
A 28-year-old woman has been sent to prison for life by a court in Germany, after she killed five of her six children in an extreme and shocking act of revenge against her ex-husband.
Judge Jochen Koetter described the case as a “tragedy,” and the court in the western town of Solingen concluded that the woman’s guilt was so “grave,” it would be “inappropriate” to grant her the usual right of parole after serving 15 years.
Identified in German media only as Christiane K., the woman was found guilty of murdering five of her children, aged between one and eight, as part of a bizarre revenge campaign against her ex-husband. Their bodies were found by the police in her apartment on the same day they were killed, in early September 2020. The horrific discovery caused shockwaves across Germany.
At her trial, the court heard the mother had sedated the children with a powerful drug before drowning them in a bathtub one by one and then putting them in their beds.
Her only surviving child, an 11-year-old boy, was at school on the day in question. He later testified to the police that his mother had sought to convince him to jump in front of a train with her. She attempted to take her own life in this manner after the murders, but survived.
According to the court, the killings were motivated by a “mixture of disappointment, anger, and desperation.” The trial heard that Christiane K’s “life plan” of having a “large family” had been shattered when her husband – the father of the four youngest children – left her for another woman, and that she had decided to act after seeing a photo of him with his new partner. Prior to killing her children, she sent text messages to her former spouse, telling him he would never see his offspring again.
Christiane K. had denied all the charges, insisting that a stranger had broken into her apartment, handcuffed her, forced her to send messages to her ex-husband, and killed her children. However, the court found her version of events to be implausible.
A psychiatric assessment requested by the court found the accused was fully aware of her actions and not suffering from any serious mental disorders, despite having a “narcissistic personality structure.” According to the court, she was living in an imaginary world that had been destroyed after its “façade” fell. After that, even her own children “lost their function” in her eyes.
'Unrepentant, manipulative, and dangerous' Welsh paedophile
sexually abused and raped young girls
Giving him an extended 27-year year sentence a judge told Gareth Coleman that
he was 'rare even among child sex offenders'
WalesOnline
A man who subjected two young girls to years of sexual abuse and rapes has been branded an "unrepentant, manipulative, and dangerous" offender by a judge.
Gareth Coleman carried out a campaign of sexual assaults against the children – even on some occasions taking photographs which he threatened to share with other people as a way of buying the silence of one of his victims.
Newport Crown Court heard he and his partner had also discussed involving children in sex with a man they met on a swinging website – a suggestion that the man found so abhorrent he reported the matter to the police. A haul of pictures of child sexual abuse were later found on Coleman's phone.
Coleman was convicted of 24 counts of the sexual assault and rape of children at a trial and returned to court on Friday to be sentenced.
Passing an extended 27-year sentence on the defendant as a dangerous offender a judge told him it had been "sickening" to watch him give evidence in the witness box and said he was "rare even among sex offenders".
The court heard the girls were both aged around five when the abuse started and that the abuse lasted for more than a decade and took place at a number of locations around south Wales. It included multiple rapes. Coleman also took photographs while abusing one of the girls and threatened to share them with others if she told anyone what was happening to her.
Clare Wilks, prosecuting, said 38-year-old Coleman and his partner had also been involved with a lawful adult "swinging" website called FabSwingers and in messages to another member had talked about getting a child involved in future sexual activity. She said to his credit the man went to the police to report the conversation as he thought things had gone too far. The barrister said the only reason no charges had been brought over this matter was because it was not possible to say whether Coleman or his partner had sent the messages. The court heard there were also possible links between Coleman and a paedophile ring police had uncovered but again no charges were brought in regard to that.
In impact statements from the victims which were read to court they described the devastating effect the sexual offending had had on their lives with one describing how it had caused her to "go off the rails" as a teenager and abuse alcohol and drugs and to self-harm. She said while she may appear confident on the outside inside she feels like "a plate of jelly" and she hopes the court case can be the start of her moving on with her life. A relative of the other victim described how, when told the verdicts of the jury, she simply said: "They believe me. They believe me."
Gareth Martin Coleman, now of Dinman Street, Nantymoel, Bridgend, was convicted of 24 counts of sexual assault of a child and rape of a child. He has a previous conviction for possession of indecent images.
Ieuan Rees, for Coleman, said there was little that could be said on the defendant's behalf given the verdicts of the jury and, as was evident front the pre-sentence report, his client's lack of regret.
Judge Daniel Williams said it was clear Coleman had a "long-entrenched interest in the sexual abuse of young girls" and he said it had been "sickening" to watch the defendant in the witness box denying his guilt.
The judge told him: "You are an unrepentant, manipulative, and dangerous man. You are rare even among child sex offenders."
Coleman was given a 27-year extended sentence as a dangerous offender comprising 21 years in custody followed by a six-year licence period. He can apply for parole after serving two-thirds of the 21 years but it will be for the Parole Board to determine if he is safe to be released. The defendant will be a registered sex offender for the rest of his life and was made the subject of an indefinite sexual harm prevention order to control his access to young girls..
Speaking after the sentencing Catrin Attwell, a senior crown prosecutor with the Crown Prosecution Service Cymru, said: "The victims’ determination to give evidence against their abuser has led to these convictions. The strength they have shown throughout the investigation and court hearing is to be commended. We hope that seeing their abuser answer for his crimes will be of some help in their healing process."
Man tried to rape mother and her young daughter
in 'unspeakably bad' attack on cycle path
WalesOnline
Warning: This report from a court case contains details which are extremely upsetting.
Anthony Williams threatened to harm the woman's children unless she submitted to him and tried to rape the mother in front of her children before turning his attention to one of her daughters, forcing the mother to partially undress the girl before pushing her down and trying to rape her too. The terrifying ordeal lasted around 20 minutes.
Sending the defendant to prison, a judge described what Williams did as "unspeakably bad" and said only an extended sentence was appropriate to protect the public.
Swansea Crown Court heard the attacks took place on the afternoon of Monday, May 17 this year on a cycle path near Haverfordwest.
Robin Rouch, prosecuting, said the woman was walking with her children when the family passed an "unkempt" stranger, a man now known to be Williams, 43. The defendant turned around and began following the family, then he approached the woman and told her to "get down" and to remove clothing. The court heard the woman was initially confused about what was going on but Williams then began threatening to harm her children - including throwing one into the nearby river - unless she did what he wanted.
The following attack lasted 20 minutes during which the defendant butted the woman, ordered her to remove her jeans and get on the floor. During the ordeal Williams asked the woman "Do you want your kids to survive this?" and butted her again.
Williams then turned his attention to the daughter, demanding the mother undress her too while again issuing threats of violence. As the child lay face down in the mud he tried to rape her.
The court heard that at one stage the mother, who was laying in the mud next to her daughter, put her head to her child's face and through their joint tears tried to reassure the girl she would be okay. The assault only stopped when the girl said she could not breathe. Eventually, the mother and her children were able to escape, and the family ran along the path until they met a dad and his son on their bikes who had a phone.
The court heard Williams would later tell his partner that he had done something "that may get him into trouble", claiming a woman had approached him on the cycle path asking for rough sex. He later told a neighbour that he thought he may have raped someone. Following widespread public appeals for information about the incident in the media, the neighbour went to the police to report his concerns.
In his police interview Williams said he had a problem with alcohol and had spent between £300 and £400 on drink in the days before the incident, and had consumed large quantities of Carling lager and sambuca over the previous weekend. He later submitted a prepared statement which read "I genuinely cannot remember the incident. I have no idea what came over me. I apologise for what I have done and the trauma I have caused" before answering "no comment" to all further questions.
He doesn't remember a thing, but he thinks he might have raped someone!!!
In a statement from the mother, which she read from the witness box, the woman described to the court the devastating emotional impact of what happened on the cycle path. She said the events of the day in question would "haunt" her forever, and she said the memory that would not leave her was of her and her daughter lying side-by-side as she tried to comfort her while the "disgusting, sick, vile man" Williams tried to rape her. The woman added: "Heart-breaking doesn't even begin to cover it".
The woman's husband also gave a statement from the witness box in which he described the effects the attack had had on his daughter and wife. At one stage as Williams interrupted him from the dock to apologise the husband turned to him directly, told him to shut up, and called him a "f****** animal".
Victims of sexual offences have life-long legal anonymity.
Anthony Williams, of Hill Street, Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, had previously pleaded guilty to three counts of attempted rape when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. He has nine previous convictions for 13 offences including arson, burglary, assaults and theft. Dyfed Thomas, for Williams, said the defendant's guilty pleas showed remorse.
Judge Geraint Walters told the defendant that what he had done on the cycle path that day was "unspeakably bad". He said Williams had subjected his victims to a terrifying ordeal which would leave a life-long impact on them and used the "ultimate threat" any mother could be subjected to - namely that her children would be harmed.
Judge Walters said the defendant should be given an extended sentence as a dangerous offender, and it was clear he posed a significant risk to the public and was likely to do so for the foreseeable future.
Giving the defendant the required one-third discount for the guilty plea the judge sentenced him to a 24-year extended sentence comprising 16 years in custody followed by an eight-year licence period. Williams must serve at least two-thirds of the custodial period in prison before applying for parole but it will be for the Parole Board to determine if he is safe to be released at that point.
Williams will be a registered sex offender for the rest of his life, and he was also made the subject of an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.
Speaking after the sentencing Michael Jenkin, a senior Crown prosecutor with the Crown Prosecution Service Cymru-Wales' rape and serious sexual offences unit, said: "This was a truly despicable crime that must have been terrifying for the victims, but the strength of evidence presented by the CPS avoided them having to relive the ordeal in front of a jury. No one should have to face what the victims were put through. The mother showed great courage in doing all that she could to minimise the harm to her children."
Welsh girl, 12, raped by her brother gives birth to his baby after
being rushed to hospital with stomach pains
The siblings were being brought up in 'dysfunctional, neglectful, and potentially abusive'
surroundings where the parents exercised little control and there were 'blurred sexual boundaries'
WalesOnline
A 12-year-old girl who was rushed to hospital with stomach pains gave birth to her brother's baby a short time later, a court has heard.
The girl had been just 11 when she was raped by her 14-year-old brother in the family home.
Swansea Crown Court heard the siblings were growing up in a "dysfunctional" household where the parents exercised little control and created a culture of "secrecy and lies" and where there were "blurred sexual boundaries".
The teenage father – who is now 16 and cannot be identified for legal reasons – had previously pleaded guilty to two counts of statutory rape when he appeared in the dock for sentencing.
Georgina Buckley, prosecuting, said the offending came to light when the girl was rushed to hospital in Carmarthenshire in the early hours of the morning suffering with severe stomach pains. Within a couple of hours she had given birth.
The court heard a midwife carefully asked the girl whether she had had sex and the youngster replied that she didn't know. When asked if she had consented she said she thought so but wasn't sure.
Miss Buckley said it was not clear whether the girl realised she was pregnant or not. She told a midwife she had not known but she was overheard telling other people in hospital that she had known.
The authorities became involved and the girl's teenage brother was interviewed by police. He admitted to officers that he had his sibling had been "wrestling" downstairs on one occasion while their parents were out and they had then gone upstairs to wrestle on the bed as it was more comfortable. He said they had begun kissing before each removing their own clothes and then having sex.
The prosecutor said there were no suggestions that any coercion or threats had been involved in the incident.
In an impact statement which was read to court the girl said she didn't want to go home any more and just wanted to live the normal life of a girl her age and wanted her baby to have the best life.
Dean Pulling, for the teenage defendant, said the background to the offending were the "difficult and dysfunctional circumstances" of the family unit where the mother and father created a culture of "secrecy and lies". He said it was clear from the numerous reports before the court that the children had been subjected to a "dysfunctional, neglectful, and potentially abusive upbringing" where there was little in the way of parental control or guidance and there were "blurred sexual boundaries". The barrister said the defendant had been routinely exposed to pornography in the family home from the age of 10.
Mr Pulling said: "Children are the products of their upbringing and the environment they are exposed to."
The court heard the defendant is now living with foster parents, is responding well to their positive influence, and is remorseful.
The barrister invited the court to follow the recommendations contained in the reports and impose a non-custodial sentence, arguing "custody would achieve little but cost a great deal".
Judge Christopher Vosper QC made the teenager the subject of a two-year youth referral order with a supervision requirement and an activity requirement. The defendant will be a registered sex offender for 30 months.
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