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DUP councillor arrested over claims of child sexual grooming
by 'paedophile hunter' group
He was arrested on suspicion of attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming
By Brendan Hughes Political reporter
21:04, 23 FEB 2022
A DUP councillor has been arrested on suspicion of child sexual grooming following claims made by a so-called "paedophile hunter" group.
William Walker is a representative for Newry, Mourne and Down District Council and works in DUP Strangford MP Jim Shannon's constituency office.
The 59-year-old councillor was arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming. He has been released on bail pending further enquiries.
The DUP said the allegations will be "expeditiously" examined by party officers.
It follows claims made to the PSNI by an online paedophile hunter group based in England. The self-styled group uses what they call "decoys" to pose as underage children and wait to be contacted by adults. They converse privately online with adults and seek to identify those attempting to groom young people.
It is understood the PSNI probe centres on claims that a Facebook account was used to sexually groom two decoys posing as underage girls. A series of screengrabs appearing to show messages sent on both Facebook and WhatsApp have been shared with detectives.
In a statement, a PSNI spokeswoman said: "A 59-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming, yesterday (Tuesday 22nd February) in the Co Down area. He has since been released on police bail pending further enquiries."
A DUP spokesman said: "The party has only become aware of these allegations. These matters will be referred to the party officers who will expeditiously examine the issues."
Mr Walker, from Killyleagh, is a long-standing councillor who represents the Rowallane area of Newry, Mourne and Down council. He was previously chairman of the old Down District Council before the number of councils in Northern Ireland was reduced in 2015 under local government reforms.
Last year Mr Walker said he was "seriously considering" his future in the DUP amid party turmoil in the wake of Arlene Foster being ousted as leader. However, he stayed in the party after expressing confidence in its direction under new DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson.
British police officer cleared of rape charge
By Simon Druker
Feb. 24 (UPI) -- A British police officer was cleared of a rape accusation Thursday, after prosecutors dropped the case after failing to produce any evidence.
Metropolitan Police officer Adam Zaman had been accused of raping a woman in October after first meeting her in a nightclub.
Zaman, 28, has been a member of the Metropolitan Police since 2016 and has denied the allegation. He has been suspended from duty since he was charged but has been free on bail since December.
Britain's Crown Prosecution Service did not enter any evidence against Zaman on Thursday during a hearing. "The prosecution have taken a decision to offer no further evidence in this case," prosecution attorney Alison Hunter told the East London Advertiser.
"As part of our continuous review of this case, we have carefully considered material submitted to us by the police and have concluded that our legal test is no longer met," a spokesperson for the Crown Prosecution Service told Sky News.
A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said the department will carry out a misconduct review of the case and that Zaman remains on suspension, according to Sky News.
UK ignored ‘sex for aid’ scandal victims – watchdog
Abuse cases in the humanitarian sector remain underreported, despite efforts
to tackle sexual exploitation, a watchdog has said
General view of crates of Humanitarian Aid. © Andrew Matthews / PA Images / Getty Images
The UK government has failed to listen to victims of “sex for aid” scandals despite its efforts to address abuse in the humanitarian sector, an independent watchdog has said.
The report, released on Thursday by the Independent Commission for Aid Impact (ICAI), claims that the “top-down” approach taken by government officials falls short of what is required, because recipients of aid are not listened to and might remain reluctant to report abusive behavior.
ICAI said the UK “has played an important role in galvanising international action on protecting people from sexual exploitation and abuse in humanitarian crises,” but its commissioner Sir Hugh Bayley criticized officials for the system used.
“Its top-down approach requires those delivering UK aid to spend more time reporting back to the FCDO [Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office] than listening to the people they are seeking to protect and addressing their needs,” Bayley said.
The UK launched its efforts to combat sexual exploitation within the aid sector in 2018 after claims that Oxfam employees had sexually exploited victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake, with Britain later holding an international safeguarding summit.
Abuse cases are still being underreported, according to the ICAI’s findings, which cited a survey in Uganda where recipients remained hesitant to report cases over concerns about the length of the investigative process and fears over corruption.
Stephanie Draper, chief executive of Bond, a network of UK charities and NGOs, praised “important steps” taken by the FCDO but said that efforts had been hampered by the lack of information “around incidents of sexual exploitation and abuse and what works where, and how to address and prevent it.”
Responding to the claims, a spokesperson for the FCDO claimed the UK is a “world leader” in addressing abusive behavior within the aid sector. “We continue to prioritise this work, protecting the most vulnerable and making sure money does not go to organisations that fall short of high safeguarding standards,” the Guardian quoted the representative as saying.
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Rape victims ‘systematically failed’ by UK criminal justice system – report
Delays meant victims faced an average 706-day wait
between reporting an offense and a trial
Rape survivors in England and Wales are being failed by the criminal justice system, leaving them facing an average wait of nearly two years for a trial, a new report found.
The damning findings were released on Friday by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) and HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI), and accuse the system of a lack of collaboration between authorities, as well as poor communication with accusers.
"Rape victims are continually and systematically failed by the criminal justice system,” the report stated, criticizing its “deep divisions between the police and prosecutors.”
Divisions between the police and prosecutors should cost the police and prosecutors, not the victim.
The official report claimed that “the process is worse than the offence” for some victims, as they have to “wait years for a court date” and “experience multiple adjournments” in their quest for justice.
Part of the reason for the failures identified in the report was that authorities were still often listing rape cases as “floaters” or “backers,” which meant they could be moved and rescheduled, even at the last minute on the day of the trial.
This has to stop. The cruelty of this practice is way beyond reason.
One of the victims spoken-to had “21 court delays, most at 24-hours’ notice,” the report detailed, describing the situation as “almost unendurable.”
The investigation by HMICFRS and HMCPSI examined 556 files from the police and Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), and also spoke with rape survivors and victim support services.
The director of public prosecutions, Max Hill, accepted the report’s findings, stating that “strong collaboration between prosecutors and police is vital,” while also outlining the “extensive work” being undertaken to improve support services and communication.
Responding to the report, Dominic Raab, the deputy prime minister and justice secretary, described it as a “sobering and considered analysis,” and pledged that the government will work “to give victims greater support and swifter justice.”
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