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Young incest/rape victim's nightmare that wouldn't end
Girl raped by father should have received abortion access, U.N. tells Peru
By Adam Schrader
A young girl who was raped by her father and became pregnant should have received information and access, a United Nations committee told Peru last week. Photo courtesy of Hospital Regional Guillermo Diaz de la Vega/Facebook
June 18 (UPI) -- A young girl who was raped by her father and became pregnant should have received abortion information and access, a United Nations committee told Peru last week.
The girl, identified by the pseudonym Camila, was first raped by her father when she was 9 years old and was continuously abused until she became pregnant in 2017 at the age of 13, the U.N. Child Rights Committee said in a statement.
Camila, now 18, brought her case before the Child Rights Committee claiming that her rights under the Child Rights Convention had been violated.
Abortion is criminalized in Peru except to o prevent a risk to the life or a severe and permanent threat to the mother's health. The U.N. officials detailed a pattern of Camila's "re-victimization" by national authorities, who prosecuted and convicted her after she had a miscarriage.
The U.N. has since asked Peru to decriminalize abortion in all cases of child pregnancy and to ensure safe post-abortion care for pregnant children, particularly in cases of rape and incest.
The harrowing story began in November 2017 when teachers at Camila's school told her mother that she seemed isolated and depressed and had missed class, U.N. officials said in its decision in the case.
Good teachers. Too bad they didn't have Erin's Law in Peru, the rapes could have been stopped before she got pregnant.
Camila then told her mother that she had not menstruated for two months, who then had her take a rapid pregnancy test which came back positive. After the pregnancy was confirmed by a blood test at a private clinic in Abancay, Camila revealed to her mother and godmother that her father had raped her.
Days later, Camila again claimed she was raped by her father to workers at a health clinic in Huanipaca. She was taken to Guillermo Díaz de la Vega Hospital in Abancay where she tearfully told hospital staff that she did not want to have her father's child. She was not told of her right to an abortion.
Camila reiterated to hospital staff during a check-up the following week that she did not wish to have her father's baby. Instead of advising her of her right to an abortion, hospital workers ordered an ultrasound.
The girl, crying "uncontrollably," was taken back to the health clinic the following month where she reiterated for the third time that she did not want to have her father's baby. Hospital staff responded by telling her about the importance of a proper diet during pregnancy.
Camila became suicidal when health workers visited her home and advised her of a proposed birth plan for the fetus - which led her mother to petition Peru's Health Ministry for permission for a voluntary abortion, consistent with the laws of the country. She never heard back about her petition.
Camila's mother simultaneously petitioned the prosecutor in charge of criminal investigations of rape to intervene and also did not receive a response from that petition.
The girl was hospitalized the following week for severe abdominal pain and was given medication to prevent miscarriage, despite her wishes not to give birth to her father's baby, but her condition worsened and she was ultimately given emergency surgery to remove the fetus.
Instead of disposing of the fetal remains, the hospital sent them to Camila's godmother, who buried them under the patio of her home. Health clinic workers who were not advised of the emergency procedure harassed the girl at her home for days until police intervened and blamed the girl for the miscarriage.
Camila filed a complaint with Peru's Health Ministry in March 2018, requesting a resolution to the ordeal she endured. Nearly a year later, her case had still not been resolved and she requested a final ruling on her complaint from the Health Ministry.
The Health Ministry determined that Guillermo Díaz de la Vega Hospital failed to comply with legal requirements to convene a board to evaluate her wishes for an abortion. The ministry also found that the Huanipaca clinic failed to comply with standards for high-risk pregnancy care for girls.
However, the Health Ministry also found that Camila had not sufficiently proven that medical workers were responsible for not having informed her about her right to a legal abortion or responsible for breaching her privacy by requesting police intervention.
Amid the standoff with health officials, Camila was enduring another with police and prosecutors.
In the days after Camila advised her mother she had been raped, Camila's godmother filed a complaint of rape against her father at the Huanipaca Police Station. Camila testified that her father raped her and that she did not want to continue with the pregnancy.
"The same day, Camila's mother reiterated her account of the sexual violence and her daughter's rejection of the pregnancy," U.N. officials said in the document.
Later in November 2017, prosecutors ordered both Camila and her father to again testify. Camila's father did not appear at the court but the girl, once again, recounted how her father raped her.
In December 2017, prosecutors appeared at the home where Camila had been raped. The girl's father admitted to authorities that he raped his daughter, pointed to the "exact place of the rape" and was arrested.
Despite his confession and Camila's testimony, prosecutors called the case "complicated" and delayed the investigation until after the birth of the baby so as not to put the life of the unborn fetus at risk. Prosecutors and police failed to notify Camila of her legal right to an abortion.
After her miscarriage, prosecutors turned their sites on the girl and sent a social worker to interview hospital staff about her miscarriage for an investigation for the crime of self-abortion. The prosecutor, during the investigation, even requested to have the fetal remains exhumed.
Camila's father later claimed that the girl was not his daughter and that she had agreed to sexual relations with him. He was convicted and sentenced to life in prison and ordered to pay about $14,000 dollars in restitution to the girl.
Camila was convicted of self-abortion based on her statements that she had wanted to end the pregnancy the following year. The girl appealed the conviction which was overturned in June 2019.
Where is the justice and compassion for a little girl who was continuously raped by her father? Who got pregnant at 13 when it was the last thing she wanted?
Has anything been done in Peru that would prevent the repetition of such a horror show? People in responsible positions need to consider how their actions might cause an abused child to be revictimized!
Again, it's children who pay the price for the madness and evil of adults.
After 5 years of collecting over $100,000 per year for doing nothing, this creep finally gets fired. It's like getting a gold watch for being evil.
OPP officer sentenced to 6 years for sexually assaulting,
filming unconscious woman
Jason Redmond fired from force June 15, commissioner announces Friday
Dan Taekema · CBC News ·
Posted: Jun 16, 2023 7:24 AM PDT | Last Updated: June 16
Jason Redmond leaves the courthouse in Brockville, Ont., on May 31, 2023. The OPP officer has been sentenced to six years for sexually assaulting an unconscious woman in 2017. (Dan Taekema/CBC)
WARNING: This article contains graphic content and may affect those who have experienced sexual violence or know someone affected by it.
A former Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officer has been sentenced to six years for sexually assaulting an unconscious woman while recording it on his mobile phone.
Jason Redmond wore a dark suit and a blue medical mask as he stood in a Brockville courtroom Friday morning to hear his sentence read. He did not speak as he was taken into custody.
The victim, whose identity is protected by a publication ban, stood and tearfully hugged people in the gallery as he was escorted out.
In a statement issued just hours after the sentencing, OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique announced Redmond had been fired and will no longer receive pay as of June 15.
He described Redmond's behaviour as "disgraceful and criminal," adding it "undermines" the work of other OPP officers.
Justice Janet O'Brien found the fired constable's moral culpability was "extraordinarily high," saying the evidence she heard indicated he felt no shame or regret and wasn't apologetic the morning after the incident, but was instead "angry and righteous."
She noted he kept the video, told friends about it and, based on the testimony of a witness, appeared to think it was funny.
The judge said as a police officer, Redmond knows the law and would have known the victim could not consent.
"During his training and experience as a police officer, Mr. Redmond understood the harm and trauma victims of violent crime suffer," O'Brien said, adding that Redmond was at best indifferent to the harm he caused his intimate partner.
Redmond 'proving a point'
The Leeds County officer was convicted of sexual assault on Feb. 16, roughly five years after the incident in December 2017.
According to one witness, Redmond was "proving a point" to the victim that she had a drinking problem, and "he made the video to show that anybody could rape her," the judge read in her ruling.
Crown attorney Peter Napier suggested last month Redmond be sentenced to five to seven years in custody, describing what happened as a "horrendous sexual assault" that called for an "exemplary sentence."
The Crown also pointed to the fact that Redmond remains a police officer, saying he should have known the harm he was causing and "the fact he tried to show everyone what he had done was just deplorable."
Defence lawyer Karin Stein argued for two or three years behind bars, the bottom end of the typical range for sentencing.
She told court Redmond has received death threats and is dealing with trauma and an addiction to crack cocaine. Stein also said her client does not plan to return to his role as a police officer.
During sentencing, the judge ruled the assault was not the result of impulsivity or impaired judgment due to the accused's background or ongoing struggles, saying he continued to blame the victim and justify his actions.
"This illustrates his contempt for [the victim] and callous disregard for her sexual autonomy and psychological well being," she said. "This confirms the sexual assault was not a lapse in judgment or out of character for Mr. Redmond … the sexual assault was a calculated, deliberate act."
The courthouse in Brockville, Ont., is shown on May 31, 2023. (Dan Taekema/CBC)
O'Brien referred to a victim impact statement where the complainant described how the event felt "so heavy and so shameful," leading her to become guarded, lonely and feeling unsafe.
The judge considered it an aggravating factor that Redmond had violated the victim's trust and assaulted her while she was unconscious and had "no ability to defend herself."
The circumstances of the case called for a "heavy sentence" above the normal range, O'Brien said.
"Mr. Redmond's conduct must be denounced in the clearest of terms."
Exactly, or else every second cop in Ontario is going to be doing it.
He was also ordered to have no contact with the victim or her family, must provide a DNA sample and must comply with the sexual offender registry for 10 years.
Officer also found guilty of assault
Redmond was convicted last Friday of nine other violent offences in connection with a separate court matter.
In that case, Justice Donna Hackett found him guilty of five counts of assault, three counts of assault causing bodily harm and one count of assault with a weapon.
That victim's identity is also protected by a publication ban. She is not the same person as the complainant in Redmond's conviction for sexual assault.
His legal history also includes a conviction for drug trafficking, for which he received one year of probation and no jail time.
How is it that a cop convicted of trafficking drugs is not immediately fired? Is there no concern about the moral makeup of Ontario Provincial Police? The OPP should be sued for keeping this creep on the force.
He's been on paid leave from the OPP since being charged in that case in 2015.
OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique previously said the force has been seeking to dismiss Redmond since his first conviction.
"This behaviour is unacceptable for any police officer and cannot be tolerated," Carrique wrote at the time.
Appeal of dismissal from OPP withdrawn
However, the officer appealed that decision, which allowed him to continue to collect his salary for the last seven and a half years while being suspended on paid leave.
Redmond's name was included on the 2021 Ontario Sunshine List, which listed his income as $121,047.96 that year.
An appeal before the Ontario Civilian Police Commission was scheduled to take place in October, but in an email to CBC earlier this week, a spokesperson for the commission said it's since been withdrawn and the matter is closed.
Can justice possibly move any slower? Good grief! The OPP has to improve its ability to fire people with moral flaws.
Stein and her client declined to comment on the move.
In his statement, Carrique said the abandonment of the appeal meant Redmond could be fired and described the court process as a "lengthy and difficult journey" for the victim as well as for police.
Former British police watchdog head charged with sexually assaulting girl
By Patrick Hilsman
June 16 (UPI) -- The former head of Britain's police watchdog has been charged with sexually assaulting an underage girl.
The Crown Prosecution Service charged Michael Lockwood with three counts of rape against a girl under 16 and six counts of indecent assault. The service said the assaults took place in 1985 and 1986.
Lockwood served as head of the Independent Office for Police Conduct before stepping down in December when allegations of sexual misconduct emerged.
"After carefully considering all the evidence provided to us by Humberside Police, we have authorized charges against Michael Lockwood, 64, for nine offenses under the sexual Offenses Act 1956," said Rosemary Ainslie, head of the Crown Prosecution Service's special crime division.
Ainslie said, "the Crown Prosecution Service reminds all concerned that criminal proceedings against Mr. Lockwood are active and that he has the right to a fair trial."
Lockwood's legal representatives deny wrongdoing.
"Mr. Lockwood strenuously denies all of these allegations from nearly 40 years ago," said Emma Brooks of the PCB Byrne law firm," he will strongly defend his position and will continue to cooperate with the proceeding."
The Independent Office for Police Conduct said they were aware of the charges and confirmed that "Mr. Lockwood was IOPC director general from 2018 to 2022, but as a crown appointee, not employed by the IOPC."
The Independent Office emphasized that "as criminal proceedings are active, we are unable to comment any further."
Lockwood is scheduled to appear in court June 28.
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