Netherlands man accused of sharing child pornography; sexual abuse under investigation
A 37-year-old man from Bodegraven appeared before court in The Hague on Tuesday. He was initially charged with spreading child pornography, but during the investigation, police have reportedly found evidence of the man’s sexual relations with underaged children.
The man was first discovered in the summer of 2024 by the Child Pornography and Child Sex Tourism (TBKK) Team of the National Investigation and Intervention Unit. Under the guidance of the Public Prosecution Service, the team was looking into cases of child pornography on encrypted chat apps.
The TBKK team then came across the man from Bodegraven, who shared pictures of “very young” children, the police report. Apart from pornographic materials, the suspect also talked to others on the chat apps about having sexual contact with underaged boys and girls.
The man was arrested on July 26, 2024. He has been held in pre-trial detention since. The investigation is still ongoing, with the next pre-trial hearing scheduled for April 3.
Police suspect that there are more victims, including those he could have met when working as a trainer at the Pentagon sports climbing club in Dordrecht from 2003-2019. Anyone with relevant information is urged to get in touch with the police investigator via email, schwaan.lo@politie.nl.
Britain to criminalize sexually explicit deepfake content
Jan. 6 (UPI) -- The British government on Tuesday announced it will criminalize the creation and sharing of so-called deepfake content amid a proliferation of the sexually explicit images and videos online that generally target women and girls.
Deepfake content, according to the Britain-based Revenge Porn Helpline, is images, videos or audio recordings in which artificial intelligence is used to replace the likeness of one person with that of the other. This technology has been increasingly used in the creation of sexually explicit material.
In April, the Revenge Porn Hotline said it received nearly 19,000 reports of deepfake cases over 2023, representing a 106% increase compared to 2022.
To combat the surge, London said it will introduce a new offense to charge those who create and share sexually explicit deepfake content.
Related
It will also create a new offense to bring prosecution against those who take intimate images without consent and the installation of equipment with intent to surreptitiously create such content. Those accused of committing such crimes could face up to two years in prison.
Two years should be the minimum, not the maximum.
This pair of new offenses was seen as needed because while it is already an offense in Britain to share or threaten to share an intimate, it is only illegal to take an image without consent in certain circumstances, such as upskirting, the government said.
"These new offenses will help prevent people being victimized online. We are putting offenders on notice -- they will face the full force of the law," Victims Minister Alex Davies-Jones said in a statement.
The government explained that the sexually explicit deepfakes offenses will apply to adult images as existing laws already address such crimes for those under the age of 18.
Campaigner Jess Davies described intimate-image abuse in Britain as a "national emergency" that is causing women and girls significant harm.
"Women should not have to accept sexual harassment and abuse as a normal part of their online lives, we need urgent action and legislation to better protect women and girls from the mammoth scale of misogyny they are experiencing online," Davies said.
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Girl taken by ‘at least 5 males,’ sexually assaulted in Vaughan, Ont.: police
York Regional Police say they are searching for several male suspects after a young female was allegedly sexually assaulted in Vaughan by a group of teens or young men who were unknown to her.
Police said they responded to reports of a sexual assault shortly before 1 a.m. on Oct. 6 in the area of Norwood Avenue and Jane Street.
Investigators allege a female was approached by a group of “at least five males” she did not know.
“The males brought the female to a secondary location where they sexually assaulted her,” police allege, adding in a statement to Global News that location was nearby and “public.”
Police told Global News the girl is under the age of 18 but older than 12.
Officers are looking for five suspects, all described as being between 15 to 18 years old.
Police said one suspect was last seen wearing a red crewneck sweatshirt and red pants, another wearing a black Nike sweatshirt and the third was possibly wearing a grey Nike sweatshirt. The fourth suspect was described as last wearing a white T-shirt with a design on it, possibly with the word “Supreme.”
The fifth suspect was described as having dreadlocks that extend to his eyebrows and was last seen wearing a dark-coloured “Denim Tears,” a hooded sweatshirt and black pants.
Investigators are asking anyone who may have dashcam or video surveillance from 12 a.m. or 1 a.m. of the area to come forward.
Teen girls transported across Ontario in sex trafficking case, man charged: police
A Toronto man is facing human trafficking charges after allegedly luring teens from Kingston and Sudbury to the Greater Toronto Area for the purpose of sex trafficking, according to Ontario Provincial Police.
Police say an investigation titled Project Shrewsbury got underway in August after police in Sudbury and Kingston received reports that a man had been recruiting and transporting underage girls from those cities for the purpose of sex trafficking.
“The victims were identified as vulnerable youth, who were targeted and drawn into a situation of exploitation through manipulation and coercive tactics,” Acting Det. Insp. Addison Hunter told Global News in email.
He said that police are still investigating how the accused established a connection with the victims.
“The two victims were recruited in person, but police continue to investigate the details of how the victims were known to the accused and how long the victims have been exploited,” Hunter explained.
OPP said that Peel Regional Police became involved once officers learned that the victims were being taken to the Toronto area.
On Nov. 20, police say they arrested 37-year-old Sheldon Lester Saunders of Scarborough. He is facing a lengthy list of charges including assault causing bodily harm, advertising sexual services, procuring under 18 years as well as makes, prints or publishes any child pornography.
“The victims are now safe and receiving support,” Hunter said of the teens.
There may be other victims out there, according to provincial police.
“Police believe there are more victims and ask anyone who believes they are a victim of human trafficking to call the OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or to call the 24/7 national hotline is available at 1-833-900-1010,” Hunter wrote.
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