1 Story from Samoa, Rest from UK & Ireland on Today's Global PnP List

“Horrendous tale of sexual abuse”

By Deidre Tautua-Fanene

Court House Mulinuu

Samoa - A shocking incestuous relationship, which started with rape, and one where a father and daughter went on to have three children and a fourth who was aborted, has been described as a “horrendous tragic tale of sexual abuse”.

The description comes from Supreme Court Justice Vui Clarence Nelson who jailed the 63-year-old man for 21 years yesterday. 

The man whose name has been suppressed to protect the victim and their children was convicted of one count of rape and 11 counts of incest. In issuing the suppression order, Justice Vui said this extended to all forms of social media including Twitter, WhatsApp and Facebook. More charges could have been filed, the Court heard.

“This incident is a horrendous tragic tale of sexual abuse of a young girl where the defendant seems to treat her as his play thing,” Justice Vui said. He expressed disbelief at “how a father could do this to his own flesh and blood and then produce children from his own daughter”.

Justice Vui said this sort of behavior was culturally unacceptable and it was also against the law. “It is also deeply disturbing that such abuse was tolerated apparently by the family of this young girl for so long,” Justice Vui said.

“They seem to be more concerned with their own reputation but not the welfare and well-being of the victim and the children that were born into this world as a result of this sickening behaviour." “If incest is to be eradicated in our community, this culture of silence must end. If those who know of such ignorance do not speak, who then speaks for those too afraid, too ashamed and humiliated to speak for themselves?"

“It is often said that ‘in order for evil to flourish it is only sufficient that good men do nothing.’ This is a classic case of this kind of behavior being permitted to continue while the family stood by silently.”

According to the complainant’s statement to the police, the rape occurred between 31st May, 2009 and 1st January, 2010 while the complainant was just 17 years old. “This is the first occasion in which the defendant and the complainant engaged in sexual intercourse,” said Justice Vui.

“On the night in question, the defendant came home drunk and calls her to come into his bed. As duty of all daughters she complied and sat on his bed.” He raped her and she cried, saying it was painful. “Despite this, the defendant continues with his action culminating into a full sexual intercourse over the protest of the young girl,” said Justice Vui.

“Afterwards he told her not to tell anyone about what had happened especially to her brothers. The victim at the time had no mother because the mother had passed away in 2006.

“From then on, it seems that this became a regular occurrence during 2009 and 2010. The defendant will come home drunk late at night and have sex with her.  She told police that eventually she went past the point of resisting him.

“In 2009, she felt pregnant to the defendant and had their first child in 2010. When confronted by her brothers, she confessed to them that the defendant was the father of her baby.” The defendant denied it when he was confronted.

According to the victim’s statement, a conflict occurred which led to one of the uncles banishing the defendant and his family from their family land. They then relocated to the village of the complainant’s natural mother.

 “The defendant’s behavior did not cease and continued through 2010, 2011 and in 2012 the girl again became pregnant. “The family again relocated to another village where the complainant had her second child in 2013. After this birth, the family then moved to Falelauniu to the land of an uncle who is a Pastor.

“The girl became pregnant for the third time and had her third child in 2015. The complainant told the police there was another child after that, a forth pregnancy but she aborted the baby because she wanted this to end."

“In 2016, the girl took a husband hoping that this will deter the defendant. She says this caused her father much displeasure and anger.”

But her father came to her again on the night of February 2017 where they had sexual intercourse for the last time while her husband was at work. “This however, led to a family meeting but still the defendant was persistent in his denials.” The matter was eventually reported to the Police.

According to the pre-sentence report, the defendant denied all the allegations against him. “In that report he tries to blame his counsel for his guilty plea,” said Justice Vui. “He said that he is innocent from all the allegations. I have difficulties in accepting that.”

Alleged victim of child sex abuse says

former boyfriend 'did not believe me'

Carl Eve Crime Reporter

A jury has heard how an alleged victim of childhood sexual abuse revealed the offences to a previous boyfriend – but he did not believe her.

David Roy Peters, age 62, faces trial at Plymouth Crown Court where he is accused of 12 charges which cover a period between 1979 and 1988.

Peters, of Austin Avenue, North Prospect, has denied four counts of gross indecency with a child and eight of indecently assaulting a child.

The jury was shown a video interview with the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, where she documented a number of alleged indecent assaults. She said Peters would take opportunities to show his privates to her before warning her not to tell anyone as she would not be believed.

She said that years later she revealed the alleged abuse to a long-term boyfriend whose response she claimed was “at least it’s not happening now”. When she revealed the alleged abuse to her current partner, he instantly accepted her word and supported her through the disclosure process.

She said she told her new partner before disclosing the alleged abuse to a counsellor she was seeing in relation to her slow recovery following a difficult surgical operation.

Plymouth Crown Court

She explained during her police interview that this counsellor initially helped her, but when the sessions came to an end, she could only afford a few more sessions. She noted how she had the offer of more counselling but was told the waiting list meant she could not be seen for a year.

The woman – who was herself now a mother – took the stand to give her testimony, refusing to have screens put in place between her and Peters. When asked by defence barrister Deni Matthews about why she did not disclose the abuse when she was younger, she replied: “It was never that easy.”

Her current partner took the stand to explain how he was asked by the woman to deliver and read out a letter written to Peters, which accused him of abusing her when she was younger. The partner said he noted that as he read it out to Peters, as per his partner's instructions, Peters “faded away, he seemed to get smaller”.

A statement from her counsellor was read out to the jury noting how she disclosed to him during one session that she had been abused by Peters when she was younger. The counsellor noted how on April 23, 2015 she then texted him a more detailed explanation of the alleged abuse because “she found it too difficult to disclose it in my presence”.

The woman’s former partner also took the stand, recalling how the woman had previously revealed to him she had been abused by Peters when she was younger.

He said: “She took me to one side and said [Peters] molested me”. He explained: “I don’t know why she came out with it. It was well into our relationship. “It all came back to me when I was being interviewed by the police. I still couldn’t believe it at the time.”

When asked by Mr Matthews on behalf of Peters if he believed the woman, the former partner replied: “No”.

Det Con Dave Godfrey, the investigating officer took the stand and read sections from his interview with Peters.

He said Peters admitted he “can’t read or write all that well” but denied the woman’s current partner had read him any letter from her and repeatedly said “it’s all lies”.

When asked by Det Con Godfrey why the woman claimed Peter’s had indecently assaulted her, Peter’s replied “No way, never happened, never happened, that’s a lot of rubbish, it never happened".

Methinks he doth protest too much!

The trial continues.

Former Irish Times journalist jailed for over two years for child sexual abuse

James Wilson  

Former Irish Times journalist Tom Humphries has seen sentenced to two and a half years behind bars after he was convicted of grooming and then sexually abusing a teenage girl (3rd story on link).

The 54-year-old sports journalist sent his then 14-year-old victim 16,000 text messages in a three month period. What started out as mere encouragement about her life and performance on the camogie team he coached soon became sexual in nature. 

The texting then progressed to sexual acts and it was the memory of these encounters in 2011 the victim told the court left her feeling “physically sick”, mentally ill and caused her to miss school as a consequence.

“I lost my trust in men. The loss of my childhood came with the ordeal of having to deal with the police, counselors, solicitors and social workers,” she continued.

Humphries, who was taken three weeks ago to the Midlands Prison at his own request, was today moved to Mountjoy in Dublin. It’s likely however that will not be where he lives out most of his jail time as most sex offenders are moved to Arbour Hill Prison for their own safety.

In sentencing him Judge Karen O’Connor said that the seriousness of the offences merited the “headline sentence” of four years but she had decided against a custodial sentence of that length due to mitigating factors.

She said she had taken into account Humphries’ very public fall from grace due to what she called his “high profile”, his guilty plea and character references from family, a fellow journalist and the well-known hurler, Dónal Óg Cusack.

The aggravating factors she had taken into account, however, were the age disparity between Humphries and his victim as well as his “position” of authority over her.

The perceived shortness of the sentence led to a backlash on social media with others taking aim an Irish Times profile of the man they judged far too complimentary.

12 men appear at Sheffield Magistrates' Court accused of 44 historical child sex offences

SARAH MARSHALL 

12 men appeared at Sheffield Magistrates' Court this morning, accused of 44 sexual offences that are alleged to have taken place between 1998 and 2003.

Salah Ahmed El-Hakam, 38, arrives at Sheffield Magistrates' Court. Picture: Tom Maddick 

The men, all aged between 33 and 38 appeared in court charged with 44 child sexual abuse offences including rape, indecent assault, supply of controlled drugs and false imprisonment as part of the National Crime Agency’s (NCA) Operation Stovewood.

Iqlak Yousaf, 33, arrives at Sheffield Magistrates' Court.

Picture: Tom Maddick 

Below is a list of the defendants, and the charges they face:

- Salah Ahmed El-Hakam, 38, of Tudor Close, Darnall, Sheffield: rape of a girl aged under 16.

- Mohammed Ashan, 33, of Leyland, Lancashire: two counts of rape of a girl aged under 16; two of indecent assault of a girl aged under 16.

- Mohammed Imran Akhtar, 36, of East Road, Rotherham: four counts of indecent assault of a girl aged under 16, supplying a Class B drug, rape of a girl aged under 16, aiding and abetting rape of a girl aged under 16, sexual touching of a girl aged 13 or over, and procuring a female under 21 for unlawful sexual intercourse.

- Tanweer Ali, 36, of Godstone Road, Rotherham: two counts of rape of a girl aged under 16; two of indecent assault of a girl aged under 16, one of false imprisonment.

- Aftab Hussain, 38, of York Road, Rotherham: three counts of rape of a girl aged under 16; two of indecent assault of a girl aged under 16; one of detaining a child to keep her from a person having lawful control.

- Sharaz Hussain, 33, of Fitzwilliam Road, Rotherham: indecent assault of a girl aged under 16.

- Nabeel Kurshid, 34, of Warwick Street, Rotherham: two counts of rape of a girl aged under 16; one of indecent assault of a girl aged under 16.

Aftab Hussain, 38, arrives at Sheffield Magistrates' Court.

Picture: Tom Maddick.

- Masaeud Malik: indecent assault of a girl aged under 16.

- Amjal Rafiq, 38, of Warwick Street, Rotherham: indecent assault of a girl aged under 16 and false imprisonment.

- Abid Saddiq, 36, of Walter Street, Rotherham : four counts of rape of a girl aged under 16; five of indecent assault of a girl aged under 16.

- Iqlak Yousaf, 33, of Tooker Road, Rotherham: two counts of rape of a girl aged under 16; one of indecent assault of a girl aged under 16.

Sharaz Hussain, 33, arrives at Sheffield Magistrates' Court.

Picture: Tom Maddick

 - Waseem Khaliq, 33, of Wetherby: rape of a girl aged under 16.

The offences relate to the sexual abuse of eight girls under the age of 16, in the Rotherham area, over a five year period which runs from 1998 to 2003.

Nine of the men, all from the Rotherham area, appeared before Sheffield District Judge Naomi Redhouse and were granted bail.

Mohammed Ashan, 33, Masaeud Malik, 33 and Waseem Khaliq, 33, appeared via video link and were remanded in custody.

Operation Stovewood is the NCA’s investigation into non-familial child sexual exploitation and abuse in Rotherham between 1997-2013.

Senior Investigating Officer, Paul Williamson said of the ongoing investigation: “We have now charged 21 men with over 94 child sexual abuse offences and expect this number to increase as more victims come forward.

Officers are investigating more than 80 suspects and with the support of partner agencies, are currently engaging with 235 victims.

“Our focus is to bring lasting and worthwhile benefits for victims, helping to build better futures. We will listen to their accounts and investigate allegations made to identify and bring offenders to justice.

This focus has not wavered and we, along with our partners will persist in our efforts to make Rotherham a hostile environment for child sex offenders”.

Kettering man jailed for string of child sex offences

STEPHANIE WEAVER

A Kettering man has been jailed for four years after being convicted of a string of child sex offences.

Andrew Desborough, 44, was found guilty at Northampton Crown Court of seven counts of indecent assault against a child.

The court was told the offences were committed in the early 1990s and only came to light two decades later.

DC Mark Allbright from Northamptonshire Police’s child protection team said he welcomed the sentence handed down by the judge.

He said: “These offences came to light many years after they happened but we are pleased to have secured this conviction and potentially protected further vulnerable victims from harm.

“I hope today’s result gives the victim some comfort and I’d like to commend their bravery in coming forward.

“Northamptonshire Police takes all allegations of sexual abuse, non-recent or otherwise, very seriously and we would urge anyone with any concerns to contact us on Northamptonshire Police on 101.”

Man jailed for 18 years over child sex abuse

A man who fled during a trial at which he was convicted of child sex abuse has been jailed for 18 years at Ipswich Crown Court

Ipswich Crown Court

David Gosling, 68, formerly of Clare and now living in Manchester, was arrested on Friday, October 20, in northern Wales and was brought back to Suffolk to be sentenced today (Tuesday).

The jury found Gosling guilty of six offences committed 40 years ago but cleared him of three other offences alleged to have been at the same time.

The court heard Gosling repeatedly subjected a young boy to sexual assaults including forcing him to perform a sexual act and indecent touching.

Prosecutor David Wilson told last week’s trial Gosling, who at the time was aged in his late 20s, had taken advantage of the boy, who was unsure whether what was taking place was wrong.

Gosling, who had denied all the offences, was found guilty of two serious sexual offences, three of indecency with a child and one of indecently assaulting a male. He was found not guilty of three further alleged offences of indecency with a child.

While the jury were deliberating, Gosling fled from Ipswich Crown Court but was arrested the following day in the north of Wales.

Sentencing him, Judge Martyn Levett told Gosling he had left his victim struggling with a ‘tortured life’.

Judge Levett said that in a victim impact statement, the boy said his whole life had been affected including not achieving well at school, suffering nightmares and having anger issues and low self esteem.

Jailing Gosling for a total of 18 years, two thirds of which he will have to spend behind bars before he can apply for parole, Judge Levett said the offending had been ‘quite scandalous’.

In addition, Gosling was made the subject of a one year extended licence period when he is released from jail and told he must sign the sexual offences register for life.

He is also banned from ever working with children.

Primary school head 'silenced' over governor sex doll investigation

A head teacher was "forbidden" by the Catholic church from telling parents a school governor was being investigated over a sex doll, the BBC has been told.

David Turner, of Ramsgate, Kent, was jailed last month after he admitted importing a child sex doll.

Parents say it was nine months after Turner's arrest that St Ethelbert's Catholic Primary in Ramsgate told them he had been investigated.

The school and the Archdiocese of Southwark have declined to comment.

Turner was arrested in November 2016, charged in April and went on to appear in court in June - but parents said they were only alerted by the school in August.

Turner, who also served as a church warden at St Ethelbert's Church, Ramsgate, the church linked to the school, had also admitted downloading 34,000 images of child sexual abuse.

Parents said they approached head teacher John Letts for answers, but Mr Letts, who is also a safeguarding representative for St Ethelbert's Church, told them the archdiocese had stopped him telling them sooner.

One mother, who has not been named, told the BBC the whole incident had been "silenced" and said: "To me, the church doesn't have that right."

Another parent wrote on social media: "School have been forbidden by the diocese to release a statement...it's horrendous."

David Turner admitted importing the child sex doll which he dressed himself

South Thanet MP Craig Mackinlay said the situation was appalling.

"The school could have behaved better," he said.

"They could have had a public meeting within the school with parents to actually explain the measures that they are undertaking in terms of safeguarding issues and general safety."

The BBC has also discovered Turner stole photos of pupils from the school.

The Crown Prosecution Service confirmed Turner removed photos - of events such as dressing up days and held legitimately by the school - without permission.

One parent, Emily Davies, said she had no choice but to remove her daughter from St Ethelbert's.

She said: "The school should have made a statement straight away. The parents should have been all completely reassured.

"I should not be having to find out the information by myself, about what might have happened or could have happened to my daughter."

7 Stories Includes Another Polanski Rape Alleged - Today's Global PnP List

Stories involve people from Poland, Switzerland, Germany, Haiti, Brazil, Nigeria, Ireland, South Africa, Philippines, Canada, UK

Warning - Some stories are disturbing

Roman Polanski accused of rape by a 4th woman

By Chris Jancelewicz

Senior National Online Reporter, Global News

Former German actor Renate Langer, now 61, has reported to the Swiss police that Polish film director Roman Polanski raped her when she was 15 years old.

The alleged rape took place in Gstaad, Switzerland in February 1972, claims Langer, bringing the total number of rape accusations against Polanski to four.

Langer went to the Swiss police because it has eliminated its statute of limitations on child sex abuse cases (though the law still limits prosecution in old cases). Police told Langer that another office would be responsible for making the decision on whether she could file a criminal complaint.

She fully admitted that she had never reported the alleged rape to anybody before — not even her close friends or family — except for an old boyfriend. Like many women who’ve suffered sexual abuse, she opted to stay silent to protect her parents and her own mental sanity.

“My mother would have had a heart attack,” she said. “I felt ashamed and embarrassed and lost and solo.”

Renate Langer, pictured in 1986.

Getty Images

Langer said Polanski raped her in the bedroom of his home, despite her attempts to break free or defend herself. After a month passed, she said that he called her and offered her a small role in his upcoming movie, Che? After he convinced her that he would treat her as a professional, she accepted the offer.

After shooting began, Langer claims that he raped her once more when she was alone in the home she’d been staying in. Again, Langer said her attempts at defending herself were fruitless.

“This had an influence on all of my life,” she said.

Polanski, 84, has lived as a fugitive in Europe since pleading guilty in Los Angeles in 1977 to having sex with a minor. In April, a Los Angeles County judge denied Polanski’s latest effort to resolve the 40-year-old statutory rape case, saying that the filmmaker cannot be sentenced in absentia because he remains a fugitive from justice.

Samantha Geimer was one of Polanski’s victims; she was a 13-year-old junior high student when Polanski, then 43, took her to actor Jack Nicholson’s house for a photo shoot. He gave her champagne and part of a Quaalude pill and, according to testimony from Geimer, forced her to have sex with him.

After pleading guilty to unlawful sex with a minor, Polanski was sent to a state prison for a 90-day diagnostic evaluation. Judge Laurence Rittenband, who was presiding over the case at the time, said the evaluation would help him reach a fair sentencing decision. The director was released after 42 days, with prison officials saying he did not need additional prison time.

Rittenband, facing fierce media pressure, went against the recommendation and decided to send Polanski back to prison for an additional 48 days.

Polanski then hopped a flight to Europe and never returned.

In August, a woman identified only by her first name, Robin, accused Polanski of “sexually victimizing” her in 1973, when she was 16 years old. In 2010, British actor Charlotte Lewis said Polanski sexually abused her at the same age: 16.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter at the Zurich Film Festival, published Monday, Polanski said he considered the Geimer case to be over and done with.

“As you know, Samantha Geimer has been asking for over 30 years for this thing to end,” he said. “But, I’m sorry the judges who dealt with it the last 40 years were corrupted, one covering for the other. So … maybe one of them will [eventually] stop doing it.”

“As far as what I did: It’s over. I pleaded guilty,” he continued. “I went to jail. I came back to the United States to do it, people forget about that, or don’t even know. I then was locked up here [in Zurich] after this festival. So in the sum, I did about four or five times more than what was promised to me.”

My heart is bleeding...

As the decades have worn on, two portraits of Polanski have emerged. Many still shun him as a criminal who fled from justice. But some in Hollywood have argued that he was treated unfairly by a judge who wanted to make an example of a powerful filmmaker.

Polanski’s lawyer, Harland Braun, declined to comment on the new accusation by Langer.

Haitian Ladies Raped by UN Peacekeepers

Tell Their Shocking Stories

Jacquendia Cangé holds the photo of the UN Nigerian police officer, who she claims to have raped her:

"I can never forgive", she says  © Sputnik/ Igor Patrick

They were deployed by the UN to "restore a secure and stable environment" in Haiti, one of poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere. However, what they actually did only added to the sufferings of Haitian young women, who revealed their stories to Sputnik Brazil.

She doesn’t have stand-out hair and wears only simple clothes. And while Martine Gestimé goes unnoticed in a crowd of people in the capital of Port-au-Prince, she has a shocking story to tell. For the first time, a young Haitian woman has decided to reveal how she was sexually abused by a Brazilian serviceman. Martine told Sputnik Brazil how it all happened ten years ago, in June of 2007.

The Haitian woman studied at a school near Cité Soleil, one of the extremely impoverished and densely populated slums in the Western Hemisphere. She had been starving for days. One afternoon, she was approached by an interpreter for the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), Franco. He translated what one of Brazilian peacekeepers wanted to tell her: he complimented her for her commitment to her studies and said that "learning was the only way to change her life."

"He had strikingly pale skin, dark hair and light-colored eyes. He praised me for my beauty," the girl told Sputnik.

The servicemen started meeting her every time she finished her classes and soon invited her to his military base, promising to give her a pack of cookies. As she had not eaten all day, she eagerly left her school books at home and went for the promised treat.

Martine recalls that the serviceman asked her to wait in a room at the entrance. He soon returned without any food, locked the door and raped her. She kept it secret out of shame until she realized that she was pregnant. Her friend suggested an abortion and they covertly saved 1,000 Haitian gourdes ($15.5) from the money they were given for food. 

The sum was barely a half of what was needed for the abortion medicine illegally sold in the streets of Port-au-Prince.

"My mother saw that I was not feeling well and realized that I was pregnant. She ordered me find the father of my child, but I was unable to confess that I was raped. She always thought that studying at the school was too dangerous. She would have blamed me," she says.

Martine tried to find Franco, the interpreter, without success.

Brazilian military members from United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) stand guard on a street near the Republic of Chile School in Port-au-Prince, March 27, 2017

© AFP 2017/ HECTOR RETAMAL

"Over and over again, I went to bed in tears praying to God to kill either me or the baby as I did not have any money to bring him up," she confessed to Sputnik.

The baby boy, whom she called Ashford Gestimé, was born on April 8, 2008. Her mother had been constantly humiliating her and Martine was forced to send the boy to live with her brother in Delmas commune of Port-au-Prince. The boy is still convinced that his uncle is his real father.

Martine now lives in a three-square-meter room together with her aunt Jacqueline Louidor, her friend and her child. All of them sleep on one double bed. They have no windows and no bathroom and huge dumps at their doorstep.

"If I could find that man, I would have asked him to help my son to get an education. I would not have forgiven him, but Ashford's life would have probably been better than mine," the young woman said, adding that she would have definitely recognize the abuser.

Jacquendia rests her head under her daughter, who will not be identified at her mother's request

© SPUTNIK/ IGOR PATRICK

In its comment to Sputnik Brazil, the Brazilian Defense Ministry responded that it knows nothing about Martine's case. The website however turned to archives to find out who was in Haiti in June of 2007. It turned out that the military contingent on the base at that time swapped every week and there are no personnel records showing which servicemen stayed at any particular time.

Sputnik only managed to verify that it was servicemen of the 6th Motorized Infantry Brigade stationed at Santa Maria, Rio Grande doSul. There was no data about Franco, the interpreter.

The ministry replied to Sputnik that "according to the records of the UN Conduct and Discipline Unit, there had been no reported complaints over similar crimes of Brazil servicemen."

It also noted that it should be a "reason for pride" that there had been no reports of any misconduct by Brazilian servicemen and if there were any occurrences involving Brazilian military personnel, such as an allegation of rape, it should had been reported to investigators, who would have looked into it to verify the facts.

The UN did not comment to Sputnik on any investigations into other reported cases of rape by Brazilian servicemen.

Only One Haitian Woman Received Compensation for Rape in 10 Years

The UN has always voiced a zero tolerance policy towards the sexual abuse committed by its peacekeepers. However more and more victims are now openly reporting sex crimes.

According to the statistics of Haitian Ministry of Justice and Public Security, there have been over 500 cases of sexual abuse on the country’s territory, which were not originally reported out of fear or shame.

Out of all the cases, 34 have been verified, but out of these 34 abusers only 11 ended up in jail and only one woman received compensation of any kind.

Jacquendia Cangé was raped by a Nigerian UN police officer. She made a report to the Department of Peacekeeping Operations. Unlike other victims, she knew the name and staff number of her abuser. She left the department with the promise to thoroughly investigate the issue but was never called back.

Sputnik Brazil has contacted the press service of the department in New York and got the response that Nigeria's General Staff had been informed about the case of sexual abuse in September 2014. The case has not been investigated yet, although the department, together with the General Staff, continues to monitor the investigation.

They are monitoring the investigation which has not started yet after 3 years!!!?? It's a good thing they really want to get to the bottom of this.

"I don't want to hear anything about this man. I was not praying to God to send me a daughter, but He had sent her to me and I will care for her. I don't want the help of this man," Jacquendia told Sputnik. She is getting ready to move to Sao Paulo to live with her brother.

It should be noted that the UN has taken a very tough stance on the reported cases of child sexual abuse committed by United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA). Its resolution 2.272/2016 bans the countries which refuse to investigate such cases from further peacekeeping missions. If even one reported case is ignored, the country could be forced to fully replace its contingent.

'I have never felt so angry and physically sick... it seemed I would never get back my normal life' - 

Victim impact statement reveals abuse by Tom Humphries

Shane Phelan  

The young woman who was sexually exploited as a child by journalist Tom Humphries has told how she was left feeling suicidal following her ordeal. She did not address Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, but a harrowing and extremely powerful victim impact statement from her was read into the court record by prosecution barrister Shane Costelloe SC.

Tom Humphries (54), with an address in Sutton, Dublin, pleaded guilty to six sex offences at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court last March.

Earlier today, Judge Karen O'Connor adjourned sentencing to later this month as she wishes to consider documentation handed into court and evidence given in mitigation. At his own request Tom Humphries was taken into custody after the hearing ended.

In a powerful statement, the victim outlined in detail her feelings about being defiled and sexually exploited between the ages of 14 and 16. In the statement, the young woman spoke of experiencing guilt and shame.

She said she suffered psychologically as a result of the abuse and had trouble eating and sleeping, resulting in weight loss. Under the heading Shame, she wrote: “Feeling ashamed of the fact that I let somebody do this to me and that I allowed him to manipulate and have control over me.

“I went through stages of being physically sick, leading to a loss of school time and education time, thus affecting my learning capabilities. I lost my trust in men. The loss of my childhood came with the ordeal of having to deal with the police, counsellors, solicitors and social workers."

“I had to deal with sexual encounters at such a young age with a man three times my age, which made me physically, emotionally and mentally ill. “I had to make countless statements for the police. This was extremely draining mentally and emotionally."

“I had to go through counselling for a year and a half, which caused me to relive the whole ordeal all over again. Being classed as a victim has led to self doubt, a lack of confidence and hatred towards myself.”

Under the heading Life Changes, she wrote: “I was unable to continue playing camogie due to mental and physical health issues caused by this experience. This led to a loss of friends, a loss of passion and a loss of a lifestyle. I lost out on college exams, trips, holidays and experiences with family and friends."

“I had to take time off from school, college and work to accommodate all the court cases I had to attend. These court cases were dragged out over several years. This whole ordeal has left me with permanent flashbacks and severe panic attacks. It has led me to mentally block out all of the abuse, both sexual and mental. This has resulted in me blocking out my childhood memories that I had from the ages 14 to 18."

“I suffer with depression. That not only hits me in waves but sticks with me always. It is a constant battle I have to fight in order to get on with my day to day life. I have been suicidal because of all that has happened. This is something I never want to feel and something I never want to cross my mind and an action I do not believe in. This also goes against my beliefs and the morals I was brought up with. 

"I have never felt as low and as small about myself until this happened to me. For years it has ruined my life. I have never felt so angry and physically sick with myself and it seemed like I was never going to get back to my normal life.”

Her statement concluded with a message for the Humphries’ family, who reported his activities to the gardaí. She wrote: “I would like to sincerely thank the family of Tom Humphries. Without them reporting this I do not know where I would be today. I will be forever grateful to them for saving me from this situation. I hope and pray that you can all get past this and somehow live a normal healthy life.”

Hugh Hartnett SC, for Humphries, said his client was "truly remorseful". He said Humphries had attempted suicide twice and was at risk of a further attempt.

Mr Harnett said his client had refused treatment for depression as he believed this would make him feel happier. He said his client did not want to feel happier and wanted to feel pain for what he did. Humphries attended court for today’s hearing.

Last March, he admitted to six charges when he was arraigned.

Two of the charges related to engaging in a sexual act with a girl under the age of 17 on or about December 5, 2010 and February 19, 2011. The sexual acts occurred at an apartment in Dublin.

The other four charges admitted by him were of sexually exploiting the same child by inviting her to engage or participate in a sexually explicit, indecent or obscene act on or about January 1, 2010 February 15, 2011 and March 4 and 18 the same year.

At that hearing Mr Humphries only spoke in court to say “guilty” after each of the six charges was put to him.

A number of other charges on the indictment are to be taken into account when he is being sentenced.

Humphries was arrested in relation to child sex allegations in September 2012 but the matters did not come to court until earlier this year.

Humphries' former employer, the Irish Times, issued a statement following today's proceedings. The company said that Tom Humphries has not written for The Irish Times since early 2011. In a statement, it said that he joined The Irish Times as a sports reporter on March 1st, 1992.

"In March 2011, the company was advised of serious allegations against the journalist and the commencement of a criminal investigation by the Garda. He has not written for The Irish Times since then.

"He was suspended from employment by The Irish Times on March 31st, 2014 when he was formally charged with criminal offences. His employment was terminated with immediate effect on March 8th, 2017 after he had pleaded guilty to charges at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

"The company said the disclosure that Humphries was the subject of serious allegations and of a criminal investigation was a source of shock and distress to his colleagues."

It added: “This matter has been treated with the utmost seriousness throughout. The Irish Times, in its response, has been guided by the provisions of employment legislation and the requirement to allow the criminal justice system to proceed without interference. The company fully co-operated with the Garda at all times during its investigations.”

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this letter please contact Samaritans helpline 116 123 or Aware helpline 1800 80 48 48 or Pieta House on 1800 247 247

Indigenous man sentenced for sexual assaults

on granddaughter

Lisa Schick

A Saskatchewan man is heading to federal prison for repeatedly sexually assaulting and impregnating his 13-year-old granddaughter.

According to court documents, the assaults started when the girl was 10 years old. She was with her grandfather at a powwow and she went to lie down in a truck because her back hurt. He came with her and molested her. Shortly after that, the rape began – the girl estimated she was raped between 75 and 100 times.

The girl’s identity is protected by a publication ban, and because of the man’s relationship to her, he, therefore, cannot be identified either.

Court heard the sexual assaults continued for three years until the girl gave birth to a baby boy in spring 2014 at the Wynyard hospital.

She told court the man told her to lie and say another man had forced her to have sex, but about a month later she filed a report with the Wadena RCMP, explaining who the baby’s father really was. A later DNA test confirmed the girl’s grandfather was the baby’s father – he was 50 at the time.

Police then put out a warrant for the man’s arrest, but he managed to evade police for almost a year. In 2015 he was arrested and was kept in custody as the case made its way through the court.

He eventually pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual assault.

In her victim impact statement, the girl said her childhood had been taken away from her, that she suffered from anxiety and depression and had developed an eating disorder.

The maximum sentence for this offence at the time was 10 years, according to the judge. The Crown was asking for a nine-year sentence, while the defense argued for six-and-a-half to seven-and-a-half years – citing his guilty plea and history of being the victim of sexual assault himself — as mitigating factors.

The judge recognized the offender’s history but also wrote that he saw no record of apology. The judge said in his decision that the most egregious factor in the crime was the ongoing nature of the assaults:

“The nature of child sexual abuse is so offensive because it often involves a captive victim who is subject to repeated assaults, unlike adult victims who, in most instances, find a way to distance themselves from their assailant. V.D. lived with his child victim. She had no means to leave; she was a dependent child.”

The man was sentenced to eight years in prison, less time served, which worked out to just over six years left to serve. He was also given a list of conditions to follow upon his release, like providing DNA, being added to the sex offender registry, a 10-year firearms ban, no communication with the victim, and not being able to be around kids or in places where kids are likely to be.

Firefighter to wait 1 month in solitary for bail hearing on

charges of sex assaults on girls, woman

Defence lawyer Matt Gould says his client Manuel Ruiz is being treated unfairly

CBC News

A Winnipeg firefighter and jiu-jitsu instructor accused of sexually assaulting a woman and two underage girls will spend more than 30 days in solitary confinement before he can ask for bail because of limited court availability.

Manuel Ruiz, 52, has been in custody since his arrest on Sept. 22 (3rd story on link). Ruiz is charged with multiple offences, including sexual assault of a child, forcible confinement and luring a child, stemming from accusations of sexual abuse against three people dating back to 2001.

Ruiz appeared in court on Tuesday via video link from the Remand Centre to try to schedule a date for his bail hearing.

Due to a tight court schedule, the half-day hearing won't take place until Oct. 25.

Ruiz's lawyer, Matt Gould, said his client is being treated unfairly.

Maybe. So were his victims!

"The court system is imposing on Mr. Ruiz that he will spend over a month in something the size of a medium walk-in closet," Gould said.

"I think that's important for people to understand, that someone who's innocent till proven guilty is not even given an opportunity to request release on bail to wait for trial, and they're in a room the size of a closet for approximately a month."

Provincial court Judge Fred Sandhu told court he understood Gould's concerns and would feel the same in the defence's shoes.

Judge, don't let this case be stayed on a technicality. There have been too many criminals set free because Canadian courts are back-logged and too slow in processing cases. Please don't let this guy be one of them.

Sexual assault accusations from 2001, 2005, 2006

Among other allegations, Ruiz is accused of sexually assaulting a girl at a jiu-jitsu studio in 2001.

During the investigation into that allegation, officers found another woman who reported being sexually assaulted by Ruiz at a different location in 2005 and 2006.

A third victim, who is still under 18, said Ruiz contacted her through an online advertisement for escort services and paid her for sex from 2015 until recently, police said last month.

Police told CBC News in September they've been contacted by more than a dozen people regarding Ruiz since releasing details of the investigation.

The Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service told CBC News last month that Ruiz has been removed from active duty. The 25-year veteran had been promoted to lieutenant within the last year.

South African indicted for child sexual abuse in Philippines

THE Office of the Cebu City Prosecutor has indicted a South African who allegedly sexually abused a minor girl inside his hotel room last Sept. 3. 

Prosecutor Ma. Liza Jorda found evidence to charge Ashley Russell Joseph with violation of the Anti-Child Abuse Law, and the Qualified Trafficking in Person. 

“Complainant, a minor, was obtained, transported, and maintained by the respondent for two days in his hotel room by means of deception, coercion, intimidation, and taking advantage of her vulnerability for sexual exploitation,” said Jorda in her resolution. 

The case stemmed from the complaint filed by the victim. The 16-year-old girl said she met Joseph through Facebook on Aug. 28, 2017. They chatted and the accused lured the girl into shopping in a mall last Sept.3. 

After their time at the mall, Joseph brought the victim to his hotel room and allegedly raped her twice on Sept. 3 to 4. On Sept. 4, police and social welfare personnel rescued the girl. (GMD)

British Home Secretary announces ban on carrying sulfuric acid used in attacks

Also, money for combatting child porn

By Ed Adamczyk  

UPI -- British Home Secretary Amber Rudd announced a crackdown Tuesday on sulfuric acid, which gangs have used in recent attacks.

The actions will ban anyone under the age of 18 from purchasing the substance and prevent individuals from carrying sulfuric acid in public if they don't have a "good reason," she said. They are among a number of security initiatives Rudd announced Tuesday.

Rudd told a Conservative Party conference in Manchester: "Acid attacks are absolutely revolting. You have all seen the pictures of victims that never fully recover. Endless surgeries. Lives ruined. So today, I am also announcing a new offense to prevent the sale of acids to under 18s. We are going to stop people carrying acid in public if they don't have a good reason."

Sulphuric acid is also used to manufacture some types of homemade explosives, she added.

Earlier this year, the government said it sought ways to end acid attacks, in which gangs traveling on mopeds, largely in London, splash corrosive sulfuric acid into the faces of random pedestrians.

Rudd announced numerous other policy changes during her speech.

They include a ban on certain types of knives and a ban on children buying knives online, longer prison terms for those convicted of repeatedly viewing extremist material online and a $795,000 government investment in new technology to find and quickly remove indecent images of children online.

She added that British security agencies foiled seven terrorist plots thus far in 2017. Rudd also called on social media and tech companies -- including Facebook, Google, Twitter and Microsoft -- to "honor your moral obligations" to more involve themselves in combatting terrorism online.