Updates
2001 Updates
April 5, 2001 Information Washington DC: Kid Porn Act Gets Buffed Up.
by Ryan Sager
WASHINGTON -- With the Children's Internet Protection Act having safely
passed Congress last year, its supporters are working hard to make sure
that it sticks around longer than its predecessors did.
A looming court challenge seemed to be the main purpose of a
hearing
Wednesday by the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the
Internet: to create a record that a member of the committee will use to
defend CIPA in court.
Click here for full story.
April 5, 2001 UK: 'Chatroom sex' controls urged by judge.
BBC Wales's chief reporter Penny Roberts
"The judge said he shared the concerns of society over use of the
internet"
Thursday, 5 April, 2001, 18:38 GMT 19:38 UK
'Chatroom sex' controls urged by judge
Anthony Gray was an active church goer
A judge has questioned the lack of checks on internet content after an
Oxford academic is jailed for five years for assaulting a boy he met
through a chatroom.
During a six-day trial in February, theology lecturer and church youth
club leader Anthony Gray, 31, from Bicester in Oxfordshire, was found
guilty of two charges of serious sexual assault on the teenager at a
Cardiff hotel.
You imposed your lust on his young body. You are an intelligent man but he
was just 14 years old.
Sentencing him, Judge David Morris said: "I know there is a growing public debate as to what controls can be imposed on material on the
internet.
"I believe there should be some way of checking internet content."
The trial had heard how Gray met the 14-year-old boy from Cardiff - who
was said to have been having difficulty establishing his sexuality - after
logging on to a gay website.
Click here for full story.
April 5, 2001 News - Chicago: Man Found Guilty in Assault of 'Girl X'.
From Times Wire Reports
Chicago jury found a 29-year-old man guilty of charges he sexually
assaulted and beat a 9-year-old girl, leaving her blind, unable to walk
and brain-damaged.
Patrick Sykes showed no emotion as jurors read the verdicts during
their second day of deliberations. He was found guilty of four counts of
predatory criminal sexual assault, and one each of aggravated kidnapping
and attempted murder in the January 1997 attack.
The attack left the child, called Girl X in the news media, in a
wheelchair and unable to speak. Now 13, she testified during the trial,
communicating by raising her head and making eye movements.
Click here for full story.
April 5, 2001 Information - PA: New PA State Police Tool Gives Public Instant Access to Crime Data.
First-Of-Its-Kind Web-Based UCR System to Improve Access, Accuracy Of Crime Statistics
Enables Police Departments to File Crime Information Electronically
HARRISBURG, Pa., April 5 /PRNewswire/ -- On behalf of Gov. Tom Ridge,
State Police Commissioner Paul J. Evanko today unveiled a web-based
Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) system that provides instant access to state
crime data and enhances the accuracy of that data.
The website can be reached through the PA PowerPort at
http://www.state.pa.us or directly at http://www.psp.state.pa.us
"The public now can view the Pennsylvania crime statistics online as
soon as police enter the data," Col. Evanko said. "This new system -- the
first of its kind in the country -- enables police departments throughout
the Commonwealth to file their crime information electronically. "It's
another example of the Ridge Administration's commitment to making
Pennsylvania a national leader in the use of technology to prevent, solve
and track crime.
"UCR data is used by police departments and municipal officials to measure
trends they can use to adjust their crime-fighting efforts and resources.
The more accurate and complete the data, the more valuable it becomes as a
planning tool.
"We also believe that the ease of this new program will encourage
departments that have not participated in the UCR program in the past to
begin filing their crime statistics."
Click here for full story.
April 5, 2001 News - California: Ex-Student Tells Court of Sex Abuse by Coach.
Ex-Student Tells Court of Sex Abuse by Coach
Trial: Case of former Dominguez High mentor opens with testimony about
incidents for which he is not charged.
By Dalondo Moultrie, Times Staff Writer
The trial of former Compton basketball coach Russell Otis, accused of
sexually abusing a player, began Wednesday with a prosecution witness
testifying that Otis also had sexual contact with him.
After jurors heard opening statements, the prosecution's first
witness testified that he had been molested several years ago by Otis, who
was coach at Dominguez High School.
Ernest Yearby, 27, said Otis performed oral sex on him seven or eight
times and fondled him during the year Yearby played basketball for
Dominguez High School.
Otis, who has maintained his innocence, is being tried on charges
that he molested another former player on at least two occasions.
The prosecution plans to call two other witnesses to testify that
they were molested by Otis, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Diana Martinez.
"The witnesses are going to corroborate what the victim said,"
Martinez said.
If convicted of the charges--one count each of molestation or
annoying a child under 18, copulation with a child under 18, sodomy with a
child under 18 and forcible sodomy--Otis could be sentenced up to nine
years and eight months in prison, Martinez said.
Click here for full story.
April 5, 2001 News - Ala: Officer Accused of Molesting Girl Fired.
SARALAND, Ala. (AP) Lester Johnson, a Saraland police corporal accused
of sexually molesting a 13-year-old girl, has been fired after being on
paid leave since March 28. He has denied the allegation.
The City Council on Tuesday voted unanimously to fire the officer, council
member Charles Harben said.
The district attorney's investigation into the allegation continued
Wednesday against Johnson, in his 50s, but no criminal charges had been
filed.
His attorney, L.A. Marsal, said Johnson "vehemently denies any accusation
of child molestation."
Marsal said Johnson wasn't aware of the council vote and hasn't decided
whether to appeal the dismissal.
Johnson had been with the Police Department for 11 years.
April 5, 2001 News - Indiana: Innocent Plea in Child Porn Case.
HAMMOND, Ind. (AP) - An Indiana man has pleaded innocent to
federal child pornography charges related to a Russian Web site.
Glenn Martikean, 44, is one of four men facing charges in the
United States in connection with the Blue Orchid Web site, which
allegedly sold child pornography videos to customers worldwide. His
trial is scheduled to begin May 29.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip Benson said Tuesday that he would
use as evidence recordings of conversations between Martikean and
undercover officers taped during a trip to Russia. Martikean was
allegedly in Russia looking for young boys to have sex with.
Benson also said he would present a videotaped confession by
Martikean.
Customs agents searched Martikean's home on Jan. 26 while he was
in Russia. They seized videotapes, computer equipment and
documents. Martikean was arrested when he returned to the United
States on Jan. 31.
Click here for full story.
April 5, 2001 SC: Justices to Decide If Suit Against Pedophile's Mother Can Continue.
By Jeffrey Collins, Associated Press Writer
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP via NewsEdge) _ The state Supreme Court is being asked
to decide whether the mother of a minister who was a pedophile can be sued
over her adult son's behavior while he lived with her.
The five justices heard arguments Wednesday in a lawsuit filed after
former youth minister Donald Baston pleaded guilty in January 1996 to 17
counts of criminal sexual conduct against young boys. Some of the assaults
took place while Baston lived in Easley with his mother, Merle.
A Circuit Court judge dismissed the suit filed by the guardian of two of
the victims because he said they presented no proof to dispute Merle
Batson's claim that she did not know her son was molesting boys while
living with her.
But the state Appeals Court overturned the ruling in December, pointing
out that the boys' lawyer, David Flowers, had scheduled a deposition with
Donald Batson the next week that could have provided the evidence needed.
Click here for full story.
April 5, 2001 News - Kentucky & Ohio: Indictment issued in Carter child pornography case.
For Immediate Release:
From: Webmaster@predator-hunter.com; wdk@predator-hunter.com
RE Carter County, KY Child Pornography Case.
At 2:00 PM today, a warrant was issued and will be executed soon by KY
State Police against Chris Sologic, a former employee and social worker for
Kentucky Safe/Res-Care. Chris Sologic was indicted for “use of a minor
under the age of 16 in a sexual performance”, a class B felony punishable by
up to 20 years in prison. Unfortunately, the victim’s images were sold,
traded, and distributed worldwide via the Internet. The images being
circulated via the Internet is how we ultimately tracked down the suspect
and the victim.
This was accomplished in the summer of 2000 when Wendell and
I began our search to locate this particular youth. The victim’s several hundred images
had been posted on dozens of newsgroups, pedophile clubs, and commercial
child porn sites worldwide. At the beginning, his identity and location were
unknown to us. Various leads and information allowed us to conclude that he
and his probable photographer had been in Memphis TN, Cincinnati Ohio, and
other locations in those general areas.
However, with the help of a highly talented, Predator-Hunter
known only as OMNI POTENT, we were able to make incredible progress in our search. By the
end of July, OMNI POTENT was able to provide us with information that
pinpointed Ashland KY and nearby Carter County as the probable location of
the youth and his "photographer".
At the time Wendell and I made this discovery, we were members and
assistant executive directors of "Better a Millstone" inc., a purported
"child advocate" organization run by the former "true crime" writer Mike
Echols. Unfortunately, children are exploited for a multitude of reasons.
Mike Echols' demonstrated this with his erratic conduct and frenzied efforts
in exploiting the Kentucky case for purposes of publicity. This threatened
the investigation of the case by KY State Police and endangered several
valuable confidential sources. For those reasons, we felt obligated to
resign from Better A Millstone.
Since that time, Echols has continued in sporadic attempts to
interject his various versions of events that occurred in the Kentucky case. These
included posting an exploitive "media" page on his website purporting to
present a multitude of shocking information and evidence alleging cover up
and corruption by Kentucky state officials. In some instances his proffered
"information" had absolutely nothing to do with this specific case.
In closing, we hope that the citizens of Carter County will
rally around and support the victim of this heinous crime. Because of the hard work and
dedication of Detective Cales, justice may well finally be had for the
abused child and the other victims in this case.
Respectfully,
Michael Vaughan, Senior Network Engineer Predator-Hunter.com
Wendell Krueth, Senior Investigator Predator-Hunter.com
April 4, 2001 Iowa: 3 girls detail being abused.
Success in prosecuting Christopher Bailey depends on the children's testimony.
by LINDSEY A. HENRY Register Staff Writer
Swiveling in her chair, the brown-haired girl smiled at the grown-up in
front of her.
The grown-up asked her about the best part of first grade. Easy, she said
with a grin, gym class. Playing with the ponytail planted on top of her
head, she waited for the next questions.
Do you know what a bad touch is? Yes, the girl said. A hug is good.
Touching someone's privates is bad. She knows, she said, because a man gave her a
bad touch.
"Can you tell me about that?" prosecutor Nan Horvat asked Tuesday in Polk
County District Court. The smile faded.
"I don't want to," the girl said, and turned away.
The smiling girl with the ponytail was one of three girls to testify
Tuesday against Christopher M. Bailey, who served as a caretaker and friend to the
girls. He is on trial for three counts of second-degree sexual abuse.
Click here for full story.
April 3, 2001 Indictment issued in Carter child pornography case.
By Kenneth Hart, of The Daily Independent
GRAYSON - A former social worker accused of posting sexually explicit
photos of a teen-age boy on the Internet was indicted Monday by a Carter
County grand jury.
Grand jurors charged Christopher Neal Sologic, 30, with one count of using
a minor under the age of 16 in a sexual performance, Commonwealth's
Attorney David Flatt said this morning.
The charge is a Class B felony. If convicted, Sologic could face 10 to 20
years in prison, Flatt said.
A warrant was issued for Sologic's arrest. He remained at large this
morning.
Flatt said Sologic was believed to be living in Ashland, but others who
have been monitoring the case say he has left the state and is attending
college in Ohio.
The indictment stemmed from a seven-month investigation by Kentucky State
Police Detective Paul Cales.
Sologic is a former social worker for Kentucky SAFE, a private agency that
the state Cabinet for Families and Children contracts with to provide
foster care in several area counties.
For more info: Click here.
Information: Conf. in NY in Oct: National Organization on Male Sexual Victimization.
National Organization on Male Sexual Victimization
The NOMSV Ninth International Conference
"Healing Sexual Victimization of Boys and Men"
will take place on October 25-28, 2001 at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice (Co-Sponsor)of The City University of New York in New York City.
A conference for:
- survivors and their loved ones
- clinicians working with survivors or abusers
- researchers
- criminologists
- attorneys
- educators
- clergy
- law enforcement and corrections personnel
and students
There will be four conference tracks:
Survivors' healing and educational workshops.
Clinical and training seminars for professionals.
Prevention workshops for survivors and professionals.
Research presentations on male sexual victimization.
For more info: Click here.
April 3, 2001 MD: Teacher Accused Of Peeping Again.
Man Arrested in Frederick County
By Phuong Ly, Washington Post Staff Writer
A Montgomery County [Md.] elementary school teacher suspended from his
job after having been convicted as a peeping Tom earlier this year was
arrested in Frederick County over the weekend and charged as a peeping
Tom in three new incidents, authorities said yesterday.
It was the third time in two years that Joseph T. Clay Jr., 25, has been
arrested as an alleged peeping Tom. Montgomery County schools took no
action against Clay -- a second-grade teacher at Rachel Carson
Elementary School in Gaithersburg -- after the first offense, but his
second arrest prompted school officials to suspend him without pay, move
for his dismissal and make changes in their personnel procedures.
Clay, of the 9500 block of Melrose Square Way in Gaithersburg, was
arrested on the three new charges Friday and was released after posting
$1,000 bond, police said. At the time, he was free on his promise to
return to court while appealing a January trespass conviction for
peering into the bedroom window of a 12-year-old Germantown girl. Under
Maryland law, the peeping Tom charge is a form of trespass.
Clay pleaded guilty a year ago to a peeping Tom charge related to a 1999
incident involving one of his students, but he was still teaching when
he was arrested again in December in Germantown.
Stan Schaub, the school system's performance evaluation director, said
the decision not to seek disciplinary action after the first incident
was a judgment call, because Clay was not deemed a threat to his
students. Schaub said Clay told school officials that he was looking
into the window to try to locate a girlfriend who he thought was seeing
another man. Schaub said school officials did no further investigation
and did not know the incident involved a student.
Click here for full story.
April 3, 2001 Kentucky & Ohio: Indictment issued in Carter child pornography case.
By Kenneth Hart, of The Daily Independent
GRAYSON ò A former social worker accused of posting sexually explicit
photos of a teen-age boy on the Internet was indicted Monday by a Carter
County grand jury.
Grand jurors charged Christopher Neal Sologic, 30, with one count of using
a minor under the age of 16 in a sexual performance, Commonwealth's
Attorney David Flatt said this morning.
The charge is a Class B felony. If convicted, Sologic could face 10 to 20
years in prison, Flatt said.
A warrant was issued for Sologic's arrest. He remained at large this
morning.
Flatt said Sologic was believed to be living in Ashland, but others who
have been monitoring the case say he has left the state and is attending
college in Ohio.
The indictment stemmed from a seven-month investigation by Kentucky State
Police Detective Paul Cales.
Sologic is a former social worker for Kentucky SAFE, a private agency that
the state Cabinet for Families and Children contracts with to provide
foster care in several area counties.
Click here for full story.
March 30, 2001 News - UK: Cracking down on paedophiles.
Last summer people took to the streets protesting about the
release into the community of dangerous paedophiles. On Friday just such a man, Andrew
Wyer, was released by a judge in Portsmouth. BBC News Online's Peter Gould
investigates the authorities' dilemma.
Public anxiety about the activities of paedophiles has put pressure on the
government to do more to protect children from sex offenders.
Over the past four years a number of measures have been introduced to
monitor potentially dangerous men in the community.
The Sex Offender Order, which was imposed on Andrew Wyer, gives courts the
power to place restrictions on those no longer in prison but who are
considered to pose a threat to the public.
Sex offender orders provide a new means to control potentially dangerous
sex offenders in the community.
Home Office, 1999
A sex offender can be ordered to stay away from schools, parks,
playgrounds, and other places where children gather.
Although the legislation is part of the civil law, breaking such an order
is a criminal offence, with a maximum prison sentence of five years.
Click here for full story.
March 30, 2001 UK: Paedophiles 'may go underground'.
Anger over paedophiles on a Portsmouth estate
by BBC News Online's Peter Gould
Few sex offenders ever talk about their crimes, before or after their
release from prison. The last thing they want is to attract even more
public attention.
So what are the feelings of an offender, anticipating his return to the
community, and knowing that life on the outside is likely to become very
difficult if his identity is revealed?
"Stephen" is a convicted paedophile. It is not his real name, but he says
he wants to spare the families of his victims any further distress.
Where exactly are convicted sex offenders supposed to live?
"Stephen" Paedophile
He is serving life sentences for offences that include rape and murder. He
is in a prison that provides treatment for sex offenders.
At the end of his sentence, he will have to co-operate in the drawing up
of a "release plan", and discuss ways to avoid any relapse into his
offending behaviour.
Harassment
Stephen told BBC News Online that many of those convicted of such crimes
have not fully understood the significance of the requirement to register
as sex offenders.
Click here for full story.
March 30, 2001 California: Cooley Seeks to Focus on Abuse Cases.
Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley announced Thursday that he is
shuffling staff in 10 branch offices to concentrate more on crimes of
sexual abuse, child abuse, elder abuse, family violence and hate crimes.
The new Victim Impact Program, which begins Monday, will enable the
same deputy district attorney to be involved in a given case from
beginning to end, in what is termed "vertical prosecution."
In recent weeks, 80 prosecutors have been trained in how to better
handle cases involving abuse, family violence and hate crimes, Cooley
said. They have also been educated about support services available to
victims.
Click here for full story.
March 25, 2001 California: Man Accused of Meeting Girl on Web, Soliciting Sex.
By Jack Leonard, Times Staff Writer
A 39-year-old Northern California man who drove to Cypress for a sexual
encounter with a 14-year-old girl was arrested Saturday and accused of
using the Internet to solicit sex with a minor.
Cypress detectives took Robert Michael Salzberg into custody at a
fast-food restaurant where he expected to meet the girl and take her to a
local motel, said Cypress Police Sgt. Gordon Re.
Police discovered Salzberg was soliciting sex from the girl when her
mother brought detectives e-mails from him along with pornographic photos
he had sent of himself, Re said.
Cypress Det. Ken Ramsey, who specializes in Internet crimes,
continued the correspondence with Salzberg on behalf of the girl for
nearly two months, police said.
Click here for full story.
March 29, 2001 US News Internet: Web sites skirting children's privacy law, study says.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Most Web sites geared for children don't follow federal
requirements for privacy, independent researchers said Wednesday.
Almost half of the 162 sites checked don't have prominent links to their
privacy policy, and one in 10 had no link at all on their home page --
contrary to the 1998 regulations designed to protect kids the Web.
The Federal Trade Commission wrote the rules for children's Web sites
based on the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act.
"One year after the passage of COPPA we found more sites skirting the
COPPA requirements than following them carefully," said Joseph Turow, a
professor at the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg Public Policy
Center, and the author of the study.
COPPA requires that Web sites obtain ``verifiable parental consent''
before collecting, using or disclosing any personal information, such as a
name or address, from children under 13. Consent can be verified through
postal mail or a telephone call. It also requires a detailed and
easy-to-find privacy policy.
Click here for full story.
March 29, 2001 NY: Girl Abused in Foster Care Can't Sue NYC.
By Cerisse Anderson, New York Law Journal
A girl who was sexually abused while in foster care may not sue the City
of New York because it has statutory immunity for its actions in placing
her in foster care, a state judge in Manhattan has ruled.
However, the judge ruled, the agency that actually assigned her to the
foster home may not have that same protection if it is proven to be guilty
of gross negligence or a lack of good faith in placing the child.
Acting Justice Michael D. Stallman last week granted the City's summary
judgment motion to dismiss the negligence claims brought on behalf of
Carolina Lara by her father, Marino Lara. The suit, Lara v. City of New
York, 112735/98, was filed in Supreme Court, New York County, IA Part 5.
But the judge denied a similar motion by co-defendant Graham-Windham
Services to Families and Children, which placed Carolina, then 8 years
old, in the foster home in which she was allegedly raped and sodomized
several times by the teenage boys whose bedroom she shared.
The City's Administration for Children's Services removed Carolina and her
four siblings from their mother's home in November 1997 after a case
worker investigated a complaint that the children were missing school and
found them at home with their mother and two pit bulls. The mother was
determined to be suffering from a mental illness and the children were
taken from her care, the court papers said.
Click here for full story.
March 28, 2001 UK: Talks to tackle net paedophiles.
Talks to tackle net paedophiles. "Online" enticement is said to be growing.
Children's charities and internet service providers in the UK are to meet
with the police and the home secretary to discuss how to fight internet
paedophiles.
Disadvantaged children who have most to gain from IT often have the least
opportunity to access it and are most at risk.
NCH Action For Children spokesman
The talks with Home Secretary Jack Straw on Wednesday follow last week's
report by the Internet Crime Forum, which highlighted the need for
vigilance over the use of internet chatrooms.
The report said online enticement of children, particularly girls, by
criminals was growing.
Click here for full story.
March 28, 2001 Indiana: More victims are coming forward in case against accused child pornographer.
Portage man may face more charges. More victims are coming forward in case against accused child pornographer.
BY BILL DOLAN Times Staff Writer
Glenn L. Martikean was named in an international child molesting and
pornography scheme. (ABC News)
CROWN POINT -- Lake County Prosecutor Bernard Carter said Tuesday he will
decide in a few days whether to file state child molesting charges against
a Portage man named Monday in an international child molesting and
pornography scheme.
Hobart police Detective Jeff White delivered evidence to the prosecutor's
staff Tuesday afternoon that Glenn L. Martikean, a 44-year-old unskilled
laborer, committed at least a half dozen molestations between 1986 and
1992 when he lived in Hobart, Police Chief Ronald Taylor said Tuesday.
Martikean already faces possible life imprisonment for allegedly crossing
state lines and traveling abroad to engage in sex with children younger
than 12. He is scheduled to be arraigned in Hammond on Tuesday on six
felony counts of child molesting and distribution of pornography.
Click here for full story.
March 27, 2001 UK: Tracking software cracks paedophile ring.
A series of dawn raids this morning has resulted in the arrest of 40
paedophiles after police used specially developed software to track the
distribution of indecent images of children.
The raids, carried out at 7am this morning, involved 25 police forces
around the country, simultaneously making arrests in Avon and Somerset,
Cheshire, Cleveland, Derbyshire, Dorset, Essex, Greater Manchester,
Hertfordshire, Humberside, Kent, Leicestershire, Lothian and Borders,
Merseyside and London. The 40 arrests were the result of a three-month
investigation.
Operation Appal was run as a joint operation between the Greater
Manchester Police with help from content filtering developer, SurfControl.
SurfControl teamed up with the GMP's Obscene Publications Unit last year,
to provide them with tailored software to help the Unit's officers locate
and track internet users involved in possessing and distributing images of
child pornography.
Click here for full story.
March 26, 2001 U.S. Customs Service, Russian Police Take Down Global Child Pornography Website.
Subject: Operation Blue Orchid - Customs press release
U.S. Customs Service
1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20229
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Media Services
Monday, March 26, 2001 Phone: (202) 927-8727 #01-046
4 Arrests, 15 Search Warrants Thus Far in U.S.; 5 Arrests in Russia
WASHINGTON, D.C.-The U.S. Customs Service today announced four arrests and
execution of 15 search warrants across the country in Operation Blue
Orchid, an ongoing global investigation into a Russian Web site selling child
pornography videotapes over the Internet and through the mail.
Working together, Moscow City Police and U.S. Customs identified a group of
Russian child pornographers engaged in the production and distribution of
child pornography to customers in the United States and Europe. Moscow
City Police have arrested five accused child pornographers and child molesters
in Operation Blue Orchid.
"The United States Customs Service is working aggressively with law
enforcement officials both here and abroad in making a worldwide assault on
the producers, distributors and purchasers of child pornography sold over
the Internet," said Acting U.S. Customs Commissioner Charles Winwood. "The
global nature of the Internet demands a global response by law enforcement
to protect innocent children, regardless of their nationalities."
In May 2000, Moscow City Police requested the assistance of the U.S.
Customs AttachÈ in Moscow to identify and investigate the individuals responsible
for an Internet Web site depicting the sexual and physical abuse of
children. The U.S. Customs AttachÈ in Moscow subsequently contacted the
U.S. Customs CyberSmuggling Center in Fairfax, Virginia, to request that
the center conduct an undercover purchase from The Blue Orchid Web site
allegedly operated by Russians Sergey GARBKO and Vsevolod Solntsev-ELBE.
Following the undercover buy, analysts at the CyberSmuggling Center
provided information to the U.S. Customs AttachÈ in Moscow, which led Moscow City
Police to ELBE. Russian police detained ELBE and a 13-year-old boy in
December 2000. Interviews of ELBE disclosed that he had transported the
minor from Novokuybishevsk to Moscow for the purpose of sexual
exploitation. Subsequently, Moscow City Police conducted a search of the subject's
apartment and seized 400 videotapes, video duplication equipment, and sales
and shipping records. The U.S. Customs AttachÈ in Moscow assisted in the
search and seizure and provided technical assistance in the investigation
of ELBE.
As a result of the December 2000 search, the U.S. Customs AttachÈ in Moscow
forwarded information to U.S. Customs field offices in the United States,
identifying a number of suspects who allegedly had ordered child
pornography from the Blue Orchid Web site. Additionally, approximately 50 leads were
sent to U.S. Customs AttachÈ offices around the world. To date,
enforcement actions have been completed in Sweden, Denmark, and the Netherlands.
Investigations currently are underway in a number of other European
countries.
On January 26, 2001, the U.S. Customs Special Agent in Charge in Chicago,
in conjunction with the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Indiana,
conducted a search of the home of Glenn Martikean, resulting in the seizure
of videotapes, computer media and related documents. U.S. Customs agents
later learned that, at the time of the search, Martikean was in Russia
attempting to have sex with a child.
When Martikean arrived in the U.S., on January 31, 2001, he was arrested by
U.S. Customs agents for child pornography violations, including child sex
tourism.
On March 23, 2001, a federal grand jury in the Northern District of Indiana
indicted the first Blue Orchid suspect, Glenn MARTIKEAN, on violations
involving the illegal importation of child pornography from Blue Orchid as
well as interstate and foreign travel to engage in sexual activity with
minors.
The following police departments assisted in the investigation of
Martikean:
Brown County, Wisconsin Sheriff's Office, Manitowoc County, Wisconsin
Sheriff's Office, Hobart, Indiana Police Department, and the Portage,
Indiana Police Department.
The Russian portion of the case culminated on March 2, 2001 with the arrest
of Victor RAZUMOV, AKA the "Punisher," on charges that he molested and
sexually abused a fifteen-year-old boy during the making of two videos,
"Thief's Punishment I and II." The movies depict forcible sex and painful
sadomasochistic activity. The victim is visibly crying in both films.
In addition to the "Thief's Punishment" videos, Blue Orchid also advertised
a series of movies called "Russian Flowers." Customs and Moscow City
Police had previously identified the producers of the "Russian Flowers" child
pornography series, but until now had not been able to determine the
producers' involved in the making of the "Thief' s Punishment" tapes.
The victims-mostly young boys from homeless or troubled families-were
solicited and taken to Moscow. The producers used many of the boys
repeatedly. Some of the films featured adults engaged in abusive sexual
activity with the boys. Most of the victims came from the city of
Novokuybishevsk, approximately 560 miles from Moscow.
Blue Orchid customers would wire cash, then email the distributor with
instructions on where to send the tape. The distributor would ship the
videotape via private courier or the postal service. Prices ranged from
$200-$300 per video. Records seized from the distributors indicate
videotapes were shipped worldwide, but most were sent to the United States.
U.S. Customs AttachÈ offices overseas are following up on leads in six
European countries.
U.S. Customs officials credit the Moscow City Police in the take down of
the Blue Orchid Web site, and the cooperation and assistance of many local and
state law enforcement agencies and at least a dozen U.S. Attorney's Offices
throughout the U.S.
Moscow City Police received training at the U.S. Customs CyberSmuggling
Center in Fairfax, Virginia, in July 2000 on Internet child pornography
investigative techniques. This training was funded by the U.S. Department
of State.
Blue Orchid is the third child pornography distribution network to be taken
down by U.S. Customs and Moscow City Police, including the Internet
operation run by a Russian, Dmitry KUZNETSOV, who distributed child
pornography videos via e-mail solicitation. As a result of an undercover
purchase by U.S. Customs in Oxnard, California, in November 1999 the Moscow
City Police were able to identify KUZNETSOV and arrested him in February
2000. As part of a Russian amnesty program,
KUZNETSOV was released from prison in September 2000.
The U.S. Customs Service has investigated the trafficking of child
pornography since the 1970s, and began investigating computer and Internet
child pornography in the 1980s. U.S. Customs has arrested more than 1,000
individuals since 1992 for offenses relating to the possession and/or
trafficking in child pornography. Last year, U.S. Customs arrested 320
individuals for offenses relating to the possession and/or trafficking in
child pornography.
March 26, 2001 News Alert for NJ: Children of Father Who Sexually Abused Them Billed for Psychiatric Care.
AMY WESTFELDT, Associated Press Writer
SPARTA, N.J. (AP) _ Chrissy McMickle was 5 when her father began
molesting her. Afterward, he would give her ice cream and warn her not to
tell anyone. Michael McMickle was 5 when the sexual abuse began, 7 when
the beatings started.
Michael eventually told a neighbor, and their father, Nelden McMickle,
went to jail for more than eight years.
This year, the state moved Nelden McMickle to a psychiatric facility _ and
said the children he abused would have to pay part of the $90,000 annual
bill.
"Children are legally responsible for parents in state facilities,"
Sussex County adjuster Joanne Baker wrote in a Jan. 12 letter to Michael
McMickle, now 21.
Click here for full story.
March 23, 2001 Arkansas ~ Man Convicted of Murder, Rape in Death of 13-Year-Old Boy.
BRIAN SKOLOFF, Associated Press Writer
Joshua Macabe Brown, 23, sits in a Benton County Sheriff's car with his
head down after being sentenced to 25 years for the rape of 13-year-old
Jesse Dirkhising.
BENTONVILLE, Arkansas (AP) _ A jury convicted a man in the rape and
murder of a 13-year-old boy who suffocated while tied up in an hours-long
assault the defendant claimed was consensual.
Joshua Macabe Brown, 23, was sentenced to 25 years in prison on the rape
charge but jurors said they were split 11-1 on the penalty for the murder
charge. The judge said he would impose a sentence March 30.
Brown was convicted Thursday of first-degree murder in the 1999 death of
Jesse Dirkhising. The rape conviction was decided Wednesday but announced
Thursday. Jurors could have sentenced Joshua Macabe Brown to life in
prison on both charges.
Click here for full story.
March 22, 2001 Internet project to help crackdown on Net paedophiles.
A new Internet tool developed to aid the fight against child
exploitation on the Internet has been unveiled on Thursday by
Glasgow University.
The Internet platform Net-Enforce, developed by the Centre for
Europe's Children at the University of Glasgow, enables police
forces and children's charities to trade criminal intelligence more
quickly. It offers a secure access area for law enforcement
authorities, immigration services and charities to exchange and
communicate information on Net predators immediately in an
attempt to reach the perpetrator before a child is sexually
exploited.
Click here for full story.
March 22, 2001 Wales - Britney fan jailed over child porn.
Britney fan jailed over child porn.
A man arrested for acting suspiciously at a Britney Spears concert has
been jailed for a year for downloading child pornography on the internet.
Paul Rumbles, 37, from Bangor-on-Dee, north Wales, was arrested at a show
headlined by the US star in Manchester.
Mold Crown Court heard how Rumbles's photographic equipment was seized and
when detectives later raided his home they found thousands of explicit
computer images of children.
Click here for full story.
March 21, 2001 UK News: Action urged on Internet paedophiles.
Action urged on Internet paedophiles
The report said one in five children had received unwanted sexual advances
over the Internet.
The Home Office is considering a new report urging more action to protect
children from paedophiles using the Internet.
Youngsters as young as 13 are being approached by paedophiles on the web
where they could be in danger of being drawn into physical abuse, the new
study says.
The Internet Crime Forum is expected to urge a review of the law to tackle
adults who groom children for abuse over the Internet often using
chatrooms to win over their confidence.
The report, sponsored by the Home Office, said one in five children had
received unwanted sexual advances over the Internet and called for more
police resources to tackle the problem.
Click here for full story.
March 21, 2001 UK News: Safety net - Reducing risks to children in cyberspace.
Safety net - Reducing risks to children in cyberspace
Most parents will be aware of the risks faced by a child left to roam on
the Internet. The threat of online paedophiles who use chat-rooms to win
the trust of unsuspecting minors and lure them into face-to-face
encounters have been all too shockingly emphasised. A sub-group of the
Internet Crime Forum was established to consider this problem specifically
and recommend ways in which it might be addressed. Chat Wise, Street Wise,
the result of its investigations, was published yesterday. Many of its
suggestions are eminently sensible. Wise parents will move computers from
bedrooms so as to supervise Internet access more closely. They will
encourage visits to moderated chat rooms only, and school their children
in basic safety measures.
But "netiquette" alone is not enough. Internet service providers (ISPs)
must accept a greater liability. In a truly mad scramble to compete, ISPs
make it too easy to take out a membership. Proof of age is seldom demanded
by retailers who sell the requisite CDs and, with many providers, the
entire joining process may be accomplished remotely. A click of a mouse in
a box and a child has falsely declared himself 18. More rigorous
investigations should also be made into the identities of master-account
holders who give a sub-account to a minor. Proof should be demanded that
the adult in question bears legal responsibility for that child.
Click here for full story.
March 18, 2001 Canada & California: Twisted case involves "classic predator".
Sex victim bred: per cops
Twisted case involves 'classic predator'
By Heather Bird, Sun Media
The science of making babies was never meant to be used for something this sick.
There is an accused child molester in Toronto court who police believe
used a surrogate mother to breed his intended victim.
The 24-year-old Canadian citizen, who cannot be named under a publication
ban, was released by a judge on $50,000 bail a few weeks ago while he
awaits an extradition hearing. He is wanted by police in California on 12
sex-related charges involving a nine-year-old boy. (This second boy is the
half-brother of the surrogate son.)
The bizarre case involves three different countries, surrogate
motherhood, a celebrity lawyer and a constitutional challenge to our
extradition laws.
Click here for full story.
March 9, 2001 Worldwide Info: Kiwi kids take more risks with Net predators than British or American youngsters.
By Wendy McAuliffe
Kiwi kids take more risks with Net predators than British or American
youngsters.
New Zealand's teenage girls feel more threatened by Net predators than
surfing kids in the UK and America, a new study reveals Thursday.
One quarter of teenage girls in New Zealand feel threatened by Net
predators, compared with one in five youths in Britain and the US who claim
to have been approached by paedophiles online.
The survey conducted by Auckland University's psychology department found
one in three Kiwi girls aged 11 to 19 to have had a face-to-face meeting
with someone they met in an Internet chatroom. 32 percent had gone to the
meeting alone, with nearly half of them not having informed a parent or
adult of their plans.
A forthcoming UK report by the Internet Crime Forum (ICF) purports that
"around 20 percent of Internet chatroom-using kids have been approached by
paedophiles and other undesirables while online". A comparative US survey
Online Victimisation: A Report on the Nation's Youth conducted in June 2000
found approximately one in five youths aged between 10 and 17 had "received
an unwanted solicitation or approach (over the Internet) in the last year".
The New Zealand study revealed that 60 percent of children surveyed had
given their email address or phone number to someone that they had met
online. Only half said that they would tell their parents if they received
threats from paedophiles online.
The study questioned 347 females aged between 11 and 19 who had visited the
http://www.nzgirl.co.nz Web site.
Concerns over paedophile activity on the Internet has come to a head in
recent months. Last month seven Britons were sentenced for their
participation in the world's biggest ever Internet pornography ring dubbed
the Wonderland Club. The British government has also announced plans to
criminalise the online "grooming" of children.
Click here for full story.
March 9, 2001 Survey needs your attention.
If you are the left-behind parent in a parental child abduction, please take
the time to fill out this online anonymous survey. It is designed to learn
more about those who abduct their children. In the future, this information
can be used to aid in prevention efforts - http://www.wildelife.com/research/abductor_study/
March 9, 2001 Texas: Missing Girl Returned Alive.
A 9-year old San Antonio girl who had been missing
for five days was returned safely early Friday, apparently by her abductor, police said.
Police said a man dropped off Nykem Augustine at her apartment complex at
about 6:30 a.m. Friday. "I heard all kinds of screams," Willie Smith, the
girl's grandfather, said. "I'm thinking it was detectives telling me that
it was bad news, they had found a body or something ... I was just afraid
to even come out, and when I (came) out, there she was."
Smith said that Augustine told her that a man lured her away from the
complex on Sunday by asking her how to use a clothes dryer at the
apartment complex where she lives with her mother. Smith also said that
Nykema told him that the man then got the girl into the car and drove her
two hours away to a house that may have been boarded up. Smith said that
his granddaughter told him that she pleaded with the man to let her go.
Police officials said that they were relieved that the girl was returned
safely since most abductions end in tragedy. "Unfortunately in the past
we've had tbese cases where they've had tragic endings," SAPD spokesman
Gabe Trevino said. "This is one where we got the child back alive. It says
something for the way we've handled the investigation and the way the
public was aware of what was going on."
Click here for full story.
March 9, 2001 Jury takes 2 1/2 hours to convict Jeff Thomas of Tara Munsey's murder.
Munsey jury: Guilty
"Regardless of what happens to Jeff Thomas, we don't have Tara back."
Jurors took 2 1/2 hours Thursday to convict Jeffrey Allen
Thomas of capital murder in the shooting death of 16-year-old Tara Rose
Munsey.
The sentencing hearing - when jurors will be asked to decide whether
Thomas should be put to death or spend the rest of his life in prison - is
scheduled to begin at 9 this morning.
Thomas, 31, sat frozen while the verdict was read in Pulaski County
Circuit Court. His sister, Lisa Davis, collapsed in tears in the back of
the courtroom. Members of Munsey's family gripped each other for support.
"The family doesn't express any joy in what happened today," said Ella
Buchanan, Munsey's cousin. The grieving will go on, she said.
"Regardless of what happens to Jeff Thomas, we don't have Tara back,"
Buchanan said.
Click here for full story.
March 9, 2001 (originally published February 23, 2001) St. Petersburg: Teen sues DeMolay organization over molestation by leader.
ST. PETERSBURG -- A teenager is suing a worldwide boys organization whose
youth leader in St. Petersburg was sentenced to life in prison for
molesting 14 teenagers he supervised.
The lawsuit claims the group, DeMolay, should have known John Shirley had
a history of inappropriate behavior including providing drugs and
pornographic movies to members and should not have been left alone with children.
DeMolay "knew or should have known of John Shirley's propensity for sexual
contact with minors and knew or should have known of his actual sexual
contact" with members, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit was filed in Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Court under the name "John
Doe" to protect the name of the teenager who joined the group in 1997 when
he was 15.
Click here for full story.
March 9, 2001 Costa Rica: One Guatemalan and two Costa Ricans Found Guilty of Pimping children in Costa Rica.
One Guatemalan and two Costa Ricans Found Guilty of Pimping children in
Costa Rica.
Almost a year after their arrest, three people were found guilty
this week of the aggravated pimping of minors. Zaida Rodas
from Guatemala, her Costa Rican daughter Grettel Arce Rodas
and nephew Adrian Rodas, also Costa Rican, were condemned
to ten, five and three year jail terms respectively by a San Jose
court.
The sentencing judge declared the two women, Zaida and
Grettel Rodas, guilty of having prostituted minors in a brothel
that they ran in their home close to the National ChildrenÌs
Hospital in the Costa Rican capital. During a raid on the house
last March, police found a 12 year old girl and five other minors
aged between 14 and 17 years who were being commercially
sexually exploited. The children were poor Costa Ricans and
Nicaraguans.
For more information please contact Casa Alianza on +506-253-5439 or via email. Please visit our
website.
Casa Alianza/Covenant House Latin America
SJO 1039
PO Box 025216, Miami FL 33102-5216 USA
Tel. in Costa Rica: +506-253-5439 or 253-6338
Fax in Costa Rica: +506-224-5689
Home page address: http://www.casa-alianza.org
March 9, 2001 VA: Man pleads guilty in child porn case.
A "committed nudist" faces prison time for having child pornography on
his computer.
Walter Leroy Johnson pleaded guilty Wednesday to one count of having
sexually explicit visual material using a person less than 18 years old.
He also pleaded guilty to one count of taking indecent liberties with a
minor.
The minor, an 11-year-old girl, was a family friend of Johnson's,
Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Alice Ekirch said. The girl had
suggested such activities as strip poker, and she wound up nude and in a
photograph with Johnson, Ekirch said.
Click here for full story.
March 8, 2001 Florida: Court says mom can't sue AOL in child porn case.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -- The state Supreme Court said Thursday that
federal law shields America Online from illegal transactions -- in particular, the
sale of child pornography -- taking place on its service.
In a 4-3 decision, Florida's high court said the Communications Decency Act
gives the Internet service provider immunity from a lawsuit filed by a Florida
woman, whose 11-year-old son appeared in a lewd videotape sold by one AOL
user to another.
The mother alleged that AOL violated Florida criminal law prohibiting the
distribution of pornography and was negligent by not knowning that one of its
subscribers was a seller of child pornography and for not stopping him once
complaints had been made.
March 8, 2001 Reno, Nev: Two Different Pictures of Day Care Worker Accused of Molesting Children.
Gary Hanneman, a daycare worker who allegedly
admitted molesting 27 toddlers, is escorted by a sheriff's deputy after his video arraignment at
the Washoe County Jail in Reno, Nev. RENO, Nev. (AP) _ A videotape seized
from a Reno daycare worker accused of sexually assaulting toddlers
allegedly shows him committing hundreds of sex acts with a child,
prosecutors said Wednesday.
Gary Hanneman faces 10 counts of sexual assault and pornography-related
charges, eight of which carry maximum penalties of life in prison.
Police say that since his arrest Feb. 23 he has admitted molesting as many
as 27 children, most of them at the Children City Learning Center where he
worked since May 1999.
Click here for full story.
March 6, 2001 Legislation Alert Arizona: The Crime Victims Unpaid Leave Legislation.
The Crime Victims Unpaid Leave Legislation
Bullet Points:
The Crime Victims Unpaid Leave Legislation would protect victims' of crime
from losing their jobs/ and or the fear of losing employment due to being a
victim of a crime. No longer would victims be forced into using all their
personal and vacation days to attend court proceedings, to seek counseling
caused by being a victim of a crime.
A employer would be unable to discharge a employee on the basis of time
away from work due to court proceedings or counseling related to the crime.
The employee would have to give ample notice to the employer (*potential
amendment* "the absence must not cause an undue hardship to the employer").
The legislation would help continue to build a seamless approach to
recognizing the needs of all crime victims in the workforce by allowing
crime victims the time off. It would allow victims to go to their employers
for support and a plan of action to get that support.
The legislation would help curtail the stigma and resentment that is
directed toward crime victims missing time at work. It would help
legitimize the concerns of crime victims.
Like the Family Medical Leave Act which allows a mother to take time off
when a child in brought into the world, this legislation would allow ample
time off when the same child is taken by violence. Unlike maternity leave
which is usually a foreseen circumstance, victimization can come at any
time to any person.
Just as we have laws allowing employees time off to do their civic duty
and sit on a jury with no ramifications, so to should we allow time off for
the same people who might become a victim of a crime.
It is extremely vital to crime victims to regain some control of their
lives after being victimized and this legislation helps remove some of the
uncertainty about their economic stability and employment status.
The legislation will help employers recognize the depth of the
devastation, the need of some victims to seek counseling, and the need to
attend court proceedings*all a direct result of the crime.
The law address the needs of crime victims who are struggling to regain
control of their life and deal with the victimization and are part of the
American workforce.
The law encourages victims to take a pro-active approach to be a part of
our Criminal Justice System as guaranteed by our state constitution and to
be able to seek counseling.
This legislation would wrap together a Maine law providing employment
leave for victims of violent crime and a California law which prohibits
employers from discriminating against crime victims who take time off to
comply with subpoena or to testify in any judicial proceeding. Making
Arizona's law the most comprehensive employment leave legislation in the
country.
Address letters and email to the Sponsors of the legislation:
Email: Senator Andy Nichols
Email: Senator Chris Cummiskey
Email: Senator Linda Aguirre
Email: Senator Joe Eddie Lopez
Email: Representative Debora Norris
Email: Representative Bill Brotherton
Arizona State Senate
1700 West Washington
Phoenix, AZ 85007
February 26, 2001 Washington State: Sex offender held in death of 15-year-old girl.
SHELTON, Wash. (AP) -- A bloodied 15-year-old girl was brought to a
nursing home and died, and a two-time sex offender has been arrested for
investigation, authorities said.
Joseph Rosenow, 46, of Hoodsport, was arrested after he brought the
battered high school sophomore girl to the nursing home where his wife
works, Whybark said.
Rosenow, released from prison six months ago, apparently is acquainted
with Osborn's family, the sheriff said.
He is one of three Level III registered sex offenders listed on the
county's Web site. Level III offenders are considered by the state to be
the most dangerous, with a "high risk to reoffend."
Click here for full story.
February 26, 2001 UK: - Ex-police officer found to be abusing children he claimed to be protecting.
A retired police officer who worked with children has been sentenced to 14
years imprisonment for the rape of four girls and the possession of
thousands of indecent images of children on his home computer.
Robert Leonard, 58, appeared before Wolverhampton Crown Court Monday and
was found guilty on two counts of rape, one charge of attempted rape and
five of indecent assault.
Click here for full story.
February 24, 2001 PA: - Convicted Pedophile Charged Again.
ERIE, Pa. (AP) - A convicted pedophile has been charged with the rape,
kidnapping and attempted homicide of an 8-year-old girl who was abducted
from her home and left for dead in a snow bank.
The girl was in good condition in a hospital on Saturday.
Eric Jetson Lyons, 37, was charged with the Feb. 15 abduction after a
neighbor told police he confronted a peeping Tom matching Lyons'
description a week before the attack.
Click here for full story.
February 19, 2001 Texas - Ex-Anchorman Admits Buying Child Pornography. Gerry Grant Makes Public Confession.
SAN ANTONIO -- Former San Antonio news anchorman Gerry Grant admitted
Thursday that he purchased four photographs of young girls from a
prostitute who was supplied the pictures by the San Antonio Police
Department.
Grant, who last worked at KSAT 12, made a public confession before
reporters, saying that he never has touched or harmed a child.
For more info on the story including a video confession:
Click here for full story.
February 19, 2001 Wisconsin - Boy, 10, suspected in rape of girl, 4. Milwaukee police say the accused is youngest they can recall in sex case.
In what police are calling one of the most unusual sexual assault cases in
recent memory, a 10-year-old boy has been accused of raping a 4-year-old
girl inside the suspect's home on the northwest side.
Police said the boy, who was taken into custody Friday and reportedly
admitted the attack, would be the youngest perpetrator of a first-degree
sexual assault that they can recall.
"They're getting younger, but at 10, this one is unique," Milwaukee police
Sgt. Donald Derge said Saturday.
Derge said the suspect, who turned 10 last month, is accused of having
sexual intercourse with the girl last Sunday at his home near W. Capitol
Drive and N. 91st St. He is due in juvenile court on March 5.
Click here for full story.
February 19, 2001 Kentucky: Elder resigns, protests faith's policy on abuse charges
BENTON -- As a boy, William Bowen sat quietly in his seat while his
classmates recited the Pledge of Allegiance.
As a member of Jehovah's Witnesses, he spent years going door-to-door
evangelizing and serving the denomination. In time, he became an elder, a
position of authority, in his western Kentucky congregation.
But as an elder, he was privy to information that caused him to question
the Jehovah's Witnesses faith -- and to question it publicly, an ultimate
transgression in the denomination.
Click here for full story.
February 19, 2001 Texas: Police Arrest Suspect in Huebner Road Elementary Case
SAN ANTONIO , 11:48 a.m. CST February 15, 2001 -- Police Wednesday made an
arrest following claims of sexual misconduct by at least three Huebner
Road Elementary students.
Late Wednesday, police arrested Andy Sconzo, 50, charging him with two
counts of indecency with a child. One of those counts relates to an
allegation originating in New Braunfels.
Sconzo was formally charged in the Bexar County magistrate's office, with
bail set at $50,000. Another $20,000 bail was set for the second charge of
indecency with a child in Comal County related to the New Braunfels
allegation.
Click here for full story.
February 19, 2001 Australia: Fury at sentence for net paedophiles
THE internet became the tool of paedophiles involved in the world's
largest and most sophisticated child abuse conspiracy, and now it may help
authorities in Britain, the US and Australia rebuild the young lives that
were wrecked.
But as seven of the ring-leaders were packed off to jail in London
yesterday ñ some for as little as a year and none for more than 30 months ñ
police running the vast trans-continental investigation were forced to
admit they had no idea how many children might have been victimised.
So far, 1263 individual victims, ranging from a three-month-old baby to
pre-pubescent boys, have been identified among about 750,000 images traded
on the internet by members of the "Wonderland Club", who took perverse
pride in calling themselves the "cream" of the world's paedophiles.
Click here for full story.
February 19, 2001 UK - Hunt for north net paedophiles
Child porn detectives are hunting at least 18 suspected Internet
paedophiles in the North-East. Specialist child protection officers are
involved in a series of investigations which were launched before the
public outcry over the sentencing of the seven members of the Wonderland
Club.
Northumbria Police alone are involved in 17 investigations and Cleveland
Police confirm they have one probe underway.
Click here for full story.
February 19, 2001 New York: ISP Forced to Acknowledge Obligation to Terminate Illegal Activities
Attorney General Eliot Spitzer has secured a guilty plea in a
groundbreaking case against an internet service provider (ISP) that
knowingly provided its subscribers with access to illegal child
pornography. The plea is the latest result of a two-year investigation
conducted by the Office of the Attorney General and the New York State
Police.
"This case establishes a common sense standard for the Internet," Spitzer
said. "When an ISP becomes aware of illegal child pornography available in
its system, the ISP cannot put its head in the sand."
"Clearly the failure of the Internet Service Provider to identify and
terminate the access to child pornographic sites is gravely unfortunate.
Because the Internet knows no geographic boundaries, it is incumbent upon
the ISPs, legally and morally, to be ever vigilant in protecting the
public from this criminal activity," said State Police Superintendent
James W. McMahon. "The State Police is committed to coordinating our
investigations with Attorney General Spitzer and other law enforcement
agencies across the nation to end the contemptible conduct of such
criminal acts."
Click here for full story.
February 19, 2001 UK: Paedophile caught by wife faces 10 years
A WIFE who found photographs on her husbandís computer of children being
sexually abused telephoned the police before leaving him, a court was told
yesterday.
Paul Stevens, 51, a nurse from Chippenham in Wiltshire, was warned by
magistrates that he faced up to ten yearsí imprisonment after he admitted
20 charges of downloading indecent images from the Internet.
Click here for full story.
February 12, 2001 New Mexico - Jury finds former assistant principal guilty on four of six counts
PORTALES After deliberating for eight hours, a jury found James Gardner
guilty on four of six counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor late
Thursday night.
The jury acquitted him on two of the charges.
A motion by Assistant District Attorney Melissa Honigmann to remand
Gardner to custody was denied. District Judge Don Maddox, presiding over
the trial, ruled that Gardner could remain free and that the terms of his
conditional release remain in affect.
Click here for full story.
February 9, 2001 The ruling is the result of a lawsuit filed by a man who says he was molested by a high priest
A Multnomah County judge has ordered the Mormon Church to turn over 25
years of internal records of sex-abuse complaints and discipline actions
in the Portland area. The church is filing an emergency appeal of the
order with the Oregon Supreme Court.
Click here for full story.
February 7, 2001 Internet a preying ground for pedophiles, sexual predators
Although interactive Internet sites can be tremendous social and
educational tools for teen-agers, there's also a dark side.
Some so-called ``chat rooms'' are places where young people going online
end up making perilous contacts with strangers, and worse -- some Internet
sites are playgrounds for pedophiles and predators.
Click here for full story.
February 7, 2001 "Children's Bureau Express" -- an online newsletter
Information from: JusticeForChildren
The "Children's Bureau Express" is an online newsletter with a wide
variety of articles for professionals concerned with research,
prevention and practice. Current examples are "Families as Decision
Makers in Child Abuse and Neglect Cases", "Pediatricians Advised About
Enhancing Brain Development in Young Foster Children", and "Abused
Children Susceptible to Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Problems as
Adults". Bookmark their site at www.calib.com/cbexpress.
Lisa Jones and David Finkelhor analyze statistics concerning reports and
substantiated cases of child sexual abuse in the Jan 2001, OJJDP
bulletin "The Decline in Child Sexual Abuse Cases." They describe the
declines and identify possible influencing factors. The 12 page
bulletin is FREE at http://www.ojjdp.ncjrs.org/pubs/missing.html#184741 or by
e-mail: puborder@ncjrs.org.
January 29, 2001 UK - Police in child sex inquiries 'are untrained'
Police officers investigating child sex abuse are under-trained, under-staffed and ill-equipped, according to an internal Scotland Yard
report.
Click here for full story.
January 29, 2001 Scotland 'Yard hampered in paedophile fight'
Paedophiles are infiltrating senior child care positions in London
boroughs, while police are struggling to detect them because of poor
resources, according to a Scotland Yard report.
Click here for full story.
January 29, 2001 Ohio - Man faces 308-count indictment
(New Philadelphia-AP) -- A Dennison man was charged today with 308 counts of rape, sexual battery and other charges involving two girls.
Robert Arnder is to be arraigned tomorrow morning in Tuscarawas County Common Pleas Court.
Click here for full story.
January 29, 2001 Baby rapist hunted by police - England
A man who raped an 18-month-old girl and filmed himself doing it is being
hunted by police in England.
Officers found the pictures when they raided the Kent home of Ronald
Fuller, who was jailed for 18 months last year. He had downloaded the
images from the internet, placed there by the unidentified paedophile.
Click here for full story.
January 29, 2001 Washington State - Teenager charged with raping a child
MERCER ISLAND -- He was just 17 when he was charged with raping a child for the second time.
Click here for full story.
January 29, 2001 W. Warwick man, 19, charged with molestation, sex assault.
SOUTH KINGSTOWN -- Michael P. Parenteau, 19, of 49 Border St., West Warwick, was arraigned in District Court yesterday on one count of
second-degree child molestation and one count of second-degree sexual assault.
Click here for full story.
December 19, 2000 Congress Passes the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA).
The passage of the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) is good
news for America - especially for America's children who need to be
shielded from Internet smut," Family Research Council's Senior
Director of Legal Studies Jan LaRue said Tuesday. "No longer
will federal aid be used in public schools and libraries to expose
kids to hard-core and child pornography. This law will keep public
schools and libraries, which accept a federal subsidy for Internet
access, from turning into dirty bookstores open to kids."
In a 292 to 60 vote, the House of Representatives passed the Labor
HHS Education Appropriations Bill (HR 4577) with the McCain-
Santorum-Istook-Pickering Internet filtering rider attached. The
Senate also passed the bill with a voice vote (no voting numbers
available).
The Children's Internet Protection Act requires public schools and
libraries that accept a federal subsidy for Internet access to
utilize blocking technology that restricts access to illegal
pornography. This will restrict access to obscene sites, and
this bill will do much in the way of protecting families and
communities. No longer will we be compromising the mental
health and welfare of our children. In short, we will no longer
be irresponsibly promoting sex in a day when many of our health
leaders' warnings of the nation's continued prevalence of unwed teen
mothers, STDs and AIDS.
"According to the bill, schools and libraries that receive a
federal subsidy may use it to pay for filtering technology, but the
decision on the selection and administration of filtering would be
left solely in the hands of local school and library officials,"
Mrs. LaRue said. President Clinton is expected to sign the appropriations bill soon.
"It's encouraging to see children's innocence placed ahead of
the demands of liberal advocacy groups who lobbied hard against this
bill," Mrs. LaRue said. "The government providing kids with
access to bestiality and all of the other pornographic perversions
available on the Internet does not constitute free speech. Rather, it
is a gross violation of parental rights and common decency."
"Schools and libraries have never provided unlimited access to
all of the books and information in the world, so why is unlimited
and immediate access to all information required on the Internet?
This law will make libraries and public schools safer places for
children," Mrs. LaRue said.
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