UK - Facebook case: Sex offender is awarded £20,000 in damages

Original Article

02/20/2015

Damages of £20,000 have been awarded to a convicted sex offender who sued Facebook, the operator of a page called Keeping our Kids Safe from Predators 2.

Facebook Ireland Limited, hosted the page, operated by Joseph McCloskey.

The High Court in Belfast said the information published by Mr McCloskey "harmed the public interest, creating a risk of reoffending".

The plaintiff, CG, was convicted in 2007 of a number of sex offences.

He was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment and released on licence in 2012.

'Harassment'

CG brought an action seeking damages and an injunction on the basis that Facebook and Mr McCloskey misused private information, are in breach of Articles 2, 3 and 8 of the European Court of Human Rights, and are guilty of actionable negligence.

He also sued Facebook over separate postings by the father of one of his victims.

The judge found that Mr McCloskey was liable to CG for misuse of private information and for unlawful harassment.

The judge also made an injunction against Mr McCloskey preventing him from harassing, pestering, annoying or molesting CG whether by publishing, distributing, broadcasting or transmitting any information on Facebook or otherwise.

He also ordered Facebook to close the profile/page Keeping our Kids Safe from Predators 2.
- Well, if they closed it, a new page has popped up.  Not sure if it's ran by the same person or not though.

The judge awarded CG damages of £20,000.

This relates to £15,000 against Facebook and Mr McCloskey in respect of the postings by Mr McCloskey.

The judge also awarded £5,000 against Facebook over the postings by the father of one of CG's victims, who operated a separate page.

Lawyers for the sex offender who issued proceedings have predicted it could pave the way for compensation claims by many others who feel similarly aggrieved.

UK - Introduction to the Female Paedophile

We have no doubt there are female pedophiles, but we are sick and tired of the media / politicians and organizations misusing the term. Just because someone commits a crime against a child that doesn't make them a pedophile, it makes them a child molester / child sexual abuser.

Video Description:
Michele Elliott of Kidscape talks about females and pedophilia. Although we like to think that children are always safe in the hands of women, female child sexual abuse is very common, very damaging and very hidden.

Full Video:

UK - Cops threaten Coventry paedophile catcher vigilante Stinson Hunter with legal action

"Stinson Hunter"

Original Article

We sure hope they arrest him and throw him in prison for these vigilante tactics. He's not the police and is hampering their potential investigations. If they do not do anything about it, then they are basically condoning it. He is not a "pedophile" catcher, he's a vigilante!

02/04/2014

Police have threatened crime fighter Stinson Hunter with legal action if he doesn't stop what he’s doing immediately.

The online paedophile vigilante hunter has been sent a letter warning him he could end up being taken to court himself for taking the law into his own hands.

Warwickshire Police’s assistant chief constable Karen Manners criticises the 32-year-old’s methods, saying he “could be compromising police investigations without knowing that you are doing so”.

The letter, which has been seen by The Telegraph, also says Hunter’s actions pose a serious risk to his targets and their families - and the evidence he provides is not good enough to secure successful prosecutions.

Hunter - who operates from the Coventry and Warwickshire area - has already responded to the letter.

It’s the first time the paedophile vigilante hunter has been threatened with legal action even though he’s carried out several stings in the last few months.

Asked if he was going to stop what he is doing Hunter responded: “No.”

“Watch the videos - I’m not doing anything wrong, certainly nothing against the law. There are some where I shout a bit, but they were filmed a long time ago.”
- You are taking the law into your own hands to be a vigilante for your own gain, and if it wasn't a crime then the police wouldn't be warning you.

“It’s frustrating. This isn't just about catching people, it’s about making the government and other agencies realize that this is a big problem.”

“I don’t want to do this, but I feel that I have to.”

The letter goes on to threaten Hunter with a costs order if Warwickshire Police take him to court, potentially saddling him with a huge legal bill.

If he doesn't hang up his video camera for good the force say it will have no option but to consider “injunctive proceedings” against Hunter “to obtain a court order preventing such future conduct”.

The letter also states: “As you have previously stated that your motivation for undertaking this activity includes financial reward, we are sure that you would not want to risk being ordered to pay significant legal costs.”

But Hunter dismissed that claim, saying he has never been in it for the money.

“I don’t make anything from this,” he said. “I got £1,500 from The Sun in February last year, I've never hidden that.”

“I’m not being paid for the documentary.”

Warwickshire Police have secured a conviction with evidence provided by Hunter while at least one more case is going through the courts but elsewhere other cases have collapsed.

See Also:

• (02/10/2014) Crime fighter ‘could drive paedophiles underground’ says rape centre boss

UK - Renewed bid to make it difficult for those wrongfully convicted to claim compensation

Theresa May

Original Article

So they want to falsely convict you and lock you up, but when someone proves you did not do the crime they don't want you going after them? So if your ex falsely accuses you of sexual abuse or anything else, your reputation is ruined!

02/03/2014

By Mark Hennessy

The British government will this week make a renewed bid to pass legislation that would make it nearly impossible for those wrongfully convicted of crimes to claim compensation after they have been released.

The clause was included in the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill, which was easily passed last year in the House of Commons but rejected by the House of Lords last month.

Under existing law in England and Wales, an individual can win compensation if new evidence is presented that shows “beyond reasonable doubt that there has been a miscarriage of justice”.

Home secretary Theresa May wants a stricter test whereby compensation would be paid only “if the new or newly discovered fact shows beyond reasonable doubt that the person was innocent of the offence”.
- Aren't you suppose to also convict someone based on facts beyond a reasonable doubt?

Despite MPs’ backing for her plans, the House of Lords voted for an amendment to ensure compensation is paid where it becomes clear the evidence is “so undermined that no conviction should be based on it”.

Tomorrow, the legislation returns to the House of Commons to consider the changes made by the Lords – where the home secretary will have the numbers to overturn the peers’ changes, unless Liberal Democrat MPs revolt.

Last year, one member of the Birmingham Six, Billy Power, who was wrongfully convicted of bombings in the 1970s, said Mrs May’s plans mean that “the standard presumption of innocence would be abolished” in English law.

“Introducing new legislation that makes it impossible for a person wrongfully convicted to pursue compensation leaves that person open to the unchallengeable impugning of their character by the media and others,” he said then.

Following their release, the Birmingham Six and the Guildford Four successfully sued a number of British newspapers for claiming their innocence had not been proved.

That will not be possible in future if the home secretary’s plans succeed.

In its Philips ruling, the Supreme Court in London decreed compensation will only be paid in cases where new evidence emerges that is so significant no conviction could safely be based upon it.

Helena Kennedy, who represented the Guildford Four, said the demand that those released should have to go further and prove their innocence beyond reasonable doubt is an affront to the system of law.

“It flies in the face of one of our key legal principles, which acknowledges that it is very difficult for people to prove their innocence. It is very difficult for people to prove they are innocent beyond reasonable doubt,” she said.

“Prove that you didn’t leave a bomb in the pub, or prove that you didn’t set that fire. In a few cases, DNA can prove innocence, and in a few an alibi can be bullet-proof, but I assure you that those cases are rare.”

UK - Lincolnshire false rape claims highest in UK

Original Article

01/31/2014

The number of false rape claims made to police in Lincolnshire is higher than anywhere else in England and Wales.

New figures for the 12 months up to March 2013 show that 33 per cent of all alleged rapes against adults in Lincolnshire were later dismissed.

The report, released by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary on behalf of the Rape Monitoring Group, shows that across England and Wales the number of recorded rapes of both adults and children has steadily increased since March 2008.

There were approximately 6,000 recorded rapes of children and approximately 10,000 recorded rapes of adults in England and Wales during the 12 month period.

Lincolnshire Police received 110 reports of rape against adults, of which 36 were later declared as “no crimes”.

The force also received 98 allegations of child rape, with 19 per cent of these being declassified after investigations.

Detective Superintendent Rick Hatton, of Lincolnshire Police, said: “In Lincolnshire we are committed to investigating reports of rape and other sexual offences in thorough meticulous manner.”

“We have a specialist unit known as our ‘Emerald Team’ made up of highly trained and motivated officers and staff.”

“Thanks to the hard work put in by our partners and our own staff in the Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) we are ranked number one in the country in terms of the services we commit to victim support.”

“This ‘no crime’ rate reflects our ethical recording of crime. It shows that we investigate all allegations of rape.”

“Lincolnshire Police record reported offences as early as we can. This demonstrates transparency in our investigations.”

“If it is decided that the offence has not been committed an in depth report must be submitted. This must detail all the information and evidence which verifies and supports the conclusion that the offence did not happen.”

“The report is ultimately submitted to crime management bureau supervisors trained in NCRS compliance.”

“We cannot entirely explain why the percentage of rape ‘no crimes’ in Lincolnshire is higher than in other areas but we are affected by the relatively low level of such crimes in Lincolnshire.”

“This means that small variations in numbers can make large differences in percentage terms.”
- So are you arresting the people who are making these false claims and putting them in jail / prison?

Chair of the Rape Monitoring Group, Dru Sharpling, said: “Rape is one of the most serious violent crimes and the impact on victims can be devastating.”

“It is absolutely crucial that the police and wider criminal justice system has all of the information available to ensure that victims are being believed and the police are following through investigations.”

“We will be seeking to improve on these data sets and will publish information at regular intervals to encourage and maintain performance improvements across England and Wales.”

UK - Woman (Jessica Gore) who made false rape claim sentenced

Original Article

01/29/2014

By Amy Woodland

A woman claimed she had been raped to cover up an affair, a court has heard.

Jessica Gore, 32, of Curtis Road in Ashford has been given an eight month suspended prison sentence after she falsely claimed she had been raped in September last year.

Gore reported the sexual assault to police on September 24.

She said a man had come up behind her in an alleyway near Curtis Road when she was on her way back from babysitting.

At the time of the claims detectives in Ashford were investigating a series of sexual assaults in the area.

Detectives from the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate took on the investigation after a description of the man given by Gore resembled an efit image issued by police.

Enquiries revealed, however, that Gore had been seeing another man and the claim of rape had been made up as an excuse to her husband for her returning home late.

A week after the complaint was made. Gore was charged with perverting the course of justice and at Canterbury Crown Court on Tuesday Judge Heather Norton sentenced Gore to an eight-month suspended prison sentence.

After the conclusion of the case Detective Inspector Richard Vickery said: "Kent Police takes very seriously all reports of rape and sexual assault and all are fully investigated by experienced detectives."

"In this case, the allegation of rape proved to be untrue but was not admitted until after extensive enquiries had been carried out by detectives at a time when there was understandable public concern about a number of earlier assaults being carried out in the Ashford area."

"I would echo the comments made by Judge Norton in court that this is a very serious type of offence and by its very means strikes fear into the hearts of women, undermining actual victims. Gore had lied to family, friends and the police and her deception was uncovered by the police investigation and not her own admission."

UK - (Daniel Martin) 10 years for killing sex offender

Daniel Martin

Original Article

11/08/2013

A man who admitted killing a convicted sex offender in a flat fire in Worcester has been jailed for 10 years.

Daniel Martin, 25, set fire to a wheelie bin and pushed it up against the front door of _____'s flat in the early hours of December 14, 2011, sparking a rapidly spreading and ferocious blaze in which the 52-year-old was killed.

Sentencing Martin for manslaughter at Birmingham Crown Court, Mrs Justice Thirlwall said the crime was "shockingly stupid".

She said he had intended "to do something so frightening, it would cause him to move away from the area where he had lived since 2001".

"You say you threw stones at his window to try and wake him and say you saw a light come on," she added.

"Whatever you did, it was too little too late."

"You say your intention was only to frighten the victim and the prosecution accept you did not intend to kill or attempt to cause really serious harm."

She added she was "not satisfied" Martin was a danger to the public, but he "was a liar and thoroughly anti-social", with a lamentable record of previous convictions, albeit not for similar offences.

Mrs Justice Thirlwall also accepted Martin had expressed genuine remorse for his crime.

She also heard prosecution evidence indicating Martin had an IQ in the lowest percentile.

Mr _____ died of smoke inhalation in what the judge said must have been a "terrifying experience", in which he would have known he would almost certainly die.

Mrs Justice Thirlwall added the fire spread quickly, burning through the door and up Mr _____'s stairway into the Chedworth Close flat.

His burned body was found by firefighters slumped against a radiator.

The victim, who was openly gay, had five convictions for gross indecency and indecent assault in the 1980s and 1990s against teenagers aged between 14 and 17 in Leicester and Birmingham, with his last conviction in 1999.

The former doorman moved from Birmingham to Worcester in 2001.

Martin, formerly of Canterbury Road, Worcester, was separately jailed for six months and two and a half years respectively for two burglaries, carried out before his arrest for Mr _____'s killing in October last year.

He was further imprisoned for six months for assaulting another man in the street in Worcester, with all the sentences ordered to run concurrently.

Afterwards, Mr _____'s sister _____ said his death had had a devastating effect on the health of their parents, who were unable to come to terms with what happened.

"Both of my parents passed away without having an answer to their only son's death, and before Daniel Martin admitted his guilt (in June)," she said.

She welcomed the outcome as "some comfort" for the family's grief.

"Despite what Andrew did in the past he did not deserve to die in such a cruel way," added Ms Charleson.

UK - 70 sex offenders live in Hartlepool – and number is on the rise across the region

Original Article

11/06/2013

Two sex offenders were hauled back to prison for breaching restrictions last year while the number of registered abusers rose across the region.

There were 70 sex offenders living in Hartlepool during 2012/13 and the total across the Teesside area stood at 559 – up from 545 a year earlier and much higher than the 417 registered in 2010/11.

The information has been released in a report on the work of the area’s multi-agency public protection arrangements (MAPPA) in managing sex offenders, violent offenders and other dangerous criminals.

The report shows that Stockton has the largest number of sex offenders with 216 while 140 live in Middlesbrough and 133 in Redcar and Cleveland.

The total figure equates to 114 registered sex offenders per 100,000 people living in Teesside.

The report explains how sex offenders, violent offenders and others classed as dangerous are managed in the community through MAPPA.

It says there were no offences committed by level 2 and level 3 offenders, where there is more than one agency required to manage the offender.

There were also no serious case reviews, which are held when a child dies or suffers serious harm from abuse.

Jenny Mooney, chairman of the Teesside MAPPA strategic management board and governor of Holme House Prison, said: “I continue to be pleased with the levels of partnership working in Teesside to protect the public, particularly in such times of austerity.”

“We all know that the safety of public is paramount and MAPPA’s success is in the information sharing and partnership working to ensure that happens.”

“The fact that no serious further offences were committed under MAPPA by Level 2 or Level 3 offenders during the last year, and that there were no serious case reviews means that the arrangements are working.”
- Not really!  Ex-offenders have the lowest recidivism rate of all other ex-felons, except murderers, so you cannot justify that due to your program, in our opinion.

“People will understandably be concerned about offenders living in communities however the report provides a case study about how this works in practice and the robust arrangements that are in place. I hope this provides some reassurance that by continuing to share information, we are indeed protecting communities.”

The MAPPA process started on Teesside a number of years ago when probation, police and prisons were brought together to provide systems for the management of offenders.

UK - Sex offender and partner murdered by victim and his brothers (Martin, Niall, Christopher & Stephen Smith) in massive inferno, court told

House burned down

Original Article

11/07/2013

By CHRIS KILPATRICK

Four brothers sat side-by-side in a courtroom dock as their trial for the murder of a man who abused one of them as a child and the sex offender's girlfriend got under way.

_____ (33) and his partner _____ (21) died having suffered horrific injuries at their remote cottage in Co Armagh seven years ago.

They were set upon by a masked gang armed with hammers at their home on the Foley Road, near Keady.

The property was then doused with petrol and set alight, the court was told.

Mr _____ and Ms _____ suffered 80% burns to their bodies.

Martin (40), Niall (37), Christopher (33) and Stephen (31) Smith appeared together in the dock of Armagh Crown Court yesterday charged with their murders.

Those in court heard that Stephen Smith was one of three young boys abused by Mr _____ in the late 1980s.

Mr _____ – who was around 17 when he committed the offences – was later convicted and given probation for his crimes.

All four brothers deny murdering the couple.

They also deny charges of arson with intent to endanger life on November 6, 2006.

Ms _____'s father and other family members were present in court for the first day of the trial, which is expected to last for six weeks.

Prosecution barrister Toby Hedworth QC told trial judge Mr Justice Weatherup he would be making the case the brothers "intended to kill" Mr _____ and Ms _____.

Harrowing accounts of the night of the attack were heard in court yesterday.

The jury was told the couple had a visitor to their home at around 5pm on the day of the attack who was helping them to fix their central heating.

When they heard a noise at the rear of their property at 9pm that evening they presumed it was their neighbour returning to carry on with that work, the court was told.

However, a masked gang burst into the property armed with hammers.

Minutes later another neighbour of Mr _____ and Ms _____ said there was loud thumping at his door.

His daughter opened the door and erupted into hysterics.

The neighbour said Ms _____ had no top on and her trousers had been almost completely burnt off.

Her hair was burnt and she was unable to see.

He said Ms _____ told him five or six men had come into the house.

She said they had called Mr _____ "a paedophile".

The neighbour ran to the couple's property which had flames coming through the roof.

Mr _____ was lying on his back outside. The neighbour said that Mr _____ was "unrecognisable", with his face covered in blood.

Other neighbours raced to the scene when they saw the blaze.

Mr _____ had blood round his mouth and appeared to be missing teeth.

A post-mortem examination noted he was missing four teeth and had sustained a fractured skull and numerous lacerations to his body.

Ambulance crew treating Ms _____ said she spoke calmly when relaying details of what had happened. She also gave similar details to police at the scene.

On the same night the four brothers also sustained burns, the court was told.

The prosecution alleges the injuries were sustained in the same incident.

The brothers went to Louth County Hospital in Dundalk, said the prosecuting lawyer, claiming they had been trying to "escape to the jurisdiction of the Republic of Ireland".

At the hospital the four presented with burn injuries and burnt clothing, but claimed they had been hurt in a car crash at some unknown location.

Along with items seized from a silver BMW they went to hospital in, their clothes were seized and forensically examined with Mr Hedworth telling the court that each item was connected with other items of burnt clothing found at the scene of the fire.

Mr Hedworth said a search of the BMW uncovered a receipt for the purchase of four balaclavas from an outdoor activity store in Dublin dated October 21, 2006.

This finding, he declared, "allows the prosecution to submit that the attack had been planned for more than a fortnight".

A car said to have been used by the gang who attacked the couple was found burnt out at a quarry the day after they were targeted, the court was told.

Turning to the forensic examination of the bungalow itself, the jury heard there were estimates that up to 75 litres of petrol had been spread around every room in the property with the exception of the bathroom and that when it ignited, the explosion was of such force that it "lifted the roof off" and blew the back door into bits.

Anyone who had been inside the bungalow or close to the explosion would have sustained burn injuries and burnt clothing, submitted the lawyer.

In conclusion, Mr Hedworth told the jury: "We will submit to you that the evidence of the fire, the arrival of the defendants at the hospital with burn injuries and connections between what they were wearing and what was discarded at the scene, make an overwhelming case that these four defendants were all inside that house when the petrol that they had distributed was ignited."

Describing the attack on Mr _____ as "deliberate and brutal", the lawyer further submitted that the defendants did not only intend to cause him really serious harm but that "the evidence suggests that the intention was in fact to kill".

The trial continues.

Update:

• Four brothers guilty of killing Armagh couple

UK - Pensioner shocked by child porn ransom threat

Jack Clark

Original Article

10/29/2013

A pensioner is warning other computer users to be vigilant after he was targeted by scammers trying to extort money.

Jack Clark, 74, of Fatfield, Washington, was shocked to see a message purporting to be from the police after his computer locked him out while he was researching his family history.

The message said his PC had been blocked after claiming it had been used to view child and animal pornography.

The ransomeware virus installed itself on his computer, and threatened that unless he handed over £100 to clean his PC, he could face a £250,000 fine or six years in jail.

Grandfather-of-two Mr Clark, married to Hilda, 73, said “I just couldn’t believe it.”

“I rang the police, and before I had finished explaining, the officer said ‘it’s a scam’. It was a good hour before my legs had stopped shaking.”

A police spokesman said: “We would always warn people of the dangers of anyone calling a number which pops up on their computer claiming there is a problem. Reporting anything suspicious to police is the right thing to do.”

“We always advise people never to give out any personal details – particularly bank details – out over the phone or online.”

“These are fraudsters who want to scam the owner out of cash or get access to personal details.”

He added that anyone with doubts about such calls or messages should contact the Office of Fair Trading.

UK - This Morning - My boyfriend was a sex offender!

UK - Man wrongly accused of being pedophile burned alive

Stephen Norley & Lee James

Original Article

This is more proof of why the online hit-list (registry) should be taken offline and used by police only!

10/28/2013

BRISTOL - A man wrongly accused of being a pedophile was beaten unconscious, set on fire, and killed by two neighborhood "vigilantes."

Investigators say the brutal violence in the Bristol, England neighborhood appears to be the result of a vicious rumor mill and a misguided police investigation.

According to the Daily Mail, 44-year-old _____ was arrested in July after being accused of taking "inappropriate" images of neighborhood children.

But after an investigation, police determined that _____ was actually taking pictures of kids he suspected of vandalizing his prized garden.

Despite being released by police with no charges, the Daily Mail reports that two neighborhood men decided to enact their own justice against the disabled _____.

Just two days after his release, _____ was viciously beaten by two 24-year-olds. The two suspects then dragged the unconscious _____ outside, where they set him on fire and killed him.

One of the attackers has pleaded guilty to murder, while the other has admitted his role in helping in on the attack. Both are awaiting sentencing.

Investigators say there was no evidence that _____ was doing anything wrong and was ultimately the victim of viscous rumors and misguided hostility.

See Also:

• Man accused of being paedophile and murdered for photographing garden vandals

UK - Young mother (Ashleigh Loder) jailed for making two false rape claims within hours after getting drunk and sleeping with friend's partner

Ashleigh Loder

Original Article

10/27/2013

By MIA DE GRAAF

A young mother has been jailed after she made two different false reports of rape within hours after drunkenly sleeping with her friend's partner.

The man only proved his innocence because he filmed the sexual encounter on his mobile phone and the footage showed she was a willing and active participant.

Ashleigh Loder, 25, wasted at least 100 hours of police time and subjected the man, who has not been named, to police questioning after inventing the two attacks in Bideford, North Devon.

She first contacted police - drunk on vodka - saying she had been dragged to the ground and raped in an alleyway by two strangers.

But when forensic tests seemed to disprove the story, she fabricated a new one - accusing a man of date raping her at home.

A friend of the man's partner, Loder admitted she fabricated a story fearing the consequences of sleeping with him.

She spread her claims about him around Bideford and he was forced to stay inside, becoming a recluse for two weeks to avoid reprisals, Exeter Crown Court was told.

Loder, of Bideford, admitted perverting the course of justice and was jailed for six months by Judge Phillip Wassall.

He told her: 'The man was branded a rapist locally and it caused him considerable distress and suffered threats within the local area and lost time off work.'

'One can only imagine what it is like to be accused of a very serious crime which could carry a sentence of around six years.'

'There are some offences so serious that the court has no option other than immediate custody.'

'There must be a clear message to anyone who invents a serious allegation, particularly one such as this which carries such a stigma.'

Jonathan Barnes, prosecuting, said Loder called the police on the night of December 1 last year and initially claimed to have been raped in an alley near her home as she left for a night out.

But after changing her account of events, her friend's partner was forced to take time off work for police questioning.

He proved his innocence with images of their affair and a text Loder had sent him claiming to have been raped in an alley.

Mr Barnes said: 'The allegations had a considerable effect on him. They were bandied about the area and he had to live like a recluse for two weeks. He lost two stone of weight through the stress and had problems sleeping.'

Greg Richardson, defending, said: 'Her life was a complete dream and she convinced herself she had been raped. Who knows what was going on in her mind but she believed something within her had said no.'

'She says the situation she got into was rock bottom. She wishes to apologise sincerely to the man.'

UK - Should nine year olds learn about sex abuse

In our opinion, yes!

UK - Vigilante paedophile hunters (Kieren Parsons & others) ruining lives with internet stings

Original Article

These vigilantes are hampering what the police should be doing and by them not arresting these vigilantes, they are basically condoning what they are doing.

10/25/2013

By Robert Booth

Police say the actions of the vigilantes can be damaging to abuse victims as well as innocent people wrongly suspected

In a motel room 100 miles from home, a middle-aged man using the name Peter counts the cost of one of the internet's latest trends: paedophile hunting.

"I have lost everything apart from my life. I have lost my job, I've lost my home, I've lost family, friends. I am a shell of a man. I am completely broken," he told the Guardian.

In May, this married former member of the armed forces was the target of a vigilante using the name Daemon Hunter (Facebook), part of an online subculture in which members of the public pose as children to lure men to meetings where they accuse them of grooming children for sex. The filmed encounters are then posted on YouTube for all to see, and after one such encounter, Peter is in hiding.

It is a form of rough justice that has the power to expose the guilty – but also to wreck the lives of the accused regardless of whether there is evidence of a crime. The "hunter" phenomenon has been fuelled by the ever increasing speed and reach of online social networks and an undercurrent of public concern that police are struggling to trap online sex offenders. Hunter groups have been active in the Midlands and some targets have been convicted, but police want it to stop.
- Well stop it then!  If you don't arrest these vigilantes then it will continue!

The Daemon Hunter vigilante who targeted Peter in Staffordshire used the slogan "Public against paedos". He pretended to be interested in his target on an adult dating site and they arranged to meet in a branch of Costa coffee. Peter thought he was meeting an 18-year-old, and insists he is not a paedophile or child groomer. Only when he was waiting in the cafe did a text come through saying "she" was 15 and that he immediately got up and left.

It was then that Daemon Hunter accosted him in the street, accused him of trying to meet a 15-year-old for sex, and chased him through town filming him. Peter told the Guardian: "He said: 'I think we need to talk because you're a f****** paedophile.' I said: 'What do you mean mate? She's 18, that's what I was told. I've just had a text message up there saying she's 15 and that's why I've walked away.' Next thing I know he got his phone up filming me, calling me a paedophile, asking her age. I was shocked. He started shouting I was a paedophile in the middle of town. I thought 'I am going to get a kicking here' so I just legged it."

Within hours, the vigilante uploaded footage of the sting on to the internet along with Peter's mobile number. That night his phone was jammed with abusive texts and voicemails, which he said included death threats.
- He should have contacted police then and reported these vigilantes!

So he fled north in his car, only returning when he thought the worst was over. Later, he said his house was hit with bricks and that his wife tried to kill herself with an overdose of pills. He was so scared he was reduced to hiding in a cupboard when the doorbell rang.

Staffordshire police reviewed the evidence and concluded there was no case for any prosecution, but the damage was done. More than 5,000 people viewed the film and Peter has now moved to the other side of the country, cut off from family, friends and work.
- This is exactly why these vigilantes continue, because the police condone it and do not arrest them!

Sam, from the West Midlands, said he was beaten to the ground near his home after a prolific Nuneaton-based vigilante known as Stinson Hunter posted a video that appeared to show him travelling to meet an 11-year-old girl. Stinson Hunter's real name is Kieren Parsons, a 32-year-old who has been working on stings for almost four years with a small group of friends. He has previously told how he was partly inspired by the American TV programme To Catch a Predator, in which reporters pose as children to entrap child groomers.

Sam's story began when he was talking to a person on the dating site Badoo. After a while someone told him she was 11 and asked if it put him off. He said it did but he didn't mind chatting from time to time.

"I knew she wasn't an 11-year-old because she sounded so mature and when her picture was up I said to her that's a picture of a 17- or 18-year-old, I think I am being fooled here. She said no, I'm 11." Later they had an adult exchange in which she asked about sex. "I discussed slowly what happens," he said. "After, I said: 'I don't think you are 11.' An 11-year-old would not respond to me in this nature."

Soon, "she" asked to come and meet him. He made excuses to avoid it, but shortly afterwards, Stinson posted Sam's picture and number online and accused him of grooming. Hate messages poured in. "Kill threats, you're a paedo, you're this you're that," he said. "I was panicking, I couldn't eat." Sam went to the police and said he had been talking to someone he didn't believe was a child.

Then Stinson called. "He said if you think you are not a vile person, come and see us and we'll have a chat with you and leave it at that," Sam said. Stinson gave him a contact at Nuneaton police station who he said had previously handled his cases. According to Sam, the officer told him not to go because of the risk that a film shaming him would be broadcast. But it seemed a chance to clear his name and he went.

"Straight away the camera was on my face," he said. "There were about four people in there. Straight away all the bad questions. I just started crying thinking what the hell have we come into. He has made the nation believe that me and my friend had actually come to meet the 11-year-old."

Detective Inspector Chris Hanson, of the West Midlands police public protection unit, said Stinson's video sting on Sam had been thoroughly investigated by specialist child abuse investigation officers who also made their own extensive inquiries and found no evidence of any sexual offences. But Sam said that came too late to prevent social workers asking him to move away from his children temporarily and his life being threatened by strangers.
- So why didn't you arrest the vigilantes for harassment and taking the law into their own hands?  You are basically condoning their actions in our opinion.

When approached by the Guardian to comment about his activities and Sam's claims, Stinson Hunter declined to comment.

Despite their belief that they have been unfairly pilloried in public, Peter and Sam feel they are lucky. The family of Gary Cleary can only grieve. The 28-year-old killed himself four days after he was arrested and was released on police bail following a sting by a Leicestershire group, Letzgo Hunting, in which they posed as a 14-year-old girl. They have denied any responsibility for his suicide.

Police admit they have been torn over whether to embrace or reject the morally fraught method that may secure useful evidence but also risks the destruction of vital evidence and the safety of children if genuine paedophiles are discovered before the police can intervene.

There have been convictions. _____, 23, was jailed for child sex abuse after a girl's mother approached Letzgo Hunting worried about what he had done to her daughter. Nottinghamshire police, however, said the sting played no role in the conviction. _____  66, pleaded guilty to a charge of attempted sexual grooming following a sting by Stinson Hunter in which he posed as 15-year-old girl and they arranged to meet at a park.

Police say some hunters have exposed people whose potential child grooming behaviour was previously unknown, but that in the majority of cases examined the targets do not reflect any sexual interest in children.

Stinson Hunter has even admitted as much."Guys that I catch generally aren't paedophiles," he told supporters in an online broadcast in August. "A massive percent of them are guys that have been lonely and someone has paid them attention and they've jumped on it."

In an anonymous interview with the BBC in the Midlands last month, one of Letzgo Hunting's leaders insisted it always made clear early to targets that they were talking to someone underage, and never prompted meetings themselves. "The fact that we have caught 11 people trying to meet children for sex in one area of the country says the police aren't doing enough," he said.

But Letzgo Hunting declined to comment further for this article, saying: "There are no more operations. The group's activities are over."
- So they say!

A significant problem for police is that the tactic of posting the videos online before approaching the police allows genuine criminals time to destroy evidence. "We are spending lots of time and effort with these cases and finding lots of deleted material that we can't access or even a computer-shaped hole in the suspect's bedroom," one police source said.

Now the targets of stings who have spoken to the Guardian say they are considering legal action. But police are cautious about the prospect of securing criminal convictions in the case of wrongly accused people.

Peter Davies, the Association of Chief Police Officers' lead on child protection and the head of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection agency, said that was only possible if it could be established there was "criminal causality between the actions of the vigilante groups and the harm that came to anybody" and that prosecutions could follow in extreme cases.

Civil action may be an alternative. "I will be taking legal action against this person, because they just can't do that," said Peter. "I have consulted some people and I will be taking civil action against him. I have lost a £45,000-a-year job. I was a womaniser. That's what I've done wrong, but I have been accused of being a paedophile when I was completely innocent."

Sam said he had already spoken to solicitors about the possibility of bringing a defamation case, but was worried about the cost.

Davies said the vigilante tactics were "hugely inadvisable – to victims, to suspects and also to innocent people who may wrongly be suspected".

"If someone is wrongly accused of this in a hugely public way that makes people who live with them, live near them, work with them assume they have committed the offence. The temptation to take themselves out of it [kill themselves] may be just as great even if they are innocent and that is an appalling consequence to contemplate," he said. "Vigilante groups like this should not continue because they are taking risks they don't understand."

He said there were at least 5,000 police officers trained and accredited in child protection and urged parents who are concerned that their children are being targeted to contact the police and not vigilantes. "I can guarantee that if a parent thinks their child is being targeted on line they will get a far better response from the police or Ceop than from any other way," he said. "The risks of allowing this kind of vigilante behaviour to continue are immense. It is hugely risky for the child, and other children who may be being abused by the same person, to do anything else."

See Also:

• Anti-paedophile group Letzgo Hunting closes down
• Man hangs himself after vigilantes (Letzgo Hunting) accuse him of being a paedophile
• We don't need the paedophile hunters
• Paedophile vigilantes terrorised us for daring to criticise them: Sisters left in fear after challenge to gang who outed online suspect

UK - (Kirsty Debanks) I'm sorry for my rape lie

Kirsty Debanks

Original Article

10/21/2013

By Ben Wilkinson

A woman jailed for making a false rape claim says the lie cost her “everyone’s respect”.

Kirsty Debanks said she was in a “bad place” when she made the allegation against her boyfriend and regretted it instantly.

The 21-year-old – who alleged _____ raped her in her home last July – urged women not to make the mistakes she did.

A council sexual abuse boss last night said false allegations can put off genuine rape victims from going to police.

After the claim, Mr _____ was arrested, interviewed and held for about six hours.

He declined to comment to the Oxford Mail last night. Debanks admitted attempting to pervert the course of justice at Oxford Crown Court in April.

Judge Ian Pringle was told friends inflicted fake injuries like scratches on her back after the group drank heavily and took crack cocaine.

But Mr _____’s alibi, that he was begging in George Street, Oxford, was confirmed by CCTV and she called police to confess on July 31. She told officers she wanted her ex-partner to “pay for everything he had done to her family”.

Sentencing her in May, the judge told her the “utter lie” had undermined real victims of rape.

Debanks – released in August from an eight months prison sentence – said: “I said it and I wanted to retract it straight away.”

“But I was too scared to because I knew it was a serious allegation. Once I said it, it was like I had to carry it through.”

The Wood Farm resident said she fell into depression after her grandfather and father passed away within months of each other.

She said: “I regret what I did and I wouldn’t advise other girls to do what I did. I wasn’t thinking about what I was doing. If I wasn’t in a bad place I would never have said it.”

She added: “I lost everyone’s respect. I didn’t really care about my friends, but my family – that hurt me. It woke me up. I am working to get it back to this day.”

“There are days when I don’t want to go out of the house because I am ashamed.”

Debanks – whose two children with Mr _____ have been taken into care – lost grandfather _____ in February 2012 and dad _____ to cancer that May.

Then her uncle, _____, was killed when he cut into an empty oil drum which exploded in College Way, Horspath, last July 27. Debanks says she suffers from depression and a multiple personality disorder.

Mother _____ said: “She has openly admitted what she said was wrong and she has apologised from the start.”

Oxford City Council domestic and sexual abuse co-ordinator Liz Jones said women who make false claims should be “ashamed”.

She said: “We struggle to get these crimes through court. When real allegations come forward they are undermined by the false ones.”

Some false claims are the result of people with mental health problems or traumatic experiences, she said.

Det Supt Nora Holford, head of Thames Valley Police’s Protecting Vulnerable People unit, said: “We treat every allegation of rape seriously and will always investigate every allegation fully.”

“On rare occasions, some allegations do turn out to be unfounded.”

The force said figures on false allegations were not available.

See Also:

• Woman jailed for false rape claim

UK - Junior doctor (Hannah Farnsworth) who lied about being dragged into hospital toilets and raped says she made up claims 'so people would take her seriously'

Hannah Farnsworth

Original Article

09/18/2013

By JAYA NARAIN

A junior doctor who claimed she was brutally raped by two men at the hospital where she worked today admitted she lied about the attacks, a medical tribunal was told.

Hannah Farnsworth, 26, alleged that she had been dragged into an office at night, threatened with a knife and injected with drugs.

The attackers were said to have tied her up with ropes, cut her with a knife and burnt her with a cigarette lighter while raping her.

But today she admitted had lied but maintained she had been the victim of two genuine attacks and had exaggerated so senior managers would take her seriously.

She told the hearing she was very distressed and upset after she was pinned down and kicked in two incidents at the hospital.

But the medic decided to 'embellish' the attacks by saying she had also been raped, sexually assaulted and also became pregnant as a result.

She said: 'The whole event was very distressing. It was a shock and I found myself more nervous, more anxious, not sleeping very well, more tearful than usual.'

'I wanted some support and to ensure I was supported I did embellish my account. I think it was a way of trying to express the distress I was feeling.'

'I didn't feel that I was entitled to feel as distressed as I did. I was worried other people might have a similar view to me, that they might feel that it was not that serious and wonder why I was not my usual self and why I was anxious and distressed.'

The medic, who qualified in 2010, added: 'I was worried that unless the attack itself had been serious that people would not take it seriously.'

The doctor, who has been in a same-sex relationship since 2005 and is expecting a baby next January, was appearing before a panel at the Medical Practitioners Tribunal in Manchester who will decide whether she is fit to continue with her career.

The hearing was told that as a result of the false complaints of rape the hospital trust launched its own investigation and spent around £10,000 to increase staff security.

The alleged incidents happened at Bassetlaw District General Hospital in Worksop, Nottinghamshire and were reported to police.

She now admits the rape allegations were false but insists she was physically attacked on two occasions, on April 1 and June 3, 2011.

She said: 'I was walking back towards the doctor's office at about 4am as it had got to a stage in the night when I was able to take a break so I was going back to the office.'

'The door had a combination lock on it and as I walked in I felt somebody's arm around my neck and shoulders and was pushed down to the ground.'

'I felt I was being held down on the ground. Somebody had pushed my head and shoulders to the ground and I felt I couldn't get away. They started kicking me.'

'I thought there must have been two [attackers]. I knew I was being held down but also being kicked to my left side, by my ribs.'

She added: 'At one point, I managed to get to my hands and knees but was quite quickly kicked back down to the floor. I felt something sharp. I felt a sharp pain in my left upper arm.'

'The kicking continued again and I did manage to get back on my hands and knees, but was kicked so that I was left facing underneath the desk to the back wall of the office. I heard the door opening and then it was quiet.'

The second alleged attack happened in the hospital car park when she was tripped and thrown to the floor before being repeatedly beaten and kicked.

When she was asked to give a full statement on July 19 after the case was passed on to the Nottinghamshire Police she retracted the allegations.

Sergeant Melanie Ball of Nottinghamshire Police, told the panel they decided not to charge the woman with wasting police time after she told them she never intended to make an official complaint.

She said: 'Fairly quickly she said she had been meaning to get in touch with us and the sexual element had not happened.'

'She maintains something happened but that she exaggerated to her colleagues. Once she said this they reported this to the police.'

She added: 'We chose not to prosecute for wasting police time.' She admits lying about the rapes but maintains certain details of the attacks did occur and denies dishonest and misleading conduct.

And she took the opportunity to apologise to former colleagues in the public gallery saying: 'I apologise for my behaviour to everybody concerned. I know it was inappropriate and I'm glad I had this opportunity to apologise in person.'

Dr Farnsworth is facing a fitness to practise hearing in Manchester where if found guilty, she could be struck off the medical register.

The hearing continues.

UK - Fake teen (Shane Peake) jailed for false rape claim

Shane Peake

Original Article

10/16/2013

By Morwenna Blake

A conman who fooled social services into thinking he was a vulnerable 17-year-old boy before stealing from his foster carers and “destroying” the life of a charity boss with a false allegation of rape, has been jailed for four and a half years.

Salisbury Crown Court heard on Friday that Shane Peake went to Wiltshire Council for help in June this year.

He told them his name was Steven Shaw and that he had been thrown out of his home in South Yorkshire after telling his family he was gay.

In reality he was a 26-year-old man intent on conning the good Samaritans trying to help him.

The authority placed him in temporary lodgings with carers and Salisbury-based charity Rainbow Rooms UK was asked to provide him with additional support.

Rainbow Rooms founder Will Clark, 43, spent several weeks trying to help the young man but he grew suspicious about Peake’s story and questioned what he had said about his background and situation.

Peake then went to the authorities and accused the older man of rape.

Mr Clark, who lives in Salisbury with his partner of 17 years and who has been running the award-winning charity supporting young gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people for six years, said his life then fell apart.

“I was destroyed,” he said. “I was devastated and I couldn't believe what was being said about me.”

“I went to pieces, mentally and physically.”

Although police told him within days that no evidence had been found to support the rape claim and no charges would be brought against him, Mr Clark faced an agonizing three-month wait for the case to come to court and the facts to be made public.

He was forced to close down the charity he had devoted years to building up and became so depressed he took an overdose and ended up in hospital.

The police investigation uncovered a number of aliases used by Peake and he was arrested. Peake admitted theft, burglary, fraud and perverting the course of justice and was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in jail.

DC Cat Isaac of Wiltshire Police said: “This case has had a massive impact on Will Clark. His life has been torn apart by Peake’s actions.”

“We hope all those people who were deceived by Peake and have suffered as a consequence will be reassured by the sentence.”

UK - Blackburn teen’s prison hell on false rape charge

Original Article

10/10/2013

A teenager has spoken of his nine-month hell in jail awaiting trial after being accused of rape and kidnap.

_____ was freed on Tuesday after being cleared by a jury of tying a 16-year-old girl to his bed and attacking her.

The jury took just 30 minutes to clear him of four charges of rape, one of kidnap and another of imprisonment.

The 19-year-old, from Revidge Road, Blackburn, said he was abused by other prisoners and put in isolation for his own safety during his stay in HM Prison Preston.

He had been told no bail hostel could be found for him.

He said: “It was horrible. I wasn’t treated like I was innocent, I was treated like any other prisoner.”

“I got put in isolation because my name was in the paper. I was treated like I had done something wrong.”

“On the way to court I was separated in the van. The other prisoners were shouting out ‘where’s that nonce, where’s the rapist?’ I’m just happy to be out of there.”

Mr _____ was arrested last November and initially bailed to his mum’s home in Bournemouth, but he was re-arrested when it was discovered he was living with his 14-year-old sister.

He said: “The judge apologized for remanding me and said if they could find a bail hostel outside Lancashire I could stay there, but they couldn't. I’m not sure how hard they looked.”

“I can understand why the police were worried because my accuser said she was scared of me, but they could have put me somewhere in the south. I was crushed. The whole world was put on my shoulders.”

During his trial, the court heard Mr _____ stopped his motorbike when he saw the alleged victim walking near the Raj restaurant in Bolton Road, Blackburn, with two friends.

He took her to the house where his father was staying and was alleged to have attacked her. The defence said the girl had gone willingly.

Mr _____ said: “It only took the jury half an hour to call a verdict. When I heard ‘not guilty’ I was shaking and crying with relief.”

“When they said it, a few members of the jury looked at me and nodded, as if to say, ‘you’re welcome’.”

Mr _____’s grandmother, _____, called for defendants accused of sex offences to be granted anonymity until they are proven guilty, and is worried whether her grandson would ever be able to return to Blackburn.

The 60-year-old said: “The alleged victim has to remain anonymous, which is right, but so should the accused. But we got him home, and that’s the main thing.”

UK - New powers to restrict potential sex offenders

Original Article

10/09/2013

The police will have greater powers to restrict the freedom of any individual they suspect of being a potential sex offender, under government proposals.

The restrictions - which could be used against a person never convicted - include limiting internet use and preventing travel abroad.

Breaching a sexual risk order could lead to a five-year jail sentence.

The government said the police will have greater powers to restrict "any person they judge to be a risk".

A second type of order, for those convicted of or cautioned about sexual offences, is also proposed.

The sexual harm prevention order - which would replace sexual offences prevention orders and foreign travel orders - would last a minimum of five years and have no maximum duration. It would apply to those convicted of sexual or violent offences either in the UK or overseas.

A sexual risk order would last a minimum of two years and also have no maximum duration. It would replace the risk of sexual harm order.

Both proposed orders have wider remits and lower risk requirements than the current measures in place.

'Very worrying'

Richard Atkinson, who chairs the criminal law committee of the Law Society, told BBC Radio 4's PM programme he was concerned about the move.

"Of course, a great deal of stigma is attached to anyone who has such an order made and if the process of obtaining these orders is less than that is needed for a conviction then that's a very worrying departure from our normal standards," he said.

The orders will be granted if a court agrees that an individual has engaged in an act of a sexual nature that could pose a sexual risk to the public.

Previous orders have been granted if a defendant meets more specific criteria.

A report commissioned by Peter Davies from the Association of Chief Police Officers and obtained by the BBC earlier this year said the use of orders was "grossly disproportionately low" compared to the total number of child sex offenders.

This was because the legal test that had to be satisfied was too high and measures "over-complicated", the report said.

The new orders were tabled in the Antisocial Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill, which is expected to be given Royal Assent next spring.

Police and National Crime Agency (NCA) officers could apply for either type of order through a magistrates' court.

A sexual harm prevention order could also be made by a court when a person is convicted.

Individuals will be able to appeal against the orders and either the police or person subject to the order will be able to apply for it to be varied, renewed or discharged.

Policing and Criminal Justice Minister Damian Green said: "The UK has some of the toughest powers in the world to deal with sex offenders."

"Today, we are going even further by giving police and National Crime Agency officers the power to place greater restrictions on any person they judge to be a risk."

"Our proposals support the Childhood Lost campaign to tighten the law on sex offenders and make it easier for police to monitor them."