Ex-trooper: Duggars hid full extent of abuse, Up to 14 priests sexually abused children in Ballarat, commission hears, Paedophile Gerald Ridsdale admits another priest 'may have seen abuse'

- Ex-trooper: Duggars hid full extent of abuse
- Up to 14 priests sexually abused children in Ballarat, commission hears
- Paedophile Gerald Ridsdale admits another priest 'may have seen abuse'

Ex-trooper: Duggars hid full extent of abuse
Doug Stanglin, USA TODAY May 28, 2015

A former Arkansas state trooper claims the Duggar family concealed the extent of their son's alleged fondling of underage girls when the patriarch of the family turned to him for help disciplining the teenager more than a decade ago, In Touch reports.

The trooper, Hutchens, is currently serving 56 years in an Arkansas prison on child pornography charges. He spoke with In Touch on Wednesday through a local law firm, the publication says....

According to the police report, Jim Bob Duggar, the family patriarch, told police that he brought his son to then-State Trooper Joseph Hutchens, a personal friend, for a "stern talk" after Josh purportedly had gone through a Christian counseling program in 2003.

The report states that Hutchens said there was nothing more to do about the allegations, given that Josh Duggar had gone through a counseling program.

Michelle Duggar, Josh's mother, later told police that her son did not go through such a program but instead had stayed at a Little Rock home that a family friend was remodeling.

In Touch says that Hutchens' failure to report the abuse caused the police to halt their 2006 investigation because the statute of limitations had run out....

Hutchens disputes Duggar's account of the incident, saying Jim Bob Duggar only told him about a single incident of abuse.

He maintains that Jim Bob and Josh Duggar told him Josh had inappropriately touched one girl through her clothing while she slept. They said "it only happened one time," the former state trooper told In Touch.

Hutchens told In Touch that the Duggars' original account of the incident played a part in his decision not to report the alleged abuse....
http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/people/2015/05/28/jim-bob-duggar-state-trooper-josh-duggar-fondling-sex-abuse/28058841/


Up to 14 priests sexually abused children in Ballarat, commission hears
Child sex abuse royal commission told there have been at least 130 claims and substantiated complaints of child sexual abuse against the diocese since 1980
Australian Associated Press Thursday 28 May 2015

As many as 14 priests have been found to have sexually abused children in Victoria’s Ballarat diocese, the child sexual abuse royal commission has heard.

Data before the royal commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse shows there have been at least 130 claims and substantiated complaints of child sexual abuse against the Ballarat diocese since 1980.

Senior counsel assisting the commission Gail Furness said that number included seven claims jointly held against the Christian Brothers.
She said at least 14 priests of the Ballarat diocese have been the subject of one or more claim or substantiated complaint of child sex abuse. Ballarat bishop Paul Bird said he was not certain that all 14 had been substantiated and he thought it was a lower number, maybe 10 or 12....
http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/may/29/up-to-14-priests-sexually-abused-children-in-ballarat-commission-hears


Paedophile Gerald Ridsdale admits another priest 'may have seen abuse'
Disgraced priest also accepts that he shared a house with George Pell in the 1970s and reveals details of the treatment arranged for him by the church   Oliver Milman Thursday 28 May 2015

....Pell, who is now a senior cleric at the Vatican, was an assistant priest in Ballarat from 1973 to 1983.
Paedophile Gerald Ridsdale says he did not tell George Pell about his child abuse

Ridsdale was a Catholic priest who lived in the St Alipius presbytery in Ballarat, a building that had two bedrooms on the top floor. Ridsdale was convicted of committing more than 140 sexual assaults against children as young as four over three decades until the 1980s.

The extent of the Catholic church’s desire to move Ridsdale to other parishes rather than report him to the police was further detailed in the Thursday hearing.

Despite three senior clerics being made aware of Ridsdale’s offending in Mortlake in the 1970s, he was moved to an administrative position in Sydney. Ridsdale told the hearing over a video link from prison that a boy from a prayer group stayed with him during this time.

Ridsdale was then moved to Horsham in Victoria, where he was an assistant priest from 1986 to 1988 and where he committed further offences....
http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/may/28/paedophile-gerald-ridsdale-admits-another-priest-may-have-seen-abuse


Fran’s Day Care
May 20, 2015 case update:
State’s highest criminal court throws out 1992 convictions of sexual assault at Austin day care.
Court declines, however, to find Dan and Fran Keller innocent in case involving claims of satanic abuse.
https://ritualabuse.us/ritualabuse/articles/frans-day-care/

Josh Duggar - 19 Kids And Counting, satanic rape trial delay, Melbourne rapist jailed for torture, Fran's Day Care/Keller Case, Priest convicted more than 100 charges of sexual abuse

- More Advertisers Drop '19 Kids And Counting' In Wake Of Child Molestation Scandal
- Broken copiers delay ‘satanic rape’ trial
- Violent Melbourne rapist jailed for torture of Dutch backpacker, 21, he kept as sex slave for six weeks

- Fran's Day Care/Keller Case
throws out 1992 convictions, court declines to find innocence in case

- I was abused as a child: disgraced priest Gerald Ridsdale gives evidence at sex abuse royal commission in Ballarat
convicted of more than 100 charges of sexual abuse
says he worked with no restrictions at any of the parishes he was moved to amid numerous abuse allegations.

More Advertisers Drop '19 Kids And Counting' In Wake Of Child Molestation Scandal (UPDATE)
The Huffington Post  By Stephanie Marcus 05/27/2015

UPDATE: On Wednesday, TMZ reported that Walgreens, Jimmy Dean, Pure Leaf Iced Tea, Ace Hardware, David's Bridal, ConAgra Foods, Party City and Behr have all removed their ads from the show, while CVS, H&R Block, Ricola and Keurig all said they have no plans of advertising with the series should TLC decide to keep "19 Kids and Counting" on the air.

EARLIER: It's been four days since Josh Duggar confirmed tabloid reports that he was investigated for child molestation. Since then, TLC has merely temporarily pulled his family's reality show "19 Kids and Counting" from its schedule.

As backlash against the family continues to grow, TMZ reports that more advertisers have pulled their ads from the show. Following the lead of General Mills last week, Payless ShoeSource and Choice Hotels confirmed to TMZ that they will not be running ads during the reality series, should it air....
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/26/advertisers-drop-19-kids-and-counting_n_7444344.html 


Broken copiers delay ‘satanic rape’ trial
May 26 2015 By Shain Germaner

A boy was raped allegedly in a "satanic ritual "at the Full Gospel Church of God in Witfield, Boksburg.
Johannesburg - The court proceedings of four people including a pastor, accused of raping a child in an alleged satanic ritual, has been postponed because of a pair of broken photocopiers.

The child’s paternal grandparents, uncle and the 54-year-old pastor were arrested in February after an SAPS Occult Related Crimes Unit investigation.

Police suspect the group brought the then 7-year-old to the Full Gospel Church of God in Witfield, Boksburg, some time in 2013. The four – clad in robes and chanting – allegedly forced the boy to fondle their genitals before the uncle raped the child....
http://www.iol.co.za/news/crime-courts/broken-copiers-delay-satanic-rape-trial-1.1863379 

Violent Melbourne rapist jailed for torture of Dutch backpacker, 21, he kept as sex slave for six weeks
Lucy Clarke-Billings Tuesday 26 May 2015

A sadistic drug addict who kept a Dutch backpacker captive in a hotel room where he violently raped and beat her has been jailed for 17 years.

Alfio Anthony Granata carved a cross into the forehead of his victim, then 21, with a knife and told her she was marked for death during the six week ordeal in a Melbourne hotel room in 2012.

The 47-year-old pleaded guilty to nine counts of rape and charges of theft, threats to kill and intentionally causing serious injury that left his victim with 54 bruises and abrasions....

Granata conducted a ritual that involved putting a photograph of the victim into an envelope along with her hair, nail clippings and blood, telling her the act symbolised her being no more....
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/australasia/violent-melbourne-rapist-jailed-for-torture-of-dutch-backpacker-21-he-kept-as-sex-slave-for-six-weeks-10275254.html


Fran's Day Care/Keller Case
State’s highest criminal court throws out 1992 convictions of sexual assault at Austin day care.
Court declines, however, to find Dan and Fran Keller innocent in case involving claims of satanic abuse.

A unanimous Court of Criminal Appeals instead overturned their convictions based on false testimony by an emergency room doctor whose hospital examination had provided the only physical evidence of sexual assault during the Kellers’ joint trial. Dr. Michael Mouw later admitted that inexperience led him to misidentify normally occurring conditions as evidence of sexual abuse in a 3-year-old girl.

The nine judges did not provide an explanation for why they rejected the Kellers’ innocence claim except to say their decision was based on the findings of the trial judge “and this court’s independent review of the record.”  However, in a concurring opinion, Judge Cheryl Johnson said she would have found both Kellers innocent....
(Quotes above from Austin-American Statesman news article.)
https://ritualabuse.us/ritualabuse/articles/frans-day-care/

I was abused as a child: disgraced priest Gerald Ridsdale gives evidence at sex abuse royal commission in Ballarat
May 28, 2015 Jane Lee and Rania Spooner

A paedophile priest who was convicted of more than 100 charges of sexual abuse against children over about 30 years began offending before he was ordained and says he worked with no restrictions at any of the parishes he was moved to amid numerous abuse allegations.

Gerald Ridsdale, 81, told a royal commission on Wednesday he had spent his life feeling "uncomfortable" around adults, keeping secrets and in fear of being discovered as a paedophile. He also said he had been sexually abused as a child himself, and had had a three-year relationship while in prison.

The first time he abused a child was at a camp for disadvantaged children while he was still in training to become a priest at a seminary in Werribee.

Within a year of his ordination in 1961, the Catholic Church received its first complaint about Ridsdale abusing children. Then-Bishop James O'Collins threatened to send Ridsdale "off the mission" if he offended again, which meant he would no longer work as a priest.

Ms Furness asked if this threat played on his mind as he moved to different parishes and abused children. Ridsdale, who was also abused by a cousin and an uncle when he was younger than 12, said: "It could have."

He repeatedly denied having to comply with certain conditions when he was moved to different parishes, despite parishioners' complaints of his abusive behaviour.

"I've never had any restrictions or conditions put on me," he said....
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/i-was-abused-as-a-child-disgraced-priest-gerald-ridsdale-gives-evidence-at-sex-abuse-royal-commission-in-ballarat-20150527-ghai91.html

Josh Duggar Records Destroyed By Arkansas Police At Judge's Request, Online Commenter Warned About Josh Duggar Molestation Accusations 8 Years Ago, Springdale Police Department - Official Report Josh Duggar

Josh Duggar Records Destroyed By Arkansas Police At Judge's Request ;
The Huffington Post    By Hilary Hanson Posted: 05/23/2015
Police in Arkansas have destroyed records detailing the investigation into sexual abuse allegations against TLC's "19 Kids and Counting" star Josh Duggar.

“The judge ordered us yesterday to expunge that record,” Springdale Police spokesman Scott Lewis told The Associated Press on Friday. "As far as the Springdale Police Department is concerned this report doesn't exist."

Lewis also told the AP that these types of records are usually kept indefinitely.

A 2006 police report, which was obtained by In Touch before its destruction, indicates that family patriarch Jim Bob Duggar knew as early as 2002 that Josh Duggar -- who was 14 at the time -- was accused of sexually abusing an underage girl. The teen was ultimately accused of inappropriately touching five underage girls, some of whom were his sisters, between 2002 and 2003.

Police did not find out about the allegations until 2006, when they were tipped off to a letter discussing the incidents, the AP reports. A family friend had lent another person a book, and the letter was stuck inside.

The police report obtained by In Touch indicates Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar told police in 2006 that they had disciplined their son themselves.

The couple allegedly said that they sent Josh Duggar to a “Christian program” that “consisted of physical hard work and counseling.” Michelle Duggar later admitted that they actually just sent him to live with a family friend to help with a home remodeling business, according to In Touch....

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/23/josh-duggars-record-destroyed-police_n_7428762.html

Online Commenter Warned About Josh Duggar Molestation Accusations 8 Years Ago
By Michele Corriston 05/24/2015

When allegations that 19 Kids and Counting star Josh Duggar molested five young girls resurfaced this week, fans of the TLC reality show were shocked. To the millions of viewers who've tuned in each week, the Duggars personified family values, from their strict rules about modesty to their dedication to religion.

The illusion was shattered Thursday, when Josh, 27, admitted he "acted inexcusably" as a teenager. But rumors of former Christian lobbyist's past are nothing new: They first surfaced online eight years ago. As Gawker's Defamer points out, a commenter called "Alice" recounted the allegations on a blog, ibiblio.org, in May 2007. Other sites such as FreeJinger.org have long cited Alice's comments.

Eight years ago, Alice gave a thorough and detailed account of events that are nearly identical to those outlined in the police report that became public this week:

"In January, the whole family went to Chicago and taped Oprah Winfrey show... As you may have noticed, that show never aired and it never will," Alice posted before delivering the bombshell that The Oprah Winfrey Show staffers had been told that Josh had molested five minor girls. Alice then wrote, "Yes, this is the truth ... They have been investigated to some length..." 
http://www.people.com/article/online-commenter-warned-josh-duggar-molestation

Springdale Police Department - Official Report
Josh Duggar
http://imgur.com/a/zqPMi#14

Duggars Used Homeschool Program Devised By Accused Sex Abuser, The Duggars’ dangerous cult of purity, Now what for the Duggars?

Duggars Used Homeschool Program Devised By Accused Sex Abuser   May 22, 2015

The Duggars followed a homeschooling program by the Advanced Training Institute, headed by accused sex abuser Bill Gothard.

    Gothard last year denied accusations that he had sexually harassed or assaulted 34(!) women, claiming “I have never kissed a girl nor have I touched a girl immorally or with sexual intent.” He was 79 years old at the time.

    Although Gothard was forced to resign as the head of the Advanced Training Institute due to the accusations, the Duggars apparently still follow the organization’s teaching plans, which include lessons on how to deal with sexual abuse in the home....

“Lessons From Moral Failures in a Family,” which describes a hypothetical scenario in which parents discover that “an older brother was guilty of sexually abusing younger ones in his family.” When the older brother had “repented,” he’s asked a series of questions—including “What teaching could have been given to each child to resist evil?” and “What factors in the home contributed to immodesty and temptation?”

....…the lessons are frighteningly light on personal responsibility, and heavy on blame for the victim—condemning younger sisters for dressing “immodestly,” and parents for exposing the boy to temptation by having him change his sisters’ diapers....
http://radio.foxnews.com/2015/05/22/duggars-used-homeschool-program-devised-by-accused-sex-abuser/ 

The Duggars’ dangerous cult of purity
By Alexandra Petri May 22, 2015

....The Duggars built their brand on a slavish dedication to ideals of modesty and purity, keeping their children away from Unwholesome Influences, even to the point of shouting “Nike!” when the family was out for a walk in the presence of a woman who was immodestly attired, in order to get them to stare at their shoes. Women must be “modest” and “godly” and pure to attract a godly man. This is where their value lies. Chaperones! Courtship! Side-hugs only! Even hand-holding is off the table.

The revelation of Josh Duggar’s molestation allegations is about more than hypocrisy. This is no occasion for glee. This is a reminder of how badly the cult of purity lets victims down.

“Once you open the door to being alone and enter into a physical relationship before marriage (kissing, touching, physical intimacy), you are allowing your partner to unwrap a precious, special gift that God intended you to hold on to until your wedding day, and you’re also creating a lot of guilt and distrust, and you won’t be able to fully enjoy the pleasure of the sin because of all the guilt it brings.”
–the eldest four Duggar daughters in “Growing Up Duggar: It’s All About Relationships”

....Patheos blogger Libby Anne writes, “Handling child molestation as ‘sin’ rather than addressing the psychology behind it is a serious problem. In their statements to People, the Duggars spoke of Josh’s past wrongdoing as ‘past teenage mistakes’ and spoke of growing closer to God through it. But it appears that Josh never had legitimate counseling or treatment to work through his problem. Some sexual things are normal for a teen to do — say, masturbating — but other sexual things are not typical behavior — say, molesting children — and those things need to be addressed professionally rather than simply as ‘sin’ issues. Failing to do so places other children at risk.”

....The behavior alleged was a crime, not a sin. The account of what happened and how it was handled — failing to report the incidents promptly to authorities? No consequences besides a stern talk from a cop and a few months of remodeling a house with a family friend? The whole thing shoved under the rug? – is painful to read.

Now the Duggars are off the air. But we need to start pushing back against these ideas, too. There is a line between normal and harmful forms of exploration. You are more than your purity....
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/compost/wp/2015/05/22/the-duggars-dangerous-cult-of-purity 


Now what for the Duggars?
Maria Puente, USA TODAY May 22, 2015

Will they or won't they?

It's an open question as to whether the TLC network will keep the damaged Duggar family's show, 19 Kids and Counting, on the air now that eldest son Josh has admitted he was accused of molesting underage girls as a teenager. And, his pious parents, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, admitted they knew about it and worked to ensure he was never charged.

TLC is not talking about its long-term plans. But the network confirmed Friday it has pulled reruns of the show from its schedule and is considering what to do about it going forward. The show is not currently in production....

But the cable network has been through this sort of scandal before involving one of their wacky reality shows: Remember Here Comes Honey Boo Boo?

Mama June Shannon sure does. She's Honey Boo Boo's over-the-top mom, and her family's "redneck reality" show on TLC was canceled in October in the wake of reports by TMZ and others that Shannon was dating a man once convicted of child molestation....

On Friday, she was fuming to TMZ that she wants to sue TLC about unfair treatment, since — so far — the Duggars still have a show, even though, she believes, the parents covered up Josh Duggar's confession to groping five girls 12 years ago in Springdale, Ark....

Hurriedly, he resigned from his job at the conservative Family Research Council in Washington,D.C., where he was a lobbyist fighting against gay rights and same-sex marriage. The FRC posted a statement saying his effectiveness as an advocate had been undermined.

His parents, who have become conservative icons and reality stars as their children and grandchildren have multiplied, apologized, too, without getting into details....
http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/tv/2015/05/22/-happens--duggars-reality-show-now/27773707/ 

1,400 child abuse suspects identified, VIPs among Scots child abuse suspects, New Info on the Fran’s Day Care/Keller Case

1,400 child abuse suspects identified
20 May 2015 UK

More than 1,400 suspects, including politicians and celebrities, have been investigated by police probing historical child sex abuse allegations.

The figures were revealed by Operation Hydrant, set up by the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC).

It explores links between child sex abuse by "prominent public persons".

Of the 1,433 suspects identified, 216 are now dead and 261 are classified as people of public prominence, with 135 coming from TV, film or radio.

Of the remainder:

    A further 76 suspects are politicians, 43 are from the music industry and seven come from the world of sport.
....with 357 separate institutions identified.
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-32812449

VIPs among Scots child abuse suspects
20 May 2015 Scotland

Detectives investigating historic child sex abuse in Scotland have identified 110 suspects, including 37 VIPs.

The figures, released by Police Scotland, relate to Operation Hydrant, which was set up to look at allegations.

The force currently has 58 separate investigations as part of the UK-wide probe....

A total of 99 people were suspected of carrying out abuse within 45 institutions, police said, including educational, social care and religious establishments....
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-32814945  

New Information on the Fran’s Day Care/Keller Case

State’s highest criminal court throws out 1992 convictions of sexual assault at Austin day care.
Court declines, however, to find Dan and Fran Keller innocent in case involving claims of satanic abuse.

Details at: http://ritualabuse.us/ritualabuse/articles/frans-day-care/

Josh Duggar 'was subject of molestation claims in 2005 and was turned in by his father Jim Bob'

Josh Duggar 'was subject of molestation claims in 2005 and was turned in by his father Jim Bob'

    A new report claims that 19 Kids and Counting star Josh Duggar was named in an underage sexual abuse probe
    Jim Bob Duggar allegedly turned his son in to Arkansas State Police after 'he caught him leaving a young girl’s bedroom and learned something inappropriate happened'
    The trooper who took the report in 2005 never followed up with Josh, and then was arrested himself and 'convicted on child pornography charges'
    Crimes Against Children Division later involved themselves in the case but by then the statue of limitations had passed
By Chris Spargo For Dailymail.com 19 May 2015

....The state trooper who took the report in 2005 however never followed up with Josh, and then was arrested himself and 'convicted on child pornography charges.'

He is serving 56 years in prison. In the wake of the trooper's arrest, someone in the police department reportedly contacted the Child Abuse Hotline, leading to Crimes Against Children Division and Springdale Police Department involving themselves in the case.

At that point however, the statue of limitations had passed....
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3088407/Josh-Duggar-subject-molestation-claims-2005-turned-father-Jim-Bob.html

Priest abused every young boy at regional Victorian school, inquiry hears, - Rabbi sentenced to six and a half years prison term for voyeurism, Reduced Child Abuse Sentence Causes Uproar in Argentina

Child abuse royal commission: Priest abused every young boy at regional Victorian school, inquiry hears
By court reporter Peta Carlyon  5/12/15

A notorious paedophile priest abused every boy at a regional Victorian school between the age of 10 and 16, the child sex abuse inquiry has heard.

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse is holding long-awaited public hearings in Ballarat to examine historical abuse suffered by children at a number of schools in the regional centre, at the hands of Catholic clergy and other members of the Church.

Some of Australia's most notorious abusers were part of a paedophile ring operating in and around Ballarat for years, including Gerald Ridsdale, Robert Best and Edward Dowlan.

In her opening address, Senior Counsel Assisting the Commission, Gail Furness SC, outlined the extent of Ridsdale's offending.

She said the inquiry would hear evidence of Ridsdale's time at the Mortlake parish during the early 1980s, including comments from the priest who took over from Ridsdale.

"Father Dennehy told the Catholic church's insurance investigator that he thought every male child between the ages of 10 years and 16 years, who were at the school, had been molested by Ridsdale," she said.

Ms Furness said Ridsdale was a "prolific offender" during his time at Mortlake....

Ridsdale is serving an eight-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to 30 child sex offences in 2014.

It is the fourth time he has been jailed after three previous stints in prison for more than 100 other offences....
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-05-19/child-abuse-inquiry-begins-ballarat-hearings/6479902 


Rabbi sentenced to six and a half years prison term for voyeurism
May 18, 2015 By Mike McDaniel, News Reporter
This is a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice.
Bernard "Barry" Freundel, 63, of Washington D.C., a rabbi who had worked for a Jewish congregation in Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to a prison term of six years and six months on 52 counts of voyeurism stemming from a series of incidents between 2009 and 2014 in which he secretly took video recordings of women preparing for a Jewish ritual bath....

The National Capital Mikvah has two changing/showering rooms connected to the room with the ritual bath.  On numerous occasions between early 2009 and October 2014, the defendant installed and maintained electronic recording devices in the larger of the two changing/showering rooms.  Freundel did so for the sole purpose of secretly and surreptitiously recording women who were using the bathroom and shower; these women were totally and partially undressed before and/or after showering.  The women recorded did not know they were being recorded and did not consent to being recorded.....

In addition to the 52 recordings that were the subject of the plea, computer forensic examinations revealed that Freundel secretly and surreptitiously recorded approximately 100 additional women totally or partially undressed before and/or after showering in the large bathroom at the National Capital Mikvah between 2009 and September 2014.  These women did not know that they were being recorded and did not consent to being recorded....
http://www.wdam.com/story/29090052/rabbi-sentenced-to-six-and-a-half-years-prison-term-for-voyeurism


Reduced Child Abuse Sentence Causes Uproar in Argentina
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — May 18, 2015 
Associated Press

Two Argentine judges are under fire for reducing the sentence of a convicted child abuser on the grounds that his 6-year-old victim had suffered earlier abuse and therefore had already been traumatized.

In the newly publicized 2014 ruling, the judges cut the sentence of Mario Tolosa, a sports club vice president, from six years to 38 months. They ruled that his acts should not be considered "gravely outrageous" in legal terms because the boy already "was making a precocious choice" of his sexuality, apparently a reference to homosexuality.

Other attorneys criticized the decision and the Argentine Federation of Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals and Trans has demanded the judges be removed from the bench for a ruling it said placed a 6-year-old victim "in the position of a suspect."

One of the two judges, Horacio Piombo, defended the ruling Monday in interviews with Radio La Red and the television station Todo Noticias, saying that before Tolosa molested him, the child already had suffered "the initiation by his father into the worst of worlds, leading him to depravation."

He said that "as a result of that experience with the father, the child had showed "signs of a transvestite conduct, of conduct we had to take into account."....

Interior Minister Florencio Randazzo, who is running for the presidency, said via Twitter that the ruling was "an embarrassment."

"It's repugnant to say that the presumed sexual orientation of an abused six-year-old boy is a reason to reduce the sentence of the abuser."
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/reduced-child-abuse-sentence-uproar-argentina-31129194 

Rabbi Barry Freundel Taped Sex Encounters With 'Several' Women, The Definition of ‘Rape’ Cannot Change with a Marriage Certificate - India

Rabbi Barry Freundel Taped Sex Encounters With 'Several' Women
Uriel Heilman (JTA)May 12, 2015

In addition to secretly recording women undressing for the mikvah ritual bath, Rabbi Barry Freundel engaged in sexual encounters with several women, according to prosecutors.

That’s one of several new details about the mikvah-peeping rabbi to emerge from two documents filed in D.C. Superior Court on May 8 — one each by the prosecution and defense — ahead of Freundel’s sentencing on Friday. The documents, which attempt to sway the judge’s sentencing, shed new light on Freundel’s behavior and offer some particulars about the rabbi’s life since his arrest on October 14, 2014 — including that he has resumed some rabbinic teaching.

Freundel pleaded guilty in February to 52 counts of misdemeanor voyeurism for installing secret cameras in the shower room of the mikvah adjacent to Kesher Israel, the prominent Washington Orthodox synagogue he led for some 25 years.

He used one to three cameras, hiding the devices in a digital clock radio, a tissue box holder and a small tabletop fan, and aiming them at the toilet and shower in the mikvah dressing room, according to the prosecution’s memo. In addition to the 52 women he filmed while they were completely naked between March 4, 2012 and Sept. 19, 2014, Freundel recorded an additional 100 women since April 2009 who were not part of the criminal complaint due to the statute of limitations.

In addition to his crimes, Freundel videotaped himself engaged in “sexual situations” with “several women” who were not his wife, according to the memo....

The prosecution memo notes that in addition to the hidden cameras at the mikvah, Freundel surreptitiously videotaped a domestic violence abuse victim in the bathroom and bedroom of a safe house that he had established for her so she could escape her husband’s violence....
http://forward.com/news/breaking-news/308069/rabbi-barry-freundel-taped-sex-encounters-with-several-women/


The Definition of ‘Rape’ Cannot Change with a Marriage Certificate
By Neeta Lal

NEW DELHI, May 12 2015 (IPS) - “I was brutally raped thrice by my husband. He kept me under surveillance in his Dubai house while I suffered from severe malnutrition and depression. When I tried to flee from this hellhole, he confiscated my passport, deprived me of money and beat me up,” recalls Anna Marie Lopes, 28, a rape survivor who after six years of torture, finally managed to board a flight to New Delhi from the United Arab Emirates in 2012.

Today, Lopes works at a non-profit in India’s capital, New Delhi, and is slowly picking up the shards of her life. “Life’s tough when you have to start from scratch after such a traumatic experience with no support even from your parents. But I had no other choice,” Lopes tells IPS.

Her story is different from that of thousands of Indian women only in that it has a somewhat happy ending. For too many others who are victims of marital rape, escape is not an option, keeping them trapped in relationships that often leave them broken.

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) estimates that over 40 percent of married women in India between 15 and 49 years of age have been beaten, raped or forced to engage in sexual intercourse with their spouses.

In 2011, a study released by the International Center for Research on Women, a Washington-based non-profit, said one in every five Indian men surveyed admitted to forcing their wives into sex....

The law expressly states that forced sexual intercourse by a man with his wife, provided the latter is not under 15 years of age, does not constitute rape.

Though the Domestic Violence Act passed in 2005 recognises sexual abuse in a marital relationship, legal eagles say it offers only civil recourse, which cannot lead to a jail term for the abusive spouse....

Marital rape has already been criminalised in the United States, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Canada, most European nations, Malaysia, Turkey and Bolivia.

This places India in a tiny global minority – along with China, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia – which refuses to criminalise this form of assault.

Some experts feel that the Indian government’s reservations over the issue may stem from fears about a communal or religious backlash. The Hindu Marriage Act 1955 states that it is a wife’s foremost duty to have sex with her husband....

Only about six of every 100 acts of sexual violence committed by men other than husbands actually get reported, reveals Gupta’s report....
http://www.ipsnews.net/2015/05/the-definition-of-rape-cannot-change-with-a-marriage-certificate/

Sex abuse lawsuit filed against Mormon church, Irish man fighting extradition to US over child abuse image charges has Asperger's syndrome, court hears

Sex abuse lawsuit filed against Mormon church
Reza Gostar, The Desert Sun May 2, 2014
Lawsuit claims teen girl was repeatedly abused by Mormon missionary in 1985 in Rancho Mirage and Palm Desert.
PALM SPRINGS – A lawsuit filed Friday against The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a church bishop and a missionary, claims a woman was repeatedly sexually abused when she was a teenager in Rancho Mirage and Palm Desert, and it was covered up.

The lawsuit, which was filed in Riverside County Superior Court in Palm Springs, contends that from July to November 1985, Jacqueline Tyler, then 13, was repeatedly abused by a missionary and that after a church bishop learned of the alleged abuse, her family was told to stay quiet and the bishop "made advance payment or partial payment of damages as an accommodation to plaintiff."

It adds that as a result of the alleged abuse, Tyler gave birth to a son on June 30, 1986.

Tyler contends she was sexually abused at least once a week. And that after she became pregnant, the lawsuit claims that the missionary paid for her to go to New York, where he attempted to cause her to miscarry "by physically abusing her body."

The lawsuit claims that the missionary paid for her to go to New York, where he attempted to cause her to miscarry "by physically abusing her body."

Tyler told the local bishop of the alleged abuse, her attorney Michael J. Kinslow said Friday, adding that rather than report the incident to authorities the bishop sought to send Tyler "out of the area and take the child from her and give it to another Mormon couple to raise."....

In January, two Salt Lake City men, ages 41 and 42, sued the Mormon church claiming they were sexually molested in Hawaii after the church recruited them to work at a pineapple farm there. The alleged abuse, they said, took place in the late 1980s and was committed by a Mormon missionary who was a leader at one of the church's camps.

In response to the Hawaii suit, Cody Craynor, a spokesman for the church, told The Salt Lake Tribune: "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has zero tolerance for abuse of any kind and works actively to prevent abuse. ...The church will examine the allegations and respond appropriately."
http://www.desertsun.com/story/news/crime_courts/2014/05/02/mormon-missionary-sexual-abuse-lawsuit/8628203/


Irish man fighting extradition to US over child abuse image charges has Asperger's syndrome, court hears

Eric Eoin Marques is accused of setting up a part of the dark net
Lewis Smith Monday 11 May 2015

A man fighting extradition to America after being accused by the FBI of being the world’s biggest facilitator of child abuse images has a serious mental disorder, a judge at the High Court in Dublin has been told.

Eric Eoin Marques, 30, is accused of setting up a part of the dark net, a secretive part of the internet hidden from search engines, which hosted graphic images of the rape and torture of children....

He is wanted in the US in connection with four counts involving the advertising of child abuse images, distribution of child abuse images, conspiracy to advertise child  abuse images and conspiracy to distribute child abuse images. He faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted.

He is said to be extraordinarily skilled with computers and is alleged to have used his abilities to set up and run Freedom Hosting, the dark-net infrastructure that enabled child abuse image sites, money-laundering operations, and fraud forums to operate.

While Freedom Hosting is alleged to have earned him a lucrative income his family insist his own computers did not have any child abuse images on them....

The defendant has indicated that he would be happy to be tried in his home country and in November told the Director of Public Prosecutions he would admit in an Irish court to advertising and distributing child abuse images. Meanwhile, a judicial review is under way in Ireland to determine whether the DPP was right to indicate Mr Marques would not be charged in Ireland.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/irish-man-fighting-extradition-to-us-over-child-abuse-image-charges-has-aspergers-syndrome-court-hears-10242852.html

Child Abuse and Ritual Abuse Newsletter - Issue 122 – May 2015
https://ritualabuse.us/2015/05/issue-122-may-2015/

This issue includes information on :   Rochdale child sex ring,  Cyril Smith child abuse probe,  Lord Janner child abuse investigation, Abused children in Norfolk,  Gordonstoun,  Westminster Child Abuse Cover-Up, Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), Operation Fairbank, Jimmy Savile, sex abuse claims against Tony Blair minister, Enoch Powell sex abuse probe satanic abuse claim,   John Downing, Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), suing Mormon officials allegedly enabling and concealing abuses,  Christopher Michael Jensen, Rotherham grooming scandal, Jehovah's Witnesses, Priest James Fletcher, MI5 ‘hid' child abuse at boys' home,  possible paedophile ring, Kincora historic VIP paedophile ring, alleged VIP paedophile ring,  Dolphin Square, Oxford child sex ring,  Rotherham child abuse, Major Child Abuse Cover-Up in French Schools, claims French soldiers in the Central African Republic sexually abused children, Bill Cosby,  Clergy Sex Abuse Victims In Montana's Diocese of Helena, Bishop Robert Finn, Father Charles Sylvestre, LDS Church, Michael Jackson,  Military Child Abuse Case, Mexican satanist ‘Black Mass',  alleged satanic rape case, American Psychological Association and C.I.A. Torture Program, Alfio Granata, Going Clear, Scientology documentary, fraternities, hazing incident, sex-trafficked kids, human rights abuse, Bitcoin's Blockchain and Child Abuse

France launches criminal inquiry into alleged sex abuse by UN soldiers, UN suspension of sexual abuse report whistleblower is unlawful, tribunal rules, South Yorkshire Police warned twice of Rotherham child abuse but did not act, as commissioner claims girls were seen as 'willing'

France launches criminal inquiry into alleged sex abuse by UN soldiers
Prosecutors announce investigation into claims French soldiers raped children on peacekeeping operation in Central African Republic
Kim Willsher in Paris and Sandra Laville in London Thursday 7 May 2015
French prosecutors have ordered a criminal investigation into allegations that French peacekeeping soldiers raped children and demanded sex for food in the Central African Republic.

The decision follows revelations in the Guardian more than a week ago that a senior United Nations official had been suspended for leaking details of the alleged abuse to the French government.

The Paris prosecutor’s office said on Thursday it had decided to launch criminal proceedings after receiving a reply to its request for information from the UN about the accusations of sexual abuse by French soldiers serving with the peacekeeping operation Sangaris.

It said the investigation concerned “the rape of minors under 15 years old by persons who had abused the authority conferred upon them by their roles, and complicity in this crime”....

Kompass, director of field operations, was suspended last month and faces an internal disciplinary disciplinary hearing for breaching UN protocols.

On Wednesday an appeal tribunal found that the suspension of Kompass was unlawful and ordered his reinstatement while an internal management review continues....
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/may/07/france-criminal-inquiry-alleged-sex-abuse-french-soldiers-un-central-african-republic


UN suspension of sexual abuse report whistleblower is unlawful, tribunal rules

Judge orders UN to lift suspension of Anders Kompass, who leaked internal UN report on alleged abuse of children by French troops in Central African Republic
Sandra Laville Wednesday 6 May 2015


An appeal tribunal has ordered the United Nations to immediately lift the suspension of a whistleblower who disclosed the alleged sexual abuse of children by peacekeeping troops in Africa to the French authorities.

A judge said on Wednesday the decision to suspend Anders Kompass, the director of field operations for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, was “prima facie unlawful”. He ordered his employers in the UN to lift his suspension immediately to prevent further damage to his reputation.

The decision is a blow to senior UN officials who have repeatedly defended their treatment of Kompass, claiming he breached strict protocols about the passing on of confidential information to outside authorities....
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/may/06/un-suspension-of-sexual-abuse-report-whistleblower-is-unlawful-tribunal-rules


South Yorkshire Police warned twice of Rotherham child abuse but did not act, as commissioner claims girls were seen as 'willing'

Loulla-Mae Eleftheriou-Smith  Tuesday 05 May 2015

Senior members of South Yorkshire police were warned twice of the serious child abuse being carried out in Rotherham around a decade before it was discovered 1,400 children had been raped, trafficked and groomed over a period of 16 years – but no action was taken at the time.

The Sheffield Star has obtained reports from 2003 and 2006 detailing the organised child sexual exploitation being carried out in Rotherham and Sheffield.

Dr Angie Heal, the author of the reports, stated at the time it was “very evident” that “significant abuse” was taking place in Sheffield and Rotherham, in 2003, and in 2006 found that that the perpetrators of sexual abuse had been able to “carry on with impunity”.

The reports were sent to both South Yorkshire Police district commanders, chief superintendents and CID and community safety superintendents at the time, but no action was taken. The newspaper obtained the documents through a Freedom of Information request.

As the news of the warnings emerge, South Yorkshire’s current police and crime commissioner has claimed that  “it all went wrong” in Rotherham because police had not understood what grooming was, nor recognised the abuse, and had instead seen the girls as prostitutes....
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/south-yorkshire-police-warned-twice-of-rotherham-child-abuse-but-did-not-act-as-commissioner-claims-girls-were-seen-as-willing-10225840.html

Convicted French sex offender became school head teacher, Navy aims to boost sex assault reporting, stop reprisals, Teen Son Testifies in New Jersey Military Child Abuse Case

Convicted French sex offender who became school head teacher 'may have raped 55 pupils'
Some 55 pupils of a primary school in south-eastern France, or their parents on their behalf, have accused the school's ex-head teacher of sexual abuse, prosecutor reveals
By Henry Samuel, Paris  04 May 2015

The former head teacher of a primary school in south-eastern France faces sex abuse charges against 55 pupils, the local prosecutor announced on Monday.

The case of the teacher from Villefontaine near Lyon, known only as Romain F, has shocked France and led to a government inquiry after it transpired he had been convicted of possessing child pornography in 2008 but that the justice ministry had failed to transmit his criminal record to the education ministry.

In March, he was placed under formal investigation for raping 11 pupils since last October, after confessing to having tricked blindfolded pupils into oral sex during a workshop on experiencing new tastes.

That prompted France's education ministry to launch an internal investigation parallel to the legal inquiry to discover how the convicted offender was hired, and determine if any other victims were abused....
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/11582189/Convicted-French-sex-offender-who-became-school-head-teacher-may-have-raped-55-pupils.html

Navy aims to boost sex assault reporting, stop reprisals
By Meghann Myers, Staff writer May 5, 2015

Instances of sexual assault are down and reporting is up in the Navy, but there are still some trouble spots on officials' minds, especially male victims and retaliation against those who report abuse.

While progress has been made, according to the head of the 21st Century Sailor Office, reports of of retaliation and assaults against men are holding steady....

The 2012 Rand study found that 62 percent of those who reported unwanted sexual contact felt they had been retaliated against, and the number didn't budge in 2014, Rear Adm. Rick Snyder told reporters in a Friday phone interview.

"I am concerned that a high percentage of victims perceive that negative things happen to them [after reporting an assault]," he said. "We're worried about that number."....

In terms of male assault victims, there's a focus on hazing and initiation activities that cross into sexual assault territory.

Men made up half of the service members who had experienced unwanted sexual contact, according to the Rand study, reporting mostly that the incidents happened multiple times, with multiple perpetrators, without the involvement of alcohol, as some sort of hazing ritual.

The reporting rate for women has raised dramatically in the past few years, Snyder said, but reports are stagnant for men at a rate of about 8 percent.

One in three women report, on the other hand....
http://www.navytimes.com/story/military/crime/2015/05/05/navy-annual-sexual-assault-prevention-response-report/26705151/

Teen Son Testifies in New Jersey Military Child Abuse Case
NEWARK, N.J. — May 5, 2015 By DAVID PORTER Associated Press

The teenage son of a military couple charged with abusing their three foster children told a jury Tuesday that his parents used Bible passages to justify hitting the toddlers with a paddle, stick and other implements.

The "rod of correction" was one form of discipline meted out by Army Maj. John Jackson and wife Carolyn, John Jackson Jr. testified under direct questioning in U.S. District Court. The couple also forced the children, all of whom were under the age of 5, to drink hot sauce or eat hot pepper flakes as punishment, he said.

"With respect to the Bible, my parents believed that children needed to be trained in a certain way in order to behave," he said. One passage he said they cited: "Foolishness is bound up in the heart of the child, but the rod of correction will drive it out."

The trial is the second for the Jacksons. The first ended in a mistrial last fall when a prosecutor inadvertently referred to the fact that one of the children had died. The judge had previously ruled that the boy's death could not be introduced during the trial since the defendants were not charged directly with his death.

A 15-count superseding indictment charges them with conspiracy, child endangerment and assault....
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/son-testifies-jersey-military-child-abuse-case-30820382

French Government Investigates Military For Alleged Child Abuse, The mother who never gave up on her child abused by the Oxford child sex ring

French Government Investigates Military For Alleged Child Abuse
May 01, 2015 Eleanor Beardsley

The French government has promised a full investigation into allegations that its soldiers sexually abused local children while serving on a peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic.

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

The French government is investigating allegations that its soldiers abused children while serving as peacekeepers in Africa last year. The case has caused outrage and revulsion in France which places high value on both its military and its relations with its former colonies. The incidents in the Central African Republic were revealed when a United Nations report was leaked this week. NPR's Eleanor Beardsley has the story.

ELEANOR BEARDSLEY, BYLINE: The U.N. report gives detailed descriptions of how children were coerced or forced into sexual acts by some of the French soldiers sent to protect them. Some of the victims was young as 9. Many were orphaned boys. The report became public this week when it was leaked to aid groups who gave it to the press....

BEARDSLEY: The U.N. has launched its own investigation into the leaking of its human rights report about the abuse. The French government is still investigating reports of sexual abuse by its soldiers in Rwanda 21 years ago. General Dominique Trinquand is a former commander of French peacekeeping missions.
http://www.npr.org/2015/05/01/403597693/french-government-investigates-military-for-alleged-child-abuse 


The mother who never gave up on her child abused by the Oxford child sex ring

When Lara fell victim to the notorious Oxford child sex ring, her mother tried everything to save her. Now, the two tell Nick Harding how they're trying to put the past behind them
Nick Harding
Monday 04 May 2015

....Lara was a victim of an infamous child sex trafficking ring based in Oxford. In 2013, seven members were jailed for a total of 95 years. She was one of six brave girls who gave evidence against their abusers. She was groomed from the age of 12 and for five years endured unimaginable physical, sexual and psychological abuse. Elizabeth frantically tried to save her and raise the authorities from an apathetic slumber, the type of which allowed similar gangs in Rochdale, Rotherham and other parts of the country to exploit young, vulnerable girls with impunity.

Lara was born to alcoholic parents. Her mother was a drug addict and a prostitute, her father was a sadistic alcoholic. Along with her four siblings, she was taken into care aged four. For the following six years, she tumbled through the care system, where she was sexually abused. Elizabeth adopted her when she was 10 and already deeply disturbed.

....As she progressed to secondary school, her behaviour worsened. She stayed out late, ran away from home and became violent. But instead of getting support and understanding, she was excluded from school. Elizabeth tried to get help and advice from Oxford social services.

"They refused and said it was not their problem as Lara did not come from Oxford," she explains. "I was saying very early on that I felt she needed therapeutic support to process what had happened to her. But social services didn't entertain it and felt she was just badly behaved. I was told she was a young person making choices, and although she was making the wrong sort of choices, she should be supported to make those choices regardless."

At 12, Lara came to the attention of a local drug dealer, Mohammed Karrar. He ran a crack den in a run-down part of Oxford. Manipulative and well versed in child grooming, he befriended Lara and she began to spend increasing amounts of time with him and his associates in the Cowley Road area of the city.

....Karrar gave his victim with alcopops and cigarettes and encouraged her to run away from home. Eventually, he encouraged her to take crack cocaine and began feeding her drugs. Soon after, he forced her to have sex with two men, demanding the act as payment for the drugs he had plied her with. He continued to feed her addiction, sold her to men around the country, beat her and threatened her and her family if she didn't do as he commanded.

In one incident when she was 14, Lara was imprisoned for eight hours in a guest house on a main road in Oxford and violently raped by Karrar's brother Bassam. Police were called by another guest, who heard her screams through the walls. Despite having witnesses and DNA evidence, it was decided not to pursue a prosecution when Lara declined to  testify after being coerced by the gang.

....Girl for Sale' by Lara McDonnell (£6.99, Ebury Press) is out now
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/the-mother-who-never-gave-up-on-her-child-abused-by-the-oxford-child-sex-ring-10224225.html

American Psychological Association Bolstered C.I.A. Torture Program, Report Says

American Psychological Association Bolstered C.I.A. Torture Program, Report Says
By JAMES RISEN APRIL 30, 2015

WASHINGTON — The American Psychological Association secretly collaborated with the administration of President George W. Bush to bolster a legal and ethical justification for the torture of prisoners swept up in the post-Sept. 11 war on terror, according to a new report by a group of dissident health professionals and human rights activists.

The report is the first to examine the association's role in the interrogation program. It contends, using newly disclosed emails, that the group's actions to keep psychologists involved in the interrogation program coincided closely with efforts by senior Bush administration officials to salvage the program after the public disclosure in 2004 of graphic photos of prisoner abuse by American military personnel at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.

"The A.P.A. secretly coordinated with officials from the C.I.A., White House and the Department of Defense to create an A.P.A. ethics policy on national security interrogations which comported with then-classified legal guidance authorizing the C.I.A. torture program," the report's authors conclude....

The involvement of health professionals in the Bush-era interrogation program was significant because it enabled the Justice Department to argue in secret opinions that the program was legal and did not constitute torture, since the interrogations were being monitored by health professionals to make sure they were safe.

The interrogation program has since been shut down, and last year the Senate Intelligence Committee issued a detailed report that described the program as both ineffective and abusive.

Rhea Farberman, a spokeswoman for the American Psychological Association, denied that the group had coordinated its actions with the government. There "has never been any coordination between A.P.A. and the Bush administration on how A.P.A. responded to the controversies about the role of psychologists in the interrogations program," she said....

In early June 2004, a senior official with the association, the nation's largest professional organization for psychologists, issued an invitation to a carefully selected group of psychologists and behavioral scientists inside the government to a private meeting to discuss the crisis and the role of psychologists in the interrogation program.

Psychologists from the C.I.A. and other agencies met with association officials in July, and by the next year the association issued guidelines that reaffirmed that it was acceptable for its members to be involved in the interrogation program.

To emphasize their argument that the association grew too close to the interrogation program, the critics' new report cites a 2003 email from a senior psychologist at the C.I.A. to a senior official at the psychological association. In the email, the C.I.A. psychologist appears to be confiding in the association official about the work of James Mitchell and Bruce Jessen, the private contractors who developed and helped run the enhanced interrogation program at the C.I.A.'s secret prisons around the world....
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/01/us/report-says-american-psychological-association-collaborated-on-torture-justification.html