Former students call for inquiry into assault claims, Zambia police arrest four suspects for ritual murders that sparked riots

Former students call for inquiry into assault claims
By Jonathan Saltzman and Jenn Abelson Globe Staff  May 10, 2016

Two former students of the Fessenden School in Newton on Monday demanded a federal inquiry into alleged sexual assaults by staffers there in the 1960s and 1970s, saying they believe the suspected abuse extends far beyond the 17 individuals the school says have come forward.

Adrian Hooper and John Sweeney, two former Fessenden students who allege they were sexually assaulted, spoke at an emotional news conference at the Boston office of their lawyer, Mitchell Garabedian....

The news conference came a day after the Globe Spotlight team reported that at least 67 private schools in New England have since 1991 faced allegations that at least 200 students were abused or harassed by staffers. Separately, Phillips Academy in Andover confirmed Monday a new claim of misconduct toward a student by a former English teacher....

Only recently, Hooper added, he realized that one of two teachers who had him and several other boys masturbate each other in what they were told was a “Mayan ritual” at Fessenden was Clarridge. He recognized Clarridge in a photograph from an online Harvard publication provided by a Globe reporter, he said, and nearly threw up.

The Fessenden School, whose famous alumni include Senator Edward M. Kennedy and Howard Hughes, has not disputed any specific allegations of abuse documented in the Globe article on Sunday. The school says that at least 12 former students have come forward since Fessenden sent a letter to the school community in 2011 reporting claims of abuse there since the 1960s. All told, the school says, 17 victims have alleged abuse by at least five former staffers.

The school reiterated an apology in a statement Monday....

The two former students called on the school to provide all records about at least four cases that Fessenden says it settled with alleged victims since the 1990s.

The school issued a statement Monday saying: “We are deeply saddened, and we apologize on behalf of the school to those who were harmed. In 2011, The Fessenden School acknowledged and apologized for abuses that took place decades ago and offered counseling to anyone who was harmed. We have acted with compassion and concern for the victims.’’....
https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2016/05/09/former-fessenden-school-students-call-for-federal-inquiry-into-alleged-assaults-staffers-decades-ago/xiNzJcq7OhkmlYgIHLfG7K/story.html 


Zambia police arrest four suspects for ritual murders that sparked riots
Reuters World May 10, 2016

LUSAKA (Reuters) - Zambia police said on Tuesday four suspects have been arrested in connection with a string of grisly ritual murders in the southern African nation's capital that triggered anti-foreign riots targeting mostly Rwandan migrants in April.

The arrested suspects are two army soldiers, a civilian employee of the Zambian Air Force and a traditional doctor, police said. They were to appear in court Tuesday afternoon charged with seven counts of murder.

"All the murders which the accused have been charged with were committed in a similar manner by crushing the left side of the head, removing body parts and later dumping the deceased near their homes," police said in a statement.

Police said in April that the victims had ears, hearts and genitals removed, raising suspicion of ritual killings.

Human body parts are sometimes used in traditional remedies and concoctions in southern Africa. The practice is linked to witchcraft beliefs.... http://www.investing.com/news/world-news/zambia-police-arrest-four-suspects-for-ritual-murders-that-sparked-riots-401105