David Clohessy: A test of justice for W.Va. child sex abuse victims
By David Clohessy Tuesday, April 21, 2015
Justice comes rarely for victims of childhood sexual assault. When it does, it’s only after a painful legal process. This week in Charleston, an appeals court could make that already difficult process even harder for West Virginia victims who use civil courts to warn the public about predators....
A dozen children and their parents are suing Mormon officials for allegedly enabling and concealing the heinous abuses committed by a now ex-Mormon, Christopher Michael Jensen. There’s no doubt about Jensen’s guilt — he was convicted of assaulting youngsters in both Utah and West Virginia.
But Mormon officials are fighting hard to defend themselves. In fact, they’ve convinced a judge to appoint a private lawyer to defend Jensen, a move that’s exceedingly rare in civil cases. Worse, they’ve persuaded that judge to force the victims to pay half of Jensen’s defense lawyers’ fees.
In the United States, we have a long and honorable tradition of making sure that every accused person, no matter how egregious his or her purported crimes, has legal representation. But no one is guaranteed an attorney in a civil matter. And very few, in a civil court, ever have to pay to help the opposing side.... http://www.wvgazette.com/article/20150421/GZ04/150429951/110
'Vile and depraved' UK gang raped and abused babies
22 April 2015
Members of a paedophile network whose crimes were described as the most "vile and depraved" police had seen have been convicted of arranging abuse.
The UK-wide gang raped and abused babies and young children, streaming the attacks online to fellow members.
John Denham, 49, and Matthew Stansfield, 34, had denied plotting sex crimes against the victims.
They were found guilty after a trial at Bristol Crown Court. Five other members had earlier admitted various offences.
The group used the internet to plan and stream abuse and tried to groom pregnant women in order to find new victims, the trial heard.
In one case, they groomed a mother and father before their child was born.
Officers from the National Crime Agency, which led the investigation, said the crimes were the most "vile and depraved" it had ever investigated....
Prosecutor Robert Davies told the jury in the Denham and Stansfield trial: "This prosecution will take you into a world you wished did not exist.
"The evidence exposes the shocking interest a group of men had in sexually abusing babies, toddlers or pre-school children.
"A real baby was for certain abused and raped by some of those involved."....
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-32413502
Showing posts with label Child Sex Abuse Victims. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Child Sex Abuse Victims. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
Monday, April 6, 2015
Michael Jackson Allegedly Paid $200 Million to 20 Child Sex Abuse Victims
Lawyers say Jacko paid $200M in hush money to ‘victims’
By Stacy Brown April 5, 2015
Wade Robson and James Safechuck may accomplish what countless prosecutors could not: prove in court that Michael Jackson was a serial child molester.
The purported victims must first overcome a major hurdle — both their legal claims were filed more than a year after the King of Pop’s 2009 death, missing the statutory deadline....
Lawyers say the King of Pop shelled out nearly $200 million to as many as 20 victims.
Safechuck first met Jacko in 1987, when James was 8 years old. Safechuck will testify that Jacko repeatedly molested him a year later during a tour and that Jacko wrote a check for more than $1 million to Safechuck’s father, a sanitation worker.
Safechuck claims in court filings that Jacko held a secret wedding ceremony, with the young boy as his bride. He said the singer gave him a marriage certificate and a wedding band as keepsakes and confirmation of their “undying love.”
It was Safechuck and another alleged victim, Jordan Chandler, to whom Jacko’s sister LaToya referred in a 1993 Tel Aviv press conference in which she vowed to “not be a silent collaborator in my brother’s crimes.”....
Safechuck’s attorney alleges that Jacko molested Safechuck more than 100 times....
The duo for the first time will be allowed to detail past, undisclosed settlements between Jacko and boys. Sources contend there were at least 20 young victims, who reaped — with their parents and attorneys — upward of $200 million cumulatively in hush money.
The Chandler lawsuit alone cost Jacko more than $40 million, sources said....
http://pagesix.com/2015/04/05/lawyers-say-jacko-paid-200m-in-hush-money-to-victims/
Michael Jackson allegedly paid millions to silence accusers
Apr 5th 2015
Two new civil cases have accused Michael Jackson of paying millions in hush money to sexual abuse accusers over the years.
Two men, claiming to have been abused by Jackson as children, are suing his estate for punitive damages. Because they are civil cases, lawyers will be able to use evidence excluded from the criminal proceedings.
The New York Post reports that Jackson paid out nearly $200 million to at least 20 alleged victims and their families over the years....
One of the men suing Jackson's estate, James Safechuck, claims he was abused more than 100 times by the pop star, beginning when he was eight years old. The suit also claims that Jackson wrote a $1 million check to Safechuck's father.
Both the cases were filed over a year after Jackson's death, which misses the statutory deadline. A Los Angeles court judge will decide Thursday if the cases can proceed....
http://www.aol.com/article/2015/04/05/michael-jackson-allegedly-paid-millions-to-silence-accusers/21161504/
Michael Jackson Allegedly Paid $200 Million to 20 Child Sex Abuse Victims
Monday, April 6, 2015
by Nina Ulloa
Why is it that Michael Jackson child sex cases always seemed to get pushed under the rug? It could be because Jackson allegedly paid $200 million to keep victims quiet.
Lawyers for Wade Robson and James Safechuck say as many as 20 victims were paid off. Both Robson and Safechuck says Jackson sexually abused them when they were children. A judge is deciding whether they can bring this information to court for the first time.
Safechuck says the abuse happened when he was nine, and that Jackson paid his father $1 million. He also says Jackson held a secret wedding ceremony and he was the child bride.
Robson says he was seven when Jackson began molesting him. He also says he shared a bed with the pop star for a year....
http://www.digitalmusicnews.com/permalink/2015/04/06/michael-jackson-allegedly-paid-200-million-20-child-sex-abuse-victims
By Stacy Brown April 5, 2015
Wade Robson and James Safechuck may accomplish what countless prosecutors could not: prove in court that Michael Jackson was a serial child molester.
The purported victims must first overcome a major hurdle — both their legal claims were filed more than a year after the King of Pop’s 2009 death, missing the statutory deadline....
Lawyers say the King of Pop shelled out nearly $200 million to as many as 20 victims.
Safechuck first met Jacko in 1987, when James was 8 years old. Safechuck will testify that Jacko repeatedly molested him a year later during a tour and that Jacko wrote a check for more than $1 million to Safechuck’s father, a sanitation worker.
Safechuck claims in court filings that Jacko held a secret wedding ceremony, with the young boy as his bride. He said the singer gave him a marriage certificate and a wedding band as keepsakes and confirmation of their “undying love.”
It was Safechuck and another alleged victim, Jordan Chandler, to whom Jacko’s sister LaToya referred in a 1993 Tel Aviv press conference in which she vowed to “not be a silent collaborator in my brother’s crimes.”....
Safechuck’s attorney alleges that Jacko molested Safechuck more than 100 times....
The duo for the first time will be allowed to detail past, undisclosed settlements between Jacko and boys. Sources contend there were at least 20 young victims, who reaped — with their parents and attorneys — upward of $200 million cumulatively in hush money.
The Chandler lawsuit alone cost Jacko more than $40 million, sources said....
http://pagesix.com/2015/04/05/lawyers-say-jacko-paid-200m-in-hush-money-to-victims/
Michael Jackson allegedly paid millions to silence accusers
Apr 5th 2015
Two new civil cases have accused Michael Jackson of paying millions in hush money to sexual abuse accusers over the years.
Two men, claiming to have been abused by Jackson as children, are suing his estate for punitive damages. Because they are civil cases, lawyers will be able to use evidence excluded from the criminal proceedings.
The New York Post reports that Jackson paid out nearly $200 million to at least 20 alleged victims and their families over the years....
One of the men suing Jackson's estate, James Safechuck, claims he was abused more than 100 times by the pop star, beginning when he was eight years old. The suit also claims that Jackson wrote a $1 million check to Safechuck's father.
Both the cases were filed over a year after Jackson's death, which misses the statutory deadline. A Los Angeles court judge will decide Thursday if the cases can proceed....
http://www.aol.com/article/2015/04/05/michael-jackson-allegedly-paid-millions-to-silence-accusers/21161504/
Michael Jackson Allegedly Paid $200 Million to 20 Child Sex Abuse Victims
Monday, April 6, 2015
by Nina Ulloa
Why is it that Michael Jackson child sex cases always seemed to get pushed under the rug? It could be because Jackson allegedly paid $200 million to keep victims quiet.
Lawyers for Wade Robson and James Safechuck say as many as 20 victims were paid off. Both Robson and Safechuck says Jackson sexually abused them when they were children. A judge is deciding whether they can bring this information to court for the first time.
Safechuck says the abuse happened when he was nine, and that Jackson paid his father $1 million. He also says Jackson held a secret wedding ceremony and he was the child bride.
Robson says he was seven when Jackson began molesting him. He also says he shared a bed with the pop star for a year....
http://www.digitalmusicnews.com/permalink/2015/04/06/michael-jackson-allegedly-paid-200-million-20-child-sex-abuse-victims
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Jimmy Savile’s 1,350 victims, Garda to examine sex abuse claims against 'Irish Jimmy Savile'
Jimmy Savile’s 1,350 victims
By TOM MORGAN and MIRANDA PRYNNE 4/18/13
Operation Yewtree — the high-profile investigation into sex allegations against a host of celebrities — has found 450 victims of Savile. Peter Spindler is the cop who exposed Jimmy Savile. But former Met Police Commander Peter Spindler told NSPCC child safety campaigners: “There are probably treble that number who haven’t come forward.”
Sex beast Savile escaped justice by fooling the authorities into protecting him, according to the cop who finally exposed him. Mr Spindler admitted yesterday that the BBC paedophile deceived some of the most important figures in public life.
He told NSPCC child safety campaigners: “The reality is that we were all taken in, right to the top of the establishment.
“Retired police officers have come forward to tell us what they had seen.
“The health service gave him unfettered access to some of the most secure places in the UK. There were nursing staff who were telling children to pretend they were asleep....
The Sun can also reveal how the Savile scandal prompted dozens of other child sex abuse victims to come forward.
They are now set to claim hundreds of thousands of pounds in compensation from schools and care homes where they were abused. The allegations, including rape, date from the 1950s up to 2010. Three victims have already seen their abusers convicted.
Solicitor Liz Dux, representing the victims, said: “The one positive outcome of the Savile scandal is the rise in victims coming forward. “Victims have gained the confidence to report crimes through seeing others do the same.” She called on prosecutors and courts to give victims more support. A report by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary last month slammed police forces for failing to investigate claims against Savile dating back almost 50 years. http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4894186/Jimmy-Savile-victims-could-top-1350.html
Garda to examine sex abuse claims against 'Irish Jimmy Savile'
Tom Brady, Security Editor – 17 April 2013
A garda unit has been ordered to take a fresh look at the allegations of sexual abuse against an Irish college founder stretching back over five decades. Domhnaill O Lubhlai died last month without facing any criminal prosecution into complaints that he had abused boys. Claims have now been made that the gardai were given two opportunities in 1991 and 1998 to inquire into the allegations, which date from 1955 to the present, but no investigation was held.
Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan said yesterday that having read reports in the media at the weekend he had decided to ask the force's domestic violence and sexual assault unit to have another look at the case and determine if there were outstanding issues that needed to be addressed.... http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/courts/garda-to-examine-sex-abuse-claims-against-irish-jimmy-savile-29204067.html
By TOM MORGAN and MIRANDA PRYNNE 4/18/13
Operation Yewtree — the high-profile investigation into sex allegations against a host of celebrities — has found 450 victims of Savile. Peter Spindler is the cop who exposed Jimmy Savile. But former Met Police Commander Peter Spindler told NSPCC child safety campaigners: “There are probably treble that number who haven’t come forward.”
Sex beast Savile escaped justice by fooling the authorities into protecting him, according to the cop who finally exposed him. Mr Spindler admitted yesterday that the BBC paedophile deceived some of the most important figures in public life.
He told NSPCC child safety campaigners: “The reality is that we were all taken in, right to the top of the establishment.
“Retired police officers have come forward to tell us what they had seen.
“The health service gave him unfettered access to some of the most secure places in the UK. There were nursing staff who were telling children to pretend they were asleep....
The Sun can also reveal how the Savile scandal prompted dozens of other child sex abuse victims to come forward.
They are now set to claim hundreds of thousands of pounds in compensation from schools and care homes where they were abused. The allegations, including rape, date from the 1950s up to 2010. Three victims have already seen their abusers convicted.
Solicitor Liz Dux, representing the victims, said: “The one positive outcome of the Savile scandal is the rise in victims coming forward. “Victims have gained the confidence to report crimes through seeing others do the same.” She called on prosecutors and courts to give victims more support. A report by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary last month slammed police forces for failing to investigate claims against Savile dating back almost 50 years. http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4894186/Jimmy-Savile-victims-could-top-1350.html
Garda to examine sex abuse claims against 'Irish Jimmy Savile'
Tom Brady, Security Editor – 17 April 2013
A garda unit has been ordered to take a fresh look at the allegations of sexual abuse against an Irish college founder stretching back over five decades. Domhnaill O Lubhlai died last month without facing any criminal prosecution into complaints that he had abused boys. Claims have now been made that the gardai were given two opportunities in 1991 and 1998 to inquire into the allegations, which date from 1955 to the present, but no investigation was held.
Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan said yesterday that having read reports in the media at the weekend he had decided to ask the force's domestic violence and sexual assault unit to have another look at the case and determine if there were outstanding issues that needed to be addressed.... http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/courts/garda-to-examine-sex-abuse-claims-against-irish-jimmy-savile-29204067.html
Saturday, October 20, 2012
On Behalf of 25 Child Advocacy Organizations In Support of Boy Scout Survivors on Release of “Perversion Files” - Calling on All States to Eliminate the Statutes of Limitations Keeping Child Sex Abuse Victims Out of Court
October 18, 2012
Comment by Professor Marci A. Hamilton
on Behalf of 25 Child Advocacy Organizations In Support of Boy Scout Survivors on Release of “Perversion Files”
Calling on All States to Eliminate the Statutes of Limitations Keeping Child Sex Abuse Victims Out of Court
The Oregon Supreme Court ordered the release of the Boy Scouts’ “perversion files” in Jack Does I-VI vs. Corp. of the Presiding Bishop of the Church of Latter Day Saints, Corp. of the President of the Church of Latter Day Saints and Successors & The Boy Scouts of America, et. al (Or. June 14, 2012), available at http://media.oregonlive.com/portland_impact/other/S058601%5B1%5D.pdf .
These files establish that the Boy Scouts knew about predators, but instead of protecting children by going to the authorities, they kept their identities secret and let them abuse more children. Marci Hamilton, one of the nation’s leading experts on child sex abuse in institutional settings, states, “The Boy Scout files, like the Philadelphia Grand Jury Reports on abuse in the Philadelphia Archdiocese and the grand jury report on abuse by Jerry Sandusky, document how yet another institution has covered up child sex abuse. They kept records and knew more than anyone else in the country about the recidivism of abusers, yet, they did not go to the authorities.
They enabled perpetrators and endangered one child after another. Internal records and
investigations are never enough. Nor is sending the perpetrator away, with no notice to the authorities and the next community at risk. Sadly, the statutes of limitations for the vast majority of the Boy Scout survivors in many states likely have expired, making it difficult to prosecute or sue the perpetrators, or to bring the organization to account for endangering children. The Boy Scout's perversion files are another stark reminder to our elected representatives that laws in many states favor the organization, aid the predator, and put children at risk. Right now, there are untold numbers of hidden child predators who are preying on one child after another, because the statutes of limitations have been configured to give them that opportunity.
It is a fact that approximately 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 5 boys are sexually abused. Thus, there is an iceberg of victims across the country, including many Boy Scout victims, who have no access to justice. Under the current statute of limitations in many states--which halt criminal prosecution and civil cases long before most victims are ready to come forward -- those who caused the abuse or created the conditions for the abuse are being given a free ride.
The Boy Scouts of America is just the latest organization whose failure to report abuse led to justice denied. Now is the time for every state to look hard at its SOLs and to give child sex abuse victims a chance at justice.”....
http://www.cardozo.yu.edu/uploadedFiles/Cardozo/Profiles/hamilton02-447/PressReleaseBSA2.pdf
Comment by Professor Marci A. Hamilton
on Behalf of 25 Child Advocacy Organizations In Support of Boy Scout Survivors on Release of “Perversion Files”
Calling on All States to Eliminate the Statutes of Limitations Keeping Child Sex Abuse Victims Out of Court
The Oregon Supreme Court ordered the release of the Boy Scouts’ “perversion files” in Jack Does I-VI vs. Corp. of the Presiding Bishop of the Church of Latter Day Saints, Corp. of the President of the Church of Latter Day Saints and Successors & The Boy Scouts of America, et. al (Or. June 14, 2012), available at http://media.oregonlive.com/portland_impact/other/S058601%5B1%5D.pdf .
These files establish that the Boy Scouts knew about predators, but instead of protecting children by going to the authorities, they kept their identities secret and let them abuse more children. Marci Hamilton, one of the nation’s leading experts on child sex abuse in institutional settings, states, “The Boy Scout files, like the Philadelphia Grand Jury Reports on abuse in the Philadelphia Archdiocese and the grand jury report on abuse by Jerry Sandusky, document how yet another institution has covered up child sex abuse. They kept records and knew more than anyone else in the country about the recidivism of abusers, yet, they did not go to the authorities.
They enabled perpetrators and endangered one child after another. Internal records and
investigations are never enough. Nor is sending the perpetrator away, with no notice to the authorities and the next community at risk. Sadly, the statutes of limitations for the vast majority of the Boy Scout survivors in many states likely have expired, making it difficult to prosecute or sue the perpetrators, or to bring the organization to account for endangering children. The Boy Scout's perversion files are another stark reminder to our elected representatives that laws in many states favor the organization, aid the predator, and put children at risk. Right now, there are untold numbers of hidden child predators who are preying on one child after another, because the statutes of limitations have been configured to give them that opportunity.
It is a fact that approximately 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 5 boys are sexually abused. Thus, there is an iceberg of victims across the country, including many Boy Scout victims, who have no access to justice. Under the current statute of limitations in many states--which halt criminal prosecution and civil cases long before most victims are ready to come forward -- those who caused the abuse or created the conditions for the abuse are being given a free ride.
The Boy Scouts of America is just the latest organization whose failure to report abuse led to justice denied. Now is the time for every state to look hard at its SOLs and to give child sex abuse victims a chance at justice.”....
http://www.cardozo.yu.edu/uploadedFiles/Cardozo/Profiles/hamilton02-447/PressReleaseBSA2.pdf
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