« January 2005 | Main | March 2005 »
February 28, 2005
Sex-offender laws' review inevitable
Fear and anger swept the city during the manhunt for Brent J. Brents, a 35-year-old convicted child molester now suspected as a serial rapist. Emotions ranged from concern for the victims to fury at a system that released Brents into... read more...Posted by Nealus at 05:06 PM | Comments (0)
February 27, 2005
French town rocked by infant rape gang trial
ANGERS, France, Feb 27 -- The biggest ever criminal trial in modern French history opens this week in the central town of Angers, when a total of 66 men and women face charges for the rape and sexual abuse of... read more...Posted by Nealus at 09:52 PM | Comments (0)
February 26, 2005
Police videotape teacher in sex abuse case
Police say they talked with the victim's family before setting up the hidden camera and sending the boy back into the classroom. NARROWS, VA. - A Giles County teacher charged with sexually molesting an 11-year-old boy was caught on tape... read more...Posted by Nealus at 04:57 PM | Comments (0)
February 25, 2005
Velcoff rape trial enters second day
Five witnesses testified Wednesday in the case against Jacquelyn Velcoff, 46, of Arkadelphia, who is charged with 20 counts of rape in connection with the alleged sexual abuse of her children. During opening statements, Prosecuting Attorney Henry Morgan told the... read more...Posted by Nealus at 11:44 AM | Comments (0)
February 22, 2005
Prosecutors looking to beef up sex-abuse case against priest
Victims of alleged assaults asked to come forward Prosecutors Monday filed a motion asking to use evidence of other molestations and crimes against a priest accused of fondling a 10-year-old boy in the 1980s. And police want to hear from... read more...Posted by Nealus at 03:22 PM | Comments (0)
Michael Jackson and a lesson in Psyche 101
In 1984 Michael Jackson built “Neverland” ranch to — according to the has-been pop star — compensate for his missed childhood while touring non-stop with “The Jackson Five.” Thus the petting zoo with exotic animals and carnival rides. That was... read more...Posted by Nealus at 12:55 AM | Comments (0)
Games pedophiles play
A priest being convicted of child molestation may no longer be front page news, but that doesn't mean the problem can be relegated to the inside pages of our collective conscience. Thursday defrocked Roman Catholic priest Maurice Blackwell was convicted... read more...Posted by Nealus at 12:41 AM | Comments (0)
Victims seek to end limits on sex abuse charges
BOSTON -- David Carney remembers going to a cheap motel, drinking wine out of a Coke bottle and being raped by his high school chaplain. The next 23 years were filled with alcohol and drugs, a series of dead-end jobs... read more...Posted by Nealus at 12:29 AM | Comments (0)
February 21, 2005
Out of the shadows: When news inspires media
Television and other media tackle the difficult story of abuse by priests. After victims of priest abuse criticized a truck commercial as insensitive, Ford Motor Co. pulled the spot from the Super Bowl. Yet the molestation scandal has an increasing... read more...Posted by Nealus at 12:35 PM | Comments (0)
Man Accused Of Flying To Kenya For Sex With Children
TIGARD, Ore. -- A Tigard man is accused of traveling to Kenya to have sex with children. Lester Weber was arrested Dec. 3 and arraigned Thursday on a seven-count federal indictment. He's charged with international travel to engage in sexual... read more...Posted by Nealus at 12:09 PM | Comments (0)
Another teacher faces student-sex rap
Ex-teacher Angela Stellwag isn't talking about the sexcapade that rocked Riverside High in Burlington County last week, but her 14-year-old boyfriend - 10 years her junior - may be discussing their one-on-one tutorial with authorities. The alleged Riverside High tryst... read more...Posted by Nealus at 12:04 PM | Comments (0)
February 20, 2005
Dark allegations arise amid probe of nun's slaying
Authorities expand investigation to claims of ritualistic sex abuse For Toledo police, it was a rare assignment: Search an abandoned house on the edge of a cornfield in western Lucas County where people reportedly took part in ritual abuse ceremonies.... read more...Posted by Nealus at 07:50 PM | Comments (0)
Appellate court overturns child porn criminal's term
EASTON -- The Pennsylvania Superior Court has thrown out a 33 to 67 year sentence for Palmer Township sex offender James Charles Klueber. Two of the three judges who reviewed the case said Northampton County Judge Stephen G. Baratta abused... read more...Posted by Nealus at 11:10 AM | Comments (0)
Woman gets state time for child pornography
EASTON, NJ -- Brenda Woodginski admitted she snapped photographs that Northampton County Judge Leonard N. Zito said he couldn't bear to look at. Zito sent the 32-year-old Easton woman to state prison Friday for 21 years and eight months to... read more...Posted by Nealus at 09:57 AM | Comments (0)
Robbery suspect cites sexual abuse in seeking leniency
BOSTON -- A man charged with robbing two Boston banks is seeking leniency, citing past sexual abuse by a Catholic priest. Paul Callahan is now 32. He says he was molested when he was an eleven-year-old altar boy, and soon... read more...Posted by Nealus at 09:44 AM | Comments (0)
School Bus Driver Charged With Sexual Assault
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. -- A school bus driver is accused of sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl and possessing child pornography. Arlington Heights police charged Gary Wayman, 58, of the 800 block of North Walnut Avenue in the northwest suburb, with... read more...Posted by Nealus at 09:37 AM | Comments (0)
February 19, 2005
Man suspected of child sex abuse is brought back to NN from Calif.
Police reopened the investigation last year after a child was ready to talk about the alleged abuse. NEWPORT NEWS -- A suspect in a child sex abuse case dating to 1998 was infected with a sexually transmitted disease when the... read more...Posted by Nealus at 04:06 PM | Comments (0)
Writing it down and talking is good therapy
You can tell when someone is simply trying to sell a book or they're on a mission. With Sandy Riggin, it was clear right away. "The book is just a tool," she says. "The idea is to use it to... read more...Posted by Nealus at 03:08 PM | Comments (0)
Child sex abuse audit lauds NH diocese
MANCHESTER — The 10 credible allegations of child sexual abuse by clergy made to the Diocese of Manchester in 2004 are among the 1,092 received by Roman Catholic leaders nationwide against a total 756 priests and deacons, a survey of... read more...Posted by Nealus at 02:25 PM | Comments (0)
February 18, 2005
Memphis Diocese identifies suspected abusers to prosecutor
MEMPHIS, Tenn. Roman Catholic Church officials in Memphis have turned over to the prosecutor's office the names of employees suspected of sexually abusing children. Assistant District Attorney Kevin Rardin says the list of diocese employees includes priests and contains about... read more...Posted by Nealus at 07:11 PM | Comments (0)
Counselor accused of sex abuse
Illionis A Long Grove psychiatrist who once headed a Department of Veterans Affairs hospital, writes books and calls himself a biblical counselor is accused of molesting two boys. Gary L. Almy, 61, faces aggravated criminal sexual abuse charges for attacks... read more...Posted by Nealus at 06:19 PM | Comments (0)
State of California Also on Trial With Michael Jackson for Allowing Molesters Within the Home to Avoid Prosecution
A Coalition of angry citizens groups, including film and television actors, attorneys and progressive civil rights leaders, will be in Santa Maria, Calif., on Tuesday, Feb. 22, when the Michael Jackson trial continues. They will not be there because of... read more...Posted by Nealus at 05:22 PM | Comments (0)
Ex-Priest Guilty of Sex Abuse
Maurice Blackwell, a defrocked Roman Catholic priest, was convicted by a Baltimore jury yesterday of sexually abusing former altar boy Dontee Stokes. The verdicts came more than two years after Stokes took out his anger toward the former clergyman by... read more...Posted by Nealus at 05:09 PM | Comments (0)
February 17, 2005
Scientist Held in Sex Case
Already charged with abusing a girl, the USC geneticist is accused of molesting a boy earlier. William French Anderson, the renowned geneticist indicted last month on charges of molesting the young daughter of a colleague at USC, was arrested Wednesday... read more...Posted by Nealus at 08:40 PM | Comments (0)
Repeal of time limit on sex crimes sought
BOSTON -- The day after the sentencing of one of the most notorious figures in this region's 3-year-old clergy abuse crisis, lawmakers and victims' advocates said yesterday they are building momentum to repeal statutes of limitations on sex crimes that... read more...Posted by Nealus at 08:12 PM | Comments (0)
Suspect's sex crimes began in early teens
Denver, Co. As a kid, Brent J. Brents claims to have been sexually molested. When Brents was 8 years old, he said, his father was shot and killed outside a bar. He committed his first sexual assault in his early... read more...Posted by Nealus at 01:49 PM | Comments (0)
Kern sheriff's sergeant arrested on molestation charges
The Bakersfield Californian A Kern County sheriff's sergeant was arrested just after midnight Wednesday by Bakersfield police on multiple felony charges of child molestation, according to jail records. Mike Lackey, 56, was booked into jail on charges of continuous sexual... read more...Posted by Nealus at 01:34 PM | Comments (0)
Wife testifies to life under abusive husband's control
SALISBURY, MA. — He called her names. He insulted her. His beatings often left her with black eyes. At least three times, he had affairs with other women, one of whom gave birth while he was still married. But Christine... read more...Posted by Nealus at 12:55 PM | Comments (0)
NYC detective arrested in sex abuse case
YONKERS — A suspended New York City police detective who was hailed for his work with children was arrested yesterday by Yonkers police on charges that he sexually abused two 11-year-old girls in the Royal Regency Hotel on Tuckahoe Road... read more...Posted by Nealus at 11:52 AM | Comments (0)
February 15, 2005
Jacko Hospitalized; Jury Selection Delayed
SANTA MARIA, Calif. — Superstar Michael Jackson was rushed to the emergency room of a local hospital Tuesday and admitted for the flu, delaying jury selection another week in his child molestation trial. Judge Rodney Melville told prospective jurors that... read more...Posted by Nealus at 10:28 PM | Comments (0)
Mother of girl held captive wants custody
The mother of a 14-year-old girl whose father allegedly held her captive in a bedroom for more than a year wants custody of the teen. The girl, now in custody of state Child Protective Services, was locked in a dark... read more...Posted by Nealus at 07:22 PM | Comments (0)
Defrocked priest Paul Shanley sentenced to 12 to 15 years for child rape
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Defrocked priest Paul Shanley, a central figure in the Boston Archdiocese clergy sex abuse scandal, was sentenced Monday to to 12 to 15 years in prison for repeatedly molesting a boy at a suburban parish in the... read more...Posted by Nealus at 05:27 PM | Comments (0)
Bishop plans to apologize in priest sexual-abuse case
CASTRO VALLEY — The bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Oakland plans this week to visit a local church and apologize for a priest accused of sexually abusing children in the 1970s. The Most Rev. Allen Vigneron will acknowledge the... read more...Posted by Nealus at 05:15 PM | Comments (0)
Teacher Sex Abuse: Hard To Predict
It used to be unthinkable, bit has become oddly routine: an attractive, married teacher accused of having a sexual relationship with a child. Debra LaFave was charged last June. Basketball coach Pamela Turner was charged last week. And Mary Kay... read more...Posted by Nealus at 04:11 PM | Comments (0)
Ex-Priest James Porter; Convicted in Child Molestations - Dies
BOSTON -- Former priest James Porter, 70, whose widespread molestation of dozens of children foreshadowed the clergy sex abuse scandal that swept the Roman Catholic Church, died Feb. 11 at New England Medical Center in Boston. A cause of death... read more...Posted by Nealus at 03:58 PM | Comments (0)
Child porn found at house
Pennsylvania A contracted bus driver for the West Chester Area School District used an online credit card service to gain access to Web sites containing child pornography and download hundreds of images of underage children engaged in sexual acts, police... read more...Posted by Nealus at 03:44 PM | Comments (0)
Billera's prison sentence a call for vigilance
Community must watch for and prevent sexual abuse February 15, 2005 Joe Billera is on his way to prison. Good riddance. No longer is he the gifted Salem-Keizer band teacher "suspected" of child abuse. No longer is there a chance... read more...Posted by Nealus at 03:25 PM | Comments (0)
February 14, 2005
Nothing 'lucky' about boy in teacher case, says one who knows
When Ron Smith heard the news reports that a 13-year-old Centertown boy had been sexually abused by his 27-year-old elementary school teacher, it was like ''a rerun.'' His mind jumped past all the nudging jokes about the extremely attractive married... read more...Posted by Nealus at 11:08 PM | Comments (0)
Kobe Bryant, Liz Taylor, kids on Jacko's witness list
SANTA MARIA, Calif. — The defense witness list in Michael Jackson’s trial includes Jackson’s own children and a variety of celebrities, among them Kobe Bryant and Elizabeth Taylor, his lawyer told jury prospects Monday. The glimpse into defense plans came... read more...Posted by Nealus at 11:00 PM | Comments (0)
Victims push for end of statute of limitations
Three sisters, several abusers and three completely different ways of handling sexual abuse all come together for one cause-protecting children who have been sexually abused. The oldest sister, who wishes to remain anonymous, handles her molestation by not facing her... read more...Posted by Nealus at 07:00 PM | Comments (1)
Attorneys work to eliminate biased jurors
Jury selection in the Michael Jackson child-molestation case resumes today, as attorneys work to eliminate panelists until they find the 12 jurors and eight alternates who will sit in judgment of the entertainer. The existing jury pool consists of about... read more...Posted by Nealus at 06:17 PM | Comments (0)
February 12, 2005
Daughter testifies about alleged sexual abuse by father
SALEM, Mass. -- The daughter of a man accused of isolating and abusing his family while sexually assaulting his daughters testified Friday that he repeatedly raped her at the family's home over a period of years. The now 21-year-old woman... read more...Posted by Nealus at 02:48 PM | Comments (0)
Judge Kills Himself After Child Sex Abuse Inquiries
A longtime Los Angeles County judge fatally shot himself at a Valencia park Thursday after detectives contacted him about an allegation that he had molested a child, authorities said. Lloyd Jeffrey Wiatt, a 61-year-old former prosecutor who presided over several... read more...Posted by Nealus at 02:42 PM | Comments (0)
Child porn - our secret shame
New Zealand The terrible thing about Nathan Gaunt's job is that it's a growth area. He is a cyber psychologist, dealing with men who delve into the vast world of the internet to find sexual images of children. Which is... read more...Posted by Nealus at 01:35 PM | Comments (0)
Accuser's Mental Condition Argued in Priest Abuse Case
BALTIMORE,MD -- Dontee Stokes's emotional testimony at his trial on an attempted-murder charge in 2002 helped lead to his acquittal in the shooting of Maurice J. Blackwell, a former Roman Catholic priest who allegedly had molested Stokes when he was... read more...Posted by Nealus at 01:10 PM | Comments (0)
February 11, 2005
Father, Sons Indicted in Alleged Rape
New Mexico A grand jury has indicted a Chimayó man and his two sons on 16 criminal counts connected to the alleged rape of an 8-year-old girl, a deputy district attorney said. Joe Ortega, 45, of Chimayó; his stepson Joshua... read more...Posted by Nealus at 11:11 PM | Comments (0)
The Link Between Porn And Child Abuse
New Zealand Ms Marie Dyhrberg, the lawyer acting for a Scout leader, Andrew John Pybus, 32, who was convicted of sexually abusing two boys, one under 12 and one under 16 years, is reported in the Dominion Post (9/2/05;NZPA report)... read more...Posted by Nealus at 10:36 PM | Comments (0)
February 10, 2005
Clackamas man accused of abusing three teens
Steven Craig Bulleit, 40, pleads not guilty to 47 counts involving the boys, including one in his care A man who volunteered to videotape Clackamas High School sports now faces charges of compelling prostitution involving three teenage boys -- all... read more...Posted by Nealus at 05:52 PM | Comments (2)
The Jackson case: another man accused of crime against children
THERE'S so much buzz around Michael Jackson's court case — the jeweled vest, the cheering fans, the souvenir hawkers and tabloid stalkers — it's hard to see that this is an old story. Strip away the fashion statements, the weird... read more...Posted by Nealus at 05:31 PM | Comments (0)
Most jurors very familiar with the case
The average juror in the Michael Jackson child molestation case is a 45-year-old working woman from Santa Maria, married with children, who has seen media reports about the proceeding and has discussed it with friends. Questionnaires completed by about 240... read more...Posted by Nealus at 05:05 PM | Comments (0)
Sexual Abuse Case Shocks Neighbors
Tucson Police continue to investigate a case of child sexual abuse that involves a 14 year old girl who was locked in her bedroom by her father and his girlfriend. Police say the case stretches back to November 2003; however,... read more...Posted by Nealus at 04:30 PM | Comments (0)
Teacher busted on sex charges
Blonde beauty faces 13 counts of statutory rape with teen MCMINNVILLE, Tenn. - Authorities have arrested a female teacher from a Warren County, Tennessee school, charging her with having an ongoing sexual relationship with a 13-year-old boy. Pamela Rogers Turner... read more...Posted by Nealus at 01:15 PM | Comments (0)
February 09, 2005
A feeling of peace as trial approaches
Dontee Stokes looks ahead to the trial of ex-priest Maurice Blackwell, who Stokes says abused him. Here in a barber chair in a Baltimore shop near Charles Village called Conscious Heads, with one of his closest friends hovering above him... read more...Posted by Nealus at 10:04 PM | Comments (0)
February 08, 2005
Bone marrow stem cells generate heart tissue
Feb 02 (Reuters Health) - A previously undescribed population of adult human stem cells, derived from bone marrow, is capable of forming three different cell types and of self-renewal. These cells also appeared to repair the damage caused by a... read more...Posted by Nealus at 05:20 PM | Comments (0)
Principal Charged in Sexual Abuse Case
A Sandpoint principal is accused of sexually abusing a student on schoolgrounds. The suspect, Sigard Jensen, posted 20 thousand dollars bail over the weekend. The principal of Alacca Christian Academy is charged with two felonies, one of which is commiting... read more...Posted by Nealus at 01:43 PM | Comments (0)
Paedophile with 1m images walks free
A paedophile who amassed the biggest collection of internet child pornography ever found in Britain walked free from court yesterday. To the despair of the judge, John Harrison was released despite admitting downloading at least a million obscene images. It... read more...Posted by Nealus at 01:32 PM | Comments (0)
Two teachers lose licenses, others suspended for Internet porn on job
TACOMA, Wash. -- Two state teachers lost their licenses and 31 others were suspended for 60 days or more during the past eight years for viewing Internet pornography on the job, The News Tribune reports. The office of the Superintendent... read more...Posted by Nealus at 01:12 PM | Comments (0)
February 07, 2005
Shanley Convicted of Child Rape in Mass
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Defrocked priest Paul Shanley, the most notorious figure in the sex scandal that rocked the Boston Archdiocese, was convicted Monday of raping and fondling a boy at his church during the 1980s. The conviction on all four... read more...Posted by Nealus at 10:07 PM | Comments (0)
February 06, 2005
Catholic hero now faces Vatican inquiry
Mexican founder of secret order at centre of child abuse allegations It was nearly 50 years ago, but José Barba winces as he remembers Father Marcial Maciel, founder and icon of the Legion of Christ, the secretive Roman Catholic order... read more...Posted by Nealus at 07:20 PM | Comments (0)
Police chiefs: jail all sex offenders
SCOTLAND’S most senior police officers are demanding that child sex offenders should get automatic jail sentences. They warn that the hardline policy is the only way to stop paedophiles preying on youngsters. The Association of Chief Police Officers Scotland (ACPOS)... read more...Posted by Nealus at 03:04 PM | Comments (0)
Psychologist Sues Catholic Church and Midwest Attorney Generals to Enforce Child Sex Abuse
Asks Court to Equate Abuse with “Emotional Murder” The Catholic church’s sex abuse scandal takes center stage Wednesday, February 16th at 10:30 before the Chicago federal courtroom of 7th Circuit District Court Senior Judge George Marovich, when Illinois psychologist Dr.... read more...Posted by Nealus at 02:53 PM | Comments (0)
February 05, 2005
Pair accused of child torture arrested in Utah
Florida officials say 5 of 7 children suffered starvation, abuse A Florida couple accused of torturing and starving five of their seven children were taken into custody Friday night in Utah after detectives were able to track their cell phone... read more...Posted by Nealus at 03:32 PM | Comments (0)
Florida Couple Accused of Sexual Brutality Captured
It's shocking, alright. A Florida couple, on the run...and, accused of brutally torturing their children...was arrested, this evening...on Highway 191...south of Blanding, Utah. Good news for Florida lawmen. Jim Cernich, Citrus County, Fla. Sheriff's Dept.:"THEY WILL BE RETURNED HERE TO... read more...Posted by Nealus at 03:23 PM | Comments (0)
February 03, 2005
Shanley defense to call just one witness
CAMBRIDGE, MA. -- When the child rape trial of defrocked priest Paul R. Shanley resumes today, the defense will call only one witness: a California professor who has built a long and prominent career out of debunking repressed memories. Elizabeth... read more...Posted by Nealus at 06:09 PM | Comments (0)
Prosecutors finish sexual abuse case against former priest
Ex-classmates say accuser was sent to Shanley for discipline EAST CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts (Court TV) -- Prosecutors rested their child rape case against defrocked priest Paul Shanley by calling his accuser's Sunday-school classmates, who offered the only testimony to corroborate the... read more...Posted by Nealus at 06:06 PM | Comments (0)
UN official held over alleged child abuse
Pristina - A senior United Nations official was arrested on charges of sexual abuse of underaged girls in Kosovo and of human trafficking and selling narcotics, the UN said on Thursday. Police were investigating the involvement of UN official Rashidoon... read more...Posted by Nealus at 05:56 PM | Comments (0)
Jackson Jury Prospects Asked About Race
SANTA MARIA, Calif. - Potential jurors in the Michael Jackson trial are being asked if they've ever had cancer, about their opinion on people of different races and even about whether they followed the 1993 molestation allegations against the pop... read more...Posted by Nealus at 05:50 PM | Comments (0)
February 02, 2005
Columbus man charged with sexual abuse
A Columbus man was charged last week with sexually molesting a young girl almost two decades ago. Cecil Dykes, 71, of Bradford Drive, Columbus, was charged Friday in Russell County, Ala., with rape. He was released Saturday on $100,000 bond,... read more...Posted by Nealus at 11:58 AM | Comments (0)
Mesan gets jail for allowing sexual abuse of daughter
MESA, Ariz. A Mesa mother is sentenced to six months behind bars for allowing her daughter to be molested _ allegedly by mom's boyfriend. Alma Cota also was sentenced to 13 years' probation after pleading guilty to child abuse and... read more...Posted by Nealus at 11:55 AM | Comments (0)
Jackson prosecutors protect boy's mother
THE prosecution team wants to block Michael Jackson's defence team from telling the jury at his child molestation trial about prior lawsuits filed by the mother of his young accuser. They also want to ban mention in open court of... read more...Posted by Nealus at 11:51 AM | Comments (0)
February 01, 2005
Convicted of 500 Child Abuse Counts
BELLEFONTE,PA -- February 1,2005 — A 36-year-old Centre County man has been convicted of more than 500 counts of child abuse against one victim. A jury last week found Raymond Haun of State College guilty of 520 counts of indecent... read more...Posted by Nealus at 09:38 PM | Comments (0)
Stem cell therapy improves heart failure
Jan 26 (Reuters Health) - Patients with heart failure experienced a marked improvement after being given an injection of their own stem cells, investigators reported today at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Thoracic Surgery in Tampa, Florida. Dr.... read more...Posted by Nealus at 10:47 AM | Comments (0)
