In an effort to solve the “deliberate, intentional, and horrific” murders of six people at a home in the state’s Central Valley, law enforcement officials in California have pledged a $10,000 reward and requested the public’s assistance.
According to Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux, the family was the target of an investigation into a gang or drug cartel. The same home had recently been the subject of a search warrant by deputies for drugs.
Among the dead in the 3:30am (11:30 GMT) shooting on Monday were a 17-year-old and her 10-month-old son.
Boudreaux said the teenager was fleeing the violence when the killers caught up to her outside the home in Goshen, a central California community of about 3,000 residents in the agricultural San Joaquin Valley, and shot the young mother and her child “assassination-style”.
“We believe the 17-year-old girl and her infant were actually running from scene. The shooters stood over top of that 17-year-old mother and fired rounds into her head,” Boudreaux said. “It was deliberate, intentional and horrific.”
The other four victims were aged between 19 and 72 years, including a grandmother who was shot as she slept. Their autopsies are expected to be completed later in the week.
Authorities had previously listed the teen’s age as 16 and the infant’s six months but said they had received updated information.
Sheriff’s deputies responding to reports of gunshots at the home in Goshen, a small farming town roughly 350km (220 miles) southeast of San Francisco, found multiple victims both inside and in the street. Three people survived and will be interviewed by authorities. They include a man who hid in the home as the killings happened.
“It’s shocking for the nation, shocking to our county, shocking to our state, and I have to tell you I’m receiving phone calls from across the country,” Boudreaux said.
Police were searching for at least two suspects, Boudreaux said, adding they had not yet been identified. The $10,000 reward was being offered by law enforcement agencies for information that moved the investigation forward.
“I am not eliminating that possibility,” the sheriff said. “These people were clearly shot in the head and they were also shot in places where the shooter would know that a quick death would occur … This is also similar to high-ranking gang affiliation and the style of executions that they commit.”
Law enforcement is familiar with the home, the sheriff said, citing gang activity there that “has routinely occurred in the past” without giving any specifics. He added that not everyone who was shot was a drug dealer or gang member — and said among the victims believed to be innocent are the teen, her grandmother, and of course, the baby.
The sheriff’s department on Tuesday identified the victims as Rosa Parraz, 72; Eladio Parraz, Jr, 52; Jennifer Analla, 49; Marcos Parraz, 19; Alissa Parraz, 16; and Nycholas Parraz, 10 months.
David Carrick, also known as “B*d Dave” to his workmates, appeared Monday at London’s Southwark Crown Court and entered guilty pleas. He worked for the parliamentary and diplomatic command of the Met Police.
A serving member of the Metropolitan Police has admitted guilt to a number of sexual offenses, including 24 counts of rape.
PC David Carrick, also known as “B*d Dave” to his coworkers, entered guilty pleas on Monday at London’s Southwark Crown Court.
The 48-year-old was accused of 49 offenses committed over an 18-year period against 12 women.
They included the rape of nine different women, but some of the charges are multiple incident counts, meaning they relate to more than 80 sexual offences, including at least 48 rapes.
Carrick served with the army before he joined the Met Police in August 2001 and worked with the force’s parliamentary and diplomatic command from 2009.
The armed officer’s role included policing parliamentary, government and diplomatic premises.
He was only suspended after a second rape complaint was made against him in October 2021.
Carrick met some of his victims through online dating sites, such as Tinder and Badoo, or on social occasions – and used his position as a police officer to gain their trust.
He admitted raping women on multiple occasions over months or years, with many of those attacks involving violence that would have left them physically injured.
Officer whipped and urinated on victims
Some victims were locked in a small cupboard under the stairs in his Hertfordshire home for hours without food or forced to clean his house naked.
Carrick whipped one woman with a belt, urinated on some of his victims, and told them when they could eat and sleep.
He called women “fat and lazy” or his “slave” as he controlled them financially, isolated them from friends and family, and forbade them from speaking with other men or even their own children.
Carrick denied a further count of rape relating to a 13th woman, whose allegation triggered the investigation, and the Crown Prosecution Service decided it was not in the public interest to proceed to trial on the charge.
The court heard that over drinks in a pub in September 2020, Carrick told her he was a firearms officer nicknamed “B*****d Dave”, showed her his warrant card and boasted of meeting famous people, including then-prime minister Boris Johnson, in the course of his work.
Victims ‘intimidated and humiliated’
Detective Chief Inspector Iain Moor, the senior investigating officer, said Carrick “thrived on humiliating his victims and cleverly used his professional position to intimate there was no point in them trying to seek help because they would never be believed”.
“The coercive nature of his offending undermined his victims in the most destructive way,” he added.
Mr Moor described the false imprisonment charges as “shocking”, adding: “Carrick forced his victim into a small under-stairs cupboard at his home address where they stayed intimidated and humiliated until he chose when they could come out. I have seen bigger dog crates.
“It is unbelievable to think these offences could have been committed by a serving police officer.
“The offending was absolutely abhorrent and I’m disgusted by it. I have a lot of pride and respect in the police service and I’m proud to be a policeman.”
Met Police knew of previous allegations
Following his guilty pleas, the Met Police confirmed Carrick “had come to the attention of the Met and other forces on nine occasions prior to October 2021” but had not been charged over those allegations against him.
They included allegations of rape, domestic violence, and harassment between 2000 and 2021.
Carrick, from Stevenage in Hertfordshire, was also the subject of five complaints from the public while serving with the Met Police, the force said.
The Met said Carrick was vetted in 2001 and again in 2017, and passed on both occasions.
Met Police ‘truly sorry’
Assistant Commissioner Barbara Gray, the Met’s lead for professionalism, said Carrick’s offending was “unprecedented in policing” and apologised to his victims for failing to remove him from the force.
“We should have spotted his pattern of abusive behaviour and because we didn’t, we missed opportunities to remove him from the organisation,” she said.
“We are truly sorry that being able to continue to use his role as a police officer may have prolonged the suffering of his victims.”
Benjamin Mendy, a defender for Manchester City, was cleared on six counts of rape and one count of sexual assault.
After a six-month trial, the judgement was announced at Chester Crown Court on Friday.
European fullback Six counts of rape against four women and a sixth case of sexual assault against a fifth woman were dropped against Mendy, who was found not guilty of both charges.
On one further case of rape and one more count of attempted rape, the jury was unable to come to a verdict.
Assaults allegedly committed against five women between October 2020 and August 2021 led to Mendy’s arrest and subsequent charges.
Three counts of rape against co-defendant Louis Saha Matturie were dismissed. Three allegations of rape and three counts of sexual assault against him were the subject of inconclusive jury decisions.
On the counts where the jury was deadlocked, the prosecution will request a new trial.
Premier League City champions suspended Mendy in August 2021 after he was placed on remand. In January of last year, the 28-year-old was let out of jail.
City said in a statement on Friday: “Manchester City FC notes the verdict from Chester Crown Court today, where a jury has found Benjamin Mendy not guilty of seven charges.
“The jury is hung on two charges and the trial is now over.
“Given there are open matters related to this case, the Club is not in a position to comment further at this time.”
When Pep Guardiola, the manager of City, held a press conference shortly after the results, he was questioned about Mendy.
UPDATED, 6:50 p.m. ET: Vice News has obtained text messages and voice notes that were allegedly sent from Tate to a woman who accused him of raping her in November 2013.
The woman claims they had been dating for two or three weeks when she went to his apartment for the first time. They were kissing on his bed when Tate allegedly tried to take off her clothes. The woman maintains she told him beforehand that she didn’t want to have sex, and Tate reassured her nothing would happen between them, until he suddenly stopped kissing her and laid down on his bed.
“I got up and looked at him and went, ‘What’s wrong?’” she said. “This guy literally laid there and went: ‘I’m just debating whether I should rape you or not.’” The woman claims Tate’s demeanor changed shortly thereafter, saying, “It was like his eyes went, and I didn’t have a clue who that person was.”
She admits to being in denial about what occurred for a “very long time,” and struggles till this day to use what she refers to as “the R word.” She continued to see him several months after the incident and engaged in consensual sex.
“If I go and see him again, and I want it this time, then I’m not being degraded, then it’s not the R word,” she explained. “So that’s what I did. I was like, ‘Right, I’ll see you again…you haven’t taken that control of me. You haven’t hurt me.”
Trafficking Allegations
In 2015, the woman received a phone call from an officer for the department in the neighboring county of Hertfordshire, and was informed that two other women filed complaints, accusing Tate of rape and repeated strangulation. “I literally broke down and went, ‘Yes, I am,’” she recalled. “I felt stronger. I felt like, OK, I’m not alone now, I’ve got two other girls.”
The woman handed over voice notes and texts from Tate, including one message in which he wrote, “I love raping you.”
VICE World News disclosed earlier this month that Tate was arrested on suspicion of sexual assault and physical abuse in 2015 following separate allegations by two other complainants. UK authorities declined to prosecute. https://t.co/h5NbalnY52
Andrew Tate, who was weeks ago arrested in Romania on charges including human trafficking, had his attempts at an appeal turned down by a court in Romania on Tuesday.
Per a report from the Associated Press, the initial arrest of Tate—who has referred to himself as both “absolutely sexist” and “absolutely a misogynist” in the past—has been upheld by a Bucharest court. As previously reported, a judge had been confirmed to have bumped up what was at first a 24-hour detainment to a 30-day period due to what was then noted as “the possibility of [Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan] evading investigations.”
In a previously shared media release, the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) detailed the case—which includes allegations of organized crime, human trafficking, and rape—as counting among its impact “six injured persons” officials say were “sexually exploited” by the group in question. In addition to the Tate brothers, two others were also named as suspects in the larger case.
As has been well-documented, these latest Tate developments began with 20-year-old climate change activist Greta Thunberg responding to Tate bragging (and tagging her in the process) about his gas-guzzling fleet with a succinct, tweeted joke about small penises.
Shortly after the exchange, news of Tate’s detainment went wide, later resulting in a follow-up roast from Thunberg.
“This is what happens when you don’t recycle your pizza boxes,” Thunberg said in a tweet referencing speculation that pizza boxes seen in a Tate video played a role in his eventual arrest.
A 38-year-old man has been detained for raping his 14-year-old cousin.
This comes after he allegedly made a confession of the sexual assault to the victim’s family.
The Ladysmith man allegedly raped the boy to stop his “gay tendencies”, reports said.
According to KwaZulu-Natal social development MEC, Nonhlanhla Khoza the alleged sexual assault happened on January 3 and the suspect was arrested on Tuesday, TimesLIVE reported.
The family opened a case after the alleged suspect told them he raped his younger cousin because he wanted him to stop his “gay tendencies”.
The victim was taken to a hospital for medical attention, the report said.
“We cannot afford to have such people in our society. What kind of a person abuses a child without being remorseful, to the extent that he gloats about his abhorrent act?,” Khoza was quoted as saying.
According to IOL, Khoza commended the swift action of the police, which led to the man’s arrest and called for a harsh sentence for the alleged culprit.
She called on authorities to give the perpetrator a harsh sentence and urged the courts to grant no bail to the suspect, the report said.
“We are grateful that the police managed to arrest the man. We need to secure conviction so that an example can be made with such people. We welcome the man’s arrest and he must face the full might of the law,” the report quoted Khoza as saying.
A team of social workers had since been sent to the boy and his family to provide psycho-social support, Khoza added.
Scotland Yard describes the situation as “deeply worrying” and acknowledges the fret it will bring to the public and other members of the UK’s largest force. It also notes that the officer was suspended right away.
Two counts of rape have been brought against an officer with the Metropolitan Police.
After being detained on suspicion of rape on September 5th, PC Rupert Edwards was released on bail and placed on administrative leave.
On Thursday, he was taken into custody once more on rape suspicion.
The 29-year-old has since been accused of two counts of rape and will make his court appearance later today while still being held in custody.
The 29-year-old has since been charged with two counts of rape and is due to appear in custody at Westminster Magistrates’ Court later today.
Commander Jon Savell, in charge of the Met’s professionalism command, said: “This news is deeply worrying and I recognise the concern it will cause the public and other police officers.
“We took immediate action to suspend PC Edwards from duty when he was first arrested in September.
“Legal proceedings are now active and it is important that I do not comment while that process takes place.”
The charges relate to two women aged in their 20s and 30s, who are being supported by specially trained officers.
The offences are alleged to have occurred in Lambeth, south London, on 26 August, and in Surrey on 5 September, while the officer was off-duty.
In a rape case involving US actor Danny Masterson, a jury in Los Angeles was unable to reach a decision.
Mr Masterson, best known for his role in the sitcom That 70s Show, was accused in the early 2000s of raping three women at his Hollywood home.
He had denied the charges, claiming that he was being persecuted because he was a member of the Church of Scientology.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office stated that it was considering its next steps in the case.
Mr. Masterson’s lawyers did not immediately respond to an Associated Press request for comment.
A retrial has been scheduled for March.
Mr Masterson, 46, was charged in 2020 with raping three women, who were all in their 20s, between 2001 and 2003.
The accusations were made in 2017, during the #MeToo movement which saw many Hollywood stars accused of sexual assault.
As a result, Mr Masterson was written out of the Netflix show The Ranch. He responded by saying that he had not been charged or convicted of a crime, and that in the climate at the time “it seems as if you are presumed guilty the moment you are accused”.
If convicted, he could face 45 years to life in prison.
Deliberations in the case began in mid-November, but soon reached a deadlock which could not be resolved.
In a statement, the attorney’s office said: “While we are disappointed with the outcome in this trial, we thank the jurors for their service.” It added: “We also want to give our heartfelt appreciation to the victims for bravely stepping forward and recounting their harrowing experiences.”
Two of the women involved in the case alleged that the Church of Scientology, to which they and Mr Masterson belonged, had discouraged them from reporting the alleged rapes.
The Church has strongly denied pressurising victims.
The charges came after a three-year investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department. Prosecutors did not file charges in two other cases because of insufficient evidence and the statute of limitations expiring.
Mr Masterson played the role of Steven Hyde in That 70s Show between 1998 and 2006, alongside Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis.
The head of the Royal Navy has defended the way the service handles allegations of rape and sexual abuse.
Adm Sir Ben Key told BBC Radio 4’s Broadcasting House the Navy had changed how it investigates complaints.
The First Sea Lord insisted independent investigations would be slower and “lead to less good outcomes”.
The Navy has launched an inquiry following allegations made last month of bullying and sexual harassment against women in the Submarine Service.
Earlier this month, a woman – known as ‘Catherine’ – told Woman’s Hour she had been raped and fallen pregnant while serving at sea.
She told the programme she did not report the rape at the time because she was worried about being labelled a troublemaker: “There is no complaints system that is completely separate to the people that are serving.”
Catherine said her rape was the most serious incident, but that she was also sexually assaulted and regularly experienced harassment.
Speaking to Broadcasting House on Sunday, Adm Sir Ben described Catherine’s testimony as “heart-breaking”, calling her treatment “abhorrent”.
“It is absolutely true that for a long time, our investigation processes were too closely aligned with the chain of command, which could then on occasion be seen as presenting a conflict,” he said.
“We have changed it now so that anyone who wishes to raise a formal complaint, the admissibility and the handling of that complaint is immediately taken away from the unit they’re serving in and assessed at the headquarters, and will then be independently investigated.”
But Adm Sir Bensaid those examining allegations of abuse or rape on board a Navy vessel needed to understand how life at sea works and consider “the context” in which the alleged offences took place.
He suggested the best place to examine the complaints was from inside the service, so lessons could be learned going forward.
“I know that there are a number of people claiming at the moment that when they talk about independent investigation, that should be completely outside of the Navy altogether,” he said.
“But one of my challenges, or concerns, about that is that, actually, that’s just going to add time – and one of the things we really need to do is to investigate these things much more quickly.”
He suggested outside investigators may not understand naval life and lack the context of pressures felt by servicemen and women “on a day-to-day basis”.
“I would be really worried that if we were setting ourselves in a completely independent process, we would both slow it down, and and actually lead to less good outcomes,” he said.
In October, several female whistleblowers who served in the Submarine Servicetold the Daily Mail how they faced mistreatment from all ranks.
One reported allegation claimed male crew members had compiled a list setting out the order in which women would be assaulted in the event of a catastrophic event, a so-called “crush depth rape list”.
Adm Sir Ben described those allegations as “appalling”. “I just find it astonishing,” he said.
He added: “I know at the moment, the stories are about dreadful treatment of women but what our investigations are uncovering is also men who felt really badly affected by the treatment they’ve received.”
Information and support for anyone affected by sexual abuse (current or historic) can be found at BBC Action Line.
After falsely accusing a guy of rape and blackmailing him for money, a woman managed to escape punishment.
Following Chelsea Orton’s falsehoods, her victim underwent abuse and was left dependent on antidepressants.
The 22-year-old admitted to blackmailing the unnamed man between July and August 2019 for £200.
In an effort to support her tale, Orton even went so far as to inform the man’s relatives about the rape fake.
But when her victim mustered the courage to call the police, the single mother was finally exposed.
Orton, from Nuneaton, Warwickshire, admitted to blackmail and was slapped with an 18-month prison sentence, suspended for 12 months at Warwick Crown Court.
She was also had to give the victim £200 in damages.
The victim became so desperate to stop Orton from calling him that he changed his phone number.
Only after the victim told a coworker about the blackmailing did they advise him to call the police.
The police began looking into the alleged rape before the alleged blackmail on August 5 after Orton went to them and said she had been raped.
Prosecutor Caroline Harris said: “The defendant was interviewed on the 5th of January and she accepted that the telephone number was hers and said she wasn’t responsible for sending all the messages and blamed her friend.
“She said she would not have asked the victim for his bike or phone as they would have meant a lot to him.
“She accepted taking money from him, around £60 to £100 and when a higher figure was put to her she accepted that this was possible too.”
She told the victim’s family about the alleged rape and went to the police about it too(
Image:
Paul Beard / SWNS)
In a victim statement read out by Ms Harris, the victim said he had been left needing antidepressants to get over the claims.
He said: “When all this first happened and Chelsea was blackmailing me I felt trapped. I was scared and this caused me anxiety. As it went on and it was reported to the police I became depressed. I had sleepless nights.
“Even though I hadn’t done anything wrong all I could think was that I would be arrested because of her lies.
“Her behaviour has had an impact on my social life. I had incidents when I was out at my local pub where random people would come up to me and call me a rapist.
“I had to see my GP to help me cope. I was prescribed anti-depressants.”
Recorder Louisa Cieci ra told Orton: “You are to be sentenced to one offence of blackmail.
“In July 2019 you told the victim that he had raped you and repeatedly demanded money from him in order to keep quiet and not report it to the police.
“The blackmail included the threat to report the matter to the police in respect of serious sexual offence. In terms of the harm that was caused I also think that was high.
“The impact on the victim has been quite severe, he had to go through a police investigation and is suffering ongoing distress as a result of your conduct.
Kris Wu, a Chinese-Canadian pop star, has been sentenced to 13 years in prison for sex crimes.
A Beijing court found the 32-year-old singer and actor guilty of raping three women and assembling a crowd to perform an orgy.
He was arrested last year after a student accused him of date-rape, before 24 more victims came forward.
The court said he’d be deported, though in China, deportations usually happen after sentences are served.
Beijing’s Chaoyang district court said on Friday that Wu would serve 11 years and six months for raping three women at his home in 2020 “when they were drunk and did not know or not able to resist”.
He also received a sentence of one yearand 10 months for “gathering people to commit adultery”, the court added.
The first to accuse him was student Du Meizhu, who last year posted on social media that she had met Mr Wu two years earlier, when she was 17.
She said she had been invited to a party at his home, where she was pressured to drink alcohol and woke up in his bed the next day.
Mr Wu denied the claims, but at least 24 more victims accusing him of predatory behaviour. He was accused of inviting women to alcohol-fuelled karaoke parties.
The singer also faces a 600m yuan (£69m) tax evasion fine. State news agency Xinhua said he used a fictitious business to make false declarations about his worldwide income.
Mr Wu, who was born in China but has Canadian nationality, shot to fame as a member of the K-pop boyband EXO in the 2010s.
He became one of China’s biggest celebrities after carving a solo career as a singer,actor, model and variety show judge.
However, brands including Louis Vuitton, Bulgari, L’Oreal Men and Porsche have suspended their partnerships with Mr Wu over the case.
Eighty-three rape incidents were recorded at South Africa’s educational institutions, including day care centres, in the last three months, according to the latest crime records.
The youngest victim was only six weeks old, the Minister of Police, Gen Bheki Cele said during a live broadcast.
“As a ministry, we remain extremely concerned about rapes at educational premises”, he said, adding that the location of the reported rapes, “should not be interpreted to imply that all perpetrators and all victims were pupils or students.”
He said 68 rapists had been sentenced to life in prison in the last six months, proving that the authorities were “sending a strong message of zero tolerance on rape through steep sentences”.
The newly-released figures also show an increase in contact crimes – categorised as murder, attempted murder and assault – against women and children, rose by 16.9% and 13%, respectively.
The murder rate also increased by 10.8% in the same period, marking an average of 76 killings per day.
Kidnapping went up all 10 provinces with the rate of incident rocketing in Gauteng by 164.3%
Carjacking went down in two provinces but was up overall in the country by 23.6%
Robberies at residential premises increased by 8.4%
Trey Songz can’t seem to stay out of legal trouble.
Just a few weeks after a rapecivil case against the R&B singer was dismissed after the statue of limitations expired on the allegations, Songz now faces assault charges for allegedly punching a woman at a New York City bowling alley last month.
TMZ reports an employee of the bowling alley has accused the singer-songwriter of committing a brutal attack. The woman claims the incident took place in one of the bathrooms at the venue, where Songz allegedly punched her repeatedly and dragged her by her hair. The victim was later taken to a local hospital to be treated for her visible injuries.
Though authorities have not yet confirmed a possible motive behind the alleged attack, Songz’s attorney, Mitchell Schuster, maintains his client is innocent.
“A source close to the investigation informs us that TS has been cooperative with authorities and expects that when all the evidence is reviewed, he will be exonerated,” Schuster told TMZ. “This is another instance where those involved try to blame the celebrity with hopes of getting fame or riches.”
The lawsuit is the latest legal hurdle for Songz, who earlier this month dodged the aforementioned civil rape case after his legal team determined the statute of limitations had run out before the anonymous woman, identified only as Jane Doe, filed the complaint. The lawsuit was filed back in February this year, with Doe seeking $20 million in damages because he allegedly became a “savage rapist” in March, 2016 following their consensual relationship.
In the suit, the woman claimed that she attended a party at Songz’s home, where he anally raped her after she said she did not want to have anal sex.
She allegedly begged him to stop throughout the incident, and alleged that she later went to a nearby hospital, and an examination found there was “severe anal tearing that could require surgery.”
After being found liable for raping a woman, Oscar-winning filmmaker Paul Haggishas been ordered to pay at least $7.5 million (£6.42 million) in damages for suffering.
In a hearing on Monday, jurors may also award plaintiff Haleigh Breest punitive damages for the alleged 2013 assault.
Ms Breest hugged her lawyers after the civil trial in New York, saying she was “very grateful” for the verdict.
Mr Haggis, 69, denies the allegations and has promised to “fight to clear my name with my team.”
Warning: Some readers may find details of the case given below distressing.
As he left the courthouse accompanied by his three adult daughters, the writer of Million Dollar Baby and Crash said he was “very disappointed in the results”.
Ms Breest – one of five women who accused the Canadian screenwriter of unwanted advances dating back to 1996 – said she was thankful “that the jury chose to follow the facts – and believed me”. None of the other four took legal action.
In 2017, Ms Breest, a publicist, sued Mr Haggis, saying he had raped her at his home in the SoHo district of New York City four years before.
She alleged that he had pressured her to join him for a drink after offering her a lift home from a film premiere. He then allegedly compelled her to perform oral sex and allegedly raped her despite her entreaties to stop.
Ms Breest said she had suffered psychological and professional consequences from the attack.
The director said the publicist had been flirtatious and, though sometimes appearing “conflicted”, had initiated kisses and oral sex in an entirely consensual interaction. He said he could not remember if they had had intercourse.
It was suggested at the trial that the director had been incapable of carrying out an attack just eight weeks after he underwent back surgery.
The trial also focussed on the Church of Scientology, of which Mr Haggis was a member until 2009. His lawyers argued the Church was out to discredit him and might have been involved with the lawsuit.
In a statement, the Church said it had no involvement in the case, and accused Mr Haggis of trying to shame his accusers with an “absurd and patently false” claim. Ms Breest’s lawyers called it “a shameful and unsupported conspiracy theory”.
In June, Mr Haggis was arrested in southern Italy on suspicion of aggravated sexual assaultin a different case. Denying any wrongdoing, he spent 16 days under house arrest before the case was dismissed.
The former pastor of a McDonald County fringe church at the centre of a sexual abuse scandal 16 years ago is facing a fresh accusation of raping an underage girl.
Raymond L. Lambert II, 67, of rural Washburn, was arrested and charged last week with first-degree rape in the summer of 2013. The arrest was made by the Missouri State Highway Patrol following an investigation into information that arose in August.
A probable-cause affidavit states that the victim, who is now an adult, told a state patrol investigator Lambert sexually assaulted her nine years ago when she was visiting a relative in McDonald County.
She told authorities, the affidavit states, that Lambert had raped her in a dark shed. She said that shortlyafter he began sexually assaulting her, the sound of car tires on the road outside sent him into a panic and he stopped, warning her not to tell anyone.
The affidavit states that she did not tell anyone what happened at the time. But her mother was able to confirm that the girl had visited a relative that summer.
Lambert, his wife, two brothers who served as deacons in Grand Valley Independent Baptist Church, and George Johnston, the suspect’s uncle and pastor of Grand Valley Baptist Church North in Newton County, were charged in 2006 with various sex offenses when a few women left the churches and told authorities that they had been sexually abused over the years, dating back as far as the 1970s.
No one was convicted in the scandal as the McDonald and Newton county prosecutors’ cases fell apart with the victims ultimately backing out of testifying at trial.
A 46-year-old man, Kwabena Mawuli, has been arrested for allegedly raping and killing his former wife at Suminakese in the Kwahu District of the Eastern Region.
The victim, Yaa Kesewaa, and the suspect were married for five years without a child and have been divorced for the last five years.
According to a report by Onuaonline.com, a nephew of the deceased, Kwasi Ofori, said Kwabena Mawuli, on Friday, October 14, 2022, went to his farm where he shares a boundary with his ex-wife.
The suspect waited for Kesewaa to arrive and pounced on her, and forcibly had sex with her. The suspect, fearing that his victim would file a complaint, subsequently slashed the back of her neck with a cutlass.
Mawuli then sneaked back home but was spotted by some residents who were sceptical about his unusual early return from the farm.
The suspect, however, confessed to committing the crime after being picked up and interrogated over the death of his former wife.
Kunti Kamara, a former commander of the Liberian rebels, will begin his trial in a Paris court on Monday.
Mr. Kamara is accused of rape, murder, and torture committed during the nation’s first civil war in the 1990s and is facing trial under universal jurisdiction, an international law that recognizes that the prosecution of some crimes transcends all borders.
He denies the accusations.
“Since the start, Mr Kunti Kamara has indicated that he has nothing to do with these events, that he is not involved in the crimes he’s accused of,” his lawyer is quoted as saying by French state-owned television France24.
An alleged rape that occurred within Canberra’s Parliament House was described by a former political worker from Australia as feeling “trapped and not human.”
Prosecutors say Bruce Lehrmann sexually assaulted Brittany Higgins in March 2019 while she was drunk and asleep in the office of a government minister.
Mr Lehrmann, 27, has pleaded not guilty and denies the pair had sex at all.
In a recorded police interview played to the jury on Wednesday, Ms Higgins said she had woken up on a sofa to find Mr Lehrmann – her colleague – having sex with her.
Crying, she told him “stop” and “no”, Ms Higgins said in the interview from 2021.
“I wasn’t screaming but there was obviously an urgency to it,” she added. “He just kept going.”
When it was over, Mr Lehrmann quickly left the office, Ms Higgins said. “[There] was a strange moment of eye contact… I didn’t say anything to him.”
After waking up again hours later, with her dress bunched around her waist, Ms Higgins said she went home and cried all weekend.
The following week, she told a senior staff member she had been assaulted.
“It didn’t feel real,” she said in the police tape. “[But] the moment I vocalised it, it hit me.”
Earlier, the court heard the pair had ended up in Parliament House after a night out with colleagues in Canberra.
By the time they left a second bar Ms Higgins told police she was “the most drunk I have been in my life”.
She and Mr Lehrmann were heading in the same direction, so agreed to share a ride. He said he had to stop at work to pick up something, she said.
“It didn’t seem overly strange,” Ms Higgins told the police interview. “At that point I was focussed on not being sick.”
Prosecutors have told the Australian Capital Territory Supreme Court they will argue that Ms Higgins was so intoxicated she would have been unable to consent to sex.
But Mr Lehrmann’s barrister has told jurors the case was about the “reliability” and “credibility” of Ms Higgins, saying his client denied the two ever had sex, and that “the Australian public has been sold a pup with this story”.
Earlier the court heard that Ms Higgins initially reported the incident to police in April 2019, but withdrew her complaint because she feared it would interfere with her job during an election campaign.
Almost two years later, in February 2021, she asked police to reopen the case after conducting interviews with two journalists, the jury was told.
The Chief of Kwahu Apradang, a farming community in the Kwahu West municipality of the Eastern Region, Nana Abredu Somuah II, has registered his displeasure with his elders over how they handled an alleged rape case in his absence.
A 16-year-old class six pupil, name withheld, allegedly was raped by a 50-year-old Opanin Kwame Nkrumah Totowadwenmu – literally meaning to close your mind – about a week ago.
Maame Pokua and Mr Kwaku Osei, aka Dwen Wo Daakye, mother and father of the victim, narrating the incident to Class 91.3 FM’s correspondent said upon seeing the signs of rape, they interrogated their daughter and she disclosed that she had indeed been raped by the suspect.
The case was forwarded to the chief’s palace for the necessary actions to be taken, while he, Nana Abredu Somuah II, the chief of town, had travelled.
Nana Osei Wiafe, one of the chief’s elders who stood in his stead, settled the rape case and awarded a GHS 1,000 cost for the suspect to pay for allegedly raping the class 6 pupil.
Nana Somuah Abredu upon hearing this after returning from his journey was very angry with his elders for mishandling the case.
He has therefore called on the police to intervene and make the necessary arrests to deter others in the area from such actions.
The suspect has taken to heels upon hearing of the recent decision by the chief.
Record numbers of children and young people are being registered with the National Referral Mechanism as suspected victims of modern slavery, but a Sky News investigation found the system is failing many of them.
Over the course of nine months, we’ve got to know ‘Maria’, who says she has been sexually abused by a gang of men for a decade – and this exploitation is ongoing.
During one interview she admitted that if the men called her that night, she would have to go to them – such is the level of threat, such is the violence she has already experienced.
Maria, not her real name, is among thousands of people referred every year to what is called the National Referral Mechanism, which is often held up by the Home Office as a safety net for people trafficked in the UK. But it’s not working.
Record numbers of children and young people are being registered with the NRM as suspected victims of modern slavery, but a Sky News investigation found the system is failing many of them.
Freedom of Information requests by Sky News shows the NRM is dangerously slow to recognise victims. The average time it takes to conclusively recognise a victim is 553 days.
Home Office guidance published in June 2022 says that the decision should be made “as soon as possible” after the 45 day recovery period when a potential victim is first registered.
Support is offered for 45 days once a victim is first registered but a decision on their status should come soon after that.
Jamie Fookes from Anti-Slavery International said: “The delays are getting worse and worse and worse and worse. And that is a huge hindrance to the recovery of the individuals in the NRM. Plus, also it massively increases the risk of re-exploitation.”
He added: “Police are first responders, local authorities are first responders, yet a lot of the people in those organisations will not be aware of modern slavery, and certainly not be aware of the national referral mechanism and that’s a problem.”
Furthermore, charities and victims say that support such as safe houses or counseling is often unavailable. It is even suggested that the system offers better protection to foreign victims compared to British nationals.
Robyn Phillips from the Human Trafficking Foundation said: “A number of British survivors of modern slavery have told us that because they speak English, they’ve been perceived as less vulnerable or traumatized and have been left to navigate complex processes alone.”
Modern slaves could be child drug mules, people exploited for domestic labor, or trafficked for sex.
Maria says she has been sexually abused by older men from the age of 13 and since then she has been trafficked and raped by hundreds of men and now in her early 20s is still abused.
She says she is regularly called up, threatened, coerced into meeting men, taken to houses, and raped and abused so brutally that she feels it is safer not to put up any resistance.
The men, who she alleges are involved in a range of criminal activity, often sell her to others – and she says she has also been sold to pay off drug debts.
She told Sky News: “Sometimes I’d be gang raped by multiple men. Once, they poured petrol all over me, whilst I was naked, and then threatened to burn me.”
Maria says, despite reporting her abuse to the police, she remains in their clutches. During one interview she explained how she had been threatened only the weekend before.
She said: “I was getting phone calls on a Friday, saying that if I didn’t come and meet them, they were going to burn down my flat and then burn down my parents’ flat.”
She felt she had no choice but to meet the men and allow them and others to rape her.
‘You want a beating later?’
Sky News has seen the texts on her phone. One reads: “You know wots gonna happen if u don’t do what we say. Kill u and your fam.” Another reads: “You are testing me today. You want a beating later?”It goes on to describe brutal torture.
Maria says: “So like the typical ones (texts) are ‘we’ll kill you, we’ll get you, we’ll burn you, we’ll chop you’ and, it sounds really stupid, but they say they’ll sell me as kebab meat in a takeaway shop.”
We’ve decided not to identify where Maria lives, but she has been in regular contact with her local police force, and although there have been no charges against her alleged abusers she was registered as a victim of modern slavery on the National Referral Mechanism.
Two years on she is still waiting for a conclusive decision – and she has only just begun to receive counseling.
She said: “When there was a big incident, I asked to go into a safe house, and they were like ‘yeah that’s fine…’ but nobody called me back. And I was later told by a member of staff at the Salvation Army that ‘we don’t like putting British victims into safe houses, and to contact the council. She didn’t give any reason at all.”
The NRM was set up in 2009 as a support network for victims offering help and protection but critics say it was tailored towards people trafficked into the UK and hasn’t adapted well enough in offering support to domestic victims.
British victims account for a third of all modern slavery victims registered last year, and 70% of those are children.
In total 3,000 British children were registered last year.
Robyn Phillips from the Human Trafficking Foundation said, “Despite being the highest nationality referred into the NRM, it’s only in the past year that the voices of British survivors are being heard.”
He added: “Housing has been another obstacle, with British survivors often not qualifying for NRM safe house accommodation because the local authority has a duty to house them, but councils are not recognising them as ‘priority need’.”
The Salvation Army told Sky News: “When victims of modern slavery are referred to us, we see the person and their need first and foremost. We can categorically state that we never make decisions about what support a person receives based on their nationality.
“If someone is in need of safe house accommodation, regardless of their circumstances or nationality, they will be found a suitable place.
“In most cases, our support workers are in touch much more frequently than the minimum standards to check on progress or respond as needs arise.”
We’ve spoken to a number of young people who’ve been on the NRM. One said: “I didn’t get a worker with it, I didn’t get any of the money that comes with it, I don’t think I got any support from it, apart from a piece of paper.”
She added: “I think it takes far too long. Two years I’ve been waiting and waiting for it and then they closed it, then they had to reopen it I had to go through it all again. I had to tell them my story again… it takes far too long.”
She said: “I’ve never actually been contacted by the NRM people, and no one has ever helped me in any kind of way.”
And the father of a trafficking victim told Sky News: “I’ve not received any paperwork, or any professional to explain and NRM to me. I’ve spent time researching and reading up… it isn’t easy to understand.
“As far as the service, my daughter has not had any interventions related to the NRM implemented in her care – to date.”
Maria continues to receive threats to set fire to her home. And though she remains in contact with the police – she no longer trusts them.
She said: “Every day I’m kind of just waiting for something to happen, or for a phone call or for an incident. I’m just living in fear every day.”
A Home Office spokesperson said: “We are improving the decision-making times in the National Referral Mechanism by digitalising the referral process and case management systems, and recruiting more decision makers.”
A United Nations human rights team says rape cases are now so frequent in South Sudan that many women choose not to bother reporting frequent sexual assaults.
Even those who have been gang-raped repeatedly during the country’s prolonged conflict lack access to medical and trauma care.
Some women have been raped up to five times in the last nine years, the panel said.
“Just imagine what it means to be raped by multiple armed men, pick yourself up for the sake of your children, and then for it to happen again and again and again,” said Yasmin Sooka, the chairperson of the panel.
In several villages in Western Equatoria State and Unity State – where fighting is ongoing – there is no medical care for rape victims, the panel said.
“Women raped by armed forces while collecting firewood are threatened with death if they report it,” said Prof Andrew Clapham, a member of the panel.
The experts have been participating in meetings at the UN General Assembly in New York to speak about the situation in South Sudan.
United Nations experts warn have disclosed that rape victims in South Sudan lack access to medical and trauma care.
This includes even those who have been gang-raped multiple times in the ongoing conflict in the country.
Women are no longer bothering to report repeated sexual assaults, according to a UN panel on human rights in South Sudan.
Some women have been raped up to five times in the last nine years, the panel said.
“Just imagine what it means to be raped by multiple armed men, pick yourself up for the sake of your children and then for it to happen again and again and again,” said Yasmin Sooka, the chairperson of the panel.
She added: “These women are asking us when it will stop – 2013, 2016, 2018, 2021 and now in 2022 – they say they keep telling their stories and nothing changes.”
In several villages in Western Equatoria State and Unity State – where fighting in ongoing – there is no medical care to rape victims, the panel said.
“Women raped by armed forces while collecting firewood are threatened with death if they report it,” said Prof Andrew Clapham, a member of the panel.
The experts have been participating in meetings at the UN General Assembly in New York to speak about the situation in South Sudan.
A 31-year-old teacher, Idowu Daniel, was on Monday, September 19, 2022, slapped with a seven-year jail sentence by an Ikeja Special Offences Court for sexually assaulting a 16-year-old student within the school premises.
The convict was charged with defilement.
Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo held that the prosecution failed to establish the charge of defilement against the convict, as the victim was unable to show up in court to testify.
She said the confessional statement by the defendant, which was made voluntarily, showed that he sexually assaulted the minor.
“The defendant admitted to having fondled the breast of the victim twice and tried to have sex with her but he could not penetrate as she was a virgin.
“The defendant is hereby convicted on the charge of sexual assault of a child,” she held.
In his defence, the convict pleaded for mercy when asked if he had anything to say.
“My lord, I am very sorry for what happened. I promise it will not happen again,” the convict told the court.
The judge also lashed out at the convict for touching the survivor in a suggestive way, adding that he would have gotten life imprisonment if the minor had testified in court.
“You are a teacher and you were touching the breast of your student. You would have gone for life imprisonment if the victim had come to court to testify.”
Justice Taiwo, who had earlier sentenced the convict to five years imprisonment, however, increased his jail term to seven years without an option of fine after saying that he had been in custody for three years.
The convict, who lives at the Abule-Egba area of Lagos, was tried for a charge of defilement.
Daniel was 28 years old when he committed the offence on June 27, 2019, at 9:25 am.
He unlawfully had carnal knowledge of his student in the biology laboratory at Anastasia Comprehensive College, Abule-Egba, Ikeja.
He was remanded sometime in July 2019, by Chief Magistrate Olufunke Sule-Amzat, in Kirikiri Prisons.
New York state’s highest court will hear arguments from Harvey Weinstein’s lawyers and prosecutors and then decide whether to uphold the conviction or order a new trial
Harvey Weinstein has been given permission to appeal his rape and sexual assault conviction.
The written decision was sent to Weinstein’s lawyers and according to Reuters, it contained no details on what grounds may have led to the decision.
It means New York state’s highest court will hear arguments from Weinstein’s lawyers and prosecutors and then decide to uphold the conviction or order a new trial.
In June, a lower appeals court upheld the conviction, rejecting arguments that the Manhattan trial judge made several errors that tainted the trial.
In a 45-page ruling, the appellate court said trial Judge James Burke properly exercised his discretion in allowing prosecutors to bolster their case with testimony from three women who accused Weinstein of violating them but whose claims did not lead to charges in the New York case.
Weinstein, 70, is currently serving a 23-year prison sentence in California, where he was extradited in 2021 as he awaits trial on charges that he sexually assaulted five women in Los Angeles and Beverley Hills from 2004 to 2013.
According to a U TV news report, the victim was the girlfriend of one of the accused persons, who had previously invited her to have group sex with some friends, which she objected to.
The report said that the boyfriend, who was named Patrick Ofosu, a 19-year-old business administration student, then deceived the victim, telling her that the sexual encounter would be between only the two of them.
It added that the Ofosu, after having sex with the victim, allowed his friends, who were five in number, to come in one after the other to have their way with the victim.
The six suspects were arrested by the Ghana Police Service and have been arraigned before court.
The police have so far not commented on the incident.
The Assistant Headmaster of Bole Senior High School of the Savannah Region, Issahaku Jeduah who is at the centre of an alleged rape case involving a final year student of the school is set to appear before the Tamale circuit court for hearing on May 31, 2022.
This was disclosed by a source close to the Bole District Police Command.
The source revealed that the case was presented before the Bole Magistrate Court on Friday, May 27, 2022.
The case was subsequently directed by the prosecution team to bring finality to the investigation before May 31.
The source further added that the Bole Magistrate Court can only adjourn and remand the suspect until all detailed information is gathered by the prosecution team.
Background
Mr. Issahaku Jeduah who is the assistant headmaster for Bole Senior High School was arrested on Wednesday, May 25 for allegedly raping a final year student of the school.
He is reported to have fled the school and the Bole township after police besieged the school to effect his arrest following an official complaint lodged by the victim and her parents.
The victim (name withheld) narrated that the suspect lured her to his office under the disguise of advising her and forcefully had an intimacy with her during prep hours.
“He invited me to his office during prep hours under the guise of advising me only for him to force me into sleeping with him and threatened to have me dismissed if I disclose what happened between us,” the victim narrated in a past interview.
The victim was admitted at the Bole Government Hospital to receive medical attention.
Meanwhile, the suspect is currently in police custody as the prosecution team intensifies investigations to arraign him before court.
The Assistant Headmaster of the Bole Senior High School in the Savannah Region has been arrested for allegedly raping a final year student of the school.
The suspect, Issahaku Jeduah, is said to have forcefully had sex with the 21-year-old victim when he invited her to his office under the pretense of giving her past questions.
According to the Savannah Regional Police Public Relations Officer, Chief Inspector Agyekum Owusu, the suspect was arrested Wednesday, May 25, after a medical examination on the victim.
According to him, the victim reported the incident to her brother who subsequently made a report at the Bole District Police Command.
“Her brother came to our station in the morning and reported that one of his junior sisters at Bole Senior High and information reaching him is that the said sister has been raped by one of the tutors.
“So, the crime officer and other officials from the Ghana Education Service went to the school, took the girl to hospital for diagnosis to ascertain the fact of the case. So, yesterday, the tutor was arrested and detained,” he said.
He said Issahaku would be put before court Thursday.
The Koforidua Circuit Court “A†presided by Her Honour Marrian Affoh has jailed a 30-year-old farmer, Brukum Rashid Abdul Tagbor Bindakbuya for 15 years imprisonment for the threat of death and robbery.
The complainant Ayi Ibrahim, 25, is a trader and resident of Kwaku-Botwe a farming Community near Begoro while the convict Abdul Tagbor Bindakbuya and his accomplice Mohammed Naakpija, 22, are both farmers.
The prosecutor Chief Inspector Owusu Ababio told the court that, on December 22, 2021, at about 1:00 pm while the complainant was wandering in search of the whereabouts of her son who left the house, the convict -Abdul Tagbor Bindakbuya confronted and accused the complainant of allowing their cattle to destroy their crops by grazing it.
But the complainant told the convict that her husband was not around, therefore, will inform him upon his return.
The convict was not satisfied with the answer hence attempted to attack the complainant who upon sensing danger took to her heels.
At about 4:00 pm, Abdul Tagbor Bindakbuya stormed the house of the complainant with a locally manufactured pistol and threatened to shoot the family but they fled.
The convict then took away a generator set which cost ghc3,000 belonging to the family.
He later attacked and allegedly raped the complainant.
The complainant formally reported the incident to the Police and on January 7, 2022, the convict was spotted at about 7:00 pm at Akoradako village and was arrested.
He admitted the offense and mentioned Mohammed Naakpija as the one who aided him to carry the stolen generator away to hide on a farm.
Police arrested the accomplice and subsequently retrieved the generator, the locally manufactured pistol and two live BB cartridges.
Abdul Tagbor Bindakbuya pleaded guilty on charges of threat of death and robbery when arraigned before the Koforidua Circuit Court “A†hence sentenced on his own plea to 15 years imprisonment.
He will however be arraigned before the court again for trial on the rape charges.
The second accused person Mohammed Naakpija however pleaded not guilty for abetment of robbery. He will reappear in Court on February 17, 2022.
Chiefs who thwart investigations into rape, defilement and other criminal cases and settle them in their palaces will suffer swift and ruthless consequences, DCOP Edward Kwateng, Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the Volta Regional, has warned.
He made it clear at a Meet-The-Press session in Ho yesterday that chiefs do not have any mandate whatsoever to settle such cases.
The regional police commander also warned pastors who meddled in police investigations to desist from that conduct in their own interest.
DCOP Kwateng revealed that since the beginning of this year, 14 people had been sentenced to a total of 140 years in jail for sex-related offenses in the region while four robbers were caged for a total of 82 years.
Five others convicted of human trafficking have been sentenced to a total of 24 years imprisonment and fines adding up to GH₵ 25,840.
He said that the Volta Regional Police Command was maintaining an uncompromising stance to prevent crime and make the region safe for the people and the business community.
In that vein, the regional police commander said that any individual or group whose unruly conduct disturbed the public peace would be made to face the full rigors of the law.
He said that the Volta Region was one of the peaceful regions in the country and that the police would continue to adopt and implement strategic initiatives at operational and tactical levels of law enforcement to enhance security in the region.
Meanwhile, DCOP Kwateng announced that police officers in the region had benefitted and were still receiving training in the area of high-risk law enforcement while personnel of the Criminal Investigations Department had also trained in crime scene investigations, anti-human trafficking, and cyber-related crimes.
“There is no doubt that the training is manifesting positive results in sensitive criminal cases,†he added.
DCOP Kwateng touched on the recent activities of secessionists in the region and gave the assurance that with the collaboration of other sister security agencies situation was now under control.
He renewed his appeal to the public to promptly volunteer information to the police on suspicious characters to speedy action.
26-year-old Mawuli Adzitso is being actively sought by his police guard after he escaped from a hospital where he was supposed to be under guard.
According to a Daily Guide newpaper, Mawuli was on remand at the Dzodze Central Police Station, where he was being held on rape charge.
He was, however, admitted to the St. Anthony Hospital at Dzodze in the Volta Region’s Ketu North Municipality on July 5 after he had complained of chest pains.
Five days later, on July 10, his police guard admitted having allowed Mawuli to go and use the washroom but he has not been seen since.
The report also cited a police wireless message that revealed that the police guard, one General Constable Stephen Kobi, had failed to alert his superiors about the situation until it was relayed by the hospital authorities.
When contacted later, the guard admitted that around 9 am on July 10, he removed Mawuli’s handcuffs to allow him attend to nature’s call but found out later the suspect had escaped.
“As a rule, the constable has been given ten days to search and recapture the prisoner,†the wireless message added.
The Student Representative Council of the University for Professional Studies has asked the student body to be careful with movements in and off campus.
The caution comes after two female students of the University were allegedly raped by armed men.
A statement signed by SRC Chairman for UPSA SRC, Prince Nartey Wade, mentioned that the campus and routes around the University of Professional Studies- Accra (UPSA), were gradually becoming unsafe.
According to the statement, this rape incident is one of the many reports the SRC has received.
The statement also noted that thieves on motorcycles have been snatching monies, phones during the night.
“The SRC is therefore urging the student in “limiting physical cash†and to also limit the use of electronic gadget as they (SRC) are trying to provide security at vantage points to monitor, deter and deal with these crimesâ€, the statement added.
The Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection has asked media houses to avoid exposing the identity of victims of rape and sexual violence.
A statement issued by the Gender Ministry directed that the faces of victims should be covered or blurred to avoid re-traumatization and re-victimization of the victims.
“The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection has observed with great concern the re-traumatization of the victim who survived alleged rape and assault in the hands of a robber whose manhood was bitten off as a result of continuous broadcasting of the issue and exposing her face by various media outlets. This will jeopardize her security, safety, and the psychosocial support being given to her by the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection.
“In respect of her safety and healing processes, we kindly plead and request all media houses and social media outlets to stop the circulation, showing and exposing her face and identity.†the statement read.
Background
A robbery suspect had the shock of his life when his victim severed his manhood with her sharp teeth.
Emmanuel Ankor, 23, was said to have asked the victim to lick his penis after raping her and taking some items and money from her room at gunpoint.
The incident occurred at Abompe New Site, a suburb of Obuasi in the Ashanti Region.
After forcibly inserting his penis into her mouth, the victim mustered courage and bit off the penis to the shock of Ankor, who retaliated by biting the back of the victim.
He was arrested at the AngloGold Ashanti Hospital, where he had gone for treatment.
Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Mr. Francis Asenso, told Journalists that the victim, who had also gone to the hospital for treatment after making a report to the police, spotted the suspect and alerted the security officials, who arrested him.
He said the police, after visiting the crime scene, retrieved the severed penis and sent it to the hospital for preservation, while further investigation was ongoing.
He said the suspect was on police guard at the hospital and would soon be arraigned to answer the charges.
The Director of Social Welfare and Community Development at the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), Lawyer Marian Mensah has urged girls in the city to be bold and report any form of gender-related violence to her department or the Police for necessary action to be taken.
Lawyer Marian Mensah said this on Monday at a Mentorship programme organised by the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP) with support from The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Canadian Government, to empower Adolescent Girls on Sexual Reproductive Health Right (SRHR) and Sexual/Gender- Based Violence (SGBV).
“We are bringing social work to your doorsteps; we will escort you to the police station to report any act of violence against anybody and this is to help keep evidence so do not hesitate to report. You can also report any lady who tries to sexually harass you, ” she told the girls.
She assured that her department would endeavour to continue to monitor every child below the age of 18 and to engage them so they do not become promiscuous but responsible and beneficial to society.
The Acting Greater Accra Regional Director for Gender, Matilda Banfro in an address said, ” Young people have the right to lead healthy lives, and society has the responsibility to prepare them by providing them with the education that will enable them to make healthy decisions.”
She further emphasised the need to reorient and educate adolescent girls on SRHR and SHBV to ensure these girls are healthy, socially empowered and free from violence and discrimination.
“Currently women empowerment discourse has underscored the importance of Girl Child Education as a panacea to behavioural change, empower future women and promote sustainable development in the long term. Currently, there is some level of parity between boys and girls at the basic school level. The picture, however is not very encouraging as girls progress from basic to Senior High School (SHS) and tertiary levels (Ghana s MDG Report, 201 5). Important among the factors that impede girl child education and the realisation of their goals are teenage pregnancy, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV), child marriage and the lack of comprehensive knowledge on their sexuality, reproductive health and rights, ” she said.
Other topics resource persons at the event touched on include reproductive health, abstinence and cervical cancer among others.
The girls were drawn from communities such as Mamprobi, Chorkor, Jamestown, Korle Gonno and Kaneshie among others.
Police in the Ashanti Region have begun investigations into the alleged rape of a final year student of St. Louis Senior High School in Kumasi is by an unknown man on campus over the weekend. Reports stated that the sexual assault occurred Saturday night when the victim was studying at about 10:30 pm in one of the classrooms.
The Ashanti Regional Police Public Relations Officer, Godwin Ahianyo confirmed the incident and said the police have launched an investigation into the matter.
He said the rapist might have scaled the wall of the school to commit the crime adding that the rapist might have dragged the victim from the classroom to the bush where he raped her and bolted.
According to him, the victim was found with severe bruises and bloodstains and has been admitted at the KNUST Hospital for treatment.
Authorities and students have called on the police for maximum protection.
A chainsaw operator, Akwasi Yeboah popularly known as “Osebor†has been arrested by Nyankomase Ahenkro Police Command for repeatedly raping his niece who is a 16-year-old JHS 3 Pupil in the Assin South District of the central region.
The victim was staying with the suspect after she claimed her parents had neglected her.
The uncle was said to be the one who was taking care of her needs took advantage of that to sexually assault her on several occasions.
The victim indicated that the uncle used her as a sexual object under the guise of buying her pad and providing money for food.
“He smooches my breast and kisses me at night, the sad aspect is that he usually gives me soft drink mixed with a drug suspected to be Blue-blue(sleeping tablet) and have sex with me after it has rendered me unconscious,†she disclosed.
She stressed that she reported the incident to her mother but she subjected her to severe beatings because she claimed the daughter was disgracing her brother.
The Assin South District Police Commander ASP Okyere Andam has confirmed that the suspect is in Police custody assisting them with investigation.
A 16-year-old girl has been rescued and reunited with her family through an intervention of a Ghana based non-profit making organisation, Engage Now Africa (ENA), in partnership with elders of Big Ada in the Greater Accra region.
The victim, identified as Gifty was sold into slavery by her family after a local pastor in the area allegedly prophesied that, Gifty is a “curse” to her family in late 2018.
She was allegedly sold for an amount of GH¢500.00 after which she was first trafficked to Yeji in the Bono East region, where she served her master in fishing and among other hard labors.
According to her aunt who reported to the ENA’s rescue mission team dubbed, “End Modern Slavery”, parents of the victims allegedly takes GH¢50.00 and sometimes GH¢100.00 per month from the slave master.
The Director of the organization, Mr Afasi Komla told the media that he first visited the victim in September 2019, adding that, upon hearing the unfortunate story, he led his team to rescue the girl on Sunday, 15 August 2020.
He said: “Gifty happens to be one of those children who have found themselves in such a barbaric situation in Ghana. Most indigenous communities and families are easily persuaded by some soothsayers who are believed to be endowed with some powers to see into the inner spirit of human beings and therefore are able to make accurate declarations of a person’s being and character, which “Gifty happens to fall victim as one of those underprivileged children who suffers such atrocious actions in some Ghanaian communities. By this declaration, family members believe that she is evil and pose a threat to them, so long as she remains in the same household with them,” he added
Mr. Afasi explained that the cause of human trafficking is “poverty, ignorance and development gap” between urban and rural centres hence the need for programmes and initiatives to combat the development.
“We have highly educated people fall victims of fraud and trafficking, due to lack of knowledge on the subject. The solution to these challenges is to create awareness, advocate against modern slavery, facilitate a deeper understanding of the human trafficking in vulnerable communities and provide sustainable livelihood support training program to the vulnerable” he noted. The team, led by Mr Afasi also sensitised the victim’s family on dangers involved in the menace and encouraged parents, especially settlers in fishing communities to desist from such acts.
The team also provided some victim support services and placed Gifty under her aunt’s care.
Mr Afasi called on the general public to collaborate with them to end the phenomenon.
A 13-year-old girl was rescued Saturday morning around 5:20 am from a man who attempted to defile her while jogging on the Akyem Osiem to Ettukrom road in the Abuakwa South Municipality of the Eastern Region.
The suspect who was riding a motorbike, according to reports, abducted the victim into a nearby bush in an attempt to defile her but she screamed for help which attracted a farmer who had just arrived in a nearby farm to rush to the scene.
He took to his heels leaving his motorbike behind upon seeing the farmer approaching the scene.
The victim was however sent to the Osiem Police Station together with the impounded motorbike of the suspect.
The owner of the motorbike now at large has been identified as a married man who stays in Akyem Osiem Community.
His wife and brother have confirmed to Police that the motorbike belongs to the suspect (name withheld) who left home at dawn.
Meanwhile, the local Police have launched a manhunt for his arrest
Ghanaian rapper and song writer, Tic born Nana Kwaku Okyere Duah is calling on the general public to support him raise funds for rape victims in Ghana.
The “Kwanikwani†hit maker who has currently released a 7 track EP “Mama Grace†says the act is as a result of a dream he had.
According to Tic, in the dream, he was asked to raise funds to support ailing and needy rape victims. The rapper has since called on all and sundry to support the worthy cause by donating GHC2 or more to support the course.
“Sounds weird but seriously for the first time, I want to share this with you. I had a dream and the message was to ask you to donate GH2 and after adding mine I am to donate the money to rape victims. Donate to help a life and have yours impacted positivelyâ€, Tic said in a post.
A 47-year-old-commercial driver (name withheld) has appeared before an Accra Circuit Court for allegedly having sex with his 14 years old daughter at Pig Farm, suburb of Accra.
He has, however, denied the charges of defilement and incest.
The Court, presided over by Mrs Christina Cann, has, consequently, admitted him to bail in the sum of GHC60,000.00 with two sureties, one to be justified.
The matter has been adjourned to July 24.
Prosecuting, Chief Inspector Judith B. Asante said the complainant was a social worker residing in Accra.
The accused, she said, had resided with her daughter since she turned 12, and had since the beginning of the year been having sex with her.
The Prosecution said the victim’s mother, who was not living with them, became suspicious of the abuse and reported the matter to the Department of Social Welfare.
The matter was transferred to the Nima Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit for further investigations, following which he was arrested, while the victim was rescued.
Additionally, the Prosecution said a medical report form was issued to the complainant to send the victim to the hospital for examination and treatment.
Father of the 17-year-old lady who is reported to have been raped by one Frank Boadi, a 43-year-old returnee from France has told GhanaWeb that his daughter was not raped by the suspect.
The father, identified as Kwadwo Sekyere explained that his daughter who is in a sexual relationship with the suspect had consensual sex which has led to pregnancy.
“My daughter confessed she had been in a relationship with the suspect for 3 months. They had planned to travel to Accra to abort the pregnancy,” he told GhanaWeb.
Though he has officially reported the case to the Senchi police station which was later referred to the Sekyere East Divisional command, his fight is for the 43-year-old suspect to take responsibility for his daughter and the unborn child.
Speaking to GhanaWeb, the Police confirmed that they have officially received complaints from the father of the victim.
They added that the suspect in his statement denied kidnapping and sexually abusing the 17-year-old girl. He also denied impregnating the girl.
However, he has pledged to cater to the girl’s medical and upkeep till she gives birth, and then request for a DNA to be done.
A 43-year-old man is currently on the run after sexually abusing five girls at Okaikrom in the Ashanti Region.
Frank Boadi who returned from France three years ago owns a hotel in Okaikrom and is alleged to have defiled and raped girls in the community including a 12-year-old girl.
Confirming the news to GhanaWeb, the Assembly Member for the area Micheal Aniagyei said parents of the victims are afraid to report to the police because Frank Boadi is allegedly having an affair with the DCE of the Sekyere East who is also the District Security Council (DISEC) Chairperson, therefore anytime the case is reported to the police, it becomes a “foolish caseâ€.
He said a recent incident that drew the attention of the community was a case of a 17-year-old Senior High School student who was reported missing by her parents.
Micheal Aniagyei said during their search, the SHS 2 student was found in the hotel room of Frank Boadi.
This was reported to the police and a medical report was requested.
He narrated that when the results came, it turned out that the girl, whose name has been withheld, was 7 weeks pregnant for Frank Boadi.
He said before the family of the victim could report the case to the police. Frank Boadi had taken the lead to report the issue claiming he was abused by the parents of the victim.
Upon his report, the police arrested the mother of the victim while the father escaped into the bush. She as later granted bail.
Michael Aniagyei, however, said after speaking to some media houses, the police who became worried about the news went to the hotel to pick him up but met his absence as he claimed he was meeting his lawyer in Kumasi and has since not returned.
Police in Tamale has begun investigations into the murder of a young man, Abdul-Halim, who they say tried to stop a rapist from attacking his next victim in Nyanshigu, a suburb of Tamale.
The gunman who is yet to be identified also shot his victim, Rashida Abukari in the leg.
Narrating the incident, the police in a statement said the suspect around 4:00 am on Wednesday attacked the victim in her room and tried to force himself on her.
But, when she resisted the suspect shot her in the right thigh.
Abdul-Halim who heard of the act tried to intervene by apprehending the suspect.
But the gunman shot him and took to his heels after the act.
The body of the deceased has been deposited at the mortuary for autopsy while the victim is in stable condition and is responding treatment at the Tamale Teaching Hospital.
Legal practitioner, Mr Lamtiig Apanga has clarified that in accordance with the laws in the country concerning rape, a man cannot be raped by a woman or a fellow man, as the law focuses on penile penetration.
According to Mr Lamtiig, the law by definition says that only a female can be raped, so a man cannot go to the police to file a rape case.
“The law as it states, section 97 of Acts 29, the act of the criminal offence defines rape to mean the natural carnal knowledge of a woman or a female who is sixteen years and above without her consent. So it specifically says a female. So by definition, the law says that it is only a female who can be raped. And so a man cannot be raped per our law. That is what the law says, so a man cannot run to the police station and say that I have been raped. He cannot run to the police station and make claims against a fellow man even if a fellow man rapes him,†he said in an interview with GhanaWeb on June 17, 2020.
He stressed that the law clearly highlights that rape involves natural carnal knowledge, and penile penetration is the only recognized carnal knowledge in the country.
“Once it says natural, it has to be natural, and natural here means that penile penetration of the vagina by the penis. The way the law has been made, it is not possible for a man to say a woman has raped him,†he stated.
Mr Lamtiig, however, added that on the other hand both males and females can take legal action towards cases of defilement, and perpetrators could get a jail term of not less than six months.
“Section 103 on Indecent assault clearly states that whoever indecently assaults any person shall be guilty of a misdemeanour and shall be liable on conviction to a term of imprisonment of not less than six months. A person commits the offence of indecent assault if without the consent of the other person he forcibly makes any sexual bodily contact with that other person or sexually violates the body of that other person in any manner not amounting to carnal knowledge or unnatural carnal knowledge,†he concluded.
A 42-year-old Zimbabwean man who raped his 11-year-old daughter on numerous occasions since she was eight years, was yesterday sentenced to 18 years in prison by a Bindura magistrate.
The man from Mhasvi Village in Chiweshe, kept his daughter isolated and silenced her by saying no one would look after her if she reported him to the police.
The man pleaded not guilty to rape charges when he appeared before regional magistrate, Mr Ngoni Nduna, but was convicted after a full trial.
He was initially sentenced to 20 years, but Mr Nduna suspended two years of the sentence.
Mr Nduna said the man had committed, “a terrible, traumatising, dehumanising, humiliating and abominable crime”.
The court was told that the medical report showed that the minor had sustained hymnal tears that had since healed, an indication that the abuse started years back.
The sexual assault started in 2016 when the man was left in the custody of the minor after he divorced the mother.
The victim slept in the kitchen, while the father used the bedroom.
The court heard that on an unknown date in 2016, the father knocked at her door at night.
She opened the door for him and he raped her. The court heard that she cried for help, but no one heard her and he ordered her not to tell anyone about the offence before going back to his room. He raped her on numerous occasions and in her evidence, in court, the minor said she became afraid of her father.
On December 20, 2019, she was assaulted for allowing a neighbour to fetch water at their well and decided to leave the homestead.
She met Chaitezvi Mundandiswe, the sister-in-charge at Rosa Clinic while looking for transport to Mt Darwin where she intended to look for her mother.
The girl narrated her ordeal to her and the matter was reported to the police, leading to the man’s arrest.
In his defence, the man said he used to come home late and never sexually assaulted his daughter.
He told the court that relatives refused to take custody of the minor and the mother was also not forthcoming.
There were 717 rapes in Nigeria between January and May this year, amounting to one rape every five hours, the country’s police chief says.
Mohammed Adamu described rape as a serious and wicked offence and urged Nigerians to report any case.
Speaking to journalists after meeting President Muhammadu Buhari at the presidential palace in Abuja, the police chief said that 799 suspects had been arrested and 631 had appeared in court.
But Mr Adamu did not speak about the sentences or number of convictions. Activists are concerned that not many trials result in someone being found guilty.
Some of the recent victims were allegedly murdered after being raped prompting a series of protests across Nigeria demanding action from the authorities and communities.
The police chief said security agencies are partnering with non-governmental organisations in the areas of training, working with victims and evidence gathering for successful prosecutions as part of efforts to tackle the issue.
Nigerian police say they have arrested a man after 40 people were raped in one town over the period of a year.
A mother in the northern town Dangora caught the man in her children’s bedroom, according to police spokesman Abdullahi Haruna. The man ran away but neighbours gave chase and caught him, he added.
The man was arrested on Tuesday.
The police say the spate of rapes included an attack on an 80-year-old and children as young as 10 years old.
There has been a recent wave of rapes and killing of women in Nigeria, which have led to a national outcry, with thousands signing a petition and using the hashtag #WeAreTired.
Dangora is a small town in Kano state about 85 kilometres (55 miles) south-west of Kano city, making it difficult for police to access, reports the BBC’s Mansur Abubakar from Kano.
The chief of the town, Ahmadu Yau, said the arrest is a welcome development.
“People of Dangora are so happy at this time and we hope justice will be served appropriately.”
Residents told the BBC that they had lived the last year in fear, even in their own homes, because they had heard that a serial rapist was climbing fences and raping women indoors.
“We can now sleep with our eyes closed,” one woman told the BBC.
Just like the ‘no means no’ campaign against women being raped, Stephanie Benson is saying that erection doesn’t mean a man has given his consent to have sex too and that must be respected.
The Ghanaian singer was bringing to mind that men suffer from sexual abuse too and that must be addressed. “Men are raped too and suffer in silence. The rules apply for both sexes. Young boys and young adult men are also raped“
According to the 52-year-old outspoken singer, she has received complaints from men who have ever been raped. “Men DM me all the time suffering from depression, and suicidal thoughts, because of Rape. Let’s give it the attention it deserves as well,” she wrote to a video of herself explaining the worrying issue.
Stephanie Benson’s comments are coming amid campaigns against rape flooding social media due to some rape cases that have hit the Nigerian social media and entertainment space. Speaking on the issue, the Ghanaian singer condemned the act and sympathized with women and children who get raped before chipping in that men get raped too.
Watch her videos below for more on her take on rape.
Authorities in Ethiopia have said more than 100 girls were raped and treated in the capital, Addis Ababa, since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, the privately owned Walta TV has reported.
The head of Addis Ababa women and children affairs office, Almaz Abraham, said sexual violence was on the rise as schools had been closed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.
“One-hundred-and-one girls were raped in the past two months after the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.â€
“The problem is that, unlike when schools were open, the attacks are not being exposed until the girls get pregnant. Maybe, there would be chances of stopping it from reaching to that stage if the girls were going to school,†she said.
“Men who used to practise different habits outside their homes are now doing them to their children when they stay at home,†she added.
A 43-year-old man, Ibrahim Adamu has defiled an eight-year-old girl at a maize farm at Duta, a suburb of Aflao in the Ketu South Municipality of the Volta Region.
The incident which is reported to have occurred about a week ago on Wednesday, May 27, 2020 has infuriated residents who said the act is becoming one too many.
Gabriel Ayitey, the Assembly member of the Duta Electoral area told the media that residents are not only worried by the incident but also angry that such criminal acts continue to jeopardise the lives of young girls in the area.
He alleged that this latest defilement incident is the third this year. In the two previous cases, the culprits for some reason were not prosecuted. Ayitey said his community members suspect there may be some underhand dealings that afford the perpetuators an opportunity to pay their way out of prosecution.
He was hopeful that this incident will take a different turn so that it deters other perpetuators from repeating the life destroying act.
The Public Affairs Officer of the Volta Regional Police Command, Cpl. Prince Dogbatse who confirmed the defilement incident narrated that on that day, the victim was playing with her friends when the accused person, Ibrahim Adamu called her.
He held the hand of the poor girl and took her to a nearby maize farm, undressed her and had sexual intercourse with her.
The girl later reported the incident to the father and on Saturday, May 30, 2020 the suspect who has been identified as a citizen of Niger was arrested.
Medical form was issued to the family to send to the hospital for the victim to be assessed. The medical report proved that indeed the girl had been penetrated.
Suspect, Ibrahim Adamu was subsequently arraigned before the Dzodze Magistrate Court on Monday June 1, 2020 where the case was adjourned to Wednesday June 17, 2020.
A non-governmental organization, Wawa Project, which seeks to alleviate some burden off the vulnerable and people with disabilities had presented some items to pupils of Kobina Ansa MA basic school in the Mfantseman community.
About 15 pupils benefitted from the package made up of rice, cooking oil, toiletries, sanitizers, nose masks, biscuits, tomato paste and an undisclosed amount of money to help mitigate their plight against the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The mission of the Wawa Project is to support the education of vulnerable pupils and later equip them with the needed tools and skills to be fully integrated into their communities after their education.
The goal of the project is to erase perceptions that individuals with disabilities led less fulfilled lives or were less capable of contributing to society.
Presenting the items to the pupils, Mr. Frank Mensah, the assistant head teacher of Kobina Ansa School who also doubles as the Coordinator of the Project, advised the pupils to remain focused in their studies as they waited for schools to reopen.
He urged them to observe all the safety protocols of the COVID-19 to protect themselves from the disease.
Miss Oby Ukadike, Director of programs and development of Wawa Project in her virtual message, prayed that the pandemic will end soon for them to continue with their education.
As part of their services, Wawa Project supply school uniforms for pupils, pay exams fees, medical bills and also feed them breakfast and lunch each day.
They also provide weekly stipend to the disabled pupils.
A 40-year-old man who allegedly raped one of the wives of a high profile king in the Northern Region has been rescued by the police in the area from being killed.
Abass Shani was tied and beaten to pulp Tuesday by some angry youth who arrested him few metres away from the palace of the unnamed king.
Many people in the area say the man was dead because he was unconscious at the time the police rescued him from the mob, a claim the police have rejected.
Police in the area have confirmed the attack on the man, but have been tight-lipped on the details of the incident because it involves a king.
He was first taken to the Baptist Medical Centre at Nalerigu, but had to be transferred to the Tamale Teaching Hospital in view of the severity of the injuries suffered from the attack on his life by the youth.
The police say their timely intervention saved the man from being lynched.
Checks at the Tamale Teaching Hospital reveal the Shani is responding to treatment.
