US woman claims murder bid evidence against her is ‘terrible coincidence'
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BreakingNews.ie
21 minutes ago
- BreakingNews.ie
American man (32) jailed for raping and choking Brazilian woman in Dublin
A man who placed his arms around the neck of a woman causing her to pass out before he raped her has been jailed for five years. American Kevin Yungman (32) first met the Brazilian woman in Paris three months previously when they both happened to be on walking tour of the city. Advertisement She was 19 at the time and had been working in Dublin. Yungman was 25 years old. They had never met before. They spent the day together, had wine and chocolate at the Eiffel Tower and returned to his accommodation where they had consensual sex. However during this meeting Yungman had told the woman at one point to start breathing fast, take a deep breath and hold it in before he placed a hand on her neck causing her to pass out. Yungman later explained to the woman that this was a technique he did when he was having sex. He said when a person passes out it feels like you have taken drugs. He said it was normal and suggested it could be addictive. The woman told him that she had been scared by it. They stayed in contact and agreed to meet again in Dublin the following June. They rented an AirBnB and again there was consensual sexual activity before Yungman raped the woman. Advertisement He placed his arms around her neck and squeezed hard. She tried to keep his arms away from her but she could not move out. She later told gardaí she was not strong enough. She described to gardaí that at that point she passed out. Yungman tried to turn her over and told her 'that's my girl, that's my girl' before he raped her. The woman told gardaí she could not cope with it and asked him to 'please stop' telling him 'my body cannot take it'. Yungman said he would give her a break and they could go back to it later. Advertisement Detective Garda Kerrie Sullivan told Anne Rowland SC, prosecuting, that Yungman with an address in Florida, was arrested in the United States in August 2024 and extradited back to Ireland. He had been initially questioned by gardaí in the immediate aftermath of the rape when they stopped him in Dublin Airport as he was about to board a flight to return home. He strenuously denied choking the woman and said any activity that had taken place was consensual. He was ultimately released without charge following questioning and permitted to return to the States pending direction from the Director of Public Prosecutions. Advertisement Yungman was brought before the Central Criminal Court last Monday when he pleaded guilty to one charge of raping the woman in June 2018 in the Airbnb on Usher's Quay in Dublin city centre. The woman described in her victim impact statement experiencing panic attacks, mood swings, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, dysfunctional relationships and losing her faith in God, in the aftermath of the rape. 'I didn't celebrate birthdays as I felt there was no reason to celebrate my life,' the woman said. 'At 19, I didn't properly understand what was happening,' she said. Advertisement 'I had been living a dream up until I met him,' the woman said, describing living in Ireland as 'therapeutic' as she had just lost both her parents. She said the rape impacted her grieving process. 'In hindsight, I was vulnerable when I met him and he saw this in me,' she said. She said when she heard the court case was going ahead, she felt 'a little more hopeful' and she began to look after herself. 'I took actions to reconnect with my body, took up physical activities, began to have fun again. 'I could look back on what happened with a mature mind, and I stopped blaming myself. I was only 19, enjoying life,' the woman said. 'This was manipulation and not my fault,' she continued. 'But honestly, when I truly felt alive again, was when I heard him say the word 'guilty',' the woman said before she described walking in the Phoenix Park afterwards 'and instantly life felt colourful again'. 'I want to close this time and never look back. Now, I will not live in pain anymore. The shadows of that memory is gone. I am glad now and I don't have to think about the dark memories,' she continued. She thanked everyone that was involved in this process. 'This is what helped me finally heal from the incident. I am extremely grateful for hearing me at the Garda station, I cannot stress how important this was to me ,' she said. 'How important it was to be heard as I felt so ashamed and guilty,' she concluded her statement by saying she now has 'the power to speak up and not be silent anymore' Mr Justice Tony Hunt told the woman that he was very glad to hear the last few things she said. 'I listen to victims on a regular basis. Sometimes I feel I should tell them they should not let these things define them. I am really glad to hear that you have come around,' he said. He said as an older person you come to realise that you are not going to be young forever and advised the woman to make the best of her youth. 'It is very important you realise that. And I am glad to hear you are moving on,' Mr Justice Hunt said. Ms Rowland told Justice Hunt that the plea was acceptable to the DPP and was based on the rape when Yungman caused the woman to pass out. She later outlined an incident when Yungman had sex with the woman on the sofa in the rented Dublin apartment after she had told him she did not want to do anything. Yungman's mother took the stand and looked directly at the woman sitting in the body of the court. She used the woman's first name and told her that 'from the deepest place in my heart and as a Mam and as a woman, I want to say sorry. There is nothing that I can say that is going to erase the pain. I want you to know that I heard every word that you said and I feel your pain. I am sorry'. She said she taught her children the difference between right and wrong, describing themselves as a law abiding family. 'What happened to you should not happen to anyone'. 'I believe in accountability and that every wrongdoing must have a consequence. He needed to acknowledge his actions,' the woman continued. She said as a mother the thoughts of being away from her son in a prison in Ireland while she is in America is 'breaking my heart' but added 'even in our pain we understand that justice must be served'. She said she was not asking for forgiveness 'that would be too much' and said she was 'not asking for leniency'. 'Even in our pain we know we stand behind the truth and we know this is the truth. I pray every day that you heal from this,' the woman said. Mr Justice Hunt addressed the woman and said it was very unusual in a case such as this for a parent to take the stand and address the court in that manner. He told the woman 'your son is very fortunate'. Having adjourned the case earlier in the week after hearing the facts, on Thursday Mr Justice Hunt imposed a sentence of six years with the final 12 months suspended on strict conditions. The judge said this was a 'very sad and difficult case', noting there was a consensual background, which took a 'bad turn'. He said it was not the first and would not be the last of this type of case to come before the courts. 'It all comes back to this idea of respect for the consent of the other person to sexual activity,' Mr Justice Hunt said, noting that people have a 'duty' to confirm that consent to a sexual act has been freely and voluntarily given. The judge said the asphyxiation was among the aggravating factors in the case. Referring to the victim impact statement, the judge said the woman was an 'incredibly articulate and thoughtful person' and said the court was 'heartened' that she appears to be making progress in her recovery. Having set a headline sentence of eight years, the judge noted there was 'considerable mitigation' including Yungman's guilty plea and the difficulty he will face serving a sentence in a foreign jurisdiction. Mr Justice Hunt said there was a 'real prospect' of Yungman 'fully rehabilitating himself elsewhere with the disabilities that such convictions bring, but that is something he will face up to in the future'. Ireland Man (34) jailed for raping young Spanish tourist i... Read More He imposed a six-year sentence with the final 12 months suspended on strict conditions and backdated it to August 2024, when Yungman went into custody in the United States. The judge directed Yungman to have no contact direct or indirect with the victim in perpetuity. He also told the defendant he must leave the jurisdiction once he is released from custody and not return for 10 years. Mr Justice Hunt said Yungman was 'fortunate' to have the support of his mother and wider family, who would support him and help him after he has paid a penalty for his serious misconduct. He wished the victim well for the future and said in the circumstances, the court would also wish Yungman's family well. 'They are not responsible for what happened and they are patently decent people,' the judge said.
Daily Mail
21 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Hillary Clinton allegedly approved plan to smear Trump in 2016
Congress released a previously classified intelligence report claiming that Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign likely 'ginned up' the Trump-Russia collusion conspiracy and wanted the FBI 's help. The Senate Judiciary Committee, under Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, released a 29-page classified file from former Special Counsel John Durham's 'Russiagate' investigation on Thursday. The heart of the explosive allegation: That the Obama administration and the Clinton campaign were aware of - and potentially coordinated - a plan to falsely tie Donald Trump to Russia , a chief U.S. rival. Durham examined the FBI's investigation into potential links between Trump campaign officials and Russia during the 2016 election and concluded the FBI should have not launched the investigation given the evidence it had at the time. The report authored by the special counsel, released publicly for the first time today, shows potential election interference from another country regarding Clinton, false FBI reports to surveil the 2016 Trump campaign and the FBI's failure to investigate Clinton's ties to the Russia collusion allegations, like the infamously debunked Steele Dossier. A March 2016 memorandum stated that in part 'Clinton staff, with support from special services, is preparing scandalous revelations of business relations between Trump and the 'Russian mafia.'' 'Based on the Durham annex, the Obama FBI failed to adequately review and investigate intelligence reports showing the Clinton campaign may have been ginning up the fake Trump-Russia narrative for Clinton's political gain, which was ultimately done through the Steele Dossier and other means,' Grassley, 91, said in a statement. 'History will show that the Obama and Biden administration's law enforcement and intelligence agencies were weaponized against President Trump,' the senator continued. 'This political weaponization has caused critical damage to our institutions and is one of the biggest political scandals and cover-ups in American history. According to sources, the annex was among files stuffed in 'burn bags' that were due to be destroyed before recently being rescued by FBI employees. A person familiar with the discovery speculated to the Daily Mail that it was likely an oversight by previous directors that prevented the documents from being destroyed. The person added that it's likely the documents would have never seen the light of day if the FBI wasn't diligently looking through everything it comes across at the bureau. Within the pages of the annex are private communications between Clinton staff and workers at a George Soros nonprofit cooking up a plan to tie Trump to Russia to distract from scrutiny over the Hillary email server scandal. Leonard Benardo, Senior Vice President of Soros' Open Society Foundations, sent emails to top Clinton staffers that showed Hillary Clinton herself approved of the Trump-Russia plan. That plan included the FBI working on behalf of Clinton, according to Benardo's emails. 'Julie [Clinton Campaign Advisor] says it will be a long-term affair to demonize Putin and Trump,' one of his emails disclosed in the Durham annex states. 'Now it is good for a post-convention bounce. Later the FBI will put more oil into the fire.' Durham later wrote that Julie Smith, the campaign advisor, 'was, at minimum, playing a role in the Clinton campaign's efforts to tie Trump to Russia.' The emails 'certainly lends at least some credence that such a plan existed,' Durham said. Donald Trump's CIA Director John Ratcliffe recently suggested that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and other top Obama aides could be hit with perjury charges over the annex. A spokesperson for Clinton did not immediately respond to the Daily Mail's request for comment. A spokesperson for the Obamas did not immediately respond to a request for comment either. Ratcliffe said that Obama officials involved with the 'Russia hoax' - the debunked narrative that Russia interfered with the 2016 election on behalf of Donald Trump 's campaign - could be prosecuted. The dossier, a 2016 opposition research file crafted by former MI6 spy Christoper Steele against then-candidate Trump, was a central - and largely debunked - component of the FBI's 'Russiagate' investigation. Ratcliffe has also noted that former FBI Director James Comey and former CIA Director John Brennan could still be hit with charges, including lying to Congress. has also noted that former FBI Director James Comey and former CIA Director John Brennan could still be hit with charges, including lying to Congress. 'They conspired against President Trump, they conspired against the American people,' the CIA director said. 'So, I'll leave it to Pam Bondi and our DOJ and Kash Patel and our FBI to investigate the conspiracy to do what, and what charges that they're capable of bringing.' However, some critics have slammed Ratcliffe for not releasing 'Russiagate' documents when he served as director of national intelligence during Trump's first term. 'Can anyone explain why John Ratcliffe, who held the same position as Tulsi (DNI) under Trump, totally failed to identify the Russian collusion coup hoax against Trump and was then promoted by Trump to head the CIA,' podcast host Clint Russell wrote on X. Last week, DNI Tulsi Gabbard declassified documents that she claims show how Obama-era intelligence officials 'manufactured and politicized intelligence to lay the groundwork.' She released a September 2020 report by the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence on Russia's attempts to influence the 2016 presidential election. The file disputes the claim that Russia interfered with Trump's first election on behalf of the Republican.
Metro
3 hours ago
- Metro
Haunting Netflix true-crime series about 'Satanic cult' killer races up chart
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video A 'fascinating' true-crime series about one of the most notorious serial-killers in history has soared up the rankings on Netflix. Mixing present-day interviews with previously unheard recordings, Conversations with a Killer: The Son of Sam Tapes examines David Berkowitz's mark on 1970s New York. Now 72, Berkowitz carried out a murderous 13-month rampage in the American city between 1976 and 1977, during which he killed six women and wounded eleven others. Armed with a .44 Special calliber revolver for most of his crimes, eventually he was arrested in August 1977 for eight shootings. He confessed to them all and was sentenced to six consecutive life sentences in 1978. Now, Netflix's new three-part series features audio of past interviews the killer did with Rochester Democrat and Chronicle journalist Jack Jones. Wake up to find news on your TV shows in your inbox every morning with Metro's TV Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your show in the link we'll send you so we can get TV news tailored to you. It also contains a new interview with Berkowitz, who is serving a life sentence in upstate New York. As well as this, victims' loved ones and researchers shed light on this period in New York history. Reacting to the series on X, many fans have highlighted the new information it provides. @maoshisa1981 described it as a 'fascinating listen', adding: 'The unreleased Berkowitz recordings sound like a chilling deep dive into the case.' Meanwhile, @CriticSusan added: 'Conversations with a Killer: The Son of Sam Tapes may be one of their best true crime docu-series. @Netflix.' Towards the beginning of the series, viewers are shown how the Bronx native was adopted in 1953 before he became the '.44 Caliber Killer' and 'Son of Sam' due to the signature he left on letters at crime scenes and sent to media outlets. When Berkowitz was finally arrested and put on trial, he claimed his neighbor's dog, Sam, was possessed by a demon and commanded him to kill. But, in an interview from 1980 we hear how Berkowitz fabricated this story to create confusion and manipulate the media and law enforcement. A character playing Berkowitz also featured in another Netflix series by David Fincher called Mindhunter, which ran for two seasons. In June it was teased that the rudely axed series could be getting a Hollywood makeover for a film revival. There is a potential to bring back the show as not only one movie but an entire trilogy, with creator Fincher carefully vetting the scripts. More Trending Holt McCallany, who starred as FBI special agent Bill Tench, recently spoke to the Fight Club director. 'I had a meeting with David Fincher in his office a few months ago, and he said to me that there is a chance that it may come back as three two-hour movies, but I think it's just a chance,' he told CBR. 'I know there are writers that are working, but you know, David has to be happy with scripts.' View More » Conversations with a Killer: The Son of Sam Tapes is available to watch on Netflix. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Wednesday mastermind vows that Jenna Ortega is the 'reason Netflix phenomenon exists' MORE: 'Murderous' horror Netflix series soars up chart days before season 2 launches MORE: Netflix show boss fires back after raunchy TV series is labelled 'vulgar'
