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Sky News
24 minutes ago
- Sky News
'My world crumbled': The teenage girl who found out her dad was a child sex offender
Ava was heading home from Pizza Hut when she found out her dad had been arrested. Warning: This article includes references to indecent images of children and suicide that some readers may find distressing It had been "a really good evening" celebrating her brother's birthday. Ava (not her real name) was just 13, and her brother several years younger. Their parents had divorced a few years earlier and they were living with their mum. Suddenly Ava's mum, sitting in the front car seat next to her new boyfriend, got a phone call. "She answered the phone and it was the police," Ava remembers. "I think they realised that there were children in the back so they kept it very minimal, but I could hear them speaking." "I was so scared," she says, as she overheard about his arrest. "I was panicking loads because my dad actually used to do a lot of speeding and I was like: 'Oh no, he's been caught speeding, he's going to get in trouble.'" But Ava wasn't told what had really happened until many weeks later, even though things changed immediately. "We found out that we weren't going to be able to see our dad for, well we didn't know how long for - but we weren't allowed to see him, or even speak to him. I couldn't text him or anything. I was just wondering what was going on, I didn't know. I didn't understand." Ava's dad, John, had been arrested for looking at indecent images of children online. We hear this first-hand from John (not his real name), who we interviewed separately from Ava. What he told us about his offending was, of course, difficult to hear. His offending went on for several years, looking at indecent images and videos of young children. His own daughter told us she was "repulsed" by what he did. But John wanted to speak to us, frankly and honestly. He told us he was "sorry" for what he had done, and that it was only after counselling that he realised the "actual impact on the people in the images" of his crime. By sharing his story, he hopes to try to stop other people doing what he did and raise awareness about the impact this type of offence has - on everyone involved, including his unsuspecting family. John tells us he'd been looking at indecent images and videos of children since 2013. "I was on the internet, on a chat site," he says. "Someone sent a link. I opened it, and that's what it was. "Then more people started sending links and it just kind of gathered pace from there really. It kind of sucks you in without you even realising it. And it becomes almost like a drug, to, you know, get your next fix." John says he got a "sexual kick" from looking at the images and claims "at the time, when you're doing it, you don't realise how wrong it is". 'I told them exactly what they would find' At the point of his arrest, John had around 1,000 indecent images and videos of children on his laptop - some were Category A, the most severe. Referencing the counselling that he since received, John says he believes the abuse he received as a child affected the way he initially perceived what he was doing. "I had this thing in my mind," he says, "that the kids in these were enjoying it." "Unfortunately, [that] was the way that my brain was wired up" and "I'm not proud of it", he adds. John had been offending for several years when he downloaded an image that had been electronically tagged by security agencies. It flagged his location to police. John was arrested at his work and says he "straight away just admitted everything". "I told them exactly what they would find, and they found it." The police bailed John - and he describes the next 24 hours as "hell". "I wanted to kill myself," he remembers. "It was the only way I could see out of the situation. I was just thinking about my family, my daughter and my son, how is it going to affect them?" But John says the police had given information about a free counselling service, a helpline, which he called that day. "It stopped me in my tracks and probably saved my life." 'My world was crumbling around me' Six weeks later, John was allowed to make contact with Ava. By this point she describes how she was "hysterically crying" at school every day, not knowing what had happened to her dad. But once he told her what he'd done, things got even worse. "When I found out, it genuinely felt like my world was crumbling around me," Ava says. "I felt like I couldn't tell anyone. I was so embarrassed of what people might think of me. It sounds so silly, but I was so scared that people would think that I would end up like him as well, which would never happen. "It felt like this really big secret that I just had to hold in." "I genuinely felt like the only person that was going through something like this," Ava says. She didn't know it then, but her father also had a sense of fear and shame. "You can't share what you've done with anybody because people can get killed for things like that," he says. "It would take a very, very brave man to go around telling people something like that." And as for his kids? "They wouldn't want to tell anybody, would they?" he says. For her, Ava says "for a very, very long time" things were "incredibly dark". "I turned to drugs," she says. "I was doing lots of like Class As and Bs and going out all the time, I guess because it just was a form of escape. "There was a point in my life where I just I didn't believe it was going to get better. I really just didn't want to exist. I was just like, if this is what life is like then why am I here?" 'The trauma is huge for those children' Ava felt alone, but research shows this is happening to thousands of British children every year. Whereas suspects like John are able to access free services, such as counselling, there are no similar automatic services for their children - unless families can pay. Professor Rachel Armitage, a criminology expert, set up a Leeds-based charity called Talking Forward in 2021. It's the only free, in-person, peer support group for families of suspected online child sex offenders in England. But it does not have the resources to provide support for under-18s. "The trauma is huge for those children," Prof Armitage says. "We have families that are paying for private therapy for their children and getting in a huge amount of debt to pay for that." Prof Armitage says if these children were legally recognised as victims, then if would get them the right level of automatic, free support. It's not unheard of for "indirect" or "secondary" victims to be recognised in law. Currently, the Domestic Abuse Act does that for children in a domestic abuse household, even if the child hasn't been a direct victim themselves. In the case of children like Ava, Prof Armitage says it would mean "they would have communication with the parents in terms of what was happening with this offence; they would get the therapeutic intervention and referral to school to let them know that something has happened, which that child needs consideration for". We asked the Ministry of Justice whether children of online child sex offenders could be legally recognised as victims. "We sympathise with the challenges faced by the unsuspecting families of sex offenders and fund a helpline for prisoners' families which provides free and confidential support," a spokesperson said. But when we spoke with that helpline, and several other charities that the Ministry of Justice said could help, they told us they could only help children with a parent in prison - which for online offences is, nowadays, rarely the outcome. None of them could help children like Ava, whose dad received a three-year non-custodial sentence, and was put on the sex offenders' register for five years. "These children will absolutely fall through the gap," Prof Armitage says. "I think there's some sort of belief that these families are almost not deserving enough," she says. "That there's some sort of hierarchy of harms, and that they're not harmed enough, really." 'People try to protect kids from people like me' Ava says there is simply not enough help - and that feels unfair. "In some ways we're kind of forgotten about by the services," she says. "It's always about the offender." John agrees with his daughter. "I think the children should get more support than the offender because nobody stops and ask them really, do they?" he says. " Nobody thinks about what they're going through." Although Ava and John now see each other, they have never spoken about the impact that John's offending had on his daughter. Ava was happy for us to share with John what she had gone through. "I never knew it was that bad," he says. "I understand that this is probably something that will affect her the rest of her life. "You try to protect your kids, don't you. People try to protect their kids from people like me."
The Sun
41 minutes ago
- The Sun
From bragging posts to iconic vid – the damning evidence that led to arrest of idiots who chopped down Sycamore Gap tree
THE two idiots who felled the historic Sycamore Gap tree have finally been jailed for their shocking crime. Now, we reveal the damning evidence that led to their conviction, from bragging posts to a shocking video of the chopping. 10 10 10 Daniel Graham, 39, and Adam Carruthers, 32, were jailed on Tuesday for four years and three months each. Detective Inspector Calum Meikle, who investigated the felling, said he knew he'd solved the crime when he saw the tree's "fantastically famous outline" on one of the perpetrator's phones. He revealed that officers were "tipped off" about Graham and Carruthers' involvement a few weeks after the shocking felling of the historic tree in September 2023. The tip-off stated that the pair of ground workers were responsible for chopping the tree down, even keeping a piece of the wood as a trophy. This led to the arrest of both men and seizing of their phones. Speaking to the Daily Mail, DI Meikle said a video recovered from Graham's device was incredibly dark, with details almost impossible to see. However, after sending it to be digitally enhanced, investigators discovered they had found evidence of the tree being destroyed. Gasps could be heard at Newcastle Crown Court as the now iconic grainy black and white video - accompanied by the sound of a revving chainsaw and cracking wood - was shown for the first time. DI Meikle said: "I'm always impressed with what our digital forensic units are able to achieve. "But, as you have seen from the video, as the person filming moves back, it shows us that fantastically famous outline (which) was undoubtedly the Sycamore Gap tree. Men who cut down iconic Sycamore Gap tree sentenced to 4 years and 3 months in jail "I was very pleased to have that evidence." Graham's phone also housed multiple other pieces of damning evidence, including photographs of a wedge of the tree trunk taken by the criminal as well as that of a chainsaw in the boot of his Range Rover. The pair of idiots not only chopped down the history tree but also damaged Hadrian's Wall during their "moronic mission". In just two minutes and 41 seconds, the two men chopped down the tree, which had stood next to the historic wall for more than a century. At their trial, the court heard how the pair had only recently admitted to responsibility for the felling in interviews with the Probation Service. They accepted they drove 30 miles through a storm to chop down the iconic landmark in the early hours of September 28, 2023. 10 10 10 Mrs Justice Christina Lambert said: "I can now be sure you, Adam Carruthers, were the person who felled the tree and you, Daniel Graham, assisted and encouraged him by driving there and back and not least by filming it on your phone." As they fled the scene, Carruthers forwarded the sick video to his partner. The wedge of the iconic tree - which was photographed in their vehicle - has never been found. Following their shocking crime, and as news broke of the vandalism, the pair shared social media posts about the tree, with Graham saying to Carruthers "here we go," as they "revelled" in reports of the crime. Although prosecutors said the friends had chopped the famous tree down for "a bit of a laugh," and suggested Carruthers was so obsessed with the Sycamore Gap that he wanted the wedge as a special souvenir for his newborn daughter, neither has offered any proper explanation for why they did what they did. This week, Carruthers claimed he had drunk a bottle of whisky and could barely remember chopping down the tree - although the judge said this was implausible due to the skill and coordination of the crime. Andrew Gurney, representing Carruthers, said he had made the admissions in a pre-sentence report. 10 10 10 He said: "He does wish to cleanse his conscience of what he has done. People want to know 'Why? Why did you conduct this mindless act?' "Unfortunately, it is no more than drunken stupidity. He felled that tree and it is something he will regret for the rest of his life. "There's no better explanation than that.' Richard Wright KC, prosecuting, said there had been a 'high degree of planning and premeditation'. He said: "This was an expedition which required significant planning in terms of taking a vehicle, driving for about 40 minutes to a car park, taking with them appropriate specialist equipment, carrying the equipment for about 20 minutes' walk in each direction. 'The felling was carried out in a deliberate, professional way.' On the other side, Graham continued to blame his accomplice, insisting cutting the tree down had been Carruthers' "dream" and "his show" which he simply went along with. The criminal also claimed he was "shocked" that Carruthers had followed through with his plan.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Ministers STILL won't come clean on secret airlifts after the Mail revealed 18,500 Afghans were brought to Britain as part of £7BILLION scheme
Ministers were last night urged to 'come clean' over a government operation smuggling Afghans to Britain. The highly secretive mission followed a military data leak that put 100,000 at risk of being killed by the Taliban. Now, after 23 months of being gagged by a draconian super-injunction, the Daily Mail can reveal how the projected £7 billion cost was signed off while taxpayers and MPs were kept in the dark. But the revelation sparked another secrecy row last night as Defence Secretary John Healey's emergency explanation to Parliament appeared at odds with facts heard at secret High Court hearings over the last two years. The covert airlift of thousands of Afghans – codenamed Operation Rubific – was launched after the UK military catastrophically lost a database of details of those who had applied for sanctuary in the UK to flee the murderous Taliban. It put 100,000 'at risk of death', in the Government's own words. It also exposed British officials whose details were on the list. After the Mail was the first newspaper in the world to discover the data breach, in August 2023, the Ministry of Defence mounted a cover-up and successfully hushed up our exclusive. They obtained a super-injunction and ever since then, cloaked by the unprecedented news blackout, ministers have been clandestinely running one of the biggest peacetime evacuation missions in modern British history to rescue people the UK had imperilled – smuggling thousands out of Afghanistan and flying them to Britain at vast cost, with taxpayers being neither asked nor informed. Every few weeks, unmarked government charter planes are landing at airports including Stansted and RAF Brize Norton packed with hundreds of Afghans, who are processed before being whisked off to a new life. So far 18,500 Afghans whose data was breached have been flown to Britain or are on their way in taxpayer-funded jets. A total of 23,900 are earmarked for arrival. They are living in MoD homes or hotels until permanent accommodation is found. More than 70,000 others will be left behind in Afghanistan and will have to fend for themselves after the Government yesterday shut the scheme. Incredibly, hundreds of the Afghans rescued by the Government are now poised to sue the UK for leaking their data in the first place – potentially adding a further £1 billion in compensation to the colossal costs of the rescue and rehousing mission. Last October, ministers signed off the £7 billion project which 'will mean relocating 25,000 Afghans [and] extend the scheme for another five years at a cost of c.£7bn', the secret court hearings were told. The £7billion figure was used repeatedly throughout the case. Yesterday, however, as the injunction was lifted, Mr Healey told the Commons the costs were actually only £400 million to £850 million, not £7 billion, while claiming the numbers rescued because of the data breach would hit 6,900. The Afghan migrants have been landing at Stansted around once a fortnight and are bussed from a private hanger An MoD official last night said there was a distinction between Afghans coming because their data was leaked and those on the list coming here anyway via other relocation schemes. As Mr Healey formally apologised for the data breach in the Commons, and Afghans began receiving messages from the Government saying 'we understand that this news may be concerning', it can be revealed: Mr Justice Chamberlain, the judge who heard the case, queried the billions being spent saying: 'I'm starting to doubt myself... am I going bonkers?' And he questioned the MoD's demand for secrecy by saying: 'This is a resettlement programme for immigrants to the UK'; Amid a housing crisis, one in ten of the new arrivals is expected to 'enter the homelessness system'; An incredible 20 per cent of all MoD property has been given over to housing Afghans; Ministers were privately warned areas with Afghan arrivals were 'hotspots' for last summer's riots; The MoD warned of 'the risk of public disorder' after the super-injunction was lifted. Adnan Malik from Barings Law, a Manchester firm that already has 1,000 clients ready to sue the Government, said: 'Since the super-injunction was lifted, we have heard conflicting information from the UK Government which goes against facts which were previously heard in court. 'We urge the Ministry of Defence to be clear and transparent with the public about the extent of this fiasco.' Last night there was also a political storm brewing as the chairman of the Commons defence committee, Labour MP Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, said he was 'minded to recommend' an investigation, telling the Commons the 'whole data breach situation is a mess and is wholly unacceptable'. Yesterday Mr Justice Chamberlain ruled: 'There is no tenable basis for the continuation of the super-injunction.' But the Mail and other media were hit with a second injunction brought by the MoD – this time to ban sensitive details from the database itself from being published. Additional reporting: Mark Nicol
