Latest news with #ChatIW
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
HUNTER: Almost all accused in Ontario online child luring sweep released
'A country, a movement, a person that does not value its youth and children doesn't deserve its future.' — Oliver Tambo And Canada is just such a place if recent developments in the nation's courtrooms are any indication. On Thursday, with great fanfare, cops across the province announced they had arrested 36 men and hammered them with 128 charges as a result of an online child luring investigation. You can also toss in a slew of child pornography charges. Cops accessed online chat rooms and social media to ID the alleged perverts and put the 'cuffs on them. Good work, coppers! But what happened next is vomit-inducing. All except two of the suspected creeps were released on bail. You heard that right. As the Sun's Jane Stevenson reported, one of the accused allegedly arrived for their hoped-for tryst with an underage teen armed with snacks. Another brought a mish-mash of sexual paraphernalia. One of the accused is already on the National Sex Offender Registry. None of these men are babes in the woods: The undercover detectives posed as children online, and then they waited. As expected, the alleged pedophiles — or as the faculty lounge now calls them, Minor Attracted Persons — came like flies to feces. As part of the probe, cops rescued nine real victims. But we should not be surprised by this latest outrage, according to Toronto criminal lawyer Monte MacGregor. 'Sexual offences — especially crimes against children — don't have penalties that accord with the actual damage done,' MacGregor told the Toronto Sun. 'These victims may be able to walk, talk and look like they have no issues on the outside, but inside they've been psychologically destroyed.' Among those arrested in the sweep was Steven Catucci, 47, of Whitby. DRPS alleged that Catucci thought he was talking to a 14-year-old girl. He then allegedly sent the teen sexually explicit images and arranged to meet in a Pickering park for sex. Kanav Bhatia, 24, of Toronto, was also ensnared in the spider's web. He allegedly lured and sexually assaulted two girls under the age of 16 in Peel. Cops say he used social media. He was also dinged with making child pornography. Taking the prize for the oldest charged was James Daw, 73, of Hamilton. Investigators say Daw allegedly communicated online with someone he believed was a 13-year-old girl. His missives to the girl allegedly contained 'sexually explicit messages and images,' and she was asked to send him photos. Investigators allege the man communicated on Chat IW with the username 'JuniorJohnson.' According to MacGregor, the goal for judges is a 'categorical comparison of severity' and to find the true reflection of harm done. 'The potential for recidivism isn't always captured. Sexual offences of this repugnant nature really call into question whether this offender should ever be released and whether any punishment will modify his inherent behaviour to endanger young children.' He added, 'I'm not a psychiatrist, but in the legal field, you have to ask whether rehabilitation is ever likely to occur.' MacGregor noted that the Supreme Court of Canada has also called for increased penalties for crimes against children. 'These people have their wires completely disconnected, and there isn't any amount of psychotherapy or medicine that can be administered to rewire their cognitive deficiencies,' he said. 'Eternally damaged and horrifically dangerous.' The investigation continues. None of the charges have been tested in court. PERSONS CHARGED – PROJECT SILKSTONE bhunter@ @HunterTOSun
The Courier
5 days ago
- General
- The Courier
Stirling paedophile 'MarriedFather' had sick chats with police decoy
A Stirling paedophile who engaged in sickening chats with a '14-year-old girl' was posting under the username 'MarriedFather'. David MacKay, 32, believed he was talking to a teenager called Sophie but he was actually being snared by an undercover police officer. He asked the 'girl' for photos of her in her school uniform after telling her 'I'm so turned on'. When police raided his house, officers called the phone number belonging to 'MarriedFather' and MacKay's phone rang. Fiscal depute Sophie Thorburn told Stirling Sheriff Court MacKay initially started messaging the 'girl' on the ChatIW platform. She said: 'About 08.16 hours 'Sophie' was contacted via the platform by another user who was using the username 'MarriedFather'. 'His profile provided that he was a 49-year-old male from the United Kingdom. 'There is a transcript of the engagement that took place on ChatIW, including chat of a sexual nature which continued after Sophie gave her age.' The court heard 'Sophie' said she was 14 and 'only been with a few guys'. MacKay responded: 'Been with any as old as me?' and was told she had met someone in his 40s who took her to the 'car park at M&D's'. MacKay asked: 'Was he rough?' and the decoy answered: 'No he was quite nice.' MacKay then spoke about the size of his genitals and asked inappropriate questions before writing: 'Mmmm f***, I'm so turned on, really want to fk you'. He then asked for a picture on the 'girl' in school uniform. The officer switched the chat to WhatsApp under the promise of sending a picture and sent a 'pre-approved, non-indecent' photo. MacKay responded 'love a uniform'. Police used the WhatsApp details to determine the phone number belonged to MacKay, of Bruce Street. In court, he admitted attempting to communicate indecently with a child at his home address in November last year. Sentence was deferred for reports and MacKay is on the sex offenders register in the interim.
The Courier
16-05-2025
- The Courier
Stirling paedophile caught chatting to '13-year-old girl' with username 'Luv A Te3n'
A serial paedophile with the username 'Luv A Te3n' engaged in a sickening web chat with what he thought was a 13-year-old girl. Mark Pentith was in fact exchanging messages with an undercover cop, Stirling Sheriff Court heard. The 56-year-old pled guilty to attempting to communicate indecently with a child between February 2 and 19 last year. Sentence was deferred but he was remanded in custody after the court heard he had been previously handed a two-year suspended sentence by an English court in 2011 for downloading indecent images of children, with a further analogous conviction from 2018. He was told a custodial sentence was a 'strong likelihood'. Fiscal depute Jamie Hilland said Pentith contacted the decoy account called Maisie on social media chatline ChatIW. He was using a profile with the username Luv A Te3n. 'Witness Maisie advised the accused she was 13 and the accused advised he was on ChatIW to 'chat to teen girls,' said Mr Hilland. 'Witness Maisie then asked the accused if he chatted on any other platforms and suggested moving the conversation to Snapchat. 'The accused agreed providing witness Maisie with the Snapchat profile Mark P. 'The accused and witness Maisie move to Snapchat where the conversation continued.' In one message from Pentith to the undercover officer he said: 'I don't want to get in trouble lol? You're underage?' In another message, he asked what kinds of sexual experience she had and whether she had touched a male. He also ordered her: 'Put your hand in your panties right now. Show me your hands in your panties Maisie'. Pentith went on to tell her that he was sitting on a sofa in his boxers and asked if she wanted to sit on his knee while wearing a revealing outfit, before asking her to send him a picture in her 'sexiest panties'. He was arrested just over a month later. Pentith, of Irvine Place, Stirling, was placed on the sex offenders register ahead of sentencing next month.
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Yahoo
Primary school teacher banned from classroom after online chats with undercover cop
A supply teacher who sent vile sexual messages about children was arrested in an undercover police sting, a disciplinary tribunal heard. Julian Barker, 50, has now been banned from the classroom indefinitely. A Teaching Regulation Agency panel heard he was working as a supply teacher at Pikes Lane Primary School in Deane, Bolton, when using the handles 'Funchats' and 'Martindad' he began chatting on messaging platforms Skype and ChatIW. He spoke with an adult who said they had 'access to children'. READ MORE: RECAP: Updates from Rivington reservoir as urgent 'stay away' warning issued READ MORE: BMW driving personal trainer 'on first date' admits guilt following A-road horror smash during police chase But in fact the person he was talking to was an undercover police officer. The conversation 'became sexual in content', the tribunal heard. In a partly redacted section of the TRA report it is also said Barker described 'engaging in sexual activity', although no further details are given. He was arrested on April 12, 2023. When police seized his mobile phone they found more 'sexualised messages' he had exchanged with other people online, including 'another user removing the child's clothing, appearing before the child naked and using their tongue to 'tickle' the child'. At Manchester magistrates' court on November 1, 2023, Barker pleaded guilty to publishing an obscene article, the TRA report says. He was sentenced to 60 hours community service with a requirement to do rehabilitation activity and was ordered to pay £199 costs. At the TRA hearing Barker admitted he had engaged in inappropriate online behaviour that was sexual in nature and centred around children. The panel heard Barker shared images of a child he had 'obtained from a website' and shared messages that were 'inherently sexual'. The panel ruled Barker was guilty of unacceptable professional conduct likely to bring the profession into disrepute. Although the crime took place outside of school, the panel said it 'connects directly to the conduct expected of those within the teaching profession and the standards which they are expected to uphold'. They wrote: "Given the significance of these findings, and the fact that the behaviour concerned sexualised communication, which was centred around children, the panel was satisfied that the conduct directly related to the teaching environment. The panel noted it was of particular significance that Mr Barker's conduct occurred at the time that he was a supply teacher within a primary school. "It therefore determined that Mr Barker's actions could directly impact upon his teaching role." Decision maker Marc Cavey banned Barker from the classroom indefinitely and ruled he is not entitled to apply to be reinstated. Barker has the right to appeal to the High Court within 28 days of the decision being made. A spokesperson for Pikes Lane Primary School told the Bolton Evening News: "Julian Barker worked at Pikes Lane Primary School as a supply teacher between September 2022 and March 2023. All necessary statutory safeguarding checks were completed by the supplier, and these were verified by the school. "There were no allegations of misconduct whilst he was at the school. The school acted immediately to safeguard pupils when it first became aware of the allegations and Julian Barker subsequently did not return to Pikes Lane."
