Latest news with #SexualAbuse
Daily Mirror
31-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
British Soap Awards 2025 sees Jacqueline Jossa lead famous arrivals
The British Soap Awards 2025 have finally kicked off again. This year, the annual event is being held in London. The biggest names in soap were gathered in London on Saturday night to celebrate the drama, laughs and highlights of the past year of stories on the small screen for the 2025 British Soap Awards. The ceremony is now in its 26th year, with winners voted for by the public. Famous faces from the land of soaps have started arriving, with Patsy Palmer and Jacqueline Jossa being amongst the first to walk the red carpet. The ceremony is being held at the Hackney Empire in the capital - and highlights from the show will air on ITV on Thursday 5 June. Coronation StreetEmmerdaleEastEndersHollyoaks Jack P. Shepherd - David Platt in Coronation StreetPatsy Palmer - Bianca Jackson in EastEndersNicola Wheeler - Nicola King in EmmerdaleNicole Barber-Lane - Myra McQueen in Hollyoaks Kellie Bright - Linda Carter in EastEndersLacey Turner - Stacey Slater in EastEndersBeth Cordingly - Ruby Fox-Miligan in EmmerdaleEden Taylor-Draper - Belle Dingle in Emmerdale Calum Lill - Joel Deering in Coronation StreetNavin Chowdhry - Nish Panesar in EastEndersNed Porteous - Joe Tate in EmmerdaleTyler Conti - Abe Fielding in Hollyoaks Peter Ash - Paul Foreman in Coronation StreetSteve McFadden - Phil Mitchell in EastEndersEden Taylor-Draper - Belle Dingle in EmmerdaleIsabelle Smith - Frankie Osborne in Hollyoaks The Platts - Coronation StreetThe Slaters - EastEndersThe Dingles - EmmerdaleThe Osbornes - Hollyoaks Jacob Roberts - Kit Green in Coronation StreetLaura Doddington - Nicola Mitchell in EastEndersShebz Miah - Kammy Hadiq in EmmerdaleIsabelle Smith - Frankie Osborne in Hollyoaks Alison King and Vicky Myers - Carla Connor and Lisa Swain in Coronation StreetRudolph Walker and Angela Wynter - Patrick and Yolande Trueman in EastEndersWilliam Ash and Beth Cordingly - Caleb and Ruby Miligan in EmmerdaleNathaniel Dass and Oscar Curtis - Dillon Ray and Lucas Hay in Hollyoaks Mason's Death - Coronation StreetPhil's Psychosis: The Mitchells in 1985 - EastEndersApril's Life on the Streets - EmmerdaleHollyoaks Time Jump - Hollyoaks Paul's Battle with MND - Coronation StreetPhil Mitchell: Hypermasculinity in Crisis - EastEndersBelle & Tom: Domestic Abuse - EmmerdaleSibling Sexual Abuse - Hollyoaks Will Flanagan - Joseph Winter-Brown in Coronation StreetSonny Kendall - Tommy Moon in EastEndersAmelia Flanagan - April Windsor in EmmerdaleNoah Holdsworth - Oscar Osborne in Hollyoaks Mason's Death – The Effects of Knife Crime - Coronation StreetEastEnders at 40: Angie Watts' Shock Return - EastEndersAmy's Deathly Plunge Reveals a Grisly Secret - EmmerdaleMercedes Confronts Her Mortality - Hollyoaks There are also awards for and which are announced on the night Jacqueline, who is best known for playing Lauren Branning, oozed glamour and sophistication as she rocked a dress featuring a daring thigh split. Both EastEnders and Emmerdale have been nominated 13 times across 12 categories - making themy the shows to beat on Saturday night. Coronation Street and Hollyoaks are not far behind, however, as both are up for 11 nominations each. EastEnders has been first out the gate, however, scooping the Best British Soap award over the other rival shows. While all the winners will be unvieled at the ceremony on Saturday night, the ceremony won't be broadcast on ITV until Thursday 5 June at 8pm. Singer and TV star Jane McDonald has been hosting the event since 2023 and was back to preside over the ceremony on Saturday. Despite hosting the show before, Jane admits she does get star struck by her famous audience. She told Inside Soap previously: "Hosting this is a massive thing for me because I'm a genuine fan. I get starstruck standing on the stage in front of all the soap actors!" Celebrities arrived at the Hackney Empire theatre in London on Saturday for the British Soap Awards 2025. Stars from Coronation Street, Emmerdale, Hollyoaks and more were in attendance to find out who won what, as voted for by the public. EastEnders star Sophie Khan Levy and soap icon Patsy Palmer were among the first to arrive at the event, with both ladies opting for blue outfits.
RTÉ News
20-05-2025
- RTÉ News
Expert warns parents over AI deepfakes of children
Only 20 images of a child are needed to create a deepfake video of them, a leading expert in cybersecurity has warned. The study, conducted by Perspectus Global, focused on 2,000 parents with children under the age of 16 in the UK, and showed that parents upload an average of 63 images to social media every month. Over half of these photos include family photos (59%), with one in five parents (21%) uploading these types of images multiple times a week. Speaking on RTÉ's Today with Claire Byrne, CEO of Mick Moran, said that as AI gets stronger, the 20 images required to create the videos will be reduced to only one. "The big worry is that these AI models will be used to create CSAM (Child Sexual Abuse Material) and children involved in sex acts," he said. "We've already seen in the past, innocent images that kids themselves are posting, or their parents are posting, being used in advertising pornography sites. "In this case however, giving a certain data set of images, 20 of them, will allow you to produce a non-limited amount in any scenario of that child." Mr Moran explained that the risk of CSAM is only one aspect of the issue, and the deep-fake videos could also be used for fraud or for scams. "You have to be aware that your data is being used to train these models and fundamentally, any information you share online can be used in ways you never intended." He said that if images are being shared publicly, the expectation of privacy is "gone," adding that some companies see uploaded material as under "implicit consent." "If you're an adult and you share a picture... it attracts different rules under data protection. However, if you're a parent and you share a picture of your child or another child, it is deemed to be implicit consent from the parent that transfers to the child, and therefore they can use the image." Parents urged to limit social media privacy settings Mr Moran said that there is "no problem" in sharing images online, as long as the audience who can view it is limited through social media privacy settings. He called on the Government to bring in legislation to make it illegal to possess or to make an engine which trains AI to produce CSAM. "CSAM and child pornography are illegal under the Child Trafficking and Pornography Act of 1998, so it's illegal to possess it, whether it's made by AI or not," he said. "What I'd be calling on the Government to do here would be to make it illegal to possess, make an engine, or to train an AI engine that will produce CSAM - that's not illegal. "What you put into it might be illegal, what comes out of it might be illegal, but the act of doing it is not necessarily illegal," he added.
Irish Examiner
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Examiner
Just over €65m paid out in mother and baby home redress scheme
Just over €65m has been so far paid out under the mother and baby home redress scheme. However, renewed calls have been made to end the "arbitrary exclusion" from the scheme of people who spent less than six months in a home as well as those who were in institutions not named in the final report. Labour leader Ivana Bacik has also hit out at the majority of religious orders who were involved in running mother and baby homes who have refused to pay into the scheme. Only two of eight religious bodies linked to mother and baby homes have offered to contribute to a survivor redress scheme despite lengthy negotiations. The Sisters of Bon Secours offered €12.97m, a sum deemed as meaningful and accepted by the Government. The Daughters of Charity of St Vincent de Paul proposed contributing a building to the scheme and this offer is being considered by the Government. A third religious body — the Sisters of St John of God — declined to contribute to the scheme but offered a conditional donation of €75,000 to be used for a charitable purpose associated with mother and baby home survivors. No offer from five religious bodies The remaining five bodies — the Congregation of Lady of the Good Shepherd; the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary; the Congregation of the Sisters of Mercy; the Legion of Mary; and the Church of Ireland — made no offer. 'Sadly, many culpable religious orders refuse to pay redress or even acknowledge wrongdoing," Ms Bacik said. "Urgently, the Government must enact Labour's Civil Liability (Child Sexual Abuse Proceedings Unincorporated Bodies of Persons) Bill 2024. "This Bill would enable the State to compel religious orders to pay redress to survivors of abuse perpetrated within or by religious-run institutions, and also to survivors of mother and baby homes. "The bill, which was published last September, aims to provide a remedy for Government to address the legal obstruction tactics so routinely deployed by religious orders and their associated lay-run trusts. "These tactics are used to avoid having to pay redress to those who have endured abuse in institutions controlled by such orders. 'We have a dark and shameful past of institutional abuse in Ireland." For many decades, we have seen religious orders and institutions engaged in the covering up of this tragic history, with resulting injustice to survivors. "If we've learned anything as a nation, it is that accountability must be provided for survivors and victims of abuse," she said. Figures provided to Ms Bacik show that more than 6,460 applications have been made to the scheme, which opened in March 2024. Some 5,670 notices of determination have issued to applicants, over 81% of which contain an offer of benefits under the scheme. Applicants then have six months to consider their offer, before they need to respond to the Payment Office. Almost 5,000 payments are either processed and completed or in the process of being made and the total amount which has been paid out under the redress scheme to date is over €65m.
Daily Mirror
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Russell Brand's courtroom sketch revealed as he faces sexual assault charges
Former comedian and actor Russell Brand was granted conditional bail at Westminster Magistrates' Court today as he appeared straight faced and kept his arms and legs crossed Russell Brand kept his arms crossed as he sat in court during his 12-minute hearing. The former comedian and actor appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court today to face charges of rape and sexual assault and was granted conditional bail. A court sketch has shown Brand as the clerk read out the charges in full. He was charged by post last month with one count each of rape, indecent assault and oral rape, as well as two counts of sexual assault, relating to four separate women, in alleged assaults said to date back 26 years. In the image, Brand sitting with his arms folded as he looked on. He wore a black shirt that was buttoned only to his midriff and a pair of black trousers. The comedian was dressed casually in court, wearing a distressed black denim shirt - which he left slightly unbuttoned - and a pair of black distressed jeans with a brown belt. Brand kept a straight expression as he also crossed his legs while sitting on a row of chairs. During the hearing, Brand also stood up in front of Chief Magistrate Goldspring. The clerk read out the charges in full but Brand was not asked to enter any pleas and his case was sent to the Old Bailey where he is due to appear on May 30. Brand walked slowly out of the court, staring straight ahead. Detectives launched an investigation after he was accused by several women in September 2023. The Crown Prosecution Services authorised charging Brand, who lives in the US, in April. Det Supt Andy Furphy, from the Met police, said at the time: "The women who have made reports continue to receive support from trained officers. The Met's investigation remains open and detectives ask anyone who has been affected by this case, or anyone who has any information, to come forward. "A team of investigators is available via email at CIT@ Support is also available by contacting the 24/7 Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Line." Jaswant Narwal, of the CPS, said: "We have today authorised the Metropolitan Police to charge Russell Brand with a number of sexual offences." After the 2023 allegations, which followed a joint investigation by The Sunday Times and Channel 4 Dispatches, he vehemently denied any wrongdoing, insisting all his relationships have been consensual.
Daily Mirror
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Russell Brand appears in court TODAY on rape and sex assault charges
Former comedian Russell Brand is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court today after he was charged with allegations of rape and sexual assault by the Metropolitan Police last month Ex comedian Russell Brand is due to appear in court today after being charged with rape and sexual assault last month. He is expected at Westminster Magistrates' Court, with a hearing scheduled to begin at 10am this morning. Brand, 49, is charged with a number of alleged crimes dating back to 1999, following an investigation by the Metropolitan Police. On Friday April 4, the Metropolitan Police and the Crown Prosecution Service issued statements to announce Brand's charges. Police began investigating Brand in September 2023 after receiving a number of reports, which followed allegations made by a report from Channel 4 's Dispatches and The Sunday Times. The Met later concluded Brand should be charged in connection with alleged offences between 1999 and 2005, involving four women. The former comedian, TV and film star will appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court for a pre-trial hearing today. It is understood Brand lives in the US and the charges were posted to him. On Friday April 4, a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police confirmed Brand had been charged in a statement. Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy, who is leading the investigation, shared details about the case. He said: "The women who have made reports continue to receive support from specially trained officers. The Met's investigation remains open and detectives ask anyone who has been affected by this case, or anyone who has any information, to come forward and speak with police." He continued: "A dedicated team of investigators is available via email at CIT@ Support is also available by contacting the independent charity, Rape Crisis at 24/7 Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Line." Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Crown Prosecution Service, Jaswant Narwal, said: "We have today authorised the Metropolitan Police to charge Russell Brand with a number of sexual offences. "We carefully reviewed the evidence after a police investigation into allegations made following the broadcast of a Channel 4 documentary in September 2023. We have concluded that Russell Brand should be charged with offences including rape, sexual assault and indecent assault. These relate to reported non-recent offences between 1999 and 2005, involving four women." She added: "The Crown Prosecution Service reminds everyone that criminal proceedings are active, and the defendant has the right to a fair trial. It is extremely important that there be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings." Following the announcement of the charges, Brand denied the allegations in a video shared on his Instagram. Speaking in the video released shortly after the charges were announced, Brand said: "I've always told you guys that when I was young and single, before I had my wife and family who are just out of shot over there, my beautiful children, I was a fool, man. "I was a fool, man, before I lived in the light of the Lord. I was a drug addict, a sex addict, and an imbecile, but what I never was, was a rapist. I've never engaged in non-consensual activity, I pray that you can see that by looking in my eyes. I want to thank all of you for your continuing support. "I want let you know that our show will be on Rumble on Monday, thanks for your support there. And of course I'm now going to have the opportunity to defend these charges in court and I'm incredibly grateful for that. In the meantime you lot, stay free. and we will be continuing to discuss this matter. Praise the Lord."
