Latest news with #Weymouth
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Anti-social behaviour concerns over impact of new building at children's home
Anti-social behaviour has been cited as a possible concern as councillors considered a planning application. Weymouth Town Council's Planning and Licensing Committee heard that residents in Wyke Regis are concerned about proposals to 'erect an outbuilding in the rear garden of a property in the area to be used in connection with the authorised use of the site as a children's residential home.' An email sent by Cllr Gill Taylor was read out to the meeting. It said: 'I have had a resident concerned about the following application. This property is managed by children's services and houses young people who need a high level of support. There have been problems with anti-social behaviour from the residents in the past which sounds to me may have not been well managed. 'I have been told that there's a well-used lane behind where they are intending to put the building and on the other side of the lane is an outbuilding where the young person uses a drum kit.' According to planning documents, the children's' residential home provides attachment and trauma-informed care to one child or young person aged 7-17. The proposed building would be located in the rear garden area of the property and would have dimensions of 4.19m x 3.28m with a maximum height of 2.5m. It would replace an existing outbuilding in the rear garden area as shown on the block plan. The proposed outbuilding will be used to support the child in the care of the client on site, to recover from the impacts of adversity, trauma, abuse and neglect and if approved would create a separate space from the living environment for 'teaching' of the on-site resident. The building would not be used to 'house' additional children but to improve services on offer to the child on site to aid their care and support. Cllr Simon Clifford said: 'My view is that we have got no scope to do anything to reject this but perhaps make a comment saying make sure that noise is kept to a minimum or something along those lines.' Cllr Jon Orrell added: 'I agree that we wouldn't want to reject this as it's important that children are looked after and have a bit of space. It does seem to be quite a decent sized plot. Make sure it's approved with conditions such as being well-monitored and sound proofed. 'It's quite helpful that they have a sensory room for children with disturbed behaviour because they can get away from the situation and calm down – so in many ways it ought to be a means of improving the situation rather than making it worse.' Weymouth Town Council supported the planning application, but commented that 'the home needs to be aware of its responsibilities to its local neighbourhood, including disturbance, anti-social behaviour and noise.' Dorset Council will have the final say on the application.
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Daily Mail
Man who stole his paedophile uncle's £70,000 savings as he serves 27 years in jail for sex offences joins him behind bars
A man who stole his paedophile uncle's £70,000 while he was in jail has now joined him. Lee Barnett was given power of attorney over Kenneth Rogers's affairs in 2022 when he was jailed for 27 years for historic child sex offences. He was told to sell Roger's house and to put the money into his uncle's bank account so he could access it when he left prison. The sale of the property in Weymouth, Dorset, raised about £150,000 and after fees were paid, the sum left over was £70,000. But the 37-year-old instead sent the entire sum to his own account from July 2022. By the time he was caught and arrested in September 2023, the jailed paedophile's life savings had all been wiped out. He was charged with fraud by abuse of position and went on trial at Bournemouth Crown Court last month. And has now been found guilty and was jailed for three years. Thomas Evans, prosecuting, said that Barnett had committed an 'abuse of trust' and that Rogers had been 'left with nothing'. But the judge said it was wrong to refer to Rogers as a 'vulnerable victim' due to the 'very serious offences' he committed. However, he said the size of the fraud meant he had to impose an immediate custodial sentence. His Honour Judge William Mousley said: 'You are the nephew of Kenneth Rogers, who received a 27-year prison sentence in respect of serious sexual offences. 'As a result of him going to prison, you were asked by him to help look after his financial affairs whilst he was serving his sentence. 'That involved the sale of his house and for the money to be kept so he would have it when he came out of prison. 'You agreed to take power of attorney over his financial affairs and the property was sold in April 2022. 'Between July and August 2022, by various means, you transferred the money to your accounts and in just a few weeks you had taken the whole £70,000. 'It's difficult to see where it all went, but I'm quite sure you weren't investing the money for his benefit. 'To an extent there is the targeting of a vulnerable victim but the victim himself was responsible for his vulnerability by reason of the very serious offences he committed.' The court heard that Barnett, of Chard, Somerset, suffered from ADHD and learning difficulties, He had committed no previous similar offences and was the primary carer for his partner. He sobbed while the judge sent him to prison, where he will serve 40 per cent of his sentence before being released on parole. Rogers, now aged 62, of Weymouth, was found guilty to seven counts of rape of a child under the age of 16, one count of rape of a child under 13, indecent assault, assault of a child under 13 and possession of indecent images of a child after a trial at Bournemouth Crown Court in January 2022. The offences were carried out between the 1980s and 2000s.
Telegraph
7 days ago
- Telegraph
Man jailed for stealing paedophile's £70k savings
A man who stole his paedophile uncle's £70,000 savings while he was in jail has joined him in prison. Lee Barnett was given power of attorney over the financial affairs of his relative, Kenneth Rogers, who was jailed in 2022 for 27 years over historic child sex offences. He was instructed to sell Rogers' house and put the money in his bank account so he could access it upon his release. The sale of the property in Weymouth, Dorset, raised about £150,000, and after fees were paid, the sum left over was £70,000. But instead of leaving the funds for his uncle, Barnett transferred the entire proceeds into his own accounts from July 2022. By the time the fraud was uncovered and Barnett was arrested in September 2023, Rogers' savings had all been used in ways unknown. Barnett, 37, was charged with fraud by abuse of position and went on trial at Bournemouth Crown Court last month. He was found guilty and has been jailed for three years. Thomas Evans, prosecuting, said that Barnett had committed an 'abuse of trust' and that Rogers, 62, had been 'left with nothing'. But the judge said it was wrong to refer to Rogers as a 'vulnerable victim' because of the 'very serious offences' he committed. However, he said the size of the fraud meant he had to impose an immediate custodial sentence. Justice William Mousley said: 'You are the nephew of Kenneth Rogers, who received a 27-year prison sentence in respect of serious sexual offences. 'As a result of him going to prison, you were asked by him to help look after his financial affairs whilst he was serving his sentence. 'That involved the sale of his house and for the money to be kept so he would have it when he came out of prison. 'You agreed to take power of attorney over his financial affairs and the property was sold in April 2022. 'Between July and August 2022, by various means, you transferred the money to your accounts and in just a few weeks you had taken the whole £70,000. 'It's difficult to see where it all went, but I'm quite sure you weren't investing the money for his benefit.' The court heard that Barnett, of Chard, Somerset, suffered from ADHD and learning difficulties, He had committed no previous similar offences and was the primary carer for his partner. He cried while the judge sent him to prison, where he will serve 40 per cent of his sentence before being released on parole. Rogers, of Weymouth, was found guilty to seven counts of rape of a child under the age of 16, one count of rape of a child under 13, indecent assault, assault of a child under 13, and possession of indecent images of a child after a trial at Bournemouth Crown Court in January 2022. The offences were carried out between the 1980s and 2000s.
The Sun
22-07-2025
- The Sun
Bibby Stockholm asylum seeker's chilling words before sexually assaulting teenage girl
AN ASYLUM seeker on the Bibby Stockholm sexually assaulted a teen girl after saying "I've never been this close to a white woman". Moffat Konofilia, who travelled 10,000 miles from the Solomon Islands, tried to kiss the terrified 17-year-old as she sat on Weymouth seafront in Dorset. 2 The ex-footballer, 48, told her he was on holiday - but in fact he lived on the controversial migrant barge moored at nearby Portland. The girl said Konofilia commented on the colour of her skin and said he had 'never been this close to a white woman' which made her feel uncomfortable. She began secretly recording their conversation and was heard saying 'no, no' as Konofilia tried to kiss her on the mouth before apologising. The victim left to walk home and Konofilia tried to follow her but she managed to lose him down an alleyway. After the sexual assault the girl called a friend crying and asked them to meet her. She reported the incident to police the next day. The migrant, who had played for Solomon Islands national team, said he had taken the bus into the Dorset seaside town and bought beers to drink on the beach 'as he often did'. When interviewed by police he said the girl told him she was 18 and that he wanted to help her. He claimed he had not kissed her but had put an arm around her to comfort her and she had pulled away. He denied kissing her or following her when she left. Konofilia was found guilty of one count of sexual assault by magistrates in Poole. Shock moment cops DRIVE INTO protester while under siege from yobs as chaos erupts over small boat migrant 'sex assault' Sentencing was adjourned for reports and he was released on bail. He now lives at Quadrant Hall in Coventry, a former university halls that was converted to house 100 asylum seekers. Although he speaks English, he said his first language is Pijin, a common language in the Solomon Islands. At a previous court hearing he said he had two interviews for his asylum claim which depended on the outcome of this case. The Solomon Islands are the seventh furthest country from the UK and there are currently no specific visas for Solomon Islanders to enter the UK to seek asylum. Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea are the primary destinations for asylum seekers from the Solomon Islands. 2
Telegraph
21-07-2025
- Telegraph
Migrant who sexually assaulted 17-year-old had ‘never been so close to a white woman'
An asylum seeker convicted of assaulting a teenage girl on a beach told her he had 'never been this close to a white woman'. Moffat Konofilia who travelled 10,000 miles to the UK from the Solomon Islands was staying on the Bibby Stockholm migrant barge in Portland, Dorset, in December 2023 when he carried out the offence on the nearby Weymouth seafront. The 48-year-old sat next to the 17-year-old girl on the beach and began talking to her. The girl, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, said Konofilia commented on the colour of her skin and said he had 'never been this close to a white woman', which made her feel uncomfortable. He told her he was in Weymouth on holiday but in fact he lived on the barge that is moored at Portland Port, a court was told. He had taken the bus into Weymouth and bought beers to drink on the beach, 'as he often did'. The girl began secretly recording their conversation and was heard saying 'no, no' as Konofilia tried to kiss her on the mouth before apologising. The victim left to walk home and Konofilia tried to follow her but she managed to lose him down an alleyway, the court was told. The girl reported the incident to the authorities the next day. When Konofilia was interviewed by police he said the girl told him she was 18 and that he wanted to help her. He claimed he had not kissed her but had put an arm around her to comfort her and she had pulled away. He denied kissing her or following her when she left. Konofilia, a former footballer for the Solomon Islands national team, was found guilty of one count of sexual assault by magistrates in Poole. Sentencing was adjourned for reports and he was released on bail. He now resides at Quadrant Hall in Coventry, which is a former university accommodation hall that was converted to house 100 asylum seekers. Although he speaks English, he said his first language was Pijin, a common language in the Solomon Islands. At a previous court hearing, he said he had two interviews for his asylum claim which depended on the outcome of this case. The Solomon Islands are the seventh-furthest country from the UK and there are currently no specific visas for Solomon Islanders to enter the UK to seek asylum. Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea are the primary destinations for asylum seekers from the Solomon Islands.
