Latest news with #childgrooming
ABC News
6 days ago
- ABC News
Christopher James McCann, charged with procuring under-age girls for sex, found dead
A Commonwealth Bank executive charged with procuring under-age girls for sex has been found dead in the Gold Coast hinterland, police have confirmed. Christopher James McCann had been extradited from Sydney to face court on the grooming charges. Queensland police confirmed the 50-year-old was found dead in Springbrook National Park on Wednesday. Last week Mr McCann was arrested in Sydney and appeared at Central Local Court. Detectives from Brisbane made an application to extradite him to Queensland to face one charge of using the internet to procure a child under 16 for sex. At the time, the court heard Mr McCann, who had no prior criminal history, allegedly asked an 18-year-old sex worker in Brisbane to procure two children for him to have sex with. In May he then travelled to Brisbane where he was staying in a hotel, and the 18-year-old woman allegedly brought the two younger girls to meet him, the court heard. However the court heard, it's alleged Mr McCann did not open the door to them and a hotel staff member became involved. The court heard police had previously intercepted Mr McCann's phone and his home had been searched and electronics seized. Mr McCann tried to apply for bail and travel to Brisbane himself, but Magistrate Clare Farnan refused, describing the allegations against him as 'very serious'. 'Whilst the single count before the court is one which did not result in any harm to an actual child, if I can put it in that way, it is an allegation of Mr McCann having allegedly tried to procure underage girls for the purpose of a sexual act,' she said. The extradition was granted, and Mr McCann was flown to Brisbane alongside police. He had appeared in the Brisbane Magistrates Court on Monday where he was accused of using the internet to engage a Brisbane sex worker to supply the services of two girls aged 14 and 15 while staying at the five star Sofitel Hotel in May. It was reported he was granted bail to reappear on August 4 and ordered to stay with a friend who lived on the Gold Coast. He was also ordered to possess only one phone, report to police once a week and be subjected to a no drug ban with regular tests. The high-flying executive worked in the bank's finance team, and was sacked after the allegations were made public. Queensland police said the death was non-suspicious and report was being prepared for the coroner. Mr McCann's defence attorney has been contacted for comment.
Yahoo
06-07-2025
- Yahoo
Child grooming in London at 'catastrophic' levels
Levels of child grooming in London are "more catastrophic" than anywhere else in the country, a care sector activist and abuse survivor has said. Chris Wild said grooming and criminal exploitation are rife in the capital, and it is being missed due to poor data-sharing and underfunded services. A review by Baroness Louise Casey into child grooming gangs across England found a "mismatch" in the way the way the Metropolitan Police and local authorities record child abuse. The force said it would improve data collection, while the Home Office said it was implementing the "the largest ever" package of measures to tackle child sexual abuse. According to the report, the Met logged 2.77 contact child sexual abuse cases per 1,000 children, while London boroughs recorded just 1.3 child-in-need assessments for child sexual exploitation and 1.79 for child sexual abuse. The inconsistency could suggest some cases are slipping through the cracks. Mr Wild said he had worked in this sector for 10 years, predominantly in London. He entered the care system in Halifax, West Yorkshire aged 11, following the death of his father and decline in his mother's mental health. "It wasn't just any children's home, it was a children's home run by paedophiles," he said. Mr Wild has since campaigned for reforms aimed at protecting children in the care system. Key takeaways from grooming gangs report Cover-up culture saw hundreds abused - report Met dissuaded children from reporting sexual abuse He said he had seen "children being groomed, children going missing, forced into county lines [drug gangs]". He believes grooming gangs in London target vulnerable children for an "expansive" range of purposes, ranging from drug dealing to prostitution. A Met Police spokesperson said "too many victims, particularly young girls, were let down" and that "policing must and will do better". "While in London we assess that criminal exploitation, such as county lines, currently poses the most prevalent threat to children, we recognise - as the review finds - that our data must improve to give a fuller picture. We are acting on this," they added. Warda Mohamed, founder of safeguarding charity Lasting Support, said the lack of consistent data fuelled public ignorance. "If people knew exactly how bad it was, with all the intercity details involved, then yes, there would be more interest," she said. Ms Mohamed added that cuts to services have left vulnerable children without regular contact with adults who can spot abuse. Mr Wild called on politicians and public bodies to act to prevent the loss of another "generation of young people through ignorance". A Home Office spokesperson said they "accepted all of the recommendations" in Baroness Casey's report, including protecting children and supporting victims. "They should stop being blamed for the appalling crimes committed against them." Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to
BBC News
06-07-2025
- BBC News
Child grooming is 'catastrophic' in London, says survivor
Levels of child grooming in London are "more catastrophic" than anywhere else in the country, a care sector activist and abuse survivor has Wild said grooming and criminal exploitation are rife in the capital, and it is being missed due to poor data-sharing and underfunded services.A review by Baroness Louise Casey into child grooming gangs across England found a "mismatch" in the way the way the Metropolitan Police and local authorities record child force said it would improve data collection, while the Home Office said it was implementing the "the largest ever" package of measures to tackle child sexual abuse. According to the report, the Met logged 2.77 contact child sexual abuse cases per 1,000 children, while London boroughs recorded just 1.3 child-in-need assessments for child sexual exploitation and 1.79 for child sexual inconsistency could suggest some cases are slipping through the cracks. Mr Wild said he had worked in this sector for 10 years, predominantly in entered the care system in Halifax, West Yorkshire aged 11, following the death of his father and decline in his mother's mental health. "It wasn't just any children's home, it was a children's home run by paedophiles," he Wild has since campaigned for reforms aimed at protecting children in the care system. He said he had seen "children being groomed, children going missing, forced into county lines [drug gangs]".He believes grooming gangs in London target vulnerable children for an "expansive" range of purposes, ranging from drug dealing to prostitution. A Met Police spokesperson said "too many victims, particularly young girls, were let down" and that "policing must and will do better"."While in London we assess that criminal exploitation, such as county lines, currently poses the most prevalent threat to children, we recognise - as the review finds - that our data must improve to give a fuller picture. We are acting on this," they added. Warda Mohamed, founder of safeguarding charity Lasting Support, said the lack of consistent data fuelled public ignorance. "If people knew exactly how bad it was, with all the intercity details involved, then yes, there would be more interest," she Mohamed added that cuts to services have left vulnerable children without regular contact with adults who can spot abuse. Mr Wild called on politicians and public bodies to act to prevent the loss of another "generation of young people through ignorance".A Home Office spokesperson said they "accepted all of the recommendations" in Baroness Casey's report, including protecting children and supporting victims."They should stop being blamed for the appalling crimes committed against them."
BBC News
03-07-2025
- BBC News
Manchester City Council redactions 'delayed grooming cases'
Investigations into historical child grooming cases were significantly delayed because a city council heavily redacted pages of evidence, a report has found. His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) found some material provided by Manchester City Council contained pages with only a few words visible on watchdog said this "made it impossible to assess the evidential value of the information" but said a new process had since been agreed to share City Council said "complex" rules about sharing personal data meant that prosecutions could have been jeopardised if some information had been included in the evidence. The information came to light as part of an inspection into Greater Manchester Police's (GMP) historical handling of child sexual exploitation cases, which found the force had made significant improvements after a series of damning reports into its handling of allegations. 'Particularly affected' The review by the HMICFRS was commissioned by Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, in 2024 to look at the "current and ongoing provision".The report noted how each of the 10 local authorities in Greater Manchester had its own agreement about what information would be shared with police."Some are willing to share all available information and do so promptly and without redactions," the review found."Others will only do so in accordance with strict rules on what can be included."This has led to significant delays in investigations and in the preparation of evidence for court."It noted how Operations Green Jacket and Bernese had been "particularly affected by these delays".Only one person has been convicted as part of Operation Green Jacket, which was launched six years ago to investigate child sexual exploitation in south Manchester in the early Bernese was set up to investigate child sexual abuse following the death of 15-year-old Victoria Agoglia in who was in care, died of a drugs overdose two months after reporting she had been raped and injected with heroin by an older man."Material provided by Manchester City Council took many months to arrive and was so heavily redacted that some pages contained only a few words," the report found."This made it impossible to assess the evidential value of the information."A Manchester City Council spokesman said the authority had been "committed from the outset" to bringing offenders to justice. The spokesman added: "The sharing of personal data is a complex legal area. Failure to follow the relevant guidelines correctly would risk such information being ruled inadmissible in court, serving to jeopardise prosecutions rather than to advance them."As this work has progressed, we've been able to develop information-sharing protocols with the police which have enhanced processes and been so successful that they have been adopted elsewhere."HMICFRS said GMP, the council and Crown Prosecution Service had since agreed a new way of working together."Investigators can view and assess unredacted documents remotely," HMICFRS said while this was "far more efficient and effective", it had meant the process had had to be started again. HMICFRS highlighted how GMP had made significant improvements in how it investigated child grooming watchdog found the force had a "strong multi-agency approach to investigating child sexual exploitation" and had "significant resources committed to support these investigations".It now has a specialist Child Sexual Exploitation Major Investigation Team with 98 dedicated staff, working with statutory and non-statutory agencies to support victims. 'Lost trust' HMICFRS also noted GMP had a "good strategic and operational leadership and governance arrangements in place for investigations".But there were "various training gaps" and previous failings had resulted in an "irrecoverable loss of trust".Speaking ahead of the publication of the report, former detective Maggie Oliver, who resigned from GMP over its handling of the Rochdale grooming cases, said: "They have been through the most horrific childhoods that you could imagine."They've got no reason to trust anybody but when they do put their trust in the system, it's unforgivable that they are failed again and again and again."Michelle Skeer, His Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary, said: "We found that since 2019, when GMP started to review its non-recent child sexual exploitation investigations, the force has improved its understanding and approach to investigating allegations of child criminal and sexual exploitation."It is clear that the force has for many years been trying to provide a better service to those who have or may have experienced sexual exploitation."But for some, trust and confidence in the police had been lost, and the force would not be able to rectify their experiences."The Greater Manchester Combined Authority and The Crown Prosecution Service have been approached for comment. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
Telegraph
20-06-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Jenrick: Grooming gang members must face automatic life sentences
Child sexual groomers must face automatic life sentences and should be barred from big discounts on their sentences if they plead guilty, Robert Jenrick has said. Setting out his party's policy in the wake of the Baroness Casey review, the shadow justice secretary said it should be 'the norm' for anyone convicted of a rape or sexual offence involving child grooming to face a life sentence. He said they should also serve consecutive terms where there are multiple victims, instead of the common current practice where the sentences run concurrently. This would mean that a man handed three separate terms of 10 years for rape would have to serve 30 years. Mr Jenrick also proposed that child sexual groomers should be barred from eligibility for a third off their sentence if they plead guilty at their first court hearing, as is currently the case under the discount scheme. The decades-old system is designed to encourage early guilty pleas, which can spare victims the trauma of appearing before a court and also speed up justice. The Tories are also proposing to review overall discounts where a guilty plea earns a quarter off the sentence if entered after the first hearing but before the trial starts. Offenders can also get a tenth off if they plead guilty when the trial begins. Mr Jenrick said: 'There should be no guilty plea discounts for organised sexual exploitation. The privilege should stay only for low-level, non-violent crime where victims genuinely avoid court.' As part of the proposed policy, he said dual nationals convicted of child exploitation should be stripped of their British citizenship and foreign nationals should be deported the 'moment their sentence ends'. Loophole exploited The Home Office has taken such action against two of the ringleaders of the Rochdale grooming gang scandal, Qari Abdul Rauf, a 55-year-old father of five, and Adil Khan, 54, who were jailed in 2012 for their part in raping or sexually assaulting 47 girls, including some as young as 12. But the pair have exploited a loophole by also renouncing their Pakistani citizenship, which has led to a stalemate, with Pakistan refusing to take them back as it no longer recognises them as citizens. Tory sources said they would investigate whether they could close the loophole and would also review the lower tariff discounts to sentences for serious offenders such as child sex groomers. The moves follow low sentences issued to groomers such as Sohail Zaffer, 41, who was jailed for just three years and six months for raping a child, and Manzon Akhtar, imprisoned for four and a half years, also for raping a child. Mr Jenrick said: 'These men have been sentenced but not punished. They are already back out walking the same streets as their victims. 'These were some of the few who were convicted. The Telford inquiry found that more than 1,000 girls were raped and abused, yet just 10 men have been convicted for their crimes.' He said that even when they were prosecuted, serious flaws in the criminal justice system meant that they did not get the longer sentences merited by their crimes. 'Tactical giveaway' 'First, many rape gang trials happened more than 20 years after the abuse. Under Article 7 of the European Convention on Human Rights, judges are forbidden from imposing a harsher penalty than was available at the time of the crime,' he added. 'In the 1990s, indecent assault on a child carried a 10-year cap, not life – so the court's hands were tied, even when the same act today would attract a life tariff. 'Second are discounts. A rapist who pleads guilty at the first hearing is automatically given up to a third off their sentence. The rule was meant to spare victims from cross-examination. In grooming gang cases, it's become a tactical giveaway – the damage is done, victims still relive the abuse in court statements and the perpetrator bags a shorter stretch. 'For group child rape that trade off simply isn't defensible, not least for victims who have waited decades for justice. 'Third is the totality rule: when an offender faces many counts, judges, as bound by the Sentencing Council, must make the overall term 'just and proportionate'. They therefore run most sentences concurrently. 'Mohammed Din was convicted of 11 rapes, each worth well into double digits, but received 14 years in total because the terms all overlap. That's barely a year per rape. 'The result? Derisory jail terms that insult survivors, embolden predators and shred public confidence in justice.'
