Latest news with #childgrooming
Telegraph
17 hours ago
- General
- Telegraph
Pakistani men more likely to be suspects in grooming cases
Pakistanis are more likely to be suspects in child grooming cases than the general population, police data suggest. Figures from the 43 police forces in England and Wales show that nearly one in 10 (9.7 per cent) of the suspects in group-based child sexual exploitation cases were Pakistani in the period from January 2023 to September 2024. This is more than three times their representation in the general population, where Pakistanis account for 2.7 per cent, according to the 2021 census. The figures were disclosed under freedom of information laws by the team behind the first national police scheme to collect and analyse police-recorded 'group-based' child sexual abuse, including the ethnic background of perpetrators. The Hydrant Programme was set up by police after criticism in the 2022 Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse by Prof Alexis Jay of the 'widespread failure' to collect 'good quality' data on the abusers, victims and the offences. Her report warned that failure to provide accurate data had contributed to a 'one-sided and often uninformed debate' about the ethnic backgrounds of perpetrators, and hampered the pursuit of offenders and support for victims. Since then, recording the ethnicity of child grooming gang members has been a requirement for police. Historically, police forces and prosecutors have failed to take action against groomers, some of whom are of British-Pakistani origins, amid fears they would be branded racist or Islamophobic. In 2012, while head of the Crown Prosecution Service, Sir Keir Starmer admitted that in 'a number of cases presented to us' there was 'an issue of ethnicity that has to be understood and addressed', saying that prosecutors must not 'shy away from that'. Deputy chief constable Becky Riggs, the police lead on grooming in England and Wales, acknowledged that there was an over-representation of Pakistanis but rejected suggestions that they were 'predominantly Pakistani men'. She said: 'We can only go with the data because that is presenting the evidence base for us. There is a truth that there is a proportion of perpetrators – whom we will relentlessly pursue in terms of these crimes – who are Pakistani men. Our data tells us that.' The data show that 67 per cent of suspects were white, 2.6 per cent Indian, 2.4 per cent black African, 1.5 per cent black Caribbean and 1.1 per cent Bangladeshi. By contrast, 90 per cent of victims were white, only 0.1 per cent Pakistani or Bangladeshi and zero per cent Indian. Some 1.4 per cent were black African and 0.8 per cent black Caribbean. Grooming, which is defined by police as a form of group-based child sexual exploitation, accounted for 717 offences reported to police in 2023 and 572 in the first nine months of 2024. This represents 17 per cent of group-based child sexual offences, with the biggest threats to children being abused within the family or by other children. Group-based abuse itself accounted for 4,228 offences, or 3.7 per cent of all 115,489 child sexual abuse and exploitation crimes in 2023, including online.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Former Archer County pastor arrested on child grooming charges
ARCHER COUNTY (KFDX/KJTL) — A former Archer County pastor was arrested by the Texas Department of Public Safety for alleged child grooming. According to DPS Sgt. Juan Gutierrez, Texas Rangers served a warrant and arrested 31-year-old Nathan Patrick Roach Friday, May 30, 2025, for child grooming, a third-degree felony. He was then booked into the Archer County jail. According to a release, Rangers were called on March 18th to assist the Holliday Police Department with the allegation that Roach was involved in a sexual relationship with a child under the age of 18. DPS says the investigation is still ongoing. Stick with Texoma's Homepage as we gather more information. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
News.com.au
26-05-2025
- News.com.au
‘Judicial corruption': Ex-law lecturer accused of posing as Justin Bieber to solicit explicit images makes sensational claim in court
A former law lecturer accused of posing as pop icon Justin Bieber to convince children to send him explicit images over Facebook and Skype has dropped his legal team and bizarrely claimed his case involves 'cover-ups and judicial corruption'. Gordon Douglas Chalmers was scheduled to be arraigned at Brisbane District Court on Monday on more than 200 charges, including child grooming and making child exploitation material. Chalmers, a former lecturer at Queensland University of Technology (QUT), instead went on a tangent trying to address the court, claiming there were 'exceptional circumstances' that warranted his matter being treated differently. After a brief adjournment, his legal team returned to the bar table and told Judge Deborah Richards they were withdrawing from the matter due to Mr Chalmers' grant of legal aid being terminated. Mr Chalmers claimed in court that he did not terminate the arrangement before claiming his relationship with his lawyers was not 'absolute'. He then went on a tangent, claiming the matter ended up before Judge Richards because of 'the worst case of judicial corruption' and 'cover-ups' during pre-trial proceedings. Mr Chalmers requested an adjournment so 'a fair and just consideration' could be made on how his matter would proceed. A Legal Aid representative told the court that it would take up to eight weeks for another grant of aid to be assessed. Mr Chalmers continued by claiming barristers would be 'disbarred' if they raised the matters he alleged in court, asserting his matter was considered 'career-destroying' by lawyers. 'They are more concerned about their future job prospects than standing up for not just their clients' rights but also about their duties and obligations to the court,' Mr Chalmers claimed. After Mr Chalmers claimed that Judge Richards had been handed a poisoned chalice, she wryly replied: 'That's OK, I'm used to poisoned chalices. 'So presuming there will be an application, likely a rejection, then possibly an appeal – that will be the process, won't it?' Judge Richards asked the Commonwealth prosecutor. Mr Chalmers' matter was adjourned to July 21 to allow his legal aid grant to be assessed. He was remanded in custody. Mr Chalmers no longer holds a position at QUT, according to the university's website. He has been in custody on remand since 2017 following his arrest. Police allege Mr Chalmers used online platforms including Facebook and Skype to communicate with his victims, allegedly posing as Bieber while contacting children. Mr Chalmers initially faced 900 charges, but the bulk were dropped upon his committal in 2017.
Free Malaysia Today
20-05-2025
- Free Malaysia Today
Army sergeant pleads not guilty to raping 13-year-old girl in Melaka
Army sergeant Zulfikar Ishak is accused of raping the girl when she was 12 years and six months old. (Facebook pic) PETALING JAYA : An army sergeant was charged in the Ayer Keroh sessions court in Melaka today with five counts of rape, sexual assault and child grooming of a 13-year-old girl earlier this month. Zulfikar Ishak, 32, pleaded not guilty after the charges were read to him before judge Haderiah Siri, Berita Harian reported. On the first charge, the father of one is accused of raping the girl when she was 12 years and six months old. On the second and third charges, he is accused of sexually assaulting her. The rape charge falls under Section 376(1) of the Penal Code, which provides for up to 20 years' imprisonment and whipping, if convicted. The sexual assault charges are under Section 14(a) and 14(b) of the Sexual Offences against Children Act (SOAC) 2017, which also provides for up to 20 years' imprisonment and whipping. On the fourth charge, Zulfikar is accused of grooming the girl via telephone communications to encourage her to do sexual activities, an offence under Section 12 of the SOAC punishable with up to five years' imprisonment and whipping. On the fifth charge, he is accused under Section 13 of the SOAC of meeting the victim after grooming her, having driven the girl out of her hostel in his car, an offence punishable with up to 10 years' imprisonment and whipping. All the offences were committed in a car at the parking lot of a supermarket in Cheng, Melaka, at about 1pm on on May 4 The prosecution was led by deputy public prosecutor Wardah Ishhar, while SS Amritpal Singh represented the accused. The prosecution proposed bail of RM90,000 on all the charges and the additional conditions that Zulfikar report to a police station once a month and not disturb the victim, her family or prosecution witnesses. Amritpal pleaded for the minimum bail, saying Zulfikar had served in the army for 10 years and was unlikely to flee, and that he was the sole breadwinner of his family. The court set bail at RM25,000 and granted the additional conditions requested by the prosecution. It set June 26 for re-mention of the case and the handover of documents.
Malay Mail
20-05-2025
- Malay Mail
Army officer charged with raping, grooming tween in Ayer Keroh
KUALA LUMPUR, May 20 — A military sergeant faced five charges, including rape and sexual assault, involving a 13-year-old schoolgirl at the Ayer Keroh Sessions Court today. According to Berita Harian, Mohamad Zulfikar Ishak, 32, pleaded not guilty to all charges read before Judge Haderiah Siri. The first three charges accuse the father of one of raping a 12-year-old girl, and two counts of physical sexual assault against the victim. The rape charge falls under Section 376(1) of the Penal Code, which carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison and caning upon conviction. The sexual assault charges are under Section 14(a) and 14(b) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, with a maximum 20-year prison sentence and caning if convicted. He also faces charges under Section 12 and Section 13 of the same Act for child grooming and meeting the victim after grooming. All alleged offences occurred in a Perodua Viva car in a supermarket parking area in Cheng on May 4, around 1pm. Deputy Public Prosecutor Wardah Ishhar represented the prosecution, while SS Amritpal Singh represented the defence.
