Latest news with #childsexoffender
CTV News
19-07-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
CTV National News: Trump on defensive over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein
CTV National News: Trump on defensive over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein Pressure is mounting for U.S. President Trump over his ties to convicted child sex offender Jeffery Epstein. Kamil Karamali has the latest.
ABC News
18-07-2025
- ABC News
Child sex offender pleads guilty to gardening at childcare centre where his wife worked
A convicted child sex offender — who failed to tell authorities he was doing maintenance and gardening work at a south-east Queensland childcare centre where his wife was a director — has been fined. The Beenleigh Magistrates Court heard on Thursday that Andrew William Vassel accepted witness accounts that he had played the role of Santa at a Christmas party at the Beenleigh Montessori Early Learning Centre south of Brisbane, 'but doesn't specifically recall' doing so. The 44-year-old pleaded guilty to breaching his reporting obligations under the Child Protection (Offender Reporting and Offender Prohibition Order) Act by failing to report his employment at the centre. There is no allegation Vassel offended against children at the centre and Queensland police say they have not received any reports in relation to the centre. The centre's operators have been contacted for comment about the case, which was first reported by 7 News. The court heard that Vassel, who appeared via video link, had been convicted of offences in New South Wales and had been a 'reportable offender' from February 2008 for a 15-year period. New South Wales court records show Vassel faced trial in 2007 and was convicted on two child sex abuse offences. The court heard on Thursday police received a tip-off in June this year that Vassel had been employed at the Beenleigh Montessori since 2018 as a gardener and maintenance worker – a job he told police he had been offered by his wife, the centre manager, Amanda Vassel – but had not reported those details to authorities. The court heard Vassel, who is also employed by the Brisbane City Council as a landscaper, had told police he hadn't reported the job because he was receiving cash in hand. He'd also told police he only did the work on weekends or on public holidays when children were not present because he "knew he was not allowed to work with children", the prosecutor said. 'When questioned whether he required a blue card, he stated he had done his research and as long as he worked on weekends and not when the children were present during the week, he did not require one," his lawyer Rachel Carson said. However, the court heard that witnesses had said he'd played the role of Santa at a past Christmas party at the centre. 'When questioned, the defendant stated he did not believe it was him and does not recall ever playing the role of Santa. He stated he definitely knew he would get in trouble with the police should he even do that,' the prosecutor said. His lawyer told the court Vassel had memory recall issues and 'doesn't specifically recall' playing Santa, however 'accepts the version of three witnesses'. Vassel, whose reporting obligations expired in 2023, was fined $2,000, with convictions recorded. In handing down the sentence, Magistrate Michael O'Driscoll said he took into account Vassel's plea of guilty and his lack of previous criminal history in Queensland. 'It is quite common for me to sentence people to imprisonment for this type of offending, so a fine is the most appropriate for your circumstances today. I think I'm more than influenced by the fact your reporting obligations have now expired,' Mr O'Driscoll said. A Department for Education spokeswoman said the Early Childhood Regulatory Authority (ECRA) will be investigating the matter. "[The ECRA] is aware of this matter and will be undertaking an investigation, working closely with the Queensland Police Service," she said. "Approved providers have clear responsibilities under the legislation regarding who may and may not be at the service premises when care is being provided to children. "Where steps are inadequate to ensure the health and safety of children, the Queensland Early Childhood Regulatory Authority does not hesitate to take robust and appropriate action, including prohibition and prosecution. "The department is not able to comment further on matters under investigation." The incident follows an unrelated case where a childcare worker was charged with the indecent treatment of a four-year-old child at a different Brisbane facility last week. Affinity Education Group, which runs the centre where the 21-year-old Cleveland man worked, has confirmed he was stood down once the allegations came to light and his employment has since been terminated. In a letter sent to parents, the centre confirmed it was committed to "being transparent within the boundaries set by police". "Police have advised they will be in direct contact with any families who may have been impacted," it read. Speaking on Friday morning, Transport Minister Brent Mickelberg said communities expected to be kept safe. He said he was personally supportive of calls for a public child sex offenders register. "Our government will do whatever we need to do to ensure our children are safe," he told reporters. Queensland Premier David Crisafulli and Education Minister John-Paul Langbroek, on Thursday said the government had been working to strengthen regulation in the sector. "Something [had] to change," Mr Crisafulli said. "We are going to make sure that the blue card system works again. "We're going to have a proper commission to make sure that these kinds of things don't keep occurring time and time again." He said a fast-tracked reportable conduct system was being worked on, and a commission of inquiry was also looking at what could be done. A spokeswoman for Mr Langbroek's office said on Friday she was unable to comment on the matter. The ABC has contacted Ms Vassel for comment.
The Independent
09-07-2025
- The Independent
Primary school teacher banned after failing to tell bosses she was in relationship with sex offender
A primary school teacher has been banned indefinitely after failing to reveal that she was in a relationship with a convicted child sex offender. Leanne Till had begun working as a Year One teacher at Lark Hill Community Primary in January 2019, and remained there until her 12-year relationship was discovered in 2021. During this period, she had visited her partner in prison and had maintained contact with him over the telephone, after he was convicted of child sex offences for the second time in 2018. Her relationship was uncovered after the school was contacted by the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO), who oversees allegations against adults who work with children. They were contacted given that Miss Till's partner was due to be released from prison, and concerns had been raised about the nature of their relationship given her access to children. When asked in a meeting in February 2021 if he was a risk to children, she replied: 'Probably, if he was in a position with children alone, possibly.' She also said that she had last spoken to him at Christmas and was no longer in contact after they had broken up while he was in prison. She confirmed that she was on his friends and family list whilst he was in custody, and that she had accompanied his mother on visits. Asked if she thought she had a duty to inform the school she said: 'Probably, ideally that's probably what should have happened'. But added, it had not felt imperative given her attempts to end the relationship and him being in prison. When questioned why she thought the school would be concerned, she responded: 'If a teacher or member of staff was in a relationship with a sex offender that would be a major concern when trying to safeguard children'. While Miss Till said that she had been 'pressured' to remain in the relationship, the school were concerned that she had not disclosed it in line with safeguarding policy. During her evidence, she stated she felt there had been a 'low safeguarding risk' given that he was serving a custodial sentence, and there was no statutory requirement for a teacher to disclose whether they lived with an individual with a relevant conviction. A report following the hearing read: 'The panel found that the concern was not limited to a single failure to disclose, but rather that this failure persisted throughout the period from 2019 to 2021, suggesting a pattern of behaviour rather than an isolated oversight.' Despite a number of positive character references, the panel found Miss Till guilty of unacceptable professional conduct, and found that she had made a 'deliberate decision' not to inform the school of her relationship. It was also found that her actions may have brought the profession into disrepute. As a result, she has now been prohibited from teaching indefinitely and cannot gain employment in any school, college, children's care home or youth accommodation. She can apply for this prohibition order to be set aside after two years.
The Sun
04-06-2025
- General
- The Sun
Satellite pic from days after Maddie vanished shows eerie ‘tent' in Brueckner's camping spot now being searched by cops
MADELEINE McCann prime suspect Christian Brueckner stayed in a 'wild camping' ground on land now being scoured by cops, The Sun can reveal. Search teams have zeroed in on scrubland between Brueckner's old home and the apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal where Maddie was snatched in May 2007. 15 15 15 15 15 And German police leading the hunt hope the convicted child sex fiend and rapist may have left vital clues which could finally nail him for Maddie's murder. Searchers were yesterday focusing on at least five derelict farmhouses and barns where Brueckner camped at the time the British tot was taken. Sun analysis of a June 2007 satellite image of one building being searched yesterday revealed what appeared to be a white tent pitched within its walls. The stone-walled property was photographed from space on June 22, 2007 - seven weeks after Maddie was taken from her family's Ocean Club apartment a five minute drive away. Recent pictures of the same spot show the building's massive deterioration - and lay bare the enormous task facing police seeking elusive scraps of DNA evidence. The 2007 images shows the roofless cottage or barn is approximately 58ft long by 25ft wide with a white, 9ft tent like structure pitched inside its walls. It is impossible to say whether the building was occupied by Brueckner or one of a number of hippie types living in the area in camper vans and tents at the time. But fading hopes of finding evidence linking him to the three-year-old British tot were also being hampered by the march of time yesterday. Chain saws and diggers were drafted in to excavate ground and clear thick undergrowth which has overwhelmed many of the abandoned buildings. And luxury holiday homes have been built on other key spots within a ten acre area being combed by scores of Portuguese and German cops. 15 15 15 Teams spent yesterday toiling in 29C heat at the seaside search plot in an area called Atalaia, a mile east of the Ocean Club and half a mile from Brueckner's old house. Ground penetrating radar scanners - capable of finding bodies 15 feet below ground - were also drafted into the grim search. Locals said the spot close to a cliff was once a romantic spot where Portuguese couples would canoodle after dark in their cars. But by the early noughties the open scrubland offering sea views and no parking charges attracted a foreign 'wild camper' set - believed to include Brueckner. Police are believed to have launched their 'last throw of the dice' search after tip-offs from associates about the area and geolocation checks of his computer hardware. Local man Joao Pedro, 63, who grew up in the area, told The Sun: 'It used to be a romantic spot - I used to take my girlfriends there. 'But at the time Maddie went missing in the noughties it was very popular with foreign campers and you'd see camper vans and tents there all time. 'It was totally unregulated back then and strangers would just pitch up and stay there for free and no one would bother them.' 15 15 15 A police source at the scene told The Sun yesterday that searches were focusing on the area because Brueckner used to camp in the buildings. One officer said: 'We are here because Brueckner used to camp here. Not only Brueckner but many people.' The Sun also examined historic satellite imagery showing Brueckner's single story house around half a mile from the current search site at the time of the abduction. Images recorded in 2006 and 2007 show vehicles resembling his distinctive VW camper van nearby. He moved out of the white and yellow bungalow in late 2006 but a white roofed van still appears to be parked outside it in June 2007 after Maddie was snatched. A white structure erected close to his house in 2006 when he lived there also appears to have vanished the following year. Imagery also shows scores of open wells across the entire search area which were being drained and methodically checked for clues yesterday. Wider satellite pictures taken in 2007 show a string of building plots around the current search area - which have since become luxury homes and holiday estates. The worst fear of officers is that Brueckner could have hidden Maddie's body or vital clues in the foundations of buildings which would now be impossible to excavate. Hopes that telltale fragments of clothing - like the missing tot's pink Eeyore pyjamas - might be found are also remote. German federal officers are racing against time to find vital DNA clues after the 48-year-old fiend Brueckner boasted he would 'go to ground' when he is released in September. The vile pervert - who cops are convinced took and killed Maddie - is currently due to finish a seven year sentence for raping a 72-year-old woman in Praia da Luz in 2005. A Portuguese police source said last night: 'This really is a last ditch effort - search teams here are hoping they get lucky. 'Officers are determined to do everything they possibly can before Brueckner walks free. They know what is at stake.' 15 15 15 TIMELINE OF EVENTS Here's a timeline of the case which has gripped the world. May 3, 2007 Madeleine McCann disappears from her family's holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal, sparking a massive police search and becoming one of the most famous missing persons cases in history. January 15, 2016 Neighbour reports a possible 'grave' at Brueckner's abandoned factory in East Germany. Cops find disturbing images on USB sticks and launch a full-scale search. February 16, 2016 Christian Brueckner is convicted for abusing a girl of five in a park after images found on his laptop. He was sentenced to 15-months behind bars but was already on the run by then. May 3, 2017 Around this time, Helge B calls an information hotline after watching a ten-year anniversary special on the disappearance of Madeleine McCann. He reports an alleged confession by Christian Brueckner. September 27, 2018 On-the-run Christian Brueckner is arrested over outstanding drugs claims in Italy. He is extradited to Germany the following year. December 16, 2019 Christian Brueckner was convicted, in Germany, for the 2005 rape of an American woman in Praia da Luz, Portugal, after his DNA was matched to a hair found on her bed. He was sentenced to seven years behind bars. June 4, 2020 German prosecutors reveal to the world they have a suspect in custody under investigation for the abduction of Madeleine McCann. For the first time they claim Madeleine is dead. German media later name him as Christian B (Christian Brueckner). June 23, 2023 In his first interview, witness Helge B alleges to German newspaper Bild that Christian Brueckner all-but-confessed the Madeleine abduction to him, by allegedly saying 'she didn't scream' as they talked about the case, at a music festival, in Spain. February 16, 2024 Brueckner goes on trial accused of non-McCann allegations of rape and sex assault, in Braunschweig, Germany. Prosecutors hope for a conviction to keep him behind bars permanently and lead to McCann charges. October 8, 2024 Brueckner was acquitted of all claims. Prosecutors launch an appeal, however. Decision pending. June 3, 2025 Fresh search for Madeleine's body begins. September 17, 2025 Date on which Christian Brueckner will be released from custody without action being taken. Prosecutors require an arrest warrant for a retrial over claims from last year - or over the McCann case.
BBC News
09-05-2025
- BBC News
Dover child sex offender found sleeping in car in Surrey village
A Kent child sex offender has been jailed after police found him sleeping in his car in a Surrey village 100 miles away from his Downing, 25, was previously convicted of making indecent images of children in January 2022 and issued with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) which allowed Kent Police to monitor his officers could not find him at his Dover home in February, they tracked Downing to Gomshall, where he was found sleeping in a newly-purchased admitted 13 separate offences, including using the dark web to make further indecent images of children, and was jailed for over five years in a hearing at Canterbury Crown Court on Thursday. A hearing was told that Downing, of Salisbury Road, was not allowed to use any phone or computer without letting Kent Police know and allowing monitoring software to be said they became aware that he had been using devices without permission in February 2025 but were unable to find him at his a police interview Downing refused to answer questions and was later charged with 13 included use of an anonymous browser, a social media app with disappearing messages and failing to notify police that he had access to a smartphone, laptop and other devices, all of which was prohibited by his was jailed for five years and three months, including a two years and three months sentence for unrelated offences committed outside of Police Detective Constable Marie-Ann Boulton said: "Matthew Downing has repeatedly demonstrated that he cannot be trusted to access the internet without being complicit in the sexual abuse of children whose images he views and shares online."Sexual Harm Prevention Orders help to reduce the risk offenders like Downing may pose to the public after being released from prison, and enforcing them is a responsibility we take very seriously."Downing thought he could get away with hiding his devices from us by running away to Surrey, but our specialist officers were quickly able to locate him and bring him to justice. He will now serve another period of time behind bars as a result."
