Latest news with #pedophile
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Missing Utah girl, 15, is found ALIVE six weeks after vanishing into thin air
A teenage girl missing for six weeks after running away from home to meet an alleged pedophile has been found alive. Alisa Petrov, 15, vanished without a trace on April 21 after being dropped off at school in Utah, getting on a train out of town. Hours later, her frantic parents Olga and Nikolai Petrov discovered their daughter had a terrifying double life when her secret iPad was found hidden in her dresser. The teenager dug the long-forgotten device out of a dusty old box and was chatting to three accused pedophiles, all now behind bars. Alisa was last seen at a train station in Provo, Utah, asking for help getting a bus ticket to Las Vegas, where she had arranged to meet Matthew Nicholas Menard, 35. Nothing was heard from her until she walked into a police station in Colorado Springs on Sunday night and identified herself. Police said the teen was 'in good health' but it is still unknown where she was or if she was being held against her will. 'Alisa's parents have been notified of her location and are working with South Jordan Police to bring her home,' police said. Alisa skipped school and got on a train to Provo, Utah, then tried to go to Las Vegas to meet one of the alleged pedophiles. He planned to fly her to his home in Miami via Los Angeles On April 21, Alisa was dropped off at her school, Canyon Grove Academy, in American Fork, about 32 miles south of Salt Lake City. But instead of going to class, she bought supplies at a nearby gas station and convinced a man there to drive her to the local train station. Alisa got off the train in Provo, about 14 miles south of American Fork, and asked multiple people there to help her get a bus ticket to Las Vegas. Olga last week told her daughter had about $1,000 saved from pocket money and birthday gifts that she didn't spend after she turned 15 on April 16, just five days before running away. 'Somebody else is either helping her and we don't know who or where... I'm not suspecting the worst,' she said. 'That means she's with somebody else and we don't know if it's a good person or a bad person.'
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Mom of missing girl Alisa shares heartbreak after discovering what she told 3 'pedophiles' before she vanished
The mother of a missing girl who ran away to meet an alleged pedophile has shared her devastation after discovering what her daughter told them before she vanished. Alisa Petrov, 15, has been missing since April 21 when she disappeared without a trace after being dropped off at school in Utah.
CTV News
4 days ago
- General
- CTV News
‘Incurable pedophile', Recently married Shayne Lund appears before parole board
Lund pleaded guilty in 2016 to 35 sex crimes including girls as young as two. He is now 31 and is serving an indefinite sentence. Convicted pedophile Shayne Lund, now 31, revealed he is recently married and took part in a day and full parole review in a videoconference hearing Thursday from the Ottawa area. In 2016, Lund pleaded guilty to 35 charges involving 14 victims as young as two years of age, including sexual assault of children, making and distributing child pornography, and acts of bestiality. Lund was handed an indefinite sentence. Lund, who married in December 2022, wants to legally change his name to reflect his Swedish ancestral name citing his notoriety and the media attention he receives. He indicated to the parole board that he was not seeking day or full parole immediately but wanted to introduce himself. The parole board asked Lund several times whether he is attracted to children, and he did not offer a direct response. Lund said he hadn't entertained those thoughts inside prison, where he is surrounded by men. CTV Barrie: Disturbing facts revealed Lund also expressed a desire to take psychology courses to gain insight into his history and how his life spiralled out of control due to an obsession with sexually assaulting children. Diagnosed with anti-social personality disorder and narcissism, Lund told the board he experienced abuse from a female when he was young but admitted that trauma paled in comparison to the harm and abuse he inflicted upon his victims. His lawyer Phil Casey told the board Lund has indicated he is no longer attracted to underage girls, saying Lund has 'embarked on a healthy and sexually-appropriate relationship.' Lund's wife has three boys 18 and under, the board heard. As part of his sentence, Lund is prohibited from contacting children under the age of 16. In court proceedings in 2016, it was revealed Lund sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl, took pornographic photos of her and repeatedly encouraged her to perform sexual acts with a horse. In court, Lund was described as a 'Paul Bernardo in the making.' During Lund's 2016 dangerous offender hearing, the Crown told the court Lund 'is an incurable pedophile.' Lund and his co-accused, former girlfriends Avery Taylor and Kathryn Thompson, were charged in 2013. All three were sentenced to jail time. Justice Joseph Kenkel concluded Lund posed a moderate to high risk of harming other people. Kenkel said Lund had a significant chance to re-offend, adding potential treatments are limited at best. 'There will never be a time when it will be safe to release Mr. Lund into the community,' Kenkel said. Despite being a dangerous offender, Lund has been eligible for parole since 2020 and day parole since 2019. Lund's father, Mark, is a now retired OPP officer. A release plan would involve Lund living with his father in London, Ontario. While it's unclear when Lund will apply for parole, the board told him he would present an undue risk to society at this time.
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Josh Duggar requests state-appointed lawyer as he can't afford one anymore
Pedophile Josh Duggar has requested the judge overseeing his case appoint a new lawyer to represent him in his latest attempt to overturn his conviction for possessing child sexual abuse materials. In a letter written to the judge on Tuesday and obtained by People, the convicted sex offender, 37, said he no longer has enough money to pay his own lawyer. He wrote: 'I am unable to afford counsel due to my current financial circumstances.' Duggar - whose bid for an appeal was considered by the Supreme Court last year - was sentenced to 12 years and seven months in federal prison in May 2022 after he was convicted of receiving and possessing child sexual abuse materials. In his letter, he said he was seeking to obtain a new attorney to help determine if there may have been any 'constitutional violations' in his case, which could be grounds for having his conviction vacated. He added that, 'if appropriate,' the attorney would 'prepare a motion to vacate, set aside, or correct my conviction and sentence'. Duggar claimed this his trial had 'involved complex constitutional and evidentiary issues, particularly relating to legal rulings and strategic decisions made during trial proceedings,' and he alleged there were 'errors in the admission of forensic evidence'. He went on to accuse prosecutors of not fully sharing evidence with his attorneys during his trial. He also wrote that the 'broad publicity of this case' and the 'intense scrutiny' it received could justify a 'full and fair post-conviction review'. Duggar claimed that 'new legal theories and strategies have emerged in public discourse' in the years since his conviction that could be beneficial to his defense. 'In light of these developments, the Defendant seeks to consult with counsel to fully evaluate the potential of these emerging strategies and how they may support a motion for relief,' he wrote, according to People. Duggar also wrote that he had 'worked diligently to focus on education, personal growth, my faith, and to maintain strong family ties' in his letter. His claim that he can no longer afford an attorney was particularly surprising due to the reported wealth of his parents, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar. Jim Bob is reportedly worth $3.5million, according to Celebrity Net Worth, and he has a significant real estate portfolio. Duggar's sister Jill alleged in her 2023 memoir the family's contract with TLC - which aired their reality series 19 Kids And Counting - paid Jim Bob's company $50,000 per half-hour episode and $65,000 per hour-long episode, according to In Touch. The payments increased to $58,000 and $73,000, respectively, once the show reached its fourth season. She claimed that, after factoring in his alleged per-episode payments, Jim Bob would have made around $8million just on 19 Kids And Counting over the course of its run. Jim Bob and Michelle have steadfastly defended their son for years, but that doesn't appear to extend to paying for his attorney. The series, which began as 17 Kids And Counting, began airing in 2008 and was canceled in 2019 due to Josh's arrest for possessing child sexual abuse materials. He previously filed an appeal in 2023, and after being rejected it went up to the Supreme Court, which also rejected it. The federal investigation into Duggar was originally opened after police in Little Rock, Arkansas, determined that child sexual abuse materials had been shared by a computer at his used-car dealership. Investigators testified in court that his computer had been used to download images of children being sexually abused, with some of the victims appearing to be toddlers. When investigators searched the dealership, Duggar allegedly said, 'What is this all about? Has somebody been downloading child pornography?' The statement, and his refusal to say whether he had looked at child sexual abuse materials online, were later used against him in court, but Duggar claimed in his appeal that the statement shouldn't have been introduced in court, as his attorney wasn't present when he spoke to investigators. But the appeals panel later determined that, although investigators had read Duggar his rights, they also made it clear that he wasn't in custody and was able to leave at any time. During his trial, Duggar's defense team had claimed that a hacker or disgruntled employee had hacked into his computer in an attempt to frame him. In 2015, his reality series 19 Kids And Counting was put on hold by TLC after allegations that he had molested four of his sister and a babysitter years earlier became public. A family friend shared the tip with law enforcement, but the statute of limitations had expired by that time. Duggar's parents later said he had admitted to molesting his sisters and apologized privately after the allegations resurfaced. Duggar publicly apologized months later for having cheated on his wife Anna, and he claimed he had been seeking treatment for an addiction to pornography.
Daily Mail
21-05-2025
- Daily Mail
One of Australia's worst paedophiles gets a reduced sentence because he is a refugee
A paedophile who ran a social media group for sharing vile child abuse material could serve less than four years in jail, after a judge found he was 'less morally culpable' because of his refugee background. Bhuwani Prasad Khadka, 28, was the first South Australia pedophile every caught running a social media network for distributing child abuse material. The resident of Burton, north of Adelaide, started a group on the Telegram app and swapped photos and videos involving children under five, and even infants, with other pedophiles. He was also a prolific member of other exploitation groups on Facebook Messenger, Telegram and WhatsApp, and had more than 500 files stored on his devices. His offending carried a maximum sentence of 20 years, but on Tuesday, District Court Judge Carmen Matteo to five years and two months, with a non-parole period of three years and eight months. 'You have something of a lessened degree of moral culpability on account of the link between your offending and your impoverished and disadvantaged upbringing,' the judge said, according to The Advertiser. 'You were born in a refugee camp in Nepal (where) you were exposed to this type of material from a young age (that) whilst still illegal was not viewed with the level of abhorrence it is in this country. 'Not having been protected from, but having been exposed to, the material inured you to an inappropriate response to such extreme and abhorrent material. 'You told (a psychologist) you had not appreciated the extent of the material's illegality under Australian law... you told him it was "wrong, a little bit".' Khadka had told the court that at the refugee camp, people would watch child abuse material in a group setting, and sell memory cards containing it for between $10 and $15. He initially claimed he participated in pedophile groups 'for the social aspects,' but later admitted he was sexually attracted to the material he was sending. His sentence was just two months over the minimum five-year term mandated by federal legislation for such offending. He was arrested in February 2023, after the Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team received a tip-off from the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children in the US. Khadka then became the first person in SA history to be charged with creating and controlling an electronic service for sharing child abuse material. Lawyer Andrew Carpenter, who specialises in abuse law and has been labelled 'SA's pedophile hunter,' slammed the judge's decision online. 'It was only two weeks ago where the Attorney General stated "this government will come down on the side of victims every day of the week," yet the government still hasn't done all they can to protect the most vulnerable,' Mr Carpenter wrote. His statement was flooded with comments from supporters.
