Latest news with #sexcrimes
The Sun
a day ago
- The Sun
NHS worker and her paedo lover plotted ‘brutal' sex attacks on children & wanted to target lone kids on camping trips
A DEPRAVED NHS worker and her paedo lover plotted "brutal" sex attacks on children to divulge their sick fantasies. Tracy Turner, 51, and Stuart Compton, 46, who referred to each other as Bonnie and Clyde, set their sights on two girls and a boy. 4 They planned to lure unattended children on camping trips and shared thousands of twisted texts outlining the potential abuse. The vile pair also plotted to strike at music festivals, with Compton praising Turner's sick idea as "genius, babe". Turner even offered to babysit one planned victim so the couple carry out their sex attacks. They have now been jailed after pleading guilty to six counts of arranging sex with a child. Compton also pleaded guilty to six counts of making indecent images, while Turner admitted two counts of the same offence. Merthyr Crown Court heard the couple's conversations demonstrated a "clear intent to arrange and commit sexual acts" with young children - although no child was ever abused. Prosecutor Matthew Cobbe said: "The first threads of messages suggested fantasy, they expressly talked about fantasy, but this developed into an obsession. "Their obsession drove them to discuss over and over the sexual acts that they intended to perform and the ways that they believed that they could achieve that goal." In total, the couple exchanged more than 100,000 WhatsApp messages discussing their depraved plans. They spoke about raping an eight-year-old girl in an abandoned shed before "disposing" of her afterwards. The pair also plotted to rape two other children - a boy Turner attempted to groom and a girl aged under 13. Sick messages also revealed how Compton suggested going to a "hippy" music festival where drug-use would mean young girls could be left unattended. The pair's twisted plans were only exposed when a "well-known online dating app" contacted police with concerns over Compton. When police raided his home, they found a haul of illegal weapons including a baton, knuckle duster and blade as well as child sex abuse images on his phone. Officers analysed messages on his phone and found a "massive amount" of exchanges between him and Turner. In a victim impact statement, the mum of one of the victims said: "The thought of what could have happened to our daughter by two people who have monstrous sexual intent is unforgivable." While the dad of another girl described the pair's crimes as "incomprehensible". Compton was handed a life sentence and must serve at least six years and 131 days behind bars. Turner was jailed for 12 years with a two year extended licence. The couple were also charged with plotting to kidnap and murder of a girl under 13 but this was left to lie on the file. Turner worked in the busy operating theatre at the 800-bed University Hospital in Cardiff until she was suspended after police were contacted. A spokeswoman for Cardiff and Vale University Health Board said: "The health board suspended the individual once we were made aware of the allegations against them. "This is a sensitive issue and the health board has been cooperating with partners in South Wales Police. "We are not able to comment further while court proceedings are ongoing." 4 4
Fox News
a day ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell plays model inmate as she seeks path out of prison
As Jeffrey Epstein's most notorious accomplice and former girlfriend is angling to have her criminal conviction dropped, a look at Ghislaine Maxwell's life behind bars could offer clues about her motivations outside of prison. Maxwell has reportedly rebranded herself while serving out her two-decades-long sentence for her involvement in Epstein's sex crimes. "I did a double take, because I recognized her face immediately from the news," Jessica Watkins, a former Oath Keeper who was imprisoned in the same low-security Florida facility as Maxwell, told the Daily Mail. "I was like, 'Is that who I think it is?'" Watkins was initially sentenced to 8.5 years in prison for her involvement in the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. Her sentence was commuted by President Donald Trump on his first day back in office earlier this year. "My friend who was with me was like, 'I don't know - who is it?'" Watkins said. "I caught her up on the situation. Started asking around and it was definitely her." She and Maxwell would converse regularly — often while the pair were exercising in the open-air prison yard — with Maxwell only bringing up her case on occasion, Watkins told the outlet. "We don't talk about cases as inmates because people will think you're a snitch," Watkins explained. "It's an unspoken rule among inmates. You don't ask." However, Watkins reportedly could only recall one time when Maxwell mentioned Epstein. "She did say that the DOJ had no interest in her until after, her exact words were until after Jeffrey, and then she paused for a second and said 'died,'" Watkins said. "That was the only time he ever came up." During the pair's time together in prison, Watkins noticed Maxwell "didn't seem unduly worried" while behind bars, adding, "She seemed very at ease, very calm and approachable." Her reportedly calm demeanor makes sense to former Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg, who was elected into office six years after Epstein's case concluded. "The other inmates know who she is and why she's behind bars," Aronberg told Fox News Digital. "I'm sure a lot of the other inmates have their hands out. They want the commissary money. They want a free education from her, whatever she can provide." While in prison, Maxwell offers legal advice and classes to her fellow inmates, often helping individuals access the necessary forms related to their case and working in the law library, according to Watkins. "She was very concerned about peoples' medical well-being," Watkins said. "So she did have that kind side to her." She also reportedly focused her free time on reading books, working on her own case or working out — foregoing the prison's television privileges. However, her work behind bars could indicate an attempt to win over her fellow inmates' favor while leveraging her educational background, according to Aronberg. "She had status when she was not behind bars," Aronberg said. "She took that into the prison facility with her, and she is using that." Watkins also described how she and Maxwell found a friendship in their choice to not partake in drug use while locked up. "We avoided most of the inmates [because] they were high all the time, and we didn't want to be around that," Watkins told The Daily Mail. "[Maxwell] would gravitate towards people who were also sober." Watkins' attorney did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. Maxwell's reported decision to not use recreational drugs while in prison could be a larger move to remain out of trouble while she makes a bid for freedom, according to Aronberg. "An inmate's good behavior won't impact their ability to get a new trial," Aronberg told Fox News Digital. "But it does impact their ability to get clemency." Aronberg pointed to Maxwell's two days of meetings with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche last week, as President Donald Trump commented on his ability to hand the convicted criminal a pardon. "This is a convicted sex trafficker," Aronberg said. "This is someone who committed sexual assault on minors. This is someone who is indicted for perjury. And yet, she got a private audience with the No. 2 person at the DOJ. Had she been less of a model prisoner behind bars, perhaps the administration wouldn't be rushing to meet with her and believe her in what she's saying." Blanche spent nearly two days at a federal courthouse in Tallahassee interviewing Maxwell, who answered questions "about 100 different people," according to her attorney. "She never invoked a privilege," David Oscar Markus told reporters on Thursday. "She never refused to answer a question, so we're very proud of her." The talks come as a House committee subpoenaed Maxwell to testify in a congressional deposition over her knowledge of the scope of Epstein's crimes, while lawmakers continue to demand the DOJ hands over files related to the case. However, Aronberg urges caution from federal prosecutors when taking Maxwell's words at face-value. "If you're a model prisoner behind bars, then prosecutors are more likely to believe that you really are trying to do the right thing, you're reformed and you are telling the truth this time around," Aronberg said. "But it's hard to ignore the fact that she is a liar." On Monday, Maxwell's legal team submitted a brief asking the U.S. Supreme Court to hear her appeal of her federal sex trafficking conviction, citing the government's "obligation to honor" an agreement struck by Epstein that should have shielded Maxwell from any criminal charges. Federal prosecutors have argued the deal only applied in Florida, ultimately ruling out Maxwell's case in New York. "No one is above the law — not even the Southern District of New York," Markus said in a statement. "Our government made a deal, and it must honor it. The United States cannot promise immunity with one hand in Florida and prosecute with the other in New York." Markus went on to appeal to Trump, who has previously said he has the power to pardon Maxwell but has "not thought about" doing so. "President Trump built his legacy in part on the power of a deal—and surely he would agree that when the United States gives its word, it must stand by it," Markus said. "We are appealing not only to the Supreme Court but to the President himself to recognize how profoundly unjust it is to scapegoat Ghislaine Maxwell for Epstein's crimes, especially when the government promised she would not be prosecuted." The DOJ did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year sentence for her role in Epstein's scheme to sexually abuse numerous young girls. She is anticipated to testify under oath on Aug. 11 at or near the federal prison she is currently serving her sentence in. "Jeffrey Epstein could not do what he did without Ghislaine Maxwell," Aronberg said. "She's no victim. She is the devil's accomplice."
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Contra Costa County authorities identify Delta Airlines pilot arrested at SFO
The Brief The Contra Costa County Sheriff's Department said it had been investigating 34-year-old Rustom Bhagwagar of Florida since April on reports of "sex crimes against a child." Sheriff's detectives and Homeland Security Investigations agents took Bhagwagar into custody after he flew into the San Francisco International Airport from Minneapolis. Bhagwagar was booked into the Martinez Detention Facility and is being held on $5 million bail. SAN FRANCISCO - Contra Costa County authorities on Monday publicly identified the Delta co-pilot who was arrested by federal agents over the weekend in the cockpit of a plane at San Francisco International Airport. The Contra Costa County Sheriff's Department said in a prepared statement that it had been investigating 34-year-old Rustom Bhagwagar of Florida since April on reports of "sex crimes against a child." Investigators learned that Bhagwagar was employed as an airline pilot and was scheduled to fly into SFO from Minneapolis on Saturday evening. Sheriff's detectives and Homeland Security Investigations agents boarded the plane about 9:35 p.m. on Saturday and took Bhagwagar into custody. What passengers saw Confusion on the flight Passengers reported seeing multiple federal agents push into the cockpit Saturday and arrest Bhagwagar shortly after the plane landed at SFO. A passenger, who is related to a FOX Television staffer and happened to be on the flight, recounted that the federal agents told passengers to stay in their seats as they pushed through first class and into the cockpit. In a statement to KTVU, Delta said the pilot has been suspended from the airline pending the investigation. "Delta has zero tolerance for unlawful conduct and will fully cooperate with law enforcement," a spokesperson said. "We are appalled by reports of the charges related to the arrest and the individual in question has been suspended pending an investigation." What the suspect is charged with Bhagwagar was booked into the Martinez Detention Facility on "five counts of oral copulation with a child under 10 years of age," the sheriff's department reported. He is being held on $5 million bail. An investigation into the allegations against Bhagwagar is ongoing, and anyone with information is asked to contact the department's Investigation Division at 925-313-2600. The Source Contra Costa County Sheriff's Department, previous KTVU reporting
Fox News
5 days ago
- Fox News
Ghislaine Maxwell's attorney recaps meeting with DOJ officials amid Epstein investigation
David Markus speaks to reporters following the conclusion of two days of interview between Ghislaine Maxwell and Deputy A.G. Todd Blanche regarding ongoing investigations into Jeffrey Epstein's sex crimes in Tallahassee, Florida on July 25, 2025.
Fox News
5 days ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell could be eyeing three outcomes as she meets with DOJ again: expert
U.S. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche is expected to continue interviewing Ghislaine Maxwell as the pair are set to meet for a second day of talks surrounding her involvement in Jeffrey Epstein's years of sex crimes. "Today, I met with Ghislaine Maxwell and I will continue my interview of her tomorrow," Blanche said in a post on X Thursday. "The Department of Justice will share additional information about what we learned at an appropriate time." The DOJ did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. The second day of talks comes during the same week a Congressional committee voted to subpoena Maxwell to provide additional testimony surrounding Epstein's crimes and is the first time she is meeting with federal officials in what her attorney called a "very productive day." "We just ask that the [officials] look at what she has to say with an open mind," Maxwell's attorney, David Oscar Markus, told reporters outside the federal courthouse in Tallahassee on Friday morning. "She [has] no reason to lie at this point, and she's going to keep telling the truth," he added. In addition to Maxwell's newly-signed Congressional subpoena, she is awaiting a decision from the U.S. Supreme Court on whether the justices will take up an appeal from her legal team to overturn her 2021 conviction, according to The Associated Press. Maxwell was sentenced to 20 years in prison after a New York jury found her guilty of five federal charges, including sex trafficking of a minor. While speaking to Lawrence Jones on "Fox & Friends" Friday, George Washington University Professor Jonathan Turley pointed to three key possibilities for Maxwell's meetings with federal officials. Turley referenced a motion that could be filed by the DOJ to reduce a sentence for a key witness in a case. "The defense can also go to a court and ask for a reduction based on new evidence," Turley said. "But we haven't seen that." Turley also suggested President Donald Trump could commute Maxwell's sentence towards the end of his term, "if she is a highly cooperative witness." When speaking to reporters outside the White House on Friday, Trump did not rule out a pardon or clemency for Maxwell. "It's something I haven't thought about," Trump said. "I'm allowed to do it, but it's something I have not thought about." Maxwell's legal team is arguing that her previous conviction was invalid due to a plea agreement Epstein made with federal prosecutors in his 2007 Florida case that should have also protected his associates and prevented her from being prosecuted in New York. Her attorneys have a Monday deadline to file their final written brief to the court, Reuters reported. Maxwell is also reportedly compiling new evidence in a bid to prove alleged government misconduct stemming from her 2021 trial to hand over to the DOJ, her brother, Ian Maxwell, previously confirmed to Fox News Digital. "Clearly, we must now see how this plays out," he said. "She will be putting before that court material new evidence that was not available to the defense at her 2021 trial, which would have had a significant impact on its outcome," he told The New York Post. Maxwell never testified during her 2021 trial and did not provide her version of events to federal prosecutors in the investigation leading up to the proceedings. Earlier this week, a federal judge in Florida denied the Trump administration's request to unseal transcripts from grand jury investigations pertaining to Epstein. A similar request from Maxwell was also denied, with the judge saying it was a "black-letter law" that defendants are unable to access grand jury information. Earlier this year, Attorney General Pam Bondi told "America Reports" host John Roberts that she was in possession of Epstein's "client list." In 2008, Epstein reached a deal with prosecutors to avoid more serious charges by pleading guilty to state charges of procuring a person under 18 for prostitution and solicitation of prostitution. One month after his arrest, the disgraced financier was found dead in his New York City jail cell in what authorities ruled a suicide. Maxwell's attorney did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. Maxwell is set to testify in front of Congress on Aug. 11.
