Jackpot prisoner to pay up

A NATIONAL Lottery winner yesterday won a cut in a 10 year jail term for sexually abusing six young children, but will still have to pay his victims £60,000 compensation out of his jackpot.

Steve Robert Maund, 43, of Coronation Road, Nelson, was jailed at Worcester Crown Court last July.

He pleaded guilty to indecently assaulting four young girls, indecently assaulting a boy and buggery of another boy.

The court heard the offences began in the 1970s in his hometown of Tenbury Wells.

London's Criminal Appeal Court yesterday decided his jail term was 'manifestly excessive' and cut it to eight years.

But Mr Justice Sachs, sitting with Lord Justice Longmore and Mr Justice Davis, said orders to pay £10,000 compensation to each of his six victims and £847 towards prosecution costs would remain undisturbed.

"He has been fortunate to receive a windfall in the Lottery and that enabled him to meet the compensation orders," said Mr Justice Sachs.

In ordering Maund to pay compensation to his victims for the 'filthy experiences' they had been forced to endure, the sentencing judge noted he had £100,000 left of his £300,000 winnings.

Mr Justice Sachs said the 'squalid facts' revealed Maund's abuse of children in the 1970s and 1980s.

"In each case he told them that it would be their secret -- this is a customary statement made by abusers," he said.

He referred to the sentencing judge's comment that Maund had done untold damage and injury to his victims, which had inevitably affected their daily lives.

Mr Justice Sachs said this was richly confirmed by reading statements made by the victims. Maund was of pervious good character.

In cutting the sentence, Mr Justice Sachs said one could not dispute the gravity of Maund's behaviour, but 10 years was 'manifestly excessive,' particularly when taking into account the guilty pleas.
 

Teenager cleared on two indecency charges

A TEENAGER has been cleared of two counts of indecent assault after a four-day trial at Burnley Crown Court.

Damien Finch, 19, was found not guilty of the two charges.

The jury has not yet completed its deliberations on a further two indecency charges and was sent home by Judge Raymond Bennett. They will continue tomorrow.

Finch, of Waddington Avenue, Burnley, has denied all four allegations against him and has told the jury nothing happened. The jury has heard claims the defendant 'snogged' a little girl whose mother went 'berserk' and confronted him after she was told what Finch had allegedly done.

Finch was said to have committed a sex act on another child and tried to kiss her all over.

When he was interviewed by the police, he denied any wrongdoing and said nothing had happened.

(proceeding)
 

Man's 5000 child porn photo hoard

EXCLUSIVE: AN INTERNET paedophile hoarded a sickening haul of more than 5,000 child porn pictures on the hard-drive of his home computer.

Darren Woolley (above|)  was unmasked when his employers at West Country Fine Foods found out he was using the company internet to surf for pictures of naked young girls.

Managers of the Codford company were horrified by the discovery and called in detectives in November to investigate the 39-year-old warehouse worker.

Raiding Woolley's house in Poulsen Close, Warminster, detectives seized a computer and found 5,000 child pornography images stored on the hard-drive ­ many of them featuring children being sexually abused by adults.

Woolley, who admitted ten charges of possessing child porn pictures on Thursday, bit his fingernails and hung his head as his crimes were outlined to magistrates in Trowbridge.

Guy Knell, prosecuting, said managers at the Codford warehouse became suspicious when Woolley's work-rate slumped and began investigating how much time he was spending on the internet.
 

He said: "They had a bit of a shock. They discovered the defendant had been visiting child pornography sites. There was evidence he had viewed images of naked girls."

Confronted by staff and police, Woolley admitted: "It just started as curiosity but I have been looking at child porn and I have been doing the same on my home computer."

Mr Knell said Woolley visited more than 1,440 child porn websites on the work computer since April 2002 and had signed up to 19 websites using his home computer.

"As far as the home computer is concerned it is not possible to check the number of images that have been downloaded but I am instructed that there are 5,000 plus images on the hard-drive," he said.

"There is no accident about it. As soon as the first image flashed up on the screen it would have been clear what site it was. There afterwards he has gone on to subscribe and download further more detailed images from the site.

"It is thousands of visits to websites and the downloading on to the hard drive on his home computer of thousands of images of this nature."

Magistrates looked through a folder full of images printed off from Woolley's computer before deciding to send him to Swindon Crown Court for sentencing.

Bosses at West Country Fine Foods, in a statement released this week, confirmed Woolley is no longer an employee at the company but refused to make any further comment until the court proceedings have concluded.

The maximum penalty for taking, making and distributing indecent pictures of children is a ten-year jail term while the maximum for possessing indecent pictures is a five-year sentence. Woolley's case has no links with Operation Ore ­ a national sting on internet perverts.

Earlier this month the government announced it was spending £1m on a new advertising campaign designed to flag-up the risk of paedophiles using the internet.

Wiltshire officers have also promised to step-up the fight against internet paedophilia.

Detective Superintendent Paul Howlett said police wanted to crackdown on people who use the net to surf child porn sites, because they help fuel an "industry based on exploiting vulnerable children".
 

250,000 BRITS FACE CHILD PORN PROBE

A QUARTER of a million British men may have used their credit cards to access internet child porn, it was claimed last night.

Credit card giant Visa have launched a probe to see how many of their customers have signed up to web sites featuring child abuse.

Now Mastercard and American Express have told police they want to join a special investigation to see how many of their card-holders have been buying child porn.

But detectives fear the huge numbers involved could overwhelm the criminal justice system.

A priority list of people who will be prosecuted has been drawn up. Thousands of others may merely be cautioned or even let off. Operation Ore was launched after American investigators passed a list of 7,000 British men who had used their credit cards to access a child porn site based in Texas.

Who guitarist Pete Townshend was questioned last week by police as part of that probe.

A senior source within Scotland Yard told the Dail Mirror: "The forecast is that the Visa list may top 100,000 alone. Together with Mastercard and American Express customers, plus the other major credit card providers, the projection is the total number of British men who have been accessing these sites will exceed 250,000."

Police are on standby to receive another 10,000 names from the US.

A senior source at Visa said: "We are committed to co-operate with law enforcement in stemming this trade.

"We realise a large number of our account holders have been using credits cards to buy into internet child porn sites."

A Barclaycard spokes-man said: "We are clearly concerned to stop child abuse and other serious crimes being facilitated by people using our cards."

Research has already revealed that Britons top the world in using internet porn sites.

Visa have used information it has uncovered to shut down several internet service providers, but the gangs simply set up new sites elsewhere.

DOSSIER OF SHAME

A LIST of 7,272 suspected paedophiles, forwarded to the police from America, is thought to include names from the world of music and television.

Several university lecturers have also been identified in the operation. The names of 50 police officers are also said to have been uncovered.

The largest number of suspects is 1,150 in London.

Police say that there are 30 more in the West Midlands, 32 in Glasgow, followed by Reading (30), Edinburgh (34), Leeds (23), Bristol (22), Cambridge (20), Manchester (17), Colchester (17), Southampton (15), Milton Keynes (14), Swindon (13), Brighton (12), Slough (12), Cardiff (11), Northampton (11), Nottingham (11), Gilford (10), Peterborough (10), Coventry (9), Newport (9), Swansea (9), Telford (7), Liverpool (6), Worcester (6), Hay-ling Island (5) Hull (5), Romford (5) and Blackpool (4).
 

Scout leader jailed over child porn

Pornographic images of children were discovered

A scout leader and company executive from north Wales found with more than 34,000 pornographic images of children on his computer has been jailed for 10 months.
Police raided Mark Preston's home in Buckley, Flintshire as part of the worldwide probe into child pornography on the internet, Operation Ore, following a tip-off by American FBI agents.

Mark Preston: Caught in a worldwide operation

The images discovered on the 36-year-old's hard drive portrayed children from a very young age through to teenagers.

Preston, who had been involved in the scout movement all his life, was placed on the sex offenders register after he admitted a total of 17 specimen charges.

In total police uncovered 45,500 indecent images at the defendant's house on Farm Road.

It was accepted that some were duplicates.

World investigation

Mold Crown Court heard that 90% of the images contained nudity and erotic scenes with no sexual activity.

He was caught as part of a world wide investigation into child pornography on the internet.

American authorities raided a company called Landslide Inc in September 1999 and passed on details of subscribers to websites containing indecent material.

Since his arrest in the early hours of May last year Preston has lost his job and left Buckley to live with his mother in Leicestershire.

Guilty plea

Judge John Rogers QC said children made to pose for such photographs would undoubtedly suffer.

"The photographs would not be taken if it were not for the commercial gain made from people like you who view them.

"That is why a custodial sentence is inevitable," he said.

However, the judge said there were matters which went in his favour.

Preston co-operated immediately with police officers and pleaded guilty to the charges against him.

He was an experienced computer user who meticulously catalogued the material based on how much the material appealed to him.

Seven thousand British suspects have been identified by the American inquiry.
 

Record producer arrested in Matthew Kelly investigation

A record producer who wrote and produced several 1980s chart hits has been arrested by police investigating allegations of child sex abuse against the television presenter Matthew Kelly.

Steven Jolley, from Barnet, Herts, was arrested yesterday after voluntarily attending Guildford Police Station.

The producer, aged 52, wrote and produced 1980s chart hits for bands including Spandau Ballet, Bananarama and Kim Wilde.

Kelly, also 52, was arrested last week along with the former Bay City Rollers manager Tam Paton by Surrey Police officers investigating allegations of sexual abuse against young boys.

It is understood Mr Jolley was scheduled to go to the police station following a police search of a property in Barnet last week.

A Surrey Police spokeswoman said last night: "Following two arrests last Wednesday in connection with historic allegations of sexual abuse against boys under the age of 16 years old, a 52-year-old man from Barnet,
Hertfordshire, voluntarily attended Guildford Police Station by appointment this afternoon.

"He was arrested and interviewed. Two addresses in Barnet and in Brentwood, in Essex, were searched by Surrey Police officers in relation to this operation last Wednesday.

"The 52-year-old was questioned and bailed until 12 March. The three men arrested in relation to this operation have been bailed to return to Staines Police Station on March 12."

The arrest was not in connection with Operation Ore, a massive investigation into Internet child pornography.

Mr Kelly, of Chiswick, west London, was arrested at Birmingham Repertory Theatre where he had been appearing in the pantomime, Peter Pan.

He was released on bail the following day after being questioned at Guildford Police Station.

He later vigorously denied that there was any truth in the allegations.

Paton was arrested in Edinburgh and released on bail after being questioned at a police station in the north of England.
 

Celebrated Irish chef convicted over child pornography

One of Europe's most famous cookery schools faces an uncertain future after its co-founder severed all connections with it because of his conviction on paedophile charges.

Tim Allen began the internationally renowned Ballymaloe Cookery School in Co Cork with his wife, Darina, now Ireland's most famous cook. He was caught in the same police inquiry that led to the arrest of the rock star
Pete Townshend in Britain.

The conviction of Allen last week is also an embarrassment to the equally renowned Ballymaloe House Hotel, winner of countless awards, which is run by his family and founded by his parents, both Quakers.

But despite his actions the furore may not die down quickly. His relatively light sentence has been condemned by Irish politicians and children's charities while there are reports that some bookings for the
school have been cancelled. He is also reported to have temporarily left his wife and four children.

Allen, 52, was arrested in May last year as part of the Irish element of the same worldwide police inquiry that has stemmed from the United States investigation into the Landslide portal, which allowed credit-card
subscribers access to dozens of paedophile sites operated in Russia and Indonesia.

The extension of the investigation in Britain, known as Operation Ore, has led to the arrest of Mr Townshend and charges against two of the police officers involved in the Soham inquiry. Dozens more police officers, a
judge, doctors, soldiers and a deputy prison governor were among those who have also been questioned.

Midleton District Court in Co Cork was told that police found hundreds of images of child pornography on three of Allen's computers, including one in the cookery school. After he pleaded guilty, the judge ordered him to do 240 hours of community service and pay a fine of €40,000 (£27,000) to a charity for street children in India.

John Deasy, the justice spokesman for Fine Gael, said Allen's wealth had spared him going to prison. He said: "Anyone convicted of a similar crime would undoubtedly end up with a jail sentence if they did not have the
means to pay such a fine. It is extremely worrying that there is one law for the rich and another for the poor."

Although Allen has left the family home, there is no suggestion that the couple have split up and his wife said last week that she was standing by her husband, calling him "a good and decent and honourable man''.

On Sunday, the family issued a statement saying they were concerned at any suggestion that they had viewed the conviction as a trivial matter and expressing their abhorrence of child pornography. Allen also said: "What I did was wrong. I am deeply sorry and I will live with the shame of it for the rest of my life. I greatly appreciate the loving support of my wife and family. I unreservedly apologise for what I did." He said he was severing connections with all of the family businesses. The entire Allen family will find the shame difficult to live with. Their enterprises are known to food-lovers the world over and they are important figures in the local
community. Allen is the oldest son of the six children of Myrtle and Ivan Allen, farmers who founded the hotel in the 1960s, which went on to gain many high ratings for both service and food in guides such as Michelin and
Egon Ronay; in 1991 Harpers & Queens named it one of the hundred best hotels in the world. Myrtle Allen also launched her own line of foods and has written several cookbooks, all trading on the Ballymaloe name. Her husband died in 1998, but the hotel and farm are still family-run.

Her eldest son and his wife began the cookery school and garden, which is on a different site, in 1983. It was aimed at amateurs and budding professionals. While her husband stayed at home to raise their family, she
went on to write cookery books, front several series on Irish television and become a staunch advocate for Irish food. In 1998, she presented A Year in the Ballymaloe Cookery School for Carlton Television in Britain.

Her husband's siblings and their children now also run several other enterprises in the area, including a shop, two cafés, a restaurant, a furniture-making business and a local tour company.
 

Police raid Matthew Kelly's holiday home in Sri Lanka

The Sri Lankan holiday home of TV presenter Matthew Kelly has been raided by police, the head of the country's child protection agency said today.

Officials from Sri Lanka's National Child Protection Authority, accompanied by local police officers, seized 54 video tapes and a computer from Kelly's house in a suburb of Colombo.

NCPA chairman, Harendra De Silva, said yesterday's raid was carried out after a tip-off from a British journalist.

The Stars In Their Eyes presenter was arrested and bailed by Surrey Police last week over allegations of sexual abuse on boys under the age of 16 during the 1970s. Kelly, 52, has denied the claims.

Professor De Silva told PA News his investigation team were playing through the videos, which mostly appeared to be cartoons and children's films, from the start to the finish of each tape.

Experts would begin analysing the contents of the computer tomorrow but an initial search showed a number of adult sites had been accessed, Professor De Silva said.

He added: "If we have any evidence of any wrong-doing taking place in Sri Lanka we will take action."

He said Kelly's caretaker Aruna Rodrigo has been questioned by the NCPA team and released to return to his home, yards from Kelly's £100,000 four-bedroomed house.

Granada announced yesterday that Davina McCall is to step in for three special celebrity editions of Stars In Their Eyes.

The company said it fully supported Kelly, but that "in the circumstances" he was being replaced.

Kelly was arrested by plain clothes officers as he came offstage from a performance as Captain Hook in Birmingham on Wednesday.

As soon as he was released Kelly returned to the performance of Peter Pan where he was given a rapturous applause by the audience.

Granada said he would start rehearsals in 10 days' time for Birmingham Repertory Theatre's touring version of John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men.

He was questioned by Surrey Police at Guildford in connection with allegations of sexual abuse against boys under 16 in the 1970s.

He has been bailed until 12 March and said in a statement that he "emphatically" denied the allegations and said it had come as a "complete shock and surprise".

He said he had co-operated fully with the police and would continue to do so.

Kelly was questioned about allegations understood to have surfaced because of Operation Arundel, the inquiry which saw pop mogul Jonathan King jailed.

King, now 58, was given a seven-year jail sentence for a string of sex crimes against schoolboys, who the Old Bailey heard, were lured by his celebrity status.

King was convicted of four indecent assaults, buggery and attempted buggery on five youths aged 13 to 15 between 1983 and 1989. He still denies the charges.
 

Lolita is jolted, unsuccessfully, out of time

Lolita, adapted from Nabokov by Victor Sobchak, at the Lion and Unicorn, Kentish Town until Feb 16
Sometimes, a theatre company is fortunate in its scheduling. A big news story on a related theme can turn a mildly provocative piece of theatre into a play worth writing about. Act Provocateur International have had rather
different luck. They might have hoped that their production of Lolita at the Lion and Unicorn would, as well as being a worthy parasite of one of last century's most beautifully written novels, have brought in a decent
audience. After all, "paedophilia equals shock value equals audiences" is an alchemy well-established on the Fringe.

But they could not have expected the stream of hatred that would soon be unleashed against what we should surely call the "pederast community." In the current climate, a play with a paedophile protagonist is unlikely to
pack them in. Thus, on the night I went, Act Provocateur were playing to a crowd you could count on your eyeballs.

Which, in a sense, is a shame, as by the final curtain the actors were obviously embarrassed that they outnumbered their audience. On the other hand, I would be lying if I said this production deserved a good house. Much about it seems ill-conceived. Andy Mcquade, as the famous Humbert Humbert, is a case in point.

Mcquade's performance is adept and holds the show together, but while the book had Humbert handsome and suave, Mcquade plays him as gibbering in his infatuation, and prone to facial expression straight out of Munsch. This well conveys the helplessness of his passion, but it feels strange that Lolita and her mother should both fall for an obviously sick man.

Another feature that bugs is the decision to take the story out of its cultural context. Lolita was written in 1955, but here the women's costumes tell us we are in modern times. Fine in principle. Indeed touches such as
having Lolita dance to Britney Spears make points about our infantilising culture that the play would be worse without. But when we see Lolita's mother, a powerfully sexual woman in tight-fitting leather trousers, wag her
finger at Humbert and tell him to wait until the wedding night, anachronism strikes. It's as if Sharon Stone switched legs to reveal a glimpse of chastity belt.

The director, Victor Sobchak, is disconcertingly obsessed with the women in this play. It is true that both Charlotte Reeve and Nika Khitrova are what some might term "knockout blondes." But Sobchak takes rather too many opportunities to put them on display. Khitrova, as Lolita, removes her top for no apparent reason in the first minute of the play. An episode that in the book sees a supposedly innocent gesture of Lolita's bring Humbert to climax has become a huge snogging session on the couch, with the girl's skirt riding her thigh.

Is this supposed to make us feel guilty? If so, it doesn't work. Khitrova is gamine but not under-age, and, if anything, placing her in compromising position after compromising position emphasises this. I can't help but think this play would have been more shocking if they'd let her play the child on-stage, which she does well, but kept the sex out of sight.
 

Judge's life-term wish for abuser

A judge has jailed a serial child abuser for six and a half years after telling him he wished he could have given him life.

Cleaner Brian Leckey had a string of child-sex offences dating back to 1978, but Judge Alistair McCallum was told he still couldn't pass a life sentence for his latest catalogue of abuse.

Bradford Crown Court heard yesterday how 57-year-old Leckey gave cigarettes to boys who visited his flat in Brooklyn Road, Cleckheaton, and after showing some of them pornographic magazines and videos he then indecently abused them.

Over an 18-month period between February 2001 and September last year, Leckey committed repeated offences against eight boys aged between ten and 15.

Leckey, who has been living at a bail hostel in Leeds, pleaded guilty to ten charges of indecent assault and 16 of indecency with a child.

Prosecutor David Brooke said the activities came to light after two victims were overheard talking about `Dirty Bri'.

Judge McCallum told Leckey: "I'm told that I can't pass a sentence of life imprisonment upon you - I would dearly like to do that."

He said Leckey would have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life and ordered a three-year supervision period following his release.

Michael Collins, for Leckey, said his client had expressed shame at what he had done.
 

Third man held in child porn raids

DETECTIVES have arrested a third Calderdale man suspected of downloading internet child porn.

The 42-year-old joins two others from the district and 26 across West Yorkshire arrested in raids between May and last week in connection with the FBI's Operation Ore investigation.

Of the 29 arrested two of the men have been charged and the rest have been bailed as part of the probe.

Of the 26 from other parts of West Yorkshire, eight are from Leeds, six from Bradford, five from Wakefield, two from Ossett, two from Huddersfield, and one each from Normanton, Ponte-fract, and Baildon.

The suspects are part of a database of 7,272 British subscribers to internet child porn sites compiled by U.S. detectives.

It includes senior executives in stockbroking, pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, retailing, a senior teacher at an exclusive girls' public school, service personnel from at least five military bases, GPs, university academics and civil servants.

West Yorkshire Police have given only brief details of the Calderdale men arrested. As well as the latest suspect, one, a 35-year-old man, was held on November 18 and another, a 52-year-old man, was arrested on December 9.

The third man was arresed during raids on January 13.

A spokesman for West Yorkshire Police said: "We act on any kind of information that suggests any kind of criminal activity, especially in relation to serious crime like child pornography, which is abhorrent.

"If there is any information which is passed to us then we will investigate thoroughly."

The FBI operation led to the arrest of The Who guitarist Pete Townsend, who had logged on to child porn sites.

The millionaire rock star told police that he had done so only for research purposes.

Operation Ore has a list of 75,000 child porn subscribers worldwide.

Detectives from Scotland Yard divide the list into three categories.

Category one includes anyone with access to children and those with a previous conviction or on the sex offenders' register.

Category two is for those who hold positions of authority.

And category three includes those who police believe are a lesser risk or who do not have direct access to youngsters.
 

Alleged Pedophiles at Helm of Britain's War Machine, Massive Cover-Up
 

A child-sex scandal that threatened to destroy Tony Blair's government last week has been mysteriously squashed and wiped off the front pages of British newspapers. Operation Ore, the United Kingdom's most thorough and comprehensive police investigation of crimes against children, seems to have uncovered more than is politically acceptable at the highest reaches of the British elite.
 

 In the 19th of January edition of The Sunday Herald, Neil Mackay sensationally reported that senior members of Tony Blair's government were being investigated for paedophilia and the "enjoyment" of child-sex pornography:

"The Sunday Herald has also had confirmed by a very senior source in British intelligence that at least one high-profile former Labour Cabinet minister is among Operation Ore suspects. The Sunday Herald has been given the politician's name but, for legal reasons, can not identify the person.

There are still unconfirmed rumours that another senior Labour politician is among the suspects. The intelligence officer said that a 'rolling' Cabinet committee had been set up to work out how to deal with the potentially ruinous fall-out for both Tony Blair and the government if
arrests occur."

The allegations are the most serious yet levelled at an administration that prides itself on the inclusion in its ranks of a high quota of
controversial and flamboyant homosexual men, and whose First Lady, Cherie Blair, has come under the spotlight for her indulgence in pagan rituals that resemble Freemasonic rites. Unconfirmed information also suggests that the term "former Labour Cabinet minister" is misleading and that the investigation has identified a surprisingly large number of alleged paedophiles at the highest level of British government, including one very senior cabinet minister (known to Propaganda Matrix.com).

The Blair government has responded by imposing a comprehensive blackout on the story, effectively removing it from the domain of public
discussion. Attempts on the part of this journalist to establish why the British media has not followed up on the revelations have met with a wall of silence. Editors and journalists of The Times, The Daily Telegraph, The Guardian, The Independent, The Sunday Times, The Observer, The Sunday Telegraph, The Daily Mail, The Daily Express, The Mirror, The Sun, the BBC, Independent Television News and even The Sunday Herald have refused to discuss the matter.

Speaking from London, freelance journalist Bob Kearley told me: "Whether or not a D-Notice has been issued is not clear. But based on some of the feedback I've been getting it's apparent that editors and media owners have voluntarily agreed not to cover the story at this time. Operation Ore is still being reported, but not in regard to government ministers, and it's taking up very few column inches on the third or fourth page. Don't forget that the intelligence services are involved here, and Blair is anxious to ensure that the scandal does not rock the boat at a time when the country is about to go to war."

"You can imagine the effect this would have on the morale of troops who are about to commit in Iraq. In fact morale is reportedly quite low
anyway, with service personnel throwing their vaccines into the sea en route to the battlefront and knowing how unpopular the war is with the British people. And a lot of squaddies I've met think there's something weird going on between Bush and Blair. If you're then told that the
executive responsible for the conduct of the war is staffed by child-molesters ... well, then Saddam suddenly looks like the sort of bloke with
whom you can share a few tins [beer]."

[In an E mail to Paul Joseph Watson, Mike James identified his sources as "people I knew in London who used to work for the Treasury department throughout the 1980s, one being a private secretary at a senior level....my sources will definitely refuse to support my claims - both are doing extremely well financially and career-wise."]

Developing.....
 

Sex laws shake-up unveiled

Ministers are worried about the risks of chatrooms

Adults befriending children with the intention of abusing them face five years in jail as part of the first radical overhaul of sex laws for 50 years.
The new offence of sexual "grooming" of children will allow police officers to intervene and arrest a suspect before any sexual activity takes place.

New sex offences and maximum jail penalties
Rape of a child under 13 - life
Sexual activity in public - six months
Meeting a child following sexual grooming - five years
Sexual activity with a person with a mental disorder - Life
Paying for sex with a child - 14 years
 

But Home Office minister Hilary Benn said that while he did not "under-estimate the difficulties" of bringing such a prosecution, it was the government's view a new offence was needed to protect children.

Among other measures in the Sex Offences Bill published on Wednesday, couples who have sex in an outdoor public place could face six months imprisonment

Sex offenders from overseas will now have to register when they come to the UK.

Chatrooms

UK sex offenders will have to re-register annually, instead of every five years, or face five years in jail.

Home Secretary David Blunkett said sexual crime, especially against children "can tear apart the very fabric of society".

"Protection of children and the most vulnerable is a priority for the government," he said.
 

Blunkett says current laws are archaic

"This is now the first time for 50 years a government has had the courage to take on the difficult and sensitive task of reforming sex offences legislation."

The new offence of "sexual grooming" comes in two parts, dealing with the intention of a would-be paedophile and the moment a meeting with a child takes place.

Mr Benn told journalists that if it became known that a 45 year old man was logging on to Internet chatrooms pretending to be a 15-year-old, then a civil preventative order could be made.

Gap in the law

"That's the first protection, to try to catch this behaviour and stop it before a meeting and any risk of any sexual activity with the child takes place," he said.

"Secondly there's the grooming offence ... committed at the moment the meeting takes place - you have to prove that they intended to commit a sexual offence with that child ..."

But Mr Benn stressed: "I don't underestimate the difficulties that there may be involved."

Penny Dean, of the Children's Society, welcomed the stance taken on child abusers.

Sarah Payne's case added to fears on paedophiles

But John Wadham, director of civil rights group Liberty, said: "Provisions like those on grooming risk feeding fear and mistrust in ways that distract from the serious business of child protection - which is about openness, education and talking frankly with our children."

Harry Fletcher, of probation union Napo, said the police may have difficulty proving cases under the grooming law.

Under the new laws, anyone found guilty of having sex with a child aged 12 or under would be charged with rape, with a maximum penalty of life in prison.

This would stop defence counsel from asking youngsters "did you lead him on".

Sex outdoors

Inducing a child to take their clothes off will carry a maximum 10-year sentence if no physical contact was involved, and 14 if there was.

The measures also include a six month jail term for a person who "knows or is reckless" about whether they will be seen having sex.

Private homes are exempt from the new law, but having sex in a private garden which can be seen from the street would be a crime.

Sex in public toilets, or "cottaging", will not be a specific offence unless "the cubicle door was open", said Mr Benn.

Rape convictions

The bill introduces a new test of "reasonableness" over the issue of consent in rape allegations.

This would mean rape victims would be considered to have been unlikely to have said yes to sex if they were unconscious or threatened, for example.

"Date rape" will not become a separate offence, but using drugs or other substances to stupefy a victim for an indecent assault will carry a 10-year sentence.

It is hoped conviction rates for rape - which fell from 25% in 1985 to just 7% in 2000 - will improve.

The bill includes new offences covering sexual assault by penetration, bestiality, voyeurism, indecent exposure, and sexual interference with human remains.

New measures against child prostitution are also included.
 

200 FACE CHILD PORN QUIZ

TWO hundred men and women in West Yorkshire are being investigated by police over an internet child porn scandal, the YEP can reveal.

Operation Ore was launched in October after the FBI passed 7,000 names to British police for allegedly paying to access an America child pornography website.
Almost 50 suspects have already been seen by police in West Yorkshire.
Over the coming weeks, batches of the suspects will be answering bail to learn if they are to be charged.
The website, Landslide, was launched in 1998 but was closed down at the end of 1999. The FBI compiled a massive list of people, worldwide, who had logged on to the site and also downloaded images - and given their credit card details. That was the start of an international police investigation named Operation Ore.
The list of British suspects was passed via the National Criminal Intelligence Service to forces throughout the UK.
The US website carried images ranging from naked children to youngsters involved in depraved sex acts.
Policemen
The nationwide operation has already ensnared teachers, barristers, university lecturers and 50 policemen, including two who worked on the investigation into the murders of two girls in Soham, Cambridgeshire, last year.
The FBI inspired investigation led to the revelation that The Who guitarist Pete Townshend had logged on to the child porn sites. Mr Townshend said he had done so for research purposes.
Only recently, Home Office Minister and Leeds Central MP Hilary Benn insisted that child protection was one of the Government's highest priorities.
 

CHILD PORN RAP

ONE of Scotland's most senior social workers has been charged with child porn offences.

Sandy Dowell, 47, is accused of taking indecent pictures of children, permitting them to be taken, or making photographs or "pseudo-photographs".

The community mental health manager, who leads the Charleston Centre, in Renfrewshire, has been suspended after appearing in private at Paisley Sheriff Court on Wednesday.

Dowell, of Balmoral Road, Elderslie, made no plea or declaration and was released on bail.
 

JUSTICE AT LAST

Police shamed as paedophile jailed 9 years

PAEDOPHILE Ian Hunter has been jailed for nine years for attempting to rape little girls in his care.

Hunter, 52, preyed on his terrified victims for years, masquerading as a "street uncle" to families in Buckhaven, Fife.

He would babysit for local kids and take youngsters to the swimming baths.

But as Hunter was led away to start his sentence, parents of the abused kids criticised the police and the authorities for failing to investigate him earlier. One girl's mother said: "We begged police and social workers to put this man behind bars but they couldn't even be bothered acting on the information we gave them.

"Because of that, many more families have suffered ordeals that have scarred lives forever.

"Who knows how many more unsuspecting children may have been put at risk because of police and council blunders? A complete shake-up of how these matters are handled is overdue."

Behind the smiling "uncle" act, Hunter was a Jekyll and Hyde character - a sex beast who committed a sickening catalogue of offences against little girls aged between eight and 12. Last month, we told how Hunter admitted abusing kids.

At the High Court in Edinburgh on Friday, his victims cheered as the paedophile was sentenced after pleading guilty to charges of attempted rape and indecency.

He also admitted forcing them to watch pornographic videos, during which he committed vile acts. Yet his victims' families claim the beast was allowed years of freedom because police and social workers failed to properly investigate him.

Hunter was put on trial a couple of years ago for abusing two sisters but the case fell apart and a not proven verdict was returned.

The girls' anguished father was arrested and charged with breach of the peace for sending warning letters to other families in a bid to protect their children.

The distraught father had begged Fife police for almost five years to contact other families he suspected may have been victims of Hunter.

The charges that finally put Hunter behind bars were brought as a direct result of the brave dad's letters.

Hunter pled guilty earlier this month, and was placed on the Sex Offenders Register.

On Friday, as he sentenced Hunter to nine years, Lord Philip said: "You were only concerned with your own gratification and gave no thought to the profound and long- lasting effects this conduct can have on victims." As bearded Hunter was led from court, one victim said: "I still have nightmares and flashbacks of what that vile beast did to me.

"I'll never forgive the authorities for not putting him behind bars sooner. He's an evil, dangerous man."

Last night, Fife MSP Marilyn Livingstone, head of the powerful cross- party working group on child abuse, said: "Sentences of this magnitude send a message that behaviour of this sort is just not acceptable in society today.

"The families involved feel let down by various authorities and I'll be working to ensure the same shortfalls aren't allowed to continue."

Anne McDonald, of the Kingdom Abuse Survivors Project, said: "Lessons that should have been learned in the past, obviously haven't. Families and victims feel let down by a system that's supposed to protect them."
 

Airport worker jailed for 18 months for child rape videos

A Heathrow Airport cashier has been jailed for being a key member of an international paedophile conspiracy.

Ritesh Patel, 26, a philosophy graduate who works in a bureau de change, was a leading figure in the clandestine Shadowz Brotherhood, a club exchanging depraved material around the world.

When police raided his home, they found it contained movies depicting children being sexually abused, some as young as two. An eight-year-old girl was being raped in one of the films.

Patel had also rigged up a camcorder aimed at his bed and his home yielded sex toys, a Polaroid camera and a collection of pornography.

When Patel, of Somerset Road, Southall, appeared for sentencing at Southwark Crown Court on Friday, prosecutor James Jones said he had joined the Shadowz Brotherhood after his previous obsession, an internet chat site known as the Professors, was closed down. He sent fellow perverts his fantasy of performing a sex act on a 16-year-old girl.

Detective Inspector Michael Randell, of the National High Tech Crime Unit, told the court: "The Shadowz Brotherhood is a group of very sophisticated computer users on a global scale. They set themselves up on the internet in a password protected environment.

"You get invited into the brotherhood and are given a password and as you swap material you get more trusted. You are then given a password where pornographic images are available for only a couple of hours."

Patel had previously pleaded guilty to seven charges of making indecent photographs of children and one of inciting others to make indecent photographs of a child between May 31st and July 3rd last year.

In defence, Sharon Leene said: "He is a curious person by habit. He was drawn into the site. In the secrecy of his bedroom, he could not see who he was hurting, but he can now."

Jailing Patel for 18 months, Judge Geoffrey Rivlin QC said: "There is no doubt you were one of a band of people engaged in the exploitation of abused children. That is a matter of widespread concern in this country."

Patel was put on licence for three years and ordered to sign the sexual offenders' register for ten years.
 

Jacko admits sleeping with boys

Michael Jackson has proudly admitted sharing his bed with children. He says he sees nothing wrong with a 44-year-old man having such relationships. And insisting there is 'nothing sexual' going on, he declares: 'I give them hot milk, you know, we have cookies. It's very charming, it's very sweet, it's what the whole world should do.'

The extraordinary revelations come in Living With Michael Jackson, a documentary by Martin Bashir, for which the reclusive superstar allowed his movements to be filmed for eight months.

It was shown on ITV last night. Jackson's career was blighted when he was accused of child abuse a decade ago by dentist's son Jordy Chandler, 13, and paid a reported £18.5million in an outof-court settlement.

Yet during the programme the singer openly admits sleeping with Home Alone star Macaulay Culkin and his brother Kieran, at the time aged 12 and ten. He adds that his third child was produced with a surrogate mother he had never met, says that his other two children were a 'present' from his ex-wife Deborah Rowe, and also describes sharing a bed with a 12-yearold cancer victim named Gavin.

During the programme Bashir is seen chatting with Gavin at Neverland, Jackson's ranch.

The pair apparently met two years ago when the boy was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Since then the disease has gone into remission but Gavin and Jackson have maintained their friendship, apparently with the blessing of the boy's mother.

Gavin says he regularly stays at Neverland and adds: 'There was one night, I asked him if I could stay in his bedroom.'

They had an argument about who should sleep where and Jackson said, 'Look, if you love me you'll sleep in the bed'.

Gavin adds: 'I was like, "Oh man!" So I finally slept on the bed. But it was fun that night.'

An apparently-unconcerned Jackson interjects: 'I slept on the floor. Was it a sleeping bag?'

Asked what he gets out of a relationship with a young boy, he explains: 'I love, I feel, I think what they get from me I get from them. I've said it many times, my greatest inspiration comes from kids. Every song I write, every dance I do, all the poetry I write, is all inspired from the level of innocence.

'Whenever kids come here they never want to stay in the guest rooms. They say, "Can I stay with you tonight?", so I go, "If it's OK with your parents then yes you can".'

Asked if he can understand others' concerns, Jackson, looking increasingly nervous, says: 'Why should that be worrying? What's the criminal? Who's Jack the Ripper in the room?'

He denies sleeping in the same bed as Gavin but adds: 'I have slept in a bed with many children.

'When Macaulay Culkin was little, Kieran Culkin would sleep on this side, Macaulay Culkin was on this side his sisters in there.

'We all would just jam in the bed, you know, we would wake up like dawn and go in the hot-air balloon.'

Asked how his third child, Prince Michael II, was conceived he says: 'I used a surrogate mother and my own sperm cells.

'I had my own sperm cells in my other two children - they are all my children.'

Bashir speaks to Jackson minutes after the infamous moment when he dangled the baby over a balcony in Berlin, and the star cannot see what he has done wrong.

'Why would I throw a baby off the balcony?' he asks. 'That's the dumbest stupidest story I ever heard.'

He says his fans 'were chanting they wanted to see the baby and I was kind enough to show them'.

When Bashir asks him about the Jordy Chandler case, Jackson claims he cannot talk about it for legal reasons.

However he says: 'I was shocked because God knows in my heart how much I adore children.'

Asked what he does with children in his bed he says: 'When you say bed, you are thinking sexual, they make that sexual. It's not sexual. We're going to sleep, I tuck them in and I put a little music on and when it's story time I read a book.'

Explaining why he paid off Jordy, he says: 'I didn't want to do a long- drawn- out thing on TV like OJ. I said, "Look, get this over with. I want to go on with my life".'

Then he loses his temper and says to Bashir: 'This is ridiculous. I've had enough. Go.'
 

Paedophiles face life ban on net access

Convicted internet paedophiles may be subject to computer surveillance by police or a lifetime ban on using the web.

The proposals relate to Operation Ore, the nationwide hunt for suspected paedophiles. It was launched after the FBI released files on more than 7,000 suspects to British police. There have been 1,600 arrests so far.

A spokeswoman for the National Crime Squad said the measures aimed "to stop these people from reoffending or to watch their use of the internet in the future. They could also be banned from using the internet but there is no legislation to support this."

In the wake of arrests related to Operation Ore, at least four suspects have committed suicide, a police spokesman confirmed. At least 40 children have been taken into care.
 

New DNA clue in Lesley murder hunt

STABBED: Lesley Molseed

A SCIENTIFIC breakthrough has given detectives fresh hope in their 28-year hunt for the killer of schoolgirl Lesley Molseed.

The 11-year-old, from Rochdale's Turf Hill estate, was sexually assaulted and stabbed 12 times before being dumped at Rishworth Moor near Oldham in 1975.

Now detectives have spoken of a "significant breakthrough" in the case after forensic scientists were able to compile a DNA profile of the killer from traces of semen left on items found at the murder scene.

Stefan Kiszko was wrongly convicted then cleared of Lesley's murder after 16 years in jail. Later paedophile Raymond Hewlett was named as a prime suspect.

Today (Wednesday) senior investigating officer Detective Chief Superintendent Max McLean said he could categorically rule out Raymond Hewlett because his DNA does not match the profile.

The genetic fingerprint produced by scientists at a lab in Wetherby 18 months ago was kept a closely guarded secret until today because detectives hoped they would be able to find a match.

But after ruling out Hewlett and 300 other suspects - including infamous killers such as the Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe and child-killer Robert Black - they need the help of fresh witnesses to find out who the DNA belongs to.

Mr McLean said: "It may be that someone has harboured a suspicion for years that a friend, relative or acquaintance could have killed this little girl.

"After 28 years we will never have another opportunity like we have now to find Lesley's killer."
 

Social worker fined over US porn

A SOCIAL worker from West Yorkshire is one of the first men in Britain to be prosecuted over an internet porn scandal.

Martin Fleming, 41, who changed his name by deed poll from Mark McQuaid after his arrest, admitted a charge of possessing an indecent photograph of a child. He also pleaded guilty to 19 similar offences.
Fleming, of Alexandra Crescent, Dewsbury, came to the attention of police during the Operation Ore investigation. It was launched in October after the FBI passed 7,000 names to British police of people who accessed an American child pornography site.
Fleming, arrested last November in Huddersfield, resigned as a social worker.
Prosecutor Stephen Gration told Dewsbury Magistrates Court Fleming had 450 indecent images of children on his computer. He said Fleming had been charged with 20 offences, including possessing images of girls of three posing naked.
Counselling
The court heard Fleming relationship with his partner had broken down and he had lost access to his children.
Magistrates ordered that Fleming sign the Sex Offencers Register for a total of five years. He was fined £500 plus £60 prosecution costs.
Fleming's lawyer said he had referred himself to a clinical psychologist for counselling.
Magistrates chairman Bench, Norman Brown, said: "This won't be the worst case of its kind which comes before this court. We have taken into account his guilty plea."
The YEP was prevented from taking Fleming's photograph as he left court after he was sneaked out of the back door of Dewsbury Magistrates Court by security staff.
 

Printer, 43, jailed after downloading child porn

A 43-YEAR-OLD single man, still living with his parents, has been jailed for 15 months for downloading child porn from the internet.

Printer Graham Pardue was arrested after police raided his home as part of Operation Ore the worldwide paedophile crackdown.

Neville Willard, prosecuting, said officers discovered more than 100 images, some showing naked children in sex acts, on Pardue's computer.

He told Maidstone Crown Court that a forensic examination of the computer revealed the bachelor had been surfing porn sites throughout 2001 and 2002.

Mr Willard added that Pardue, who admitted 17 charges of making indecent photographs, had used his credit card to pay for access to one child porn site called: Lolita Love.

"When he was interviewed, he said he had come across the child porn by chance," said Mr Willard. "However, he admitted thereafter he had made deliberate visits to such sites, downloading more than 1,000 indecent images of children."

Detectives also seized a number of photographs, which Pardue had printed from the internet sites.

Mr Willard added that the printing firm employee said he had not distributed any of the images.

Pardue, of Roseleigh Avenue, Maidstone, bowed his head as Judge Adele Williams asked: "What if your mother had come across these photographs?"

John Fitzgerald, defending, said Pardue's mother was terminally ill and did not know about his arrest.

He said Pardue did not have a social life and had not been in a relationship with anyone for 10 years.

"He is thoroughly ashamed of what he has done but at the time he thought it was more voyeurism than exploiting children," he said.

Mr Fitzgerald added: "He has destroyed all his computer equipment and has no intention of using the internet again. This has been a serious lesson to him."

Passing sentence, Judge Williams said that "right-minded people were revolted by this activity".

She also ordered him to register as a sexual offender for 10 years after his release from jail.
 

Ex-special constable on sex charges

A FORMER special constable is due to appear in court today charged with indecent assault on a girl under the age of 16 and of downloading obscene images from the internet.

Paul James Lingham, 35 of Oldfield Drive, Wouldham worked at Maidstone Prison as a part-time auxiliary officer but was asked to resign following a police investigation.

He is due to appear at Dartford Magistrates today (Friday) a week after being remanded in custody following his arrest.
 

Priest on 1970s child sex assault charges

A ROMAN Catholic priest has been charged with sexual offences against children.

Neil Gallanagh, 72, formerly parish priest of St Mary's, Horsforth, Leeds, is accused of a total of seven offences which are alleged to have happened over a four-year period between 1972 and 1976.
Six of the charges relate to indecent assaults on boys and one to an indecent assault on a man.
Gallanagh was ordained a priest in 1955 – some twenty years before the alleged offences. Before becoming parish priest at the Horsforth church he was based at St Patrick's, New York Road, Leeds.
A woman parishioner in Horsforth, who asked not to be named, said yesterday: "The news about Fr Gallanagh was announced at Masses at St Mary's last Sunday in a statement from the bishop in which it was stressed that the charges relate to incidents that are alleged to have happened many years before he came to Horsforth."
A statement from the Leeds diocese released yesterday said: "The Bishop or Leeds (David Konstant] is fully aware of police investigations concerning a priest of the diocese and that charges have been brought against him.
"In accordance with diocesan policy, the bishop and his advisers have fully cooperated with the authorities and will continue to do so.
"The priest in question has been on administrative leave since the investigation began. In view of the fact that the situation is ongoing, no further comment can be made at this time."
Gallanagh has already appeared before Leeds magistrates – on January 30 – when he was remanded on unconditional bail to appear before the court again on March 20.
Meanwhile, a former priest has been charged in connection with the worldwide police investigation into Internet child pornography, Operation Ore.
John Masters, who now lives in Dundonald Close, Southampton, was arrested after he resigned from his post at the Hermitage Team Ministry in West Berkshire last year.
The 40-year-old has been charged with four counts of possessing indecent images of children and four counts of making indecent images of children, Thames Valley Police said. He will appear in court next week.
A spokesman for the Diocese of Oxford said Masters had joined the Anglican church from the Roman Catholic church – for whom he had worked since 1988 – in 2000. He first worked at the Church of St John the Evangelist in Newbury, Berks, before being appointed to the Hermitage Team Ministry last year.
 

Jackson lodges complaint over documentary

Michael Jackson yesterday made an official complaint to TV watchdogs over the controversial documentary about his life.

His lawyers sent complaints to the Independent Television Commission and the Broadcasting Standards Commission, claiming he had been "unfairly treated" by the Martin Bashir programme.
His legal team also claimed Living With Michael Jackson, which was broadcast on ITV1 on Monday night, was an infringement of his privacy.
The complaint to the ITC alleged the documentary "contains the clear innuendo that Mr Jackson is guilty of inappropriate behaviour with children."
It claimed the use of voiceovers, editing and the questions asked gave credence to allegations made against the star in 1993 of a serious sexual offence with a child. Contrary to the code, Jackson was not told that "the subject matter and the purpose of this part of the programme was to infer sexual impropriety on the part of Mr Jackson".
In his complaint to the BSC, Jackson said he was "not given any prior warning ... of Martin Bashir's intention to interview me about a 1993 allegation of child molestation or of their intention to link that allegation with my friendship with Gavin Arvezo".
He said the programme also included film taken of his children "contrary to my express consent".
He also claimed that he had not, as promised, been given the chance to view the programme before it was broadcast.
The star has been widely criticised following the documentary, in which he revealed that he still shares his bedroom with a 12-year-old boy.
Jackson, 44, condemned the programme last night, claiming the documentary was deceptive and that he would never harm a child.
"I trusted Martin Bashir to come into my life and that of my family because I wanted the truth to be told."
He went on: "Today I feel more betrayed than perhaps ever before; that someone who had got to know my children, my staff and me, whom I let into my heart and told the truth, could then sacrifice the trust I placed in him and produce this terrible and unfair programme."
Programme makers Granada Television stood by Mr Bashir and insisted the controversial programme was "truthful and open".
"There has been no distortion, misrepresentation or breach of trust. Martin Bashir agreed with Michael that we'd make an honest film about his life and we've fulfilled that promise.
"Michael is a controversial figure with many critics. It's not surprising that a film about him, which is so open and revealing, draws some hostile reaction and comment about him."
Granada said there was never any agreement that the children would not be shown at all.
"We were sensitive to Michael's long-standing concerns about their privacy and security and adopted self-imposed restrictions to protect their identities and appearance, never showing any of our footage where their faces were clear and unobscured. In the transmitted film they wear masks or veils, exactly as Michael dresses them if they are to appear in public."
 

I'll send my son to stay with star

A British mother said yesterday the public had been too quick to condemn Michael Jackson over his TV admission that he still shared his bedroom with young boys.

Gaynor Morgan said all the good work the American singer had done for children's charities over many years had been forgotten because of one "manipulated" interview.
And to show her faith in the controversial star, she said she planned to send her own 10-year-old son Alex to stay with him at his massive Neverland Valley mansion.
Ms Morgan, the daughter of former Scotland and Manchester United footballer Willie Morgan, said she had felt "inspired" after watching the documentary.
In it, the American singer revealed he had formed a strong friendship with a 12-year-old boy, who regularly stayed at his mansion and even slept in his bed.
Jackson, 44, insisted there was nothing strange about the arrangement, adding: "What's wrong with sharing a love?"
Ms Morgan, 28, from Altrincham, Cheshire, said that having experienced to a much smaller degree what it was like living with celebrity, she could see the effect it had had on Jackson.
She said she felt sympathy for the star, claiming the interview had been "manipulated" to make Jackson's comments appear more sensational.
"I was very, very impressed with Michael Jackson and thought he came across as a very loving, kind person," she said. "I have absolutely no qualms with taking my son to stay with him."
Singer Ms Morgan added: "I saw the programme and it has so inspired me I would love to take Alex to see him."
Following the documentary, broadcast in the UK on Monday and shown in America last night, she contacted singer Johnny Mathis, a family friend, and asked him to arrange a trip to Neverland for her son.
Since then, she said she had received a number of calls from children's charities she had worked with in the past, thanking her for speaking out in his favour.
She said: "I called Johnny and he said Michael was a very kind, generous and loving person who has done a lot of work for children over the years.
"It is all yet to be arranged but I'm hoping to go over later this year. Whenever Michael is free, I'm free."
 

VICAR ARRESTED IN CHILD PORN PROBE

A WEST Cumbrian vicar has been arrested on suspicion of downloading child pornography.

The Reverend Bert Galloway, 62-year-old vicar of Gosforth, was arrested on Wednesday afternoon and accused of downloading child porn from the internet.

His computer was seized and is currently being examined by police.

Mr Galloway is the rector of three Gosforth churches, Nether Wasdale, Wasdale Head and Gosforth. He is also industrial chaplain at Sellafield and is due to be installed as an honorary canon of Carlisle Cathedral on March 2.

The vicar, who has been released on police bail until next Thursday, was unavailable for comment this morning

Mr Galloway has served in the area for around nine years and lives in Gosforth with his wife, Ann.

Colin Taylor, who is chaplain to the Bishop of Carlisle, the Right Reverend Graham Dow, said he had only heard the news of Mr Galloway's arrest this morning, so it was too early to say what would happen about his appointment as an honorary canon.

He said: "We won't know what will happen until we know further what the situation is. It is too premature to make any comment."

Mr Galloway's arrest did not come as part of Operation Alarm - a countywide crackdown on paedophiles traced through a US-based website by the FBI, a police spokesman said.

More than 25 Cumbrians have so far been arrested as part of Operation Alarm, which involved details of website subscribers passed to UK police by their American counterparts.

Among them was Barrow-based PC Geoffrey Needham and two teachers from the south of the county, who have faced charges in court.
 

EXPENSES PAID HOLIDAY FOR BULGER KILLERS

JAMES Bulger's murderers are this week being treated to a holiday at the taxpayers' expense to keep them safe during the 10th anniversary of the toddler's horrific death.
Jon Venables and Robert Thompson, both now aged 20, have been given round-the-clock protection by armed police in their secret and separate hideaways.
A source said last night: "The police are worried. Only the Royal Family and Tony Blair have a higher level of security."
The pair - who murdered two-year-old Liverpool boy James 10 years ago on Wednesday when both were aged 10 - are also causing headaches for police through their drunken and arrogant behaviour.
Venables' attitude has been so bad at times that his frustrated police minders once threw him across the bonnet of a car - and threatened to leave him chained to a lamp-post in Liverpool to teach him a lesson.
A source said: "Their patience was at an end. They couldn't believe how cocky he'd got."
Police are concerned that the anniversary will spark new anger in Liverpool - where criminals are said to have put out a £100,000 contract on their heads and visited several towns and cities to search for clues as to where they are.
A source said last night: "The threat to their lives is very real. We believe they are being actively hunted.
"And they are both very nervous about the date anyway. They know it will bring back all the memories.

MURDERERS: Robert Thompson and Jon Venables

"In view of this, it was thought it would be best to take them somewhere where there are no TVs or newspapers."
The huge, long-term police operation to protect the two young men is estimated to have cost around £250,000 so far.
Both have been living on State allowances under false identities since being released from prison in November, 2001.
They are both housed many miles from Liverpool in fully-equipped flats with central heating and get help with gas and electricity bills.
They have been given mobile phones and computers - but are not allowed internet access - and spend much of their days playing video games,
For security reasons, they are not required to apply for unemployment and other benefits in the normal way, but have the cash paid by special arrangement.
Access to the funds is carefully monitored, but a source told the Sunday Mirror: "It's a nice little nest-egg for the future."
Police are, however, convinced that no matter what they do, the two killers will one day be unmasked.
The Home Office has already authorised a special "escape fund" of £10,000 for each of the killers to allow a quick getaway if their whereabouts are discovered.
The problem lies in the characters of the pair who, as they have grown into manhood, are showing disturbing signs of becoming uncontrollable.
The source said: "One minute they are unbelievably cocky and arrogant and believe they can do anything they want.
"The next minute they are shaking with fear if they think someone may be on to them.
"Those closest to them believe the situation is rapidly spiralling out of control.
"They believe they are untouchable and are starting to treat their police minders like servants. It is unbelievable how cocky they are. Venables has even asked for a brand new house. He just thinks he can demand anything he wants. And his drinking is starting to cause real concern.
"He becomes very talkative and indiscreet in drink and his minders are living on a knife-edge fearing he might blow the gaffe. The officers are getting seriously fed up with them. All they can see is the rest of their careers going down the pan with looking after this pair."
Venables even threatened to ring Britain's most senior judge after the two police officers threw him across their car bonnet - then bundled him into the back and handcuffed him.
He told them: "You can't do anything to me. I'm much too important for the likes of you. I've got Lord Woolf on my side, and lots of other people too..."
Lord Woolf was the Lord Chief Justice who authorised the pair's freedom after a controversial ruling by the European Court.
The source said: "The police were already fed up with him for giving them lip and being generally disrespectful. He thought he was someone really important. Worse, he had started boasting about how special he was.
HE had repeatedly been warned about being indiscreet, but he just said they couldn't do anything to him because of who he was. In the end they decided to teach him a lesson."
It was then that Venables threatened to contact Lord Woolf. But he blanched in terror when the officers threatened to drive him to Liverpool and handcuff him to a lamp-post with his trousers round his ankles.
The source said: "That stopped Venables in his tracks. There were no more threats after that. He was as meek as a lamb. He is terrified of going anywhere near Liverpool.
"He knows only too well what would happen to him if he ever set foot in the place again. He knows he would be lynched. Too many people hate him for what he and Thompson did."
The source added: "The officers would never do anything like that under normal circumstances and they never would have gone through with it but they believed it was the most effective way of making him understand the seriousness of the situation.
"In many ways they feel sorry for him, because after all,he was only 10 when he committed the murder.
"But he was starting to act like a real idiot and he had to be taught a lesson or he could jeopardise everything by his foolishness."
Other incidents have also put the police on edge. Last year Venables called them after being woken by a sound in his front room. Within minutes, two armed officers were speeding toward his house. They let themselves in and found him cowering on the floor of his bedroom.
They found someone had tried to force a window in the front room. No one had got in - and the intruder had gone before the police arrived.
Another time, he thought he heard his name mentioned in a pub. In a panic, he called his police minders. They arrived armed and ready...to discover people had been talking about someone else.
In a third incident he horrified the police by going on a drinking binge and blurting out something in a pub which could have identified him. The source said: "It's exactly the kind of thing that he has been warned against - and shows up the huge problems facing those who look after this pair.
"They are powerless to prevent these indiscretions. One day the wrong person is going to find out about one or both of them."
Venables is said to still have flashbacks about James' murder and to sometimes wake up screaming. The source said: "There are now real fears about his mental state."
As another way of protecting the youths, meetings with relatives are carefully worked out and monitored. Thompson or Venables are picked up from their homes by detectives who drive them to secret locations.
Meanwhile, their parents or other relatives are met by yet more officers at an agreed location. They are then taken to the secret meeting place.
The meetings usually last for about three hours...and every word and action is recorded on concealed video cameras.
The source said: "The pair are aware of this, but are not bothered because they realise it's for their own security."
The two boys killed two-year-old James after abducting him from a shopping centre in Bootle, Merseyside. The case caused international outrage and crowds attacked their prison van when the pair stood trial at Preston Crown Court.
They were found guilty of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment - but released after eight years following the European Court ruling.
The preparations were worked out in painstaking detail by the Dangerous Offenders' Unit attached to the Home Office.
The pair were given their new names and coached in their false backgrounds until they were word-perfect months before they let out. They were even made to do outdoor activities and exercise regimes to help change their appearances.
At first, they were taken to secret locations for an intensive period of indoctrination into how to cope with the world outside.
Sending them to Australia and Canada had even been discussed, but the authorities there refused to accept them.
A source said: "It would have suited everyone to get this pair abroad.

"No one was in any doubt about the huge headache looking after them in this country would cause."
 

Townshend victim of witch-hunt, claims Daltrey

Roger Daltrey claims his bandmate Pete Townshend is the victim of a "witch-hunt" over an investigation into accessing child porn.

The Who star was arrested last month as part of the Operation Ore investigation into accessing child porn on the internet.

He has admitted using his credit card to access images but said they were for "research" for a book he was writing.

Daltrey said: "This is the worst thing I have ever had to deal with in my life."

In an interview for Virgin Radio he said: "What I find so unfair is that it has become a witch-hunt and, because it is subjudice, he is not allowed to defend himself."

Townshend, 57, claimed his actions were part of coming to terms with abuse he believes he suffered as a child, which he wants to write about in a book.

Daltrey said: "From what I can gather, 98% to 99% of people do believe him and I don't think he is going to let them down.

"I think he is telling the truth. I think the morality of the whole thing is very questionable as far as our society goes because he has been exposed and accused of doing something, something he has admitted to doing for certain reasons.

"Now if he can substantiate those reasons, then the least the police and our society owes him is to make this a priority and to get his case dealt with as quickly as possible.

"He is fine. He's just frustrated that they've taken his computers with all his music on it and because he is such a low priority on this thing."
 

Woman drops anonymity to speak against paedophile

A brave mum has waived her right to anonymity to speak of her anger at the lenient treatment her paedophile stepfather received in court.

Teresa Mallabone, 44, of Woolwich Road, Woolwich, left court in tears when Cyril Mallabone, 81, was spared jail after pleading guilty to 38 years of abusing young girls.

He lived first in Tonbridge and then moved to Charlton and later to his current home in Glyndon Road, Plumstead, until he was finally caught in 1998.

Judge Alan Hitching handed Mallabone a three-year community rehabilitation order, saying the man was now responding to treatment and is the sole carer of his housebound wife.

Mallabone admitted five specimen counts of sexual assault on four children, including Teresa and her daughter, Lisa, 23.

A further 14 charges of indecent assault and one count of rape were left to lie on file.

Holding back the tears at her home after the case, Teresa told News Shopper: "I feel sick. I've been treated like the criminal and he the victim. He abused me as a child and, years later, my daughter. He is slimy and cunning and has been set free to carry on abusing children." Teresa said: "I cannot sleep any more. I have these dreams where my daughter is 11 and screaming out for me. Behind her is this monster and I'm unable to do anything to stop it."

Lisa was just 11 years old when Mallabone sexually abused her.

"The law is a laughing stock. It sends out the message sexually abusing children is not serious."

Mr Mallabone molested the girls in the bath, their beds and in the street from 1960 to 1998.

Psychiatrist Dr Lucy Power told the court Mallabone had an "addiction" to sex-offending but is now responding to treatment.

She said: "He doesn't wish to harm himself but does wish he could have a heart attack. He said he would like to have his arms and legs cut off. It is some sort of expression of remorse."

Defence counsel Wendy Fisher Gordon urged the judge to follow the probation recommendation of a community rehabilitation.

She added: "Failing that a suspended sentence would be a heavy sanction he would have to live with. If you must impose a custodial sentence you would sentence him to life imprisonment."

Judge Hitching said: "Clearly these things have destroyed young lives, destroyed their sense of self-worth."

But sentencing Mallabone at Blackfriars Crown Court on Monday, he said: "I take the view you were addicted and that is the view of probation service in particular."

All four of Mr Mallabone's victims are on anti-depressants as a result of the abuse, Teresa said.
 

GLA man arrested over child porn

The man who runs the Tory offices at City Hall has been arrested after allegedly accessing paedophile images on the internet.

Douglas Campbell, who also manages the Conservatives' Greater London Authority website, is the second civil servant at the GLA to be questioned by officers from the anti-child pornography investigation Operation Ore, the Evening Standard can reveal.

In a revelation that will be highly damaging to the Tories, he was arrested in October but Party bosses decided to keep the matter secret until they were approached by the Standard.

The case follows that of Yusef Azad, 39, who was arrested in December amid claims that he had downloaded illegal images onto his personal computer.

Mr Azad, from Brixton, has since resigned from his £60,000-plus-a-year post assisting London Assembly members to scrutinise Mayor Ken Livingstone's policies.

Mr Campbell, who was also a key Conservative election campaigner in his home borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, was suspended two weeks after police informed the GLA of his arrest and escorted from City Hall.

He was rebailed on 31 January and has not been charged. He remains on full pay pending the outcome of the police investigation.

But a bitter row has broken out in the Tory group on the GLA about the handling of the affair. Criticism has been directed at group leader Eric Ollerenshaw, who is believed to have known Mr Campbell for up to 20 years. Critics believe he should have sought to "lance the boil" and secured Mr Campbell's resignation months ago to minimise damage to the party.

Now it has emerged just days before Steve Norris is likely to be unveiled as their Mayoral candidate this Sunday.

Mr Ollerenshaw refused to comment. A party spokeswoman said: "A GLA officer has been suspended. No further decision will be taken until a police investigation is concluded."

Mr Livingstone is said to be furious that he was kept in the dark about the allegations. His spokeswoman said: "The Mayor was not informed of this matter and is appalled that this information was not raised with him by the Assembly."

Mr Campbell, who is in his midthirties, is employed as the Conservative group's members liaison officer, earning about £35,000 a year. He oversaw the party office at City Hall and managed the researchers and secretaries who work for the nine Tory Assembly members.

He is believed to have fallen under the Operation Ore spotlight after his credit card details were passed to UK police after being uncovered by US authorities.
 

Child porn shame of father and son

A PERVERTED father and son from Ossett had more than 8,000 images of children as young as five engaged in graphic sex acts stored on their home computers, a court heard.

Stephen Berry, 52, (above) and his son Paul Berry, 31, were arrested on November 13 last year when police went to their Broad View home to question Stephen Berry as part of internet child porn crackdown Operation Ore, Dewsbury Magistrates heard.
The international operation began in November last year when the FBI passed details to British authorities of people who had used their credit cards to access child porn websites.
Among the hundreds rounded up in the police swoops was former Who guitarist Pete Townshend.
The court heard that while police were talking to his father about indecent images on his computer, Paul Berry told them he also had a computer containing child porn.
Prosecuting, Stephen Gration said the arrest of Paul Berry was 'an unusual situation.' He added: "Police had gone to speak to his father and while speaking to his father, this man (Paul Berry) volunteered information that he had a computer with pornographic images."
When police examined Paul Berry's computer they discovered he had more than 8,000 pictures and movies of children being abused in sex acts with his father's computer containing around 100 images.
The pair, who each pleaded guilty to 20 charges of possessing indecent images of children, were given unconditional bail until their next court appearances.
Paul Berry was told by Dewsbury Magistrates' Court bench chairman Nan Chadwick he would be committed to Leeds Crown Court for sentencing, as they did not have sufficient powers to deal with him.
Stephen Berry will be sentenced next month at Dewsbury Magistrates Court. Both were ordered to sign the sex offenders register.
 

Jail for pervert, 21, who gorged on child porn

A high-flying university student who "gorged himself on a diet of pornography" has been jailed.

Timothy Garvey downloaded images of young children being sexually abused by adults, Preston Crown Court was told.
The pictures were so "horrible" a trial heard that fellow students who accidentally came across them in shared accommodation immediately called in police.
Garvey, 21, was studying English Language and Linguistics at Lancaster University and living above The Royal Hotel in the city when the offences came to light.
He denied 10 charges of possessing indecent photographs of a child but was convicted by a jury after a three day trial.
Garvey maintained he had been sent the material unsolicited by e-mail and had not viewed them.
But the court was told by Iain Simkin, defending, that he now accepted his guilt and knew he had done wrong.
After leaving home and going into accommodation he had "gorged himself on a diet of pornography", Mr Simkin told the court.
It was accepted the images were "revolting".
For Garvey, a man with no previous convictions and a promising future up to his conviction, prison would be particularly hard on him, added Mr Simkin. But Judge David Boulton, who sentenced Garvey to four months in prison, said the victims were young children who had been horribly abused for the purpose of others watching them.
The similar cases resulting from the huge FBI investigation into worldwide internet porn had led to the Court of Appeal setting sentencing guidelines, explained the judge.
A prison term was inevitable whatever his personal circumstances, the judge told Garvey.
A spokesman for Lancaster Police said: "The sentence reflects te seriousness of the crime and should act as a deterrent to others participating in this type of activity."
 

Mercy for police officer who turned his back on child porn through revulsion

A POLICE officer from Sheffield, who swapped pictures of pre-teenage children engaged in sexual activity on the Internet, walked free from court in disgrace yesterday.

Former South Yorkshire traffic officer Richard Sweet, 49, would go on line, talk dirty and download indecent pictures of young girls with a man from Northern Ireland, Hull Crown Court was told.
Sweet's chat-room name was a crude anagram, which he used to build a collection of pornography, including 19 photographs of children that he stored on a disc to keep away from members of his family. The worst of the images showed a child and an adult having sex.
He was sentenced to a three-year community rehabilitation order, which includes sex counselling, and placed on the National Sex Offenders' Register for five years.
Judge Mr Justice Andrew Smith told Sweet: "I want to make it clear that conduct of this kind does normally lead to imprisonment. Nobody must get any other impression. But because a particularly revolting feature occurred you took steps to put it behind you. I do feel that a non-custodial sentence is justified."
He said his decision to pass a community sentence was based on Sweet's decision to turn his back on child pornography before he was detected, because he had been revolted by it.
Sweet admitted making eight indecent images of children between 2000 and 2001, and one charge of distributing an indecent image of a child by e-mail. He asked for six other offences to be taken into consideration.
James Sampson, prosecuting, said police tracked him down after a member of the public complained indecent pictures of children were appearing in an Internet chat room in August 2001.
A man was arrested in Northern Ireland, and in October last year he was jailed for three years, after admitting 19 counts of distributing images.
His hard drive recorded chatroom exchanges with the serving police officer.
Sweet, who has twice been married and has three stepchildren, aged 21, 18 and 16, told officers who came to his home: "I downloaded them, but never kept them."
He eventually admitted that he had downloaded the images on to a disc to hide them from his wife and children. He said he could not recall sending a picture to a Mr Hill in Northern Ireland.
Richard Barradell, mitigating, said Sweet became aware of a chat room where adult pornography was exchanged. He said: "He became corrupted."
He added that Sweet, who deleted his computer disc 12 months before police questioned him, had served with an unblemished police record for 24 years before he was dismissed.
Sweet was arrested in July 2002, and suspended by the force before he was dismissed following a disciplinary tribunal in December.
A spokeswoman for the NSPCC said: "Whatever sentence is given in cases of child pornography it should always be in the best interest of protecting children."
 

Child porn case tutor is spared prison

A TUTOR who downloaded child porn from the internet has escaped jail, but his career is in ruins.

Bachelor Ruben Sorli, 41, was banned by a judge from having any contact with children under 16 unless accompanied by an adult over 21.

A court had heard defence claims that self-employed Sorli's business had been left in ruins after the case made front page headlines.

Before the offences came to light, he was earning £20,000 a year but his income was now £21 a week.

Sentencing, Judge Raymond Bennett, who read out Court of Appeal sentences for child pornography cases, said the starting guidelines for such offences was prison.

He added the defendant was said in his pre-sentence report to be at low risk of reoffending.

Sorli was not assessed as presenting a risk of harm to children.

Sorli, who lives with his Spanish parents in Scott Street, Padiham, had admitted five specimen charges of making indecent photos of a child, committed between January and November, last year.

He had been committed for sentence by magistrates. The defendant was given a three-year community rehabilitation order to include attendance on the Sex Offenders' Programme. He was also ordered to sign the Sex Offenders' Register for five years.

The judge ordered the forfeiture of the hard drive of Sorli's computer as well as the photos seized by police.

Sorli was arrested as part of an international crackdown on child pornography offences, Burnley Crown Court was told.

The arrest was part of Operation Ore, in which police had been targeting alleged users of pay-per-view websites based in America.

The inquiry began after information was passed to British police from the FBI in the United States.

A localised Lancashire investigation was codename Operation Nickel.

Sorli, a private tutor, taught maths and English to children from the Burnley and Padiham areas at his home.

The court was told Sorli's computer was seized after police raided his home. Officers found 45 obscene child images when it was examined.
 

CHILD PORN WARDEN JAILED

A PERVERTED former traffic warden from West Cumbria who stored dozens of sick child pornography images on his home computer has been jailed for two years.

Clive Alexander, 54, admitted three specimen charges of making indecent computer images of children, three of distributing child pornography to other computer users and he asked for 99 similar offences to be taken into consideration.

The charges were not related to the national police investigation into child porn called Operation Ore which has led to several people being charged with offences of downloading porn including a police officer, teachers and care worker.

Carlisle Crown Court heard that some pictures found on Alexander's computer featured girls aged three years old involved in sex acts with adults, and one portrayed a baby.

Alexander, of Hill Crescent, Brigham, was caught after police were called to the CSW Computer shop in Maryport on October 22 last year by alarmed staff.

Malcolm Dutchman-Smith, mitigating, said Alexander had previously been a man of positive good character.

He said: "There's nothing to suggest he has been an active paedophile."