Saturday, June 23, 2012

Paedophile Sandusky: GUILTY - Faces 500 Years In Jail.

Former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky has been convicted of 45 of the 48 counts against him. He was convicted of sexually abusing ten young boys. Eight men who said that Sandusky had abused them testified during the trial; their accounts — often graphic and certainly troubling — described abuse by Sandusky in the facilities of the Penn State campus or in his home. He now faces up to 500 years in prison after being found guilty of 45 counts of serial pedophilia.

Sandusky was the long-time defensive coordinator for Penn State’s powerhouse college football team. The charges against Sandusky tarnished not only the university’s famous football program but the reputation of legendary late football coach Joe Paterno who was fired as details of the scandal emerged. Penn State’s president Graham Spanier was also fired by the Board of Trustees after Sandusky’s arrest last November. Two other high-ranking university administrators face ongoing criminal proceedings for allegedly knowing about the abuse committed by Sandusky but failing to report it....read more

http://www.care2.com/causes/sandusky-guilty-of-45-out-of-48-counts-of-child-sex-abuse.html

Friday, June 22, 2012

#Rochdale: #Muslim Bashing - The Sting In The Tail.

The Heywood grooming case had a surprising coda yesterday as Shabir Ahmed was convicted at Manchester Crown Court on 30 counts of rape. The 59 year old divorced father of four was revealed to be the one presence of the Heywood case that, at the time, could not be named for legal reasons. Once the jury had found him guilty, reporting restrictions were lifted, and very soon after he was duly named....read more

http://zelo-street.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/muslim-bashing-sting-in-tail.html

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Jerry #Sandusky's son says his father abused him; he was ready to testify at Penn State trial

BELLEFONTE, Pa. (AP) — A lawyer for an adopted son of Jerry Sandusky says the man has told authorities the former Penn State assistant football coach abused him.

Matt Sandusky is one of Jerry Sandusky's six adopted children.

His lawyer issued a statement Thursday naming Matt Sandusky and saying that the 33-year-old had been prepared to testify on behalf of prosecutors at his father's sex abuse trial.

The statement says Matt Sandusky is "a victim of Jerry Sandusky's abuse," but doesn't go into specifics.

The statement came after jurors began deliberating 48 charges against the ex-coach. Prosecutors say Sandusky met the 10 sex-abuse victims through his charity.

Lawyers for Matt and Jerry Sandusky and prosecutors did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Matt Sandusky's lawyer says his client met with investigators very recently.

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/closing-arguments-set-sandusky-abuse-trial#overlay-context=article/us-hotels-chinese-treated-comforts-home

Sunday, June 17, 2012

#Sandusky Trial : Assessing Histrionic Personality Disorder.

A short news article (found here) tells that Jerry Sandusky is to be evaluated for a personality disorder today by a prosecution psychologist. Jerry is on trial for some 50 counts of child sexual abuse. The article says that the defense team plans to argue that Jerry has Histrionic Personality Disorder and that explains his verbal and written behavior with the boys who are accusing him of abuse–rather than see those same behaviors as attempts to groom the boys.
Just how will a psychologist go about determining the presence of HPD? In a non-forensic setting, a psychologist would attempt to determine the presence of a personality disorder by gathering several kinds of data...read more



http://wisecounsel.wordpress.com/2012/06/17/psychology-and-the-sandusky-trial-assessing-histrionic-personality-disorder/

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Yiddish Nechemya Weberman :Ultra-Orthodox Jews turn out by the hundreds for accused sex offender

Members of the Satmar Hasidic sect gather in the Continental catering hall in Williamsburg. | Photo: Zoë Blackler
Source: Guardian | Zoë Blackler

Tempers flare on street outside Brooklyn hall while inside the Satmar Hasidic sect raises money for Nechemya Weberman

"The community will come," Brooklyn's Yiddish press had declared. And on Wednesday night, the community answered the call. 

On the street outside the Continental catering hall in Williamsburg, they filled the sidewalk, at times spilling onto the road to be pushed back by police. Inside the packed room, men of all ages dressed in the traditional garb of the Satmar Hasidic sect – long black coats, round hats and side curls – listened to their community elders speak out in support of a man they claim has been wrongly accused.

With the issue of child sexual abuse in the ultra-Orthodox community gaining ever greater press attention, the approaching trial of Nechemya Weberman has become a touch paper, igniting passions on both sides of the growing divide in this community – between those who claim most alleged child sex crimes are hushed up and those who refute the charge.
Weberman stands accused of the repeated sexual abuse of a teenage girl he was counselling. But in the minds of many who joined last night's rally, he has already been condemned by a mainstream media hostile to their community.

Few in the crowd on Wednesday evening would speak to the press. Female reporters were banned from entering the hall. But a few of the younger men gathered outside did reluctantly explain their presence, though none would give their names.

"People are here because the community thinks that he's innocent," said one man, who was watching from a distance. "If the community knows him and they think he's innocent, then he deserves to clear his name."

"To support a guy who is not guilty," another said. "We're here to support him financially. He should be able to cover his legal fees."

"To support the Jewish people," said a third.

Across the street, a group of around 100 advocates, abuse survivors and supporters of the alleged victim had set up a counter-demonstration, carrying placards that read "protect victims, not abusers" and chanting "denial enables abuse".

At the start of the evening, there was a brief clash and an arrest as one of the rally-goers crossed the street to confront protesters. The media was also out in force, and included NBC and New York 1, the New York Times and the Daily News. Live broadcast trucks were parked along the street.

Outside the hall, another young Hasidic man, who said he was a father himself and concerned about child molestation, was more outspoken than the others. He wanted not just to answer questions but to debate.

"Why is it that the news media is so interested in this story?" he demanded to know. "There are lots of accused child rapists and none of them make the news.
" People from outside the community are pushing an agenda, he said referring to the advocates gathered on the opposite sidewalk. "That's why you're here."
"Are you part of the community? Can't you see who the community is and who the outcasts are? Those people are the bottom of the barrel, and they are concerned about our community? Is there anything more ironic than that one?"
He said he worshipped in synagogue with Weberman and knew he was innocent.

"This guy is the most lovely person. Anybody needs help, he's there. How would you react if your father was found guilty with the same charges as this guy? That is how I want that you should understand my side."

When any of the men did agree to talk, soon a growing crowd gathered around to listen in. Some observers took photographs with their cell phones, to signal their disapproval. Several men shouted at those answering questions, condemning their conduct as against tznius, the ultra-Orthodox Jewish modesty code that dictates contact between men and women. "You can't stand around over here," one middle-aged man leaving the hall told me. "Respect our religion. Go across the street."

"People came out tonight to support the American ideal of innocent till proven guilty," said Yossi Gestetner, a Satmar Hasid who was appointed official press contact by the rally's organisers the day before the event when news of it reached the media.
"Many people in the community are fed up that this whole case gets tried in the court of public opinion not the court of law. People feel under siege."
Gestetner, whose card describes his business as "outreach services", added: "Based on the coverage here tonight, you'd think that everything in New York is beautiful, everything in Brooklyn worked out great, and the only problem is that some Orthodox Jew was arrested a while ago and everyone comes to attack. This is how people look at it."

In which case, with the community feeling unfairly targeted by the media, perhaps a fundraising rally guaranteed to attract broad public interest might not have been the best strategy?
"You can make this argument," Gestetner conceded. "I wasn't at the decision table to say if such an event would take place or not."

The organisers are now counting the contributions raised on Wednesday – the checks signed inside the hall and the bills dropped off in cardboard boxes at the exit.

Gestetner said the target figure of $500,000 quoted in the Yiddish press was a fantasy. He expected something closer to the five figure mark. But however successful the event may have turned out to be as a fundraising effort, as an attempt to push back at the media's coverage of this community, it had quite the opposite effect.

Background

Until last year, Nechemya Weberman was a therapist in Orthodox Jewish Brooklyn. From the apartment building he owns in Williamsburg, he counselled teenage girls from ultra-Orthodox Jewish families. Girls, who through improper dress, flirtations with boys or a curiosity in life beyond the confines of their sects, were risking disrepute. In the antiquated world of the ultra-Orthodox, the stigma of immodesty can wreck a girl's marriage prospects and her future in the community.

In 2007, two worried parents sent their 12-year-old daughter for counselling with Weberman, at the insistence of her school. For three years, the girl consulted him, seeing him often several times a week. The girl had been questioning her religious teachers, and her parents hoped that Weberman, who had raised his own pious, god-fearing children, would lead her back to the right path.

Later this summer, a jury in Brooklyn – home to the largest Orthodox population outside Israel – will be asked to decide exactly what took place during those many counselling sessions. Whether Weberman repeatedly sexually abused the young girl as she alleges, or whether, as the defence claims, he is the object of misplaced revenge.


http://www.asafeworldforwomen.org/children/children-in-usa/2489-support-for-accused-sex-offender.html

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

#Brierfield #Lancashire :Mohammed Imran Amjad Rapist.

A 14-year-old girl was repeatedly raped at a drug den by a gang of men who treated her with 'indignity and contempt', a jury has heard.
The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was taken to the house in Brierfield, Lancashire, and allegedly passed around for their sexual gratification.
The 'principal defendant', Mohammed Imran Amjad, 25, bore the 'greatest responsibility for the corruption and abuse of the victim in this case', said the Crown Prosecution Service.
Omar Mazafar, 21, denies aiding and abetting rape
Mohammed Zishan Amjad, 24, denies rape and engaging in sexual activity with a child
Haroon Mahmood, 22, denies rape and engaging in sexual activity with a child

A girl, 14, was taken to a house in Brierfield, Lancashire, and allegedly passed around for the sexual gratification of a gang of men. Omar Mazafar (left), 21, denies aiding and abetting rape; Mohammed Zishan Amjad (centre), 24, and Haroon Mahmood (right), 22, deny rape and engaging in sexual activity with a child
Mohammed Suleman Farooq (left), 22, denies sexual assault, engaging in sexual activity with a child and witness intimidation. Also pictured are Omar Mazafar (centre) and Mohammed Zishan Amjad
Mohammed Suleman Farooq (left), 22, denies sexual assault, engaging in sexual activity with a child and witness intimidation. Also pictured are Omar Mazafar (centre) and Mohammed Zishan Amjad, arriving at Burnley Crown Court
He befriended the girl when she was 12 or 13 and frequently took her for drives in his cars, it is alleged.
Prosecutor Alaric Bassano told Burnley Crown Court: 'It was him who took her on many occasions to the house and him who assisted, encouraged and incited others to rape and sexually assault this girl.
'On one occasion, he raped the girl himself. Over a period of time he subdued her will and coerced her into submission.'
 

He said three other men raped her and one man subjected her to a sexual assault.
The alleged victim was about 12, the prosecutor said, when her general behaviour deteriorated.
She could be aggressive, disobedient towards her mother, refusing to go to school and staying out late at night, he added.
The girl told police that her mobile telephone number was given to Imran Amjad, known to her as 'Immy', by another, and he called to ask to meet up.
Three of the defendants are seen leaving Burnley Crown Court yesterday
Three of the defendants are seen leaving Burnley Crown Court yesterday. The alleged victim was about 12, the prosecutor said, when her general behaviour deteriorated
She first met up with him when she was aged 13 and was driven around the streets of Burnley in his car every few days, she said.
Her mother became concerned she spent so much time in his company and confronted him.
Mr Bassano said the defendant’s response typified his 'arrogance', which he said would emerge in the trial.
'That house was used as a den at which young men attended and brought or invited girls and young women in order to drink alcohol, take drugs and engage in sex' - Prosecutor Alaric Bassano told Burnley Crown Court
He said: 'When she told him about her age, and when she advanced her accusation that he was involved in an inappropriate relationship with her, he simply shrugged his shoulders and walked away.
'It is to be noted that he did not deny the allegation.'

Her mother contacted the police in December 2009 to report her concerns about her daughter’s welfare at the hands of 'Immy', he said.
Mr Bassano said the girl made no complaint at the time and continued to mix with Immy who, undeterred, went on to commit the numerous offences against her in 2010.
All six defendants are from Brierfield.
Imran Amjad denies abducting a child, rape, engaging in sexual activity with a child, aiding and abetting rape, and witness intimidation.
He is also accused of intentionally encouraging or assisting the rape of the girl by a man known as 'Saj'.
Above, four of the defendants pictured yesterday
The 'principal defendant', Mohammed Imran Amjad, 25, bore the 'greatest responsibility for the corruption and abuse of the victim in this case', said the Crown Prosecution Service. Above, four of the defendants pictured yesterday
Haroon Mahmood, 22, denies rape and engaging in sexual activity with a child.
Mohammed Zishan Amjad, 24, also denies rape and engaging in sexual activity with a child.
Mohammed Suleman Farooq, 22, denies sexual assault, engaging in sexual activity with a child and witness intimidation.
Shiraz Afzal, 25, and Omar Mazafar, 21, both deny aiding and abetting rape.
All the sexual offences are said to have been committed between April and October 2010.
In summary, Mr Bassano said: 'This case concerns the sexual exploitation and abuse of a 14-year-old girl. A number of men were involved in this abuse which involved planning and, on occasions, offenders acting together.
'The girl was groomed over a period of time and on many occasions she was taken to a house in Brierfield.
'That house was used as a den at which young men attended and brought or invited girls and young women in order to drink alcohol, take drugs and engage in sex.
'It was to this house that the girl was taken and at this house where she was sexually assaulted and raped by several adult males.
'During these times the girl was being passed between the men to be used for their own sexual gratification. The Crown contends that this girl was treated with indignity and contempt by them.
'All six defendants were involved, to a greater or lesser extent, in this sexual abuse.'
The trial, expected to last six weeks, continues.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2158239/Sex-grooming-trial-Girl-14-groomed-raped-gang-men-drugs-den.html#ixzz1xbvFjFLM

#Rochdale: Deputy Children’s Commissioner Sue Berelowitz Takes the Heat Off Rochdale Asian Rapists And Blames The Internet !

Girls as young as 11 'expect' to have to perform sex acts on rows of boys for up to two hours at a time in parts of London, a watchdog said as they warned child abuse is rife across Britain.
Deputy Children’s Commissioner Sue Berelowitz said there 'isn’t a town, village or hamlet in which children are not being sexually exploited'.
In one vile abuse case she uncovered, boys aged 14 and 15 were 'summoned' via BlackBerry Messenger to the gang rape of a 'very, very young girl' which lasted several days.

Horrendous: Thousands of children the country are being sexually exploited, stunned MPs were told today (picture posed by model)

Horrendous: Thousands of children the country are being sexually exploited, stunned MPs were told today (picture posed by model)

She told MPs today: 'Boys were being called while some were raping the girl to say "come, come, come, you can join in too" and they were arriving and elbowing each other out of the way to rape her.'
Ms Berelowitz said the recent sex abuse case in Rochdale - which involved mostly men of Pakistani origin abusing white girls - was just part of a wider picture of exploitation involving victims and abusers of all races and cultures.
 

Giving evidence to the Commons home affairs committee, she said: 'What I am uncovering is that sexual exploitation of children is happening all over the country.
'As one police officer who was the lead in a very big investigation in a very lovely, leafy, rural part of the country said to me: "there isn’t a town, village or hamlet in which children are not being sexually exploited".

'Parents may think they can control what’s going on because they can have a blockage on the computer but the reality is children can get anything they like on their mobile phones' - Deputy Children’s Commissioner Sue Berelowitz told MPs

'The evidence that has come to the fore during the course of my inquiry is that that, unfortunately, appears to be the case.
'We should start from the assumption that children are being sexually exploited right the way across the country.
'In urban, rural and metropolitan areas, I have hard evidence of children being sexually exploited. That is part of what is going on in some parts of our country. It is very sadistic, it is very violent it is very ugly.'
Her report into the scale of child abuse is due out in September.
Giving examples from the capital, she said: 'There are parts of London where certainly children expect to have to perform oral sex on line-ups of boys, up to two hours at a time from the age of 11.
And it was 'quite common' for girls to be lured via internet chat rooms to meet a friend, only to be met by a group of boys and gang raped in a park.
'Then another group of boys come, they take her to another part of the park and she is serially raped again,' Ms Berelowitz told MPs.
'I wish I could say to you that such things are uncommon but I’m afraid they are quite common.'
In the Rochdale case, nine Muslim men, mainly of Pakistani origin, were found guilty of plying girls as young as 13 with drink and drugs so they could use them for sex.

Study: An increase in child abuse is linked with the recession in new research that raises fresh concerns about the impact of the nation's economic woes

Horror: Children are being targeted on Facebook - and in one instance word of a gang rape was spread by BlackBerry messenger

 
But while it may be true that some Pakistani men saw white girls as 'easy meat' - as suggested by a number of high-profile politicians - that was only one pattern among many, she said.
'I regret to say that there are parts of every single community - white, Pakistani, Afghan, Gypsy and Romany travellers, you name it - who are seeing children as easy access in terms of sexual exploitation. And in terms of victims we are seeing the same sort of profile.'
Ethnic minority victims were 'too often missed out'.
The deputy commissioner told the visibly-stunned MPs that 'what is being done is so terrible that people need to lay aside their denial' or risk victims being disbelieved.
Victims numbered in the thousands not the hundreds, she said.
She said she was 'extremely concerned' about the role being played by the internet in enabling and fuelling abuse, and ridiculed the idea that parents could prevent access.

'Boys were being called while some were raping the girl to say "come, come, come, you can join in too" and they were arriving and elbowing each other out of the way to rape her,' said Ms Berelowitz as she described a gang rape which went on for days

Young people were acting out scenes they saw in online pornography and even organising abuse via social networking sites and messaging systems, she said.
One police force showed her a list of more than 1,000 girls aged between 12 and 14 whom a man in his 40s masquerading as a boy had managed to make his 'friends' on Facebook.
'We have gathered quite a lot of evidence to show that there is no doubt that social networking sites can be a source of real problems for this,' she said.
She said easy access to extreme pornography was a particular concern.
'We’ve had boys say to us - some of the boys I’ve spoken to who’ve been involved in sexual exploitation - "it was like being in a porn movie".
'They have watched things and then they’ve enacted them.
'Parents may think they can control what’s going on because they can have a blockage on the computer but the reality is children can get anything they like on their mobile phones.
'And they are. It has definitely affected children’s thresholds of what they think is normal.'
In another case, older men were using young male gang members as a 'front line' in a wider abuse network, and had even forced two of the boys to have sex and filmed it on a mobile phone to ensure their compliance.
Speaking about the race issue, she told the committee she had visited a 'racist' estate in the north of England where there was routine sexual abuse of children within an all-white community.
'I have been to gang-associated areas in the north of England.
'I am thinking of one particular estate which is exclusively white, because it is such a racist estate, where there is a very strong and identified pattern of the white males on that estate sexually exploiting the white females on that estate.
'So it is really important to hold all of it in mind.'


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2158228/Girls-young-11-expect-perform-sex-acts-rows-boys-2-hours-parts-Britain-shocking-child-abuse-report-finds.html#ixzz1xbt7pKt4

#Sandusky Trial: Victim No.4 Offered Contract To Keep On Seeing Him.

A boy who claims he was sexually abused for years by former Penn State football coach Jerry Sandusky told a jury today that when he tried to pull away from Sandusky the ex-coach had him sign a contract offering him money in return for seeing him at least once a week.
The witness, who is now 28 and identified only as Victim 4 by ABC News, collected some cash from Sandusky, but soon broke off contact.
The witness said the offer in 1999 was called the "Program" and was ostensibly made to ensure that the boy would continue with his studies and athletics. It promised $1,000 for every year of education the boy pursued after high school, plus additional money for seeing Sandusky, going to hockey practice, and working out 3 times a week, he testified.
But Victim 4 said the proposed deal came as he tired of years of sexual abuse, as often as three times a week for three years. When asked by Sandusky's lawyer Joseph Amendola whether the offer was made in good faith, the witness rejected that suggestion.
"No, no. You're not understanding. This is when I'm trying to get away from him. I signed it to shut him up. And that's not the only thing it's offering me money for... It's not that simple, not in my mind, sorry," he said.
Victim 4 also said that Sandusky drove him to buy marijuana and cigarettes and watched while the boy smoked pot in Sandusky's car. ...read more


http://abcnews.go.com/US/jerry-sandusky-called-serial-predator-trials-opening/story?id=16539947#.T9YKbFIZ_yI

#Sandusky Trial: Victim No. 1.

A teenager whose complaints by his mother about Jerry Sandusky in 2008 prompted a grand jury investigation tearfully told jurors the former Penn State assistant football coach performed oral sex on him after meeting him through his charity.

The boy, labeled Victim No. 1 by prosecutors, is now 18 years old. He choked back tears as he spoke of encounters that included Sandusky fondling him, kissing him and ultimately engaging in a sex act....read more


http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_PENN_STATE_ABUSE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-06-12-09-46-42

Monday, June 11, 2012

#Sandusky Trial: Victim No:4 testifies "calmly and firmly" that Jerry Sandusky raped him on campus and in hotel saunas.

The prosecution branded former Penn State University assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky a 'predatory paedophile' in opening statements on Monday in his child sex abuse trial, saying that his young victims remained silent only out of fear and shame.
In the defence's opening statement in a trial closely watched in the United States, Sandusky's attorney Joe Amendola told the seven women and five men of the jury that Sandusky, 68, was a naive man filled with love and affection for young people.
'Jerry Sandusky, in my opinion, loves kids so much he does things that none of us would ever think of doing,' Amendola said.
Day in court: Former Penn State University assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky arrives at the start of his molesetation trial
Day in court: Former Penn State University assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky arrives at the start of his molesetation trial
Sandusky faces 52 counts of sexual abuse against 10 boys.
If convicted, the former Pennsylvania State University football defensive coordinator could be sentenced to more than 500 years in prison.
Eight young men are prepared to testify in Centre County Court in Pennsylvania about how Sandusky befriended and sexually abused them as boys over a 15-year period, according to prosecutors.
Prosecution: Joe McGettigan, seen arriving in court today, called Sandusky a 'predatory paedophile' during his opening statement
Prosecution: Joe McGettigan, seen arriving in court today, called Sandusky a 'predatory paedophile' during his opening statement
The men, now aged 18 to 28, will be identified publicly for the first time in court.
In his opening statement, prosecutor Joseph McGettigan III called Sandusky a 'predatory paedophile' and urged the jury to listen to his alleged victims in the case, now men, as though they were children.
'You will be hearing the voices of young men, but I ask you to bring insight... of how children react to things,' McGettigan said.
On trial: Sandusky faces 52 counts of sexual abuse against 10 boys, and could get up to 500 years in prison if convicted
On trial: Sandusky faces 52 counts of sexual abuse against 10 boys, and could get up to 500 years in prison if convicted
McGettigan also apologised in advance for what he said would be disturbing and graphic testimony, said he would prove that the abuse included oral and anal sex involving boys that took place 'not over days, not over weeks, not even over months, but in some cases over years.'
McGettigan added that he would press the witnesses for details in the lurid case only because the jurors' needed to hear them. 'I must ask, and they must answer,' McGettigan said.
 

Putting up pictures of eight of the 10 alleged victims on a courtroom screen, while occasionally jabbing a finger toward Sandusky, McGettigan told jurors that eight had remained silent until now out of humiliation, fear and shame.
As the prosecutor spoke, Sandusky sat silently, hunched forward with his back to the packed courtroom, as ceiling fans whirled overhead.
Accused: Sandusky, shown in a courtroom sketch today, claims he only horsed around with the boys he is accused of molesting
Accused: Sandusky, shown in a courtroom sketch today, claims he only horsed around with the boys he is accused of molesting
Amendola called his task of defending Sandusky a difficult one, given the resources of the state and a 'tidal wave' of negative publicity about the case.
'A DAUNTING TASK'
'This is a daunting task. This is like looking up at Mount Everest from the bottom of the hill, it's like David and Goliath,' he told jurors.
Amendola suggested Sandusky could take the witness stand, telling jurors that the former coach would tell them about his youth and how taking showers with other people had been common for people of his generation growing up in Washington, Pennsylvania.
Amendola also hinted that the accusers could be out for money, saying that six of the eight identified accusers had taken the step of retaining civil attorneys.
Secret: The Sandusky scandal prompted the firing of revered coach Joe Paterno, who died of lung cancer in January
Secret: The Sandusky scandal prompted the firing of revered coach Joe Paterno, who died of lung cancer in January
Prosecutors allege Sandusky had physical contact with the boys, known in court documents as Victims 1 to 10, that ranged from tickling and a 'soap battle' in Penn State showers to oral and anal sex.
The abuse charges shook the university and prompted the firing of revered football coach Joe Paterno and university President Graham Spanier in November 2011.
Sandusky is accused of using the Second Mile, a charity he founded in 1977, to prey on needy young boys. The charity said last month it was closing because contributions had dried up.
Victor Vieth, executive director of the National Child Protection Training Center, said Amendola would try to attack the accusers' credibility but would face a tough task.
The long gap between the alleged abuses and reporting them 'only adds to their credibility,' said Vieth, a former Minnesota prosecutor.
'This is not a fun day for them. Who wants to talk about having anal intercourse with a much older man?'
The allegations brought an ignominious end to the career of Paterno, who recorded more wins in major college football than any other coach.
He died of lung cancer in January, about two months after being fired. His widow Sue and son Jay may be called as witnesses for Sandusky.
The charges also marked a watershed in awareness of child sexual abuse. Sandusky was a well-respected children's champion and coach in college football.
Sandusky has laid out a potential defence, saying in an NBC television interview in November that he engaged in horseplay with alleged victims but stopped short of sexual intercourse or penetration.
Amendola has said one of his tactics will be to 'destroy' the credibility of former graduate football assistant Mike McQueary and thus raise questions about all the witnesses and victims.
Getting ready for trial: Sandusky was in unexpectedly good spirits when he walked into court for a pre-trial hearing last week
Getting ready for trial: Sandusky was in unexpectedly good spirits when he walked into court for a pre-trial hearing last week
McQueary, a key witness, told prosecutors he saw Sandusky assaulting a boy known as Victim 2 in February 2001 in a Penn State locker room.
Victim 2 and another boy, Victim 8, have not been found.
The trial has brought a flood of media to Bellefonte, a town of 6,200 people about 10 miles northeast of State College, the location of Penn State's main campus.
Eight of the 12 jurors, who were picked last week, have ties to Penn State, the largest employer in the area of small towns and farms.
But legal and jury experts said familiarity is no guarantee of sympathy for Sandusky and may hurt him if they blame him for tarnishing the university's image.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2157742/Jerry-Sandusky-trial-Prosecution-brands-ex-Penn-State-coach-predatory-paedophile.html#ixzz1xW4A1RsK

Friday, June 8, 2012

Jerry Sandusky's Accusers Will be Unmasked At Trial

Story Image

FILE - In this June 6, 2012 file photo, former Penn State University assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky arrives for the second day of jury selection for his child sexual abuse trial at the Centre County Courthouse in Bellefonte, Pa. The young men who accuse Sandusky of molesting them have been allowed to remain anonymous through months of heavy media coverage. But that will change when they take the witness stand as early as Monday, June 11, 2012, where they will be forced to state their names for the record. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File) ...read more

http://www.suntimes.com/sports/13039402-419/jerry-sanduskys-accusers-will-be-unmasked-at-trial.html

Asian Paedophile Gangs On Britains Streets And Their Desire For White Flesh.

The sexual exploitation and grooming of young vulnerable white girls is a 'particular problem in Asian communities', one of Britain's top prosecutors admitted for the first time today.
In a year when several paedophile gangs were convicted of raping and prostituting victims in north west England, Nazir Afzal says it is impossible not to notice 'that the perpetrators were Asian and the victims were not.'
The Chief Crown Prosecutor for the region added that 'cultural baggage and the status of women among some men in these communities contributes to their disrespect for the rights of women.'
It was claimed last month that fears they would be branded racist meant that police and social services left one group free to rape up to 50 white girls, and Mr Afzal said today he would not 'turn a blind eye.'
It came as the Commons Home Affairs Select Committee announced yesterday a day of evidence next week because its members and  chairman Keith Vaz are 'very concerned by the recent cases of child exploitation.'
The Labour MP for Leicester East has previously said: 'I do not think it is a race issue.'
In these disturbing recent cases most victims were white, aged between 13 and 16, many were from vulnerable backgrounds or the care system, and the majority were plied with booze and drugs before being systematically abused.
Speaking to The Times today Mr Afzal said: 'Exploitation happens in every community but these cases demonstrate that group grooming is a particular problem in Asian community. I will not turn a blind eye to crimes in any community.'

He spoke out as two Asian men, Mahfuzur Rahman and Abdul Hannan, were convicted of raping or sexually assaulting four young white women in their area after they picked them up and got them drunk.
Undated handout photo issued by Greater Manchester Police of Abdul Qayyum, 44, who has been found guilty of conspiracy
Undated handout photo issued by Greater Manchester Police of Mohammed Amin, 45, who has been found guilty of conspiracy and sexual assault
Jailed: Members of a gang convicted last month: Abdul Qayyum, left, 43, was found guilty of conspiracy. Mohammed Amin, right, 45, was found guilty of conspiracy and sexual assault

Undated handout photo issued by Greater Manchester Police of Taxi driver Abdul Aziz, 41, of who has been found guilty of conspiracy and trafficking for sexual exploitation
Undated handout photo issued by Greater Manchester Police of Mohammed Sajid, 35, who has been found guilty of conspiracy, trafficking, one count of rape and one count of sexual activity with a child
Attackers: Abdul Aziz, left, 41, was found guilty of conspiracy and trafficking for sexual exploitation, but cleared of two counts of rape. Mohammed Sajid, right, 35, was found guilty of conspiracy, trafficking, one count of rape and one count of sexual activity with a child

Undated handout photo issued by Greater Manchester Police of Hamid Safi, 22, who has been found guilty of conspiracy and trafficking
Undated handout photo issued by Greater Manchester Police of Adil Khan, 42, who has been found guilty of conspiracy and trafficking for sexual exploitation
Dangerous: Hamid Safi, left, 22, was found guilty of conspiracy and trafficking but not guilty of two counts of rape. Adil Khan, right, 42, was found guilty of conspiracy and trafficking for sexual exploitation

Undated handout photo issued by Greater Manchester Police of Kabeer Hassan who has been found guilty of conspiracy and rape
Abdul Rauf has been found guilty of conspiracy and trafficking for sexual exploitation
Culprits: Kabeer Hassan, left, 25, of Oldham, Greater Manchester, was found guilty of conspiracy and rape. Abdul Rauf, right, 43, of Rochdale, was found guilty of conspiracy and trafficking for sexual exploitation
In an originally botched prosecution in 2009, victims gave detailed evidence about being violently raped by Rahman before charges were dropped because evidence was said to lack credibility.
Once the case was abandoned, Rahman was free to target a 17-year-old from a nearby children's home, plying her with vodka before sexually assaulting her at his flat.
His other victims were also violently raped or assaulted while very drunk.
And when he was finally arrested and charged with rape again last year individuals close to the case said Rahman told officers: 'Rape? Which one?'
While last month a sex grooming gang of nine were all jailed, and two set to be deported, after they plied teenagers with alcohol before abusing them in Rochdale, Greater Manchester.
The men - who are all from Pakistan, apart from one who is from Afghanistan - groomed and 'shared' the young white girls because they were vulnerable, and abused them above takeaways and shops.
The abuse began at two takeaways in the Heywood area of Rochdale, including the Balti House (pictured), which is under new ownership
Disgusting In the Rochdale case the abuse began at two takeaways in the Heywood area, including the Balti House (pictured), which is under new ownership
But during the trial it came out that the authorities could have stopped them two years before their sickening crimes were finally uncovered.
In an interview with MailOnline last month Former Labour MP for Keighley Ann Cryer, who has campaigned on the issue of Asian sex gangs and also preventing forced marriage, said that the authorities did ignore complaints in this case because they were 'petrified of being called racist'.
'Forces have been accused of being institutionally racist. That sort of thing sticks,' she added.
'If you do say things like that about any police force then they will be majorly careful to avoid being being put in line for criticism like that. It may well be that they then steer clear of the tragic events that we are talking about. All because they want to be politically correct.'

I was kept prisoner by the Asian sex gang predator: Victim tells harrowing story of 'boyfriend' who dubbed his car the 'Rape Rover'

Trophy: Toni-Marie Redfern was initially flattered by the attention
Trophy: Victim Toni-Marie Redfern was initially flattered by the attention she received from Abid Mohammed Saddique but was then kept prisoner by them
Pretty teenager Toni-Marie Redfern thought she’d found the perfect boyfriend. Polite, handsome, and seven years her senior, he drove a silver BMW, wore designer suits and bought her dinner at her favourite pizza café.
No wonder her schoolfriends were envious. And when he asked her to marry him, she started to make plans for their future.
Yet Toni-Marie eventually learned the truth about Abid Mohammed Saddique.
While they were going out, the British-born man of Pakistani origin was orchestrating what is believed to be the biggest sex-abuse ring ever discovered in Britain, involving up to 100 young girls. 
Last year, Saddique and his accomplice, Mohammed Liaqat, whose Derby-based gang groomed girls (most of whom were white and aged between 12 and 18) for sex, were jailed for bringing a ‘reign of terror’ to the North Midlands city.
A court heard how the pair — who had undergone arranged marriages in Pakistan — cruised the streets in a BMW or a Range Rover, which Saddique referred to as the ‘Rape Rover’.
Girls were ‘chatted up’ on the street and invited for drives, during which they were plied with vodka or cocaine before being taken to hotel rooms, parks or houses to be abused. Key to the men’s conviction was Toni-Marie, now 20, who bravely gave evidence against her ex-lover. 
‘When I discovered what he had done to those girls, I felt physically sick. He was the puppet master and all his mates were his puppets. Everyone did whatever he told them to do,' she said.
‘I was a white girl who he wanted to control and prove that he could convert to Islam. I saw him and the gang tell non-Muslim girls they were “slags”. I believe it was the religion and culture of these men that made them act like that.
‘In one of the last conversations I had with him, he referred to his Land Rover as the “Rape Rover”. That is when I knew I had to escape. I’d had enough.’


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2156296/British-gangs-raping-sexually-exploiting-vulnerable-white-young-girls-Asian-problem-Crown-prosecutor-admits.html#ixzz1xCia0g3U

Thursday, June 7, 2012

Rotherham:Asian Child Grooming - Victim Laura Wilson - Rotherham County Council's social services were well aware she was at risk and had received information about certain adults suspected of targeting her from the age of 11.

Social workers knew for six years that a teenage mother, murdered for bringing shame on the families of two Pakistani men who had used her for sex, was at clear risk from predatory Asian gangs.
Laura Wilson, 17, from Rotherham had been groomed by a string of British Pakistanis before she was stabbed and thrown into a canal to die for informing her abusers' families of the sexual relationships.
Her killer Ashtiaq Asghar, who was 18 at the time, was given a life sentence and will serve a minimum of 17-and-a-half years after he pleaded guilty to murdering Laura in October 2010.
But it has now emerged that Rotherham County Council's social services were well aware she was at risk and had received information about certain adults suspected of targeting her from the age of 11.
Victim: Laura Wilson was stabbed and thrown into a canal for bringing 'shame' on the families of two Pakistani men who had groomed her for sex
Victim: Laura Wilson was stabbed and thrown into a canal for bringing 'shame' on the families of two Pakistani men who had groomed her for sex
Last week the council's Safeguarding Children Board published a serious case review but key passages which reveal they knew she was at particular risk from Asian men had been blocked out with black lines.

The council went to court in an attempt to tried to suppress the hidden information after a uncensored copy of the report was leaked to the Times newspaper but they have now abandoned legal action.
The uncensored report confirms that Laura, identified as Child S, had dealings with 15 agencies and identified 'numerous missed opportunities' to protect her.
It states that she eventually became 'almost invisible' to care professionals.

WHAT THEY TRIED TO HIDE...

  • That Laura had been referred to a child exploitation project just three months after her 11th birthday.
  • That at one point she had been 'taken into a car with men who encouraged her to drink alcohol'.
  • That when Laura was 13, she and a friend 'were given alcohol by men at a local takeaway and were asked what they were going to give them in return' and that her mother had immediately notified the police
  • That her mother 'was shocked when it looked as though Child S was involved with older men ' and that 'she had tried to get the police and social care to do something about it.'
  • Another censored passage which read: 'At the centre of the Child S case is the issue of Child S's potential involvement in sexual exploitation.
Details hidden included the knowledge that at the age of 13 Laura and a friend had been given alcohol by men at a takeaway who then asked what she would give them in return.
She had also been referred to a child sexual exploitation project just three months after her 11th birthday.
Another censored passage reveals that Laura had been 'mentioned' during a 2009 police inquiry that eventually led to the conviction of five Pakistani men for sex offences against three underage girls.
While the published report mentioned the fact that a friend, who Laura knew when she was 10, was 'thought to have become involved in sexual exploitation', it concealed the succeeding passage which read: 'with particular reference to Asian men'.
Laura was murdered in October 2010. She was repeatedly knifed by 18-year-old Ashtiaq Asghar before pushed her into a South Yorkshire Canal, where he used the point of the knife to force her head below the surface as she fought to stay alive.
Asghar was furious after the young mother revealed details of their sexual relationship to his Muslim family and was on ‘a mission to kill’.
He exchanged a series of texts with married friend and mentor Ishaq Hussain, 22, who had also had an affair with Laura, and who the judge described as a man who regarded white girls as  ‘sexual targets, not human beings’.
In one message, sent a day before he killed Miss Wilson, Asghar wrote: ‘I’m gonna send that kuffar (non-Muslim) bitch straight to Hell.’
In another he wrote: ‘I need to do a mission.’ He talked of buying a pistol and ‘making some beans on toast’, a reference to spilling blood used in Four Lions, a satirical film about suicide bombers.
Asghar is serving life in prison after he pleaded guilty to murder and was jailed for life. Mr Hussain was acquitted of murder by joint enterprise after a retrial.
Sentencing Asghar, Lord Justice Davis told him: ‘I take the view you came under the influence of Mr Hussain who is something of a mentor to you.
'He seems to have regarded girls, white girls, simply as sexual targets. He does not treat them as human beings at all. You got into that mindset yourself.
‘You no doubt once had feelings for Laura but treated her with contempt in the latter stages.’
Murder: Laura was stabbed repeatedly by 18-year-old Ashtiaq Asghar before being thrown into this South Yorkshire canal to die
Murder: Laura was stabbed repeatedly by 18-year-old Ashtiaq Asghar before being thrown into this South Yorkshire canal to die
Ashtiaq Asghar
Laura Wilson, 17,
Killer: 18-year-old Ashtiaq Asghar was furious after Laura revealed details of their sexual relationship to his Muslim family. He was sentenced to life and will serve a minimum of 17 years
In 2007, when Laura was 13, she and her family appeared on The Jeremy Kyle Show. During the programme – about out-of-control children – her sister warned her that ‘your attitude is going to get you in big danger’.
Workers at a child sexual exploitation project later sent a report to social services, but no action was taken to remove her from what became a continuing spiral of sexual abuse.
By the time she was 16, she had embarked on an affair with Mr Hussain, who was then 20 and already married.
She gave birth to a daughter in June last year, but Mr Hussain refused to accept that the child was his.
Four months later, and just days before she was murdered on October 12, she ‘shamed’ Asghar and Mr Hussain by informing their families of her relationship with both men.
She told Asghar’s mother she loved her son and ‘wanted to have babies’ by him. But Mrs Asghar was furious and attempted to hit Miss Wilson with a shoe, branding her ‘a dirty white bitch’ who should ‘keep your legs closed’, the trial was told.
Alan Hazell, Chair of the Rotherham Local Safeguarding Children Board, said: 'We refute in the strongest possible terms any suggestion that information was redacted from the published report for any reason other than to protect the interests of Laura’s daughter, immediate family and other third parties.'
In a statement following the publication of the review  Mr Hazell denied that more could have been done to save Laura.
He said: 'This is a wide ranging study which shows a very complex situation surrounding Child S and her child which made it difficult for agencies to engage with her.
'There is no suggestion that anyone could have saved Child S from what ultimately happened to her but clearly her care could have been improved.
A spokesman for Rotherham Council said the passages had been redacted 'to protect the interests of Laura¿s daughter, immediate family and other third parties'
A spokesman for Rotherham Council said the passages had been redacted 'to protect the interests of Laura's daughter, immediate family and other third parties'
There were chances for those agencies to be more proactive in how they dealt with the case and all agencies involved accept that and apologise that the standards of service were not as high as they should have been.
'It is vital that agencies learn from what happened here and there is clearly a commitment in Rotherham to make that happen. As the report comments, there are already many initiatives in place to ensure that services are now improved.'
Last month following the trial of nine men, mainly of Pakistani origin, who were found guilty of raping and abusing up to 47 girls - some as young as 13 - after plying them with drink and drugs Tory cabinet minister Baroness Warsi hit out at the 'small minority' of Pakistani men who see white girls as 'fair game' for sexual abuse.
She told London’s Evening Standard newspaper: 'There is a small minority of Pakistani men who believe that white girls are fair game.
'And we have to be prepared to say that. You can only start solving a problem if you acknowledge it first.
'This small minority who see women as second class citizens, and white women probably as third class citizens, are to be spoken out against.'


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2155823/Social-workers-hid-fact-knew-teenage-mother-risk-sex-grooming-gangs-SIX-YEARS-brutally-murdered.html#ixzz1x7CEAvNs

BBC : Rapist Michael Brewer, 67, and his wife Hilary were arrested following a police investigation into allegations of historic sexual abuse.

An acclaimed BBC conductor who was honoured by the Queen for his work on children's choral music appeared in court alongside his wife today accused of jointly raping a former pupil.
Michael Brewer, 67, and his wife Hilary were arrested following a police investigation into allegations of historic sexual abuse upon a girl who was a former student at the prestigious Chetham's School of Music in Manchester.
Both were charged with rape and indecent assault upon the girl when she was aged between 13 and 18 in the late 1970s.
Michael Brewer leaving Manchester Magistrates court where he was charged with rape and six counts of indecent assault following a police investigation
Hilary Brewer leaving Manchester Magistrates court where she has been charged with rape and indecent assault
Trial: Police arrested Micheal Brewer, left, and his wife Hilary, both pictured leaving court, after a former pupil of the prestigious Chetham's School of Music made accusations they had raped and sexually abused her
Brewer, who was awarded an OBE in 1995, was director of music at Chetham's School in Manchester for 20 years has also directed the World Youth Choir. He was the founder of the National Youth Choirs of Great Britain and is its artistic director.


The couple appeared before a district judge at Manchester magistrates court where he faced one charge of rape and six counts of indecent assault. His wife also 67 is charged with rape and indecent assault.
Both arrived and left court separately and were represented by different lawyers although they appeared together in the dock.
Mrs Brewer of, Rossendale, Lancs, wore a black mac coat with white lining and a white scarf. She spoke only to confirm her name, age and address.
At work: Director of National Youth Choirs of Great Britain Mike Brewer OBE conducts choir members taking part in the Norfolk High Schools Choir Festival
At work: Director of National Youth Choirs of Great Britain Mike Brewer OBE conducts choir members taking part in the Norfolk High Schools Choir Festival
Mr Brewer of Selly Oak, Birmingham, wore a black pin stripe suit with a white shirt and blue and white tie, he too spoke only to confirm his name, age, and address.
They were granted bail with Mr Brewer being unable to have unsupervised contact with anyone under the age of eighteen.
They will next appear at Manchester Crown Court on June 28.
According to his biography on the National Youth Choirs website, Mr Brewer is recognised as ‘a leading figure in the choral world’ and is ‘in demand’ in Britain and worldwide for vocal and conducting workshops and guest conducting of choirs.
He serves as an adjudicator in international competitions and in 2008 led BBC workshops for the programme Last Choir Standing.

Acclaimed: Micheal Brewer OBE was director of music at Chetham's School in Manchester for 20 years has also directed the World Youth Choir
Acclaimed: Micheal Brewer OBE was director of music at Chetham's School in Manchester for 20 years has also directed the World Youth Choir, among a list of high profile events
He is a consultant to over 20 award-winning UK choirs and travels the world to teach vocal and conducting techniques.
He is a regular adjudicator for BBC Choir of the Year, including the 2012 competition.
The alleged sexual offences are said to have taken place at Chetham's school and at an address in Chorlton, Manchester.
A spokesman for Chethams school said: ‘Chetham's School of Music takes all matters regarding the safeguarding of children extremely seriously and the welfare of our students is of paramount concern to all staff and governors.
‘We are aware that Michael Brewer has been charged with offences that are alleged to have happened while he was employed by the school many years ago.
‘We are co-operating with this investigation but while this matter is ongoing it would not be appropriate to comment further.’
Accusations: The allegations of historic sexual abuse centre upon a girl who was a former student at the prestigious Chetham's School of Music in Manchester, pictured
Accusations: The allegations of historic sexual abuse centre upon a girl who was a former student at the prestigious Chetham's School of Music in Manchester, pictured
Chetham's, which has almost 300 students aged eight to 18, is the largest specialist music school in Britain and the only one based in the north of England.
The independent school's buildings, which are 600 years old, are close to Manchester Cathedral and students are admitted on musical ability and talent - having to take part in auditions as part of the tough application process.
According to Chetham's website, Mr Brewer was the youngest and least experienced candidate when he was appointed director of music in the mid-1970s.
The award-winning choir conductor worked there for 20 years and has been described as being responsible for nurturing some of the country's brightest musical talent.
His books for Fabermusic include the best selling ‘Kickstart your Choir.’



Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2155834/BBC-conductor-honoured-Queen-WIFE-raped-pupil-prestigious-music-school.html#ixzz1x7BShcbq

Jubilee Sex Offender : Harbinder Singh Rana, 52. A sex offender who posed as a doctor to prey on women was a guest of the Queen on the Royal Barge.

Harbinder Singh Rana, 52, was jailed in the 1980s for a series of attacks on women, who believed he was a doctor, in which he performed internal examinations and administered injections.
Rana served four years for his crimes, but has since reinvented himself as a pillar of the community.
Harbinder Singh Rana on board the Spirit of Chartwell during the Queens Diamond Jubilee Pageant on the River Thameswith members of the Royal family
Harbinder Singh Rana on board the Spirit of Chartwell during the Queens Diamond Jubilee Pageant on the River Thameswith members of the Royal family


Rana spent the pageant in close proximity to the Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Harry and the Duke of Cambridge
Rana spent the pageant in close proximity to the Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Harry and the Duke of Cambridge
And in an astonishing error of judgment the Sikh charity director, who now lives in Walsall in the West Midlands, was allowed to mingle with VIPs on the Royal Barge during Sunday’s River Pageant.
During the afternoon sail, Rana came into close contact with every senior royal including Prince Philip, Prince Charles, Camilla, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry.
The convicted sex attacker was at times during the 1,000 boat extravaganza just feet from the Queen herself.


The former management consultant was invited to join the exclusive celebrations by Prince Charles in his capacity as community leader.  
He is understood to have met the prince through his charity work for the Anglo-Sikh heritage trail, a group that promotes Sikh culture in Britain.
But palace sources last night said the prince was completely unaware of the charity director’s shameful past-and would never have invited him had he known.
Approached yesterday Rana said that he did not know if he had been vetted and had not been asked about his sex crimes before the event.
Harbinder Singh Rana, director of Maharaja Dalip Singh Trust, just feet from the Queen on board the Spirit of Chartwell
Mr Rana was the guide for Prince Charles at his tour of the Punjab in 2006
Harbinder Singh Rana, director of Maharaja Dalip Singh Trust, just feet from the Queen (left) on board the Spirit of Chartwell. Mr Rana was also the guide for Prince Charles at his tour of the Punjab in 2006 (right)
Harbinder Singh Rana with the The Prince of Wales unveiling a statue dedicated to the last Indian Maharajah, Duleep Singh on Butten Island in Thetford, in 1999
Harbinder Singh Rana with the The Prince of Wales unveiling a statue dedicated to the last Indian Maharajah, Duleep Singh on Butten Island in Thetford, in 1999
He told the Mirror: ‘I was given the invitation and I attended.
'The fact that the Prince of Wales invited me clearly shows what I have done for the community since then.’
He added: ‘I have a relationship with some of Charles’s staff, not him – although I have met him at events, yes.
‘I have made it clear I wasn’t representing the Sikh community, I was there because I was very happy to be invited.’
He said that, although the Queen was at times just ‘a few feet' from him, he never spoke to her or any senior member of the Royal Family while on the boat.
The revealation will raise questions about why apparently no checks were carried out on Mr Rana's background before he was allowed to be photographed within inches of senior royals
The revealation will raise questions about why apparently no checks were carried out on Mr Rana's background before he was allowed to be photographed within inches of senior royals
The convicted sex attacker was at times during the 1,000 boat extravaganza just feet from the Queen
The convicted sex attacker was at times during the 1,000 boat extravaganza just feet from the Queen
The massive error brings into sharp focus the vetting procedures in place to protect the Royal Family.
Questions will now be raised about why apparently no checks were carried out on his background before he was allowed to be photographed within inches of senior royals.
And an investigation into how such an unsuitable guest sailed through the vetting process will likely soon be under way.
A spokesman for Clarence House confirmed that the prince had not known about Rana’s convictions. She said: ‘Harbinder Singh was asked to take part in the pageant as he is a leading member of the Sikh community and someone who has done a lot of charitable work.
‘Guests of the Pageant including representatives from all major faith communities, spread across a number of key vessels – as with the Royal Family, who were present on a number of vessels.’
Last night the Metropolitan Police confirmed that those travelling on the royal barge would have been security vetted.
But it is thought security chiefs did not deem him a threat to the Royals.
A Met spokesman said: ‘The purpose of a security check is to assess the threat to members of the Royal Family and other protected persons.’
At his trial Rana protested his innocence and yesterday continued to say it was a case of ‘mistaken identity’.
Speaking of his conviction he told the Mirror: ‘It was very circumstantial It is an area I have switched off from my life and got on with it.’
Rana’s previous convictions have caused controversy in the past. In 2002, the Sikh Secretariat, a campaigning group, said it was ‘appalled’ at Rana’s role as a Government adviser.
Mr Rana represented Sikhs on the Inner Cities Religious Council, a group that advised the Government on local issues.
Speaking about his place in the body, the Sikh Secretariat said: ‘We are aware that Government officials and junior ministers have known about the situation, but have taken no action. Out of a choice of 700,000 Sikhs we cannot understand why someone like this was elected to represent our views.’
Mr Rana defended his place on the body, saying: ‘I have never tried to hide my convictions, even though the evidence presented was contentious. Are they saying rehabilitation and forgiveness should not exist? What I should be judged on is the work I’ve done in the Sikh community since that date.’
Mr Singh Rana was found guilty of five counts of indecent assault, 11 counts of assault causing actual bodily harm and one count of attempted assault in August 1986.




Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2155645/Sex-attacker-Harbinder-Singh-Rana-invited-Royal-barge-alongside-Queen.html#ixzz1x7ATnAue