Source: Charity Commission published on this website Friday 8 August 2025 by Jill Powell

The charity, which serves the local community of Southampton, is an excepted charity meaning that it does not require registration with the Commission. As such, it is not listed on the Register of Charities.  

The regulator started engaging with the charity in April 2025 after receiving an application from its trustees to change the charity’s structure. During this process, the regulator identified concerns around the charity’s governance and administration. 

Following these concerns, the Commission conducted a review of the charity’s accounts and obtained information on its investment portfolio. This raised concerns that funds initially estimated as in the region of £290,000 may be unaccounted for. As a result, the regulator has now escalated its engagement to an inquiry which will seek to determine how these funds were used.  

In addition, the Commission has regulatory concerns in relation to safeguarding at the charity and potentially unmanaged risks relating to a connected individual. 

The inquiry will examine:  

1. The trustees’ governance and management of the charity and the extent to which they have fulfilled their legal duties and responsibilities. 
2. The extent to which the trustees have exercised adequate control and oversight over the charity’s financial management, including whether there has been any loss or misappropriation of the charity’s funds. 
3. The sufficiency of the charity’s safeguarding arrangements. 

The Commission may extend the scope of the inquiry if additional regulatory issues emerge.  

It is the Commission’s policy, after it has concluded an inquiry, to publish a report detailing the issues examined, any action taken, and the inquiry’s outcomes. 

Source: Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) published on this website Wednesday 6 August 2025 by Jill Powell

Two teenagers who admitted torturing and killing kittens have been detained in a young offender institution and banned from ever owning pets again. The boy, 17, and girl, 17, who cannot be named due to their age, both previously pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to an animal and possession of a bladed article in a public place.

At a sentencing hearing at Highbury Magistrates' Court , the male defendant was sentenced to 12 months' detention in a secure youth centre while the female defendant was sentenced to nine months' detention.

Both defendants were also permanently disqualified from owning pets under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.

Two eyewitnesses saw the couple holding hands as they approached a secluded part of a footpath in Ruislip, North West London, carrying a black animal carrier with cats inside.

Armed with knives, a blowtorch and scissors, the pair dismembered and left the mutilated bodies behind. One kitten was recovered hanging from a tree.

The kittens that the defendants killed were sourced through legitimate websites where owners sell pets. The pair falsely indicated they were legitimate buyers and paid for the animals in cash.

Stephen Hancock of the Crown Prosecution Service said: “This was an unimaginable act of cruelty on two defenceless animals which caused immense shock across our community.

“The manner in which these teenagers left the kittens was deeply disturbing and distressing.

“Instead of letting them hide behind their age, the CPS put forward the strongest possible charges to ensure they faced the full consequences of their actions.

“Whatever their motivation may have been, both defendants have now been disqualified from ever owning a pet and will have to live with a criminal record for the rest of their life.”

Following a rapid investigation by the Metropolitan Police, prosecutors charged both teenagers with a range of offences just two weeks after the kittens were found.

Forensic evidence on the knives, animal carrier and rope found at the scene proving this was a premeditated attack, as well as cell-site data that showed both defendants’ phones present at the scene, all formed part of the CPS’s case.

Expert evidence from a veterinarian was also sourced to ensure we could prove to the court that the animals would have suffered immensely at the hands of both defendants, before succumbing to their injuries.

During police interview, the male defendant laughed when he was shown images of the weapons recovered at the scene. The girl suggested she wanted to dissect the animals due to her interest in biology.

As part of the CPS’s drive to save valuable court time, prosecutors presented the strongest possible visual and eyewitness evidence, ensuring both defendants pleaded guilty to all charges at the earliest possible opportunity.

An RSPCA spokesperson said: “The RSPCA is deeply shocked and saddened by the horrific and completely unnecessary attack on these young animals by two teenagers.

“Generally, it is very concerning that many more young people are exposed to animal cruelty than previous generations - and we are troubled by the impact this is having on how animals are valued by society.

“Our Animal Kindness Index, a UK-wide annual survey into people’s attitudes towards animals, shows that 60% of 16 and 17 year olds had recently witnessed animal cruelty - including on social media and online, and it is frightening the impact this may be having in desensitising some to the horrors of animal abuse.

“But there is hope. The RSPCA is committed to creating a kinder world for every animal, by educating children on animal welfare issues and advocating for animals.”

Source: Home Office published on this website Thursday 7 August 2025 by Jill Powell

Children, young people and vulnerable adults across England and Wales will be better protected from grooming gangs and other vile organised exploitation, as all police forces gain access to leading-edge investigative technology. The government is injecting £426,000 of new funding into the Tackling Organised Exploitation (TOEX) Programme so it can extend access to its Capabilities Environment, a suite of state-of-the-art investigative apps and tools, to every police force in England and Wales, building on the 13 which currently have access. 

The TOEX Capabilities Environment expansion supports the first phase of Operation Beaconport, the new national policing operation announced following Baroness Casey’s National Audit on Group-based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse. Police officers will be able to access the tools to assist with any criminal investigation in their force. To date, these tools have been used 12,500 times by the 13 forces which have access to them, saving over £20 million and 16,000 investigator hours. This is expected to increase exponentially with the funded expansion.

Led by the National Crime Agency in collaboration with the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), the Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) Taskforce and the TOEX Programme, Operation Beaconport will, for the first time, bring together the full strength of policing to address past failures, deliver justice, and ensure complex cases of group-based child sexual exploitation – including grooming gangs – are enhanced to ensure offenders are pursued and vulnerable members of our communities are protected.

Operation Beaconport has already begun work that will lead to the review of more than 1,200 closed cases of group-based child sexual exploitation cases that were not progressed to prosecution. Following this initial review, recommendations will be made to forces to reinvestigate cases that have been improperly closed, and to the Crown Prosecution Service to review a previous charging decision when it appears to be incorrect. 

Jess Phillips, Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls, said:

“The sexual exploitation of children by grooming gangs is one of the most horrific crimes and we must punish perpetrators, provide justice for victims and survivors, and protect today’s children from harm. 

“In June, this government responded to Baroness Casey’s report by announcing a national inquiry to direct targeted local reviews, alongside a new national police operation – measures that will deliver real results – and we’ve wasted no time in making these happen.

“Baroness Casey flagged the need to upgrade police information systems to improve investigations and safeguard children at risk. Today we are investing in these critical tools.”

Part of the Home Office-funded CSE Taskforce, the TOEX Programme provides dedicated intelligence, analytical, and technical expertise to support forces undertaking complex investigations into organised exploitation crimes such as modern slavery, county lines, and child sexual abuse and exploitation, including grooming gangs.

The TOEX Capabilities Environment is already available in all nine regional organised crime units and is being used by 13 forces. With today’s announcement of new funding, all police investigators in England and Wales will have access to the full array of TOEX’s AI-enabled, time-saving tools. These include the Data Analysis and Review Tool, which analyses large amounts of digital data to identify communications patterns and relationships between suspects; and TOEX Translate, a tool for the bulk translation of foreign language text from seized mobile devices. 

The TOEX Programme is a powerful example of what we can achieve when we combine operational insight with innovative technology. The national rollout of these tools will improve outcomes for victims and deliver a more consistent, intelligence-led approach across the country.

The Home Secretary has also written to all police forces urging them to make sure they are fulfilling their obligation to collect suspect ethnicity data as part of the government’s commitment to transparency and accountability. 

As part of the Plan for Change mission to create safer streets by increasing public confidence in policing and the criminal justice system, the government is committed to ensuring forces have the tools they need to protect communities.

Further details on the national inquiry and Operation Beaconport will be announced in the coming weeks as the government continues to prioritise protecting children, pursuing perpetrators and supporting victims and survivors.

Source: Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) published on this website Tuesday 5 August 2025 by Jill Powell

Janine McKinney, Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS East Midlands, said: “The Crown Prosecution Service has authorised the prosecution of a 76-year-old man with child cruelty offences following a police investigation into a summer camp held at Stathern Lodge, Leicestershire.

"This decision has been made after reviewing a file of evidence from Leicestershire Police.

“Jonathon Ruben will be charged with three child cruelty offences relating to three boys. He will appear at Leicester Magistrates' Court on Saturday, 1 August.

“This has been an extremely upsetting and shocking moment for the community, and especially for the children and parents most directly affected.

“We would like to remind all concerned that there are now active criminal proceedings against Mr Ruben, and he has the right to a fair trial. There must be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online that may in any way prejudice these proceedings."