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Uniting to break the silence: Criminal Justice System agencies join forces to tackle ‘Honour’-Based Abuse

Source: Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) published on this website Thursday 20 March 2025 by Jill Powell

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and Home Office have come together for the first multi-agency conference to tackle ‘honour’-based abuse.

Agencies across the criminal justice system united to break the silence and increase awareness at the first ‘honour’-based abuse conference in Birmingham.

The event saw Jess Phillips MP, Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls join representatives from the CPS, NPCC and third sector organisations to highlight the necessity of multi-agency collaboration to identify and drive improvements to deliver justice for victims of ‘honour’-based abuse.

Jaswant Narwal, Chief Crown Prosecutor and National Honour-Based Abuse lead for the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “Being the victim of abuse, violence or sexual assault is undoubtedly a harrowing experience, and when this abuse is ‘honour-based’, the challenges can often feel impossible to overcome.

“Our people are determined to see offenders brought to justice and will not hesitate to prosecute for these awful crimes when the legal requirements are met.

“Yesterday’s conference highlighted the cross-system action needed to deliver justice for more victims and encourage them to come forward against their abusers. By using this opportunity to consult third sector organisations and expert voices on our joint protocol with the police, we will strengthen our collective response to ‘honour’-based abuse.”

National Police Chiefs’ Council Lead for Honour-Based Abuse, Chief Constable Ivan Balhatchet, said: “The impact of ‘honour’-based abuse is devastating and inflicts life-long harm on victims. Perpetrators of abuse are enabled by silence and it’s important that we listen to and amplify the experiences of victim-survivors to make meaningful progress.

“Policing needs to always do more to ensure that officers understand and identify ‘honour’-based abuse early so they can protect victims and prevent this awful abuse.

“We know that victims face barriers when trying to access support and help, which is why we must work together across agencies and wider society to put an end to ‘honour’-based abuse.”

Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls, Jess Phillips, said: “There is no honour in ‘honour’-based abuse which is a serious crime and a human rights abuse - no one should have to experience it.

“This conference marks a crucial step in bringing together the Home Office, Crown Prosecution Service, the police, and specialist sector organisations to raise awareness about these crimes, and to consider how we strengthen our approach to tackling them.

“This Government will use every tool available to crack down on 'honour'-based abuse as a part of our mission to halve violence against women and girls within a decade.”

Solicitor General, Lucy Rigby KC MP, said: "There is no justification for honour-based abuse in our society today. It was a privilege to talk at the conference to raise awareness of the plight of victims and address the improvements needed.

“Partners across the justice system are collaborating to work with the CPS to help them secure justice for victims of these crimes and hold perpetrators to account in every possible case. This government’s Plan for Change is committed to eradicating violence against women and girls."

‘Honour’-based abuse sees victims suffering horrific crimes such as domestic or sexual abuse, forced marriage or female genital mutilation (FGM), often at the hands of their own families, extended families, or members of their community.

‘Honour’-based abuse crimes are a violation of human rights, but they are often under-reported.

These offences are committed with the aim of protecting or defending the perceived honour of the family or community. It can lead to families acting together to protect the perpetrator as opposed to the victim.

By coming together, we can help to give victims the confidence to come forward, so more abusers are brought to justice, while understanding the needs of victims and their families so they are fully supported.

This work will help contribute towards the government’s pledge to halve violence against women and girls in the next decade.

Judge convicted of modern slavery offences

Source: Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) published on this website Wednesday 19 March 2025 by Jill Powell

A Ugandan judge was today convicted at Oxford Crown Court of modern slavery offences against an individual who worked as her nanny.

Lydia Mugambe, 49, was convicted of conspiring to breach UK immigration law, arranging travel for exploitation, requiring a person to perform forced labour and witness intimidation following a three-week trial.

Mugambe worked with a contact in the Ugandan High Commission to arrange a visa for the victim, under the guise that she would be working in the household and office of the High Commission employee.

However, once she arrived in the UK, the victim was transported to Mugambe’s home where she worked unpaid as a nanny. Her passport, biometric visa card and phone were taken from her.

Eventually, the victim sought help from a friend which resulted in the police involvement and Mugambe’s arrest. The victim asked her friend to hide her documents after she managed to get them from Mugambe.

Eran Cutliffe, Specialist Prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service’s Special Crime Division, said:

"Lydia Mugambe used her position to exploit a vulnerable young woman, controlling her freedom and making her work without payment. Thanks to the victim’s courage in coming forward it has been possible to bring Ms Mugambe to justice and be held accountable for her actions.

“Modern slavery and the exploitation of people by others for their own purposes has no place in modern society. Where there is evidence to support a prosecution, the CPS will not hesitate to seek justice for the victims of this unacceptable practice.”

Northamptonshire man threatened to send victim's indecent images to her family members

Source: National Crime Agency (NCA) published on this website Monday 17 March 2025 by Jill Powell

A man from Northamptonshire who blackmailed a child into sending him further indecent images by threatening to send them to her family and friends has been sentenced.

Kevin Newson, 43, from Daventry, was arrested by officers from the National Crime Agency after authorities in America were approached by a 16-year-old child. She said Newson had contacted her via online messaging platforms and asked her to send indecent images in late 2019 and early 2020.

Newson told her he would send money for the images, sending a screenshot of his UK bank account. The victim sent images of herself to him but declined to send more when Newson requested them.

He then threatened to send the images he already had to her family members, friends and school if she did not send further images.

Newson was arrested by the NCA in June 2022 and when officers reviewed his phone, they discovered one Category B indecent video and 14 extreme images.

Chat logs between the victim and Newson were downloaded from the victim's device, which also showed his online profile containing an image of himself.

Newson answered no comment to all questions put to him at interview.

He was charged and appeared at Northampton Crown Court on 10 February, pleading guilty to blackmail and causing or inciting the sexual exploitation of a child. Charges of making an indecent image of a child and possessing extreme pornographic images will lie on file.

He was sentenced to two years and four months imprisonment at the same court today. He will also be subject to a 10-year sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) and will be on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years.

Phil Eccles, Senior Investigating Officer from the NCA said:

"Kevin Newson groomed his victim into believing they were friends. But when she sent indecent images as Newson requested, he blackmailed her into sending more by threatening to send them to her family, friends and school.

"Newson thought the distance between him and his victim would mean his abuse would be able to continue without detection, but with thanks to our US partners and the tenacity of our investigators, his crimes have been uncovered.

"The NCA will continue in our fight to bring criminals like Newson to justice and pursue offenders like him who are involved in the abuse of children."

Advice for victims under 18:

Increase privacy settings to restrict who can make contact with you or your online contacts.
Don't pay, stop contact and block: you may be tempted to pay, but there is no guarantee that this will stop the threats. As the offender's motive is to get money, once you have shown you can pay, they will likely ask for more and the blackmail may continue. If you have paid, don't panic, but don't pay anything more. Stop all communication with the offender and block them on any accounts you have been contacted on.
You are not to blame: A lot of victims feel responsible but this is absolutely not the case; you are not to blame and help and support is available.
Avoid deleting anything: try not to delete anything that could be used as evidence such as messages, images and bank account details.

Advice for parents and carers:

Talk to your child about FMSE: this will help to remove the stigma associated to this type of criminality. To support you, visit the CEOP Education website where there are a number of helpful resources.
Report to the police: call 101 or 999 if there is an immediate risk of harm to your child.
Report any images or videos that have been shared: if your child's image or video has been shared without their consent and they are under 18, help them to take the following 3 steps:
- Report Remove: a tool from Childline and the Internet Watch Foundation. Your child can use this to remove images that have been shared or might be shared.
- Take It Down: a tool from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Your child can use this to remove or stop the online sharing of images or videos.
- Report it to the platform or app that the incident has occurred on. For advice on how to report to major social media platforms, visit Internet Matters.

Charity regulator warns about fraudulent letters sent on its behalf

Source: The Charity Commission published on this website Tuesday 18 March 2025 by Jill Powell

The messages typically request action to be taken such as removing a trustee or chief executive from their position, releasing funds as part of a grant or supplying documents such as a passport or utility bill. They may be signed as coming from ‘the Commission,’ Chief Executive Officer and/or its Directors.

We have reported the incidents to Action Fraud and will continue to monitor the situation.

It’s not always easy to tell if correspondence is real or fake, however please note we:

will only send you a letter just by post only if we do not have your current email address. Check and update your details
rarely address letters generically, for example ‘to whom it may concern’
do not write letters or emails of certification on behalf of UK charities regarding tax exemption or any other matters
do not issue requests to authenticate an account online by supplying personal identity documents
will not ask you to provide banking information

In the rare circumstance where we might send you a letter by post it will:

be franked – not stamped
normally have a case number or reference on it
be unlikely to be marked as ‘Strictly Private and Confidential’
come from the Charity Commission of ‘England and Wales’, not the ‘UK’ or ‘England’

It is unlikely that any serious allegations against individuals would be detailed in a letter, or that we would name individuals before there was clear evidence of wrongdoing.

Matters to do with casework or investigation would normally come from a caseworker or a team at the Commission .

If you are in any doubt, contact us to check.

UN Human Rights Council 58: UK Statement for the Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the Sale, Sexual Exploitation and Abuse of Children in Peacekeeping and Humanitarian Contexts

Source: UK Mission to the WTO, UN and other international organisations (Geneva) published on this website Friday 14 March 2025 by Jill Powell

The UK Government’s Statement to the Special Rapporteur said:

“The UK supports the Special Rapporteur’s urgent call for decisive action to eradicate child sexual exploitation and abuse.

“The Secretary-General’s 2024 Report highlights a 25% rise in sexual violence against children in conflict. This is unacceptable – urgent action is required.

“Special Rapporteur, we welcome your report’s focus on impunity and stress. Where credible evidence of widespread sexual exploitation and abuse exists, entire contingents must be repatriated, and financial disincentive mechanisms should be used.

“Individuals credibly implicated in sexual exploitation and abuse must not be reassigned to peacekeeping missions. We urge the Secretariat to work with Member States to strengthen pre-deployment vetting.

“To combat the challenge of under-reporting, reporting mechanisms must be accessible, confidential and child friendly. All allegations, especially involving children, must be handled seriously. Investigations by Troop and Police Contributing Countries must be prompt and transparent, with clear updates on outcomes to ensure perpetrators face justice.

“Even in this financial climate, tackling sexual exploitation and abuse remains essential. We must find efficiencies and streamline approaches to deliver this work effectively.

“Thank you.”