Source: UK Internet Safety Centre (UKISC) published on this website Thursday 18 September 2025 by Jill Powell
The Revenge Porn Helpline has collaborated with the National Crime Agency (NCA) to publish guidance for professionals working in higher education settings on financially motivated sexual extortion (FMSE), a type of online blackmail often  referred to as ‘sextortion’.

The guidance includes a poster, for display across higher education settings, helping students to know how to respond and report FMSE, should they be targeted.

What is financially motivated sexual extortion?

Financially motivated sexual extortion is a form of online blackmail where an offender threatens to share nude or semi-nude images and/or videos of a person unless they pay them money or meet another financial demand (for example purchasing a pre-paid gift card). Offenders are often operating outside the UK, and can target anyone regardless of age, gender, or background.

Why is this important for further education settings?

Cases of financially motivated sexual extortion have risen sharply in recent years. In 2024 research by the Revenge Porn Helpline identified 64% of victims were between the ages of 18 and 34. Whilst offenders can target anyone, young adults starting at university or other further education settings may have increased factors of vulnerability that offenders seek to exploit; such as access to student loans or bursaries and increased isolation or loneliness.

Encouraging victims to seek help

Fear and shame are often barriers that prevent victims of financially motivated sexual extortion from seeking help or reporting. This vital guidance gives knowledge and tools to further education professionals on the threat, enabling them to better reassure victims that they are not alone or at fault and that there is help available.

Download the further education guidance and poster here.

Further advice

If you are under 18 , you can access advice and guidance about financially motivated sexual extortion through the UK Safer Internet Centre.
If you are over 18, you can find confidential support and practical help through the Revenge Porn Helpline.

Read more about Sextortion

Source: Sussex Police published on this website Tuesday 2 September 2025 by Jill Powell

A care home worker who stole sentimental jewellery from an elderly resident has been jailed.

Police were called after staff at Bethune Court in Boscobel Road, Hastings, reported the theft on 21 March, 2024.

The victim – an 82-year-old woman – discovered jewellery including her late husband’s gold wedding ring had been taken from the bedside table in her private room.

As enquiries were ongoing, the victim’s family posted an appeal for information on social media. This was seen by a local pawnbroker, who believed they had recently accepted the same ring from regular customer.

She was identified as Rita Cooney, who worked as a housekeeper at the care home.

The 58-year-old, of Hillcrest Avenue, Bexhill, was arrested and charged with theft, which she was convicted of.

At Lewes Crown Court on 14 August, she was sentenced to 15 months’ imprisonment.

She was also charged with fraud, and that offence will lie on file.

Investigating officer, PC Wesley Brickstock, of the Hastings Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “This was a despicable act committed by a woman who exploited the vulnerability of an elderly resident in a place where she should be able to feel safe.

“I’d like to thank the victim and her family for their support in our investigation, and the local pawnbroker who diligently notified police, ensuring we could bring Cooney to justice.”

Source: Medicines and Health Care Products Regulatory Agency published on this website Wednesday 17 September 2025 by Jill Powell

The importance of medicine safety and how to report side effects of medicines via the Yellow Card scheme is now part of the statutory guidance for schools in England.

On World Patient Safety Day (17 September), the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is proud to announce a major milestone in its mission to protect public health: for the first time, the importance of medicine safety and how to report side effects of medicines via the Yellow Card scheme is now part of the RSHE statutory guidance for schools in England. 

Working in close partnership with the Department for Education (DfE), the MHRA has successfully embedded this life-saving knowledge into the statutory Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) guidance – reaching children and young people in classrooms across the country. 

This bold step puts patient safety into the hands of the next generation, giving them the tools to recognise and report side effects from medicines. 

Putting safety at the heart of education 

The curriculum changes are reflected in the statutory guidance , which now links directly to the Yellow Card scheme and a dedicated child-friendly guide tested with over 3,500 children and young people.

The content covers: 

• What a side effect is 
• Why it’s important to report problems with medicines  
• How to submit a Yellow Card report 
• Who the MHRA are and how they help keep the public safe 

World Patient Safety Day emphasises the need for stronger measures to protect children from preventable harm. The inclusion of this important information on the curriculum reflects this call by making young people active participants in the safety of the healthcare system. 

The inclusion in education ensures that even the youngest members of society know how to: 

• Take charge of their own health 
• Speak up when something doesn’t feel right 
• Play a direct role in improving the safety of medicines and medical devices for all 

Accessible, empowering, actionable 

• Young people are guided to seek support from a parent, carer, teacher, or healthcare professional if they’re worried about a possible side effect, and they are shown how to report it through the Yellow Card website: https://yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk  
• The guide for children and young people explains reporting in simple, clear terms and is now an official part of the resources supporting Health Education in England. 

About the Yellow Card scheme 

• The Yellow Card scheme is the UK’s system for reporting suspected side effects to medicines, medical devices, and other healthcare products. Managed by the MHRA, the scheme plays a crucial role in monitoring product safety and taking action to minimise risks. 
• Now, for the first time, children and young people are actively encouraged in this system – not just as potential patients, but as active participants in ensuring safer healthcare for all. 

Source: The Charity Commission published on this site Thursday 31 July 2025 by Jill Powell

The Charity Commission for England and Wales has criticised the Central Oxford Mosque Society and The Mosque and Islamic Centre of Brent, both of which failed to prevent their platforms being misused to communicate inappropriate material.  

It was found that there was misconduct and / or mismanagement committed in connection with the charities.  

Central Oxford Mosque Society 

The Commission opened a case into the charity after concerns were raised about posts on the charity’s social media platform in October and November 2023.  

The posts commented on the recent escalation of conflict in the Middle East. One provided information on what to do if arrested at a protest and advertised the services of a specific private solicitor’s firm. Another featured a graphic cartoon which seemed to criticise media reporting of the conflict. A third post included another cartoon suggesting the media misrepresents the situation in Palestine. Both cartoons were shared by the charity just three days after the attack on Israel on 7 October 2023. The Commission considered that the sharing of these cartoons could create community tensions in the context of the conflict in the Middle East.  

The regulator engaged with the trustees, who were unable to explain how the posts furthered the charity’s purposes for the public benefit. It found that, at the time of publishing the posts, the charity had no social media policy in place and that only one trustee had access to the social media account. The trustees’ responses to the Commission also failed to acknowledge or recognise all of the concerns about the posts in question.  

The Commission concluded that the posts were outside the charity’s purposes, and that two were divisive and inflammatory.  

The Official Warning sets out actions the charity is to take to address the wrongdoing, including to create, implement and adhere to robust policies, including a social media policy, and to ensure all of the charity’s activities are in furtherance of its purposes.   

The regulator acknowledges that, since it gave the charity notice of its intention to issue an Official Warning, the charity’s trustees have taken steps to address the concerns. 

The Mosque and Islamic Centre of Brent 

The Commission opened a case after concerns were raised in the media about speeches held at the charity’s premises. The sermons were promoted on the speaker’s social media channel.  

The Commission determined that of five speeches given at the charity’s premises in November and December 2023, four included inflammatory and divisive content, two contained content that could reasonably be interpreted as encouraging support of Hamas, a proscribed organisation, and one could be reasonably interpreted as discouraging worshippers from engaging with democratic processes.  

The Commission found that, at the time of the speeches, the charity did not have effective policies in place to manage risks related to speakers at the charity. In response to the regulator’s concerns, the charity’s trustees did not demonstrate that that they fully understood the risk of reputational harm being caused by the sermon and were unable to offer adequate assurance that they would take action to prevent a similar failure in the future.  

The Official Warning sets out steps the charity now needs to take to address the concerns.  

The Commission notes that, since it gave the charity notice of its intention to issue an Official Warning, the charity has adopted a written policy on speakers.  

Charity Commission Assistant Director for Investigations and Compliance, Stephen Roake said

“We recognise that recent events in the Middle East are emotive and distressing. But it is precisely in times of conflict that charities are expected to bring people together, not to stoke further division.  

“Trustees of charities have a legal duty and responsibility to ensure everything their charity does is capable of furthering its purposes, and must also take steps to protect the charity’s assets, including its reputation.  

“Sadly, in the case of these two charities, the trustees failed to have appropriate processes in place, and allowed their charity’s names and reputations to be exposed to serious harm through inflammatory and divisive language, and in one case, seeming to associate the charity with a proscribed organisation.  

“We expect the trustees to continue to take swift action to address the respective concerns.”

During the last 18 months, the Commission has opened more than 300 regulatory cases involving charities supporting different sides of the Middle East conflict. It has issued formal statutory guidance to charities in around 100 of these cases, and has made more than 70 referrals to the police where it considers a criminal offence might have been committed.