Source: National Crime Agency published on this website Tuesday 16 may 20203 by Jill PowellA former coach driver who made more than 600 payments to direct and live stream the sexual abuse of children has been sentenced to eight years.

Bernard Grace, 72, from Wythenshawe, Manchester, was investigated by National Crime Agency officers after intelligence suggested he had made a number of electronic money transfers to a woman in the Philippines. NCA investigators established that Grace, who used to transport children as part of his job, was paying people in the Philippines in exchange for live streaming of sexual abuse.

Searches of Grace’s home when he was arrested in March 2021 resulted in the seizure of a laptop. Enquires into GRACE’s financial activity showed he had made payments totalling over £20,000 to various women between January 2015 and March 2021.The laptop was forensically examined and 23 Skype chats between Grace and Filipino women were found where he offered to make, or had made, payments. These included a payment to a woman under investigation in the Philippines for sex trafficking offences. When interviewed, Grace admitted making the payments..

Grace was charged with 11 counts of arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence and two counts of making an indecent image of a child.He pleaded guilty during a previous hearing at Manchester Crown Court and was sentenced at the same court on Friday (12 May).

NCA Operations Manager Graham Clare said:

“Bernard Grace was an unrelenting offender, whose actions led to several children being abused in the most horrific and depraved manner for his own sexual gratification. He may have thought he’d avoid detection by arranging for abuse to take place against vulnerable children on the other side of the globe, but the NCA has the capabilities to investigate online and internationally. We work with overseas partners to tackle the abhorrent abuse of children, and actively target offenders who pay for it to be live streamed. There is no bigger priority for us than protecting children, wherever they may be.”

Source: Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) published on this site Tuesday 22 November 2022 by Jill Powell

There is no excuse for domestic abuse’ the Crown Prosecution Service has said as cases are expected to rise during the World Cup.

Stark figures published last year by the National Centre for Domestic Violence uncovered the shocking reality that incidents of domestic abuse increase following England games.

Data showed reported incidents increased by 26 percent if England play, 38 percent if England lose, and 11 percent the next day, win or lose.

This is of huge concern for the Crown Prosecution Service as reports of domestic abuse continue to rise, with the CPS determined to do all it can to bring perpetrators of this abhorrent crime to justice and provide protection for victims.

Kate Brown, CPS Domestic Abuse lead, said: “There is no excuse for domestic abuse.

“Watching football should be a time when people can enjoy and share their passion for their favourite team, but sadly, the game is marred by this tragic reality.

“There is no hiding behind football as a reason for such cowardly and cruel abuse - and we are determined to see dangerous abusers prosecuted.

“Domestic abuse in its many forms is life-changing, and we understand the trauma of reporting someone. I want to encourage victims to report, safe in the knowledge they will be listened to and supported throughout the criminal justice process.”

With cases expected to rise, specially trained prosecutors are on hand to advise police and make charging decisions during the World Cup through our out-of-hours charging service CPS Direct.

At peak times, prosecutors working in the CPS Direct team can receive up to 70 to 80 calls an hour for charging decisions, with the festive period continuing to be one of the busier periods and cases of domestic abuse expected to rise. 

Domestic abuse remains a high priority for the CPS, with extensive work continuing to better understand and improve how cases are handled, which has seen a high charge rate in cases of domestic abuse.

To shift the focus from the victim and better support them, prosecutors and police take a suspect-centric approach to build stronger cases. This requires looking at the behaviours of the suspect before, during and after the alleged incident.

Our work is supported by specific training on domestic abuse and evidence-led prosecutions – allowing prosecutors to take forward a case without the victim needing to give evidence - and instead building a case using further evidence such as body-worn video and witness statements.

Douglas Mackay, CPS Football lead, added: “We all have a responsibility to make football an environment everyone can enjoy safely and without fear.

“It is deeply saddening that reports of this abuse rise during a time when fans should be showing their love for the game and supporting their nations in the biggest international tournament in football.

“Domestic abuse is never acceptable. There is no excuse, reason, or motive for someone to inflict cruelty, abuse, and violence on the people in their lives.

“The CPS is playing a crucial role in tackling football-related crimes and working with partners to make our national sport inclusive, safe to watch, and play in.”

The CPS updated legal guidance on Restraining Orders will help prosecutors take all the necessary and appropriate steps to ensure victims are protected from further harm - https://www.cps.gov.uk/legal-guidance/restraining-orders.

Source: Crimestoppers published on this site Monday 6 March 2023 by Jill Powell

What is hate crime?

‘Hate crimes’ are simply crimes that are hostile and prejudiced in their manner, when targeting a person merely as a result of their: disability, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation and transgender identity.

Here are some statistics to indicate exactly how problematic this issue is:

In 2018/19, there were 103,379 hate crimes recorded by the police in England and Wales, an increase of 10% compared with 2017/18 (94,121 offences).

The majority of hate crimes were race hate crimes, accounting for around three-quarters of offences (76%; 78,991 offences). These increased by 11%
between 2017/18 and 2018/19.

Sexual orientation hate crimes increased by 25 % (to 14,491 offences).

Religious hate crimes increased by 3% (to 8,566 offences).

Disability hate crimes increased by 14 % (to 8,256 offences).

Finally, transgender identity hate crimes increased by 37% (to 2,333 offences).

(Home Office, 2019)

10 quotes that inspire putting an end to hate crime

Many notable figures throughout history have spoken out against hate crime. Here are ten quotes from well known personalities, ranging from Martin Luther King to John Lennon, which encourage us to put an end to hate crime.
 
1. “Darkness cannot drive darkness; Light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; Love can do that.”
– Martin Luther King (1963)

2. “No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.”
– Nelson Mandela (1994)

3. “Misunderstanding arising from ignorance breeds fear, and fear remains the greatest enemy of peace.”
– Lester B. Pearson

4. “Why is it that, as a culture, we are more comfortable seeing two men holding guns than holding hands?”
– Ernest Gaine

5. “In the practice of tolerance, one’s enemy is the best teacher.”
– The Dalai Lama

6. “Sometimes I wonder if I’m as famous for my wheelchair and disabilities as I am for my discoveries.”
– Stephen Hawking

7. “Attacking people with disabilities is the lowest display of power I can think of.”
– Morgan Freeman

8. “Don’t hate what you don’t understand.”
–  John Lennon

9. “You cannot hate other people without hating yourself.”
– Oprah Winfrey

10. "Where there is love there is life.”
– Mahatma Gandhi

Source: Internet Watch Foundation published on this site Wednesday 23 February 2022 by Jill Powell

‘They know they are about to witness some of the most upsetting things ever uploaded onto the internet’. 

On a cold morning, standing in a frosty car park on the outskirts of Cambridge, a figure in a winter coat is fumbling with a hot coffee and a key fob.

They’re ready for a day which they already know will see them make a real and positive difference to some of the most vulnerable and defenceless children in the world.

They also know they are about to witness some of the most appalling, most upsetting things ever uploaded onto the internet.

At the Internet Watch Foundation is a specialised taskforce unit which assesses and grades some of the worst child sexual abuse material in the world.

The people on this team view images from the UK Government’s Child Abuse Image Database (CAID). They are the only non-law-enforcement agency allowed to do this.

Once they have assessed them according to UK law, the images are hashed – a process which reduces them to a unique digital fingerprint used by tech companies and police all over the world – they can be blocked and removed rapidly, wherever criminals may attempt to share them.

All the IWF’s analysts and content assessors work from the office. The hotline is specifically set up as a secure and appropriate environment.

The taskforce team works part-time – and their exposure to the videos and images they are grading is strictly limited to four hours a day.

The team works with the IWF’s own breakthrough IIntelliGrade hashing tool – meaning their work can have a real impact all over the globe.

When they arrive at the office, the team members take a few minutes to settle in and chat – to discuss Bake Off, or to catch up with each other.

Cambridge Graduate Alex*, 22, took the decision to join the taskforce straight out of university.

He said: “For someone on the outside, our job might seem quite repetitive. Image after image coming through. There is no escaping it. We go through the images one by one, or sometimes multiple images all at once.

“We all have different ways of dealing with the relentlessness of it.”

One of Alex’s strategies is to bake.

A gifted pastry chef – Alex creates magnificent, show stopping cakes in his spare time. It’s always a special day in the office when one of Alex’s creations is brought in for sharing.

It’s just one of the things the staff do to bring them closer together as a team.

Kirsty*, 56, is a grandmother from Newmarket. With her past in the Metropolitan Police, Kirsty says assessors must be strong do deal with the “pure volume” of child sexual abuse on the internet.

“I have always had a passion for helping children,” she said. “Having children and grandchildren has opened my eyes to the pure volume of abuse that is out there.”

She said the camaraderie of staff in the IWF hotline helps deal with difficult situations when they arise.

“We are a very humorous team,” she said. “A bit of laughter is very important. The work can mean dealing with quite grim stuff, but being able to talk and have a bit of humour with your colleagues is important.”

Cambridgeshire mum Beth*, 40, said: “I have three children 11 and under. The job has changed the way I think about them and the internet.

“It has surprised me how much material there is of very young children. Some of them are five, six, or seven years old.”

She said one of the ways staff cope is by talking to each other and staying tight as a team.