1-4-2012 New Zealand:
Two suspected female rapists have resurfaced in Chiredzi where they reportedly pounced on a stranded commuter and raped him at knifepoint.
Police said the incident occurred on December 25 and involved two unidentified ladies.
It is alleged the pair approached the 25-year-old man who was looking for transport from Chipinge to Chiredzi and sexually abused him at knifepoint.
Manicaland police spokesperson Inspector Leonard Chabata said: “What happened is that the 25-year-old man was offered transport at Madzivire bus stop in Chisumbanje along Ngundu- Tanganda Road by two unknown female adults at around 8pm. The ladies were travelling to Chiredzi where the man was going.”
The man reportedly sat in the back seat where one of the women was seated while the other drove.
“When they reached Ndali area in Chiredzi, the medium-built woman seated in the back started caressing him, Chabata said.
“The victim showed resistance prompting the driver to stop the vehicle. The driver produced a knife and ordered the passenger to have sex with the other woman.
“Fearing for his life the man complied and had unprotected sex once with the suspected female rapist.”
“After their sexual encounter, the driver of the vehicle exchanged seats with the other woman who took the knife and also ordered the man to have sex with the driver.
The man complied again and had unprotected sex with the woman at knifepoint in the back of the vehicle.”
After the alleged sexual abuse, the man was ordered out of the vehicle which immediately sped off leaving him stranded by the roadside in the dead of night.
The incident was reported at Middle Sabi Police Station. ..Source.. by Obey Manayiti, Staff Reporter
January 4, 2012
Female rapists resurface
December 30, 2009
Decision denies access to sex offender treatment
12-30-2009 New Zealand:
Corrections decision denies access to sex offender treatment
“The Department of Corrections decision to employ its own clinical psychologist in Nelson, forcing the Nelson Sex Offenders Programme to close, flies in the face of government’s recent announcement about tackling justice sector fragmentation”, says Kim Workman, Director of Rethinking Crime and Punishment.” He was commenting on an announcement to that effect (Nelson Mail, 29 December 2009)
“That decision not only denies access to group therapy for Corrections clients. It denies treatment to CYFS and community referrals, or from people who self-refer. Earlier this month, the Minister of Justice, Simon Power, promised that the government’s ‘Drivers of Crime” strategy would focus on improving outcomes by tackling fragmentation, ensuring ministerial and chief executive co-ordination of justice sector agencies, improving value for money, and improving the relationship between government and the community. This decision flies in the face of that.”
“Earlier this year, the NZ Taskforce on Sexual Violence proposed setting up of a community based programme which was to be available to Corrections clients, and also to people referred from within the community who had committed sexual offences but who had not been before the courts. These people are sometimes referred to as non mandated offenders as there is no court sentence mandating their attendance at the treatment programme.”
“New Zealand crime survey statistics show that only 9% of victims of sexual violence report it to the Police.”
“If the nation wants to achieve a long term reduction in sexual violence there has to be options to address sexual violence for the offenders who commit the 91% of the sex crimes not reported to the Police. We are starting to see in some areas of New Zealand, increasing confidence in the community about referring sexual abusers to community treatment organisations, knowing that they will not be subject to criminal prosecution. This is particularly so in the case of family sexual abuse.”
“Currently there is no funding stream for treatment of non mandated people who have sexually offended against adults. That is also a matter that the Ministry of Justice needs to address.” ..Source..
December 19, 2009
Flashing teen found guilty after being hit by car
12-19-2009 New Zealand:
WELLINGTON, New Zealand – A New Zealand teen who was flashing her breasts at passing cars has been found guilty of disorderly behavior for the prank, which ended with her in a hospital after a distracted driver ran into her. Cherelle May Dudfield, 18, pleaded guilty to the charge when she appeared in Invercargill District Court, the Southland Times newspaper reported Wednesday.
Dudfield, egged on by her friends, was flashing passing motorists from a traffic island in the middle of a four-lane road in the southern city of Invercargill on Sept. 27.
The alcohol-fueled prank went awry when one of the vehicles crashed into her as she tried to run to the side of the road, police Inspector Olaf Jensen said.
"She was extremely lucky as the vehicle had slowed because of her behavior," he told The Associated Press. "She rolled up onto the bonnet (hood) and cracked the windscreen before she came down with some minor injuries and was taken to hospital."
The prank occurred in the city center, where a ban on alcohol use is in force, he noted.
Dudfield was fined $198. ..Source.. AP
March 1, 2009
Angry locals hound paedophile out of Patea
3-1-2009 New Zealand:
Angry South Taranaki locals have hounded a convicted paedophile out of the small town of Patea.
Residents discovered a man who had been convicted of sex attacks on teenage boys had been put on home detention in the town, TV3 News reported.
They said the man, who was serving the last six months of his sentence, was not welcome in town, which has a population of about 1200.
There was a march through the streets of Patea today, protesting the decision to move him to the town.
"The fact that he's at a high risk of reoffending and he has serial victims, that's why the town's rallied the way they have. We want our tamariki (children) safe," local woman Trish Martin said.
"We were told he's here because there's no where else for him, well that's not our problem," Ms Martin said.
Residents set up a 24-hour watch on the home that was housing the man.
Protesters said they were furious they had to find out about the sex offender themselves and there had been no consultation about his placement in a residential area.
This afternoon, police and the probation service moved the man because of the risk to his safety. ..News Source.. by NZPA
October 15, 2008
How NOT to Detect a Child Molester
10-15-2008 New Zealand:
Parents have good reason to be concerned for the safety of their families. The mainstream media regularly report crimes against children. The child predator community, energized by pornography and emboldened by internet chat rooms, have found a niche in society from which they can launch their assault. So today's parents are on the lookout -- although many have no idea how to recognize a molester if they met one.
If you are a concerned parent, take a moment to write down the characteristics of typical child molesters as you understand them in each of the following categories: marital status, social skills, education, personal cleanliness, professional competence, age, gender, financial success, religiosity, community service, and relationship to you. Then compare your description with the information that follows.
Marital Status: You may have believed that their sexual interest in children prohibits molesters from marrying other adults. Actually, many child molesters are married and have children of their own. With beautiful homes, immaculate yards, and charming children, they can present themselves as responsible caring people -- people you could trust your children with (e.g., for a sleep over at their home or on a camping trip).
Social Skills: You may have assumed that child molesters are loners with limited social skills. The truth is that they can be very friendly and well liked by people in general. Child molesters can be warm, sensitive, and kind – though they will show children a side of themselves that parents never see. They may also use their social skills to befriend other predators so they can work together to outwit those who rely on the principle of "safety in numbers" (e.g., husband/wife team or two camp counselors on the same outing).
Education: Perhaps you thought that extensive formal education raises people to such a high level of intellectual competence that they would not lower themselves to harm a child. Wrong again. Child molesters know that education builds trust and use that to their advantage. For example, searching on the internet with terms such as "child psychiatrist" and "molest" will retrieve examples of highly educated professionals convicted or accused of child molestation.
Personal Cleanliness: The common stereotype of a child molester -- the unkempt man in a trench coat -- has little basis in reality. Remember that the modus operandi of most molesters is to access children by building the trust of their care givers. They know the importance of appearances.
Professional Competence. Many child molesters hold high positions in their professions. They may be school teachers, principals, doctors, lawyers, judges, psychiatrists, social workers, congressmen, financial consultants, business managers, university professors, policemen, scouting professionals, youth workers, etc. They may have many people reporting to them and be widely respected in the workplace. They may be so highly respected that no one would believe the rare child who is strong enough to remember the abuse and courageous enough to tell on them.
Age: Most reported offenders are 30 or under, but molesters can be any age.
Gender: More men than women are child molesters -- but women molest as well.
Financial Success: Prosperity or the lack of prosperity is not an indicator of sexual preference. Some child molesters are elitist, living in the top echelons of society looking down on humanity with disdain.
Religiosity: Child molesters may have an air of intense religiosity and may be active members of their church. They may serve very faithfully, even expressing their devotion and loyalty while decrying the slothfulness and negligence of others. They know that religious people predisposed to look for the good in other members of the church are not likely to suspect their hidden purposes.
Community Service: One or more members of the local anti-pornography task force may actually be child molesters. The man who takes time out of his busy schedule to deliver Sub for Santa packages in his community may also be finding time to assault a child or teenager.
Relationship to You: Most molestations are perpetrated by someone known to the parents of the child. Children are frequently molested by grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins, visitors who stay overnight in the home, neighbors, friends, and others whom parents may trust.
The bottom line is that, with the exception of the fact that they abuse children, most molesters appear quite normal. Even mental health professionals can be deceived. There is no single profile that parents can use to detect who is legitimately interested in helping children and who has a hidden agenda. The one thing all molesters have in common is that they are looking for situations where they can be trusted with access to victims. For example, they may seek professions that involve being with children or teenagers. Some baby sitters, day care workers, camp counselors, tutors, school teachers, pediatrician, scout leaders, and others who work with children may be watching child pornography on the side -- and may be very dangerous.
It's easy to become nostalgic for the "good old days" when almost everyone was trusted. Back then children played for hours in the neighborhood -- in other people's homes and yards -- unsupervised. Back then children walked to school, went gleefully to sleep overs, and participated in overnight camps without an ounce of parental concern. But those times are past now. We are a sadder but wiser society. The knowledge we have about child molesters has come at a heavy cost and is often shared by people out of the pain of their personal experiences. It's time we heeded this information and do all we can to protect children. ..Source.. by Jerry McMullin MA
For more information, see:
Salter, A. C. (2003). Predators, Pedophiles, Rapists, & Other Sex Offenders.
Hammar, R. R., Klipowicz, S. W., & Cobble, J. F. Jr. (1993) Reducing the Risk of Child Sexual Abuse in Your Church.
August 27, 2008
Naming, shaming won't help child sex offenders - prosecutor
8-27-2008 New Zealand:
Naming and shaming child sex offenders who are released into the community risks creating further outcasts, and is not the answer, says a legal ethics expert.
Christchurch-based crown prosecutor Kathryn Dalziel told a privacy issues forum in Wellington today the reality was that "the child sex offender is a person in our neighbourhood, and so are children and the police".
Ms Dalziel teaches legal ethics at Canterbury University and is the sister of Associate Justice Minister Lianne Dalziel, who opened the forum.
Parents needed information to manage the risk for their children, but they did not need to know the detail, Ms Dalziel said.
"If we victimise one person and create them as outcasts, we aren't addressing the risk." Ms Dalziel cited the case of convicted paedophile Barry Brown, who was awarded $25,000 damages after suing police over a 2001 pamphlet drop advising residents of his release into the Wellington suburb of Strathmore. The pamphlet included his photo.
He was verbally and physically assaulted, and eventually forced into hiding.
"In that case the judge found there was a reasonable expectation of privacy, particularly of his photo and home address," Ms Dalziel said.
"The judge took the strong view that if you share information along these lines you create more likelihood that the person goes on to reoffend."
That was backed up by research from Canterbury University , she said.
There were also issues around the accuracy of the information. In Brown's case it was assumed he was a high risk of reoffending, which wasn't true, Ms Dalziel said.
"The experts' evidence was that if he was managed properly the risk would be reduced. There was no evidence he was reverting to risky behaviour."
Ms Dalziel said the simple solution of the death penalty, or imprisoning them away from the community for good, were not practical solutions.
It often happened that during treatment offenders revealed other offences that were not detected.
"If we rely on convictions solely, we do not have a strategy as a community to protect our community," she said.
There would also be no strategy for those offenders who had not yet been caught, she said. ..News Source.. by
August 15, 2008
Sex offenders need community support
8-15-2008 Global:
Sex offenders may be more likely to re-offend if they are forced away from the community after leaving prison according to award-winning research by a PhD student at the University of Canterbury.
Gwenda Willis, 24, has won the Science and our Society category of the 2008 MacDiarmid Young Scientists of the Year Awards, which is sponsored by the University of Auckland and Auckland UniServices, for her study of how pre-release planning affects rates of recidivism in the five years after sex offenders rejoin the community.
Her research is the first published study to show a link between quality of planning for community reintegration and sex offender recidivism. It contributes to a growing body of knowledge based on research sponsored by the Department of Corrections, together with overseas studies, that highlight the importance of pre-release planning and offender reintegration processes.
The MacDiarmid Awards are presented by the Foundation? for Research, Science and Technology with Fisher & Paykel Appliances as principal sponsor.
Participants in Gwenda’s research had completed a prison-based treatment programme at the Kia Marama Special Treatment Unit at Rolleston Prison near Christchurch, for men convicted of sexual offending against children.
She studied 39 men who had re-offended since their release and 42 who had not, measuring the quality of release plans for both groups. The groups were matched in terms of time since release and risk for reoffending. She measured planning for accommodation, employment, social support and setting pro-social goals related to their values.
Her findings were validated by a subsequent study of sexual offenders released from Te Piriti Special Treatment Unit at Auckland Prison.
Results showed that, overall, sex offenders with good planning had a six per cent re-offending rate, compared to 17 per cent for those with poor planning. Having a place to live organised when they got out of prison was shown to be particularly important.
Gwenda presented her research to an international conference on the treatment of sexual abusers in the United States last year and was awarded the prize for best paper by a postgraduate student.
“A lot of research in this field has concentrated on changing the attitudes or mind set of offenders but few people have realised the importance of the environment they are being released into,” says Gwenda. “My work shows that more careful planning, which is a relatively inexpensive thing to do, can make a real difference providing communities co-operate and help sex offenders make the transition.” ..News Source.. by Research, Science, Technology
Gwenda Willis' paper "The Quality of Community Reintegration Planning for Child Molesters" is available for purchase through Sage Journals.
Abstract:
Research on the causal factors underlying sex offender recidivism has not considered the success or failure of the reintegration process by which the offender rejoins the community after prison. The authors developed a coding protocol to measure the quality and comprehensiveness of reintegration planning for sex offenders. The protocol was retrospectively applied to groups of recidivists and nonrecidivists who were matched on static risk level and follow-up time. The protocol demonstrated adequate reliability. Compared to nonrecidivists, recidivists had significantly lower scores relating to accommodation, employment, and the Good Lives Model secondary goods, as well as lower total reintegration plan scores. ANCOVAs showed that when IQ and level of sexual deviance were controlled for, accommodation (a place to live) was significantly related to sexual recidivism and the Good Lives Model—secondary goods was significantly related to any recidivism. These results suggest that poor reintegration planning may be a risk factor for recidivism.
July 15, 2008
Police caution 13yo girl over sex pictures on MySpace
7-15-2008 New Zealand:
A 13-year-old girl has been cautioned by police after sexually explicit pictures of another 13-year-old girl were posted on social networking site MySpace without her knowledge.
A 17-year-old boy could also face charges over the incident, say Victorian police, who called in the FBI in the United States to help with the investigation.
The case began two months ago when one of the 13-year-old girls sent sexually explicit pictures of herself to her 17-year-old boyfriend at that time, said police based at Bacchus March, west of Melbourne.
The images later came into the possession of a second 13-year-old girl, who then created a false MySpace account using the first girl's identity and posted the explicit images.
After receiving a complaint, police began an investigation in conjunction with the FBI and Australian Federal Police, who helped obtain computer-based evidence and close the MySpace site.
Detective Sergeant Tony Coxall said the investigation was a timely reminder to all parents to monitor their children's use of computers and the internet.
"Cyber bullying can be very traumatic and upsetting for the victim and there can be instances where the perpetrator doesn't know that they are actually breaking the law," he said.
"Any explicit images can constitute serious criminal offences and are investigated accordingly."
Det Sgt Coxall said images posted on the internet could be hard to erase and could become a record for many years to come.
"Children should be very careful when creating personalised accounts or posting images of themselves or others," he said.
Det Sgt Coxall said the 13-year-old who created the false MySpace account had been cautioned, while the boy could be charged on summons for related offences. ..News Source.. by World News
