7 h. ago Three more accused decline to give evidence in Rochdale sexual abuse trial

A second defendant is expected to give evidence next week

Events

15 h. ago Pope Francis funeral latest: US cardinal accused of mishandling sexual abuse cases chosen to close casket

Pope Francis’s funeral will be held on Saturday with world leaders in attendance

Events

51 h. ago French PM’s daughter says she was brutally beaten at scandal

François Bayrou faces questions over what he knew about school at centre of allegations of decades of abuseThe daughter of the French prime minister, François Bayrou, has said she was brutally beaten at a private Catholic school at the centre of a growing sexual abuse scandal that has shocked France.Hélène Perlant, 53, told Paris Match that a senior priest at Notre-Dame de Bétharram beat her in front of her peers during a summer camp in the 1980s, when she was 14, but said she had never told Bayrou. Continue reading...

Politics

62 h. ago Pope Francis had a troubled course on dealing with clergy sexual abuse

Pope Francis had a learning curve on clergy sexual abuse, with the turning point coming in 2018

Events

68 h. ago AI images of child sexual abuse getting ‘significantly more realistic’, says watchdog

Internet Watch Foundation report shows 380% increase in illegal AI-generated imagery in 2024, most of it ‘category A’Images of child sexual abuse created by artificial intelligence are becoming “significantly more realistic”, according to an online safety watchdog.The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) said advances in AI are being reflected in illegal content created and consumed by paedophiles, saying: “In 2024, the quality of AI-generated videos improved exponentially, and all types of AI imagery assessed appeared significantly more realistic as the technology developed.” Continue reading...

Events

3 d. ago Child sexual abuse scandal cast long shadow over Pope Francis’s papacy

Issue threatened to derail Francis’s papacy and dominated his trips abroadPope Francis: cardinals to meet in Rome to set date for funeral – liveIn 2002, the Boston Globe published a series of articles exposing the scale of child sexual abuse in the local Catholic church. It shone a spotlight – the title of a later movie based on the investigation – on the church’s dark shameful secrets.Eleven years later, Francis became pope. Wave after wave of abuse revelations continued to crash at the Vatican’s doors amid mounting anger and revulsion among the faithful and beyond. The issue threatened to derail Francis’s papacy and dominate his trips abroad. He was slow to grasp the scale and systemic nature of the issue and apparently reluctant to take firm action to deal with abusers and those who covered up abuse. Continue reading...

Events

3 d. ago Child sexual abuse scandal cast long shadow over Francis’s papacy

Issue dogged Francis throughout his time as head of Catholic church, with abuse survivors saying he failed to do enoughPope Francis: cardinals to meet in Rome to set date for funeral – liveIn 2002, the Boston Globe published a series of articles exposing the scale of child sexual abuse in the local Catholic church. It shone a spotlight – the title of a later movie based on the investigation – on the church’s dark shameful secrets.Eleven years later, Francis became pope. Wave after wave of abuse revelations continued to crash at the Vatican’s doors amid mounting anger and revulsion among the faithful and beyond. The issue threatened to derail Francis’s papacy and dominate his trips abroad. He was slow to grasp the scale and systemic nature of the issue and apparently reluctant to take firm action to deal with abusers and those who covered up abuse. Continue reading...

Events

6 d. ago Terrifying influence of Andrew Tate as teachers face rape threats by brainwashed boys

Warning: sensitive content on sexual abuse. As teachers sound the alarm on Andrew Tate's dangerous influence in classrooms, we speak to experts and educators to delve into the dark underbelly of the influencer's stardom

Events

6 d. ago Top police officer is sacked and banned for life after having sex on duty and 'preying' on junior colleagues

Tom Simons, of Essex Police, abused his senior position for a sexual purpose with two women, including by touching a colleague inappropriately.

Events

7 d. ago New Pornographers drummer arrested over child sexual abuse images

Musician Joe Seiders is in custody after reports of a man behaving suspiciously around underage boys at a restaurant in Palm Desert, California

Events

7 d. ago Drummer for indie rockers the New Pornographers arrested over child sexual abuse images

Joe Seiders in custody following search of home, vehicle and phone, after allegedly attempting to film child in California restaurant restroomJoe Seiders, the American drummer with Canadian indie rockers the New Pornographers, has been arrested for possession of child sexual abuse imagery.A statement made by the sheriff’s office of Riverside county, California, alleged that evidence has implicated Seiders in two incidents. On Monday 7 April, an 11-year-old boy reported that a man attempted to film him in a restroom of a fast food restaurant, and on Wednesday 9 April, police officers received another report from the restaurant, that a man was “entering and exiting the restroom with juvenile males at the business”. Continue reading...

Events

9 d. ago Schoolgirl 'was drugged and repeatedly raped by three men who used promise of cigarette to lure her into their car after spotting her alone outside Asda'

Ivan Turtak (pictured), 38, Kevin Horvath, 25, and Ernest Gunar, 27, allegedly passed the child around 'like a receptacle' as they subjected her to vile sexual abuse.

Events

9 d. ago Calls grow in Japan to scrap time limit on civil suits over childhood sexual abuse

Survivors and lawyers seek legal reform as thousands sign petition against statute of limitations

Events

9 d. ago LA county facing financial turmoil after wildfires and $4bn abuse settlement

County to cut budget by almost $90m as it tackles nearly $2bn in fire-related costs and cuts to federal fundingLos Angeles county is experiencing unprecedented financial challenges amid growing costs from the historic wildfires that ravaged the region earlier this year and a $4bn sex abuse case settlement, the county CEO said this week.The region faces roughly $2bn in expenses related to January’s fires, which killed 30 people and destroyed nearly 17,000 structures. Earlier this month the county announced it had a $4bn agreement to settle thousands of claims of sexual abuse in juvenile facilities dating back 1959 – the largest such settlement in US history. Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago How to keep kids safe as worrying report highlights sinister side to dating apps

Sexual exploitation and abuse of children has become a "pandemic," a new report from the University of Edinburgh has warned

Politics

1 week ago The problem with this ‘incredibly harmful’ White Lotus scene

As researchers of sibling sexual abuse, we were particularly perturbed by the show’s take on this issue, Sophie King-Hill and Kieran McCartan write

Events

1 week ago Albanian lesbian couple win asylum claim to stay in Britain after arguing people in their home country are homophobic

The women had trafficked after being 'abducted by masked men, sexually assaulted by multiple men and subjected to physical and verbal abuse on account of their sexual orientation', a court heard.

Events

1 week ago MPs demand new candidates face criminal checks before they can be elected

The demands come as Labour MP Dan Norris faces serious sexual abuse allegations and amid claims that another MP committed a sex assault before being elected.

Events

2 w. ago Jesse Lingard's grandfather 'left girl so traumatised after sexually abusing her for 14 years she wanted to kill herself', court told

The alleged victim made her claims against Kenneth Lingard, of Warrington, Cheshire, to police after watching a Channel 4 documentary about the life of his footballer grandson.

Events

2 w. ago Evil Scots rapist who attacked schoolgirl as she slept dies in jail

Kieran Beck was caged for seven years in June 2023 after being found guilty of multiple rapes, sexual assault, physical assault and abusive behaviour towards girls as young as 15 in the Scottish Borders.

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