Tag Archives: child sex abuse

Main stream media will ignore this story: America’s first Transgender Lawmaker has been arrested for distributing child sex imagery

Romans 1:28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.

Important Takeaways:

  • Stacie Marie Laughton, who became America’s first transgender lawmaker when he was elected to New Hampshire’s House of Representatives in 2012, has been arrested on four felony counts of distributing child sex abuse imagery.
  • The Democrat is no stranger to law enforcement, having twice resigned from politics after arrests for offenses including fraud, stalking, and bomb threats.
  • Laughton was hailed as an LGBT role model when he was elected, with the media describing how his election in New Hampshire “not only made history in the state, but for the broader trans movement as [he] became the first out trans person ever elected to a seat in a state legislature.” Laughton said he hoped the “LGBT community” would be “inspired” by him. But he was not in the state house for long, resigning over previous credit card felonies, and later imprisoned for leveling a bomb threat at a hospital, which he blamed on mental illness.
  • Despite this backdrop, he was approved to run as a local official in 2019, with the Democrats getting him reelected to the state house a year after that. Shortly after, his political career began to unravel once again, this time for arrests related to giving police false information and stalking.
  • Laughton waived his arraignment on Friday.

Read the original article by clicking here.

British politicians covered up child sex abuse for decades, inquiry finds

A British Union flag flutters in front of one of the clock faces of the 'Big Ben' clocktower of The Houses of Parliament in central London

By Elizabeth Howcroft

LONDON (Reuters) – British politicians turned a blind eye to the sexual abuse of children and actively covered up allegations over decades, an independent inquiry into historical sex offences in Westminster found on Tuesday.

The inquiry did not find evidence of an organized pedophile network in its examination of the period, covering the 1960s through until the 1990s.

But the report found there “have been significant failures by Westminster institutions in their responses to allegations of child sexual abuse.”

“This included failure to recognize it, turning a blind eye to it, actively shielding and protecting child sexual abusers and covering up allegations,” the report’s summary said.

The 173-page report found that several members of parliament in the 1970s and 1980s, including Peter Morrison and Cyril Smith, were “known or rumored to be active in their sexual interest in children and were protected from prosecution in a number of ways,” by police, prosecutors and political parties.

Peter Morrison was the private secretary to Margaret Thatcher, the British prime minister at the time.

Both Morrison and Smith received knighthoods – a British honors system which awards the title ‘Sir’.

The inquiry found about 30 instances of people’s honors being forfeited after they were convicted for crimes involving sexual abuse.

Margaret Thatcher pushed for a knighthood for Jimmy Savile, which he got in 1990, despite revelations in the media about the TV presenter’s sexual abuse of children, the report said.

The inquiry also discussed the Paedophile Information Exchange (PIE), which campaigned for the public acceptance of pedophilia and for changes in the law to allow adults to have sex with children.

It was accepted by some charities as the voice of an oppressed sexual minority and took part in London’s gay pride march in 1983.

“PIE’s aims were given foolish and misguided support for several years by people and organisations who should have known better… There was a fundamental failure to see the problem and a lack of moral courage to confront it,” the report said.

The inquiry found no evidence that the Home Office funded the campaign group.

Home Secretary Priti Patel hailed the “strength and courage” of the victims who testified during the inquiry.

“[The] government will review this report and consider how to respond to its content in due course,” she said in a statement.

The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) – of which the Westminster investigation is one strand – is one of the largest and most expensive ever undertaken in Britain.

It began work in 2017 and is expected to take five years to complete.

(Reporting by Elizabeth Howcroft; Editing by Alistair Smout/Guy Faulconbridge)

Change in New York State law to usher in ‘tidal wave’ of child sex abuse lawsuits

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo speaks during a news conference in New York, U.S., September 14, 2018. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton

By Tom Hals

(Reuters) – Thousands of child sexual abuse lawsuits are expected to flow into New York State courts in the coming weeks exposing decades-old misconduct at schools, hospitals, churches and youth clubs, according to lawyers for victims.

On Aug. 14, the Child Victims Act takes effect, giving people one year to sue over allegations of sexual abuse, regardless of when they said it occurred.

Under the law signed by Governor Andrew Cuomo in February, New York has gone from one of the toughest states to bring a case because of its strict statute of limitations to one of the easiest, potentially unleashing decades of unresolved claims.

“It’s going to be a tidal wave of litigation,” said lawyer Mitchell Garabedian, best known for representing victims of child abuse by Roman Catholic priests in the Archdiocese of Boston.

Cases will cut across society, illustrating the systemic nature of the abuse, victims’ lawyers said, although they expect many of the lawsuits to be against Catholic organizations and the Boy Scouts of America.

Both the scouts and the church said they were cooperative with people making allegations of abuse against their organizations.

“We believe victims, we support them, we pay for counseling by a provider of their choice, and we encourage them to come forward,” the Boy Scouts of America said in a statement.

New York State Catholic Conference spokesman Dennis Poust said that Catholic leaders dropped opposition to the new law once it was broadened to include public institutions.

“All survivors deserve to be heard,” Poust said.

The Child Victims Act arrives as victims have been empowered by the #MeToo movement and a steady stream of scandals, exposing a range of abusers from public figures to the team doctor of USA Gymnastics.

Lawyers for victims said they were teaming up to maximize resources and reconnecting with old clients whose cases were barred by the statute of limitations.

Jeff Anderson, who specializes in clergy sex abuse cases, said his law firm has dedicated almost 100 people to New York cases.

‘COME FORWARD’

After several states made it easier to sue, TV ads soliciting child sex abuse lawsuits spiked to more than 1,700 in both March and April, up from just 46 in January, according to X Ante, a consulting firm that tracks lawyer ad spending.

“If you were abused in a scouting program you are not alone,” said an ad by San Diego, California-based AVA Law Group, which X Ante said was one of the most frequently broadcast. “Come forward. New laws may allow you a path to significant financial compensation.”

However, victims and advocates often say the money is secondary, and many sue to expose perpetrators, hold organizations accountable and to further the healing process.

Some organizations, including the Boy Scouts of America, are acknowledging abuse, apologizing and reporting the accused to law enforcement authorities.

Others have offered compensation. The Archdiocese of New York has paid $65 million to 325 people since 2017. Only one person rejected an offer, according to the archdiocese.

Those who accept an offer give up their right to sue. Some victim advocates said compensation programs kept stories of abuse secret.

“I think the potential is huge for all kinds of things coming to the surface like we’re seeing with Epstein,” said victims’ attorney James Marsh, referring to the criminal sex trafficking charges against the once politically connected American financier Jeffrey Epstein. He pleaded not guilty and is jailed pending trial.

Victims’ lawyers said insurance policies will provide a significant amount of money. The Archdiocese of New York and the Boy Scouts of America have already become embroiled in disputes over insurance coverage.

The Travelers Cos have said they are planning to bolster reserves related to laws reviving old abuse claims.

Coordinating scores of lawsuits against an organization could also be difficult, although few New York cases are expected to go to trial.

Many lawyers said they expect organizations to file for bankruptcy, which would stop the litigation and create one forum where all the claims can be settled at once.

“Bankruptcy is the way to go,” said lawyer Tim Kosnoff, who specializes in cases against the Boy Scouts. “Most clients come out of it pretty satisfied.”

(Reporting by Tom Hals in Wilmington, Delaware; Editing by Noeleen Walder and Grant McCool)