June, 2006 News
Judge tosses confession in Fla. killing
TRAVIS REED
30 Jun 2006 9:59 am
The confession of a man charged with kidnapping, raping and killing 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford isn't admissible in court, but the discovery of her body can be used as evidence, a judge ruled Friday.
Sex-offender Web site now operational
ALAN GUSTAFSON
30 Jun 2006 12:00 am
A new Web site that makes it easier for Oregonians to track the whereabouts of predatory sex offenders in the state attracted huge attention Thursday.
By 3 p.m., the site received more than 250,000 hits during its first day of operation. State officials extolled the Web site.
Until now, information about Oregon's 700 predatory sex offenders was available online only through a patchwork of county Web sites. Marion and Polk counties long have posted information about predatory sex offenders on Web sites.
The new Oregon State Police Web site will consolidate sex-offender information from 36 counties onto a single site.
Visitors to the Web site can find predatory sex offenders' names, addresses, photos, physical descriptions and conditions of release for high-risk offenders.
Not all sex offenders are classified as "high risk" or "predatory."
The 700 predatory sex offenders listed on the Web site are among 14,500 registered sex offenders in Oregon.
"It is important to remember that most sexual offenders have never been convicted and are therefore not in this database," Kulongoski said. "That is why it is imperative for parents to be ever vigilant of our children and with whom they associate."
Man behind anti-Clinton ad convicted
Associated Press
28 Jun 2006 12:36 pm
A political consultant whose company was behind a television ad accusing the Clinton-Gore administration of giving away nuclear technology was convicted of child molestation charges.
A jury deliberated almost two days before convicting Carey Lee Cramer, 44, of aggravated sexual assault of a child, two counts of indecency with a child by contact and one count of indecency with a child by exposure. He was cleared of nine other charges Tuesday.
The sentencing phase of the trial was scheduled to begin Wednesday. Cramer faces up to 149 years in prison.
Trafficked women's symptoms akin to torture victims'
Reuters
28 Jun 2006 11:04 am
Women and girls trafficked for forced sexual or domestic work suffer post-traumatic stress on a par with torture victims, researchers said on Wednesday.
Zimmerman, a researcher in public health policy, said because of its underground nature it was difficult to get precise numbers.
"This is an international trade that is happening in virtually every corner of the world," she said in an interview.
"The majority believe they are getting a job doing something like waitressing, being a nanny or working in a bar. Most of them are tricked into the situation."
The vast majority of the women with children were single mothers. Sixty percent experienced some form of violence before being trafficked, and 56 percent reported symptoms suggestive of post traumatic stress disorder. Headaches, fatigue, dizzy spells, back pain, memory problems, anxiety and depression were common.
"If you can image a situation of confinement and abuse and systematic rape over periods of months or a year it is not surprising that people are coming out with symptoms that might be at similar levels to those persons who are tortured," said Zimmerman.
New Sex Offender Law Receiving Mixed Treatment From Police
The Associated Press
26 Jun 2006 10:58 am
Some sex offenders in Kentucky may not be forced to move, despite a new state law that sets tougher restrictions on how close they can live to a school, child-care center or park.
Some areas, such as Fayette County, have notified sex offenders that they will be in violation of the law on where they can live in relation to children. But, officials in other counties say they haven't begun to study the law or that it would be impossible to enforce.
Prison guard's retrial date on sex charges set
21 Jun 2006
A Rimutaka Prison guard accused of a indecently assaulting a convicted sex offender is scheduled to face a second trial on July 12.
A Wellington District Court jury in May found the officer not guilty on one charge of indecent assault. But after 10 hours of deliberations, it could not reach a verdict on the remaining two charges.
The officer, whose name is suppressed, is alleged to have pinched the inmate on the bottom, touched him on his thigh near his buttocks and prodded his penis, each time through clothing.
The former inmate also alleged the officer leaned against a table where the inmate's hand was so it touched his scrotum.
The charges relate to incidents that allegedly happened in April 2005 in the prison kitchen.
In the first trial, Judge Bridget Mackintosh said the prosecution's case should be taken in context with discussions at the time about nudity and sex as well as the officer showing the inmate naked photos of himself.
The white-haired, bespectacled officer also showed the inmate his nipple piercing.
Sex offender rules ignored by schools
Rebecca Smithers
20 Jun 2006
Sweeping measures to tighten the vetting of staff in schools will be announced by ministers today in response to a damning new report which reveals that many are ignoring rules designed to protect children from paedophiles.
A study by Ofsted, the education watchdog, levels criticism at all levels, from the Department for Education and Skills for issuing "confusing guidance", to headteachers and local authority staff for not ensuring all the correct checks are being made.
Police: Girl's guardians let sex offender take her to store
Rochelle E.B. Gilken
20 Jun 2006 12:00 am
The guardians of a 6-year-old girl allowed a sex offender to take the child to the store, but the girl's mother called the police at 11:45 p.m. when the man didn't return for hours, said Riviera Beach police.
Delray Beach police said they caught up with Gary Lee Phillips, 39, as he was pulling into the driveway of his home with the girl at 1 a.m. today.
The two had been together for five hours.
Phillips was charged with interfering with child custody and resisting an officer with violence.
He was previously convicted of lewd and lascivious exhibition on someone under the age of 16.
Anyone with information about Phillips is asked to contact Detective Sergeant Pat Galligan at (561) 882-3514, Ext. 15, or Crime Stoppers at (800) 458-TIPS.
Proposed Law Bans Sex Offenders From 'Santa' Jobs
NBC4.tv
20 Jun 2006 10:01 am
The Senate Public Safety Committee is scheduled to hear a bill on Wednesday by an Orange County assemblyman that would require registered sex offenders to disclose their status when applying for jobs as Santa Claus.
AB 2263, which was unanimously approved in Assembly on May 25, will be considered by the committee members in Sacramento, said assemblyman Todd Spitzer, R-Orange.
"A Santa Claus costume allows a convicted sex offender to conceal or drastically change his face, body type and voice," Spitzer said. "In essence, these convicted criminals are disguising themselves so they can be closer to our children."
Sex offender law is lacking
20 Jun 2006 2:12 pm
Town of Tonawanda officials recently passed a law that virtually zones sex offenders out of the town.
No one’s thrilled to have a registered, level three sex offender plop down in the lawn chair next door, but completely cutting off an entire municipality is not the right way to protect children.
Bottom line, if a sex offender is truly motivated to attack a child, he or she will find a way. Offenders are not limited by the boarders of the town in which they live, especially at a time when the Internet presents a slick way to trick children into meeting.
Some things make sense, like prohibiting a sex offender from living across the street from an elementary school. And granted, it’s a thin line between what’s OK to prohibit and what’s going too far.
In times of need
M. Scott Carter
19 Jun 2006 9:43 am
Don’t ask Terry Gillespie about her nightmares.
You don’t want to know.
As a public health nurse for the Cleveland County Health Department, Gillespie has seen the darkest side of humanity.
A certified forensic nurse, today she works in several clinical areas of the Cleveland County Health Department, including sexually transmitted diseases, family planning, women’s health and Tuberculosis.
But it’s her work with the victims of assault that affected her -- deeply. “You might say I can relate to them on a very personal level. I understand...very well.”
Those scars, she says, never fully heal. “You remember. You always remember. You get on with your life and you live, but you always remember.”
No 10 admits Megan's Law problems
19 Jun 2006
Downing Street says there are "genuine difficulties" in allowing the public to have more information about the whereabouts of paedophiles.
The admission follows a warning to John Reid against rushing to introduce a version of the Megan's Law system that deals with child sex offenders.
It is known as Sarah's Law in this country, after Sarah Payne who was murdered six years ago.
Home Office Minister Gerry Sutcliffe is going to the US to see how the system works and if a UK version could be introduced.
In the meantime Mr Reid has also decided that paedophiles are to be moved out of probation hostels next to schools.
New measure to distinguish violent crimes from sex crimes
19 Jun 2006 12:00 am
Fresh out of prison, Kerry Skora would much rather be known as a murderer than a sex offender.
Skora was looking forward to getting his life back together after spending 15 years in prison for a murder he says he didn't commit. Then Skora found out a few months ago that because the victim was 16, he would have to register as a sex offender when released — even though the crime did not involve sex.
He and his mother searched for a way to avoid the stigma and difficulties with housing and jobs that come with the "sex offender" label. Their efforts led the Illinois General Assembly to pass legislation that would create a unique registry for people who commit violent but non-sexual crimes against youth.
Supporters see it as a matter of fairness for hundreds of people like Skora who were caught up in the rush to crack down on sex offenders.
"The reality is sex offenders are a great political target," said Rep. John Fritchey, a Chicago Democrat who sponsored the measure after being contacted by Skora's mother. "But that doesn't mean any law under the sun is appropriate."
