Online sex offenders tracked

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Priest arrested over internet grooming

Sydney priest 'groomer' caught on webcam, court told

August 14, 2009 -- A 54-year-old Sydney Catholic priest has been arrested and charged after allegedly attempting to groom detectives who were masquerading as a 13-year-old girl, sending them a series of sexually explicit chat-room messages. Police allege they posed as a 13-year-old girl on the internet to catch Robert Fuller, a priest of three decades standing and the parish priest of All Saints at Liverpool for six years. Prior to that he was the parish priest at a Punchbowl parish. They allege he sent chat-room messages between July and August, and even tried to arrange a meeting to engage in sexual activity.

Police arrested Father Fuller in a car park at Parramatta, in western Sydney, at 12.30pm yesterday, and later charged him with grooming a person under the age of 16. He was refused bail and appeared in Parramatta Local Court today, where he sat silently throughout the hearing. Magistrate Peter Miszalski, police prosecutor Sergeant Kai Penninkilampi, and defence lawyer Greg Walsh all agreed it was a strong case. In opposing bail, Sergeant Penninkilampi said Father Fuller being on bail could pose a risk to the community. He also said it didn’t matter if Father Fuller lived away from children. "The defendant has shown an absolute preparedness to travel wherever and whenever to contact [the presumed girl] and I would submit it doesn’t matter where he lives."

In a police document tendered during the hearing, it was alleged that, between July 21 and yesterday, Father Fuller had communicated with a person on an online messenger service, Yahoo7 Messenger, who he thought was a 13-year-old girl. In fact the other person was an investigator from the Sex Crime Squad’s Child Exploitation Internet Unit. Father Fuller used two names during the conversations - "rr" and "rogers_2468" the document stated. There were a total of 25 conversations between the priest and the investigator, the court heard. "During the communications the accused was sexually explicit with the [investigator] with a view to grooming and procuring 'her' for sexual activity," the document stated. The accused masturbated in front a of a web camera and encouraged the presumed girl to masturbate, the document read. "The accused ... states he is concerned about getting into trouble because of her young age. During five of the conversations the [accused] activated his web camera and his face was captured by investigators." Eventually a meeting was arranged with Father Fuller near Parramatta Park and he was arrested by police nearby.

Mr Walsh said that Father Fuller would not present a risk to the community and could live in a holiday apartment owned by the Catholic Church in Terrigal, while he went through the court proceedings. Another priest would live with him and no internet connection would be allowed at the flat, Mr Walsh said. The church was also willing to offer a $25,000 surety on Father Fuller's behalf. In granting bail, Mr Miszalski required Father Fuller to surrender his passport, not approach points of international departure, not to use the internet or approach children or places where children congregated and to be supervised at all times. The matter will next be heard in October.

During yesterday's operation, police also seized laptop computers, documents, photographs and a mobile phone from the presbytery at All Saints Catholic Parish on George Street. Three schools, including a primary school and separate boys' and girls' colleges, are next to the presbytery. A Catholic Education spokesman said Father Fuller was not on the teaching staff at either school.

Detective Superintendent John Kerlatec, commander of the Sex Crimes Squad, urged parents to speak to their children about the dangers of the internet. "The internet can be a great tool for children. However, social networking sites can be potentially dangerous for children if they are left unsupervised," he said in a statement. "Regular online operations are conducted by detectives at the Child Exploitation and Internet Unit in an effort to detect online sexual predators. The role of parents however, is crucial with assisting in the prevention of child internet exploitation."

The Archbishop of Sydney, Cardinal George Pell said: “This is appalling and distressing news. I share the concern and alarm of parishioners, and particularly of parents and the school community. I can assure them that the safety of children in our parishes and schools is paramount, and the Archdiocese will co-operate fully with the police in relation to this and any other investigation into abuse at anytime.” Father Fuller was ordained in 1979 after studying at St Columba's College at Springwood, then St Patrick's College at Manly. He was appointed parish priest for Liverpool in 2003 and has a bachelor of theology from the Catholic Institute of Sydney.

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Opelousas man convicted for criminal sexual activity

LAFAYETTE, LOUISIANA, August 14, 2009 -- United States Attorney Donald W. Washington announced that Kevin Ray, age 44, of Opelousas, Louisiana, was convicted by a federal jury today for attempting to entice a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity and attempted production of child pornography following a three-day trial.

Trial testimony established that beginning on April 18, 2009, the defendant, Kevin Ray, was an employee of the Lafayette Utilities System. On the 18th, while at work and using his City of Lafayette laptop computer, the defendant began chatting in a Yahoo, Louisiana chat room with an undercover Louisiana State Police Officer. The Officer identified himself as a 15-year-old female from Lafayette, Louisiana.

From the outset the defendant, Kevin Ray, attempted to engage in graphic sexual chat with the undercover officer. The defendant discussed the possibility of meeting with the undercover officer and engaging in sex acts. He repeatedly asked to see the person he believed to be a minor in sexually explicit poses. During the conversation, he also asked the undercover officer to take sexually explicit pictures of herself and send them to him using the Internet.

On April 19, 2009, the defendant arranged to meet with the undercover officer at Veteran's Park in Lafayette, Louisiana, so that they could engage in sexual acts. The defendant arrived at the park at about 1:00 p.m. and was arrested by State Police shortly thereafter.

Ray faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison, a $ 250,000.00 fine, or both. Sentencing in federal court is determined by the discretion of federal judges and the governing statute. Parole has been abolished in the federal system.

U. S. Attorney Donald Washington stated: "Online predators often devote considerable time, money, and energy into seducing their targets. This office likewise will continue to aggressively devote time and energy to pursue, prosecute, and seek maximum punishment for those who play upon the vulnerability of our children."

This case was brought by the Louisiana State Police as part of Project Safe Childhood. In February 2006, Project Safe Childhood was created as a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney's Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. The United States Attorney thanks the cooperation of the City of Lafayette Consolidated Government for their cooperation in the investigation of this case. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit: Project Safe Childhood. This case was investigated by the Louisiana State Police and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney John Luke Walker.

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Iowa man accused of kidnapping teenage girl

MUSCATINE, Iowa, August 14, 2009 -- A Muscatine man faces kidnapping and sexual assault charges after he allegedly abducted a 15-year-old girl and took her to a park. The Muscatine County sheriff's office says 23-year-old Waddah Moghram was arrested Wednesday night after a deputy found him and the girl in a restroom at the Saulsbury Recreation Area, near Muscatine. Moghram is accused of taking the girl from another park in Grandview. Authorities say Moghram met the teen on the Internet. Moghram is charged with first-degree kidnapping and two counts of second-degree sexual abuse.

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Suspected child predator arrested

August 14, 2009 -- Authorities are cautioning parents to monitor their children’s cell phones and computers after a Helen man was arrested for reportedly having inappropriate contact with a local girl. Jeremy Lee Barrett, 25, has been charged by the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office with one count of computer or electronic pornography in violation of the child exploitation act of 2007.

Barrett was arrested August 7 following a weeklong investigation, triggered by the parents of a 12-year-old girl from Cumming. As of Thursday, Barrett remained in custody at the Forsyth County Detention Center, where a jail spokeswoman said bond had been set at $11,110. Authorities think Barrett may have contacted other children. The investigation is ongoing.

Sheriff’s Investigator Jeff Roe said Barrett apparently called random phone numbers in an attempt to contact a minor. “The child’s number was one of the random numbers he picked,” Roe said. “The charges stemmed from unlawful images that were disseminated by Barrett, coupled with obscene Internet contact.” Barrett allegedly continued calling the girl after she told him her age. When her parents found out, they contacted the sheriff’s office. Sheriff’s Sgt. Bill Franco said the parents did the right thing and helped authorities by investigating their daughter’s cell phone activity.

Roe said authorities intercepted the sexually explicit images before the girl saw them. Roe is on the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. The unit investigates cases of child pornography, computer pornography and child exploitation through Internet-based technology, including cell phones. Roe’s duties as a member of the task force include giving presentations and tips about Internet safety.

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Kirkby recluse terrified religious Canadian girl using YouTube

August 15, 2009 -- A “sad and lonely” Liverpool recluse terrified a religious Canadian teenager by posting obscene images to her on YouTube. Canadian Mounties tracked down computer geek, Peter Johnson, who lived with his elderly parents in Kirkby, after other internet users spotted the indecent messages and reported him. They found he had sent explicit videos to the 17-year-old girl, who lives on the outskirts of Toronto, after getting into an on-line debate with her about Christianity. Johnson, 36, was tracked down after a man in California discovered a video Johnson had sent to her of a naked man performing an indecent act, described as “Molly’s Number One Rapist”. Geoffrey Fryar, prosecuting, told how the very next day another American man saw Johnson had sent the girl a picture of a decapitated corpse. He said: “It was accompanied by extremely graphic, crude and obscene text indicating the sender’s intention to rape her.” The Child Exploitation Centre was informed and they in turn told their colleagues in Canada, who told the Mounties. The computer’s IP address was tracked to Johnson's home in Heathfield Drive, Kirkby. He was found lying on a mattress in his bedroom which was packed with computer towers, monitors, printers, web cams and other equipment. In interview, Johnson admitted sending the items. Johnson, who has various health problems including agoraphobia, accepted that his entire life was spent in the bedroom on the computer. But he said he was shocked when the police arrived and had not realised the internet was so serious. Johnson admitted two offences of publishing obscene articles on December 7 and 8, 2007. Charles Lander, defending, said Johnson, who has never been in trouble before, had not sent any further obscene items and when his computers were seized by police no indecent images were found. He added: “He is a socially-isolated individual who would be ill-suited to prison.” Judge John Phipps told Johnson: “She wasn't to know that you were a sad, lonely man in Kirkby.” He fined Johnson a total of £1,000, plus £250 prosecution costs.

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Paedophile caged at last

August 15, 2009 -- This sick paedophile who abused a young girl three decades ago has finally been locked up - after being caught bragging to an undercover cop about his depraved crimes. Stuart Cook, aged 59, of Grange Road, Beighton, Sheffield, boasted about the abuse in a paedophile chatroom without realising he was actually talking to a police officer working covertly. The victim's family today slammed the sex offender for not having the "decency" to admit his crimes in court and instead putting them through the ordeal of a trial. Cook was locked up for a total of five years at Sheffield Crown Court - three for indecent assault and a further two for downloading and distributing more than 4,000 indecent images. But the victim's sister said: "As far as my sister and I are concerned he did not get long enough. As a family we had wanted to leave what happened dead and buried, but in the end we're pleased it went forward and he has finally got what he deserves. It's good for my sister to know people believed her - she always thought people might not, and so to have the jury come back with guilty verdicts was very important for her. It's helped her get closure on this. We now have to start rebuilding our lives from today." The victim - now in her mid-30s but aged six and seven at the time of the abuse - hadn't confided in anyone and regularly suffered nightmares. She said: "I am not ashamed of what happened to me - I was only six or seven years old and didn't know that what was happening was inappropriate. I only wish I had spoken out sooner, but in the 1970s sexual abuse wasn't widely spoken about."

Judge Michael Murphy QC said the impact of such abuse on victims was devastating. He said: "I saw that young woman, as she now is, and I saw the continuing effect of this indecency on her. People should know there is no amnesty for offences like these. The fact it occurred many years ago is neither here nor there. These offences operate like a timebomb within the victims - and when that bomb goes off, the victim is left emotionally shattered and it affects almost every aspect of their lives." The court was told around half of the 4,000 indecent images downloaded and distributed by Cook were of children being sexually abused, while the rest were of adult porn including bestiality - including the most serious grade five images. Judge Murphy described the pornography as "vile" and said it plays a key role in contributing to the ongoing cycle of abuse. He said: "It feeds the corrosive perversion that leads to the abuse of children." Cook was caught when he unwittingly took part in online chats with an undercover police officer from South Yorkshire Police's Public Protection Unit. During the conversations he told the officer he was "into grannies" - but, critically, that he had also previously abused a young girl. Robert Smith, defending, said Cook was suffering anxiety and depression as a result of the offences, and had also been seriously attacked while on remand in prison. Cook was placed on the sex offenders' register and banned from working with children for life, and is subject to a sex offences prevention order indefinitely.

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9 arrested in sex sting after seeking sex with teens

August 17, 2009 -- Nine men from Michigan and Ohio including a retired police officer were arrested this weekend in an undercover sex sting. The men have been arraigned on 20-year felonies of child sexual abusive activity and using a computer to commit a crime. Armed Livingston County sheriff’s deputies arrested the men - among them a grandfather and a security guard - as they came to a Livingston County home to have sex with a person they each thought was an underage teen. Details of the suspects were released at 11 a.m. today in a press conference at Sheriff Bob Bezotte's office. The sting began Friday after decoys from Perverted Justice had spoken to about 150 people online. “Of those 150, there’s a subset of 50 that have actually gone to the point of setting up a meeting, talked about sex, wanted to have sex and know the age of the child, and know what they’re doing,” Dennis Ker, of Perverted Justice, told WXYZ Channel 7 in Detroit.

One of those arrested was George Allen, a 53-year-old retired police officer from Detroit counseled undercover agents on how to avoid saving chat logs and threatened to kill himself if turned in. Another was Michael Krauss, a 49-year-old security guard from Monroe County who thought he was meeting a 14-year-old girl. As police arrested him, he said, “I didn’t mean to do this guys, please!” Channel 7 reported. He said he used to be a military police officer. Krauss told Channel 7 that the sexually explicit e-mails he wrote do make him sound like a predator, “but I’m not. I don’t go out there everyday stalking people because I know better,” he said. “Why I did this I have no idea. I don’t need to be a predator.” To explain why he drove 72 miles to meet a child, Krauss says: “Well, today I was coming up as an adult going to talk to a child. I wasn’t going to do anything. They searched me. If I was going to do something I would have protection on me.”

Also among those arrested were: John Deleo Custer, 40, of Clawson, who thought he was meeting a 14-year-old girl named Samantha. He told the online decoy, an undercover office, “I wanna have sex with you,”; Jason Jerome Lombardo, 37, of Eastpointe, thought he was meeting a 14-year-old boy. At the last minute, Lombardo, a DJ, told police that he wanted to meet at McDonald’s, which is where police arrested him in the parking lot; Timothy John Fitzhugh, of Grand Rapids; Dipankar Roy, 29, a computer programmer from Columbus, Ohio; Robert Smith, 24 of Flint; Ronald Blake a 50-year-old Postal Carrier from Flint; Ashish Jain, 29, Rochester Hills. The sting was the combined efforts of Michigan Attorney General’s office, county Sheriff’s Department and the nonprofit group Perverted Justice. The men are being jailed on $200,000 bond.