Facebook sex crimes soar: Offences via social networks more than quadruple in last four years

Sex offences linked to Facebook or Twitter users have rocketed in the last four years, a Mirror investigation reveals. And in an another alarming trend, pedophiles are increasingly logging on to the social networking sites to target children. A total of 1,642 cases since 2009 have been reported to police where the sites played a part in the commission or aftermath of a crime. Statistics obtained under freedom of information laws show the number has more than quadrupled from 139 four years ago to 614 last year. READ MORE HERE

He is one of 11 people arrested as part of Operation Yewtree into child sex offenses

A household-name celebrity was arrested on suspicion of sexual offences by Jimmy Savile cops yesterday. The 82-year-old, who has not been named, was quizzed under caution by Met Police detectives and bailed until May pending further inquiries. He is one of 11 people arrested as part of Operation Yewtree into alleged offending by the former disc jockey and Jim’ll Fix It star and “others”. The spokesman said the man was interviewed under caution on November 29 last year, five days after a search warrant was executed at an address in Berkshire. READ MORE HERE

Police smash ‘biggest child-sex ring’ in the UK

Six men have been arrested and almost 50 alleged victims of rape, abuse and sex slavery aged as young as 12.  Police believe they have smashed what could be Britain’s biggest child-sex ring. Six men have been arrested so far and officers have identified almost 50 alleged victims of rape, abuse and sex slavery aged as young as 12. Detectives fear those numbers could easily reach more than 100 in a case potentially bigger than the Rochdale grooming scandal. The men suspected of carrying out the abuse are of various nationalities, a source said. READ MORE HERE

‘White House’ building at Florida reform school is where boys were taken to be ‘beaten and raped’
This is the first view inside the most gruesome building at a notorious boys reform school in Florida. The mausoleum-like building known as the ‘White House’ at the Dozier School housed nine barren cubicles where boys accused of rule breaking were held. Cameras were briefly given access before the whole site is declared a crime scene and they captured a series of chilling and eerie images. Former students spoke out several years ago with horror stories of sexual abuse and frequent beatings in the White House, at the school in the Florida Panhandle city of Marianna. MyFoxOrlando showed disturbing footage from inside the prison-like building. One room has a bloody handprint smeared on the painted walls and a number of other stains. READ MORE HERE

A father pleads guilty to killing his three young daughters.  Aaron Schaffhausen, 35, changed his pleas Thursday to guilty but insane in the killings of his three young daughters last summer in Wisconsin. With the plea change, prosecutors won’t have to prove Schaffhausen killed his daughters and or that he tried to set fire to their River Falls home last July. READ MORE HERE

Neither party seems completely innocent in this situation.  A 41-year-old man, who has remained unidentified, told police he was robbed at gunpoint – by the 16-year-old girl he had met on Facebook that he was trying to have sex with. According to The Indystar, the man had met the unidentified 16-year-old girl on Facebook and was supposed to meet up with her for sex. READ MORE HERE

Shooting near golf course is deemed murder-suicide

The investigation into Tuesday evening’s murder-suicide at the Wispering Woods apartment complex that left a mother and daughter dead with gunshot wounds to the head should close within the next few days. Leon County Sheriff’s Office Spokesman Lt. James McQuaig said the investigation into the deaths of Jenna Porter, 22, and her 3-year-old daughter, Scarlett Porter, is mostly complete. Investigators are finishing up their reports and waiting on final autopsy results. READ MORE HERE

SOUTH LOS ANGELES — A mistrial was declared Friday after jurors deadlocked in the trial of a gang member charged in the killing of a 5-year-old boy wearing a Spider-Man costume. Aaron Shannon Jr. was dressed in a red-and-blue Spider-Man costume, having his picture taken by his grandfather in the family yard, when shots rang out on Halloween 2010. He was hit in the head as he ran away. He later died. READ MORE HERE

A family’s prayers were answered.  An unidentified 10-year old girl from Northridge, California has been found after being kidnapped from her home. Police are relieved but still searching for multiple suspects following the recovery of a 10-year old missing girl. The young victim, whose memory authorities say has been effected by trauma, recalls being taken by two men and held in several locations. READ MORE HERE

Kidnapped Northridge girl was sexually assaulted, police say

Two males sought in abduction of 10–year–old girl 

Tipline Set Up in Northridge Kidnapping Case

A boy died at the hands of his merciless parents.  Nathan Sloop, 34, of was charged with the murder of his 4-year-old son, Ethan Stacy, after burying his body in a shallow grave among the mountains of Utah. According to Opposing Views, text messages shared between Sloop and his wife, 30-year-old Stephanie Sloop, showed evidence that the two routinely conspired to psychologically and physically torture Ethan. READ MORE HERE

MI — A Farmington Hills substitute teacher has been charged with criminal sexual conduct for an incident with a student under thirteen. Fifty-eight-year-old Andrew Howell was arrested Tuesday for an incident that happened during school hours at Hillside Elementary School in Farmington Hills school on March 19. Howell has been a substitute teacher for over 25 years. READ MORE HERE

Police release details about alleged abuse of Lubbock toddler

LUBBOCK, TX — On Tuesday, police released Johnny Herrera’s arrest warrant, giving us a disturbing look into what allegedly sent his 16-month-old daughter to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. Saturday night, the toddler was unresponsive when she was taken to the hospital and is still in critical condition. The child’s father, Johnny Herrera, 27, was arrested and charged with intentionally causing injury to a child on Sunday. The arrest warrant contains a long list of injuries police say the child sustained, including what looks like a bite mark on her cheek and severe head trauma with bleeding and swelling. Even more disturbing, the warrant says Herrera’s two other children witnessed their father abusing the little girl over and over. READ MORE HERE

UNION, New Jersey — A naked, malnourished 4-year-old boy found inside an apartment with the body of his mother, dead for days, had resorted to eating from a bag of sugar and weighed only 26 pounds, well below normal, police said Wednesday as adoption offers poured in from around the world. One of the officers who helped save the boy, spoke out to Eyewitness News. “He said his mommy was sick and he tried to help her, and we said, ‘You did a great job buddy,'” said Police Officer Sylvia Dimenna, Union Township Police Department. READ MORE HERE

————————————————————————–

A brave woman who was sexually assaulted when she was a child by a predatory rapist known as the Pied Piper waived her anonymity to ensure he was jailed today for 25 years. Darren Purchase, who lived above a sweet shop in order to have access to young victims, dragged Helen Alexander into his home in Worcester when she was 10-years-old and sexually assaulted her on the sofa. Ms Alexander, now 38, stayed silent for decades before agreeing to be interviewed by police when they contacted her as a potential victim. READ MORE HERE