A mother and daughter are forced to cope with the acts of a maniac. A 37-year-old Australian man killed himself Friday with a .9mm hand gun, but only after dragging his eight-year-old son out of primary school and shooting him in the head he forced his seven-year-old daughter to watch. READ MORE HERE

FONTANA— Her eyes were the introductory sparks to a sassy personality. But, on her 16th birthday, Ashley Caldera was taken from her family by gun violence. Lorraine Valdez had to spend her Memorial Day making funeral plans for her daughter. “I can’t believe she’s gone. I want her to walk through that door but I know it’s not going to happen,” her mother said. READ MORE HERE

Gazing straight at the camera, a poised young woman with long brown hair delivered a public service announcement that local officials hope will alert kids to the perils of online pedophiles. “At the age of 13, I was lured and abducted from my home by a vicious Internet predator, ” Alicia Kozakiewicz said, in a video previewed at the San Marcos City Council meeting Tuesday. “On New Years Day, I walked out of my house, on the coldest, iciest night of the year, to meet a monster, whom I thought was my friend.”  READ MORE HERE

Rome– A US marine sergeant has been arrested by Italian police after he allegedly made a video of his repeated rape of a seven-year-old girl and posted it online. The 28-year-old soldier from Florida was arrested Tuesday by the Italian carabinieri military police and is being held at a prison in Pisa. The US has the right to request his extradition. The US marines took part in the investigation.  READ MORE HERE

A woman who injected ‘waste matter’ into a child’s intravenous drip as she lay ill in hospital has been spared jail, after a judge said she needed help. Nicola Clark was caught on CCTV injecting the bacteria, which contained E.coli, into the child’s drip as she lay ill at Medway Hospital in Gillingham, Kent, in April last year.  READ MORE HERE

LOS ANGELES  — One of two brothers who plead guilty to taking their sons out of the country without the consent of the children’s mothers was sentenced today to 27 months behind bars. George Silah, 49, was extradited from the Netherlands last October and pleaded guilty in February to two counts of international parental kidnapping.  READ MORE HERE

CARTHAGE — A former western Illinois school board member has been sentenced to 60 days in jail and two years of probation for sexually abusing a boy. The Quincy Herald-Whig reports 44-year-old August Dion Gregory apologized during the Hancock County sentencing hearing Friday for what he called “a terrible mistake.” He was found guilty in March of felony criminal sexual abuse of a minor.  READ MORE HERE

LOS ANGELES, CA — Convicted child killer James Lee Crummel, 68, was found hanging in his cell on death row at San Quentin State Prison. Crummel was found dead shortly after 4:00 p.m. on Sunday by staff members bringing him his meal. They had last spotted him alive 15 minutes earlier when passing by his cell. READ MORE HERE

How Govt Should Be Tackling the Growing Child Rape Crisis

AFRICA–Today marks the beginning of the annual Child Protection Week. The concept, under the leadership of the Department of Social Development, stems from the African proverb “it takes a village to raise a child”, which emphasizes the role of the wider community in keeping children safe. This year’s Child Protection Week is unfortunately marred by recent and increasing media reports of growing incidents of sexual offenses committed against children, specifically what is being called “child rape”. READ MORE HERE

(Plum, Pa.) Three daycare employees from Pittsburgh East Community Church’s Genesis Childcare are facing charges after reportedly assaulting toddlers at the daycare. Police have brought criminal charges against childcare workers Eileen Andrews, Angela Russo and Terry Bachner.  READ MORE HERE

A Mississippi public school caught handcuffing its students for misdemeanors as minor as violating the dress code has been banned from using the ‘abusive’ punishment. Capital City Alternatives school in Jackson was found to be regularly chaining children to railings and poles, sometimes for up to four consecutive school days. But a district judge has now outlawed the extreme disciplining technique, labeling it tantamount to abuse.  READ MORE HERE

WARREN, MI–A woman who is nine months pregnant was abducted, set on fire and shot. The 22-year-old and her unborn baby were expected to live after the horrific ordeal on Saturday morning. The unknown attacker apparently told the woman that the abduction was linked to her pregnancy. The child’s father witnessed the attack, but did not call 911 – and police suggested the man did not want another baby. READ MORE HERE

A couple who kept their 11-year-old son a virtual prisoner in a former coal bunker were each jailed for two years yesterday. The boy’s mother and stepfather padlocked him into the 6ft by 4ft ‘cell’ every night for a year, forcing him to sleep on a soiled mattress and use a potty. When police were alerted they found the slightly-built boy asleep in the rubbish-strewn room with no heating or washing facilities, a bare light-bulb and concrete walls and floor. READ MORE HERE