HERTFORD, N.C. – Deputies in Perquimans County have charged six brothers and their parents in connection with the sexual abuse of a girl over the course of almost a decade. Perquimans County Sheriff Eric Tilley told WAVY-TV that the brothers were arrested May 6 and charged with crimes related to raping a 4-year-old girl until she was almost 15. The victim is now 16 years old, Tilley said. It was not immediately clear how the family knew the victim. READ MORE HERE

A teen mom in Florida was arrested last week for chocking her 7-month-old baby to the point of seizures.  Staff at St Joseph’s Children’s Hospital in Tampa alerted police after they noticed bruising on the neck of an infant named Danny, being monitored for seizures and sleep apnea. Police reviewed surveillance footage taken in the hospital and noticed several instances where Danny’s 19-year-old mother Violet Hinrichs squeezed him so hard he passed out. READ MORE HERE

An 18-year-old Arizona high school student has been indicted on nearly 30 felony counts for allegedly sexually assaulting a dozen girls over nearly five years. Charges against Tyler Kost, of San Tan Valley, include multiple counts of sexual assault with a minor, sexual abuse with a minor and sexual conduct with a minor. He also faces one count of child molestation. Pinal County Attorney Lando Voyles said the victims in the crimes alleged in the indictment issued Wednesday ranged from 12 to 17 years old. Voyles said the offenses occurred between October 2009 and April 2014. READ MORE HERE

Cyber bullies should face prosecution, say doctors who claim online abuse is now a bigger problem than face-to-face harassment

Cyber bullying of children via social media sites is now a bigger problem than face-to-face harassment, say psychologists. Many youngsters are scared to reject the approach of strangers on social media because they fear they will become a target for abuse, a study suggests. It has led to calls for a new criminal offence of cyber bullying as concerns grow that the most vulnerable could be at risk of self-harm or suicide. READ MORE HERE

Cyberbullying – FindLaw

cyber bullying should be a criminal offense 

Protecting Victims, Preserving Freedoms

Prosecuting Bullies is Justified

Zafar Iqbal, 67, guilty of 25 counts of historic sex abuse against three girls

A high-profile Muslim charity leader has been convicted of sexually abusing three young girls in the  1970s and 1980s. Zafar Iqbal, chief executive of Southwark Muslim Women’s Association (SMWA) in South London, was found guilty of 25 counts of historic sex abuse against three women at Woolwich Crown Court last month. All of his victims were under the age of 14 when the historic offences were committed. READ MORE HERE

A 41-year-old anime voice actor and drama teacher from Houston started a sexual relationship with one of his 16-year-old students and when police caught on, he took her to Las Vegas and married her – with her mother’s consent, police say.  Investigators believe Ilich Guardiola was trying to cover his tracks when he took the girl and her mother to a quickie wedding in Nevada – one week after the teen told police that she and her teacher were ‘in love.’ READ MORE HERE

At least five women from Iowa are facing charges of child endangerment charges after it was found they knowingly allowed children to live close to eight men with a history of sexual abuse and child pornography. Police have confirmed that at least six children were victims of child abuse, child neglect or child pornography. An online search also confirms that even now there are still seven known sex offenders living in the same Patriot Mobile Home Park and Apartments in Davenport, Iowa. READ MORE HERE

Child sex abuse victims, their families and friends, and, frankly, everyone except perpetrators and those who enable them, should be pleased about the progress toward victims’ access to justice in 2013. This past year, the pace of the movement quickened remarkably. Sadly, though, religious groups have gone back to the drawing board to find new ways to protect themselves from the law, so there is also a cloud on the horizon for victims as well. We need civil-rights advocates, children’s advocates, and survivors and their communities to work hard to make 2014 even better than 2013, and if we all work together, the prospects of our doing so are good. READ MORE HERE

Jacksonville, Florida — The man facing charges of kidnapping, raping and killing 8-year-old Cherish Perrywinkle appeared at a pretrial hearing Wednesday morning. For the first time, the victim’s mother was in court to face the accused. READ MORE HERE

GOSHEN, Indiana — Elkhart County police are asking for the public’s help in finding a man accused of child molestation. Police are seeking Scott Edward Culver, 50. He is described as a white male approximately 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighing around 165 pounds. According to a posting on the Elkhart County Sheriff’s Department Facebook page, Culver was last known to live in Goshen. However, there is a warrant out for Culver’s arrest and he may have left the state. READ MORE HERE

Police said that anyone with information about Culver’s location can contact police by calling 574-533-4151 

The unrepentant couple believed they had a divine assignment to kill sex offenders

UNION, S.C. — A couple who carried out a plan to kill a registered sex offender and his wife showed little remorse when they were sentenced to life in prison Tuesday, with one shouting: “That’s what child molesters get.” Initially, Jeremy and Christine Moody apologized to the judge and asked for a 30-year sentence so they could see their children and grow old together. But after Union County Judge Lee Alford handed down the maximum punishment, they shared a brief kiss and then showed how they really felt. READ MORE HERE

Fathered Child With Victim

KEY WEST, Florida — Authorities in the Keys have charged a man with incest. Brandon Williams, 34, of Stock Island was arrested and charged with having sexual relations with someone he is related to, a third degree felony. According to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, Williams was also charged with being over 24 years of age and having sexual relations with someone aged 16 or 17, a second degree felony. READ MORE HERE

A Donegal woman who was raped and sexually abused from the age of seven until she was sixteen, has broken her silence. Arylene Murphy is telling her story to let others know just how much the Donegal Sexual Abuse and Rape Crisis Centre can help. This is the first time that the Ballyshannon woman, who will be 50 next month, has ever spoken publicly about the sexual abuse she endured from the age of seven to the age of sixteen. Not understanding what had happened to her, she, like so many others, turned to drink and drugs in an effort to escape her pain. READ MORE HERE

Man, 22, found guilty of killing 1-yo girl found hemorrhaging from her eyes with alcohol and marijuana in her blood

A Michigan man has been found guilty of killing his girlfriend’s 1-year-old daughter who authorities say had bleeding in her brain and eyes, as well as alcohol and marijuana in her system. A Kalamazoo jury convicted Toren Hains, 22, Tuesday of felony murder and first-degree child abuse in the December 2012 death of Zoie Grace Johnston, of Oshtemo Township.  Hains’ murder conviction comes with mandatory life imprisonment. READ MORE HERE