‘We tried to rescue our sister from Philpott’s clutches’: Mairead’s family claim she is a victim of her husband but they cannot forgive her for deaths of their six children

The sisters of child killer Mairead Philpott claim she is a ‘victim’ of her controlling husband Mick – but they cannot forgive her for the deaths of their nieces and nephews. Jennifer Lobban and Bernadette Duffy told of their desperate attempts to convince her to leave Mick since they married in May 2003, and take the children away. They claim Mairead was so unhappy she had even attempted suicide in the months before the tragic fire. 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

Actress and former porn star Traci Lords has revealed that she was raped as a child while growing up in Steubenville, Ohio. The 44-year-old, who became an infamous teen porn actress, was just ten years old at the time of the sexual assault. She has spoken out in reaction to the current Ohio rape case which has thrust her hometown onto the national stage. Speaking to Piers Morgan on Thursday, she revealed: ‘I was born in Steubenville, Ohio and I was raped in there. So was my mother. I think there’s a sickness in that city.’ READ MORE HERE

Jon Snow told yesterday how the Jimmy Savile scandal has forced him to relive the abuse he suffered as a child. The Channel 4 News veteran described how when he was six years old he was ‘abducted’ by a member of the domestic staff at the school where his father taught. ‘He took me to his room and undressed me, and then himself. Thank heavens someone saw the abduction and eventually a member of staff intervened and rescued me,’ he said. READ MORE HERE

Midwife hanged in 1896 was probably Britain’s most prolific serial killer

The advertisement in the “Miscellaneous” column of the Bristol Times & Mirror newspaper was poignant. “Wanted,” it read, “respectable woman to take young child.” It was a sadly common request in Victorian Britain, where life was particularly hard for unmarried mothers. The ad had been placed by 25-year-old Evelina Marmon, who two months earlier, in January 1896, had given birth in a boarding house in Cheltenham to a little girl she named Doris. Evelina was a God-fearing farmer’s daughter who had gone astray, left the farm for city life and resorted to work as a barmaid in the saloon of the Plough Hotel, an old coaching inn. READ MORE HERE
Harold Shipman is generally considered to be Britain’s worst serial killer, with more than 250 murders ascribed to his name. But hidden among the tales of habitual drunks, petty thieves and small-time fraudsters published online last week sits the file of a little-known Bristol-born woman who may well have killed more. While largely forgotten today, Amelia Dyer’s crimes paved the way for one of the most sensational trials of the Victorian era – and spotlighted the pandemic problem of infanticide in 19th century Britain. Her Prison Commission file, now visible online, logs Dyer’s final moments on the scaffold at Newgate Gaol on June 10, 1896, and records her hanging with characteristic Victorian efficiency: “On account of her weight and the softness of the textures, rather a short drop was given. It proved to be quite sufficient.” READ MORE HERE

She is a glamorous Hollywood star who has graced hundreds of red carpets. But the cause closest to Mira Sorvino’s heart is a long journey from the bright lights of Tinseltown and into the dark world of human trafficking. In a moving interview with Mail Online, she told how one heartrending meeting with an imprisoned sex slave had changed her life and made her even more determined to end the trade she branded a ‘hideous scourge’. The 45-year-old described coming face-to-face with the woman, who was wrongly locked-up for killing the man who had taken her captive when she was 16. READ MORE HERE

We received the following message on our Facebook Page and are honored to share this inspiring child abuse video. BREAK THE SILENCE!!

(SEE VIDEO BELOW)

Tracy Underwood
I love everything about your organization. I posted this one other time and your site inspired me. I am a survivor! I hope that this video and song I wrote touches many! Please share!  ~ xoxo Super T

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TRACY UNDERWOOD’S YOUTUBE CHANNEL

Singer Mindy McCready has been committed to a treatment facility for mental health problems and her two children have been placed in foster care, it was revealed today. A judge ordered the singer to be sent to rehab during an emergency hearing yesterday to deal with mental health and alcohol issues after she admitted drinking too much after the death of her boyfriend David Wilson. Wilson was believed to have shot himself at the couple’s Heber Springs, Arkansas, home on January 13 but the police later said they were treating his death as suspicious and the investigation remains open. READ MORE HERE

NOTE: Dreamcatchers for Abused Children does NOT condone this sort of punishment and disagrees with the school’s decision 100%. Playing make-believe and role-playing is a normal part of childhood. This seems very excessive  and a bit on the paranoid side on the school’s part. What kind of message is this sending to this child? 

7-YO Boy suspended from school for tossing IMAGINARY grenade during recess while pretending he was ‘rescuing the world’

A seven-year-old boy from Colorado has been suspended from school after he lobbed an imaginary grenade on the playground while pretending to be a hero soldier. Alex Evans, of Loveland, said he was playing a make-believe game called ‘rescue the world’ during recess at Mary Blair Elementary School, which resulted in his removal from class after officials said he broke a key rule. The second-grader explained that he tossed an imaginary grenade into a box containing made-up forces of evil, and made the sound ‘pshhh’ to indicate that the explosive had detonated. READ MORE HERE

Torment of mother whose daughter, five, was ‘raped’ and tortured to death by celebrity cleric ex-husband

The mother of a five-year-old Saudi girl who was tortured to death by her ‘celebrity cleric’ father, has said she wants him brought to justice. Lama al-Ghamdi died in October having suffered multiple injuries including a crushed skull, broken ribs and left arm as well as extensive bruising. It has been alleged that she had also been repeatedly raped and that the injuries she sustained from the sexual abuse had been burned. READ MORE HERE

• James Bulger was two years old when he was killed on February 12, 1993
• Here his father Ralph tells his version of the events for the very first time

I love to watch the damselflies skimming the water like low-flying helicopters above the ocean. Today is no exception as I sit on the river bank watching the warm summer sun glint off their sparkling turquoise bodies before I return to watch my fishing rod. It couldn’t be more tranquil – yet it’s a stark contrast to the turbulence in my head. I’m thinking how my young son would have loved this day out, trying to spot the grasshoppers and sharing ham sandwiches and crisps with me. I always planned to teach James to fish when he was a bit older, to buy him his own little rod and tackle box, but I never got the chance. Now, my fishing trips are when I try to make sense of everything. A small slice of peace in a messed-up world. READ MORE HERE

He’s been plagued by stories and rumors about the strict upbringing of his nine children for most of his life. But Joe Jackson has now admitted to physically disciplining son Michael and the rest of his family, claiming that he doesn’t regret ‘being tough.’ Speaking during Piers Morgan Tonight, which aired on Wednesday, the Jackson patriarch also claimed that he doesn’t believe that there’s any such thing as beating a child but that they ‘will remember’ being punished. READ MORE HERE

The District Attorney who refused to prosecute JonBenet Ramsey’s parents did so because he was ‘too scared’ to put them on trial, it was claimed today. Alex Hunter did not indict John and Patsy Ramsey because he was ‘in over his head’, said Donald Davis, who co-authored one of the most authoritative books about what happened. Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, Mr Davis said that Mr Hunter was ’embarrassed’ at the prospect of losing one of the most high profile cases in recent memory – so decided not to go forward with it instead. READ MORE HERE

Katie Beers Breaks Her Silence About Her Ordeal

Buried Memories: Katie Beers Story is a never-before-told true story of survival, memory and recovery. Katie Beers was a profoundly neglected and abused child even before she was kidnapped on Long Island in 1992. Abducted by a family friend, she was held captive in an underground cell for 17 days and sexually abused. With smarts and strength, she slipped the bonds of captivity and began a new life. Katie, now a married working mother, has revealed her inspiring story of torment and recovery to the TV reporter who, as part of the original media frenzy covering the case, sought the ending to one of the most compelling sagas in New York criminal history. Katie, at the center of a national media storm, dropped out of sight 20 years ago and – until now – has never spoken publicly. Her appearance January on the Dr. Phil show and in People magazine to discuss her book is the first time she has ever spoken publicly. Katie is also expected to be featured in Newsday, the daily newspaper serving 3 million Long Islanders. The telling of her story, upon the 20th anniversary of her rescue (January 13th) offers enlightening hindsight into what enabled Katie to overcome a lost childhood. The book includes never-before told details of her ordeal and the shocking discovery of audio tapes recorded by her kidnapper during the captivity. READ MORE HERE

Katie Beers says kidnapping saved her