A teenager was terrorised for five years by his own ‘evil’ mother who locked him up and treated him ‘like a dog’ after she met a gypsy fortune teller, a court has heard. Andrew Clappison, 18, told a jury how his mother Linda Clappison, 46, prevented him from going to school – forcing him to work for gypsies on market stalls instead. The teenager told Hull Crown Court how she had been a caring mother-of-four until his father left the family home when he was 10-years-old.

One child sex attack was reported every 20 minutes last year, equivalent to 444 attacks a week, according to shocking police figures released today. About 23,000 children were reported victims in England and Wales during 2010/11 but fewer than 10 per cent of cases ended in a conviction. There were 4,973 alleged victims aged ten and under, including 1,472 younger than six.

A social worker who subjected his stepchildren to almost a decade of ‘deliberate and unceasing cruelty’ has been jailed for nearly nine years. Victor Lindsay, 45, brutally beat and tortured his girlfriend’s three children Leon, Leona, and Cleo, who were aged five, four and two respectively when the attacks began in 1985. Horrified Judge William Kennedy said Lindsay’s actions represented an ‘extraordinary contradiction’ considering he had worked for many years as a social worker and a youth worker. The horrific abuse began with Lindsay dangling the youngsters over a high balcony before degenerating into extreme violence.

Lakeland, FL–A Lakeland man who entertains kids across Central Florida with his mobile video arcade is accused of sex attacks on children, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday. Leonard Richard Filipkowski, who owns a Games 2 U mobile-arcade franchise, confessed to giving alcohol to a then-13-year-old boy in his video-game van in 2010 before molesting the child, the Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday.

ST. CROIX, U.S. Virgin Islands — A woman is facing possible criminal charges for allegedly driving with her newborn baby in her handbag. Officers reportedly pulled the woman over for a routine traffic stop Tuesday. While asking for the woman’s license, the officer heard a baby crying but could not see one, The Associated Press reported.

CORCORAN, Calif — The latest photos of notorious killer Charles Manson have been released by the California Department of Corrections, one week before his next parole hearing. At the request of CNN, the department provided two photographs of Manson taken in June at the state prison in Corcoran, California. They show Manson, 77, with long, flowing gray hair, long beard and mustache.

Oakland, Calif. — One L. Goh was ordered held without bail Wednesday on charges of seven counts of murder with special circumstances and three counts of attempted murder in the mass shooting this week at Oikos University in Oakland. Goh made his initial court appearance Wednesday before Judge Sandra Bean in Oakland.

CORONA, CA — The pastor of a small church in Corona and two other men pleaded not guilty to charges of allegedly kidnapping and torturing a boy in a cruel case of discipline. Pastor Lonnie Remmers, 54, along with Nick Craig, 22, and Darryll Jeter, 28 now face a variety of charges. Craig and Jeter are each charged with nine felonies, including kidnap, criminal threats and assault.

A retired second grade teacher from Florida was caught trying to wrangle a three way with two underage girls. Dale Chisena, 60, traveled from Florida to Kentucky, under the impression that he would soon be having sex with two young girls, aged 11 and 9, but was instead met by police officers.

During my two decades of work as an investigative reporter, I interviewed hundreds of convicted child molesters in prisons across America. My objective was to uncover how they had lured children and teens into abuse and worse. My intention was also to generate a criminal profile that could be shared with parents and law enforcement. Instead, I found child molesters and abductors to be a diverse group that possesses no tidy criminal profile.

The family of a couple whose lives tragically ended in a murder-suicide after they were mistakenly accused of child abuse is finally sharing their story. Almost four years after finding their daughter and son-in-law dead in their own home, Jackie and Paul Cuin spoke to the Denver Post, which obtained medical, social services and police investigations records relevant to their case. (LINK)

Lake of the Ozarks, Mo. —“Mamma has been in the habit of whipping and beating me almost every day. She used to whip me with a twisted whip – a raw hide. . . which left a black and blue mark on my body. I have now the black and blue marks on my head which were made by mamma and also a cut on the left side of my forehead which was caused by a pair of scissors.” This was the testimony of Mary Ellen Wilson in April 1874. Her story marked the beginning of a worldwide crusade to save children.

The mother of a toddler missing since December says she was in denial for three months but has come to accept the heart-wrenching possibilities of what may have happened to her daughter, whose whereabouts remain unknown as her second birthday approaches. Trista Reynolds says she continues to pray for Ayla’s safe return but needs answers – good or bad – about her daughter’s fate. She believes Ayla’s father, Justin DiPietro, has the answers. Police also believe DiPietro knows more than he has told investigators.

A quarter of children have parents with drug or alcohol problems, a year-long study shows. The 3.6million youngsters were found to be seven times more likely to develop similar problems themselves. Researchers found that 2.6million children live with a ‘hazardous’ drinker and 705,000 with a ‘dependent’ drinker. A further 350,000 live with a parent with a drug problem.