Thursday 27 November 2014

School For Deaf Investigated

Police are looking into claims sexual offences were carried out at the national school for deaf children.
Donaldson's School in Linlithgow has been given a week to come up with a plan to deal with serious concerns about the way the school is being run.
Police are also assessing allegations. It is understood they relate to claims of serious sexual offences and how some people at the school responded to them.
The school said it was unable to comment at this time.
A spokesperson said: "This is a sensitive matter and with internal investigations ongoing, we are unable to comment on the names, job titles or any other specifics of this case".
BBC Scotland understands some allegations are historical in nature.
Insufficient progress
Donaldson's is a grant-aided special school (GASS) supported by the Scottish government.
Local authorities from all over Scotland and the north of England refer pupils there and fund their placements.
The notice calling for an improvement plan within a week is the first of its kind to be issued for 15 years.
A report from Education Scotland last year criticised leadership at the school - and a follow up report said insufficient progress was being made putting things right.
The school has stressed its first priority is always the safety and wellbeing of pupils and a new principal was recently appointed.
Work is underway to come up with the improvement plan before the deadline.

Monday 24 November 2014

Azov Films, UK Conviction

PAEDOPHILE has been jailed for buying child porn images – from perverts in Canada.
Robert Harper, 60, was sentenced at Bristol Crown Court to 19 months, after admitting five counts of making indecent images of children and four counts of voyeurism – including videos of men filmed in changing rooms without their knowledge.
He will be on the Sex Offenders’ Register for ten years and must abide by a ten-year Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO), which will start on his release from prison.
Harper was charged as part of Operation Spade, an international investigation into people buying child abuse material from Canadian company Azov Films.
Information was submitted by Toronto police via Interpol to the UK. The National Crime Agency passed on details to domestic police forces at the end of last year.
Harper was arrested in March and his home in Batheaston was searched. Officers seized equipment including a PC, laptop computer, tablet, mobile phone and USB sticks.
The equipment was analysed by officers with the High-Tech Crime Unit, who found almost 2,500 indecent images of children, as well as an indecent videos.
A small number of the images were found to be in category five, which is the most extreme level.
DC Stuart Brooks, of Avon and Somerset police, said: “Robert Harper was arrested at his home in March and interviewed. He initially said he didn’t realise the images were indecent.
“As well as the indecent images and video, we also found videos of men being filmed in changing rooms without their knowledge.
“We were able to identify four men in the videos and they confirmed they did not give their consent to being filmed. All the victims were given access to expert help and guidance if they needed it.
“Our message is that anyone who purchases indecent materials of children plays an active role in fueling this horrific industry and must face the consequences.
“While Harper may not have known the identities of the children he had indecent images of, the inescapable truth is that they’re real children being sexually exploited and abused.
“I welcome the sentence given by the court and hope this reminds people who want to make, purchase or sell indecent images of children that they aren’t anonymous and they will be caught.” 
Read more: http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/Bristol-Crown-Court-Paedophile-jailed-buying/story-24552082-detail/story.html#ixzz3K0sL0nYg