A former teacher from a small town in Western Australia's south will spend at least five-and-a-half years in jail for having consensual sex with two of his students. Brett Rodney Daley, 34, pleaded guilty [November 5] to having sex with a child aged between 13 and 16, and sex with a girl aged 16 years who were in his care.
District Court Judge Mary Ann Yates on Thursday said Daley had caused life-long trauma and stress to his victims. Daley was a teacher at the town's school, a soccer coach, a mentor and counsellor to many students and was looked up to by many in the community, the court heard.
The court heard Daley had sex with one of his female students in the gymnasium of the local high school in March 2006 and then at various locations around town, late at night, until July 31.
He then took up having sex with another girl on the soccer team, sometimes including his 19-year-old partner, Natasha Charmaine Krispyn, a co-offender in some of the acts.
Judge Yeats said the worst of Daley's actions was the breach of community trust.
It was not Daley but the teenage girls who called off the sexual relationships, she said.
"In the case of both of the complainants, it was not the offender that ceased the offending," she said. Until Krispyn became aware of his conduct, he had also committed the acts behind his partner's back.
But Judge Yeats gave Daley credit for pleading guilty to the eight charges, saying he had saved the two victims the trauma of coming to court. However, he had not entered his plea at the earliest possibly opportunity and this also had been taken into account.
A member of Daley's family began sobbing openly in court when Judge Yeats said she trusted that Daley would enter sex offender treatment both in prison and when on parole.
Judge Yeats also expressed concern that aged only 19 at the time, Krispyn herself could be considered one of his victims.
Krispyn, who now has a one-year-old child to Daley and remains his partner, pleaded guilty to sexual penetration of one of the girls, and received a two-year suspended sentence.
Judge Yeats sentenced Daley to seven-and-a-half years in jail with a minimum non-parole period of five-and-a-half years.
© 2008 AAP
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Monday, November 10, 2008
Mental patient's sex charges reduced to unlawful restraint
Jason Haegler, 36, of Woodstock, Illinois, was released from Lake County Jail after serving 28 months while awaiting trial. The man plead guilty to unlawful restraint after a sexual encounter with a female mental health patient after they were both undergoing treatment. Prosecutors dropped sex charges because they felt that they could not prove their original case. Haegler's sentence was 364 days in jail, far less than time served.
Haegler was arrested in the summer of 2006 after a mental patient at Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital in Lake Barrington said she had sex with him in a hospital bathroom. Haegler met the 21-year-old woman while he was undergoing mental evaluation. The two talked and agreed to have sex in a bathroom inside his hospital room, said prosecutor Reggie Mathews.
Haegler was charged with sexual assault because the woman was not of the mental mindset to give consent, Mathews said.
In Illinois, unlawful restraint is a Class 4 felony, punishable by 1 to 3 years in prison. Presumably, Haegler won't have to register as a sex offender (non sexual crimes can require registration if sexual motives are found to play a role).
Haegler was arrested in the summer of 2006 after a mental patient at Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital in Lake Barrington said she had sex with him in a hospital bathroom. Haegler met the 21-year-old woman while he was undergoing mental evaluation. The two talked and agreed to have sex in a bathroom inside his hospital room, said prosecutor Reggie Mathews.
Haegler was charged with sexual assault because the woman was not of the mental mindset to give consent, Mathews said.
In Illinois, unlawful restraint is a Class 4 felony, punishable by 1 to 3 years in prison. Presumably, Haegler won't have to register as a sex offender (non sexual crimes can require registration if sexual motives are found to play a role).
Husband sentenced to life without parole for killing wife, stepson over church attendance
A Brazilian immigrant to Massachusetts was sentenced to life without parole for killing his wife and stepson over her time spent with her church. Superior Court Judge John Lu sentenced Jeremias Bins to the consecutive life terms for 1st degree murder after he was convicted by a Massachusetts jury.
Prosecutors said a bloodied Bins took a cab to the Framingham police station in May 2006, walked in and said he had just bludgeoned his wife and stepson with a hammer. He handed the couple's 5-month-old son, Phillipe, to officers and said, "I'm sorry."
Carla Souza, 37, and her elder [11 year old] son Caique had been found an hour earlier by police who responded to her 911 call.
Souza was an active member of the Framingham ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. About two hours before the killings, Bins called ward members and told them he did not want "you missionaries" at his home any more.
The couple met through the church when Bins, who was learning English as a 2nd language, met Souza, who taught some of the classes. Church members, who knew that Bins did not approve of his wife going to the Mormon Church, were still stunned after learning she was killed over it.
Prosecutors said a bloodied Bins took a cab to the Framingham police station in May 2006, walked in and said he had just bludgeoned his wife and stepson with a hammer. He handed the couple's 5-month-old son, Phillipe, to officers and said, "I'm sorry."
Carla Souza, 37, and her elder [11 year old] son Caique had been found an hour earlier by police who responded to her 911 call.
Souza was an active member of the Framingham ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. About two hours before the killings, Bins called ward members and told them he did not want "you missionaries" at his home any more.
The couple met through the church when Bins, who was learning English as a 2nd language, met Souza, who taught some of the classes. Church members, who knew that Bins did not approve of his wife going to the Mormon Church, were still stunned after learning she was killed over it.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
From housemother to expectant mother - Ohio teacher pleads guilty to sex with 16 year old boy who fathered unborn baby
(Original post 9-17-08)
A 26 year old former suburban Cincinnati teacher and housemother at a home for troubled youths plead guilty to 3 counts of sexual battery on a 16 year old boy she was supposed to supervise. The court case was heard at the Warren County Common Pleas Court in Lebanon, OH. The guilty pleas Carolynn Hatcher made to the sex offenses today require registration as an Ohio Tier 3 sex offender, which means she'll be on The List for life and will have to renew every 90 days. Prosecutor Rachel Hutzel dropped three other sexual battery charges against Hatcher.
The plea is open, meaning that the prosecution and the defense did not come to any agreement on any sentence length, which could range from probation to 5 years, but Judge James Flannery said that “It’s hard for me to fathom a scenario where I will not sentence you to prison."
The sexual relationship took place from April 8 to May 8 at the Mid-Western Children’s Home in Pleasant Plain. The boy was placed there because of abuse by his family of origin, and also because of juvenile convictions.
The allegations came to light from another child who lived in the home, said Warren County Prosecutor Rachel Hutzel. The private, nonprofit group home has been a fixture in Warren County for as long as Hutzel can remember, with a relatively problem-free history.
Midwestern officials responded properly to the allegations, and took quick steps to protect the child, [Executive Director Of Butler COunty Children Services Mike]Fox said, including alerting police and Children Services. The boy was not immediately removed from the home because Hatcher had left the home by the time the allegations surfaced, officials said. He was placed in a Fairfield foster home July 11 and a caseworker last checked on the boy there Friday, Fox said.
Midwestern fired Hatcher in June, and Hatcher has told investigators that she was 10 weeks pregnant – and that the teen is the baby’s father, Hutzel said. “This boy was put into care because he was in a troubled home,” Hutzel said. “This woman was supposed to be part of the solution. Instead, she became part of the problem.”Children Services interviewed all other Butler County children who were placed with Hatcher at Midwestern, and found no other serious concerns.
After Hatcher's indictment, the boy ran away, but officials could not enlist the public's help in finding him because of his sex abuse victim status and his foster child status.
Fox's comment about the case is below.
“We’ve had people out looking for him all day. It’s heartbreaking to have a child come into our care and custody, and have him be violated while he’s in our care and custody…Did we do everything reasonable in this case to try to make sure something like this didn’t happen? The answer is yes.”
A few days later, the boy was found safe and placed in the custody of another relative. Carolynn's husband Robert also worked in the group home. Separated at the time of the arrest and indictment, they are now divorced. Sentencing is set for November 5.
(Update 11-6-08)
A 26 year old former suburban Cincinnati teacher and housemother at a home for troubled youths plead guilty to 3 counts of sexual battery on a 16 year old boy she was supposed to supervise. The court case was heard at the Warren County Common Pleas Court in Lebanon, OH. The guilty pleas Carolynn Hatcher made to the sex offenses today require registration as an Ohio Tier 3 sex offender, which means she'll be on The List for life and will have to renew every 90 days. Prosecutor Rachel Hutzel dropped three other sexual battery charges against Hatcher.
The plea is open, meaning that the prosecution and the defense did not come to any agreement on any sentence length, which could range from probation to 5 years, but Judge James Flannery said that “It’s hard for me to fathom a scenario where I will not sentence you to prison."
The sexual relationship took place from April 8 to May 8 at the Mid-Western Children’s Home in Pleasant Plain. The boy was placed there because of abuse by his family of origin, and also because of juvenile convictions.
The allegations came to light from another child who lived in the home, said Warren County Prosecutor Rachel Hutzel. The private, nonprofit group home has been a fixture in Warren County for as long as Hutzel can remember, with a relatively problem-free history.
Midwestern officials responded properly to the allegations, and took quick steps to protect the child, [Executive Director Of Butler COunty Children Services Mike]Fox said, including alerting police and Children Services. The boy was not immediately removed from the home because Hatcher had left the home by the time the allegations surfaced, officials said. He was placed in a Fairfield foster home July 11 and a caseworker last checked on the boy there Friday, Fox said.
Midwestern fired Hatcher in June, and Hatcher has told investigators that she was 10 weeks pregnant – and that the teen is the baby’s father, Hutzel said. “This boy was put into care because he was in a troubled home,” Hutzel said. “This woman was supposed to be part of the solution. Instead, she became part of the problem.”Children Services interviewed all other Butler County children who were placed with Hatcher at Midwestern, and found no other serious concerns.
After Hatcher's indictment, the boy ran away, but officials could not enlist the public's help in finding him because of his sex abuse victim status and his foster child status.
Fox's comment about the case is below.
“We’ve had people out looking for him all day. It’s heartbreaking to have a child come into our care and custody, and have him be violated while he’s in our care and custody…Did we do everything reasonable in this case to try to make sure something like this didn’t happen? The answer is yes.”
A few days later, the boy was found safe and placed in the custody of another relative. Carolynn's husband Robert also worked in the group home. Separated at the time of the arrest and indictment, they are now divorced. Sentencing is set for November 5.
(Update 11-6-08)
Hatcher was sentenced to 3 years in prison yesterday by Judge James Flannery, after facing a 5 to 15 year prison term. Now six months pregnant, Flannery ordered her to turn herself in on February 10, so she could have her baby and arrange for her mother to retain custody of it. Hatcher was designated a Tier 3 sexual predator, who under Ohio law, must register her work, school, and home addresses every 90 days for life.
Judge Flannery's reasons for the sentence is below.
"The child is certainly innocent and has nothing to do with what is going on here...This has been taboo in virtually every society since the history of man. Older people are not allowed to have sexual relationships with children, particularly those under their care or supervision. There’s no wiggle. There's no debate."
Prosecutor Rachel Hutzel stated that the reason she sought the maximum sentence is "Ms. Hatcher was put in a position to protect a young man that had been abused, and rather than protect him, she took advantage of him."
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
North Carolina man sentenced to life without parole for murder of baby's mama
Robert Lee Byrd pled guilty to 1st degree murder on October 27 in the death of his baby’s mama. The 42 year old man was sentenced to life without parole in a North Carolina courtroom. Chasdadi Michelle Stroud, 32, was stabbed multiple times, with knife wounds which penetrated as deep as 6 ½ inches and organs like her lungs. Byrd was arrested in Statesville, NC after he told his sister and other family members that he stabbed Stroud. Rotonda Stroud asked the landlord to check on her sister after the statements.
The couple had been on and off for the past 16 years, and the 3 year old son they had was at the scene of his mother’s murder. The motive for Stroud’s murder was Byrd’s jealousy that the victim had a new boyfriend.
"If I can't have her, nobody can," Byrd told investigators, according to Brown.
In June 2007, Davie County Child Support Enforcement filed a child-support claim on Stroud's behalf against Byrd. That October, Byrd was ordered to pay $103 a month in child support, but he didn't pay, according to court records filed in Davie County.
He failed to appear in court several times for child-support hearings, and in March of this year, he was found in contempt of court and ordered arrested. By that time, Byrd owed $721 in child support, according to court records.Brown said Stroud's family had indicated that Chasdadi Stroud had been abused by Byrd, but there is no evidence that she filed a restraining order against Byrd.
The victim’s parents have custody of their 3 year old grandson as well as another son they had.
The couple had been on and off for the past 16 years, and the 3 year old son they had was at the scene of his mother’s murder. The motive for Stroud’s murder was Byrd’s jealousy that the victim had a new boyfriend.
"If I can't have her, nobody can," Byrd told investigators, according to Brown.
In June 2007, Davie County Child Support Enforcement filed a child-support claim on Stroud's behalf against Byrd. That October, Byrd was ordered to pay $103 a month in child support, but he didn't pay, according to court records filed in Davie County.
He failed to appear in court several times for child-support hearings, and in March of this year, he was found in contempt of court and ordered arrested. By that time, Byrd owed $721 in child support, according to court records.Brown said Stroud's family had indicated that Chasdadi Stroud had been abused by Byrd, but there is no evidence that she filed a restraining order against Byrd.
The victim’s parents have custody of their 3 year old grandson as well as another son they had.
Erie, PA teacher pleads guilty to sexually abusing 16 year old student
(Original Post 9-6-08)
Erica Baker, a 24 year old Corry, PA teacher, pled guilty to a count of corruption of a minor in a Erie, PA court on September 3, which capped the maximum sentence at 5 years and a $10,000 fine, led to the dropping of 2 additional counts of corruption of a minor, and led to the permanent surrenDer of the former student teacher’s teaching license.
The victim and Baker met last year when Baker was a student teacher at Strong Vincent High School. They became friends, and when the school year ended, sexual partners. Baker was hired as a substitute teacher at Pfeiffer-Burleigh Elementary School in August, but the girl and baker were still seeing each other.
They drove to a campground near Presque Isle State Park, where the sexual contact occurred (three times, according to police, during August and September). She was caught in November last year and admitted to the allegations against her on November 9, and was arrested November 13. Baker was suspended without pay from her substitute position 3 days before the formal arrest.
The next day, according to the Erie School District’s lawyer Richard Perhacs, they were informed of the charges.
"The principal reason why she is suspended is the district does not have any access to the information that has apparently caused her to be arrested. We don't have cause to terminate the substitute contract early, but it's the district's feeling that, with the arrest and the public charge against this person, it's inappropriate for her to work. We can't put her in a classroom with an accusation like this over her head."
Perhacs said intimate encounters between students and teachers are on the rise, even though many of the incidents do not rise to the level of criminal activity. However, many still result in faculty terminations.
"In recent years, these cases have come to light primarily because the culture has changed, and I think people, particularly young people, affected by these types of behaviors, have become a lot more likely to come forward and tell people about them and report them.”
Sentencing is scheduled for October 23.
(Update 11-5-08)
Baker was sentenced to between 3 and 12 months in prison with 4 years of probation to follow for the sexual encounters she had with her student on Thursday, October 30. Erie County Judge John Garhart dismissed a plea deal which would have lead to a probation only sentence, stating “If a teacher gets involved with a student, jail time will be served.” His reason for the jail sentence was because “what she did was with a protected class of person – a minor.”
Baker was found to be in a position of authority when she had sex with her victim in a campground near Presque Isle State Park, while Charbel Latour, Baker’s lawyer, tried to argue that Baker was not her teacher at the time of the encounters. “She is a genuine person. She made a mistake. She allowed her emotions to get the better of her with a person who was younger than 18.”
The prosecutor, the victim’s mother, and Judge Garhart stated that the grooming started while Baker taught the victim. The mother said “she was writing my daughter letters while she was teaching her class.” After Judge Garhart heard arguments from both sides, and the plea deal struck, which included teacher license forfeiture, he said that the
“The court responsibility is to speak to a larger audience than the victim. The commonwealth and the defense are entitled to reach any agreement they want. In the end, the decision is mine.”
Erica Baker, a 24 year old Corry, PA teacher, pled guilty to a count of corruption of a minor in a Erie, PA court on September 3, which capped the maximum sentence at 5 years and a $10,000 fine, led to the dropping of 2 additional counts of corruption of a minor, and led to the permanent surrenDer of the former student teacher’s teaching license.
The victim and Baker met last year when Baker was a student teacher at Strong Vincent High School. They became friends, and when the school year ended, sexual partners. Baker was hired as a substitute teacher at Pfeiffer-Burleigh Elementary School in August, but the girl and baker were still seeing each other.
They drove to a campground near Presque Isle State Park, where the sexual contact occurred (three times, according to police, during August and September). She was caught in November last year and admitted to the allegations against her on November 9, and was arrested November 13. Baker was suspended without pay from her substitute position 3 days before the formal arrest.
The next day, according to the Erie School District’s lawyer Richard Perhacs, they were informed of the charges.
"The principal reason why she is suspended is the district does not have any access to the information that has apparently caused her to be arrested. We don't have cause to terminate the substitute contract early, but it's the district's feeling that, with the arrest and the public charge against this person, it's inappropriate for her to work. We can't put her in a classroom with an accusation like this over her head."
Perhacs said intimate encounters between students and teachers are on the rise, even though many of the incidents do not rise to the level of criminal activity. However, many still result in faculty terminations.
"In recent years, these cases have come to light primarily because the culture has changed, and I think people, particularly young people, affected by these types of behaviors, have become a lot more likely to come forward and tell people about them and report them.”
Sentencing is scheduled for October 23.
(Update 11-5-08)
Baker was sentenced to between 3 and 12 months in prison with 4 years of probation to follow for the sexual encounters she had with her student on Thursday, October 30. Erie County Judge John Garhart dismissed a plea deal which would have lead to a probation only sentence, stating “If a teacher gets involved with a student, jail time will be served.” His reason for the jail sentence was because “what she did was with a protected class of person – a minor.”
Baker was found to be in a position of authority when she had sex with her victim in a campground near Presque Isle State Park, while Charbel Latour, Baker’s lawyer, tried to argue that Baker was not her teacher at the time of the encounters. “She is a genuine person. She made a mistake. She allowed her emotions to get the better of her with a person who was younger than 18.”
The prosecutor, the victim’s mother, and Judge Garhart stated that the grooming started while Baker taught the victim. The mother said “she was writing my daughter letters while she was teaching her class.” After Judge Garhart heard arguments from both sides, and the plea deal struck, which included teacher license forfeiture, he said that the
“The court responsibility is to speak to a larger audience than the victim. The commonwealth and the defense are entitled to reach any agreement they want. In the end, the decision is mine.”
Sunday, October 26, 2008
"Boyfriend" gets 99 years in strangling, dismemberment of woman
Timothy Shepherd was sentenced late [October 14] to 99 years in prison and a $10,000 fine, the maximum punishment for the murder of former girlfriend Tynesha Stewart, whom he strangled and dismembered before burning her remains on two barbecue grills in March 2007.
Sitting between his lawyers, Shepherd showed no emotion as he leaned back, rested his chin on his hand and listened to Stewart's mother and sister testify from the witness stand during their victim impact statements.
"You're no man," said Stewart's sister, Gayla Taylor. "You're still a scared little boy. I feel sorry for you. Your soul is gone."
Stewart's mother, Gale Shields, said she will forgive Shepherd and hopes he gets mental help.
"I have to forgive Timothy if I'm going to see Tynesha again," Shields said.
Testimony during the trial showed that the two had a history of domestic violence, something Stewart's mother and sister railed against after the verdict.
"Timothy once was a wonderful, wonderful man," Shields said. "There are always red flags and young people need to recognize the red flags."
It also was a point addressed in a short statement to reporters after the verdict.
"In the interest of the public, we hope the media coverage will pay more attention to the details regarding the nature of the relationship between Tynesha and Tim that could lead to this event and less on the events that occurred after the murder," said the jury foreman, who read the statement and declined to give his name.
"An increased awareness of the indicators of domestic abuse could prevent such an event in the future."
Shepherd, 28, said the two were arguing in his north Harris County apartment about a man Stewart was dating at college when she grabbed a knife from a table and came toward him.
Shepherd testified that Stewart, 19, swung a knife at him, nicking two of his fingers.
Shepherd told jurors he held her by the neck with one hand and tried to get the knife out of her hand with another as the two struggled. He said he "snapped" and strangled Stewart, then went to a hardware store to buy a jigsaw to cut up her body.
Prosecutor Kebharu Smith said Shepherd's testimony showed jurors that he was a "monster."
Chip Lewis, Shepherd's attorney, said he expected Shepherd to appeal the conviction.
Lewis' strategy, to compartmentalize what happened to Stewart's body after she had been killed, from the actual strangulation, was "almost impossible, given the decisions Shepherd made after Miss Stewart died."
During the guilt/innocence phase of the trial, Lewis argued that there wasn't enough evidence to convict Shepherd. At the punishment stage, Lewis argued that Shepherd was in the grip of "sudden passion," a legal doctrine that would have capped Shepherd's sentence at 20 years. The jury disagreed.
Prosecutor Marie Primm said she was satisfied with the verdict and noted that 99 years and a life sentence for murder are essentially the same. With either, Shepherd is eligible for parole in 30 years.
Sitting between his lawyers, Shepherd showed no emotion as he leaned back, rested his chin on his hand and listened to Stewart's mother and sister testify from the witness stand during their victim impact statements.
"You're no man," said Stewart's sister, Gayla Taylor. "You're still a scared little boy. I feel sorry for you. Your soul is gone."
Stewart's mother, Gale Shields, said she will forgive Shepherd and hopes he gets mental help.
"I have to forgive Timothy if I'm going to see Tynesha again," Shields said.
Testimony during the trial showed that the two had a history of domestic violence, something Stewart's mother and sister railed against after the verdict.
"Timothy once was a wonderful, wonderful man," Shields said. "There are always red flags and young people need to recognize the red flags."
It also was a point addressed in a short statement to reporters after the verdict.
"In the interest of the public, we hope the media coverage will pay more attention to the details regarding the nature of the relationship between Tynesha and Tim that could lead to this event and less on the events that occurred after the murder," said the jury foreman, who read the statement and declined to give his name.
"An increased awareness of the indicators of domestic abuse could prevent such an event in the future."
Shepherd, 28, said the two were arguing in his north Harris County apartment about a man Stewart was dating at college when she grabbed a knife from a table and came toward him.
Shepherd testified that Stewart, 19, swung a knife at him, nicking two of his fingers.
Shepherd told jurors he held her by the neck with one hand and tried to get the knife out of her hand with another as the two struggled. He said he "snapped" and strangled Stewart, then went to a hardware store to buy a jigsaw to cut up her body.
Prosecutor Kebharu Smith said Shepherd's testimony showed jurors that he was a "monster."
Chip Lewis, Shepherd's attorney, said he expected Shepherd to appeal the conviction.
Lewis' strategy, to compartmentalize what happened to Stewart's body after she had been killed, from the actual strangulation, was "almost impossible, given the decisions Shepherd made after Miss Stewart died."
During the guilt/innocence phase of the trial, Lewis argued that there wasn't enough evidence to convict Shepherd. At the punishment stage, Lewis argued that Shepherd was in the grip of "sudden passion," a legal doctrine that would have capped Shepherd's sentence at 20 years. The jury disagreed.
Prosecutor Marie Primm said she was satisfied with the verdict and noted that 99 years and a life sentence for murder are essentially the same. With either, Shepherd is eligible for parole in 30 years.
Cinnaciti area woman gets 13 years for attempting to kill husband
By Kimball Perry • kperry@enquirer.com • October 17, 2008
There are two sides to Billie Jo Harris.
Her family and friends insist she is a kind, loving person who gave freely of her time and heart.
"My mom has spent a lifetime taking care of others," Daryl Brewer said Thursday.
Hamilton County Assistant Prosecutor Anita Vizedom said the 56-year-old grandmother of 18 is evil and deserves a stiff prison sentence for blasting a hole in her husband, Jeffrey, and almost killing him.
"The only word that can be used to describe her is 'wicked,'" Vizedom told Common Pleas Judge Charles Kubicki Jr.
Last month, a jury convicted Harris, of Green Township, of attempted murder and felonious assault. Thursday, the judge sent her to prison for 13 years.
Her family and friends begged the judge for leniency. They said she was a wonderful woman who was active in church, providing for the elderly and watching her grandchildren, they said, despite 11 surgeries for cancer, a bad back and having fingers amputated because of illness.
"She is not the lazy drunkard that she was portrayed to be during the trial," her son said.
On the night of Jan. 10, her husband came home from his bakery delivery job, he said, to find his wife drunk and belligerent, accusing him of infidelity.
He told her he was sick of her drinking, was leaving and wanted a divorce. He left the house but quickly returned to retrieve his medication. When he walked in the house, his wife was 3 feet away and used a shotgun to shoot him in the stomach.
As he was on the floor she refused to call 911, kicked him in the stomach and hit him in the head with an ash tray.When police arrived, she refused to let them in as her husband was bleeding next to her. She also told her husband if she was going to jail, he was going to die.
Vizedom said phone calls from Harris when she was in jail immediately after the shooting reveal the real woman. In those taped calls, Harris asked her family to take anything of value from her house. She told them to get the title to the car and turn off the utilities.
And she wanted one more thing.
"She really wanted the karaoke machine," Vizedom said. "That's what she was concerned with as her husband lay in the hospital with a 50-50 chance of dying."
"You brutally shot your husband in his stomach with a shotgun and stood over him wishing him death while he struggled to phone for help," the judge told Harris.
Harris insisted she didn't shoot her husband - even though they were the only people in the house.
"No matter what he's done, I do love him," said Harris. "He knows I didn't do this."
Wrong, her husband said. He begged the judge to send his wife to prison for the maximum. He has had five surgeries since the shooting and still carries lead in his body. Because the shotgun blast destroyed his stomach muscles, he has to wear a compression vest.
"I have been sentenced for the rest of my life," he said. "I have lost everything I worked for."
There are two sides to Billie Jo Harris.
Her family and friends insist she is a kind, loving person who gave freely of her time and heart.
"My mom has spent a lifetime taking care of others," Daryl Brewer said Thursday.
Hamilton County Assistant Prosecutor Anita Vizedom said the 56-year-old grandmother of 18 is evil and deserves a stiff prison sentence for blasting a hole in her husband, Jeffrey, and almost killing him.
"The only word that can be used to describe her is 'wicked,'" Vizedom told Common Pleas Judge Charles Kubicki Jr.
Last month, a jury convicted Harris, of Green Township, of attempted murder and felonious assault. Thursday, the judge sent her to prison for 13 years.
Her family and friends begged the judge for leniency. They said she was a wonderful woman who was active in church, providing for the elderly and watching her grandchildren, they said, despite 11 surgeries for cancer, a bad back and having fingers amputated because of illness.
"She is not the lazy drunkard that she was portrayed to be during the trial," her son said.
On the night of Jan. 10, her husband came home from his bakery delivery job, he said, to find his wife drunk and belligerent, accusing him of infidelity.
He told her he was sick of her drinking, was leaving and wanted a divorce. He left the house but quickly returned to retrieve his medication. When he walked in the house, his wife was 3 feet away and used a shotgun to shoot him in the stomach.
As he was on the floor she refused to call 911, kicked him in the stomach and hit him in the head with an ash tray.When police arrived, she refused to let them in as her husband was bleeding next to her. She also told her husband if she was going to jail, he was going to die.
Vizedom said phone calls from Harris when she was in jail immediately after the shooting reveal the real woman. In those taped calls, Harris asked her family to take anything of value from her house. She told them to get the title to the car and turn off the utilities.
And she wanted one more thing.
"She really wanted the karaoke machine," Vizedom said. "That's what she was concerned with as her husband lay in the hospital with a 50-50 chance of dying."
"You brutally shot your husband in his stomach with a shotgun and stood over him wishing him death while he struggled to phone for help," the judge told Harris.
Harris insisted she didn't shoot her husband - even though they were the only people in the house.
"No matter what he's done, I do love him," said Harris. "He knows I didn't do this."
Wrong, her husband said. He begged the judge to send his wife to prison for the maximum. He has had five surgeries since the shooting and still carries lead in his body. Because the shotgun blast destroyed his stomach muscles, he has to wear a compression vest.
"I have been sentenced for the rest of my life," he said. "I have lost everything I worked for."
Saturday, October 25, 2008
From Lovefraud - predators seek partners who seek to please
In the Thursday, October 23rd, edition of the Lovefraud blog, Steve Becker, LCSW, writes about how predatory "partners" seek compliant victims.
It is no accident that narcissistic and sociopathic personalities will seek, and often successfully attract, partners who have their own issue: a tendency to dread the idea of disappointing or displeasing them.
This is admittedly a generality, but it’s a pattern I’ve observed in my clinical experience, and it makes sense. The exploiter, who regards others as existing principally to satisfy his or her wants on a continual basis, must by definition find in a mate someone who is highly motivated—and especially, highly afraid not—to satisfy him or her.
Thus one often finds the pairing of an exploiter complemented by a partner who is prone, perhaps compulsively, to look inward to himself or herself as the cause of the exploiter’s dissatisfaction.
Clinically the goal is to encourage the over-accountable, overresponsible partner to examine this aspect of himself or herself. This is necessary given the fair assumption that sociopaths and narcissists are unlikely to genuinely reform their characteristically manipulative, selfish ways.
I’m often surprised in my work by the tenacious investment exploited partners make in solving the needs and complaints of their self-centered mates. Of course they’ll never succeed, but as long as they continue owning the exploiter’s blame for the latters’ discontent, they can keep trying, keep striving to be a better mate—to become, finally, the good-enough mate the exploiter has claimed to deserve all along.
Let us emphasize the futility of this scenario—the exploiter really doesn’t want a satisfying or, for that matter, even a perfect, partner; rather what he or she wants is a partner who, in his or her insecurity, will continue to accept on some level blame for the exploiter’s unending, habitual exploitation.
The exploiter, in other words, is looking much less for the perfect partner than the perfect scapegoat. For this reason the sociopath and many narcissists will recruit these qualities in a partner—qualities, for instance, of high self-doubt, high guilt, high fear of incurring others’ wrath or displeasure, and a strong tendency to self-blame.
Moreover individuals possessing these qualities will tend to be drawn to individuals who seem to be their counterpart in many ways—for instance confident, self-assured, powerful-seeming, unself-doubting, and perhaps unself-reflective. They may harbor the fantasy that the latters’ seeming strength and confidently entitled attitudes may prove a salutary complement to their self-questioning, self-doubting natures.
And this is certainly possible—this complementarity can theoretically work—in situations uncomplicated by sociopathy or narcissistic personality.
But when the more confident partner is a sociopath, or narcissist, this complementarity of personalities becomes a set-up. The less confident partner, whose tendency is to self-destructively accept the exploiter’s blame for the latter’s rages, discontent, abuse and general misery, becomes the perfect foil, the perfect dupe, for the sociopathic or narcissistic partner, who has it made, so to speak.
Again and again I encounter wonderful, thoughtful, emotionally generous individuals who are trapped less by their exploitative partners than the intolerable idea of themselves as failed mates. The result is their often intensified efforts to be found satisfactory by, and to obtain validation from, the exploiter.
The exploiter is, of course, incapable of appreciating his or her partner’s devotion. But even if not, he or she would intentionally withhold such recognition anyway; his or her object, remember, rather than to uplift his or her partner, is calculatingly the opposite—to engender hopelessness and depression in him or her.
On and on the cycle goes, until the vulnerable partner, just as the exploiter has sought, finally feels so low, incompetent and disempowered that he or she can’t seriously imagine a different future.
By now a form of despair has set in—the despair of expecting to be found just as wanting in future relationships as the present. Dangerous resignation follows this hopelessness—again, exactly the outcome the exploiter wants.
It is no accident that narcissistic and sociopathic personalities will seek, and often successfully attract, partners who have their own issue: a tendency to dread the idea of disappointing or displeasing them.
This is admittedly a generality, but it’s a pattern I’ve observed in my clinical experience, and it makes sense. The exploiter, who regards others as existing principally to satisfy his or her wants on a continual basis, must by definition find in a mate someone who is highly motivated—and especially, highly afraid not—to satisfy him or her.
Thus one often finds the pairing of an exploiter complemented by a partner who is prone, perhaps compulsively, to look inward to himself or herself as the cause of the exploiter’s dissatisfaction.
Clinically the goal is to encourage the over-accountable, overresponsible partner to examine this aspect of himself or herself. This is necessary given the fair assumption that sociopaths and narcissists are unlikely to genuinely reform their characteristically manipulative, selfish ways.
I’m often surprised in my work by the tenacious investment exploited partners make in solving the needs and complaints of their self-centered mates. Of course they’ll never succeed, but as long as they continue owning the exploiter’s blame for the latters’ discontent, they can keep trying, keep striving to be a better mate—to become, finally, the good-enough mate the exploiter has claimed to deserve all along.
Let us emphasize the futility of this scenario—the exploiter really doesn’t want a satisfying or, for that matter, even a perfect, partner; rather what he or she wants is a partner who, in his or her insecurity, will continue to accept on some level blame for the exploiter’s unending, habitual exploitation.
The exploiter, in other words, is looking much less for the perfect partner than the perfect scapegoat. For this reason the sociopath and many narcissists will recruit these qualities in a partner—qualities, for instance, of high self-doubt, high guilt, high fear of incurring others’ wrath or displeasure, and a strong tendency to self-blame.
Moreover individuals possessing these qualities will tend to be drawn to individuals who seem to be their counterpart in many ways—for instance confident, self-assured, powerful-seeming, unself-doubting, and perhaps unself-reflective. They may harbor the fantasy that the latters’ seeming strength and confidently entitled attitudes may prove a salutary complement to their self-questioning, self-doubting natures.
And this is certainly possible—this complementarity can theoretically work—in situations uncomplicated by sociopathy or narcissistic personality.
But when the more confident partner is a sociopath, or narcissist, this complementarity of personalities becomes a set-up. The less confident partner, whose tendency is to self-destructively accept the exploiter’s blame for the latter’s rages, discontent, abuse and general misery, becomes the perfect foil, the perfect dupe, for the sociopathic or narcissistic partner, who has it made, so to speak.
Again and again I encounter wonderful, thoughtful, emotionally generous individuals who are trapped less by their exploitative partners than the intolerable idea of themselves as failed mates. The result is their often intensified efforts to be found satisfactory by, and to obtain validation from, the exploiter.
The exploiter is, of course, incapable of appreciating his or her partner’s devotion. But even if not, he or she would intentionally withhold such recognition anyway; his or her object, remember, rather than to uplift his or her partner, is calculatingly the opposite—to engender hopelessness and depression in him or her.
On and on the cycle goes, until the vulnerable partner, just as the exploiter has sought, finally feels so low, incompetent and disempowered that he or she can’t seriously imagine a different future.
By now a form of despair has set in—the despair of expecting to be found just as wanting in future relationships as the present. Dangerous resignation follows this hopelessness—again, exactly the outcome the exploiter wants.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Police officer gets decade in prison, but escapes SO registration in Texas for coerced sex
(Original post 5-24-08)
Jimmy Fennell Jr, a former Georgetown, TX police officer, pleaded gulity to sexual misconduct and kidnapping, but was able to escape sex offender registration and more serious charges ofofficial oppression and aggravated sexual assault. At his scheduled sentencing by Judge Burt Carnes on June 24, Fennell will face a 2 year prison term followed by a 10 year probation term.
In addition, he must also permanently surrender his peace officer's license as a condition of the plea deal. Should Williamson County Judge Burt Carnes change the agreement, Fennell can withdraw his guilty plea.He resigned from the Georgetown Police Department in January after he was indicted. In a search warrant affidavit filed after the October incident, the woman claimed she was drunk at the time, and Fennell drove her to a park, asked her to dance for him, and then assaulted her on his police cruiser.
In 1996, Fennell's fiance Stacey Stites was strangled to death by Rodney Reed, who is currently on Texas' death row, but appealing. His attorney says this about the murder case:
"Jimmy Fennell was never a serious suspect in the case. You heard from her relatives. I think the Rodney Reed case needs to be put to bed and Rodney Reed needs to get the justice he's well due,"
(Update 10-19-08) Fennell's plea agreement was thrown out on June 24. He requested a bench trial and pled guilty on September 19 of two counts. One count was of kidnapping and the other count was sexual activity with someone in custody. He was sentenced on September 26 to 10 years, with the sexual misconduct charge to he served concurrently with the kidnapping charge.
Jimmy Fennell Jr, a former Georgetown, TX police officer, pleaded gulity to sexual misconduct and kidnapping, but was able to escape sex offender registration and more serious charges ofofficial oppression and aggravated sexual assault. At his scheduled sentencing by Judge Burt Carnes on June 24, Fennell will face a 2 year prison term followed by a 10 year probation term.
In addition, he must also permanently surrender his peace officer's license as a condition of the plea deal. Should Williamson County Judge Burt Carnes change the agreement, Fennell can withdraw his guilty plea.He resigned from the Georgetown Police Department in January after he was indicted. In a search warrant affidavit filed after the October incident, the woman claimed she was drunk at the time, and Fennell drove her to a park, asked her to dance for him, and then assaulted her on his police cruiser.
In 1996, Fennell's fiance Stacey Stites was strangled to death by Rodney Reed, who is currently on Texas' death row, but appealing. His attorney says this about the murder case:
"Jimmy Fennell was never a serious suspect in the case. You heard from her relatives. I think the Rodney Reed case needs to be put to bed and Rodney Reed needs to get the justice he's well due,"
(Update 10-19-08) Fennell's plea agreement was thrown out on June 24. He requested a bench trial and pled guilty on September 19 of two counts. One count was of kidnapping and the other count was sexual activity with someone in custody. He was sentenced on September 26 to 10 years, with the sexual misconduct charge to he served concurrently with the kidnapping charge.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Mother hopes new law mandating dating violence prevention in schools deters
NORTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. - Ann Burke saw signs of trouble with her daughter's boyfriend.
He'd incessantly call her at night, keep her from her family, and, ultimately, physically abuse her during a tumultuous relationship that ended with her death three years ago. Burke's 23-year-old daughter, Lindsay, may not have understood the dynamics of an abusive relationship, but her death is helping to ensure that other young people do.
A new law in Rhode Island called the Lindsay Ann Burke Act requires all public middle and high schools to teach students about dating violence in their health classes.
The initiative was spearheaded by Burke and her husband, Chris, who say schools should be obligated to teach teens the warning signs of abusive relationships and broach the subject head-on so victims feel empowered to get help and leave violent partners.
"If this could happen to her, this could happen to anyone," said Ann Burke, a health teacher who runs a memorial fund to raise money for dating violence workshops for parents and educators.
One other state, Texas, mandates unspecified awareness education on dating violence for students and parents, while several other states encourage it. But the Rhode Island measure goes further by requiring the topic be incorporated annually into the curriculum for students in seventh through 12th grade.
Burke says such education would have allowed her daughter to recognize the danger in her relationship earlier. Though her daughter left her boyfriend several times, she didn't change her phone number or have a plan for safely cutting off contact for good.
She also believed she could be friends with her boyfriend if the romance ended.
"I said, `No, he said that to you before, Lindsay. You can't just be friends,'" Burke recalled.
Rhode Island Attorney General Patrick Lynch, who shepherded the proposal through the legislature last year, said domestic violence is a disturbingly common crime, yet education about it is scarce and haphazard.
"You teach sex ed, you teach `don't do drugs,' you teach `don't drink,' you should also be teaching `don't be a victim of domestic violence,'" said Lynch, whose office receives about 5,000 cases a year.
School districts are expected to start implementing the law this school year. By December, officials hope to have established a policy for responding to incidents of dating violence.
The law is gaining traction around the country, with members of the National Association of Attorneys General unanimously adopting a resolution encouraging the education in their states. Nebraska's top prosecutor said he intends to submit legislation modeled after Rhode Island's law, and apparel maker Liz Claiborne Inc. has helped promote it around the country.
The education focuses as much on nurturing good relationships as avoiding abusive ones.
In a recent sophomore health class at South Kingstown High School, teacher Karen Murphy reviewed communication skills for friendships and romantic relationships, including waiting until you're calm before confronting someone with a problem and openly expressing your feelings.
"You've just found out that somebody spread a rumor about you and you approach them at their locker," Murphy told the class. "Are you going to want to start talking to her when you're extremely angry after you've just found out about it?"
"No," the class replied in unison.
Alex Butler, a 15-year-old sophomore, said he didn't think dating violence was a problem at his school but that the education has helped him identify stages of abusive relationships.
"It's nice 'cause then you can warn other people even if you don't know them," he said.
Even if the lessons seem obvious, teachers hope students will recognize that some behaviors they may tolerate in their relationships — obsessive text messaging, for instance, or physical control — are unacceptable and possible precursors to violence.
Ann Burke said Lindsay fell hard for Gerardo Martinez after meeting him at a wedding, and though he seemed respectful and nice, problems emerged after Martinez began exerting control over her daughter. Ann Burke became so distraught that she couldn't sleep and she sought the advice of counselors. Fearing the worst, she even told Lindsay she couldn't bear to live without her.
One day in September 2005, after Lindsay had moved in with her brother to get away from Martinez, Burke became concerned when Lindsay didn't answer her phone.
Police found Lindsay in the bathtub of Martinez's home, her throat slashed. Martinez was convicted last year of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Burke believes her daughter would have wanted her to teach others about dating violence.
"You may have killed her physical body, but I'll be damned: her spirit is still living on in her family and friends," she said. "We're going to do what we need to do."
He'd incessantly call her at night, keep her from her family, and, ultimately, physically abuse her during a tumultuous relationship that ended with her death three years ago. Burke's 23-year-old daughter, Lindsay, may not have understood the dynamics of an abusive relationship, but her death is helping to ensure that other young people do.
A new law in Rhode Island called the Lindsay Ann Burke Act requires all public middle and high schools to teach students about dating violence in their health classes.
The initiative was spearheaded by Burke and her husband, Chris, who say schools should be obligated to teach teens the warning signs of abusive relationships and broach the subject head-on so victims feel empowered to get help and leave violent partners.
"If this could happen to her, this could happen to anyone," said Ann Burke, a health teacher who runs a memorial fund to raise money for dating violence workshops for parents and educators.
One other state, Texas, mandates unspecified awareness education on dating violence for students and parents, while several other states encourage it. But the Rhode Island measure goes further by requiring the topic be incorporated annually into the curriculum for students in seventh through 12th grade.
Burke says such education would have allowed her daughter to recognize the danger in her relationship earlier. Though her daughter left her boyfriend several times, she didn't change her phone number or have a plan for safely cutting off contact for good.
She also believed she could be friends with her boyfriend if the romance ended.
"I said, `No, he said that to you before, Lindsay. You can't just be friends,'" Burke recalled.
Rhode Island Attorney General Patrick Lynch, who shepherded the proposal through the legislature last year, said domestic violence is a disturbingly common crime, yet education about it is scarce and haphazard.
"You teach sex ed, you teach `don't do drugs,' you teach `don't drink,' you should also be teaching `don't be a victim of domestic violence,'" said Lynch, whose office receives about 5,000 cases a year.
School districts are expected to start implementing the law this school year. By December, officials hope to have established a policy for responding to incidents of dating violence.
The law is gaining traction around the country, with members of the National Association of Attorneys General unanimously adopting a resolution encouraging the education in their states. Nebraska's top prosecutor said he intends to submit legislation modeled after Rhode Island's law, and apparel maker Liz Claiborne Inc. has helped promote it around the country.
The education focuses as much on nurturing good relationships as avoiding abusive ones.
In a recent sophomore health class at South Kingstown High School, teacher Karen Murphy reviewed communication skills for friendships and romantic relationships, including waiting until you're calm before confronting someone with a problem and openly expressing your feelings.
"You've just found out that somebody spread a rumor about you and you approach them at their locker," Murphy told the class. "Are you going to want to start talking to her when you're extremely angry after you've just found out about it?"
"No," the class replied in unison.
Alex Butler, a 15-year-old sophomore, said he didn't think dating violence was a problem at his school but that the education has helped him identify stages of abusive relationships.
"It's nice 'cause then you can warn other people even if you don't know them," he said.
Even if the lessons seem obvious, teachers hope students will recognize that some behaviors they may tolerate in their relationships — obsessive text messaging, for instance, or physical control — are unacceptable and possible precursors to violence.
Ann Burke said Lindsay fell hard for Gerardo Martinez after meeting him at a wedding, and though he seemed respectful and nice, problems emerged after Martinez began exerting control over her daughter. Ann Burke became so distraught that she couldn't sleep and she sought the advice of counselors. Fearing the worst, she even told Lindsay she couldn't bear to live without her.
One day in September 2005, after Lindsay had moved in with her brother to get away from Martinez, Burke became concerned when Lindsay didn't answer her phone.
Police found Lindsay in the bathtub of Martinez's home, her throat slashed. Martinez was convicted last year of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Burke believes her daughter would have wanted her to teach others about dating violence.
"You may have killed her physical body, but I'll be damned: her spirit is still living on in her family and friends," she said. "We're going to do what we need to do."
Thursday, October 2, 2008
British man ordered to sign SO registry for 7 years for voyeurism
Peeping Tom forced to sign sex register
Pamela Welsh 2/10/2008
THE VICTIM of a ‘peeping Tom’ style incident at a Salford swimming pool has welcomed the decision to make the culprit sign the Sex Offenders’ Register.
Stefan Sinclair, 22, photographed a naked woman with his mobile phone as she changed at Fit City Worsley in July this year. The victim, who did not wish to be identified, had been swimming at the pool, in Bridgewater Road, Walkden, on Thursday, July 10.
She was getting changed in a cubicle when she saw a mobile phone under the cubicle door, filming her as she got changed.
The culprit, Sinclair, pleaded guilty to a charge of voyeurism at Salford Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, September 25, and was given a four month suspended sentence, with 200 hours unpaid work.He was also ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for seven years.
The victim, who lives in Worsley, welcomed the sentence, saying she was felt violated.
She said: "It was really horrible. I was just getting changed and was towelling off when I saw a hand and a mobile phone under the cubicle. I ran out to confront him but he had already disappeared. It is really disgusting that he could do such a thing and I’m glad he got the sentence he did."
The victim also claimed the policy on mobile phones was not made clear to staff at the pool, even after the incident occurred.
She said: "My parents went back and saw staff on their mobile phones even when it was made clear that this was not allowed. I think the management should make the policy clearer."
The police were called and CCTV pictures showed that Sinclair had been in the vicinity of the cubicle.
When interviewed by police, Sinclair said he realised what he had done was wrong and that he taken the picture initially with the intention of using it for his own sexual gratification.
Marsha Myers, defence for Sinclair, said: "He feels deep remorse - significantly the image was deleted because the remorse set in straight away.
"He is being supported financially and emotionally by his family, who are deeply upset about this offence, but stand by him, as does his partner."
Sinclair, of Border Brook Lane, Boothstown, was a lifeguard, fitness trainer and cleaner at the pool. He lost his job as a result of the incident. Deputy District Judge Hugh Edwards told Sinclair: "You abused a position of trust when working at the pool."
Councillor Barry Warner, Salford City Council’s lead member for culture and sport, said: "Our partner, Salford Community Leisure (SCL), has taken this matter very seriously and acted promptly to suspend and subsequently dismiss Mr Sinclair from his job with SCL.
"I would like to take the opportunity to reassure customers that SCL, supported by the Salford City Council, will continue to take all reasonable action to prevent this type of action happening again."
Pamela Welsh 2/10/2008
THE VICTIM of a ‘peeping Tom’ style incident at a Salford swimming pool has welcomed the decision to make the culprit sign the Sex Offenders’ Register.
Stefan Sinclair, 22, photographed a naked woman with his mobile phone as she changed at Fit City Worsley in July this year. The victim, who did not wish to be identified, had been swimming at the pool, in Bridgewater Road, Walkden, on Thursday, July 10.
She was getting changed in a cubicle when she saw a mobile phone under the cubicle door, filming her as she got changed.
The culprit, Sinclair, pleaded guilty to a charge of voyeurism at Salford Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, September 25, and was given a four month suspended sentence, with 200 hours unpaid work.He was also ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for seven years.
The victim, who lives in Worsley, welcomed the sentence, saying she was felt violated.
She said: "It was really horrible. I was just getting changed and was towelling off when I saw a hand and a mobile phone under the cubicle. I ran out to confront him but he had already disappeared. It is really disgusting that he could do such a thing and I’m glad he got the sentence he did."
The victim also claimed the policy on mobile phones was not made clear to staff at the pool, even after the incident occurred.
She said: "My parents went back and saw staff on their mobile phones even when it was made clear that this was not allowed. I think the management should make the policy clearer."
The police were called and CCTV pictures showed that Sinclair had been in the vicinity of the cubicle.
When interviewed by police, Sinclair said he realised what he had done was wrong and that he taken the picture initially with the intention of using it for his own sexual gratification.
Marsha Myers, defence for Sinclair, said: "He feels deep remorse - significantly the image was deleted because the remorse set in straight away.
"He is being supported financially and emotionally by his family, who are deeply upset about this offence, but stand by him, as does his partner."
Sinclair, of Border Brook Lane, Boothstown, was a lifeguard, fitness trainer and cleaner at the pool. He lost his job as a result of the incident. Deputy District Judge Hugh Edwards told Sinclair: "You abused a position of trust when working at the pool."
Councillor Barry Warner, Salford City Council’s lead member for culture and sport, said: "Our partner, Salford Community Leisure (SCL), has taken this matter very seriously and acted promptly to suspend and subsequently dismiss Mr Sinclair from his job with SCL.
"I would like to take the opportunity to reassure customers that SCL, supported by the Salford City Council, will continue to take all reasonable action to prevent this type of action happening again."
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