A taxi driver has been sentenced to six years and eight months in jail after sexually assaulting a woman in his cab in Southampton last October. Hardeep Landa, who pleaded guilty to the charges of assault by penetration and two sexual assaults, prompted police to appeal to other potential victims to come forward. Friends of the victim found her in an “impaired state” and undressed in the back of the taxi in a car park on St Mary’s Road after searching for her. The attack was recorded on a camera inside the cab.
The number of sexual offences recorded by police in Northern Ireland during the year to the end of March 2023 has reached its highest ever level, with 4,232 incidents recorded. This was an annual increase of 4.7%. The numbers of domestic abuse crimes also increased. The PSNI, which recorded the figures, attributes the increases in part to an increase in reporting by victims. The same period saw the number of historical cases of sexual abuse investigated.
As seen at the G7 summit in Hiroshima last weekend, LGBTQ rights are being increasingly recognised by governments as an important issue. Although there was little said during the Weekend as to LGBTQ concerns, it was notable that the G7 communique stressed the need to “work toward creating a ‘world free from violence and discrimination regardless of gender identity or expression or sexual orientation,’” with a commitment to work with all parts of society, to bring about “ full, equal and meaningful participation of women and girls in all their diversity as well as LGBTQIA+ persons in politics, economics, education and all other spheres of society.” However, given host nation Japan is the only nation of the seven that does not recognise same-sex marriage, actual change in the short term is likely to be slow. The Japanese government has not made legalisation of same-sex marriage a priority with the public remaining split: 44% of respondents saying in an NHK poll released in May that same-sex couples should be allowed to marry; 15% saying they should not; while 37% were undecided.
UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak has committed to protecting children from inappropriate sexual content and extremist gender views following a government review of England's sexual education curriculum. The UNESCO arm of the United Nations provided guidance for sexual education in Wales, and part of it was cited in laws passed in Scotland. Suggestions aimed at toddlers sparked a backlash among MPs and led to calls to rethink the UK’s links with the organisation, which have become more controversial in the wake of suggestions that their guidelines could be influencing British teaching materials. Some MP's have suggested that the government's review needs to determine whether the UNESCO framework has influenced current teaching materials.
Actor Noriyuki Higashiyama, who is employed by Japanese entertainment firm Johnny & Associates, has apologised for a sex abuse scandal involving the company's founder and has said whether the agency's name should be reconsidered. Johnny Kitagawa has been accused of sex abuse and child endangerment. Former members of the company have come forward to allege abuse and Higashiyama said he had younger members wait to comment on the issue as he thought he should be the first to talk about it as the oldest active member. Julie Keiko Fujishima, the president of Johnny & Associates, has previously apologised for the allegations.
Pro-choice and anti-abortion protestors gather at Confederation Building
CBC
23-05-21 19:38
Anti-abortion and pro-choice protesters gathered at the Confederation Building in St. John’s, Newfoundland, to voice their opinions on Sunday. Over 100 pro-choice protesters gathered to challenge the smaller group of anti-abortionists, who were rallying on Prince Philip Drive. Nikki Baldwin, executive director of Planned Parenthood Newfoundland and Labrador, said that people need support in making reproductive decisions. She added that access to safe abortion is essential and saves lives. Anti-abortion protester Ruth Robert argued that whilst abortions are fully legal in Canada, the debate surrounding abortions is still ongoing. Baldwin warned that the recent overturning of US abortion laws could affect abortion access in Canada. Access to healthcare, and specifically reproductive and sexual healthcare, is already limited in Newfoundland and Labrador and those living outside of St. John’s have to travel to receive essential care.
Detective Superintendent Scott Moller, the lead investigator in the Lehrmann trial, has testified that there was significant pressure to “get Mr Lehrmann before the court” in the trial surrounding allegations of sexual assault made by former Coalition staffer Brittany Higgins. Moller suggested that there was political and societal pressure in play, saying that “there was a real desire to expedite this process and get Mr Lehrmann before the court… collectively, [from] public, the media, my own organisation, there was a desire to get this progressed”. The trial ultimately collapsed due to juror misconduct before being suspended due to Higgins’ mental health.
A national compensation scheme for victims of child sexual abuse is to be introduced in England following a recommendation by the seven-year independent inquiry into this form of abuse. Thousands of victims who were “let down by institutions in the past” will be able to claim fixed term compensation paid by the government. The inquiry recommended that applicants to the scheme should have experienced abuse “where there is a clear connection to state or non-state institutions”. It also criticised current civil and criminal compensation schemes for failing to provide adequate accountability and reparation. The government will consult on how the scheme should operate.
Mount Sinai Beth Israel in New York turned a blind eye to a doctor’s abuse of patients because of the revenue he generated, according to legal documents filed by 19 former patients of the healthcare facility. They claim that the hospital was aware that Dr Ricardo Cruciani was a serial abuser but failed to notify law enforcement or licensing authorities for over a decade or to alert future employers of Cruciani’s record. Cruciani was a specialist in rare and debilitating syndromes and abused pain patients who were seeking relief by overprescribing powerful painkillers to them. He killed himself at the notorious Rikers Island prison complex in New York last year after being jailed for 12 counts of violent abuse. The alleged abuse was an “open secret” among his colleagues, according to the lawsuit.
Republican legislators in Wisconsin have proposed legislation that would make it a felony offence to possess dolls resembling children for sexual purposes, punishable by up to 3.5 years in prison. A first offence involving three or more dolls would be punishable by 6 years, while subsequent offences that involve dolls resembling specific children could carry a penalty of up to 25 years’ imprisonment. According to the Child Rescue Coalition, some dolls can be built to look like specific children. The dolls are legal in the US except in a number of states including Arizona, Florida, Hawaii, South Dakota and Tennessee.
E. Jean Carroll, who won a $7.4m in a sexual assault lawsuit against former US president Donald Trump earlier this month, is seeking additional damages over comments he made in response to that verdict. Appearing in a one-hour town hall broadcast by CNN, Trump repeated his claim that Carroll had manufactured the assault story. Despite a photograph from the 1990s showing him with her, Trump insisted he had never met her and dismissed her allegations as “hanky-panky”. Carroll's new legal filing seeks an amendment to a case filed against Trump in 2019, arguing that his continued comments demonstrate that he was “undeterred by the jury's verdict” and had persisted in defaming her. Trump is also under investigation in relation to allegations of election interference and mishandling classified data.
Sexual history will no longer be available as evidence in court cases brought by rape victims, according to a new set of proposals from the UK’s Law Commission, which is exploring different evidential approaches as part of an effort to increase conviction rates and prevent complainants from dropping out. Lawyers will also have to obtain written permission from a judge if they plan to use a victim’s sexual history as part of their case. The proposals are based on the Canadian model, which is designed to ensure fairer access to justice for victims.
