Ghislaine Maxwell's relatives say ‘government misconduct' could be used to challenge her imprisonment
The family of disgraced British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell have said new evidence such as 'government misconduct' could be used to challenge her imprisonment.
The 63-year-old was found guilty in December 2021 of luring young girls to massage rooms for paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein to molest between 1994 and 2004. She was sentenced to 20 years in prison at the federal court in the southern district of New York (SDNY) in June 2022.
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The Irish Sun
3 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
How UK became hotbed for female paedophiles preying on kids as young as TWO… including mum who molested disabled son
BRITAIN is becoming a hotbed for female sex abusers, with experts claiming official figures are 'just the tip of a very large iceberg'. A Sun probe today reveals 20 per cent of anonymous calls to one charity's helpline over the past eight years were from callers who had been sexually abused by a female in their childhood. 7 Last week former PE teacher Bronwen James, 29, appeared at Salisbury Magistrates' Court charged with a string of sex offences against three children Credit: X 7 A Sun probe today reveals 20 per cent of anonymous calls to one charity's helpline over the past eight years were from callers who had been sexually abused by a female in their childhood Credit: Getty And the number of reported cases of female-perpetrated child sexual abuse in England and Wales rose by 84 per cent in the four years to 2019. Just last week former PE teacher Bronwen James, 29, appeared at Salisbury Magistrates' Court charged with a string of sex offences against three children - two girls aged 14 and 15, and a 16-year-old boy. She is also accused of making an indecent image of a child and having sexual communications with a girl aged between 13 to 15 - with all the offences allegedly taking place over a three-year period while James was teaching PE at Hardenhuish School in Chippenham and Bitterne Park School in Southampton. Thousands of Brits have been sexually abused as children by women but many are too terrified to come forward to police because of the 'stigma' attached to it. Exclusive data from the National Association for People Abused in Childhood [NAPAC], shows that 8,818 call logs related to females sexually abusing children out of a total of 44,281 calls between July 2016 and April 2025. Gabrielle Shaw, chief executive of the NAPAC tells The Sun: 'It shocks people to hear, but we speak to survivors every week who were sexually abused by a woman. 'Many have stayed silent for years, crushed by shame and convinced no one would believe them. 'But abuse is abuse - it doesn't matter who did it. What matters is that survivors know they're not alone, and help is out there.' Rotherham survivor Elizabeth Harper* was 15 when she was groomed by a woman - Shafina Ali - who drugged her and orchestrated her rape by multiple British-Pakistani men. Although Elizabeth wasn't raped by Shafina - who died before charges could be brought - she blames her for the horrific sexual abuse she endured during her teen years. Moment 'Teacher of the Year' weeps as she pleads guilty to abusing pupils She tells The Sun: 'There's this stereotype of women being maternal and loving so you don't expect them to offend, but I know just how evil they can be. 'Shafina was a monster who drugged me and facilitated my abuse. I wouldn't have suffered that if it hadn't been for her. 'I still have flashbacks of her, leaning over my bed. Every time I see a woman who looks like her, it petrifies me. I still have flashbacks of her, leaning over my bed. Every time I see a woman who looks like her, it petrifies me Elizabeth Harper 'I hope this report raises awareness of just how many women might be involved in child sexual abuse and gets people talking. 'We also need more regular criminal profiling of female perpetrators involved in horrific sexual child abuse. 'Police seem to only focus on the really high profile cases - the 'As a mum now, I will never understand how any woman can inflict pain on someone else's child - or their own.' Disturbing reality 7 Nicola Murray was jailed for three years in June for physically and sexually assaulting four children 7 Bethany Hill's case, which saw her sexually abuse a child with her partner Zabien Burns, was dubbed one of the UK's 'most horrific and despicable' Credit: Humberside Police The findings follow a string of high profile cases involving female child sex offenders in recent months. In June, domestic abuse activist Murray and made another youngster view an explicit image she had taken of a man she was dating. In March, Nichole Pratt, 25, from Leominster, And in January, Bethany Hill, 26, from Hull, East Yorks., was The Lucy Faithfull Foundation (LFF), a child protection charity dedicated to preventing child sexual abuse and exploitation, says ten per cent of callers to its Stop It Now helpline who report having sexual thoughts about children but have not yet harmed a child, are women. Dr Alexandra Bailey works at the charity with women who have committed sexual offences against children, or might pose a risk to them. She tells The Sun: 'I think in society, we generally tend to think of women as being the nurturers and the carers, and certainly not individuals that would be seen to be sexually aggressive in any way. 'The problem with that is we can then deny that women are able to cause sexual harm, which we know they are.' Britain's worst female child sex offenders VANESSA GEORGE Nursery worker Vanessa George was dubbed Britain's worst female paedophile after sexually assaulting up to 64 children as young as two at a nursery in Plymouth, Devon. George was jailed for a minimum of seven years in 2009 after she filmed her abuse using her mobile phone and swapped indecent images with other paedophiles over the internet. The former classroom assistant was a trusted carer, a wife of 20 years and a mother of two teenage daughters at the time. Female paedophile Angela Allen was also convicted of child sex abuse after police investigating George's case found the women had exchanged sick images online with IT worker Colin Blanchard. CHRISTINE CALLAGHAN Christine Callaghan, then 33, from Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex was jailed for six years in December 2019 after she admitted four counts of child sexual abuse charges. A court heard she was paid £2,285 by another paedophile to livestream footage of herself sexually abusing a young girl over three years. The National Crime Agency caught Callaghan and paedophile Dean Petley, of Leamington Spa, Warks, who was jailed for eight years in November 2019, after investigating beast Jodie Little, 30. Little, from Huddersfield, was jailed for 12 years and four months in August 2019 for sexually abusing children for money online. SOPHIE ELMS In 2018 teenage nursery worker Sophie Elms, from Wiltshire, became Britain's youngest named female convicted paedophile after admitting 16 charges against young children. These included penetration, sexual assault, and taking and distributing indecent photographs of children aged two and three. She was 17 when she committed the offences. ROSANA AWAN In 2024, cheerleading coach at Leicester Crown Court for sexually abusing a 13-year-old girl over several years, beginning in 2013. Other shocking cases involve female family members who are often organised and ritualistic. Gabrielle says: 'This is a hidden and often misunderstood form of abuse that typically happens within families or close-knit communities. 'These survivors are 4.6 times more likely to name their grandmother as a perpetrator, and three times more likely to name an aunt. 'It's hard for most people to imagine - but that's precisely why it's been hidden for so long. 'These aren't one-off cases. They reflect a disturbing reality: women, including those in trusted care-giving roles, can and do commit abuse, sometimes as part of a wider, inter-generational pattern. 'Until we face up to that, survivors will continue to suffer in silence.' As a mum now, I will never understand how any woman can inflict pain on someone else's child - or their own Elizabeth Harper Figures from a Freedom of Information request carried out by BBC Radio 4's File On 4 show in 2021 revealed there were over 10,400 reports of female child sex abuse from 2015 to 2019 - equivalent to an average of 40 a week. Between 2015 and 2019, the numbers of reported cases of female-perpetrated child sexual abuse to police in England and Wales rose from 1,249 to 2,297 - an increase of 84 per cent. The most recent Home Office statistics, covering March 2023 to March 2024, show a 27 per cent increase in females arrested for sexual offences (up by 237 to 1,124). How many of those involved child sexual abuse is not published. Among individuals reporting their experiences of child sex abuse to the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse in England and Wales (IICSA), 16 per cent of those abused in residential care, and six per cent of those abused in other institutional contexts such as schools, sports and religious settings, said female perpetrators were involved, although in some cases these may have been other children. 'In denial' 7 Teacher Rebecca Joynes sexually abused two schoolboys and fell pregnant by one of them Credit: Steve Allen One such case was that of Joynes, 30, from The father of her child talked of the hold Joynes had over him in a powerful victim impact statement read out at court. He said: 'I struggled to come to terms with my abuse. I was completely in denial. 'I subsequently held back and did not fully open up to people… Rebecca was in my head that much. I would argue until I was blue in the face protecting her.' He added: 'It tore my family apart. They struggled to come to terms with the fact they sent me to school, where they believed it to be a safe environment, and this happened as a result.' It tore my family apart. They struggled to come to terms with the fact they sent me to school, where they believed it to be a safe environment, and this happened as a result Child sexual abuse survivor Overall, female child sex abuse rates are still far lower than they are for male child sex abusers. According to the Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse (CSA Centre) males account for 92 per cent of the abusers. The most recent data from the UK Office for National Statistics shows 3.8 per cent of child sexual abuse survivors say their perpetrator was a female. A further 4.5 per cent reported their abuse was by both a male and female. 'Tip of a very large iceberg' But forensic psychologist Dr Joe Sullivan warns: 'The official statistics are like the tip of a very large iceberg.' While based in the Behavioural Analysis Unit (BAU) of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre, Dr Sullivan assisted police in many of the UK's highest profile investigations into the disappearance, sexual abuse, exploitation and sexual murder of children. He tells The Sun: 'The problem with relying on official crime statistics is that they only relate to people who were accused, investigated, prosecuted and convicted. 'Victim/survivor studies suggest that approximately 95 per cent never report child sexual abuse. 'Of the five per cent who do, the vast majority will never see their allegation result in a conviction. 'Hence, most female perpetrators of child sexual abuse never come to the attention of the police and therefore don't get classified as sex offenders.' Victim/survivor studies suggest that approximately 95 per cent never report child sexual abuse... Hence, most female perpetrators of child sexual abuse never come to the attention of the police and therefore don't get classified as sex offenders Dr Joe Sullivan The latest They reveal 6,825 offenders were found guilty of child abuse in England and Wales in 2024. Of them, there were just 67 convictions of female abusers. NAPAC says the stigma attached to being abused is a contributing reason many people won't reach out for help. Gabrielle adds: 'Survivors often carry deep shame when the perpetrator was a woman. 'This stigma affects both male and female survivors equally and is fuelled by harmful myths like 'boys enjoy it' or women don't do that sort of thing'. These ideas silence people, sometimes for decades.' 'Rationalise' sick behaviour Like men, female abusers will often justify, minimise or rationalise their behaviour. Dr Sullivan, who has interviewed hundreds of perpetrators of child sexual abuse over her 39-year career says: 'One mother described how she sexually abused her severely physically and mentally disabled son to allow him to experience sex with another person, because his condition deprived him of that opportunity. 'A foster carer that I worked with described a grooming process with two boys in her care which involved showing them adult movies and then offering to let the boys do what they had seen in the movies to her. One mother described how she sexually abused her severely physically and mentally disabled son to allow him to experience sex with another person Dr Joe Sullivan 'Another mother described how she began sexually abusing her daughter as an infant to normalise the abuse and manipulate her daughter into believing there was nothing unusual with what was happening.' The A Home Office spokesperson said: 'We are determined to bring the perpetrators of child sexual abuse to justice, regardless of whether they are male or female. 'We are strengthening law enforcement's response, both to tackle the historic cases that were not properly investigated, and also to stamp out the abuse still taking place today.' If you've been affected by anything in this article, NAPAC offers free and confidential support to all adult survivors of any kind of childhood abuse. Call 0808 801 0331 or visit *Elizabeth Harper is not her real name. 7 Gabrielle Shaw, chief executive of the NAPAC, tells The Sun they speak to survivors every week who were sexually abused by a woman Credit: Supplied 7 The Home Secretary announced a raft of new measures and an investment of £10million to tackle child sexual abuse earlier this year Credit: Getty
The Journal
10 hours ago
- The Journal
A direct train from London to Berlin is in the works under new UK-Germany deal
THE UK AND Germany have agreed plans to create a direct train line from London to Berlin – and it's hoped that it will be up and running within a decade. The rail link is part of a wide-ranging friendship agreement signed by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Downing Street today. Under the new treaty, a joint taskforce will be established for transport experts from both governments to examine how to address barriers to a new train route, such as how to establish post-Brexit border and security checks. The taskforce will also assess safety standards and collaborate with train operators. It is hoped that the services could be running within the next 10 years. British transport secretary Heidi Alexander said the new agreement has the potential to 'fundamentally change how millions of people travel' between the UK and Germany by offering a 'faster, more convenient and significantly greener alternative to flying'. The new agreement was signed by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer today. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo 'The Brandenburg Gate, the Berlin Wall and Checkpoint Charlie – in just a matter of years, rail passengers in the UK could be able to visit these iconic sites direct from the comfort of a train, thanks to a direct connection linking London and Berlin,' she said. The new deal follows a similar memorandum signed between the UK and Switzerland in May in an attempt to address barriers to a rail link between the countries. Direct trains have been running across the channel from London to Europe since the Eurostar service was founded in 1994. Advertisement The trains, which run through the Channel Tunnel from London's St Pancras station, go directly to Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam. Last month, Eurostar unveiled plans to launch direct services connecting the UK with Germany and Switzerland. The operator announced proposals to run trains between London St Pancras and both Frankfurt and Geneva from the 'early 2030s'. These routes would be served by a fleet of up to 50 new trains costing approximately €2 billion. Journey times would be about five hours between London and Frankfurt, and five hours and 20 minutes between London and Geneva. Eurostar holds a monopoly in running passenger trains through the Channel Tunnel, but several organisations are developing plans to launch rival services, including Virgin and Uber. The new friendship agreement will also see Germany allow some UK airline passengers to use passport e-gates at its airports by the end of August. Since Brexit, UK travellers arriving at EU airports have generally had to queue for manned desks to have their passports stamped, rather than use automated gates with facial recognition technology. An UK-EU summit in May agreed there is no legal barrier to UK citizens using EU e-gates. Under the deal signed today, only frequent travellers will be able to use e-gates initially. Access will be expanded for all UK nationals once Germany has completed updates to its entry systems as it introduces the EU's long-delayed Entry/Exit System (EES), which is expected to start in October. The new digital border management system for non-EU nationals entering the Schengen area will be fully automated and replace the current system of manual stamping of passports. The system will register a person's name, the type of the travel document, their fingerprints and facial images, and the date and place they arrive in and leave the country. With reporting from Press Association Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
The Journal
13 hours ago
- The Journal
MP Diane Abbott suspended from Labour Party for second time over comments about racism
LAST UPDATE | 1 hr ago LONG-STANDING MP Diane Abbott has been suspended from the Labour Party for a second time after she doubled down on comments about racism for which she had previously apologised. A Labour Party spokesperson said: 'Diane Abbott has been administratively suspended from the Labour Party, pending an investigation. We cannot comment further while this investigation is ongoing.' The move means the whip is automatically suspended in the House of Commons for the Hackney North and Stoke Newington MP, it is understood. Abbott was suspended by the Labour Party in 2023 after writing a letter to the Observer comparing racism experienced by people of colour with that seen by other groups. She apologised for any anguish caused by the remarks, which drew criticism from Jewish and Traveller groups, and was readmitted to the party before the 2024 general election. But in a new interview with BBC Radio 4's Reflections programme, she said she did not look back on the incident with regret. 'No, not at all,' she told the BBC. 'Clearly, there must be a difference between racism which is about colour and other types of racism, because you can see a Traveller or a Jewish person walking down the street, you don't know. 'You don't know unless you stop to speak to them or you're in a meeting with them. Advertisement 'But if you see a black person walking down the street, you see straight away that they're black. They are different types of racism.' She added: 'I just think that it's silly to try and claim that racism which is about skin colour is the same as other types of racism.' Deputy British Prime Minister Angela Rayner was asked if she was disappointed by the comments. 'I was. There's no place for antisemitism in the Labour party, and obviously the Labour party has processes for that,' she told The Guardian. 'Diane had reflected on how she'd put that article together, and said that 'was not supposed to be the version', and now to double down and say 'Well, actually I didn't mean that. I actually meant what I originally said', I think is a real challenge.' Abbott is the longest-serving female MP in the Commons, having entered Parliament in 1987, and holds the honorary title of Mother of the House. Her letter to the Observer in 2023 sparked a long-running process during which she sat as an Independent MP for about a year while an internal investigation took place. She was readmitted as a Labour MP shortly before the 2024 election. Abbott suggested in the letter that Jewish, Irish and Traveller people experience prejudice, but not racism. She withdrew the remarks the same day and apologised 'for any anguish caused'. In the newly released BBC interview, she said she was 'grateful' to be a Labour MP, but that she was sure the party leadership had been 'trying to get me out'.
