Manslaughter arrest over woman's death at Thornaby home
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The Independent
12 minutes ago
- The Independent
‘Bonnie and Clyde' couple who planned brutal rape of young children jailed
A couple who dubbed themselves Bonnie and Clyde have been jailed for planning and fantasising about the 'brutal' rape and sexual assault of young children under the age of 12. Stuart Compton, 46, and his partner, Tracy Turner, 52, sent each other thousands of messages planning the depraved abuse of two girls and a boy over a two-year period. Merthyr Crown Court heard their sick plan failed after an online dating app informed police of concerns about Compton, and the pair were arrested. Sentencing the couple on Monday, Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke, the Recorder of Cardiff, handed Compton a life sentence, while Turner was given 12 years in jail, with a further two years on extended licence. Compton must serve a minimum term of seven years in prison before he can apply to the parole board for release. Addressing Compton, she said: 'Unless and until the parole board considers it safe to release you, you will remain in prison.' At an earlier hearing, the couple, who referred to each other as Bonnie and Clyde in messages, both pleaded guilty to six counts of arranging sex attacks on children. Compton also pleaded guilty to six counts of making indecent images, and Turner, who is a hospital operating assistant, admitted two counts of the same offence. Bonnie and Clyde were outlaws who gained notoriety in the 1930s for a series of bank robberies in America. The judge said messages showed they had discussed 'over and over again' their desires to rape children and their conversations 'made clear that this was not fantasy'. The couple had planned to carry out the acts, with Ms Lloyd-Clarke saying they had 'carefully identified' a location for one of the rapes to take place. 'You were both sexually aroused by the idea of raping a child,' she said. She added: 'You both deny your sexual interest in children, you both minimise your offending.' The couple must also inform the police of any names or addresses they use and are barred from working with children and vulnerable groups. Compton, from Cathays, and Turner, from Roath, both Cardiff, had denied a string of other offences, including conspiracy to murder, conspiracy to rape and conspiracy to kidnap, which were ordered to lie on the file. Matthew Cobbe, prosecuting, told the court their conversations demonstrated a 'clear intent to arrange and commit sexual acts' with young children, although no child was ever abused. 'The first threads of messages suggested fantasy, they expressly talked about fantasy, but this developed into an obsession,' Mr Cobbe said. 'Their obsession drove them to discuss over and over the sexual acts that they intended to perform and the ways that they believed that they could achieve that goal.' The prosecutor said they had been arranging the 'brutal rape' of one of the children and had planned to drug the child to aid the abuse. 'They recognised the abuse for what it was, they recognised that it was rape,' he said. 'It was not a realisation that it would amount to rape, instead they were clearly stimulated by the fact that it was rape. 'Compton would press her whether she wanted to be present, she would confirm that she did and go on to confirm that she wanted to be involved. 'Compton claimed that he would accept all responsibility for the acts. 'The exchanges lasted months, they began as a fantasy but they became an obsession and an intended goal.' The court heard that messages recovered by the police took weeks to go through because there was so many, and showed Compton was interested in children 'aged one to six'. Examination of Compton's device showed that he discussed his fantasies with others, and would develop his own character in these conversations, 'creating depraved sexual stories involving children'. Referring to Turner, Mr Cobbe said: 'They exchange messages where they discuss the possibility of going to a festival or camping, so that they can be 'around' families with young children. 'Turner suggests a family festival, not too expensive. 'Compton thinks that is a 'great idea', commenting he'd like to go to a 'hippy one, where lots of drugs consumed leaving unattended girls, great f****** idea that's genius babe'.' Some of the messages the couple sent each other were read out in court, with each of them describing what they wanted to do to the young children and each other. In one message, Compton asked if she was serious about getting involved, and Turner responded: 'I'm not f****** about, babe.' The mother of one of the young girls described in a victim impact statement how they had stopped trusting people after learning of Compton and Turner's crimes. 'The decisions we make as parents are now different and lead to paranoia,' she said. 'Some days it is very real and other days it is like a dream. We do not want this to define our family. We cannot undo this.' The father of another girl described the defendants' crimes as 'incomprehensible'. 'I hope what they have done to me and my family stays with them for the rest of their lives,' he said. His partner added: 'Finding out about their crimes turned our world upside down. 'I have always had an open and honest relationship with my daughter. 'I am furious that I have had to lie to my child to protect her from these offences.' Kevin Seal, representing Compton, insisted his client had expressed remorse for his actions in a pre-sentence report. Mr Seal said: 'It was clear to the author of the report that these were genuine comments from the defendant himself – 'I have let everybody down'. 'He wished to apologise to anyone who has been let down by his actions.' A doctor diagnosed Compton with a compulsive sexualised behaviour disorder, which involves intense preoccupation with sexual fantasies and behaviours. 'It is not to be confused with sex addiction,' he said. He said the disorder did not provide 'any form of defence' but wished the judge to understand what Compton suffered from. He said the Compton had used a mixture of proscribed medication for his back and illegal drugs, including cocaine and cannabis, as well as alcohol. Mr Seal said the defendant had recognised he had a problem and reached out for support for the drugs and there had been a 'marked de-escalation' of messages regarding children. Nicola Powell, representing Turner, told the court she had ended the relationship with Compton as soon as she was arrested and had no contact with him since. 'She was a lady who, until these allegations were made and pleas entered, was without previous convictions,' she said. 'She had worked as a senior theatre assistant in the NHS for over 30 years without a blemish on her character.' Miss Powell said Turner had a long-standing issue with depression and anxiety, which led her in later years to abuse alcohol and cocaine. 'She accepts that she had an extremely unhealthy relationship with him, she abused alcohol and he introduced her to cocaine,' she said. 'This was not the support she needed and quite simply, it led her to spiral downwards and out of emotional control. 'By the time of her arrest, she was taking cocaine every day. She thought she loved Mr Compton and he loved her.' Miss Powell said that Turner told the author of a pre-sentence report: 'I am very sorry and ashamed. I'll never forgive myself for the rest of my life.' The barrister added: 'I would ask you to accept that her remorse in this case is genuine.' A spokeswoman for the Cardiff and Vale University Health Board said it would be inappropriate for them to comment on the case but confirmed that Turner was dismissed from her position in March 2025. She insisted that the safety and wellbeing of patients is the Board's highest priority. She added: 'We would like to take this opportunity to reassure patients that the criminal case is entirely unconnected with the individual's employment within Cardiff and Vale University Health Board.'
The Independent
12 minutes ago
- The Independent
Police officers detained after smacking son win appeal after ‘unlawful' arrests
Two married police officers who were arrested after one of them smacked their teenage son have won a High Court battle over claims they were unlawfully detained. The officers, who both serve with the Metropolitan Police, were arrested by Surrey Police in March 2019 after the wife gave her son what she described as a 'light smack on the left cheek' after he misbehaved. They sued Surrey Police after being told they would face no further action, claiming their detention was unlawful as it was unnecessary. The couple, who have three children, had their claims dismissed following a trial last year and appealed against the decision at the High Court earlier this month. In a ruling on Monday, Mr Justice Bourne overturned the decision. He said: 'In my judgment, on a proper analysis of the evidence at trial, the police did not show that there was an objective basis for the belief that it was necessary to arrest either claimant.' The judge said in a 30-page ruling that at the time of the incident, the couple's son, referred to as ABD, had 'an unfortunate history of challenging behaviour' and had begun attending a youth centre to access mental health services. The couple cancelled ABD's birthday party in March 2019 after he misbehaved, causing him to go to his room, where he 'kicked things around'. This led his mother to smack her son while his father was asleep, which she said 'was not hard and did not cause any injury or leave any mark'. ABD attended the youth centre the following day and told staff that he had been assaulted by his mother and that his father had done nothing to stop it. Despite offering to be interviewed voluntarily, both parents were arrested and detained for more than seven hours. ABD returned to the family home the following day, with police deeming that the children were not at risk of harm and telling the couple that they would face no further action three days after their arrest. Following a five-day trial at Guildford County Court, a judge dismissed their legal claims, finding that police 'reasonably believed' that their arrests were necessary 'to protect a child or children from the person in question and to enable a prompt and effective investigation'. The judge also ordered the couple to pay 70 per cent of the force's legal costs. At a hearing in London on July 2, barristers for the couple told the High Court that the judge 'erred' by finding that the arrests were 'objectively reasonable' as both parents had offered to give voluntary interviews. In his ruling, Mr Justice Bourne said he was 'unable to agree' with the trial judge's finding that there was a 'rational basis' for officers to conclude that voluntary interviews were not an option. He said: 'In the present case, no reason has been identified which actually explains why voluntary interviews were not a viable alternative.' He continued: 'None of this means that police officers are entitled to special treatment when they find themselves suspected of an offence. 'But the police must assess the circumstances and make rational decisions as to whether coercive measures are needed or not.' He added: 'Merely referring to the need to protect children and to protect the integrity of the investigation was not and is not enough. 'It follows that the arrests were unlawful and the claims should have succeeded.'
The Independent
12 minutes ago
- The Independent
FBI investigates death of passenger onboard Carnival cruise ship
The FBI is investigating a recent death on a Texas-based Carnival cruise ship. On July 23, passengers on board the Carnival Dream cruise ship were woken up to sirens just around 3 or 4 a.m., KHOU 11 reports. One passenger told the outlet she heard an announcement requesting medical assistance. The ship — which takes passengers on a six-day route through the Western Caribbean — was near Belize City at the time, Fox News reports. Now, Carnival has confirmed there was a death on board, and the FBI is investigating. "It is standard practice for the FBI to review deaths that occur on cruise ships,' a Carnival spokesperson told The Independent. 'This routine protocol ensures transparency.' 'It does not automatically imply suspicious circumstances, and the facts of this matter do not suggest any such activity,' the spokesperson added. 'We extend our heartfelt sympathy to our guest's family and loved ones in this difficult time." A Maritime Liaison Agent is looking into the incident, FBI Houston Public Affairs Officer Connor Hagan told The Independent. The agent is coordinating with the U.S. Coast Guard, Customs and Border Protection and Carnival. 'Due to the ongoing nature of the investigation, I am not able to provide additional details at this time,' Hagan said. The details of the death are unclear. Passengers on board the ship told KHOU 11 they saw police entering the ship Saturday as they were delayed while trying to disembark in Galveston, Texas. A Carnival spokesperson previously said there was no investigation into a suspicious death. 'There is no investigation about a suspicious death on Carnival Dream and it's disappointing to learn that any guests might be spreading rumors about something they know nothing about,' the spokesperson told KHOU 11 on Saturday. While the FBI is investigating this particular incident, there are many rules that determine which law enforcement agency has jurisdiction on board cruise ships. Important factors include the location of the ship, the owner of the ship and the nationality of the people involved in an incident, according to the FBI.
