Latest news with #Billman
Metro
17-06-2025
- Metro
Model who posted revenge porn photos of woman online spared jail
A woman has narrowly avoided prison after she posted revenge porn images on Instagram of another woman having sex. Louise Billman uploaded several explicit images of the woman in various sexual positions, alongside comments calling her a 'slag' and 'tramp'. Billman, 40, also added a lengthy statement alongside the pictures of the woman, calling her her 'homewrecker' and a 'stalkaway'. Magistrates sentenced Billman, a jewellery model, to 20 weeks in jail, suspended for 12 months. Billman's sentencing, at Cambridge Magistrates Court, came after she was found guilty of disclosing private sexual images without consent at the same court following a trial in May. The court heard the victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had been 'stripped of her dignity' by the revenge porn and feared who else had seen the images. Prosecutor James Quelch said the incident, in June 2023, had 'affected the victim's day-to-day activities' and made her terrified of the consequences. The woman said in a victim impact statement: 'I felt like I had been stripped of my dignity, my anxiety has increased, I am constantly thinking that people who know me have seen the images. 'I am worried there will be repercussions for my family and child. In her posts, there were also images of my child. I am constantly worried about the images surfacing.' Rachel Buck, mitigating, said her client had good character and had been 'ostracised' by her family for supporting her partner, Joey Baptiste, during his own court ordeal. Baptiste, 41, was spared jail in 2021 after admitting a charge of coercive control against a former partner when Billman begged with the judge to spare him. Heavily pregnant with his twins at the time, she told Norwich Crown Court he had turned his life around and was attending AA meetings. Miss Buck added: 'It is quite rare for somebody of such good character to be before the court. More Trending 'She supported Baptiste through his trial. Some members of her family ostracised her for supporting her partner, apart from her mother. By June 2023, she had been cut off by lots of people and had no voice and no narrative.' Billman was also ordered to pay £200 compensation to her victim for the 'ongoing fear and trauma' she was suffering. There was also a £154 surcharge and a £650 contribution to court costs, reduced to £400 due to her 'financial situation'. Billman did not comment as she left the court. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Man who tortured woman 'made her phone mum to say goodbye' during 10-hour ordeal MORE: Former Tory MP admits harassing ex-wife with messages and voice note MORE: Man murdered girlfriend, 21, decapitated her then pretended to be her
Scottish Sun
17-06-2025
- Scottish Sun
Model posted ‘revenge porn' photos of woman having sex on Instagram and branded her a ‘tramp' – but is spared jail
PIC SHAME Model posted 'revenge porn' photos of woman having sex on Instagram and branded her a 'tramp' – but is spared jail A MODEL posted "revenge porn" photos of a woman having sex and branded her a "tramp" - but has been spared jail. Louise Billman uploaded "multiple" grabs of the victim to Instagram that showed her "various sexual positions". Advertisement 6 Louise Billman posted 'revenge porn' pictures of a woman on Instagram Credit: Instagram 6 She has been spared jail following a trial Credit: SWNS The 40-year-old captioned the illicit images with a series of slurs - including "tramp" and "s**g". Despite leaving the victim feeling like she had been "stripped of her dignity", Billman managed to swerve a jail sentence. She was instead handed a 20 week sentence, suspended for 12 months, after she was found guilty of disclosing private sexual images without consent. Cambridge Magistrates' Court heard the victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was left anxious over the images. Advertisement Prosecutor James Quelch also said the ordeal in June 2023 had "affected the victim's day-to-day activities" and made her "scared" of the potential consequences. In her own harrowing statement, the woman said: "I felt like I had been stripped of my dignity… my anxiety has increased, I am constantly thinking that people who know me have seen the images. "I am worried there will be repercussions for my family and child. In her posts there were also images of my child. "I am constantly worried about the images surfacing." Advertisement Rachel Buck, mitigating, said her client was of "good character" and had been "ostracised" by her family for supporting her partner, Joey Baptiste, during his own court ordeal. Baptiste, 41, was spared jail in 2021 after admitting a charge of coercive control against an ex. He also caused the woman physical harm by dragging her out of a bed and throwing her against a wall. On another occasion, he smashed her head against a car dashboard, the court heard. Advertisement Billman had begged the judge to let Baptiste walk free as she was heavily pregnant with his twins at the time. The thug later found himself back in court after crashing Dragon Den star Ross Mendham's £100k Ferrari. He accompanied Billman to her sentencing hearing but the pair did not comment as they left the building. 6 Billman accompanied the images with a string of slurs Credit: Instagram Advertisement 6 She received a suspended sentence 6 Billman was accompanied to court by her thug partner Credit: SWNS
The Hill
16-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
‘100 percent' haven't shown up to work due to immigration raids, Texas farmer says
DONNA, Texas (KVEO) — Farmers in Texas's Rio Grande Valley say they are feeling the pinch of workers failing to show up due to the ongoing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids. Farmer Nick Billman of Donna told Nexstar's KVEO that the raids are keeping employees from coming to work, leaving farmers without any help. He said things started getting worse just weeks ago. 'I would say within the last three weeks, it started to slow, but this last week has been huge,' Billman said. 'That is when it has been zero people wanting to come out and be exposed, to be able to be picked up, whether they are legal or illegal.' However, there is some optimism as President Trump acknowledged that his immigration policies are affecting U.S. farmers, prompting him to say he's considering an executive order to help farmers stay afloat. Last week, the Trump administration directed immigration officers to pause arrests at farms, restaurants, and hotels, an official confirmed. This as Billman reported having zero workers on his farm for the past week. 'One hundred percent. One hundred percent don't want to come out of fear of being picked up even if they are doing it the right way,' Billman said. Billman was left alone, cleaning up debris from a storm that moved through on Thursday. While storm debris cleanup is easy, Billman told KVEO that he believes the country's food supply could be impacted if the pressure on farms continues. 'It could be to the point where we lose our planting and having the ground ready, and even then, why plan if we cannot even harvest?' the farmer said. 'My family and I can harvest by hand ourselves, but the amount we need in order to cover that cost of growing, we have to have much broader personnel than just family hands-on.' Farm bureaus in California have shared similar sentiments, saying raids at packing houses and fields in their state are threatening businesses that supply much of the country's food. Billman explained that migrants help maintain and prepare the land for planting, taking on some of the heaviest work. ICE raids have farmers like him worried, as well, because they do not want to get into trouble because of who they hire. 'We don't ask people for papers, as it is not our job,' Billman said. 'If someone is willing to work, we're gonna give them a 1098 form, they signed up on it, they get paid, and whether they pay their taxes, that is their responsibility. We are worried that we are going to face scrutiny over it if they come raid our fields, as we don't know who's legal or not because we don't ask that.' Billman and others have said reform is the best solution to protect the country's food supply. The Texas Farm Bureau also released a statement on the matter, saying, 'Farm employees work hard every day to help produce healthy, American-grown food. An adequate workforce in U.S. Agriculture is a continual challenge that must be addressed and resolved. … We look forward to working with the Trump Administration and Congress on solutions that provide a legal and stable workforce.' Billman said Washington politicians are welcome to visit his ranch to see the realities he's facing without this vital workforce, and he hopes a solution is offered soon. 'Instead of this chase, let's give incentives for these people that are immigrating to our country, like the Bracero Program,' Billman said. From the early 1940s through the mid-1960s, the federally sponsored Bracero Program was started to address a U.S. labor shortage brought on by World War II, according to the National Archives. It offered short-term contracts to migrants to come to the U.S. from Mexico to work seasonally and send remittances back home to their families. After the end of World War II, the program limited laborers to agricultural work. It's estimated that more than 4.5 million laborers — or braceros, Spanish for 'arm man' — came into the U.S. during the program's 22 years. The Texas State Historical Association says most never returned to Mexico, with some having received legal status or amnesty through the Immigration Reform Control Act of 1986. 'Incentives for these immigrants to come through, pay their taxes, and everybody is safe, vetted, and it would work much better that way,' Billman said. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Landis Elementary teacher wins Billman Excellence in Teaching Award
As a bilingual graduate from the Logansport Community School Corporation, Karina Mejia is now giving students opportunities she never had as part of the Dual Language Immersion Program at Landis Elementary. 'We only had languages from our freshman year to senior year and now they can start at a younger age,' Mejia told the Pharos-Tribune in 2022. 'They are becoming more affluent in the language, too.' For her passion and hard work, the Cass County Community Foundation on Wednesday announced Mejia as the 2025 recipient of the Elizabeth A. Billman Excellence in Teaching Award during the end of school year awards at Landis. Deanna Crispen, CCCF president & CEO, and Luke Gangloff, CCCF chairman, made the announcement and commended Mejia for her dedication to her students and their families, ability to create an equitable learning environment and her passion for teaching and community. 'Elizabeth Billman was an educator, administrator, mentor and role model for young women and teachers,' Crispen said. 'When we thought about ways to honor her legacy, this award, to encourage teachers early in their careers, was the result and we know Liz would be proud we are continuing her legacy through the award.' Mejia, who teaches the second-grade Spanish portion of the Dual Language program, was nominated by her assistant principal, Ashley Gangloff. 'Karina forms genuine connections with her students, taking time to understand their backgrounds, their families, and what inspirers them to learn,' Gangloff said in her nomination. 'She creates a warm and welcoming classroom where all students feel valued and supported.' Mejia just completed her fourth year as an educator at Landis. She is the fifth recipient of the award. The Excellence in Teaching Award was established in 2021 to honor the long legacy of Billman, who served on the Board of Directors of the Cass County Community Foundation for 16 years, including two terms as chairman of the board of directors and was on the board of directors at the time of her passing. Billman retired as principal at Thompson Elementary School, now known as Lewis Cass Elementary. She also taught in the Southeastern School Corporation, beginning her teaching career at Washington Township School. She was a member of the Lewis Cass Alumni Association where she received the Distinguished Service Award. In total, she served in the Southeastern School Corporation for 38 years. Mejia was selected for the award from a pool of nominees — submitted by elementary building principals of kindergarten through sixth grade from all county schools — who most exemplify Billman's commitment to the students. The award consists of a $500 stipend for the teacher for their classroom and a commemorative plaque. A permanent plaque is on display at the CCCF office to honor each year's recipient.
Yahoo
16-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
CCCF opens nominations for Excellence in Teaching Award
The Cass County Community Foundation has opened the nomination period for the 2025 The Elizabeth A. Billman Excellence in Teaching Award. Billman served on the Board of Directors of the Cass County Community Foundation for a period of 16 years, serving two terms as chairman of the board of directors and was on the board of directors at the time of her death. The Cass County Community Foundation established the award in honor and memory of her outstanding service, community leadership and legacy of excellence. 'Billman was an educator, administrator, mentor, and role model for teachers and young women,' the a press release from the CCCF said. Billman retired as principal at Thompson Elementary School. She also taught in the Southeastern School Corporation, beginning her teaching career at Washington Township School. She was a member of the Lewis Cass Alumni Association where she received the Distinguished Service Award. Billman served in the Southeastern School Corporation for 38 years. The Award is presented annually to an individual teaching at the elementary school level, kindergarten through sixth grade, at Caston, Lewis Cass, Logansport, or Pioneer School Districts. Nominees must have completed five years of teaching or less and be nominated by their building principal. Nominations are due to the foundation by March 31. The award consists of a $500 stipend for the teacher and a plaque. A permanent plaque has been designed and is located at the CCCF office to commemorate each year's recipient. The Award is presented in May. Previous recipients include Jennifer Rosenberger of Franklin Elementary in 2021, Katie Easter of Lewis Cass Elementary in 2022, Brittany Bertrand of Lewis Cass Elementary in 2023, and Jordan Helton of Fairview Elementary in 2024. 'Liz was the consummate servant leader, a true friend and colleague,' CCCF president Deanna Crispen said. 'The impact of her leadership and significant contributions of time, talent, and treasure reached far beyond what she ever imagined. In a time when the world struggles to know the truth, Liz was a shining example of how to live a full life in service to others, true to herself and unwavering in her faith. She is deeply missed.'
