Latest news with #confession
The Sun
a day ago
- The Sun
Brit pilot jailed in ex-Soviet hell prison could be freed after ex-wife's ‘chilling confession to killing baby' emerges
A BRIT pilot jailed for murder in a hellhole ex-Soviet prison could be freed after his ex-wife 'confessed' to killing their baby daughter. Mohamed Barakat, 46, is serving a 20-year sentence in a high security jail in Kazakhstan but has always maintained his innocence. 10 Bombshell recordings have now emerged of Madina Abdullayeva, 28, apparently admitting to unintentionally causing the death of her daughter Sophia. Barakat was sentenced in 2020 after a judge ruled he smashed his "smiling" baby during a drunken drug-fuelled hotel rampage, crushing her head against a wall. But the chilling audio which has been newly uncovered could mean the commercial pilot, who flew for a subsidiary of Hong Kong Airlines, could be freed or face a retrial. Madina was the main prosecution witness at his trial in Kazakhstan. Barakat received a maximum sentence under the criminal code because of the "aggravating circumstance' of committing the murder 'in a state of alcoholic and drug intoxication', said the appeal court. The country's prosecutor's office recently triggered an investigation 'on newly discovered circumstances', namely a confession by the pilot's glamorous ex-wife that she killed the baby. Detailed analysis including a 'forensic video-phonoscopy examination' reveals the confession to be Madina's voice, the pilot's legal representatives have been informed. It also found there was no tampering of the WhatsApp recording. The pilot himself recorded his ex-wife from inside his prison. 'I kill her….,' Madina is accused of posting, in evidence now being examined by police. 'I know you did,' replied the pilot, who has always maintained his innocence and previously claimed that his wife accidentally killed the child on 24 October 2019, but blamed him. Madin allegedly said on the recorded call to Barakat how she broke Sophia's neck at the hotel in Almaty. 'I left…and then when I come back, she is awake and crying because she's hungry. 'I start to feed her. And then she start to poo… 'And I try to wash her bum. And when I wash her, I break her neck…' She also told him she wanted to have another child with him. In a video made by privately-schooled Barakat, he said of her 'confession': 'Two days ago, we had another argument. 'I told her I would never have another baby with her until she told me what happened to my daughter, Sophia Barakat. 10 'And here you can see, she wrote 'Call me please'. 'And then, she writes 'I kill her'. In later conversations, Madina repeatedly asks him to 'forgive me'. These accounts are startlingly different from the version accepted by judges at the pilot's trial and appeal. The courts ruled that Madina had been beaten by her husband - despite no evidence she had any injuries - and left their hotel room after which he killed the child. The wife then opened the door and picked up the motionless girl, rushing down to the hotel lobby, where she was seen on security cameras. Madina had shouted: 'He killed my child, he hit her,' according to one hotel staff member. Hotel workers said the baby was 'blue'. Earlier they remembered the British girl as 'always smiling' during the family's stay at the Intercontinental Hotel in Almaty. The wife collapsed several times in the lobby as staff called medics who found the baby to be dead. 10 10 There are a host of other inconsistencies regarding the verdict. In turning down an appeal by the pilot, three women judges in 2021 ruled that 'the guilt of the convict [Barakat] was proved by the testimony of a witness - a hotel maid - that she heard the sounds of banging on the wall, after which the crying of the child immediately fell silent'. The judges said: 'More than ten witnesses testified that they saw the woman [Madina] with the child in her arms, who ran to the reception and reported that her drunken husband had killed her child.' Yet law enforcement broke their own rules in using photographs not the corpse to establish fatal wounds. Based on these errors, the court found Sophia died from 'multiple impacts…caused by repeated blows' - namely from Barakat banging his child's head repeatedly against the walls or doors, smashing the child's brain. The pilot was said by the judge to be drunk and under the influence of drugs yet astonishingly no drugs were found in his blood or urine, according to documents in the case. The only evidence of drug use was a toxicology test showing traces of THC in vomit from the hotel mattress, yet the centre has dismissed use of such evidence as unreliable. 'CCTV shows him walking steadily into the hotel, handing balloons to his daughter, and carrying her. Hotel staff said he did not appear drunk,' said his lawyer Din-Mukhamed Narymbetov. Additionally, Madina was the main prosecution witness based on evidence she gave in the aftermath of the killing. 'Her statements were obtained with procedural violations, and she eventually retracted them,' said the lawyer. Barakat said after obtaining his ex-wife's 'confession': 'Madina knows I am innocent. My family knows I'm innocent. The lawyers who stood with me - they know I'm innocent.'
News.com.au
a day ago
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Chris Hughes makes X-rated confession about sex life with JoJo Siwa
Chris Hughes has made an X-rated confession about the cheeky nickname girlfriend JoJo Siwa has given to his private parts. The Love Island reality star, who recently posted a snapshot showing the pair lying in bed onto his Instagram Stories, has opened up about just what goes on behind closed doors. The couple previously confirmed their romance after meeting on Celebrity Big Brother earlier this year. ITV2 matchmaking show star personality Chris, 32, recently flew out to reunite with Dance Moms star JoJo, 22, in LA, before showing they had taken the next step in their relationship with a framed image of the pair in her family home. Now he has admitted to a cheeky sex secret when the lights go out, and said of the singer: 'She calls my balls Jimmy and Timmy.' He added, 'So she must like Jimmy and Timmy.' Chris added how the US star loved 'the rhyming lingo.' He said to E! News, 'She's literally the love of my life, but she's also my best friend. 'We sit and do nothing together.' The now-couple became extremely close while they co-starred on ITV reality show. They spent a large chunk of time in the house cuddling and snuggling, despite JoJo's then-relationship with Australian influencer Kath Ebbs. Just hours after finishing in third place on the ITV series, JoJo dumped Kath at the after-party. Recently, Chris was open and honest about how 'totally in love' he is with JoJo. 'I am really in love with this one,' he told the Daily Mail. 'She is my princess, she is a good one.' It came after he opened up to the Sun's Fabulous Magazine about the backlash he has faced after he went official with their relationship. 'I've had more people call me 'gay' in the last two months of my life than ever before,' he said. 'But it doesn't bother me – as long as people aren't nasty, opinions are fine.' He added, 'Meeting Joelle gave me this magical feeling. She is the most precious person …. I'm obsessed with her. I'd do anything for her.' Discussing their romance, JoJo – who couldn't keep her hands off Chris during their recent trip to LA – also previously told The Guardian, 'It's not platonic any more, and it's been a beautiful development, a beautiful connection, and I'm absolutely head over heels for him and he's the same way. 'I won't ever speak for him, but for me personally, the happiness in my life just radiates off of me right now.'
The Sun
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Chris Hughes makes x-rated confession about sex life with JoJo Siwa and calls her her ‘the love of his life'
CHRIS Hughes has made an x-rated confession about the cheeky nickname girlfriend JoJo Siwa has given to his private parts. The Love Island alum, who recently posted a snapshot showing the pair lying in bed onto his Instagram Stories, has opened up about just what goes on behind closed doors. 6 6 6 The couple previously confirmed their romance after meeting on Celebrity Big Brother earlier this year. ITV2 matchmaking show star personality Chris, 32, recently flew out to reunite with Dance Moms star JoJo, 22, in LA, before showing they had taken the next step in their relationship with a framed image of the pair in her family home. Now he has admitted to a cheeky sex secret when the lights go out, and said of the Boomerang singer: "She calls my balls Jimmy and Timmy. "So she must like Jimmy and Timmy." ITV Racing pundit Chris added how the US star loved "the rhyming lingo." He said to E! News: "She's literally the love of my life, but she's also my best friend. "We sit and do nothing together." The now-couple became extremely close while they co-starred on ITV reality show CBB. They spent a large chunk of time in the house cuddling and snuggling, despite JoJo's then-relationship with Kath Ebbs. Just hours after finishing in third place on the ITV series, JoJo dumped Kath at the after-party. Chris Hughes can't keep his hands off girlfriend JoJo Siwa after revealing they're 'totally in love' Recently, horse racing correspondent Chris was open and honest about how "totally in love" he is with JoJo. "I am really in love with this one," he told the Daily Mail. "She is my princess, she is a good one." It came after he opened up to the Sun's Fabulous Magazine about the backlash he has faced after he went official with their relationship. JoJo Siwa and Kath Ebbs' relationship We look back at JoJo Siwa's romance with Kath Ebbs: JoJo Siwa went public with hers and Kath Ebbs' relationship in January 2025. The Dance Moms star had been introduced to 27-year-old Australian content creator Kath by a mutual friend called G-Flip six months earlier. JoJo had split with her girlfriend Dakayla Wilson in November 2024 and it is believed she hooked up romantically with Kath soon after. Speaking in March at the 36th Annual GLAAD Media Awards, JoJo said of her relationship: 'I am so happy. I am in a very mature relationship, and it's beautiful. It's taught me so much about life. 'It's taught me so much about love and respect, and it's a beautiful thing. 'It's different in more ways than I can count. I wouldn't even know what to say the biggest is 'cause just everything is so different and special.' Kath even claimed they had talked about marriage together. However, JoJo's romance with Kath abruptly hit the skids on April 25, 2025, at the Celebrity Big Brother wrap party. JoJo dumped Kath at the bash after spending 19 days in the CBB house - where she had grown close to Love Island star Chris Hughes. He told us: "I've had more people call me 'gay' in the last two months of my life than ever before. "But it doesn't bother me – as long as people aren't nasty, opinions are fine." He added: "Meeting Joelle gave me this magical feeling. "She is the most precious person….I'm obsessed with her. "I'd do anything for her." Discussing their romance, JoJo - who couldn't keep her hands off Chris during their recent trip to LA - also previously told The Guardian: "It's not platonic any more, and it's been a beautiful development, a beautiful connection, and I'm absolutely head over heels for him and he's the same way. She added: "I won't ever speak for him, but for me personally, the happiness in my life just radiates off of me right now." 6 6 6
The Independent
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Trump administration intervenes to help block law requiring priests to report child abuse revealed in confessions
A federal judge has ruled that Catholic priests in Washington state cannot be required to report child abuse or neglect they learn about through confession after the Trump administration intervened in their favor. Three Roman Catholic bishops had sued the state government over a new law — SB 5375 — that would extend mandatory abuse reporting rules to the sacrament of confession despite the Church's absolute ban on revealing such secrets. Last month the U.S. Department of Justice backed them up, arguing the law "deprives Catholic priests of their fundamental right to freely exercise their religious beliefs, as guaranteed under the First Amendment". On Friday U.S. district judge David G. Estudillo ruled the priests were "likely to succeed" in their lawsuit and issued a preliminary injunction blocking that part of the law. "There is no question that SB 5375 burdens plaintiffs' free exercise of religion," Estudillo wrote. "In situations where Plaintiffs hear confessions related to child abuse or neglect, SB 5375 places them in the position of either complying with the requirements of their faith or violating the law... "As [the plaintiff] stated, any priest who directly violates the sacramental seal incurs automatic excommunication, and thereby risks eternal damnation... "Ultimately, Washington's failure to demonstrate why it has an interest of the highest order in denying an exemption to clergy while making such exemptions available to other professionals who work with underserved children is likely fatal." It comes after the Trump administration cut funding for investigating child sexual abuse, and refused to release promised documents about the crimes and associates of Jeffrey Epstein, as it seeks to define transgender rights and healthcare for under-18s as a form of "child abuse". SB 5375 was signed into law in May by Washington's Democratic governor Bob Ferguson, and will take effect on July 27. Ferguson told reporters he had no hesitation about signing it. Ferguson is Catholic and has been to confession. As state attorney general, Ferguson had accused the Catholic Church of refusing to cooperate with an investigation into whether it unlawfully used charitable funds to cover up sexual abuse by priests. The new law adds religious leaders and priests to a list of professions that can be criminally charged if they do not report suspected abuse or neglect, alongside teachers, doctors, nurses, childcare providers, and many others. Previously, priests were only required to report if the suspected perpetrator was someone they had authority over, and were exempted from doing so if they learned about it through a "privileged communication" such as confession. Washington's Catholic leadership objected, saying the Church's prohibition on breaking the "seal of confession" is absolute and threatens to excommunicate any Catholic priests who follow the law. "All Catholics must know and be assured that their confessions remain sacred, secure, confidential, and protected by the law of the Church," said Archbishop Paul D. Etienne, citing a Bible passage in which St Peter says: "We must obey God rather than men." The priests' lawsuit argued that SB 5375 infringed upon their first amendment rights and treated them differently than other professions. They cited a separate bill that exempts some lawyers and their employees if the information was obtained through confidential dealings with clients. Estudillo's judgement zeroed in on that contrast, writing: "The government interest at issue in both statutes — protecting children from abuse and neglect — is the same. Nevertheless, one law eliminates the privilege for clergy while the other expands the privileges available to secular professionals." Trump's Justice Department weighed in too, calling the law "anti-Catholic" and saying "a more direct burden on the exercise of religion would be difficult to imagine". The judge did not block any other part of the law, which means clergy will still be required to report abuse they learn about outside confession, even if they have no authority over the suspected perpetrator. The case is ongoing and the final outcome could still change. Washington's Eastern Orthodox Christian leaders have also filed a similar lawsuit.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Judge blocks WA requirement for priests to report child abuse disclosed in confession
(Getty Images) Catholic priests in Washington cannot be required to report child abuse or neglect they learn of in confession, a federal judge ruled Friday. U.S. District Court Chief Judge David G. Estudillo granted a preliminary injunction sought by three Catholic bishops, temporarily blocking enforcement of a controversial element in a new state law set to take effect July 27. Estudillo ruled that requiring disclosure of information priests hear in the confessional infringes on their First Amendment right to practice religion and will force them to violate their sacred vows or face punishment by the state. The decision means clergy will be added to the state's roster of professions that must report to law enforcement when they have 'reasonable cause to believe that a child has suffered abuse or neglect.' But the state cannot require Archbishop Paul Etienne of Seattle, Bishop Joseph Tyson of Yakima and Bishop Thomas Daly of Spokane — the three who filed the suit — or any Catholic priest in Washington under their direction to disclose such information they hear in confession. 'There is no question that SB 5375 burdens Plaintiffs' free exercise of religion,' Estudillo wrote in a 25-page ruling issued four days after a court hearing in Tacoma. The legislation 'places them in the position of either complying with the requirements of their faith or violating the law. The consequences for violating the law are serious and, as Plaintiffs assert, the implications of violating the Sacramental Seal are more serious still,' he wrote. Attorney General Nick Brown's office emphasized that the ruling only applies to 'the Sacrament of Confession' and that, if clergy learn about abuse in any other setting, the injunction does not change that they will be mandated reporters. Brown did not provide any further comment. The ruling drew praise from Catholic Church leaders and attorneys who brought the suit. 'By protecting the seal of confession, the court has also safeguarded the basic principle that people of all faiths should be free to practice their beliefs without government interference,' Mark Rienzi, president and CEO of Becket, one of the legal teams, said in a statement. Jean Hill, executive director of the Washington State Catholic Conference, said Catholic faithful have sought reconciliation with God through the sacrament of confession for centuries. 'This ruling protects that sacred space and ensures that Washingtonians of all religious stripes can live out their beliefs in peace,' she said in a statement. Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson signed the legislation in early May. Ferguson, a Catholic, has said requiring disclosures about information learned in confession did not give him pause and he was disappointed his church was suing 'to protect individuals who abuse kids.' The law adds clergy to a list that includes school personnel, nurses, social service counselors, psychologists, and many others, who must report suspected abuse or neglect. A 'member of the clergy' is defined in the legislation to cover any regularly licensed, accredited, or ordained minister, priest, rabbi, imam, elder, or similarly positioned religious or spiritual leader. Violations of the law carry potential penalties of up to 364 days in jail, a $5,000 fine, and civil liability. The three bishops filed their lawsuit May 29, naming Ferguson, Brown and the prosecuting attorney in each of Washington's 39 counties as defendants. Prosecutors for the counties did not take sides in this dispute. Collectively, they agreed to accept a preliminary injunction as long as the plaintiffs did not seek attorney fees from them. This basically put the counties on the sidelines, said Geoff Enns, a Snohomish County deputy prosecuting attorney. State attorneys have argued the law can survive a First Amendment challenge because it was tailored to serve the compelling government interest of prosecuting perpetrators of child abuse. But in his ruling, Estudillo said the state 'arguably could have chosen a less restrictive means of advancing its interest' by adding members of the clergy to the list of mandated reporters and providing a narrow exception for the confessional, as other states do. Attorneys for the bishops have argued the law treats Catholic priests, and the religious activity of confession, differently than other professions that involve confidential conversations. They pointed to House Bill 1171, which also takes effect July 27. That law exempts attorneys employed by public or private higher education institutions, and employees under their supervision, from their mandatory reporting obligations if the information obtained is related to the representation of a client. Estudillo agreed, ruling this undermined the state's argument that it was not singling out the church practice. 'The government interest at issue in both statutes — protecting children from abuse and neglect — is the same. Nevertheless, one law eliminates the privilege for clergy while the other expands the privileges available to secular professionals,' he wrote. 'Ultimately, Washington's failure to demonstrate why it has an interest of the highest order in denying an exemption to clergy while making such exemptions available to other professionals who work with underserved children … is likely fatal' to the law, the judge added. Last month, the U.S. Department of Justice sought to join the legal fight as an intervening party on the side of the bishops. Estudillo granted the request. The Trump Administration also filed a separate request for a preliminary injunction. It is slated for a hearing next week. Meanwhile, a similar legal battle is unfolding in the U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Washington. The Orthodox Church of America, along with other churches and individual priests, has sued state officials and county prosecutors, contending the law violates the First Amendment right to practice one's religion. SB 5375 preliminary injunction ruling U.S. District Judge David G. Estudillo's July 18, 2025, ruling, granting a preliminary injunction, partially blocking enforcement of Senate Bill 5375.
