Latest news with #paedophileRing
The Sun
18-06-2025
- The Sun
I was plied with drugs & raped by a gang from age 11 – I was so brainwashed I scratched my abuser's initials into my arm
STANDING alone in the dark an 11-year-old Josie Clark had no idea how she was going to get back to her care home. She didn't even know where she was having been abandoned in the middle of nowhere by a group of men because she had refused to have sex with them. 9 9 9 And when she eventually did make her way back to the children's home in Blackburn, she would find her door locked as a punishment. While the men had put her in a dangerous situation Josie, now 33, continued to hang out with them as they finally gave her the attention she was so starved of. But as Josie later found out, they were not her friends but a paedophile ring who groomed and sexually abused her from the age of 11 in exchange for alcohol, drugs and gifts. She admits feeling like a 'child prostitute' and feeling so brainwashed that even after some gang members were convicted, she continued to feel a loyalty towards them. And so hearing the news that the government will hold a national inquiry into the grooming scandal, Josie Clark feels a wave of relief. Josie says: 'The inquiry should have been ordered many years ago. There are children being groomed and abused today, just like I was, and this decision is long overdue. 'I have done my best to move on with my life but it's impossible. 'I am mistrustful of everyone; I can't share my life, or my home, with other adults. I have trauma and anxiety. I don't sleep properly. 'For many years, I blamed myself. I thought I was a child prostitute; I thought I had made the wrong decisions. 'Aged 11, I was plied with drugs and booze and I was raped and sexually assaulted on a daily basis, sometimes by several men. And yet I was brainwashed into thinking they loved me.' Josie's turning point came aged 29, when she underwent therapy and adopted her pet dogs. She credits them with saving her life but says the damage and the stigma from grooming will haunt her forever. 'It took me until I was 29 to understand exactly what happened,' she says. 'I got my first dog, and the love I have from him is just incredible. 'I look forward to seeing how a national inquiry deals with the social workers, the police officers and the other agencies who so far have not been held to account. 'The system needs to change so that children are supported and this is the first step.' Josie was taken into care as a small child at the age of four. Aged six, she found herself in a children's home with teenagers, and she was sexually assaulted by another resident. She says: 'During these years, I was bouncing back and forth between different foster homes, children's homes and my family home. It wasn't always the same men, and sometimes, we'd get out of one car and straight into another. Josie Clark 'I had no stability and no love.' Aged 11, living in a children's home, she fell into the clutches of a grooming gang. She says: 'I went out with my friend one night and she introduced me to them. 'We got into a car, the men drove us round, gave us cannabis, and then dropped us off again. It became a pattern, every night, and we skipped school to see them. 9 9 9 'They bought us food and items of clothing and gave us Jack Daniels, cocaine and ecstasy.' 'Aged 11, I was raped' But the men quickly demanded something in return, and Josie lost count of the times she was sexually assaulted. She says: 'It wasn't always the same men, and sometimes, we'd get out of one car and straight into another. 'Sometimes, I was so drugged up I hardly knew what I was doing. They'd take us to dingy flats and houses, sometimes overnight. 'Aged 11, I was raped by a man who told me he loved me, and he was going to marry me. I was so confused and troubled that I scratched his initial onto my arm. 'I hated the sexual assaults, but I had become dependent on the men. I owed them, and by now I was addicted to drugs and cigarettes.' Josie says that if she refused their advances then the consequences were dire. 'If I refused to have sex, I'd get a smack,' she says. 'Once, they drove to a remote village and just left us there in the dead of night. They had a knife which they waved about. I was wary of them. 'And yet, I had a loyalty to them. They were the only people who showed me any care or love – that was how I saw it, as a child. 'The children's home staff seemed keen to punish me, but not as keen to find out why I kept going missing or where I was. 'Their punishment was either to stop my pocket money, or lock me out of my bedroom, which just pushed me back to my abusers.' 'I thought it was my fault' Aged 15, Josie and another friend were victims of a serious physical assault, when two of the men attacked them with an iron bar. Shaken, they went to the police. Josie says: 'Even then, I was conflicted. 'I didn't want to get the men into trouble. I reported the physical assault, but I honestly didn't think sexual assaults were criminal. I thought they were my fault.' In August 2007, two of her abusers were jailed for five years and eight months, with a judge condemning Zulfar Hussain, 46, and Qaiser Naveed, 32, for "exploiting" vulnerable children. What is grooming and where to get help? What is grooming? According to the Metropolitan Police, "Grooming is when a person builds a relationship with a child, young person or an adult who's at risk so they can abuse them and manipulate them into doing things. "The abuse is usually sexual or financial, but it can also include other illegal acts." Types of grooming Grooming can take place online or in person and it can happen over a short or long period of time - from days to years. Online and through social media In person Signs of grooming Are they being secretive about how they're spending their time? Do they have an older boyfriend or girlfriend? Do they have money or new things like clothes and mobile phones that they can't or won't explain? Are they drinking or taking drugs? Are they spending more or less time than usual online or on their devices? Do they seem upset or withdrawn? Are they using sexual language you wouldn't expect them to know? Are they spending more time away from home or going missing for periods of time? A person won't know they're being groomed, they will trust their abuser who is giving them lots of attention and gifts. Also, their groomer may have warned them not to talk to anyone about it. How to get help and support Grooming is an offence. If you suspect a person is being groomed, even if you're not sure, please tell someone. Is someone about to be attacked or hurt? Is a crime taking place right now? If yes, call 999 and ask for the police. If it isn't an emergency you can report grooming to the police on 101. Charities and agencies: Hussain admitted abducting a child, sexual activity with the same child and supplying the youngster with ecstasy. Naveed pleaded guilty to the same offences. Following Josie's report, Operation Engage was launched, and it became the first major investigation into child sexual exploitation and grooming gangs. Josie says: 'Even after the trial, I continued to blame myself and it ruined all my relationships going forwards. 'When the sexual abuse ended, it felt like a break-up. I went from one type of trauma to another. I felt so angry all the time and my mind was constantly on the go. 'From my social services records I discovered I'd been sexually abused as a child. On the second occasion it took three days for the offence to be logged and that really breaks my heart. 'It feels like nobody cared about me at all.' Aged 29, Josie began therapy and was found to be suffering with severe trauma. She says: 'The therapy really helped, and I started to understand myself. I have my dogs, Bestie and Kyra and they are a big comfort to me. 'My message to other survivors is not to keep quiet – you should shout it from the rooftops. This is nothing to be ashamed of and it's only by speaking out that we will be able to expose the abusers. 'I'd appeal to anyone who is being groomed or abused to please speak out and get help. Your voice is your most powerful weapon. 'I hope the inquiry exposes not only the abusers but the agencies who have failed the children along the way.' It comes as devastating report found that grooming gang victims were failed by cops and public officials more bothered about dodging claims of racism. Baroness Louise Casey found perpetrators got away with it because of fears about inflaming community tensions. Josie took legal action against Blackburn with Darwen council, claiming they failed her as a child. She accepted an out of court settlement and the council did not admit liability in relation to her claim. Councillor Julie Gunn, executive member for children, young people and education at Blackburn with Darwen Council said after the case: 'It's always brave to speak out about abuse. 'This is a historical case and it's important to acknowledge the long-term impact of abuse. There are strict legal rules around sharing information about individual cases however we can speak direct to people involved and this will happen. 'Safeguarding is taken very seriously, and we have prioritised tackling child sexual exploitation to protect young people at risk of harm. 'Tough action is taken to deal with offenders and lots of support is available for those who are vulnerable or have been affected.' 9 9
The Sun
17-06-2025
- The Sun
Bludgeoned to death & set alight… why I'm sure secret paedo ring STILL on UK streets was behind sick murder of dad-to-be
'I know what's going on. I'm going to spill the beans soon,' council worker Bulic Forsythe told a colleague on a cold February day in 1993. Just days later, the 42-year-old was found dead - in horrific, mysterious circumstances that have baffled investigators for decades. 15 15 15 Called to a fire raging in his small flat in Brixton, firemen found Bulic lying in his bed with a pillow over his head. The father-to-be, described by colleagues as decent and hard-working, had been killed by repeated blows against his skull. It was a chilling cold case, and to this day no one has been charged. Police at the time looked into his personal life, suspecting he had lived a double life within the gay community, or that the motive was robbery. What wasn't investigated was his professional life at Lambeth Council. And if they had, they might have found a much darker motive behind his brutal murder. During the 80s and 90s, the council was mired in corruption, with allegations of financial malpractice and abuse of power. But the most serious crimes did not become clear until decades later, when an unearthed internal investigation shed light on the horrific abuses of a paedophile ring operating primarily in the housing department where Bulic worked. Often in the basement of council buildings themselves, the sickening network assaulted and even filmed the abuse of hundreds of children in care. Horrific child abuse videos were thought to have been made and distributed by council staff, while other workers were reportedly intimidated, coerced, or even drugged before being assaulted themselves. In all, it is now alleged that at least 700 children were sexually abused while under the council's care, though the true number is believed to be even higher. And shockingly, only a handful of the abusers - who included senior council workers - have ever been prosecuted, with investigators warning that many still walk UK streets to this day. More than 700 children suffered sex abuse as paedos ran wild for 50 years at homes run by Lambeth Council, report says Now, a Channel 4 documentary from criminologist Professor David Wilson and Emilia Fox has unearthed new witness evidence that suggests they were prepared to go to any length - even murder - to silence potential whistleblowers like Bulic. 'I've got no doubt that if the police were to continue to look at the information which we have provided to them, there is every possibility that there could be arrests in relation to what happened to Bulic,' David told The Sun. 'In my career, I've seen cold cases reopened, reinvestigated, and successfully prosecuted on the basis of less evidence than what emerged during the investigation that took place for his documentary.' Murder mystery Born in Jamaica before moving to Britain, Bulic worked for the council's housing department and lived alone, with his wife based in America. But then, out of the blue, he didn't show up for work. His neighbour reported a commotion - the sound of heavy footsteps - then at 2am on February 26, they were awoken by the smell of burning before the fire brigade recovered his body. Tragically, he died just three months before the birth of his daughter, Kiddist, who has since joined the campaign to find justice for her father. The fire had destroyed any forensic evidence. Instead, police noted the fact Bulic had friends in the gay scene, wondering he had been secretly bisexual - a line of inquiry that led nowhere. 15 15 15 Later, a man was found in possession of some jewellery taken from his flat, but they were unable to place the suspect at the time of the murder - and no one was ever charged. But what was ignored by police at the time was Bulic's workplace, Lambeth Council. 'It was a very difficult time. Lambeth had been in the news as a disaster for many years by then - every year services were getting worse,' Stephen Whaley, council leader at the time, told the documentary. 'There was an endless barrage of accusations of corruption. You had a process of corrupt people corrupting others, to make sure it never came out.' Lambeth became a byword for corruption and fraud - but a culture of fear made blowing the whistle difficult. Nearly unearthed files even reveal that at one point, Bulic resigned from his position, with his manager noting he was 'aware of the effort Bulic made because of the culture of the organisation.' 'It was an incredibly hard place to work. It would have been an even harder place to speak out,' said Clive Driscoll, a former Detective Chief Inspector for the Metropolitan Police. 'There was a councillor who told me that there was a man that would go round and give a knock on your door, basically saying that if you didn't shut up, things could happen to you.' Victims silenced Yet as it emerged, the corruption went far deeper than just financial manipulation, with both children under the care of the council and staff members themselves subjected to horrific sexual assaults behind closed doors. And whoever was carrying out this abuse had an extensive network able to threaten and intimidate people at will. One person, Louise*, who worked at the council around the time of Bulic's death, claims she was repeatedly sexually assaulted by a senior official in the council, often where there were children. The former staffer, who appears in the documentary speaking anonymously, says many of the assaults were captured on camera - she believes for money. But even this was not as terrifying as what happened when she tried to speak publicly. 15 'An investigation was set up. I was told a lot of people came forward - but they didn't take any signed statements because people were terrified,' she said. 'Initially it was phone calls, telling me to back off, then I had a chemical thrown in my face. 'And then lastly, somebody broke into my house, and poured petrol on to my bed. 'The coldness of the petrol woke me up and made me jump out of bed just as they were lighting it.' Louise's attack has terrifying parallels with that against Bulic - and she has now moved away from London out of fear for what could happen to her. Working in the housing department, Bulic himself was only a few degrees of separation from the abuse that was going on. People who knew him have recalled conversations in which he suggested that he was about to expose everything. Bulic was determined to reveal the truth and told pals he was compiling a report that detailed names, locations and dates concerning the sexual abuse. The document has never been found following the murder and arson attack at his property. 'He came to me briefly when I was in the council chamber. He just said, 'I'm on to something',' recalled Anna Tapsell, a councillor at the time who was also looking into the allegations of child abuse. 'My immediate assumption was that it was something to do with financial wrongdoing. 'I now know that he was probably looking at the same thing that I was.' Industrial-scale abuse Like Louise, when Anna started to speak out, she found her home burgled a number of times - but only the post would be stolen. In the end, such were her fears that she arranged for her children to stay with different people until the threat blew over. 15 15 'Everybody knew that [Bulic] was very fearful before he was killed,' Anna added. 'People told me that Bulic had actually found something about people making films with children. 'After all these years, I'm even more convinced that he discovered the bad things that were going on.' It turned out that Bulic was right, with an unpublished internal investigation carried out by officers within Lambeth Council in the 1990s - which was uncovered a decade ago - laying bare the shocking extent of the abuse that went on. Even the basement of Lambeth's housing headquarters was thought to have been used to carry out assaults, and one anonymous woman described being raped alongside children and animals by important figures within the council. The abuse was so widespread that council leaders found themselves forced to shut down the children's homes. Some people were let go from their roles - but the internal report recommended a full criminal investigation, which never happened. No justice One of the locations in which Louise was subjected to abuse was the South Vale Children's home, run by the council. It's one of five homes which, according to the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, was infiltrated by abusers - both as staff and as 'volunteers'. One man, Leslie Paul, who was eventually convicted in 2016 for a string of child sex offences that took place at South Vale, was also a special constable within the Metropolitan Police at the time. It is not outside the scope of possibility that corrupt police officers played a role in covering up the abuse and throwing investigators off the scent of Bulic's murder. 'For his professional life not to have been pursued by police at the time seemed to me at best simply an oversight,' added David Wilson. 'At worst, it was a dereliction of duty.' 15 15 Another council worker corroborated that Bulic's report was going to reveal who was behind the widespread abuse. Like Louise, she chose to remain anonymous out of fears for her safety. But before Bulic was able to release his findings, he was dead - and the report was never found. 'Because of Bulic, people were really, really frightened,' Louise added. A Crimewatch report on the murder even noted that a group of men in suits were spotted leaving his house the day he went missing, carrying out briefcases of files. To date, only six people have been prosecuted in relation to the abuse that happened under the watch of Lambeth Council. Leslie Paul himself was convicted on three separate occasions for abusing for boys in his care during the 1980s. Another, John Michael Carroll, was a children's home manager for 10 years, from 1981 to 1991. Shockingly, the council didn't dismiss him when he disclosed that he'd previously received a conviction for child abuse. In 1999, he was convicted of 35 offences including buggery of young boys and served five years in jail. But the true number of perpetrators is likely to be even higher. 'At the time, there was a reluctance to actually say that children were being sexually abused on an industrial scale,' said David, who also noted that when making the documentary, people willing to speak on record about the abuse and corruption at the time were hard to come by. 'I have no doubt that there are people out there who were involved in the sexual abuse and in covering it up.' In the Footsteps of Killers: The Murder of Bulic Forsythe airs tonight at 10pm on Channel 4 *Name has been changed
The Sun
17-06-2025
- The Sun
Who was Bulic Forsythe and how was the Lambeth Council employee murdered?
A COUNCIL worker was murdered suspiciously back in 1993 after he reportedly spoke to colleagues about a suspected paedophile ring. Here's everything you need to know about the horrific killing of Bulic Forsythe, which is featured in an episode of C4's In the Footsteps of Killers. 2 Who was Bulic Forsythe? Bulic Forsythe was a senior manager in the housing department of Lambeth Council in south London, respected for his professionalism and commitment to his work. At the time of his death in February 1993, he was responsible for building management within the council. In the days leading up to his death, Bulic reportedly confided in a colleague that he had discovered evidence of a paedophile ring operating within Lambeth Council properties and was considering going public with the information. A report published in July 2021 by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) found that Lambeth Council staff failed children in care and foster homes repeatedly from the 1960s. Over a 40-year period, more than 700 children in the borough suffered sadistic sexual abuse. Per Wandsworth Guardian, a police report into Bulic's death states: "The murder of Mr Forsythe remains unsolved. "It was the subject of a recent review by the Metropolitan Police Service (Operation Redsnow), as a result of concerns that there was a connection between Mr Forsythe's employment at Lambeth Council and his murder, but no evidence of such a connection was found. "At the very least, the murder of Mr Forsythe is likely to have caused concern and fear on the part of staff and councillors." In 2015, Sky News reported how Bulic might have discovered that council property was being used to carry out this abhorrent abuse. How was Bulic Forsythe murdered? Bulic was killed in a suspicious manner — on February 26, 1993, his flat was set alight. His body was subsequently discovered inside, with a post-mortem revealing his skull was fractured before the fire was started — indicating he was beaten to death prior to the arson attack. Witnesses reported seeing three men leaving Bulic's flat carrying bags of documents and files shortly before the fire. A witness who lived nearby and appeared on the BBC's Crimewatch said: "I was going over to the paper shop to buy a paper and I saw three men coming out of Foster Court around the front. "They were carrying briefcases and some folders in their hands. Why I noticed them was because they looked official and I've never saw them here before." Internal Lambeth Council reports and later investigations suggest that his murder may have been linked to his knowledge of, and intention to expose, a paedophile ring involving senior council staff. These reports detailed shocking allegations of sexual abuse, including the use of council premises for the rape of women and children by senior officials. Bulic was said to have told a colleague he was going to "spill the beans" about what he had discovered Despite these serious allegations, the findings were not formally investigated by police at the time, with the case remaining unsolved. The murder caused widespread fear among council staff, as it was seen as a warning to anyone who might ask too many questions or attempt to expose wrongdoing within the council. In the Footsteps of Killers A new investigation into the murder of Bulic Forsythe is featured in an episode of Channel 4's In the Footsteps of Killers. Presented by Emilia Fox and leading criminologist Professor David Wilson, the show examines the circumstances around his death and the allegations of abuse within Lambeth Council. Aiming to shed new light on one of London's most disturbing unsolved murders, the doc explores whether Bulic was killed because he was about to expose a network of abuse and corruption within Lambeth Council. You can catch the episode of In the Footsteps of Killers featuring the murder of Bulic Forsythe at 10pm on Channel 4 on Tuesday, June 17, 2025.
Malay Mail
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Malay Mail
Fifty-five arrested in France over Telegram paedophile ring; suspects include priest, paramedic
PARIS, May 22 — Fifty-five men have been arrested in France this week as part of an operation to dismantle a suspected paedophile ring operating via the Telegram messaging app, authorities said today. The arrests took place in 42 departments over possession, distribution and regular viewing of pornography involving children 'under the age of 10', France's OFMIN, an office tasked with preventing violence against minors, told AFP. The arrests, which followed a ten-month investigation, took place from Monday to today. The suspects, aged 25 to 75, include a priest, a paramedic and a music teacher. The men exchanged messages on Telegram and were in contact with 'extremely dangerous' paedophiles who have been in prison since last summer, Quentin Bevan, head of the OFMIN's operational unit, told AFP. The large-scale operation began last summer with the arrest of individuals suspected of abusing children and posting images on Telegram. 'It took ten months of investigation to track down these child abusers,' Bevan said. 'Ten months of undercover work involving thousands of exchanges, analysis and detection of paedophile images by a task force set up at the OFMIN.' The office issued the warrant that led to the arrest of Telegram founder Pavel Durov in Paris in 2024, and he remains under formal investigation by French authorities over illegal content on the popular service. After days of questioning, Durov was charged with several counts of failing to curb extremist and terrorist content. Investigators have confronted Durov with cases ranging from child abuse to drug trading, scams, arms sales and the hiring of hitmen. Durov has since announced steps appearing to bow to Paris's demands. While Bevan acknowledged progress in Telegram's cooperation with investigators since Durov's arrest, he said the platform was 'barely fulfilling its legal obligations'. Durov has recently accused the chief of France's DGSE foreign intelligence service of requesting to ban pro-conservative Romanian accounts from the platform ahead of elections. The DGSE has rejected the claims. Durov says Telegram has sought to fight against child abuse for years. 'Falsely implying Telegram did nothing to remove child porn is a manipulation tactic,' he posted on X earlier this week. — AFP
