Latest news with #victimsupport
BBC News
3 days ago
- BBC News
Gloucestershire hockey coach jailed for sexually abusing teenager
A sports coach has been jailed for four years after engaging in an "abusive sexual relationship" with a teenager. Samantha Zala, of School Road in Lydbrook, Gloucestershire, pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual activity with a child and was sentenced at Gloucester Crown Court on 57-year-old was a private hockey coach at the time she committed the offences, which occurred between 2016 and Wycherley, of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), said Zala "targeted and groomed" the vulnerable girl and left her with "lasting distress". "Zala targeted and groomed a vulnerable young girl in order to form an abusive sexual relationship," Ms Wycherley said."In doing so, she betrayed the trust that had been placed in her and left her victim with lasting distress."This case could not have proceeded without the evidence provided by the brave young woman who Zala groomed and abused, and I would like to thank her for supporting this prosecution."We want all victims of sexual abuse to have confidence that they will be supported when they come forward to report a crime, and that the police and CPS are committed to securing justice for for them."
ABC News
5 days ago
- ABC News
This mother and her kids were rejected for emergency housing after fleeing a violent ex-partner
An Indigenous woman who fled her hometown with her children to escape a violent ex-partner was rejected for temporary housing by a state government service and claims she was told to return home. Sarah, whose name has been changed for privacy and security reasons, and her four young children were on the brink of homelessness when she first spoke to ABC News earlier this month, saying she was terrified to return to her community and had nowhere else to go. If you need help immediately call emergency services on triple-0 She said trying to get help from government support services had been "like talking to a brick wall". "I felt like I was about to have a mental breakdown, I didn't know where to go or what to do," she said. The woman and her children have now been granted temporary accommodation after the ABC contacted Housing Minister Rose Jackson, who has since apologised for the "error". The case has prompted further calls from frontline domestic violence advocates for the government to fix gaps in the system putting victims at risk. Sarah, who remains in fear for her safety, had been with her partner and the father of her children on and off for the past 12 years. She said he had long subjected her to emotional and mental abuse, which sometimes became physical. Earlier this year, things escalated dramatically. As Sarah left a licensed venue with a friend, her partner turned up and threatened to hurt her if she did not get in the car with him. She said he then pushed her to the ground and dragged her by the hair. "I told [my friend] to ring the police but she was too scared to do anything … then I tried to ring the police and he smashed my phone," she said. She managed to walk to the nearby police station and report the assault. He was arrested and charged with five offences, including two counts of assault and one count of destroying property, and an Apprehended Domestic Violence Order (ADVO) was put in place. He was initially denied bail and remanded in custody, which allowed Sarah to return home with her children. But last month the man, who had previously been charged with domestic violence offences against another woman, was granted bail to live at a family member's home. Sarah said authorities did not inform her he had been released from custody, which they are required to do under the Charter of Victim's Rights, and she only learned he was on bail through a mutual friend. NSW Police claim they did call her to inform her of his release, but she said she never received any phone calls. Sarah said she no longer felt safe staying at home with their children, so she decided to leave their regional NSW town and drive to Sydney. "I just thought [Sydney] would be the furthest place where he wouldn't be able to find us. When Sarah arrived in Sydney, she briefly stayed with a friend before contacting support services for emergency accommodation. Homes NSW initially granted her access to temporary housing, but told her she had to attend six rental housing inspections just for three nights of accommodation — an onerous requirement that is not supposed to apply to domestic violence victims. "I started crying in front of [Homes NSW staff]," she said. With her four young kids in tow, Sarah was forced to attend multiple housing inspections under threat of losing her temporary accommodation, which she stayed in for a total of two weeks. Then she received a notification that her application to extend the accommodation had been denied because she already had a government house in her hometown, which she had fled for safety reasons. Sarah immediately called Homes NSW staff. "I thought I'm going to have to live in the car with my little kids. "How do they expect people to ask for help when they don't treat them right?" A Homes NSW spokesperson said the letter was "a standard letter that is issued to any client when providing grounds for a determination". "This letter was incorrectly issued, and as soon as the error was identified our staff quickly ensured our tenant continued to be provided with temporary accommodation," they said. Charity organisation Domestic Violence Service Management stepped in to fund a hotel for Sarah and her children temporarily, before ABC News contacted Ms Jackson's office. She has now been granted temporary accommodation with Homes NSW and the requirement for her to attend housing inspections has been removed. In a written statement, Ms Jackson said the department was now "working closely with this tenant to resolve her housing needs". "We apologise for the incorrect advice initially provided to the tenant," the statement said. "My direction, and Homes NSW's policy, is to support all tenants into safe accommodation if they are fleeing violence," the statement said. "I have asked Homes NSW leadership to work with the local team to make sure our policy and procedures are accurately communicated to avoid this situation happening again." Domestic Violence NSW senior policy and advocacy officer Livia Stanton said Sarah's case was not isolated and reflected "broader systemic gaps". "Barriers to accessing emergency accommodation can be life-threatening," Ms Stanton said. "When a woman leaving violence is told there's nowhere safe for her and her children to go, she is faced with an impossible choice; return to the perpetrator or face homelessness. Ms Stanton said the government needed to invest in more crisis housing for victim-survivors and ensure staff across all services have adequate training in dealing with domestic violence cases. "When someone reaches out for help, the response needs to be ready — timely, well-resourced and connected. It's time to shift the weight of that responsibility from those in crisis to the systems designed to support them," she said. Ms Jackson said the government was "working to reduce domestic and family violence from all angles", including $426.6 million for the delivery of new core and cluster women's refuges. The statement said the government would make further announcements "in this space" in Tuesday's budget.
The Sun
5 days ago
- The Sun
I was raped 5 times a week at 14 by Asian grooming gang… I lost count after 50 men & it only stopped for one sick reason
STANDING outside the shabby front door, Fiona Goddard feared what was going to happen to her when she stepped inside. Men from 'all over England' had travelled to this unassuming house for one reason only: to commit wickedly depraved acts on vulnerable children. 7 Fiona was just a 14 year old schoolgirl when she was groomed and sexually assaulted by a predominantly British Asian gang in Bradford, shortly after being taken into care. The group - initially consisting of nine men - plied the lonely teenager with drugs and alcohol, and encouraged her to "open up" to them about her background in care. They then coerced her into having sex with them, and if she refused, the abuse turned into "violent rapes". Fiona, now 31, says that she was abused by the gang - and other men - as often as "five times a week" and was frequently left fearing for her life. The vile gang abuse, Fiona believes in total more than 50 men were involved, continued until she was 17 years old. It only stopped because she had become "too old" for the gang of paedophiles. In February 2019, nine men were convicted of 22 offences against Fiona at Bradford Crown Court and jailed for a total of 132 years. Fiona bravely decided to waive her right to anonymity after the case and has been speaking out to raise awareness and support other victims ever since. The full-time mum from Bradford, told Fabulous: "I want to turn something bad that happened to me into something good so that I don't have to connect it to trauma anymore. "There must have been around 50 men, but I lost count. When it went to court, because it was a historic case, I only had evidence to get nine convicted. Ethnicity of child sex abuse suspects will be logged after truth about Asian grooming gangs was 'dodged for YEARS' "It's so important to speak out as there is still a lot of stigma." Fiona was pleased to hear that the government will hold a national inquiry into the grooming scandal - but believes it is long overdue. She said: "I've been campaigning for years for there to be an inquiry into what was happening in Bradford. It's much worse than people have heard. "I don't think Keir Starmer has launched the inquiry because he thinks it's the right thing to do - he's done it because he hasn't got a choice. "The victims and whistleblowers are the ones that deserve the credit. "They now need to work with survivors during the inquest to ensure it's done properly and they get justice.' 7 Fiona was just 13 years old when she was first placed into a care home "in a high crime area" in Bradford, West Yorkshire. She claimed she was "targeted" by a grooming gang outside of the care home. The grooming began when one of the men approached Fiona and her friend, also 14 at the time, and took them to a petrol station to buy them vodka. Fiona explained: "These guys started picking us up a few times a week - and at first nothing happened so we felt safe. "They would ask me about my past and made me open up to them about my background and being in care. 7 "Then they started playing on my vulnerabilities - they knew I wanted to be protected and to have a family and feel like I belonged. "We'd talk about vulnerable stuff and I'd get upset and cry, and then they'd offer me drugs to make me feel better. "So then I'd associate drugs with feeling better, and that's when they coerced me into sleeping with them." Fiona was left feeling "ashamed and embarrassed" after being sexually assaulted, but whenever she tried to fight back, the men turned violent. Over the next few years, Fiona was groomed and raped - claiming it went from "coercive" rape to "violent" rape. Fiona was also taken to a house in Bradford where "men from all over England" would come "expecting there to be young girls" to sexually exploit and abuse. The abuse stopped once Fiona became an adult, and she tried to re-build her life, despite living with complex PTSD. After reading about the Rotherham abuse scandal in 2014, Fiona realised that she had also been the victim of a grooming gang. She shared her story with the press and police, and five years later her case finally went to Bradford Crown court. Kama Melly QC, prosecuting, told Bradford Crown Court: "Some of the defendants were actually forceful, threatening and violent, others used alcohol and drugs, others created a manipulated relationship in order to facilitate their sexual exploitation." 7 In February 2019, nine men were convicted of 22 offences against Fiona and jailed. In court the men were described as inflicting an "appalling catalogue of degrading emotional and sexual abuse which has deprived (the victims) of their childhood". Saeed Akhtar was convicted of two counts of inciting child prostitution and one count of rape and jailed for 20 years. Naveed Akhtar was found guilty of two counts of rape and cleared of one count of rape. He was jailed for 17 years. Parvaze Ahmed was convicted of three counts of rape and jailed for 17 years. Izar Hussain was found guilty of one count of rape, one count of attempted rape and cleared of two counts of rape. He was jailed for 16 years. Zeeshan Ali was convicted of one count of sexual assault and jailed for 18 months. Kieran Harris was found guilty of two counts of rape and jailed for 17 years. Faheem Iqbal was convicted of one count of aiding and abetting rape and jailed for seven years. Mohammed Usman was found guilty of two counts of rape and jailed for 17 years. Yasar Majid was cleared of rape. Fiona believes the government and local communities need to do more to safeguard vulnerable kids. She said: "I've been left with complex PTSD. I'm a big believer that safe guarding starts with the community. "It is so important for people to know the signs to look out for and to know when to report to the police. "We also need to educate young lads - often it was older men that bring younger men in and then groom them into becoming groomers. "It's all well and good getting convictions, but we need to be preventing future crimes."
The Sun
7 days ago
- The Sun
Horror as woman, 19, sexually assaulted in alleyway as man, 43, arrested & cops launch probe
COPS have launched a probe after a 19-year-old woman was sexually assaulted in an alleyway in a busy city centre. Police confirmed that a 43-year-old man had been arrested after the "serious" attack on the teenager in Nottingham City Centre last night. 2 2 A cordon was in place overnight after the horror unfolded in an alley on Canal Street just before 8pm on Friday. Investigations into the daylight assault remain ongoing and the victim is being supported by specially trained officers. Detective Inspector Amy Revill said: "We take reports of sexual offences and violence against women and girls extremely seriously. "We are now investigating this incident and we need to urgently hear from anyone with information. "This incident happened in a busy area of the city and in daylight, so we are hopeful that witnesses come forward." Nottinghamshire Police has appealed for anyone with more information on the attack to come forward. A statement released by the force this morning said: "Police are investigating a serious sexual assault that took place in an alleyway in Canal Street just before 8pm on Friday, June 20. "A 43-year-old man has been arrested and taken into custody. "The victim, a 19-year-old woman, is being supported by staff specifically trained to support victims of sexual offences. "A cordon remains in place at the scene. "Anyone with information should call 101, quoting incident 807 of June 20 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111."
BBC News
21-06-2025
- BBC News
Arrest after serious sexual assault in Nottingham alleyway
A man has been arrested after a serious sexual assault in Nottingham city were called to an alleyway off Canal Street just before 20:00 BST on Friday.A 43-year-old man was arrested and taken into custody, Nottinghamshire Police victim is being supported by specialist officers, the force added. Det Insp Amy Revill said: "We take reports of sexual offences and violence against women and girls extremely seriously."We are now investigating this incident and we need to urgently hear from anyone with information."This incident happened in a busy area of the city and in daylight, so we are hopeful that witnesses come forward."
