http://www.writeaprisoner.com/vbforum Current events not related to prison topics en Sat, 21 Nov 2009 04:56:14 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.writeaprisoner.com/vbforum/images/misc/rss.jpg http://www.writeaprisoner.com/vbforum http://www.writeaprisoner.com/vbforum/f24/man-charged-17-years-attacks-elderly-89330.html Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:00:13 GMT A man charged with a series of rapes on elderly victims dating back to 1992 has been remanded in custody.Delroy Grant, 52, from Brockley, south east London, appeared at Greenwich Magistrates' Court.

He is accused of preying on elderly people in south London.Grant is charged with 22 counts; five rapes, six indecent assaults and 11 burglaries, between 1992 and 2009.

Police say the Night Stalker targeted men and women aged up to 93 across southern parts of London, over the last 17 years,breaking into their homes and subjecting them to horrific ordeals for up to four hours.

The 'Night Stalker' suspect could be accused from beyond the grave by women he allegedly attacked who have since died, it emerged today.
Detectives interviewed at least six elderly women about the alleged assaults, taking extensive statements - some of which were videoed.

It was feared some of the victims might not be able to give evidence if the 'Night Stalker' was ever caught because of their age.

Many have since died of natural causes, before any suspect was identified and arrested.

Officers wanted to have the victims statements ready in case of a breakthrough and they could now prove crucial if Grant goes to trial.



Night Stalker suspect Delroy Grant could be accused from beyond the grave by dead 'victims' | Mail Online ]]> General World News English Gentleman http://www.writeaprisoner.com/vbforum/f24/man-charged-17-years-attacks-elderly-89330.html http://www.writeaprisoner.com/vbforum/f24/did-not-know-eu-had-navy-89320.html Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:41:38 GMT *Interesting story, modern day pirates* Pirates foiled in their second attack on Maersk Alabama cargo ship... Pirates foiled in their second attack on Maersk Alabama cargo ship - CNN.com (http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/africa/11/18/maersk.alabama.pirates/index.html) Interesting story, modern day pirates


Pirates foiled in their second attack on Maersk Alabama cargo ship...


Pirates foiled in their second attack on Maersk Alabama cargo ship - CNN.com ]]> General World News showyourpride http://www.writeaprisoner.com/vbforum/f24/did-not-know-eu-had-navy-89320.html http://www.writeaprisoner.com/vbforum/f24/australia-s-rudd-apologizes-89311.html Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:24:57 GMT Sydney - Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on Monday apologized to hundreds of thousands of children abused or neglected in institutions, including some 7,000 British children shipped to Australia after World War II. Sometimes called "the orphans of Empire," they received the formal apology after decades of campaigning for recognition. As with his government's previous apologies, many of the victims here welcomed the gesture, while others expressed a desire to see more practical steps taken to overcome their losses.
Inside Parliament House in Canberra, the nation's capital, about 900 of the former child migrants gathered in the audience to hear Mr. Rudd deliver words of contrition. The prime minister told them: "We come together today to offer our nation's apology, to say to you, the forgotten Australians, and those who were sent to our shores as children without their consent, that we are sorry. Sorry that as children you were taken from your families and placed in institutions where so often you were abused. Sorry for the physical suffering, the emotional starvation, and the cold absence of love, of tenderness, of care. Sorry for the tragedy, the absolute tragedy, of childhoods lost."
Among those listening to the apology – which followed one delivered by Mr. Rudd last year to the "Stolen Generations" of Aboriginal children forcibly removed from their families – was Mick Snell, who has bleak memories of his time in a Methodist-run children's home in Sydney.
Mr. Snell arrived in Australia under a postwar plan to empty British orphanages and repopulate





Australia's Rudd apologizes to forced child migrants | csmonitor.com ]]> General World News peanut2 http://www.writeaprisoner.com/vbforum/f24/australia-s-rudd-apologizes-89311.html http://www.writeaprisoner.com/vbforum/f24/body-nc-5-yr-old-girl-89310.html Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:19:38 GMT SANFORD, N.C. – When 5-year-old Shaniya Davis was reported missing, suspicion turned to a man described as her mother's boyfriend. As he was let go, police targeted another man spotted on hotel surveillance footage holding the child. Then, authorities arrested the girl's mother and accused her of offering her daughter for prostitution.
The arrests offered a glimmer of hope Shaniya would be found alive. But on Monday, searchers discovered the girl's body off a rural road, nearly a week after her mother reported her missing from a mobile home park.
Hundreds of volunteers who helped look for Shaniya left the search area dejected, unable to bring her home to her father, 7-year-old brother and the dolls she so loved.
"I still feel kind of sick to my stomach," said Angela Jackson, 27, of Sanford, who has a 2-month-old daughter and searched for consecutive days.
Particularly disturbing were the accusations against Shaniya's mother, 25-year-old Antoinette Davis. Police charged Davis with human trafficking and felony child abuse, saying Shaniya was offered for sex.
Davis was calm and quiet during a court appearance. She provided one-word answers to the judge's questions. She requested a court-appointed attorney and did not enter a plea.
Her sister, Brenda Davis, 20, said she does not believe the charges.
"I don't believe she could hurt her children," said Brenda Davis, who spoke with her sister at the jail Sunday. Davis' aunt, Yvonne Mitchell, said the mother had two jobs and would never harm the child.
Authorities also charged Mario Andrette McNeill, 29, with kidnapping after they said surveillance footage from a Sanford hotel showed him carrying Shaniya. Authorities said McNeill admitted taking the girl, though his attorney said he will plead not guilty.
Fayetteville police spokeswoman Theresa Chance declined to talk about additional charges. She also wouldn't comment on a cause of death or the condition of Shaniya's body, except to say that investigators planned to retrieve it about 100 feet off the road.
"Detectives have been running off adrenaline to find this little girl and to bring her home alive," Chance said. "You have a lot of people in shock right now."
Davis reported Shaniya missing from a mobile home park Nov. 10. Authorities first arrested Clarence Coe, but charges against him were dropped a day later when investigators tracked down McNeill after receiving a tip from a hotel employee.
Additional information led investigators to a search site near Sanford on Sunday. They continued searching Monday, scouring miles of landscape, roads, ravines and fields on four-wheelers and with helicopters.
"We were hoping that someone could carry her home," said Syd Severe, 42, who came from Raleigh to help with the search. "It's just sick."
A cluster of emergency vehicles and law enforcement gathered where Shaniya's body was found. Authorities blocked access to the road, a rural area popular with hunters that is less than a mile from a lakeside community.



Body of missing NC girl found; 2 facing charges - Yahoo! News ]]> General World News peanut2 http://www.writeaprisoner.com/vbforum/f24/body-nc-5-yr-old-girl-89310.html http://www.writeaprisoner.com/vbforum/f24/high-crimes-10-military-towns-89309.html Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:16:27 GMT Military bases and the neighborhoods surrounding them often seem like the ultimate refuge of middle- American values. Run with military efficiency and discipline, the well-trimmed yards, cleanly-paved roads and orderly layouts convey an ideal image of life as it should be: safe, peaceful and friendly.

However, as the horrific shootings in Fort Hood demonstrate, this perception of structure and normalcy may be deceptive. According to a study by NeighborhoodScout, which offers neighborhood-by-neighborhood crime analyses, some of America's military towns have crime levels that place them among the country's most dangerous neighborhoods. While the danger in these areas is much more heavily skewed toward property crimes like vandalism and theft than violent crimes like murder or rape, the statistics are startling.

High crimes: 10 military towns are among the country's most dangerous -- Daily ]]> General World News peanut2 http://www.writeaprisoner.com/vbforum/f24/high-crimes-10-military-towns-89309.html http://www.writeaprisoner.com/vbforum/f24/couple-had-sex-9-yr-old-89308.html Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:13:24 GMT November 17, 2009 11:00am

A SYDNEY couple who allegedly had sex with their nine-year-old son and posted the footage online are in custody and have been banned from contacting the boy.
The 56-year-old man and his 48-year-old wife, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were arrested at their Peakhurst home in the southern suburbs on Monday, where the offences are alleged to have occurred since the start of this year.

The man is charged with two counts of sexual intercourse with his son, as well as an act of aggravated indecency, using a child for pornographic purposes, aggravated indecent assault, and producing and disseminating child pornography.

Police facts tendered to Sutherland Local Court, where the pair appeared today, gave brief details of the allegations.

The documents said the victim was ``a person under the care and control of the accused due to the fact that he is his biological son''.

Some of the sex acts were streamed ``live'' online using a webcam, police allege.

The woman is also charged with having sex with her son, inciting that act, inciting an act of indecency, and knowing of the child's abuse ``for months'' and failing to inform authorities.

The couple, represented by solicitor Greg Melrose, did not apply for bail.

Magistrate Clare Farnan told them both that they would be issued with orders preventing them from seeing their son.

``It means I can't go near him?'' the father asked from the dock of the court.

Ms Farnan said he was also banned from contacting the boy by phone or mail or any means other than via a legal representative.




Couple had sex with 9-year-old-son, with live webcam video | PerthNow ]]> General World News peanut2 http://www.writeaprisoner.com/vbforum/f24/couple-had-sex-9-yr-old-89308.html http://www.writeaprisoner.com/vbforum/f24/actor-edward-woodward-dies-89303.html Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:34:50 GMT Just saw on Sky News that The Equalizer actore Edward Woodward has died Image: http://i557.photobucket.com/albums/ss16/jestersky/article-0-0273CB030000044D-358_468x.jpg Just saw on Sky News that The Equalizer actore Edward Woodward has died

]]> General World News SikkiNixx http://www.writeaprisoner.com/vbforum/f24/actor-edward-woodward-dies-89303.html http://www.writeaprisoner.com/vbforum/f24/usp-canaan-lockdown-89296.html Sun, 15 Nov 2009 14:25:36 GMT according to my information USP Canaan is on lockdown as from november 13 or 14th.

I just got off the phone and could only get a confirmation that there's no visiting today...that in combination with no emails since yesterday should say enough.
My pp told me the only reason he would not email me was if they were in lockdown, and for the last couple of days there were short lockdowns continuously....

Just wanted to let you know ]]> General World News Sab99 http://www.writeaprisoner.com/vbforum/f24/usp-canaan-lockdown-89296.html http://www.writeaprisoner.com/vbforum/f24/us-expects-seek-death-penalty-9-a-89285.html Fri, 13 Nov 2009 22:07:10 GMT Self-proclaimed Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other Guantanamo Bay detainees will be brought to trial in a civilian federal courthouse in New York, near the site of the devastating 2001 terror attacks. Prosecutors expect to seek the death penalty.

Attorney General Eric Holder announced the long-awaited and politically fraught decision at a news conference Friday. He also said five other Guantanamo detainees, including a major suspect in the bombing of the USS Cole, Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, will be tried through the military commission process.

Holder said the Sept. 11 defendants should be tried where their crimes occurred. Nearly 3,000 people died when the World Trade Center towers were brought down by two hijacked jetliners, another hijacked jet hit the Pentagon and a fourth crashed in western Pennsylvania.

"After eight years of delay, those allegedly responsible for the attacks of September the 11th will finally face justice," Holder said. "They will be brought to New York to answer for their alleged crimes in a courthouse just blocks away from where the twin towers once stood".



Free Email, Unlimited Storage, Anti-Virus & Spam Protection and Personalized Content - Mail.com




Thoughts? ]]> General World News English Gentleman http://www.writeaprisoner.com/vbforum/f24/us-expects-seek-death-penalty-9-a-89285.html http://www.writeaprisoner.com/vbforum/f24/stench-returns-near-ohio-property-held-89276.html Thu, 12 Nov 2009 02:27:36 GMT CLEVELAND – A stench around the home of a suspected serial killer returned stronger than ever Wednesday as police searched the house next door for more bodies and carried out bags of evidence.

"It's like it got worse," said 22-year-old neighbor Terrance Johnson. "It smells bad in the air, like death."

Four plainclothes officers carried bags of evidence from the house next door to Anthony Sowell's early Wednesday afternoon, but police did not indicate what had been removed. The red-painted house next to Sowell's appeared to be abandoned but in good shape, aside from a broken porch railing.

Stench returns near Ohio property that held bodies - Yahoo! News ]]> General World News Skye http://www.writeaprisoner.com/vbforum/f24/stench-returns-near-ohio-property-held-89276.html http://www.writeaprisoner.com/vbforum/f24/paris-hilton-billboards-controversial-not-hot-89266.html Wed, 11 Nov 2009 01:44:07 GMT People in New Zealand have made a powerful enemy today: Paris Hilton. The socialite is less than amused by one company's decision to stamp unused billboard space with a picture of the hotel heiress with the word "vacant" stamped over her.

While this is keeping New Zealanders in stitches, Hilton didn't find it so humorous, and the company responsible, Media5, may be getting a phone call from a lawyer about using her image without permission.

Paris Hilton Billboards Controversial, Not 'Hot' - Asylum.com ]]> General World News Skye http://www.writeaprisoner.com/vbforum/f24/paris-hilton-billboards-controversial-not-hot-89266.html http://www.writeaprisoner.com/vbforum/f24/no-bond-3-teens-charged-adults-89265.html Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:54:23 GMT *Fort Lauderdale, Florida (CNN)* -- Three teens accused of setting a 15-year-old friend ablaze were held without bond Tuesday on adult charges of attempted murder. The three youths, Denver Jarvis and Matthew Bent, age 15, and Jesus Mendez, age 16, each are charged with one count of attempted murder in the second degree in the October attack. Broward County Judge John Hurley addressed the teens during the short bond hearing. No bond for 3 teens charged as adults in burning of 15-year-old - CNN.com (http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/11/10/florida.burned.boy.charges/index.html) Fort Lauderdale, Florida (CNN) -- Three teens accused of setting a 15-year-old friend ablaze were held without bond Tuesday on adult charges of attempted murder.

The three youths, Denver Jarvis and Matthew Bent, age 15, and Jesus Mendez, age 16, each are charged with one count of attempted murder in the second degree in the October attack.

Broward County Judge John Hurley addressed the teens during the short bond hearing.

No bond for 3 teens charged as adults in burning of 15-year-old - CNN.com ]]> General World News Skye http://www.writeaprisoner.com/vbforum/f24/no-bond-3-teens-charged-adults-89265.html http://www.writeaprisoner.com/vbforum/f24/historical-day-germany-89251.html Mon, 09 Nov 2009 19:27:31 GMT November 9th is one of the most historical days in Germany, he has a double meaning. It´s the 71st anniversary of the Reichskristallnacht, the pogrom night, the start of the systematic terror against the jewish population in Nazi-Germany. The second meaning is the 20th anniversary of the fall of the wall. In the evening hours of Nov. 9th 1989 were the gates opened at the border checkpoint Bornholmer Straße. Tens of thousands east germans have held that checkpoint under siege untill the border patrol gave up, then the citizens stormed across the border to West-Berlin. Under those people was a female physician who is today our head of government, our federal chancellor. In rememberance of that day she did today afternoon a symbolic walk with friends and civil right fighters over the same bridge. Image: http://www.spiegel.de/images/image-30994-galleryV9-kkvp.jpg In foreground Joachim Gauck, Angela Merkel and singer Wolf Biermann, in background on the left Vera Lengsfeld and Marianne Birthler Image: http://www.spiegel.de/images/image-31061-galleryV9-wkcz.jpg Marianne Birthler, Michail Gorbachev, Angela Merkel and former polish workers leader and president Lech Walesa Image: http://www.spiegel.de/images/image-31077-galleryV9-gvio.jpg The former bridge between two different social systems November 9th is one of the most historical days in Germany, he has a double meaning. It´s the 71st anniversary of the Reichskristallnacht, the pogrom night, the start of the systematic terror against the jewish population in Nazi-Germany.

The second meaning is the 20th anniversary of the fall of the wall. In the evening hours of Nov. 9th 1989 were the gates opened at the border checkpoint Bornholmer Straße. Tens of thousands east germans have held that checkpoint under siege untill the border patrol gave up, then the citizens stormed across the border to West-Berlin. Under those people was a female physician who is today our head of government, our federal chancellor. In rememberance of that day she did today afternoon a symbolic walk with friends and civil right fighters over the same bridge.

In foreground Joachim Gauck, Angela Merkel and singer Wolf Biermann, in background on the left Vera Lengsfeld and Marianne Birthler


Marianne Birthler, Michail Gorbachev, Angela Merkel and former polish workers leader and president Lech Walesa


The former bridge between two different social systems ]]> General World News Andreas http://www.writeaprisoner.com/vbforum/f24/historical-day-germany-89251.html http://www.writeaprisoner.com/vbforum/f24/supreme-court-examine-life-prison-juveniles-89231.html Sat, 07 Nov 2009 21:18:19 GMT The Supreme Court is being asked to say that locking up juveniles and throwing away the key is cruel and unusual -- and thus, unconstitutional. Supreme Court to Examine Life in Prison for Juveniles - FOXNews.com (http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/11/07/supreme-court-examine-life-prison-juveniles/) The Supreme Court is being asked to say that locking up juveniles and throwing away the key is cruel and unusual -- and thus, unconstitutional.

Supreme Court to Examine Life in Prison for Juveniles - FOXNews.com ]]> General World News showyourpride http://www.writeaprisoner.com/vbforum/f24/supreme-court-examine-life-prison-juveniles-89231.html http://www.writeaprisoner.com/vbforum/f24/fort-hood-victims-89226.html Sat, 07 Nov 2009 16:33:41 GMT My heart goes out to all family and friends.




By CARYN ROUSSEAU and ROBERT IMRIE, Associated Press Writers Caryn Rousseau And Robert Imrie, Associated Press Writers – Fri Nov 6, 6:50 pm ET
The 13 people killed when an Army psychiatrist allegedly opened fire on fellow soldiers at Fort Hood, Texas, included a pregnant woman who was preparing to return home, a man who quit a furniture company job to join the military about a year ago, a newlywed who had served in Iraq and a woman who had vowed to take on Osama bin Laden after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Here is a look at some of the victims.
___
Francheska Velez
Velez, 21, of Chicago, was pregnant and preparing to return home. A friend of Velez's, Sasha Ramos, described her as a fun-loving person who wrote poetry and loved dancing.
"She was like my sister," Ramos, 21, said. "She was the most fun and happy person you could know. She never did anything wrong to anybody."
Family members said Velez had recently returned from deployment in Iraq and had sought a lifelong career in the Army.
"She was a very happy girl and sweet," said her father, Juan Guillermo Velez, his eyes red from crying. "She had the spirit of a child."
Ramos, who also served briefly in the military, couldn't reconcile that her friend was killed in this country — just after leaving a war zone.
"It makes it a lot harder," she said. "This is not something a soldier expects — to have someone in our uniform go start shooting at us."
___
Pfc. Aaron Thomas Nemelka
Nemelka, 19, of the Salt Lake City suburb of West Jordan, Utah, chose to join the Army instead of going on a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, his uncle Christopher Nemelka said.
"As a person, Aaron was as soft and kind and as gentle as they come, a sweetheart," his uncle said. "What I loved about the kid was his independence of thought."
Aaron Nemelka, the youngest of four children, was scheduled to be deployed to Afghanistan in January, his family said in a statement. Nemelka had enlisted in the Army in October 2008, Utah National Guard Lt. Col. Lisa Olsen said.
___
Pfc. Michael Pearson
Pearson, 21, of the Chicago suburb of Bolingbrook, Ill., quit what he figured was a dead-end furniture company job to join the military about a year ago.

Pearson's mother, Sheryll Pearson, said the 2006 Bolingbrook High School graduate joined the military because he was eager to serve his country and broaden his horizons.
"He was the best son in the whole world," she said. "He was my best friend and I miss him."
His cousin, Mike Dostalek, showed reporters a poem Pearson wrote. "I look only to the future for wisdom. To rock back and forth in my wooden chair," the poem says.
At Pearson's family home Friday, a yellow ribbon was tied to a porch light and a sticker stamped with American flags on the front door read, "United we stand."
Neighbor Jessica Koerber, who was with Pearson's parents when they received word Thursday their son had died, described him as a man who clearly loved his family — someone who enjoyed horsing around with his nieces and nephews, and other times playing his guitar.
"That family lost their gem," she told the AP. "He was a great kid, a great guy. ... Mikey was one of a kind."
Sheryll Pearson said she hadn't seen her son for a year because he had been training. She told the Tribune that when she last talked to him on the phone two days ago, they had discussed how he would come home for Christmas.
___
Spc. Jason Dean Hunt
Hunt, 22, of Frederick, Okla., went into the military after graduating from Tipton High School in 2005 and had gotten married just two months ago, his mother, Gale Hunt, said. He had served 3 1/2 years in the Army, including a stint in Iraq.
Gale Hunt said two uniformed soldiers came to her door late Thursday night to notify her of her son's death.
Hunt, known as J.D., was "just kind of a quiet boy and a good kid, very kind," said Kathy Gray, an administrative assistant at Tipton Schools.
His mother said he was family oriented.
"He didn't go in for hunting or sports," Gale Hunt said. "He was a very quiet boy who enjoyed video games."
He had re-enlisted for six years after serving his initial two-year assignment, she said. Jason Hunt was previously stationed at Fort Stewart in Georgia.
___
Michael Grant Cahill
Cahill, a 62-year-old physician assistant, suffered a heart attack two weeks ago and returned to work at the base as a civilian employee after taking just one week off for recovery, said his daughter Keely Vanacker.
"He survived that. He was getting back on track, and he gets killed by a gunman," Vanacker said, her words bare with shock and disbelief.
Cahill, of Cameron Texas, helped treat soldiers returning from tours of duty or preparing for deployment. Often, Vanacker said, Cahill would walk young soldiers where they needed to go, just to make sure they got the right treatment.
"He loved his patients, and his patients loved him," said Vanacker, 33, the oldest of Cahill's three adult children. "He just felt his job was important."
Cahill, who was born in Spokane, Wash., had worked as a civilian contractor at Fort Hood for about four years, after jobs in rural health clinics and at Veterans Affairs hospitals. He and his wife, Joleen, had been married 37 years.
Vanacker described her father as a gregarious man and a voracious reader who could talk for hours about any subject.
The family's typical Thanksgiving dinners ended with board games and long conversations over the table, said Vanacker, whose voice often cracked with emotion as she remembered her father. "Now, who I am going to talk to?"
___
Sgt. Amy Krueger
Krueger, 29, of Kiel, Wis., joined the Army after the 2001 terrorist attacks and had vowed to take on Osama bin Laden, her mother, Jeri Krueger said.
Amy Krueger arrived at Fort Hood on Tuesday and was scheduled to be sent to Afghanistan in December, the mother told the Herald Times Reporter of Manitowoc. Jeri Krueger recalled telling her daughter that she could not take on bin Laden by herself.



Fort victims had different reasons for enlisting - Yahoo! News ]]> General World News peanut2 http://www.writeaprisoner.com/vbforum/f24/fort-hood-victims-89226.html