Source: Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland published on this website Wednesday 30 October 2024 by Jill Powell

A prolific sex offender whose extensive online abuse of children around the world led to the death of a 12-year-old girl has been sentenced for offences including manslaughter, in what is believed to be the first conviction of its kind.  

Alexander McCartney (26) was prosecuted by the Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland (PPS) after he groomed and sexually abused thousands of young girls from countries including Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, Great Britain, the United States of America and New Zealand from his home in Co. Armagh. The 185 charges he faced and eventually pleaded guilty to included the manslaughter of an American girl who took her own life as a direct result of the online abuse he inflicted on her. 

Pretending to be a young girl, McCartney befriended victims on social media sites and manipulated them into sending him an initial nude image of themselves. He then quickly revealed himself as a ‘catfish’ – someone who takes on a false online identity to target victims. He threatened thousands of terrified children into sending him indecent images and videos of themselves, forcing them to engage in depraved and sometimes dangerous sexual acts.  

The Judge at Belfast Crown Court sentenced McCartney to a minimum tariff of 20 years imprisonment for child sexual offences, blackmail and the manslaughter of the young girl who took her own life at her home in the US in 2018. 

The PPS worked closely with the Police Service of Northern Ireland and other partners including Homeland Security in the US to bring McCartney to justice. 

Acting Head of the PPS Serious Crime Unit Catherine Kierans said: “Every case involving child sexual offences is disturbing and causes long-lasting harm to victims.  However, McCartney’s depravity was such that this is one of the most distressing and prolific cases of child sexual abuse we have ever seen in the PPS. The damage McCartney caused to so many young lives is immeasurable. 

“All McCartney’s victims were young, innocent children. Some of the estimated 3,500 girls he targeted, who were as young as 10, were already struggling with identity and body image issues and had reached out for help on social media. He sought to exploit that vulnerability in the most shocking ways. Some children pleaded for him to stop the abuse but he callously continued, at times forcing the victims to involve younger children, some aged just four.

“McCartney had victims in countries across the world. Given the scale and complexity of his offending, the PPS worked closely with the Police Service of Northern Ireland from early in their investigation to advise on lines of enquiry and the evidence needed to build the most effective case. 

“Tragically, one of his young victims, who was just 12, had taken her own life during an online chat in which he was threatening her and forcing her to engage in sexual activity. The two had never met in person. Working closely with police, the prosecution team was able to establish to the criminal standard that McCartney’s actions had caused the girl’s death and he had a case to answer for manslaughter. 

“This new application of the law was rightly tested in court including challenge from the defence. However, after legal argument, the trial judge agreed with the PPS and McCartney eventually pleaded guilty to killing the girl. We believe this to be the first time an abuser anywhere in the world has been held accountable for manslaughter where the victim and perpetrator have never met in person.” 

Ms Kierans explained that the PPS was able to apply the offence of blackmail, which normally concerns physical property, to the digital images McCartney was demanding.   

“In the initial stages of this case in 2019, the use of online ‘catfishing’ to abuse victims was relatively new to police and prosecutors in this jurisdiction. The PPS team set out the reasons why the digital images McCartney demanded from the children should constitute property under the offence of blackmail, and the judge made a ruling to this effect,” she said. 

“While no case has reached the scale of this one, we have since been able to prosecute suspects for blackmail in other cases of this type where the evidence allows it. This means that we are better able to use the full extent of the law to hold abusers responsible for their actions and keep potential victims safer.”

Ms Kierans said today was about the victims, some of whom have never been identified despite exhaustive efforts by investigators. 

She said: “McCartney’s crimes have harmed thousands of children and left them and their families dealing with the traumatic aftermath. Their courage stands in stark contrast to his cowardice in targeting vulnerable young girls.

“I want to recognise their bravery, which has been an inspiration to everyone who worked on this case. The police and prosecution teams, including the senior independent barristers who assisted with this case, were dedicated to working together to end the harm McCartney was causing.  

“McCartney’s conviction sends a message to other abusers – your actions have devastating consequences on vulnerable children, and there is nowhere to hide from the justice system. 

“This case, including the manslaughter conviction, shows that police and the PPS will pursue and prosecute offenders for the most serious offences where the evidence allows it.

“My most important message is for children and young people: if someone is threatening you by demanding sexual images or videos, this is a crime. You are not to blame. Please talk to a trusted adult.  

“To parents, guardians and all those who care for children: talking to your child is one of the best ways to keep them safe online. It is by bringing these issues out into the open that we can break the cycle of secrecy abusers rely on and help keep children safe.”

If you have a child safeguarding or protection concern including about any online or physical activity involving a child, please report it to police.” 

Source: Gloucestershire Police published on this website Friday 25 October by Jill Powell

A 64-year-old man from Stroud who sexually assaulted five women has been sentenced.

Michael Florek was a driving instructor and abused his position to sexually assault women while on driving lessons with him in the Stroud area.

He committed the crimes between November 2016 and November 2021.

The court heard how Florek would make sexual and inappropriate comments to the women during their lessons, and he would ask them unwanted personal and sexual questions.

He sexually assaulted the women, who were aged between 17 and 19, by brushing his arm and hand against their breasts and by putting his hand on their legs.

Following an appearance at Cheltenham Magistrates' Court on 13 September, he was found guilty of five counts of sexual assault.

Florek, who gave his address as Swallowcroft, Eastington near Stonehouse, was sentenced at Gloucester Crown Court on Thursday 17 October and must now have his name added to the Sex Offenders' Register for the next ten years.

The 64-year-old was also handed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order which prohibits him from working or acting as a driving instructor until October 2034. During that time he must also provide police with the details of any vehicle he owns, uses or has access to.

In defence, Florek said that he may have accidentally made physical contact with the students when he was teaching them about clutch control or if he had to grab the steering wheel to avoid an accident.

He stated that on the occasions when this happened, the touching was never sexual.

The judge sentenced Florek to 14 months in prison, suspended for 24 months. He was ordered to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work and undertake a rehabilitation programme for up to 30 days. He was also ordered to pay £650 in prosecution fees.

Speaking after sentencing, Sergeant Hutton said: "I would like to commend the women who have worked with us to ensure that Florek is sentenced for the crimes he has committed.

"Thanks to them, and the court measures that have been put in place, the Stroud community is now a safer place.

"Florek abused his position as a driving instructor to sexually assault women and I welcome the decision to ban him from the profession for the next ten years.

"He claimed his actions were accidental - there is no excuse for committing sexual offences, and I would like to encourage anyone who has been sexually assaulted to please come forward.

"We will listen, you will be believed and we are dedicated to ensuring sexual offenders, and those who pose a risk to people, are held accountable for their vile actions."

If you have experienced rape, sexual assault or abuse, and wish to report the crime, contact police by calling 101 or 999 in the case of an emergency. You can also report sexual offences online here: https://www.police.uk/ro/report/rsa/alpha-v1/v1/rape-sexual-assault-other-sexual-offences/

Gloucestershire Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre support women dealing with the effects of rape and sexual abuse. For more information visit their website www.glosrasac.org/

Source: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) published on this website Monday 27 October 2024 b Jill Powell

The report draws on inspection activity, findings from CQC’s national NHS patient survey programme and statutory reports, bespoke research into people’s experiences, insight from key stakeholders and evidence collected by the regulator throughout the year about the quality and safety of services in all areas of health and care.

Getting the right care, at the right time and in the right place is important for everyone. For children and young people, however, delays can have especially significant and lasting consequences. Some treatments and interventions are less effective if not administered at a specific age or developmental stage – and the opportunity to intervene can be missed completely if the wait for diagnosis is too long.

Many children and young people are not currently getting the support they need. This year’s State of Care report highlights this as a risk not just for today, but for the future. Children who do not receive the care they need today are at increased risk of becoming adults with long-term mental or physical illnesses, which could affect their quality of life and their ability to contribute to society tomorrow.

More broadly, timely access to good care continues to be a struggle for many, and inequalities in care persist. And issues getting access to services are often exacerbated by deprivation; in 2023/24, attendance rates for urgent and emergency care for people living in the most deprived areas of England were nearly double those for people in the least deprived areas. Analysis conducted for CQC showed that for people attending for mental health reasons, the difference was over three times higher for those in the most deprived areas.

The safety and quality of some services is not good enough. CQC’s review of maternity services shows that women and babies are still not receiving the high-quality maternity care they deserve, and women from Black and ethnic minority backgrounds continue to be more at risk of experiencing poor maternity care and outcomes.

Mental health services are also a cause for serious concern. Lack of resources, ageing estates and poorly designed facilities are affecting the safety of inpatient wards. CQC’s special review of the care provided by Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust also identified wider concerns around community mental health services, leading to recommendations to improve oversight and treatment of people with serious mental health issues.

CQC has particular concerns about children and young people’s mental health services, where demand continues to rise. In 2023, 1 in 5 children and young people between the ages of 8 and 25 were estimated to have a mental health disorder. While the mental health workforce has grown, problems with staffing and skill mix remain. Across the country, services are facing challenges in recruiting staff including nurses, psychologists, occupational therapists, and consultant psychiatrists – all of which are having an impact on capacity, and therefore on the availability and regularity of appointments.

Mental health difficulties experienced as an adult often begin in childhood or young adulthood. Early intervention increases the prospects of good mental health in later life – but delayed or inadequate intervention decreases these chances.

Source: National Cyber Security Centre published on this website Thursday 24 October 2024 by Jill Powell

Following the successful initial roll out of PDNS for Schools last year, all schools in the UK can now benefit from the enhanced cyber resilience service.

Schools are being encouraged to sign up for a free cyber defence service from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) – a part of GCHQ – which helps block online threats such as malware, ransomware and phishing attacks.
 
Following a successful initial rollout of the PDNS (Protective Domain Name System) for Schools, the service has now been extended to more educational settings across the UK, with multi-academy trusts, academies, independent schools and school internet service providers encouraged to sign up.
 
The service, which is part of the recently announced partnership with Cloudflare and Accenture, prevents access to websites which are known to be malicious, limiting access to domains hosting malware, ransomware and spyware.
 
It means more schools – regardless of their resources or status – can now benefit from enhanced cyber resilience. 
 
Schools continue to face a range of cyber threats to their systems with recently published figures from Ofqual showing more than a third of schools and colleges in England has experienced a cyber incident during the last academic year.
 
Local authorities, eligible public sector networks from devolved administrations of the UK and local authorities in England that provide DNS to their maintained schools are already eligible to sign up. 

NCSC Deputy Director for Economy and Society, Sarah Lyons, said:

"With a growing range of cyber threats, it has never been more important to protect our educational environments from online threats. The PDNS for Schools service offers a crucial layer of protection, helping schools defend against common online threats, at no cost. I encourage all schools to take advantage of this opportunity to strengthen their cyber resilience and ensure a safer digital future for students and staff alike."

Department for Education Minister for Early Education, Stephen Morgan, said:

“I know how important it is that our schools, colleges and nurseries are protected from online threats, and our work to help these settings improve their cyber security never stops. We have worked closely with the National Cyber Security Centre on this service to ensure all schools can now benefit from enhanced cyber resilience at no cost to them and I encourage settings to take advantage of this enhanced protection.”

PDNS for Schools is part of a wider cyber security offer of actionable advice, guidance and tools that the NCSC has provided to help schools to improve their cyber security.

All educational organisations can sign up for ‘PDNS for Schools’ by asking their DNS provider to register for PDNS through MyNCSC.