A British man has been arrested following an investigation by the FBI into child abuse and the dark web.
FBI investigation
As part of a worldwide probe into illegal online activities, law enforcement officers in the US accessed the servers of an internet forum called Playpen.
Whilst monitoring the site, on which users can access and exchange child abuse images, FBI officers acquired the IP address of someone using the site in Houghton-le-Spring, Sunderland. The address was passed on to the UK’s National Crime Agency, who seized three computers from Steven Archer’s grandmother’s home in the town.
UK investigation
31 year old Archer originally denied any wrongdoing, leading to prosecutors spending more than £5,000 in preparation for the case – including sending computer experts to Newcastle from various parts in the UK.
However, after an interrogation of the three machines seized, it became apparent that Archer was indeed the user in Houghton who had been accessing the illicit site. Police found that the 31 year old had used the site for a total of ten hours and five minutes, during which time he had accessed a total of 964 images on the site.
During the police investigation it was found that of the 964 images Archer had accessed, only one remained on his computer – the rest had been deleted. It was also found after examining his computers that Archer had deliberately searched for images of child abuse.
Sentencing
Despite his initial denial, on the day of the trial Archer pleaded guilty to two charges of making indecent images of children.
Steven Archer was sentenced to 11 months imprisonment, suspended for two years, at Newcastle Crown Court.
Mr Recorder Euan Duff also outlined rehabilitation requirements and a sex offender treatment programme Archer must attend, as well as ordering him to sign the sex offenders register and abide by a sexual harm prevention order for five years.
The paedophile was ordered to pay £3,000 in costs.
Sexual abuse claims – expert advice
If you have been affected by any instance of physical sexual abuse or by any instance of non-physical sexual abuse, contact us today. We offer expert advice on sexual abuse claims, and we guarantee your confidentiality at all times. For further information, and to discover how we could help you, begin a conversation with our experienced and friendly team. Call 0800 888 6 888 or email .
Following a freedom of information request under the Clinical Negligence Scheme for Trusts, the Liverpool Echo has revealed the longest running court battles for Merseyside parents after their children were left injured or disabled during child birth.
Long fight for justice
Last year (2015-2016) a total of £2.3 million was spent on defence and claimant costs alone by Liverpool Women’s Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. A further £9.4 million was paid out in damages.
The Clinical Negligence Scheme for Trusts deals with incidents that have occurred since April 1995. Since then, there have been a total of five cases that weren’t resolved for over 9 years.
The longest fight for justice went on for more than 16 years, and involved parents fighting for compensation from Liverpool Women’s Hospital. The family eventually received over £7 million.
Another case, this time against Southport and Ormskirk hospital trust continued for more than ten years. The case was settled for a sum of just over £340,000.
Brain injury
Specific details of cases were not revealed but such high-value maternity cases frequently involve instances of children who have suffered brain injuries.
Oxygen deprivation is one of the most common reasons for some of the most severe birth injuries and if a child suffers brain injury at birth, they will most likely require complex life-long care as well as accommodation needs and special equipment.
In a number of cases, the type of brain damage and indeed the cause are not fully apparent until the child is much older, again adding to the length of the process.
There are often complexities surrounding birth injury cases, resulting in fights for justice that can last for years. Typically, the NHS Litigation Authority will make provisional payments ensuring that the child’s immediate needs are met.
Longest running cases
Here are the five longest-running maternity negligence cases in Merseyside:
NHS Trust
Time to be resolved
Total damages
Defence costs
Claimant costs
Liverpool Women’s Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
16.09 years
£7,350,000
£127,895
£340,000
Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust
10.21 years
£343,049
£75,998
£135,000
St Helens and Knowsley Hospitals NHS Trust
9.24 years
£2,750,000
£110,040
£192,250
Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
13.99 years
£4,886,052
£97,513
£241,600
Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Time to be resolved – 13.99 years Total damages – £3,560,900 Defence costs – £104,897 Claimant costs – £455,000
Birth Injury Claims – Expert Advice
Birth injury claims may involve any instance of medical negligence during pregnancy or childbirth. If you have been affected by a birth injury, you may be entitled to maximum personal injury compensation. Speak to our expert team of medical negligence solicitors today to discover how we could help you. Remember, we offer you a FREE no-obligation consultation. Call our team of experts today on 0800 888 6 888 or email .
Last week, the former professional footballer Andy Woodward waved his right to anonymity to speak publicly about the sexual abuse he suffered as a child by his youth coach, scout and serial paedophile, Barry Bennell.
Crew Alexandra
Bennell, now 62, was employed at Crewe Alexandra in the 80s and 90s. He also had a close association with Stoke and Manchester City, along with various other junior teams in Cheshire and Greater Manchester, as well as Derbyshire and Staffordshire.
Speaking on the BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire show, Woodward said he was playing for Stockport Boys when he caught Bennell’s attention. He was invited to train with one of Bennell’s teams on Manchester City’s pitches at Platt Lane, before being directed towards Crewe Alexandra’s youth setup.
Sexual abuse
From the age of 11, Bennell would abuse Woodward at his home in the Peak District. A home which Mr Woodward describes as ‘a treasure trove, a child’s dream’ filled with fruit machines, pool tables and exotic animals. According to the former footballer, now 43, Bennell would use threats and blackmail to keep his victims quiet.
“What he’d do sometimes, to show the fear factor and make sure I never told anyone, was get out some nun-chucks,
“He was a master with them. He’d tell me to hold out a piece of paper. I’d be physically shaking. Then he’d hit it with enough force to split it in half and make a little comment: ‘You see what I can do, you see how powerful I am?’
“It was either threats of violence or he’d use football to manipulate control. If I upset him in any way, he’d drop me from the team. ‘At any point,’ he’d tell me, ‘you will go, you will disappear and that dream won’t happen.’ It was emotional blackmail, all the time.”
When Woodward was 14, Bennell began a relationship with his older sister. She was sixteen and as Bennell was significantly older, he told his teenage victim that he would never play football again he told anyone about their relationship. Once the relationship became public, the paedophile would come round for dinner every Sunday, forcing his victim to suffer in silence as he laughed and joked with his family. Then at age 18, Woodward was forced to stand by his abuser’s side as he married his sister and became his brother-in-law.
Woodward made his professional debut for Crewe aged 19 and went on to sign for Bury in 1995, then Sheffield United and Scunthorpe United. His career ended at the age of 29. According to Woodward, this was because he was unable to cope with the unbearable aftereffects of the abuse he had endured for so long – he would often break down, suffering panic attacks during matches.
Police investigation
Another victim of Bennell reported their abuse to police and three different forces began an investigation into the youth coach. The investigation, led by Cheshire, Derbyshire and North Wales police, also involved allegations of the abuse of young boys in Spain and the United States.
Multiple prison sentences
In 1998, Barry Bennell was sentenced to nine years in prison after he pleaded guilty to sexual offences against a six boys, aged between 9 and 15 at the time of their abuse. He was primarily charged with a total of 45 offences, including buggery and attempted buggery, but was only charged for 23. The other 22 cases were allowed to lie on file.
The hearing took place at Chester Crown Court, during which a number of disturbing truths came to light. The court heard how one of the offences had taken place at the home of Crewe Alexandra’s manager of more than 24 years, Dario Gradi – although he was unaware of the abuse. Another offence took place on one of the club’s training pitches. The Judge told the court that Bennell would exploit the power he had to “point young boys in the right direction and help them with their careers and wishes to become successful footballers. They were prepared to do almost anything you asked.”
Following his release, Bennell was sent back to jail – this time in the US. He was arrested in Florida and served a four-year sentence in the States for offences against a boy during a football tour. Bennell was described by US authorities as having “almost an insatiable appetite” for young boys.
Then in May 2015, the former scout was sentenced to two years in prison for another historical sexual offence, the abuse of a 12-year-old boy on a football course in Macclesfield in 1980.
Bennell has since been released from prison.
More victims come forward
Woodward has said that he has spoken of his abuse publicly in the belief there are many others who suffered the same ordeal. Due to Bennell’s employment and association with so many youth teams over a three decade period, it is thought the number of victims of sexual abuse in football could potentially be in the hundreds.
According to Chester police, since Mr Woodward’s interview on the Victoria Derbyshire programme a total of 11 people have come forward to speak of their abuse as young aspiring young footballers at the hands of Bennell.
Chris Unsworth, 44, said he decided to wave his anonymity after his girlfriend showed him Woodward’s interview on the show. Mr Unsworth was a youth player at Manchester City when Bennell was there. He then proceeded to move to Crewe with the coach when he was about 12 years old. Mr Unsworth would stay at Bennell’s house with a number of other boys. They would all stay in the same bed with Bennell and this is where the abuse would take place. Mr Unsworth was just 9 years old. He added:
“We never spoke to each other about it; I was raped between 50 and 100 times.”
Another victim, Jason Dunford, said that Bennell attempted to touch him when he was staying at a Butlins holiday camp after winning a football tournament with the Manchester City youth team. He told Bennell to ‘get off’ him and according to Mr Dunford he was ‘tormented’ by Bennell from that point.
Former Manchester City and England player, David White, 49, said Bennell abused him between 1979 and 1980.
Ex-Crewe Alexandra player Steve Walters, 44, said he had also been abused by Bennell when he was 13 or 14. The offence took place during a trip to Anglesey. Mr Walters added that he “struggles with nightmares and sleeping problems” and had has counselling.
Other abusers
In his interview, Woodward also added that he strongly believes that Bennell and another paedophile worked together to plot the abuse that took place.
A dedicated NSPCC hotline was set up after the claims relating to former footballers were made public. The hotline has received over 100 calls from alleged victims within the first two hours of going live.
Ex-Liverpool player Paul Stewart has come forward to speak of how he was abused by another coach every day for four years. Mr Stewart claims his abuser got away with the offences because he threatened to kill his relatives if he ever told anyone.
One other former footballer has spoken out about how he was a victim of George Ormond, the former Newcastle United youth coach who was jailed in 2002 for sexually abusing young footballers.
Sexual abuse & assault claims – expert advice
If you have been affected by any instance of physical sexual abuse or by any instance of non-physical sexual abuse, contact us today. We offer expert advice on sexual abuse claims, and we guarantee your confidentiality at all times. For further information, and to discover how we could help you, begin a conversation with our experienced and friendly team. Call 0800 888 6 888 or email .
Source: BBC News; Guardian; Sky News; Liverpool Echo
Our committed team of Road Traffic Accident specialists recently secured over £3,000 in personal injury compensation for a client who was injured in non-fault road traffic accident.
At the time of the incident, our client was sat in her stationary vehicle on the A523 in Macclesfield. The Defendant failed to pay due care and attention and collided with a third party vehicle, before failing to maintain safe and proper control and colliding with the Claimant’s stationary Ford Fiesta.
Our client sustained whiplash type injuries to their neck, back, right shoulder and hips during the road traffic accident. The Claimant also reports that since the collision they have suffered with headaches, sleep disturbances (due to pain) and travel anxiety.
Our expert Road Traffic Accident team secured a total of £3,850 compensation for our client on this occasion.
Commenting on their successful claim and the customer service they received, the Claimant added:
“So easy, I left it all with Hampson Hughes and they handled it brilliantly. It was no worry or hassle for me. From start to finish great service was provided. Thank you!”
Begin your road traffic accident claim today
If you have been injured in a road traffic accident that was not your fault, contact our dedicated team of road traffic accident solicitors today. Remember, we could help you to claim maximum personal injury compensation whether you were injured as the driver, a passenger, a cyclist, or as a pedestrian. More information can also be found via our ‘Road Traffic Accident’ page.
To begin your claim, contact us today for your FREE no-obligation consultation.
Call 0800 888 6888 or email .
A covert review into North Manchester General Hospital and the Royal Oldham Hospital has identified a number of serious failings. It has been reported that numerous clinical errors, a shortage of staff and a lack of compassion from workers has contributed to the deaths of numerous mothers and infants over a five year period.
Penine Acute Hospital Trust
The originally internal review, which came to light after a freedom of information request by the Manchester Evening News (MEN), was carried out by Deborah Carter. Miss Carter is the new maternity director at Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, which is responsible for the running of both hospitals in question.
Between 2010 and 2015, Pennine Acute Hospital NHS trust received more legal claims and paid out more in damages than any other. Almost half of the claims, which totalled more than £25 million, related clinical errors involving mothers and babies.
The MEN also reported that initially the trust attempted to conceal the report, at one point claiming it did not even exist.
Series of avoidable deaths and long-term injuries
The document outlines a series of avoidable deaths and long-term injuries, caused by failures over a lengthy period, including that of a woman who died of a catastrophic haemorrhage after staff mistook her symptoms for mental illness.
According to the report, long-term clinical errors led to “high levels of harm for babies in particular” and constant repeated warnings over time had not resulted in improvements.
Other incidents detailed in the report include a premature baby that was left to die alone in a sluice room – where used disposables such as incontinence pads and bed pans are dealt with, and reusable products are cleaned and disinfected – and a baby who lost its life after staff failed to recognise its mother’s rare blood type.
Poor decision making
The review states that “clear evidence of poor decision-making which has resulted in significant harm to women” as well as “real issues” on maternity wards resulting in “high levels of harm for babies in particular, which has significant life-long impact”.
According to the document a number of deaths were related a shortage in hospital staff, as well as the lack of compassion and bad attitudes amongst those who work at the trust. “Worrying repetitive themes” across maternity units, such as poor documentation, failures to monitor basic vital signs, critical information left off patient records and lab results left unchecked, were also prominent in the report.
Recurrent safety breaches, a “rigid mind-set” among staff who tended to view patients’ conditions as “uncomplicated” and little performance monitoring of the high numbers of agency staff on the trust’s books were also identified.
Improvements
This week the trust confirmed that steps – such as the recruitment of more staff – are being taken to improve patient care and avoid clinical errors.
Medical director at Pennine, Professor Matthew Makin, said:
“The priority is for all of the trust’s services to meet the high standards that patients expect and deserve. We are steadily making the necessary improvements so that patients can receive reliable, high quality care across all of our services.
“In addition to the appointment of a new head of midwifery, 31 new midwives started … across our two maternity units at north Manchester and Oldham last month.
“In addition to 58 new midwives joining us since April, the new management team is being supported by Central Manchester NHS foundation trust, who are providing supplementary clinical leadership support in order to stabilise and strengthen services on the north Manchester site.
“We have fully reviewed our risk and governance arrangements including learning from incidents and complaints, and are making progress in improving the way we listen and involve our staff to address the longstanding problems and challenges facing our teams.”
Medical negligence claims – expert advice
Medical negligence compensation may be available where the service provided by a medical professional falls below the accepted standards of practice. If you believe that you have been affected by medical negligence, speak to our expert team of personal injury solicitors today. Remember, we offer you a FREE no-obligation consultation. Call 0800 888 6 888 or email .
Our Travel Law team were recently instructed by a client after their Spanish holiday was ruined by illness abroad, brought on by poor food & hygiene standards at their hotel.
All-inclusive holiday
Our client, Nicole, booked a 10 day all-inclusive getaway to the 4* Marina Torrenova Hotel, in the Spanish town of Palma Nova.
Illness abroad
However just a few days into her holiday, Nicole began to feel unwell. Our client suffered with nausea and fatigue, as well as having severe diarrhoea and a sore throat.
Poor food & hygiene standards
Nicole claims that the standards of hygiene within the hotel and its restaurant were very poor. Our client reports witnessing hotel staff, who did not wear gloves when handling food, adding hot food to trays of cold food. According to Nicole, the drinks served at the hotel bar appeared watered down to taste and she believes that the ice cubes put into all drinks were made from local tap water.
Nicole also claims that there was a strong smell of sewage in and around the hotel and that her room was not cleaned regularly, as was expected.
Successful outcome
Our expert Travel Law team secured a total of £1,900 in compensation for our client on this occasion.
Illness abroad claims – expert advice
If you believe that your illness abroad is linked to poor hygiene standards within your package deal hotel, you may be entitled to holiday illness compensation. There are certain steps that you could take in support of your claim:
•Note all important dates
•Report any hygiene issues to your holiday rep
•Document any suspected poor hygiene (e.g. photo, video)
For further information on holiday sickness compensation, please take a look at our Package Holiday Claims page.
To discover how much compensation you could be entitled to, call our expert team of holiday illness solicitors today for instant answers. Whatever your experience with illness abroad, we may be able to help. Call 0800 888 6 888 or email for your FREE consultation.
Our Road Traffic Accident team recently secured over £5,000 compensation for a client who suffered severe soft tissue damage in a non fault accident.
Incident
At the time of the incident, our client was correctly proceeding along Athol Grove in Chorley when the defendant emerged from a side road when it was unsafe to do so. As a result, the defendant’s vehicle – a Mercedes Benz – collided with the nearside of the Claimant’s Peugeot.
Our client sustained severe whiplash to their back and shoulder during the collision and now requires frequent cortisone injections to control pain. The claimant also reports that they have suffered with headaches since the incident.
Injuries
Due to the severity of our client’s injuries day to day activities, such as housework and even sleep, were restricted in the weeks following the accident. Unfortunately, due to the time our client was required to take off work to recover – six weeks in total – they were dismissed from their place of employment.
Our team of expert RTA solicitors managed to secure a total of £5,276 in personal injury compensation for our client on this occasion.
Begin your road traffic accident claim today
If you have been injured in a road traffic accident that was not your fault, contact our dedicated team of road accident solicitors today. Remember, we could help you to claim maximum personal injury compensation whether you were injured as a driver, passenger, cyclist, or as a pedestrian. More information can also be found via our ‘Road Traffic Accident’ page.
To begin your road traffic accident claim, contact us today for your FREE no-obligation consultation.
Call us on 0800 888 6888 or send an email to .
Our dedicated team of Travel Law solicitors recently secured compensation for a holidaymaker who fell severely ill with food poisoning whilst on a luxury holiday in Boa Vista, Cape Verde.
5* hotel – disappointed
Our client booked an all-inclusive week long stay at the 5* ClubHotel Riu Karamboa with tour operators Thomas Cook.
The claimant was very disappointed at the cleanliness of the hotel upon arrival, and more so after eating in the hotel restaurant.
Our client noted numerous food and hygiene issues, including: hot food added to cold food that had been left out for long periods of time and partially cooked food being served, which also appeared to have been reheated. Our client also noted a large number of stray cats that would wander in and around the eating areas of the hotel.
According to our client, the general cleanliness of the hotel was sub par and was not of a 5* standard.
Food poisoning
Unfortunately, after a few days at the ClubHotel Riu Karamboa, the claimant began to suffer with symptoms such as severe diarrhoea; abdominal cramps; vomiting and nausea.
Our client avers that their symptoms were as a result of food poisoning caused directly by the poor food and hygiene standards at the Riu Karamboa.
Our expert Travel Law team secured a total of £2,000 compensation for our client on this occasion.
Holiday Illness Claims – Expert Advice
If you believe that your holiday illness symptoms are linked to poor hygiene standards within your package deal hotel, you may be entitled to holiday illness compensation. There are certain steps that you could take in support of your claim:
•Note all important dates
•Report any hygiene issues to your holiday rep
•Document any suspected poor hygiene (e.g. photo, video)
For further information on holiday sickness compensation, please take a look at our Package Holiday Claims page.
To discover how much compensation you could be entitled to, call our expert team of travel law solicitors today for instant answers. Whatever your experience with holiday sickness, we may be able to help. Whatever your experience with holiday sickness, we may be able to help. We offer you a FREE no-obligation consultation. Call 0800 888 6 888 or email .
Over the last twelve months or so, 41 men from Merseyside have called a helpline looking for help after becoming addicted to child abuse images, according to a child abuse and exploitation charity.
Lucy Faithfull Foundation
According to figures published by the Lucy Faithfull Foundation, a charity that campaigns against the sexual exploitation of children, the men called the foundation’s anonymous helpline between October 2015 and September this year.
A further 20 adults, mainly wives and parents, called the helpline seeking advice as they were concerned about the internet viewing habits of their husband or son.
Stop It Now! Campaign
The foundation’s ‘Stop It Now!’ campaign includes a series of interactive videos in which the viewer must make decisions along the way that determine whether the character – a man from a loving home who becomes addicted to indecent images of children – seeks help or ends up in jail.
The campaign’s helpline received 33 calls between October 2015 and September 2016 from males in Cheshire asking for help with their child abuse image addiction. In that same time, the foundation received 36 calls from men in Greater Manchester and 35 from men in Lancashire also asking for help.
Chief Superintendent Chris Green, from Titan, the North West’s organised crime unit, said:
“Every one of us has a part to play in putting a stop to the sexual exploitation of children online and I would encourage parents, grandparents, teachers, health professionals, social services and any other adults to take time to better educate themselves.
“Titan, working alongside forces across the region, is committed to the protection and wider safeguarding of young people and, in doing so, we will work with partner agencies to, where possible, prevent such abuse and investigate such incidents.”
Child abuse prevention expert and founder of ‘Stop It Now!’ Donald Findlater added:
“Imagine what it is like for a husband and father to have to tell his wife and children that he has been arrested for viewing sexual images of children online, and then having to tell his boss and then his friends.
“We have worked with thousands of men after they have been arrested, all with bitter regrets about the harm they have done to their families, to the victims in the images they viewed and to themselves.
“We need the tens of thousands of men still viewing these images to realise that what they are doing is illegal and to make sure they stop.
“Here at Stop it Now! we give them all the help we can by phone and online – and it is confidential.
“But we also want to hear from wives, partners, parents who are worried about a loved one’s sexual behaviour online.
“We must not turn a blind eye to this behaviour.”
Sexual abuse claims – expert advice
If you have been affected by any instance of physical sexual abuse or by any instance of non-physical sexual abuse, contact us today. We offer expert advice on sexual abuse claims, and we guarantee your confidentiality at all times. For further information, and to discover how we could help you, begin a conversation with our experienced and friendly team. Call 0800 888 6 888 or email .
A 23 year old man from Stevenage has been charged with causing serious injury by dangerous driving after he and a friend collided with an oncoming vehicle whilst racing each other.
Incident
Clayton Kentsley and Connell Burgham were racing each other in separate cars in Welwyn Garden City when Burgham collided with another vehicle after losing control on a bend.
According to a witness, Kentsley had been tailgating Burgham moments before the crash. When approaching a left-hand bend, Kentsley pulled out into the oncoming lane and Burgham increased his speed.
Kentsly then pulled back in behind Burgham’s vehicle just before the bend, avoiding the crash, whilst Burgham lost control and swerved into the path of an oncoming car.
Judge Stephen Warner said that both men had been speeding, but could not conclude as to how much over the 30mph limit this was.
Serious Injuries
Burgham now requires constant supervision and cannot work after suffering life-changing head and neck injuries in the crash. He also suffered a personality disorder due to the incident and medics have said that it is unlikely he will ever recover.
Burgham was not the only person injured in the collision however. A five year old boy was in the back seat of the car which collided with Burgham’s vehicle and he sustained a serious injury that required surgery, whilst the driver – his father – suffered a broken elbow.
Sentencing
In October, Kentsley pleaded not guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving but pleaded guilty to an offence of dangerous driving. He was found guilty on both counts.
Appearing in court for sentencing, Judge Warner told Kentsley:
“You drove with complete disregard for the safety of others on the road.
“You were in effect egging each other on by driving as you did.”
The jury also concluded that Burgham, who was not in court, had caused serious injury to the five year old by dangerous driving, but after hearing of his condition, Judge Warner sentenced him to an absolute discharge.
Judge Warner jailed Kentsley for 27 months and disqualified him from driving for three years. He also ordered the 23 year old to take an extended driving test before he gets behind the wheel of a car again.
Begin your road accident claim
If you have been injured in a road accident that was not your fault, contact our dedicated team of personal injury solicitors today. Remember, we could help you to claim maximum personal injury compensation whether you were injured as the driver, a passenger, a cyclist, or as a pedestrian. More information can also be found via our ‘Road Traffic Accident’ page.
To begin your road accident claim, contact us today for your FREE no-obligation consultation. Call 0800 888 6888 or email .
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