South Africa apologises over xenophobic attacks

[caption id="attachment_3200" align="alignnone" width="300"] ZUMA[/caption]

South African Deputy President, Cyril Ramaphosa, on Monday in Nairobi tendered an apology to Kenyans, condemning the recent brutal xenophobic attacks that claimed some lives.

Mr. Ramaphosa, who was in Kenya to meet Kenyan President, Uhuru Kenyatta, over South Sudan crisis, apologised for the loss of lives.

He addressed thousands of Kenyans during celebrations to mark 52 years of internal self-rule in Nairobi.

The deputy president said his country wants to demonstrate unity as Africans for the continent to prosper.

“I apologise to Kenyans and the rest of Africa for the unfortunate events that recently took place in South Africa,” he said. “We are all one united in the love of our continent.”

One Kenyan was killed in South Africa’s xenophobic rampage in April.

Hassan Stima, a former casual labourer, was said to have been attacked in his house on April 17 in Johannesburg.

A wave of xenophobic attacks against foreign African nationals hit the cities of Durban and Johannesburg in April.

Foreign nationals were accused of taking away jobs and businesses from natives.

Several African governments whose citizens were victims of xenophobic attacks had also threatened to shut down South African owned business operating in those countries.

Mr. Ramaphosa said South Africa would still continue hosting immigrants from other countries.

“We are part of Africa, and we will continue to welcome you to South Africa,” he said. “We want to embrace you and work with you. I welcome Kenyans and the rest of Africa to South Africa, we are sorry for the recent Xenophobia attacks in our country.”

Mr. Ramaphosa, who held talks with President Kenyatta and also attended celebrations in Nairobi, was expected to travel later to Juba in South Sudan to help solidify a political deal there.

Mr. Ramaphosa’s spokesperson Ronnie Mamoepa said the deputy president is the special envoy of South African President, Jacob Zuma, to South Sudan and would be joined by Abdurahman Kinana, the secretary general of Tanzania’s ruling party, Chama Cha Mr. Mapinduzi, as a co-guarantor of the Sudanese People’s Liberation Movement Reunification Agreement.

The Reunification Agreement was signed in Arusha, Tanzania, earlier this year by various factions of the SPLM.
(Xinhua/NAN)

SYRIA: Govt's barrel bombings kill 75, dozens in critical condition

[caption id="attachment_3097" align="alignnone" width="300"] BOMB SCENE[/caption]

Aljazeera reports that the killings occurred in two separate incidents – helicopters were seen dropping explosives-filled barrels, the action which is considered illegal under international law.

At least 75 people have died and scores injured in Syria after government dropped a series of bomb in Aleppo province, medical sources and a monitoring group said.

Aljazeera reports that the killings which occurred on Saturday, May 29, was in two separate incidents – helicopters were seen dropping explosives-filled barrels, the action which is considered illegal under international law.

One barrel bomb hit the rebel-held Shaar neighbourhood of Aleppo, killing at least 20 people, most of them from the same family, local activists told Al Jazeera.

In the second attack, at least 55 people were killed after bombs hit a busy market in al-Bab city – about 40km northeast of Aleppo city, which is controlled by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which documents violence through a network of activists on the ground, dubbed the al-Bab attack as a “massacre,” adding that the number of dead likely would rise because many of the wounded were in critical condition.

This comes a day after rebel fighters seized the last government-controlled town in the country’s northwestern province of Idlib after government forces retreated to their coastal bases, according to activists and a monitoring group.

A Syrian coalition known as the Fattah Army seized the town of Ariha on Thursday, giving the group full control of Idlib province.

NAN

U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry, breaks leg following bicycle accident

[caption id="attachment_3094" align="alignnone" width="300"] JOHN KERRY[/caption]

The U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry, was on Sunday in Geneva flown to a hospital with a broken leg following a bicycle accident in the French Alps.

The spokesperson at the U.S. mission in Geneva disclosed that the secretary had broken his leg.

Kerry’s Spokesperson, John Kirby, also confirmed that 71-year-old Mr. Kerry was taken by helicopter to Geneva University Hospital, where he was conscious and in stable condition with a leg injury.

He said the accident occurred in Scionzier, a town near the border with Switzerland, around 9.40 a.m.
Mr. Kirby said the secretary was attended to by a physician and paramedics travelling in his motorcade.

Mr. Kerry had conducted talks on Saturday in Geneva with Iranian Foreign Minister, Mohammad Zarif, as part of ongoing efforts to forge a comprehensive agreement about Tehran’s disputed nuclear programme ahead of a June 30 deadline.

He had been due to fly to Madrid later on Sunday to meet with Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy and King Felipe VI. on Tuesday.

Mr. Kerry was also scheduled to travel to Paris to hold talks with counterparts from the countries participating in the military coalition targeting the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria.

PREMIUM TIMES

 

Noise Pollution May Increase Risk Of Obesity

Excessive noise from traffic, aircraft and trains makes us more likely to become obese, according to a Swedish study.

Living next to a busy road or under a flight path can increase the risk of becoming obese, a study has found.

In the first research into the effect of noise pollution on waistlines, scientists say those who live near particularly busy roads or who often have aircraft flying overhead can see their sleep adversely affected.

This lack of sleep makes people less willing to exercise and, therefore, more likely to become overweight or obese.

The research, published in the British Medical Journal, found that for every five-decibel increase above the standard traffic noise level of 45dB, the average person sees an extra 0.2cm increase in their waist circumference.

Andrei Pyko, lead author of the study at Sweden's Karolinska Institutet, said that with increased urbanisation, traffic noise is a "common and increasing environmental exposure", followed by airport and railway noise.

He added: "Health effects related to traffic noise are widespread and span from annoyance, sleep disturbances and changes in stress hormone levels to adverse effects on the cardiovascular system.

"Increasing evidence points to traffic noise as a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension, myocardial infarction and stroke.

"Recent findings suggest that traffic noise may also affect the metabolic system, for example, inducing central obesity and type 2 diabetes."

The study looked at 5,075 men and women in Sweden and found that those in areas with lower noise levels were likely to have lived 10 years or more at the same address, have lower household income and report less sleep disturbance.

Those exposed to higher noise levels, on the other hand, were more likely to be single and report current smoking, psychological distress and noise annoyance.

Dr Pyko said: "Sleep is an important modulator of hormonal release, glucose regulation and cardiovascular function.

"Sleep disturbances may affect immune functions, influence the central control of appetite and energy expenditure as well as increase circulating levels of the stress hormone cortisol."

One in four Britons are obese, while 37% are overweight.

SKYNEWS

Somali lawmaker shot dead in error – Government

The government of Somalia on Sunday confirmed that military forces shot and killed a lawmaker and injured another on Saturday in the capital, Mogadishu.

Security Ministry spokesman, Mohamed Yusuf, said the two legislators were shot while driving from parliament in what he termed as a case of mistaken identity.

“The military had suspicion that the occupants of the car could have been harbouring ulterior motives and fired at them.

“The government has established a task force to investigate the matter and make necessary recommendations,” Mr. Yusuf said.

The two lawmakers were shot on Saturday afternoon after they had attended parliamentary session.

This incident would be the first of its kind where the government claimed responsibility for the killing of a member of parliament.

However, the Al-Qaeda linked militant group Al-Shabaab had earlier claimed responsibility for the attack.

(Xinhua/NAN)

16-year-old girl is beaten by mob and burnt alive in shocking footage emerging from Guatemala

 



WARNING graphic footage: The 4-minute footage shows the girl being punched and kicked with blood streaming down her face before being set alight

16-year-old girl is beaten by mob and burnt alive in shocking footage emerging from Guatemala

This horrifying footage shows a teenage girl being beaten and then burnt alive by a baying mob for her alleged involvement in the death of a taxi driver.

The shocking four-minute footage shows the girl being punched and kicked with blood streaming down her face before being set alight.

According to local reports, the girl was part of a gang who murdered the 68-year-old man - shooting him and robbing him before fleeing.

A horrifying video shows the teenager bleeding as she is surrounded by the mob
Surrounded: The girl cannot escape and is brutally set alight

The two men with the teenager reportedly fled down a series of alleys, but the girl took a wrong turn and was surrounded by a vigilante mob.

After being beaten and left lying helpless on the ground, a man douses the young unnamed girl then seconds later she goes up in flames.

She can be seen writhing in agony before dying.

A police spokesman said that officers had tried to intervene but were blocked by the bystanders.

The sick video was uploaded to YouTube before being removed and police said they are now investigating the attack.

U.S Ambassador States Top 10 Ways to Repair U.S.-Nigeria Ties

As Nigeria prepares for a democratic transition of presidential power on May 29, the United States needs to act fast, wisely and comprehensively to strengthen relations by reaching out to the new government of President-elect Muhammadu Buhari.

Nigeria’s elections were a political triumph for its people and for the future of democracy across sub-Saharan Africa. There was widespread apprehension that the elections would undermine stability, that there would be violence, that Boko Haram insurgents would disrupt voting, that those displaced by violence would not be able to vote and that new voting technology would lead to chaos and confusion at the polls.

None of these things happened. Nigeria probably conducted the best elections in its 55 years of independence.

Although Nigeria faces a number of challenging problems, it is by far the most important country in Africa and the continent’s leading economic and commercial powerhouse. With an output of more than 2.2 million barrels of petroleum a day, Nigeria is Africa’s largest oil and gas producer and the sixth largest global oil exporter. In West Africa, Nigerian companies dominate the banking, insurance, transportation, telecommunications and manufacturing sectors. Its seaports in Lagos, Calabar and Port Harcourt serve large parts of West Africa.

The success of the elections has also raised Nigeria’s political profile. It has now held five successive multi-party democratic elections and is enjoying the longest period of civilian rule since independence. It has a vibrant civil society, which helped ensure the success of the recent elections, a free and lively media and a rich blend of Muslim and Christian cultures.

More importantly, with a population of 180 million, it is Africa’s largest democracy — and the sixth largest democracy in the world.

Relations between Abuja and Washington have frayed over the past two years, largely over security issues and differences over the handling of Boko Haram.

Nigerian officials were deeply upset when Washington refused to permit the sale of American-built Cobra helicopters from Israel to the Nigerian military. They also complained about lack of intelligence sharing and U.S. reluctance to supply training and equipment. Earlier, the Nigerians felt snubbed by President Obama’s decision not to visit Nigeria during his July 2013 swing through Africa.

On the U.S. side, officials at both the State Department and the Defense Department were exasperated with President Goodluck Jonathan for his reluctance to appoint competent military commanders, to deal with growing levels of corruption in the army and to adopt a more effective and comprehensive security and economic revitalization strategy to deal with Boko Haram.

American officials were also concerned about growing levels of corruption across government, especially in the oil sector, as well as the government’s failure to move forward with a new law sought by American energy companies to help jump-start new international investment in Nigeria’s energy sector.

President-elect Buhari has already indicated that he wants to establish a better relationship between Abuja and Washington, especially in the security arena. In an editorial page article in the New York Times on April 14, Mr. Buhari said: “My administration would welcome the resumption of a military training agreement with the United States, which was halted during the previous (Jonathan) administration.”

Now is the time for the United States to move fast to reciprocate. Over the next six months, here are 10 ceremonial and substantive actions the United States should take.

1. President Obama should stop over in Nigeria when he visits East Africa in July.

Strengthening democratic institutions has been the administration’s number one priority in sub-Saharan Africa. President Obama is slated to visit Kenya, a longstanding economic, democratic and security partner, and Ethiopia, an important security partner whose democratic and human rights performance has been strongly criticized in the international community. It would be deeply troubling for many Nigerians to see Africa’s largest democracy snubbed at this important moment in its history.

2. President Obama should send a high level delegation to President Buhari’s inauguration in Abuja on May 29.

Ideally, this delegation should be led by Vice President Joe Biden, who engaged with both President Jonathan and with president-elect Buhari in the run-up to the presidential election. If he is unable to go, Secretary of State John Kerry, National Security Advisor Susan Rice, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson or Agriculture Secretary Thomas Vilsack should lead the delegation, which should include senior officials from several cabinet departments, including the Department of Defense.

3. President Obama should formally invite President Buhari for an official visit soon.

If the White House does not send an appropriately high delegation to the inauguration in Abuja, an official visit takes on greater urgency.

4. Washington should reinvigorate and elevate the U.S.-Nigerian strategic dialogue established by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

This dialogue should be placed on the same plane as those with India, Brazil and China, with Secretary Kerry leading the U.S. meeting in Washington and Deputy Secretary Antony Blinken leading subsequent meetings.

5. The administration should deepen commercial and trade ties between Nigeria and the U.S.

It needs to build off of the successful U.S.-Africa business summit of 2014, and Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker, who has shown great interest in Africa, should be encouraged to travel to Nigeria with American business leaders and investors. Americans and Nigerians should organize high-level trade and investment conferences in Nigeria.

6. The administration should re-establish and elevate the broken military relationship with Abuja.

This will require some sensitive diplomacy and the White House should send the Chairman or the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to demonstrate a strong commitment by the U.S. to get this important relationship right. Once this is done, the Africom commander can take the lead, but given the harsh feelings toward Nigeria at Africom headquarters and by some in the Pentagon, the Chairman or the Vice Chairman should go first.

7. The State Department should revisit the establishment of a Consulate General in northern Nigeria, probably in Kano.

Nigeria has Africa’s largest Muslim population, concentrated in the northern region, and has the fifth largest Muslim population in the world. The United States has very little presence, access or influence in the north. Secretary Clinton approved the opening of a consulate in the north in 2009. The effort should be revisited as quickly as possible.

8. The United States should help Nigeria with access to reliable, inexpensive and readily available power.

Lack of power is the most serious impediment to growing Nigeria’s economy. A country of 180 million people produces less power than New York City and its surrounding suburbs. President Jonathan’s inability to improve the situation is one the reasons he was thrown out of office. Power Africa has been one of the Obama administration’s most significant initiatives and it needs to double down on its efforts to assist Nigeria in addressing its energy needs by bringing together major American power producers to work with, partner and invest in Nigeria’s power sector.

9. The administration should encourage an early trip to Nigeria by Agriculture Secretary Vilsack.

Leading American agro industry companies and the deans of some of America’s leading agricultural colleges should travel with him to help Nigeria revitalize and grow its agricultural sector. Once self-sufficient in food and one of Africa’s largest exporters of groundnuts, cocoa, cotton and palm oil, Nigeria is now a major food importer. Support for its agricultural sector offers another opportunity for serious and sustained engagement with a country whose population is expected to grow from 180 to more than 400 million by 2035.

10. The administration should also consider revamping the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) to support state governments.

In the past, the MCC has helped only national governments. Given the growing influence of states and the important work being done at the state level, the administration should seek changes in the MCC statute in order to help progressive, honest and forward thinking state governors whose states are performing well, implementing sound development projects and providing improved services to their people.

Nigeria is so important, and the administration should not miss this opportunity to engage with Nigeria’s new government. Strong support for Nigeria will help strengthen its democracy, support its economic growth and enhance its security and stability.

An economically vibrant and democratically robust Nigeria is in the interests of Africa, the United States and the broader global community.

Ambassador Johnnie Carson, who served as assistant secretary of State for Africa during President Obama’s first term and as U.S. ambassador to Kenya, Uganda and Zimbabwe, currently is a senior adviser at the United States Institute of Peace and a visiting senior fellow at Yale University.

PREMIUM TIMES

[HORROR]Man who battered prostitute to death before dumping body in waste bin is jailed for life

 

Matthew Cherrington, 32, arranged for Lidia Pascale to visit his home in West Bromwich near Birmingham before he brutally murdered her in a "savage killing"



Lidia Pascale was brutally murdered by Matthew Cherrington

A man has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 19 years after battering a prostitute to death in his home before dumping her body in a wheelie bin.

Matthew Cherrington, 32, arranged for Lidia Pascale to visit his home in West Bromwich near Birmingham before he brutally murdered her.

Her body was found dumped in a wheelie bin 16 days after she was seen going into Cherrington's home.

Today, after being unanimously convicted by a jury of battering Ms Pascale to death, he was jailed for life.

Judge Melbourne Inman QC, told the killer: "I'm satisfied you are a very dangerous man and quite capable of extreme, unprovoked violence."

Cherrington had denied any part in what the judge branded "a savage killing", cleaning up his home where the crime took place, and "fabricating a story to blame someone else".

Matthew Cherrington has been jailed for life after he brutally murdered the prostitute in his home

Judge Inman said "overwhelming evidence" led to his conviction after a trial at Birmingham Crown Court.

He added: "Having killed her, you showed and continue to show no sign of any remorse or regret."

The body of Ms Pascale was found dumped in a bin 16 days after she was last seen going into Cherrington's home on November 19.

Judge Inman said it was clear from text messages between the pair that Cherrington, having earlier bought cocaine, arranged for Ms Pascale to visit.

He added: "You arranged for her to come to your home and Ms Pascale arrived at 10.20pm and was seen to go in by a friend and recorded going inside by a CCTV camera opposite.

"She was never seen alive again.

Lidia Pascale's body was found in a wheelie bin
The murder of Ms Pascale was called a 'savage killing' by the judge

"Between 10.20pm and 10.50pm you murdered her - only you know what happened."

The judge added 26-year-old Ms Pascale was vulnerable, being a little under 5ft tall and slightly built.

A post-mortem examination was unable to conclude how many blows had been inflicted on Ms Pascale, causing catastrophic head injuries.

Judge Inman said: "This was in my judgment an extremely savage killing.

"In her final moments Lidia Pascale must have been aware she was being beaten in such a manner and with such ferocity that she would not survive.

Birmingham Mail

This was the scene after police found Ms Pascale's body

"You also concealed her body in a rubbish bag so that nobody would know what had become of her."

The judge told Cherrington he had "done everything possible" to conceal his crime, repainting walls spattered with blood, selling her phone for a profit, and cleaning his bathroom "where it appears the majority of violence was used".

Among the items which have never been recovered were Ms Pascale's clothes, a red duvet cover and an unknown murder weapon.

After the killing Cherrington went to a nearby garage and bought cigarettes, with the judge saying he had "no doubt" Ms Pascale's body still lay in the flat.

"You set about clearing up, hid her body in a bin bag and later in the night manhandled her over the rear fence of your property, where blood was found on fence panels, and stuffed her in a wheelie bin," said Judge Inman.

He told Cherrington: "When arrested you were wholly contemptuous of police in answers and you later fabricated the story to blame someone else."

The judge said that without the meticulous police investigation which resulted in Ms Pascale's body being discovered, the family of the Romanian-born woman would "never have known what happened to her".

SHOCKING!! Woman slashed the throats of two children before telling onlooker 'it had to be done'

By Will Humphries , Benjamin Wright

The two children 'screamed for their lives' after Sadie Jenkins, 28, attacked them with a steak knife as she stayed in their home as a guest



Accused: Sadie Jenkins denies two counts of attempted murder on the grounds she was 'legally insane'

A woman slashed the throats of a seven-year-old boy and 16-month-old girl before telling a shocked onlooker 'it had to be done' - a court heard.

Sadie Jenkins, 28, is alleged to have 'sawed at the throats' of the children with a steak knife as she stayed at their house as a guest, Cardiff Crown Court was told.

Homeowners Nigel and Ceri Ash, 58, say they were woken by the children's screams and ran into the bedroom to see Jenkins allegedly holding the knife above the baby girl.

The 28-year-old was is then claimed to have told Mrs Ash "it had to be done".

Mr and Mrs Ash pushed her against the wall to wrestled the serrated steak knife out of her hand - before picking up the girl to run downstairs.

Prosecutor Paul Lewis said when they entered the lounge they discovered the seven-year-old boy in the corner of the room holding a blanket to his throat.

Wales News Sadie Jenkins

Trial: Sadie Jenkins is accused of two counts of attempted murder at Cardiff Crown Court

A jury was told the youngest victim was only 16 months old and had a 2.4in-long (6cm) cut across their neck while the eldest had a horrific gaping wound and was cowering in a corner in fear.

The defendant was then found with a self-inflicted neck wound - before telling doctors "the voices told me to do it".

The two injured children, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were taken to the Royal Gwent Hospital and underwent immediate surgery to treat their life-threatening wounds.

Mr Lewis told the court that regular amphetamine user Jenkins admits to carrying out the attack - but will claim to be suffering from a drug-induced psychosis at the time.

He said: "It is likely that it will be argued on her behalf that when the defendant attacked the children she was legally insane.

Elizabeth Cook/PA Sadie Jenkins in the dock at Cardiff Crown Court

Emotional: Sadie Jenkins wiped away tears as she sat in the dock at Cardiff Crown Court

"Although she knew what she was doing, she will say that she did not know her actions were wrong."

But Mr Lewis told the court the defendant appeared normal in the hours leading up to the attack at a home in Newport on May 7 last year. Jenkins was staying at the home of Mr and Mrs Ash to discuss the imminent loss of her ownflat.

"There was no hint of what was to follow," Mr Lewis added.

However,the court heard that at 7.45am that same woman was awoken by the sound of two children screaming.

"She ran into the bedroom and .... could see the youngest was bleeding from her throat," said Mr Lewis.

"The defendant was standing there with a kitchen knife in her hand. The woman screamed at her 'what are you doing?'.

Wales News Sadie Jenkins

Scene: Police were called to the house in Newport, south Wales, in May last year

The defendant replied: 'I'm sorry, it had to be done ... it had to be done'."

Mr Lewis said the woman cried for help, with a man managing to disarm Jenkins before a second injured child was found.

He added: "The child was dressed in their underpants holding a blanket to his neck - saying 'look what (she's) done'.

"The woman was horrified to see the child had a gaping wound to the front of their throat."

Jenkins was then described as being like a "zombie" in the aftermath - and attending paramedics found a knife wound of 2cm to 3cm on her throat.

She was then overheard telling doctors: "I tried to take my own life."

Wales News Sadie Jenkins

Probe: Police were alerted to the scene by a neighbour

While the two children managed to survive, Mr Lewis said they both needed "significant hospital treatment".

Jenkins was later sectioned under the Mental Health Act but was subsequently discharged from a secure unit and first interviewed by police three months later.

Mr Lewis said it was the defence's role to "raise the issue of insanity" - and not the prosecution's.

He added Jenkins' legal counsel - headed by Patrick Harrington QC - would have to prove the defendant's insanity "on the bounds of probabilities".

Vulnerable schoolgirl 'raped by at least 60 men after being preyed upon by Asian grooming gang'

By Richard Wheatstone

Eleven men are on trial at the Old Bailey accused of being part of sex gang based in Aylesbury, Bucks, who "brainwashed" the victims with alcohol, drugs and gifts



Accused: Harmohan Nangpal, Vikram Singh and Sajid Ali at the Old Bailey this morning

A schoolgirl was raped by at least 60 men by members of a horrific paedophile grooming gang - a court has heard.

A jury at the Old Bailey was told the girl were subjected to "horrific sexual assault on a massive scale" by a child sex gang in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire.

A close friend was also allegedly raped by two of the gang.

Eleven Asian men appeared before the court for the first day of trial today and face charges of rape, sexual assault, conspiracy to commit sexual assault, conspiracy to commit rape, conspiracy to facilitate child prostitution and drugging the girls in order to rape them.

Girl A, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was allegedly raped by at least 60 men while she was aged between 12 and 14.

Girl B, a close friend of the first girl, was also allegedly raped by two of the men.

The attacks took place between 2006 and 2012.

Prosecutor Oliver Saxby said the two girls, who came from broken homes, were bought alcohol, drugs and other small gifts by the men to gain their trust.

Getty

Victim: One of the girls was allegedly raped by at least 60 men

He said: "The men are accused of sexual assault on a massive scale. It features two young girls who were exploited and sexually assaulted from the age of 12 or 16.

"Both girls were from unstable backgrounds which made them perfect targets. Their lives were off the rails. They were looking for excitement, for attention, for somewhere to hang out away from school and home.

"They were wanting to feel grown up, and looked after. And they were easy prey for a group of men wanting casual sexual gratification that was easy, regular and readily available.

"They were being conditioned, exploited, their trust was being established and they were sexually abused."

The prosecutor said the first girl tried to explain why she had had sex with so many men.

The prosecutor read out her statement to police: "You get passed round. It wasn't me looking for them it was them looking for me.

"It's just that they pass your number around. Or your with one if them and they invite three or four of their friends round and then you have to sleep with them.

"Because you're in their place and they're making your life a bit more exciting so you do what they want. I just knew Asian men wanted to sleep with me.

PA

Trial; Eleven men face child sex charges at the Old Bailey

"I didn't think they found me attractive. I was happy that I was wanted. I felt popular. Like they wanted me and I got a load of attention, that was it."

Vikram Singh, 45, of Cannock Road, Aylesbury, is charged with four counts of rape, four counts of sexual activity with a child, and one of administering a substance with intent.

Harmohan Nangpal, 41, of Langdale Drive, Hayes, is accused of one count of rape, and one count of sexual activity with a child.

Asif Hussain, 33, of Hodge Lea, Milton Keynes, face three counts of rape, three counts of sexual activity with a child and one count of arranging child prostitution.

Arshad Jani, 33, of Cousins Drive, Aylesbury, denies one count of rape, and a further count of sexual activity with a child.

Mohammed Imran, 38, of Springcliffe Street, Bradford, is accused of three counts of rape, three counts of sexual activity with a child, two counts of conspiracy to commit sexual activity with a child, two counts of conspiracy to rape and one count of child prostitution.

Akbari Khan, 36, of Mandeville Road, Aylesbury, denies two counts of rape, one count of of sexual activity with a child, and one each of administering a substance with intent, conspiracy to rape, and conspiracy to commit sexual activity with a child.

Taimoor Khan, 29, of Highbridge Road, Aylesbury, is charged with one count of rape, one count of sexual activity with a child, one count of conspiracy to rape, and one count of conspiracy to commit sexual activity with a child.

Jerome Joe, 35, of Pightle Crescent, Buckingham, is charged with one count of rape and a single count of sexual activity with a child.

Sajad Ali, 34, of Brockhurst Road, Chesham, is charged with rape, sexual activity with a child and administering a substance.

Sohail Qamar, 41, of St Anne's Road, Aylesbury, is accused of sexual activity with a child, two counts of rape, and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

Faisal Iqbal, 32, of Pixie Road, Aylesbury, is on trial accused of conspiracy to rape and conspiracy to commit sexual activity with a child.

The case continues.

CRISIS! Army fires on Burundi protesters

New clashes erupted on Tuesday in Bujumbura between demonstrators and security forces.

Gilbert Bucyeyeneza, a local Journalist, who witnessed the clashes, said the army was using live bullets to disperse protesters.

“The army and police are getting out of hand,’’ he said.

Bucyeyeneza said protesters in the neighbourhood of Cibitoke carried placards that read “Army, don’t shoot your brothers and sisters,” after one demonstrator was shot.

He said that until recently, Burundi’s army was thought to support those protesting President Pierre Nkurunziza’s bid for a third term in the country’s June 26 presidential elections.

A soldier said on condition of anonymity, that the tensions escalated on the streets on Monday after Nkurunziza fired Gen. Pontien Gaciyubwenge, the Defence Minister who had encouraged the army to remain neutral during weeks of massive anti-government protests that killed at least 20 people.

He said it was so unfortunate now, because the army were now taking sides with the government, after the sacking of Gaciyubwenge.

Gaciyubwenge was replaced by Emmanuel Ntahomvukiye, a civilian who has not held a senior government post and seen by many as a Nkurunziza loyalist.

Meanwhile, an international summit for Africa’s Great Lakes Region, has called on President Nkurunziza to postpone legislative, local government and presidential polls scheduled to hold in Burundi in May and June this year.

South African President Jacob Zuma said the heads of state, who attended the summit, decided that the elections be postponed indefinitely until the country regained its stability.

Zuma made the statement on Tuesday at the end of the summit held in Luanda, Angola.

He said a delegation of heads of state from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and South Africa would visit Burundi to assist in peaceful resolution of the crisis.

He said the summit also decided that the conflict between the opposition and Nkurunziza should be settled peacefully.

Meanwhile, the EU, U.S. and East African Community, have voiced their support for the postponement of the elections.

The United Nations reported that nearly 105,000 Burundians have fled the violence to neighbouring countries with thousands seeking refuge in neighbouring Tanzania.

The World Health Organisation also warned that the country was at risk of severe humanitarian crisis, citing limited camping space, poor hygiene and lack of sanitation facilities and drinking water.

(dpa/NAN)

Lisa Royle Facebook breast picture goes viral days before brave mother has mastectomy

 
By Sam Adams

 



Brave: Lisa Royle's post has been shared thousands of times online

A brave cancer patient has posted a photo of her breast online just days before undergoing a mastectomy.

The post has gone viral with more than 50,000 shares since it first went up on May 11.

In a moving entry alongside the picture, Lisa Royle, 42, said she "never thought I'd post a boob picture on Facebook but I thought I would before it gets chopped off next week."

She warned her female Facebook followers to "take time to look at your boobs" after pointing out how easy to miss the subtle changes to the breast can be.

She said: "So here it is..... This all that I found on my boob.

Facebook Lisa Royle

Boob: Lisa said that her lump was hard to spot

"Very subtle dimples underneath that could easily be missed when we're all rushing round getting ready in a morning.

"Please take time to look at your boobs. It could save you're life."

Her proud husband Craig Thomas Royle described his wife as an "inspiration" and said "together we can make people aware and kick cancers ass."

Following Lisa's surgery her posted again saying she was "doing really well."

He said: "Bit groggy from the morphine but in good spirits and should be home later this evening. The support has blown us away so a massive thanks to u all xx"

Facebook Lisa Royle

Proud: Lisa's family have praised her bravery

Sister Claire Osmand has set up a 'Wig Fund' web page for Lisa, saying that as well as losing her breast "she certainly doesn't deserve to loose her bloody hair as well."

She said: Lisa has done a bloody great job of raising awareness about looking at your boobs the least we can do is help to get her a nice wig/bra and maybe some spending money for her Florida 2016 holiday which I know she is focussing on.

"If everyone of the 15,000 people who saw that photo gave 1p each that would be fabulous!!! A big ask and I don't know if this is the right thing to do, but I'm doing it anyway, because like I said I feel useless!!"

The post has received more than 30,000 likes from well wishers on Facebook - with dozens posting messages praising Lisa for her bravery.

One, Melanie Wilson posted: "Thank you Lisa, you are very brave, thank for showing us what it looks like so we can check our own breasts. Xx"

Another, Carol Walton said "You're an amazing, inspiring lady with the biggest heart to share your story to help others.

"I wish you and your family endless strength, courage and positive energy every minute of every day. Keep shining and smiling xx"

Claire Penson said: "So brave to be thinking of others when you're going through such a difficult time yourself! I'm very good friend of your Aunty Di too and I am sending you and your family lots of love, strength and prayers for good health, amazing lady xxxxx

To donate to the fund visit the web page at shareagift.com here:

Man who raped, impregnated 10-yr-old step-daughter arrested

A man who allegedly raped and impregnated his 10-year-old step-daughter has been arrested.

A Paraguayan man, Gilberto Benitez Zarate, accused of raping and impregnating his 10-year-old step daughter, has been arrested after being on the run for over two weeks.

Zarate, whose action caused national uproar when the mother of the girl wanted to secure an abortion for her, sparking a debate on abortion in Paraguay, was arrested on Saturday, May 9.

But the 42-year-old Zarate, who faces a 15 year jail term if convicted, has maintained his innocence, claiming he was set-up by his girlfriend, the girl's mother because he threatened to leave her.

He reportedly told the press during questioning:

"I will do any paternity test to show it wasn't me. I've been with tons of women, and I never got anybody pregnant."

The alleged rape and pregnancy of the 10-year-old girl had prompted a heated abortion discussion in both houses of the country's Congress.

Abortion is a criminal offense in the conservative Roman Catholic, except in cases when the mother's life is in danger.

The girl's pregnancy was not discovered until April 21 when her mother brought her to a public health clinic believing she had a tumor. The mother is now under arrest by authorities who believe she enabled her daughter's abuse.

Man who Raped 3Daughters gets 17 years in Prison

 

Man gets 17 years for 75 charges of 'most evil' rape and abuse of daughters

 

A Tipperary man who sexually abused and raped his three daughters in their Dublin family home over an 18-year period has been jailed for 17 years.

The 50-year-old man, who cannot be named to protect the identity of his victims pleaded not guilty at the Central Criminal Court to 44 charges of sexually abusing his daughters, 37 counts of raping his eldest daughter, one charge each of anal rape of this girl and oral rape of her younger sister, and one charge of issuing a threat to kill his youngest daughters on dates between October 1994 and July 2012.

He was found guilty on 75 charges following a trial last March. The judge directed the jury to deliver a verdict of not guilty on three charges.

Ms Justice Margaret Heneghan declared the man a sex offender and praised the victims as “persons of very great courage and determination”.

She described the man’s offences as “an exploitation of weak and defenceless children” and said his behaviour was “abhorrent and evil” in this “campaign of rape and sexual abuse” in which he “abused his power in the house”.

The judge said the man showed no remorse, that the crime was planned and pre-meditated and said it was difficult to “discount the sentence in any meaningful way”. She noted that defence said the man’s wife still stands by him.

She said the offences were frequently accompanied by violence or threats of violence and described them as “vile acts” which had been carried out within the confines of the family home.

Ms Justice Heneghan said this was a place where these innocent children should have had security, care and love. She described the first victim as being “defenceless and without support” and added that the abuse continued for eight long years. She noted that the other two daughters were eventually taken into care.

Ms Justice Heneghan said the man had “preyed upon each of these innocent girls for his own satisfaction”.

She said he had shattered their lives when they were vulnerable, controlled them, deprived them of a normal family life, inflicted pain, robbed them of their innocence, deprived them of their education, and turned their family against them.

Ms Justice Heneghan quoted the eldest daughter’s victim impact statement which said “the extent of the damage caused was immeasurable”.

She said the fact that the man had fought the case to conviction, added indignity to each of the victims. The judge also remarked that the jury believed each of the women.

During the trial the eldest of the sisters told the jury she was first sexually abused by the man when she was nine years old before he started to rape her when she was 11 years old. She said she was anally raped once as a 14-year-old when she came home during her lunch break from school.

She said the abuse came to an end after she managed to escape to England with her boyfriend as a 17-year-old.

She had earlier that day enlisted the help of her younger sisters to help her commit suicide but after contacting her boyfriend by text to say goodbye he convinced her to meet up and refused to allow her to return to the house. She never returned to Ireland.

The woman explained that the family lived in fear of the father’s violence and explained that this violence would be directed at the whole family including her mother.

She said he beat them all “quite severely and regularly” using his steel cap work boots and his fists. She described him as a very controlling man.

The second daughter, now 27 years old, was sexually abused from the age of 10 until just before her 14th birthday. She claimed her father once forced her to perform oral sex on him.

The third daughter, now 24 years old, was sexually assaulted from the age of 11 to 13 years old. She said on one occasion her father threatened to kill her two younger sisters.

Victim impact statements from the three sisters were read out in court by Tara Burns SC, prosecuting.

The eldest of the three sisters, now 29, said that she had been a normal child living in England until her father was released from prison there, when the family returned to Ireland and the abuse began. She said that her mother, who gave evidence in support of her husband, "used to be a nice person but seems to be insane now".

Her next youngest sister described having "nightmares about our father abusing me and my sisters" and that the family had difficulty in relating to each other now as they each "tried to deal with what went on in our own ways."

The other daughter said that she had substance abuse problems since she was a teenager as a result of the abuse. She said that she hoped her father would get the help he needs.

The man has 57 previous convictions, mainly for road traffic offences. He has no previous convictions for sex crimes.

Dominic McGinn SC, defending, submitted that there was no evidence to suggest that his client continued this behaviour in recent years and asked the court to accept that the offending was limited to a relatively small portion of his adult life. He said his wife still stands by him.

 

IRISH NEWS

Indian rape victim dies after 42 years in coma[SEE PHOTO]

Aruna Shanbaug, a nurse, was left bedridden after she was raped at a hospital. Photo: Supplied

Delhi: A nurse has died after 42 years in a coma following a brutal rape, in a case that led India to ease some restrictions on euthanasia.

Aruna Shanbaug suffered brain damage and had been in a vegetative state in a Mumbai hospital since being strangled with a dog chain and sexually assaulted by a hospital worker in 1973.

The 66-year-old Shanbaug had suffered a bout of pneumonia in recent days and was on a ventilator, officials at King Edward Hospital in Mumbai told the Press Trust of India news agency.



Aruna Shanbaug in a photo submitted as part of her CV.

Aruna Shanbaug in a photo submitted as part of her CV. Photo: Supplied

Shanbaug was attacked by a ward boy in the basement of the hospital where she was discovered 11 hours later, blind and suffering from a severe brain stem injury.

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Left bedridden, she spent more than four decades being cared for by a team of doctors and nurses at the hospital.

Her attacker was freed after a seven-year jail sentence.

"Her actual death happened in 1973 (the date of the attack). Now what has happened is her legal death," her friend and journalist Pinki Virani told Zee News TV channel.

"Our Aruna has given our country a big thing in the form of a law on passive euthanasia," Virani said.

Shanbaug's plight became a focal point of debate on euthanasia in India after Virani appealed to India's top court in 1999 to allow her to die with dignity.

Indian laws do not permit euthanasia or self-starvation to the point of death.

But in 2011 the Supreme Court decided that life support could be legally removed for some terminally ill patients in a landmark ruling that allowed "passive euthanasia" for the first time.

The court said withdrawing life support could be allowed in exceptional circumstances, provided the request was from family and supervised by doctors and the courts.

The supervision was required to prevent "unscrupulous" family members attempting to kill off wealthy relatives, the Supreme Court had said.

The court however rejected Virani's request to stop Shanbaug being force-fed on the grounds that she was not legally eligible to make the demand on Shanbaug's behalf.

 

See Pictures of the World's Most wanted Female Bomber that 'has killed 400 people in reign of terror against the west'

White Widow Samantha Lewthwaite has murdered 400 people after becoming a key figure in jihadist terror group al Shabaab.

The 32-year-old mother of four’s atrocities include last month’s slaughter of 148 by gunmen at a university in Kenya, say security chiefs.

One told the Mirror in the Somalian capital, frequently bombed by al Shabaab: “This lady sits at the right hand of the leader directing attacks.”

She has been rapidly promoted through the ranks of al Shabaab after many of its leaders died in drone attacks.

The London University graduate was quickly recognised as intelligent and evil-minded enough by jihadi terror bosses to be trusted with the most horrific atrocities.

A senior Somali anti-terror officer says Lewthwaite is now at the right hand of al Shabaab leader Ahmad Umar and is suspected of ordering the deaths of more than 400 innocent people.

He said: “She is an evil person but a very clever operator.”

Lewthwaite, of Aylesbury, Bucks, is believed to have directed terror raids, suicide attacks and car bombings in Somalia and Kenya, as well as masterminding last month’s slaughter of 148 people, by gunmen at a university in Garissa, northern Kenya.

She has also launched a recruitment drive of teenagers and women as suicide bombers after bribing their desperate families with as little as £300.

One London resident blew herself up at a hotel in the Somali capital Mogadishu in February killing 25.

Daily Mirror

White Widow Samantha Lewthwaite with her two sons Abdullah (her eldest son, one she had with 7/7 bomber Germaine Lindsay) and Abdur-Rahman (younger son with Habib Ghani)

And Lewthwaite is believed to have sent brain-washed boys as young as 15 to their deaths as suicide bombers – after they were pumped full of heroin.

The top officer at Somalia’s National Intelligence and Security Agency – who we are not naming to protect his identity – added: “The lady has moved up the ranks. She is one of the most important figures in the terror group.

“We think this lady is sitting at the right hand of the leader directing attacks.

“She does not carry out attacks herself as she is too important but is responsible for many, many deaths - hundreds.

“She uses children to kill for her after giving money to their families.”

But he says the world’s most wanted woman is now facing the same fate as her dead former jihadist leaders. NISA operatives are working with MI6 to capture her, dead or alive.

Daily Mirror

Daily Mirror Kenya Mall massacre World's Most Wanted Woman

The Somali spy chief added: “We share all our information with British agents here in Mogadishu. They are here to keep an eye on the lady and other Britons in Somalia.

“The SAS are ready to get her or we are ready to call in a drone strike against her. We will get her eventually.

“We know she has surrounded herself with other Britons, her own people as her Somali language is not so good. They are her lieutenants and bodyguards.”

Lewthwaite, whose dad is a former soldier who served in Northern Ireland, is the widow of Germaine Lindsay – one of the London 7/7 suicide bombers.

 

She fled Britain in the wake of the 2005 attacks that killed 52 and has been on the run for nearly four years after she and British terror suspect Jermaine Grant, 30, plotted to blow up tourists in Mombasa.

The fanatic has been accused of being one of the masterminds behind the Westgate mall attack in Nairobi where 67 people, including five Brits, were murdered by al-Shabaab in 2013.

Interpol issued a Red Notice warrant for Lewthwaite and security services in 200 countries are hunting for her.

It is thought she has changed her appearance through plastic surgery, dying her hair and loing two stone.

She narrowly escaped death in March when she had just left a terrorist camp that was bombed by a US drone attack in March.

Kenyan jets have also bombed camps in Somalia where she was hiding.

The Somali officer added: “The lady does not sleep in the same place twice. She moves around all the time.”

Getty

Paramedics attend to an injured Kenyan student as she is wheeled into Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi

It is thought she is hiding out near the town of Haaway in southern Somalia which is an al-Shabaab stronghold. Local villagers have been warned not to approach the area by the Islamic extremists.

Last summer The Mirror revealed that the White Widow married again to al Shabaab warlord called Hassan Maalim Ibrahim, aka Sheikh Hassan.

Al Shabaab is an Al Qaeda offshoot based in Somalia which still controls a fifth of the lawless country despite military setbacks against 10,000 African Union peacekeepers known as Amisom.

The extremists are fighting to impose strict Islamic law in Somalia and have banned football, dancing, music and even mobile phone ring tones.

Amisom have driven them out of towns and cities and obliterated much of their leadership with drone attacks and bombing raids.

Getty

Paramedics help a woman who was injured during an attack by Somalia's Al-Qaeda-linked Shebab gunmen on the Moi University campus in Garissa

An Amisom source revealed: “Lewthwaite comes to Hassan when she wants to hide out. She is protected in no-go areas by his clan and she often poses as a camel herder. She is dressed all in black robes and gloves so her white skin does not give her away.”

It is thought she only sees her children rarely and does not take them with her on the run.”

Captured terror boss Zakariye Ismail Hersi offered to betray the White Widow in January after he was captured.

He revealed she had been hiding out in the jungles of Ras Kiyamboni near the Kenyan border.

A suicide squad of up to 15 fighters often guard her. Two months she ago was seen with 25 women recruits in the city of Harardhere in northern Somalia after crossing the sea by dhow from the Yemen.

Lewthwaite is also feared to have helped plan last month’s attack on a university in Garissa, Kenya.Gunmen stormed the university and shot 148 Christian students dead.

If they could not recite the Koran they were executed.

 

Cynthia Charotich, 19, told how she drank body lotion and hid in a cupboard for two days to escape the bloodbath.

Another student Eric Wekesa said: “What I managed to hear from them is ‘We came to kill or finally be killed.’ That’s what they said. “It was horrible, there was shooting everywhere.”

Kenya’s security forces fear twisted Lewthwaite is on a revenge missionagainst Kenya after they killed her mentor - Sheikh Abubakar Shariff was killed in the Kenyan coastal city of Mombasa.

She had lived in a safe house there where The Mirror found her terrorist manifesto.

The hand-written ‘Diary of Death’ revealed she had brainwashed young radicals for a Holy War against the West.Itis thought brutal Islamic State executioner Jihadi John was on his way to meet the White Widow when he was arrested at an airport in Tanzania in 2009.

 

Map

Mohammed Emwazi Al-Shabaab gunmen also ambushed a bus in November in Kenya and murdered 28 non-Muslims.

Kenya is now planning to build a wall across its border with Somalia to try and stop attacks.

William Ruto, the Kenyan deputy president, said: “The way America changed after 9/11 is the way Kenya will change after Garissa.”

In February al-Shabaab released a video featuring an extremist with an English accent calling for terror attacks against London’s Oxford Street and Westfield shopping centre.

He called on followers to “hasten to heaven” with a suicide attack similar to the Westgate massacre.

It is also thought brutal Islamic State executioner Jihadi John was on his way to meet the White Widow when he was arrested at an airport in Tanzania in 2009.

Security services think Mohammed Emwazi had been due to travel to Kenya to become a disciple of Lewthwaite before he then travelled to Syria to unlease his reign of terror.

Burundi President makes first public appearance after failed coup

The Burundi President, Pierre Nkurunziza, made his first public appearance on Sunday after a failed coup.

Nkurunziza met with ruling party officials in the Kamenge neighbourhood of the capital, Bujumbura, as part of the National Council for the Defense of Democracy-Forces for the Defense of Democracy’s (CNDD-FDD) election campaign.

Local government polls are scheduled for May 26 in the small East African country, with presidential election set for June 26.

Former intelligence Chief, Godefroid Niyombare, on Wednesday attempted to seize power while the president was attending a regional summit in neighbouring Tanzania.

Mr. Niyombare, a Major General, had been sacked from his intelligence job by Mr. Nkurunziza earlier this year after criticising the president’s bid to seek a third term in office.

Mr. Nkurunziza’s candidacy sparked massive protests that have turned deadly in recent weeks, reportedly killing 20 people.

After the president returned to Burundi on Friday, new protests briefly flared up in the capital on Saturday, but were quickly dispersed.

Coup supporters and independent journalists critical of the government had reportedly gone into hiding, while the streets were being patrolled by soldiers.

Dozens of people were arrested, with 17 appearing before the High Court on Saturday.

Nearly 105,000 Burundians fled to neighbouring countries to escape the violence, according to the United Nations.

The US embassy in Burundi, meanwhile, said it was offering to evacuate its citizens to neighbouring Rwanda from Sunday.

(dpa/NAN)

Kim Kardashin's Daughter proves she's the cutest child on the planet in her pink[SEE PHOTOS] tutu and tap

North is just ADORABLE

It looks like little North West is following in the footsteps of her little cousin Penelope.

The adorable offspring of Kim Kardashian and Kanye West looked as cute as a button on Thursday morning as she made her way to dance class.

Dressed in a pair of pink tights, a matching tutu and a white fluffy jacket, Nori looked utterly adorable as she headed to her ballet class with her auntie Kourtney and her elder cousin.

The tot wore a pair of shiny black tap shoes with bows on, and had her hair tied up in a cute little bun, showing off a pair of diamond earrings.
Splash Kourtney Kardashian takes her daughter Penelope and niece North, to ballet class.

Kourtney Kardashian takes her daughter Penelope and niece North
North looked like she was concentrating very hard on walking in her little dance shoes with a stern expression on her little face.

Nori's elder cousin Penelope has been going to dance classes for a number of months, and her mummy Kourtney has shared snaps of her in her dance wear in the past.

Earlier this year, she made our hearts melt with an adorable snap of her daughter Penelope in tap class.
Splash Kourtney Kardashian takes her daughter Penelope and niece North, to ballet class.

North you ballet performing CUTIE
It was cuteness overload when we saw little P dressed in a navy tutu, a white top and black tap shoes.

And, not wanting her hair to get in the way as she danced about, her dark hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail.

Kourtney captioned the snap: "Tap shuffle step."

She couldn't get any cuter if she tried.

DAILYMIRROR

Meet Champagne-swilling Zack Rankin , a serial rapist who charmed victims with lavish dates before brutal attacks

A champagne-swilling serial rapist who took his victims of lavish dates before brutally attacking them has been found guilty of a string of sex attacks and assaults.

Zach Rankin charmed three girlfriends - one a 15-year-old - with fancy dates, but later subjected them to vicious sexual ordeals which left them terrified.

The depraved 23-year-old was so confident his secret would never be uncovered he recorded a vile song which was uploaded to YouTube, which saw him singing about degrading women.

But he is now behind bars after a jury found him guilty of five rapes and six assaults on his three victims, the Daily Record reports.

Rankin, who had denied all the charges against him, claimed his victims consented to sex and had lied because they all had a grudge against him.

But during his evidence he boasted of being “well endowed” and bragged to the jury that he was “a connoisseur of porn”.

Police officers who investigated the harrowing case have told how “suave” Rankin duped his victims before turning on them just weeks into the relationships.
Unrepentant: Zach Rankin told his trial that he was 'well endowed', and said his victims had a grudge against him
During the five-day trial at the High Court in Livingston, one victim, who he brutally raped twice, revealed how he had told her he liked “playing God” before choking the 24-year-old during sex sessions in a Glasgow flat.

She said Rankin - who ran his own telemarketing and sales businesses - treated her “like a piece of meat” and said she had no choice but to submit to his demands for sex up to five times a day.

The woman also told how she woke up to find him having sex with her while he was watching porn on his mobile phone. When she told him “that’s rape” he refused to stop, she said.

The court heard how Rankin would use silk scarves, leather belts and other ligatures around the women’s necks to choke them in bed.

The victim said: “I remember him actually saying to me at one point that he liked the look on my face when I look like I’m about to stop breathing.

“He definitely enjoyed that - I could see it in his face as I started to splutter and choke.

“I tried to pull his fingers and his hands from around my neck but he was pretty strong. A lot of the time I knew it was pretty pointless trying to fight or battle back.

“I think: ‘How can I let myself get to this point that I’m so scared of somebody that I can’t even tell him to stop hurting me and can’t even tell someone I trust what’s happening?’”

Rankin frequently called all three women “sluts” and other abusive names and often flew into violent rages without warning, slapping, punching and kicking his sexual partners, the jury heard.

His youngest victim, now a 20-year-old student, said she was 15 when she first started having unlawful sex with Rankin, her first real boyfriend.
Police Scotland

Behind bars: Rankin spat on one of his victims, and would kick and punch his sexual partners
But she said their relationship quickly turned abusive and when she tried to dump him during a camping trip at South Beach, Troon, in Ayrshire in 2010, he raped her in the tent.

A 24-year-old, mixed-race, single mum said he slapped her and spat on her face before raping her on two occasions in flats in Pollokshields, Glasgow during their turbulent relationship.

All the offences were committed between January 2010 and May 2014.

In his bizarre YouTube video, uploaded in 2014, guitar playing Rankin sings: “Sl*ts just wanna be sl*ts and that’s fine ‘cause I’m here to f*ck.” The full content of the lyrics are too vile to be repeated.

Rankin, who was brought up the west end of Glasgow, came to the attention of the police in July last year when a support group helping one of his ex partners reported him as “high risk”.

Over several months, Detective Constable Nicola McCafferty pieced together Rankin’s tangled love life and discovered the two other victims.

She said: “He has pretty much been solidly in relationships since his teens.

“Charming is how he was described by his victims. Tall, dark and handsome.

“These girls were all young and impressionable. They said he was a great partner for the first few weeks before becoming very controlling, very dominating.

“He would control the finances and was jealous and encouraged them to not have many other friends. They became quite isolated.

“These are three individuals who are very different but there were similarities with all three accounts.

“They are all very personable girls and very attractive, small and slight girls.

“He was described by witnesses as very suave. When he goes out he is always wearing suits and smartly dressed.

“It was always a champagne night out. He talked a good game at first.

“Despite his own jealousy, infidelity was a pattern with him as well and there was overlaps in the relationships.

“The impact on them has been huge.”

Detective Inspector Gillian McKay, who led the investigation, said Rankin’s crimes should be a reminder to the public that domestic abusers come in many forms.

She said: “He has an image that has been attractive to young girls and he has reeled them in and then subjected them to horrendous abuse.

“We deal with many known domestic abusers who might be older and well documented for the abuse. He is pretty young to have been identified at that age as being high risk, with multiple partners.

“This case shows domestic abuse spans all walks of life and crosses every part of society. People have an image of a domestic abuser and it could be the person who lives next door, the friend, someone of all professions.

“We may never have come across this man had our partner agency not constituted him as high risk but it is the bravery of the victims that has got this result and they have been through a process which has been extremely difficult.”

Rankin has been in custody since his arrest on November 14 last year.

In addition to the five rape charges, the jury also convicted him of six vicious assaults on two of the girls and a further charge of racially abusing the single mum.

Judge Lord Bannatyne called for background reports and deferred sentence on Rankin until next month at the High Court in Edinburgh.

He also ordered Rankin’s name to be added to the Sex Offenders Register.

Meet the 36yrs woman who married 15-YEAR-OLD Boy

 

A woman who married her son's 15-year-old friend got emotional during a TV appearance on This Morning talking about their relaitonship.

Lisa Clark, from Georgia in America, fell for the teenager when she was 36 and claims he initially told her he was 17 when he was actually 14.

They confided in each other while she was going through a messy divorce and her family accepted the relationship, despite her ending up in jail because of it.

She told hosts Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford: "When you have two people who have very low self esteem who come together. I was drinking a lot. My dad had just died, I was going through a bad divorce of being cheated on a lot.

"There was a lot of issues. He was just there and very persistent and it just happened. It was crazy. It was the stupidest thing I've ever done. Wrong place, wrong time, something I deeply regret."
ITV This Morning - 15th May 2015 - The woman who married her 15 year old lover

Lisa Clark married her 15 year old lover
Lisa eventually fell pregnant and the pair were able to marry when he turned 15 due to the laws in Georgia, although she was later arrested for her relationship with him when he was younger.

She served time in jail but the pair got back together when she was released and had another child.

Eamonn told her: "In theory, you are a sex offender, many would class you as a sex offender or a paedophile."

Lisa responded: "A paedophile is someone who is attracted to someone who hasn't reached puberty yet," adding: "It was so long ago now, I've moved on, it's not a part of my life now."

The pair are now separated and she insists they are focusing on co-parenting their two children and she has put the relationship and her mistake behind her.