Re: Children as young as 12 seeking sex on the Internet
- From: Webmanager_CritEst <webmanager@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 31 Jul 2008 10:21:13 -0700 (PDT)
On Jul 31, 6:15 pm, Webmanager_CritEst <webmana...@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Children as young as 12 seeking sex on the Internet
By Felicity Wolfe on Thu, 31 Jul 2008
New Zealand children as young as 12 are actively seeking sexual
contact with adults on the Internet with little idea of the ongoing
consequences of their actions.
In the final seminar of the Internet safety conference in Queenstown
this week, NetSafe operations manager Lee Chisholm, registered
psychologist Nathan Gaunt and American psychologist and associate
professor of early childhood education at the University of South
Florida Ilene Berson held a discussion on complicit victims.
These were children who willingly sent inappropriate images of
themselves to adults they had contacted on the Internet.
New Zealand Internet safety advisory group NetSafe had recently
encountered three cases of "complicit victims", Ms Chisholm said.
One, a girl aged 15, sent 300 photos of herself to an Internet
"boyfriend" whom she had never met.
These images were then distributed to others.
When asked about it by her parents, the girl said the pictures were
only going to one person and then were "gone".
"These children are very savvy about the technology . . . but have no
idea about the impact their actions could have on their lives when
they are 25," Ms Chisholm said.
Children who had a history of sexual abuse were trying to make sense
of their sexuality or were looking for approval and validation from
adults and were the most likely candidates for this sort of behaviour.
"The fact that they are vulnerable might make them more attractive [to
paedophiles]."
She said it was important to recognise the children were still victims
- they did not have a clear concept of how their actions would affect
them in the future.
"Whatever our beliefs, children are sexual," Ms Chisholm said.
"They have desires and are drawn to places they should not go."
Prof Berson said she had been wary of the complicit victim terminology
when she first heard it.
"I am very wary of catchy terms for a very complex problem," she said.
She said in the United States about 95% of sex crimes were "non-
forceable" - the young person knew in advance the intention of a "real
world" meeting with their abuser.
"They do not have the capacity to think through [their actions]
thoughtfully . . . they're impulsive," Prof Berson said.
Culture and media played a part; children grew up surrounded by
"highly sexualised" images of "Britney Spears or the latest group",
she said.
"That's who they want to be."
Prof Berson said there had been a study in the United States which
indicated Internet paedophiles targeted slightly older children -
prepubescent to early teenagers, rather than the very young.
Mr Gaunt, a registered psychologist who works with sex offenders -
particularly those who offended using the Internet - said New Zealand
statistics were not available but he had noticed a similar thing.
"[Internet predators] tend to be going for puberty - pre-puberty," Mr
Gaunt said.
It was rare for them to target younger children, possibly because that
was more covert or perhaps because it was a different sexual interest.
He said there was not a complete profile of internet sexual offenders
- some generalisations included well educated males who were socially
isolated.
"But then there are others who are very social."
Free advice on children's Internet safety is available on
0508NETSAFE.
http://www.odt.co.nz/news/queenstown-lakes/15661/children-young-12-se...
*******
"Complicit Victim".
WMwww.critest.com
Off the streets
30 July 2008
By Andrew Hewitt
Sex offender who tried to fly a teenage girl to America is held after
swoop at rail station
A CONVICTED sex offender has been taken off Doncaster's streets after
flying 5,000 miles to visit a schoolgirl after grooming her over the
internet.
American Ian Smith, who detectives branded a "dangerous sexual
predator," was picked up by immigration officials at Doncaster Railway
Station six days after walking free from court.
Smith, 30, was found guilty of sending graphic images of himself to
the girl over the internet when she was 15.
However, he walked free from court because he had already served the
length of his sentence while on remand awaiting trial.
Police and immigration officials swooped at the station on Tuesday
evening after Smith - who was still in Doncaster - twice visited the
Free Press offices.
He was still being detained yesterday and it was believed he would be
removed from the country within days.
Police said they would be speaking to the authorities in the US to see
if he could be tried for any offences there in connection with the
grooming.
Speaking after the hearing Dc George Rankin, the officer who led the
investigation, said: "This Smith had been grooming the young girl
since October last year via internet chat rooms.
"In interviews he basically claimed he and the girl were in a
relationship and the images were sent by mutual consent.
"However, he slipped up because when he sent them she was 15.
"He is an extremely cunning and manipulative person."
Smith was arrested in a Doncaster hotel after flying to the UK to
attend the teenager's school prom weeks after police had managed to
stop her boarding a plane to visit the pervert in the USA.
The computer systems analyst bought the girl's flight tickets for the
planned visit - due to take place one month after her 16th birthday.
After police stopped her boarding a plane at Birmingham Airport the
girl's mother believed the relationship had ended.
During the investigation officers found out Smith was planning to
visit the girl and arrested him in a Doncaster hotel.
Smith, from Beverton, Oregon, was convicted of causing a child to
watch or look at an image of sexual activity on Thursday at Doncaster
Magistrates' Court.
He was jailed for four weeks - which he had already spent on remand -
and placed on the Sex Offenders' Register for seven years.
Dc Rankin said police could only charge Smith with sending the sexual
images because he had waited until the girl was 16 before attempting
to fly her out to America.
"He had researched his law enough to know that when she was 16 the
offence of grooming would not stick," he said.
"During the investigation we received warning Smith was flying over
from America to meet the girl.
"It was very good policing in that we managed to lift him before he
did any harm to the girl.
"He sees himself as a knight in shining armour who has been terribly
wronged by people but he is a dangerous sexual predator.
"I believe that if we had not intercepted him he would have taken the
girl out of the country.
"It was a great result for South Yorkshire Police. It was a good
arrest, a good inquiry and we got a result in court."
Smith was in the UK on a six-month visitor's visa during which time he
said he planned to visit family in Europe and work.
It is believed he was picked up by immigration officials after
obtaining the visa by deception.
Dc Rankin said the American authorities would be told of Smith's sex
offending.
He added: "The only reason he came over was to see the girl and not to
work.
"We will be speaking to the American authorities to see if there is
the potential he has committed any other offences by what he has done
over here."
http://www.doncasterfreepress.co.uk/free/Off-the-streets.4341031.jp
*****
"In interviews he basically claimed he and the girl were in a
relationship and the images were sent by mutual consent."
"He sees himself as a knight in shining armour who has been terribly
wronged by people but he is a dangerous sexual predator."
WM
.
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