News roundup: Abuser Vanessa George admits crimes were ‘vile’

By Jeremy Dunning on October 13, 2009 in Adult safeguarding, Adults, Asylum and refugees, Child safeguarding, Residential care, Sexual exploitation

Child abuser Vanessa George admits her crimes were ‘disgusting and vile’

Vanessa George, the nursery worker who sexually abused children in her care and took indecent images of her victims, told police she knew what she did was “vile” and “disgusting”.

Tapes of George, 39, being interviewed by police also reveal her hinting that marriage to Colin Blanchard, one of two paedophiles with whom she shared the images, was a motive for her actions.

Read more on this story in The Guardian

Children made ‘sick with fear’ in UK immigration detention centres

Medical experts have found clear evidence that children held in UK immigration centres develop mental and physical health difficulties, according to a report published today.

In the first study of its kind, a team of paediatricians and psychologists found 73% of children they examined had developed clinically significant emotional and behavioural problems since being detained. None had previously reported such problems.

Read more on this story in The Guardian

Heavily pregnant mother of eight held by nursery paedophile ring detectives

A heavily pregnant mother of eight has been charged in connection with the inquiry into nursery paedophile Vanessa George.

Tracy Lyons, 39, who is seven months pregnant, is accused of sexually abusing a child as well as taking and distributing child pornography.

The mother, from Portsmouth, was arrested last week by police investigating the paedophile ring who preyed on infants and toddlers at the Little Ted’s nursery in Plymouth.

Read more on this story in the Daily Mail

High Court reinstates nurse who exposed neglect

A nurse who was struck off the register for blowing the whistle on unacceptably low standards of care for elderly patients has won her fight for re-instatement.

Margaret Haywood secretly filmed patients at the Royal Sussex Hospital in Brighton to show they were being neglected.

Read more on this story in The Independent

Immigration centre’s toll on children’s mental health

Children forcibly held in a British immigration detention centre have experienced serious psychological and physical health problems, a medical report claims today.

Doctors who examined 24 families said their findings raised concerns about the health and wellbeing of children who have sought asylum in Britain and called for an urgent review of the detention of young people.

Read more on this story in The Independent

Dead surfer had been arrested over child porn

A firefighter who died while surfing had been arrested just two days before his death on suspicion of child porn offences, police confirmed today.

The body of Richard Carrington, known as “Blakey”, was found still attached to his surfboard in Kimmeridge Bay, Dorset, on October 8.

Read more on this story in The Independent

The girls living on just one meal a day: Teens risk health to copy stick-thin celebrities

Teenage girls are routinely missing two meals a day because they believe they need to lose weight, a major survey of children’s lifestyles has revealed.

Twenty-six per cent of 14 and 15-year-olds often don’t eat breakfast, 22 per cent skip lunch and 10 per cent regularly go without either, the study found.

Read more on this story in the Daily Mail

Pervert gets decked by victim

A SEX abuse victim attacked the paedophile who made his life hell, then brought him to justice – 23 years on.

The victim, now a married man aged 32, saw John Perkins working in a record shop.

He yelled, “Do you remember what you did to me?” and decked Perkins with one punch as the fiend snivelled: “Do not hurt me, I’m sorry.”