Girl, 12, rushed to hospital with stomach pains gave birth after rape by brother, 14 - Yahoo Singapore News

The teen was handed a Youth Referral Order at Swansea Crown Court. (Stock image: Getty)

A 12-year-old girl rushed to hospital with stomach pains gave birth to her brother's baby, a court heard.

The girl was 11 when she was raped by her 14-year-old brother in their family home, Swansea Crown Court heard. 

The court heard the siblings had grown up in a "dysfunctional" household with "blurred sexual boundaries" and a culture of "secrecy and lies".

While prosecutors said there were no suggestions that any coercion or threats had been involved in the incident, the teenage father - who is now 16 and cannot be identified for legal reasons - had previously pleaded guilty to two counts of statutory rape.

His barrister argued that a custodial sentence would "achieve little but cost a great deal" and the teen, who is now living with foster parents, was handed a two-year youth referral order with a supervision requirement and an activity requirement. He will be a registered sex offender for 30 months.

The court heard that the offending came to light when the girl was rushed to hospital in Carmarthenshire in the early hours of the morning suffering with severe stomach pains. She had given birth within a couple of hours. 

The court heard that when a midwife asked the girl whether she had had sex, the youngster replied that she didn't know. When asked if she had consented she said she thought so but wasn't sure.

Georgina Buckley, prosecuting, said it was not clear whether the girl realised she was pregnant or not. She told a midwife she had not known but was overheard telling other people in hospital that she had.

When the girl's teenage brother was interviewed by police, he admitted that he and his sibling had been "wrestling" downstairs on one occasion while their parents were out and had then gone upstairs to wrestle on the bed as it was more comfortable. He said they had begun kissing before each removing their own clothes and then having sex.

The prosecutor said there were no suggestions that any coercion or threats had been involved in the incident.

In an impact statement read to court the girl said she didn't want to go home any more and just wanted to live the normal life of a girl her age and wanted her baby to have the best life.

Dean Pulling, representing the defendant, said it was clear from numerous reports that the children had been subjected to a "dysfunctional, neglectful, and potentially abusive upbringing" where there was little in the way of parental control or guidance and there were "blurred sexual boundaries".

The barrister said the defendant had been routinely exposed to pornography in the family home from the age of 10 and the children's mother and father created a culture of "secrecy and lies".

He said: "Children are the products of their upbringing and the environment they are exposed to."

The court heard the defendant is now living with foster parents, is responding well to their positive influence, and is remorseful.

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2021-11-04 10:31:46Z
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Suspect in Australian girl's abduction 'acted alone', to be charged soon - CNA

Media have reported he raised suspicion among locals when he was seen buying diapers and was known to have no children, but police have disclosed little information about what made the man a suspect.

“It wasn’t a random tip or a clairvoyant or any of the sort of things that you might hear,” Papalia told Australian Broadcasting Corp. ”It was just a hard police grind.”

The suspect was taken from police detention to a hospital late Wednesday and again on Thursday, with what media reported were self-inflicted injuries.

Asked about reports the man was injured after banging his head against a cell wall, Western Australia Police Deputy Commissioner Col Blanch only replied that there were ”no serious injuries.”

A police statement said the suspect’s “medical matter does not relate to any police involvement with him.”

Police on Thursday released an audio recording of when they entered the house and found Cleo in one of the rooms. "We've got her. We've got her," an officer could be heard saying.

Wednesday was the first full night Cleo spent at home with her mom Ellie Smith, stepdad Jake Gliddon and her baby half-sister Isla Gliddon since the family’s ordeal began.

As they slept, public buildings in the Western Australia state capital Perth, 900km south of Carnarvon, were illuminated with blue lights to celebrate the success of the police investigation. In Carnarvon, balloons were raised on buildings and signs were posted welcoming Cleo home.

#CleoSmith has been trending on Twitter since Wednesday with a photo posted by the police of a smiling Cleo waving from her hospital bed getting nearly 54,000 likes.

Detective Senior Sergeant Cameron Blaine, a homicide investigator, described his reaction to finding Cleo alive as “shock, followed by elation.”

“We’d always hoped for that outcome, but were still not prepared for it,” Blaine said.

Xanthe Mallett, a criminologist at Australia’s Newcastle University, said finding a victim of stranger abduction alive after more than two weeks was rare.

“Sadly, they’re normally killed quickly, usually during the first three hours,” Mallett said.

The Carnarvon community’s willingness to help police find Cleo was likely a key factor in the investigation’s success, she said. Police had offered a 1 million Australian dollar (US$743,000) reward for information, but don’t expect the money will be claimed.

“I always thought that this was going to be somebody with local connections because it was somebody who knew that campsite, so the fact that she was so close to that campsite and so close to Cleo’s home wasn’t a surprise to me,” Mallett said.

Police “engaged so well with that community and had them on board, they had the whole community’s eyes on everyone, reporting anyone suspicious, I think that was really key in this investigation — just great, old-fashioned, boots-on-the-ground police work,” Mallett added.

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2021-11-04 03:33:00Z
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Missing 4-year-old Australian girl found alive after 2-week search - CNA

"PRAYERS ANSWERED"

Ellie Smith had earlier described her distress at waking at 6am to find the family's tent unzipped and her oldest daughter missing.

Her public pleas for help bringing Cleo home had prompted an outpouring of support from across Australia.

After the news broke, the usually quiet streets of Carnarvon, which boasts a population of about 4,500, were quickly filled with pink balloons and "welcome back" signs.

"There were tears in the eyes of many around town today. We are all so excited and happy, everyone just wanted Cleo back with her parents," Carnarvon resident Julee Nelson told AFP.

"It has been a very painful period ... everyone will be celebrating long and hard today. It's all quite beautiful."

Carnarvon Shire president Eddie Smith said the town, renowned for its banana plantations, had rallied together to help with the search.

"We are a strong little community and this has strengthened the bond amongst residents," he told AFP. "I couldn't be prouder."

State premier Mark McGowan expressed elation at receiving the news overnight.

He first received a call at 1.38am, but sheepishly admitted: "I didn't answer it, I was asleep." Still, within a few hours, he had received the "lovely" image of the girl smiling from a hospital bed.

"There will be movies made about this," he said. "You never know what to expect, you hope for the best, but you prepare for the worst."

"It's great to provide the country with positive news."

While police used human intelligence, surveillance footage and forensic analysis to find the girl, scores of volunteers scoured nearby bushland for clues.

Police last month had offered A$1 million (US$750,000) reward for information leading to Cleo's recovery after she was feared abducted from the remote Blowholes campsite - about 1,000km north of Perth - on Oct 16.

It is believed the abduction was unplanned and "opportunistic". The suspect was not on a local list of sex offenders and only became a person of interest a day ago.

Premier McGowan paid tribute to the family. "Ellie and Jack, Cleo's parents, they have been through a lot in the last 18 days, terrible trauma, some vicious attacks, and some, no doubt, very trying and sad times. To them, and all of our thoughts go to them."

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2021-11-02 22:27:00Z
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Aussie researchers reveal strategy to combat future Covid-19 strains - The Straits Times

SYDNEY (XINHUA) - Researchers from Australia's Garvan Institute of Medical Research revealed a new study on Tuesday (Nov 2), presenting a strategy for adapting Covid-19 vaccines to evolving strains of the virus.

The study, published in the Immunity journal, assessed the antibodies that may be potentially generated by future vaccines, and their effectiveness at targeting future virus strains.

Professor Chris Goodnow, co-senior author and executive director of the Garvan Institute Laboratory said current strategies may lose their effectiveness over time.

"Current Covid-19 vaccines, which target the Sars-CoV-2 spike protein, are highly effective at reducing disease severity and reducing transmission," said Prof Goodnow.

"(But) future variant strains, which will emerge due to the virus's mass spread, may escape the current strategy."

The team made a "remarkable" discovery when looking at the antibodies generated by a related virus - Sars-CoV-1, the virus responsible for the original 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome epidemic.

The antibodies were able to target regions of the current Covid-19 virus that were less susceptible to mutations, meaning they could be used to develop a vaccine that would remain effective as new variants arose.

"Our work provides a guide for developing such future-proofed vaccines," said co-senior author Daniel Christ.

The team said it would be critical to prepare for strains that evade existing vaccines, which to some extent has already been demonstrated by vaccines' lower efficacy rates against the Delta variant.

Thus far the team has developed an antibody therapy with the capacity to physically block the human receptor which the Covid-19 virus needs to dock with before it can infect.

"To progress our proposed vaccine approach, we are now aiming to test next-generation vaccines in our pre-clinical models, to determine if they can generate these antibodies, which can protect against different strains of the virus," said Prof Goodnow.

The ultimate goal for the team is to develop a once-and-for-all vaccination that would not need to be updated for all future strains of Covid-19.

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Thai capital welcomes first tourists for quarantine-free holiday - Reuters

BANGKOK, Nov 1 (Reuters) - More than a thousand foreign tourists arrived in Bangkok on Monday, the first wave of travellers to the Thai capital in 18 months, as part of a quarantine waiver for visitors vaccinated against COVID-19.

There were 1,534 foreign arrivals and 890 Thais on 40 international flights on the opening day on Monday, senior health official Kiattiphum Wongraijit said.

The waiver covers more than 60 countries, including the United States and China, plus several places in Europe, from where some were escaping the winter blues.

"Right now, in Europe as you know it’s quite cold, so we decided to go come here," said German tourist, Simon Raithel, among the first arrivals.

Thailand, one of the Asia-Pacific's most popular tourist destinations, has enforced strict entry curbs that were criticised in the travel industry for being too onerous and economically damaging.

More than 3 million Thai tourism-dependent jobs and an estimated $50 billion a year in revenue have been lost.

Before the pandemic, tourism accounted for about 12% of Thai GDP, with one survey ranking Bangkok as the world's most visited city.

Thailand tested the waters with the reopening of the island of Phuket, but the pilot scheme had mixed results, drawing just 1% of its monthly pre-pandemic level when it started in July.

Under the new national programme, visitors must await a negative COVID-19 test on arrival then can travel freely the following day.

"It is much easier," said Marguerite Jeason from France. "Before at first it was 14 nights."

Airlines have rushed to ready the country for the hoped influx of visitors, bringing jets back from hibernation.

Still, the pickup is expected to be relatively slow, with 180,000 foreign arrivals anticipated this year and 7 million next year, compared with some 40 million in 2019.

Writing by Chayut Setboonsarng; Editing by Jane Wardell, Martin Petty

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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2021-11-01 12:06:00Z
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Bangkok welcomes first tourists for quarantine-free holiday - Reuters

BANGKOK, Nov 1 (Reuters) - Hundreds of vaccinated foreign tourists are scheduled to arrive in Bangkok on Monday, the first wave of visitors to Thailand in 18 months who will not have to undergo quarantine for the coronavirus.

Seeking to resurrect its pandemic-ravaged tourism economy, Thailand's government has given the green light to vaccinated tourists from more than 60 countries, including the United States and China.

Several European countries are also on the list as officials hope to capitalise on travellers from the northern hemisphere escaping the winter blues.

Thailand, one of the Asia-Pacific's most popular tourist destinations, has for the past 18 months enforced strict pandemic entry rules that have been criticised in the travel industry for being too restrictive and onerous.

Before the pandemic, tourism accounted for about 12% ofThailand's GDP and its capital city was the world's most visited city. The crisis has cost Thailand about 3 million tourism-dependent jobs and an estimated $50 billion a year in revenue.

Thai officials tested the waters with the reopening of the resort island of Phuket in July, allowing fully-vaccinated tourists to skip the then-mandatory two-week quarantine provided they stay on the island, where tourism accounts for 90% of the local economy.

However, the "Phuket Sandbox" was less popular than officials had hoped, with arrivals to the island in July at just 1% of pre-pandemic levels.

Under the new national programme, arrivals must spend their first night in a pre-approved hotel and receive a negative COVID-19 test before they are able to travel freely to rest of the country.

Airlines have rushed to ready the country for the hoped influx of visitors, bringing jets back from hibernation. Still, the return will be relatively slow. The finance ministry predicts just 180,000 foreign arrivals this year and 7 million next year, compared with some 40 million in 2019.

The majority of Thailand's 1.9 million infections and more than 19,000 coronavirus-related fatalities have been recorded since April. Around 42% of the 72 million population has been vaccinated.

Writing by Chayut Setboonsarng; Editing by Jane Wardell

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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2021-11-01 07:10:00Z
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Bangkok welcomes first tourists for quarantine-free holiday - Reuters

BANGKOK, Nov 1 (Reuters) - Hundreds of vaccinated foreign tourists are scheduled to arrive in Bangkok on Monday, the first wave of visitors to Thailand in 18 months who will not have to undergo quarantine for the coronavirus.

Seeking to resurrect its pandemic-ravaged tourism economy, Thailand's government has given the green light to vaccinated tourists from more than 60 countries, including the United States and China.

Several European countries are also on the list as officials hope to capitalise on travellers from the northern hemisphere escaping the winter blues.

Thailand, one of the Asia-Pacific's most popular tourist destinations, has for the past 18 months enforced strict pandemic entry rules that have been criticised in the travel industry for being too restrictive and onerous.

Before the pandemic, tourism accounted for about 12% ofThailand's GDP and its capital city was the world's most visited city. The crisis has cost Thailand about 3 million tourism-dependent jobs and an estimated $50 billion a year in revenue.

Thai officials tested the waters with the reopening of the resort island of Phuket in July, allowing fully-vaccinated tourists to skip the then-mandatory two-week quarantine provided they stay on the island, where tourism accounts for 90% of the local economy.

However, the "Phuket Sandbox" was less popular than officials had hoped, with arrivals to the island in July at just 1% of pre-pandemic levels.

Under the new national programme, arrivals must spend their first night in a pre-approved hotel and receive a negative COVID-19 test before they are able to travel freely to rest of the country.

Airlines have rushed to ready the country for the hoped influx of visitors, bringing jets back from hibernation. Still, the return will be relatively slow. The finance ministry predicts just 180,000 foreign arrivals this year and 7 million next year, compared with some 40 million in 2019.

The majority of Thailand's 1.9 million infections and more than 19,000 coronavirus-related fatalities have been recorded since April. Around 42% of the 72 million population has been vaccinated.

Writing by Chayut Setboonsarng; Editing by Jane Wardell

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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