Killer who copied torture scene from horror film -Saw, bags 30yrs in prison for murder

A killer who copied torture scene from horror film, 'Saw', by slicing through victim’s spinal cord to make him reveal his PIN number was jailed for at least 30 years today.
Matthew Tinling, 25, knifed former soldier neighbour Richard Hamilton 17 times in the head, neck and legs in a 'savage and prolonged' murder.
At the climax of the frenzied attack, he aped a brutal moment from the famed horror franchise by trying to sever the 45-year-old's spinal cord.
Tinling tortured Mr Hamilton to get him to hand over the PIN for his bank account and later withdrew £240 to spend on crack cocaine.
Detectives were able to pinpoint the time of the killing using CCTV footage showing Mr Hamilton's curtains twitching in the early hours of the morning.


Tinling denied murder but was convicted after an Old Bailey trial.


Judge Timothy Pontius jailed him for life with a minimum term of 30 years for the 'savage and obviously prolonged' killing.


'Whether or not that was Saw 6, found by the police in your room, or another in the series doesn't matter.


'Plainly it was something you had seen and tried to imitate.'


Tinling was brought to court in handcuffs after attacking a prison officer while on remand following his conviction.


He showed no emotion as the sentence was passed.


The killer targeted his victim at the homeless hostel in Shirland Road, Maida Vale, west London, where the pair lived.


Mr Hamilton is believed to have been killed at around 2am on March 28 last year.


He had not been seen for weeks before his dead body was discovered.


Mr Hamilton was known to have more money than the other residents because he received £197 disability allowance every fortnight on top of £272 in other benefits.


'That was to be his ultimate downfall,' said prosecutor Zoe Johnson QC.
After forcing Mr Hamilton to reveal his PIN, Tinling used it to withdraw £240 from the victim's account on April 8.


The next day another resident went into Mr Hamilton's room and found his decomposing body lying next to the heavy curtains.


He had been stabbed 21 times to the head, neck and legs, including a fatal injury to the jugular vein.
Mr Hamilton's bank and Post Office account cards were not recovered but Tinling's DNA was recovered from the plastic wallet used to store them.


Tinling denied involvement but was linked to the scene by his DNA on the bedroom curtains and on a credit card holder.


The same camera that caught the twitching curtains also captured Tinling leaving the building to dump several plastic bags in bins.


Patrick Upward QC, defending, said: 'What you must remember is the circumstances in which these unfortunate men lived together.


'They were driven by the need for drugs and some times the use and abuse of alcohol.


'That can lead to fiery temperaments reacting a way which can lead to awful tragedy.'

The Saw series has been incredibly successful but its ultra-violent scenes have been widely criticised

Culled from MAIL ONLINE

14yr-old girl dies after inhaling computer cleaner to get 'high'

A 14-year-old girl died after trying out 'huffing,' a dangerous trend that involves inhaling household cleaners to get high.

Aria Doherty pictured above was found dead at her home in Northridge, Los Angeles on Monday after inhaling computer keyboard cleaner

Her body was discovered by her older sister - she was lying in bed with a can of compressed air attached to her mouth.
The trend of huffing also known as bagging or dusting is growing among pre-teens.


A recent survey showed one in five children have tried to get high by huffing chemicals before the eighth grade.


But Aria's devastated parents believe it was their daughter's first time at inhaling the chemical and insist she had meant to kill herself.


'I'm positive my daughter didn't realize it had the potential to kill her,' said Carolyn Doherty told NCC.


'This was not that she had done it so many times that the chemicals had finally caused her brain damage or she’d gotten too much into her system.'This is about her having a heart attack from just the very moment that she did the inhaling,' Mrs Doherty told CBS L.A..


The couple had talked to their daughter about drug use before and said they had never found any evidence that she had huffed at all.

Aria, a straight A student, had been at home alone for a few hours before the discovery was made.

She attended Nobel Middle School and teachers there are now planning an inhalant education awareness programme for her fellow students.


Last week a 12-year-old girl searching for a high died after she collapsed in her grandmother's bathroom when she huffed freon from the air conditioner outside.


Kristal Salcido, a seventh grader in Victorville, California, was declared brain dead after the incident. Her family took her off life support four days later.


Kristal's horrifying death is a nightmare for her parents and a warning for families everywhere about the dangerous trend of teenagers tapping air conditioning units to inhale the freon gas.


As well as death, the terrifying trend can cause long-term effects including damage to the kidneys, liver and brain.


An autopsy is pending, but it is possible that the computer cleaner caused cardiac arrest or the teen asphyxiated.

Culled from MAIL ONLINE

Abomination: 49yr-old man rapes infant grand-daughter after defiling his 2 underaged daughters

The atmosphere surrounding the office of the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Ikeja, Nigeria was replete with disgust and anger following a startling revelation by a seven-year-old girl of how her father had been having carnal knowledge of her since she was six.

Aside this, her 49-year-old father, Sylvester Ehijire, who was paraded before newsmen, was also alleged to have had carnal knowledge of his one-year, three month-old grand daughter, in their one-room apartment, 13, Kolawole Street, Ejigbo, Lagos State.

The seven-year-old girl (names withheld) told a bewildered crowd that her father usually committed the sacrilege whenever her mother was away.

According to the primary three pupil,“every time my mother was not at home, my father will call me, dip his finger into my anus and his manhood inside my virgina. He would then promise to buy me biscuit and toy cars if I did not tell anybody. There is no Sunday that he did not do it.”
Asked why she did not tell her mother, she replied: “Anytime I wanted to tell my mother, he would hold my mouth and remind me of the things he promised me. But I would challenge him that he had never bought any of the things for me. At times when he finished and I threatened to tell my mother, he would tell me he would pluck out my eyes if I told anyone.

“Sometimes, he would even beat me whenever I attempted to open my mouth and also beat my mother with cane.”

Her 45-year-old mother, Mrs Ehijire, who hails from Iseleuku, DeltaState, corroborated her daughter’s claim, disclosing that the abominable act became known in 2006 when her first child, (now married) informed her that her father had been having carnal knowledge of her.

“I travelled to Abuja for a catering job because I am a caterer. At about 1 a.m that fateful day, my daughter called me to say she had just been raped by her father. Then, she was 17 years old. I had to leave the job and travel back to Lagos the next day. I informed my husband’s parents but all of a sudden my in-laws turned against me, saying I was lying.

“This continued until I could no longer bear it. I had to leave the house with my children in 2007. But I came back in 2011, after entreaties by my in-laws.
“The height of the abominable act happened last Wednesday after when I returned home to meet my one-year three-month-old grand-daughter crying.

“In a bid to pacify the baby, I took her to the backyard for a bath only to discover that her pampers were stained with blood and semen.

“At that point, I screamed and alerted my co- tenants. That was the last straw. I quickly rushed to the Ejigbo police station to report the case.”

Asked why she did not make an effort to protect her female children against such abuse, she explained that after reconciling with her husband in 2007, she usually left her daughter and grand-daughter in a creche until her return at about 6 p.m.

She said: “I gave a clear instruction to the proprietress never to allow anyone pick the children but me. But last Wednesday, I was told my husband went there and requested to pick them. Even when they resisted, he picked quarrel with them,asking if he had no right to pick his children.

“When I asked my seven-year-old daughter what happened thereafter, she told me that on reaching home, the father sent her and her elder brother who is nine to go and buy bread. She said when they returned, they met the net-door locked.

“While they were waiting for their father to open the door, the baby was yelling inside. Neighbours at this point became suspicious because they were aware of his antecedents. They started banging on the door.
“When my husband opened the door, they said he was sweating. One of them asked him to bring the baby and he did. They tried to pacify her to no avail. Medical test

To ascertain the claim, policemen at Ejigbo reportedly took both children to the hospital where the medical result made available to journalists showed that both of them had their hymen broken.

While the report of the seven-year-old read: “normal virginal and vulva, broken hymen (dis-virgined), that of the one-year three month-old baby read: “ bruised perineum, hymen broken, absent.”


The accused however, told Vanguard in confidence that “I swear I did not know what is wrong with me. I believe this is not real. I believe something above the natural is using me to achieve its devilish purpose.”

A mild drama, however, ensued when all of a sudden his wife started pleading on his behalf, after she over-heard the command’s spokesperson, Ngozi Braide, briefing journalists on the legal implication of the man’s act if he is found culpable.

At that point, Mrs Ehijire said she did not want her husband dead. “If he dies it will affect me as well. I want him to be dealt with and not be killed,” she said.

But Braide hinted that the suspect would be charged to court soon.
Culled from VANGUARD

'I think I'm going to die': How 14yr-old girl predicted her death on Facebook minutes before she was killed by drunken driver

A terrified teenage girl, Kayleigh Lawrie pictured above predicted her own death on Facebook just minutes before she lost her life at the hands of a drunken driver, a court heard yesterday.
Kayleigh Lawrie, 14, pleaded to be allowed to get out of the car being driven by her father's friend because she was so scared by his ‘Formula One’ style driving.

Kayleigh, who had already posted a message on Facebook saying ‘I think I’m going to die’, was told by her father Scott Lawrie not to be so stupid.
Moments later the driver Steven Hayter - who was twice over the drink-drive limit - lost control of his Renault Clio on a country road near Kayleigh’s home in Willoughby, Lincolnshire.

He was attempting to retrieve a cigarette he had dropped in the foot well.


The car skewed across the road into a ditch and then flew 60ft through the air before crashing down. Kayleigh, who was on the back seat, died instantly. A 13-year-old boy in the car suffered a fractured skull and facial injuries.
Lincoln Crown Court was told that Hayter had been on a seven-hour drinking session the previous night and then after a few hours sleep drank wine before setting out on his journey to visit a bank in the resort of Skegness.

Andrew Scott, prosecuting, said that on the night before Hayter drank four pints of lager in his village local before driving to the nearby town of Alford where he had another four pints and several double vodkas and coke.
Then, during the early hours he had a large glass of wine before downing a second large glass half an hour before setting off with Scott Lawrie, 37, and the two teenagers.

Hayter twice almost went off the road within minutes of setting off and then forced an oncoming pick-up onto the verge when he took a bend on the wrong side of the road.

Mr Scott said ‘At Alford the car stopped. The teenagers remained inside. Kayleigh posted a message on her Facebook page saying ‘I think I’m going to die. xx. luv you all’.

‘Kayleigh told him (Hayter) at the time she posted the message because she was scared.’

Hayter then called at a filling station and clipped the central pump island before reversing back and almost hitting another vehicle. He tried to fill up with diesel instead of petrol.

Mr Scott said ‘While the defendant paid for his petrol the boy and Kayleigh told Scott Lawrie they wanted to get out of the car because they were so frightened. Scott Lawrie told them not to be so stupid.

‘The defendant returned to his car. When he drove away from the petrol station he accelerated away at a speed so great that his wheels span.’

‘He started driving like a Formula One driver cutting up all the corners. The 13-year-old boy’s attention was focused on the speedometer which he read as 65 mph. As the vehicle reached the ditch there were screams and then the impact.’

Hayter himself suffered injuries and was taken to hospital. Tests taken more than four hours after the collision showed he was almost twice over the limit with a reading of 147 mgs of alcohol per 100 mls of blood.

Hayter, a professional HGV driver, of Grimsby, Lincolnshire, admitted causing death by careless driving while over the limit. He was jailed for six years and disqualified from driving for two years.

Recorder Timothy Spencer QC told him ‘Kayleigh lost her life because of your appalling driving. This was a wholly avoidable and wholly unnecessary tragedy.

‘The only explanation for what happened must be drink. Your alcohol level must have been extremely high indeed. I am not convinced about the necessity for the journey at all.

‘Chillingly Kayleigh realised just how bad your driving was and before you left the petrol station had already sent a Facebook message which foretold of the tragedy to come.'


David Eager, defending, said Hayter had been left full of remorse.

‘He accepts he was solely responsible for Kayleigh’s death. That will lie heavily on his conscience for the rest of his life.’

Kayleigh’s mother Charlotte Buxton, in a tribute to her daughter, said ‘Kayleigh was a bright, happy, bubbly and loving 14-year-old, who lived life to the full. She loved animals, which included her rag doll cat, Sapphire, and her dog, Luna.

‘Kayleigh was strong-willed and knew what she wanted out of life. Kayleigh loved fashion and wasn’t afraid to experiment with her looks, although it often got her into trouble with school. She was good at French and loved cooking, especially cup cakes.

‘Kayleigh will be missed and loved always by all who knew her.’
Culled from MAIL ONLINE

Married female teacher had sex in car with 17yr-old dyslexic pupil after agreeing to give him extra tuition

A shamed teacher who was caught in a car with a 17-year-old pupil yesterday admitted that she had sex with the youth.

A court heard how Eppie Sprung Dawson, 26, had agreed to give the dyslexic teenager extra help with his lessons at the Catholic secondary where she worked.

But the married English teacher, who was only four years into her career, drove him to the countryside, stopped in a lay-by and had sex with him.

They were spotted together by police officers on a routine patrol.

At Dumfries Sheriff Court yesterday, Dawson admitted that on December 21, while she was in a position of trust, she engaged in sexual activities with, or directed towards, a person under the age of 18, and that she had sexual intercourse with him.

Procurator fiscal depute Lyndsay Hunter said that Dawson had met the youth in Dumfries and then drove him to a lay-by on the Cummertrees to Hoddam Road.

She said that at around 5.20pm, police noticed the car, which had condensation on its windows.
The fiscal added: ‘The officers remained in their vehicle and spotted the couple in the passenger seat of the car.

‘They left their vehicle and approached the parked car where they saw the couple having sexual intercourse.
'The police officers knocked on the car door and then saw the accused and a male, both naked from the waist down.’

Mrs Hunter said that Dawson was spoken to and it became clear that she was a teacher.


The fiscal added that she made no reply when cautioned and charged.

Happily married: Eppie Sprung Dawson with her husband Ranald Dawson on their wedding day

Sheriff George Jamieson deferred sentence until May 1 and called for reports, including a psychiatric assessment.

Dawson, of Dumfries, who taught at the town’s St Joseph’s College, was placed on the sex offenders’ register.
Sheriff Jamieson said the length of time she would remain on the register would be decided when she was sentenced. Bail was continued.

Solicitor David Finnie, defending, told the court that he would reserve his plea in mitigation until reports were prepared.

When Dawson was originally charged in January, one former pupil said that she often sent text messages signed off with kisses and claimed that she was known for being ‘touchy-feely’.

Yesterday, a spokesman for Dumfries and Galloway Council said Dawson was no longer employed by the authority and it would therefore not be appropriate to comment on the case.
Last night, there was no answer at the house that Dawson had shared with her husband Ranald, 32 – the son of the former Solicitor General for Scotland, Lord Dawson.

The teenager’s family could not be contacted for comment last night but when details of the case originally emerged, a woman at the family home said: ‘He is the victim in this but I don’t want to talk about it.’

A spokesman for the General Teaching Council for Scotland said: ‘We are aware of this case and conducting our own investigations into this matter.’
Culled from MAILONLINE

Ohio school shooter taunts his victims' families by wearing a 'KILLER' T-shirt in court before judge jails him for life

A teenage school shooter who killed three students in a murderous rampage arrived at court for his sentencing with the word "KILLER" emblazoned in black marker pen across his white T-shirt, flicking his middle finger at the mother of one of his victims.

Ohio killer TJ Lane, who was sentenced to life in prison without parole, smiled and smirked during the sentencing, according to local media.

Lane killed three students in February 2012 at Chardon High School, Daniel Parmertor, 16, Demetrius Hewlin, 16, and Russell King Jr, 17.
'This hand that pulled the trigger that killed your sons now masturbates to the memory. F*** all of you,' the gunman said, causing those in the audience to gasp in shock.
Twitter instantly lit up with posts expressing disbelief and shock at the defendant's callous behavior, with many commenters calling Lane 'sickening' and 'not human.'


When Lane addressed the court, he flipped the middle finger and used profane language toward those in the audience, including the victims' families.



'Frankly, I wasn't prepared for this,' the prosecutor said moments after Lane's gesture. He said the action was proof that Lane is a 'disgusting human being,' and that the rampage was a 'cold, calculated, premeditated killing,' ABC News reported.


Prosecutor James Flaiz went on to say: 'He still refuses to offer any explanation for why he did this. The only explanation I can offer the court is he is an evil person.'


Dina Parmertor, mother of victim Daniel pictured above, addressed Lane, calling him a monster and telling him that he doesn't deserve to be called human


Lane's guilty plea on February 26 came on the eve of the anniversary of the attacks. Daniel Parmertor, Russell King Jr., and Demterius Hewlin were killed and three others were wounded, two seriously, including Nick Walczak who is now confined to a wheelchair.

Lane wasn't subject to the death penalty because he was 17 at the time of the crimes.


Crystal King, sister of slain student pictured above Russell King Jr, wipes a tear as she addresses the court


On Tuesday, Lane turned out in court wearing a white T-shirt with the word 'Killer' written on the front - the same word police say the 18-year-old had scrawled on his shirt the day of the deadly shootings.

Lane has never offered a motive for the massacre. Addressing the court during his sentencing, the 18-year-old flipped his middle finger to those who gathered inside the courtroom, among them the victims' families.
The defendant smiled and smirked as the victims' loved ones addressed the court with emotional impact statements.

'You are lucky there are so many police in this room,' said the mother of paralyzed student Nick Walczak. 'You can smile all you want. You are evil.'

Danny Parmertor's mother, Dina, told the court that she has spent every day since her son's murder in pain and tears, The Plain Dealerreported.


'You don't deserve to be called human,' the grieving mother told Lane. 'You are a monster. You are a weak, pathetic, vile coward.'
Dina Parmetor also added: 'I want you to be ensured years and years of pain, which in my opinion is not enough. You don't deserve to take another breath while my 16-year-old son lies in the ground because of your cold, disgusting actions.'

Philip Carter, brother of Demetrius Hewlin pictured above, reads a statement on behalf of his mother, during the sentencing of TJ Lane


Defense attorney Ian Friedman said Lane plans to file an appeal, and has asked the court to appoint him a lawyer for that process.

'The defense is deeply sorry for the families, all of the families’ pain, all of the families that have been affected by this,' Friedman said. 'There’s nothing we can say that’s going to lessen that.
TJ Lane's sister, Sadie, released a statement to the media following the sentencing, expressing condolences to the families of the victims and revealing that her own family continues to struggle with the aftermath of the tragedy.


'It may be hard for some to understand, but I love my brother, and hope that wherever the sentence and life takes him in the future that he can touch others' lives in a positive way from a point of view that only he can give,' she said.


Addressing her sibling's shocking demeanor during the Tuesday hearing, Sadie said: 'The brother in the courtroom and [the one] that did this is not the brother I knew
Culled from MAIL ONLINE

'Canadian cannibal' who 'stabbed student to death then had sex with his corpse on tape' collapses in court

A Canadian porn actor accused of killing a university student and posting a video online that shows him stabbing and having sex with the dismembered corpse has collapsed in court today, during the second week of his preliminary while video evidence is shown inside courtroom.
Canadian Press said Magnotta's eyes were fixed on the ground not on the screen where the, presumably gruesome, video evidence was being shown.
He stood up and collapsed on the floor just after the judge agreed to an extended lunch break.

Luka Magnotta, 30, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the gruesome slaying and dismemberment of Jun Lin last May.

He is also accused of dismembering his Chinese lover and mailing the body parts to political parties and schools.
Wearing a black sweater with colored stripes, Magnotta appeared distressed during a video evidence session this morning. The evidence is subject to a publication ban, until it is determined that there is enough evidence to go to trial.
He held his hand over his mouth and asked the guard in his glass-enclosed defendant's box for a five-minute break.

According to Canadian Press, he was all of a sudden lying on his right side, crumpled into a fetal position, in the courtroom, still handcuffed and shackled.
When he began covering his mouth, his lawyers came to check on him and 10 minutes into that segment of the hearing he asked the baliff to his side to request the break.

As well as first-degree murder, Magnotta is also facing four other charges relating to the case.

He is accused of dismembering Lin and mailing parts of his body across Canada, before leading police on an international manhunt before he was finally arrested in Germany.

Lin's parents were not in the courtroom on Tuesday morning. His father has attended the preliminary hearing, which began March 11, sporadically but has not stayed in the courtroom when the most graphic evidence has been heard.

The porn actor first appeared in court last Monday as his lawyers unsuccessfully sought to close pre-trial proceedings to the press and public.

Magnotta has observed all hearings from a glass enclosure in the packed Montreal court room.


During the proceedings, which are expected to last another one to two weeks, prosecutors are outlining the case against 30-year-old Magnotta and seek to persuade a judge they have enough evidence for the case to go to trial.

On March 11, appearing for the first time since soon after his June arrest, Magnotta wore a white T-shirt and khaki trousers, leaning back in his chair as he listened to legal arguments.

Also in the courtroom was Diran Lin, father of victim Jun Lin, whose dismembered body parts were mailed to schools and political parties in the Canadian capital Ottawa and Vancouver in a crime that shocked Canada and gained international notoriety.
Magnotta is accused of first-degree murder, interfering with a dead body and other charges. He has pleaded not guilty.

'This is the worst thing a family can endure. We are empty,' the Journal de Montreal quoted Diran Lin as saying in an interview ahead of the hearing. 'We had so much hope for Jun Lin.'

Police say the video, which they believe is genuine, showed a man stabbing his victim to death before dismembering the corpse and then eating part of the body.

Lin's hands and feet were mailed in May to the offices of political parties in Ottawa and to schools in Vancouver.


His torso was found in a pile of garbage behind Magnotta's Montreal apartment, and his head was discovered in a Montreal park in July. Lin was a student at Concordia University in Montreal.

Initial arguments revolved around an unusual defense request to exclude the public and the media, which was denied. The court imposed a publication ban on the evidence presented.
Culled from MAIL ONLINE

Fraternal polyandry: How Indian woman married a man and his 4 sibblings together

A young Indian woman has spoken out about being married to five husbands, all of whom are brothers.

Rajo Verma, 21, lives in one room with the siblings and they sleep on blankets on the floor.

The mother-of-one, who sleeps each night with a different brother, does not know which of her five related husbands is the father of her 18-month-old son.
The set-up may seem peculiar, but it is tradition in the small village near Dehradun, Northern India, for women to also marry the brothers of their first husband.


She told the Sun: 'Initially it felt a bit awkward. 'But I don’t favour one over the other.'
Rajo and first husband Guddu wed in an arranged Hindu marriage four years ago.


Since then she has married Baiju, 32, Sant Ram, 28, Gopal, 26, and Dinesh, 19 - the latest in the line of husbands - who married her as soon as he turned 18.


'We all have sex with her but I’m not jealous,' first husband Guddu - who remains the only official spouse - said. 'We’re one big happy family.'
The ancient Hindu tradition of polyandry was once widely practiced in India, but is now only observed by a minority.


It sees a woman take more than one husband, typically in areas which are male dominated.


In fraternal polyandry the woman is expected to marry each of her original husband's brothers.


It is thought to have arisen from the popular Sanskrit epic of Mahabharatha, which sees Draupadi, daughter of the King of Pancha being married to five brothers.


The practice is also believed to be a way of
keeping farming land in the family.


It is most commonly found near the Himalayas in the north of the country, as well as in the mountainous nation of Tibet.

While the advance of modernity has seen the archaic practice largely die out in most areas, the shortage of women in countries such as China and India has helped keep it alive as a solution to young men's difficulties in finding a wife.


Rajo said she knew she was expected to accept all of her husbands, as her own mother had also been married to three brothers.

She said they sleep together in turn, but that they do not have beds, just 'lots of blankets on the floor'.


She added: 'I get a lot more attention and love than most wives.'

Culled from MAIL ONLINE

Thief is jailed for his 343rd offence after stealing clothes from charity shop

A man who has been called Britain's most prolific shoplifter was back behind bars again today after admitting four more offences - bringing his total to 343.


A week ago magistrates at Prestatyn in North Wales released David Archer after he had spent two days in custody awaiting his appearance on offences 338 and 339.

But today magistrates in the same court remanded the 58-year-old in custody to await sentence at Mold Crown Court on April 11 after he admitted to four more offences, including theft from a charity shop.
Archer, of Mostyn, Flintshire, admitted stealing clothes and a camera from the RSPCA charity shop at Colwyn Bay and a collection box from the Co-op store at Llandudno Junction.

He also admitted two breaches of an indefinite ASBO imposed in 2006 which, among other things, prohibited him from entering any charity shop in England and Wales and from possessing a charity box.
Prosecutor Julie Jones said that he was seen on CCTV burning a piece of string which secured the charity box in aid of carers which was on the counter at the Llandudno Junction store.

Defence solicitor Roger Thomas told Prestatyn magistrates that one of the problems facing David Archer in the past was that whenever he was released from prison he was given only £40, which he had to spend on essentials, he had nowhere to live and was not entitled to emergency benefits.

'He is known in every shop in North Wales and there was no subterfuge involved,' he said. 'He is institutionalised and struggles to cope with life.'

Culled from MAILONLINE

Family Doctor filmed naked female patients using wristwatch camera

A family doctor who used a secret camera inside his James Bond-style wristwatch to record himself abusing female patients faces jail after admitting a string of sex charges.

Dr Davinderjit Bains, 45, used his position as a GP at a medical practice in Royal Wootton Bassett, near Swindon, Wiltshire, to assault more than two dozen women.
Bains filmed the attacks on his Tieex 4GB Waterproof HD Spy Watch DVR, which has been likened to something out of a 007 film.

It has a built-in camera on the face - with simple on and off buttons to record - and can be bought on the internet for less than £60.

Detectives branded Bains a "sexual predator" and said he had covertly filmed more than 100 women.

At Swindon Crown Court Bains admitted a total of 39 charges - 13 charges of assault by penetration, 13 charges of voyeurism, 11 charges of sexual assault and two charges of sexual activity with a child.

He also asked for a further 65 offences - 10 of sexual assault by penetration, eight of sexual assault and 47 of voyeurism - to be taken into account when the judge passes sentence.

His not-guilty pleas to three charges of sexual assault and a single count of administering a noxious drug with intent to commit a sexual offence were accepted by the Crown and will lie on file.

Bains, of Nyland Road, Swindon, was remanded into custody to await sentencing once reports have been prepared.

The offences were committed against 30 women - aged from 14 to 51 - between July 2010 and May 2012.
The police investigation began in June last year when a 19-year-old woman told officers she thought Bains had filmed her as she showered and said she had been sexually assaulted by him in Swindon.

When detectives arrested Bains at the Tinkers Lane Surgery in Royal Wootton Bassett, they discovered his high-tech wristwatch with spy camera.

They later recovered 361 high-quality video clips from Bains' watch and home computer.

Detective inspector Mark Garrett, who led the investigation, said Bains had used his position as a GP to abuse women.


"They put their trust in their doctor and Dr Bains breached that trust massively - compromising his professional position - and breached that trust to the highest order," he said.

"Today he stands exposed as someone who has utterly betrayed that trust for his own sexual gratification.

"He is a sexual predator, simple as that. And he was allowed to abuse his position of trust and offend for two years.

"In almost 30 years of police service I have never come across a case like that of Dr Davinderjit Bains."

Bains qualified as a doctor from Mangalore University in 1993 and became a GP in 2007. He is currently suspended from practising by the GMC.

In a statement the surgery said it was "appalled" at the crimes Dr Bains had committed.

"This has been a shocking and distressing case for all concerned," the statement said.

"The partners, GPs and staff of Tinkers Lane Surgery are deeply saddened by the actions of this former colleague and our sympathies remain entirely with the victims and our patients and their families.

"We are appalled that the sort of crimes to which Dr Bains has today pleaded guilty could happen in general practice.

"We will now seek to rebuild the trust and the confidence of our community and our patients."

Luke Daniels, of solicitors Irwin Mitchell, is acting on behalf of concerned patients and said Bains' pleas were the first significant step in his victims' battle for justice.

"This man massively abused the position of trust in which he was placed and carried out the most horrendous crimes that continue to have a devastating effect on the victims," he said.
Culled from HUFF POST

Catholic Priest who had been secretly married for 10yrs is found guilty of sexual assault on a 17yr old girl

A Catholic priest who had been secretly married for more than a decade was on at the weekend, warned he may go to jail for sexually assaulting a teenage girl on Easter Sunday last year.


William Finnegan, 59, known to his parishioners as Father Bill, denied forcefully kissing the 17-year-old and touching her bottom, but was found guilty by jurors at Bradford Crown Court.

It took the jury almost a day of deliberating before returning a verdict of guilty, prompting gasps and cries from Finnegan's supporters in the public gallery, where the young victim was also sitting.


Recorder of Bradford Judge Roger Thomas QC told Finnegan 'there's a lot of thought to be given' about the sentence he will receive, which could include an immediate prison term.


Judge Thomas said: 'This case, albeit sexual assault of the least type, does have to it factors of another type.


'What the ultimate sentence will be, I have an entirely open mind about but that ranges from immediate imprisonment to other arrangements of a community nature.'


Sensationally he reveled during the trial he broke his vows by marrying one of his parishioners in a civil ceremony abroad and then continued to do his job.

Far from being a celibate priest, Finnegan was enjoying an active sex life with his wife, the jury heard.
The revelation was made by Finnegan’s barrister as part of his defence case during the trial at Bradford Crown Court.
Judge Roger Thomas, QC, asked Finnegan before he gave evidence: ‘Your public announcement of this today is news to everyone?’
The defendant replied: ‘It is, and I will be dealt with.’

Finnegan was parish priest at St Clare’s Roman Catholic Church in Fagley, Bradford, when the assault happened on Easter Sunday last year.

He denied sexually assaulting the teenager by touching her bottom and forcefully kissing her.

Jeremy Hill-Baker, defending, told the jury: ‘You may be thinking that he is only human, that Father Bill, as a Catholic priest, has taken a vow of celibacy, condemning himself to a single and lonely life filled with perhaps an underlying sexual frustration because, let’s face it, it is not a natural state for a human to be in.

‘It would be understandable for you to be thinking, “Well, perhaps it just got the best of him with that 17-year-old”.’


Mr Hill-Baker then dropped the bombshell that Finnegan married Mrs Dawson, a mother of two, in Cyprus in September 1999.

Mr Hill-Baker told the jury: ‘No, you didn’t mishear me.’ He said: ‘So deeply in love was he that he was prepared to ignore the Catholic Church’s ban on marriage, a secret which has been kept from almost everyone until now.'

The court heard ‘Father Bill’ met Mrs Dawson during his previous post when he was a priest in Castleford and she was a parishioner.

After her previous marriage broke down, they fell in love and married. Only trusted friends and family were told.

Mr Hill-Baker said: ‘Far from being celibate, they enjoyed a full and active sex life.’ Questioned by the judge, Finnegan said he had been ‘suspended and simply ignored’ since the sex assault allegation came to light. He said his marriage would not be recognised by the Catholic Church because he was a priest.
The court heard that the girl and her family were known to Finnegan.

Richard Walters, prosecuting, said: ‘He regularly asked her for hugs and on occasions he called her his surrogate daughter.’


Jurors heard that as well as touching and kissing her inappropriately, Finnegan told the girl she was ‘amazing and beautiful’.


Two days later he arrived at her home when her parents were out and said he had had sexual feelings for her for some time. He then talked about buying her an expensive birthday present, which the prosecution said amounted to a bribe.


The girl told her mother who reported Finnegan.


The priest told the jury the girl kissed him and he did nothing wrong. He said: ‘She tiptoed towards me, placed her hands on my waist and kissed me on the lips.’
The priest said he forcefully pushed the girl away and told her: ‘That’s not to happen.’


Mr Walters said: ‘Rather than tell us the truth, you would rather brand that young girl a liar.’ Finnegan responded: ‘I have just taken the oath. I’m not lying.’


Giving evidence, Mrs Dawson said she and her husband had never permanently lived together but saw each other regularly, had a sexual relationship and went on holidays together.


She said each week after he finished his church services on Sunday he would visit her, then go back to work on Tuesday.


She said on the day in question, Finnegan had phoned her and told her he had been kissed by the teenage girl.


‘He was shocked,’ she said.

Finnegan, of Castleford, who will now have to register as a sex offender, denied forcing himself upon the teenager last Easter.


After swearing an oath on the bible, he told the court she had kissed him and said he had been suspended and ignored by the Catholic Church following the incident.


Finnegan will be sentenced following reports on April 11.

Culled from DAILY MAIL

Woman tried to sell her 2 children on Facebook for £2,600 to bail boyfriend out of jail

Police have arrested a woman for reportedly trying to sell her children on Facebook.

Misty VanHorn, of Sallisaw, Oklahoma, is accused of trying to raise cash to cover the £670 bond she needed to get her boyfriend out of jail, KFOR-TV reported.

VanHorn is said to have offered to sell her two-year-old and 10-month-old children for a combined price of £2,600, or just £670 for the older child alone, the Oklahoman writes.
According to the police report, VanHorn messaged a woman on Facebook saying: “Just come to Sallisaw, it’s only 30 minutes away and I’ll give you all of her stuff and let y’all have her forever for $1,000.”

The unidentified buyer alerted the Oklahoma Department of Human Services, who in turn notified the police.

A neighbour told 5News Online VanHorn had been making earlier attempts to raise cash for her boyfriend's bail bond.

Tony Mosby said: “She was going door-to-door, here to all the way across town asking everybody for money to get him out.”

VanHorn has pleaded not guilty to two counts of trafficking children and is currently being held on a £33,000 bond.

Each felony charge carries up to ten years in prison or a £6,700 fine.

The children have been taken into the custody of the state.
Culled from HUFFPOST

woman straps 8 months old baby to her chest and jumps from 8th floor apartment to her death while the baby survives with minor injuries

A Manhattan lawyer strapped her 10-month-old son to her chest and leaped to her death from an eighth-story window in Harlem on Wednesday — and the baby miraculously survived with little more than scratches, police sources said.

Cynthia Wachenheim, 44, who left a suicide note castigating herself for being a bad mother, landed on her back after taking the fatal plunge. Baby Keston was in a harness. He bounced off his mom on impact and then rolled away from her motionless arms.


“The note said she was not happy and she talked about what she planned to do,” a source said. In the note, Wachenheim is “saying to her husband, ‘I love you. I’m making you suffer. You’re going to think I’m evil,’” a source said.

“She thinks she’s a failing mother. On the last page, she refers to postpartum depression. She was supposed to see a therapist, but she blew him off.

“As the note goes on, you get the idea she’s explaining why she’s going to do it,” the source added.

The note, which mentions little Keston having a physical handicap, was unsigned — but cops compared it to handwriting samples and determined that it was written by Wachenheim, the source said.
Police learned — not from the note — that Wachenheim was convinced her baby had cerebral palsy, although doctors said there was nothing wrong with him, said the source.



“I heard a small scream when she was in the air,” said witness Steven Dominguez, 18. “I noticed something falling, but I didn’t want to believe it was a person.”

Dominguez, who teared up as he spoke, said the landing made a horrifying sound.

“It was a loud bang,” he said outside the woman’s building on Bradhurst Ave. near W. 147th St. “It sounded like a big piece of wood hitting the floor.”

“When I got closer, I saw the baby crying,” he said.
he baby was in stable condition Wednesday night at Harlem Hospital, hours after his mother’s 3:30 p.m. jump.


Wachenheim’s husband, Hal Bacharach, 48, was at work when his wife jumped, the source said. He was spotted on surveillance video leaving the upscale building at 12:55 p.m., less than three hours before the leap. Neighbors said he stormed out of their two-bedroom condo after a loud argument. Shouting echoed through the halls.

“He was yelling at her today,” said Christian Johnson, 37. “It made me stop and listen. He was asking her why she wouldn’t pick up the phone. He kept repeating it. Then, the baby started crying.”

A police source said Wachenheim was taking antidepressants and that pills were found in the apartment.

A different police source said Wednesday was the first time police were ever called to the apartment. The couple had lived at The Sutton — where similar apartments run about $325,000 — for about three years.

Wachenheim, a high school valedictorian in Albany and a Columbia Law grad, was on maternity leave from her $118,000-a-year job in the city court system. She worked there for more than 15 years doing research and writing for judges.
"She was wonderful — very devoted to the court (and) wonderful with everyone she worked with,” said her boss, John Werner, chief court clerk. “It’s a tragedy.”

“We are deeply saddened by this tragic incident,” said David Bookstaver, spokesman for the city’s Office of Court Administration. “Our thoughts are with her family.”

Two NYPD narcotics detectives were parking a car nearby and were the first to respond after they saw the tragic fall.

Cops took the boy, who appeared to only have scratches and minor injuries, to Harlem Hospital. He was listed in stable condition and was expected to survive. A source said he underwent a CT scan.

Neighbors were shocked that Wachenheim, who officials said worked as an associate court attorney with the New York County Law Office, took her only child with her in the fatal leap.

“She was very friendly,” said Yaa Dwamena, 32. “She always greeted you when you came in and out of the building. She didn’t seem like she was going through anything.”
A building worker described Wachenheim as a devoted mom.

“She was always holding him in her arms,” the worker said. “She was always with the baby. She loved that baby.”

Johnson, who has known the couple since they moved into the building, said he never saw signs of trouble.

“I saw her a little while ago,” he said. “She seemed stressed out — but what mother of a 10-month-old isn’t stressed out?”

Johnson also thought that Wednesday’s argument was just a typical squabble between parents, until he saw Wachenheim’s body on the sidewalk.

“I saw her on the ground and I lost it,” Johnson said.

With Barbara Ross, Kerry Burke and Shane Dixon Kavanaugh




Culled from DAILYNEWS

Tunisian vendor dies after self-immolation in protest against unemployment

A Tunisian cigarette vendor who set himself ablaze in a busy street of the capital Tunis a day earlier has died under hospital care, a medical official has said.


Twenty-seven-year-old Adel Khadri pictured below, died on Wednesday as a result of severe burns, Imed Toiuibi, the director of the Ben Arous Burns Centre, told the AFP news agency.

"This is a young man who sells cigarettes because of unemployment," Khadri shouted before immolating himself on Habib Bourguiba avenue.

Security forces and bystanders tried to extinguish the flames before the man was rushed to hospital, witnesses said.

Officials said Khadri hails from an extremely poor family in Jendouba in northwestern Tunisia.

Interior ministry spokesman Khaled Tarrouche attributed Khadri's desperate action to his economic situation.

"He is unemployed and came to Tunis a few months ago. He was very fragile, psychologically broken, and that is why he set himself on fire."

In December 2010, street vendor Bouazizi whose picture appears above died of his injuries after setting himself alight on December 17, 2010 in the town of Sidi Bouzid after a policewoman confiscated his fruit cart.

Bouazizi's fate sparked protests that ended with the overthrow of autocratic President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali and inspired rebellions elsewhere in the Middle East.
Culled from ALJazeera

Google to pay $7 million fine for privacy violation

Google on Tuesday agreed to pay some States the sum of $7 million to settle complaints that its Stree View cars violated people's privacy.
The settlement with 37 States comes nearly three years after the company admitted collecting information ike passwords and e-mails from unencrypted Wi-Fi networks when its cars were passing by. The internet giant said it will take steps to ensure that the company does not tap into networks again in the future. As part of the agreement, Google also agreed to destroy the personal data it collected.
The said settlement was quicly criticized by privacy advocates as an insufficient slap on the wrist.
"With Googles revenue of $100 million dollars a day, the fine is just like a drop of water in the ocean and it is not enough to deter bad behaviour"
Since 2007, Google has sent aroun cars with cameras attached to their roof to film 360 degrees images of a Google map component called 'Street View'. When the programme was investigated by European regulators, Google said it discovered that it mistakenly downloaded snippets of the so called 'Payload data' from internet users who were logged onto unprotected wireless networks that were in range of its cars.
Culled from CNN

How US policemen arrested woman with loaded gun in her Vagina

A woman arrested by the police was revealed to have a loaded gun hidden inside her vagina and a bag of drugs concealed between her buttocks.

Suspect Christie Dawn Harris was arrested by police in Ada, Oklahoma last week monday after a search of her car yielded crystal meth, drug paraphernalia, a pistol and some ammo.

But Harris’s complete haul wasn’t revealed until she was escorted to the local jail, police paperwork on The Smoking Gun revealed.
The 28-year-old initially refused to change into prison clothing, but later consented to a body cavity search, at which point Officer Kathy Unbewust “observed at that time a wooden and metal item sticking out from her vagina area.”

The item in question turned out to be a loaded .22-caliber handgun containing three rounds of live ammunition and one spent shell.

Further examination of the suspect yielded a number of plastic bags filled with methamphetamine.



Pontotoc County District Attorney Chris Ross was quoted by The Examiner as saying: “It would seem a very dangerous place to carry a loaded firearm. If it goes off it’s only going in one place.”

Harris and an accomplice now face weapons and drugs charges.

WGN-TV news anchor Robin Baumgarten wept with laughter as she delivered a report into the arrest, exclaiming “What?!” as her co-anchor Larry Postash added: “The old caboose pistol; everybody has one.”
Culled from HUFF POST

8yr-old S/ African boy marries 61-yr-old woman to please his ancestors

An eight-year-old schoolboy has married a 61-year-old woman because the ghost of his dead ancestor told him to.


Sanele Masilela tied the knot with Helen Shabangu, who is already married and a mother-of-five.

The boy, from Tshwane, South Africa, said he had been told by his dead ancestors to wed and his family, fearing divine retribution, forked out for a wedding.


They paid £500 for the bride and a further £1,000 for the big day, which was organised in just two months.
Dressed in a bow tie and tiny silver suit, little Sanele, the youngest of five children, exchanged rings in front of 100 guests and even puckered up for a kiss.



It's already shocked the community but the family has defended the ceremony, saying it was just a ritual and not legally binding.
Sanele's 46-year-old mum, Patience Masilela said: 'This is the first time this has happened in the family.

'Sanele is named after his grandfather, who was never had a white wedding before he died so asked Sanele to get married. He chose Helen because he loves her.



'By doing this we made the ancestors happy. If we hadn't done what my son had asked then something bad would have happened in the family.

'I didn't have a problem with it because I know it's what the ancestors wanted and it would make them happy.'
The widow, who works at a recycling centre, added: 'I would say that this is not wrong.

'Sanele was fine and he was happy about the ceremony and it was what he wanted. He was happy to get married and very excited.'

Sanele and his bride did not sign a marriage certificate and do not have to live together. Both have gone back to their normal lives.

Sanele today said he hoped he would have a proper wedding to a woman his own age when he was older.

He added: 'I told my mother that I wanted to get married because I really did want to.
'I'm happy that I married Helen - but I will go to school and study hard.

'When I'm older I will marry a lady my own age.'

Despite being old enough to be his grandmother, bride Helen, whose children are aged between 37 and 27, was happy with the arrangement.

Helen, who also works at a recycling centre, said: 'I'm married and have five kids of my own, but I know that this is what the ancestors wanted - and now they are happy.

'It is a ritual. We are just playing now, but it is a sign that he will get married one day.'

Her husband of 30 years, Alfred, 65, said: 'My kids and I are happy.

'We don't have problems with it but some of the community members were shocked.'
Culled from MAIL ONLINE

Super-sized mosquitoes which can bite through clothing are heading to Florida 'in large numbers' this summer

Mega-mosquitoes which are the size of quarters are expected to take over areas of Florida 'in large numbers' this summer, scientists have warned.


The special breed of the nuisance bug, which can be 20 times bigger than common menacing Asian tiger mosquitoes, are described as 'notoriously aggressive'.

They were handed the perfect breeding ground by last year's tropical storms, according to scientists at the University of Florida, so are coming to a town near you.
'Because of the events last year, and the eggs laid, we can expect large numbers of these mosquitoes again,' Entomologist Phil Kaufman, an associate professor with the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, told the Gainsville Sun.


'It is quite capable of biting through my shirt.
'We suggest people wear long-sleeve pants and shirts. Just doing that may not be enough for this type of mosquito; you're going to have use one of the insect repellants to dissuade them from landing.'


'The bite really hurts, I can attest to that,' he told science site phys.org.


Psorophora ciliata, or Gallinipper mosquitoes as they are commonly known, have half inch long bodies and the same black-white color pattern of the more common Asian Tiger Mosquito with a wingspan of 6-7 millimeters.
Because of their size they are often able to withstand common repellants.


The hurricanes of last year brought large numbers of the insects to the Central and South Florida area which laid dormant eggs in the soil near ponds and streams.


Now scientists are predicting heavy rainfall will come again and cause the eggs to hatch - releasing the super-sized bugs in large numbers.eastern half of North America, is they don't carry diseases dangerous to humans like some of their smaller counterparts.


Like Asian tiger mosquitoes they are less common in urban areas and tend to be found near floodwater where they hatch.


'Down near Paynes Prairie, you are more likely to have more numbers than Main Street Gainesville,' Professor Kaufman added.


It is only females that bite with male Gallinippers feeding on flower nectar.


They also feed on other mosquito larvae and even tadpoles and are most active at dusk and dawn.


'When you read the historical accounts of the first European settlers in the Southeast and they talked about gigantic mosquitoes, this was one they were talking about,' Professor Kaufman added.
Culled from MAILONLINE

75yr-old Grandmother fired multiple gunshots at grandson while he pleaded with 911 dispatcher to send help

A teenage boy who had been shot by his grandmother pleaded with a 911 dispatcher to send help as the 75-year-old shot him again, a prosecutor told jurors on Tuesday.
Sandra Layne is on trial for the first-degree murder of her grandson Jonathan Hoffman, 17, whom she is accused of shooting dead on May 18 last year at their shared home in suburban Detroit.
Hoffman 'thought he was safe... Sandra Layne walks up and shoots him again. This time in the stomach,' Paul Walton, Oakland County's chief assistant prosecutor, said during his opening statement today.
Defense attorney Jerome Sabbota countered that the diminutive Layne feared for her safety during the fatal confrontation in the West Bloomfield Township condo that Hoffman shared with his grandparents.
An autopsy revealed Hoffman was shot three times in the chest, once in the abdomen and once in his left arm. Tests showed the teen had traces of synthetic marijuana in his body.
Officers had been called to the home northwest of Detroit about two months earlier, when Layne told police she was having a difficult time because her grandson was very upset and yelling. No arrests were made that day.

Four days before that, the alternative high school senior was pulled over in nearby Farmington Hills and ticketed for possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.
He later received a 93-day suspended sentence and was placed on 12 months' probation.
Layne is 'not a murderer,' Sabbota told jurors on Tuesday. 'She was afraid. She felt she had no choice. Why else would she shoot him? This is a tragic case.'

Hoffman was living with his grandmother while his mother and father were divorcing and living outside Michigan.
'He was a troubled teen, her favorite grandson, and she took him in,' Sabbota said.
In Hoffman's 911 call played during Layne's preliminary examination last summer, the teen yelled into a cellphone: 'I've just been shot. My grandma shot me. I'm going to die. Help.'
A few minutes later, he tells the operator: 'I got shot, shot again. Please help. Help,' before his voice trails off and a woman's shouts are heard in the background.



An officer testified at Layne's preliminary examination that when police arrived, she walked out of her home with her hands up and screamed: 'I murdered my grandson.'
A Glock 9mm semiautomatic handgun was found just inside the front door. Nine spent cartridge cases also were found in the house.
Sabbota said Layne is expected to take the stand during the trial.
Culledf from DAILYMAIL

Girl born without a nose or eyes to undergo surgery using bone from her skull to rebuild her face

A North Carolina teen born with a rare condition that left her without a nose or eyes is preparing for her final operation which will give her a real nose.
Cassidy Hooper, 16, will undergo three surgeries at Levine Children's Hospital in Charlotte over the course of two weeks that will create a nose from cartilage and bone taken from her skull.
And the good news has left the energetic teen ecstatic because for the first time she will be able to smell and breathe through her own nose.
When she was born, her condition left doctors baffled, especially since had no other medical problems and leads a healthy life.
'Her heart and brain are normal,' said her mother, kindergarten teacher, Susan Hooper to ABC News.
'Nothing else is going on with her.'
The inspirational teenager has been going through skin graft surgeries to adapt her face since she was 11 years old and is pleased to be entering the final straight.
'I'll have a real nose like everyone else's,' said Cassidy.
Her surgeon, Dr. David Matthews has worked for the past five years expanding her face to create a bony opening, that has now developed into a bony opening, that is now waiting for the cartilage graph to be placed over.


In the past, Cassidy used prosthetic eyes, but since they cost $5,000 each, the Hooper's could not afford to keep replacing them as their daughter grew.
'Insurance didn't pay one cent,' said Susan, 42. 'We had already started the process to do her nose, moving her eyes closer together and having her skull reshaped. We were not going to pay for it then have to pay again.'
Experts who spoke to ABC News explained how the surgery to replace Cassidy's nose will be completed.
'The nose is a little like the ear -- what you see isn't functional,' said Dr. Sherard A. Tatum III, director of facial and reconstructive surgery at Upstate Golisano Children's Hospital in Syracuse, N.Y.
'A lot of people have noses they lost to trauma and cancer and breathe fine and have a sense of smell. The nose is something we expect to see in its conventional place and it's good to put glasses on, but it's not 100 percent necessary.'
'The soft tissues that make up the inside and the outside skin and mucus membrane don't have a lot of strength to stick out of the face like the nose does. You can't just slap some skin up there and make it look like a nose.'
Cassidy's doctors have taken a layered approach - placing the inside membrane first, then using cartilage and bone from her skull create a nose structure and then cover it with skin.
The hardest part for Cassidy has been overcoming the social difficulties.
She has been attending Governor Morehead School, a specialist school for the blind since the fifth grade and deals with taunts from children well.
'Honestly, there's been a bit of teasing, but not more than any other child on a regular day,' said her mother.
Active and confident, Cassidy is involved with track and field and has even taken up the winter sport of curling.
She dreams of being a radio broadcaster and has recently appeared on the airwaves at her local radio station.
'It was the first time and I actually did my own radio broadcast for an hour -- I took over,' said Cassidy.
'I have been listening to radio since I was younger, and I like how they do it. I am interested in jingles.'
Culled from MAILONLINE