Search results for Birmingham

Description

A child sex offender who groomed a schoolgirl has been jailed. Police were so worried about Ray Trewern that officers launched an investigation without the victim making a formal complaint.

He met the 12-year-old victim online but the 35-year-old quickly arranged to see her in person. Trewern, of Park Corner, Birmingham, bought the girl gifts and took her shopping.

During one meeting, he sexually assaulted her by kissing her. West Mercia Police said "such was the concern about Trewern", that an investigation was progressed on an evidence-led basis, without the victim providing a formal complaint. He was jailed for two years and three months at Worcester Crown Court on May 16.

Trewern pleaded guilty to sexual communications with a child, meeting a female child under the age of 16 following sexual grooming, sexual assault of a female child under 13 and possession of indecent photographs of a child. He was also made the subject of a ten-year sexual harm prevention order and handed an indefinite restraining order.

Trewyn groomed the girl between October and December 2021. Following the sentencing, Det Const Tarryn Schimmel said: "Trewern’s grooming was such that his victim genuinely believed he had her best intentions at heart when in fact his deception was for his own perverse gain.

"The victim and her family have had to wait a long time to see justice being done and I commend them for their patience and dignity in waiting for this matter to finally be resolved. I hope the sentence helps put some closure on this awful time for them.”

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This is the face of a paedophile who preyed on a schoolgirl in a vile attempt to sexually abuse her as she walked to school. Predator Daniel Ralph grabbed the youngster as she made her way to school through an alleyway.

She was on her own when the 'dangerous' sex offender, 31, pounced on her from behind. He then put her in a 'chokehold' as she battled to get free.

The young girl bit Ralph's hand, forcing him to loosen his grip and run away. A court heard how the pervert even 'went equipped', wearing a jacket with unused condoms in his pocket.

Ralph has since been locked up for his terrifying ambush. Wolverhampton Crown Court heard how the girl was walking through the alleyway just before 7.30am on February 16 last year.

CCTV footage recorded Ralph leaving his home at 7.29am and reaching the nearby alleyway a minute later. He was donning a face covering and gloves as he walked past the girl in the opposite direction

But he then turned and grabbed her from behind. Prosecutor Dylan Wagg said the defendant 'gripped tightly' as he put one hand around the victim's neck and another around her mouth.

The girl screamed and bit his hand, with Ralph rushing home. He changed his clothes and was seen leaving his home again at 7.52am.

Ralph walked in a different direction to the alleyway, the court heard. A concerned passer-by noticed the 'distressed' schoolgirl - who had a cut lip - and called police.

The girl later told officers she had spotted Ralph 'loitering' in the alleyway as she walked to school just days before his cruel attack on her. The convict was arrested at home a few hours later.

Officers seized a number of pairs of gloves and balaclavas, a Rambo knife, a zombie knife and a black quilted jacket with unused condoms in the pocket. The court heard how Ralph previously sexually assaulted a schoolgirl in 'strikingly similar' circumstances.

He also sneaked into a woman's bedroom naked, leaving her fearing she would be raped. Stephen Hamblett, defending, said 'remorseful' Ralph had a 'number of difficulties' when he was younger - including being the victim of a sexual assault.

Sentencing, Judge John Butterfield KC described Ralph as a dangerous offender posing a 'significant risk of causing serious harm' to the public. Ralph admitted assault by beating, committing an offence with intent to commit a sexual offence and breach of sexual harm prevention order.

He was handed an extended sentence of nine years and 10 months. It means he must serve two-thirds of his jail term of five years and 10 months before being released and will be subject to an extended licence period of four years.

Description

A sex offender has been jailed for 14 years for abusing two girls and a woman.

Nicholas Lumsden, of Birmingham, was found guilty of committing numerous offences in Kent, including indecent assault, sexual assault and sexual activity with a child.

Police say evidence the 40-year-old had carried out historic attacks on children in Ashford surfaced while investigating allegations he sexually assaulted a woman in Dover in 2019.

Lumsden, of Selcroft Avenue, denied the charges but, following a recent trial at Maidstone Crown Court, was convicted of a string of offences, including indecent assault, sexual assault of a child and sexual activity with a child.

He was brought back before the same court on Wednesday April 17 and jailed for 14 years.

He was ordered to serve an extra five years on licence following that term and made the subject of a 25-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Description

An online predator who pretended to be a 12-year-old girl to encourage other young people to share indecent images has been jailed.

We discovered Dominic Woodcock had used a fake profile on various social media channels to befriend young girls between 2021 and 2023.

He claimed to be involved in a gymnastics club and encouraged girls - mainly aged between 10 and 12 - to pursue such a career.

However, once a rapport was established Woodcock would request indecent images of the girls and threatened to expose them on social media if they refused.

After being alerted to his depraved behaviour we quickly identified and arrested Woodcock from Erdington.  We seized his phone and found concerning images and messages.

The 20-year-old pleaded guilty to possession of indecent images and engaging children into sexual activity.

He was jailed for four years and eight months at Birmingham Crown Court last Wednesday (3 April) and put on the sex offenders register for life.

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A city pensioner has been jailed for historic sex offences in which he abused a young boy over a period of four years. Colin Hall, 79, from Birmingham carried out the abuse in the 1980s.

Detectives investigated Hall when the survivor came forward in 2018 to speak to the force's Rape and Sexual Violence Project, a service providing support to those who have been subjected to sexual violence in Birmingham and Solihull.

Specially trained officers then started an investigation into the allegations. West Midlands Police said that Hall admitted to seven counts of indecent assaults between 1984 and 1988 at an earlier hearing.

He was sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court on April 2. Following sentencing, detectives spoke of how they carried out a video interview with Hall's victim after he initially reported allegations.

The force said the details provided were crucial in securing a conviction against Hall. The victim said he met Hall when he was a young boy and he introduced him to his dogs.

They would then take the dogs for walks. He said Hall started buying him gifts and alcohol, leading him to believe Hall was a friend who treated him as an adult.

After around a year, Hall started to subject him to sexual encounters and told him to not to tell anyone or else they would get in trouble. This continued for around four years said police.

Colin Hall was jailed for 16 years at Birmingham Crown Court on April 2. Following sentencing, Detective Constable Donna Kenny, said: “Hall groomed a young boy and led him to believe they were friends, building up a strong rapport with him before manipulating him and subjecting him to several incidents of sexual abuse.

Description

A man has been jailed for six years for attempting to rape a woman in Salford.

34-year-old Sediq Ali from Birmingham was found guilty of attempted rape and sentenced on Monday (March 18) at Minshull Street Crown Court.

Officers were called to an address in Salford on October 30 2020, following an incident which had happened hours earlier. Ali had threatened the woman before subjecting her to an attempted rape.

Following an investigation, Ali was subsequently arrested and charged with the offence.

In addition to his sentence, he will also be required to sign the sex offenders register and be subject to a restraining order.

Description

A magnet fishing YouTuber has been jailed after carrying out a string of vile child sexual offences. Karl Ball used social media to groom a 14-year-old girl before giving her a 'special cake' which he performed a sex act over, the court heard.

The 35-year-old ex-soldier used sexualised language and sent various messages referring to sexual intercourse and what he would do to the child. He also sent sexually explicit photos and encouraged the victim to send naked photos of herself, although she refused to send him any explicit photos, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said.

The CPS said that when he met the child, Ball, touched her inappropriately and sexually assaulted her before giving her what he called a "special cake." The victim ate some of the cake when she got home but found it tasted strange and when she told the defendant, he admitted what he had done.

The victim felt disgusted by this and put the cake in the bin. His offending came to light after the victims parents saw the messages on her phone and reported the matter to the police.

The police found Balls DNA on the "special cake" after remnants of it were retrieved from the bin and forensically analysed. Ball pleaded guilty to two counts of engaging in sexual communication with a child, two counts of sexual assault on a female and two counts of causing or inciting a girl aged 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity. It followed a hearing at Dudley Magistrates Court in May last year.

Ball, from Simmons Drive, Quinton, who ran a YouTube channel about magnet fishing, was sentenced to 32 months imprisonment at Wolverhampton Crown Court yesterday, Wednesday, February 28. He was also made subject to a sexual harm prevention order for a decade, and a restraining order for 10 years barring him from contacting the child and her family.

Speaking after the case, Cagin Husnu, of the CPS, said: The crimes committed by Karl Ball in this case are abhorrent." He added 'the fact that his offending culminated in him giving her a special cake is simply repulsive'.

His statement continued: "No one in our society, let alone children, should be treated in such a degrading manner and it is our aim to ensure that we work collaboratively with the police to ensure that offenders are held accountable for their crimes.

It comes after Ball admitted possessing a prohibited firearm and possessing ammunition without a firearms certificate. He was proud to show off a "loaded shotgun he had pulled out of a canal in Birmingham" to his magnet fishing mates. But his discovery backfired on him when he was reported to the police by one of them after failing to hand it in. He was sentenced to two years suspended for two years and ordered to do 200 hours unpaid work in November 2022.

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Arcadian sex attacker Albert Okyere fled to the Netherlands after raping one woman and sexually assaulting her friend

This is the first picture of a predator who raped a stranger and sexually assaulted her friend after a night out at The Arcadian. 'Dangerous' Dutch national Albert Okyere fled to his homeland after launching his horrific attack on two drunk women.

The 37-year-old fugitive was eventually extradited to the UK and has now been locked up nine years after his horrendous sex crimes. A court heard how the dad - whose partner remains 'supportive' of him - tricked the women into believing he was a 'nice stranger' who was simply offering them a lift home.

But before he dropped them home, he pulled over into a dark industrial site 'in the middle of nowhere' - with the 'true nature of his intention' said to have suddenly 'dawned' on one of the women. He then launched his cruel attack on both women before dropping them home in an attempt to 'pass off the incident as consensual'.

Okyere was convicted of three counts of rape and one count of sexual assault following an eight-day trial last December. The I.T. professional - of Ash-Lea Drive, Donnington, Telford - was jailed at Birmingham Crown Court yesterday (Thursday, February 1).

Sentencing, Judge John Butterfield KC described Okyere as a dangerous offender and handed him a 14-year extended sentence. It means he must serve at least two-thirds of his 12-year jail term and will be subject to an extended licence period of two years once released.

Okyere will also remain on the sex offenders indefinitely. Birmingham Crown Court heard how the rapist had been on a night out at The Arcadian in November 2015.

He offered his 'heavily intoxicated' victims - who had also been out that night - a lift home before driving to the scene of the crime. The sex offender was even 'grinning' as one of his 'emotionally distressed' victims was forced to give in to his sick demands.

The defendant went on to usher one of the victims outside before locking the car door behind him. He continued his onslaught, raping her as her friend remained trapped inside the vehicle.

Judge Butterfield said 'sober' Okyere was 'bigger and stronger' than his victims. Okyere - who has previous convictions for voyeurism and battery - did not show a 'shred of contrition', with his behaviour said to be 'predatory from the outset'.

Description

A rapist who threatened to decapitate his victim if she reported her ordeal has been jailed for 12 years.

Jerome Macalla, 33, raped a woman after overpowering her and forcing his way into her Sheffield home.

He then told her he would "shoot her in the face" if she went to the police and said he would “take her head off” if any officers came to arrest him.

South Yorkshire Police praised Macalla's victim for her "bravery and courage" in coming forward.

Macalla, of Arden Road in Birmingham, was subsequently arrested in June last year after officers found him trying again to break into his victim's home with a shovel.

He was found guilty of rape and harassment following a trial at Sheffield Crown Court, having already admitted charges of driving while disqualified, criminal damage and possession of cannabis.

PC Katie Walker, of South Yorkshire Police, said: "Macalla's threats were so menacing and chilling, his victim was left frightened of reporting the rape to us.

"She must have been absolutely terrified of this evil man and I want to commend her bravery and courage in coming forward to tell us all the crimes he had subjected her to.

"Macalla is a dangerous predator who inflicted untold misery on his victim who must have been so scared of what he would do should his crimes ever come to light."

Macalla was also placed on the sex offenders register for life and given an indefinite restraining order preventing him from contacting his victim.

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This is the face of a paedophile school worker who was described as a 'victim' due his taboo secret. Ismail Adewumi groomed and sexually attacked a 13-year-old boy at a time when his family were trying to find him a wife.

The 26-year-old from Holte Road, Sparkbrook was jailed for two years and eight months after admitting two counts of sexual activity with a boy and one count of sexual communication with a child. The victim was not a pupil at Redstone Academy in Balsall Heath where Adewumi worked in administration.

The school immediately suspended him and contacted the police when they became aware of a sick video of him on the toilet that he had sent the boy. But as Adewumi was sentenced earlier this month Birmingham Crown Court was told he was a 'victim of circumstances' himself due to the difficulties of being homosexual in his community.

Lynette McLement, defending, revealed he would not even speak to a male barrister about the case. She said: "Things could be seen to reach crisis point in 2020. It was then the need to marry him off became pressing and it was clear and apparent his mother, with other family members, took the decision to find him a wife.

"This of course was in-effect pressure brought to bear on a young man unable to talk about the reason for not wishing to do so. He had not had the ability to talk to anybody about any sexual feelings. It was something he said 'nobody did'.

"He had never had a girlfriend - he wasn't allowed. No discussion about sexual leanings. The first person he spoke to who took a light-hearted attitude and joked about sex was this young man."

Ms McLement argued Adewumi was attracted to the boy because he was male, not because of his age, adding that sexuality was a 'taboo topic' in the defendant's community. She said: "Rather than a predator this man was a victim of circumstances, as so many others are who come to the court, where their own sexual identity is denied them. This is very much that situation."

Messages between Adewumi and the boy escalated from 'banter' about the PlayStaton to 'troubling' exchanges which included a reference to phone sex. At one point he told the victim he would 'strip you in the street and tie you to a lamppost'.

Adewumi referred to the boy as 'darling' and 'babes' as well as sent inappropriate videos of himself. The grooming behaviour culminated on a night they were together when he repeatedly groped the boy during a two-hour ordeal. The victim subsequently reported the attack to someone else who informed the school.

Sadaat Rasool, headteacher at Redstone Academy, told Birmingham Live: "Suspicious behaviour was brought to our attention so we immediately followed safeguarding guidelines, suspended the employee and made appropriate contact with relevant agencies including the police and the DBS. Safeguarding in the school is of upmost importance and we ensure all staff are trained and up-to-date with how to identify and raise concerns."

Judge Roderick Henderson, sentencing Adewumi, said: "I don't at all underestimate the difficulty you found in your community but the core of this case and what makes it so serious is he was so much younger than you. You were a full adult. You knew this nine-years-younger-than-you boy was in a completely different category and you did, no doubt in the confused state you were in, exploit him and caused real damage."

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A MECHANIC has been jailed after cops caught him raping a schoolgirl in a seaside car park.

Niall O'Sullivan, 28, has now been locked up for 10 years after the horror sex attack in Brighton in May.

The monster - who was 15 years the girl's senior - was caught in the act after the youngster's pals frantically called 999.

East Sussex's Lewes Crown Court heard how O'Sullivan had groomed the 12-year-old after they met online.

The pair spoke on Snapchat and WhatsApp for months before the then-27-year-old drove from Birmingham to Brighton to meet her.

Tim Forster, prosecuting, told the court the girl was in her school uniform the first time they met.

He added: “She was clearly under 16 by a significant margin.”

The pair had met on three occasions until O'Sullivan raped her in his car.

On that horror day, the young girl had told her mum she was seeing her friends.

And while she did meet her pals, it was them who called the cops on O'Sullivan.

Police were scrambled to the car park in Brighton Marina at about 2pm on Sunday May 7.

Jailing O’Sullivan, Judge Christine Laing, said: “You drove all the way down from Birmingham just to have sex with this child.”

The victim told police O’Sullivan became angry with her when she tried to speak with or go out with other friends.

Kevin Light, defending, said: “He knows what he did was wrong.

"He has mentioned throughout that he did not know how young she was although he admits that he knew she was under-age.”

Judge Laing, the Honorary Recorder of Brighton and Hove, said: “Sexual abuse of young children often gives them a life sentence. None of us knows the impact that it will have on (the victim) as she grows up.

“The law is there to protect children … and that’s why the sentences are as severe as they are.

“You knew full well you shouldn’t have been doing what you were doing. You drove all the way down from Birmingham just to have sex with this child.

“It would have been very obvious that she was very young and somewhat naïve.

“You didn’t even bother forking out for a hotel for this child but just had sex with her in your car. You knew full well that if you took her into a hotel, you would very likely have been challenged.”

You drove all the way down from Birmingham just to have sex with this child.

The Judge locked O'Sullivan up for nine years and four months, and made him the subject of a sexual harm prevention order indefinitely.

The judge also recommended that the two friends who called the police should receive a £200 award from the High Sheriff of East Sussex.

Detective Constable Stewart Cameron, from Sussex Police, said: “This was a highly distressing case which has had a lasting impact on the vulnerable young victim.

“O’Sullivan knew what he was doing was wrong and had no choice but to plead guilty when confronted with the evidence.

“His behaviour was brazen, often taking the victim to public locations in daylight in order to commit the appalling offences.

“This case demonstrates our determination to catch offenders and to get justice for vulnerable victims. We are pleased that a dangerous sex offender is now off our streets.”

Description

A man has been jailed for sexually assaulting a teenager while she waited at a bus stop in Birmingham.

Nazakat Hussain, of no fixed address, denied the allegation but was found guilty of sexual assault by touching and was jailed for six months yesterday (Tuesday, November 14).

The court heard that in August this year, the 15-year-old girl was waiting to board a bus in Bordesley Green with her younger sister when Hussain assaulted her. The girl immediately told the bus driver who called the police and the 44-year-old was swiftly arrested.

Mark Heffernan, Chief Operating and Safety Officer for National Express, said: “Hundreds of thousands of journeys are made safely on our buses every single day and incidents of sexual assault are rare, however we will not tolerate anybody who does not respect the right that everybody has to travel safely, without fear of assault or intimidation.

“Thanks to our driver’s immediate actions to help protect these young girls and the quick work of the police, this man’s arrest and subsequent sentencing sends a clear message that we continue to work closely together to prosecute offenders and make sure that they are brought to justice.”

Inspector Lee Davies from the Safer Travel Police team, said: "We would like to commend the girl for having the bravery to come forward. Her quick actions ensured that Hussain was quickly arrested. 

"Everyone should be able to use public transport across the West Midlands safely and we take offences of this kind very seriously. Hussain showed no remorse and the judge handed out a jail term after he said that he considered the act to be one of a deliberate nature.

"In addition to serving the prison term, Hussain must also notify police of his residence for a period of seven years after his release. He was also made subject to a sexual harm prevention order for the same period of time, restricting any unsupervised access with children under the age of 16."

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A rapist who lured a woman to an address on the pretence of renting out a room has been jailed, after she feared he would hurt her with a machete.

Naveed Hussain persuaded the woman to visit the property in Handsworth, Birmingham, before subjecting her to a horrific ordeal last November.

The 33-year-old locked the woman in a room with him, showed her a machete which she feared he would use, before repeatedly raping her.

After fleeing the area she came across a passer-by who could she was distressed and called for paramedics, who in turn contacted West Midlands Police.

The woman bravely recalled what happened and gave a strong description which led officers to arrest Hussain in Handsworth shortly afterwards.

He was found with a knife in his trousers and a subsequent search of the house resulted in the discovery of the machete.

Hussain, of Alexandra Road in Handsworth, was convicted of rape and possession of a weapon following a trial.

He was sentenced to 15 years in jail and ordered to be put on the sex offender's register for life at Birmingham Crown Court last Tuesday (October 10).

Description

A stranger rapist who kidnapped a woman and sexually attacked her in some nearby bushes has been jailed for life after being branded a 'danger' to the public. Mustafa Hakim preyed upon the victim on the Bourne Brook Walkway in Selly Oak just before 8.45am on July 28 last year.

He put his hand over the screaming woman's mouth and then strangled her, warning he would kill her if she carried on making a noise. Hakim then picked the victim up and carried her to some bushes where he pulled down her trousers and raped her.

Following a trial earlier this year the 30-year-old from Rickyard Piece, Quinton, was found guilty of kidnap, rape, strangulation, assault by penetration and theft. The case has since been delayed for a psychiatric report but at Birmingham Crown Court today he was sentenced to life with a minimum of 13 years and four months in custody, minus the days he has spent on remand.

Hakim bizarrely protested that it was 'not fair' he had been sentenced without his legal team, which he disposed of before his trial and represented himself. He maintained his innocence and made disturbing comments about the fact the victim had not attended the hearing. The court heard she has since become a 'recluse' and moved out of Birmingham to the countryside.

Hakim carried out the sickening attack a month after he had been released from prison for an offence of affray and two days after he had been caught looking over a cubicle in the ladies' toilet at Snow Hill railway station. He had been prowling the area in Selly Oak on a bicycle before sneaking up behind the woman on the Bourne Brook Walkway and carrying her away.

Judge Simon Drew Kc said: "It is clear to me you had been looking for a victim for some time. You chose a location not covered by CCTV. You laid in wait and then you attacked her."

Hakim snatched the woman's phone but she managed to call her boyfriend from her smartwatch, which resulted in him hearing the ordeal. The victim managed to struggle free and ran to a nearby resident who called police.

Hakim, who initially picked up a stick, fled the scene, changed his clothes and got on a bus to Acocks Green before being arrested. In a statement the victim said she had been left 'scared to be alone at any time whether in the day or the night' adding that Hakim had 'completely taken away my independence'.

It took her weeks to tell her friends what had happened to her and now described herself as a 'recluse' that 'doesn't socialise at all'. She added: "What this man has done to me. I'm not the same person anymore. I'm not me."

Hakim has 23 convictions for 43 offences including making threats with a knife, shoplifting and affray. Asked if he wanted to say anything he replied: "My legal team ain't turned up and that. I don't think that's fair."

He then went on a rant about the victim adding: "She knows she's lying you get me? If she was telling the truth and it meant that much to her she would turn up every day. All I know is it wasn't me, you get me?"

The trial heard that DNA taken from the victim was a 'billion to one times more likely' to have come from Hakim than anyone else, while she had picked him out in a identification procedure. CCTV caught him loitering at the scene prior to the attack and cell site analysis showed that he had the victim's phone afterwards.

Judge Drew told him that he had 'explained the risks' of representing himself prior to trial and reminded the defendant 'that's what you chose to do'.

He acknowledged Hakim had been assessed as suffering from 'delusional disorder' and was likely 'harbouring paranoid delusions' at the time of the offence. Judge Drew concluded he was a 'dangerous offender' after taking into consideration the nature of the rape offence, the fact he had still not taken responsibility, his behaviour in the train station cubicle two days prior, his criminal record and mental health.

He said: "Going forward I can see no obvious time in the future where you will not present a significant risk and substantial risk to members of the public."

Hakim began remonstrating again after the sentence was announced and asked to speak to his solicitors, to which Judge Drew replied: "You know you don't have any."

He will remain on the sex offender's register for the rest of his life.

Description

A sex offender who raped a young girl in Birmingham has been jailed for 18 years.

Daniel Guest carried out a sickening series of attacks against the girl over five years. Guest told the girl – who was under 16 - on a number of occasions not to say anything about the abuse, telling her no-one would believe her. Thankfully, she bravely came forward and reported him, resulting in his arrest.

When interviewed by officers, Guest even tried to blame the girl for making up stories and looking for attention. Despite this, a strong case was built against Guest, and he was convicted in May of rape of a child, sexual assault against a child and causing or inciting sexual activity with a child. Guest, from Birmingham, was sentenced on 2 August and will also be on the sex offenders register for life.

‘We are committed to investigating and convicting sexual predators who abuse young children’

Detective Sergeant Nicky Simms, from the Complex Child Abuse Investigation team, said: "I would like to commend the victim in having the courage to report this matter to the police, and to relive the horror of this abuse.

"I hope this conviction shows that West Midlands Police are committed to investigating and convicting sexual predators who abuse young children, and I would encourage anyone who has been the victim of any such offences to come forward.

“We have specialist officers who will support you through every step of the investigation and criminal justice process. We also have links with a number of partner agencies who can support and offer you the opportunity to have your voice heard and not silenced by your abuser.

"By coming forward, you could not only get justice for yourself, you can also be a part of protecting other people who may become victims of this kind of abuse."