Knifeman hunted after sex attack

An armed sex attacker is being hunted by police after two women were indecently assaulted at knifepoint as they walked home after a night out.
The women, both in their 30s, were near Bluebell Steps in Pontefract at 0330 BST on Sunday when they were attacked.

Their shouts for help alerted staff working nearby who chased the man off in the direction of the town centre.

A West Yorkshire Police spokesman said: "Incidents of this nature are rare but we are very concerned."

The assailant, who appeared to be either Asian or eastern European, was in his mid to late 20s, 5ft 6in to 5ft 8in and unshaven.

He was wearing a blue baseball cap with white lettering, blue jeans, a blue denim jacket and a white polo shirt.

Self-defence defusing town's fear

Up to 2,000 personal attack alarms handed out, self-defence classes being stepped up, demands for more police patrols - Rochdale is a town touched by fear.
A serial sex attacker has now claimed his 11th victim and appears to have no concerns about striking at any time of day or night, targeting females of all ages.

Detectives are carrying out a major inquiry and the council's safety team has held a series of public meetings close to where attacks have happened, to offer advice and hand out alarms.

But feelings are running high in areas where the attacks have taken place.

"It's horrible what's going on round here," says grandmother Ann Moran, 48, of Kirkholt, where the latest attack took place last week.

"I've just had to walk up Daventry Road where the attack happened and I have my daughter and her small child living with me to worry about.

"People on the estate are mad about this going on - they want to see more police patrols around here."

Community Safety Officer Lee Durrant says he and his team have never dealt with anything like this.


Be vigilant, do the self-defence courses and take all steps to protect yourself
Councillor Loraine Butterworth

"There's been murders in the town and things like that, but they have never shaken the town as much as these attacks have," he says.
In Smallbridge, where the attacks started back in February, feelings are similar, although there is also a note of defiance detectable in people's voices.

"With this continuing to go on, it is an absolute pain to be honest," says mother-of-three Nicola Leach, of Foxholes Road, where the first attack happened.

"Before my 13-year-old Abby would walk to school on her own - but now I have to take my youngest Charlie-Beth to school and then come back for Abby - she's always late."

Councillor Loraine Butterworth - who represents the Smallbridge and Firgrove ward where most of the attacks have taken place - stresses they are the subject of a major inquiry by police.

'Every resource'

"They're treating this as seriously as a murder inquiry," she says.

Fellow Labour councillor Lynne Brosnan, who has responsibility for crime issues, says "every available resource is being used to investigate these crimes, to bring an end to this as soon as possible".

"At the moment though the people [in Smallbridge] are pretty close and are looking out for each other and looking out for their children," she says.


"I wish though that, like their parents, young people would be a little more vigilant and aware."
She said money is due to be made available to tackle crime issues specifically, such as providing more street lighting and introducing CCTV systems in the area.

Ironically however, while residents are facing the grim reality this man might strike again, their adversity is bringing them closer together.

"I know there are some parents who can't take their children to school because they work - I'd be quite happy to take anyone's kids to school, they only have to ask," says Ms Leach.

Staff in town centre pubs are also taking steps to help protect themselves and female customers.

Natasha Schofield, 22, who is bar supervisor at The Regal Moon, said: "When women come in who perhaps have had quite a lot to drink, we will always try and make sure that when they leave we get them in to one of the taxis outside the pub."


Don't become a victim even before something might happen
Lisa Dennis, Monarch Ju Jitsu Club member

It would be very easy for people to feel helpless in this situation - but take a look at martial arts and self-defence classes around the town and they are not short of women attending.
Lisa Dennis, 31, from Shaw, of Monarch Ju Jitsu Club, who was one of nine medal winners at an Irish championship meet recently, has a simple message.

"Don't become a victim even before something might happen," she says during a meeting of the club. "Walk confidently down the street, for example."

Janet Nuttall, 46, who started Ju Jitsu after doing a self-defence course with the club, says she is much more aware of her surroundings now when she is out.


"Steps to protect yourself can be very simple," says Ms Nuttall. "Like lock the car when you are driving.
"Or get your house keys out of your pocket before getting to the door."

It is to martial arts Mr Durrant's team has turned to, to provide regular self-defence sessions on a Monday for women, with on-the-street scenarios being tackled.

He says the safety seminars have been very well attended and people are making sure they are taking all precautions they can.

It seems that while the town is very concerned this attacker should be caught as soon as possible, they are determined to get on with their lives.

But Councillor Butterworth warns: "It's crucial for people not to pretend it can't happen to them - be vigilant, do self-defence courses and take all steps to protect yourself."

'Terrifying' seafront sex attack

A woman was dragged along a seafront promenade and subjected to a "terrifying" sex attack, police said on Monday.
The 49-year-old had been sitting in a shelter on Upper Promenade, Clacton, Essex, in the early hours of Saturday morning.

She was approached by a man who then dragged her down to the Lower Promenade and attacked her.

The man claimed to be a worker at one of Clacton's nightclubs.

Essex Police said the attacker briefly spoke to the woman, claiming he was Italian, before pulling the woman next to a cafe kiosk and attacking her.

Talking men

Det Insp Godfrey O'Toole said: "During a very brief conversation with this woman, the attacker said he worked in a nearby nightclub and spoke in broken English."

Following the incident the man walked away and spoke to three men who were talking nearby.

CCTV images from the area are being studied to see if they man, who had a Mediterranean look and was in his late teens to early 20s, can be identified.

Police have appealed for the three men and any other witnesses who were in the area between 0100 and 0230 BST on Saturday to contact them.

Sex trade clampdown reaps rewards

Police have caught 18 kerb crawlers and 23 prostitutes a week into a crackdown on the sex trade in Nottingham.
The new task force of two police constables and two community support officers have been working the streets of Mapperley and St. Ann's.

The majority of the men caught are to be sent on a course to learn about the stark reality of the industry.

Three prostitutes have had anti-social behaviour orders taken out against them, banning them from certain areas.

Police are warning kerb crawlers they stand to lose their driving licenses, their jobs and even their relationships if they are caught.

Trainee priest faces sex charges

A Polish student at a Roman Catholic priests' training college in Austria has been charged with possession and distribution of child pornography.
The charges follow an inquiry into the sex scandal in St Poelten, west of Vienna, which has shocked Austria.

A state prosecutor said images of child pornography and violent pornography were found on the college's main computer and the student's hard drive.

If found guilty, the student could face two years in prison.

St Poelten state prosecutor, Walter Nemec, said in a statement that the material downloaded on the main computer could not be traced to an individual as all the students used the same password.

But they said they could rule out the Polish student as the one who had accessed the images on the main computer.

Prank

The images are also reported to include pictures of students kissing and fondling each other and their older instructors.

Mr Nemec said the police investigation had focused only on the child pornography aspect of the case, as "homosexual relations between consenting adults not involving the abuse of an authority relationship" was not a crime in Austria.

The bishop in charge of the diocese, Kurt Krenn, has dismissed the images as a "schoolboy prank" and rejected calls for his resignation.

Mr Krenn's spokesman told the Austria Press Agency that the Polish student had been expelled and investigations were under way to see if others were involved.

Both the director and deputy head of the seminary have resigned.

Sex attacker returned to Britain

A karate instructor who sexually abused students in his care was being extradited to Britain on Monday.
Graham Phillips, 53, from Hill Ridware, near Rugeley, Staffs, went on the run on 11 December last year, 10 days into his trial in Stafford.

Phillips was convicted of indecent assault and given a six-year prison sentence in his absence.

He was arrested in Majorca in June and is expected to appear at Stafford Crown Court on Tuesday.

Children ban

Phillips had denied 10 counts of indecent assault against girls aged between 13 and 16 at his trial in December but was convicted of seven offences.

He also denied two further counts of rape, although the jury instead returned verdicts of indecent assault on those charges.

Phillips was banned from working with children and ordered to register as a sex offender for life.

On Monday, Staffordshire Police refused to reveal the identity of the man being brought back to Britain, but confirmed that a 53-year-old man from the Rugeley area was being extradited.

A force spokesman said: "Staffordshire Police officers flew out to Madrid yesterday (Sunday) after being informed by Spanish police via Interpol that the extradition process against the man had been completed.

"The officers are due to escort the man, who had been held in custody in Madrid, to Birmingham airport later today (Monday), where he will be taken straight to a custody area before being brought back to Staffordshire."

Couple 'kidnapped women for sex'

A couple snatched women off the street to force them into sex acts, a court has been told.
Sonia Browne, 42, was said to have abused one victim while her boyfriend, Robert Nyack, 47, watched.

The trial at Manchester Crown Court, heard on Monday that the pair invited victims for "fun" in "threesomes."

Ms Browne, of Woodhead Street, Moss Side, and Mr Nyack of Coburg Street, Victoria in London, deny kidnap, false imprisonment and indecent assault.

'Threesome' claim

Ms Rachel Smith, prosecuting, said one victim had been picked up by a man shouting "taxi darling", when she was drunk after leaving a Manchester nightclub.

The next thing she remembered was waking up with Ms Browne molesting her on a bed.

The woman begged not to be raped and Mr Nyack allegedly shouted at her: "You agreed to a threesome."

The woman was eventually allowed to leave and phoned a friend, describing her ordeal.

Another victim was pushed into a car as she waited for friends outside a pub in Stockwell, south London, following an approach by Ms Browne

Ms Smith said Nyack again asked if she "wanted a threesome" but the woman managed to unlock the car door and get away.

The court was told police raided Ms Browne's home after complaints from a number of women and found paperwork referring to a couple searching for sexual partners.

The case continues.

Sex appeal of Myst games

The fantasy adventure series, Myst, stands out in the video games world for many reasons.

It has become one of the biggest-selling PC series ever, since its first outing in 1993.
Its serenely crafted other worlds, its ability to suck players into the storyline for hours, its high-quality graphics and infuriatingly logical puzzle challenges have set it apart from others for years.

With this in mind, it is the type of title that, according to many parts of the games industry, should appeal to women.

Indeed a quarter of its players are female, according to publishers Ubisoft, which is a much higher proportion than most other video games.

But Myst's appeal is indicative of a far more complex argument than the tired "women prefer puzzles" one.

Experience matters

The belief within many areas of the games industry that women like to play puzzles rather than shoot things, is an assumption which is frustrating for a large proportion of female gamers who do shoot to kill.

Myst's game-play does involve a lot of puzzle-solving, and the only shooting in the latest instalment, Myst IV Revelation, is through a new camera feature.

But Genevieve Lord, Myst IV producer would rather the industry started to distance itself from this kind of stereotype.


"I have been a gamer all my life," explains Lord.
"I also play RPGs [role-playing games]. I don't want to generalise, but I would say for women, a game is like an experience," she told BBC News Online.

Whether that experience is a mind-bogglingly confusing puzzle, or a simple shoot-em,-up, it does not matter.

What does matter is that it is an experience they want to return to and spend hours exploring - if they have the luxury of time in between juggling work, family, leisure and home life.

Lord plays with her two adolescent boys. They have different skill sets which let them work through the game as a formidable team.

Her 14-year-old is at "that age" when talking to your mother is the last thing you want to do.

Through the gaming medium, however, he does talk to her and she sees it as an unobtrusive way of finding out what is going on in his life.

Like game, like film?

Essentially, intricate brainteasers, the requirement for lots of lateral thinking, and great storylines are major pulling points for millions of fans, not just women.

Still, to many gamers who happen to be female, what makes a great game is subjective and can vary, just as in the movie industry.


It can also depend on what kind of mood a game player is in.
"I do believe in variety and really do believe we are on the threshold of the video games industry expanding and following new grounds and giving more in-depth content," said Lord.

"It is a bit of a risk for the industry, but we can really reach people. We have the technology and the know-how."

Family drama

The immersive quality of the experience and compelling story offered by the series - and others like it - have, in the past, kept Myst players wanting more. Lord says Myst IV Revelation gives players more of this.

Photo-realistic graphics, as well as over an hour of live action video with living and breathing actors in the new title, all attempt to improve on the past games.

"In movies like Star Wars and Lord of the Rings, you have a movie and animation in the movie," Lord said.

"We merged it the other way, and seamlessly integrated the movie into the animation.

"It's like watching TV, but instead of watching, you can make a difference."

As with many games it is all becoming a bit more like the movies, albeit a highly interactive one which lasts for a lot longer.

3D objects have been made a lot more dynamic and unpredictable, and players can use a new hand icon to reach out and "feel" things.

But how a player plays, whether they sit down and stroke the animals, admire the scenery, or snap lots of artefacts with their camera, will subsequently affect what happens in the game.


All these features, says Lord, makes the game even more interactive and accessible, which was a priority for the development team.
Over the three titles, which have sold over 12 million copies globally - Myst, Riven and Myst Exile - players have solved their way through mystical puzzles, without knowing the fate of two brothers with whom the story began.

Myst IV is a "family drama" which picks up the unfinished tale of the villainous pair, Sirrus and Achenar.

"With Myst IV, we went back to the classic," Lord said.

"We answered the questions that were unanswered. All the millions of fans have wondered what happened to the brothers. Finally we are going to help them find out."

Myst IV Revelation is released for PCs and Macs on 1 October.