A woman claims she was imprisoned in a cellar and used as a domestic servant writes Paul Britton for Salford Advertiser (24/02/12).
The woman, who is deaf and cannot speak, told police that she had sex with Ilyas Ashar ‘many, many times’. A jury, who have now watched recordings of all 14 of her interviews, have been told that she was trafficked into Britain from Pakistan at the age of between 10 and 12 in 2000 by Ilyas Ashar, 83, and his wife Tallat Ashar, 66. It is also alleged she was beaten, raped and sexually assaulted.
The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was interviewed by police through a sign language expert.
She told officers in an interview: “He is a very bad old man. Why would he want to have sex with me? He has got a wife. I was only little. I was very young. He is an old man.”
It is alleged the woman was locked in a cellar as a child at Ilyas and Tallat Ashar’s home on Cromwell Road, in Eccles, Salford, and was made to work, cook and clean for no money.
The jury has been told that she was forced to sleep on the cellar floor without toilet or washing facilities.The couple are on trial at Manchester’s Minshull Street Crown Court and deny all the charges that they face.
The woman told police that she had sex with Ilyas Ashar at the house, in the cellar and the bedroom.
She also claimed that sex happened at other houses.
She said: “It was many, many times. Then one day I was talking to the old lady [Tallat Ashar]. I said that the old man [Ilyas Ashar] was having sex with me and the old lady was shocked about it.”
The woman said that Tallat Ashar hit her on being told of the alleged sex. She claimed the sex stopped after she told Tallat Ashar. Earlier, the jury was told that the woman was made to sweep up leaves outside the couple’s home, do housework at other people’s homes and lift heavy boxes containing football shirts and mobile phone covers that she packed in the cellar. She also cleaned houses in Pakistan, the court heard.
The woman, who was found by police at the house in 2009, said she received no payment from the Ashars. She is now due to give evidence to the court in person through a signer over a videolink.
Ilyas Ashar denies charges of false imprisonment, human trafficking and 12 counts of rape.
Tallat Ashar denies charges of false imprisonment, trafficking, sexual assault and unlawful wounding.
The couple, and their daughter Faaiza Ashar, 44, also deny benefit fraud charges.
Showing posts with label Crime. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Crime. Show all posts
Friday, 24 February 2012
Appeal for witnesses after deaf man attacked by gang
A DEAF man was robbed by a gang of five men in an attack at Torre Valley North playing fields in Torquay reports thisissouthdevon.co.uk (24/02/12).
The 29-year-old victim was taking a shortcut when he was surrounded by the gang in dark-coloured clothes.
Because of his hearing problems, he did not know what they were saying as they bundled him into bushes before fleecing his pockets and stealing his wallet and cash.
Now police are appealing to anyone who may have been in the area to help identify the attackers.
Det Sgt Andy Turner said: "We really need the public's help with this.
"The victim is deaf, although he can lip read and can partially hear sounds.He had been taking a shortcut through from Avenue Road to Rathmore Road when the robbery happened between 10.20pm and 10.30pm on Friday, February 17. He was surrounded by five men and was backed into bushes by a tree. We are trying to trace a group of five men aged between 17 and 30 who were all dressed in dark clothing. They ran off in the Avenue Road and Old Mill Road direction. We have been looking at CCTV but we want to hear from anybody who was in the area at that time."
He asked anybody who was in the area to ring police on 08452 777444 or contact CrimeStoppers on 0800 555111 quoting crime reference FT/12/1212.
The 29-year-old victim was taking a shortcut when he was surrounded by the gang in dark-coloured clothes.
Because of his hearing problems, he did not know what they were saying as they bundled him into bushes before fleecing his pockets and stealing his wallet and cash.
Now police are appealing to anyone who may have been in the area to help identify the attackers.
Det Sgt Andy Turner said: "We really need the public's help with this.
"The victim is deaf, although he can lip read and can partially hear sounds.He had been taking a shortcut through from Avenue Road to Rathmore Road when the robbery happened between 10.20pm and 10.30pm on Friday, February 17. He was surrounded by five men and was backed into bushes by a tree. We are trying to trace a group of five men aged between 17 and 30 who were all dressed in dark clothing. They ran off in the Avenue Road and Old Mill Road direction. We have been looking at CCTV but we want to hear from anybody who was in the area at that time."
He asked anybody who was in the area to ring police on 08452 777444 or contact CrimeStoppers on 0800 555111 quoting crime reference FT/12/1212.
Friday, 10 February 2012
Police to investigate death of Deaf man
A Levin man who died after police told him he was to be arrested has been named this morning as 65-year-old Godfrey Easton writes Mathew Grocott for Manawatu Standard reported by Stuff.co.nz (10/02/12).
The neighbour who called police to Mr Easton's house said he was misunderstood.
Judy Shelland lived next door to Mr Easton and called police on Tuesday evening after an argument during which he kicked her door.
Police spokeswoman Kim Perks said that, after neighbours were spoken to, police told Mr Easton he would be arrested, at which point he collapsed.
"He hadn't been physically arrested," she said.
"He had been advised he was going to be arrested."
Ms Shelland said Mr Easton was deaf and had difficulty communicating with people.
While they had had arguments in the past few weeks, she was sad he had died.
He had at times been yelled at in the street because he could not talk, she said.
"He was clean and tidy, well dressed. It's sad he's gone," Ms Shelland said."
Mrs Perks said police were called after a report that a person was being disorderly at an address in Bristol St about 6.30pm.
"There was some sort of dispute with someone that lived nearby," she said.
"It's not clear at this stage what that was over.
"The complainant rang up to report that this other individual was behaving in a disorderly way," Mrs Perks said.
Another neighbour, Edith Farrand, said she heard yelling on Tuesday evening but did not know what was being said.
Ms Farrand said she "broke down and cried" when she found out Mr Easton had died.
She moved to the street three weeks ago.
"I got on with him quite well," she said.
Mrs Perks said police were investigating what had happened. An Independent Police Complaints Authority investigation would also take place, standard practice when a person dies immediately following contact with police.
Police were at the flat throughout yesterday, investigating the scene. Mr Easton's body was removed about 2.40pm.
After Mr Easton collapsed, police called for an ambulance and placed him into the recovery position but his condition deteriorated and attempts by ambulance staff at the scene to revive him were unsuccessful.
The neighbour who called police to Mr Easton's house said he was misunderstood.
Judy Shelland lived next door to Mr Easton and called police on Tuesday evening after an argument during which he kicked her door.
Police spokeswoman Kim Perks said that, after neighbours were spoken to, police told Mr Easton he would be arrested, at which point he collapsed.
"He hadn't been physically arrested," she said.
"He had been advised he was going to be arrested."
Ms Shelland said Mr Easton was deaf and had difficulty communicating with people.
While they had had arguments in the past few weeks, she was sad he had died.
He had at times been yelled at in the street because he could not talk, she said.
"He was clean and tidy, well dressed. It's sad he's gone," Ms Shelland said."
Mrs Perks said police were called after a report that a person was being disorderly at an address in Bristol St about 6.30pm.
"There was some sort of dispute with someone that lived nearby," she said.
"It's not clear at this stage what that was over.
"The complainant rang up to report that this other individual was behaving in a disorderly way," Mrs Perks said.
Another neighbour, Edith Farrand, said she heard yelling on Tuesday evening but did not know what was being said.
Ms Farrand said she "broke down and cried" when she found out Mr Easton had died.
She moved to the street three weeks ago.
"I got on with him quite well," she said.
Mrs Perks said police were investigating what had happened. An Independent Police Complaints Authority investigation would also take place, standard practice when a person dies immediately following contact with police.
Police were at the flat throughout yesterday, investigating the scene. Mr Easton's body was removed about 2.40pm.
After Mr Easton collapsed, police called for an ambulance and placed him into the recovery position but his condition deteriorated and attempts by ambulance staff at the scene to revive him were unsuccessful.
Deaf girl 'kept in a cellar and made to work as a slave'
A deaf girl of 10 was trafficked into the UK, repeatedly raped, kept in a cellar and treated as a virtual slave for almost a decade, a court heard today reports the Telegraph (10/02/12).
The orphaned youngster from Pakistan, who is profoundly deaf and has no speech, was locked in a cellar each night where she would sleep on a concrete floor and by day was forced to work for no money and was sexually assaulted, Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester was told.
But it was a ''mystery and matter of concern'' how a child that age could get through immigration and there may be ''significant and proper'' criticism of the Border Agency, whose role had a ''good deal to answer for'', the prosecutor said.
Although supposed to be employed as a domestic help, she was never paid and just given food and lodging, Mr Cadwallader told the jury.
Instead the girl was made to cook, clean, do the washing and ironing for the Ashars and clean the houses and cars of their family and friends, the court heard.
She was also kept in the cellar to work for hours packing football shirts and clothes and mobile phone covers, the jury was told.
''They would be upstairs while she was doing the work,'' Mr Cadwallader added.
''She was the subject of forced labour in that she was made to work for Ilyas and Tallat Ashar as a domestic servant and do other work for them and members of their family.
''In essence it is the prosecution case that she lived in a state of servitude when she entered the Ashar home in Pakistan, then later when she was brought to this country in June 2000.
''The Crown say she was the ideal target for this exploitation as she is and was extremely vulnerable. ''The Crown's case is she was physically abused. She was sexually abused, which included being raped by Ilyas Ashar.
''She was exploited economically, in that benefits, state benefits in this country, were obtained in her name, the money being kept by the Ashars.
''At night the door at the top of the stairs down to the cellar was locked and bolted so she could not get out during the night.
''There were no washing or toilet facilities in the cellar so that if she needed to use the bathroom during the night she had to bang on the cellar door in the hope that she was heard and the door opened.
''On other occasions, during the day, presumably when she displeased Tallat Ashar, she was pushed into the cellar, pushed down the stairs and the door locked.
''She would sit there for hours crying and locked in,'' Mr Cadwallader told the jury.
The alleged victim had no family or friends in the UK and had never been to school in Pakistan or Britain.
She cannot read or write and the only people she knew in Britain were the Ashars, who told her both her parents were dead.
She was however taught to write her signature - so her name could be used to claim benefits, it is alleged.
Despite her disabilities the victim has an average, or higher, intelligence level, the jury was told.
Mr Cadwallader added: ''We believe you will find her to be a remarkably resilient young woman who tells things as they are.''
Ilyas and Tallat Ashar both deny two counts of human trafficking into the UK for exploitation and a single count of false imprisonment.
Ilyas also denies 12 counts of rape, Tallat denies one count of sexual assault and unlawful wounding and the pair along with their daughter Faaiza, 24, deny charges of benefit fraud.
The case continues.
The orphaned youngster from Pakistan, who is profoundly deaf and has no speech, was locked in a cellar each night where she would sleep on a concrete floor and by day was forced to work for no money and was sexually assaulted, Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester was told.
Her alleged abusers were Ilyas Ashar, 83, and his wife, Tallat Ashar, 66, who deny charges of false imprisonment, human trafficking, sexual offences, violence and benefit fraud.
If their alleged victim displeased them she would be forced into their cellar where the girl would ''sit there for hours crying and locked in'', the court heard.
They kept the girl, now aged between 19 and 21, at their home in Cromwell Road, Eccles in Salford, Greater Manchester, after bringing her into Britain from Pakistan in June 2000, Peter Cadwallader, prosecuting, told the jury. The victim's true age is not known but it is thought she was aged between 10 and 12 when she came to the UK, allowed in by immigration on the basis she was to work as a domestic servant.
But it was a ''mystery and matter of concern'' how a child that age could get through immigration and there may be ''significant and proper'' criticism of the Border Agency, whose role had a ''good deal to answer for'', the prosecutor said.
Although supposed to be employed as a domestic help, she was never paid and just given food and lodging, Mr Cadwallader told the jury.
Instead the girl was made to cook, clean, do the washing and ironing for the Ashars and clean the houses and cars of their family and friends, the court heard.
She was also kept in the cellar to work for hours packing football shirts and clothes and mobile phone covers, the jury was told.
''They would be upstairs while she was doing the work,'' Mr Cadwallader added.
''She was the subject of forced labour in that she was made to work for Ilyas and Tallat Ashar as a domestic servant and do other work for them and members of their family.
''In essence it is the prosecution case that she lived in a state of servitude when she entered the Ashar home in Pakistan, then later when she was brought to this country in June 2000.
''The Crown say she was the ideal target for this exploitation as she is and was extremely vulnerable. ''The Crown's case is she was physically abused. She was sexually abused, which included being raped by Ilyas Ashar.
''She was exploited economically, in that benefits, state benefits in this country, were obtained in her name, the money being kept by the Ashars.
''At night the door at the top of the stairs down to the cellar was locked and bolted so she could not get out during the night.
''There were no washing or toilet facilities in the cellar so that if she needed to use the bathroom during the night she had to bang on the cellar door in the hope that she was heard and the door opened.
''On other occasions, during the day, presumably when she displeased Tallat Ashar, she was pushed into the cellar, pushed down the stairs and the door locked.
''She would sit there for hours crying and locked in,'' Mr Cadwallader told the jury.
The alleged victim had no family or friends in the UK and had never been to school in Pakistan or Britain.
She cannot read or write and the only people she knew in Britain were the Ashars, who told her both her parents were dead.
She was however taught to write her signature - so her name could be used to claim benefits, it is alleged.
Despite her disabilities the victim has an average, or higher, intelligence level, the jury was told.
Mr Cadwallader added: ''We believe you will find her to be a remarkably resilient young woman who tells things as they are.''
Ilyas and Tallat Ashar both deny two counts of human trafficking into the UK for exploitation and a single count of false imprisonment.
Ilyas also denies 12 counts of rape, Tallat denies one count of sexual assault and unlawful wounding and the pair along with their daughter Faaiza, 24, deny charges of benefit fraud.
The case continues.
Tuesday, 7 February 2012
Deaf man cleared of G20 charges
The Crown has withdrawn criminal charges against Emomotimi Azorbo, the deaf man who says his Charter rights were violated when he was arrested at a G20 protest and then denied access to an adequate interpreter writes Jennifer Yang for The Star (07/02/12).
The Crown has withdrawn criminal charges against Emomotimi Azorbo, the deaf man who says his Charter rights were violated when he was arrested at a G20 protest and then denied access to an adequate interpreter.
Azorbo, now 32, was watching a G20 protest near Yonge and College Sts. on June 25, 2010 when he failed to hear police commands and got in a physical confrontation with officers.
He was arrested and taken to the G20 temporary detention centre, where Azorbo says he was denied access to a professionally-trained interpreter — even though the Canadian Hearing Society had offered their services free of charge to Toronto police over the G20 weekend.
Azorbo was charged with assaulting police officers and resisting arrest and was scheduled to begin trial this week. But at the Finch Ave. courthouse Monday morning, Crown attorney Jason Miller withdrew all the charges.
“Pursuing a conviction of Mr. Azorbo for the assaults is, in the Crown’s opinion, unnecessary,” he said.
Azorbo signed a peace bond, agreeing to keep the peace for six months.
Miller told the court Azorbo was not involved in the protest and could not hear police instructions, nor could he effectively communicate to officers that he was deaf.
But Miller added he wanted to correct the “public record” created by the media’s portrayal of Azorbo as a blameless party when he was actually “confrontational” with police. He played two YouTube videos for the courtroom; one that captures Azorbo walking towards police and being struck and pushed away, only to re-approach the officers. What happens next is mostly obscured by the crowd.
“Despite being given a couple chances by police to calm down and walk away, Mr. Azorbo persisted in pushing police officers and finally shoved an officer aside who was blocking his progress,” Miller said. “Mr. Azorbo appeared at that time to be making a beeline at a specific officer he had his initial confrontation with. This caused police to place Mr. Azorbo under arrest.”
But Azorbo maintains that what police interpreted as aggression and “pushing” was merely his frustrated attempts at communicating with officers and defending himself.
“I was trying to explain that I was deaf,” Azorbo said Monday, speaking to the Starthrough an interpretation team that includes an American sign language interpreter and a deaf interpreter. “And then I was being pushed and all of a sudden I was taken down.”
Azorbo’s lawyer, Howard Morton, has also filed a Charter motion alleging his client was denied his constitutional rights, including his right to the assistance of an interpreter during legal proceedings.
Azorbo said that when he arrived at the detention centre, police failed to provide him with a professionally-trained interpreter. He was instead offered police officers who could only finger spell or had a minimal knowledge of American Sign Language, which Azorbo himself is still learning, having grown up in Nigeria using Nigerian Sign Language.
“I just kept saying, ‘I don’t want this to happen, I need an interpreter that I can understand and can understand me,’” he said. “I didn’t want to be misquoted. I didn’t want this police officer – who doesn’t understand sign language – being the one communicating for me because she wasn’t going to do me justice.”
Morton said his client was further denied access to interpreters at two of his subsequent court dates, when interpreters ordered by the judge failed to show up.
Gary Malkowski, with the Canadian Hearing Society, said his organization offered to provide Toronto police with interpreting services during the G20 weekend, paying thousands of dollars to keep qualified interpreters on standby. But when they offered interpretation services for Azorbo, they were denied, Malkowski said.
“There was not only a denial of rights, but an intentional denial of rights,” he said.
At the time of his arrest, Azorbo did not fully understand what his rights were.
He knows them now, however. And he thinks police should know them too.
“I assumed that the police would do right by me and have an interpreter,” he said. “I assumed that they would be aware of my rights and make sure I was protected. But they weren’t.”
Friday, 16 December 2011
Deaf burglar failed to hear victim approaching
A PROLIFIC deaf burglar was caught because he didn’t hear his victim approaching as he ransacked a house reports the Leyton Guardian (15/12/11).
Marc Kaye, 45, of Radlix Road, Leyton, broke into the first floor of a house in Kew, Richmond, in June this year. But he did not realise one of the occupants, Martin Dean, 41, was upstairs at the time.
On hearing a disturbance, Mr Dean went to investigate and found Kaye in a ground floor bedroom.
Kaye fled when he spotted Mr Dean, who tried to stop him but the thief managed to escape through a window with a stash of jewellery.
When being interviewed by Detective Constable Gary Smith, Mr Dean described the burglar as bald and about 45 years old. He also mentioned his surprise that Kaye had not heard him approaching.
Det Cons Smith then recalled arresting a bald and profoundly deaf man for burglary in 2008 and traced Kaye through police records.
He stood trial at Kingston Crown Court earlier this month after being picked out by Mr Dean from an identity parade.
Kaye initially pleaded not guilty but changed his plea during the trial. He was sentenced to five years in prison for one count of burglary.
Following the sentencing Det Cons Smith said: "Taking into account Kaye's prolific history of burglary and that within weeks of his release from prison he broke into this house, it was highly likely that he would have gone on to commit many more break-ins if we hadn't caught him. “He was a menace to the public and the sentence given to him reflects this".
"Mr Dean deserves praise for his bravery in confronting Kaye and successfully identifying him in the ID parade. It is also to his credit that he noted the importance of the suspect having not heard him coming, from which I was able to make the connection to Kaye".
Marc Kaye, 45, of Radlix Road, Leyton, broke into the first floor of a house in Kew, Richmond, in June this year. But he did not realise one of the occupants, Martin Dean, 41, was upstairs at the time.
On hearing a disturbance, Mr Dean went to investigate and found Kaye in a ground floor bedroom.
Kaye fled when he spotted Mr Dean, who tried to stop him but the thief managed to escape through a window with a stash of jewellery.
When being interviewed by Detective Constable Gary Smith, Mr Dean described the burglar as bald and about 45 years old. He also mentioned his surprise that Kaye had not heard him approaching.
Det Cons Smith then recalled arresting a bald and profoundly deaf man for burglary in 2008 and traced Kaye through police records.
He stood trial at Kingston Crown Court earlier this month after being picked out by Mr Dean from an identity parade.
Kaye initially pleaded not guilty but changed his plea during the trial. He was sentenced to five years in prison for one count of burglary.
Following the sentencing Det Cons Smith said: "Taking into account Kaye's prolific history of burglary and that within weeks of his release from prison he broke into this house, it was highly likely that he would have gone on to commit many more break-ins if we hadn't caught him. “He was a menace to the public and the sentence given to him reflects this".
"Mr Dean deserves praise for his bravery in confronting Kaye and successfully identifying him in the ID parade. It is also to his credit that he noted the importance of the suspect having not heard him coming, from which I was able to make the connection to Kaye".
Monday, 5 December 2011
Police 'killed deaf cyclist with stun gun after he failed to obey instructions to stop'
A police officer killed an elderly, deaf and mentally disabled man riding his bicycle by shooting him with a Taser stun gun after he failed to obey instructions to stop writes Daniel Miller for the Daily Mail (24/11/11).
Roger Anthony, 61, was killed as he made his way home in Scotland Neck, South Carolina, after officers responded to a 911 call about a man who had fallen off his bicycle in a car park.
The caller told dispatchers that the man appeared drunk and that it looked like he had hurt himself.
Officers said they repeatedly told Mr Anthony to get off his bike, but when he didn't respond, they shocked him. The state Office of the Medical Examiner hasn't yet determined a cause of death.
Family members claim Mr Anthony had hearing problems and suffered from seizures. Now they're considering whether to file a lawsuit against the town.
His brother Michael said: 'What did they tase him for? It's hurting me. It's really hurting me.'
Scotland Neck Mayor James Mills said he wouldn't blame the family for suing.
'There has been no information that this man was a threat to anybody,' he said.
'If I was a family member, I'm sure I'd be thinking the same way.'
Mills said he has tried to get information from the police department about what happened to Mr Anthony, but they have turned him away.
Police Chief Joe Williams says the officer is on administrative leave while the SBI conducts its investigation.
He declined to comment further. Anthony's family said they hope the case is resolved soon.
Mr Anthony's niece, Porsha Anthony said: 'I'm sad. I lost an uncle.
'Hopefully it will be rectified so that not another family in Scotland Neck has to go through this'.
The State Bureau of Investigation in South Carolina said they are looking into Mr Anthony's death.
Roger Anthony, 61, was killed as he made his way home in Scotland Neck, South Carolina, after officers responded to a 911 call about a man who had fallen off his bicycle in a car park.
The caller told dispatchers that the man appeared drunk and that it looked like he had hurt himself.
Officers said they repeatedly told Mr Anthony to get off his bike, but when he didn't respond, they shocked him. The state Office of the Medical Examiner hasn't yet determined a cause of death.
Family members claim Mr Anthony had hearing problems and suffered from seizures. Now they're considering whether to file a lawsuit against the town.
His brother Michael said: 'What did they tase him for? It's hurting me. It's really hurting me.'
Scotland Neck Mayor James Mills said he wouldn't blame the family for suing.
'There has been no information that this man was a threat to anybody,' he said.
'If I was a family member, I'm sure I'd be thinking the same way.'
Mills said he has tried to get information from the police department about what happened to Mr Anthony, but they have turned him away.
Police Chief Joe Williams says the officer is on administrative leave while the SBI conducts its investigation.
He declined to comment further. Anthony's family said they hope the case is resolved soon.
Mr Anthony's niece, Porsha Anthony said: 'I'm sad. I lost an uncle.
'Hopefully it will be rectified so that not another family in Scotland Neck has to go through this'.
The State Bureau of Investigation in South Carolina said they are looking into Mr Anthony's death.
Friday, 2 December 2011
Judge tosses DUI conviction for deaf man
A local attorney is heralding Thursday's dismissal of a five-year-old DUI conviction as a victory for deaf people reports Tri City Herald and The New Tribune (02/12/11).
William M. Kral, 33, of Snoqualmie, who is deaf, was arrested in December 2005 in Benton County on suspicion of DUI and driving with a suspended license, said attorney Moe Spencer of Kennewick.
But when Kral was arraigned, no sign language interpreter was available in the courtroom. When he signed a paper waiving his constitutional right to a speedy trial, the interpreter who explained the document to him was unqualified, Spencer said.
Kral was convicted and served a nine-month sentence that included three months in an alcohol treatment program. He paid more than $4,600 in fines.
In the next five years, Kral went through appeals and several court-appointed attorneys whom he claims ignored or mishandled his case or had to step aside because of conflicts.
Then in August, Kral won his argument that his constitutional rights had been violated because of the lack of a qualified sign language interpreter. Judge Robert Swisher ordered the case back to District Court to be dismissed, and the conviction overturned.
The end of what Kral described as a "very long battle" came Thursday when District Court Judge Dan Kathren officially threw out Kral's conviction and ordered the $4,600 in fines returned to him.
"I certainly agree Kral is entitled to money he paid as a result of a conviction that is no longer a conviction," Kathren said.
But despite the crux of the case being the court's lack of a qualified interpreter, Spencer had to bring in a professional sign language interpreter Thursday because there still isn't one employed by the court.
Kral told the Herald through interpreter Shelly Hansen that the person who interpreted for him on the day he signed the speedy trial waiver told him he was agreeing to a continuance -- basically a temporary delay of his hearing.
"I never found out I had signed a waiver for speedy trial until two weeks or a month later," he said. "About the same time, I found out the interpreter did not have formal training or a (sign language) certification. The way he translated, I thought it was clear it was a continuance. I didn't have a reason to doubt."
The interpreter in the courtroom that day was actually a Spanish-language interpreter who knew a little sign language, according to Spencer's appeal brief.
The brief said Kral asked several times for a court-certified interpreter because he wanted someone who could accurately explain complicated legal issues. Kral also told the court that the interpreters used were signing incorrectly or that he didn't understand them.
The brief said Kral's then-attorney also communicated with him using handwritten notes, but Kral couldn't understand what his attorney was writing.
Swisher agreed that Kral's agreeing to waive his right to a speedy trial was "unintelligent and not knowing," Spencer said.
Kral lost his hearing when he became ill with spinal meningitis when he was 9 months old. Spencer's brief said research shows people who become deaf before age 3 have difficulty with language and tend to have a median of a fourth-grade reading level, mostly because written English is based on translating symbols into sounds -- sounds they never have learned.
Kral said he lost his construction job in the Tri-Cities and his then-girlfriend because of the DUI conviction. He now operates heavy equipment in the Seattle area, is married and has a 2-year-old son. But Kral said the years since his conviction have been "very tough."
"I just kept on fighting," he said. "This issue is not about money and not about me personally. It's about making sure deaf people get equal access and to try to raise that awareness."
William M. Kral, 33, of Snoqualmie, who is deaf, was arrested in December 2005 in Benton County on suspicion of DUI and driving with a suspended license, said attorney Moe Spencer of Kennewick.
But when Kral was arraigned, no sign language interpreter was available in the courtroom. When he signed a paper waiving his constitutional right to a speedy trial, the interpreter who explained the document to him was unqualified, Spencer said.
Kral was convicted and served a nine-month sentence that included three months in an alcohol treatment program. He paid more than $4,600 in fines.
In the next five years, Kral went through appeals and several court-appointed attorneys whom he claims ignored or mishandled his case or had to step aside because of conflicts.
Then in August, Kral won his argument that his constitutional rights had been violated because of the lack of a qualified sign language interpreter. Judge Robert Swisher ordered the case back to District Court to be dismissed, and the conviction overturned.
The end of what Kral described as a "very long battle" came Thursday when District Court Judge Dan Kathren officially threw out Kral's conviction and ordered the $4,600 in fines returned to him.
"I certainly agree Kral is entitled to money he paid as a result of a conviction that is no longer a conviction," Kathren said.
But despite the crux of the case being the court's lack of a qualified interpreter, Spencer had to bring in a professional sign language interpreter Thursday because there still isn't one employed by the court.
Kral told the Herald through interpreter Shelly Hansen that the person who interpreted for him on the day he signed the speedy trial waiver told him he was agreeing to a continuance -- basically a temporary delay of his hearing.
"I never found out I had signed a waiver for speedy trial until two weeks or a month later," he said. "About the same time, I found out the interpreter did not have formal training or a (sign language) certification. The way he translated, I thought it was clear it was a continuance. I didn't have a reason to doubt."
The interpreter in the courtroom that day was actually a Spanish-language interpreter who knew a little sign language, according to Spencer's appeal brief.
The brief said Kral asked several times for a court-certified interpreter because he wanted someone who could accurately explain complicated legal issues. Kral also told the court that the interpreters used were signing incorrectly or that he didn't understand them.
The brief said Kral's then-attorney also communicated with him using handwritten notes, but Kral couldn't understand what his attorney was writing.
Swisher agreed that Kral's agreeing to waive his right to a speedy trial was "unintelligent and not knowing," Spencer said.
Kral lost his hearing when he became ill with spinal meningitis when he was 9 months old. Spencer's brief said research shows people who become deaf before age 3 have difficulty with language and tend to have a median of a fourth-grade reading level, mostly because written English is based on translating symbols into sounds -- sounds they never have learned.
Kral said he lost his construction job in the Tri-Cities and his then-girlfriend because of the DUI conviction. He now operates heavy equipment in the Seattle area, is married and has a 2-year-old son. But Kral said the years since his conviction have been "very tough."
"I just kept on fighting," he said. "This issue is not about money and not about me personally. It's about making sure deaf people get equal access and to try to raise that awareness."
Thursday, 1 December 2011
Founder of Rockville deaf services company gets nine years for fraud
Joseph and John Yeh guilty of conspiring to defraud the Federal Communications Commission’s Video Relay Service program writes Kevin James Shay for Maryland (USA) Community News Online (01/12/11).
A federal judge on Wednesday sentenced John T.C. Yeh, former CEO of Rockville deaf services business Viable, to nine years in prison and ordered him to pay restitution of $20 million for his role in a multimillion-dollar government fraud case.
His brother, former Viable vice president Joseph Yeh, received a prison sentence of 55 months on Wednesday and also was ordered by Judge Joel A. Pisano to pay $20 million in restitution.
In November 2009, John and Joseph Yeh were among 26 people nationwide to be indicted for conspiring to defraud the Federal Communications Commission’s Video Relay Service program, which helps deaf people communicate, by billing the government for millions of dollars in illegitimate calls. They pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud in October 2010.
John Yeh is eligible for a credit of his prison term when he was held during revocation of bail, according to records from U.S. District Court in Trenton, N.J.
Paul F. Kemp, a partner with Ethridge, Quinn, Kemp, McAuliffe, Rowan & Hartinger of Rockville who represented John Yeh, noted that prosecutors were asking for 15 years in prison and the maximum prison sentence the brothers faced was 20 years. He said Wednesday that he does not plan to appeal the sentencing.
“I wish [the prison term] had been shorter, but the judge tried to be fair,” Kemp said. “He was trying to find a middle ground.”
Stanley J. Reed, a principal with Lerch, Early and Brewer in Bethesda who represented Joseph Yeh, also said Wednesday he does not plan to appeal his client’s sentence.
“The judge did a superb job of balancing all of the issues and factors,” Reed said. “Joseph and John are grateful for the amazing outpouring of support they got from the community and the deaf community.”
About 100 people, many from the deaf community, traveled from across the country and even from overseas to support the Yehs at the sentencing hearing, Reed said.
About eight character witnesses testified on the Yehs’ behalf Wednesday, which likely helped their case, Kemp said. “We were grateful to the witnesses who came forward,” he said.
Pisano recommended to the Bureau of Prisons that the Yehs be incarcerated together in a federal prison camp in Cumberland, to be close to family members and be provided with all services they were entitled to under federal disability laws.
During the four-plus-hour hearing Wednesday, the Yehs were “remorseful, somber, scared and very focused on listening to everything the judge said,” Kemp said. The Yehs are not eligible for parole but can receive five days of “good time” per month credited against their prison terms, he said.
Pisano also sentenced both Yehs to three years of supervised release.
“It was a long journey to get here,” Kemp said. “We are glad that we had a thoughtful, considerate judge.”
Two other former Viable executives, Anthony Mowl and Donald Tropp, are among those who have pleaded guilty in the case. They are scheduled to be sentenced by Pisano on Dec. 14 in New Jersey, according to court documents.
John Yeh has long been involved with organizations that advocate for the deaf community, such as the National Asian Deaf Congress and National Deaf Business Institute. He was a trustee of Gallaudet University, a Washington, D.C., institution that specializes in education for deaf people, for more than a decade. Deaf Life, a monthly national magazine founded in 1987, honored him as its Deaf Person of the Year in 2008.
Yeh founded Viable in 2005 to develop and market real-time transcription text and video relay services to help deaf and other hard-of-hearing people communicate. Within three years, Viable had shot up from a handful of workers to almost 200 full- and part-time employees, while annual revenues exceeded $7 million.
But prosecutors said in court documents that Viable charged the government for millions of dollars in illegitimate, or “run,” calls.
A previous business that John Yeh formed, software engineering and integration company Integrated Microcomputer Systems, in Rockville with the help of his brothers, reached $40 million in revenue in 1995 before he sold it in 1996.
Friday, 18 November 2011
Deaf teen stabbed 12-year-old boy
A deaf teenager has admitted repeatedly stabbing a 12-year-old boy in an attack in Ayrshire reports the BBC News (15/11/11).
Gareth Young, 16, pleaded guilty to attempted murder after the attack on the boy - who cannot be named for legal reasons - in Kilwinning in June.
The High Court in Edinburgh heard how Young - who also comes from Kilwinning - wrote his confession on his phone and showed it to police.
Sentence was deferred until Monday 12 December.
Advocate Depute Andrew Brown QC, prosecuting, told the court that Young pounced on the victim and his friend after they had sneaked out of a house in Kilwinning just after midnight on 19 June.
As Mr Brown addressed the court, a sign language expert stood in court translating the proceedings for the benefit of Young.
Mr Brown said the boy will face lifelong psychological trauma as a consequence of being attacked.
The prosecutor said the boy had six stab wounds to his body.
One wound led to a loop of intestine extruding from his abdomen and another wound to his chest led to a collapsed lung.
Young was taken to Saltcoats Police office at 04:50 and he typed a message on to his mobile phone which he then showed to the police officers.
The officers noticed that the accused had typed the message: "I hide my knife and shoes and jacket cupboard in my house."
The police then went back to Young's house and found the weapon used in the attack.
Friday, 11 November 2011
Deaf alcoholic stole boy's bag to carry drink
Deaf alcoholic caught on CCTV writes Andrew Phelan for the Herald (10/11/11).
A DEAF alcoholic burglar trespassed at a school and stole a child's bag to keep his cans of drink in, a court heard
Fergus Gannon (42) went to the changing rooms while the boy was out training and stole his bag, along with his uniform and golf shoes.
Gannon, who was drunk, had seen the door open and the student's bag was "attractive for him to put his cans into", Dublin District Court was told. A judge adjourned the case against Gannon for the production of a probation report.
The accused, with an address at Glen Aulin Road, Palmerstown, pleaded guilty to burglary at St Michael's College, Ailesbury Road, on April 1.
Garda Liam McGraynor told the court it was reported that a man had entered the grounds at 3pm and stolen a black bag with a school uniform and shoes in it.
Gannon was identified on CCTV footage and gardai searched his flat with a warrant on April 19. The bag was found, but the contents, worth €150, were not recovered.
He has 16 previous convictions for offences such as burglary, possession of weapons, breach of the peace and assault.
Gannon had "profound hearing difficulties in both ears", Shalom Binchy, defending, said.
"His deafness has been something that is very difficult for him to come to terms with.
"He has some sign language and some rudimentary ability to speak but communication has been a problem throughout his life," she told the court.
Gannon had been drinking since he was 15 and alcohol had also been a problem for him throughout his adult life. The defendant's disability had also been a stumbling block to getting help for his drink problem. He had been unable to attend AA because he would have needed a sign interpreter with him at meetings.
The court heard the changing room had been 200m away from the training area and the accused had stated at the time that he was watching a basketball game.
Judge Aingeal Ni Chonduin said Gannon had a previous conviction for a similar offence and there "has to be some form of deterrent".
She adjourned the case to January 17 for the preparation of a probation report.
A DEAF alcoholic burglar trespassed at a school and stole a child's bag to keep his cans of drink in, a court heard
Fergus Gannon (42) went to the changing rooms while the boy was out training and stole his bag, along with his uniform and golf shoes.
Gannon, who was drunk, had seen the door open and the student's bag was "attractive for him to put his cans into", Dublin District Court was told. A judge adjourned the case against Gannon for the production of a probation report.
The accused, with an address at Glen Aulin Road, Palmerstown, pleaded guilty to burglary at St Michael's College, Ailesbury Road, on April 1.
Garda Liam McGraynor told the court it was reported that a man had entered the grounds at 3pm and stolen a black bag with a school uniform and shoes in it.
Gannon was identified on CCTV footage and gardai searched his flat with a warrant on April 19. The bag was found, but the contents, worth €150, were not recovered.
He has 16 previous convictions for offences such as burglary, possession of weapons, breach of the peace and assault.
Gannon had "profound hearing difficulties in both ears", Shalom Binchy, defending, said.
"His deafness has been something that is very difficult for him to come to terms with.
"He has some sign language and some rudimentary ability to speak but communication has been a problem throughout his life," she told the court.
Gannon had been drinking since he was 15 and alcohol had also been a problem for him throughout his adult life. The defendant's disability had also been a stumbling block to getting help for his drink problem. He had been unable to attend AA because he would have needed a sign interpreter with him at meetings.
The court heard the changing room had been 200m away from the training area and the accused had stated at the time that he was watching a basketball game.
Judge Aingeal Ni Chonduin said Gannon had a previous conviction for a similar offence and there "has to be some form of deterrent".
She adjourned the case to January 17 for the preparation of a probation report.
Thursday, 10 November 2011
Deaf woman scammed over Facebook
New Zealand Deaf Woman defrauded by Facebook scam writes Nicola Murphy for Auckland Now (10/11/11).
Roi Stephens usually ignores messages telling her she's won an international lottery draw.
But she thought information about a sweepstake from someone who appeared to be her Aunt must be genuine.
Now the hearing-impaired Henderson resident is almost $1300 out of pocket after being told she'd ''won'' $20,000.
She received a message through Facebook last month from a fraudster who had hacked into an Aunt's account and sent messages to her contacts suggesting they enter the lottery draw.
The email was written with poor spelling and grammar but Stephens didn't think anything of it because English is her Aunt's second language.
She entered the draw and was notified she had ''won'' but was required to send money for supposed fees for a man to travel from Nigeria to deliver her winnings.
The man called, texted and emailed Stephens regularly to make sure she was sending the money.
She had already sent him $1280 when she read an article about online scammers and the penny dropped.
''I just thought 'oh my God, what am I going to do?''' she says.
Stephens had sent the man money she had been saving for a new hearing aid.
The mother-of-three says the situation has been difficult and emotional for her and her family.
''I feel bad but it's been a learning curve.''
When Stephens went to a dairy to transfer the money via Western Union, the owner warned her it was a scam.
He comes across such cases like Stephens' at least once a month.
''I try not to enter into customers' business but if they are regulars I know them well, I ask them if they know the person they're sending the money to.''
Stephens recommends social media users keep their sites private so only approved parties can see their profiles.
Henderson community constable Debi Leahy says the people behind the scams are getting more creative.
''With the deaf community, if you look at what's on their Facebook pages and you read their conversations, it's obvious that they're deaf.''
She says the scammers take advantage of this, as they do with older people or those on dating sites who they perceive as lonely and therefore easily drawn in.
Leahy says money transferred through Western Union is impossible to trace and recommends people only transfer send money to those they know.
She receives at least one call a week about scams, both before and after money has been sent.
''It's nothing to be ashamed of,'' Leahy says.
''Sometimes you're just caught at the wrong moment and you've got a load of bills to pay or you're feeling the recession and you're not thinking rationally,'' she says.
Roi Stephens usually ignores messages telling her she's won an international lottery draw.
But she thought information about a sweepstake from someone who appeared to be her Aunt must be genuine.
Now the hearing-impaired Henderson resident is almost $1300 out of pocket after being told she'd ''won'' $20,000.
She received a message through Facebook last month from a fraudster who had hacked into an Aunt's account and sent messages to her contacts suggesting they enter the lottery draw.
The email was written with poor spelling and grammar but Stephens didn't think anything of it because English is her Aunt's second language.
She entered the draw and was notified she had ''won'' but was required to send money for supposed fees for a man to travel from Nigeria to deliver her winnings.
The man called, texted and emailed Stephens regularly to make sure she was sending the money.
She had already sent him $1280 when she read an article about online scammers and the penny dropped.
''I just thought 'oh my God, what am I going to do?''' she says.
Stephens had sent the man money she had been saving for a new hearing aid.
The mother-of-three says the situation has been difficult and emotional for her and her family.
''I feel bad but it's been a learning curve.''
When Stephens went to a dairy to transfer the money via Western Union, the owner warned her it was a scam.
He comes across such cases like Stephens' at least once a month.
''I try not to enter into customers' business but if they are regulars I know them well, I ask them if they know the person they're sending the money to.''
Stephens recommends social media users keep their sites private so only approved parties can see their profiles.
Henderson community constable Debi Leahy says the people behind the scams are getting more creative.
''With the deaf community, if you look at what's on their Facebook pages and you read their conversations, it's obvious that they're deaf.''
She says the scammers take advantage of this, as they do with older people or those on dating sites who they perceive as lonely and therefore easily drawn in.
Leahy says money transferred through Western Union is impossible to trace and recommends people only transfer send money to those they know.
She receives at least one call a week about scams, both before and after money has been sent.
''It's nothing to be ashamed of,'' Leahy says.
''Sometimes you're just caught at the wrong moment and you've got a load of bills to pay or you're feeling the recession and you're not thinking rationally,'' she says.
Monday, 7 November 2011
Partner’s anger after Letchworth deaf woman attacked by dogs
THE partner of a deaf woman who was attacked by two dogs and left bleeding in a field has hit out at those responsible writes Mick Gill for the The Comet (07/11/11).
Peter Johnson, of Denby in Letchworth GC, contacted The Comet after his partner of five years Denise Gatler and her dog Lennox - who is being trained as a hearing dog - were both attacked by two other dogs while walking in fields off Quinn Way on Letchworth GC’s Jackmans Estate.
Ms Gatler, who was born deaf, was bitten as she tried to stop the dogs, who were off their leads at the time and described as Staffordshire bull terrier types, attacking Lennox, a collie cross who used to be a rescue dog.
The two owners of the dogs, a man and a woman, left the scene without attending to the 47-year-old, who was taken to Lister Hospital in Stevenage to be treated for bite wounds.
Eighteen-month-old Lennox, who has been unable to attend his hearing dog training classes since the incident, suffered a broken leg and has had 10 screws and a plate at a cost of £3,000 inserted by Cambridge Veterinary Hospital.
“It suddenly came towards our dog and attacked it. Denise tried to get the dog off and got bitten, and as she’s deaf she didn’t hear it but the other dog came in from behind and attacked.
“The playing fields are right next to a primary school and normally she has her five-year-old granddaughter with her so who knows what could’ve happened.
“She’s still trying to recover from it as it’s destroyed all her confidence. She’s a nervous wreck at the moment. She took me back to the field to show me where it happened and she broke down in tears.
“I was so annoyed because apparently all they did while Denise was in the field covered with blood was get the dogs on the leads and go off in different directions.”
The 62-year-old added: “I say to other dog owners to be on the alert and watch out for these guys.”
The incident, which occurred between 6.15pm and 6.45pm on Thursday, June 16, has been reported to the police with investigations on-going.
The female dog owner has been described as white, aged in her mid-20s to early 30s with brown shoulder length hair which was in a ponytail at the time.
She is around 5ft 5in tall, of slim build, and was seen wearing jeans and a white and black top.
The male dog owner was described as being around 5ft 10in tall, of medium build with short dark brown hair.
One of the dogs has been described as a short-haired brown Staffordshire bull terrier type dog with bulky shoulders and the other as a black Staffordshire bull terrier type dog with a white smudge on its chest.
A police spokesman said: “Anyone with information about this incident, or if anyone can identify the owner of the dogs described, is asked to contact PC Baker via the non-emergency number 0845 33 00 222, quoting crime reference G2/11/1294.”
Peter Johnson, of Denby in Letchworth GC, contacted The Comet after his partner of five years Denise Gatler and her dog Lennox - who is being trained as a hearing dog - were both attacked by two other dogs while walking in fields off Quinn Way on Letchworth GC’s Jackmans Estate.
Ms Gatler, who was born deaf, was bitten as she tried to stop the dogs, who were off their leads at the time and described as Staffordshire bull terrier types, attacking Lennox, a collie cross who used to be a rescue dog.
The two owners of the dogs, a man and a woman, left the scene without attending to the 47-year-old, who was taken to Lister Hospital in Stevenage to be treated for bite wounds.
Eighteen-month-old Lennox, who has been unable to attend his hearing dog training classes since the incident, suffered a broken leg and has had 10 screws and a plate at a cost of £3,000 inserted by Cambridge Veterinary Hospital.
“She was walking the dog in the fields and a dog came towards her and appeared to be running around playing,” said Mr Johnson.
“It suddenly came towards our dog and attacked it. Denise tried to get the dog off and got bitten, and as she’s deaf she didn’t hear it but the other dog came in from behind and attacked.
“The playing fields are right next to a primary school and normally she has her five-year-old granddaughter with her so who knows what could’ve happened.
“She’s still trying to recover from it as it’s destroyed all her confidence. She’s a nervous wreck at the moment. She took me back to the field to show me where it happened and she broke down in tears.
“I was so annoyed because apparently all they did while Denise was in the field covered with blood was get the dogs on the leads and go off in different directions.”
The 62-year-old added: “I say to other dog owners to be on the alert and watch out for these guys.”
The incident, which occurred between 6.15pm and 6.45pm on Thursday, June 16, has been reported to the police with investigations on-going.
The female dog owner has been described as white, aged in her mid-20s to early 30s with brown shoulder length hair which was in a ponytail at the time.
She is around 5ft 5in tall, of slim build, and was seen wearing jeans and a white and black top.
The male dog owner was described as being around 5ft 10in tall, of medium build with short dark brown hair.
One of the dogs has been described as a short-haired brown Staffordshire bull terrier type dog with bulky shoulders and the other as a black Staffordshire bull terrier type dog with a white smudge on its chest.
A police spokesman said: “Anyone with information about this incident, or if anyone can identify the owner of the dogs described, is asked to contact PC Baker via the non-emergency number 0845 33 00 222, quoting crime reference G2/11/1294.”
Monday, 31 October 2011
Police challenged by deaf suspect’s case
The police in Dong Nai Province are finding it difficult to handle a deaf and illiterate man who allegedly hit a man with an iron bar on October 4 who subsequently died one day later from a severe brain injury, writes Phap Luat & Thoi Dai for Tuoitre News (31/10/11).
The suspect, 29-year-old Nguyen Van Duc from Long Thanh District was arrested on October 8 in a rented room. The police said Duc didn’t know sign language for the deaf and could only communicate through gestures.
The police thus had to ask two sign language specialists to help questioning him.
Duc told the specialists he had wanted to steal from a phone shop and hit the man who tried to catch him.
However, a lawyer from the Ho Chi Minh City Bar has warned the police about the accuracy of such questioning.
“No one can know for sure if Duc and the specialists fully understood each other,” he said.
“It is likely that only Duc’s mother or father can fully understand him through his gestures.”
The lawyer also said Duc should have a legal representative during the questioning process and advised the police to invite somebody who is close to him to act on his behalf.
A source told the police that Duc had a girl riend who took him to the hospital to treat his injuries caused in his fight with the two men who tried to catch him.
After Duc was hospitalized, the girl disappeared.
Duc and the girl have been living as husband and wife, the source said.
However, Duc refused to talk about the girl with the specialists.
In the early morning of October 4, Nguyen Van Tang, 43, a resident of Hiep Phuoc Commune, caught Duc using an iron bar to force open the door of a mobile phone shop next to his house.
Tang rushed toward him and shouted for help.
While fighting with Tang, Duc struck him in the head with the iron bar.
Tang then fell to the ground and passed out. Another resident then showed up to fight with Duc, who later ran into an alley where he had parked his motorbike and drove away.
Tang was taken to Cho Ray Hospital in HCMC but died one day later.
The police launched an investigation and suspected Duc, who has previous convictions and had left his residence, which had lived in for years.
The police then sent wanted notices for Duc to many hospitals and health centers since they thought Duc could need medical treatment for his injuries.
They also asked all boarding houses to report any suspicious guest. Three days later, a hospital called the police.
But when they arrived, the suspect had escaped.
On October 8, after being informed by the owner of a boarding house, the police rushed to the scene and arrested Duc in his rented room.
At present, they are searching for Duc’s girlfriend.
The suspect, 29-year-old Nguyen Van Duc from Long Thanh District was arrested on October 8 in a rented room. The police said Duc didn’t know sign language for the deaf and could only communicate through gestures.
The police thus had to ask two sign language specialists to help questioning him.
Duc told the specialists he had wanted to steal from a phone shop and hit the man who tried to catch him.
However, a lawyer from the Ho Chi Minh City Bar has warned the police about the accuracy of such questioning.
“No one can know for sure if Duc and the specialists fully understood each other,” he said.
“It is likely that only Duc’s mother or father can fully understand him through his gestures.”
The lawyer also said Duc should have a legal representative during the questioning process and advised the police to invite somebody who is close to him to act on his behalf.
A source told the police that Duc had a girl riend who took him to the hospital to treat his injuries caused in his fight with the two men who tried to catch him.
After Duc was hospitalized, the girl disappeared.
Duc and the girl have been living as husband and wife, the source said.
However, Duc refused to talk about the girl with the specialists.
In the early morning of October 4, Nguyen Van Tang, 43, a resident of Hiep Phuoc Commune, caught Duc using an iron bar to force open the door of a mobile phone shop next to his house.
Tang rushed toward him and shouted for help.
While fighting with Tang, Duc struck him in the head with the iron bar.
Tang then fell to the ground and passed out. Another resident then showed up to fight with Duc, who later ran into an alley where he had parked his motorbike and drove away.
Tang was taken to Cho Ray Hospital in HCMC but died one day later.
The police launched an investigation and suspected Duc, who has previous convictions and had left his residence, which had lived in for years.
The police then sent wanted notices for Duc to many hospitals and health centers since they thought Duc could need medical treatment for his injuries.
They also asked all boarding houses to report any suspicious guest. Three days later, a hospital called the police.
But when they arrived, the suspect had escaped.
On October 8, after being informed by the owner of a boarding house, the police rushed to the scene and arrested Duc in his rented room.
At present, they are searching for Duc’s girlfriend.
Friday, 28 October 2011
Fresh CCTV appeal in hunt for man who raped deaf woman in Lincoln
Police today made a fresh appeal to the public to trace a man in connection with the rape of a disabled woman in Lincoln city centre reports This is Lincolshire (28/10/11).
Officers want to speak to the suspect about the attack, which happened behind a pub in Broadgate between 1.30am and 3am on December 18 last year. The victim was a profoundly deaf woman in her 20s.
The CCTV was filmed inside Sippers, which is now known as Scotty's Bar. Today police say they are stepping up their search and have issued fresh pleas for information. They are urging anyone who recognises this man to come forward and not protect him.
Detective Inspector Dave Swann of Lincolnshire Police said:
"This is a disgusting crime against a particularly vulnerable young woman. We are talking about a suspect implicated in a horrific attack on a profoundly deaf member of our community. This offender deserves absolutely no loyalty. He may be a threat to other women and needs to be brought to justice as soon as possible. Since the attack we have worked closely with the victim and her family to help her through the difficult and harrowing process of reporting a sex crime. Reliving an ordeal like this can be a vivid, terrifying experience and it requires huge bravery to see it through to this stage. Over the last 10 months we have gradually pieced together what happened with the victim and carried out an enquiry involving CCTV analysis, witness trawls, searches and appeals within the community. Our initial press appeal did not reveal the true horror of this attack. It is only the bravery of the victim in allowing personal information about her disability to be released that has enabled us to share this with the community. We now need people to respond. Please take a close look at this picture. Do you know him? Please call me and help us bring this potential offender to justice."
Contact Lincolnshire Police on 0300 1110300, alternatively call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.
Officers want to speak to the suspect about the attack, which happened behind a pub in Broadgate between 1.30am and 3am on December 18 last year. The victim was a profoundly deaf woman in her 20s.
The CCTV was filmed inside Sippers, which is now known as Scotty's Bar. Today police say they are stepping up their search and have issued fresh pleas for information. They are urging anyone who recognises this man to come forward and not protect him.
Detective Inspector Dave Swann of Lincolnshire Police said:
"This is a disgusting crime against a particularly vulnerable young woman. We are talking about a suspect implicated in a horrific attack on a profoundly deaf member of our community. This offender deserves absolutely no loyalty. He may be a threat to other women and needs to be brought to justice as soon as possible. Since the attack we have worked closely with the victim and her family to help her through the difficult and harrowing process of reporting a sex crime. Reliving an ordeal like this can be a vivid, terrifying experience and it requires huge bravery to see it through to this stage. Over the last 10 months we have gradually pieced together what happened with the victim and carried out an enquiry involving CCTV analysis, witness trawls, searches and appeals within the community. Our initial press appeal did not reveal the true horror of this attack. It is only the bravery of the victim in allowing personal information about her disability to be released that has enabled us to share this with the community. We now need people to respond. Please take a close look at this picture. Do you know him? Please call me and help us bring this potential offender to justice."
Contact Lincolnshire Police on 0300 1110300, alternatively call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.
Wednesday, 26 October 2011
Arsonists target Woodside family centre in Kingswood
A centre for blind and deaf people in South Gloucestershire has been targeted by arsonists reports the BBC News (25/10/11).
Sheds next to the Woodside family centre in Britannia Road, Kingswood, were set alight, and the fire spread to the main building.
Part of the roof has melted, and some of the rooms have been flooded.
The cost of repairs is estimated at £25,000 and the building will stay shut for two weeks while repairs are carried out.
Vandals also sprayed graffiti over the walls. Police are investigating.
Volunteer Alice Walton said the centre supported deaf and blind children and adults and their families.
"It's really unfortunate. It's had such an impact on a centre that's so heavily relied upon in the community," she said.
Avon and Somerset Police have appealed for witnesses and anyone who was in the Woodside Road area on Saturday evening to contact them.
Tuesday, 6 September 2011
Deaf man stabbed
A deaf man was stabbed by two unidentified persons in Brgy. Handumanan, Bacolod City, at about 12:30 a.m. yesterday reports Visayan Daily Star (06/09/11).
Case investigator Police Officer 2 Kris Kian Cango of Police Station 10 identified the victim as Angelo Viñas, 33, of Brgy. Banago, Bacolod, who was rushed with two stab wounds on his back to the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital.
Investigation showed that Viñas was walking with two companions, whose names were not disclosed, in Purok Narra, Brgy. Handumanan after attending a birthday party, when the suspects blocked their way and, without provocation, stabbed Viñas on the back with what is believed to be an ice pick. The suspects immediately fled bringing with them the ice pick they had used, Cango said.
Deaf war veteran robbed near Canberra
A deaf war veteran has been robbed at knife-point and left stranded in bushland outside Canberra, police say reports News Com AU (06/09/11)
The 66-year-old veteran travelled from rural NSW to the nation's capital with another man "he believed to be his friend" to purchase a vehicle, an ACT Policing spokesman said.
Read more: http://www.news.com.au/national/deaf-mute-war-veteran-robbed-near-canberra/story-e6frfkvr-1226129774701#ixzz1X9hnJMlk
The 66-year-old veteran travelled from rural NSW to the nation's capital with another man "he believed to be his friend" to purchase a vehicle, an ACT Policing spokesman said.
The pair were driving in bushland near Cotter Dam around 11pm (AEST) on Saturday when the friend said they should pull over because he was lost.
"Around this time, a green Holden Commodore, possibly with Queensland registration, stopped close to where the two men had parked," the spokesman said in a statement.
"It was at this stage that the victim was dragged out of the vehicle by his friend who placed a knife against his throat."
The attacker took the veteran's money, mobile phone and wallet before both vehicles were driven away, leaving the veteran in the bush.
The 66-year-old spent the evening on the side of the road alone before making his way to Canberra's city police station on Sunday afternoon to report the robbery.
Police are appealing for anybody who saw a green Commodore in the area to come forward.
Read more: http://www.news.com.au/national/deaf-mute-war-veteran-robbed-near-canberra/story-e6frfkvr-1226129774701#ixzz1X9hnJMlk
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