Apology

6 February 2010- Edmonton, AB, Canada A quick apology to icad blog readers. Sorry for neglecting this blog lately. I’ve been distracted by another issue regarding potential cuts to Alberta’s Inclusive Post-Secondary Education programs for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. So, I’ve devoted the last week to establishing  a new blog on thre topic of Inclusive Post-Secondary Education. For those icad readers who are interested, it can be found at inclusivepse.wordpress.com

Quarmby on Obama Hate Crime Law

2 February 2010 Katherine Quarmby has written an interesting opinion piece for the Huffington Post  on the new US Hate Crime law and its implications for people with disabilities, Hounded: Why Obama’s Hate Crime Law Matters. Quarmby also prepared Getting Away with Murder, The Uk’s disability hate crime report in the UK in 2008. This 66 -page report can be downloaded in pdf format from the worldwide web from social care on-line and is powerful reading.

McWatt Sentencing

25 January 2010 – Edmonton, AB, Canada Kenneth Peter McWatt, 42, was sentenced to 12 years in prison and determined to be a dangerous offender in an Edmonton courtroom today. The Dangerous offender status requires him to remain under close supervision for ten years after competing his sentence. He is expected to serve his full sentence (minus two years for time already served). This sentence was handed down for a group of charges stemming from a January 2008 home invasion and stabbing of Heidi Janz, an Edmonton playwright and post-doctoral researcher in disability ethics. Dr. Janz has severe cerebral palsy.

Plea Bargain in Shylae Thomas Case

11 January 2010 – Flint, MI USA Last April the body of 9-year-old Shylae Thomas was found in storage shed (see previous icad post). She had been dead for several weeks. Her aunt Lorrie Thomas, who had adopted her, was charged with second degree murder. According to prosecutors Lorrie Thomas starved her neice, who had severe cerebral palsy, to death and then concealed her body in the storage shed in order to continue to collect the $3,000 per month she received for her niece’s care.

Sexual Assault in Dubai

31 December 2009 – Dubai A 14-year-old boy with an intellectual disability was interviewed by Bur Dubai police regarding allegations that he had been raped. A 30-year-old man was arrested and held pending charges in the case.  The alleged perpetrator is reported to have confessed to luring the boy and sexually assaulting him. A second suspect said to be involved in the rape has not been apprehended.

New Trial for Toronto Mother

24 December 2009 – Toronto, Ontario, Canada A mother who was convicted last year of second-degree murder in the drowning of her 4-year old daughter was granted a second trial by the Ontario Court of Appeal. Xuan Peng was convicted of holding her daughter, Scarlett, who was autistic, underwater in their home bathtub. Peng had been convicted of second degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole for a minimum of ten years. The Appeal Court ruled that judge in the original trial had erred by not instructing the jury in a manner that would allow them to consider a manslaughter verdict. The court ruling was handed down on Christmas eve.

Mine Murder Scheme in China

30 December 2009 -Chengdu, China Nine people have been arrested in connection with a deadly scheme. The scheme involved trafficking mentally disabled workers to work in Chinese mines. Some of these workers than were murdered in the mines in a manner that would give the appearance that they had been killed in mining accidents. The alleged perpetrators would then claim to be relatives of the deceased worker and demand compensation from the companies that ran the mines. The companies would be pressured to pay compensation to avoid negative publicity regarding dangerous conditions in the mines.

Violence in the Lives of the Deaf: Unique Challenges

10 December 2009 - The National Resource Center on Domestic Violence iss offering a one-hour-thirty-minute Webinar Violence in the Lives of the Deaf: Unique Challenges next week. A short description and registration information follow:

Arrest in Murder of Blind Woman

2 December 2009 – Bairnsdale, Victoria, Australia Toni Davidson, who was legally blind and a disability-rights advocate, was walking her dogs last week when she was attacked and stabbed in the neck. She died as a result of the injury. Amber Brooke Cooper, 23, was arrested and charged with murder.

Mother Dies after Saving Son

11 November 2009 -Cornwall, England, United Kingdom Mary Fox, 59, died in house fire last week a few minutes after helping her 17-year-old son Raum escape from an upstairs window. According to a number of sources Raum had learning difficulties or mild intellectual disabilities and was a target of frequent bullying. whether the incident of Bonfire Night was related to this bullying remains a matter of speculation. What is known is someone put a lit piece of fireworks trough the mailslot of Fox’s home that started the deadly blaze, and mother and son were trapped on the upper floor.

Shock Collar Charges

13 November 2009 – Lincoln, NE, USA A man has been charged with using a shock collar used to train dogs on a young man with cerebral palsy. An employee of the assisted living facility where the young man lives, said that the victim ran screaming from his room during a visit from Scott Gale, 26, who is an employee of Integrated Life Choices, the organization that runs the assisted living facility.

Madison Sexual Assault Charge

7 November 2009 – Madison, WI, USA Darell Bracey, Sr., 51, has been charged with 2 counts of second degree sexual assault. The alleged victim is 50-year-old woman who has been described as having cerebral palsy, mild intellectual disabilities, and epilepsy.

Communication Device Stolen

7 November 2009 – New Brighton, New Zealand Someone came into the home of eight-year-old boy who has severe cerebral palsy and stole his communication device from him, while he was using it.

According to a New Zealand Police press release:

Acting Sergeant Ed Landstra of New Brighton says it was a despicable thing to do and asks whoever has it leave it somewhere safe so it can be recovered and returned to Caleb without damage.

“Please leave it anonymously at a reception at a school, Police, or the Library so we can get it back and working to Caleb as soon as possible.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact New Brighton Police phone 373 9100.

Suspect Indentified in 1997 Killing

5 November 2009 – Los Angeles, CA, USA In 1997, Shawn Boehm, 23, who was described as having a mental disability, and his mother Nancy, 57, were stabbed to death in their Hollywood home. The crime went unsolved for more than a decade. Now, the Los Angeles Police Department says that they have a suspect, identified as 37-year-old Rafael Martinez.

Life Sentence for Sex Crime Conviction

4 November 2009 – Reno, Nevada, USA Richard Bunch, a 51-year-old trucker has been sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of luring a 13-year-old girl described as mentally disabled into his truck and sexually assaulting her. The offense took place in July 2008, and Bunch entered guilty plea, which he later attempted to withdraw.