The Child Protection eNewsletter

Portuguese police deny report of perfect match of Madeleine’s DNA…

Portuguese police today denied a report that they had found a perfect DNA match for Madeleine McCann in a sample of body fluids taken from a car hired by her parents 25 days after her disappearance. Read More But a source close to the investigation told The Times that forensics experts had found a surprising amount of Madeleine's hair in the hired Renault Scenic, which detectives now suspect was used to transport her corpse.

Detectives had expected to find some of Madeleine's genetic material, skin flakes or hair in the car because it had been used to carry the family's belongings, including her clothes and toys, when the McCanns moved from their holiday apartment to a nearby villa. But the amount of hair came as a surprise, the source said, although detectives were not confident that they could prove beyond doubt their suspicions that Madeleine's body was ever in the car.

The investigative Policia Judiciaria (PJ) were this morning submitting their file to the Algarve-based public prosecutor Jose Cunha de Magalhaes e Meneses. The prosecutor will decide whether the evidence is strong enough to bring charges against the couple.

Speaking only a few hours before his officers were due formally to hand over their evidence in the case to prosecutors, Alipio Ribeiro, head of the investigative Policia Judiciaria (PJ), suggested that the forensic tests had not been conclusive. In what was thought to be only his second interview since Madeleine's disappearance on May 3, Mr Ribeiro told the Portuguese state broadcaster RTP: “We can’t say with certainty whether it was the blood of person ’X or person ’Y’. They help guide us in our investigation but not with the mathematical precision some people are saying."

Meanwhile, now that the McCann family has returned to Britain, social services and police in Leicestershire held talks yesterday afternoon about how they should respond to Madeleine’s disappearance and the naming of her parents as suspects. Leicestershire County Council refused to comment on the meeting, citing its “highly confidential nature”. But it is believed social workers would have discussed whether action was needed to protect Madeleine's younger twin siblings, Sean and Amelie, which in theory range from putting them on the “in-need register” to taking them into care.

San Diego diocese reaches $198 million settlement…

The Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego announced it has agreed to pay $198.1 million to settle 144 claims of sexual abuse by clergy, the second-largest payment by a diocese. Read More The agreement caps more than four years of negotiations in state and federal courts.

Earlier this year, the diocese abruptly filed for bankruptcy protection just hours before trial was scheduled to begin on 42 lawsuits alleging sexual abuse. Bankruptcy could shield the diocese's assets, but a judge recently threatened to throw out the bankruptcy case if church officials didn't reach an agreement with the plaintiffs. (Read More) The San Diego diocese initially offered about $95 million to settle the claims. The victims were seeking about $200 million.

The Diocese of San Diego, with nearly 1 million Catholics and holdings throughout San Diego County, is by far the largest and wealthiest of the five U.S. dioceses to have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection under the shadow of civil claims over sexual abuse. Dioceses in Spokane, Washington, Portland, Oregon, and Tucson, Arizona, have already emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The Davenport, Iowa, diocese, which faces claims from more than 150 people, is still in proceedings.

Kiddie Porn Movie Rocks Toronto as 'Feel-Awful' Film of the Year…

"Nothing Is Private", a movie written and directed by Alan Ball, the man behind "Six Feet Under" and "American Beauty," has caused outrage here for its graphic depiction of sexual, mental and physical child abuse that verges quite literally on kiddie porn. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,296376,00.html The movie -- so odious that many people have simply walked out during the screenings -- shows actor Aaron Eckhart having sex with a 13-year-old girl played by a now 19-year-old actress, Summer Bishil. The actress only turned 19 recently, however, which means that she was just on the cusp of 18 when she made the movie last year.

"Nothing Is Private" is based on a novel called "Towelhead" by Alicia Erian, and it very well may adhere to the book’s parameters. But books and films are very different.

In the movie version, the abuse heaped on 13-year-old Jazeera by her adult neighbor, her older teen boyfriend and her own father is shocking, ceaseless and disgusting. "Nothing Is Private" is the feel-awful movie of 2007.

In other news… 

The U. S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina issued an opinion last night which says in summary, “The civil commitment provision of the Walsh Act is not a necessary and proper exercise of Congressional authority and that the use of a clear and convincing burden of proof violates the substantive due process rights of those subject to commitment under the statute.” A copy of the opinion is available online at http://www.nnflp.org.

A fast food chain’s racy new advertising campaign has left at least one teachers’ organization demanding it be pulled. http://www.foxnews.com/ The ad for St. Louis, Missouri-based Hardee’s Corporation features a sexy teacher, making provocative moves in front of the class while two students rap to a song called "Flat Buns,” according to a report on myFOXstl.com. Read More The Tennessee Education Association said in a statement on their website. “It is unbelievably demeaning to every one of them to promote a television advertisement showing a young teacher gyrating on top of her desk while boys in the class rap about her body in order to sell hamburgers!”

A Colorado man whose common-law marriage to a 14-year-old girl so outraged state lawmakers that they quickly made such unions illegal has reunited with his young bride following his release from prison. http://www.denverpost.com/ After a series of humiliations including being charged with child molestation, Willis Rouse said he intends to sue the state for preventing him from leading a normal life with his wife and their 4-year-old son, Alex.

More than 2,700 recently paroled sex offenders in California have been told they have to move because they are violating a new law that bars them from living near schools and parks. Read More On Friday, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation finished notifying 2,741 sex offenders that they have 45 days to find legal housing, or they will be sent back to prison for violating their parole, said spokesman Bill Sessa.

After two Supreme Court decisions upholding the constitutionality of random drug testing and an increase in funding by the Bush Administration to administer the urine tests, more schools across the nation are starting to consider this a feasible method to convey an anti-drug message. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/ Many private schools are testing entire student bodies, and numerous public schools are testing students involved in extracurricular activities (e.g., sports, yearbook committees or even to obtain a parking pass).

An American man accused of raping his daughter and posting the videos on the Internet has agreed to be extradited from Hong Kong to the United States, his lawyer said Monday. http://abcnews.go.com Kenneth John Freeman, a former reserve sheriff's deputy on the U.S. Marshals Service and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's most-wanted list, has been challenging the extradition request since he was arrested while traveling in Hong Kong in May.

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