DISABILITY CRIME WATCH

A CASE STUDY OF AN ATTACK

2020-06-02T06:38:00.000-07:00

WATCH SELECTED PHOTOS FROM THE CCTV VIDEO

Canadian paraplegic tourist beaten with parts on his own wheelchair and robbed in a train station in Sidney, Australia.

It is not enough to know what happened, we need to learn how to prevent it from happening to us or someone else.

From reading about the attack and studying the available video, I have made the following observations:

The victim tries to use the elevator to get away from the attacker. This is a valid strategy against a lowly-motivated attacker. But a wheelchair user is simply not quick enough to get away from a high-motivated attacker.

The attacker walks after the victim. Notice he is walking not running. He knows he can catch up to his victim.

The attacker approaches the victim. He appears to be relaxed. This is the point where the victim must use LOUD verbal boundary setting to DETER his attacker. He must prepare both his body and mind for immenient attack.

The victim has positioned himself with the attacker on his side with his hands on his wheels. This is a highly disadvantageous position to execute a physical defense. The body language of the victim and attacker suggests that the victim is still unaware of the attacker's malicious intentions.

The victim is assaulted (punched). He is flipped backward and falls into the elevator. It is very easy to knock a wheelchair user backwards out of his chair. Many standing people have been killed from an unconcious fall from a punch.

The attacker is studying the effect of his attack. He leaves and comes back with another. The concealment created by the elevator is providing confidence to the attacker.

The victim attempts to get back into his wheelchair after the initial attack. The return of the attackers is evidence of the highly motivated nature of this assault. In this situation, self-defense from multiple highly motivated attackers means the ability to mimimize injury, attract attention, and outlast the attackers while on the ground.

While not shown on the video, the attacker and accomplice use the metal arm rests of the wheelchair as clubs to beat the victim on the head. In addition, they take valuables from his bag.

The attackers leave the scene after the attack, beating, and robbery. Notice that they just walk quickly - not run away. It appears they were not worried about being spotted.

Victim is helped back into his chair after receiving severe head injuries.

The goal of self-defense is to minimize the consequences of aggression. In this case, the major consequence is the head injuries not the robbery.

Unfortunately, this type of predatory attack happens all the time. It happens to all kinds of people and it happens all over the world. While the circumstances of each attack varies, the attacks usually follow the same general pattern of (1) Attacker's motivation to commit a crime (2) Selection of Victim (3) Physical Assault (4) Completion of the Crime (5) After-effects.

Denver cops cleared in fatal shooting

2010-07-09T18:10:00.000-07:00

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_15477149

A man shot to death by Denver police on June 28 had attacked a paralyzed man in a wheelchair just minutes before and stolen that man's air pistol, the Denver district attorney's office said today.

It was that air pistol, a Crosman 77 semi-automatic CO2, which looks like a Glock G19 compact pistol, that 26-year-old Arturo Enriquez pulled on two police officers before he was killed, said Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey in a letter clearing the two officers who shot Enriquez.

Morrissey said that Enriquez, who was born in Mexico City and has 15 aliases and an extensive police record, attacked the man in a wheelchair about 12:30 a.m. in his apartment building at 3130 W. Louisiana Avenue.

Enriquez and a companion had followed the man into the apartment building and up to his fourth floor apartment. There, as the man unlocked his apartment door, they tried to push into the apartment. The paralyzed man immediately pulled his key out of door lock.

Morrissey said Enriquez and his companion momentarily left, but then came back to the wheelchair, where the man in the wheelchair pulled the air pistol.

Enriquez grabbed the air pistol and hit the man in the face with it. Enriquez then punched the paralyzed man, pushed him against the wall, and threw him to the floor.

As Enriquez and his companion left, the companion laughed and said, "That's what you get, cripple."

Enriquez picked up the air pistol. The paralyzed man told police he carries it for protection.

Several minutes later, police officers Michael Walsh and Daniel Morehead found Enriquez about a block away.

Enriquez pulled out a screwdriver and advanced on Morehead but threw the screwdriver to the side, said Morrissey. Morehead then kicked Enriquez, knocking him to the ground.

At that point, Walsh arrived. Almost immediately, Enriquez raised his shirt, pulled out the air pistol and raised it toward the officers. Both Walsh and Morehead fired six shots, killing Enriquez.

In clearing the two officers, Morrissey noted Enriquez's long criminal record.

His arrests include assault, disturbing the peace, disobeying a lawful order, shoplifting, first-degree criminal trespass and destruction of private property.

Morrissey said that the officers' decision to fire on Enrique was justified because he pulled a handgun on them.

"The fact that the handgun turned out to be a Crosman 77 air pistol, and not the more powerful 'firearm' it resembled, is of no significance in finding the officers' conduct to be justifiable," said Morrissey.

Boy in Wheelchair Assaulted for the 3rd Time

2010-07-07T18:26:00.000-07:00

http://www.pjstar.com/news/x104354207/Residents-react-to-assault-of-boy-in-wheelchair

Rapist who attacked wheelchair-bound woman in hospital jailed

2010-06-25T18:18:00.000-07:00

http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/Rapist-who-attacked-wheelchairbound-woman.6385651.jp

Published Date: 25 June 2010

A convicted sex attacker who raped a disabled woman in hospital while working as a healthcare assistant has been jailed for public protection, with a minimum term of six years.
Naraindrakoomar Sahodree attacked the wheelchair-bound multiple sclerosis sufferer during a night shift at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in central London on October 31 2008.

Woman in wheelchair, 67, robbed, police say

2010-06-23T18:28:00.000-07:00

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2010/06/23/woman_in_wheelchair_67_robbed_police_say/

A Brighton man was arrested late Monday after he allegedly robbed a 67-year-old woman who uses a wheelchair and then pushed her onto trolley tracks, according to police officials.

Jerdon Brooks, 48, was arrested after officers responded to the Mission Hill area about 11:40 p.m. Monday, according to Boston police. Brooks was charged with unarmed robbery and assault on a person 60 or older in allegedly stealing $10 from the victim while she was waiting for the Green Line trolley, police said. Police said Brooks then pushed her onto the tracks on Huntington Avenue.

“The charges here are particularly disturbing, because the victim was both an older adult and used a wheelchair,’’ said Jake Wark, spokesman for the Suffolk district attorney’s office. “It’s something that we take very seriously.’’

Officers from the Wentworth Institute of Technology police force responded after receiving a report of a woman screaming near Ward Street, according to the police report. Boston police and Transit Police were notified.

Several people were standing with the victim on the trolley tracks when officers arrived, police said. Trains were still in service at the time, and the victim was helped off the tracks by the witnesses, according to the police report.

Inquiry will investigate bullying and attacks against the disabled

2010-06-14T18:31:00.000-07:00

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2010/06/14/inquiry-will-investigatebullying-and-attacks-against-the-disabled-91466-26644589/

AN INQUIRY has been launched into measures taken by the police, schools, transport firms and other public bodies to stop disabled people being harassed or attacked, it was announced today.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) warned it could take enforcement action if it found that organisations were failing in their duties.

As part of its evidence-gathering the commission has highlighted 12 high-profile cases of disability harassment in Wales – ranging from cases of bullying and targeted vandalism to the deaths of people with disability – going back to February 2009.

They include the case of David William Frederick Rees, a 50-year-old alcoholic and epileptic who suffered with cirrhosis, who was beaten to death by two men in his Trealaw home.

His attackers, Steven John Evans, 24, and Leighton Aaron Williams, 26, of Tonypandy, were each jailed for five years in March after they denied murder but admitted manslaughter.

In April, a 22-year-old man was charged with the murder of Philip Holmes, a disabled man whose body was discovered in a flat in Rhyl, Denbighshire. Mr Holmes, who used a frame to walk following an accident, died hours before his 57th birthday.

The commission is now calling on disabled people and their carers to come forward and give evidence to the enquiry, the first wave of which will be completed in September this year.

Kate Bennett, the EHRC’s national director for Wales, said: “There can be no more important human right than to live life in safety and with security. Its absence prevents us from living our lives to the full.

“Disabled people should have the same right as everyone else to walk down the street without being intimidated or assaulted, to attend school without being bullied, to get on a bus or live in their house without fear.

“Abuse, intimidation and violence against disabled people can be terrifying and is largely an untold story here in Wales.

“If we collect enough stories at this evidence-gathering stage it will help us all to identify solutions and put them into practice. Improving life for disabled people in Wales is an urgent task.”

Across the UK, at least one person appears in court every working day charged with a crime against a disabled person, with almost half of cases involving violence.

Among the most shocking cases have been that of Brent Martin, a 23-year-old with learning disabilities who was kicked to death by three youths in Sunderland in 2007, and, in the same year, Fiona Pilkington who killed herself and her 18-year-old disabled daughter Francecca Hardwick after a sustained campaign of abuse at the hands of youths at their Leicestershire home.

Rhian Davies, chief executive of charity Disability Wales, said: “We welcome the decision to investigate the level and depth of abuse, violence and harassment experienced by disabled people in Wales.

“Following the deaths of Brent Martin and Fiona Pilkington and her daughter Francecca, there needs to be a commitment to action to ensure all disabled people in Wales live a fulfilled, safe and secure life.”

Research carried out by the EHRC in 2009 found disabled people were four times more likely to be victims of crime and that disabled children and young people, particularly those with learning disabilities, were most at risk.

Social Justice and Local Government Minister Carl Sargeant said: “We all have a duty to protect the most vulnerable in society and ensure that disabled people and those with long-term health conditions are able to live a life without fear.

“This is why I welcome the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s decision to undertake this enquiry.”

* For details on how to give evidence at the enquiry, visit www.equalityhumanrights.com/disabilityharassmentfi , e-mail

disabilityharassmentfi@equalityhumanrights.com or call 0845 604 88

Attacker warned: ‘I am going to kill someone tonight

2010-06-11T18:34:00.000-07:00

http://www.thisislancashire.co.uk/news/8213858.Attacker_warned_____I_am_going_to_kill_someone_tonight___/

A PARANOID schizophrenic gave a chilling warning he was going to kill someone, just hours before he stabbed a disabled man in the throat.

Stephen Heath, aged 61, lost two pints of blood when he was attacked in his home by Emerson Melake, Bolton Crown Court heard yesterday .

Disabled man beaten at Metro transit center

2010-06-02T18:37:00.000-07:00

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7033021.html

Authorities are asking the public to help find a man who reportedly beat up a disabled person as he was waiting for a bus at a Metro transit center in northeast Houston.
The assault happened at the Mesa Transit Center in the 9400 block of Mesa near Tidwell about 10:30 a.m. May 26, officials said.
Officials said the man punched the victim several times in the face and body.
The victim, who is a ward of the state of Texas, is recovering. His condition and injuries are unknown.
Authorities did not disclose what sparked the attack.
After the beating, the man and a woman who was with him boarded a 52 Route bus.

Man admits he beat woman with her own cane

2010-06-02T07:37:00.000-07:00

http://www.torontosun.com/news/canada/2010/03/02/13088106-qmi.html

An Edmonton man who admitted viciously beating a disabled woman with her own cane – leaving her with a shattered face and too scared to go out – has been locked up.

Dennis Jeffrey Perrot, 45, was sentenced to three years in prison Tuesday in provincial court after pleading guilty to aggravated assault, uttering death threats and assault.

“You destroyed her life in many ways,” said Judge Albert Chrumka, adding there was almost a “touch of evil” to the unprovoked attack inflicted on the 62-year-old victim.

The judge also said he found the sentence, a joint submission by Crown and defence, to be a “bit low” and refused to give Perrot any credit for the four months he spent in pre-trial custody at the Edmonton Remand Centre.

Crown prosecutor Marisa Anderson told court Perrot had gone over to his ex-wife’s residence on Oct. 20 after being assaulted by some men and they began arguing about his lifestyle as she tended to his injuries.

Meanwhile, the woman’s friend, Margaret Darbel, was sitting in the living room selecting a ring tone for her cell phone and the noise “irritated” Perrot, said Anderson.

Perrot began to argue with the woman, who has difficulty walking as a result of suffering from Multiple Sclerosis, and he grabbed her copper cane and began repeatedly striking her about the head and face, said Anderson.

As Darbel was bleeding profusely from her face, Perrot’s ex-wife tried to remove him and was pushed into a wall.

Police were called and Darbel was taken to the Royal Alexandra Hospital, where she was treated for severe facial lacerations, two black eyes, a broken nose, a broken cheekbone and a broken orbital socket.

Court heard Perrot also threatened Darbel by saying he would “cut her throat with a knife” if she called police.

“This was a brutal and vicious attack on someone who was defenceless,” said Anderson, adding Perrot has a “violent and disturbing” lengthy criminal record.

Darbel told court she used to be outgoing and was active doing both work and volunteer activities.

“Now I’m a recluse and staying in my home because I’m scared to death that someone would be after me,” said Darbel, adding she can’t see well due to the injuries near her eye and her cheek is completely numb.

“Emotionally I’m not the same,” she said. “I’m scared to death to go outside.”

Disabled man attacked with brass knuckles

2010-05-31T06:56:00.000-07:00

http://www.wtvm.com/Global/story.asp?S=12568030

COLUMBUS, GA (WTVM) - A disabled man was assaulted by a group of men with brass knuckles.

The incident took place Thursday evening, but the victim didn't report the aggravated assault until Saturday afternoon while he was in the hospital.

Columbus Police reports show the victim tells them a group of black men assaulted him at his home on Munson Drive.

The victim says he was struck in the face with brass knuckles and he then fell to the ground. He tried to get up and run away but the individuals surrounding him made it impossible. He then tells police he was hit and kicked all over his body.

He was transported to the Medical Center to be treated from bruises, cuts and several teeth that were knocked out during the attack.

He did not have a description of the suspects

Killers of disabled man appeal murder convictions

2010-05-29T07:02:00.000-07:00

http://www.kentnews.co.uk/kent-news/Killers-of-disabled-man-appeal-murder-convictions-newsinkent36268.aspx

KENT NEWS: A gang of vigilante killers jailed for kicking and punching a disabled man to death are to appeal against their convictions next month.

The four claim they never intended to murder Ted Shaxted. The 36-year-old received horrific injuries from a brutal attack in his flat, and later died in hospital.

Police tracked down the gang of four and they were eventually convicted of murder at Maidstone Crown Court in February, 2009.

The court had been told Mr Shaxted had been arrested after getting drunk while visiting his girlfriend Doreen Goode.

Her sister Karen Horlock is the mother of one of the killers. Mr Shaxted had taken Mrs Horlock’s Peugeot and dog Poppy and then got into an accident.

Unhappy with the police response, the son and his gang launched the brutal assault leaving Mr Shaxted with fatal injuries in December, 2007.

He died from multiple organ failure two weeks later.

Disabled man attacked in his own home

2010-05-19T07:05:00.000-07:00

http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/s/1240271_____disabled_man_attacked_in_his_own_home

A 52-year old man was found slumped on his sofa with a broken leg and collapsed lung 15 hours after two men assaulted him with his own walking stick.

The victim had let the two men into his house in Whitehall Street in the early hours of Saturday.

They sat in the front room with the victim asking him for cigarettes, drugs and money. The offenders became angry when they found that he did not have any, with one of them kicking the victim in the face as he was sitting on the couch.

He then picked up the victim's walking stick and used it to hit him at least 10 times on the head, as well as his shoulder, ribs and shin.

During the assault one of the offenders also stamped on the victim's head. The offenders then left the house with the walking stick.

The victim was unable to move and was found by a relative in the same position later that day at 8pm. He was taken to hospital for treatment to a broken leg, broken ribs and punctured lung as well as cuts and swelling to his head and remains there in a stable condition

Disabled Victim: Phone May Have Sparked Attack

2010-05-12T07:08:00.000-07:00

http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/23526598/detail.html

A disabled teenager who was brutally beaten on a street near his home Tuesday said his cell phone may have been what sparked the attack.

Jerome Brown, 19, who is mentally challenged, was attacked at the intersection of Parkman Street and Dorchester Avenue about 4:40 p.m., left bloody and screaming for help. He said the attack was not random."They hit me in the face. My face was crashed up. I was OK. I got up, walked, but I was limping at the same time," Brown said.

He said he knew the attackers and said they may have wanted his cell phone.

"Over a phone, like, who wants a phone? Like, everybody has a phone ..." Brown said.

A witness said he was inside his home when he heard "awful screams" coming from the area and saw Brown curled up on the ground getting kicked and punched by a group of teens.

Wheelchair-bound woman attacked at home

2010-04-14T07:13:00.000-07:00

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/wheelchairbound-woman-attacked-at-home-20100414-satc.html

April 14, 2010

A wheelchair-bound woman was attacked in her home north of Brisbane yesterday afternoon, police say.

The 55-year-old woman was pushed from her wheelchair and assaulted by a group of four people who broke into her home in Sheaves Road, Kallangur, about 3pm.

Police said the woman did not sustain injuries during the assault.

The two men and two women stole various items before fleeing.

Police are appealing for witnesses.

One man is described as Caucasian in appearance, aged in his mid 20s, about 167 centimetres tall, with a slim build. He was wearing a dark coloured hoodie and black sandshoes.

The second man is described as Aboriginal in appearance, about 170 centimetres tall with a proportionate build and curly black hair. He was wearing a dark hoodie and black sandshoes.

There are no descriptions of the female offenders.

Disabled vet assaulted in Coal County

2010-04-13T07:16:00.000-07:00

COALGATE OK--A Coal County Man attacked on his own property by trespassers is speaking out, about how the attack has affected him and his family

58 year old Chris Laws has had his fair share of hard times, a military career in the Special Forces, cut short by an injury. It was one of those hard times that brought Chris and his wife Ruth to Coal County.

"She got cancer so we moved closer to TMC and we looked and looked and finally found this place and it was perfect," said Laws.

Hard times came to Chris Laws again in January, when he says two men on horseback approached his home one Saturday evening in January.

"They stopped over here by my RV and I said you just need to turn back and go back the way you came, and they just started cursing me," said Laws.

Laws says he called the Sheriff's office, and was waiting in his pickup at the end of his driveway, when one of the men approached and attacked him.

"He hit me several times and he bit me right here," said Laws.

He suffered a broken ocular bone, a loss of vision in his left eye, and worse.

"The next morning I was having chest pains so they took me to the VA hospital and I had a heart attack in the waiting room," said Laws.

Laws spent 5 days in the hospital and has had to return for treatment many times since.

Reward Offered Following Attack On Disabled Motorist

2010-03-25T07:18:00.000-07:00

http://www.leesburg2day.com/articles/2010/03/25/news/9810attack032510.txt

The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office is investigating a reported sexual battery that occurred last night on a rural road near Leesburg.

A 38-year-old Leesburg woman reported she was riding with a family member in the area of Gleedsville Road and Woodside Place when the vehicle broke down around 7 p.m. She decided to walk to get assistance.

As she was walking, a dark colored pickup with West Virginia tags approached her. The two men inside offered her a ride, which she accepted. Inside the vehicle, one of the men inappropriately touched the victim. She fought off the man who then physically assaulted her. She then got out of the truck, according to the report.

The victim was later picked up by her family member after the vehicle started.

The suspects are described as white men, both in their late 20s. The passenger was said to have a thin build and was wearing a white shirt and white baseball hat. The driver was wearing a dark colored T-shirt and had medium length sandy colored hair.

Deputies were notified of the incident around 7:55 p.m. as the victim was driving to the Cornwall Campus of Inova Loudoun Hospital, where she was treated for minor injuries. A search of the area found but no vehicle matching the description of the pickup.

Sex assault on woman in toilet by Southampton takeaway

2010-03-24T07:20:00.000-07:00

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/hampshire/8584421.stm

A 31-year-old woman was sexually assaulted by a man after going into a public toilet in Southampton.

The woman, who uses crutches to walk, was attacked as she used the disabled toilet at the back of Burger King in Castle Way last Thursday evening.

The attacker fled the scene. He is described as white, in his late 40s or early 50s, of medium build, about 5ft 5in (1.65m) with short grey hair.

Police are appealing for anyone with information to contact them.

Detectives said full details about the attack had only recently come to light.

Det Insp Gary Towse said: "This is an unusual attack that occurred in the middle of the morning in a busy part of the city centre on a vulnerable victim.

Gruesome attack on F State family

2010-03-23T07:23:00.000-07:00

http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/Gruesome-attack-on-F-State-family-20100323

Bloemfontein – A Free State family of five are reeling in horror after being attacked by six men wielding spades and knives.

"It was like something out of a horror story," said Johan van Vuuren after the family was attacked in what he called a "monstrously cruel" way in his parents' home in Jagersfontein.

His parents, Boet, 80, and Francina, 77, brothers Marius, 44, and Marthinus, 35, and nephew Juan, 13, were attacked on Sunday evening in their home in Harrington Street by six men wielding spades and knives.

The attackers left behind a blood-splattered house.

Boet and Marius were badly assaulted although both were in wheelchairs, due to a spinal chord virus and a car accident injury.

After Johan, an employee in the logistical department of Grootvlei prison at Bloemfontein, received the call about the attack, he rushed to Jagersfontein.

But he was not prepared for awaited him at the house.

"There was blood against the walls and on the floor."

In addition, almost the whole house was turned upside down.

Johan told how his family members in Jagersfontein had just finished watching the news on TV when his mother opened the front door for the dogs.
The attackers rushed into the house, grabbed her and used her as a shield.

Johan said his father always had his .22 calibre pistol with him.

"My father wanted to shoot but couldn't. He was scared he might hit my mom."

The family members were stabbed with knives, assaulted with spades and kicked.

"Marius was knocked out of his wheelchair with a spade," said Johan.

One of the attackers wrestled with Boet to take his weapon. It was grabbed from his hand and one of his fingers was broken.

He was forced to unlock the safe, from which the attackers stole R38 000.

The attackers fled with the money, pistol and other items.

"It is inhuman," said Marthinus on Monday from his hospital bed at the National Hospital in Bloemfontein.

Johan said his mother was in a coma and had bleeding on the brain. She was in the intensive care unit of the Pelonomi Hospital.

No one has yet been arrested.

Disability hate crime – don't understand it, don't know what to do about it

2010-03-22T07:26:00.000-07:00

http://www.publicservice.co.uk/feature_story.asp?id=13725

Disabled people frequently report that their disability was a factor in crimes committed against them. Despite this, the vast majority of such incidents are not investigated, prosecuted or sentenced as disability hate crimes. Blair McPherson investigates

Is it a crime to call someone names in the street or try and get cigarettes off them? Is it a crime to borrow a fiver on giro day or to get a "friend" to share their medication? Is it a crime to take advantage of people who have a disability simply because they are easy target, socially isolated and afraid to report their tormenters believing no-one would do anything anyway?

It's clearly socially unacceptable, it's nasty and it shows a very unpleasant side of human nature but is it criminal behaviour? Is it hate crime or is it just anti-social behaviour? It is hate crime and it is punishable by a prison sentence?

What's different about disability hate crime as opposed to behaviour motivated by racism or homophobia? Disabled people are targeted for hate crime in the same way as people from minority ethnic groups and gay people but with the added dimension that disabled people are seen as easy targets.

What's different about disability hate crime is the people responsible. Statistically they are white, male, young and local. Anecdotally they are "friends" and neighbours. Those subjected to disability hate crime do not suffer at the hands of strangers, they know who their tormenters are.

Sometimes it's a local group of young people who call out abuse in the streets, throw stones at the windows and vandalise the individual's property. But it is also the practice of befriending someone with a disability with the purpose of taking advantage of them. Borrowing money with no intention of paying it back, eating someone's food leaving them to go hungry, using their house for parties, making jokes at their expense, and bullying them. There is evidence from those prosecuted for the most brutal assaults involving torture and abuse over a long period of time that this often started with this type of low level exploitation that went unchallenged.

What can be done about disability hate crime? Increase awareness so it is recognised for what it is, a serious criminal offence. Encourage neighbours and the general public as well as housing, social services and voluntary agencies to report incidents to the police. For everyone, including the police, to take such reports seriously and do something about it.

While disabled people feel no-one will do anything they will continue to feel that it is pointless to report incidents. While perpetrators continue to believe no-one will intervene then abuse will continue. The law is there, it is not acceptable to dismiss disability hate crime simply as anti-social behaviour or to fail to prosecute on the assumption that people with a disability, like a learning disability, will make unreliable witnesses.

The history ...
In 2000, a couple with learning difficulties were held hostage in their home over a weekend. They were both sexually assaulted and the man was forced to eat faeces and was cut 40 times. His partner was also attacked. Their children witnessed the attacks. The couple now have post-traumatic stress syndrome.

In March 2005, Keith Philpott, who had learning difficulties, was falsely accused of being a paedophile, tortured, disembowelled and stabbed to death in his own home.

In July 2007 Christine Lakinski, a disabled woman, collapsed in a doorway on her way home. As she lay dying, a man threw
a bucket of water over her, covered her in shaving foam and urinated on her. One of his friends filmed the incident on a mobile phone.

In May 2006 Raymond Atherton, a 40-year old man with learning difficulties, was severely beaten, had bleach poured over him and was thrown in the River Mersey, where his body was later found by police. His attackers were people he had considered his friends.

Nicola Barnaby, who has chronic anxiety, endured seven years of physical and verbal abuse from tenants in her council flat. When she reported being pushed and called a "mad schizo" the police did nothing to intervene.

Rikki Judkins was murdered in an underpass in June 2006. A police spokesman said: "He was subjected to a sustained assault that culminated in a large stone being dropped on his head, causing fatal injuries."

Kevin Davies, who had epilepsy, was kidnapped and held captive in a garden shed for four months before he died in September 2006. He was fed scraps, brutally tortured and his money was stolen. Again, he had considered his captors his friends.

In April 2007, Colin Greenwood, a blind father with young children, was kicked to death by two teenagers. Before his murder, Mr Greenwood had stopped using his white stick in public for fear of being targeted.

In August 2007 Brent Martin, a young man with learning difficulties, was viciously attacked and murdered for a £5 bet. Before his death, his three attackers partially stripped him, chased him through the streets and subjected him to a sustained attack in four different locations.

These are not one-off incidents. Disabled people in Britain are regularly mocked, taunted, robbed, assaulted and harassed. Their homes are attacked; their cars damaged and the places where they live, work and meet are also targeted. In some cases, these incidents develop into more sinister and serious crimes ending in kidnap, rape, torture and murder.

Bus Driver Accused Of Assaulting Disabled Woman

2010-03-17T07:30:00.000-07:00

http://www.wftv.com/news/22871977/detail.html

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. -- An Access Lynx bus driver is charged with kidnapping and abuse after a physically disabled rider said he kissed her against her will.

Investigators say the suspect made repeated advances, assaulting the victim while she was strapped to her seat and had no chance to get away.

Gustavo Riano wanted nothing to do with Eyewitness News cameras or questions from our reporter following his arrest.

"Why did you get arrested?" asked Eyewitness News reporter Liz Artz.

The 49-year-old bus driver offered no response as he rushed away. He is charged with kidnapping and abusing a disabled woman who was riding on the Access Lynx bus he was driving.

Investigators say Riano avoided taking the victim to her destination and stopped several times to kiss and hug her while she was defenseless and strapped into a bus seat. The only thing the victim was able to do was send text messages to her husband, alerting him to what was happening.

Riano's wife says her husband is innocent.

"No, it's not true," said Mrs. Riano, refusing to look into the camera.

However, an Orange County detective says Riano admitted to the incident at a local hospital after he was attacked and physically beaten by the victim's husband.

The series of bizarre events has disturbed some of Riano's neighbors.

"That's a real surprise, really a surprise," said Bob Whatley, neighbor.

Riano was employed by MV Transportation, the company that operates Access Lynx buses. A spokesperson for that company says Riano has been fired.

"He doesn't seem to be the kind of person that would harm anybody," said Whatley.

Riano was injured enough that he had to be treated at a hospital after he was attacked by the victim's husband. However, he did not want press charges against the man. In fact, one investigator in this case told Eyewitness News that Riano said he understood why the victim's husband was so angry and that he did not blame the man for giving him a beating.

Disabled woman found screaming, tied to bench

2010-03-07T07:34:00.000-08:00

http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/australia/3464320/Disabled-woman-found-screaming-tied-to-bench

A disabled Australian woman was tied to a park bench and sexually assaulted in Melbourne early Tuesday morning, police say.

Residents heard the 23-year-old screaming for help from Como Park in the Melbourne suburb of South Yarra about 3.40am and alerted police.

Officers found the woman covered in blood and bound with rope to a bench underneath a picnic shelter, beside her wheelchair and walking frame.

Detective Inspector Glenn Davies from the sexual crimes squad said the woman, who had been tied up for at least 20 minutes, told police she had been sexually assaulted.

She also suffered cuts to her arms and was taken to The Alfred hospital where she was still being treated this afternoon.

"She was bound with rope and there is a lot of forensic examination being done on those binds and the area," Inspector Davies said.

"She had a walking frame and a wheelchair and those items are definitely needed to assist her in transport.

"She has been able to provide us with some details but she has suffered some injuries and is in a fairly distraught condition, so we're still attempting to get full details from her at this stage."

Inspector Davies said police believed there was more than one person in the park with the woman at the time of the attack.

Teens stand trial over Munich attack

2010-03-06T07:42:00.000-08:00

http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/swiss_news/Teens_stand_trial_over_Munich_attack_.html?cid=8419742&rss=true

The German trial of three Swiss teenagers accused of brutally attacking randomly selected people in Munich last summer is set to begin on Monday.

Front-page news at the time, the event spurred calls by a shocked public on both sides of the border for a clampdown on juvenile violence.

Within the space of half an hour during the early hours of July 1 the Zurich youths, who were visiting Munich on a school outing, physically assaulted five men, one of whom was handicapped. One man was trampled almost to death.

“We just wanted to have a little fun,” one of the teens said later.

Disabled Man Sexually Assaulted At Point Defiance Park, Police Say

2010-02-24T07:52:00.000-08:00

http://www.kirotv.com/news/22676488/detail.html

Posted: 5:28 pm PST February 25, 2010Updated: 7:53 am PST February 26, 2010

TACOMA, Wash. -- Police are looking for the person who sexually assaulted a developmentally disabled man at Point Defiance Park Saturday afternoon.

Tacoma police said the 24-year-old victim was fishing on the dock at the park before the attack. He was then enticed into the men’s bathroom at the boathouse by an older man. Once inside, police said the man sexually assaulted the victim.

Eyewitnesses said they saw the man walk away at about 1:30 p.m., but he got away before police were notified.

The attacker is described as African-American, about 35 to 40 years old, around 5 feet 10 inches tall and slender. Eyewitnesses said his clothes were distinctive: a black baseball hat, a bright-blue T-shirt and green camouflage pants with jeans underneath.

Anyone with information should call Crime Stoppers of Tacoma and Pierce county at 253-591-5959.

Tips can also be submitted confidentially to the Tacoma Police Department through this Web site: here.

Disabled Myrtle Beach woman attacked by strangers in home

2010-02-24T07:50:00.000-08:00

http://www2.counton2.com/cbd/news/state_regional/article/disabled_myrtle_beach_woman_attacked_by_strangers_in_home/115077/

Holly Snead says two men broke into her home in Myrtle Beach, beat her up, and stole her prescription medication.

Carer jailed for trampoline attack in County Durham

2010-02-16T07:55:00.000-08:00

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/wear/8518601.stm

A former soldier who attacked a severely disabled man as they exercised on a trampoline at a County Durham care home has been jailed for eight months.

Carer Wayne Parker, 37, shoved Gareth Gunner, 22, into safety netting before striking him with karate-style blows at the Newbus Grange home in Neesham.

Teesside Crown Court heard a neighbour filmed the attack after hearing Mr Gunner's screams in August last year.

Parker was jailed after pleading guilty to assaulting a person in his care.

Prosecutor Jenny Haigh said neighbour Stephen Gray grabbed his camera after watching Parker, of Harcourt Street, Darlington, taunting and laughing at his victim, who has a vocabulary of just a few words.

'Fear and distress'

He then recorded Parker pushing Mr Gunner with great force into the safety netting surrounding the trampoline and punching him in the face.

Another witness, Clare Mathieson, described hearing Parker's "cruel, nasty" laughter and Mr Gunner wailing unhappily as he was attacked.

Judge Tony Briggs, who watched the recording of the attack, said: "It is perfectly plain that Mr Gunner was clearly distressed and frightened, and in relation to that it is not a surprise that those who lived nearby and were used to the sounds patients made clearly stated that they were sounds of fear and distress.

Sections Latest NewsScotland- North East- Edinburgh, East and Fife- Glasgow and West- Tayside and Central - Inverness and Highlands- South UKIntern

2010-02-12T08:02:00.000-08:00

http://news.scotsman.com/edinburgh/Im-scared-to-go-out.6067507.jp

Published Date: 12 February 2010

By ALAN McEWEN

A THUG punched and head- butted a disabled man on a busy city bus after the victim shouted back when he taunted him.

Ex-convict Ian Brown left father-of-one Steven Davidson battered and bloodied after chasing after the bus on which he was travelling to attack him.

Mr Davidson's partner Susan Wright said today that Brown – who was previously jailed for assault and robbery – had picked on him for years after singling him out "because of his learning difficulties". The couple called for him to be jailed.

Mr Davidson, 42, was heading to a training session with his special needs football team when he was attacked on the number 26 bus on Portobello High Street.

He said: "I was on the bus and Ian Brown was coming out of a shop with a paper. He started shouting at me and calling me names. I shouted back, "I'm not, you are".

"Then he got into his car and drove after the bus to the next stop. He came up to me and said, "What did you say?", then he head-butted me in the face. My nose was bleeding then he started punching me too. I knew I couldn't do anything so I waited for him to stop."

‘Friends’ torture, kill disabled woman

2010-02-12T07:59:00.000-08:00

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35370263/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/

GREENSBURG, Pa. - Jennifer Daugherty's mom and stepdad didn't press for details when she mentioned she had made some new friends. The 30-year-old had the mental abilities of an adolescent but wasn't the kind to get in trouble, and she was even thinking about getting her own place soon. Police found her body Friday stuffed into a garbage can in a school parking lot; they say she had been forced to consume detergent and urine — and to write a fake suicide note — before she was fatally stabbed by attackers who also shaved her head and painted her face with nail polish. Six suspects have been charged, including her new "friends."
"She was exploited, and her kindness and her handicap made her very vulnerable," Daugherty's sister, Joy Burkholder, said. "She trusted everybody; she believed everyone was good, and no one would hurt her."

Daugherty's stepfather said she often traveled on her own by bus from her home in Mount Pleasant to Greensburg, about 10 miles away, for dental or counseling appointments. After she hopped onto a bus Monday, she called her folks later in the day seeking permission to spend the night at "Peggy's" house.
It was the last time she would talk to them.
Daugherty went willingly went to the apartment where she was killed about 30 miles east of Pittsburgh, according to police, who wouldn't discuss a motive or details on how the visit turned deadly.

Wrong place at wrong time?
Police say she was beaten with a towel rack, vacuum cleaner hose and a crutch, and her body bound with Christmas decorations, an affidavit said. Police said she was fed vegetable oil, medications and spices in addition to soap and urine.
She was stabbed multiple times with an unknown weapon in the neck, chest and head, Westmoreland County Coroner Kenneth Bacha said. Authorities said they found the victim's belongings in the building's attic, as well as items that had been used to clean up blood.
"She was at the wrong place, at the wrong time, stumbled into a bad situation," said Greensburg Police Chief Walter Lyons.

Life For Warrington Man who Murdered Disabled Friend

2009-10-31T17:26:00.000-07:00

http://www.key103.co.uk/Article.asp?id=1547075&spid=23160

Warrington man has today pleaded guilty to murder and been sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of a disabled friend who had looked to him for help and support.

Kevin Francis Walsh, 46, lived in Whitethroat Walk, Warrington. He had difficulties with mobility following health issues in his life, and a small circle of acquaintances would help him out, popping to the shops to collect food and other items he might need, and calling at his home to keep him company. His neighbours described him as a pleasant man who would pass the time of day, but could appear frail.

One of those “Good Samaritans” was Andrew Blaine, 25 years, also of Warrington. Blaine was entrusted by Kevin Walsh with the details of the post office account into which his disability allowance was paid, and would go to the local post office to collect cash for Kevin. However, police believed that Blaine abused this position of trust, and stole money from the vulnerable man who had trusted him. Police subsequently established that the balance of money in Kevin’s account had been cleared out.

Kevin’s body was found slumped in a chair in his home in the early hours of Thursday 12 February 2009. A Home Office post mortem established that the attack which had claimed his life had been sustained and determined, with several different methods of assault upon him to ensure that he would die. While the precise order of the attacks upon him cannot be confirmed, medical experts believe that Kevin was subject to blows to his head and face – possibly delivered by a fist. This caused bruising and injuries to his forehead, nose, and scalp, and to the chest and collarbone. It is thought that Kevin was also attacked using two kitchen knives, with slash wounds running across his nose, cheek, and lips. He also had around 20 puncture wounds to his chest – commensurate with being prodded with the knife – and two full stab wounds to the chest. It is known that Kevin tried to defend himself as he had defensive injuries to his hand. Kevin’s injuries also included evidence of asphyxiation, possibly from his mouth and nose being forcefully blocked. Such was the force used, that

one of Kevin’s teeth was knocked out, and was found in his stomach. Finally, his throat was cut.

Thug Darren McGillvary jailed for hitting man in wheelchair

2009-10-23T17:33:00.000-07:00

http://www.examiner.co.uk/news/local-west-yorkshire-news/2009/10/23/thug-darren-mcgillvary-jailed-for-hitting-man-in-wheelchair-86081-24995764/

A THUG who hit a man in a wheelchair, breaking his jaw, has been jailed.
Darren McGillvary, 34, of Lees Close, Dalton, was yesterday sentenced to eight months in prison after slapping Richard Keegan.
Bradford Crown Court heard 15-stone McGillvary had hit Mr Keegan, 42, with back of his hand knocking him from his wheelchair and onto the ground.
The incident took place outside Mr Keegan’s home in February following an argument between the two.
Mr Keegan, who is wheelchair-bound after losing a leg, had accused McGillvary of stealing from him when McGillvary lashed out cracking the left side of Mr Keegan’s jaw and loosening a crown in his mouth.
Yesterday passing sentence Judge Jonathan Rose described the assault as a “cowardly attack on an extremely vulnerable man”.
The court was told the pair had become acquainted around 2008 and Mr Keegan would lend unemployed McGillvary money.
On finding items missing from his home Mr Keegan called McGillvary a thief when an argument started.

Final suspect found guilty in attack on disabled man

2009-10-19T17:31:00.000-07:00

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/10/19/beating-conviction/

St. Paul, Minn. — A 22-year-old man was found guilty Monday for his role in an attack on a 24-year-old mentally disabled man in October 2008.
Jonathan Michael Diepold of Northfield will be sentenced in December after being convicted of charges including kidnapping, aggravated robbery and assault.
Diepold was one of five people charged in the incident in rural Dakota County, and is the last one convicted.
Prosecutors said Diepold was one of the primary perpetrators in the attack, in which the disabled man had to be hospitalized for his injuries.
The incident took place over two nights, as the man was lured to a rural area where he was accused of assaulting a girl and was beaten. On the second night, the man was able to make his way to a nearby road where a motorist picked him up and took him to a hospital.
Sentences for the others involved in the attack ranged from four days in jail plus community service work to eight years in prison.

Barriers to justice when rapists attack women with disabilities: Australian report

2009-10-19T17:30:00.000-07:00

http://disabledfeminists.com/2009/10/19/barriers-to-justice-when-rapists-attack-women-with-disabilities-australian-report/

Teenage girl attacks disabled man

2009-10-15T17:28:00.000-07:00

http://www.thisisnorthdevon.co.uk/news/Teenage-girl-attacks-disabled-man/article-1420125-detail/article.html

A TEENAGE girl left a disabled Barnstaple man bruised and bleeding on the floor after a violent attack, a court was told.
The 17-year-old Barnstaple girl was given a year's community order after admitting inflicting actual bodily harm upon 51-year-old Oliver Hebden, who has chronic asthma and uses a walking stick.
Exeter Crown Court heard that the girl and her group of friends swore at Mr Hebden and shouted insults, including calling him a "cripple", before she launched her attack and stopped him from calling the police.
Judge Ian Leeming QC told the girl he had been intending to jail her for a long time until he learned of the progress she had made in turning her life around since the incident.
The court heard Mr Hebden had also accepted a letter of apology from the girl, who cannot be identified because of her age.

Prosecutor Michael Brabin said the victim was walking home near a subway on the Roundswell estate, just after midnight on May 16 this year.
The victim was approached by a gang who shouted abuse, before the girl stopped him from walking away.

"He was frightened," said Mr Brabin.
"He got onto his phone to call police. As he was doing that, he was hit in the back by this defendant.
"He was asked if he was calling police and he felt he couldn't continue it so he stopped.
"Then his walking stick was thrown into the hedge and the defendant threw his mobile phone into a hedge."

Mr Brabin said: "He was then hit repeatedly by the defendant. He fell to the floor, out of breath. With a lack of walking stick, he couldn't get up.
"He lay on the path for ten minutes, then he started to crawl to his home. He couldn't get back up but he managed to get to his house."
Mr Hebden did not suffer serious injures but was bruised and bleeding.

Russia's disabled suffer neglect and abuse

2009-10-12T17:21:00.000-07:00

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8302633.stm

The BBC has obtained shocking evidence of the abuse and prejudice which campaigners say is widespread against the estimated 13 million people with disabilities in Russia.
Many are like prisoners inside their own homes, unable to go outside because of the lack of basic facilities in the towns and cities, while tens of thousands of children with disabilities go without any education.

Vadim Voevodin, who has suffered more than most, is behind a campaign to improve life for those with disabilities in Russia, and as we sat inside his tiny Moscow apartment, he showed me a shocking video.

In the black and white CCTV footage a man kneels on the ground outside his apartment, under attack. He tries to fight back but is pushed down and held in a neck-lock.

But this is no banal brawl between two angry able-bodied men.
The man on the ground is Mr Voevodin, and he is kneeling because he is paralysed from the waist down.

He has just been dragged from his wheelchair after answering a knock on the door from a local resident who came with the intention of beating him up.
Two years after this brutal attack Mr Voevodin still lives in fear, and the two small rooms which he calls home are packed with surveillance equipment.

The situation for people with disabilities here is now worse than in Soviet times, it's like an undeclared war against us Vadim Voevodin
CCTV cameras and microphones protrude from every corner and a bank of monitors, video recorders and computers dominate an entire wall.

But the electronics are not only there because of his fears about security; the apartment is also the nerve-centre of his campaign.
And that is because he has no other choice of location.

He said he has not been able to go outside for the past 10 years because his front door is too narrow to get through in a wheelchair and, even if it was wider, he would not be able to get into the lift to go down to the ground-floor because it is too small.
And if he ever made it onto the city's streets he would face a maze of obstacles - steep kerbs , flights of steps, cars parked on pavements and a public transport system almost all of which is inaccessible for those with disabilities.

But even all this is not what troubles him the most.
'Undeclared war'
On his website he has posted a series of photographs of associates whom he said have died because of the acute prejudice within Russian society against those with disabilities.
"The situation for people with disabilities here is now worse than in Soviet times, it's like an undeclared war against us," he said.
"A wheelchair user I know, who was an active fighter for the rights of people with disabilities… was left to die in a hospital ward.

Sleeping Philadelphia Woman Attacked By Intruder

2009-10-08T17:19:00.000-07:00

http://cbs3.com/topstories/philadelphia.sex.assault.2.1236037.html

Philadelphia Police are investigating an alleged sexual assault in the West Oak Lane section of the city.Authorities say the victim told police she was asleep in her bed in the 1100 block of Sydney Street when she awoke at about 2:30 a.m. to find a strange man standing over her.

The victim reported the male, who was armed with a butcher's knife, covered her head and bound her hands and sexually assaulted her.

Following the alleged assault, police said the suspect robbed the victim of $210 and a bank card before fleeing the scene.

The suspect is described as a black male in his late 20s to early 30s who appeared to weigh approximately 140 pounds and stood about 5'9" to 5'10" tall.According to sources, the victim was disabled and relied on her wheelchair as her primary mode of transportation.

Retired British nurse, 93, brutally murdered in Florida home

2009-10-08T17:17:00.000-07:00

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1218924/British-woman-93-throat-slashed-brutal-murder-Florida-home.html

93-year-old retired British nurse had her throat slashed in a brutal murder at her Florida home.
Wheelchair-bound Evelyn Norell may also have been sexually assaulted during the murder, allegedly committed by an odd job man.
Police say the elderly victim was discovered naked Read more:

Disabled man attacked in Jericho

2009-10-02T17:14:00.000-07:00

http://www.oxfordtimes.co.uk/news/4662344.Disabled_man_attacked_in_Jericho/

Police are appealing for witnesses after a disabled man was assaulted in Nelson Street, Jericho.

Between 9pm and 9.30pm on Saturday, a 52-year-old man opened his front door, believing that his carer had arrived.

He saw four men in a blue Ford Fiesta who had parked in his parking space.

When the man asked them to move their car as he was expecting his carer to arrive, the driver punched him in the stomach and the passenger hit him over the head with an implement.

Study: Disabled more likely to be victims of violent crime

2009-10-02T07:07:00.000-07:00

http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/10/02/crimes.disabled/index.html

By Terry FriedenCNN Justice Producer

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- People with disabilities are 50 percent more likely to be victims of violent crimes than are people without disabilities, according to a government study released Thursday.

A study suggests the disabled are more likely to be victims of violent crime than those without disabilities.

The first national study of its kind found that a wide range of disabled people -- including blind, deaf, developmentally disabled, and others with physical and mental limitations -- were victims of assaults, rapes and robberies in 716,000 cases in 2007.

The study by the U.S. Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Statistics said instances of violence against disabled people occurred overall 1½ times the rate of those without disabilities, but the numbers varied by age group.

The most vulnerable groups were disabled people ages 12 to 19 and 35 to 49, for whom victimization occurred at nearly twice the rate of non-disabled persons.
Michael Rand, chief of victimization research for the Bureau of Justice Statistics, did not speculate on the reasons for the findings.

"It's hard to say," Rand said. "We didn't try to get at motivations."
Rand, a co-author of the study, said many of the crimes were committed by people who did not know their victims. Forty percent of the crimes against disabled male victims were committed by strangers versus 45 percent against those without disabilities.
Don't Miss
Read Justice Department's findings

The difference for females was greater: 34 percent of disabled females were victimized by strangers versus 24 percent for women without disabilities.

The study found that people with cognitive disabilities such as mental retardation, developmental disabilities and cerebral palsy represented the largest group of victims.
Simple assaults accounted for about two-thirds of the crimes against disabled people in the study, which tallied 476,000 simple assaults, 114,000 aggravated assaults, 79,000 robberies, and 47,000 rapes or sexual assaults.

Heroin addict jailed for attack on wheelchair man

2009-09-24T06:38:00.000-07:00

http://www.thisiswalsallonline.co.uk/news/Heroin-addict-jailed-attack-wheelchair-man/article-1366589-detail/article.html

A WALSALL drug addict who tried to rob a 61-year-old wheelchair-bound man has been put behind bars for four years.

Judge Michael Challinor told Steven Griffiths: "You deliberately targeted this elderly man because you hoped you would not have to use much force to overwhelm him, but that made what you did no less terrifying.

"When you attack someone in a wheelchair, you risk causing further damage to someone who is already infirm."

Griffiths had a previous conviction for assault with intent to rob and, at the time of the offence, was the subject of a Community Order for stealing from his sister. The judge told him: "You, and others like you, must understand that if you attack vulnerable people in the street, you can expect no mercy."

Griffiths, aged 32, of Wolverhampton Street, Darlaston, admitted assaulting Trevor Perry with intent to rob.

Men cut man in wheelchair, stepson with machete in Daytona home invasion

2009-09-19T06:35:00.000-07:00

Keith W. Kohn Sentinel Staff Writer
1:35 p.m. EDT, September 19, 2009

DAYTONA BEACH - A man using a wheelchair and his teenage stepson were attacked and cut overnight by home invaders using a machete, Daytona Beach police said today.

The attack on Byron Street early Saturday morning sent the man to the hospital, a report from police spokesman Jimmie Flynt said.According to the report, the victim had just arrived home and was in his wheelchair when four to six men ambushed him, asking, "Where's the stuff?"

The victim told police he responded that he didn't have anything and he was told the men would go into his house and kill his wife.Moments later, three of the men cut the homeowner with a machete as the other three used his keys to get into the house.

The victim's stepson stepson, who is about 13 and was asleep on the couch, was awakened and his dreadlocks cut. He was tossed to the floor, where he was kicked and beaten as the attackers asked for money.The home invaders then ransacked the house and took clothing and other items as they fled on foot.

The homeowner suffered a deep cut to his forehead and to his right and left hands. He was rushed to Halifax Health Medical Center. The stepson was treated at the scene

Check first, be safe later

2009-09-19T06:33:00.000-07:00

http://www.witness.co.za/index.php?showcontent&global%5B_id%5D=28218

THE full horror of what can go wrong when people spend fortunes on personal security — and then employ strangers off the street to work in their homes, was brought home this week when the gardener of up-market Sandown Retirement Village in Pinetown appeared in court charged with the murder of 87-year-old Sheila Hesk in August.

Hesk, a wheelchair-bound widow was bound hand and foot, beaten and tortured to death — allegedly by Sphamandla Cele and his friend Ayanda Mthembu.

Cele was employed by the management of Hesk’s retirement village even though he had an extensive criminal record, including convictions for burglary and assault. Arrested last week while on the run in KwaDabheka west of Durban, Cele is said to have admitted to murdering Hesk — but showed no remorse at all. Cele and Mthembu appeared in court earlier this week and were remanded into police custody until September 22.

The murder of Hesk, inside a secure retirement home, shocked Durban. Sandown’s own website boasts: “The level of security at Sandown Village should give you added comfort too. The entire property is walled and there are security officers on patrol at night, which means [that] you can feel totally confident of your home’s security when you go on holiday.”

Since Hesk was found near naked, bruised and bloodied, speculation has been rife as to the identity of her attackers. However, the SAPS have been hunting for Cele since minutes after being called to the scene of Hesk’s murder.

On August 26, Hesk’s body was found by the Sandown estate manager Mike Roberts. Neighbours of the wheelchair-bound woman had heard noises from her flat during the night but they had not been alarmed. However, when her door remained closed the following morning they alerted Roberts.

Hesk’s flat had been ransacked. However, a small safe remained unopened and had clearly resisted attempts to force it off the wall. It is suspected that Hesk could not remember how to open the safe and so, convinced that she was holding out on them, her attackers tortured her to death by repeatedly stabbing and punching and kicking her.

'Coward' raider gets 10 years

2009-09-19T06:28:00.000-07:00

http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/39Coward39-raider-gets-10-years.5662256.jp

By Richard Blackledge

A ROBBER who attacked two vulnerable women in their homes to feed his gambling habit has been jailed for 10 years for his "despicable" crimes.

Posing as a policeman and an electrician, Martin Cliff, 24, of Shearman Avenue, Kimberworth, Rotherham, conned his way into the women's homes and stole cash and credit cards.He even tore a wedding ring from the finger of one of his victims, Sheffield Crown Court said.

The first victim, Paula Murphy, 34, was wheelchair bound and suffered from spina bifida, while the second woman, Nora Quail, was 82.

Cliff, who lived near both women, approached Ms Murphy's home in Kimberworth a number of times before robbing her on March 30. Posing as a police officer he buzzed her intercom and when she opened the front door, Cliff forced his way in and pushed his terrified victim to the floor in her wheelchair.

Ms Murphy managed to push her panic button but Cliff cancelled the alarm, and ran through her house threatening to kill her before making off with her bag, cash and credit cards.

Ian Goldsack, prosecuting, said on his arrest Cliff had told the police they were "out of order" for suggesting he'd committed the crime.

Speaking about Ms Murphy he said: "The incident has had a significant effect on her, and she is now scared of being in her own home where she should feel safe."She says the attack is "constantly on her mind", and often cries and feels emotional. She sleeps in her wheelchair all night because she is afraid to go to bed, and has suffered a blood clot in her leg as a result of spending more time in her chair."

Disabled man arred and feathered after 'vigilante kidnap'

2009-09-19T06:26:00.000-07:00

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2009/09/19/tarred-and-feathered-115875-21684833/

A disabled man was tarred and feathered, beaten and tied to a tree half-naked after being snatched at gunpoint.

Alan Topping, 26, says the attack was carried out by vigilantes who wrongly believed he had burgled a house.

Mr Topping, of Bartley Green, Birmingham, where the assault happened, said: "I was terrified and humiliated."

Jobless Mr Topping is registered disabled after suffering a series of strokes.
Paul Clews, 63, of Bartley Green, has been charged with kidnap and unlawful wounding with intent.

Phila. man charged in rape of disabled shopper

2009-09-12T06:23:00.000-07:00

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/pennsylvania/20090912_Phila__man_charged_in_rape_of_disabled_shopper.html

Phila. man charged in rape of disabled shopper.

A Philadelphia man was arraigned yesterday on charges of rape and sexual assault in connection with an attack on a disabled man at the Paoli Acme last month, Tredyffrin Township police said.
Bryan Parks, 54, was apprehended about 2 a.m. by Philadelphia officers at a homeless shelter. Tredyffrin police had distributed a composite sketch and video surveillance photo of the suspect after the 41-year-old victim came forward on Sept. 3, police said.

According to the criminal complaint, the victim, who had gone shopping with his caretaker on Aug. 8, encountered Parks in the men's room. Parks pulled the victim's wheelchair into a stall and threw the victim to the floor to assault him, the complaint said.

The victim told police he was "too embarrassed" to tell his female caretaker about the attack right away. Parks was remanded to Chester County Prison after failing to post $250,000 cash bail, police said. - Kathleen Brady Shea

Police: Male Suspect Raped Wheelchair-Bound Man

2009-09-11T06:05:00.000-07:00

http://cbs3.com/topstories/indecent.assault.tredyffrin.2.1175260.html

Investigators in Chester County say they apprehended a suspect who allegedly raped a wheelchair-bound man in a supermarket bathroom.

Investigators said they arrested suspect Brian Parks Thursday evening at a Center City homeless shelter in connection to the August 8 incident.

According to investigators, the 54-year-old Parks stands accused of raping a man who was confined to a wheelchair inside the bathroom of a Paoli ACME."We feel totally comfortable that this is the individual who is responsible for the heinous crime at the ACME," Sgt. Jack Bailey of the Tredyffrin Police Department explained.

Investigators said Parks allegedly locked his victim in a bathroom stall during the assault.According to an arrest warrant, Parks "pulled his wheelchair backwards … forcefully remove the victim … and throw him to the floor."

While being led into a police cruiser with a sweatshirt over his head, Parks said to reporters: "Find yourself some real crime to deal with."Investigators said Parks has an arrest record that spans through several states.He is being at the Chester County Prison in lieu of $225,000 bail.

Angela Simpson Murders Terry Neely For Fun

2009-08-22T18:35:00.000-07:00

http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/world/angela-simpson-murders-terry-neely-for-fun_100236415.html

A Phoenix native has been facing allegations of torturing and murdering a man helplessly bound to a wheelchair. Angela Simpson on Tuesday confessed to her crime, shouldering responsibility of having inhumanely killed Terry Neely, whom she called nasty. She said she took delight in finishing him off.

Television station KTVK, in an interview with the 33 year old Angela Simpson, recorded a candid acceptance from the murderer who said she tempted a 46-year old Terry Neely to have sex with her and guided him to her apartment. She even promised the man some drugs, she said. Once Neely reached her home she allegedly beat him with a tire iron, plucking out several of his teeth and finally strangled the man with a t.v. cable, after 3 days of persistent torture. She said the experience was gratifying as the man was a snitch.

After Neely died she tried to get rid of him by burning his body. The mutilated remains were traced in a trash container outside church premises on August 5th, and Phoenix police spokesman Luis Samudio said that the body had burnt to such an extent that Neely’s gender could not be determined and only after the body parts were recovered by firefighters that it was identified via his fingerprints.

Angela Simpson behaved brutally indifferent and callous to the seriousness of her crime even asking investigators to give her a candy bar in return for her nonchalant disclosure.
Investigators are “shocked at the casualness” of her monstrosity. Autopsy results revealed that Simpson had even hammered a 3-inch nail into the head of Neely!

paralyzed brother doused with gas and set afire

2009-08-22T16:20:00.000-07:00

http://compassdirect.org/en/display.php?page=news&lang=en&length=long&idelement=6076

It was the darkest night of my life,” recalled 45-year-old Ravinder Nath Pradhan, who a year ago saw his house and paralyzed brother doused with gas and set afire by a fanatical mob. Since then, Pradhan told IANS, justice is “nowhere near.” On Aug. 24, 2008, some 500 people attacked his village and destroyed his house.

“Within moments they flung petrol on my wheelchair-bound younger brother and torched him,” Pradhan, a retired soldier from Gadragaon village, told IANS. “We fled for our lives.”

Disabled man assaulted for cans of beer

2009-08-18T16:23:00.000-07:00

http://www.chad.co.uk/news/Disabled-man-assaulted-for-cans.5564924.jp

A 20-YEAR-OLD man suffering from cerebral palsy was attacked by two offenders after buying beer in a Forest Town shop.
The victim was knocked to the floor by the men after they demanded the cans of beer he had bought from a shop on Clipstone Road West.

When he refused to hand them over, he was kicked to the floor and the men grabbed the cans and ran off.

Drunken plasterer lashes out at man in wheelchair

2009-08-12T12:07:00.000-07:00

http://www.bromleytimes.co.uk/content/bromley/times/news/story.aspx?brand=BMLYTOnline&category=news&tBrand=northlondon24&tCategory=newsbmlyt&itemid=WeED12%20Aug%202009%2015%3A34%3A05%3A930

A PLASTERER tanked up on vodka and brandy went 'berserk' and attacked a wheelchair-bound man, a court heard.Michael Butler, 40, of Jacob Court, Spencer Road, Bromley, admitted hitting Steven Sadler, 31, twice in the face leaving him semi-conscious on August 30 last year.Croydon Crown Court heard on Monday that Butler attacked Mr Sadler following an incident involving a 57-year-old woman.

He pleaded guilty to common assault and criminal damage and was ordered by Judge Simon Pratt to pay £750 costs to Mr Sadler, who also lives in Jacob Court.Prosecuting, Michael Hogston said a charge of indecently assaulting the woman would not be proceeded with as she died on August 5 this year of a heart attack.Butler had also faced an allegation of indecent exposure but this, too, was dropped through lack of evidence.When arrested, Butler said he had been drinking vodka and brandy on that day and had no clear recollection of what had happened.

Defending, Emlyn Jones said Butler had not been coping well with the pressures of life and it was drink that had led to these offences.Judge Pratt told Butler: "You behaved disgracefully. You were quite out of it, and the statements I have seen make rather bizarre reading. Your denial to the police of doing anything wrong did you no credit."

After the hearing, Mr Sadler, who is paralysed from the waist down, recalled that hectic day outside the flats. He said that Butler came up to him and said he had cancer and he wanted his wheelchair.He added: "He got very aggressive. A neighbour intervened and got him upstairs but he came back down. He came up to and clawed my face."There followed a tussle near the patio door of Mr. Sadler's flats, during which he was struck again. He was nearly thrown out of his chair and he hit his head on a sofa, causing some concussion.

Woman in wheelchair assaulted

2009-08-11T12:15:00.000-07:00

http://www.abc4.com/content/news/state/story/Woman-in-wheelchair-assaulted/IFJKKWa1AE6cx8OfulRfag.cspx

PARK CITY, Utah (ABC 4 News) - Police are trying to find a man who assaulted a woman in a wheelchair in July.On July 11th, the wheelchair bound 25-year-old woman from the Salt Lake Valley was at a club on Main Street with some friends. She met a man there and at 2:00 in the morning, they left the club on Main Street together. He was apparently escorting her back to her hotel. They left Main Street and entered the Poison Creek Path. When he came across a grassy patch he threw her onto the ground and sexually assaulted her.

The woman must have passed out because she remembered nothing until the sprinklers came on around 4:00 am. She struggled into her wheel chair and went back up the trail to call for help.Her description of the attacker was only that he was about her age, tall and fit with curly brown hair and an accent. It wasn’t Italian or Spanish, but she called it a European accent.Captain Nick Ryan said, "He is a predator - a particularly dangerous predator to commit this type of crime."

Captain Ryan said the victim remembered little about the night, perhaps because of the trauma or perhaps because she was slipped a drug in a drink."She has a time period where she just does not recall,” Ryan said. “Some of the events of the night which would be consistent with the possibility of being drugged."So far Captain Ryan said all their leads have run into dead ends. Anyone who can help catch this predator is asked to call the Park City Police Department 435-615-5500.

Crime news in brief: Man in wheelchair knocked unconscious in street attack

2009-08-11T12:12:00.000-07:00

http://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/news/Crime-news-in-brief-Man.5540826.jp

Published Date: 11 August 2009
A wheelchair-bound man was punched so hard that he fell onto the ground and was knocked unconscious. His attacker also spat at him.

The 25-year-old victim had become separated from his wife and stopped a member of the public in Mercers Row in Northampton town centre to ask if they had seen her. The offender then spat at the victim and they had a brief conversation before the
offender then punched the victim, who fell out of his wheelchair. The assault took place between 1am and 2.30am on Sunday.

Teacher Quits; Attacked Wheelchair Bound Usher at Busch Stadium

2009-08-11T12:10:00.000-07:00

http://www.lineofduty.com/content/view/104033/108/

A teacher at St. Margaret of Scotland School has resigned after being charged with assaulting a Busch Stadium usher who was in a wheelchair, authorities said. Bridget Matarazzi, 25, of the 6500 block of Bradley Avenue, was charged with third-degree assault for allegedly trying to push the usher from his wheelchair when he approached her at a game on Saturday evening to talk to her about her drunkenness, police said.

She had taught social studies and language arts to students in the sixth, seventh and eighth grades for the Catholic school, a statement from the Archdiocese of St. Louis said. Laura McClure, 25, who lives in the 200 block of Green Falls Drive in Fenton, also was involved in the incident Saturday and allegedly repeatedly hit a stadium alcohol compliance manager who also was there.

New London man gets 15 years for rape of disabled woman

2009-08-07T14:04:00.000-07:00

http://www.postcrescent.com/article/20090807/APC0101/908070481/1979

APPLETON — A New London man who raped a disabled woman has been sentenced to prison.
triggerAd(1,PaginationPage,9);
Outagamie County Judge Mitch Metropulos on Thursday sentenced Eliseo Corona Vargas, 51, to 15 years in prison and 10 years extended supervision for the June 7, 2008, attack in a New London apartment.
Police said Vargas broke into the 37-year-old woman's apartment while she was sleeping and assaulted her.

She activated her medical alert pendant that puts out an automated call through her speakerphone and screamed "Someone is raping me."
The medical alert vendor called police who followed a bloody trail to a nearby apartment and arrested Vargas. The two were not acquainted.

New London man gets 15 years for rape of disabled woman

2009-08-07T12:53:00.000-07:00

http://www.postcrescent.com/article/20090807/APC0101/908070481/1979

APPLETON — A New London man who raped a disabled woman has been sentenced to prison.
triggerAd(1,PaginationPage,9);
Outagamie County Judge Mitch Metropulos on Thursday sentenced Eliseo Corona Vargas, 51, to 15 years in prison and 10 years extended supervision for the June 7, 2008, attack in a New London apartment.
Police said Vargas broke into the 37-year-old woman's apartment while she was sleeping and assaulted her.
She activated her medical alert pendant that puts out an automated call through her speakerphone and screamed "Someone is raping me."
The medical alert vendor called police who followed a bloody trail to a nearby apartment and arrested Vargas. The two were not acquainted.

Police hunt man who sexually assaulted disabled woman

2009-07-31T14:07:00.000-07:00

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/police-hunt-man-who-sexually-assaulted-disabled-woman-20090731-e3i3.html

Police are searching for a man who sexually assaulted an intellectually disabled woman at an Ipswich house.
The offender assaulted the 24-year-old disabled woman at a Collingwood Park property late last week, but ran from the home after being confronted by the woman's father, police said.
Officers want to speak to anyone who has information about the man, described as Caucasian, about 35 to 40 years old, 185cm tall with an average build and shaved brown hair.
The incident occurred about 9.20pm on July 23

Deputies: Robber Beats Disabled Man

2009-07-31T11:43:00.000-07:00

http://www.news4jax.com/news/20240569/detail.html

POSTED: Friday, July 31, 2009
UPDATED: 10:30 pm EDT July 31, 2009

Clay County Sheriff's Office booking photo of Mark Orbe
CLAY COUNTY, Fla. -- Hours after a man in a wheelchair was beaten during the robbery of his Middleburg home, deputies arrested a Green Cove Springs man and charged him with home invasion.

Clay County deputies said Mark Orbe, 38, of Green Cove Springs, burst into a home on Green Meadows Drive about 6 p.m. Thursday, dumped Danny Becony out of his wheelchair, punched him in the face with his fist and kicked him.

According to the arrest report, Orbe demanded Becony's pills and left with prescription bottles, credit cards, cash, a checkbook and a $1,000 money order.
"He was probably scoping my house out for a little while," Becony said. "Next thing I know, somebody's grabbing me around the neck and pulling me out of my wheelchair, put me on the floor and started beating me and kicking me."

After the attacker left in a red Camaro, Becony crawled to the phone and called 911. He was transported to Orange Park Medical Center for treatment.
"He kept on saying, I'm going to kill you, I'm going to kill you," Becony said.

Bashed blind man speaks out about attack

2009-07-30T14:08:00.000-07:00

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/843810/bashed-blind-man-speaks-out-about-attack

A blind man who had his jaw broken after being bashed in Brisbane's CBD has spoken about his brutal attack.
Glenn Trapnell, 41, was minding his own business when he heard a girl's scream from the public toilets near the corner of Queen and Albert Streets in the city at about 5pm on Tuesday afternoon.
The visually-impaired man said thought a girl was being raped and all he could remember from the incident was waking up in hospital.

"I walked in and heard a lady screaming in the toilet, my cousin said 'is everything alright in there?', and then the next thing you know the door flew open and I don't remember anything else," Mr Trapnell told Nine News.

"There was a man and a lady in there (the toilet).
"A big fella came out and apparently hit me and my cousin said 'don't hit him he can't see', and he stood in the way and then the guy beat my cousin up."

Kevin Paisa, an 18-year-old from Kingston in Brisbane's south, has been charged over the attack which left Mr Trapnell with a broken jaw and lacerations, and his cousin Nathan Reith, 30, with a broken jaw.

Mr Paisa faced Brisbane Magistrates Court yesterday charged with two counts of grievous bodily harm, but he was granted bail when his case was adjourned to August 19, on the proviso he did not enter Brisbane's Queens Street Mall.

Mr Trapnell, who is a drummer for the band Bore Water, said it was lucky another acquaintance in a wheelchair was not there at the time he was supposed to be.
"If he was with us they would have just smashed him," he said.
"Anybody who goes to the toilet should be able to go to the toilet without being picked on."

Woman Beaten With Her Crutches

2009-07-24T14:12:00.000-07:00

http://www.wsmv.com/news/20168916/detail.html

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Detectives are trying to find the person who beat a woman with her own crutches and then tried to steal her purse -- all in broad daylight.
Related: Watch This Story
"He stole my identity," said Cheryl Granville. "He stole everything that I owned. He stole everything I owned that was in there, and there was no money."
The would-be robber got away with no money, but he robbed Granville of her trust in the east Nashville neighborhood that she loves

attacked two disabled men

2009-07-13T14:16:00.000-07:00

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/2588477/Disabled-men-attacked-in-Blenheim

Police are hunting a gang of men and youths, some as young as 12, who attacked two disabled men in central Blenheim, pulling one off his mobility scooter and throwing the other into the Taylor River.
The attack by a group of youths, some believed to be as young as 12, took place at 11pm Friday on the Taylor River bank near the Sinclair St bridge.
The victims, one in his 40s and the other in his early 20s, needed treatment at Wairau Hospital for cuts to the head, Blenheim police said. They have since been discharged.

Mugger: Police scan CCTV to identify suspect

2009-07-11T14:23:00.000-07:00

http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/topstories/Mugger-Police-scan-CCTV-to.5450999.jp

DETECTIVES are hunting a violent robber who attacked a disabled woman and beat her as she lay on the ground, just yards from her city home.
The 36-year-old victim, who asked not to be named, suffered cuts and bruises to her face and body in the early-morning assault.Police today described the woman, who has Huntington's disease, a degenerative condition affecting the central nervous system, as "very vulnerable". Detectives said she had been "badly traumatised" by her ordeal, which took place just minutes after she withdrew money from a cash machine near her house in Restalrig.The frail victim, who is now scared to leave her home, had walked to the Gulf garage on Restalrig Road South to use its cash machine and was attacked from behind as she headed back. The mugger, branded "depraved" by local councillor Ewan Aitken, knocked her to the ground then continued to strike her as she lay defenceless, causing her further injury

ATTACK ON BLIND WOMAN: POLICE PROBE BUS INCIDENT

2009-07-09T15:56:00.000-07:00

http://www.bayofplentytimes.co.nz/local/news/attack-on-blind-woman-police-probe-bus-incident/3901146/

As police investigate the bashing of a blind woman on a Tauranga bus, the blind community has condemned the attack as "inexcusable".
The 36-year-old victim was attacked on the Bay Hopper bus after boarding at Wharf St to get home to Greerton last Thursday.
As she sat down and pulled her guide dog from the aisle to lie him on the floor, a woman passenger who had also just boarded the bus started yelling at her to get out the way.
She then pushed past the blind woman and elbowed her in the right temple. The attacker's friend also pushed past and they carried on to a seat.
Chairman of the Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind's Tauranga Community Committee, John Davis, said the attack was the worst he had heard of in more than a decade working with blind people.
"It's inexcusable really. If they have a white stick or a guide dog, it's apparent that they (are blind).
"A lot more tolerance is needed, not only for people who are blind but anyone who has a disability."
The victim, who did not want to be named, was too shaken by the incident to tell police until the next morning.

Jail for man who strangled partner and attacked passer-by with ice pick

2009-07-09T06:18:00.000-07:00

http://www.eveningnews24.co.uk/content/News/story.aspx?brand=ENOnline&category=News&tBrand=enonline&tCategory=news&itemid=NOED08%20Sep%202009%2015%3A25%3A48%3A570

A man who strangled his wheelchair-bound partner and then tried to attack a member of the public with an ice-pick has been sent to prison.

Scott Taylor, 38, of Throckmorton Yard, Norwich, pleaded guilty to battery and affray after drunkenly strangling his partner, who has multiple sclerosis, during a heated argument.After the assault on June 8 this year, Taylor went outside, where he became involved in an altercation with two men, and picked up a wooden-handled metal ice-pick to threaten them with.

At Norwich Crown Court, Doug Mackay, prosecuting, described Mr Taylor's treatment of his partner, which included calling her “fat and worthless”, pushing her around and squeezing her throat until she thought she was going to die.He said: “For the last five years Mr Taylor's partner has had to put up with his moods, as he was constantly drunk. He said no-one would ever want her, and grabbed the handles of her wheelchair, pushed her into the bedroom and squeezed her throat so hard she could hardly speak.”

Shapleigh man arrested in home invasion drama

2009-07-09T06:10:00.000-07:00

http://blog.intheregister.com/2009/07/09/shapleigh-man-arrested-in-home-invasion-drama-july-10-2009.aspx

By David Harry
Staff Writer
A Shapleigh resident is among two people arrested last week and charged for allegedly stealing cash and prescription drugs from a West Newfield man late last month.

Chief Deputy Matthew Baker of the York County Sheriff’s Office said James Mascetta, 53, of Shapleigh, was charged with Class A felony robbery and unlawful drug trafficking.
His alleged accomplice in the invasion of the home of a 61-year-old man who is confined to a wheelchair is Newfield resident Angela Caton, 33. Caton has been charged with Class A felony robbery.

Mascetta and Caton are free on bail from the York County Jail in Alfred, Baker said. The two have not been indicted and a court date has not been scheduled.
Baker said a large amount of prescription medications and a “military-style assault rifle” believed to have been used in the home invasion were seized from Mascetta’s home during the investigation.

Mascetta and Caton are alleged to have broken into the home in the Rock Haven Lake area of town at about 3 p.m. on June 10, Baker said.
The area is near the New Hampshire border off Route 110.
Baker said the victim had just returned from running errands and was confronted by two assailants wearing black clothing and masks. One wore a black trench coat, the victim told sheriff’s deputies.

The victim said he was forced into his bathroom before the assailants stole prescription pain medications and cash and fled in a white sedan described as “beat up” with a “loud exhaust.”
The victim was not injured in the attack and robbery, which Baker said was not random.

Man Arrested In Disabled Sex Assault

2009-06-30T16:01:00.000-07:00

http://www.ksat.com/news/19902285/detail.html

SAN ANTONIO -- A 46-year-old homeless man was arrested Monday night in the sexual assault of a female disabled woman.
According to an arrest warrant, Guadalupe Esparza attacked and assaulted the victim in a downtown alley Feb. 23.

The woman, who has Huntington's Chorea disease, a neurodegenerative disorder, went to a Denny's restaurant at the intersection of Commerce Street and Bowie to get help.
DNA samples were taken from Esparza and he was arrested.
He is being held in the Bexar County Jail on a $75,000 bond

Disabled man assaulted and robbed by two men

2009-06-28T13:24:00.000-07:00

http://www1.wsvn.com/news/articles/local/MI121327/

NORTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, Fla. (WSVN) -- Miami-Dade Police said a disabled man was entering a parking lot when two male suspects took turns beating and robbing him while he was down.

On May 8, surveillance video captured 66-year-old Celedono Carrera riding his motorized wheelchair through the parking lot of his apartment complex when a young man ran up behind him. "He threw me from the wheelchair, and I fell to the floor. I punched him here, and I busted his lip, and I began fighting with him," said Carrera, a retired truck driver who has had several strokes and a heart attack.

The young man punched and kicked Carrera multiple times before another assailant showed up right after. Police believe the two robbers got away with his chain and medallion.

Carrera sustained injuries to his arm and back. He believes the men targeted him after he visited a friend at the University of Miami hospital and followed him on the Metrorail back to his home in the Ward Towers on Northwest 53rd Street. "They're there watching the elderly and those who are handicap to rob them," said Carrera.

Fired caretaker stabs man, attacks woman with frying pan

2009-06-25T13:16:00.000-07:00

http://www.abc15.com/content/news/phoenixmetro/south/story/PD-Fired-caretaker-stabs-man-attacks-woman-with/B7SeVN3Y8kmoIwKQXUur_A.cspx

PHOENIX -- Police say a caretaker who was being fired attacked a disabled man and his wife at their Phoenix home Wednesday.

According to Phoenix Police Sgt. Tommy Thompson, 46-year-old Benny Peralta had been hired to take care of a 62-year-old man at his home near 4th Street and Broadway.

On Wednesday afternoon, the man's wife was in the process of firing Peralta when he became upset.

He reportedly grabbed a dog from the man, who was sitting in a wheelchair, and threw the dog against the wall.

Peralta then grabbed the man from his wheelchair and stabbed him several times with a kitchen knife while he was on the ground, according to Thompson.

He said that when the man's 56-year-old wife tried to intervene, Peralta struck her in the head with a frying pan.

Peralta then took money from the woman and fled.

Man charged over disabled woman attack

2009-06-24T13:18:00.000-07:00

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/06/24/2607193.htm

A man, 51, is to face charges of aggravated assault for allegedly attacking a wheelchair-bound woman in Adelaide's western suburbs.

The woman, 24, had been waiting for a train at Seaton Park railway station last month when the attack happened.

$2 million bond for man accused of assaulting disabled woman

2009-06-19T13:19:00.000-07:00

http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=301487&src=2

A Lombard man was ordered held Thursday on a $2 million bond after authorities accused him of molesting a mentally challenged woman despite a protective order barring him from contact.

Disabled woman victim of washing up liquid attack in Barrow street

2009-06-17T13:22:00.000-07:00

http://www.nwemail.co.uk/news/barrow/disabled_woman_victim_of_washing_up_liquid_attack_in_barrow_street_1_569186?referrerPath=sport/

A DISABLED woman was squirted with washing up liquid and had an egg hurled at her in a random attack.

Police have described it as a nasty assault on a vulnerable member of the public.

They are appealing for the public’s help in tracking down the callous pair who carried out the unprovoked attack.

Detectives say the woman was heading along Cambridge Street, Barrow, about 9.15pm on Monday when a black car came to a sudden halt next to her.

A man in his 20s leapt out and squirted Fairy Liquid in the woman’s hair and all over her scooter before jumping back in the car.

His female accomplice then hurled an egg but it narrowly missed the already frightened woman. The pair then sped off at high speed from the scene.

Deputies: Woman Attacked Disabled Mother

2009-06-17T13:20:00.000-07:00

http://www.foxcarolina.com/news/19777049/detail.html

ROEBUCK, S.C. -- Deputies say that a Roebuck woman attacked her 66-year-old disabled mother and then stole a car.

The incident allegedly happened at 312 Haystack Hill at about 12:30 a.m. Wednesday.

Deputies said they received a call about a fight at the home. They said that when they arrived they found 66-year-old Brenda Hawkins had been assaulted by her 39-year-old daughter, Renee Hawkins.

Investigators said that Renee Hawkins shoved her mother to the floor and then began hitting and kicking her in the chest. They said Hawkins then stole her mother’s purse, telephones and a 2004 Chevy Suburban.

Northfield man sentenced for beating disabled man

2009-06-15T13:27:00.000-07:00

http://kstp.com/news/stories/S978737.shtml?cat=206

A Northfield man was sentenced Monday for twice kidnapping and beating a developmentally disabled man from Lakeville in October.

A judge sentenced John Maxwell Maniglia, 20, to eight years for the attack on Justin Hamilton, 24. Maniglia must serve more than five years in prison and more than two years on supervised release. He must also register as a predatory offender.

The sentence was double the usual punishment due to what the judge called the unusual cruelty of the acts.

Disabled man assaulted and robbed by two men

2009-05-21T10:27:00.000-07:00

http://www1.wsvn.com/news/articles/local/MI121327/

Video: Disabled man assaulted; possessions stolen
NORTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, Fla. (WSVN) -- Miami-Dade Police said a disabled man was entering a parking lot when two male suspects took turns beating and robbing him while he was down.

On May 8, surveillance video captured 66-year-old Seledonio Carrera riding his motorized wheelchair through the parking lot of his apartment complex when a young man ran up behind him. "He threw me from the wheelchair, and I fell to the floor. I punched him here, and I busted his lip, and I began fighting with him," said Carrera, a retired truck driver who has had several strokes and a heart attack.

The young man punched and kicked Carrera multiple times before another assailant showed up right after. Police believe the two robbers got away with his chain and medallion.
Carrera sustained injuries to his arm and back. He believes the men targeted him after he visited a friend at the University of Miami hospital and followed him on the Metrorail back to his home in the Ward Towers on Northwest 53rd Street. "They're there watching the elderly and those who are handicap to rob them," said Carrera.

'Sickos who stole my wheelchair are just scumbags!'

2009-05-20T10:25:00.000-07:00

http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/topstories/39Sickos-who-stole-my-wheelchair.5283684.jp

Published Date: 20 May 2009
By LAURA CUMMINGS

A MAN who had his legs amputated after being beaten, burnt and left for dead in a brutal attack has had his specialist wheelchair stolen while in London to audition for a TV role.

Edinburgh-born Ian Colquhoun was left disabled after the horrific assault, which saw him attacked with a pick-axe handle and set on fire in a raid on his former home in Ireland in December 2002.

Now a successful author and actor, Mr Colquhoun had just finished an audition for the part of a concerned relative of a cancer patient in an episode of Doctors at the BBC television centre in London's White City last month, when three men – thought to be in their late-teens or early-20s – made off with his wheelchair.

The 31-year-old from Blackford described how the chair came to be stolen: "I was sitting at a picnic table outside the television centre in the afternoon. I had my prosthetic legs on and I had left my wheelchair on the grass no more than 12-15 yards behind where I was sitting. "I was having an informal chat with the producer and assistant about the possibility of appearing on a Horizon programme about stem cell research.

I even joked with them that nobody would steal my wheelchair."It happened in the blink of an eye – I had my back to the three men who took it. We clocked that it had vanished and the producer chased after them."The thieves were caught doing stunts on the black Invacare Zipper 2 – which is worth around £300 – on CCTV but police never managed to find the culprits or the wheelchair, and the case has now been closed. The wheelchair is different from usual models as the wheels are set further back, where most of the weight is carried.

Man arrested for robberies in Old Louisville has long criminal history

2009-05-18T13:31:00.000-07:00

http://www.whas11.com/news/local/stories/whas11_localnews_090518_OldLouisvilleArrest.180bcaeb.html

(WHAS11) -An arrest was made Monday in connection with what police are describing as a rash of robberies.

It involves elderly victims in the Old Louisville neighborhood.

In looking at the arrest documents released Monday, we've discovered that these crimes were even more brutal than we originally thought.

Terrence Johnson
An elderly woman was literally pulled out of her wheelchair, thrown on a bed and assaulted.

Lorain County man uses life alert necklace to call for help when attacked

2009-05-07T07:07:00.000-07:00

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2009/05/wheelchairbound_man_uses_life.html

Lorain County man uses life alert necklace to call for help when attacked
Posted by Michael Sangiacomo/Plain Dealer Reporter May 07, 2009 14:16PM
Categories: Breaking News, Crime

Lorain County JailMichael UnwinSHEFFIELD TOWNSHIP - A man used a life alert necklace to call for help when a burglar broke into his home and assaulted him. Michael Williams, 52, was in his apartment on Lincoln Road Tuesday night when two burglars forced their way inside through a window.

Lorain County Sheriff Deputies said Williams told them he was watching television when the intruders crawled through his window.He said the men knocked him out of his wheelchair, which he has used since a stroke, and stole $600 and his ATM card.
Police said it appears one of the attackers used a ceramic dish to hit the victim on the head, which accounted for the bleeding gash on his forehead.

At some point during the assault, Williams was able to activate his life alert necklace which alerted EMS. They called police. The intruders were gone when police arrived.
Williams was treated at Community Health Partners for the cut forehead and bruises on his arms, legs and face. Investigators focused on the friend of the victim's son, who had been in the apartment in the past.

Disabled man attacked in his wheelchair

2009-04-17T07:02:00.000-07:00

Disabled man attacked in his wheelchair on Lord Street, Southport

http://www.southportvisiter.co.uk/southport-news/southport-southport-news/2009/04/17/disabled-man-attacked-in-his-wheelchair-on-lord-street-southport-101022-23403521/

James Jones
A WHEELCHAIR-BOUND man was attacked by a drunken woman on Lord Street.
Now police are urging Visiter readers to help them try and arrest the female thug, who launched a mindless attack on the defenceless former Royal Navy officer.
The girl in her early 20s tried to leap into 51-year-old James Jones’ lap as he made his way home after watching Liverpool FC.
James, confined to a wheelchair after breaking his neck while serving in navy, said: “She tried to jump onto my knee, and put her arms out, so I tried to go around her.
“Because she was standing still she swung me round into the post - the metal stantion.
“I shouted, ‘Oi what are you doing?’ and she started effing and jeffing at me.”
The woman, who appeared to have been drinking heavily, was then restrained by her boyfriend.
James said: “He had her by the arms, but she still tried to take a swipe at my face.
“My leg and arm were cut and the footplate of my chair was broken off when I hit the post.
“Her boyfriend told me to ‘do one’, but I couldn’t leave because my footplate was on the floor.”
The pair then made off and eventually a passerby helped James by picking up his footplate for him.
“I trundled home very slowly with one foot dragging on the floor,” James said.

Man accused of attacking, forcing way into home of disabled woman

2009-04-15T06:59:00.000-07:00

http://www.standard.net/live/news/169837

Man accused of attacking, forcing way into home of disabled womanBy KRISTINE SHAWKEY
OGDEN -- A man has been charged with aggravated sexual assault and burglary after police said he attacked a disabled woman after forcing his way into her home.

Michael James Vantress, 26, was prowling near the area of 30th Street and Van Buren Avenue when he followed a 35-year-old woman from the laundry room of her apartment complex to her home sometime before midnight March 20, Ogden Police Detective Tim Scott said.
Vantress pushed his way into the home, where he took money from the woman's purse, broke her phone and forced her down and sexually assaulted her, Scott said.
The woman, described as having physical and mental disabilities that limit her speech and physical ability, was not able to get help immediately following the situation.

Neighbors, family and apartment management told police of the incident.
"This is something where this victim's speech ability is very diminished and she doesn't have the ability to resist or call for help," Scott said.
"The suspect disabled and broke the phone so she had no means to escape. (She) was essentially trapped in the apartment with no physical ability or mental ability to call for help and plan a form of escape."

Scott said this was a difficult case because of the serious charges and the struggle to get information from the woman because of her speech disability. And because the woman didn't know the suspect, that made identifying him even harder.

"The case was made more difficult because he was a stranger to her, but she was able to communicate well enough to help us identify the suspect," Scott said.
Vantress has a history of burglary, which is why police believe he entered the woman's home.
Police say they believe the sexual assault was a crime of opportunity.

"She was going about her daily routine," Scott said, "and then the suspect targeted her and took advantage of her mental and physical ability, knowing the victim didn't have the ability to resist or call for the help."

Cops: Handicapped Woman Attacked At Bus Stop

2009-04-09T07:05:00.000-07:00

http://www.wcpo.com/content/news/neighborhoods/corryville/story/Cops-Handicapped-Woman-Attacked-At-Bus-Stop/XzGcSc15MkS0Kd6ZzykyOg.cspx?rss=711

Reported by: Lance Barry Email: lance.barry@wcpo.com Last Update: 4/09 7:44 am

(9News) A woman who suffers from Multiple Sclerosis was allegedly attacked by a man at a bus stop outside a local hospital late Wednesday night.It's a story you saw first on 9News.It happened at a bus stop on Goodman Street near the University of Cincinnati Hospital's emergency room entrance around 10:30 p.m.UC Police say the woman was standing at the stop when, for some reason, 26-year-old Lonell Wynn physically assaulted her and took the cane she depends on. Wynn's actions caused the woman to fall, police say.Wynn, from Winton Terrace, then allegedly threw the cane and the woman's cell phone, breaking both.

Vulnerable Amble couple attacked by armed robber

2009-04-02T10:30:00.000-07:00

http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-news/todays-news/2009/04/01/vulnerable-amble-couple-attacked-by-armed-robber-61634-23280523/

A HAMMER-wielding robber attacked a disabled man and his wife.

The woman, 52, was helping her wheelchair bound husband, 68, from their car into their home on Amble’s Gloster Park estate when the attacker struck at 10.12pm on Monday.

The man approached the couple and demanded money from them.

He then entered the house and assaulted the woman with what police believe to be a hammer.

The man stole a mobile phone, a cordless phone and a small amount of cash. The woman suffered facial injuries and bruising to her arms and body.

Her husband was knocked from his wheelchair during the attack, but escaped injury. The robber fled towards Amble cemetery, behind the couple’s home.

Sergey Protazanov, a newspaper worker for the opposition Grazhdanskoe Soglasie newspaper in the Moscow suburb of Khimki, died Monday in his home

2009-04-02T10:26:00.000-07:00

Sergey Protazanov, a newspaper worker for the opposition Grazhdanskoe Soglasie newspaper in the Moscow suburb of Khimki, died Monday in his home. According to colleagues and friends, he was violently attacked the day before, the Gazeta.ru online newspaper reports. Police, meanwhile, blamed Protazanov’s death on either poisoning or overdose.

“He died after a brutal attack which took place during the weekend,” said Alla Chernysheva, an activist leader in a local environmental movement. According to Chernysheva, Protazanov was attacked from behind and hit in the head, knocked to the ground, and kicked repeatedly. Protazanov, who is disabled, was then hospitalized and released the next day.

Wheelchair-bound man attacked with frying pan

2009-03-23T10:35:00.000-07:00

http://www.abcactionnews.com/news/local/story/Wheelchair-bound-man-attacked-with-frying-pan/2IORvibN10m_KsCEmUDpyw.cspx?rss=794

BROOKSVILLE, FL -- A Hernando County woman was arrested this weekend after she tried to hit her cheating man with a cast iron skillet.

According to an arrest affidavit, Donna Rizzo started arguing with her boyfriend, John Hill, because he went to a church function with another woman.

Deputies say Rizzo was so enraged she went after Hill, who is a paraplegic, with "a 9 inch cast iron pan and swung it at him." Hill managed to fend off the attack and knock Rizzo to the ground. Then he called 911.

Deputies say Rizzo was intoxicated and was arrested on aggravated assault charges. The frying pan was taken into evidence.

Police: Man Arrested In Connection With Sexual Assault

2009-03-19T10:39:00.000-07:00

http://www.channel3000.com/news/18963416/detail.html

Police said James R. Graham, 54, was arrested on Sunday on suspicion of sexual assault. He has not been charged, but he is expected to appear in court later this week.

Police said they are seeking a charge of first-degree sexual assault against the man.

A search warrant filed Tuesday alleges that Graham and a friend beat the woman and took turns sexually assaulting her.

The 46-year-old woman told police she met Graham last Wednesday and went back to his apartment. She said Graham and his friend attacked her, assaulted her and threatening her with a knife whenever she tried to leave.

Man questioned over death of disabled woman

2009-03-02T07:02:00.001-08:00

http://www.sleafordstandard.co.uk/latest-east-anglia-news/Man-questioned-over-death-of.5027795.jp

Date: 02 March 2009
A 68-year-old man is being questioned in connection with the murder of a disabled woman in Harlow, Essex.
The 62-year-old victim was found in the driver's seat of her black Vauxhall Corsa outside her flat.

A police spokesman said she had suffered a "short but vicious attack" in which she received "multiple stab wounds".

The woman, who has not been named, died a short time later in hospital, the spokesman said.

Police said it was likely that her attacker had been "blood-stained".

Man questioned over death of disabled woman

2009-03-02T07:02:00.000-08:00

Wheel chair bound teen robbed

2009-03-02T06:53:00.000-08:00

NEWARK, Del. - March 2, 2009 (WPVI) -- New Castle County Police are investigating the robbery of a wheelchair bound teenage male and his friend who were assaulted and robbed of cash and clothing.
The incident happened Saturday afternoon in the area of the Brookside Shopping Center.

http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/take_action&id=6685497

When police arrived at the scene they found the 18-year-old male victim who is confined to a wheelchair and his 19-year-old friend. The two told police they had just left the Shell gas station on Route 4 and were walking back toward their home in Brookside when they noticed they were being followed.
The teens said they then walked behind the Brookside Shopping Center and onto a dirt footpath, which runs adjacent to the Brookside Apartments. That's when three subjects attacked the 19-year-old victim.

The men proceeded to assault the victim while they removed his black long sleeve shirt and cell phone from his pocket. The thieves did not assault the other victim, but they did go through the pouch on his wheel chair and removed an undisclosed amount of cash.
After taking the cash and clothing, the suspects then casually walked off toward the shopping center.

A 41-year-old Hispanic male, wheelchair bound, was assaulted

2009-02-10T13:56:00.000-08:00

http://www.yournabe.com/articles/2009/02/20/bronx_times_reporter/police_and_courts/doc499eddf8126e0634641078.txt

TUES, FEB. 10th, 1:05 p.m. – 558 East 181 St. Police were alerted that a robbery had taken place. Upon arriving at the crime scene, authorities learned that two males had forced they way into the home after knocking on the door. A 41-year-old Hispanic male, wheelchair bound, was assaulted and received a minor injury during the incident. An unknown amount of cash was taken from the home.

Sickening attack on disabled teenager

2009-02-06T12:59:00.000-08:00

http://www.lep.co.uk/news/Sickening-attack-on-disabled-teenager.4952817.jp

Published Date:
05 February 2009
By Stef Hall, Crime Reporter
Residents have spoken of their shock after a group of men attacked a badly disabled young woman in the street.
The Evening Post received calls from horrified readers after the 19-year-old was assaulted in Garden Street, Lostock Hall, near Preston, at around 6.40pm on Sunday.

Police said the victim was getting out of her car when she was approached by a man and attacked without warning.

Neighbours saw the attacker push the teenager to the ground. A second man then struck her several times on the leg.

The victim was helped up by an unknown person but was then assaulted again on the way back to her car, officers said.

Finally she was helped by two residents who alerted the police.

An Evening Post reader, who did not wish to be named, said: "I was disgusted when I heard what had happened. My daughter had to help the girl to safety.

"The girl was very noticeably disabled, it would have been clear to whoever attacked her. She was even being attacked while she was on the floor.

"My daughter helped her into the house and took a stick off one of them (the attackers).

"I believe she was visiting family at the time. I was told there were three to four lads aged around 18 involved."

Police said the victim, who was taken to hospital, and her family were too distressed to speak.

A police spokesman said: "Violent crime is something we take very seriously. Arrests are anticipated in relation to this assault."

Woman sentenced over attack on paraplegic

2009-02-03T11:48:00.001-08:00

http://www.3news.co.nz/News/National/Woman-sentenced-over-attack-on-paraplegic/tabid/423/articleID/89618/Default.aspx?ArticleID=89618

Woman sentenced over attack on paraplegic
Tue, 03 Feb 2009 8:37p.m.

A paraplegic was in Tauranga District Court today to support a woman who hit him several times with his wheelchair.

Justine Moana Niwa, 33, pleaded guilty before Judge Louis Bidois to charges of assault with a blunt instrument and assaulting police.

The sickness beneficiary, of no fixed abode, was sentenced to 120 hours community work for the wheelchair attack. Another 60 hours for biting a constable is to be served concurrently.

Asked by the judge if he wanted reparation to be paid, the partly paralysed victim in the public gallery shook his head.

For Niwa, lawyer Ned Burke said she had taken "all the steps that can be expected" to deal with the causes of her offending and was prepared to get some counselling.

On the morning of the assaults she had taken some sleeping tablets as well as drunk alcohol "which pushed her over the edge", he said.

Niwa did not remember what had happened but had taken responsibility after hearing what whanau of the victim - her former partner - had to say.

Sergeant Mark Graham told the court Niwa had been ordered to leave the Tauranga address about 1.50pm on December 29 after upsetting the man's family.

An argument escalated to a point where Niwa pushed the man out of his wheelchair and then hit him repeatedly over head with it.

Mr Graham said police were called and as a constable tried to arrest Niwa she bit him on the arm before being restrained and arrested.

"You were so worked up you had lost your self control," Judge Bidois said today. "At the time it would have been frightening for him."

Man In Wheelchair Assaulted On Sacramento Street

2009-02-03T11:46:00.001-08:00

http://cbs13.com/local/wheelchair.attack.sacramento.2.925295.html

Man In Wheelchair Assaulted On Sacramento StreetSACRAMENTO (CBS13) ―

Emmeret Long, who has Cerebral Palsy, was attacked on a Sacramento street.

A wheelchair bound Sacramento man is recovering after being attacked on a busy downtown street.

Emmeret Long says he was riding along K Street when a woman started yelling at him. Then, she hit him in the head.

Long tried to run her over with his wheelchair, but that didn't work. He says that's when she stepped up the attack.

Long had to be treated at a hospital and went home with three stitches.

Police arrested 29 year-old Yasmeen Pugh. She will be charged with assault and elderly abuse.

Outrage as disabled man kicked by yob pair

2009-02-02T13:01:00.000-08:00

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-news/local-news/2009/02/02/outrage-as-disabled-man-kicked-by-yob-pair-100252-22833346/

Outrage as disabled man kicked by yob pair
Feb 2 2009 by Ben Rossington, Liverpool Echo

A DISABLED man was attacked by two yobs as he walked home from the shops.

The 42-year-old was jumped near Ashton Park, Halewood, at lunchtime on Thursday.

The victim, who has a disease which turns muscle into bone, had hospital treatment after being pushed over, kicked and punched.

Today the man, who asked not to be named, told the ECHO the elderly and disabled residents in the three blocks of sheltered accommodation comes under frequent attack.

DISABLED MARINE AND WIFE MUGGED BY 5 THUGS

2009-01-26T14:08:00.000-08:00

Amputee Badly Hurt in Savage Attack

2009-01-18T08:33:00.000-08:00

http://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/Amputee-badly-hurt-in-savage.4886954.jp

Published Date: 17 January 2009
By Ross Robertson and Karon Kelly

A one-legged man was rugby tackled by a former soldier in a savage attack which left him wheelchair bound.
Derek Olds today spoke about the horrific assault, which means he will need the chair for "some very considerable time," has undergone surgery and may need a knee replacement.Newcastle Crown Court heard trouble flared on May 11, last year, when Mr Olds invited guests back to his home in Russell Street, Washington, after his brother's engagement party.Former Guardsman Colin Posthuma, of Kemble Square, Downhill, lashed out when Mr Olds asked him to leave for insulting another guest.During the attack Mr Olds, who had his lower leg amputated five years ago after a lump of concrete fell on him while he was pulling down an old coal house, twisted his knee awkwardly causing serious injury

Three Nursing Home Residents in Wheelchairs Injured After Intruder Assaults Them

2009-01-15T16:22:00.000-08:00

http://www.chicagonursinghomeabuselawyerblog.com/2009/01/three_nursing_home_residents_i.html

Three Nursing Home Residents in Wheelchairs Injured After Intruder Assaults Them
Three nursing home residents in wheelchairs suffered facial bruises after they were punched by a man who walked into the Tulare Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. The intruder, 28-year-old Marcos Alderete, was arrested and booked on suspicion of felony elder abuse, public intoxication, and battery.

Police officers think that Alderete sniffed paint before he attacked the residents, an 82-year-old man and two 92-year-old women. They say he was able to enter the nursing home through the front door, which was unlocked.

Alderete encountered the three residents in the lobby, where he attacked them. The elderly man’s cheeks became swollen from the assault, while the two females sustained bruises around the eyes. It is not known why they were sitting close to the front door.
Alderete stopped his assault after he was confronted by a nursing home staff member. He then ran outside where he was detained at a nearby hospital by a security guard.

Disabled woman slashed and dog killed in horrific attack

2009-01-06T06:35:00.000-08:00

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-news/breaking-news/2009/01/06/disabled-woman-slashed-and-dog-killed-in-horrific-attack-100252-22617671/

Jan 6 2009 Ben Rossington
A DISABLED woman was slashed in her own home by sick yobs who had already slaughtered her pet dog.
The 38-year-old mother-of-three was cut deeply across her body and face by a gang of four youths who forced their way into her home on Snowberry Road, Page Moss, at around 2pm on Sunday.
They killed the family pet, a Yorkshire Terrier called Willow, in the back garden and then pounced on the owner when she came outside in horror.
She was forced back inside the house and taunted before being cut several times. It was only when the woman screamed for help that the savage attack stopped and the gang, who covered their faces with hoods, scarves and caps, ran out.

Lufkinite sentenced to prison for beating man in wheelchair

2008-12-31T08:11:00.000-08:00

http://www.lufkindailynews.com/hp/content/news/stories/2008/12/31/Maddux_Sentence.html

By BRITTONY LUNDThe Lufkin Daily News
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
A judge on Tuesday sentenced a Lufkin man to 10 years in prison for beating a partially paralyzed and wheelchair-bound man on Halloween night in 2007.
David Maddux, 44, pleaded guilty on Oct. 21 of this year to committing injury to the disabled, a first-degree felony. According to testimony in court Tuesday, Maddux admitted to hitting victim Chris Skelton, but suggested someone else had beaten Skelton worse later.
"He did admit to punching him a few times, but he denied he caused the injuries," said Lisa Page, a probation officer who spoke with Maddux while preparing a pre-sentencing report for state District Judge Paul White. "He suggested someone else may have come in to burglarize the house after he left that night."

Skelton's brother, William Skelton, testified that Chris Skelton's home had, in fact, been burglarized at least three times in the past. But Chris Skelton told his brother and investigators that David Maddux had beat him up.
Chris Skelton suffered a stroke several years ago that left him wheelchair-bound and unable to speak clearly.

"He can say a few things if you'll be very patient with him," William Skelton said. "He knows what he's trying to say."
Since the assault, Skelton said, his brother falls down a lot more and has lost most of his front teeth. In addition, he said his brother, who used to show little fear of anything, now trembles at the sight of his attacker.

Mind reveals alarming levels of disability hate crime

2008-12-28T17:33:00.000-08:00

http://www.mind.org.uk/News+policy+and+campaigns/Press/2007_11_29_AA.htm

71 per cent victimised in community in last 2 years64 per cent dissatisfied with authorities' response to crime reports
Today Mind publishes a shocking new report Another assault (1) exposing the extreme levels of harassment and victimisation experienced by people with mental health problems in the community. Mind’s new research reveals that 71 per cent of respondents with mental health problems had been the victim of a crime in the last two years, with just 19 per cent feeling safe all of the time in their own homes. In a further blow, victims' reports of these crimes are frequently not taken seriously by the very authorities that should be there to help them.

• People with a disability are three times more likely to be a victim of a violent crime

2008-12-28T17:09:00.000-08:00

http://74.125.95.132/search?q=cache:He6oT_-Naq0J:www.nds.org.au/conferences/a%26d2005/concurrent/Kelly-SADAProject.doc+disability+assaulted&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=20&gl=us

From research, both international and Australian, we know that:

· 50-90% of people with a disability are sexually assaulted in their lifetime (Crossmaker 1991; Carmody 1990)
· People with a disability are three times more likely to be a victim of a violent crime (Wilson & Brewer 1992)
· High rates of sexual assault by service providers. Service providers, eg. residential care workers, teachers, therapists, make up the largest group of perpetrators in many large studies. (Sobsey & Doe 1991)
· The assaults are more likely to be severe and ongoing, eg. involving penetration. Because many people with disabilities are not taken seriously, or are unable to disclose due to cognitive or communication difficulties, the abuse is likely to have gone on for a long while without being detected, and less likely to be believed and acted on if it is found out.(Nosek 1997)
· The assaults are less likely to be detected and acted on (Connelley & Keilty 2000)
· Offenders gravitate to residential facilities. Moving people out of institutional care has not made them safer. The rates of sexual assault in residential facilities is high, with perpetrators having greater access and opportunity to assault highly vulnerable people. (Blyth 2002)
Offenders will often move from facility to facility. When suspicions arise in one place, they move on. We were contacted recently about an offender who has now sexually assaulted in at least three different facilities. However because he hasn’t been formally charged he is still working with an agency which provides locums to disability and aged care services. He always targets clients with little or no verbal communication.

The Psychological and Social Impact of Disability

2008-12-24T18:50:00.000-08:00

http://books.google.com/books?id=vlGGSF1VG2kC&pg=PA286&lpg=PA286&dq=disabled+assault&source=web&ots=IsC7ko_Oa4&sig=9fwByBCjOmIc9ap7wMZZ6G2SuMg&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=4&ct=result

Girl Pleads Guilty In Assault On Disabled Man

2008-11-26T18:42:00.000-08:00

http://wcco.com/crime/assault.disabled.man.2.874992.html

HASTINGS, Minn. (WCCO) ―
Click to enlarge
Police charged 21-year-old Jonathon Diepold (upper left), 19-year-old John Maniglia (upper right), 21-year-old Timothy Ketterling (lower left) and 33-year-old Glen Ries (lower right) for allegedly beating a mentally disabled man.
Dakota County
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Read The Latest Crime News
A 16-year-old girl has pleaded guilty to her role in the brutal assault of a mentally disabled Lakeville man.
The girl, identified by the Dakota County Attorney as Natasha Dahn, pleaded guilty Wednesday to felony counts of kidnapping, third-degree assault and aggravated robbery in the violent beatings of 24-year-old Justin Hamilton.
Authorities say Hamilton was beaten on separate occasions. He was punched and kicked, hit with sticks, and burned with a cigarette lighter and heated credit card.

Resident of homeless shelter accused of assaulting disabled man

2008-11-03T18:47:00.000-08:00

http://www.capecodtoday.com/blogs/index.php/2008/11/13/wild-ride-in-harwich-disabled-man-assaul?blog=80

HYANNIS - A resident of the Noah homeless shelter in Hyannis has been charged with assault and battery on a disabled man.
Barnstable police said James L. Scannell, 62, of 77 Winter St. (the address of the Noah shelter) in Hyannis, pushed the man to the ground Tuesday afternoon.
The incident took place in the parking lot of the Festival at Hyannis shopping center off Route 132.
James L. Scannell.
In a police report filed with the case, Officer Sean Roycroft said he was dispatched around 5:20 p.m. Tuesday to a report of a fight in front of the A.C. Moore store at the shopping center.
Upon his arrival, he found a man leaning on a cane who said a man had pushed him to the ground. The man said a woman had seen the assault and followed the alleged perpetrator.
The man - who had a stroke 12 years ago, continues to have heart problems, and walks with a cane - said he had driven to A.C. Moore store to go shopping. When he arrived, he saw a man arranging shopping carts, and asked that he leave one loose for him.
"When I asked this guy to leave a cart for me," the man told Officer Roycroft, "he went nuts. He was swearing at me. He just ran at me and pushed me in the back with both hands. I fell to the ground face first and rolled to my back. The man ran off toward Stop & Shop."

One in 3 women with disability assaulted

2008-10-28T17:01:00.000-07:00

http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2008/10/28/One_in_3_women_with_disability_assaulted/UPI-42461225171468/

Published: Oct. 28, 2008 at 1:24 AM

SAN DIEGO, Oct. 28 (UPI) -- Women with a disability are more likely than women without a disability to report some form of intimate partner violence, U.S. researchers said.
The study -- which used data collected from seven states and one territory as part of the 2006 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey -- examined disability prevalence and differences in intimate partner violence among women with and without a disability.
The study found that 37.3 percent of women with a disability experienced some form of intimate partner violence compared to 20.6 percent of women without a disability.

Twenty-eight percent of women with a disability were more likely to report ever being threatened with violence, compared to 15.4 percent of women without a disability, while 30.6 percent of women with a disability reported being hit, slapped, pushed, kicked or physically hurt compared to 15.7 percent of women without a disability. Almost 20 percent of women with a disability reported ever experiencing unwanted sex by an intimate partner, compared to 8.2 percent of women without a disability.