Sex-case Delhi schoolboy bailed

The boy had no history of "delinquency", the court said An Indian court has granted bail to a schoolboy who allegedly recorded a sexual act between himself and a 16-year-old girl on his mobile phone. The clip was later sold on video CDs via auction site Baazee.com, sparking the arrest of its manager for India. The juvenile court ordered the boy, 17, not to leave the country. In a case that has shocked many Indians, the prosecution had demanded he be put in psychiatric care for displaying "animal instincts". However the court, after reading social welfare reports, said the boy came from a decent family and did not have any history of "delinquency". The act of the boy was obscene, depraved and showed his animal instincts Police petition Magistrate Santosh Snehi Mann released the boy on bail after his parents put up 25,000 rupees ($570) and surrendered the minor's passport. The judge called his actions a "misadventure". The court ordered the boy, who cannot be named, to undergo a month of counselling and told his parents to supply weekly behavioural reports. Expelled However, police and prosecutors had called for the boy to be kept in juvenile detention. A police petition said: "The act of the boy was obscene, depraved and showed his animal instincts and he should undergo psychiatric treatment and counselling. "The boy has been continuously tampering with evidence, including destroying the cell phone with which he recorded the objectionable pictures." Baazee.com has reacted angrily to Mr Bajaj's arrest The ruling came a day after the chief of the auction website that sold clips of the act was also given bail. Avnish Bajaj, of Baazee.com, which is owned by the US-based eBay Inc, was also ordered not to leave the country. He was arrested last Friday under India's information technology law, which prohibits the use of the internet to distribute obscene or pornographic material. Bazee.com has reacted strongly to the arrest of Mr Bajaj, saying the clip was removed from the website as soon as the contents became known. The alleged seller of the two minutes and 37 seconds clip, an engineering student, has also been arrested. The girl involved has reportedly been sent to Canada by her parents. The teenagers were both expelled from their school. The case has outraged many parents in normally conservative India and has sparked a huge debate on sex laws and sex education. One mother of two, Radhika Sharma, told Reuters: "We have been a very closed society and although sex has been around, it was always under the carpet. So this is certainly a wake-up call." Sangeeta Saksena, a student counsellor in Bangalore, said: "We need to talk to kids, give them information and moral input and instil some sense of responsible sexual behaviour."

Can you stop drivers using mobiles?

Jade Goody is pictured in The Sun apparently with her mobile in hand while she's driving her Porsche. Is she any different from your average driver? She was on her way home from T4 On The Beach in Weston Super Mare when someone in the car alongside her took her photo and sent it in to the paper. He says the ex Big Brother star was texting as she went along at about 50 mph but we can't definitely tell that from the picture. The Sun owns the photo so click the link on the right to see it. You don't often spot Jade in her car, but do you often see drivers on the phone? It is illegal and you're supposed to get a 30 quid fine, expected to rise to £60 after a new law comes in. Does that stop anyone you know?

Eden is Derby's first venue to specialise in lap dancing.

Our intrepid team went along to one of the club's first nights to see if the hype is to be believed... SEE ALSO PRINT THIS PAGE View a printable version of this page. View a printable version of this page. Derby's first lap dancing venue opened amidst much controversy last month - but what's it actually like? Our dedicated team grudgingly went along to check it out... Over in the States, strip joints and sex shops are as mundane as mobile phone outlets in this country. Whether it's right or wrong, the fact is punters stroll in as bold as brass and happily peruse the saucy pleasures that each venue holds. Yet in this country, any business which walks on the wild side is shrouded in secrecy - causing acute embarrassment for those using them and wild rumours to circulate amongst those who don't. Another dancer hits the stage at Eden Even the opening of an Ann Summers shop in Derby city centre was one of the most controversial events of last year. So how would Derby respond to Eden, its first bona fide strip joint? Along with my colleague Annabel, I went along to find out. The first thing to notice about the venue is the solid job the designers have done on it. Tasteful reds and blacks are the order of the day and the seats are soft and luxurious - a big improvement on its previous incarnation as Boom! The next thing we noticed were the numerous micro-skirted lithe girls strutting around the place. These weren't the blonde and buxom girls of late-night Channel 5 documentaries, but the 18-19 year old girls you might have gone to school with a few years ago. A fair-sized seating area was offset by a small stage equipped with a pole. Every few minutes a different girl would take to the stage for a performance involving breathtaking moves around the pole and the standard stripping moves well-trodden by the US originators. The clientele, which consisted of slightly nervy looking Derby men of all ages, and a few curious women, looked on and clapped politely at the climax of each dance. Perhaps the crowds will be more rowdy last thing on a Saturday night. Annabel plans her exit from Eden Meanwhile, the girls mingled amongst the crowds, chatting to guys for a couple of minutes, before offering a £10 lap dance ("It lasts for one song" we were told). We politely declined the offer (journalists aren't that well paid you know!) but were told all about it by another punter who had bought a dance. He said: "It's quite frustrating, you get taken to a little booth just past the bar area. They peel off their clothes but all you can do is watch. Quite nice but it's like having a beautiful girlfriend who you're not aloud to mess around with!" The bar is staffed by suitably skimpy attired females, and the drink prices, whilst slightly inflated, are no more than some of the trendier bars in town. In the end we found Eden a bit of a giggle. The atmosphere is laid-back, although you could feel the testosterone in the air, and the girls are very much on the cute, girl-next-door side. Whether the venue will manage to sustain the interest it currently has remains to be seen. But there's always going to be a market for pints of lager and cheery strippers, so it has every chance of staying around.

Phone menace

Sad as it may seem, some people actually enjoy phoning people to be offensive, menacing, indecent, cause anxiety or inconvenience. But there is something you can do about it. If an individual makes a call for any of these reasons it can be an offence under the Telecommunications Act, and callers can be jailed for up to six months. Some malicious callers choose numbers at random, whereas others may actually know you. Either way, the most important thing to remember, according to BT, is that "you're in control". BT offers a number of useful tips to help you take control and avoid receiving such calls. Think then act Most importantly, try to keep calm and don't show any emotion - most malicious callers gain pleasure from getting an emotional response from the person they call. Instead of talking back, simply put the handset down calmly and ignore it for a few minutes before replacing it. If you have a phone with a new-style socket, unplug if for a short while. Don't forget to disconnect extension phones too. When answering any call, simply say "Hello" rather than giving your name and number - never give any information about yourself unless you are certain you know who the caller is. If a caller asks "what number is this", ask them what number they want and then tell them if they are right or wrong - don't give your number unless you know the caller. What you can do Tell other members of your household to follow the same rules, and make sure they never answer any questions on the phone, no matter how innocent they may seem, unless they know the caller well. If you're a woman, avoid giving details of your sex or marital status over the phone, or even in your phone book entry; just use your initials instead of your first name. If you have a telephone answering machine avoid using your name and number in your opening message - answer machine messages should never say if you are out, on holiday or away on business. And remember - malicious callers use the phone to hide behind, because most would be too frightened to say the same things to your face. Get the phone company to help Telephone operators can do a lot to help their customers tackle malicious calls. They can help you decide the best course of action, which could mean tracing future calls or changing your telephone number. Your telephone operator, whether BT or cable company, will be able to help you if you are receiving malicious calls. BT say that almost all malicious calls can now be traced, whether they come from private, public or even mobile telephones, anywhere in the country. Phone operating companies often work closely with the police in such cases. To help with police enquiries, keep a written record of the calls, making notes of the date, time of day, whether the voice was a man's or a woman's, what was said and whether you heard any distinctive background noises.

Singapore sex lessons by text message

There is social stigma surrounding sex in Asia Singaporeans who are too embarrassed to ask about sex can send anonymous text message questions to an international panel of experts under a new scheme. It's difficult for children to ask parents about sex Peter Lim, Singapore Planned Parenthood Association Participants of "Sex in the Air" are not attempting to join the mile-high club, but are taking part in a 10-day sex education campaign in the conservative city-state. The teenagers can expect a doctor from Singapore, Amsterdam or Melbourne to answer their queries within two days. Text messaging is hugely popular in Singapore, which boasts the most mobile phone users per capita in the world. Sex education campaigners hope text messaging will be a way for shy teenagers to learn to protect themselves from HIV and sexually-transmitted diseases. Pornography and homosexuality are illegal in Singapore, and racy scenes are censored from films. But non-governmental group Action for Aids says HIV is just as prevalent in Singapore as in other developed nations. Breaking the taboo Participants in the scheme can send one message each after logging on to the website www.meggpower.com. "It's difficult for children to ask parents about sex," said Dr Peter Lim, a member of the Singapore Planned Parenthood Association (SPPA) - one of the organisations supporting the scheme. Nevertheless a survey this year by SPPA found that nearly one in five teenagers have had sex - a jump from just 3.4% in 1999. Wei Sang Yu, founder of the scheme, has already launched another innovative health project using text messaging. Megg Alert, which began in May, sends messages to subscribers each month reminding them that they may be premenstrual or menstruating. Singapore's mobile phone networks handle 15 million messages a day for a population of only four million people.

Curate reports husband's grooming

A curate took her husband to a police station after he was found sexually grooming a 12-year-old girl over the internet, Leicester Crown Court heard. Peter Waterton, 69, of Higham on the Hill, Leics, admitted four counts of possessing indecent images and one count of sexually grooming a child. He was arrested after his wife Dawn, a Church of England minister in Nuneaton, was confronted by the child's father. He was jailed for 15 months, but his wife said she would stand by him. The victim's parent found a number of texts from the defendant on her mobile phone and e-mails on her computer. Waterton had told the girl in messages of a "tingly, buzzy feeling" when he saw her pose like a cat-walk model. He told the Warwickshire girl he wanted to take photographs of her. 'Wholly disgusting' During the police investigation, more than 50 images of child pornography were found on the defendant's computer. Sentencing Waterton, Judge Michael Stokes QC said the indecent photographs, some of which showed very young children in sexual poses with adult males, were "wholly disgusting". He said: "It's quite clear to me on the evidence that your virtual addiction to this sort of material had influenced your potential relationship with (the girl) and I cannot reach any other conclusion that had it not been spotted, something quite appalling might have happened between you and (the girl)." The court heard that Waterton, who has grown-up children from a previous relationship, had turned to the internet for gratification because of age-related problems in his sex life. Malicious phone calls In mitigation, Simon Davis said Waterton was ashamed. "His words today were, 'Thank goodness I have been caught out'. "Mrs Waterton, in her position, acted extremely responsibly in going to the police and reporting what she had been told. She had no idea that there was more on that computer." The couple have been targeted by malicious phone calls since the offences came to light, the lawyer said. The judge imposed an extended licence period of two years and ordered Waterton to be placed on the sex offenders' register for 10 years.

Blitz on Indian cyber-cafe porn

Some of the cafe cubicles did not even have computers North Indian police have cracked down on porn in cyber-cafes, including two that allegedly rented cubicles for $1.30 an hour for youths to have sex. Police in Uttar Pradesh arrested more than 50 people, some of them naked. Director-general of police, VKB Nair, told the BBC he ordered the drive after complaints that students were watching porn instead of attending classes. It follows a scandal over the case of a Delhi schoolboy who allegedly filmed a sex act with a girl on his cell phone. Deserted The BBC's Ram Dutt Tripathi in Lucknow says the Uttar Pradesh crackdown targeted a number of places that sold pornographic films and videos. The crackdown follows the Delhi school sex-clip case In Agra, the owners of two cyber-cafes were allegedly providing sex cubicles for boys and girls for 60 rupees ($1.30) an hour. Most of the cubicles did not even have computers - instead police found used condoms. Police arrested 22 boys and girls there, in various states of undress. The manager of one reputable cyber-cafe said he was surprised that his establishment was virtually deserted while the others were crowded despite being almost twice as expensive. Mr Nair also said some cinema halls were caught illegally showing parts of films that were cut by the censors. He has asked all district police chiefs to file reports on the crackdown by 29 December. Bailed Allahabad district police chief, Sunil Gupta, said two people had been arrested there for selling pornographic video CDs. Baazee.com has reacted angrily to Mr Bajaj's arrest However, he denied media reports that police had received a video CD allegedly made by a boy of a sex act with his girlfriend which was then sold in markets for 250 rupees. In a similar case, which has shocked India, a 17-year-old Delhi schoolboy allegedly recorded a sex act with a girl, 16, on his mobile phone. The clip was later sold on video CDs via auction site Baazee.com, sparking the arrest of its manager for India, Avnish Bajaj. A juvenile court granted the boy bail but ordered him not to leave the country. Mr Bajaj was also bailed and told not to leave. He was arrested under India's information technology law, which prohibits the use of the internet to distribute obscene or pornographic material. Bazee.com has said the offending clip was removed from the website as soon as the nature of its contents became known. The alleged seller of the two minutes and 37 seconds clip, an engineering student, has also been arrested.

Carer jailed over sexual activity

The arrest of John Beattie (not pictured) was captured by BBC cameras A mental health worker has been jailed for having a sexual relationship with a patient he had been caring for. John Beattie, 57, from Cyffylliog, near Ruthin, was employed at the Ablett unit at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd, Bodelwyddan, where the female victim was a patient. He had earlier admitted four charges and was jailed for two years at Mold Crown Court. He was also put on the sex offenders' register for 10 years. The offences did not occur at the hospital. This is the first case of its kind in Wales where a carer has been sentenced for sexual involvement with one of his patients. As part of the Sexual Offences Act 2003, a new offence was created relating to care workers using their position to take advantage of patients. You're an experienced care worker and knew that your prime duty is to protect those suffering from mental disorders. Judge John Rogers QC Beattie's arrest was filmed by a documentary camera crew filming for BBC Wales fly-on-the-wall series Real Police, which followed police officers in Rhyl. The court heard that it was the second time that Beattie, a naval Falklands veteran, had acted inappropriately with a woman patient at the hospital. His relations with the woman in this case had developed after he asked her for advice on computers, said Gareth Roberts, prosecuting. At first they had kept in touch via e-mails and on the phone but they met for consensual sex three times last autumn when she was a patient at the hospital where Beattie had worked since 1997, the court heard. Mr Roberts said that Beattie immediately admitted the offences to police after his arrest last October. Patients and members of the public can be assured that the trust will not tolerate inappropriate behaviour by any member of staff towards patients Conwy and Denbighshire NHS Trust Kim Whittlestone, defending, said Beattie had had his head "turned by the affections of the woman". "He was flattered by the attentions of her and succumbed to those attentions and he is deeply remorseful of it." Four members of Beattie's local community also gave evidence to the court on his behalf describing how he had been a willing volunteer in social events, as well as a swimming and horse riding coach, looking after children. But Judge John Rogers QC said he had to take into account the seriousness of the offences for which Parliament had increased the tariff to 10 years. "You're an experienced care worker and knew that your prime duty is to protect those suffering from mental disorders. "Instead of protecting this young lady, on three separate occasions you had sexual activity with her which you know was against the law. Dismissed from job But the judge said mitigating factors were the fact that he had pleaded guilty upon his arrest, that he was a man of previous good character, and the position he held within his local community. In a statement issued after the court case, Conwy and Denbighshire NHS Trust confirmed that Beattie had been dismissed from his job at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd. The statement went on: "This case has been dealt with through the correct legal procedure and it would therefore be inappropriate for the trust to comment, but we would like to point out that the incidents did not take place on trust premises. "Patients and members of the public can be assured that the trust will not tolerate inappropriate behaviour by any member of staff towards patients, and has clear policies in place to deal with such occurrences."

What the papers say

Journalist Mike Philpott takes a look at what is making the headlines in Friday's morning papers. The smiling face of Donal Deery is the dominant image on the front of the News Letter. The Belfast doctor, who lost his life on a mountain in New Zealand, is also on the front of the Irish News, this time dressed in climbing gear. It says that the weather in the area where he fell more than 200 metres is so bad that his body still has not been recovered. A New Zealand police officer is quoted as saying that Dr Deery, who died while trying to rescue his girlfriend, was a real hero. His father said the young doctor, who had hoped to specialise in cardiology, had saved the lives of many others. Sex offenders The Dublin-based papers carry the sad news that a body discovered in west Cork was that of 11 year-old Robert Holohan, who had been missing for more than a week. The Irish Independent reports that the police in the area have been in touch with their counterparts in the UK and Belgium, because of the number of foreign-registered cars that had shown up in the investigation. The Irish Times says the mobile phone records of known sex offenders are being checked. For the Irish News, the only bright spot in the whole tragedy was the willingness of complete strangers to help in the search for the missing boy. It points out the rarity of such murders, but it wonders why it took eight days for Robert's body to be found. The Irish Independent notes that Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams is offended and disappointed that the taoiseach is no longer returning his calls It may be that everything possible was done in this case, it says, but it feels that the Garda needs an organisation like the Policing Board to hold it to account. The News Letter's Morning View column detects a distinct change of mood at Westminster in the wake of the Northern Bank raid. It says the government is under intense pressure to look again at the entitlement of Sinn Fein MPs to claim parliamentary allowances. The paper comments that while Sinn Fein has denied any IRA involvement in the robbery, nobody outside republican areas is giving any credence to their protestations. The Irish Independent notes that Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams is offended and disappointed that the taoiseach is no longer returning his calls. Harder line It is astounding, it says, that Sinn Fein has become so adept at using the language of victimhood, when one considers the numerous, and very real, victims of the IRA. It believes republicans are lucky that a much harder line has not been taken against them. The knives are out for Prince Harry in Friday's papers. They are wielded, in equal measure, by tabloid and broadsheet alike. The Mail demands a public and personal apology, commenting that even the middle classes are becoming fed up with the royals. Sapping support The Daily Star describes him as "the stupidest royal ever" and remarks that to be deserving of such a title "takes some doing". The Independent says the only good that could come from the episode would be a sapping of support for the monarchy. The Guardian argues that disestablishment of the monarchy would come as a relief to the public, who are appalled by their behaviour, and to members of the family like Harry, who chafe under the responsibility of being royal. Finally, the Guardian wonders if you remember where you were at seven minutes past two in the afternoon on Christmas Eve. It is asking the question because that was the busiest shopping moment in British history. Apparently there were nearly 5,000 credit card transactions during that minute - four times the usual peak for a Friday afternoon.

'I accidentally endorsed the President'

By Justin Webb BBC Washington correspondent In Boston and then New York, the Democrats and now the Republicans have held their party conventions. Justin Webb, who covered both events for the BBC, assesses the contrasting styles and stumbles on his own very unlikely contribution to the campaign literature. Conventions are designed to boost the candidate's voter appeal It is two o'clock in the morning and I have escaped. Out from the basement of Madison Square Garden, an oddly unglamorous concrete bunker, plonked in the seedy streets of midtown Manhattan. Out past the police, past the grey-suited secret service men with those wiggly wires in their ears, past the paramilitary Swat teams with automatic weapons and army helmets, out into the heat of the New York night. Two blocks away, I pass a parked car where a man is screaming - screaming - into a mobile phone. "I have just had sex with your sister," he bellows. "What are you going to do about it?" (Actually he uses a terser phrase than that but you get the drift.) The sister, I assume it was she, was looking bored and filing her nails. Paradox What can the Republicans make of this place? The Republicans chose to show their solidarity with people who regard them with contempt at best When you talk to them they are polite in a glassy-eyed kind of way. But it is an odd paradox that the Republicans chose to show their solidarity with people who regard them with contempt at best. Most New Yorkers are Democrats but, more importantly, most New Yorkers are cross and busy. I stood on a Manhattan corner this week as the president passed. The police hemmed us in, batons drawn. The helicopters buzzed overhead and the sirens blared. Now on most corners of most cities in the US, the passing of the presidential motorcade would occasion some interest. People would clap, would boo, would do something. Triumphant bubble But New Yorkers did not even look. They read their papers, they glanced at their watches, they barked into their phones. The delegates did not need to focus too heavily on the hostile environment of Seventh Avenue And when the presidential ambulance and the outriders finally brought up the rear of the convoy and the police withdrew, New Yorkers just surged across the street, slightly crosser but otherwise unmoved. And these folks, as the president would say, are the ones who are about to be incinerated if John Kerry gets in and the French take over the defence of the US. Such ungratefulness! But the delegates did not need to focus too heavily on the hostile environment of Seventh Avenue. Inside the convention centre they had created the kind of jolly, triumphant bubble which political parties manage even in desperate times and for the Republicans these are interesting, but not desperate, times. The secret of their ability to stay in business in spite of all that has gone wrong? Discipline. And genuine enthusiasm for the party message... which, judging by their behaviour when the speeches stopped and the television cameras were turned off, the Democrats' party faithful just did not have in Boston in July. John Kerry famously "reported for duty" at the Democratic convention There, after the speeches, you could wander like a beachcomber among the detritus on the floor and come up with some wonderful souvenir tat. Not quite Pretty Girls for Nixon, my favourite dated poster, but some nice Kerry/Edwards endorsement which my children might one day like to have. But, at the end of the Republican speeches, delegates fold up their posters and take them home. They love Bush and Cheney and they want them on their walls. Of those two traits - discipline and enthusiasm - it is the former which really impresses: the steely way in which the Republican party is capable of using anything to its advantage. Senator Kerry has discovered that words uttered in the past can be brought to life and used as the party sees fit. But he is a politician of 30 years' standing. As a foreigner of no consequence to anyone here except my family, I was somewhat surprised to find my own words used by the Republicans to make a buck and make a point. Surprise contribution A year or so ago on this programme I said: "Nobody spends more time on his knees than George W Bush". It was intended as a faintly ironic comment on the president's religiosity. Imagine my surprise when I came across a copy of the DVD, George Bush: Faith in the White House. On the back among the glowing endorsements: "Nobody spends more time on his knees than George W Bush says BBC Washington correspondent, Justin Webb." I have endorsed the president without even intending to. At the beginning of the year, one of the president's backroom fixers is alleged to have muttered of John Kerry's military service: "By the time we've finished with him people won't know whose side he fought on." At the time it seemed an implausible boast. But now, not so far-fetched. Hold on to your hats for the next two months. It is going to get tough. From Our Own Correspondent was broadcast on Saturday, 4 September, 2004 at 1130 BST on BBC Radio 4. Please check the programme schedules for World Service transmission times.

Pastor 'preached about sex'

Mr Goodman denies the charges against him A church pastor accused of molesting congregation members preached about sex during his sermons, a court heard. Douglas Goodman, 46, rubbed one young woman's thigh and kissed her after trying to woo her with expensive gifts, the jury was told. Although she felt uncomfortable, the woman told the Old Bailey on Friday that she was not surprised because Mr Goodman often gave saucy sermons at his church. The woman said Mr Goodman, of Turnberry Lane, Collingtree, Northamptonshire, first made a pass at her after telling her she should have no inhibitions in bed. The court has heard that Mr Goodman carried out sex attacks on four women members of the Victory Christian Centre in Kilburn, north London. I was trying to take his hand off me but I was scared to be forceful Trial witness Mr Goodman denies 12 charges of indecent assault, and one of rape against four women between 1997 and 2002. The third alleged victim, who was a student at the time, said she was molested on three occasions by the pastor who took her on shopping trips to Harrods, bought her perfume, and even arranged for her to have the use of an A-Class Mercedes. But she claimed he would bombard her with phone calls and would frequently talk about sex. The woman said that on one occasion, Mr Goodman, who she regarded as a father figure, kissed her and on another rubbed her leg and thigh. "I was trying to take his hand off me but I was scared to be forceful. "Afterwards, he was saying 'I love you, I love you'. " Mr Goodman also denies perverting the course of justice by interfering with the police investigation into the allegations. The offences are said to have taken place when the church was based in Finchley Road, Finchley and when it moved to Kilburn High Road, Kilburn.