Hazards at work, 45

Community order and no jail for an assault like this?

Story:
A drunken man who beat up a taxi driver for kicking him out of his cab has walked free from court. He was given a 12-month community order.

The 21-year-old man punched the driver after being ordered out of his taxi because of his unruly behaviour, leaving the victim nervous about carrying out his work, particularly at night and when passengers had been drinking.

The driver said he picked up five customers at 11:10 p.m in Burnley. The defendant sat in the front passenger seat and persistently knocked the taxi out of gear and interfered with the victim's radio. He pulled on the handbrake of the vehicle, tore a sticker off the dashboard and threw cards into the back of the cab.

The driver stopped, told the group he did not want to take them any further because of the defendant's behaviour and told them to get out.

As the defendant left the taxi, he elbowed the driver and the driver walked around the front of the vehicle to try to close the door. The defendant was standing in the way and punched the driver around the left eye, making him fall backwards. Two of the other passengers then joined in and the victim was again floored and thought he was briefly knocked unconscious.

Source

A brave lad

We can always argue if it is smart to fight back against armed robbers. Still, this is one brave young man!

Story:
UK -- A boy fought off a gang of masked robbers who burst into his home and attacked his father with Samurai swords.

15-year-old Craig smashed a glass coffee table over the back of one of the raiders as he slashed at his father. The father was struggling with the robber after three men burst into his home in Freehold, Rochdale.

The robbers, wearing balaclavas and dressed all in black, slipped into the house through the unlocked front door at about 10:30 p.m. But they fled empty-handed after being tackled by Craig.

Source

Teenagers face curfews

UK -- Teenagers could be subjected to curfews in London in an attempt to curb the surge in fatal stabbings, police revealed yesterday.

Ben Hitchcock became the latest victim of a wave of knife attacks affecting the capital and other inner-city areas when he was beaten and stabbed in a fight between two groups of youths in south London, over the weekend.

The 16-year-old died after being attacked by a gang of 20 youths after he and a group of six friends had been banned from a party.

The officer who is heading the murder investigation, revealed yesterday that the imposition of curfews was "an option being considered" in an attempt to tackle the mounting violence.

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Parents, role models ...

And still we wonder how some kids grow up to be violent ...

Story:
An irate Italian family beat up a principal because they were unhappy with the grades a young relative had received and with a ban on cellphones at school. Three male relatives, including the father and grandfather of the student, punched and pushed the principal at a middle school in Bari on Saturday, police said.

They were angered by grades on the latest report card and by a recent ban by the principal on cellphones at the school he has run for the past 22 years. The principal was taken to hospital and treated for mild bruising. Police escorted him back to the school.

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A "toy"?

You may have heard about the British woman who was shot and killed by police recently. She was waving a "toy" gun around ...

Story:
They're so realistic, the U.S. military uses them for simulation training, but they're all the rage during adolescent play.

Toy guns that are marketed to "make you feel like you're 'packing' the real thing," airsoft guns are also fast becoming a problem - actually mistaken for the real thing - and have many fearing big problems could follow these small-pellet shooting guns.

Airsoft guns are BB-style toy guns that use plastic pellets actually much larger - so less likely to break skin upon impact - than regular BBs. They're sold, over the Internet and in retail stores in some states, in many models, including pistols and rifles, that look just like the real thing.

An alarming concern is when the toy guns are mistaken for the real thing in dangerous situations.

Last month, a Framingham teenager fleeing police tossed an airsoft gun on the ground during chase, and police thought it was an actual weapon. No one was injured. Earlier this month, police nearly shot a teenage boy in California when they found him and two others playing with the toy guns on an elementary school playground, according to the San Gabriel Valley Tribune.

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A typical robbery

An arch typical robbery really ...
On your way home after a night out; a secluded area (a short-cut); two perpetrators; a weapon; being asked a question by the goons; trying to escape/fight back.
And: Do you think you would be able to see the knife? The answer would most probably be no, I'm afraid.

Story:
A 22-year-old man was walking home from a pub in Lea just after midnight on Tuesday when he was approached by two men.

As he cut through a ginnel (walkway) between two streets, the men asked him for "a light" and then for his mobile phone. When the man told them he did not have either, one of the men started feeling his pockets.

The victim pushed him away but was then punched in the stomach by one of the men. The two men ran away and the victim decided to chase them - but then realised his stomach was wet.

When he looked down there was a cut to his stomach which hospital staff said could have been made by a craft knife, police said.

The man was taken to the a hospital but his wounds were not considered serious and he was released at 3 a.m.

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Murder charge

Seems to me this is a reasonable law paragraph.
I'd also like to pay my respect to this woman for fighting back.

Story:
Police say a 30-year-old Cleveland man has been charged with murder in the death of his friend, 25, who was killed while the pair participated in a break-in.

The two men reportedly broke into a woman's house early Wednesday and assaulted her. The 20-year-old woman told police that the intruder punched her repeatedly and that she fought back by stabbing him with a kitchen knife. She said that the older man stood in the doorway of the kitchen and prevented another female resident from helping her fight off the intruder.

The 30-year-old then drove the stabbed man to a hospital, where he later died. The doctors were told that the man had injured himself while breaking through a door, the report said. Doctors believed the wounds were from a stabbing and contacted police.

Even if the defendant didn't directly cause the death, Ohio law allows prosecutors to file a murder charge against an accomplice to a crime in which someone dies.

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"A controlled, mature way"

A controlled, mature way ...?
I do have to ask what an out-of-control, immature way would be. On second thoughts, maybe I wouldn't want to know.
Middle-class paranoia anyone? I mean, here's a woman who will not let her daughter, 18 (!) years old, walk to school - less than a minute away. And based on what, a few unfortunate incidents?

Story:
After a series of reported sexual assaults and an abduction attempt on high school students last month, life in this quiet South Pasadena community is getting back to normal - with modifications.

"Just because we are an affluent, middle-class neighborhood, we're still surrounded by all sorts of things," said Karen Gilbert, who said the community has been responding to the threats "in a controlled, mature way."

Gilbert no longer lets her 18-year-old daughter walk to school, which she said is less than a minute away from their home.

Source

Gotta have music

"I can't work out without music."
Some people are never gonna learn until it hits home. Even then, many can't see that they could have done things differently ...

Story:
Wisconsin -- She didn't hear her attacker running up behind her. The 18-year-old woman was listening to her iPod as she rollerbladed along the Janesville bike trail the afternoon of May 24.

She didn't pay much attention to the man she saw sitting on a bench, smoking a cigarette. But a few moments later, he blindsided her with a blow to the head.

Knocked to the ground, she kicked and waved her arms at the assailant. He fled, and she skated home to report the assault.

Another teenager, Rachel, rollerblades the trail every morning. She's not apprehensive because she uses the path in daylight, usually with a friend.

The teenager said she can't carry a cell phone because her skating outfit has no pockets. She also listens to music while skating.

When it was pointed out that the woman attacked was skating alone in daylight without a phone and listening to music, she replied: "I can't work out without music. Where else am I going to work out? I don't enjoy the road."

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A bargain

Negotiating with a robber? Sure, why not - as long as you're able to assess the dangers involved, it is absolutely possible at times.
It is of course far better to let a robber have your money without any resistance what so ever. After all, you still have the most important stuff - your life; plus your keys, vital papers, drivers licence, and bank cards.

Story:
Brooklyn, New York -- Two women were attacked at gunpoint in separate subway station incidents just days - and blocks - apart, police said.

One victim managed to bargain her assailant down, and the other held onto her belongings, but suffered a terrible beating.

On May 27, a thug with a silver semi-automatic gun robbed a woman leaving a G-train station at 11 p.m. She stepped off a Queens-bound train and was headed up the stairs, out of the station, when she was attacked.

The man in front of her suddenly wheeled around and pointed the shiny 9mm gun in her face. "Give me your purse," the man said. But the woman stalled, asking, "Can I just give you my wallet?"

When he agreed, she actually pulled out cash from her billfold and handed over the greenbacks - a total of $165.

"Now walk down the stairs," the robber instructed. She complied, turning and heading back down into the station.

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'Car-go'

... Or car-do ("the way of the car") :-)
Anyhow - a car is a great and versatile self-defense tool!

Story:
UK -- A shopper has told the Old Bailey how she used her car to scare off a man who attacked a 39-year-old housewife. The man is accused of committing the attack four days before allegedly knifing a teenager in Orpington.

On September 26, the woman noticed a man following the victim in a car park. The woman told the jury she had first seen the man loitering by a car park ticket machine near a shopping center.

When she reached her car on the floor below, she noticed the man was following the other shopper. She then heard screams. The court heard the victim had been knocked to the ground and the attacker was on top of her.

The woman then started sounding the horn of her car and shouting at the man. She told the jury the attacker then stood up and looked at her before slowly walking away. She said: "He stopped doing what he was doing and began to walk away. Initially it was quite slow, which I found quite strange considering what he had just done. He seemed quite cool and calm."

Jurors have already been told the suspect is a loner obsessed with Internet porn, including sites which celebrate rape and other forms of sexual violence. The prosecutor told the court the hospital worker spent hours downloading sick stories and pictures from the Internet.

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Offenders are getting younger

California -- Courts have seen the number of sex offense cases involving juvenile offenders rise dramatically in recent years, an Associated Press review of national statistics found, and treatment professionals say the offenders are getting younger and the crimes more violent.

Some psychologists blame the increase - 40 percent over two decades - on a society saturated with sex and violence and the fact that many of the accused were themselves victims of adult sexual predators. Others say there aren't more children committing such crimes, there is simply more awareness, better reporting and a general hysteria about sex offenders.

The number of children under 18 accused of forcible rape, violent and nonviolent sex offenses has steadily risen, from 24,100 children in 1985 to 33,800 in 2004, the AP's analysis found. Violent offenses include attempted rape and sexual assault, while nonviolent offenses including fondling, statutory rape and prostitution.

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Full moon fever

Maybe there is something to it after all?
And perhaps we should all be alert when a full moon falls on a payday?

Story:
UK -- Police in Brighton are to put on extra patrols on nights when there is a full moon to combat an increase in violence.

It follows research by the Sussex force which concluded there was a rise in violent incidents when the moon was full - and also on paydays.

A spokeswoman for Sussex Police said: "Research carried out by us has shown a correlation between violent incidents and full moons. From my experience, over 19 years of being a police officer, undoubtedly on full moons, we do seem to get people with, sort of, stranger behaviour - more fractious, argumentative."

Past research into the phenomenon includes a study by Professor Michal Zimecki, of the Polish Academy of Sciences, who argued that a full moon could affect criminal activity and health.

In 1998, a three-month psychological study of 1,200 inmates at Armley jail in Leeds discovered a rise in violent incidents during the days either side of a full moon.

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A different beat

Yep, more music stuff :-)
This may seem like a strange thing - using slower "old and boring" music to get rid of unwanted individuals. However, it is nothing new - and it works!
Any good bouncer/doorman, bartender, DJ or band will tell you how the music may directly affect the mood.
In places I have worked, music has been used as a way to end fights, alert the bouncers, turn away unwanted individuals and reduce the level of "aggression". So yes - the Cliff thing is still good :-)

Story:
UK -- A traditional funfair has discovered a novel way of scaring off gangs of hoodies - by playing Cliff Richard records.

The travelling steam fair was plagued by gangs of yobs who used to intimidate customers, until they accidentally discovered the hoodie repelling properties of Sir Cliff.

Now the fair uses the records the keep gangs of teenagers at bay, and have also discovered that the music actually attracts a new breed of customers - even if they are mainly old ladies.

A representative said: "We cater mainly for families, but we had a lot of young teenage gangs of hoodies around looking intimidating and putting all the families off, and they never spent any money either. They just scared good customers away."

"We usually play a lot of original 50s rock and roll, but the other day I accidentally put on a Cliff Richard B side called Travelling Light. All the hoodies pulled horrible faces and walked off."

"The next time, we tried it again, and it worked, so we bought a few more. The slow ones like Living Doll and The Young Ones are the most effective. Summer Holiday worked as well, but we try to stick to ones from the 50s to keep the feel of the fair authentic."

"We don't play them all the time because it wouldn't be fair on the staff - it's only when we feel the hoodies are starting to outnumber the families. We play some of the older records, and that gets rid of them."

Source

Love - karaoke style

Hah! These karaoke torture chambers is definitely doing some strange things to our brains - bad voodoo :-)

Story:
A man tried to administer chloroform his girlfriend in front of a roomful of people, in order to take her home and talk her out of a break-up.

The 25-year-old man went to a karaoke parlor on November 12, with his 20-year-old girlfriend and two relatives' children. When his girlfriend was singing, he suddenly placed a chloroform towel on her nose and tried to intoxicate her.

She fought him off and alerted police. The man later explained that his girlfriend wanted to break up. He intended to take her home and have a good talk with her: "because he loves her too much".

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Bad karaoke

As far as music goes, karaoke is probably the worst thing known to man. The only thing that comes close on the "shit-O-meter" is elevator and telephone on-hold music. Oh, boy!
Fair enough - I have heard karaoke singers that actually can sing. But the rest ... Mama mia!
Consequently, I can kind of understand the security dude her, even though killing the "artist" is taking your statement too far by any ones standard.
And just contemplate this line: "Deaths and violence are not uncommon in Philippine karaoke bars." Ouch! Must be lots of really bad singers over there. Or maybe some really aggressive music criticisers?

Story:
In a Philippine karaoke bar, a man has been shot dead by a security guard for singing out of tune.

The 29-year-old man was halfway through his song on Tuesday night in a bar in San Mateo town, east of Manila, when a 43-year-old security guard yelled that he was out of tune.

When the performer ignored his comments and continued singing, the guard pulled out his revolver and shot him in the chest. The victim died instantly according to police.

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Knife rampage

Just in case you ever wondered just how dangerous weapon a knife can be ...

Story:

A man armed with 50cm knife killed nine people, including six children, and wounded 17 others in a drunken rampage in a central Philippine province on Saturday morning, police said.

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Flower power

An armed robber proved no match for a 71-year-old woman's water hose Tuesday afternoon. The Wilmington woman scared off a would-be robber by spraying him with a water hose and screaming for help in the backyard of her Forest Hills home.

Police said the woman was unloading flowers from her van in front of her home when she noticed a man walking near her yard bend down and get something out of his shoe.

The woman took her flowers to her backyard and began watering them and when she looked up she saw a man in her backyard pointing a gun at her. After seeing the gun, she turned the hose on the man and began to scream, police said. The man ran away.

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Robbery folded

And here's how it unfolded...

In April, two men walked into a postal annex in Portland, Oregon. One of the men was wielding a folding pocket knife, and announced a robbery.

Seconds later, the employees began laughing ... the man with the knife couldn't get the blade out with his thumbnail, so the pair fled.

'My-key-do' #3

Soon these things will have to be registered as offensive weapons, I guess :-)
Not much 'ai' (means 'harmony') here - more like ai-ai...
Suppose the new art then will be termed ai-aikeydo ("the key way to pain") :-)

Case 1:
After a street assault in January, a 22-year-old New Zealander was rushed to Wellington Hospital to have surgeons remove his car key, which was embedded behind his right ear.

Case 2:
Illinois -- Authorities are awaiting autopsy results to confirm whether a 24-year-old southwest side man was stabbed to death with a house key, Chicago police said. The man was pronounced dead early Sunday in Oak Lawn after he was stabbed in the back of the neck during a fight at his family's home.

Case 3:
Australia -- A 12-year-old boy from Sinnamon Park was able to escape an attempted abduction May 22 by lashing out at the man's face with his house keys and jumping from the car he had been dragged into.

Piece of garbage

California -- A man is accused of trying to rape a female manager at a Centre City motel before three employees and a good Samaritan subdued him with a garbage can lid and a piece of wood.

The 22-year-old suspect walked into the Motel 6 Friday afternoon and asked about a room, officials said.

Police said the man jumped over the counter and went after the clerk, who ran to the back office, where the 35-year-old female manager was working. The three struggled, and the fight spilled into the laundry room, where a maid was working.

The maid struck the assailant with a metal trash can lid. The clerk broke free and ran across the street to a liquor store for help, police said.

A liquor store employee ran back to Motel 6, saw the assailant on top of the manager and beat him with a piece of wood, police said. The Motel 6 manager suffered a broken nose and a cut lip.

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Police recommend self-defense

UK -- Police recommend self-defence lessons after pupils admit to feeling fearful of being attacked.

Self-defence lessons should be offered to young girls who live in daily fear of being beaten up, according to police, following a survey of 12 and 13-year-olds in North Wales.

The results, published last week in the report Young People as Victims of Crime, show that girls worry more about becoming victims than boys.

Police claim that young girls' stress is largely unfounded, with pupils more likely to be threatened than attacked.

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There were red flags

Oregon -- On May 24, 2004, just before allegedly kidnapping, raping and killing a 19-year-old college student, the 40-year-old suspected killer stalked and then approached two other women near Oregon State University. He then tried to lure them into his van, prosecutors say. He intended to rape and kill them, too, a Benton County District Attorney said.

The man tried to coax the women, both OSU students at the time, close to the van. But the women, who were alone, sensed trouble.

"There were red flags," the District Attorney said. "He tried to engage them with conversation and conduct that clearly establishes that he is trying to lure them into the van, but he just can't get within striking distance."

The victim was last seen about 10 a.m. May 24, 2004, cleaning lampposts in the parking lot of apartments managed by her brother-in-law near the Corvallis campus. Police and thousands of friends and strangers searched unsuccessfully for her for two weeks. Her body has not been found.

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"Such a macho country"

Forgetting the political correctness for a while - is this the reason why certain illegal immigrants are behind a huge amount of sexual assaults and attempted abductions in the US?

Story:
The 37-year-old woman said she's been a taxi victim twice. Fifteen years ago, she was a passenger when a taxi driver pulled into a dark industrial district and tried to grope her before she escaped.

Now, as one of a handful of female taxi drivers in Mexico City, she recently pulled over for a man. He gruffly waved her on, telling her no female would drive him. "It made me laugh," she said. "Mexico is such a macho country."

Her stories help explain why some Mexico City lawmakers are proposing a new all-woman taxi service. Their belief: Women are safer with drivers and passengers of the same sex.

The capital's government estimated at least 400 women last year were assaulted in taxis. But that number is unreliable because many women don't report assaults, let alone offensive ogling or flagrant flirtation.

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Street-smart kid

This is one smart kid! Sadly too many people don't know about strategic planning and the positive effects of preparing for what we call worst-case scenario.

Story:
New York -- An 11-year-old girl kept herself ready for the worst, constantly rehearsing in her mind how she could escape an attacker or kidnapper. Little did she know her hours of mental preparation would pay off - possibly saving the Brooklyn girl's life.

On Sunday, the 4-foot-5, 80-pound sixth-grader was hailed as a hero for fighting off an attacker twice her size - then having the wits about her to help capture the suspect.

The girl was coming back home when she realized a 19-year-old male was following her and decided to run home.

She recalled seeing him talking to her landlord before, she said, and wondered if she had misjudged him. But after making it up two and a half flights of stairs in her building, the man grabbed her just short of her apartment, she said.

"He grabbed my mouth and told me to not scream. I thought he was going to take me up to the roof and rape me or something like that," the girl said. "When [we] went downstairs, he loosened my wrist a little bit. And I took advantage of that and I broke out of where he was holding me and I ran outside."

That was Plan B - "to calm down, relax and try to get away." The girl also admitted, "Before a robbery happens, I always think of a plan to do. But sometimes when I'm nervous or scared, I forget my ideas. I only came up with half a plan when I got caught." She didn't immediately scream because she wasn't sure her brother would hear her.

When she got away, she screamed for help and buzzed all the apartment intercoms. Finally, two residents heard them, and the two men, with the help of other neighbors, grabbed the suspect, who had taken off his green shirt, possibly to evade capture. According to the media, the man said, "I'm sorry, I won't do it again. I won't do it again," as the "crowd pummeled him to keep him from escaping."

The girl's parting advice: "Try to figure out a plan before somebody tries to kidnap you. That way if somebody tries to touch you, you're ready to attack them back."

Source

He was stunned

California -- A would-be robber got a shock when he was zapped with a stun gun while trying to rob a San Diego doughnut shop.

The robbery attempt occurred just before 11 p.m. Friday. A man jumped over the counter and struck an employee, then tried to take cash from the register. But the woman fought back, and another woman shocked the man with a stun gun, police said.

The man is in his 20s and about 5 feet 7 inches tall with a medium build. No weapon was seen, and the man ran off without the money.

Source

Self-defense? Naturally ...

One single punch can be devastating ...
And this young punk claiming self-defense? How sad - how pathetic.

Story:
UK -- A 26-year-old man was celebrating a friend's birthday in Newcastle city centre and he and his companions began playfully throwing some takeaway chips at each other as they walked to catch a taxi home.

One of the chips hit a woman walking near the group, and her 19-year-old boyfriend reacted angrily, shouting at them in an accusing way.The 26-year-old walked over saying "sorry, mate" and with his hands outstretched to apologise for the incident.

Seconds later, it is alleged, the aggressor punched him in the face, causing the victim to fall "like a piece of wood" straight back onto a set of railings outside a sandwich shop. Despite paramedics arriving minutes later and taking him to hospital, the Newcastle University student died of massive head injuries.

The jury was told that the 19-year-old assailant, had just six weeks earlier been involved in a similar attack when he punched a man in a taxi queue - breaking his jaw.

The accused denies manslaughter. The court heard he is likely to say he hit out in self-defense.

Source

Bummer!

Be very afraid - they're actually walking amongst us ... :-)

Story:
West Virginia -- When a man tried to rob a convenience store in Inwood using a small lighter shaped like a gun, his method of disguise reportedly became a source of amusement for the cashier.

"He entered the store wearing a pair of women's pajama shorts over his face," a West Virginia State Police spokesman said, adding "I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried."

At first the cashier thought it was a joke. Then the would-be robber showed the cashier his fake weapon. She was unsure if it was an actual gun or a cigarette lighter in the figure of a gun, which the store used to sell.

The cashier refused to comply with the attempted robber's demands and he fled the scene. The man was arrested several minutes later with another man while attempting to steal a tire off of a vehicle.

Source

A donut nut

I guess these donuts are 'Dimply' the best?

Story:
Kansas -- Dimple Donuts employees were surprised when a seemingly ordinary order turned into an attempted robbery.

A man in his 20s came into the store, with no shirt and ordered some coffee and donuts at about 1 a.m. He tried to pay with a credit card, and when the employees told him they did not accept them, he attempted to rob the place.

The man started throwing things and demanding money. He tried to hop the counter, but was stopped. The man fled the store. An employee tried to stop him and was injured when his hand was slammed in a car door.

Source

'Lettuce rejoice'

Sir, I take my hat off to you!

Story:
UK -- A pensioner of 82 was shopping when a raider walked into the village store in Speldhurst, Kent, and pointed the gun at the postmistress.

The man demanded money - but the senior citizen belted him in the face with an iceberg lettuce. A second hit persuaded the robber to run off.

The World War II Speldhurst veteran said: "The best form of defence is attack - so I did. I clobbered him twice."

Source

'Yankee-do'

Don't mess with granny! Don't they teach kids this lesson today?

Story:
The Yankees have honored a robber-bashing Bronxville grandmother of eight yesterday in a home plate ceremony.

The 68-year-old woman foiled an April 26 robbery at a sandwich shoppe in Tuckahoe where she worked by smacking the robber with a 1961 Yankees miniature bat.

With her 16-inch weapon in hand, she waved to the stadium crowd when she was introduced yesterday, then got a surprise when Derek Jeter came out of the dugout and presented her with a real bat signed by the team and gave her a hug.

During the attempted robbery last month, the man told the woman he had a gun, and demanded she empty the cash register. The lifelong Yankees fan said she threw the money on the floor, then as he was bending over to pick it up, grabbed her commemorative bat and hit him in the back of the head twice. He dropped the money and ran out of the store.

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Hazards at work, 44

Being hit by the student is bad. Hitting back is plain stupid. Could this retaliation have been avoided with a little knowledge and training? Quite probably.
Another thing is that the teacher really should have seen the punch coming. The pushing is a tell tale sign of escalation - in other words: a major red flag. Even more so when this student has what they call a "record of behavior issues"

Story:
Louisiana -- An 18-year-old student finished a test Tuesday and then shoved it in the teacher's chest. The 10th-grade teacher told her to take it back and hand it to him nicely, officials said. She shoved it in his chest again, school officials said, so the teacher repeated his request.

District officials said that on the final time, though, she threw the test in his face and followed up with a punch. He hit her back, officials said.

The 20-year teaching veteran was suspended with pay, and the student has been suspended indefinitely. The student has a record of behavior issues, according to the school district.

Source

One tought customer

I'm not sure if this was the smartest thing to do. Still, I must say I'm impressed by this senior citizen!

Story:
A suspect, who was in his 20's, walked into a shop in North Nashville on Sunday night. Police say he held up the clerk, then turned the gun on a customer.

That customer, a 77 year old man, wrestled the gun away from the suspect and shot the suspect in the leg. The elderly man was not hurt.

Source

The nose-hold

Are you telling me this "biting various parts" woman is having an anger management problem? And another thing - what's so unusual about the nose-hold? Or is this a perhaps a secret Maori warrior variation that I don't know about?

Story:
New Zealand -- A New Plymouth police constable was forced to apply a nose-hold on an offender to try to stop her from biting her. The unusual hold was clamped on a woman in February after police were called to a disturbance.

When the female officer and her partner arrived, they found the woman arguing with her son. She then turned on the constables, spitting in their faces, jumping on them and trying to bite various parts of their body.

Despite being pepper-sprayed, the 34-year-old unemployed New Plymouth woman punched the male officer three times in the head. The female officer tried to restrain her, but the woman clamped her jaws down on her arm, piercing her uniform and skin.

After the constables finally managed to restrain her with a nose-hold they needed medical treatment for cuts and severe bruising.

In court, the woman admitted injuring with intent and assaulting police. Her defence counsel said his client was undergoing counselling for several issues, including anger management.

Source

Hazards at work, 43

Scotland -- A 56-year-old former sales executive was left with painful physical injuries after a 39-year-old man tried to rape her at a furniture store in broad daylight, July 2006. The woman had been left alone after a colleague she was paired with went off to speak to a client.

When she went back to her desk, she noticed the man sitting in one of the designer chairs. She asked what he wanted and followed as he pointed up a short flight of chairs towards French furnishings. The woman said the man jumped on her and smashed her to the floor. She screamed 'help' and one of the store's managers pulled the assailant away.

The woman had two broken bones in her hand and three displaced vertebrae in her neck after the attack. "I loved my job, but I resigned because I thought security in the store was totally inadequate," she said.

Source

Didn't like the feeling

Seems very strange to me that the parents didn't check with the modelling agency, all the time her mother got this creepy "something isn't right" feeling.

Story:
Minnesota -- A 17-year-old girl told her parents a photographer had approached her at a local store, claiming to be affiliated with a modeling agency. The man even gave her $200 to buy clothes for the photo shoot.

"To make that money quick, there is something not right. I didn't like the feeling I got," said her mother. The parents took several steps to check out the man. They even contacted local police to check out his criminal history. They found out he had a clean record.

However, when the teen showed up at the hotel room in Brooklyn Park in March, she said she became frightened when the photographer locked the door. The man then showed her other teenager's pictures, some partially clothed, some younger than she. "Right there I was, oh my God, I mean, how much younger, I am 17-years-old and she looked very young and it scared me," the girl said.

After taking several photos of girl, she said, "All of a sudden he grabbed me by the shirt and ripped my shirt off and threw that on the ground." When the man stepped into the bathroom, the girl said she escaped, first peaking at his wallet to learn he had given her a fake name. She then ran to her car, called her Mom and then police.

Source

Another 'doork'

New York -- At a Macy's store on Manhattan - around 1:50 p.m. on Sunday - a 60-year-old man allegedly stripped in a nearby dressing room before heading to where a 16-year-old girl was trying on a dress.

The teenager said that the man hooked his arm around her neck before she managed to fight him off. The girl she fought off the man by hitting him with the dressing room door.

Source

Holly cow ...

Cow self-defense perhaps?

Story:
An unsuccessful sexual advance by an elderly Cambodian man on a young heifer ended badly when the bovine fought back, kicking him to death.

The 67-year-old man of south-western Svay Rieng province had been divorced for just 10 days when his urges apparently overcame him in the middle of the night.

Sounds of a scuffle caused the man's grandson to investigate, whereupon he found the man's naked body lying under the family's frightened cow with injuries to his head and genital area consistent with being kicked by the beast, the paper reported.

Police concluded he died in a rape attempt gone wrong, the paper said. Villagers were quoted saying the man had been divorced twice, with both wives citing his insatiable desires as the cause.

Source

Shout!

New York -- A man yanked a 9-year-old girl off the street in Melville Thursday evening, drove her a quarter of a mile, then released her, Suffolk County police said.

Police said they weren’t sure why the man released the girl, but they surmised it was because the child was screaming loudly.

Her mother had taught the girl to make noise if she was in harm's way, and police said they believe this may have saved her.

Source

Hazards at work, 42

UK -- A Scottish market researcher fought back after a terrifying assault when a convicted sex fiend invited her into his Leith home for an interview on November 7, 2006.

The woman called at the flat unaware that the 59-year-old man who lived there had served jail terms totalling 18 years for assaults and sex attacks.

The man allegedly pushed her on to a sofa, held a knife at her throat, put his hand over her nose and mouth and threatened to kill her.

The woman fought back, cutting her attacker's face, and managed to get the knife and told him to "back off". She told the court: "I had to fight for my life."

Source

Homeless

Unusual? Just because attacks on prostitutes and homeless people don't get reported to authorities, doesn't make them unusual.

Story:
California -- A homeless woman fought off a would-be rapist in Mountain View this week, an attack police described as unusual.

The attack happened about 3:30 a.m. Monday. The woman, sleeping in bushes, began to scream for help when a man tried to pull off her sleeping bag.

The assailant began strangling the woman and sexually assaulted her before fleeing. Her screams alerted someone in the neighborhood, who in turn called police.

Some formerly homeless local residents say sexual assaults on homeless women are pervasive but simply never reported to the police.

"For women out there, there's always people coming on to them, all the time," said an outreach worker.

A former homeless woman in Palo Alto, said women living on the streets frequently have to fight off unwanted advances. Men approached her regularly, she said.

Reportedly, the most dangerous time is the first week of each month, when some predators spend welfare and Social Security checks on drugs and alcohol.

Source

The 'Milky' Way

Can't help it, but I have quite a soft spot for fighter girls like this :-)
Drink you milk kids!

Story ("Milk-do" - or 'The Way Of The Milk'):
Massachusetts -- A 14-year-old Fairhaven girl fought off a man who first offered her a ride in his truck and then tried to grab her near a boat ramp early yesterday afternoon.

The girl said she was walking when a man in his early 30s pulled up and asked if she needed a ride. She refused, but the man allegedly began following her in his truck. As she neared the parking lot of the Pease Park boat ramp, he pulled in front of her, blocking her way, police said.

The teenager told police the man then got out of his truck and walked up behind her. He grabbed her by the back of the arm, trying to get her to stop, and said, "Come on and get in my car."

The girl struck her attacker in the face with a container of milk she was carrying, causing him to let go. When he tried to grab her arm a second time, she kneed him in the groin.

The man (wisely) gave up and the girl ran home to report the incident.

Source

False reports

In New South Wales, Australia, about 30 people faked their own kidnappings in the past year.

Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research figures show that NSW has the highest recorded kidnapping rate in the country, with 6.9 abductions per 100,000 people.

However, the bureau's report found that of the 238 cases of alleged abduction reviewed by researchers, only 57 per cent involved an actual abduction.

About one-third of victims experienced an attempted abduction and 4 per cent of cases did not fall into the legal description of abduction. In 7 per cent of cases, either no abduction took place or a false report was given to police.

There were 422 recorded abductions between October 2005 and September 2006. That would suggest about 30 people falsified kidnappings last year.

Source

'Mall-Wart'?

Quite alarming statistics regarding Wal-Mart ...

Story:
Wal-Mart complexes experience a significant number of police incidents, more so than at other shopping complexes. This is according to a national study published less than a year ago by United Food and Commercial Workers International Union at WakeUpWalMart.com.

The study examined police reports associated with 551 Wal-Mart stores across the country. It collected data from 404 police departments from 434 cities and towns.

The study demonstrates that nationally, Wal-Mart stores cost local taxpayers an estimated $77 million in increased police costs in 2004.

What the report calls "magnet for crime" is not limited to merely in-store crimes like shoplifting and check forgery. Included is also violent and serious crimes including rape, attempted rape, aggravated assault, burglary, auto-theft, arson, narcotics, kidnapping and murder.

The report shows that there were 1,024 auto thefts reported at Wal-Mart stores, 154 sex crimes, 23 kidnappings or attempted kidnappings and 1,145 assaults with a deadly weapon.

Source

Stockholm stats

A recent report from the 'Center for Public Health' shows that there was 6800 cases of assault on women reported to police in Stockholm during 2006 (in average 19 cases per day). There was 1178 rapes, on average 3 reports per day.

Two thirds of the women was subject to assault indoor, often by a spouse or family member. Karen Leander (who wrote the report) criticise the media for giving a false image of violence towards women. Media tend to spread the idea that women are being assaulted and raped by strangers, outside in the dark, she says.

She goes on to state that even rapes and assaults outdoors are, for a major part, being carried out by someone the victim knows.

Another washroom incident

Florida -- A man in his 20s was spotted lurking inside a clubhouse in Miramar.

According to detectives, the man grabbed a female housekeeper in the men's room, bent her arm behind her back and raised her skirt, tearing it.

"The subject entered the bathroom and basically tried to pin her into one of the stalls," a police spokesman said.

"At that point, there was a confrontation and the subject tried to lift her dress, tried to reach in under her dress and she was able, at that point, to fight him off."

Source

Alcohol

I may enjoy a drink or two now and then - more and more seldom I might add. Still I have no problem seeing the potential dangers connected with alcohol consumption.

Story:
Guam -- Alcohol is the number one drug of choice among Guam's adolescents, and used by more young adults than any other illicit drug.

According to recent studies published in the medical journal, The Lancet, alcohol ranks among the five most dangerous drugs in our society. It has been ranked as being more dangerous than illegal drugs like marijuana or ecstasy.

Source

A target

A brilliant conclusion by the police: "Investigators believe the would-be robbers had figured out that the victim was depositing a large amount of money and waited for her to arrive at the bank."
Nooo! Really? Wow ... Do you mean it wasn't random?

Story:
California -- An employee at a Starbucks in El Segundo, was attempting to deposit money from the business when the assailants approached her at 11:50 a.m. in Manhattan Beach.

The woman was struck several times, but refused to let go of her backpack as a suspect tried to grab it from her. She held on real tight, and yelled 'help' as loud as she could. She continued screaming as she fought off the men, prompting people in the parking lot to call police.

Source

(No rest) restaurant restroom

California -- A 26-year-old man entered a restaurant south of St. Helena, Napa Valley by the side door. This was on March 26. He then went straight to the women's bathroom and entered the back stall and removed his clothes.

A woman came into the bathroom and saw the suspect standing there naked. The attacker grabbed her and tried to pull her inside the back stall. The woman spun around and was able to break loose from his grip.

Her sweater got torn in the process. The woman ran from the bathroom.

Just as that was happening, a woman in another stall came out and the assailant grabbed her and tried to pull her into the back stall.

She was fighting him off when some men, who had heard the noise, came in and wrestled the man to the ground.

The woman who was in the stall heard the commotion between the man and the first woman, but thought it was just some girls playing around.

Both women had visible injuries to their arms, according to the report.

Source

(Not too) cleaver clever

Pretending to be an express courier, a 24-year-old robber was permitted entry in a trading company in Hong Kong.

He then tried to attack the receptionist with a stun gun but she fought back. The stun gun dropped to the ground in the scuffle.

When the "stunner" bent to pick it up, a sharp cleaver he hid in his trousers pierced an artery in his thigh. The man tried to flee but collapsed in a pool of blood. He died of major blood loss.

Source

Mobile theft capital

UK -- A survey has revealed that Glasgow is the mobile phone theft capital of the British Isles.

With one in five cases involving phones being snatched from bags, almost a third of people living in the city have had their mobile stolen.

The study also shows phone thieves are most likely to strike in the evenings; the months April and August had the highest rates of phone theft in the city, and one in five admitted falling victim while on night out.

Source

Usually been drinking

You must be kidding; Consuming alcohol and walking alone through a secluded area at night "may increase the chances of being attacked". Wow, that is a huge surprise...

Story:
Edinburgh, Scotland -- Every week, according to police, one person is assaulted in the Meadows and Bruntsfield Links. The total number of (recorded) crimes in the area has soared from 68 in 2003-4 to 166 in 2006-7 according to police.

The majority of victims of serious assaults and hold-ups have usually been drinking, and they are white males aged between 21 and 25. They are mostly attacked by gangs of youths aged under 20 - many culprits in their mid teens.

"Pedestrians walking through the area at night after consuming alcohol may be increasing their chances of being attacked as they are less aware of their surroundings and therefore more vulnerable (...)"

Source

Internet predators

The (Australian) federal government body NetAlert, along with ninemsn, have done a survey, showing that boys were more willing to share information and more trusting of people they met online than girls.

Subsequently they have warned parents their sons are just as likely to be preyed on by internet predators as their daughters.

A NetAlert spokesperson have stated that "(...) boys are just as much at risk from online dangers, including predators, as girls."

Source

Hotel rooms

In the eyes of a perpetrator, a hotel room is a "perfect" place for criminal activities - it's secluded and you can lock the door. Plus, people are used to a certain level of noise. In a sense it is "private" - kind of like domestic disturbances coming form a neighbor.

Story:
A female guest reported a male maid sexually assaulted her at a hotel in Middletown. She said the man came into her room around noon Saturday and fondled her in the bathroom.

When she tried to make him leave, he pushed her into a corner and attempted to kiss her, according to a police report.

Source

Hazards at work, 42

Jamaica -- Three male students allegedly attempted to rape a female teacher at a Kingston high School yesterday.

A source said the teacher was taking a Grade 10 class in a building to the back of the school, called 'the temple', when the boys - the only ones who had turned up for the class - reportedly started saying things which made the teacher feel uncomfortable.

The teacher reportedly set the afternoon's work on the board and started to leave, but was allegedly blocked by the boys.

"One of them held her hands behind her and another held her around her waist, she literally had to fight her way from them," the source said, adding that the teacher was so distraught, she had been crying all afternoon.

Source

A discovery

My kind of woman completely - this is one smart and tough mama :-)

Story:
Canada -- A Moose Jaw woman credits the Discovery Channel with saving her life after tips she learned on a program about shark attacks helped her fend off an intruder who broke into her apartment in Medicine Hat.

The 27-year-old female was alone in her home around 4:30 p.m. March 25 when she was confronted by a man armed with a crowbar, duct tape and handcuffs.

"I poked him in the eye like you do to a shark that’s attacking you," she said. "I was also trying to fish-hook my fingers inside his lips because I know that hurts. I scratched his hands really good and got as much of my blood on him as possible because I knew he’d have to have my DNA on him and I’d have to have his DNA on me for there to be any evidence."

Source

Snatch and run

Snatch and run - almost sounds like a slogan: Thieves-R-Us.
Seriously, why does women A. keep all their important things - house keys, credit cards, ID, etc. - inside a purse, and B. leave the purse on the seat beside them? How about making it just a tiny bit harder for the criminals? Why not put the important items in the glove department, and leave a "decoy purse" on the seat?

Story:
Four women have become victims of snatch and run thefts in Istanbul following an attack on Republican People's Party deputy Zeynep Damla Gürel.

Thieves who take advantage of traffic jams that occur on the streets specifically target the lone female drivers of luxury vehicles. The assailants flee after breaking car windows, typically with a spark plug, and taking the victims' purses.

Source

Fighting food

Some people seems to belong on the inside of a prison - and no, they're not the ones working there ...

Story:
Turkey -- On the day he was released from prison in Izmir after serving time for purse snatching, a 24-year-old man was taken into custody for trying to snatch the purse of 54-year-old woman.

The incident occurred Saturday evening in Izmir. The newly released purse-snatcher chose the woman, who was on her way out of the mall, as a victim.

After sneaking up from behind her, he tried to snatch her purse by pulling on it; however, the woman resisted so he tried to take her down.

The woman hit the purse-snatcher on his head with the grocery she had and began yelling for help. The man panicked and tried to escape.

He was captured by police teams patrolling the area shortly after the police was notified of his purse-snatching attempt.

Source

Hazards at work, 41

And of course any teacher who lay hands on these "poor kids" would find themselves in trouble, right?

Story:
Yet another teacher was assaulted at violence-plagued West Philadelphia High School - the seventh in two weeks and at least the 18th this school year.

Around 11 a.m., a trash fire was set in an unoccupied classroom, one in a series of small blazes set by students in protest of the removal of the principal this week.

Students were evacuated and when one teacher tried to tell students to get off a car, a ninth-grade girl punched him in the jaw, police said. Another girl and a boy also tried to hit the 53-year-old teacher, a long-term substitute.

Source

A high price

I find it really strange that such an initiative should be so hard to implement - this includes Norway, where I come from. If something obviously is funded by criminal activities, then just let the state confiscate it! You say its yours? Well then, prove it ...

Story:
UK -- Criminals who think they can cash in on their crimes are being warned to think again.

The force-wide initiative is a major push to seize the assets of lawbreakers, whether they are low-level offenders or the Mr Bigs of the criminal world.

Under the Proceeds of Crime Act, police can seize cash or goods if they are believed to be criminal property or used to commit crime. Already, £3m has been seized by Northumbria Police since the operation started last April.

Source

Restrooms

Sweden - A woman has reported to police that she was raped by an acquaintance at a public restroom in Stockholm Monday evening.

This was the second rape committed in a public restroom during a period of just two days in the Swedish capital.

Source

Hazards at work, 40

Norway -- A social service client in Vaaler went berserk during a meeting there on February 23.

The man threw furniture around the room and assaulted a female employee who came to see what was going on.

Wandering around the office, the enraged man threatened to kill three members of the staff.

Police later arrested the man.

A kid will remember

It could be wise to reflect on this story, next time an adult wonders if a child simply makes up a story. We may begin to wonder since a child seemingly remembers so many details.
Yes, a few kids make up a story to get attention, or cover up something else. Most however, do not.

Story:
On a Monday night in January, Mitchell Hults received a phone call from his friend's dad. "He called me and asked if I'd seen Ben or if Ben had been on the bus," says Mitchell, 15, of Beaufort, Mo.

Mitchell had seen Ben Ownby on the school bus. He also saw something unusual when Ben got off the bus -- a strange white pickup truck.

"I know pretty much all the cars that come down here," Mitchell says of the rural area in which he lives.

Mitchell told Ben's dad, and then the police, about the white pickup. He remembered it was a Nissan, and even knew the places where the truck had dents and rust. He also remembered what his friend was wearing when he disappeared.

Ben, 13, had been kidnapped, but was found by police four days after his abduction, along with Shawn Hornbeck, 15, who vanished four years ago. Michael Devlin was arrested for kidnapping Ben and Shawn, and is in jail awaiting trial. Mitchell's description was a huge help, and two officers recalled it when they saw Devlin's truck.

It may seem surprising that a kid could remember so many details. But safety instructor Tom Patire wasn't surprised. "Adults have so much going through their minds, they get mixed up in the description," Patire says, whereas a kid will remember.

Source

Hazards at work, 39

Australia -- A 48-year-old woman punched a 26-year-old male nurse in the face and repeatedly struck him with her walking stick on December 8, 2003 because she was irate about having to wait for hospital treatment, a court has heard.

The hostile woman wanted to be seen "immediately" when she arrived at the Royal Brisbane Hospital's psychiatric ward about 2:40pm.

However, the woman was left to wait and as the nurse emerged from one of the wards she yelled out "you Scottish bastard". "The complainant had an Irish accent," the prosecutor told the court.

The accused then struck the nurse's face with a clenched fist before repeatedly hitting him with her black walking cane as if it were a baseball bat. She was yelling obscenities ... he was walking backwards trying to stop the blows, calling for security.

He was fearful because she wouldn't stop. She was eventually brought to the ground before others helped restrain her.

Source

Scary attitudes

Arcane moral values and scary attitudes towards women are being presented in a recent report from a research group at the Norwegian Attorney General.

The report shows that several jury members in rape cases often times will question the moral character of the female victim - "nice girls don't act like this", seems to be a common allegation. Members of the jury will many times challenge the actions of the victim prior to the alleged rape.

On the other hand, the defendant may likely get sympathy from these jury members.

The people in this report had been jury members in six cases which had overturned a previous court sentence.

One may really begin to wonder the jury selection process ...

"Poor kid"

Sweden -- How dare these pesky teachers harass a "poor kid" like this. Since the kids are allowed to do exactly as they please at home, they sure can't expect to do less at school, right?

So, we must consider if this 45-year-old teacher had it coming when he told a 19-year-old student to remove his caps in class.

The student probably had a bad hair day, so he assaulted the nagging teacher, trying to choke him (probably just trying to get him to "shut the f*** up").

The poor, helpless, freezing kid - being shown so little respect - was arrested by police.

Seriously, how are these youngsters brought up at home?

Hazards at work, 38

Oh yes, that's a fine way to raise your children - a swell mother and outstanding citizen indeed!

Story:
UK -- A shop assistant has been attacked by an angry customer who threw a bottle at her after complaining about the price of her shopping.

Witnesses said there was blood 'all over the floor' when the shop worker was attacked by the woman who was with her two children.

The shopper hit out at the assistant at Savers Health and Beauty in Woolwich at 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday.

The woman had been turned away from the shop because she had become abusive, saying "I'll knock you out".

She exploded when the price of her shopping came to £51, and returned 20 minutes later when staff again refused to serve her. The shopper then turned violent.

"We refused to serve her so she kicked off, started running her pram into other customers. She called us racist. Then she threw a bottle at me, a full bottle of water. It must have been the lid that hit me because it cut into my head and there was blood all over my head."

The shop assistant says she has been suffering from headaches since the incident.

Source

Paranoid?

Maybe it's a bit paranoid to look into your vehicle before entering?
Or maybe it's a good idea? After all things like this happen to someone ...
And this someone could never be you or me, right?

Story:
Tennessee -- Sheer terror greeted a woman early Sunday as she drove away from a Memphis gas station and a carjacker popped up in her car's back seat.

The woman had filled up at the a gas station about 3 a.m. When she went inside to pay the carjacker got into her car. As she drove away from the station he attacked her.

The woman fought with the suspect, then jumped from her moving vehicle and ran toward the store, police said.

Instead of driving away with the car, the carjacker turned it around and began chasing her. The woman was able to evade the carjacker by running between two buildings. The suspect then drove off.

Source

Hazards at work, 37

A 34-year-old Arizona man has been charged with assaulting two crew members aboard a flight from Phoenix to Thurgood Marshall Baltimore-Washington International Airport on Saturday, according to the Maryland Transportation Authority police.

The man assaulted the crew members aboard the America West flight that landed at BWI around 4 p.m. Saturday. The man, who may have been under the influence of alcohol, had to be restrained with flexicuffs.

Source

Asking for directions

Asking for directions is a very common way to distract a potential victim...

Story 1:
West Virginia -- City police are working to determine if a possible abduction attempt in Martins Ferry late Sunday involved the man wanted in the recent abduction and rape of a Wheeling girl.

The suspect wanted in the abduction of the Wheeling girl also is believed to have been responsible for the attempted abduction of a Martins Ferry teen on Feb. 18. In both of those instances, the suspect asked the victim for directions before attacking them.

According to a report from the Martins Ferry Police Department, the suspect in Sunday's incident pulled along side the teen, and he became aggravated when she would not answer his questions. The report does not indicate what was asked.

Story 2:
Illinois -- Chicago Police are looking for two people who attempted to abduct a woman in the Hyde Park area on the South Side on Tuesday.

The 30-year-old woman was walking in the area about 10 p.m. Tuesday when a man asked her for directions, then grabbed her as she approached his vehicle. A struggle ensued and the woman was able to flee from the offender.

Story 3:
New Zealand -- Police are looking for a man in his late 20s or early 30s who attempted to get a 15 year old girl into his car in Wainuiomata last night.

Lower Hutt Police said the girl was walking home alone around 6.50pm when the man approached her in a car and asked for directions.

After giving him directions she carried on but a short time later noticed the same vehicle approach and stop in the middle of the road.

Police said the driver aggressively demanded she get into the vehicle the girl responded by screaming out which caused the man to drive away.

Source (1) - Source (2) - Source (3)

Hazards at work, 36

Seems like this guy didn't want to be released from prison.

Story:
Louisiana -- A 70-year-old Dixon Correctional Institution inmate is accused of choking and attempting to rape a woman security officer at the Jackson prison Friday.

The inmate, who was arrested in 1984 and sent to Angola four years later on an attempted murder conviction, had been respected by security officers and other inmates alike, a warden said. The man was scheduled to be released in 2009.

The woman officer, who momentarily blacked out during the attack but regained consciousness to fend off the rape attempt, was not seriously injured, the warden said.

The attack occurred shortly after 10 a.m. as the officer and the inmate worked in a canteen at one of the two main housing units of the prison, bagging items for sale to inmates when the canteen would open.

The inmate is accused of using a bandanna from the canteen's inventory to temporarily subdue the officer, but she was able to resume her struggle as "he tried to take advantage of her," the spokesman said.

"She fought her way out of there," the spokesman said, adding that the officer eventually put out a call for help on her radio.

Source

Raised no flags

Sadly, even if you follow all security procedures, there's no way to avoid "smart" criminals.

Story:
Missouri -- Authorities continued their search Wednesday for a 48-year-old man accused of sexually assaulting a 24-year-old real estate agent while pretending to be in the market to buy a house.

The man, formerly of Las Vegas, was released January 23 from a Texas prison after serving a five-year sentence for bank fraud.

Using an alias, he allegedly pulled out a handgun about 5 p.m. Sunday when he and the real estate agent were in the basement of a house in Weldon Spring. Wilson handcuffed the woman to a pole and sexually assaulted her. The assailant also allegedly put a knife to her throat.

The woman was later found by her husband and co-workers.

Source

Hazards at work, 35

Denmark -- It was close to 4 a.m. in the morning in central Copenhagen, when a man attempted to rape a woman delivering newspapers.

The 24-year-old woman was halfway through her round when a man accosted her at a street corner and offered her money.

When the woman refused his offer, the man assaulted her. He punched her to the face several times and forced her to the ground.

The woman was screaming as the perpetrator managed to remove the her pants. Luckily, a witness was awakened by the noise. As the witness opened his windows to see what was going on, the perpetrator took off.

Source

UN report critisises Sweden

Sweden -- According to gotlandstidningar.se, a resent UN report criticises the Swedish government, stating more should be done to protect Swedish women against violence.

The reported number of crimes against women in Sweden is on the rise. During the month of January (2007), there were 60 more instances of rape and 200 more instances of assault being reported to police compared to the same period in 2006.

On a total, there was 3 250 reported instances of such crimes being reported during January 2007.

Not paying attention

Illinois -- A 19-year-old Millikin University student fought off a would-be robber about 7:45 p.m. Friday.

The young woman told police she was walking from her apartment to a friend's apartment, Decatur police said.

"She was trying to text message a friend on her cell phone and wasn't paying a lot of attention to her surroundings," a police spokesman said. "A man came up behind her and grabbed her purse. She tried to run but the assailant grabbed the front of her shirt."

The woman punched her assailant in the upper body and ran back to her apartment where she called university security personnel. The would-be robber left empty-handed.

Source

Hazards at work, 34

Sweden -- Threats and violence against Uppsala ambulance personnel is far more widespread than what the official statistics show, according to unt.se.

In fact, violence is such a regular occurrence that many don't bother to press charges or even file reports, according to health personnel.

Patients starting to fight during rescue operations, threats and violence from bystanders, drunken people interfering during the Weekends, and even assaults with axes and knives, are just some of the examples.

Classic distraction

Here's a classic distraction technique, involving two or more perpetrators. This incident describes a carjacking, but similar methods is used in thefts and robberies as well.

Story:
California -- The 4:03 p.m. carjacking occurred in a Kmart parking.

A 24-year-old man pulled into the lot in his car Saturday afternoon, when a woman approached and began a conversation, according to Antioch police.

While they spoke, the gunman climbed into the driver's-side passenger door, held a revolver to the back of driver's head and ordered him to empty his pockets.

The gunman then ordered the driver out of the vehicle, which he then stole. The woman fled in another vehicle.

Source

Hazards at work, 33

Sweden -- A bus driver in Umeaa was assaulted Saturday night by an unruly passenger - a drunken male in his 50s.

The passenger claimed the driver was playing music too loud, and subsequently hit the driver with a shoe.

The driver was not badly injured from the assault, and the man was later arrested by police.

Source

'Peas-keeper'

Here's your new self-defense weapon "the peas-keeper" :-)
Brilliant teamwork, I'd say!

Story:
UK -- Two plucky pensioners foiled a chip shop robber with a bowl of mushy peas and a pan of boiling hot water, a court heard today.

The 21-year-old robber stormed in with a hammer and jumped over the counter of shop in Bolton, Greater Manchester.

The masked raider struck the 65-year-old male owner on the head and shoulder before his 61-year-old partner came into the room with a bowl of peas. She threw the peas at the robber causing him to slip over.

The robber got back to his feet and tried to open the cash till but was stopped in his tracks as the couple picked up a pan of water and launched it at him.

The raider ran out of the shop empty-handed and was later found to have suffered burns to his right arm, chest and neck, which needed hospital treatment.

Source

Hazards at work, 32

Story 1:
A 15-year-old girl punched her teacher 10 times in the face and chest Tuesday morning after the teacher tried to take her cell phone away, police and MPS officials said.

A stricter ban on cell phones went into effect last month in Milwaukee Public Schools after several students used their phones to call outsiders to participate in fights.

Police said the student at Fritsche Middle School's LEAP program was talking on the phone during class when the teacher, a 54-year-old female, tried to confiscate it.

She wound up with a "chipped tooth and pain and redness in the face," an MPS spokeswoman said.

---

Story 2:
Another Philadelphia schoolteacher has been the victim of a vicious attack by students.
Joseph Smith, a teacher at the Deburgos School in North Philadelphia, said on Thursday he was attacked by a 14-year-old girl.

"Our kids have no belief and respect, no respect. There's no respect for authority," Smith said.

He was attacked after he said a 14-year-old female student grabbed a classroom phone to make prank calls and refused to stop. Smith said the girl hit him with the telephone and then hit him again with a dictionary, before more students joined in on the attack.

The attack comes a week after a Germantown High School teacher had his neck broken allegedly by two students.

Another teacher told NBC 10 News that his jaw was broken by a student at West Philadelphia High School in November.

The beatings come as a new report on violence in Philadelphia schools is released.

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Busted

In one word: Respect. This gent is really something! Karate, kung-fu, who cares - this is just one tough dude.

Story ('Karate kick Buster, 100, floors gang'):
Britain's oldest worker told on Wednesday how he fought off a gang of would-be muggers – using kung fu. Buster Martin showed that, even at 100, he still knew how to handle himself when he was confronted by the teenagers after a night at the pub.

The World War II veteran scared his three attackers so much they fled empty-handed. Mr Martin, a car washer-cum-mechanic, said: 'They just came at me and pushed me against a wall and tried to take my money from me.

'Then they pushed me on the floor and I went mad. I was lashing out on the floor and then I stood up and was kicking them all.

'I pushed one and kung fu kicked the other one between the legs and he let out a scream. They ran off scared after I did that and I still had all my money.'

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More music

Australia -- Police investigating a sexual assault in Sydney have warned women wearing iPods to stay alert to what is going on around them.

The 22-year-old victim had been listening to music on her iPod and was unaware a man had followed her from Town Hall Station to her work about 9:15 a.m. on February 20.

Police say the man indecently assaulted her in a stairwell leading from the foyer to the first floor, before she managed to fight him off and run to a nearby shop for help.

She returned to work and immediately contacted police, who are treating the case as an attempted sexual assault.

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Entering your car

Entering you house or your car is the moment you should be aware - unfortunately many are not. We are often preoccupied by things we are going to do, rather than what we are doing right there and then.
Criminals are aware of the fact, and may strike at that point.

Story:
Indiana -- Police on Wednesday night released a composite sketch of a male they believe raped, robbed and carjacked an Indianapolis woman this week and had received numerous tips after that release.

The woman told police that she had just returned to her car in a downtown parking garage after work Monday when a male approached her, told her he had a weapon and forced her to drive him to a bank. The attacker made her withdraw money and raped her before she escaped, police said.

Also Wednesday, police said they're checking similarities between Monday's rape and an unsolved rape of a teacher in 2006.

Police said the teacher had just entered her car to leave the Sycamore School in April when a male entered the vehicle, pulled out a gun and told her to drive.

The gunman forced the teacher to drive to a nearby neighborhood before sexually assaulting her in the car, police said. Then they drove to a bank, where he made her withdraw money from an automated teller machine, police said.

They then drove to a different school and raped her in the car, according to police. The gunman then left the teacher, taking the money, her driver's license and her cell phone.

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Multiple strategies

Research has clearly shown that your odds increase if you use multiple strategies in defending yourself. Here's a great example.
I would also like to praise this young woman for her will to fight back, and by doing so, getting this perpetrator off the streets.

Story:
California -- A 33-year-old man, whose injuries matched those inflicted by a woman on an attacker who attempted to rape her, was arrested Tuesday.

On Saturday at approximately 3:45 p.m. a man entered a model home and asked the 19-year-old woman working there if he could use the bathroom.

The man exited the bathroom and after mumbling a few words to the victim, lunged at her, grabbing her by the neck.

As she fought back, the young woman was thrown into a back office where her pants were ripped as the attacker attempted to remove them.

Fighting the attacker off, she managed to dial 911 on a desk phone and her screams were heard. The man ripped the phone from the wall but the call was responded to by Apple Valley deputies.

They found the woman bleeding and suffering from injuries to the head and neck. She had stopped her attacker by kicking and scratching him. She had also bit the attacker’s index finger before he fled.

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'A-door-able'

Florida -- A woman slammed a man's arm in her front door after he barged into her apartment and tried to sexually assault her, a spokesman of the Tallahassee police said.

The 20-year-old woman was at her home about 11:20 a.m. when she heard a knock on the door. When she opened it, a man she didn't know forced his way inside, and the two struggled.

He grabbed her, ripped her shirt and tried to take off her pants, police said. She fought back, slamming his arm in the door several times before she got him out.

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Hazards at work, 31

A French television host, accused of attacking and sexually harassing Air France cabin staff while under the influence of alcohol, will appear in court next month, a court official said on Monday.

The man was detained on Sunday after returning from a visit to South Africa. According to French media, witnesses said he insulted cabin staff on board an Air France flight to South Africa on February 13, fondled a fellow passenger and slapped an air steward who tried to prevent him from drinking.

He was forcibly restrained, finishing the flight tied to his seat, media said, and cabin staff filed charges against him.

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Fought him off

Australia -- A serial rapist may be at work in Brisbane. In the second sex attack within a week, an 18-year-old woman managed to fight off a man who entered her home yesterday afternoon in East Brisbane, and tried to rape her.

There were striking similarities between the incident and the rape of a woman on Tuesday of last week – in the method of attack and description of the offender.

In yesterday's incident, the woman answered a knock at her front door at 2:40 p.m. to a man asking about her house being up for sale.

The woman gave the man a card but would not allow him in and told him to leave. A few minutes after she had closed the door and returned to her lounge room, the man, believed to be in his late 20s to early 30s, appeared and dragged her into a rear bedroom.

The pair struggled throughout the house before she fought him off, kicking him in the groin. When she pulled a carving knife out of a kitchen drawer, he ran out the front.

The man was described as about 177cm tall, with a slim but athletic build.

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A coincidence?

Just a coincidence that this woman believed she was being followed, then notices she's got a flat tire, and then just out of nowhere the man shows up to "help her fix" the tyre ...?

Story:
New Jersey -- A 31-year-old Easton man was arrested Tuesday after he allegedly kidnapped his ex-girlfriend and then tried to sexually assault her.

Authorities said the 26-year-old Hillsborough Township woman believed the man was following her Tuesday as she drove into Franklin Township and then noticed she had a flat tire.

The victim pulled into a motel and asked the manager to call 911 if he noticed anyone following her. She then drove away and pulled into a nearby service station.

Authorities said that's when the suspect pulled up and offered to fix the flat tire as the woman tried to make other arrangements to get home.

The suspect allegedly shoved her into his car and locked the doors before driving away with her. At some point he tried to sexually assault her. The woman escaped from the car at a red light and called 911, authorities said.

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Didn't feel right

Illinois - It started off as an ordinary walk to school Wednesday, just like others the 13-year-old Peoria girl has taken countless times. But something didn't feel right.

She looked over her shoulder and saw a man she didn't know walking not far behind her.

No one else was around on this overgrown path next to railroad tracks in a wooded, secluded area in the city's North Valley.

She looked behind her again. He quickened his pace. Her heart beat faster. She started running, knowing she was trapped.

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Shin kick

Does it hurt to get a solid kick i the shins? Well why don't you just slam your leg into something hard and pointy to find out?

Story:
Australia -- A teenage girl was walking to a school bus stop in Orelia (Perth) when she was grabbed by a well dressed man who had moments earlier stopped and asked for directions.

The quick thinking 13-year-old was pulled to within a metre of her attacker's car when she managed to break free.

"I was thinking how I could get away and what to do if he got me in the car,'' she said.

"I kicked him in the shin as hard as I could. He bent over and grunted and let go of me.''

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More (un)safe deposits

North Carolina -- A Fayetteville gas station manager fought off a man trying to rob her of the station's nightly deposit Friday at a bank near a mall.

The man walked up to the woman while she was depositing the day's cash at Bank of America and pointed a gun at her, police said.

The two struggled, and the manager managed to get the cash into the deposit box.

After she did, the man hit her in the head with the butt of his gun, then ran off. Police said the woman had minor injuries.

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Shock waves

The number of attempted child abductions in Northern Ireland has rocketed by more than 50% in two years, the Belfast Telegraph can reveal.

Incidents reported to police as 'attempted child abduction' totalled a shock 71 last year, compared to 49 in 2005 and 42 in 2004.

The figures sent shock waves through the community last night - with calls for more action to be taken to protect children.

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Unsafe deposit

California -- A businessman en route to make a deposit in Antioch was robbed in a bank parking lot Tuesday afternoon.

The 3:24 p.m. robbery occurred at a Bank of America branch parking lot. The 59-year-old victim had exited his vehicle when a pickup truck pulled up.

A man exited the passenger side, sprayed the victim in the face with peppers spray and tried to grab a deposit bag. The victim fought back but the assailant overwhelmed him.

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Hazards at work, 30

As a corruption probe begins in New Zealand prisons, there is evidence an increasing number of guards and their families are living in fear.

New Corrections figures show a record nine prison officers called on police for protection last year.

One family was removed from its home and put into protective custody.

The Corrections Association president says threats to staff are increasing, along with beefed up prison security.

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He acted that way

I commend this woman for fighting back and probably saving her own life.
But seriously, does anyone believe that self-defense/fighting back is as easy as it looks on television?
There's however another far more interesting observation here:
"I was aware of him, I saw him there. I thought he was a caretaker at the cemetery. He acted that way."
Most likely, if you are being that aware about someone, your intuition has told you that something is not right!
Think about it, we will register that someone has legitimate business being around us - like in working there.
If, however we are being aware of the person, there might absolutely be something else we have noticed. This may be that the person acts like it. Really, this phrase alone tells the whole story - acting. This woman has seen already that this was not real.

Story:
Texas -- A 43-year-old man has been charged with attacking a woman at a Beaumont cemetery.

The 45 year old woman from Beaumont said she was visiting her husband's grave on Valentine's Day when she saw the man who would soon attack her.

"I was aware of him," she told us. "I saw him there. I thought he was a caretaker at the cemetery. He acted that way."

The woman says he struck her with decorative items from her husband's grave."They were square cross luminary lights," she said. "He broke them on me. He beat my head to a pulp. I needed stitches in my forehead, left eye and eyebrow. I spent five days in a hospital. My jaw was injured. I had bruises down my cheeks and behind my ears, and scratches on my shoulders. My hands and arms were bruised."

"I'm alive, that's the main thing," she said. "I thanked my big brother for fighting with me while we were growing up because that made me fight that guy. It isn't as easy as it looks on television, but that definitely saved my life because I think he was going to kill me."

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Hazards at work, 29

North Carolina -- A prisoner at the a Correctional Institute will face attempted rape charges after allegedly attacking a female guard and attempting to rape her in a bathroom at the prison on Sunday.

According to the Lillington Police Department, a female sergeant was working on paperwork in her office when the 40-year-old inmate entered the office. The door to the office automatically shut when he entered.

The sergeant was attempting to locate a clothes hanger for the inmate when he began pushing her into a bathroom. She fell to the floor with enough force to tear a bathroom toilet from its permanent mounting on the floor when she hit it with her neck.

Once he had her on the floor, the inmate was attempting to remove the woman's clothes with one hand while he tried to lock the bathroom door with the other.

The guard attempted to use her protective pepper spray to fend the attacker off, but was not successful. She also began screaming for help as she fought off her attacker.

Two prison employees told Lillington police they heard her screams and went to help. They went into the bathroom to find the inmate on top of the woman. They physically removed him and placed him in handcuffs.

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Band of muggers

It is always sad when someone gets killed. Still, I applaud this gentleman for fighting back.
If someone decide to be a criminal, that person should also be prepared to pay the consequences. My sympathy will never be with the criminals ...

Story:
San Jose, Costa Rica: A tour group of U.S. senior citizens fought off a band of muggers in eastern Costa Rica, sending two of the assailants fleeing and killing a third, police said Thursday.

One of the tourists — a retired U.S. serviceman whom officials estimated was in his 70s — allegedly put one assailant in a headlock and broke his clavicle after the 20-year-old and two other men armed with a knife and gun held up their tour bus Wednesday, said the police chief of Limon, 130 kilometers east of San Jose.

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Twisted free

Ontario, Canada -- An attempted abduction of the 14-year-old girl has her scared of walking to school during the day.

The incident occurred Friday when the teen was walking to secondary school around 8 a.m. A man pulled up in a red car, got out and tried to grab her. But at five-foot-five and 150 pounds, the teen used her height, weight and self-defence training to her advantage.

"I just knew I didn’t want to get into his car, so I fought back," said the girl. "He grabbed my arm, but I twisted free. Then he grabbed my waist and I just kicked and screamed and elbowed him in the face. Then I ran away."

The girl told South Simcoe police her attacker was in his 20s, about six feet tall. He was clean shaven with a heavy build.

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Women turn to violence

Scary perspectives indeed!
The good part is that more girls and women learn to stand up for themselves if they ever should need it in a physical self-defense situation. The bad part ...

Story:
They graduated from pushing and shoving and name-calling to straight up duking it out. Now a furious debate is on over the reasons girls are fighting and how we can stop it.

The urgency is underscored by the millions of references and thousands of videos of violent fights on the Internet.

The beatings are punishing – fists flying, hair pulling and kicking. This is how more and more girls these days handle disputes.

"Me or my friend bumped into a girl in the lunch line and I didn't say sorry," said a high school senior. "She came at me. We started fighting."

"If you just look at them a certain way, they'll try to fight you," said one high school sophomore.

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Fighting dirty

A University of Florida graduate assistant who was walking toward campus Thursday morning fought off a man who knocked her to the ground and attacked her.

"I chose not to be a victim," said the 23-year-old woman. "I thought to myself, 'I'm not going to let this happen.'"

The woman struggled with the man, who had first asked her for money as she was walking at about 11 a.m., Gainesville Police said. The woman told the man she was sorry, she didn't have anything she could give him, and kept walking.

"He just sort of came up behind me and pushed me to the ground," she said. "I just kept kicking him. My hands were already in the dirt. I grabbed dirt and started throwing the dirt."

When the woman fought back, her attacker let her go and fled.

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