Latest news with #CPS
The Irish Sun
2 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Mum caught committing sick act on her frail daughter, 3, as she lay in a hospital bed – & it exposed an even darker past
LYING in her hospital bed, three-year-old Alyssa was desperately ill – painfully thin and dehydrated, her little frame covered with tubes. Her apparently doting mother Brittany Phillips sat by her side. But, when the nurses' backs were turned, she did the most unspeakably depraved act to her defenceless little girl. Advertisement 4 Brittany Phillips, pictured in court in 2015, did depraved things to her three-year-old daughter Credit: Getty 4 Brittany was inspired by Emily McDonald's (pictured above) own sick child abuse methods Credit: When no one was looking, Phillips smeared human faeces onto Alyssa's feeding tube in a bid to make her MORE ill. She was aping a case she read about online concerning Emily McDonald, a 23-year-old mother from Austin who, four months earlier, had been sentenced to 20 years in prison for poisoning her daughter by putting poo onto her IV catheter. It was later revealed that Phillips had keyed in terms to her computer like 'poo in the feeding tube' and 'pee in veins'. Advertisement Sick poisoning Hours later, Alyssa developed a rare and extremely dangerous blood infection caused by her mother's perverted act. Without the swift actions of doctors at Cook Children's Medical Centre – she could have suffered from heart failure, a stroke or even death. And that was just the tip of the iceberg of the horrendous abuse Phillips had put her daughter through in her short life. Phillips had insisted that Alyssa had to be in leg restraints for medical reasons. She also said she needed to be fed by a tube as she choked if she ate solid food. Advertisement The little girl was emaciated and her growth stunted. Several family members had been so concerned that they'd filed reports with the CPS in Fort Worth, Texas, but no action was taken. Distant family members Bill and Laura Waybourn had been suspicious ever since they'd seen Alyssa at a family party a few months before. 4 Distant family member and Sheriff Bill Waybourn (pictured) and his wife Laura adopted Alyssa Credit: Getty They'd heard Phillips warn everyone that Alyssa couldn't eat anything, if she did, she'd choke. Advertisement "We witnessed her eat a piece of cake and she didn't choke at all. She appeared to be very hungry," Waybourn said. And his wife, a CPS worker "was suspicious". "She got a close-up look at Alyssa and felt like something wasn't right. But nobody had any idea what was really going on behind the scenes, which was actually torturous," he told It transpires Phillips had Munchhausen by proxy – also known as medical child abuse – where a parent or care giver fakes, exaggerates and even causes illness in their child for the purpose of getting attention or some other benefit. A later search of her laptop revealed pages and pages of online research into the illnesses and symptoms she then tried to manufacture in her defenceless young daughter. Advertisement It also showed her prolific activity on mums' internet forums – where she catalogued Alyssa's many 'illnesses' in a bid for sympathy. The day that changed everything In August 2011, a few weeks after that family party, Alyssa was taken to Cook's hospital, where her mother told medics she had dehydration. This was one of many hospital visits Alyssa had endured by the time she was three, so much so, she had spend much of her life in hospitals, and was worryingly underweight and short for her age. Despite concerned friends and family filing several reports to CPS over the years, it was this hospital visit that set off alarm bells with medical staff. During that day, Phillips repeatedly tried to stop Alyssa from eating, claiming she would choke, despite medical staff observing otherwise. She was aggressive and rude, and she piled blankets on her daughter then claimed she had a fever. She appeared to paint Alyssa's mouth blue and then claimed she was alarmingly cold. Advertisement Then, Phillips suddenly demanded blood tests on her daughter. The blood test results revealed a life-threatening infection that doctors said had to have been caused by the three-year-old being poisoned. Medics feared Phillips was abusing her child, so moved Alyssa to another room which had surveillance cameras monitoring any activity inside. Phillips quickly noticed the cameras and was furious. Alyssa, on the other hand, under the watchful eye of a camera, rapidly got better. So much so, hospital staff alerted the authorities and Alyssa was taken out of Phillips' care and an investigation was launched. Advertisement Following a brief period in foster care, the Waybourns took the little girl into their home, later adopting her. In an interview, Bill Waybourn said they 'saw tremendous improvements immediately' adding: 'She started eating by mouth everything in sight. The doctors were blown away by how well she was doing.' But over time, the Waybourns noticed trauma manifesting in Alyssa's behaviour. 'She was really protective of her food. If she had a plate of food and got down from the table for a minute and came back and the plate was gone, she would be extremely upset,' Waybourn recalled. 'She also had a funny gait where she would walk on her toes. We had to coach her out of doing that, to walk on her whole foot.' Advertisement Alyssa's reaction to medical staff and treatments was also telling. British cases of Munchausen Syndrome revealed In August 2016 a woman from south London has been jailed for fraud and child abuse after causing her children to undergo surgery for fictitious medical problems. Croydon Crown Court heard the mother of six, who cannot be named for legal reasons, persuaded doctors to prescribe copious medication and provide equipment for her children worth more than £145,000, which - as they did not require it - was potentially dangerous for them, the prosecution said. She also convinced them to perform invasive operations and insert feeding tubes into her son and daughter's stomachs. Serial killer nurse Beverly Allitt, dubbed the Angel of Death was given 13 life sentences in 1993 for murdering four children, attempting to murder another three and causing grievous bodily harm with intent to further six at Grantham and Kesteven hospital in Lincolnshire. The former nurse was diagnosed as suffering from Munchausen syndrome by proxy (MSbP) when she carried out the attacks between 1991 and 1993. In January 2010, Lisa Hayden-Johnson was sentenced to three years and three months in prison after pleading guilty to charges of child cruelty and perverting the course of justice – in one of the most notable examples of Munchausens by proxy. Hayden-Johnson began her deceitful actions shortly after the birth of her son Matthew in 2001. Claiming he was afflicted with numerous severe health issues, including cerebral palsy, cystic fibrosis, diabetes, and severe food allergies, she subjected him to unnecessary medical procedures and interventions. These included the use of a wheelchair, feeding tubes, and numerous hospital visits, totalling over 325 medical encounters. 'If you took her to a doctor or a paediatrician - even for something small like an earache - she would just totally freeze up,' he said. 'Those were all things we saw in the beginning. That went on for a long time.' Waybourn says a 'big fear' for him and Laura was that Phillips would try to regain custody of Alyssa. Terrifyingly she was allowed to visit at the beginning – up until the time Alyssa developed a rash after her mother had given her new toys. Advertisement The Waybourns were sure she had put a substance on them to cause it. After that she wasn't allowed to see her. Over the years Alyssa has told her adopted parents some of what she endured. She confided that her mother used to pull her feeding tube in and out. She also coached her to choke in the doctor's surgery. In 2015, aged seven, she testified against her mother in court. Advertisement Cuddling a teddy bear, she raised her T-shirt to reveal the physical evidence of her mother's torture – a scar on her stomach from unnecessary surgery to insert the feeding tube. Mental scarring No one will ever know the extent of the mental scarring. Despite her mother's actions though, Alyssa, who's now 17, is flourishing. 'Alyssa is not a victim,' Waybourn says. 'She is a thriving little woman and I couldn't be more proud of her.' Phillips' original court case was declared a mistrial. But soon after, in exchange for a five-year prison sentence, Phillips pleaded guilty to serious bodily injury to a child. Advertisement In April 2022, a couple of years after she was released from prison, Phillips was found dead from an apparent overdose. According to Waybourn, Alyssa was initially teary. She went for some time alone in her room, and then when she came out she said: 'I'm free, free at last.' Finally she knew that her mother could never hurt her again. Alyssa's story is told in a book by Andrea Dunlop and Mike Weber entitled The Mother Next Door: Medicine, Deception and Munchausen by Proxy. Mike Weber, a now-retired Tarrant County investigator worked on Phillips' case. Advertisement 4 Alyssa's story is told in a book by Andrea Dunlop and Mike Weber Credit: Andrea Dunlop and Mike Weber
Calgary Herald
19 hours ago
- Calgary Herald
Three people assaulted at Calgary bus loop, including two transit drivers
A Calgary Transit bus heads northbound on Centre St. near 8 Ave. N. with the downtown skyline in the background in this file photo. Jim Wells/Postmedia Police say three people, including two Calgary Transit drivers, suffered minor injuries after being assaulted by a man at a northeast bus loop on Thursday morning. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Calgary Herald ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Calgary Herald ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Officers were called to the area of Centre Street N. and 78th Avenue N.E. at around 10:45 a.m. for reports that a man was assaulting multiple people, CPS said. Police said it is believed the suspect was intoxicated at the time of the assaults. Two of the victims are believed to be Calgary Transit drivers who were out of their vehicles at the time of the incident, police said. Officers took one man into custody at the scene, according to police. 'There is no further risk to the public,' CPS said.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Man ordered to pay £140,000 after crypto fraud
A man from Wiltshire has been ordered to pay back more than £140,000 after committing "international cryptocurrency fraud". James Heppel, 44, from Staverton in Wiltshire, was handed the confiscation order at Bristol Crown Court on June 6 following an investigation by the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit. He now has three months to pay the order or face an additional 18 months in jail. Heppel was convicted of three counts of conspiracy to commit fraud in May last year alongside Jake Lee, from Bath, who was handed a four-year sentence and a confiscation order for nearly £1million. Recommended reading Thousands of former Wilko staff to receive compensation after collapse Stalker left ex partner and her young children in fear for their safety Latest pro-Palestine march in Swindon prompts heated debate The pair carried out the fraud by spoofing the domain of online cryptocurrency exchange to access victims' Bitcoin wallets, stealing their funds and login details. During this time, "55 victims in 26 countries were identified, with total losses of £5.7 million worth of cryptocurrency". DS Matt Brain from SWROCU's Regional Cyber Crime Unit said: 'This additional money will add to the compensation received by the victims we identified in the case, including 11 in the UK. 'We have a team of financial investigators who work closely with the CPS to evidence how much money criminals like Heppel and Lee have made through crime, and to ensure the maximum amount possible is taken off them to pay that back. 'Our investigation started back in 2018 after colleagues at Avon and Somerset Police arrested Lee on suspicion of money laundering. As well as £24k cash, officers from the force seized digital devices and three laminated Bitcoin wallet recovery seeds." Heidi Leaney, Legal Manager for the CPS' Proceeds of Crime Division, said: "James Heppel was involved in a sophisticated cryptocurrency fraud which caused devastating financial and emotional harm to victims across the globe. 'We worked closely with financial investigators in SWROCU to identify his available assets and secure this £140,000 Confiscation Order, which will go some way towards compensating victims. "The CPS will always use the powers available to ensure crime does not pay, depriving criminals of their ill-gotten gains and ensuring where we can that monies are repaid to the victim.' In May 2024, the two men were jailed and cash totalling £835k, which includes a suitcase containing £551k cash voluntarily handed over by Lee in January, as well as £64k worth of cryptocurrency, a Banksy print worth £60k and three vehicles, have all been restrained.
News18
2 days ago
- News18
‘Bad Parenting': Man Slammed For Making Child Pose On Lion's Back
The video recently surfaced online, showing the man holding a kid and trying to make him sit on the lion's back. It's common for parents to encourage their children to pose for photos during vacations or events. However, one such incident has drawn sharp criticism online. A man, reportedly the boy's father, was seen forcing a young child to pose with a lion. The video, which has recently gone viral, has sparked widespread outrage, raising concerns over both animal cruelty and responsible parenting. Shared on Instagram, the video shows the man attempting to place the child on the back of a caged lion. Despite the child crying loudly and resisting, the man persists, seemingly unfazed. At one point, his actions appear to agitate the animal, sparking even more concern among viewers. The man retreated only when the lion seemed ready to attack, prompting him to swiftly grab the child and escape. Fortunately, neither was harmed. At a time when fathers are often seen as protectors and role models, the video has sparked outrage, with many online calling for legal action against the man. That video sparked a flood of reactions in the comments section. While many called out the man for being careless with such a young child, others were seen upset over the drugging and capturing of animals for human entertainment. A comment read, 'He should be goddam arrested for child endangerment and this child should be taken away from his parents' care. Psychopath parents," while another added, 'How cruel the lion should be free in the wild, not used as a photo opportunity. Poor child, too." Another one added, 'This video shows this man is not a good parent or capable of taking care of a child. He put his child in danger. I hope CPS is cold and his child is taken away from him." This isn't the first time careless parenting has drawn backlash online. In another widely shared video, a man is seen placing his young children on top of an adult lion for a photo. Although the lion appeared to be caged, possibly drugged, defanged and declawed, the children looked visibly frightened as they were made to sit on the animal for the sake of a picture. First Published:
CTV News
3 days ago
- CTV News
Motorcyclist sent to hospital after crash in southeast Calgary
A man was taken to hospital after he lost control of his motorcycle early Tuesday morning. Calgary police are investigating after a man was sent to hospital in life-threatening condition after a motorcycle crash early Tuesday. Police say the incident occurred at 12:47 a.m. in the eastbound lanes of Stoney Trail S.E. heading to the off-ramp for northbound Deerfoot Trail. Motorcyclist sent to hospital after crash in southeast Calgary Calgary police are investigating the cause of a motorcycle crash in the southeast section of Stoney Trail on the ramp to northbound Deerfoot Trail. Multiple witnesses saw the motorcyclist lose control and be tossed from their bike. There are no further details about the victim. Police say the motorcycle was the only vehicle involved in the crash. The CPS traffic section is investigating. It's not known if speed or alcohol were factors in the crash. The off-ramp from Stoney Trail to Deerfoot Trail S.E. was reopened at about 8 a.m. Anyone with information regarding the crash is asked to contact police at 403-266-1234.
