Ontario man convicted in girl's assault declared a dangerous offende

"An Ontario man convicted in an attack on a 12-year-old girl has been declared a dangerous offender, a designation that could see him jailed indefinitely.

Stanley Tippett was convicted two years ago on seven counts — including kidnapping, sexual assault and sexual interference — relating to the attack in August 2008.

A Peterborough judge made the ruling today, saying Mr. Tippett has shown a pattern of persistent, aggressive behaviour and a failure to control sexual impulses.

Judge Bruce Glass said only an indeterminate sentence can protect the community from Mr. Tippett, who has shown a pattern of escalating violent behaviour and a tendency to lie and manipulate people.

“Today is a tragic day for everybody involved,” Judge Glass said.

“Nobody is a winner here. It is a sad event to order that somebody serve an indeterminate sentence as a dangerous offender.”

But Judge Glass said it is “wishful thinking” that Mr. Tippett could be treated.

“Mr. Tippett is a substantial risk to the community and will continue to be,” the judge said.

Mr. Tippett claimed he offered safe passage to the drunken 12-year-old girl but was then carjacked by two armed men.

He was arrested just hours after the girl was found half-naked behind a school 70 kilometres from where she was abducted in Peterborough.

Judge Glass said Mr. Tippett's pattern of behaviour stretches back to 1991, when he set fire to a pile of books on his teacher's desk and was convicted of arson.

Then, in 1993, he was convicted, again as a youth, of attempted robbery for following a girl off a bus and putting a gun to her head.

Mr. Tippett was also convicted in June 2005 and December 2005 for two separate counts of criminal harassment. In one incident he was peeping into the windows of a woman's home and in the other he was trying to convince a young girl he could give her a job at the YMCA, when he didn't in fact work there.

Testing administered by a forensic psychiatrist found that Tippett has a sexual preference for pre-pubescent girls and boys, Judge Glass said.

The psychiatrist suggested that if Mr. Tippett were to be released into the community, medication to reduce sex drive would be required, but Judge Glass said he doubted Mr. Tippett would take it.

“He will say whatever he thinks he needs to say in order to obtain his release,” he said." - The Globe and Mail.

7 billion and counting...

"The United Nations had projected world population to pass the seven billion mark on October 31, and several countries announced a "7 billionth baby" to mark the milestone.

The Filipino baby, Danica Mae Camacho, was born just minutes before midnight on Sunday October 31. Cheers erupted from hospital staff and U.N. officials waiting outside the delivery room of the Dr. Jose Fabella Hospital.

Camille Camacho, mother of the newborn, said she could not contain her happiness despite being exhausted from labour.

"We will do our best to take care of her. This baby is a blessing," she said.

Government officials and private donors congratulated the family and gave the child a birthday cake and a scholarship grant, while the parents were given a livelihood package to start a small store.

Fabella Hospital is one of the largest maternal and newborn hospitals in the Philippines, catering mostly to low-income families. It has been called a baby factory, as it delivers roughly a fifth of Manila's babies, a local daily reported.

The Philippine population ranks second largest in Southeast Asia behind Indonesia with 94.9 million people.

United Nations Resident Coordinator Jacqueline Badcock, who was at the Fabella hospital to see the baby, said a country that utilises its resources well can manage a large population.

"Well, the thing is whether you have a large number or a small number, you need to plan for your population, and you need to provide the services that you need to live a productive life. So it is not only for the countries with large population, it is for all countries," Badcock said." - The Telegraph.