Tuesday, March 27, 1990

Case of David Douglas Webber

Case of David Douglas Webber
(AKA: David Webber, David D. Webber)
 
Calgary Jewish Community Council - Calgary, British Columbia, Canada
 Youth Director - Calgary, British Columbia, Canada
Mashgiach (Kashrut Supervisor) - 
Calgary, British Columbia, Canada


David Webber is convicted sex offender, who was a former youth adviser for the Beth Israel Synagogue.  He was arrested and convicted for for sexual assault, sexual interference, invitation to sexual touching, possession of child pornography and failing to comply with a recognizance.


If anyone has any updated information about this convicted sex offender, please forward it to The Awareness Center.  
____________________________________________________________________________________

Disclaimer: Inclusion in this website does not constitute a recommendation or endorsement. Individuals must decide for themselves if the resources meet their own personal needs.

 
Table of Contents:

1990
  1. Youth director of synagogue charged with sexually assaulting a 13-year-old (03/27/1990)
  2. Former youth director charged with sexually assaulting boy (03/27/1990)
  3. Inquiry date set in sex-assault case (03/28/1990)
  4. Former youth director of Beth Israel Synagogue was charged (06/20/1990)
  5. Ex-director's trial on sex charges delayed  (09/28/1990)
  6. Fatherly care blamed for rubbing; Accused tells court no physical attraction guided his action (12/05/1990)
  7. Former youth director cleared of sexually assaulting teen (12/08/1990)


1991 
  1. Arrest of Ex-Employee Sparks Concerns (1991)

1996
  1. Photo cache pornographic, says detective (02/29/1996) 
  2. Man facing child porn charges denied bail  (03/04/1996)
  3. Man remanded on pornography charges (03/05/1996)
  4. Police find more alleged victims in child pornography investigation (04/04/1996)
  5. New tool targeting predators (04/15/1996)
  6. Man remanded on pornography charges (05/05/1996)
  7. Man pleads guilty to child porn charge (10/09/1996)
  8. Pedophile sentenced to six years  (10/26/1996)
  9. City police favor close monitoring (10/26/1996)
  10. Pedophile expert says there is no cure (11/11/1996)

1997
  1. Cops say child porn rising tide: Prosecutions are tough, say Calgary abuse detectives (03/10/1997)

2001
  1. Three Sex Offenders Won't Be Getting Out (08/19/2001)

Also see:

____________________________________________________________________________________

Youth director of synagogue has been charged with sexually assaulting a 13-year-old
Canadian Press - March 27, 1990

EDMONTON (CP) -- The former youth director of an Edmonton synagogue has been charged with sexually assaulting a 13-year-old boy. David Douglas Webber, 29, former youth director of the Beth Israel Synagogue, has been charged with two counts of sexual assault and one count of sexual exploitation.  Police spokesman Brenda Spielman said Webber was charged after a week-long investigation that began when the boy, accompanied by his parents, filed charges.  Earlier this month, Christopher Lance Neale, 35, former director of a youth outreach program sponsored by St. Stephen's Anglican Church, was charged with sexually assaulting a 12-year-old boy. Neale is to appear in court April 24.

____________________________________________________________________________________

Former youth director charged with sexually assaulting boy
Edmonton Journal. Edmonton, Alta. - March 27, 1990

The first incident is alleged to have occurred Feb. 9 near the Beth Shalom Synagogue. The other incident is alleged to have occurred at the suspect's home in May or June of 1989.

City police have charged the former youth director of the Beth Israel Synagogue with two counts of sexual assault and one count of sexual exploitation following two alleged incidents involving a 13-year-old boy.

The first incident is alleged to have occurred Feb. 9 near the Beth Shalom Synagogue. The other incident is alleged to have occurred at the suspect's home in May or June of 1989.

David Douglas Webber, 29, of Edmonton, has been charged and is scheduled to appear in provincial court today.

"He was removed from his position following the allegations," said police spokesman Brenda Spielman.
____________________________________________________________________________________

Inquiry date set in sex-assault case
Edmonton Journal. Edmonton, Alta. March 28, 1990. pg. B.1 :[Final Edition]


Appearing in provincial court Tuesday, David Douglas Webber, 29, spoke only briefly before a preliminary inquiry was scheduled for June 18.

A man charged with two counts of sexual assault and one count of sexual exploitation has elected trial by judge and jury.

Appearing in provincial court Tuesday, David Douglas Webber, 29, spoke only briefly before a preliminary inquiry was scheduled for June 18.

The former youth director of the Beth Israel synagogue has been charged in connection with two alleged incidents involving a 13-year-old boy.

In court, Justice R. Broda agreed to a request by Webber's lawyer that a ban on publication be placed on all proceedings concerning the case.

The judge also granted permission for a Hebrew interpreter to be used at the preliminary inquiry.


____________________________________________________________________________________

Former youth director of the Beth Israel Synagogue was charged

Canadian Press / Western regional general news -
June 20, 1990 
 
EDMONTON (CP) -- The former youth director of the Beth Israel Synagogue was charged Tuesday with sexually assaulting a teenage boy.  It is the fourth sex-related charge to be laid against 30-year-old David Douglas Webber since March.  The most recent charge stems from incidents alleged to have occurred in Webber's home between December 1987 and March 1988 involving a boy who was 16-years-old at the time, said police spokesman Brenda Spielman. Webber was scheduled to appear in court today.  He also faces two counts of sexual assault and one cout of sexual exploitation after two alleged incidents involving a 13-year-old boy.

The first of those incidents allegedly occurred Feb. 9 near the Beth Shalom Synagogue. The second incident is alleged to have occurred in May or June 1989 at Webber's home.
____________________________________________________________________________________

Ex-director's trial on sex charges delayed
Edmonton Journal September 24, 1990

The former youth director of Beth Israel Synagogue, who faces four sex-related charges, has had his trial delayed until Dec. 3.

David Douglas Webber made a brief appearance in court Wednesday, the day originally set for trial, when his lawyer requested that the trial be rescheduled so a witness for the defence could be located. Webber faces three counts of sexual assault and one count of sexual exploitation.
____________________________________________________________________________________

Fatherly care blamed for rubbing; Accused tells court no physical attraction guided his action
Helen Plischke
Edmonton Journal Dec 5, 1990


It was fatherly care, not physical attraction that led a man, now charged with sexual assault, to stroke and rub a homeless young man in his care, court heard Monday.

Rubbing each other's backs and shoulders and stroking each other's hair was common behavior that demonstrated caring between himself and the 16-year-old, David Douglas Webber, 30, said at his trial.

The regular physical contact that they had on the couch while watching TV - including rubbing each others' bare backs - was "an integral part of the caring for this boy," Webber said.

The young man, now 19, had been placed in Webber's west-end condominium by a youth services organization in September 1987.

"We were sort of pals living together. I grew to know he'd never had this physical attention," said Webber, the former youth director of the Beth Israel Synagogue.

The young man said he moved out about five months after Webber touched his groin while they were lying on Webber's bed in December 1987.

The young man said he was invited into Webber's bedroom to listen to a tape and fell asleep fully clothed on the bed. He woke up when Webber touched his groin, he told provincial court Judge W.M. Mustard.

But Webber said he was reading in bed about 1 a.m. when the young man came into his room. He said they both fell asleep after he started reading aloud. Webber said he woke up when the teenager went to his own room. He denied touching the young man.

Under cross-examination Webber said that he and the young man stopped rubbing each others' backs after the evening on the bed. He said he didn't know why the touching stopped.

Both Webber and the young man said they had no physical attraction to the other.

Defence lawyer Alex Pringle asked the teenager why he moved back in with Webber in October 1989 after being forced to leave another residence.

"I had to. Even hell can be comfortable," the teen said. "It was just enough time to get myself organized and back on my feet . . . It was (Webber) or the street."

Webber said the teen kept in touch with him after moving out and insisted on coming back to the condominium in 1989 even though he asked him not to.

The trial will resume on Friday.

____________________________________________________________________________________

Former youth director cleared of sexually assaulting teen
Edmonton Journal - Dec 8, 1990.


A man accused of sexually assaulting a homeless teenager in his care had the charge against him dismissed Friday.

David Douglas Webber, former youth director at the Beth Israel Synagogue, was accused of touching the 16-year-old boy in the groin area while they lay on Webber's bed in December 1987.

Judge W.M. Mustard said the young man, now 19, failed to tell the court exactly where he was touched.

"I'm mighty suspicious, but I have to apply the laws as they stand," Mustard said. "The Crown has failed to be more specific where the touching occurred and the location . . . is vague."

The young man told the court that he fell asleep on Webber's bed and woke up when Webber, 30, touched his groin. Webber denied touching the teenager.


____________________________________________________________________________________

Arrest of Ex-Employee Sparks Concerns
by Judy Shapiro
Calgary Jewish Free Press - 1991


A former employee of Calgary Jewish Community Council has been charged with possession of child pornography, sexual assault and sexual interference with a child under 14 years of age. David Webber, 35, was arrested on February 22. On that date, police executed a search warrant on his apartment. In the search, they seized a large number of Polaroid photographs of nude boys aged 10 to 14 and written materials. Several children have already been interviewed and are alleged to be victims of sexual assault. Police are "wading through a variety of written and photographic materials that identifies potential victims," said Sgt. Jim Fisher of the Calgary Police Force. Within the various documents alleged to be written by Webber are numerous names. One of these documents was shown in a report on Channel 2 & 7 news on February 28. Alongside seven of the 14 entries on it were Stars of David. While police are not certain of the significance of the lists, they are regarding those names as potential victims of abuse, Sgt.Fisher told the Jewish Free Press. Before moving to Calgary, Webber was youth director of the Beth Israel Synagogue in Edmonton. In 1990, he was charged with sexual assault in Edmonton, but the charges were subsequently dismissed. 


Miller said that Community Council advised the Calgary Police Service of its concerns. Because of continuing concerns, in March of 1993, Webber was sent a letter advising him that he was persona non grata at the Calgary Jewish Centre and was not to step foot on the premises, Miller said. Webber attended services at Congregation House of Jacob-Mikveh Israel. Rabbi Moshe Shulman told the Jewish Free Press that he too established guidelines for Webber's participation in the congregation. He was allowed to participated in religious services at the synagogue, but was prohibited from attending social activities, including those in- volving NCSY, the synagogue youth group. After violating those guidelines in September 1994, Webber was barred from the House of Jacob premis- Herb Rosenberg, president of House of Jacob, eid that all of these moves by the synagogue were done in consultation with CJCC. "You cannot press charges bases on rumour and innuendo," said Miller, "but you can take steps to protect the children of the community – and these steps were taken." On Friday, February 23, David Webber was granted bail, with the condition that he not go within one block of a school, playground anywhere Children are present. He was bailed out by Rabbi Allen Saks, principal of Akiva Academy. In a statement released to the Jewish Free Press, Rabbi Saks said that Webber called Sandy Corenblum, a teacher at Akiva Academy, informing her that he was in jail, having been arrested on one count of possession pornographic material. Corenblum consulted Saks. The statement by Rabbi Saks reads: "[I] spoke extensively over the phone with police and bail officers associated with Webber's arrest and asked whether the charges were serious enough to warrant continued incarceration or whether it would be advis- able to post bail and deliver him to a local hospital for psychiatric care. At that time, based on their knowledge of the single charge made on Thursday, the police suggested bringing Mr. Webber to a psychiatric facility would be appropri- According to Rabbi Asks statement, based on this advice, and on Webber's compliance, he decided to bail Webber out. "[My] decision was based on a sense of responsibility as a clergyman to facilitate immediate professional psychiatric handling of a medical situation," Rabbi Saks' statement says. The statement continues: "It is important to note that, at this time on Friday morning, neither [he] nor the police were aware of the ensuing charges that would be laid later that afternoon, which are of a much more serious and deeply damaging nature." Rabbi Saks told the Jewish Free Press that he and Corenblum did take Webber to Rockyview Hospital, but Webber was not admitted for psychiatric care. Hours later, Webber was arrested outside a schoolyard, being found in violation of the terms of his release.

In July 1991, Webber was hired as Mashgiach (Kashrut supervisor) of Calgary Jewish Community Council, a job he held until December of 1992. Sources who were involved at the time recall that Webber's history in Edmonton was known to at least some of those involved in his hiring. However, it was felt that because he was not convicted of a crime, he must be presumed to be innocent. "Naturally the question arises did the Jewish community do all it could to protect its children?" asked Joel Miller, executive director of Calgary Jewish Community Council, who arrived in Calgary in 1993. "The answer is absolutely yes." Shortly after Webber's hiring, Miller explained that guidelines for his behavior were established by Community Council. Foremost among the guidelines was that he was not to associate with the children in the community. According to Miller, Webber violated the terms of this agreement, and his employment was terminated in December 1992. During the period of time when Webber was a community employee, several families expressed concerns that his behavior with their children was not appropriate. These concerns were not sufficient to support charges, explained Miller, but were enough to make the parents and CJCC feel uncomfortable.


____________________________________________________________________________________

Photo cache pornographic, says detective
by Gordon Jaremko

Calgary Herald - February 29, 1996

City police have made their second seizure of child pornography in a month.

A big cache of home-made, Polaroid photographs of nude boys aged 10 to 14 was taken at a southwest Calgary house, Det. Bob Wiltshire said Wednesday.

Interviews with some of the children turned up instances of sexual assault. The child abuse squad invited kids or their families with further information to call it at 268-8689.

Police described the operation as a ``methodical'' catalogue of numerous young boys, including descriptions of behavior along with the pictures.

David Douglas Webber, 35, has been charged with possession of child pornography, sexual assault and sexual interference with a child under 14.

Investigation is also continuing into an earlier case, also in southwest Calgary, where boys were lured to a suite full of pornographic material in a senior citizens complex by promises to let them play computer games and watch videos.

Stanley Franklin Earl, 79, was charged with sexual assault, sexual interference and possession of child pornography.

But police, while indicating other investigations are also under way, are not suggesting this year's two cases amount to an epidemic of child porn and abuse.

Wiltshire said no commercial pornography operations have been uncovered.

Rather than spreading sexual abuses, he credited the seizures and arrests to year-old Criminal Code amendments that put teeth into long-standing prohibitions against child porn.

The latest seizures bring to four the number of Calgary child-porn cases since the new law went into force Jan. 1, 1995.

____________________________________________________________________________________

Man facing child porn charges denied bail
Canadian Press - March 4, 1996

Western regional general news

CALGARY (CP) A Calgary man charged with possessing child pornography and sexual assault was remanded in custody during his first court appearance Monday.  A bespectacled and shaggy-haired David Douglas Webber, 35, appeared on a Calgary Remand Centre video monitor to hear his next hearing will be Wednesday in provincial court. Court will then decide if Webber will undergo a psychiatric assessment. Webber is charged with 11 counts of sexual assault and sexual interference with a child under 14.  He's also charged with possessing child pornography after city police allegedly discovered a large amount of pornographic material in his southwest apartment and lists of names of up to 100 boys thought to be targetted by Webber.

Police allege young boys all over Calgary were lured by Webber, some of them while fishing on the Bow River or in arcades. Webber was bailed out last week on condition he not go near a school or playground, but hours later, police say he was rearrested near a southwest school.

____________________________________________________________________________________

Man remanded on pornography charges
Edmonton Journal - Mar 5, 1996


A Calgary man charged with sexual assault and possessing child pornography was remanded in custody Monday. David Douglas Webber, 35, is charged with 11 counts of sexual assault and sexual interference with a child under 14.

Police allegedly discovered a large amount of pornographic material in his southwest apartment and lists of names of up to 100 boys thought to be targetted by Webber.



____________________________________________________________________________________


New tool targeting predators
By Daryl Slade

Calgary Herald - April 15, 1996

TACKLING PORN: Staff Sgt. Allan Hargreaves heads the child abuse unit

City police are using a new organizational tool in an all-out effort to battle sexual assault and child pornography investigations.

The newly-instituted Operation Taboo, which wraps up its first mammoth, two-month case this week and is well into its second such case, drew personnel from several units to cope with volumes of evidence and interviews. The procedure, a first for the Calgary service, has so far resulted in 42 charges against two alleged culprits -- David Douglas Webber, 35, and Stanley Franklin Earl, 79. More charges are expected.

``Many hands make light work,'' says Staff Sgt. Allan Hargreaves, head of the child abuse unit. ``It's never been truer in this day and age with ever-increasing files.''

Hargreaves said two detectives traditionally are assigned to each of the more than 500 cases opened annually, but in such high-volume investigations they would simply have bogged down. So in the recent cases, Hargreaves called for and received reinforcements to bolster the staff to 10.

In the Webber case, for example, four detectives from the child abuse unit were joined by one detective from vice, another group from the priority crimes unit and an analyst signed on to organize the information on computer.

Child abuse detectives handle the sexual assault side of the investigation and the vice unit keeps track of the pornography side of it.

Responding to tips, police uncovered an extensive set of records of names, phone numbers and addresses. From there, detectives began to conduct interviews and the case snowballed as alleged victims produced other names.

But all of that wouldn't have been possible without the 1988 change in federal legislation allowing police to lay charges based on evidence from a child alone.

``Prior to that, you needed some other evidence -- physical, medical, witnesses,'' said Hargreaves. ``Statistically, seldom do you ever get a lot of physical evidence or witnesses to child abuse because it's most often done in the privacy of a home.''

Changing public attitudes has also made it much easier for victims to come forward, said Hargreaves.

``There was once a clear stigma attached to being a survivor of sexual assault,'' he said. ``We've come a long way in our compassion in the community about that.''

Hargreaves isn't saying there are a lot of pedophiles in Calgary, but they are out there. They aren't easy to find since few perpetrators are strangers grabbing kids in parks. They are persuasive, stalking and befriending their victims.

``We're targeting people we feel are predatorial -- active pedophiles,'' said Hargreaves. ``We want to focus and stop this abuse. This is the first time we did this (joint venture), but I can see it as the way of the future.''

The child abuse unit has also grown from four people, as part of the sex crimes unit until 1989, to 10 detectives and a staff sergeant today.
____________________________________________________________________________________

Man pleads guilty to child porn charge
Calgary Herald - October 9, 1996

A Calgary man pleaded guilty Tuesday in provincial court to one count of possession of child pornography and with failing to comply with bail conditions following his release last February.

David Douglas Webber, 35, is expected to plead out on several more of the 27 charges he still faces when he next appear before Judge Douglas McDonald on Oct. 25, his lawyer Alain Hepner said.

``It's a sufficiently complicated case and requires more expert evidence,'' said Hepner. ``We want to review the new psychiatric evidence then other charges will be resolved, including more guilty pleas.''

Webber, a former employee of the Calgary Jewish Community Council, was arrested and charged Feb. 22 following a search of his apartment in which police seized written material, Polaroid photos and videos of nude males aged 10 to 14.

He was released the following day on the condition he not go within one block of a school, playground or anywhere children are present.  He was arrested a few hours later outside a southwest elementary school yard.

Webber still faces four more counts each of possession of child pornography and sexual interference, six charges of sexual assault, 10 charges of inviting sexual touching and three counts of permitting sexual activity.


____________________________________________________________________________________


City police favor close monitoring
Calgary Herald - October 26, 1996



The head of the city police child abuse unit hopes the dangers of pedophiles returning to the community and potentially reoffending are addressed by the time David Douglas Webber is released.

"From the police perspective, if the public is looking for assurances that people are receiving treatment before being released, I can only see that improving so the problem we're facing will not be there in six years," said Staff Sgt. Allan Hargreaves.

"Chief (Christine) Silverberg is working closely with community organizations and provincial liaisons so that risks are considered in all such cases."

Hargreaves agreed with provincial court Judge Douglas McDonald that monitoring of high-risk sexual offenders is essential, and that advising the public through the media that one is back on the streets is only a start.

Webber's lawyer Alain Hepner also agreed with McDonald that long-term monitoring of pedophiles is key and he compared it to alcoholism, which is a lifelong condition.
____________________________________________________________________________________


Pedophile sentenced to six years
By Daryl Slade

Calgary Herald - October 26, 1996


A provincial court judge had mixed feelings in sending a child molester to jail for six years Friday.

"In this case, the denunciation aspect must supercede rehabilitation," Judge Douglas McDonald said in sentencing David Douglas Webber, 36, for possessing child pornography and molesting seven boys over the past eight years.

"It's truly unfortunate there is not a system where (a pedophile) can be kept underfoot after release. There is no way of extending probation so that his sexual activities can't continue. It would be nice if Parliament would address this issue."

Webber, through lawyer Alain Hepner and with his parents in the court room, had pleaded guilty to nine criminal charges, including one of breaching bail conditions.

His victims, two from Edmonton and five from here, were between the ages of five and 13 at the time of the offences. None can be named because of a publication ban.

Webber, a native of Edmonton, moved to Calgary in 1990. He had a checkered history even before being charged. He was dismissed both as youth director at Beth Israel Synagogue in Edmonton and as a director of the Calgary Jewish Community Council for suspicion of his undesirable actions with children.

He also was told in writing he was not welcome at the Calgary Jewish Centre.

Calgary police searched Webber's apartment Feb. 22 and found 13 boxes of illicit information that led initially to 29 criminal charges.

The data included 3,635 pictures of young boys -- many full-frontal nudes -- 224 books and articles on "man-boy love," 16 pornographic videos and 67 pornographic magazines.

They also found 29 handwritten lists of names of more than 100 boys, 57 sexually explicit letters or pamphlets and correspondence from NAMBLA (North American Man Boy Love Association).

Crown prosecutor Beth Miller called Webber an "unrepentant pedophile" and said the only reasons a greater sentence was not sought was because Webber never was in a position of trust, such as a teacher or parent, and that his guilty plea spared victims the "humiliation and aggravation of testifying."

Defence lawyer Alain Hepner, in asking for four years, said his client has a mental disorder that requires treatment and has since his arrest come to the realization that what he has done "is wrong -- morally and legally" -- and wants counselling.

Forensic psychologist Dr. Thomas Dalby, who testified he disagreed with the Bow Valley Centre and Alberta Hospital that Webber is not mentally ill, said pedophilia is not curable but believes Webber will not reoffend if he is able to get treatment and control his actions.

"This is a lifelong disorder, but he never again needs to express his desires," said Dalby.


____________________________________________________________________________________


Pedophile expert says there is no cure
By Daryl Slade

Calgary Herald - November 11, 1996

Once a pedophile, always a pedophile, says a Calgary expert. ``There is no cure,'' forensic psychologist Dr. Patrick Baillie bluntly says of people who are sexually attracted to children.

``For some individuals, it is more manageable than for others. Some will have problems the rest of their lives.''

Baillie said he has heard of psychologists who claim to have cured a pedophile, but he discounts them.

Baillie's comments follow two high-profile Calgary pedophiles --David Douglas Webber, 36, and Stanley Franklin Earl, 80 -- who were recently brought to justice, leaving potentially hundreds of victims behind.

Webber pleaded guilty to molesting seven boys dating back to 1988 and was sentenced to six years in prison. Earl pleaded guilty to abusing 11 boys as far back as 1974.

Although they are extreme cases involving many victims, Baillie says there are child molesters of all degrees in the city, in and out of jail. Police and other authorities will not release exact figures.

Because pedophiles are secretive and their primarily male victims are reluctant to come forward, they often escape undetected for many years, said Staff Sgt. Allan Hargreaves of the Calgary police child abuse unit.
____________________________________________________________________________________


Cops say child porn rising tide: Prosecutions are tough, say Calgary abuse detectives
By Lisa Dempster

Calgary Herald- March 10, 1997


Calgary police say they are almost powerless against a rising tide of child porn flooding into the city. 

A police project called Operation Taboo set up in Calgary a year ago has resulted in only one child-pornography-related case being successfully prosecuted, say child abuse detectives. They know more, much more, is out there.

But the roots of kiddie porn -- including thousands of images posted on the Internet -- run so dark and deep, local vice cops say they're forced to rely almost exclusively on outside tips.

``It is so deeply rooted underground that it's tough to get into those groups,'' who manufacture or disseminate child porn, says vice-detective Butch Dickens. 

``If I want to go buy drugs, I just stand around in a bar and somebody will eventually come up to me and ask me if I want to buy some drugs. But if I walk into a bar and ask if anybody has any pictures of little kids being sexually abused, I'm likely to get my head punched in because even criminals don't like these people.'' But those who work with child sexual-assault victims say the grim toll of child porn in Calgary is painfully evident. While experts agree cracking down on child pornography won't eliminate pedophilia, they say the link between the two is clear.

``We see a lot of our offenders using pornography,'' says Staff Sgt. Allan Hargreaves, head of the Calgary police child-abuse unit. ``It's clearly part of the syndrome, part of the cult of child-abuse offenders.''

Hargreaves believes the video tapes, magazines and pictures that police do manage to intercept ``are just the tip of the iceberg.'' Internet-related offences, where computer users can download pictures of child porn with ease and impunity, is a fast-growing crime that police departments are still struggling to combat. It is illegal to even download such material and store it on your computer.

Recently in British Columbia, a 28-year-old man was arrested on child rape charges and possessing and distributing child porn. He was nailed as part of a U.S. undercover sting operation directed against Internet kiddie porn. But Calgary police say staying on top of 'Net porn is a tough assignment. 

``The bottom line is, it's so vast and it's so time-consuming to do it, we only do it on a complaint basis,'' says Dickens.  ``I look for it, but only as time permits. It's only one of many things we are tasked with doing. Do we have a unit specifically set up to monitor it? No.''

Ross MacInnes, a former Calgary vice cop who now works helping guide young hookers off the street, says there's little difference in making and viewing child porn. ``They feed off one another,'' he adds. ``There's that same numbing of the senses.'' 

``The majority of kids we're working with on the street have also been involved in pornography, the taking of pictures and videos, of them over the years,'' he adds.

Police point to a couple of recent cases to illustrate the volume of such material available to Calgarians. 

David Douglas Webber, 36, was sentenced to six years in jail last October for possessing child pornography and molesting seven boys over the past eight years. In his Calgary apartment, police seized 3,635 pictures of young boys -- many full-frontal nudes -- 224 books and articles on ``man-boy love,'' 16 pornographic videos and 67 pornographic magazines.

In December, 80-year-old Calgarian Stanley Franklin Earl was sentenced to eight years for sexually exploiting 11 young boys and possession of child pornography. 

In that case, police say young boys were lured to a pornography-littered suite in a southwest senior citizens' complex.  The porn included films, photographs and books -- police seized 1,600 videotapes, 16 photo albums containing more than 2,000 mostly Polaroid pictures, and an undisclosed amount of written material. Danielle Aubry, executive director of Calgary Communities Against Sexual Abuse, confirms many clients at the Calgary Sexual Assault talk about having had pornographic pictures taken of them as children.

``I think it's very, very common,'' she says.

``There has been progress obviously, but I don't think there's been very much. I think that's because we don't prioritize those issues.  ``If we dealt with the people doing child pornography and viewing it, I think we'd have more progress. But we're afraid of that as a society because it's Joe Neighbor down the street that's doing this kind of thing.'' 

MacInnes agrees, and says police departments, the justice system and society at large must redefine their priorities and the emphasis they put on crimes like child porn. 

``We really have to focus our energy on the next generation,'' he argues.

``On the surface, we can battle back, say we're getting on top of the stuff because we're seeing less of it on the street. But it's always shifting. The demand has not been reduced through criminal or social sanctions against those that are purchasing or using the product . . . which in this case, is the children.''
____________________________________________________________________________________

Three Sex Offenders Won't Be Getting Out
By Rachel Evans
Edmonton Sun (Alberta, Canada) - August 19, 2001


The National Parole Board reviewed the detention of three notorious Edmonton-area sex offenders last week and decided to keep them all in prison.

A panel of three parole board members determined David Douglas Webber and James Holowenko would likely commit a sexual offence involving a child before their sentences expire, and Kerry Dean Rideout would likely commit "an offence causing serious harm to another person."

Rideout was convicted of three sexual assaults where he broke into his female victims' homes, the parole decision reads. The decision also stated that Rideout was released on day parole in 1997 but that was suspended when he didn't comply with counselling requirements and was found in possession of pornography including images of kids.

Rideout is required to live in a federal institution past his statutory release date.

Webber, a former youth adviser for the Beth Israel Synagogue, 10205 119 St., is currently serving time for sexual assault, sexual interference, invitation to sexual touching, possession of child pornography and failing to comply with a recognizance.

The parole board's decision states he had attended the Intensive Sex Offender program at the regional Psychiatric Centre in Saskatoon, Sask., and was assessed as "a manageable risk in the community."

But within a week of arriving at a halfway house, it reads, Webber was found in possession of photos of young boys and had his day parole revoked.

Holowenko's parole report included three occasions in 1996 and 1997 when he "took advantage of (his) friendship with adults to sexually fondle their female children."

The decision also stated he told the board he wouldn't take any programming for sex offenders, and last March he "described violent ways in which (he) wanted to treat" sex offenders.

He won't be released on his statutory release date and will be held in custody until the end of his sentence on April 19, 2002.


____________________________________________________________________________________

FAIR USE NOTICE
Some of the information on The Awareness Center's web pages may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc.

We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.

For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml . If you wish to use copyrighted material from this update for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
____________________________________________________________________________________


"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."  
–– Margaret Mead
____________________________________________________________________________________

Thursday, March 08, 1990

Case of Mordechai Ehrman

Case of Mordechai Ehrman
(AKA: Morton Ehrman)
Simcha's Play Group - Brooklyn, NY
Pelham, NY
Lakewood, NJ
 
 
Accused of molesting dozens of young students.

If anyone has a photograph of Mordechai Ehrman, please forward it to The Awareness Center.
___________________________________________________________________________________
 
Disclaimer: Inclusion in this website does not constitute a recommendation or endorsement. Individuals must decide for themselves if the resources meet their own personal needs.

Table of Contents 

1990 
  1. Day-Care Abuse Alleged B'klyn DA investigates charges at Midwood center  (03/08/1990)
  2. Inquiry Begun Into Claim Of Child Abuse at Center  (03/09/1990)
  3. Preschool Owner Denies Sex Charges (03/09/1990)
  4. Child-abuse claims probed; N.Y. day-care centre for Orthodox Jews is under investigation, assemblyman says  (03/10/1990)
  5. Other news to note (03/10/1990)
  6. B'klyn Rabbis Back Sex-Abuse Charges (05/15/1990)
  7. In the matter of  Morton Ehrman, Appellant, v. Cesar A. Perales, etc., Et Al. Respondents (06/19/1990)
  8. Food Stamp Charges Stick to B'klyn Man (08/16/1990)
     
___________________________________________________________________________________

Day-Care Abuse Alleged B'klyn DA investigates charges at Midwood center
Newsday - March 8, 1990


District Attorney Charles Hynes
The Brooklyn district attorney's office is investigating allegations of sexual abuse at a closed preschool for Orthodox Jewish youngsters, according to sources close to both the investigation and the targets. While prosecutors say "there is no hard evidence" to justify formal charges, the probe has thrown the Midwood neighborhood into turmoil. 

Assistant district attorneys have questioned dozens of children between 2 1/2 and 5 years old in connection with the investigation begun last fall into the Simcha Play Group, a 5-year-old day-care center operated by Mordechai and Tovah Ehrman. 

A source close to the investigation said it centers on allegations that some of the children were improperly "touched" at the school, but added that the children "have been unable to identify who touched them." 

The Ehrmans, who operated the center at their home, closed it when the probe became known. 

David Stern, a cousin of Mordechai Ehrman and the attorney who represented him until the case was recently taken over by the law office of Barry Slotnick, said the Ehrman family "has been subjected to months of unjustified mental torture, harassment, false criminal charges and a campaign of intimidation." 

"The true issue is how long the community is going to permit the destruction of an innocent family by sitting silently by," he said. 

Stern said that Mordechai Ehrman, who has been the target of parents' accusations, voluntarily asked Brooklyn prosecutors to investigate the allegations when they were first made in October. Stern said Ehrman became aware of allegations when an caseworker for the city Child Welfare Administration began a probe of cases involving four children. The city later decided not take further action, Stern said, and Ehrman provided the names of those children to prosecutors. 

He also said that Ehrman, who drove a bus for the school which was operated by his wife, voluntarily took and passed a lie detector test organized by a state official. 

A spokesman for Brooklyn District Attorney Charles J. Hynes, meanwhile, would not confirm if an investigation is under way. 

But Assemb. Dov Hikind (D-Borough Park), who has been encouraging parents to cooperate with the investigation, said Hynes met in his office last month with 70 parents, some of whom complained that the children have not been properly interviewed by psychologically trained questioners. Hikind said Hynes promised a thorough investigation. 

"There is no doubt that terrible things happened to little children, that acts of sexual abuse happened, in that school," Hikind said yesterday, before leaving for a Purim vacation in Israel. "We have to convince the parents to trust the criminal justice system and talk to investigators and let it work." 

Some of the rumors have been fed by an anonymous poster put up in the area charging both Ehrmans with taking part in sexual abuse of the children. 

The source, however, said Tovah Ehrman has not been implicated in the allegations. The source said the questioning of children is expected to continue until the end of the month, and that a decision would be made then as to whether the case would be turned over to a grand jury. 

Stern said a campaign of harassment aimed based on the allegations has resulted in one daughter getting fired from a job and a teenaged daughter getting turned down for babysitting jobs. 

Some of the parents say that Kalman Finkel, a member of the state Law Revision Commission appointed by Gov. Mario Cuomo, has entered the case on Ehrman's behalf. 

But Finkel said yesterday he did nothing to impede the investigation. Finkel said he asked a staff member of the Legal Aid Society to give Ehrman a lie detector test, which Ehrman passed, and that he contacted rabbis to help set up a rabbinical court to consider the case. 

Hikind yesterday said a rabbinical court does not have "the authority or the power" to resolve a criminal case.
___________________________________________________________________________________

Inquiry Begun Into Claim Of Child Abuse At Center
By Frank J. Prial
The New York Times - March 9, 1990
The Brooklyn District Attorney is investigating claims that dozens of children were sexually molested at a now-closed unlicensed day-care center in Brooklyn last year, according to participants in the case.
 
A spokesman for District Attorney Charles J. Hynes refused to confirm or deny that an investigation was under way, but Assemblyman Dov Hikind, a Brooklyn Democrat, said he and more than 70 parents of children who had attended the school met with Mr. Hynes on Feb. 6 to discuss what they contended was slow progress in the investigation.
 
The operator of the school was Mordechai (Morton) Ehrman, participants in the case said. He ran the school, known as the Simcha Play Group, at his home at 1444 East Fifth Street in the Midwood section. Working with him were his wife, Tova, several of his 10 children and an undetermined number of hired teachers, participants in the case said.
 
Mr. Ehrman's lawyer, his cousin, David Stern, said that four complaints by parents about the Ehrmans had been investigated by the Special Services for Children Division of the Human Resources Department. He said the files had been closed earlier this year for lack of evidence.
'No One Gives a Damn'
 
He said that the Ehrmans had been intimidated, threatened and harassed since the allegations first surfaced last year, and that they had received no help from the city. ''No one gives a damn,'' he said.
The controversy, which was reported yesterday in New York Newsday and The Daily News, has prompted several angry encounters between the Ehrmans and parents, participants in the case said. Several weeks ago, Mr. Ehrman went to court to answer charges of harassment brought by one father, Sam Antar. The case was postponed.
 
No charges have been filed against Mr. Ehrman or anyone in his family, but Mr. Hikind said he understood that evidence was being heard in the case.
 
Reached by telephone in Israel, where he is vacationing, Mr. Hikind said parents first began coming to him last fall. ''Some of them didn't even want to tell me their names,'' he said.
Dozens of Children Questioned
 
NY Assemblyman Dov Hikind
Mr. Hikind said dozens of children had been question by assistant district attorneys since the investigation began.
 
All the families involved are Orthodox Jews, Mr. Hikind said, and some had been cautioned by their rabbis not to make their complaints public because they might embarrass the Jewish community. The Ehrmans are Orthodox Jews, too, and advertised their day-care center as a school for Orthodox Jewish children.
 
Mr. Hikind said the controversy began when a mother went to her rabbi complaining that her 3-year-old daughter had been molested at the school. Mr. Hikind said some rabbis in the neighborhood encourged parents to press charges against the Ehrmans. ''Some rabbis even urged them from the pulpit,'' he said.
 
Mr. Stern said Mr. Ehrman first heard the accusations when he was summoned before a Beth Din, a traditional rabbinical tribunal. ''They demanded that he sign away his right to deal with children for the rest of his life,'' Mr. Stern said.
 
Accusations of Rape and Fondling
 
Mr. Ehrman refused and called Mr. Stern, a former assistant district attorney in Brooklyn, who said he called the District Attorney's office and demanded an investigation. ''I sent the District Attorney the names of all the children in the school and all the children in the summer program,'' he said.
 
Mr. Ehrman later demanded another rabbinical court so he could present his side of the controversy. ''They met three weeks ago, but not since,'' Mr. Stern said.
 
According to Mr. Hikind, the charges against the Ehrmans include sexual abuses ranging from fondling to rape. ''There are some things I can't bring myself to discuss, even on the telephone,'' the Assemblyman said.
 
Mr. Stern said anonymous phone calls about the controversy had cost Mr. Ehrman and one of his daughters the jobs they had taken after they closed the school.
 
GRAPHIC: Photo: A former day-care center at 1444 East Fifth Street in the Midwood section of Brooklyn is under investigation by the Brooklyn District Attorney concerning charges that children were sexually molested there last year, according to participants in the case. (The New York Times/Vic DeLucia)
___________________________________________________________________________________

Preschool Owner Denies Sex Charges
By Bob Liff
Newsday - March 9, 1990

As several parents yesterday continued to say their children were sexually abused at a closed Brooklyn preschool for Orthodox Jewish youngsters, the owner of the preschool denied the charges and said she and her husband will be vindicated. 

Meanwhile, the predominantly Orthodox Jewish neighborhood of Midwood, where Mordechai and Tova Ehrman ran the Simcha Play Group from their home, was embroiled in a bitter round of accusations and counteraccusations growing out of parents' claims that more than 50 children were abused at the preschool. 

As many as 60 children from the ages of 2 1/2 to 5 have been interviewed by assistants to Brooklyn District Attorney Charles J. Hynes, and perhaps five of the children's comments are being further investigated, a source familiar with the case said yesterday. The source said while some medical evidence exists indicating abuse might have occurred, it is inconclusive and has not been linked to Mordechai Ehrman, who also drove the bus for the preschool operated by his wife. The couple closed the preschool in the fall when allegations first surfaced. 

An investigation by the city's Child Welfare Administration into allegations involving two children led to a letter the Ehrmans received late yesterday from the state Department of Social Services - which has oversight for city child abuse investigations - deeming those accusations "unfounded," according to A. David Stern, Ehrman's attorney and cousin. 

"No credible evidence was found that the child (children) has been abused or maltreated," the letter said, as read by Stern. "The report has therefore been considered unfounded." 

Soon after accusations began spreading in the neighborhood in October that Ehrman, 49, had abused children, he was called before a special rabbinical court - where observant Jews often resolve differences - and ordered to sign what Ehrman described as a confession. 

Ehrman, an Orthodox Jew, refused, and sent out an open letter to "parents and rabbis" in which he called the accusations "vile and disgusting," and said they were "false and slanderous." 

Some neighborhood leaders say the community is split between Syrian-born parents who are Sephardic Jews, who are cooperating with Hynes' investigation, and Hasidic and Orthodox Jewish parents of European descent, who wanted to keep the dispute before a Beth Din, or rabbinical court. 

On several occasions over the last five months, angry parents confronted Ehrman at his East Fifth Street house, according to Ehrman and parents. One occasion resulted in fisticuffs between Ehrman and the father of one of the children, with each man filing charges against the other. 

"We are the only victims here, my husband, my children and me," Tova Ehrman, who started the preschool six years ago, said yesterday. The couple has 10 children. She described the allegations against her husband as "total lies and falsehoods, willful and calculated." 

While anonymous posters in Midwood accuse Ehrman's wife of taking part in abuse, an investigative source said Wednesday no allegations have been made involving Tova Ehrman. 

"Only him," the source said. Ehrman has cooperated with investigators, and voluntarily took a lie detector test, which he passed, according to documents supplied to investigators by Stern. 

Meanwhile, four parents of children who attended the preschool yesterday called New York Newsday to say their children, some as young as 3 years old, described events the parents called sexual abuse.
"My son has been waking up every night screaming," said the mother of a 4 1/2-year-old boy who, she said, has a scar on his penis that doctors believe may be the result of abuse. "You tell me how a child that age can even make up these things." 

Another Brooklyn mother yesterday said her daughter, who was 4 when she attended the preschool, described games involving many children that the mother described as abuse. State Assemb. Dov Hikind, D-Borough Park, who brought 70 parents to meet with Hynes last month, said Wednesday "there is no doubt terrible things happened" at the preschool. 

___________________________________________________________________________________
 
Child-abuse claims probed; N.Y. day-care centre for Orthodox Jews is under investigation, assemblyman says 
By Frank J. Prial
The Gazette - March 10, 1990

NEW YORK - The Brooklyn district attorney is investigating charges that dozens of children were sexually molested last year at an unlicensed day-care centre in Brooklyn which has now closed, according to participants in the case. 

A spokesman for district attorney Charles Hynes refused to confirm or deny that an investigation was under way, but the Democratic assemblyman from Brooklyn, Dov Hikind, said he and more than 70 parents of children who had attended the school met with Hynes on Feb. 6 to discuss what they contended was slow progress in the investigation. 

The operator of the school was Mordechai "Morton" Ehrman, participants in the case said. He ran the school, known as the Simcha Play Group, at his home in the Midwood section. 

Working with him at the school were his wife, Tova, several of his 10 children and an undetermined number of hired teachers. 

Ehrman's lawyer, his cousin, David Stern, said that four complaints by parents about the Ehrmans had been investigated by the Special Services for Children division of the Human Resources Department. 

He said the files had been closed this year for lack of evidence. 

He said that the Ehrmans had been subject to a campaign of intimidation, threats and harassment since the charges first surfaced last year and that they had received no help from the city. 

"No one gives a damn," he said. 

No charges have been filed against Ehrman or anyone in his family, but Hikind said he understood that evidence is being heard in the case. 

All the families involved are Orthodox Jews, Hikind said, and some had been cautioned by their rabbis not to make their complaints public because they might embarrass the Jewish community. 

Other rabbis in the neighborhood encourged the parents to press charges against the Ehrmans. "Some rabbis even urged them from the pulpit," Hikind said. 

___________________________________________________________________________________
 
Other news to note
Orlando Sentinel - March 10, 1990 

DAY-CARE TROUBLES. The Brooklyn district attorney is investigating charges that dozens of children were sexually molested at a now- closed, unlicensed day-care center in Brooklyn last year, participants in the case say. A spokesman for District Attorney Charles J. Hynes refused to confirm or deny that an investigation was under way, but Assemblyman Dov Hikind, D-Brooklyn, said he and more than 70 parents of children who had attended the school met with Hynes on Feb. 6 to discuss what they contended was slow progress in the investigation. The operator of the school was Mordechai "Morton" Ehrman, participants in the case said. He ran the school, known as the Simcha Play Group, at his home. The controversy first came to light when a mother went to her rabbi complaining that her 3-year- old daughter had been molested at the school.  
___________________________________________________________________________________
 
B'klyn Rabbis Back Sex-Abuse Charges
By Alexis Jetter 
Newsday - May 15, 1990

"Both the accusers and the accused have been waiting for this Jewish court to act," said Assemb. Dov Hikind (D-Brooklyn). "They are very respected, and now that they have made a very clear statement in regard to this, I hope the DA's office will follow through." 

They formally requested that Ehrman continue to abide by a pledge, which they said he signed in October, 1989, to refrain from opening another preschool while the investigation is continuing. Ehrman closed the school in the fall when allegations first surfaced. 

Some neighborhood leaders said the Bais Din was necessary because Hasidic and Orthodox Jewish parents of European descent preferred to keep the matter before a Jewish court. Syrian-born, Sephardic Jews whose children were allegedly abused are said to be cooperating with the District Attorney's office.
___________________________________________________________________________________
  
IN THE MATTER OF MORTON EHRMAN, APPELLANT, v. CESAR A. PERALES, ETC., ET AL., RESPONDENTS
June 18, 1990

In a proceeding pursuant to CPLR article 78, inter alia, to review a determination of the respondent Commissioner of the New York State Department of Social Services, dated August 20, 1985, which denied the petitioner's application for food stamp benefits, the petitioner appeals from an order and judgment (one paper) of the Supreme Court, Kings County (Hutcherson, J.), dated September 27, 1988, which denied his motion for an award of attorneys' fees pursuant to 42 USC ? 1988.
Lawrence J. Bracken, J.p., Sybil Hart Kooper, Isaac Rubin, Sondra Miller, JJ.
DECISION & ORDER


Contrary to the petitioner's contention, we conclude that the Supreme Court properly denied his request for attorney's fees pursuant to 42 USC ? 1988 inasmuch as his cause of action is not a bona fide civil rights cause of action pursuant to 42 USC ? 1983 (see, Matter of Cruz v Perales, A.D.2d [2d Dept., Feb. 20, 1990]; Matter of Rashid v Perales, A.D.2d [2d Dept., Dec., 26, 1989]).
Disposition

___________________________________________________________________________________

Food Stamp Charges Stick to B'klyn Man
By Patricia Hurtado
Newsday - August 16, 1990

The head of a defunct Brooklyn day-care center is accused of illegally obtaining $3,000 worth of food stamps, the Brooklyn District Attorney's office announced yesterday. 

Mordechai Ehrman, 49, of Brooklyn's Midwood section, surrendered to authorities yesterday and was charged with 13 counts that include grand larceny, filing false applications with the state Department of Social Service and falsifying false business records. 

He pleaded innocent to the charges at his arraignment before State Supreme Court Justice Michael Curci yesterday afternoon. In an unusual move, Curci ordered Ehrman held overnight without bail. Leonard Robertson, a spokesman for the district attorney's office, said that the judge had issued the order because of a delay in processing fingerprints. 

Ehrman faces 2 1/3 to 7 years in prison if convicted of the most serious charge of grand larceny. 

Ehrman, who operated the Simcha Play group at his home, is at the center of allegations that dozens of children were sexually molested at his facility. Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes said he had "no comment" on the the five-month-old grand jury investigation. 

But Assemblyman Dov Hikind, a Brooklyn Democrat, said yesterday that he had been told that the grand jury had concluded its investigation. He said he was concerned that Ehrman has not been charged in that case.

___________________________________________________________________________________

FAIR USE NOTICE
Some of the information on The Awareness Center's web pages may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. 
 
We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.
For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml . If you wish to use copyrighted material from this update for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. 

___________________________________________________________________________________