Thousands of children protected from abuse under victim reforms
Thousands more children will be protected from vile sex offenders under amendments to the Victims and Courts Bill tabled in Parliament from Monday 20 October.

The new measures will see parental responsibility automatically restricted in cases of children born of rape, and when a parent is convicted of serious sex offences against any child. This means a parent can no longer take active steps in their child’s life, including making decisions over their schooling, medical care or trips abroad.

The move delivers on the long-term campaign of Natalie Fleet MP, Baroness Harman and Jess Asato MP and will provide greater protection for vulnerable children.
To ensure swift protection for families, restriction will happen immediately following sentencing, removing the necessity to apply through the family court.

This move follows the expansion of the government’s innovative Pathfinder pilot, which aims to improve the court experience and outcomes for children and parents involved in private family law proceedings - including those who have experience of domestic abuse.

1. Improved safeguarding and protections for vulnerable people
Government to launch a consultation on Liberty Protection Safeguards to improve safeguarding for vulnerable people.

Vulnerable people lacking the mental capacity to make decisions about their care are expected to benefit from major changes to safeguarding and protections, following a consultation announced by the government today.

The proposed Liberty Protection Safeguards aim to deliver improved protection and an easier and improved system to allow carers, psychologists, social workers and families to provide care to vulnerable people in circumstances that amount to a deprivation of liberty.

A consultation on the Liberty Protection Safeguards will be launched in the first half of next year, seeking the views of those affected such as families, carers and practitioners including social workers, nurses, psychologists and occupational therapists. It will be jointly run by the Department of Health and Social Care and the Ministry of Justice.

This delivers on calls from organisations including the Care Quality Commission, Mencap and Mind for the implementation of new Liberty Protection Safeguards to replace the outdated Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards.

2. Launch of Public Consultation on ‘Gang’-Related Offending and Use of Musical Expression in Prosecutions
Prosecutors are asking for views on how they prosecute ‘gang’-based offenders and whether guidance is needed on musical expression in prosecutions to help better protect the public.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has launched a two-part public consultation seeking views on updating prosecution guidance on ‘gang’-related offending, as well as welcoming views on whether guidance is needed on the use of musical expression, including lyrics, as evidence in criminal prosecutions.

Prosecutors are also consulting on whether guidance is needed over the use of musical expression in court cases.

Lyrics from songs have been used as evidence in a courtroom in situations where a defendant has admitted to committing a crime. This is normally utilised as part of a package of evidence, in the same way a written or spoken confession would be. There are always legal safeguards to such evidence being presented to a jury.

In other scenarios, when appropriate, the prosecution has been able to present evidence showing musical expression has been used in a build-up to a violent crime or to reveal information about a crime that only the attackers would know. Musical evidence and ‘gang’ evidence has also been used to show association between different parties in some cases of serious violence.

The first part of the consultation focuses on updating the guidance for prosecutors when considering cases involving alleged ‘gang’ affiliations.

The second part explores the use of musical expression such as lyrics, videos, and performances as potential evidential material in criminal proceedings. At present there is no guidance on the use of musical expression as evidence in prosecutions, and these are decided on a case-by-case basis when deemed relevant.

This consultation is part of the commitment to ensuring transparency, fairness and consistent decision-making in the criminal justice system.

To participate in the consultation which closes 22 January 2026 click here.

Professional Standards Authority (PSA)

PSA publishes report aimed at strengthening fitness to practise decisions
The Professional Standards Authority (PSA) published its first report focused on its ‘Section 29’ appeals. Appealing fitness to practise decisions: the year in focus covers the period from April 2024 to March 2025, and presents key data, comparative statistics, case studies, and thematic insights aimed at improving the robustness, fairness, and safety of fitness to practise decision-making by regulators’ panels.

The report explains more about the PSA’s role under Section 29 of the NHS Reform and Health Care Professions Act, including why and how it decides to appeal a regulator’s panel decision and, when it decides not to, how learning points are shared to help regulators improve their processes.

The report shows that of the 2,230 fitness practise decisions received in 2024/25, the PSA reviewed 1,216 and went on to appeal 21 of these. It also identifies themes emerging from its review of panel decisions such as a steady rise in cases relating to sexual misconduct/harassment over the last five years, from 3.9% in 2021/22 to 10.2% in 2024/25.

Charity Commission

The Charity Commission has concluded its case into St Giles Trust after thoroughly reviewing evidence relating to a serious safeguarding breach.
St Giles Trust offers advice, advocacy and support to those facing severe social disadvantage and multiple barriers in their lives.
In January 2025, the charity reported a serious incident to the Commission explaining that an employee was allowed to work with children in schools for almost 2 years while being on the Disclosure and Barring Service’s (‘DBS’) barred list.

The charity explained the initial DBS check completed in 2021 showed they were not on the barred list but when re-applying in 2023, the list had been updated which then included the individual. As a result of an operational failure in the charity, no action was taken to stop the individual working with children until December 2024. At this point, a HR officer identified the change when reviewing the DBS check and reported it to the charity’s senior management. 

1. Guidance on child sexual abuse material generated by artificial intelligence (AI-CSAM).
In June this year, the National Crime Agency (NCA), collaborated with the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) to develop guidance on child sexual abuse material generated by artificial intelligence (AI-CSAM).

They want to understand how effective and useful this guidance has been for all professionals working with children and young people. To share your views, please complete their short survey.

2. Coalition urges EU leaders to pass vital child sexual abuse laws.
The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) proudly joined child protection advocates at an outdoor stunt in Brussels Monday, October 13 to ensure that victim and survivors’ voices are being heard in the fight against child sexual abuse.

At the event, the European Child Sexual Abuse Legislation Advocacy Group (ECLAG)* called attention to the threat posed to the safety and wellbeing of millions of children as vital EU child sexual abuse legislation continues to be delayed.

Stunt organisers staged a hauntingly empty schoolroom scene, symbolising the European children whose lives have been blighted by sexual abuse, online and offline, because of political inaction.

The public were able to walk through the schoolroom setting and, through reading stories of real-life survivor experiences, get insight into the high cost of the stalled EU Child Sexual Abuse Regulation.

A key aspect of the draft law requires technology companies to prevent child sexual abuse on their services and to detect and remove child sexual abuse material online, while upholding the privacy of all users. Some companies already act voluntarily – but voluntary action is not enough.

1. Online GP appointment requests available everywhere from Wednesday 1 October 2025
GP phone lines across the country will be freed up as practices are now required to keep their online consultation tools running throughout the day, in a major step towards the government’s ambition of ending the 8am scramble.

Since 1 October 2025, patients have been able to request appointments, ask questions, and describe symptoms online throughout the day rather than calling their surgery or visiting in person. This will help free up practice phone lines for those who need them most, and make it more convenient to access appointments.

Online access is not consistent across the country and is especially difficult in overlooked areas. Some GP practices turn online requests off when they reach a certain number, while others only have the online function available for a few hours a day. When patients can’t get through on the phone, 6.6% end up in A&E – which is worse for them and more expensive for the taxpayer. By fixing the front door of the NHS, these reforms will help to ease pressures on other parts of the health service.

To ensure all GPs provide this service and meet demand, the government is providing unprecedented support for general practice and shifting care and vital resources to the community. This includes investing an additional £1.1 billion in general practice – the biggest increase in over a decade – and hiring an extra 2,000 GPs since July 2024. This has led to five million more appointments being delivered this year compared to last, with latest ONS data showing three in four patients now find it easy to contact their practice.

To make sure those most in need are prioritised, GPs are now also being incentivised to identify patients who would benefit most from seeing the same GP at every appointment, so more patients see their regular doctor each appointment.

Patients will also benefit from over 8.3 million more appointments each year as over 1,000 doctors’ surgeries receive a bricks and mortar upgrade to modernise practices under the government’s Plan for Change.

2. Menopause advice will be added to free health checks to help millions of women get the care they need.
Millions of women across England will benefit from the menopause being included in routine NHS health checks for the first time - marking a landmark step forward in women’s healthcare.

Routine appointments will now tackle one of society’s most overlooked health challenges, ensuring women experiencing perimenopausal or menopausal symptoms get the right information and support, while also raising awareness earlier so more women recognise the signs and seek help sooner if needed.

The addition of dedicated questions to the NHS Health Check about the menopause - free assessments offered to eligible adults aged 40 to 74 every 5 years - will benefit nearly 5 million women.

Too often, women’s experiences of menopause have been minimised or misunderstood, with symptoms sometimes mistaken for other conditions or attributed to stress or lifestyle factors.

3. Warning of new variant of dangerous baby self-feeding products
A new variant of dangerous baby self-feeding products has appeared where the pillow part takes the form of an animal head shape.

Baby self-feeding products are designed to enable babies to bottle feed with little or no assistance from a caregiver. This creates a risk of serious harm or death from choking on the feed or aspiration pneumonia.

The Office for Product Safety and Standards has identified that all baby self-feeding products are dangerous due to their design and intended use and can never be made safe, regardless of any changes to their appearance. It issued a Product Safety Alert concerning them in December 2022. The public was urged to stop using them immediately and dispose of them safely. Businesses and local authority trading standards services were also asked to take specific actions to remove them from the market.

4. Undercover officers have visited hotel staff across Canterbury in order to test their ability to spot vulnerable children.
The specialised operation has been carried out in Canterbury on Friday 17 October 2025 to assess how well the city’s hospitality sector is applying child protection training.

The exercise involved officers from Kent Police, supported by Kent Police Cadet volunteers, who visited six hotels across the city. Officers posed as guests attempting to book Child protection training put to the test in Canterbury hotels accommodation under circumstances that could raise safeguarding concerns.

Officers were looking for evidence that staff were taking proportionate measures to identify potential child exploitation. At the end of the visits, a review was completed to score the effectiveness of staff in identifying children at risk of abuse or trafficking.

5. New evaluation of NHS England’s emergency department opt-out testing has identified thousands of people living unknowingly with bloodborne viruses.
The UK Health Security Agency has published its evaluation report of the groundbreaking NHS emergency department (ED) opt-out testing programme – an integrated bloodborne virus (BBV) testing programme for HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C. 

The evaluation findings show the programme has identified thousands of people living unknowingly with bloodborne viruses, with many now being offered life-saving treatment for the first time.

As part of blood tests taken during emergency care in 34 EDs in areas with the highest HIV prevalence, people are automatically tested for HIV, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C unless they opt out. Those who receive a diagnosis are then offered treatment and support. 

The results demonstrate the programme’s significant impact. Over 33 months, it conducted over 7 million BBV tests, representing around 50% of all BBV testing done in these areas during this period. It achieved a high test uptake rate of around 70% among eligible people, demonstrating the effectiveness of the opt-out approach. 

Over 60% of people tested had no record of previous BBV testing, indicating the programme successfully reached populations who may not have been diagnosed in other healthcare settings.  

Pensioners warned to stay alert as winter fuel payment scams surge by over 150%
Pensioners are being warned to look out for Winter Fuel Payment text message scams following a surge in activity from opportunistic criminals ahead of next month's payments. New data from HMRC shows reports of scam texts more than doubled in the last week of September when compared to the previous week.

These scams – which see fraudsters exploit pensioners by posing as government officials processing Winter Fuel Payment applications – had begun to drop off after a peak in June but are now increasing again ahead of payments being made next month.

1. Five money launderers have been jailed for exploiting victims through fraud and romance fraud for over £2 million
Five money launderers have been sentenced/jailed for exploiting victims including through a so-called ‘romance’ fraud worth £2.37 million. Fawaz Ali, 27, Ebenezer Tackie, 42, Michael Quartey, 28, were found guilty of money laundering offences after trial and sentenced to four years and 10 months imprisonment, four years and six months imprisonment, and five years and six months imprisonment respectively at Guildford Crown Court.

Kwabena Edusei, 37, who had previously admitted conspiracy to defraud, money laundering, supplying articles for use in fraud and possession of ID documents with an improper intention was sentenced to seven years and 10 months imprisonment. George Melseaux, 40, who admitted money laundering and possession of ID documents with an improper intention was sentenced to three years and nine months imprisonment.

To run the romance fraud, Edusei and others created fake profiles and fictional biographies on dating websites to trick their victims. They used flirtatious language to manipulate people into thinking they were entering into a genuine loving and caring relationship.

But this all was a build up to the fraudsters asking victims for money for fake reasons including loans to pay for business trips gone wrong, fines being incurred in remote locations or a stolen wallet and urgently needing money to pay these off. Victims transferred money to the bank accounts of the men or even sent cash in the post. This romance fraud was repeated many times until the victims had no money left or become suspicious and stopped making payments and alerted the authorities.

Payments were then laundered through the bank accounts of the criminals. There were 40 confirmed victims of romance fraud but the total number of suspected victims of fraud was 99. The total amount of funds lost by all victims through romance fraud is estimated to be around £1.8 million.

But there is something we can do. By staying vigilant and always taking a moment to stop, think and check whenever we’re approached, we can help to protect ourselves and each other from fraud.

2. Paedophile posed as teenage boy to sexually abuse children online
A man who incited and recorded thousands of children engaging in sexual activity online from his Croydon home has been jailed following a National Crime Agency (NCA) investigation.
IT specialist Robert Chown, 49, captured photos and videos of the abuse and shared them with like-minded paedophiles.

He appeared at Croydon Crown Court on 3 October where he was sentenced to 25 years, with seven to be served on licence, having pleaded guilty to 41 charges at a previous court hearing.

Chown was also handed a lifetime Sexual Harm Prevention Order, and will be on the sex offender for the rest of his life.

He went on to share hundreds of abuse images in the forum that he’d captured over years of sexually exploiting children online.

Chown also posted an indecent photo of a 12-year-old girl that he had taken in person. She was identified and safeguarded by the NCA and child protection services.

From his home in south London he masqueraded as a teenage boy online to target thousands of children across the world.

3. Van driver circled Maidstone car park seeking to abuse child
A van driver was caught by officers circling a Maidstone car park as he looked for a child to sexually abuse. Simon Hancock drove from Dartford with the intention of meeting a teenage boy he’d groomed on the internet over several days.

Hancock made the 20-mile journey after initiating a series of explicit messages on apps including Snapchat. During the online exchanges, the 47-year-old repeatedly sent obscene images of himself to the child. He told them he knew they were underage but said he could teach him sexual practices including how to 'touch, kiss and hold'.

Hancock arranged to meet the child on 19 February 2025 but was intercepted by local officers, whose suspicions were drawn to his white Toyota van as it was seen to repeatedly leave and re-enter a car park next to Mote Park.

During interview Hancock told officers he had indecent images of children on one of the seized devices, which he called his 'bad' phone.
He was charged with arranging or facilitating a child sex offence, attempted sexual communication with a child, and with making indecent images of a child.

Hancock pleaded guilty and on 2 October was sentenced at Woolwich Crown Court to three years’ imprisonment. Upon his release from prison, he will be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order. A further charge of possessing a knife in a public place was ordered by the court to lie on file.

4. Paedophile priest dismissed allegations as “nonsense”
A former priest who claimed allegations against him were “nonsense” has had his sentence for historic child sex offences extended by 11 years.

Dennis Finbow, 77, was convicted in early 2023 for sexually abusing a child in the 1980s while offences in the most recent case date back to 1974.

Finbow claimed all the allegations against him were “nonsense” in police interview, however, he later admitted multiple offences and on Friday (10 October), at Cambridge Crown Court, had his current sentenced extended.

He admitted touching a boy in 1974 at a school where he was teaching, prior to being ordained.

He also abused an altar boy between August 1984 and August 1985, a girl between February 1984 and February 1985, a girl between 1987 and 1991 and a third girl between 1987 and 1988.

Finbow met these victims through his work as a priest in the Catholic Church.

He admitted eight counts of indecent assault of a girl under 14, four counts of indecent assault of a boy under 14, two counts of indecent assault of a girl under 16 and one count of indecent assault on a woman over 16.

Finbow was also handed an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

5. Woman found guilty of killing baby daughter
Nazli Merthoca, 24 (19.01.2001), of Homerton High Street, Hackney, was convicted of manslaughter by a jury at the Old Bailey on Tuesday, 14 October. Her partner, Herbert Kalanzi, 35 (02.06.1990), of Ranelagh Road, Newham, was cleared of murder, manslaughter and causing or allowing the death of a child. This was in connection with the death of their daughter, Kaylani Kalanzi.

Kaylani died in Great Ormond Street Hospital on Tuesday, 23 July, 2024. The trial heard she had suffered traumatic brain injuries weeks prior after being shaken by Merthoca.

Around 22:30hrs on Monday, 8 July 2024, paramedics attended an address in Homerton High Street. Merthoca, who was living at the property, had called 999, claiming her baby daughter, Kaylani, had stopped breathing. The infant was found in critical condition and was taken to Homerton hospital.

Police were alerted by staff at the hospital, after scans revealed Kaylani had suffered extensive brain damage consistent with physical abuse. On Tuesday, 9 July, officers attended the family home, where they arrested Merthoca on suspicion of attempted murder.

6. Man guilty of planning to rape children as young as six
A man from London, who planned to travel overseas and rape children as young as six, has been convicted following a National Crime Agency investigation.

Edward Gratwick, 68, from Mitcham, was arrested at Stansted Airport on 7 March 2025 as he attempted to board a flight to Bucharest, Romania.

NCA officers received intelligence about a UK national who had been communicating with another individual online, where they discussed meeting up to sexually abuse a nine-year old girl. The pair had also been planning to drug the girl with GHB so she would not remember anything.

7. Parents found guilty of murdering baby boy in Wirral
A man and a woman have been found guilty of murdering their baby boy in Wirral last year.

On Sunday 24 November we received a report that a three-month-old baby boy, Miguel Pirjani, was found unresponsive at a house in Seacombe.

The infant received treatment in hospital but despite the efforts of medical professionals, he was sadly pronounced deceased five days later, on Friday 29 November.

Klevi Pirjani, 37 years, and Nivalda Santos Pirjani, 34 years, both of Percy Road, Seacombe were initially arrested and charged with causing grievous bodily harm and Section 18 wounding with intent.

Following the boy’s death, they were charged with murder and causing or allowing the death of a child.

Safer Internet Day 2026 theme has been announced!
Safer Internet Day 2026 will take place on the 10 of February 2026, with celebrations and learning based around the theme ‘Smart tech, safe choices – Exploring the safe and responsible use of AI’.

Everyone’s talking about AI, and with many children and young people hearing about and using AI online, it’s important they have the skills and confidence to make safe choices when they are using smart technology.

This Safer Internet Day is exploring the impact of AI on all of our lives, looking at how AI can be used for good, and giving advice and guidance that empowers people to use AI safely and responsibly. Schools and organisations are now able to register as a supporter.