21 May 2009 - World News

Most kids today know more about the internet than many of their parents.

But while they're internet savvy they may not be ready to handle what they encounter online in the way of sexual predators.

Police say at any time of the day or night pedophiles are stalking our children on the internet and in this News Center investigation Barbara Reyelts reports they outnumber authorities thousands to one.

We need to warn you that this story contains some explicit language.

So we told this guy we're 13 and his next question is do you want to chat? You would think a reasonable adult at that point should be saying good bye.

Superior police are worried. And they have good reason. They can site case after case in which northland kids are meeting very bad people online and putting themselves in dangerous situations.

She went in there as a 13 year old child, into a parenting forum room, and within a few minutes she was contacted by a pedophile who ended up sending her pictures of him molesting his daughter.

At this parent presentation Superior Police Sgt. Nick Alexander set up an online profile of a 13 year old girl. Within seconds of entering the chat room he was bombarded by men wanting to befriend the child.

He asks if we like seeing naked men?

Have you seen a grown man's penis?

Another here is inviting us to view a nude cam show. This guy is masturbating that just sent us this web cam. This is live.

You can see we're getting flooded right now. I can't even get a conversation typed in.

Parents watched in growing dismay as the men online got bolder and bolder with what they believed to be a 13 year old girl.

I see that I can't be lulled into this sense that they're safe in their house because this can come into your house so fast, faster than you can blink your eyes.

Horrified parents asked if police couldn't go after the men who were exposing themselves to what they believed was a 13 year old girl. Police explained there are so many predators online that police can't possibly pursue them all.

We don't have the resources to do as much proactive work with these types of internet crimes against children cases.

To help handle the growing volume of internet crimes against Northland children Superior's police chief has established a cooperative agreement among Northland law enforcement agencies to share resources and make use of Superior's digital expertise.

We want to be cooperative. We want to work on these issues from a regional perspective.

We rely on our partner agencies for a lot of help. We just don't have the staff to dedicate to this problem that we would like.

But authorities say there's not enough time and money to adequately police the web...they say parents have to step up to protect their children even if it means taking a computer class to get up to speed.

There's a lot of technology out there that our kids are very savvy at and parents are very slow at it. We're the dinosaurs of technology.

Authorities say learning to track your child's online activity is just like asking them where they're going when they leave the house.

When kids get into those teenage years they're so guarded with their privacy but you've got to know who they're talking to.

Knowing who they're talking to could be a critical step in keeping your child safe. Barbara Reyelts, the Northland's News Center.

Superior police offer a pamphlet that describes simple computer tracking steps to see who your children are talking to online and what they may be saying to strangers, along with online safety tips

20 May 2009 - World News

THOUGH the advent of the internet has been hailed for providing all desirable information just at the snap of the finger, but for children, the use of this innovation comes with many ramifications.

SPTC Managing Director E. Nathi Dlamini believes that though "cyberspace is the nursery for young minds to grow and expand their perspective as it is the cornucopia of all that is good and wonderful world of learning and entertainment", but parents and educators should make joint efforts aimed at ensuring that children are protected from any cyberspace manipulation.

Speaking in a press conference yesterday during the world telecommunication and information day, Dlamini acknowledged that whilst cyberspace was a desirable invention in communities, but there are serious challenges that have to be dealt with.

He said the big question being asked today was who should be taking the responsibility to protect children from cyberspace crime and pollution.
“Some would say it is the regulator who has to monitor content providers, whilst others would point to parents and even government”.

Dlamini has affirmed that every citizen should take responsibility, adding that there needs to be a robust debate on this issue.

Approach
“We need to adopt a common approach as a Swazi nation, on how we collectively address the problem before it gets out of hand”.

He said observed that as children venture into the wide open world of cyberspace, surfing the internet, accessing video libraries, entering chat rooms and building social networks, but still, they are exposed to undesirable elements of society.

He registered his concern with that three in four children are willing to share personal information about themselves and their family online, in exchange of goods and services.

“One in five of these children is targeted by a pedophile each year. These are just global statistics, which point to an emerging problem which we, as a country, have not begun to appreciate”.

Making his remarks, he said cyberspace is a necessary personal and commercial innovation of our time, an engine room for economies to function and thrive.

He emphasized the need for all citizens, parents and educators to begin to be vigilant everywhere, until an effective and sustainable solution could be found.

20 May 2009 - World News

I have a soon-to-be six-year-old Jack Russell Terrier that has a habit of barking at almost every dog we paw past during our walks around my estate. Needless to say, it's an embarrassment each time she does that, and my family would inevitably look away--feigning any relation to me or my canine--whenever a barking frenzy starts.

But, rather than tug at her collar and hide her from public view, I continue to expose her to as many canine breeds as possible--whilst, of course, protecting her from possible physical harm from dogs which jaws are bigger than her head.

I do so with the hope that she'll one day accept the fact that there are other breeds of her kind out there, and eventually, learn to co-exist harmoniously with all breeds--including those with butts that smell funny.

How is this seemingly mundane fragment of my life relevant to the topic on education? I'll explain...

I attended a briefing yesterday, hosted by the Association of Telecommunications Industry of Singapore (ATIS), to observe World Telecommunications and Information Society Day, which is celebrated on May 17 annually. This year's theme centered on protecting children in cyberspace, and in his keynote, ATIS President John Shazell touched on the increasing risks children face today when they venture into the World Wide Web.

Shazell cited several worrying statistics that he culled from various sources. Every year, one in five children will be targeted by a predator or pedophile. Three in four children online are willing to share personal information about themselves and their family in exchange for goods and services. Over 60 percent of children and teenagers talk in chatrooms each day, and 34 percent of children say they are smart enough to know how to circumvent parental control tools used to restrict their online activities.

Most troubling, 30 percent of teenage girls say they've been sexually harassed in a chatroom but only 7 percent tell their parents for fear their online access will be restricted. In China, 44 percent of children said they had been approached online by strangers, and 41 percent had talked to an online stranger about sex, or something that made them uncomfortable.

Pornography, violence, online fraud, cyber bullying and racism--these are some of the risks youngsters today face when they surf the Web, Shazell said. And one of the things parents can do to protect their children is education, he said. "We need to recognize the important function performed by the mass media, and ensure that the child has access to information and material from a diversity of national and international sources. Recognize the right of the child to education."

I would add, too, that the kind of education provided to the kids is just as important.

If you weren't living under a rock in Singapore, you would be well-aware of the controversy that had been brewing over the past few weeks involving a women's group. I won't discuss the details here--the debate is already a hot watercooler topic without any additional contribution from me--but one of the several fringe issues that emerged from the controversy revolved around a sex education program.

The main issue of contention here focuses on how some teachings espoused in the curriculum, which is run in local schools, were deemed to be out of sync with some parents' personal and religious beliefs. Several parents asked if they could pull their children out of these classes should such teachings continue to be included in the sex education program, because it went against their core family values.

I read the deluge of feedback and criticism from these "concerned parents", and I understand why they feel the need to be anxious. However, they will be doing their young ones a great disservice if they pulled their children out every time a class includes doctrine that goes against their personal beliefs.

Think about what would happen if an IT lecturer who favors a certain programming language over another, so chooses not to teach his students the latter because he personally deems it less important.

His personal beliefs would have spawned a class with intimate knowledge of a programming platform that may not necessarily be relevant in the real business world. His students would also be robbed of the opportunity to understand and learn from any sound fundamentals other programming languages may have to offer.

I'm not saying parents should refrain from passing on their family values and personal beliefs to their own children. In fact, I think parents--alongside schools, government and the media--play a vital role in guiding and providing young minds all the information they need to make well-informed, value-based life decisions.

But, I strongly urge all parents to adopt an open mind and allow their children to uncover varying beliefs and viewpoints, and to then trust their offspring to make responsible life choices based on the myriad of ideas and value systems that they've been exposed to.

The best education parents can offer their offspring is one based on openness. Show your children all the colors the world reflects, including the ones you may not necessarily approve of, and then allow the young ones to decide which colors they'll eventually want to wear in their lifetime.

The advent of the Internet offers a reality that's not always easy to deal with, but it is a reality that reflects the diverse world for what it is today, and one that children will increasingly have to face and learn to deal with. And a child's best form of defense against cyber threats is one of open education.

Protect your children from risks that pose physical harm, but trust them to make their own life decisions that they will have to be responsible for as individuals.

An environment that encourages open education can help nurture a generation with the freest, and most well-informed, young minds. And only then can the best innovation and creativity emerge.

And maybe one day, my little bitch will also recognize the importance of having an open mind.

04 Apr 2009 - World News

Sentencing for a former Vanderbilt professor who pled guilty to soliciting sex from a Shelbyville detective who was posing as a 13-year-old girl has been delayed until April 17.

Judge Lee Russell will research issues surrounding a psychosexual report on 47-year-old Lason Lain Watai.

A diagnosis that was to be entered into the record as part of the sentencing hearing came from a licensed clinical psychologist.
However, defense attorney John Norton argued that only a psychiatrist can diagnose the personallity disorder of pedophilia.

Russell will look into which medical professional can render such a diagnosis.

Watai entered a guilty plea as his trial was to begin last month to all charges -- two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, two counts of solicitation of a minor and attempted aggravated statutory rape.

Watai engaged in Internet chats with Detective Charles Merlo of the Shelbyville Police Department from May 25 to 27 of last year, with Watai believing that the detective was a 13-year-old girl from Shelbyville named April.

On May 27, Watai asked "April" if she wanted to have sex, then sent web links to the detective over the next two days. The web sites contained pornographic video, photos and other sexual content.

Watai also told "April" in an Internet chat on May 28 he wanted to meet her in a park in Shelbyville and then travelled to the meeting spot, where he was arrested by Shelbyville police on May 29.

During the chats, "April" said that Dr. Pepper was her favorite drink and Watai bought some to the meeting.

Each of the charges against Watai are Class E felonies, which carry a sentence of one to six years and a $3,000 fine. The prison terms could be served concurrently or consecutively and the very least Watai would serve is one year.

Watai will also be entered into the National Sexual Offender Registry. He was an assistant professor of the Practice of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, according to Vanderbilt's website.

Watai's case is one of several brought by Merlo, who has been conducting undercover operations in a regional Internet chat room posing as a 13-year-old girl.

08 Mar 2009 - World News

A Chatham Township accountant who is a former Little League coach pleaded guilty today to sending sexually explicit photographs of himself over the Internet in 2007 to a person he believed, and was, over the age of 18.

Michael D’Onofrio, 48, originally was charged in 2007 with having sexually graphic talks in a chat room and trying to arrange for a meeting with a person he believed was a 13-year-old girl, but in reality was a 45-year-old man associated with the Perverted Justice anti-pedophile organization.

In Superior Court today, D’Onofrio admitted only to promoting obscenity to a person over the age of 18. His plea agreement with the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office calls for him to be sentenced in April to probation, continued therapy, and 250 hours of community service, but not in activities involving children.

“At the time I believed that person was an adult and now I know that person is an adult,” D’Onofrio told Judge Thomas V. Manahan.

In exchange for his plea, the prosecutor’s office is expected to dismiss charges of luring, attempted sexual assault, attempted child endangerment, and attempted distribution of pornography to a minor.

Defense lawyer Alan Silber said that D’Onofrio, a father of three, is still married to a wife who is supportive of him.

Township Detective Daniel Papa learned in July 2007, through a citizen, that the then-Little League coach was profiled on the Perverted Justice Web site as a person who engaged in online sexual conversations with a person he believed to be a 13-year-old girl. The “teenager” was actually a 45-year-old man associated with the Perverted Justice anti-pedophile organization, which carries out sting operations by posing as minors who wait for adult men to approach them in chat rooms.

According to an arrest affidavit filed by Papa, D’Onofrio contacted the “girl” in a Yahoo chat room on March 6, 2007, and after conversing a while, he said he was “totally turned on” by her. He allegedly had given her a telephone number, which authorities said belonged to a BlackBerry cell phone owned by the Stevens Institute of Technology. D’Onofrio was employed there as a controller and assistant treasurer at the time.

11 Feb 2009 - World News

CRANSTON –– On a Web site frequented by pedophiles, a young man began bragging last fall about how he’d sexually assaulted a young girl he knew.

The man didn’t divulge his real name or where he lived, the state police said, but as he chatted online off and on for the last several months about the assaults, volunteers working for an Internet watchdog organization, Perverted Justice, searched for his real identity.

A volunteer learned his identity on Thursday and tipped off the Rhode Island State Police, who began looking for him, said Capt. LeRoy V. Rose Jr. The suspect himself divulged his own address on Saturday, Rose said, when someone online offered to send him a package of clothing for the young girl and asked for his mailing address.

The state police allege that Steven Bagley, 19, was the man engaged in the online conversation, and that he gave out his home address at 1327 Elmwood Ave., in Cranston.

Instead of a package, Bagley had state police detectives on his doorstep.

Bagley was arraigned Sunday on a charge of second-degree child molestation and released on $15,000 surety bail. The state police had charged Bagley after interviewing him and after seizing his computer and reviewing his conversations on the site, Rose said. The state police computer forensic detectives are now conducting a thorough investigation of the contents of his computer. The state police have located the child, who is under 14, and are working with the Child Advocacy Center in the investigation, Rose said.

The Perverted Justice organization investigates and exposes pedophiles on the Internet. Its volunteers may pose as children in Web chat rooms or, in this case, they monitor Web sites where pedophiles are talking about children they’re assaulting, or comparing ways to lure children and conceal their assaults, said Xavier Von Erck, the organization’s founder.

“These are the lowest of the low, the most disturbing individuals we run across,” Von Erck said yesterday.

Bagley appeared on one of the Web sites and described his assault on a child, Von Erck said. “He talked about one child and trying to molest other children as well,” Von Erck said. As soon as Perverted Justice obtained the man’s identity, it turned it over to the state police, who acted immediately, he said.

Rose said the state police are investigating whether there are other victims.

Perverted Justice had a hand in exposing an assistant principal at Bishop Hendricken High School in 2004. Timothy J. Sheldon ended up pleading no contest to a charge of soliciting a minor online; the 14-year-old boy he thought he was corresponding with was actually a member of Perverted Justice.

10 Feb 2009 - World News

Successful prosecutions for internet paedophile crimes come at the end of long and complicated police work. But for each success story, many crimes may go undetected as the perpetrators operate on a national and international scale. On National Safer Internet Day 2009, Zena Hawley speaks to the people whose daily work involves the harrowing investigation into paedophile activity.

TWO paedophiles were locked away for a total of 23 years by Derby judges last month after internet contact led to underage sex and rape.

Essential detective work by the Derbyshire police hi-tech crime unit and child exploitation investigation unit played a major part in catching the perverts.

They were heavily involved with other police forces across the country, along with the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre – a UK-wide police scheme dedicated to protecting children from sexual predators.

In the case of Paul Round, he received four years' imprisonment and was described as "one of the most manipulative and calculating offenders".

Round, 47, of Nuneaton, engaged two 15-year-old girls from Derby on social networking website Faceparty. He eventually paid them to have sex with him in 2006.

He admitted two counts of sexual grooming, four charges of causing a child to engage in sexual activity and two of sexual activity involving penetration with a child.

The other case involved Graeme Cox, who filmed himself as he raped a 12-year-old Derby girl in the back of his car, and was jailed for 19 years.

Cox, of Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire, travelled the country to meet young girls he had groomed on the internet and kept clips of his victims on his computer as trophies.

But this was to lead to his downfall. He boasted of his sordid exploits in a chatroom, police were tipped off about his activities, raided his home and seized his computer.

The stockily-built salesman admitted 32 offences involving his grooming of two young girls, including rape and sexual assault, and making and distributing indecent images of them.

Police who examined his computer were able to retrieve data relating to who he had been talking to and what he had been saying.

It meant that detectives were able to trace two young schoolgirls who had been contacted by Cox. One was the 12-year-old from Derby.

But seizing computers does not always lead to instant results and it can take weeks to fully discover the machines' secrets – especially if a paedophile is particularly cunning.

Detective Sergeant Dick Sharpe, supervisor of the hi-tech crime unit, which is based in Derby, estimates that the growth of the internet has led to more crimes and a greater workload.

He said: "The number of cases goes up by about 30% year-on-year.

"Last year, we had a total of 172 computer cases covering all areas of criminality and 65% of them involved paedophiles.

"But what really makes it more complicated is that we are now seizing in some cases as many as five computers in one raid because homes have more than one these days.

"Each computer now has a bigger memory and so takes much longer to go through."

Chatrooms are the paradise playground for many paedophiles, who use them to target vulnerable young people and, in the process, "groom" them.

Yesterday, the Evening Telegraph revealed how a Derby mum contacted police after she suspected her daughter was being groomed by a middle-aged pervert.

The youngster was sending messages and images of herself over the internet to the man who pretended to be a boy her age.

Fortunately – due to the police intervention – the man, from Liverpool, was prevented from physically meeting the youngster. He is now waiting to appear in court.

Det Sgt Sharpe said: "A paedophile only has one intention and that is to groom a child and then meet them to have sex.

"In the meantime, they will manipulate the child into sending pictures of themselves performing lewd poses and acts and they may send photographs of themselves doing the same thing."

All officers working in the hi-tech crime and child exploitation units – seven of them examining computers – know that, by the time they are involved in a case, it is already too late and there will already be some victims.

Det Sgt Sharpe said: "We can stop paedophiles from doing it again but, by the time we are aware of the perpetrators, they could already have groomed dozens of children.

"The pivotal point in stopping this kind of crime has to be with parents.

"They have to recognise the fact that they wouldn't let just anyone into their houses to take up residence in their children's bedrooms.

"So why would you let them speak to complete strangers, which is what happens if you let children access chatrooms and social networking websites?"

The two units are part of the public protection section of Derbyshire police and have cases referred to them by children's services, parents calling in with concerns and tip-offs from other forces.

The starting point is that computers of the victim and the perpetrator are seized. This could be in places in this country or abroad.

Increasingly, overseas paedophiles are accessing chatrooms, grooming children and then passing on the details or images to other perverts in this country to make physical contact.

Detective Inspector Sean Dawson said that giving children webcams was playing into paedophiles' hands.

He said: "This is made worse by the fact that many new computers are built with webcams already integral within the screen – some parents don't even realise this.

"Grooming knows no class boundaries and the more well-off families could have more problems than others because they can afford a computer – often more than one.

"Also, many parents think it can't happen to them and that their children would never get involved but we have seen cases where children as young as nine have been so well groomed that they are begging the paedophiles for sex."

Girls and boys who succumb to grooming on the internet are often less street-wise than average.

They are likely to suffer from low self-esteem and therefore welcome the attention of someone on the internet who wants to be their "friend".

Det Insp Dawson said: "Parents have got to be pro-active and be sure of what their children are doing on the computer.

"Only about 50% are supervised when they use them.

"Predators go through a series of stages and each one sees them getting more and more daring and exploitative.

"Initially, they want to meet children for sex and wonder if they will get caught.

"The internet allows them to get nearer to their fantasy and they start to view images, again perhaps without getting caught.

"So the next stage is to begin talking to and grooming children, just a small step away from committing a physical sexual offence.

"Most of them are very manipulative and will go on to be come sex offenders if they are not stopped, in much the same way that a flasher has the propensity to become a rapist."

It is estimated that 60% of the internet's content is pornography and that makes it easy for children to stray on to the wrong websites if unsupervised or if software is not installed to prevent children accessing them.

Detective Constable Derrick Avery has been working in the hi-tech crime unit for seven years as a forensic analyst.

He said it can be a tough job at times but ultimately rewarding when a paedophile is dealt with in court.

Det Con Avery said: "We have to view a lot of very disturbing images.

"There is mandatory counselling once a year for people involved in this kind of work.

"But if parents were more vigilant, there would be less need for our role.

"Until that point, we can only reiterate to parents to be aware.

"The internet is a fantastic tool but everyone needs to remember it is not governed and as such anything can be on there."

10 Feb 2009 - World News

Children who fall victim to internet abuse need a clear and user-friendly system through which they can safely report what happened to them, Children's Commissioner Carmen Zammit has cautioned.

Since an EU-funded service for reporting internet abuse expired a year ago this vital service has been "hanging on by a thread" through the efforts of a few volunteers, Ms Zammit said.

As she called on relevant authorities to rekindle this service, she highlighted that, during the two years in which the EU-funded service was running, 294 illegal websites were reported.

Of these, 261 reports were on indecent material involving children and nine concerned other types of child abuse. A total of 89 reports were transmitted to the police.

In a statement, Ms Zammit outlined how a few years ago the government support agency Appoġġ, with the help of the IT Ministry, had applied for funds to fight internet child abuse.

The service was launched in July 2006 and had two functions: a hotline that fell within Appoġġ's already existing Supportline 179, and a link on the agency's website (www.appogg.gov.mt), where cases of internet child abuse could be reported.

When the project ended in February 2008 the European Commission turned down a request to renew it.

"This means there are currently no funds to provide a service... Children are being placed at constant risk, even when they are aware of how to make proper use of the internet," Ms Zammit stressed as she urged the authorities to step in and explore possibilities to continue the reporting service.

"It is vital that such a service is not suspended simply because funds from the European Commission are not forthcoming. Rather, this must be viewed as a responsibility to our children which does not depend on occasional EU funds," she added.

When contacted, a spokesman for Appoġġ explained that people could still call the support line 179 and report cases of internet abuse through the agency's website.

"Calls for help will not be turned away," the spokesman said.

However, whereas before (during the EU-funded service) there was staff dedicated to dealing with such cases, now calls for help were being seen to voluntarily by staff who did not have the time to focus solely on them.

Appoġġ was planning to apply for EU funds again, to rekindle the service, and had also asked for government funding but was waiting for a reply.

The growing incidence of internet paedophilia was raised last week when the European Parliament adopted a report that proposes to make soliciting children for sexual purposes on the internet a criminal offence across the EU. The report speaks about revising legislation to ensure that paedophile chat rooms are subject to harsh punishments.

Meanwhile, in an attempt to increase awareness about internet abuse, the Children's Commissioner and the Drama Unit within the Ministry of Education initiated a Theatre in Education Project entitled Face Space.

This project, which ran from January 21 until last Friday, aimed to educate children about various aspects of internet safety, including cyberbullying, and the dangers of revealing personal information online, particularly in chat rooms and on social networking websites.

10 Feb 2009 - World News

Children are among the most active - and most vulnerable - online participants.

According to recent surveys, over 60 per cent of children and teenagers talk in chat rooms on a daily basis. Three in four children online are willing to share personal information about themselves and their family in exchange for goods and services. One in five children will be targeted by a predator or paedophile each year.

That's why Safer Internet Day is focussed on protecting children online this year. In this, the 6th edition of Safer Internet Day, activities will occur in more than 500 events in 50 countries worldwide.

The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) collaborates with government agencies worldwide on this and future events, such as World Telecommunication and Information Society Day, 17 May 2009, dedicated to "Protecting Children in Cyberspace".

The EC's Ins@fe Network will launch a Safer Internet Day virtual exhibition which will host pavilions where visitors can learn more about initiatives undertaken by the 50 participating countries. ITU will host an online pavilion in support of EC's efforts to raise awareness among youngsters aged 12 to 17 regarding the risks they may face online.

The European Commission's Directorate General for Information Society and Media has declared its full support for ITU's Child Online Protection (COP) Initiative.

"Children are very resourceful in making the most of online services such as social networking sites and mobile phones," said Viviane Reding, European Commissioner for Information Society and Media.

"But many still underestimate the hidden risks of using these, from cyber-bullying to sexual grooming online. Today, I call upon all decision-makers, from both the public and the private sector, to listen and learn from children and to improve awareness strategies and tools to protect minors." Reding added: "The Internet binds the whole world together. The safety of children who use it is a concern for everyone. I am therefore very happy that ITU is associated with us in doing this, today on Safer Internet Day, and all year round."

"Child online safety must be on the global agenda," said ITU Secretary-General Hamadoun Touré. "We must ensure that everyone is aware of the dangers for children online. And we want to promote and strengthen the many outstanding efforts that are being made around the world, such as the Safer Internet Programme, to limit these dangers."

ITU's motto is "committed to connecting the world", but the organization is also committed to connecting the world responsibly, and working to ensure cybersecurity, enable cyberpeace, and - more importantly - protect children online. While child online protection programmes exist in many developed countries, there are very few in the developing world today - and very little coordination between them.

ITU established the Global Cybersecurity Agenda (GCA) and launched the Child Online Protection (COP) initiative. COP aims to bring together partners from all sectors of the global community to ensure a safe and secure online experience for children everywhere.

09 Feb 2009 - World News

FIGHTING to hold back the tears, Angela recalled the moment she discovered how a pervert had targeted her 11-year-old daughter in the safety of her own home.

Her child had unknowingly become entrapped by an internet paedophile who pretended to be a boy of her own age. He was talking to her on a regular basis, knew her name and where she lived and he even managed to get her to send images of herself to him by webcam.

It was all part of the grooming process, which too often leads to children meeting up with their internet "friend" only to find out too late their sinister intentions.

Fortunately, Angela's vigilance stopped something which could have had much worse consequences and the police arrested the perpetrator before any more damage was done.

But that is cold comfort for a mum who knows she was unable to keep her daughter totally safe, even in her own home, despite taking a number of precautions to stop her children falling prey to any unwanted attention.

She explained "Even before this happened, we were very aware as a family that leaving children unsupervised on the computer was not a good idea.

"So we made sure we controlled the passwords for my daughter and my partner's two children when they visited and used the computer. We even put the computer on the landing so there was no secrecy in bedrooms."

Angela said she always made sure the children were aware that they should not be on chatrooms and that they should be using the computer for homework.

"We tried to ensure that any material on the computer was appropriate to their age and they had all had the dangers drummed into them at home and school," she explained.

"The only concession to this was to allow my daughter to access the AOL chatroom, which has strict controls over what is written.

"But I was very against her going on MSN messenger because it involves people exchanging messages directly with each other."

Chatrooms are sites on the internet where a number of users can communicate with each other at the same time but these are monitored so improper words can be intercepted. It seems that her daughter had been approached in the AOL chatroom by someone who said he was an 11-year-old boy.

Angela recalled: "He persuaded her to leave the chatroom and access MSN instead, which she did."

It was then that the grooming started and her daughter went from being happy and open to someone who was deceitful and secretive.

"From that first night, when I asked her why she kept nipping backwards and forwards from her bedroom to the computer, she lied to me," said Angela

"She told me she was talking to a boy from school and although she avoided answering questions about him, I initially believed her."

Between six and eight weeks passed, during which time her daughter became increasingly secretive about what she was doing on the computer.

"She would change to other things on the screen if she heard me coming up the stairs," Angela said.

"She also took to being very giggly when she was texting friends and talking on her mobile about 'Mark'."

Eventually, Angela confided in her 17-year-old son that she had concerns about her daughter and her use of the computer.

He pointed out that at some stage he had set the computer up to log MSN messages – an action that was to help the police greatly in their subsequent investigation.

Angela said: "He downloaded the logs and showed them to me and it became quickly apparent that it wasn't a young boy who was talking to my daughter.

"The language he was using, while pretending to be young and using hip words and spellings, was quite bullying and the kind used by an older person.

"It was things such as 'you'd do that if you really liked me' or 'I won't talk to you any more if you don't do that'. He was pushing her to feel guilty and knew exactly what buttons to press."

Angela cannot bring herself to describe what else was contained in the logs but the knowledge that her daughter had a webcam which she was persuaded to use to send personal images of herself was enough to start tears flowing.

"She never saw any images of him but we were concerned about what had happened to the images of her," she said

"But we have been assured by the police that although he stored them on his computer, along with many others, they weren't circulated."

As soon as Angela realised what had been going on she confronted her daughter straightaway.

She said: "I will never forget the look of horror on her face when I said I thought she had been talking to a grown-up and not a boy. I rang the police the next day and was put in touch with Derbyshire Police's Child Exploitation Investigation Unit.

"In my daughter's mind, she still thought she had been talking to a young boy and it was only when we went to the police station that she began to realise what had happened."

Until the man was arrested in Merseyside, where he lived, and admitted the offence, Angela did not have a moment's peace.

She said: "My daughter had given him her name, address and even her school, so we had to warn staff there as well.

"There was no knowing if he would turn up and even now if she is late by even 10 minutes I worry.

"I was angry to begin with that she could have done this but realised the only thing she had done wrong was to disobey me and go on MSN. The rest was a result of the experienced grooming that she went through.

"She got carried away by the flattery and the idea that she had a boyfriend."

Since the episode, which happened last year, Angela said both she and her daughter have had to fight to get their lives back on track following the emotional upheaval they endured.

She said: "Initially, my daughter withdrew from her friends and from the family. But now, after counselling through the school, she is more like her old self and we are putting it behind us.

"But it will take me longer to shake off the guilt and the thought that I wasn't there for her and I know this whole incident could have been worse if we hadn't spotted what was happening."

Angela wants people to learn from her story to try to stop other youngsters falling under a pervert's spell.

She said:"I urge all parents to be very vigilant about what their children do on the computer. They should never be allowed to use the internet unsupervised. Buying software packages to stop the wrong material being accessed is not the answer. If children want to get round this they can.

"Instead, take an interest, keep an eye on what they are looking at, ask questions. Encourage them to talk to you and be open.

"You'd encourage them to tell you where they were going somewhere outside the home – do the same when they are on the internet.

"This man was telling my daughter to do the exact opposite and not to say anything to her mum and dad.

"I hope that what happened to my daughter is the last time this man could do this to a child and I'm glad we nipped it in the bud.

"But I wish it had never happened at all and that children aren't robbed of their childhood in this way."

Although the man in the case has admitted this offence, he is still being dealt with by Merseyside Police on other charges.

Detective Sergeant Doug Naden, of Derbyshire's Child Exploitation Investigation Unit, said: "We're pleased Angela came forward and helped us apprehend this individual.

"If she hadn't, then it could have escalated in relation to this girl so that he might have wanted to meet her, or worse. Also, he could have got bolder in relation to other children as well, so he needed stopping.

"I would urge all parents to keep an eye on their children's internet and mobile usage and if they have suspicions to contact the police.

"Being vigilant and checking it out is so important and activating a log of messages is also vital.

"This was one case, but there are hundreds on the internet and they can only flourish if we aren't vigilant as parents. By the time the case comes to us it's too late."