Kidnap Plot on Tony Blair's Son Foiled

(London) Scotland Yard sources have confirmed that police have foiled a plot to kidnap Prime Minister Tony Blair's five-year-old son, Leo.

From the Guardian:

Detectives have investigated a plot to kidnap Tony Blair's son, Leo, after it emerged that extremists linked to the fathers' rights group Fathers4Justice were allegedly intending to snatch the Blairs' youngest child as a form of direct action.

Downing Street last night refused to comment on a report in the Sun newspaper that the police had foiled the attempt in which Leo would have been held hostage to highlight the plight of fathers denied access to their children.

Authorities believe the plot was to hold the boy only for a short period of time and then let him go unharmed. Anti-terrorist police took immediate action to investigate rumors of the plot, visiting members of Fathers4Justice and warning them that someone would likely be shot on sight if the plan was acted on.

Matt O'Conner, founder of Fathers4Justice, condemned the plot unreservedly, stating, "We're in the business of uniting dads with their kids not separating them." Even so, some extreme members or former members have been implicated in the kidnap plot prompting O'Conner to shut down Fathers4Jusctice.

From Fathers4Justice Official Website:

F4J leader Matt O'Connor announced last night that he was suspending the operations of the group pending enquiries into allegations contained on the cover of this mornings Sun Newspaper that 'extremist sympathisers' associated with the group had planned to kidnap the Prime Minister's Son, Leo Blair.

F4J say they condemn any such action unreservedly and that the group is increasingly having it's name 'hijacked' by a growing number of militant extremists and that it would seriously consider the long term viability of the campaign.

O'Conner also called for the police to immediately release the names of the likely suspects and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law. I give O'Conner credit for taking immediate action to condemn the plot and to distance himself from the perpetrators. However, criminal plots don't materialize from thin air in activist organizations without word getting around, so one has to wonder just how extreme the Fathers4Justice membership is at its core.

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Teacher Arrested for Junk

No, this is not a report about the curricula. It's a story out of Westford, Massachusetts, about a teacher getting pinched for heroin. Although unwelcome, it is a change from the ubiquitous stories of teachers having sex with students.

A 30-year-old sixth-grade English teacher at Stony Brook Middle School, Jessica Palkes (pic), was arrested last Friday and charged with possession of heroin and hypodermic needles after a traffic stop. According to Westford Police Lt. Victor Neal, Palkes admitted that she was a heroin user. Her arraignment was Tuesday in Ayer District Court. Palkes pleaded not guilty to all charges.

The Superintendent of Schools, Stephen Foster, has notified the parents of current and former Stony Brook students of Palkes' arrest. It's notable that in 2004, Westford Academy teacher Rosemarie Pumo was convicted of distributing heroin to students and sentenced to prison.

Two teachers from different schools in the same small town being involved with heroin would appear to indicate a generic drug problem far removed from the crime-ridden center of the big city. An inquiring mind would have to wonder just how extensive the rural Massachusetts drug problem is.

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Toledo - Recruiting Hub for Teen Prostitutes

(Toledo, Ohio) Police and social service workers are stunned.

From ToledoBlade.com:

[A] two-year U.S. Justice Department probe of underage prostitution revealed a nationwide problem of such magnitude that it took many police and social-service agencies by surprise.

"Innocence Lost," the cooperative investigation by federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies so far has saved 200 minors from the sex trade and led to more than 500 arrests.

The federal probe also revealed a "loose confederacy" of Toledo men who, according to investigators, have recruited local girls as young as 12 years old - shuttling them across the country and forcing them into the sex trade.

The perpetrators are alleged to have lured young girls in troubled circumstances into running away with promises of glamour and travel. Once taken, the girls are forced into prostitution at locations throughout the U.S.

It would be nice to know how long the "loose confederacy" has been operating and how many of the girls disappeared, never to be heard from again. And, in my opinion, the dismal circumstances of some foster care programs are at least partially responsible for the teen girls being easily lured away.

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