Galaxy

3 Aug 2016

Nigerian woman who uses force and witchcraft to traffick innocent teenage orphans for European sex trade

A woman who forced scores of trafficked teenage orphans into the sex trade using the threat of witchcraft faces years in jail.
Franca Asemota, 38, known to her victims as “Auntie Franca”, used Heathrow Airport as a hub to smuggle at least 40 children and young adults into Europe.
A court was told Asemota lured the girls - who were as young as 14 and mainly orphans from remote Nigerian villages - with promises of jobs and education.
She then used “witchcraft”, threats and violence to force them into the European sex trade.
Her audacious gang even managed to snatch back two girls who had been rescued and placed in in foster care in Worthing, West Sussex.
A jury at Isleworth Crown Court today convicted Asemota of eight counts of conspiracy to traffick people into sexual exploitation.
Her operation first came to light when Border Agency officials stopped two groups travelling on false passports, in September and November 2011.
Although she was not arrested at the time, it was later discovered that Asemota’s ticket had been booked at the same time, at the same travel agent in Lagos, and that she was sitting next to the group on the plane.
Investigators then linked Asemota to at least six other “successful trafficking trips” and the kidnapping of two girls who had been placed in foster care on the south coast.
Paul Cabin, prosecuting, previously told the court how three victims were first stopped at Heathrow in September 2011, and a further two were also to give detailed accounts of the smuggling.
They all traveled on fake passports which claimed they were over the age of 18.
Mr Cabin said: “They all came from remote Nigerian villages and had all been told that they were going to be educated, trained and employed in France.
“They all had difficult histories - for example, some were orphans. One was a runaway from an attempted forced marriage.
“They and their families and guardians are told that educational and work opportunities exist in Europe for them.
“Initially, therefore, the girls go with the gang voluntarily.
“Their compliance from that point on is secured by a mixture of threats, to themselves and their families back in their villages, the use of ‘Ju-Ju’ rituals and sexual violence, including in one case rape.”
He added: “All but one reported at the time that they had been trafficked by a female who accompanied them on the aircraft from Lagos, known variously as Auntie Franca or Violet.”
It was only when they had traveled “a long way from their villages were they told they were really destined for a life of prostitution,” he said.
The “successful” trips all took place within a few months of each other at the end of 2011, and involved 40 victims.
Investigators spent around three years trying to locate Asemota until they successfully tracked her down to Nigeria on March 25, 2015, and she was arrested and extradited.
They located her after two girls, who had been placed with foster parents in 2012 in Worthing by the immigration authorities, were kidnapped.
Mr Cabin said: “They settled in well and both went to a nearby secondary school. “They had both been detained at HMP Bronzefield after their arrests and may have met each other there, but obviously from this point on they were in close contact and became friends.
“On April 6, 2012, both girls were reported missing by their foster carers.”
Both panned to go shopping but switched off their phones and failed to return home.
Five days later, one was returned to the UK from Spain after travelling on a fake passport, and was taken into care.
In interview, the girl explained that on the day of their disappearance her friend had been taking a lot of phone calls before they were picked up by two men in a car.
One of these men was Odosa Usiobaifo, who is currently serving a 14-year prison sentence after being jailed in 2013.
They were ordered to memorise their new names and birthdays, and told: “Your new life is at stake if you don’t get it right.”
The other girl who was taken to Spain feared she would never escape until she contacted Amicale du Nid, a French charity working with prostitutes, in July 2014.
Jose Olivares-Chandler, defending, denied Asemota knew of any wrongdoing and said she acted as a “mere chaperone” on the flights.
But it took less than 12 hours of deliberation for the jury to find her guilty of the eight conspiracy counts.
They also found her guilty of two counts of trafficking a person out of the UK for sexual exploitation and two counts of assisting unlawful immigration to an EU member state.
Asemota, of no fixed abode, will be sentenced later this month.

Cristiano Ronaldo kisses model Cassandre Davis as they cosy up poolside in Miami

Footballer Cristiano Ronaldo seems to have scored off the pitch while on holiday in Miami.
The Portugal star, who captained his country to winning the European championships this summer, was pictured getting flirty and even kissing model Cassandre Davis while reclining on a sun lounger.
The blonde fitness model and marketing manager, is a star on social media, with over 500,000 followers on Instagram, thanks to her steamy bikini shots.
Ronaldo, 31, looked taken with his Florida-based date, who accompanied him to dinner at the Seaspice restaurant with an entourage.
According to reports, the footballing star, 31, was seen getting flirty with Cassandre Davis on the sun-soaked break, and pictures - obtained by TMZ - show him cuddling her and kissing her forehead.
In the steamy snaps, the sports favourite could be seen in white printed swimming shorts, lying back on a sun bed and showing off his impressive abs.
Meanwhile the blonde beauty, claimed to be Cassandre, is wearing a snakeskin thong bikini and showing off her killer figure as she cuddles up to the star.





Rio 2016 Olympics: Usain Bolt's ex-girlfriend Megan Edwards leads athletes baring all for the game

On the eve of the Rio 2016 Olympics, Megan Edwards reminds the world's fastest man what he missed out on four years ago. The 100m and 200m legend started an unlikely relationship in 2012 with the office worker from Dartford, Kent.
Bolt, now 29, even flew her to Jamaica to meet his family.
But when Megan, a part-time 800m runner, returned to the UK she decided a long distance relationship was not for her and ended it.
 Now 26, she has stripped off for a freelance photographer as Bolt bids to win the 'triple triple' - the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay in his third successive Games.
The photographs are part of a series of naked pictures of amateur and former professional athletes. Photographer Stephen Douglas Rasmussen, from Canada, decided to combine his two lifelong passions - sport and photography - during the 18-hour shoot.
The series, called The Bottom Line, involved a number of athletes and models signed to agency W Athletic, in different poses and with equipment relevant to their sport. Stephen, 44, said: "Choosing a minimalist approach, I wanted to see clearly how sport changes and attracted certain body types.
"The single added element, that being a piece of equipment, allowed me to communicate their sport while making the series more modern. "The Bottom Line was about the essentials of sport, both from equipment and also body size and shape."
The series of pictures, which were photographed in a day, are released just 48 hours before the the Olympic opening ceremony, with the Games taking place from Friday August 5 until August 21, in Rio.

Helen Mirren surface in 'Fast and Furious 8', alongside Vin Diesel in the new picture

 
As production on "Fast and Furious 8" continues, a new behind-the-scenes picture featuring Helen Mirren has surfaced online. Though her role in the upcoming film is still kept under wraps, the 71-year-old actress is featured alongside her co-star Vin Diesel in the new set photo.

The Dominic Toretto depicter took to his Instagram account on Tuesday, August 2 to show fans a first look at Helen's character in the eighth movie. She can be seen wearing a white shirt and seriously listening to what Vin is whispering in her ear. The caption read, "Such a joy and an honor working with Helen Miren... Happy Toretto Tursday!"
A photo posted by Vin Diesel (@vindiesel) on

Kanye West reportedly told Kim Kardashian to cut her hair short.. fans are getting sick of the same old look

Was Kanye West behind Kim Kardashian's decision to cut her hair shorter? The reality TV star recently debuted a short, angular styled cut, and a source now claims that her "control freak" husband told her to cut her hair off.

"The main reason that Kim cut her hair off is because Kanye told her to do it! He told her that her fans were getting sick of the same old look on her," the source tells RadarOnline.com. Moreover, "Kanye actually told Kim that she needed that specific haircut to make her look thinner."

The 35-year-old mother of two had previously admitted that Kanye often advised her on her outfits. And while Kim seemingly followed his order to cut her hair shorter, his fat-shaming since she gave birth to Saint West reportedly has not made the situation any easier.

The site further pointed out the couple's recent intense argument in public. The pair put up a united front during lunch together at Ysabel restaurant in West Hollywood, California on Monday, August 1, but they appeared to have a heated conversation in the parking lot.
In another report, the site claims Kanye "was not happy" that his son Saint was photographed by paparazzi when he was taken to a family event in San Diego recently. "Kanye is livid at Kim right now. She knew how he felt about exposing Saint to the media and she did it anyway," a source says, adding that Kim's momager Kris Jenner was also to blame for exposing the seven-month-old infant.

"Kris saw the opportunity to use Saint to get viewers to tune in [to 'Keeping Up with the Kardashians'] and she pressured Kim into it," the source adds.

However, a rep for Kanye has told Gossip Gop that the report about he being mad because Saint was seen in public is "false."

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