Sex predator Kajus Scuka allowed into UK to carry out knifepoint rape and string of attacks
- Kajus Scuka, 48, jailed for life today with a minimum term of 12 years
- Rapist slipped into Britain undetected and signed on for benefits
- He stabbed wife three times in row over his infidelity and was jailed for life in 1988
- Also convicted of gross indecency, indecent assault and attacking a woman with an axe in his homeland
By Rob Cooper
Last updated at 6:40 PM on 27th January 2012
A dangerous sexual predator from the Czech Republic who murdered his wife at home came to the UK and carried out a knifepoint rape and three serious sex attacks on women, a court heard.
Kajus Scuka, 48, raped a woman on her 54th birthday as she walked her dog in a park and groped his other victims and offered them cash for sex.
The convicted killer was claiming £67-per-week in benefits after coming to the country in 2009.
A judge today expressed dismay that despite his serious convictions and lengthy sentence, Scuka was ‘free to enjoy the same freedom of movement as any other European citizen.’
Jailed: Kajus Scuka, 48, who had served 11-and-a-half years of a 13 year sentence in his homeland
He was allowed into the country despite serving 11-and-a-half years of a 13 year sentence for murdering his wife.
He had been jailed in 1988 for stabbing her three times in his homeland when they argued over his infidelity.
Scuka also has convictions in the Czech Republic for gross indecency, indecent assault and assaulting a woman with an axe for which he was jailed for three-and-a-half years.
Although he was already a convicted killer, as he was not deemed high profile enough he is likely to have slipped into the country unnoticed because border officials would not have known of his criminal past.
Judge Peter Kelson told the defendant: ‘It seems to me that even with your convictions for murder and assaults you were free to enjoy the same freedom of movement as any other European citizen’
Any EU citizen is entitled to come into the country unless border officials can show that the individual represents a danger under free movement of labour laws.
The system is reliant on criminal records databases being shared – and a conviction alone is not enough to keep someone out.
The Sheffield attacks all happened within a two-mile radius of the city’s giant Meadowhall Shopping Centre between March 2010 and May 2011 and – police did not even know the killer was in the country.
Jailing Scuka for life with a minimum term of 12 years at Sheffield Crown Court, Judge Peter Kelson told him: ‘I regard you as a very, very dangerous man.’
He said he was ‘unwilling to control his sexual urges and was a grave danger to women’ and he would be recommending Scuka for deportation after he has served his sentence.
The judge said: ‘If there is ever such a day you are released in this country you should be deported. I have no doubt that the public will be terribly alarmed.
‘It seems to me that even with your convictions for murder and assaults you were free to enjoy the same freedom of movement as any other European citizen.’
After the hearing, Detective Sergeant Ian Harding said it was worrying that Scuka could slip into Britain under the radar.
‘It is a concern that people of this nature move freely about the EU without any restriction,’ he said.
‘This man has been living in Sheffield since 2009 and we were not even aware of his presence.’
Scuka first struck in March, 2010 as a 51-year-old grandmother walked her two-year-old granddaughter home in a pram at Sheffield Lane Top.
WHY ARE WE NOT WARNED ABOUT EU CRIMINALS?
Britain’s ‘open borders’ agreement with the European Union means millions of people with criminal records can get into the country unchecked.
Any citizen of an EU country, including the 8 countries of Eastern Europe, can get into the UK without a visa, just as Britons can travel freely around the continent.
When EU nationals arrive at the border, their passport details are checked against a ‘watch list’ of serious criminals and terror suspects compiled by the UK Border Agency.
But the database contains giant holes – as the British authorities are reliant on other countries to share their criminal records.
Unless an offender is high profile, is known to have committed crimes in several countries, or is on the Interpol wanted list – the system is unlikely to be aware of their previous convictions.
And even if a new arrival does have a conviction – or indeed several – and the authorities are aware of them, they cannot automatically be refused entry.
European free movement rules mean they can be barred to ‘maintain public security’ but convictions in themselves do not necessarily mean they will be turned away.
Even more worrying is that many foreign nationals do not undergo rigorous background checks even after they have been arrested.
Each year around 30,000 pass through the criminal justice system without police exploring the full extent of their criminal pasts.
By comparison, criminals from outside the EU who want to come to Britain must obtain a visa before entering – and are required to declare any previous convictions.
He approached the woman from behind and put his hand between her legs while making ‘sexual grunting noises’, said prosecutor Mike Smith.
His victim turned round and swore at Scuka who fled.
The second attack happened on April 14 when a 23-year-old was approached by Scuka who pretended to be jogging as she walked alongside the River Don.
His victim said he appeared to be wanting directions but he then grabbed her and tried to push her into nearby undergrowth and said: ‘I give you 30 quid.’
The woman, who escaped, told the court: ‘At first I thought he was going to mug me but then I realised he wasn’t after money.’
Two hours later Scuka raped his third victim as she walked her dog on playing fields after work just a mile away at Wincobank.
The victim told the court a man speaking broken English asked her for directions then knocked her into a ditch.
He slapped her hard on her thighs before taking out a penknife and raping her.
She said: ‘He tried to kiss me. He kept slapping me. At one point I was thinking I didn’t want to die in this ditch, I didn’t want to die with my clothes off and be found by children.’
The final attack was on May 17, 2011 when a student in her 20s was walking through a park in Firth Park.
Scuka grabbed her from behind and said ‘let’s have sex’ but she managed to break free and escape as he tried to rip off her coat.
He was arrested minutes later at his home half a mile away.
Scuka’s DNA was found on the rape victim while fibres from a hooded top he wore for the last attack were found on his victim’s coat.
Scuka, who spoke through an interpreter in court, was convicted by a jury of one offence of rape and three offences of sexual assault.
He told the court he lost his footing as he spoke to the rape victim and they both fell to the ground on a public footpath.
Scuka claimed the woman touched him sexually first and he found her attractive but did nothing against her will.
Police believed he returned home for brief periods by bus during his time in Sheffield. Det Sgt Harding said: ‘He claimed he came here looking for work but he hasn’t done any and just signed on.’
Categories: News Tags: Allowed, attacks, Carry, into, Kajus, knifepoint, predator, rape, Scuka, string
She needn’t have died… Girl ‘paramedics wouldn’t carry’ killed by neglect, rules coroner
- Hearing told that paramedic did not carry Shannon Powell for ‘health and safety reasons’
- History teacher told hearing she was so distressed by paramedic’s response she almost attacked her
By Sam Greenhill and Nicola Jones
Last updated at 1:16 AM on 10th December 2011
A Schoolgirl died as a result of neglect after paramedics allegedly refused to carry her when she collapsed on a cross-country run, a coroner ruled last night.
Andrew Walker said Shannon Powell probably would have lived had there not been a ‘significant delay’ in taking her to hospital because of ‘health and safety’ concerns.
His damning verdict came after an inquest heard paramedic Cassandra Lynn did not want to pick up the dying 14-year-old because she might hurt her back.
Paramedics refused to carry 14-year-old schoolgirl Shannon Powell, who fatally collapsed during a cross country run, due to ‘health and safety’, an inquest heard
Recording a narrative verdict, Mr Walker said: ‘There was a significant delay in Shannon getting to hospital which caused her death.
‘It seems that there was an opportunity for rendering care which, if taken, would have prevented her death on the balance of probabilities.’
He did not directly criticise Miss Lynn or the London Ambulance Service.
But during the inquest, at least three witnesses told the coroner Miss Lynn had seemed more worried about health and safety than getting the girl to the ambulance.
The schoolgirl was foaming at the mouth after suffering a seizure during the race on January 8 this year. North London Coroners’ Court heard it took nearly an hour for an ambulance to arrive, and the paramedics initially refused to carry Shannon down the muddy hill in Trent Park.
Shannon’s parents Wayne and Simone Powell, pictured leaving North London Coroners Court yesterday, were distraught at hearing of their daughter’s final moments
Shannon Powell was a talented runner and swimmer
Shannon’s coach, Graham French, said when he suggested carrying the teenager, the paramedic had replied: ‘You’re joking.’ He told the court: ‘I said “I’m not joking. How else are we going to get her down?” There seemed to be no sense of urgency.’
Shannon, a talented runner and swimmer who could have competed internationally, collapsed again after suffering a second seizure as outraged bystanders carried her to the ambulance.
A post-mortem examination revealed she had a rare form of heart disease called arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy which is linked to sudden death syndrome in young people.
But a heart expert told the inquest Shannon could have been saved if paramedics had acted more quickly.
Talented runner and swimmer Shannon Powell was a member of Ealing, Southall and Middlesex Athletics Club
Coroner: Andrew Walker
Consultant cardiologist Dr Pier Lambiase said if the schoolgirl had reached hospital before suffering the second seizure, she may have lived.
He said: ‘It was extremely important to get her to hospital after the first seizure. There were 30 minutes when she could have already been in hospital by the time she had the second seizure.
‘She would have been monitored, in the environment of expertise and with facilities available to resuscitate her.’
Shannon, a year ten pupil at Northwood College in North-West London, was three weeks away from her 15th birthday. The inquest heard she cried out ‘Mum’ moments before she died.
And her last words to Tracey Gould, of the Ealing, Southall and Middlesex Athletics Club where the teenager trained, were: ‘I’m sorry I didn’t finish the race.’
Shannon Powell collapsed during an event at Trent Park, in Enfield – an inquest heard yesterday the 14-year-old was not seen by paramedics for an hour
Mr Walker also blamed the race organisers for the death. He said: ‘The fact that the [park] gates were locked in the mistaken belief that all London Ambulance Service staff had keys was a serious failing.
No risk assessment had taken place at the site and the information given to marshals, if a person should need an ambulance, was inadequate.
‘Had the event been properly manned and prepared, Shannon would not have died.’
Wayne Powell, Shannon’s father, said: ‘Unfortunately we’ve been told that had the event been properly organised, Shannon would still be alive today and, as parents, this is very hard to bear.
‘Shannon was just our everything. Her memory will be with us forever.’
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Categories: News Tags: Carry, coroner, died, girl, killed, needn't, neglect, Paramedics, rules, wouldn't
Paramedic refuses to carry dying girl, 14, who collapsed on cross country run ‘because medic had a bad back’
- Hearing told that paramedic did not carry Shannon Powell for ‘health and safety reasons’
- History teacher told hearing she was so distressed by paramedic’s response she almost attacked her
By Sam Greenhill and Nicola Jones
Last updated at 12:06 AM on 9th December 2011
A paramedic refused to carry a dying schoolgirl to an ambulance for ‘health and safety’ reasons, an inquest heard yesterday.
Cassandra Lynn allegedly said she was worried about her back during the ‘chaotic’ attempt to save 14-year-old Shannon Powell.
Shannon had collapsed in mud and was foaming at the mouth in a violent fit during a cross-country race.
Paramedics refused to carry 14-year-old schoolgirl Shannon Powell, who fatally collapsed during a cross country run, due to ‘health and safety’, an inquest heard
But due to a series of gaffes, paramedics only reached her almost an hour later.
First aiders were so exasperated by Miss Lynn and her colleague from the London Ambulance Service they took matters into their own hands and carried Shannon themselves using a first aid trolley.
One, Daryl Proctor, told how they acted after Miss Lynn ‘said she didn’t want to hurt her back’.
He said: ‘The paramedic was saying, “We can’t carry her because it’s health and safety and we might fall over”. They didn’t come up with any solution at all. We all looked at each other as if to say, “**** health and safety”.’
Shannon’s parents Wayne and Simone Powell, pictured leaving North London Coroners Court yesterday, were distraught at hearing of their daughter’s final moments
Shannon – who was just three weeks from her 15th birthday – died on the way to the ambulance.
A post-mortem examination found she had a rare undiagnosed heart disorder called arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy, linked to Sudden Death Syndrome in young people.
It is the latest in a string of cases in which vital minutes have been lost as emergency services dithered due to health and safety red tape.
When gunman Derrick Bird murdered 12 people in Cumbria last year, ambulances and rapid response vehicles were held back for up to 90 minutes because of safety rules.
Some victims of the 7/7 London bombings were left to die in agony because health and safety protocols meant firemen were unable to go into the train tunnels without official confirmation.
Talented runner and swimmer Shannon Powell was a member of Ealing, Southall and Middlesex Athletics Club
Yesterday, a catalogue of blunders was outlined at the inquest into the death of Shannon, a Year 10 pupil at fee-paying girls’ school Northwood College, in north-west London.
She was representing Ealing, Southall and Middlesex Athletics Club in a girls’ under-15s race at Trent Park in Barnet, North London, when the tragedy happened on January 8.
Race marshal Catherine Sheppard, the first to reach Shannon, told North London Coroner’s Court she was infuriated by Miss Lynn’s attitude.
‘The response of the LAS attendant was it was her health and safety and her back that was the issue,’ she said. ‘I was very close to being verbally or physically abusive to the attendant.’
She went on: ‘I saw Shannon collapse on top of the hill. At that point she wasn’t awake. She appeared to be having a fit. Her eyes seemed dilated. She was shaking all over.’
The history teacher said she put her fleece over Shannon, and called for help. First aiders the private company Spectrum – hired to cover the race – arrived, and immediately called for an ambulance. But it took more than 50 minutes for paramedics to arrive, at 12.50pm.
Mrs Sheppard told the inquest the two paramedics had walked ‘incredibly slowly’ towards Shannon.
After she was placed on the trolley, she suffered a second seizure, and ‘sat bolt upright and screamed’, said Robbie Proctor, owner of Spectrum, and Daryl’s brother. Shannon’s mother, Simone, left the court as Mr Proctor spoke.
Shannon Powell collapsed during an event at Trent Park, in Enfield – an inquest heard yesterday the 14-year-old was not seen by paramedics for an hour
Miss Lynn admitted mentioning health and safety, but said: ‘What I actually said was we need to think of the health and safety of everyone. That included Shannon. I was trying to gain control of the situation.’
She said when she got the call, it was classed as ‘Green 2’, meaning a low priority case.
Access gates to the park were locked forcing the crew to leave the ambulance on the roadside. Miss Lynn said she and her colleague climbed the muddy hill to Shannon, nearly half a mile away.
She said: ‘She was alert. She was talking to me. She was not necessarily critical at that point. ‘It wasn’t until she seized for the second time that I thought there was something cerebral going on. I immediately began chest compressions and shouted to my colleague to come back. He had the defibrillator pads which were put on her as soon as he got back.’
The inquest also heard essential kit was missing from the ambulance, including a thermometer and a carry chair to transport Shannon.
It is not known if Shannon could have been saved had she received more urgent care.
But an A&E consultant told the hearing there had been a ‘serious failure’. Dr Peta Longstaff said she would have graded the 999 call as a red flag high priority, and believed a mistake had been made by the call taker.
She added: ‘I think we fail to provide care in the NHS on a lot of levels.’
The inquest continues.
Categories: News Tags: back, because, Carry, collapsed, country, Cross, dying, girl, medic, Paramedic, refuses
Carry on claiming: MPs could still get public money to pay mortgages, says watchdog
By Tim Shipman
Last updated at 10:49 AM on 25th November 2011
MPs could carry on claiming taxpayers’ money to pay their mortgage interest and pocket allowances without receipts simply for turning up to work under proposals floated by the expenses watchdog.
The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority yesterday asked voters and MPs to let them know whether politicians should again be able to pocket thousands of pounds a year to pay for the upkeep of their second homes.
The move would dramatically tear up the tough rules imposed since the expenses scandal two years ago.
Under a cloud: MPs could still claim thousands of pounds of taxpayer cash for second homes – simply for turning up for work
It could also lead to the watchdog caving in to MPs who have complained that they would prefer flat rate allowances merely for doing their jobs, rather than having to submit expenses claims with receipts to justify their claims.
The plans were last night denounced by a former sleaze enforcer as ‘outrageous’.
IPSA published details of its second annual review yesterday, saying that it opposes such radical changes to the current expenses regime.
But a consultation document made clear that the watchdog wants to guage public views on plans for ‘lump sum’ payments and the return of mortgage interest being paid from the public purse.
New MPs cannot claim for mortgage interest but those elected before 2010 can do so until August 2012. After that date all MPs will only be able to claim for a rental property – ending the scam by which MPs renovated properties at taxpayers’ expense before selling them on and pocketing large profits.
Since last year MPs have only been able to claim public money when they submit receipts.
The consultation says IPSA still believes expenses and costs should remain ‘based on the reimbursement of costs incurred’.
But it goes on: ‘There remains a number of MPs who believe that there should be a return to lump sum allowances which would, amongst other things, allow MPs to continue to fund their mortgage interest.
‘In recognition of that, IPSA is seeking views on whether MPs should be given allowances to spend at their discretion, or if respondents support continuation of a reimbursement system.’
Some MPs have argued that claiming for mortgage interest is actually cheaper for the taxpayer than claiming rent. They have made public complaints about the current system at hearings of the MPs’ committee which is reviewing the legislation which set up IPSA.
An IPSA spokesman said: ‘IPSA’s position on this issue has not changed but it is inviting views in this consultation to ascertain whether public opinion has shifted on this issue.’
The consultation – which runs until 20 January – is also asking the public and other interested parties whether MPs should have greater freedom to pay members of their office staff more money. They are currently forced to pay each member of staff according to fixed pay bands.
Dismayed: Sir Alistair Graham
Greater flexibility could allow some MPs to funnel even more taxpayers’ money to their wives and relatives.
The Mail revealed earlier this month that 124 members have put at least one relative on the public purse – up from 106 in 2008.
The consultation was met with dismay by Sir Alistair Graham, the former chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life.
‘It sounds outrageous that they are even suggesting that anyone should be able to claim without receipts. I thought the argument was settled a long time ago as far as not paying mortgage interest was concerned.
‘This sounds a lot like what has happened before when a culture develops whereby pressure develops to persuade IPSA to change its fundamental approach.
‘The public will be outraged if there is any change in the fundamentals of the expenses scheme.’
Benedict Garrett who is also porn star Johnny Anglais CAN carry on as a teacher
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 7:11 PM on 31st August 2011
A teacher who led a secret double life as a stripper in pornographic films was today sensationally allowed to continue working in the classroom.
Benedict Garrett, 31, who moonlighted under the alias Johnny Anglais, was given a slap on the wrist by the General Teaching council – but was told he is free to continue teaching children as long as he steers clear of his extra-curricular employment.
The disciplinary committee heard that Mr Garrett, who was head of personal, social and health education at Beal High School in Ilford, east London, had been stripping in clubs and working as a naked butler in his spare time.
Benedict Garrett – otherwise known as Johnny Anglais – was today given a slap on the wrist for being a stripper in his spare time, but was told he can continue working in the classroom
Chairman of the panel Derek Johns, today told him that the committee was ‘content’ he would not repeat his behaviour if he carried on teaching.
He said: ‘You have stated that you will continue to advocate the morality and acceptability of your involvement in the adult industry and argue that it should not be inappropriate for a teacher to work as a stripper or in pornographic films.
‘However, the committee is content that you recognise the widely held public view that such work is not acceptable conduct for a teacher.
‘Therefore, in relation to risk of repetition, the committee considers it is unlikely that you will seek to return to the teaching profession whilst working as a stripper or in pornographic films.’
Result: Mr Garrett at the General Teaching Council hearing in Birmingham today
Mr Garrett, who uses the pseudonym Johnny Anglais, had admitted working in the adult industry but argued that it did not amount to unacceptable professional conduct since none of his behaviour was illegal.
On his website, Mr Garrett, from Hackney, east London, offers services including lap dancing, stripping and serving food in the nude at private dinner parties.
He describes himself as ‘A man with a mission… to unashamedly demonstrate the art of pleasure in the realms of fitness, sex and entertainment’.
A snapshot from Benedict Garrett’s website, where he tells how he has been ‘teaching yuong people to be open-minded’
The website, which could be easily accessed by pupils, features pictures of Mr Garrett in a series of torso-baring outfits.
His online gallery shows him dressed as a fireman, a ‘gentleman’ in just underwear and a waistcoat, and a policeman.
He also describes how he has taught ‘young people to be open-minded, respectful, tolerant of others’ for the past four years.
The General Teaching Council panel in Birmingham earlier heard how Mr Garrett ‘undertook work of a pornographic nature’ and ‘performed as a stripper in public places’ while employed by at Beal High School, in Ilford, Essex, between January 1, 2008 and July 16, 2010.
Mr Garrett, who represented himself at the hearing, told the panel how he would speak openly with students – some as young as 11 or 12 – about sexual matters.
Website: Teacher Benedict Garrett worked as a stripper while at Beal High School, in Ilford, Essex
Giving an example of an exchange with a year 7 pupil, he said: ‘The student asked “sir, what’s a vibrator?” ‘I told them what it was.’
In an impassioned thirty-minute statement in his defence, he argued that teachers should be able to keep their professional and private lives separate.
Announcing the panel’s conclusions, Mr Johns told him: ‘Having carefully considered the submissions and applied its own judgment, the committee considers that performing as a stripper, publishing details of your performances on a dedicated website and acting in pornographic films, amounts to behaviour which involves a breach of the standards of propriety expected of the profession.
‘The public expects teachers to be role models within the school community.
‘In the committee’s judgment, the prevailing view of society is that the nature of your involvement in the adult industry whilst working as a teacher is conduct which falls below the standard expected of the profession.
‘The committee therefore finds that you are guilty of unacceptable professional conduct.’
Role model: Benedict Garret taught sex education at Beal High School in Ilford, Essex
Mr Garrett taught at the school from January 1 2008 until July 16 last year.
An investigation was launched after students reported seeing their teacher in a trailer for an adult film.
Mr Johns said the panel believed the reprimand was a ‘proportionate’ sanction and told Mr Garrett: ‘The committee has been impressed by the respectful and professional way in which you have represented yourself at this hearing generally and the submissions made by you in mitigation.’
Mr Garrett was also found guilty of unacceptable professional conduct in relation to messages he exchanged by email and on Facebook with Year 10 students. He had admitted the allegation.
Mr Johns said: ‘The committee considers – and you accepted – that by engaging in communication with the students at the school via text message, email and Facebook you were guilty of unacceptable professional conduct.
‘The committee received a copy of the school’s policy on communication. It considers that this policy is clear and explicit.
‘It states that you must never ‘friend’ a student on a personal social networking site.
‘You breached this policy and used Facebook under a false name to enter into discussions of a personal nature with students at the school. Further, you exchanged texts and emails with students.’
The chairman added: ‘In the committee’s judgment, you repeatedly failed to establish and maintain appropriate professional boundaries in your relationships with children and young people.’
An allegation that Mr Garrett left inappropriate voicemail messages on the mobile phone of the school’s associate head teacher was unproven.
The reprimand will remain on the GTC’s register for two years.
Mr Garrett had admitted working as a hard-core porn star before qualifying as a teacher.
