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A judge refused to jail a 15-year-old girl who stabbed the man who sexually abused her as a child - and then made an extraordinary offer from the bench that left the courtroom stunned.
Judge Jonathan Durham Hall QC told the teenager at Bradford Crown Court that he would not impose the mandatory victim surcharge - a fee typically applied to anyone convicted of a criminal offence in England and Wales.
But he went further.
"If anyone tries to force you, I will pay it myself," he said.
The girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was just eight years old when a 56-year-old man from Bradford sexually assaulted her.
He was convicted at the same court in November 2010 of sexual assault and inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity.
His sentence was a community order with two years' supervision. He was placed on the sex offenders register and banned from having any contact with his victim.
He did not spend a single day in prison.
The court heard that the girl was 'entirely destroyed' by the fact that the man who abused her walked free.
Her barrister, Miss Gilmore, told the judge that the original sentence had a devastating and lasting impact on the child.
She had been forced to give evidence at his trial because he denied the offences.
After the case, she became paranoid that he was 'going to get her'.
She was excluded from school for poor behaviour. She feared she would never be able to get a husband.
She described living her life in 'a bad dream'.
The girl was eight years old when the abuse happened.
She was still a child when the justice system told her, in effect, that what had been done to her was not serious enough to warrant a custodial sentence.
In 2015, when she was 14, the girl went to her abuser's home and stabbed him in the chest with a large kitchen knife.
She then hugged her aunt and said: "Tell my mum I love her."
She walked to Trafalgar House Police Station in Bradford city centre and handed herself in. She told officers: "I've killed someone."
The man survived after being admitted to intensive care and receiving a blood transfusion. But the girl believed she had killed him, and she turned herself in anyway.
She was initially charged with attempted murder, though the Crown Prosecution Service later accepted a guilty plea to the lesser charge of causing grievous bodily harm with intent.
Judge Durham Hall's remarks at Bradford Crown Court were striking - not just for what he said, but for how far they departed from the tone typically heard in a sentencing hearing.
He told the girl: "It would be a disgrace to send a survivor like you to prison."
Rather than a custodial sentence, he handed her a two-year youth rehabilitation order.
He also refused to impose the mandatory victim surcharge - a standard court fee that would have required the girl to pay money to the man she had attacked, the same man who had sexually abused her as a child.
It was at that point that he made his now-famous offer to cover the cost himself if anyone attempted to enforce it.
The case has since been widely shared online and cited in broader debates around how the justice system handles victims of child sexual abuse - particularly when abusers avoid meaningful punishment.
The victim surcharge is a fee added to criminal sentences in England and Wales.
It is not optional - courts are required to impose it in almost all cases, regardless of the circumstances.
The money goes into a central fund that supports victim services.
But in cases like this, the result is that a victim of child sexual abuse who retaliates against her abuser can technically be required to pay a fee that benefits the person who abused her.
Judge Durham Hall's refusal to impose it - and his willingness to pay it himself - drew widespread attention to what many see as a flaw in the system.
Judges do not normally have the discretion to waive the surcharge, which made his public statement all the more unusual.
There are a few reasons.
The first is the raw detail of what happened.
An eight-year-old girl was sexually abused. Her abuser walked free. She was forced to testify against him.
She was then left to carry the psychological damage alone, while the man who caused it went home.
Six years later, she went to his house and stabbed him.
The second is the judge's response.
In a legal system that is often criticised for its rigidity, Judge Durham Hall made a very deliberate choice to acknowledge the human reality of what was in front of him.
He did not excuse the violence. He did not pretend it was acceptable.
But he recognised that the girl had been failed long before she picked up that knife.
The third is the question it raises about sentencing.
The man who abused a child received a community order. The child who stabbed him faced a potential life sentence for attempted murder.
That disparity is difficult to sit with, regardless of where you stand on the legal arguments.
It is a case that has drawn comparisons with other instances where victims or their families have taken matters into their own hands after feeling let down by the courts.
The girl's identity has been protected throughout, and there have been no public updates on her life since the case concluded. She would now be in her mid-20s.
Her abuser survived the attack. His current status is not publicly known.
Judge Jonathan Durham Hall QC continued to sit at Bradford Crown Court after the case and was known for his direct approach on the bench.
He presided over a number of high-profile cases in the years that followed.
The case remains one of the most shared examples of a judge publicly pushing back against a sentencing framework - and the image of a Crown Court judge offering to pay a teenager's fine from his own pocket is one that continues to resurface online years later.
It is not hard to see why.
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A teen who threw a boy 100ft from a viewing platform last year has been jailed for a minimum of 15 years it has been reported today.
The incident took place at the Tate Modern viewing platform in London, and prior to the assault, autistic teenager Jonty Bravery, 18, reportedly spent more than 15 minutes stalking potential victims.
Watch a full news report on the sentencing below:
[[youtubewidget||https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exNJbvqYD-E]]
Bravery carried out the unprovoked attack when the six-year-old victim, whose name can't be disclosed because of his age, briefly left his parents' side.
The judge warned Bravery that there is a chance that he will never be released from jail, and the victim's family released a statement cited by Sky News that stated he has "many years of physiotherapy ahead of him".
"We have no prospects or plan for the future, other than being by his side," they said.
Bravery who carried out the attack in August of last year when he was 17 "scooped [the victim] up and, without any hesitation, carried him straight to the railings and threw him over".
The boy fell onto the platform below and Bravery was immediately challenged by witnesses including the victim's parents.
The 18-year-old who is from Ealing, West London, admitted to attempted murder.
After the incident, he reportedly had a "big smile on his face" and told the victim's father "Yes, I am mad."
Old Bailey judge Justice McGowan said while sentencing Bravery: "The fear he [the victim] must have experienced and the horror his parents felt are beyond imagination.
"You had intended to kill someone that day - you almost killed that six-year-old boy."
Judge McGowan said Bravery's attack could not be explained by his autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and cited expert evidence that concluded he presents "a grave and immediate risk to the public".
The judge added: "You will spend the greater part - if not all - of your life detained... you may never be released."
A teenage girl who was initially charged with first-degree murder after she stabbed her alleged rapist to death has been ordered to pay $150,000 to the man’s family.
As reported by BBC News, in June 2020, Pieper Lewis, now 17, pleaded guilty to manslaughter and willful injury for the killing of 37-year-old Zachary Brooks - both punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
On Tuesday (September 13), Polk County District Judge David M. Porter deferred those prison sentences on the understanding that she doesn't violate any portion of her probation. She is also required to pay the estate of her alleged rapist.
The judge ordered her to be placed in a residential facility where she must wear a tracking device and said the next five years of her life will be "full of rules [she] disagrees with," adding, "this is the second chance that you've asked for. You don't get a third".
Watch her statement below:When Lewis was 15, she ran away from a reportedly abusive home and was sleeping in a hallway of a Des Moines apartment building when a 28-year-old man took her in and allegedly trafficked her to others for sex.
The teenager said one of those men was Brooks and that he had raped her multiple times in the weeks before his death. Lewis told officials that after the man had raped her, she grabbed a knife from a bedside table and stabbed him 30 times.
While she accepted that she had committed a crime, she also defended her actions, saying: "I took a person's life. My intentions that day were not to just go out and take somebody's life."
"In my mind, I felt that I wasn't safe and I felt that I was in danger, which resulted in the acts. But it doesn't take away from the fact that a crime was committed," she added.
According to BBC News, in regards to a 1997 law upheld by Iowa supreme court, Lewis is mandated to pay the $150,000 restitution, with the judge explaining that the court was given "no other option".
A former teacher of the teen, Leland Schipper, organized a GoFundMe page to help Lewis pay off the $150,000 restitution and the additional $4,000 owed to the state. By Thursday, the donations had amassed $324,545, surpassing the required amount.
"I am overjoyed with the prospect of removing this burden from Pieper," Schipper wrote, adding: "A child who was raped, under no circumstances, should owe the rapist’s family money."
In addition to her required payments, Schipper said the money would also be used to "remove financial barriers for Pieper in pursuing college/university or starting her own business [and] give Pieper the financial capacity to explore ways to help other young victims of sex crimes".
Lewis - who earned her GED in juvenile detention - said in a statement before sentencing that her spirit "has been burned but still glows through the flames. Hear me roar, see me glow, and watch me grow."
"I am a survivor," she concluded.
A teen was given a lengthy prison sentence for murder after he admitted to the horrific crime.
Joshua Delbono, from the United Kingdom, received a life sentence after he stabbed 16-year-old schoolboy Charley Bates during a fight between two groups in Somerset last summer.
Delbono, then 18, came home approximately six hours later and told his mom about the incident which resulted in her calling the police on her son.
The chilling emergency call became a focal point during a two-week trial at Bristol Crown Court where the jury found the defendant guilty, thus sentencing him to life in prison with a minimum term of 21 years.
As per the Daily Mail, the court heard Donna Delbono speaking to the operator that night after her son returned to their home in Frome, eight miles away from Radstock where the murder took place.
"My son's killed someone," the concerned mom told emergency personnel.
When asked for the location of the incident, she said: "It was at Radstock earlier. He's just come back and I've found out. He's in my house now but I can't let him go anywhere."
"I've told him I've got to do it," she added.
She then handed the phone to her son, who said: "I don't know anything about him [the victim] at all. I went in to help my mate. I thought 'I'm not getting stabbed.'"
The court also heard details of the incident prior to the murder taking place.
It was said that two cars arrived at a parking lot, one of which contained Delbono, and the other with Bates. The 16-year-old approached the car because of a dispute with one of the defendant's friends over some money and immediately a fight broke out between the two which also led to their friends getting involved.
Delbono then picked up his weapon and proceeded to stab the victim in the chest, also injuring his arm in the process as the teenager tried to defend himself.
The perpetrator and his group fled the scene before emergency services arrived. Unfortunately, Bates was declared dead at the scene just half an hour later.
It was later alleged that Delbono then travelled to Shearwater Lake where he was pictured burning his clothes. However, when he returned home just a few hours later, his mom called the police.
The prosecutor, Adam Vaitilingam KC stated: "His girlfriend thought it was a good idea to film this, and photos were recovered from her phone by the police."
He continued: "It started as a one on one fist fight but eventually it escalated. The passenger got out and so did one or two of Charley's friends However, at that stage, the defendant was not involved and was sitting in his car.
"But at some point in the fight, the defendant got out of the second car, had a knife, walked over to where the fight was happening and stabbed Charley several times, including in the chest," Vaitilingam added.
Judge William Hart said that what started out as a normal fight between two groups ended with a "young boy with his whole life ahead" of him lying dead on the ground.
"You took the knife from the car intending to use it as you did, not to warn people off," he told Delbono.
Judge Hart added: "Let me say to all who hear my remarks of the damage that is caused by carrying knives. You may rob a person of their life. What happened that day cast a horrible shadow over everyone."
Delbono was found unanimously guilty by the jury and is set to serve a life sentence with a minimum of 21 years.
The former teacher of an Iowa teen - who was fined $150,000 for killing her alleged rapist - has managed to raise more than $358,000 for the teen's legal fees.
Pieper Lewis, 17, was initially charged with first-degree murder after she stabbed her alleged rapist to death. As previously reported, a 28-year-old man is believed to have found a then-15-year-old Lewis in a hallway after escaping an abusive home in 2020, eventually trafficking her to multiple men for sex.
One of the men who raped Lewis was identified as 37-year-old Zachary Brooks, who had assaulted her on numerous occasions leading up to his death. It was after one of these assaults at a Des Moines, Iowa, apartment that Lewis grabbed a knife from her bedside table and stabbed Brooks 30 times while he was sleeping in June 2020.
Speaking in defence of her crime, Lewis stated in court: "I took a person's life. My intentions that day were not to just go out and take somebody's life. In my mind, I felt that I wasn't safe and I felt that I was in danger, which resulted in the acts. But it doesn't take away from the fact that a crime was committed."
According to Iowa law, Brooks did not pose an immediate threat to her, as he was fast asleep at the time of his death.
As a result, Lewis pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and wilful injury - rather than first-degree murder - and was sentenced on those charges this week.
Both are punishable by up to 10 years in prison, however, then teen ended up being sentenced to five years' probation instead, per her GoFundMe page.
Pursuant to a 1997 law, those convicted of homicide must pay $150,000 in restitution to the victim's family - meaning that Lewis essentially owes her alleged rapist's family this amount, the BBC reported.
District Judge, David M Porter, frankly stated upon Lewis' sentencing: "The next five years of your life will be full of rules you disagree with, I'm sure of it. This is the second chance that you've asked for. You don't get a third."
In a prepared statement to the court, Lewis told the jury: "My spirit has been burned, but still glows through the flames. Hear me roar, see me glow, and watch me grow."
She finally added: "I am a survivor."
A GoFundMe page has since been set up by Lewis' former teacher, Leland Schipper, in an effort to raise funds for Lewis to pay her alleged rapist's family the $150,000, as well as an additional $4,000 in restitution she now owes to the state of Iowa.
In the page's description, Schipper has written a lengthy comment: "Today, my former student, Pieper Lewis bravely took the microphone during her sentencing hearing and told the courtroom that her voice mattered. I was incredibly proud of her."
"[The judge] decided that 834 days she spent in juvenile detention awaiting her sentencing was enough 'punishment' for a then fifteen-year-old girl who had been kicked out of her home and found herself sleeping in the stairwell of one of the most dangerous apartment complexes in Des Moines; a girl that was ultimately preyed upon by men twice her age who traded her body for drugs. These men physically [assaulted], raped, and sex trafficked Pieper on multiple occasions," Schipper detailed in the description.
The former teacher continued: "The funds will be used in the following ways: 1) Pay off Pieper's 150k restitution 2) Pay off the additional 4k in restitution to the state 3) Remove financial barriers for Pieper in pursuing college/university or starting her own business 4) Give Pieper the financial capacity to explore ways to help other young victims of sex crimes! Thank you! You are all amazing."
The page has additionally received hundreds of comments in support of the young teen - with one father writing: "I wish I had more to give you. You did the right thing. You are a wonderful, beautiful and strong woman. As a father who has five daughters, I want to say thank you. I am so proud of you Little Sister, you are my hero. I will pray that you have an awesome life. And that you heal from your wounds. Assalamu Alaikum (May God's Peace, Blessings, and Mercy be upon you) Amen [sic]!"
"I hope you can use these donations to do whatever you want with your life. Your life should've always been in your control. I'm sorry that was taken from you," someone else added.
So far, over 9,000 people have made donations to the page, with some of the top donations being as high as $5,000. The current amount is sitting at a whopping $358,000.
An Australian high school teacher has pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a teenage boy on multiple occasions.
Karly Rae, 37, entered guilty pleas to four charges in a local court last week, with her lawyer, Mark Ramsland, asking for the matter to be treated as a priority, given she had her eight-week-old baby with her in court.
Rae initially pleaded not guilty to the offences in May this year, but has since changed her pleas, which related to having sexual intercourse with a 15-year-old boy in October 2024, 7 News reports.
The new mother also pleaded guilty to three other offences, including possessing child abuse material, grooming a child for unlawful sexual activity, and committing an act with the intention of perverting the course of justice.
The abuse reportedly occurred in three different suburbs.
Karly Rae. Credit: Karly Rae/Facebook.
Court documents said Rae communicated with the 15-year-old on social media apps Snapchat and Instagram, sending shocking flirtatious messages to him.
In one message, Rae allegedly wrote: "Hey, sorry for removing you on Snap. I found it too tempting for now."
A few messages later, the boy asked: "Should we remove each other now?"
Rae allegedly responded with: "It's my fault. I take full responsibility. Do what you want/need."
“Maybe we could have one last rendezvous before school goes back. I’ll bring my toy,” Rae allegedly wrote in a further message to the boy, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation details.
The boy's cousin reportedly saw the exchanged messages before telling the boy's parents who then reported the incident to the police.
According to court documents, Rae told police upon her arrest that she did not know the boy was 15, saying: "I thought he was of age … and leaving school."
In June, Rae was granted Supreme Court bail after revealing in court that she was pregnant, and a previous bail application has been denied.
She was also due to stand trial in August 2026 but the court dates have now been vacated.
She pleaded guilty at Newcastle District Court in New South Wales, Australia, on Thursday. Credit: Google Maps.
Judge Roy Ellis has set aside two-and-a-half hours for a sentencing hearing scheduled for March 25, 2026, ordering that a sentencing assessment report be compiled ahead of that date, per the New York Post.
Rae's lawyer said there would be "a lot of subjective material" presented as part of the defence's submissions.
The police facts included a professional learning transcript from the New South Wales' Department of Education that "indicated Rae had completed child protection training in February 2024".
She remains on bail ahead of sentencing.
