Danielle Cormack is a New Zealand stage and screen actress. She was one of the original cast members of the long-running soap opera Shortland Street, though she is also known for her role as the Amazon Ephiny in the television series Xena: Warrior Princess, Cynthia Ross in The Cult, and Shota in Legend of the Seeker. Other works include the 2009 film, Separation City, and the Australian series Rake.
Jarrod Vincenzo Rebecchi, commonly known as "Toadfish" or "Toadie", is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Ryan Moloney. He made his first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 23 January 1995. Toadie was created by writer Elizabeth Packett. Moloney had previously auditioned for another role in the show and had played a minor character before being cast as Toadie. The actor was originally scheduled to play Toadie in one scene, but he went on to become a recurring cast member. When Toadie became popular with viewers, Moloney was promoted to the regular cast. In 2015, Moloney celebrated his 20th anniversary with Neighbours. The finale of the serial in 2022 focused on his character's wedding to Melanie Pearson, while the 2023 premiere of the revival focused on the character's wedding to Terese Willis. Toadie departed as a regular character on 25 September 2024, with guest appearances due to follow in subsequent months.
Darcy Tyler is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Mark Raffety. He made his first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 15 November 2000. The following year, Raffety became a series regular. He departed in June 2003, but made returns in 2004 and 2005. He will make another return for the soap's 40th anniversary in 2025.
Dione "Dee" Bliss is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Madeleine West. The actress received the role three days after securing an agent. West deferred her law degree studies to take the part. She made her first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 3 February 2000. The character proved popular with viewers and producers soon promoted her to the main cast. West decided to leave Neighbours at the end of her contract in 2003. She filmed her final scenes in April and Dee made her last appearance on 29 July 2003.
Sindi Watts is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Marisa Warrington. She made her first appearance during the episode broadcast on 19 July 2002. Sindi was initially a recurring character, before she was promoted to the regular cast. Her storylines often focused on her romantic relationships, including her affair with Rocco Cammeniti and marriage to Stuart Parker. She also attempted to break up Toadfish Rebecchi and Dee Bliss, and briefly became a lapdancer to raise much needed money.
Teresa "Tess" Bell is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Krista Vendy. She made her first appearance during the episode broadcast on 17 September 1999 and departed on 18 September 2001. Vendy reprised the role in 2023 and is set to make another appearance in 2025.
Catholic sexual abuse cases in Australia, like Catholic Church sexual abuse cases elsewhere, have involved convictions, trials and ongoing investigations into allegations of sex crimes committed by Catholic priests, members of religious orders and other personnel which have come to light in recent decades, along with the growing awareness of sexual abuse within other religious and secular institutions.
Jeffrey "Joffa" Corfe is an Australian rules football supporter best known for being the leader of the Collingwood Football Club cheer squad from 2001 to 2019. In February 2023, Corfe was convicted and sentenced for engaging in child sexual abuse.
C. T. Wilson is an American politician and attorney who has represented District 28 in the Maryland House of Delegates since 2011.
The Rochdale child sex abuse ring involved underage teenage girls in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England. Nine men were convicted of sex trafficking and other offences including rape, trafficking girls for sex and conspiracy to engage in sexual activity with a child in May 2012. This resulted in Greater Manchester Police launching Operation Doublet and other operations to investigate further claims of abuse. As of January 2024 a total of 42 men had been convicted resulting in jail sentences totalling 432 years. Forty-seven girls were identified as victims of child sexual exploitation during the initial police investigation. The men were British Pakistanis, which led to discussion on whether the failure to investigate them was linked to the authorities' fear of being accused of racial prejudice. The girls were mainly White British.
Sarah Deborah Champion is a British Labour Party politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Rotherham since 2012.
The Rotherham child sexual exploitation scandal refers to the organised child sexual abuse that occurred in the town of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, Northern England, from the late 1980s until 2013. An estimated 1,400 girls, commonly from care home backgrounds, were abused by "grooming gangs" of predominantly British-Pakistani men between 1997 and 2013. Researcher Angie Heal, who was hired by local officials and warned them about child exploitation occurring between 2002 and 2007, has since described it as the "biggest child protection scandal in UK history".
The Telford child sexual exploitation scandal is an ongoing scandal spanning over several decades in the United Kingdom involving a group of men who were convicted of engaging in sexual contact with local female minors between 2007 and 2009 in Telford in the English county of Shropshire. While media reports had suggested there were 100 or more victims and around 200 suspects, the Sunday Mirror reported in March 2018 that up to 1,000 may have been affected, with some even murdered, in incidents dating back to the 1970s. Social workers and police cast doubt on this report, denying that Telford had a "discernible problem compared to other towns".
Child sexual abuse in the United Kingdom includes the proliferation of indecent images, online exploitation, transnational abuse, and contact abuse. Efforts to prevent child sexual abuse include providing information to children and parents, and disrupting abusive situations. Perpetrators may act alone or as part of a group or street gang, and may either exploit vulnerabilities in children and young people or have long-standing sexual attraction to children. Underreporting of child sexual abuse and low conviction rates remain barriers to justice, among other factors. In the UK, high profile media coverage of child sexual abuse has often focused on cases of institutional and celebrity abuse, as well as offences committed by groups, also known informally as grooming gangs.
The Keighley child sex abuse ring was a group of twelve men who committed serious sexual offences against two under-aged girls in the English town of Keighley and city of Bradford, West Yorkshire. In December 2015, they were found guilty of rape and other forms of sexual abuse by a unanimous jury verdict at Bradford Crown Court. They were sentenced in February 2016 to a total of 130 years in jail. The main victim, who had been targeted by ten of the men, was aged between 13 and 14 at the time of the attacks between 2011 and 2012.
Andrea Somers is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Madeleine West. West had previously played the role of Dee Bliss, who disappeared after a car crash into the ocean after marrying Toadie Rebecchi. West originally reported that she was returning to Neighbours as Dee Bliss, but it was later revealed she was playing the conniving Andrea Somers, who comes to Erinsborough to scam Toadie by pretending to be Dee. West stated that returning to the sets was a homecoming for her and she was thrilled to be invited back to the cast. Andrea made her first appearance on 20 January 2017 and her first stint ended on 23 March. Andrea is initially credited as Dee Bliss and is depicted as calm, polite and charismatic. As her identity of Andrea Somers is revealed, her character increasingly becomes impatient, insecure, restless and easily agitated.
The Adass Israel School sex abuse scandal is a criminal case and extradition dispute regarding incidents of child sex abuse at a Jewish religious school in Melbourne, Australia. A former principal, Malka Leifer, faced trial on 70 sex offence charges laid by Victoria Police, with accusations from at least eight alleged victims. Leifer, a dual Israeli-Australian citizen, fled under suspicious circumstances shortly before a warrant could be issued, and remained in Israeli-controlled territory from 2008 until January 2021, under varying levels of police and court supervision, pending the resolution of her extradition case. Leifer's trial did not address other alleged sex crimes in Israel and the West Bank because they did not occur in Australia.
Grace Tame is an Australian activist and advocate for survivors of sexual assault. Tame was named 2021 Australian of the Year on 25 January 2021.
