It's unknown how many of the children at Little Ted's nursery in Plymouth George abused (she claims she can't give a definite list) but the investigation has centered on 30, and George has admitted to targeting babies, because it was "easier." George was involved with another two other pedophiles, (including one Colin Blanchard, with whom friends say the married mother of two was "obsessed) with whom she shared pictures of the children. She's pleaded guilty to seven sexual assaults on children and six counts of distributing and making indecent pictures of children. She will be sentenced to a minimum of seven years which, to the children's parents, must seem generous indeed. (Her accomplices are expected to receive similar sentences.) According to the Daily Mail, George says she committed the acts under Blanchard's thrall and received no sexual gratification from the abuse:

'Immediately I knew what sort of pictures he wanted. I sent him two or three when I was changing their nappies. I knew it would make him happy,' she said. 'I felt disgusted but I did it anyway. I couldn't trust him, so to make him happy I just sent him more pictures. It was just random - if he wanted extra pictures I'd take them.'

In this regard, George's story is not unusual. Of the relatively small percentage of all sex offenses committed by women, a large number have differing motivations from those committed by men. It's this that has led the British Ministry of Justice to announce a new "female sex offender management strategy" that will seek a different means of rehabilitation. Says the BBC,

One recent study by the US Center for Sex Offender Management found while some women were driven by deviant sexual urges, others offended where they were alongside a man, either because he had egged them on or because they were coerced into taking part. Women appear to be more likely to offend in a situation where they are a carer, rather than hunt out children to abuse...Some offenders had been victims themselves, often in childhood. In some cases the woman had lost all concept of right and wrong after a long and abusive relationship with a man that has led to a complete mental breakdown. Many FSOs have been found to suffer from intense depression, low self-esteem or be drug abusers. So while the predominant factor in many male paedophiles' offending is sexual deviancy - that needs to be clinically assessed and tackled - a woman's offending can be triggered by something far more complex in their history.

None of which ameliorates the heinous nature of the crimes, of course - but which understanding could, potentially, cut down on re-offenses. And, crucially, possibly prevent the crimes. My first thought was that, ideally, this information can be used for more effective screening of anyone who might potentially work with children. But it's all scant comfort for the parents of the untold children who were abused.

How Are Female Paedophiles Rehabilitated? [BBC]
Vanessa George Jailed For Child Sex Abuse [Guardian]
Nursery Paedophile Vanessa George Jailed For At Least Seven Years... But STILL Won't Reveal Names Of Victims [Daily Mail]
Facebook Paedo Vanessa George Jailed Indefinitely [Mirror]

After a trial that lasted 11 months, the jury took 11 hours to reach a verdict, returning to the courtroom at midnight to deliver the results of their deliberations. Knox and Sollecito were both found guilty on all counts and sentenced; Knox received 26 years in prison, while Sollecito faces 25. Knox reportedly sobbed as the verdict was read.

When we first discussed Amanda Knox on the site, in November of 2007, former editor Jessica Grose noted that the already-in-media-overdrive story was "a Lifetime movie waiting to happen." The story had all of the twisted details usually reserved for "ripped from the headlines" episodes of Law & Order, and the story—Knox in particular—quickly became the subject of public fascination. The press jumped on Knox's MySpace nickname, "Foxy Knoxy," and the unfortunate moniker (as well as the femme fatale characterization attached to it) has followed her ever since.

When the story broke, much attention was paid to Knox's beauty: Time hypothesized that "those who are convinced of her guilt no doubt will hate her even more because she is beautiful," and Knox herself seemed to agree, noting in her diary: "If I had been ugly, would they have acted in the same way? I don't think so."

Indeed, it is Knox's image that dominated much of the trial coverage: her ex-boyfriend and fellow suspect, Sollecito was pushed to the background for most of the trial, and Rudy Guede, who is already serving 30 years in prison after being found guilty of both the murder and sexual assault of Kercher (he's currently in the process of appeal, seems to be a lingering ghost in the story, as well. It has always been the "Amanda Knox Trial," even though she wasn't the only one facing judge and jury over Kercher's death (most headlines regarding the verdict, including my own, display this today). The world, much like the jury, was presented with two starkly different versions of Amanda Knox: the innocent abroad caught up in something much bigger than herself, and the devious beauty filled with rage.

These two versions of Knox were presented throughout her trial; Prosecutor Giuliano Mignini painted her as a "compressed spring," who, under the influence of both drugs and alcohol, seized on the opportunity to hurt Kercher during "an unstoppable crescendo of frenzied violence." Mignini also claimed that Knox's motive for the attack may have centered around financial disputes the two were having, sending Knox into a rage and causing her to lead the sexual assault on Kercher in order"to take revenge on that prissy girl."

Knox's parents and her attorney Luciano Ghirga, however, remained firm in their belief that Knox was innocent, and a victim herself of the media and the Italian judicial system. Ghirga argued just two days ago that Knox had been "crushed by the system," and Knox herself faced the jury to state that she was "afraid of being labelled as someone that I'm not, of doing things I didn't do and having the assassin's mask clamped to my skin." Defense attorney Giulia Bongiorno also attempted to paint Knox as "a naive, slightly extravagant, spontaneous young girl who is 60 percent imagination and 40 percent reality," a sharp contrast to Mignini's portrayal.

Knox's parents also felt their daughter was being painted unfairly by the prosecution: "This was a horrible crime," her mother, Edda Mellas, was quoted as saying, "but I couldn't understand why immediately Amanda was painted in this horrible light, where she was unrecognizable." Convinced of her innocence, bought her a plane ticket home a month or so ago, hoping she'd get a chance to use it. They are expected to give a statement regarding the verdict shortly.

Though the trial is finally over, it's doubtful that we've seen the last of Amanda Knox. If prior high-profile cases have taught us anything, the debate over who she really is and what really happened that night will surely continue; a civil suit has already been filed by Kercher's parents, who are seeking $37 million dollars from Knox, Sollecito, and Guede. The suit hinged on a conviction; now that Knox and Sollecito have been found guilty along with Guede, it looks as if that suit will go forward. We will most likely be seeing and hearing much more from Amanda Knox and her family in the future, but perhaps it is best to end with the words of Meredith Kercher's mother, Arline: "Her death was unreal in many ways, and still is. We will never, never get over this."

Update: The Knox family has released the following statement:

We are extremely disappointed in the verdict rendered today against our daughter. While we always knew this was a possibility, we find it difficult to accept this verdict when we know that she is innocent, and that the prosecution has failed to explain why there is no evidence of Amanda in the room where Meredith was so horribly and tragically murdered. It appears clear to us that the attacks on Amanda's character in much of the media and by the prosecution had a significant impact on the judges and jurors and apparently overshadowed the lack of evidence in the prosecution's case against her.

We want to thank the excellent work by Amanda's attorneys, Carlo Dalla Vedova, Luciano Ghirga and Maria Del Grosso, who successfully showed there was no credible evidence against Amanda and who fought hard on her behalf.

We also want to thank the many supporters both in Seattle and around the world who have contacted us with their support of Amanda and of us. We ask for their continued support.

We will immediately begin the process of appealing this verdict. Amanda is innocent and we will continue to fight for her freedom.

Knox Reaction: "We're Going To Fight To The End [Seattle Post-Intelligencer]
Friends And Family Of Amanda Knox Await Verdict [Seattle Post-Intelligencer]
Italian Jury Finds Amanda Knox Guilty Of Murdering Roommate [CNN]
Italian Jury Convicts U.S. Student Of Murder [NYTimes]
Exclusive: Amanda Knox's Parents End Their Silence [ABCNews]
Meredith Kercher's Family Breaks Silence On Second Anniversary Of Murder [ABCNews]
Lawsuits Fly In Amanda Knox Murder Trial [CBS]
Prosecutor Asks For Life Sentence For Knox [Seattle Post-Intelligencer]
Meredith Kercher Trial: "Don't Give Me The Mask Of An Assassin," Says Amanda Knox [Telegraph]
Amanda Knox's Lawyer Tears Up In Court [CBS]
Amanda Knox Prosecutor Imagines The Attack [ABCNews]
Knox Hated Slay Victim, Prosecutor Says [CBS]
Amanda Knox "Had No Motive For Kercher Murder" [BBC]
Rudy Guede Guilty Of Meredith Kercher Murder, Amanda Knox Faces Trial [TimesOnline]
Amanda Knox: I'm Only A Target Because I'm Sexy [TimesOnline]
A Murder Year Abroad? [Time]

Earlier:
Amanda Knox: As Sweet And Innocent As A Montmartre Housebreaker
Amanda "Foxy Knoxy" Knox Will Stand Trial For Murder
Don't Hate Alleged Murderess Because She's "Ivory Soap Ad" Beautiful

The jury is expected to issue a verdict on Knox in the next few days. Unfortunately, as several recent articles point out, Knox has already been tried in the court of public opinion - and lost. Anyone following the trial of Amanda Knox by now probably knows not only the basic story—in brief: Knox is accused of murdering her roommate Meredith Kercher while on a semester abroad in Italy—but also the intimate details of Knox's life, from her toilet-flushing habits to her sex toy of choice. The trial has painted over Knox again and again, casting her first as a sex-crazed sadist, and then as a sweet, overgrown child. It's come to the point where Amanda Knox, the 22-year-old from Seattle, has been completely lost behind all the lurid layers. Her "angelic" face has provided the perfect canvas onto which both prosecution and defense have projected discordant images, each supposedly grounded in analysis of Knox's behavior.

Today Knox revealed that she is "scared of having the mask of an assassin forced onto me." She reportedly appeared in tears, trying desperately to convince the jury of her innocence. She said she has been trying to remain calm even though she is "disappointed, sad and frustrated" after spending two years behind bars. She also says she remains "confident and certain in what I know."

But it may prove difficult for the jurors to separate fact from fiction. And there has been a lot of fiction in the trial. In closing arguments, the prosecution described Knox as a "Luciferina," a "dirty-minded she-devil." One prosecutor, in what seems like an attempt to create a real-life version of one of those sepia-toned flashback scenes from CSI, stood in front of the jury and asked them to imagine what Knox could have said to her roommate before raping and murdering her:

You are always behaving like a little saint. Now we will show you. Now we will make you have sex.

Of course, there is no evidence Knox ever said this. There is also no evidence that she was even in the room. But they're not even saying she said this, just that she might have. Timothy Egan for the New York Times' Opinonator asks:

What century is this? Didn't Joan of Arc, the Inquisition and our own American Salem witch trials teach civilized nations a thing or two about contrived sexual hysteria with a devil twist?

Answer: apparently not.

Amanda Knox Revisited [Opionator]
Amanda Knox Has Lost The Battle For Public Opinion [Newsweek]
US Suspect Knox Urges Italain Court To Free Her [AP]

Just when you thought the Amanda Knox murder trial couldn't become anymore luridly bizarre, defense attorney Giulia Bongiorno went ahead and upped the ante. The prosecution, you'll recall, has made the case that the 22-year-old, in concert with ex-boyfriend Rafael Sollecito and friend Rudy Guede, murdered Knox's roommate, British student Meredith Kercher during a night of sinister debauchery in 2007. Bongiorno, however, paints a different picture. A candy-colored one! As UPI reports,

Bongiorno, in a blistering critique of the prosecution's case in the hotly debated trial, compared Knox to the naive character played by actress Audrey Tautou in the French film "Amelie," which Knox and Sollecito contend they were watching together the night Kercher was slain..."There is a more simple truth to Amanda," the Web site quoted Bongiorno as saying. "She looks at the world with eyes of Amelie: A naive, slightly extravagant, spontaneous young girl who is 60 percent imagination and 40 percent reality."

Of course, this is largely apiece with the embattled case, in which Knox has been treated, always, as a decidedly female killer. Her demeanor and appearance - viewed by some as preternaturally calm and cheerful - have been criticized. Certainly, presenting the young woman as a cheerful naif would be a much more attractive explanation for behaviors like sporting "All You Need Is Love" tees, going on lingerie-shopping sprees, doing cartwheels, and riffing on rabbit shaped sex toys, then the sociopathic callousness the prosecution has suggested. Coverage of the case, and of Knox, has always been aggressively pink-hued. The Daily Mail, that arbiter of taste, quickly took up the attractive student's MySpace nickname, "Foxy Knoxy" and described her as, for starters, as "like a Hollywood diva sashaying along the red carpet."

If the prosecution has its way, she's what the Guardian termed "a manipulative femme fatale who helped to kill her friend in an orgiastic sex game" - the ultimate villainness out of B-movies. If the defense is to be believed, she's instead the ingenue. It makes us wish, not for the first time, for some more nuanced female characters - and a swift end to the sensationalistic tragedy.

Attorney: Knox Naive Like Movie's 'Amelie' [UPI]

Amanda Knox's Court Demeanor In The Spotlight [Seattle Times]
The Friends Back Home Intent On Telling The 'Real Amanda Knox' Story [Guardian]
The Foxy Knoxy Show: Smiling Murder Suspect Makes Grand Entrance As Trial Begins [Daily Mail]

Earlier: Prosecutor In Amanda Knox Trial Pushes For Life In Prison

Justin Cosby, a Cambridge resident and suspected pot dealer, was fatally wounded on May 18th during what police believe was a robbery gone awry. He was shot in the stomach in Kirkland House, a university dormitory, but he managed to run out into the street before collapsing. He died several hours later in the hospital.

Jordan Copney, a professional songwriter from New York, has been charged with his murder, the Times of London reports. It is believed that Copney targeted Cosby because he was carrying a large stash of marijuana and $1,000 in cash. Copney allegedly knew Cosby through two girls who attended Harvard: his girlfriend, and her close friend, Campbell. Police say that Cosby sold drugs to the Harvard students, including the two girls reportedly involved in the shooting.

Prosecutors believe that Cosby was "visiting friends on the campus" when he was confronted by Copney, who had traveled to campus with the express purpose of robbing Cosby. It is unknown how Copney gained access to the dormitory, but police believe that Campbell loaned him her security pass, an allegation that Campbell thoroughly denies. Once Copney was in the building, he approached Cosby, and "during the course of the confrontation, multiple shots were fired. One of those shots struck Cosby, resulting in his death."

The Boston Globe reports that although Campbell admits that she knew Copney through his girlfriend, she maintains that she was not involved in the murder in any way. Campbell claims she was taking a final when the alleged robbery occurred, and she never lent her security pass to Copney. She also makes the distinction that she lives in Kirkland annex, not Kirkland House, which is where the shooting took place. "I have no knowledge of anything that happened, none whatsoever," Campbell said. However, Harvard has taken action against Campbell, banning her from campus and barring her from participating in graduation.

Campbell has publicly stated that she believes she is the victim of racism:

Asked why she believes Harvard administrators took the actions they did, she said she was not making an "overall claim of racism," but "I do believe I am being singled out. . . . The honest answer to that is that I'm black and I'm poor and I'm from New York and I walk a certain way and I keep my clothes a certain way," she said. "It's something that labels me as different from everyone else."

Campbell's claims are not without precedent. Last month, Harvard held a panel to look into whether campus police unfairly stopped black students because of their race, reports the Associated Press - which also puts the percent of African-American, admitted students at 11%:

In 2004, police stopped and questioned a prominent black Harvard professor who matched a robbery suspect's description. Then, in 2007, police responding to noise complaints asked leaders of black student groups holding a field day on campus to show their Harvard IDs.

Last year, a black campus worker who lost his bicycle lock key said an officer drew a gun on him after he tried to cut the lock off.

The panel found that they needed to do more work in order to create a "welcoming environment at the school."

During a phone call monitored by her attorney, Campbell told the New York Post that she is "hurt and I'm confused, for me not to be graduating is frustrating." She also said that she had never seen Cosby before, and she doesn't know why she is the only one being asked to leave campus. "This is incredibly hurtful to know it's only me that has been kicked off campus," Campbell said. "I'm feeling I'm being scapegoated and I can't defend myself."

Campbell's lawyer, Jeffrey Karp, says that Harvard has not yet disclosed their reason for barring Campbell from graduating, but he hopes he will be able to work out a deal that will allow her to participate in the ceremony. "Harvard is being cold and callous," he said. "What they have done to Chanequa is equivalent to having your house foreclosed and losing your job on the same day."

Student Says Harvard Is Wrongly Linking Her To Campus Murder [Boston Globe]
Harvard Accused Of Racism After Expelling Student Over Campus Killing [Times]
Brooklyn Harvard Student Chenequa Campbell Barred From Campus During Murder Investigation [New York Post]
Black Harvard Student: Racism Part Of Campus Ban [AP]

The Genuine Crime and Punishment Experience: Learn to swing an axe in a 6 X 6' room! Spend one week doing penal servitude in Siberia! Price includes one wooden cross, unlimited time for mental anguish, soul-searching, and the ultimate rejection of nihilism.
"I'd recommend the Crime and Punishment Experience to anyone searching for an escape from the materialism of the prevailing zeitgeist!" - Peggy Nolan, Akron, OH

Outward Bound: Lord of the Flies: Your child will be dropped on a deserted island with no wilderness or survival training. Included in price: one-way airfare, conch shell. Learn first-hand the evil of man and the significance of civilization on our baser natures! Contemplate the influence of the Cold War on cultural nihilism!
"Lord of the Flies really helped Ryan grow up. He hasn't been the same since! He'll thank us one day." - Bill Pretz, Williamsburg, VA

Death in Venice Walking Tour: Experience the beauty of Venice through the eyes of an author consumed with his own mortality and desire for a pre-pubescent Polish aristocrat! Like Gustav, you'll get the "middle-aged Italian roue makeover" complete with rouge and pomade, flee from the cholera, and stalk children across a picturesque Venetian resort. An escape from reality you won't forget!
"This really gives you time to enjoy your own company. I know myself a lot better now." - Mike Collins, Irvington, NY.

Grow Your Own Flowers in the Attic!: A perfect experience for you and three friends! Your journey begins in idyllic Gladstone, Pennsylvania, then continues by train to beautiful Charlottesville, Virginia, where you'll study arts and crafts, home decor and landscaping in cozy accomodations!
"You have to experience it to understand." - Molly Katz, 13

On The Trail Of Laura Ingalls Wilder [Star Tribune]

Unfortunately, her high school has a zero-tolerance policy on drugs. Students have been penalized for ibuprofen to sunscreen. Students across Virginia face expulsion if they carry in any "controlled substance" regulated by the federal government or even any "imitation controlled substance," which includes virtually any prescription pill. Some have criticized this harsh policy, which dictates the same punishment for a student who takes their birth control during school hours as one who brings a gun onto school property. "To put birth control in the same category as illegal drugs or handguns stigmatizes responsible behavior," said Deb Hauser of Advocates for Youth. The suspended teen, who wishes to remain anonymous, has asked her school to reexamine the regulations so that other students will not "needlessly suffer" as she has. [Washington Post]

Judge Reggie B. Walton says it best:

I don't sentence people to rape.

The fact that prison rape has become an accepted part of prison culture and, in fact, viewed by some people in some cases as an acceptable retributory action isn't acceptable. Incarceration is meant to be its own punishment, and so long as our society eschews the eye-for-an-eye system of punishment in cases of theft and other assaults — and, in some places, in cases of murder — then rapists (let alone anyone else) shouldn't face sexual assaults as a form of social retributions for their crimes, let alone accept or venerate the rapists committing them.

Furthermore, if a man rapes a sex worker, or a woman in a short skirt, or a drunk woman — despite Bill O'Reilly's feelings on the subject — most right-minded people would agree that the rapist shouldn't get a pass because the woman wasn't keeping with certain social standards (i.e., because some people would consider her "bad"). So then why is it any more socially acceptable for people to wish rape — or at least to not harshly condemn it — on prison inmates because they've done something illegal? Activist Lovisa Stannow with Just Detention International says that it's due to a level of social discomfort among people and with discussing sex and rape, so we revert to cheap (and ugly) jokes and old school concepts of retribution.

Survivor Adds A Name, Face To Prison Rape [NPR]

Related: O'Reilly: Rape, Murder Victim Was "wearing a miniskirt and a halter top. ... [E]very predator in the world is gonna pick that up at 2 in the morning" [Media Matters]

Caffey, her 19 year old boyfriend, Charlie James Wilkinson, and two others were charged with the planning and execution of a crime that left Caffey's mother, Penny, and her two brothers, Matthew, 13 and Tyler, 8, dead of multiple stab and gunshot wounds. Caffey's father, Terry, was shot five times, but somehow managed to escape, even as Wilkinson and company set fire to the family home.

Caffey was not present during the actual murder; she and a friend, Bobbi Gale Johnson (who received 40 years for her role), waited in a car parked nearby while her boyfriend and two others went on their gruesome rampage. Caffey was upset with her parents because they didn't like Wilkinson, and the group plotted the murders as a result.

Caffey's plea deal allows the teen to avoid being tried in an adult court. "I think it was a just sentence," says defense attorney William McDowell, "Everyone is pleased with it."

Erin Caffey, 17, Gets 2 Life Terms In Family Deaths [HuffingtonPost]

According to Thomas Erdbrink of the Washington Post, "an Iranian court ordered that five drops of the same chemical be placed in each of her attacker's eyes, acceding to Bahrami's demand that he be punished according to a principle in Islamic jurisprudence that allows a victim to seek retribution for a crime." Though the sentence has yet to be carried out, Bahrami says that she hopes the punishment will set an example throughout Iran: "At an age at which I should be putting on a wedding dress, I am asking for someone's eyes to be dripped with acid," she says, "I am doing that because I don't want this to happen to any other women." [WashingtonPost]