Annamay Alexander Pleads Guilty

Arrested months back for sexually molesting and raping a young boy she met on Playstation Home, Annamay Alexander plead guilty earlier this month. From the Daytona Beach News-Journal:

A Deltona woman has pleaded guilty to federal charges she traveled to Oklahoma to have sex with a 14-year-old boy.
Annamay Alexander, 44, also known as Annamay Cherry, entered her guilty plea Wednesday in federal court in Oklahoma City, according to Bob Troester, a spokesman for U.S. Attorney Sanford Coats.
Troester said Alexander admitted during her plea hearing that she drove to the Oklahoma City area Jan. 9 to have sex with the boy, whom she met through an online Sony PlayStation 3 virtual-reality game. The game allows users to create electronic versions of themselves and interact with others.
Alexander, a mother of three, was arrested in Texas in April, several weeks after authorities issued a warrant for her arrest.
Police found suggestive text and photo messages from Alexander on the boy's phone, according to an affidavit, in addition to a photo stored in the boy's PlayStation console of her in her underwear. In her messages, police said she referred to herself as the boy's wife and used his last name.
Troester said Thursday she faces up to 30 years in prison but a sentencing date has not been set.

This is another perfect example of how Playstation Home is not safe for children & young teens.

Bond Denied For Sexual Exploitation Suspect

I've been following this case as well, and I noticed that this little factoid wasn't posted: Judge Calls Alexander 'Risk To Community'

OKLAHOMA CITY -- A federal judge denied bond Monday morning for a Florida woman charged with sending obscene material to a minor.

Annamay Alexander, 44, met the 14-year-old boy while playing a Sony Playstation 3 game online. Police said Alexander drove from Florida to Oklahoma City to meet the boy at least once.

She was arrested last Wednesday by U.S. Marshals in Wichita Falls, Texas.

The boy's mother was in court Monday and told a reporter from Eyewitness News 5 that she is relieved Alexander is being denied bond. The mother left the courtroom surrounded by family, and she appeared to be upset.

An attorney representing Alexander argued that his client should be allowed to bond out of jail, suggesting she wear a GPS monitoring device.

Alexander is charged with transferring obscene material to a minor, two counts of sexual exploitation of a child and travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor.

LOL rednecks. But this isn't really why I'm posting this. The reason I found this interesting is that it appears in the comments surrounding the news article, someone posted who appears to be the mother of the victim:

Okiemainer, my son played games with her family. She has sons around my son's age. Her family had multiple playstations and different family members played games with him at the same time. We believed he was talking to her teenage daughter on the phone. I asked questions about them. I believed what I was told. I was foolish not neglectful. I was upset after court because I didn't know some of the details that I found out today. I don't want your sympathy. I don't have any for me either just for him.

Apr. 5, 2010 6:47pm CST | from Defendingmyself

Oh snap.

Man Charged With Child Porn Via PS3

Remember this from back in March? According to ABC Houston:

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- It's a first for Harris County -- a cyber sex crime committed not with a computer, but with a popular video game console. A man arrested in Kentucky didn't need his computer to view and send child pornography to an 11-year-old Houston area girl.

Anthony Scott O'Shea, 24, was arrested Friday at his home in Sommerset, Kentucky. Authorities said he was viewing and sending child pornography through his Sony Playstation3. O'Shea reportedly didn't even own a computer.

"He used the PS3 for everything, checked his email, played on the internet, on his PS3 and of course, played his games on PS3, but had no computer," said Sgt. Gary Spurger of Harris County Precinct 4.

Investigators showed us how O'Shea used his PS3 to instant message his victim, an 11-year-old girl from the Houston area. Sgt. Spurger said O'Shea befriended the girl, winning her trust and ultimately making obscene demands.

"He asked for pictures of her breasts. She said no. He said friends do things for each other. You're on my friends list. If you don't, I'm gonna remove you, at which point she feels nervous and scared and sent the pictures," said Sgt. Spurger.

Soon afterward, the girl was asked to send nude pictures of herself and authorities said she did using her webcam.

Spurger said the girl had permission to play the PS3 and her parents knew about the internet connection but didn't know about the nude pictures until she told them. The parents immediately notified authorities.

O'Shea has been charged with three felonies, sexual performance of a child, online solicitation of a minor, and promotion of child porn.

Sgt. Spurger said O'Shea's influence over his young victim will be hard to remove as witnessed by this exchange between the girl and investigators.

"The last comment she made was, 'Why is my friend going to jail?' That's what she said and the hardest part was I wanted to reach through the video and tell her, 'Hey that's not your friend, never was and never will be,'" said Sgt. Spurger.

Authorities said O'Shea emailed the girl's nude photo across the country. O'Shea remains in custody in Kentucky under $300,000 bond.

Anyone want to place a bet on how long it will be before Home becomes the object of one of these stories? I'd be willing to place odds on this year.

thesixthaxis.com has now covered the sexual assault in Home story. Read it here.

Naturally, reporting the user to the PSN is the correct thing to do, and although we assume Sony have dealt with this individual the Telegraph has now picked up on the story.

We doubt it.

Indyposted

Now it appears Indyposted has covered PS Home sexual harassment.

Female Claims “PlayStation Home” User Sexually Assaulted Her…Online

PS3 Home player 'sexually assaulted', roommate claims

Lol, it just won't stop! I love the quote:

The incident has lead to a report in Australian newspaper The Daily Telegraph (spotted by NeoGaf poster Puck), which carries the headline "Fears over online sex assaults: Game players traumatized".

In it, the University of Melbourne's Dr Jessica Wolfendale said "unwanted sexual attacks" can emotionally scar victims, even if they are not real.

Man oh man, how many other sites can this be submitted to? Let's find out. Full article here.

God I love Destructoid

God I love Destructoid!

Sexual assault is not funny. Sexual assault in PlayStation Home is hilarious. This is a truth we have all come to accept, but one PS3 user believes it to be serious business. Claiming her roommate was "sexually assaulted," PSN member "Whoef" is seeking a restraining order on a fellow Home fan.

For the full story, head here.

Girl virtually sexually assaulted in Playstation Home

Original forum post - http://boardsus.playstation.com/play...858859#M858859

This morning I learned that my roommate was sexually assaulted near the Festive Tree while she was helping others with the puzzle. She would move and the harasser would follow. Each time trying to get behind her and use the crouch gesture. This apparently went on for some time. The harasser was warned multiple times and laughed at the thought that someone might report him for his actions, which was eventually done, and also, I'm proud to say, by other bystanders.

It should be obvious to any clear thinking person that more needs to be done in these situations. Report, definitely, but at the same time the harasser should be immediately disconnected and then not allowed to enter a instance were their victim is located, keeping them apart. Like a Restraining Order. If the harasser has a string of victims, then let them find themselves all alone or better yet, only with other harassers.

In fact, Home should create the Home Jail, then the harassers can harass each other, since that seems to be their only purpose for being on Home. Put them where they belong. There is no reason Home can't make money on future rapists. After losing all their items, like a real jail, Home can sell them orange jumpsuits, flip-flops and they can decorate their jail cells with a few items such as bunk bed, toilet and a bed roll. They might as well get use to it, that's where they are headed if they don't change their criminal behavior.

At the same time, the victim is given a free personal space which includes a mini-game. The game consists of the harasser being placed in a very small courtyard and the victim, using an automatic tomato gun, shoots tomatoes at their harassers. Perhaps this would encourage these losers not to come back if they are going to act like a criminal.

Okay, those last two paragraphs are probably going over the top. I'm just upset that this took place, but we can still dream.

Seriously, if complaints aren't going to be immediately dealt with by the staff, regardless of the reason, then give some recourse to the victim that doesn't include punishing the victim further and rewarding the harasser. That sitting gesture should be immediately removed. If sexual assault and other crimes against users, it seems predominantly against women, is allowed to continue, at the very least Home is going to turn into an all male application. Worse, Home is going to lose a lot of money. Starting right now with my roommate's.

She hasn't decided whether she will go back into Home. At this point she is rather disappointed with the whole thing and I don't blame her at all. Me, I'd rather not completely say what I'd like to do. Lets just say it involves food and hungry dogs.

Wow, Home's lack of sexual harassment has made it into the newspaper! And people thought Home-Watch was the only group noticing this?