Sweden: 23 women convicted of child pornography

STOCKHOLM (AP) — A Swedish court on Tuesday convicted 23 women and one man of child pornography offenses in what investigators called a unique case because of the number of female perpetrators.

The Falu District Court gave the women, aged between 38 and 70, conditional sentences and fines ranging from 2,500 to 18,000 Swedish kronor ($380 to $2,700). It also sentenced a 43-year-old man to one year in prison for aggravated child pornography.

The court said the women received scores of sexually explicit video clips and photographs of children from the man and discussed them online with him. Some said they liked the images or shared sexual fantasies about the children, and one woman sent pornographic images of children to the man, the court said.

The material showed girls and boys of various ages, from toddlers to teenagers.

The man made contact with the women on the Internet and had sexual relations with about half of them, but they had no connection to each other, the court said.

Some 1,181 pictures and 40 films with child pornography were found in the man's computer, including brutal images of shackled children being raped by adults.

Swedish police said reactions they have received from Interpol indicate this is the first child pornography case worldwide to involve so many women.

The court noted that the man appeared to be seeking out women that had been "struck by tragedies within the family, or had been generally mentally worn out."

"Even though they (the women) ... obviously must take full responsibility for their actions, nothing else can be said than that he has abused their weak psychological state and longing for human contact. This has been systematical," the court said.

It added that the majority of the women would probably not have looked at child pornography had they not been introduced to it by the man.

The man confessed to committing a child pornography offense of the lower degree but denied aggravated crime.

A 39-year-old woman denied any involvement, claiming someone else must have used her computer, while five of the women confessed. The others admitted they had received the files, but denied criminal guilt, saying they weren't aware of what kind of files they had received or had suffered memory loss.

In Sweden, defendants in such cases are not named by the nation's media.

Lawyer Staffan Uvabeck, who represents the 39-year-old woman, says he assumes his client wants to appeal.

"She has denied that she used her computer for this," he said. "Since this happened a very long time ago, five years ago, we believe there is room for other interpretations of what has happened."

Lawyers of other defendants didn't immediately return calls seeking a comment.

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Malin Rising can be reached at http://twitter.com/malinrising

English Soccer Capsules

Brief details of Saturday's Premier League games:

Manchester City 1, Arsenal 3 (1-2)

Bacary Sagna ran into the box and crossed to Emmanuel Adebayor, whose shot was partly deflected by City defender Micah Richards past goalkeeper Joe Hart in the 21st minute. Adebayor set up the second goal in the 26th, beating two City defenders in the air to head a left-wing cross down to Eduardo da Silva, who appeared to be offside when he turned to shoot home from six meters. City hit back two minutes later when Arsenal left back Gael Clichy lost the ball to Vedran Corluka, who laid the ball back for Gelson Fernandes to slide it home inside the area. Adebayor's second goal two minutes from the end came when Alexandre Hleb and Cesc Fabregas exchanged passes on an Arsenal breakaway, and the striker arrived unmarked to drive the ball in from 13 meters.

Tottenham 1, Manchester United 1 (1-0)

Dimitar Berbatov gave Spurs the lead in the 21st minute when Jermaine Jenas broke out of defense and passed to Aaron Lennon. The winger's cross was parried by goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar but Berbatov netted from close range. In late United pressure near the end, Carlos Tevez equalized in the 90th minute when he forced the ball home while pressurizing Spurs defender Michael Dawson on the goal line.

Reading 0, Bolton 2 (0-1)

Royals goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann saved a penalty in the 23rd minute from Matt Taylor after Marek Matejovsky tripped Gretar Steinsson. But Hahnemann was beaten in the 33rd when Kevin Davies won the ball in the air from a clearance from Bolton goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen and Kevin Nolan fired home. Heidar Helguson added the second goal in the 58th when he fired home the rebound after Hahnemann had blocked Taylor's shot.

Portsmouth 1, Chelsea 1 (0-0)

Nicolas Anelka gave the visitor the lead in the 55th minute at Fratton Park when Florent Malouda went on a breakaway and his cross was set up for the striker by Joe Cole. Nine minutes later, Milan Baros, on loan from Lyon, flicked on a clearance by goalkeeper David James to Jermain Defoe who celebrated his debut with an equalizer.

Wigan 1, West Ham 0 (1-0)

Kevin Kilbane, a winger converted to a left-side defender, headed the only goal of the game deep into first half injury time from a long ball by Ryan Taylor. Michael Brown should have added a second early in the second half but his shot was blocked by the legs of Hammers goalkeeper Robert Green.

Birmingham 1, Derby 1 (0-0)

Sebastian Larsson gave the Blues the lead in the 68th when he met a cross from David Murphy and fired into the roof of the net. Only a minute remained when Emanuel Villa scored his first goal since his transfer window move from Mexican club UAG Techies when he headed home a cross from Dean Leacock..

Blackburn 0, Everton 0

Andy Johnson had a goal disallowed for offside seven minutes from the end. James Vaughan set up the chance, beating Rovers goalkeeper Brad Friedel to a through ball and laying off a pass to the striker who appeared onside to shoot home.

Liverpool 3, Sunderland 0 (0-0)

Peter Crouch headed Liverpool ahead in the 55th minute from a cross by Jamie Carragher and Fernando Torres added a second in the 69th from Crouch's flick. After Sunderland was denied a penalty for Carragher's hand ball, Liverpool was awarded a spot kick a minute from the end when Nyron Nosworthy fouled Jermaine Pennant and Steven Gerrard added the third.

Disgraced Dem Donor Arrested in Colorado

SAN FRANCISCO - Disgraced Democratic fundraiser Norman Hsu was arrested in Colorado late Thursday on a warrant a judge issued after he failed to show up for a court appearance related to a felony theft conviction.

FBI agents took Hsu into custody at St. Mary's Hospital in Grand Junction, Colo., said FBI spokesman Joseph Schadler.

Hsu had been scheduled to appear in court Wednesday to turn over his passport and ask a judge to cut in half the $2 million bail he posted last week when he turned himself in after spending 15 years on the lam from a felony theft conviction.

Instead, Hsu failed to show up at the bail reduction hearing and a judge issued a new arrest warrant for him.

California Attorney General spokesman Gareth Lacy said Hsu's lawyers told prosecutors Hsu arrived by charter jet at the Oakland airport about 5:30 a.m. Wednesday local time and then wasn't heard from again.

When it became apparent that Hsu had fled the state, California authorities sought the assistance of the FBI, whose agents arrested him Thursday night on charges of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution, Schadler said.

Once he is returned to state custody, the federal charges will be dismissed, Schadler said.

Medaglia d'Oro, Volponi 1-2 in Whitney

Handicap by a length Saturday at Saratoga Race Course in SaratogaSprings, N.Y.

Medaglia d'Oro, a 4-year-old ridden by Jerry Bailey and trained byBobby Frankel, finished the 11/8-mile course in 1:47/?240-208? on afast track.

"Deep down I knew, and Bobby told me, he was ready," Bailey said."He was fit and 100 percent. I knew as soon as I asked the questionif he was ready, I was going to find out pretty quick, and hecertainly had enough."

Medaglia d'Oro, owned by Edmund Gann, paid $3.60, $2.50 and $2.30in the 76th running of the Grade I race for 3-year-olds and up.Volponi returned $2.80 and $2.40. Evening Attire paid $3 to show.

The Whitney was a rematch between Volponi and Medaglia d'Oro. Ninemonths ago, Volponi beat Medaglia d'Oro and War Emblem as a 43-1 longshot to win in the $4 million Breeders' Cup Classic at ArlingtonPark.

Medaglia d'Oro, the winner of last year's Jim Dandy Stakes andTravers Stakes at Saratoga, broke well and settled into second placebehind Northern Rock. Volponi, ridden by Jose Santos, seemed tostumble out of the gate but regained his stride and moved intofourth. Through the halfway mark, the horses kept a fast pace asMedaglia d'Oro stayed on Northern Rock's tail and Volponi made a moveinto third. As the field entered the final turn, Medaglia d'Orocharged into first. Volponi gained on the winner in the final furlongbut couldn't catch him.

"I thought down the stretch that maybe Volponi was going to run byhim, but he dug in and showed his guts," Frankel said.

Volponi, trained by P.G. Johnson, has failed to reach the winner'scircle this year, finishing second in four consecutive starts.

"He was a little wild going down the backstretch," Johnson said."He was all over the place. But he does that sometimes, and I thinkhe's looking for a place to run."

In the Grade II Amsterdam, Zavata, with Bailey up, ran away from apack of six to win the six-furlong race in 1:08.64. It was Zavata'sthird stakes victory.

DEL MAR: Katdogawn ($12.20, $4.60 and $3.60) defeated 6-5 favoriteAtlantic Ocean by two lengths to win the $150,000 San ClementeHandicap for 3-year-old fillies. Ridden by Julie Krone, Katdogawncovered a mile on the turf in 1:33/?240-208?, a stakes record thatbettered the mark of 1:33ª/?240-208? set by Little Treasure lastyear.

AP

Favre a no-show as Rodgers takes over for Pack

With the Brett Favre standoff still simmering, Aaron Rodgers took his place Monday as the Packers' new starting quarterback. Rodgers is trying to ignore what has become a daily soap opera involving the three-time MVP.

Favre is considering filing for reinstatement with the NFL and reporting to camp this week, a move likely intended to pressure Green Bay to grant him his release _ something the Packers refuse to do _ or trade him. The NFL had not received reinstatement paperwork from Favre as of Monday evening.

"I feel like this is really between Brett and the organization, and I'm just trying to stay focused on the things I can control," Rodgers said after the team's first practice at camp.

General manager Ted Thompson spoke twice with Favre on Saturday, for about 45 minutes each time. They decided it would be best for Favre to stay away from Green Bay for now.

"We still have not gotten to the point where we agree on what the best option is," Thompson said Monday. "We have sort of agreed to disagree, and at that time he suggested he would probably delay coming to training camp for at least a couple of days to see how things worked out."

The Packers aren't going to allow Favre to play for an NFC North rival and aren't going to trade him without getting value in return. And Favre might not want to play for any of the teams showing interest, a group that includes Tampa Bay and the New York Jets. Thompson acknowledged talking to other teams.

"There have been some 'kicking of tires'-type conversations," he said.

Favre wants to be released, something Thompson opposes. The Packers hold Favre's rights until his contract expires after the 2010 season.

"A release just doesn't make a lot of sense from the Packers' point of view," Thompson said. "I've not heard many people say that's a good option _ even people that would like to hang me in effigy outside."

The Packers have filed tampering charges against Minnesota, suspecting Favre's latest flip-flop on his future was spurred mainly by interest from the Vikings.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is trying to help the sides reach a settlement.

"I'm glad to see that there are productive discussions and they're talking directly to one another," Goodell said from Buffalo Bills training camp Monday. "They're both important to the league going forward, and I'm hopeful they'll reach a proper resolution."

Goodell said the league was working toward a resolution of the tampering investigation.

Thompson said Favre wanted people to know he doesn't want to become a distraction.

"His reasoning behind that is he cares very much about this team, cares about these players, his former teammates, so he doesn't want to do anything to disrupt from that," Thompson said.

Packers coach Mike McCarthy downplayed that possibility.

"We talked about it as a team yesterday," he said. "I don't foresee Brett Favre coming in here as a problem. Brett Favre is a big part of the Green Bay Packers history, and he may be a part of the future as we move forward, and that's an option that he has if he reinstates."

Thompson reiterated that if Favre were to return to the Packers, it would not be as the starter. Thompson also did not make much of the idea of an open competition with Rodgers.

"We have to continue down this path," Thompson said. "Where that leads, I don't know, but I didn't want to be dishonest or disingenuous and say 'OK, we can do this and then change our mind.' I think Brett Favre deserves more than that, so we told him the way we felt."

Veteran offensive tackle Mark Tauscher lauded Rodgers for his handling of an "uncomfortable situation."

"I think he's stepped in and really taken the reins of what we're doing here," Tauscher said. "I think everybody in this locker room has a lot of confidence in what he can do."

Wide receiver Donald Driver spoke to Favre over the weekend.

"He's a legend," Driver said. "It's just like if anybody else walked in here and wanted to come back and play, you have to welcome 'em back in. You take your hat off to him. He's one of the greatest players in Packers history, as well as the NFL."

Rodgers believes he has earned his teammates' respect.

"They've seen the hard work I've put in," Rodgers said. "I think I've earned a lot of respect from the guys playing on the scout team, being here 100 percent the last three offseasons. Obviously they want to see a guy who's consistent on the field on Sundays, and obviously that's going to take a few weeks to prove that to some of the older guys, but I look forward to that challenge."

Monday's practice attracted more national coverage than usual, but it wasn't exactly a media circus.

"I was expecting elephants and different things to kind of be out there," Tauscher said. "There's a lot of media and stuff, but it wasn't a case where there were trapeze artists."

Favre's presence could change that in a hurry.

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AP Sports Writer John Wawrow contributed to this report from Pittsford, N.Y.

Officer who shot Brazilian testifies at inquest

A police marksman who shot dead an unarmed Brazilian aboard a London subway train said Friday he was sure he faced "immeasurable" danger from a suicide bomber.

The officer told jurors at an inquest into the July 22, 2005, killing of Jean Charles de Menezes that he believed the man he was pursuing had been identified as one of the failed suicide bombers who had tried to attack London's transport system the day before.

"It was left in no doubt as to the type of suspect we were trying to intercept and they were prepared to take their own lives as well as others and the danger was immeasurable," said the marksman, who was granted anonymity by the inquest and identified only by his code name, C12.

An inquest, which is not a trial, is required by British law when someone dies unexpectedly, violently or of unknown causes. De Menezes' family and their supporters hope that it will provide more information about de Menezes' death than has so far been revealed publicly.

De Menezes, a 27-year-old electrician, was followed from his apartment building _ which was also home to one of the would-be bombers _ and onto a subway train by armed officers who fired seven shots into his head.

Friday's testimony was the first time either of the officers who shot de Menezes has spoken publicly about the events. The dead man's mother, Maria Otone de Menezes, 63, and brother Giovani da Silva, 36, were at the inquest to hear him.

The inquest has heard testimony about confused communications between police officers as the London force mounted a huge manhunt for the failed bombers. Tensions were high in the city following suicide bombings two weeks earlier that killed 52 subway and bus passengers.

The officer said he was frustrated by a lack of orders from his superiors in the moments before the shooting.

"We were very, very close to the Tube station as the subject went in and I remember there being a radio silence and I was frustrated by this," he said.

The officer told the inquest that he had been a specialist firearms officer since 1998 but had never fired his gun at a suspect until the day de Menezes was killed.

No individual has been charged in de Menezes' death, although a court convicted the police force last year of health and safety violations for endangering the public's safety during the shooting.

NASA test flight delayed by cloudy weather

Cloudy weather is holding up a test launch of NASA's newest rocket.

The Ares I-X rocket came within two minutes and 39 seconds of launching Tuesday morning. But the countdown was halted when a big cloud settled right over the pad after minor problems held things up earlier.

NASA has until noon (1600 GMT) to get the experimental flight going.

This is the first step in NASA's effort to return astronauts to the moon.

The flight will last two minutes. Parachutes will drop the first-stage booster into the Atlantic for recovery. The upper portion of the rocket _ all fake parts _ will fall uncontrolled into the ocean.

NASA expects to learn a lot, even if it's for another type of rocket. The White House is re-evaluating the human spaceflight program.