Lottery win led to abuse

A convicted pedophile in the United States allegedly used a large lottery win to groom an underage boy for sex. Daniel Snay, 62, bought the winning $20 scratchie in 2008 in Hopedale, Massachusetts, claiming the $11 million prize. Police allege Snay used his winnings to "gain favor with people" before systematically sexually abusing an underage boy. The alleged abuse went on for four years. Despite receiving tip-offs from Snay's neighbors, who told police they were concerned that he was in close contact with children, officers were only able to act after the alleged victim came forward. Snay was convicted of indecent assault and battery on six occasions in the 1970s and 1980s. He has been charged with reckless endangerment of a child, enticement of a child and dissemination of pornography to a minor.

Mick Jagger's girlfriend dead

Celebrated fashion designer L'Wren Scott, the girlfriend of Rolling Stones singer Mick Jagger, was found dead from an apparent suicide in her Manhattan apartment on Monday, police said. Scott, 47, a former model whose slim-fitting dresses were favorites among Hollywood's A-list stars, was found hanging from a scarf. "We are investigating it as a suicide," said New York police Detective Kelly Ort. Jagger, 70, said through a spokesperson that he was "completely shocked and devastated". The glamorous pair had been dating since 2001 and were often seen at celebrity events, with the 1.91-meter-tall, raven-haired Scott towering over her rock-star boyfriend.

Kanye West on probation

Rapper Kanye West has been placed on a two-year probation and ordered to complete community service and anger management sessions after pleading no contest to misdemeanor charges last Monday stemming from an altercation with a photographer last year. The 36-year-old Grammy-winner was placed on probation for 24 months and will have to complete 240 hours of community service and 24 anger management sessions. The rapper will be formally booked but will not have to spend any time in jail. West and photographer Daniel Ramos were involved in a scuffle outside of the Los Angeles International Airport in July, which was captured in a video posted on celebrity news website TMZ. It showed the rapper appearing to lunge at Ramos.

Pope pulls plug on Crowe

There was speculation last week that Pope Francis had reportedly pulled the plug on a potential chat with Noah star Russell Crowe at the Vatican for fear of creating a media circus. The approachable pontiff had tentatively agreed to sit down with the Australian actor on Wednesday around 8:30 am, Variety reported. Crowe, 49, had personally reached out to the pope last month via Twitter, offering to let him view the biblical big screen epic before the multitudes, in the hope he'd give the film his blessing. Vatican officials had tentatively agreed to a meeting, but the pope then reconsidered, worried about the media frenzy it would create.

Iran stoning sentence commuted

An Iranian woman sentenced to die by stoning for adultery and later given a 10-year jail term instead has been allowed to leave prison. A judiciary spokesman told Reuters that Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani had been given "a leave" from prison several weeks ago for good behavior. He said, without elaborating, that the decision was a sign of "our religion's leniency towards women". There was no immediate word on whether the release was permanent or whether it was subject to some form of probation. Mother-of-two Ashtiani was convicted of adultery and complicity in the murder of her husband in 2005. A court sentenced Ashtiani to be stoned in 2006 but the sentence was suspended in 2010 in the face of international pressure on Teheran. Her sentence was then reduced to 10 years, for being an accessory to her husband's murder.

Moviegoer killed over argument

A man who argued with two other moviegoers about the ending of a film in the United States last week was struck outside the cinema by a truck driven by his adversaries and killed, the Harris County Sheriff's Office said on Monday. The men's discussion of the film, believed to be the Ancient Greek-era battle-heavy action flick 300: Rise of an Empire, grew more heated as the three left the theater and went to the parking lot after the late Sunday evening film. Two of the men then got into a pickup truck. "The driver of the truck put the vehicle in reverse striking the victim and knocking him to the ground," the sheriff's office for Houston-area county said.

Agencies

(China Daily 03/23/2014 page4)