Martial Arts News December 2007

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From: http://www.canada.com
(December 29, 2007):

Canada -- A 54-year-old Port Coquitlam, B.C. taekwondo grand master has been ordered to stand trial, accused of sexually assaulting young students at his martial arts school.

The man was arrested and charged in February, 2007. Police alleged at the time that the assaults, involving teenaged students at his school, began in the 1990s and continued through the decade.

From: http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com
(December 28, 2007):

The girl was reportedly  a student at the man's martial arts school in West Milford, New Jersey. He was supposedly claiming to have an affair with the girl because it "was one of the school's rites".

According to reports, the 39-year-old man allegedly abused his 15-year-old female student sexually and then began having sex with her in 2005.

From: http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20071222/APE/712220534
(December 22, 2007):

Chuck Norris allegedly is taking on this new book titled "The Truth About Chuck Norris." The actor claims it's a big lie and that he wants to stop its distribution.

From: http://www.indystar.com
(December 20, 2007):

Indiana -- Charges against a Noblesville karate instructor were dropped after prosecutors discovered the Child pornography material was not his.

However, investigators alleges the material belongs to his child, a juvenile, so the 45-year-old man was charged with neglect of a dependent.

From: http://www.seacoastonline.com
(December 20, 2007):

From: http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=88653
(December 18, 2007):

Bulgaria -- A 26-year-old karate player with a criminal record has been sentenced to prison for brutally killing the folk singer Pasko Dereliev in the beginning of 2007.

From: http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1140032
(December 18, 2007):

India -- IT/BPO companies in Bangalore have decided to train their employees in martial arts after the recent incidents that have put a question mark on the safety of women.

Several large companies are now part of the martial arts bandwagon, initiated five years ago.

"I'm now better placed to handle problems," says a software professional who is into kickboxing. A HP spokesperson says, "After the murder of Pratibha Murthy, we introduced 'Give it to them' where employees learn to fight attackers."

From: www.kcbs.com/Judo-Coach-Testifies-in-Reiser-Murder-Trial/1350439
(December 17, 2007):

California -- The murder tria prosecution has called a legendary judo coach to the stand. At age 72, Willie Cahill, has operated his Judo school in San Bruno since the 1960's.

Called to the witness stand, Cahill acknowledged that the accused - Hans Reiser - was one of his students. Reiser is accused of killing his wife Nina, who went missing in September of 2006. Her body has not been found.

Cahill said the accused never showed a temper control problem, and that the defendant had to be both aggressive and passive while training for his black belt. Cahill also said he confronted Reiser after his wife disappeared.

From: http://www.bloodyelbow.com/story/2007/12/15/111133/70
(December 15, 2007):

Brazil -- A Sao Paulo newspaper reported that 33-year-old Ryan Gracie was arrested for stealing a car, after mugging and hitting a 76-year-old man. According to the news article, Gracie soon after crashed the vehicle into a parking barrier.

After his arrest, Gracie was taken to be tested for drugs and returned to prison about 3 a.m. He was left alone in his own cell, and at 7 a.m. the following morning he was found dead during a routine check.

The newspaper claims Ryan Gracie has had trouble with the authorities before. Gracie was allegedly arrested in September 2006 for aggravated assault, making threats, and resisting arrest.

From: hartlepoolmail.co.uk/news/Pervert-locked-up-for-alleged.3594074.jp
(December 15, 2007):

UK -- A 52-year-old karate instructor who spied on a naked schoolgirl has been locked up for allegedly threatening to slit the throat of the dad of his victim minutes before he was due to appear in court.

The man was captured on CCTV allegedly making the throat cutting gesture with his hand in a hallway at a Crown Court.

The karate black belt was due to be sentenced after admitting voyeurism and common assault after watching the youngster (who was aged under 13) as she undressed and showered. However, the hearing was adjourned after the victim's family made the shocking claim.

From: http://www.dailymail.co.uk
(December 14, 2007):

Ireland -- After being attack by a samurai sword-wielding man, two experienced firefighters reportedly had to leave work suffering shock.

It was around 2 a.m. that the firefighters were called to a car fire in Dundalk, County Louth. They feared the fire could spread to a nearby house.

As two of the officers were putting on breathing apparatus, a man holding a samurai sword ran towards them. A colleague then turned a water hose on the attacker knocking him to the ground.

From: http://www.dailymail.com/News/200712140435
(December 14, 2007):

West Virginia -- Three months have passed since he made the dumbest decision of his life. On September 26, the 45-year-old Cross Lanes karate instructor was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of solicitation, according to Kanawha County Court documents.

The man thought his controversial arrest would destroy his pet project, a twice-a-week karate class. Although it cost him between 10 and 15 students, whose parents removed them from his class, he still has about 35 students.

From: http://www.fox6.com
(December 13, 2007):

California -- A professional mixed martial artist who appeared as a fighter on the Spike TV series "The Ultimate Fighter," has pleaded guilty to hitting and choking a man outside a fight club in San Diego this summer.

The 26-year-old man pleaded guilty to assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury and could face up to a year in jail when he is sentenced February 7.

From: http://www.nydailynews.com
(December 13, 2007):

The Q train peacemaker has a brown belt in karate and probably could have taken out a couple of the thugs harassing Chanukah revelers if he struck the first blow. But that isn't the style of Hassan Askari.

From: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7138735.stm
(December 12, 2007):

UK Even though the announcement that samurai swords are to be banned in England and Wales has been welcomed by those who have campaigned against their sale, collectors and martial arts enthusiasts are concerned legitimate owners may fall foul of the law.

Barbara Dunne hopes the announcement is vindication for years of campaigning against bladed weapons, and samurai swords in particular.

In 2003, her son Robert from Middlesbrough was killed by a teenager wielding a samurai sword. The weapon punctured his heart. A man is currently serving a life sentence for murder.

From: http://canadianpress.google.com
(December 8, 2007):

A man who sued his martial arts teacher after his knee was injured while the teacher was demonstrating a move has been awarded damages of more than $155,000.

Court was told that the Campbell River man suffered a ligament tear and damage to the cartilage of his right knee as a result of pressure applied by the teacher on January 23, 2003.

The martial arts student said he heard his knee pop, rip and tear, suffered excruciating pain and blacked out for 20 to 30 seconds.

From: http://www.dallasnews.com
(December 4, 2007):

Texas -- A mixed martial arts fighter has died, about six weeks after he was knocked out in a sanctioned bout.

Sam Vasquez, 35, of Houston was injured October 20 and died Friday. The Harris County medical examiner's office said it could be several days before the official cause is determined.

Mixed martial arts fighting, a combination of judo, boxing, karate, Muay Thai, kickboxing, tae kwon do, jiujitsu and wrestling, has grown in popularity and has attracted large pay-per-view television audiences.

From: http://www.thestar.com/News/GTA/article/282033
(December 3, 2007):

Canadian police have arrested a woman in Milton after two people were slashed with a samurai sword.

Police said the victim was having an argument with his girlfriend when she grabbed a sword that was on display in the apartment and struck him on the shoulder, arm and head.

When the victim's brother heard the commotion, police say he told the woman to leave. That's when investigators say she headed across the street to the gas station and began smashing windows.

From: http://www.newyorker.com/talk/2007/12/10/071210ta_talk_mcgrath
(December 2, 2007):

In retrospect, it figures that a serial "ninja burglar" would turn up on Staten Island, a borough whose biggest cultural export, the Wu-Tang Clan, long ago nicknamed the place Shaolin, in honor of kung-fu movies.

This particular bandit, who is now thought to have robbed eighteen homes on the island in the past seven months, acquired his honorific in September, when he encountered a Dongan Hills resident named Phil Chiolo while raiding Chiolo's home. He was dressed all in black, with a black face mask, Chiolo said, and he carried nun-chucks, which he used to club Chiolo in the chest, head, and shins before Chiolo was able to retaliate by stabbing at him with a steak knife.

Chiolo, who suffered a welt near his collarbone, said the other day that he is fine, but Staten Island has since gone ninja mad, with the burglar enjoying a kind of romantic outlaw notoriety. Other victims have likened him to a gazelle or a cat ("very athletic, very quiet, and very fast"), capable of scaling walls and leaping noiselessly out windows. (No one has heard him speak.)

From: http://www.standardspeaker.com
(December 1, 2007):

Pennsylvania -- A judge have ruled that a Foster Township man will face a charge of criminal homicide for allegedly stabbing his live-in girlfriend to death in October.

The man said the 31-year-old woman displayed a knife first while the two were fighting and he was wounded during the incident. He said he soon lost control, stabbed her repeatedly and then called 911.

Though the man has said the stabbing occurred in self defense, prosecutors don't believe it. The man has a black belt in martial arts and admitted the woman wasn't holding the knife in a threatening way.

From: http://www.palmbeachpost.com
(December 1, 2007):

Florida -- Prosecutors Friday declined to file charges against a nationally renowned mixed martial arts fighter who was arrested in October after investigators alleged he organized "illegal cage fighting" matches in St. Lucie West.

31-year-old Din Thomas - who made a name for himself while competing in the Ultimate Fighting Championship - was arrested on October 31. Police at the time said he organized and promoted an unsanctioned and unlicensed match on October 19 that drew more than 150 spectators.

He was accused of violating a Florida statute that governs "prohibited competitions," a third-degree felony that could have carried a maximum five-year sentence. However, the Assistant State Attorney filed paperwork Friday dismissing the charge on which Thomas was arrested.

From: http://www.nbc4.com/news/14748294/detail.html
(December 1, 2007):

Maryland -- Police said a man tried to kill himself Saturday after killing his wife with a sword.

The incident happened at about 2:30 p.m. at a martial arts studio in Clinton, according to reports.

Police said a man attempted to hang himself after killing his wife with a sword, but he survived. He was transported to a local hospital in critical condition.

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