Category Archives: Crime

UK riots live: arrests pass 400 as police prepare for further riots; man in serious condition after suspected hate crime

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More than 400 people arrested in connection with riots and disorder; man hospitalised in Belfast

The UK’s National Union of Students has offered a statement of support to communities affected by far-right rioting and violence, including students from Muslim and migrant backgrounds, following a week of far-right violence across England and in Belfast.

“At NUS, we stand in solidarity with the migrants, racialised and Muslim communities that have faced xenophobic, racist, and Islamophobic violence in the last week,” the NUS statement said.

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Liverpool library torched by far-right rioters raises repair funds

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Appeal for donations to repair fire damage caused to Spellow Hub library has raised more than £120,000 in two days

A fundraising campaign has raised more than £120,000 to help repair a Liverpool library and community hub that suffered severe fire damage after being targeted by rioters on Saturday night.

Nigella Lawson and children’s laureate Frank Cottrell-Boyce are among those who have donated to the gofundme page, which was set up on Sunday afternoon in aid of Spellow Hub library.

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Police officers injured amid standoff in Plymouth – England riots as it happened

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Devon & Cornwall police report violence against officers and damaged police van as calls grow for recall of parliament

Local people joined council workers to clear up around the Holiday Inn Express hotel in Manvers, near Rotherham in South Yorkshire, on Monday morning.

Police officers stood guard outside the main entrance and at other locations around the building as teams swept up glass from the numerous broken windows at the front of the hotel, PA reported.

That’s not what we’re doing right now. What we’re doing right now is keeping in close contact with MPs.

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BBC wipes Huw Edwards from archive but role in state occasions presents challenge

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Broadcaster removes image and voice from content as Welsh organisations erase disgraced presenter from websites

Huw Edwards’s image and voice are being urgently removed from hours of BBC archive footage, starting with family and entertainment content on iPlayer, the Observer has learned.

Photographs of the disgraced Welsh television news anchor are also being removed by prominent institutions and charities, and from websites throughout Wales, where he was a national figurehead.

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Man jailed after shoplifting hundreds of Cadbury Creme Eggs

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Layton Richards, 29, sentenced to eight months in prison for string of thefts in Dorset, Hampshire and West Sussex

A thief has been jailed for eight months after being found guilty of shoplifting almost 800 Cadbury Creme Eggs over a three-month period.

Layton Richards, 29, had been charged with 24 shoplifting offences between 6 January and 18 April this year, with Hampshire and Isle of Wight constabulary accusing him of stealing as many as 798 of the confectionery items.

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Maoist cult leader was found dead in bed in prison cell, inquest hears

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Aravindan Balakrishnan, jailed in 2016 for string of sexual assaults, died of natural causes, coroner rules

A Maoist cult leader jailed for a string of sexual assaults and for keeping his daughter captive for three decades was found dead in bed in his prison cell, an inquest has heard.

Aravindan Balakrishnan, 81, who called himself Comrade Bala and brainwashed his cult into thinking he had godlike powers and could read their minds, died at HMP Dartmoor in Devon on 8 April 2022.

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‘I never expected this in the UK’: modern slavery expert receives death threat

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Migrants at Work founder Aké Achi claims police failed to act on letter sent to his home warning of harm to his family

A leading modern slavery expert who pursues employers on behalf of exploited overseas workers, recovering thousands of pounds for them in the process, has received a threat on his life.

Aké Achi, founder and chief executive of Migrants at Work, an organisation which protects workers’ rights, says the letter was posted to his home.

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Manchester youth who delivered ‘fatal blow’ to Kennie Carter detained for 16 years

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Three others sentenced to up to five years in young offender institution for revenge attack against teenager

Four teenagers have been sentenced for killing a 16-year-old boy out of revenge in a fatal attack where a single stab “pierced his heart”.

Kennie Carter died after being stabbed in the chest once in Stretford, Greater Manchester, on the evening of 22 January 2022.

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School worker jailed for sexually abusing autistic boy aged under 16

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Acasia Welburn pleaded guilty to three charges of sexual activity with child by person in a position of trust

A school worker has been jailed for sexually abusing an autistic boy who was under 16 at the time, police said.

Acasia Welburn, now 26, had been working at a school in North Yorkshire in a “trusted care position” when she abused the child.

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Murder investigation launched after man shot dead in Merseyside

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Police patrols stepped up in area after man, 36, killed in Kirkby on Wednesday evening

A murder investigation has been launched after a 36-year-old man was shot dead on the streets of Merseyside.

Police said they received a report at 6.35pm on Wednesday from the North West ambulance service that a man had been shot in Kirkby.

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Fears UK prisons face ‘collapse’ as they could be full before early release scheme begins

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With Labour plan not coming into effect until September, ex-prison governor says emergency measures can only ‘keep a lid on things’

Prisons could still hit full capacity within weeks despite new emergency measures announced by Labour to release some prisoners early.

An unprecedented move to cut the time served in custody for most sentences to 40% will not come into effect until September, and officials fear that capacity will be overwhelmed by the end of August. The justice secretary has described the situation as a “ticking timebomb”.

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Sunak and ministers are ‘guilty men’ in prisons crisis, says justice secretary

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Shabana Mahmood says Tories left country threatened with total breakdown of law and order

Rishi Sunak and his former ministers are “the guilty men” who should be held responsible for “the most disgraceful dereliction of duty” by failing to address the prisons crisis, the justice secretary has said.

Speaking as she set out plans to release thousands of inmates early to ease pressure in overcrowded jails, Shabana Mahmood said the Conservatives “had left the country threatened with a total breakdown of law and order”.

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Tributes paid to three women killed in ‘devastating’ Bushey crossbow attack

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Neighbours of Carol Hunt and her daughters express shock as racing community sends John Hunt sympathy

Tributes have been paid to three women killed in an “utterly devastating” crossbow attack.

Carol Hunt and her two daughters, beautician Hannah Hunt, 28, and dog groomer Louise Hunt, 25, were found injured at a home in Bushey, Hertfordshire on Tuesday and died shortly after at the scene.

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Bushey crossbow killings: suspect taken to hospital after being located – as it happened

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Manhunt was launched after Carol Hunt, 61, and two of her daughters, Hannah and Louise, were found at their home, where they later died

A resident living near the scene of the triple murder has told Sky News that suddenly last night there was a large number of police cars in the street, and that some of the officers were armed. He said that at first he thought it must have been a terrorism incident. Derek Turner told viewers

It was like an explosion in the street of police cars and ambulances. I would say in just this little bit here there were at least ten police cars. And we didn’t know what was going on. We didn’t have a clue. And suddenly there were police outside in black uniforms with semi-automatic guns walking around. So I initially thought it might be terrorists or something.

But that’s all I can say. It’s all been blocked off. It’s been a bit of a shock because it’s a really residential area. Nothing much ever goes on around here at all apart from people going back and forwards to work.

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Holly Willoughby speaks out after man convicted of plot to rape and murder her

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Presenter says women should not be made to ‘feel unsafe going about our daily lives’ after Gavin Plumb convicted of plan to abduct her

Holly Willoughby has said “women should not be made to feel unsafe going about our daily lives and in our own homes” after a convicted violent offender was found guilty of masterminding a plot to kidnap, rape and murder her.

Gavin Plumb, 37, was obsessed with the television host, amassing more than 10,000 images of her on his phone including deepfake pornography. He was caught after unwittingly communicating online with an undercover police officer based in the US, who flagged him to UK authorities.

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Lucy Letby found guilty of trying to kill two-hour-old baby

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Former neonatal nurse convicted on retrial after jury at original trial was unable to reach verdict

Lucy Letby has been found guilty of trying to kill a two-hour-old baby girl on the hospital ward where she murdered seven other infants.

The “cold-blooded, calculated killer”, who is serving 14 whole-life prison terms, was convicted on Tuesday of attempting to murder the “extremely premature” infant after a retrial at Manchester crown court.

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Grimsby man jailed for sexually assaulting dead bodies in mortuary

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Damon Tingay punched the body of one man twice and performed sex acts on two male bodies, court heard

A Grimsby man who went on a rampage in a hospital mortuary, violently and sexually attacking bodies, was told by a judge there was a “very, very dark side” tohim as he was sentenced to six years in prison.

Damon Tingay, 30, broke into Diana, Princess of Wales hospital in Grimsby in the early hours of 17 March and was caught on CCTV opening a number of fridges and interfering with the bodies.

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NCA failure to investigate imports linked to forced Uyghur labour unlawful, court rules

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Decision could result in retailers being prosecuted if they import goods made through forced labour, campaigners say

The UK National Crime Agency’s decision not to launch an investigation into the importation of cotton products manufactured by forced labour in China’s Xinjiang province was unlawful, the court of appeal has found.

Global Legal Action Network (GLAN) and the World Uyghur Congress (WUC), which brought the action, said Thursday’s decision was a landmark win that could lead to high street retailers being prosecuted under the Proceeds of Crime Act (Poca) if they import goods made through forced labour.

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Acid offences up 75% in UK but only 8% go to court, data suggests

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Acid Survivors Trust International calls for more focus on prevention in similar strategy to that for knife crime

Acid attacks and other offences involving corrosive substances in the UK have risen by 75% in a year but only 8% of cases led to criminal charges or a summons, figures suggest.

The total number of recorded offences last year based on freedom of information (FOI) requests was 1,244 – up from 710 in 2022 – comprising 454 physical attacks and 790 other alleged offences, including carrying corrosives and threats of acid attack to aid other offences such as rape or robbery.

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