Gig at cathedral by metal band Plague of Angels would be ‘outright insult’ to their faith, say parishioners
First there was a silent disco at Canterbury Cathedral. Then there was the “rave in the nave” in Peterborough.
But York Minster is taking it one step further by hosting a controversial metal band in what parishioners have called an “outright insult” to their faith.
Continue reading...Claire Freemantle had been rearrested on Tuesday after bereaved families criticised original police investigation
The driver of a Land Rover that crashed into a primary school in Wimbledon, killing two young children, has been released on bail pending further investigations.
Claire Freemantle, 48, was rearrested on Tuesday on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.
Continue reading...Plans shelved include earlier cancer diagnosis, boosting women’s health and expanding access to dental care
NHS England is scrapping plans to diagnose more cancers early, boost women’s health and ramp up childhood vaccinations after ministers told it to prioritise cutting waiting times.
The health service is also abandoning pledges to expand access to dental treatment, give more people drugs to prevent strokes and enhance care for those with learning disabilities.
Continue reading...Scout leaders had launched judicial review over verdict of unlawful killing of Ben Leonard, 16, who fell from cliff on expedition
A high court judge has rejected an attempt by a scout leader and an assistant to overturn the findings of an inquest jury that concluded they were responsible for the unlawful killing of a 16-year-old boy who fell from a cliff during an expedition.
Ben Leonard from Stockport, Greater Manchester, became separated from his group during a hike in north Wales and fell about 60m (200ft) from a ledge, suffering a fatal head injury.
Continue reading...Georgia Venables, who allegedly had sticker on her car featuring C-word, has pleaded not guilty to single charge
A woman is to stand trial after pleading not guilty to displaying a threatening bumper sticker on her car.
Georgia Venables, of Prenton Place in Chester, allegedly had a sticker on her car that read: “Don’t be a cunt.”
Continue reading...Zhenhao Zou, 27, a Chinese national, is accused of attacking women after ‘stupefying’ them with drink or drugs
A PhD student accused of raping 10 women drugged his victims before filming his attacks as “souvenirs” for his own “sexual gratification”, a court has heard.
Zhenhao Zou, 27, a Chinese national, was described as seemingly charming and smart, but was in fact a “predator, voyeur and rapist” who ignored pleas from his victims to stop, a jury was told.
Continue reading...More than 100 people evacuated from their homes as Storm Herminia hits Britain after Éowyn
A major incident has been declared in Somerset after more than 100 people were evacuated from their homes because of flooding, while roads were blocked, trains delayed or cancelled and schools closed, as stormy weather once again battered parts of the UK.
Rest centres were set up for people forced to leave their homes in three Somerset towns – Chard, Ilminster and Somerton – with some residents reporting levels of flooding not seen for years. Highways teams dealt with almost 50 incidents.
Continue reading...Simon Vickers, 50, had claimed his daughter, Scarlett, died in a freak accident, but prosecutors said he stabbed her
A father who claimed his 14-year-old daughter died in a freak accident after innocent horseplay has been found guilty of murdering her by stabbing her in the heart with a kitchen knife.
Simon Vickers, 50, claimed he did not know precisely how his daughter, Scarlett Vickers, came to be killed in the family kitchen on a Friday night in July last year.
Continue reading...Survey for patient watchdog finds over half of those who made complaint were not satisfied with process or outcome
A quarter of people in England experienced poor NHS care over the last year but fewer than one in 10 of them complained about it, a report by the patient watchdog has revealed.
When people did complain, more than half were not satisfied with either the process involved or the outcome, Healthwatch England said. Complaints take many months to resolve.
24% of patients had received poor care in that time – the equivalent of 10.7 million people in England.
56% took no action – and only 9% made a complaint.
20% were scared that complaining would affect their treatment.
34% did not trust the NHS to use a complaint they made to improve services.
Continue reading...Journalists and bloggers to have greater access under ‘open reporting provisions’ after pilot scheme launched in 2023
A scheme allowing journalists increased access to family courts is being rolled out in an effort to improve transparency.
The initiative permits accredited journalists and legal bloggers to report on cases as they unfold, as they would in criminal courts, provided the families and certain professionals involved remain anonymous.
Continue reading...Owners claim singer ‘blighted’ sale of property she once rented but Partridge Green has no shortage of ghostly tales
At first it was the strange rumblings that would wake her. Then bright lights would fill the bedroom as a face appeared, looking down on her. Her husband, who worked nights, never believed her until one day, he saw it too.
Shaken by the sightings, the couple sold the cottage and moved far away from Partridge Green, a quaint, isolated village in West Sussex. Thirty years later, a short distance away from where these night-time hauntings took place, the village welcomed a surprising new arrival.
Continue reading...Protest group says it targeted insurers ‘due to their critical role underpinning the fossil fuel economy’
A man has been arrested after environmental activists claimed responsibility for sabotage attacks on fibre optic cables outside major insurance companies.
The 29-year-old was arrested by City of London police after activists said they had cut the cables to insurance company offices in London, Leeds, Birmingham and Sheffield on Monday.
Continue reading...Study of GP records finds prevalence rose from one in 60,000 in 2011 to one in 1,200 in 2021 – but numbers still low overall
The number of children and young people in England with a diagnosis of gender dysphoria recorded by a GP has risen fiftyfold over 10 years, researchers have found, though numbers are still relatively small.
The growing number of birth-registered females seeking referrals to gender clinics has raised concerns in recent years, with tensions over how best to tackle gender dysphoria in children resulting in the Cass review last year.
Continue reading...Suspect, 30, arrested after five people injured at distribution centre on south London industrial estate
A man has described how he fought and fended off a knife-wielding attacker with a fire extinguisher after barricading himself and others inside an office of a warehouse where five people were injured during a mass stabbing.
Police arrested a 30-year-old man after the attack at a warehouse close to a supermarket in Croydon, south London, on Thursday morning.
Continue reading...Two Met officers denied hearing Clarke say ‘I can’t breathe’ before he died under restraint in 2018
The family of a black man who died after being restrained by police officers who denied having heard him say “I can’t breathe” have condemned the police discipline system after two officers were cleared of gross misconduct.
Kevin Clarke, 35, died while in police custody in 2018, with the restraint having lasted more than 30 minutes.
Continue reading...Exclusive: NGOs say safeguarding policies need improving, as victims tell of multiple assaults and incidents of race hate
NGOs are calling for improvements in UK government safeguarding policies after multiple acts of violence and race hate incidents in Home Office accommodation.
The incidents include 20 assaults of asylum seekers in one small area of Essex and a separate incident where another was attacked and threatened with a knife by a man recently released into shared asylum accommodation from prison on licence. Slices of bacon were also laid over food belonging to Muslim residents stored in a communal kitchen fridge.
Continue reading...Michelle Sadio, 44, died after shots were fired towards mourners outside church in Harlesden
Three more people have been charged with murder after a woman was killed in a drive-by shooting outside a north-west London church.
Michelle Sadio, 44, died after shots were fired in Harlesden at about 9pm on 14 December. She was standing with mourners outside the River of Life pentecostal church after a wake.
Continue reading...Michael Whitbread, 75, is on trial in Lanciano for murder of fellow Briton Michele Faiers, 66, in October 2023
A British man living in Italy has admitted stabbing his partner to death, claiming he did it after she accused him of cheating on her.
Michael Whitbread, 75, told a court he could not remember how many times he stabbed fellow Briton Michele Faiers, 66, in October 2023.
Continue reading...Elianne Andam was stabbed to death by friend’s ex-boyfriend Hassan Sentamu after dispute outside shopping centre
Elianne Andam was known, above all, for her caring nature. During her memorial service, her father recounted an evening when she found six snails flushed out on the pavement due to the rain. She picked up the “slimy creatures” and moved them out of harm’s way so they would not die prematurely. “Oh, the irony,” her father said.
On 27 September 2023, Andam stood up for her friend, who had recently broken up with her boyfriend. They met Hassan Sentamu, who was 17 at the time, to exchange items. Her friend handed a bag to Sentamu but he failed to hand over her items, including a teddy bear she wanted back.
Continue reading...Patients tell of their anger and embarrassment, while healthcare professionals say they are ‘heartbroken’
John, 42, said he was “quite angry” after spending about 24 hours in a hospital corridor in south-west England, having arrived in A&E on Monday afternoon with chest pain. “It was very clear that the hospital was running beyond capacity.”
At the time of writing, he had moved to a different hospital in the area and was waiting for an angiogram on Wednesday. Messaging from his corridor hospital bed he said: “It’s narrow, cramped and there is zero patient privacy.”
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