A “violent mob” at an asylum hotel protest attacked police officers and turned Epping into “a scene of disorder and chaos”, a court has heard. Lee Gower, 43, and Phillip Curson, 53, of Upminster, deny committing violent disorder during protests outside The Bell Hotel in Essex on 17 July last year. Gower, of Epping, also…
A rapist who abducted a 15-year-old girl at knifepoint from a bus stop and attacked her in his basement has been told he is facing a life sentence for a spate of violent crimes. Aaron Strachan, 21, was branded a “deeply dangerous individual” by Judge Michael O’Grady KC at the High Court in Edinburgh on…
A fundraiser set up to secure new, safer premises for a Jewish ambulance service has raised £1.4m after four vehicles were set on fire. The Hatzola ambulances in Golders Green, north-west London, were destroyed in the early hours of Monday. Four government-loaned ambulances arrived at around 1.20pm today to replace them, the London Ambulance Service…
Transgender girls have been given until September 6 to leave the Guides. The deadline set by Girlguiding follows the organisation’s announcement in December that membership would be “restricted to girls and young women”. This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version….
A man has been found guilty of the manslaughter of a woman whose body was found buried in a shallow grave in woodland, near Coventry. Reanne Coulson was heard screaming and crying for help five weeks before her body was discovered near a bridleway, Warwick Crown Court heard. Mohammed Durnion, 42, did not murder her,…
Police investigating the death of an 88-year-old woman at a care home have launched a murder inquiry. Officers were called at around 2am on Sunday to a report that the woman had died at Sleaford Manor Care Home in Sleaford, Lincolnshire Police said. A 74-year-old man and a 75-year-old woman who were arrested in connection…
Some 40% of people in the UK believe the country will be at war within five years, and more than two-thirds fear they would be unable to cope in a conflict, according to a new poll. The survey, which also found that over half of those questioned felt Britain is poorly prepared for war, was…
The chancellor is to set out plans to tackle price hikes driven by the war in Iran, which has seen the cost of oil and gas soar. Rachel Reeves will deliver a statement in the Commons this afternoon after advising the prime minister of her proposals during an emergency Cobra meeting yesterday. They include an…
HS2 trains could run at slower speeds than originally planned as part of a drive to keep the costs of the major rail project down. Reducing the controversial high-speed rail’s top speed from its planned 360kph (223mph) could save “billions and bring the railway into service sooner,” Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said. In a written…
A coroner has called for action after the death of baby Madison Bruce Smith, who died after he was placed in an “unsafe sleeping position” in his cot by an unregulated maternity nurse. The four-month-old grandson of football manager Steve Bruce was found unresponsive by his father, ex-Leeds United and Fulham striker Matt Smith, on…
