Thursday, 10 August 2017

An 'infatuated' prison officer has been jailed for exchanging more than 850 text messages with an inmate at a young offenders institution.
Chelsea Blackwell, 27, made around 115 calls to Emmanuel Callender-Scott, an inmate at Aylesbury Young Offenders Institution, some of which lasted more than two hours.
She even tried to call him five times after his phone was seized in a cell search.
Blackwell, of Bootle, Merseyside, was handed an eight-month jail term today after admitting misconduct in a public office.
Callender-Scott, 22, was previously jailed for seven years for wounding with intent after he stabbed a cyclist and a Russian tourist on London's Regent's Canal.
The court heard that, in additional to the text messages and phone calls, four letters were seized from the prisoner's cell and a couple from Blackwell's home address.
Blackwell switched to using a second, 'dirty phone' mid-way through their relationship, the court heard. 'All these were seized and then at beginning of August Miss Blackwell's accommodation was searched and there was found some further letters and two mobile phones and the subsequent investigation really centres on those items.'
Tests carried out on the letters found in Callender-Scott's cell revealed Blackwell's fingerprints while a handwriting expert determined she had written them.
Although they were not read out to the court, Mr Mandel said: 'The language used is that of an infatuated person.'
Phone records between the pair's phones revealed more than 850 separate contacts made in the space of less than four weeks including calls more than two hours in length. 
'There were attempts to contact or make calls to the prisoner's number after the phone was seized from him so she was completely unaware of what had happened in terms of his cell being searched,' Mr Mandel continued.
'Some of the texts make it really clear that she was infatuated with this prisoner and contacted him and he contacted her often on a very frequent basis. The court heard that Blackwell had registered a 'conflict of interest' and was moved from A wing, where Callender-Scott was housed, to E wing, although she did go back and visit her old wing from time to time.
Defending barrister, John Lamb, told the court that Blackwell had since been fired from her job in the prison service and was now working at a dog kennels. 
The judge said: 'It's accepted that the offence consisted of communication only. There is no suggestion that you had taken anything into the prison for Mr Callender-Scott.
A British hostage who was held hostage by Al-Qaeda for six years has revealed he has converted to Islam and sees 'many good things' in the religion.
Stephen McGown, 42, was snatched from a hostel in the historic trading city of Timbuktu in northern Mali in 2011 alongside Swede Johan Gustafsson and Dutchman Sjaak Rijke.
Speaking today, just 10 days after his release, he said he had been well treated but was distraught to have not been freed before his mother died.
He said he had been converted to Islam in the Sahara desert and added he was determined to be positive after his ordeal. 'I see a lot of good in Islam. It has opened my eyes. It's taken me away from capitalism.' 
He revealed he feared for his life three times during his time in captivity, but stopped after his conversion.  He said his captors were unaware he held joint UK citizenship. 
'I don't believe they knew my nationality. It would have been first prize for them if I was British…they kidnapped me just because I was non-Muslim. McGown, 42, flanked by his wife Catherine and father Malcolm, explained how he was sometimes held in handcuffs and chains at night with two other hostages.
'I did my best to see the best in a bad situation,' McGown said, looking in good health and smiling regularly despite recently suffering from a severe fever and meningitis.
'I didn't want to come out an angry person and be a bigger burden on my family,' he added.
'Sometimes you are miserable and you want to fight everyone (but) I did not want to become a mess. I want to come home a better person.'
He paid tribute to his mother who died in May, saying she was 'an amazing lady and I can imagine the difficulties she went through.'
He said he built a simple hut of grass and sticks to survive the cold desert nights when he often had only one blanket, adding that he feared for his life three times in the first three months after he was captured in 2011.
Bank of England will continue to produce animal fat £5 notes despite thousands of complaints by vegans and religious groups.
BoE said today that there were environmental risks to using the alternative, derived from palm oil, and that the government had ruled it too expensive.
Polymer banknotes were launched last year, with the Mint claiming they were more durable and harder to fake. But more than 130,000 people signed an online petition calling on the BoE to stop using animal products in the notes after it emerged that they contained small amounts of tallow, which comes from cows and sheep. 
Some Hindu temples and vegetarian cafes refused to accept the new five pound note which features war time Prime Minister Winston Churchill
A BoE spokesman said: 'The Bank fully recognises the concerns raised by members of the public and has not taken this decision lightly.'
The only alternative for its polymer banknotes was to use more expensive chemicals derived from palm oil, and that its suppliers were unable to commit to that in an environmentally friendly way. 
Britain's planned new polymer 20-pound and its 10-pound notes, which will be launched in September, are also affected by Thursday's announcement.  The BoE said that as well as the environmental concerns about palm oil, cost was a consideration: the switch would add about 16.5 million pounds ($21.45 million) to the cost of making bank notes over the next 10 years. 'Her Majesty's Treasury advised the Bank that it does not believe switching to palm oil derivatives would achieve value for money for taxpayer,' it said.
Britain's polymer bank notes typically contain less than 0.05 percent of animal products, the BoE said.
Donald Trump has been spotted playing golf at his vacation destination Wednesday while the nuclear crisis escalates with North Korea after his 'fire and fury' threat.
North Korea's state run news agency KCNA dismissed his warning as a 'load of nonsense' and said that only 'absolute force' can work on someone as 'bereft of reason' as Trump' as the country steams ahead with its plan to strike the U.S. Pacific territory of Guam by mid-August.
Pentagon chief James Mattis issued his own warning among the increasingly aggressive rhetoric, telling Kin Jong that he risks destroying his regime and his people if he attacks.
The magnitude of the nuclear crisis was underlined as one White House aide, Sebastian Gorka, compared it to the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Meanwhile, the president appeared to be unfazed by the escalating threat, as it was revealed to be on the course when his golfing companion, a New Jersey businessman, posted an Instagram picture saying their match had gone 'down to the 18th hole'.
Trump - who had tweeted that his 17-day stay at Bedminster, New Jersey, was not a vacation - did not have his game officially disclosed by the White House.
It is likely to fuel concerns over the response to the North Koreans' increasingly aggressive posture which in the space of 24 hours saw Trump and his Secretary of State Tillerson apparently at odds, and his Pentagon chief James Mattis revealed to have been initially out of the loop. 
Mattis weighed in with his own stern warning to North Korea on Wednesday afternoon - shortly before the Instagram image emerged - invoking the 'end' of its regime following President Trump's own admonition that Pyongyang's threats would bring 'fire and fury.'
  • Trump was revealed to be golfing on Wednesday as the tense stand-off with North Korea escalated
  • One adviser - aide Sebastian Gorka - compared it to the Cuban missile crisis but Trump was photographed on the course by a New Jersey businessman who said their game had gone to the 18th hole
  • Defense Secretary James Mattis issued a statement referencing the potential 'end' to the DPRK regime 
  • He touted 'the most precise, rehearsed and robust defensive and offensive capabilities on Earth' and said: 
  • North Korea said it is 'carefully examining' a plan to strike Guam and it will be put in place once leader Kim Jong Un makes a decision
  • North Korea's state run news agency dismissed Trump's 'fire and fury' warning as a 'load of nonsense' and said that only 'absolute force' can work on someone as 'bereft of reason' as Trump' 
  • Threat came after Trump said that additional threats of violence against the U.S. 'will be met with the fire and the fury like the world has never seen'
  • US officials believe Kim Jong-Un has built a miniaturized warhead for missiles and are ramping up their rhetoric in turn' Defense Intelligence officials say he now has 60 nuclear weapons in his arsenal  

Wednesday, 9 August 2017

Jeremy Vine has come under fire for alleging that the jogger who pushed a pedestrian into the path of a bus must have been a banker.
The BBC presenter was yesterday accused of trivialising the horrific attack and acting in ‘poor taste’, after he set up an online poll that encouraged people to guess the profession of the jogger.
Yet he only gave three options for the unidentified man’s job, all of which were from the financial sector, prompting criticism that he was being ‘prejudicial’, fuelling stereotypes and should remain ‘neutral’. Tory MP Andrew Bridgen described Vine’s tweet, which has since been deleted, as a ‘huge lack of judgment’, adding that he should not have used the Putney Bridge attack to start a ‘class war’.
Vine, who is on holiday from his Radio 2 lunchtime show, also faced criticism from his followers on social media who said the poll was ‘bad taste at best’, ‘very insulting’ and was not a suitable subject to approach with ‘frivolity’.
Police have launched an appeal to trace the attacker, who was caught on CCTV pushing a woman off the pavement of Putney Bridge into the path of a bus.
The 33-year-old woman had been on her way to work at the time of the attack, which took place on Putney Bridge in May, and only narrowly avoided being hit by the bus because the driver swerved out of the way.
Vine deleted the tweet after it had been online for four hours yesterday afternoon, but not before it had attracted over 100 comments and more than 1,000 votes. Bridgen told the Daily Mail: ‘I bet the attacker doesn’t earn as much as Jeremy Vine. The licence-fee payer would expect better from someone costing them around £15,000 a week.
‘That vicious and irresponsible attack, if it hadn’t been for the bus driver’s very quick actions, it is highly likely that woman would have either been severely injured or killed. If that bus had hit her head, that would have killed her. ‘It is not a matter to embark on a sort of class war, especially when you are earning £750,000-a-year.’
One of Vine’s __ followers on Twitter wrote: ‘A very insulting tweet to those in such professions, not all of whom will be consumed with their own self-righteousness, unlike yourself.’
Another commented: ‘If there is any attempt at irony in this bizarre tweet, it fails badly. It wouldn’t surprise (or disappoint) me if it got you sacked.’
A third wrote: ‘Or let’s guess his nationality, or religion?!?! Just as pointless, prejudicial & inflammatory.’
Last night, police said that the appeal had prompted a ‘huge response’ from the public since releasing the video on Tuesday.
Sgt Mat Knowles, of the Met Police, said his team was now following a number of ‘viable leads’ in their search for the jogger.
Prisoners should be able to use iPads to Skype their families from behind bars, a Government report recommends today.
They should also be considered for temporary release at Christmas to build relationships with their children, it says.
Tory peer Lord Farmer said job descriptions for guards should include 'developing personal relationships with their prisoners', with inmates given the chance to do face painting or play table football with their children during extended visits. The multi-millionaire hedge fund boss, who was ennobled by David Cameron after he donated millions to the party, said boosting links between offenders and their families reduces the likelihood of them reoffending when they are released. But last night critics branded it soft justice. The Ministry of Justice, which commissioned the review, last night said it had already started drawing up a plan on how to implement its recommendations. Justice Secretary David Lidington said: 'Families can play a significant role in supporting an offender and I am grateful to Lord Farmer for his dedication and research on this important issue. 'We are committed to transforming prisons into places of safety and reform and we recognise the need to provide those in our care with stable environments, and opportunities to change their behaviour.'
Lord Farmer said empty prison cells should be converted into rooms where inmates whose families are unable to visit are able to have Skype calls home. Alternatively prisoners could be given access to tablet computers, such as iPads, for the video calls, he suggested. The report called for more prisoners to be given the chance of temporary release so they are able to maintain family ties and prepare for life outside near the end of their sentences. Lord Farmer wrote: 'It would enable them to attend parent-teacher evenings and other meetings at their children's school…
'It also allows families to adjust to having the person around more and is particularly beneficial for children who may feel less comfortable around their parent after a long period of separation.'
He urged prison governors to consider how temporary release could be used for special occasions such as family birthdays or Christmas when children miss their parents most.
Prisons guards should be given annual refresher courses to help them understand 'family issues' that affect inmates, with a requirement for them to build bonds with them, the report said.
'Officer job descriptions must include developing personal relationships with their prisoners. 
Driving test examiners could be given body cameras following attacks by failed candidates.
Around 240 incidents of physical or verbal abuse were reported last year – up from approximately 180 in 2015, the Driver and Vehicle Standards agency (DVSA) said.
Attacks on all staff – including vehicle testers and roadside enforcement officers – rose by around 50 per cent to more than 300 over the same period. The DVSA has launched a crackdown as a result, including trialling body cameras for front-line staff. They will initially be given to roadside workers but could be rolled out to include driving test examiners if they prove effective, the agency said. Cameras are already used by many police forces to record their officers' interactions with the public.
The DVSA also pledged to make abusive learner drivers take their next test elsewhere and to refer all incidents of threats and physical assault to the police.
DVSA chief executive Gareth Llewellyn said: 'We do not tolerate anyone abusing, threatening or assaulting them. Whatever has happened, don't take it out on our staff. If you do, we'll press for the strongest possible penalties.'
 'Our message is clear - whatever has happened, don't take it out on our staff. If you do, we'll press for the strongest possible penalties.  RAC road safety spokesman Pete Williams said: 'Examiners at the DVSA play a vital role in ensuring the safety of drivers and vehicles on our roads on a daily basis.
'It's therefore disappointing to see such a marked increase in the level of verbal and physical abuse they are encountering from the very people they are trying to help.
'The majority of UK drivers and road users will wholeheartedly support a zero-tolerance approach to such behaviour.'
The DVSA said there have also been cases of vehicle examiners and roadside enforcement staff being bullied.
A driver and operator from a Shropshire scaffolding firm made a false claim against a DVSA employee who discovered offences relating to the recording of drivers' hours.
Wales traffic commissioner Nick Jones rejected the firm's accusation and concluded that the 'appalling behaviour' of the driver had been condoned by his 'irresponsible' employer, resulting in a 'significantly disproportionate' complaint made against an experienced traffic examiner, the DVSA reported.

Mr Jones said: 'My fellow traffic commissioners and I welcome the agency's campaign to tackle the unacceptable abuse which staff may face whilst carrying out their professional duties.' 
Police are closing in on the jogger who pushed a woman in front of a bus on Putney Bridge as responses flood into a public appeal.
Officers are following a number of lines of inquiry in their hunt, after releasing shocking CCTV footage of the man barging into the 33-year-old pedestrian.
The woman was lucky to escape serious injury after a bus driver swerved to avoid her on the bridge in south west london 
Today, the Metropolitan Police said that officers had received a 'good response' after calling for information on the incident. Police are closing in on the jogger who pushed a woman in front of a bus on Putney Bridge as responses flood into a public appeal.
Officers are following a number of lines of inquiry in their hunt, after releasing shocking CCTV footage of the man barging into the 33-year-old pedestrian.
The woman was lucky to escape serious injury after a bus driver swerved to avoid her on the bridge in south west london 
Today, the Metropolitan Police said that officers had received a 'good response' after calling for information on the incident. Officers also claimed the jogger ran the other way across the bridge around 15 minutes later and the victim attempted to speak to him, but 'he did not acknowledge her'.
The jogger is described as a white man, aged early to mid 30s, with brown eyes and short brown hair. He was wearing a light grey t-shirt and dark blue shorts.
Speaking earlier this week, sergeant Mat Knowles said: 'After he pushed her he ran across the bridge and 15 minutes later came back. 'By this time the members of the public who had helped the woman were gone and she tried to talk to him as he ran past her but he just ignored her.
'We believe he is from the Fulham area and she is from Putney.' 
'We are keen to speak to the jogger in the CCTV about what happened that morning. We would urge him or anyone who recognises him to get in touch with us as soon as possible.' 
A senior source from the bus company Go Ahead London said it was only down to the slow speed of the vehicle that the accident did not result in serious injury. 'It is just shocking, the entire top half of this woman was in the road very close to the bus's front tyres and this man just ran off. 
A 15-year-old aspiring architect was murdered on his way home with a samurai sword by a gang of balaclava-clad youths. 
Jermaine Goupall suffered multiple stab wounds at around 11pm last night after he spent a day with friends at the cinema.
Devastated family said the teenager was 'adored by his friends and relatives' and was popular in the community.
Witnesses claim the gang of thugs attacked Jermaine and a friend, repeatedly stabbing the teenager while the other boy hid beneath a car.  
It came just hours after another teenager, 19, was stabbed to death in Peckham with police launching murder investigations into both incidents. At the family home Jermaine's father Stanley, an electrical engineer, 50, said: 'Jermaine was a lovely person and adored by the community and his friends and family.
'Nobody had nothing bad to say about him, he had a good heart and was such a lovely boy. 'Jermaine would put everyone before himself and would help anyone.
'He was into badminton and was a great at swimming, he enjoyed sports and loved his cat Happy.
'He was very good at maths and wanted to be a gas engineer and had talked about being an architect, he was very talented.
'He was very kind hearted and liked to share. He was a sociable boy who was loved by everyone and could talk to everyone regardless of whether it was children or adults.
I'm doing this because I want the perpetrators to know what a lovely boy my son was.'
Tilisha Goupall, 25, Jermaine's sister said: 'Last night the police rang the door bell and before I had messaged him on Snapchat and he did not respond, usually he will respond and say where he is and usually we pick him up. 'The police came shortly after 11pm, he had been out with friends all day and had gone to the cinema and then went out for dinner at a restaurant, he was catching up with his friends and was on his way home when it happened.
'He had nothing to do with them and was in the wrong place at the wrong time, he was an innocent boy.'
Jermaine's friend Malachi, 14, added: 'He was a good person, into football and he was a good friend and cared for other people and was loved by many.


Police have shot dead three people in Kenya after riots erupted in response to opposition leader Raila Odinga's claim the country's election was stolen.
He said the electronic voting system had been hacked using the identity of a murdered IT official, with protests breaking out straight after his speech. 
Two people were killed in Nairobi as they took advantage of the protests to steal, Nairobi police chief Japheth Koome said, with one being shot in the head. 
Kenyan police opened fire on people protesting election results earlier in another opposition stronghold - South Mugirango constituency - killing one person.   
President Uhuru Kenyatta appears headed for re-election but his rival Odinga has insisted that the results have been manipulated, ratcheting up tensions. Kenyatta was leading with 54.35 percent and Odinga had 44.77 percent after votes at more than 39,320 of the 40,883 polling stations were counted, according to the election commission. But Odinga has also published what he deems to be the true vote tally on Twitter, with himself on 8.1 million votes and Kenyatta on 7.2 million.  
Riot police engaged in running battles with protesters in the opposition stronghold of Kisumu in western Kenya.
Police fired teargas as several hundred protesters in the neighbourhood of Kondele - an epicentre of violence after disputed 2007 polls - set fire to barricades and tyres and placed rocks in the streets.
'These results are fake, it is a sham. They cannot be credible,' Odinga told a press conference in the early hours of the morning as partial results fell quickly via an electronic tallying system aimed at preventing fraud. 
He later detailed accusations of how hackers had gained entry to the system using the identity of top IT official Chris Msando, who was found murdered and tortured late last month. 'This is an attack on our democracy. The 2017 general election was a fraud,' said Odinga, claiming detailed evidence of the hacker's movements. He would not say how he got the information, as he wanted to 'protect his source'.  
The chairman of Kenya's election commission said the allegations will be investigated.
Chairman Wafula Chebukati said an audit will probably be ordered to address concerns about the system used for yesterday's elections. 

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