Boy, 12, charged over Kilmarnock shops fire
The fire is being treated as wilful and inquiries are ongoing.At its peak, about 45 firefighters, six fire engines and two specialist high reach vehicles were battling the fire.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
27 minutes ago
- The Independent
Son of Sam victim says serial killer's friend told her ‘David didn't do this'
A woman who was shot by the "Son of Sam" killer almost 60 years ago had to revisit her terrifying experience this week when she was confronted by one of David Berkowitz's friends. On Wednesday, Wendy Savino was at the Valley Cottage Library in Rockland County, New York, when she was confronted by Frank DeGennaro, a friend of Berkowitz's who insisted the Son of Sam killer did not shoot her. Savino, 88, told the New York Post that when she left the library, she saw a man standing outside staring at her. 'So I try to walk around him and he says, 'You're Wendy Savino, aren't you? Well, I just want you to know David is very upset about what happened to you. David wants to talk to you," she said, quoting DeGennaro. "'David wants you to know he didn't do it.'" Savino was injured in 1976 when Berkowitz, now 72, shot her while she was sitting in her car in the Bronx. She said she tried to play dead after she realized the gunman was still outside her car, but Berkowitz fired twice more into her back. She managed to crawl down a street to a restaurant where the staff called for help. Last year, NYPD investigators announced that her shooting was the first victim of the Son of Sam, who went on to kill six victims and wound two others between 1976 and 1977. Berkowitz never faced charges for the shooting because the statute of limitations had expired. After DeGennaro told Savino that he was friends with Berkowitz, she asked him to write down his name. She then gave the name to her son, Jason, and they called the Clarkstown Police Department to report the encounter. 'He had me backed into a corner,' she said. 'He's just talking and talking about the same thing. 'David's a really good person.'' DeGennaro told the New York Post that he received a call from the police, but wasn't charged as he had committed no crime. He insisted he wasn't trying to scare Savino. He told the paper that he became friends with Berkowitz 30 years ago after writing him a letter from prison. He said the two men bonded over their shared Christian faith. DeGennaro said that he also happens to live in Clarkstown and visits the same library as Savino. He said he was surprised to run into her and added that he had not told her Berkowitz wanted to talk. 'I realize now that it was probably the wrong thing to do, to even talk to her,' he told the paper. 'This is getting blown out of proportion.' While the encounter was likely terrifying for Savino and perhaps sobering for DeGennaro, it's a great bit of unintentional marketing for Netflix, which is releasing a documentary about Berkowitz on July 30 titled "Conversations with a Killer: The Son of Sam Tapes." The documentary focuses on recently discovered recorded interviews with Berkowitz. The Son of Sam killer confessed to his crimes in 1978, pleading guilty to six counts of second-degree murder and seven counts of attempted second-degree murder. He was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for each murder, and has been denied parole 12 times. Savino said the encounter left her "very nervous." 'I was always afraid someone would come to me and say 'I'll finish you off for David.''
The Sun
27 minutes ago
- The Sun
Bombshell poll reveals MOST Brits think crime is out of control & don't trust cops or govt to keep them safe
CRIME is out of control, according to the majority of people quizzed in a survey. The damning poll, published today, lays bare a shocking lack of confidence in the Government and police to keep us safe. 5 5 The bombshell survey reveals Reform UK boss Nigel Farage is more trusted than the PM or Tory leader Kemi Badenoch on every single question about tackling crime. Voters think sky-high immigration and failure to integrate those coming here are fuelling the crimewave. The shocking findings will spark alarm in Sir Keir Starmer's team, which is under massive pressure to get a grip on law and order. Britain has been plagued by gangs of criminals on bikes snatching mobile phones, brazenly shoplifting, and stealing jewellery and watches. 'Lawless country' Earlier this month, 24-year-old Blue Stevens was stabbed to death in London as he tried to stop robbers taking his Rolex wristwatch. The Survation poll, for Friderichs Advisory Partners, found 49 per cent of people thought Britain was 'becoming a lawless country'. Just 35 per cent of the 2,000 adults quizzed disagreed. Meanwhile, 56 per cent said they believed that crime had risen over the past five years. Voters were asked about nine different crimes and whether they thought they were 'out of control'. Shockingly, a majority answered yes to all nine crimes. Inside UK's crime capital where residents fear for lives and lay out razor wire to stop thieves These were: violent crime, knife crime, burglary, theft, drugs, vandalism, cybercrime, sex offences and gangs. Some 74 per cent said knife crime was 'out of control' and 60 per cent said the same of violent crime. For theft it was 70 per cent, for drug-related crimes 69 per cent, and for burglary 55 per cent. Asked what caused the crimewave, immigration came out top, with 22 per cent blaming the migrant crisis. Next came 'economic inequality' at 20 per cent, then ' lenient sentencing ' at 17 per cent. Worryingly for the PM, the survey also revealed that people have lost faith in the state when it comes to maintaining law and order. Some 52 per cent do not think Starmer can fix things, saying that Labour was performing 'poorly' on tackling crime. 5 Similarly, some 57 per cent said they are 'not confident' the Government can tackle crime. Farage was seen as more trusted than Starmer or Badenoch when it came to fighting crime. Asked which political leader they trust most to maintain law and order, 27 per cent replied Farage. Starmer was next on 21 per cent and Badenoch was third on just 14 per cent. STABBER'S 59 CRIMES A CRIMINAL convicted of 59 offences was jailed for just 33 months after plunging a blade into the neck of a customer in a pharmacy. Alexander Davidson, 38, walked up to the man waiting for his prescription and stabbed him in a desperate craze for heroin and crack cocaine. Liverpool crown court heard he had previously assaulted someone with a dart and stabbed his father during a row over a mobile phone. The thug's 34 previous convictions date back to 2003 — including a suspended prison sentence for unlawful wounding in 2013, a 30-month stretch for assault causing actual bodily harm and five years for drug trafficking offences in 2007. Sentencing him, Recorder William Beardmore said: 'You could have easily severed the carotid artery or jugular vein. 'That would have killed him, and you would have been facing an allegation of murder. You should regard yourself as exceptionally lucky.' Farage also came up trumps on tackling migrant offenders. Some 37 per cent thought Farage was more likely to deport foreign criminals, while 17 per cent backed Starmer and 11 per cent Badenoch. Quizzed on which political leader they trusted to make Britain safer, Farage was again top on 29 per cent, Starmer second on 20 per cent, and Badenoch last again on 12 per cent. Worryingly, the poll also found that trust in the police's ability to catch criminals was at rock bottom. 5 5 One in five said they or a member of their family had been a victim of crime in the past year. But of these, 18 per cent did not bother to call the police because they had no faith they would catch the criminals or take the crimes seriously. The Labour Government made tackling crime one of its top five priorities when it was elected last year. 'Lenient sentencing' But police chiefs have furiously accused the Government of failing to fund forces properly. A row exploded earlier this year when Chancellor Rachel Reeves agreed to hand police another £2billion a year. Top cops had been publicly demanding more, and the National Police Chief Council said the failure to stump up cash threw Labour's promises to hire another 13,000 neighbourhood officers into doubt. LABOUR IS FAILING COUNTRY By Nigel Farage, Reform Leader THIS new polling confirms what many of us already knew — Britain has become a lawless country. It lays bare the lack of faith the British people have in Labour to make our streets and communities safe. And it's not hard to understand the reasons why. Total crime is now 50 per cent higher than it was in the 1990s. Police no longer investigate or attend shoplifting or theft. Violent repeat offenders are released early and two-tier policing has completely eroded trust. People feel that Keir Starmer is not tough on crime and he goes easy on the criminals. As for Conservatives, they have broken Britain and their own brand is broken, too. They are no longer the party of law and order. The decline that we see today began during their 14 failed years in office. Successive Tory governments cut thousands of police officers but oversaw an explosion in the population. It is clear to me that they should be in hiding for the damage they have done and must simply never be forgiven. Reform UK will fix broken Britain and restore law and order in our country. The British people deserve nothing less. This is a topic you'll be hearing a lot more about from us over the next few days and weeks. Career criminals will be put on notice. This is a national emergency and, after years of complacency by the other parties, it's clear that lawless Britain needs Reform.
Daily Mail
27 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Ghislaine Maxwell's fascinating prison secrets revealed by Jan. 6 rioter dorm mate... amid shocking claims Epstein madam is set to be 'silenced'
A former prisoner who shared a jailhouse dorm with Ghislaine Maxwell has revealed how Jeffrey Epstein's former madam would spend her days behind bars. Jessica Watkins, 42, a transgender Army veteran and former Oath Keeper was imprisoned alongside the 63-year-old inside FCI Tallahassee for her involvement in the Capitol riot. Maxwell is serving 20 years behind bars on child sex trafficking charges for her role helping Epstein exploit and abuse multiple minors over the course of a decade. Epstein's victims alleged they were procured by Maxwell and passed around his billionaire friends and associates who regularly visited his homes, which included his private island. He was eventually found dead in his cell from an apparent suicide while awaiting trial. Speaking with the Daily Mail this week, Watkins said Maxwell mostly kept to herself inside the prison, a low security facility in the Florida capital, where she has rebranded herself as a teacher to other inmates. It comes after Watkins said she wanted to get 'ahead of potential narratives' about Maxwell, insisting that 'she isn't suicidal in the least'. Recalling the first time she clocked the disgraced socialite inside, Watkins said she had to do a double take to make sure it was her. She said: 'It's an open dorm, it's a big bay full of bunk beds, there is no cells. I walked by and I seen her there. 'I did a double take because I recognized her face immediately from the news. I was like "is that who I think it is?"' 'My friend who was with me was like "I don't know who is it?", I caught her up on the situation. Started asking around and it was definitely her.' Watkins, who had her sentenced commuted in January, said her and Maxwell would go on to speak several times a week, typically while exercising around the yard. She said that Maxwell brought up her own case a few times and only made one mention of Epstein, her former lover and boss, that she could remember. 'We don't talk about cases as inmates because people will think you're a snitch, it's an unspoken rule among inmates. You don't ask,' she explained. '[Maxwell] did bring it up a couple times but it was very very hush hush. She didn't talk a lot about it. 'She did say that the DOJ had no interest in her until after, her exact words were until after Jeffrey, and then she paused for a second and said died. That was the only time he ever came up.' According to Watkins Maxwell came across as being at ease inside prison, adding that she 'didn't seem unduly worried'. She added: 'The open dorm situation is very good, there's like 40 or 50 people around so if anybody tried anything, there's witnesses. She seemed very at ease, very calm and approachable.' Watkins said that anybody involved in child or sex cases is somewhat protected by the authorities. 'If someone is to retaliate against her they catch an entire indictment and can get like 10 years or something. 'I don't think she feared anything from the other inmates, she was also very helpful. She worked in the law library', she added. In the US correctional facilities offer inmates the resources to access the courts and further understand their legal rights and options with in house law libraries. Watkins said that Maxwell worked inside the one in Tallahassee and provided fellow inmates with the right legal forms and offered advice, even running her own classes. 'She was very concerned about peoples medical well-being and so she did have that kind side to her.' Despite this, Watkins added that Maxwell did make her uneasy, due to her being aware of the nature of her case. She added: '[Maxwell] made me nervous, anytime she came around she made me nervous but she was very nice.' Watkins said that outside of helping others with legal cases, Maxwell spent her time working out and reading books constantly. She revealed the madam has a taste for classic literature. She never recalled seeing Maxwell with a tablet inside or ever spending time inside the TV room, deciding to work on her case or read instead. Watkins also took aim at the food available to inmates as being 'not fit for human consumption' while saying that she recalled Maxwell eating kosher meals. Maxwell is said to have kept to herself, and had one close friend who Watkins identified only as Lisa. Lisa told others she was a doctor before her prison stint. According to Watkins the facility had problems with drug use amongst inmates, particularly the prescription opioid Suboxone and crystal meth. Due to this, she said her and Maxwell bonded over not being hooked on the substances. 'We avoided most of the inmates cause they were high all the time and we didn't want to be around that. She would gravitate towards people who were also sober,' Watkins said. 'We walked the track one day and we were trying to calculate how many people were sober in the prison, I think we came up with 12', she added. The only other details of her private life Maxwell gave out was that her father had worked in the media, according to Watkins. Epstein and Maxwell were previously pictured alongside President Donald Trump in the past, Maxwell only made mention mention of Trump inside once, Watkins added. She said: 'There was something in the news about Trump having Jeffrey Epstein at Mar-a-Lago or something. 'I guess she had done some interview and the media had asked her about President Trump, and she came back and said "well like why are you interested in Trump and not the Clintons?". 'I guess they were far closer, I don't know. It was a passing statement, she never really elaborated on that.' Watkins said that Maxwell was not suicidal, suggesting her former bunkmate could meet the same fate as Epstein who was found dead in a New York City jail cell in 2019. At the time of Epstein's death, which was ruled a suicide, he had pleaded not guilty to the charges held against him. His suicide fueled public speculation that he was assassinated as part of a cover-up to protect other high-profile individuals who were potentially complicit in his crimes. From that, a theory that the well-connected financier maintained a list of clients to whom underage girls were trafficked emerged. The Trump administration backed that notion, with the president himself saying on the campaign trail last year that he would make sure the list was released. An all out MAGA civil war has ensued after Trump's Department of Justice said in a memo earlier this month that, despite fueling theories for years, there is no list. Attorney General Pam Bondi made promises that raised the expectations of conservatives, maintaining this year that the list 'was on her desk'. To some fanfare, right-wing influencers were welcomed to the White House in February and provided with binders marked 'The Epstein Files: Phase 1'. It later emerged that the information contained in the dossiers handed over was already publicly available. The DOJ also released videos from inside the New York City facility where Epstein died, saying it proved he committed suicide. Critics have pointed to the fact that there is a crucial minute missing from the footage that also does not show the door or, indeed, the inside of Epstein's jail cell. It us a challenging crisis for Trump to maneuver, as he spent the last few years stoking theories and embracing propaganda that he is the chosen one to demolish the 'deep state'. Now that he's back in charge of the government, his supporters who viciously support him have turned on him, demanding answers. He spoke with reporters on Tuesday, saying: 'I don't understand what the interest or what the fascination is.' Asked whether Bondi had told him his name was in the Epstein files, Trump said no. He then praised her handling of the case. He went on to suggest, without citing evidence, that the documents were 'made up' by former FBI Director James Comey and former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden. Maxwell indicated this week that she is willing to testify before Congress about the so-called Epstein list. A source told the Daily Mail: 'Despite the rumors, Ghislaine was never offered any kind of plea deal. 'She would be more than happy to sit before Congress and tell her story. No-one from the government has ever asked her to share what she knows. 'She remains the only person to be jailed in connection to Epstein and she would welcome the chance to tell the American public the truth.' Her family have frequently claimed she 'did not receive a fair trial', but legal appeals against her sex trafficking convictions have been rejected by the courts. In a statement this week her family said: 'If necessary, in due course they will also file a writ of habeas corpus in the US district court, SDNY. 'This allows her to challenge her imprisonment on the basis of new evidence such as government misconduct that would have likely changed the trial's outcome.' That new challenge would be 'on the basis of new evidence such as government misconduct that would have likely changed the trial's outcome'. The family argue that Maxwell should have been protected under an agreement Epstein entered with the Department of Justice in 2007, in which they vowed not to prosecute any of his co-conspirators after he 'paid fines, paid 'victims' millions of dollars and served 13 months in prison.' The family wants Maxwell's sentence to be vacated and for her to be referred for resentencing, accusing the court of also 'applying an incorrect guideline range and offense level.'.
