Moldovan courier company advertising people trafficking services on Facebook, Belfast court hears
A Moldovan-based courier company advertising on Facebook is at the centre of an investigation into a suspected people smuggling operation, the High Court heard today.
Prosecutors said two men and a woman working for the firm were stopped at Belfast port in a van carrying Romanian nationals who were illegally in the United Kingdom.
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Reuters
33 minutes ago
- Reuters
Filipino families flee Northern Irish home after night of anti-immigrant violence
BALLYMENA, Northern Ireland, June 11 (Reuters) - Michael Sancio, a resident of the Northern Irish town of Ballymena, said he was woken at midnight on Tuesday by masked men banging loudly on windows. Sancio, his wife and daughter, and a couple who share their house - all originally from the Philippines - grabbed their passports and a few belongings and fled their home, sleeping at a friend's house on Tuesday night. They said they plan to stay further outside the town on Wednesday because they feel unsafe at home. Hundreds of masked rioters attacked police and set homes and cars on fire in the town of 30,000 people for a second successive night on Tuesday. Police are investigating the damaging of property as racially-motivated "hate crimes". "Last night I woke up at 12 midnight because I heard some people outside, and I saw in the window, I saw the other guys wearing a black jacket and black pants, and also they're wearing a mask," Sancio, 27, told Reuters on Wednesday. "They started banging the window of our neighbours so I panicked because I have a daughter inside that house." The rioters smashed the windows of the couple's car that was parked outside the house and set it and a bin on fire, said Sancio, who works at a local bus manufacturer. The violence erupted after two 14-year-old boys were arrested and appeared in court, accused of a serious sexual assault on a teenage girl in Ballymena, a town with a relatively large migrant population located 28 miles (45 km) from Belfast. The charges were read via a Romanian interpreter to the boys, the BBC reported, adding that the lawyer told the court that they denied the charges. Anti-migrant violence is rare in Northern Ireland, which for decades has been more familiar with sectarian violence between resident Catholics and Protestants, including in Ballymena. While a 1998 peace deal largely ended the three decades of bloodshed between Protestants who want to remain under British rule and Catholics favouring a united Ireland, there are still sporadic clashes. Sancio said the masked men told them that they were not targeting Filipino people. Around Ballymena, Filipino residents put stickers of British and Filipino flags on their doors, with messages saying "Filipino lives here" to show they were not Romanian. Union Jack flags regularly fly in the largely pro-British town. Democratic Unionist Party councillor Lawrie Philpott told Reuters that some people who usually don't fly flags had hung Union Jacks outside their homes this week to show they are local. Around 6% of people in Northern Ireland were born abroad, according to government statistics. The foreign-born population in Ballymena is higher, in line with the UK average of 16%, and includes a relatively large Filipino community. Northern Ireland has been broadly welcoming to migrants but that has been tested recently. Violent disorder erupted in Belfast last August as part of anti-immigration protests that swept across several UK cities following the murder of three young girls in northwest England. In the Republic of Ireland, rioting broke out in Dublin in late 2023 during anti-immigrant protests that were triggered by a stabbing attack that left a child seriously injured. Sian Mulholland, a local lawmaker from the Alliance Party, said she was fielding calls from migrant families who in some cases had barricaded themselves into their homes until 0230 on Wednesday morning. "I had been engaging with this community beforehand because the houses they are living in are not fit for purpose. They're (living in) squalor," she told Reuters. Sancio's wife, Mariel Lei Odi, was working a night shift on Tuesday. When she returned home, she was worried about the safety of their two-year-old daughter, she said. "When I (came home to) my husband and chatted about what happened last night: (I said) 'my daughter, my daughter, my daughter. What happened?'," she said. Michael Asuro, who lives in the house with his wife, Jessa Sagarit, said he came to Northern Ireland just under two years ago to seek a better life. Sagarit said she felt traumatised by the events. Police have said they are braced for more violence on Wednesday. As residents boarded up broken windows and doors in Ballymena, the Filipino families wondered about their future and whether they will stay. "We feel extreme fear," Asuro said.
Daily Mirror
3 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Woman flashes obscene gesture as mob forces accused baby killer out of her home
Nicole Blain is set to appear in court next year after she was alleged to have killed her baby daughter by shaking just three weeks after she was born at a flat in Greenock, Inverclyde A woman was seen making an obscene gesture towards a baying mob as an accused baby killer was forced to leave her home. Police have charged Nicole Blain, 29, over the death of three-week-old Thea June Wilson at a property in Greenock, in Inverclyde Scotland, on July 14 2023. Prosecutors have alleged she shook the child and inflicted blunt force trauma by unknown means before her death. She denies the charges, and is set to appear before the court in a trial scheduled for April 2026, but the case has already caught significant local attention, with police called to her home after a baying mob materialised outside her flat. Footage obtained by the Daily Record outside of the flat in Johnstone, Renfrewshire, shows officers guarding the property as people gather outside, with shouts of "get her out" as the crowd grew. Other chants of "get her into the back of the van" and "you are lucky that the cops are here" could be heard as two women emerged from the home. In response, one of the pair could be seen flipping up their middle finger at the crowd as the they were bundled into the back of a police van. The curbside protest followed a local social media campaign in which residents of Johnstone have called for "support" to remove her from the area. Videos showing her being moved from the home have been hailed by supporters of the fervent campaign, which has built up across multiple social media accounts, mainly on Facebook. A spokesperson for Police Scotland said however that the crowd dispersed a short time after officers arrived to collect Blain. A spokesperson for the service said: "Around 7.25pm on Monday, 9 June, 2025, we received a report of a crowd gathered outside a property in Floorsburn Crescent, Johnstone. "Officers attended and the crowd dispersed a short time later." Blain's legal team has pleaded not guilty on her behalf following an initial hearing at Glasgow High Court on May 8, with a special defence of incrimination lodged as the defence and prosecution agreed to said they were prepared for a trial. The case, when it comes before the court next year, is expected to last around six days, and several "professional witnesses" are set to be allowed to provide evidence remotely. A fundraiser was launched in the wake of baby Thea's death in a bid to raise roughly £1,200 for the three-week-old's funeral costs. But the page has since been suspended, with donations no longer allowed.
Metro
3 hours ago
- Metro
Woman arrested of 'murder' after boy, 4, found dead inside Maidenhead home
A woman has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a four-year-old boy was found dead at a Maidenhead home. The unnamed youngster was declared dead at the scene when police arrived at the home on Dunholme End around 6.30pm yesterday. His next have kin have been informed. Police said today a 37-year-old woman from Maidenhead has been arrested on suspicion of murder. She remains in custody. Detective Inspector Rob Underhill said: 'This is an exceptionally tragic incident, in which a young boy has tragically passed away. More Trending 'Although formal identification has not yet taken place, the boy's next of kin are aware and my thoughts, and the thoughts of all of us at Thames Valley Police, are with them at this extremely difficult time. 'We are still in the very early stages of this investigation and have made an arrest in connection with this incident. 'I recognise the concern this will cause in the local community. However, we are confident that there is no wider risk to the community and thank you for your patience as our officers continue their work.' Got a story? Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ Or you can submit your videos and pictures here. For more stories like this, check our news page. Follow on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news updates. You can now also get articles sent straight to your device. Sign up for our daily push alerts here. MORE: British woman accused of smuggling drugs in Angel Delight sachets says she was 'framed' MORE: Mum of murdered footballer 'wishes she had a wand to get rid of knife crime' MORE: Toddler dies after 'drunk dad left her in a hot car for nine hours'
