Aftermath of deadly attack that left 49 Christians dead
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Yahoo
42 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Darlington man 'Chop Off' strangled mother leaving her fearing for her life
A violent man left his mother fearing for her life as he strangled her before stamping all over her body. Shaun O'Connor, known as Chop Off, launched the brutal and sustained attack on his mother after he flooded her bathroom after shouting he was going to 'kill her'. The 42-year-old grabbed her in a headlock before wrapping a towel around her head after she confronted him about his behaviour. Teesside Crown Court heard how she tried to 'play dead' in a desperate attempt to get her son to stop the attack inside her Darlington home. Jenny Haigh, prosecuting, said O'Connor's mother called the mental health crisis team which resulted in the defendant becoming enraged and launching his attack on her. She said: 'He grabbed hold of her in a headlock, grabbed a towel and put it around her head. She said he was pushing her face down onto the floor and she couldn't breathe. 'She says he was telling her he wanted her 'gone' and she could feel pressure on her neck. She tried to play dead but she couldn't do that as she couldn't breathe.' Miss Haigh said when the police arrived at the victim's home, she managed to throw the house keys out of the window to help them get in. 'She shouted down to the police that her son was trying to smothercate her and she said that if the police hadn't got there when they did, she 'would have been gone',' she added. 'She said she was petrified and passed out. The complainant said that he was stamping all over her body and she told police that he wanted to kill her.' Shaun O'Connor (Image: Durham Constabulary) The prosecutor said O'Connor's mother was fearful for her life and believes that if the police hadn't arrived when they did she would have been 'in the ground'. The court heard how O'Connor had previous convictions for assaulting his mother including one on Christmas Day where he pushed her into a bush and on another occasion where he wrapped masking tape around her face. See more court stories from The Northern Echo by Vulnerable Darlington man hid in Tesco store while armed with five-inch knife Banned Ferryhill driver caught on petrol station CCTV at wheel of his BMW Three people, including a Big Brother contestant, admit role in pub arson attack Unlock unlimited local news subscribe today and save on an annual subscription. Enjoy access to our ad-free mobile and tablet app, as well as the digital edition of the paper. Don't miss out – subscribe now! Click here for details. In 2023, O'Connor was sentenced to two years in prison after he sexually assaulted two women, exposed himself to another, assaulted an innocent man and carried out a sickening sex act in a police station cell after his arrest. O'Connor, whose address was given as HMP Durham, pleaded guilty to attempting to inflict grievous bodily harm, intentional strangulation and two charges of criminal damage. Recorder Paul Reid adjourned the sentencing hearing to allow more time for a victim impact statement to be prepared and to obtain a medical update on the injuries suffered by the victim. O'Connor will return to court September 5 to be sentenced.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
He Cut Off a Teen's Arms and Threw Her Down a Ravine — But She Climbed to Safety and Helped Catch Her Attacker
NEED TO KNOW In 1978, 15-year-old Mary Vincent was attacked by a man who severed both her arms and left her in a ravine She packed her wounds with dirt, then crawled up a 30-foot embankment to reach the road Bleeding and barely alive, she flagged down a passing car — and later helped identify her attacker in court In the fall of 1978, 15-year-old Mary Vincent was hitchhiking near Modesto, Calif., hoping to get to her grandfather's house after running away from home. When a seemingly kind older man in a blue van pulled over and offered her a ride, she hesitated — but accepted. The man was 51-year-old Lawrence Singleton, a former merchant seaman. After stopping briefly to pick up other passengers and being refused, Singleton continued alone with Mary, eventually turning off onto a deserted road. That's when her instinct turned to fear. Singleton knocked Vincent unconscious, stripped her of her clothing and bound her tightly. He sexually assaulted her repeatedly, ignoring for hours her cries and pleas to be set free, per court records. "You want to be set free? I'll set you free," Singleton said the next morning. He pulled out a hatchet, severed both Vincent's arms, threw her down a ravine and left her for dead. But Mary Vincent did not die. Instead, she heard a loud, persistent message in her head. "I can't go to sleep," she recalled thinking, per an interview with Open Ceilings Magazine. "He's going to do this to somebody else. I can't let that happen." She packed the raw ends of her arms with dirt to slow the bleeding and crawled her way out of the ravine — a 30-foot climb — naked, injured, and barely conscious. Once she reached the road, she managed to flag down a passing car. 'The next morning, two individuals found Mary Vincent wandering nude," reads a court document obtained by UPI. "She was holding up her arms so that the muscles and blood would not fall out.' Two good Samaritans picked her up and rushed her to a nearby hospital. A forensic sketch artist worked with Mary as she recovered from her injuries, and her description helped police identify and arrest Singleton, who was later found guilty of attempted murder, mayhem, kidnapping and multiple sexual assault charges. When asked to identify Singleton in court, she pointed at him with her silver prosthetic hook hand. "I was attacked," she said, per the Tampa Bay Times. "I was raped and my hands were cut off. He used a hatchet... He left me to die." Singleton was sentenced to 14 years in prison, the maximum allowed under California law at the time — but he served just eight. He was released in 1987 and faced public outrage. Towns across California protested his release, and he had to be housed in a trailer on San Quentin prison grounds until his parole ended because no Northern California community would accept him, per the Los Angeles Times. In 1997 — nearly two decades after his attack on Mary — Singleton murdered 31-year-old Roxanne Hayes in Tampa, Fla. He was sentenced to death but died of cancer in prison in 2001. Vincent told UPI at the time that she was devastated "because it had to happen again before anyone realized he shouldn't have been released in the first place." Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. "It was only recently I stopped having my nightmares," she told the Los Angeles Times at the time. "Now they're back again. It starts off with my attack, and then I end up seeing all these other people and worse things happening to them." So Vincent took action — she shared her story with victims of trauma and testified before legislative bodies, advocating for sentencing reform. California later passed a law increasing the maximum penalty for crimes like Singleton's, informally dubbed the 'Singleton bill.' Now a mother to two adult children, Vincent lives with her husband in Washington State. A self-taught artist, she has created thousands of pastel drawings — many of them empowering female figures — and even designs her own prosthetic tools for different activities like bowling, using spare parts from old stereo systems and refrigerators, per a 2022 interview with The Netline.
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Yahoo
Fans Are Sending Prayers to Paul Hollywood Amid 'Shocking' News
Fans Are Sending Prayers to Paul Hollywood Amid 'Shocking' News originally appeared on Parade. Paul Hollywood is asking the public for help after his brother Lee was attacked. The Great British Bake Off judge took to Instagram on August 10 to share a bit about what happened. "If you have information regarding this attack on Friday night, the person in question who was attacked is my brother Lee. Any information please follow details above Thank you," Hollywood captioned a post. The post contained information from the Wirral Police Department. "We are appealing for witnesses after a man was assaulted in Leasowe last night, Friday 8 August," the post read. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Paul Hollywood (@ "The man, who is in his 50s, was walking his dog on Links View Playing fields, near to Shackleton Road, at around 7.10pm when his dog and another dog, which was being walked by an another male, began barking at each dogs were separated by the other male who then became irate. As the man walked away he was approached from behind and punched to the floor by the male. He was then kicked in the face and back before the male made off," the post continued. "The man suffered injuries to his back and face and was taken to the hospital for treatment," the Wirral Police Department's post said, adding that an "investigation is underway." The comments section of Hollywood's post quickly filled up. "Prayers of quick healing and calm for your brother, and discernment & quickness for the authorities to find the individual who did this, and bring them to justice," one person wrote. "Absolutely horrific. I am so sorry to hear this. Hoping your brother heals quickly and fully & this dangerous perpetrator gets caught and receives a severe sentence," someone else said. "Senseless mindless violence! Sending prayers that your brother makes a full recovery and they catch the violent individual who did this," a third comment Are Sending Prayers to Paul Hollywood Amid 'Shocking' News first appeared on Parade on Aug 10, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Aug 10, 2025, where it first appeared.
