Police investigate after woman found dead at Portsmouth home
Police are investigating the death of a woman at a house in Portsmouth.Officers were called to the property in Wadham Road at 07:37 BST on Thursday.The death is currently being treated as suspicious, police added.The force said its neighbourhood policing team for the area would be carrying out regular patrols and asked people with concerns to speak to these uniformed officers.
Anyone with information should contact Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary.
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BBC News
2 hours ago
- BBC News
Illegal work arrests double in year as police target 'unscrupulous' employers
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Sky News
3 hours ago
- Sky News
'He was going to kill me': More strangulation cases recorded by police but many investigations falter
Around 70% of non-fatal strangulation cases in the last year have been dropped due to evidential issues, exclusive data shared with Sky News shows. It is now three years since it became a standalone offence in England and Wales, in a landmark piece of legislation designed to protect domestic abuse victims. Data from the Institute for Addressing Strangulation (IFAS) shows that police are implementing the offence widely - but outcomes for victims are mixed. Warning: This article contains references to domestic abuse and sexual assault 'Sarah' - whose name has been changed to protect her identity - vividly remembers the first time her ex-partner strangled her, one year into their relationship. She said: "He was drunk, and he climbed on top me. He put his hands around my throat, and he pinned me down with the strength of his body." Terrified, she begged him repeatedly to stop, but he carried on. "I remember I just felt really numb and scared, but it was weird, it felt like an out-of-body experience." Afterwards the only words he spoke to her were 'look what you made me do', she said, and then when the ordeal was over, he carried on with his day as if nothing had happened. This was the beginning of a pattern of abuse that continued throughout the rest of their relationship, happening on at least 30 more occasions, Sarah estimated. It became so normalised He strangled her when she was pregnant. He strangled her whether her children were in the house or not. It always happened during sex, though Sarah was only later able to recognise that this was rape after talking to the police, because for her it had become so normalised. And, always, he told Sarah it was her fault - that she had somehow 'made' him do it. She later went on to suffer a miscarriage because of the physical abuse. 'A form of control' "Looking back now I can see it was a form of control. He got off on knowing that he was in control, and he liked seeing me upset," she said. "I thought that he was going to kill me because he used to threaten it to me. It was very, very scary." This fear of death is common among victims of strangulation and is a recognised tool of control and intimidation. A US study found that victims of domestic abuse were seven times more likely to be murdered by their current or former partner if there had been an incident of non-fatal strangulation beforehand. But this form of violence often leaves no obvious external signs of injury, meaning in some cases perpetrators could only be investigated for less serious offences like common assault, which did not reflect the severity of the crime. What are the possible effects on health? The potential health impacts are wide-ranging, including loss of consciousness, voice changes, difficulty in swallowing and breathing, bruising, haemorrhages, headaches, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), miscarriage, risk of suicide, and death (including delayed death). Symptoms can arise weeks or months after the event. It is for these reasons that campaigners fought for the introduction of the standalone offence, which came into effect in June 2022. 'Much work to be done' The IFAS has been monitoring the offence since the legislation was introduced and shared its latest report findings exclusively with Sky News. It said there is still "much work to be done" to better protect victims of strangulation. New figures obtained by IFAS from the Home Office reveal that over 63,000 crimes of non-fatal strangulation or suffocation were recorded by police in England and Wales in the first two years under the legislation. There were 39,360 recorded crimes in 2023/24, on average 66 offences per 100,000 people compared with 50 per 100,000 the year before, an increase of 20%. "Survivors who work with us have recognised time and time again how important it is to be able to see strangulation as a standalone offence and have the opportunity to progress with criminal justice proceedings," Harriet Smailes, co-author of the report, told Sky News. The volume of crimes recorded suggests that the offence is being widely recognised and reported by police - and the number resulting in charges, at 12%, is high compared to some other offences. However, a significant number of investigations result in no further action due to evidential difficulties. This can happen if police or prosecutors do not believe there is enough evidence to proceed, or if the victim does not support the investigation. This was the outcome in three in five investigations overall, including one in five investigations where the victim did support police action. Outcomes were similar in both years of available data. "In around half of cases, there are no external, physical, visible signs of injury. That's not to say that there aren't internal injuries that can't be seen just with the naked eye," said Ms Smailes, who is a research officer at IFAS. "It might be that that visible injury isn't present at the time of evidence capture that might develop over time, or because there's a difference in how individuals show bruising, for example those of different skin tones. That can contribute towards there not being enough perceived evidence to be able to progress with a police case," she said. In some cases where a victim disengages from police proceedings, it may be that they did not feel supported and believed in the process or felt that there were "too many obstacles". On the other hand, not all cases where a victim did not support police action are necessarily negative. "It might be that initial needs have been met in that instance through reporting to the police, for example, initial containment of the risk of that situation, and referrals to specialist health or mental health services," Ms Smailes explained. Police 'determined' to improve Assistant Commissioner Louisa Rolfe is the National Police Chiefs' Council lead for domestic abuse. She told Sky News that securing prosecutions for strangulation is a priority for tackling violence against women and girls, and a key part of national Domestic Abuse Matters training. "For us to do well in prosecutions, we need to understand how perpetrators operate, how they use this is a sinister way of controlling their victims. And we also know that many victims are frightened to pursue prosecution," she said. Investigators not only have to secure detailed evidence rapidly but also present the best possible case so that prosecutors and juries understand how an abuser is operating, she said. "That can be a challenging job, for a police service that's under pressure, trying to deal with a myriad of priorities. I know many investigators are passionate about getting this right." "We know we're up against it when it comes to securing convictions, but we're determined to improve," she added. Fewer than half were convicted Separate research by IFAS has found that in the first year under the new legislation, only around half of the number of offences charged by police were prosecuted, and less than half of those secured a conviction. Overall, 47% of the 1,437 prosecutions of non-fatal strangulation and suffocation offences in the year to June 2023 resulted in conviction, based on data from the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) from all courts in England and Wales. There are several potential reasons that a prosecution may be unsuccessful, including evidential difficulties or a victim withdrawing from the process. The accused may also have been convicted of a separate offence, but not for the strangulation. Without more detailed data, it is hard to determine to what extent each is contributing to the low conviction rate. Reflecting on the figures, head of policy and public affairs at domestic abuse support charity Refuge, Ellie Butt, told Sky News that victims often face "huge pressure" from perpetrators to drop out of the criminal justice process. "When compounded with lengthy court delays and insufficient support, many survivors are forced to withdraw from the process. Police and prosecutors should be working to build cases that can be taken forward even when a survivor can no longer continue," she said. The Crown Prosecution Service highlighted to Sky News that the number of new prosecution proceedings has been consistently increasing, particularly domestic abuse-related strangulation offences. In the latest quarter, 2,000 cases reached their first hearing at magistrates' court. Kate Brown, the CPS national lead for domestic abuse, said: "Three years on, we have continued to bring more charges quarter on quarter, with over 2,000 seen in court in the past three months. "This standalone offence has shone a light on those who seek to use these violent acts to exert power over another person and harm them. We are determined to continue bringing abusers to justice for victims." A gendered crime The new data from IFAS reinforces that strangulation is a gendered crime. Around 80% of victims whose gender was recorded by police were female, while 88% of suspects were male. The data also shows that while people from all ages are impacted, most victims are younger, with three in five aged 34 or under. The age profile of suspects was slightly higher, with three in five suspects aged between 25 and 44. 'I want to say it's not your fault' Sarah's case ended in evidential difficulties. Though her case was reported before 2022, when strangulation became a specific offence, she said she did provide substantial physical evidence to the police and she feels "let down" by the justice system. She said she has been diagnosed with PTSD, anxiety and other health issues. "I live with it every day. It can be a song that comes on the radio or a sign or somebody's name and it would just bring everything back to me to that point, that moment," she said. "I want to say it's not your fault. Nobody has the right to control you, nobody has the right to abuse you, rape you, strangle you. "I would urge anyone to speak out and if you feel like you haven't been heard and your voice has not been listened to, speak out again."
Daily Mail
4 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Five members of same family jailed for 17 years over £136,000 fake armed robbery plot at Post Office
Five members of the same family have been jailed for their involvement in a plot to conceal over £130,000 stolen from a Post Office in a staged armed robbery. Taxi driver Rajvinder Kahlon, 43, pretended to be an armed robber as part of the plot at the branch in Hounslow, west London. Kahlon, of Great West Road, Hounslow, was sentenced to four-and-a-half years' imprisonment at Isleworth Crown Court on Friday after being convicted of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, conspiracy to steal from the Post Office, and conspiracy to money launder. Metropolitan Police officers had responded to reports on April 1 last year of an armed robbery at the Post Office within a convenience store in Brabazon Road, Hounslow. Two women working at the branch, sub-postmistress Sunaver Dhillon, 68, and Ramandeep Dhillon, 40, both of Lyne Road, Virginia Water, lied to officers that they had been threatened by a man with a pistol who stole £50,000, as well as the branch's CCTV system. The court heard that money from a safe and a CCTV hard disc had already been removed by Kahlon's cousin Sukhvir Dhillon, the husband of Ramandeep Dhillon and son of Sunaver Dhillon, before the staged robbery. Police analysis of Kahlon's phone showed he was in regular contact with Sukhvir Dhillon, 38, the court heard. Her Honour Judge Lindsey Rose said of the family's fake robbery: 'It meant many resources were deployed to the Post Office when they could have been deployed elsewhere where they may have saved others, all because of your greed and conniving in pretending this was an armed robbery.' Kahlon was initially arrested and appeared at Isleworth Crown Court charged with the armed robbery of Ramandeep Dhillon and Sunaver Dhillon before the inside job was revealed. Kahlon indicated at a pre-trial review that he was willing to plead guilty to the bogus charge before the prosecution requested he was not arraigned. Sentencing Kahlon, Judge Rose said: 'You were the fall guy for this, the robber who failed at his role. 'You were even willing to enter a guilty plea that would have seen you serve a sentence of years' imprisonment for a crime you didn't commit.' The judge said Kahlon was 'hoping to be paid handsomely by Sukhvir Dhillon' for keeping quiet, adding that the family's lies were 'maintained over the investigation and prosecution of Mr Kahlon'. Detectives from the Met's Flying Squad identified Kahlon from CCTV, tracking him to a nearby car which was registered to him. Kahlon's DNA was also found on a metal fence that he cut himself on as he fled the scene. Elroy Claxton, mitigating for Kahlon, said his client became involved in the plot because of 'an overpowering of his mind by brotherly love'. He added that Kahlon was 'remorseful' and denied ever having a firearm in his possession or transferring money over borders. An audit by the Post Office found that the actual amount of money missing from the store was around £136,000 - none of the money was ever recovered. The court heard that some of the stolen money may have been sent to India and Canada while they travelled to those countries. Sentencing the family, the judge said: 'You carefully planned a false robbery at a time when you knew the maximum amount of money would be at the Post Office. 'You lied and lied again to try to get away with this.' Judge Rose said the Dhillon family's expenditure and lifestyle far exceeded their income. The judge told them: 'You enjoyed multiple expensive cars, holidays and houses - including a very large house in Virginia Water that enjoyed an expensive renovation.' Sukhvir Dhillon, of Lyne Road, Virginia Water, was sentenced to five years' imprisonment for his part in the conspiracy after being found guilty of the same charges as Kahlon at Isleworth Crown Court on March 27. Sentencing Sukhvir Dhillon, Judge Rose said: 'You were the person that was the lead of this offence, you planned what would happen, organised it and put everyone in place.' Sunaver Dhillon, mother of Sukhvir Dhillon, was sentenced to three years and one months' imprisonment for her part in the conspiracy after being found guilty of the same charges as Kahlon. Sentencing her, Judge Rose said: 'You went to work to give an air of authenticity to this crime, making sure the safe was open and using your role as sub-postmistress to make sure the maximum amount could be taken.' Ramandeep Dhillon, the wife of Sukhvir Dhillon, was sentenced to two years and five months' imprisonment for the same charges. Sentencing her, Judge Rose said: 'You were no doubt brought in for your acting abilities, happy to play your part in acting scared and upset by this fake robbery. You even lied about there being a gun.' Another family member, Mandeep Gill, 45, was sentenced to two years and four months' imprisonment, after being found guilty of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice and conspiracy to money launder. Gill was not brought into the conspiracy until after the false police report was made, with prosecutor Richard Reynolds adding that her role was 'lesser than the others'. Mr Reynolds said the conspiracy was a 'particularly cynical plan' in light of the Post Office Horizon controversy, adding that it came at a time when 'public awareness and concern around the Horizon scandal was at its absolute peak'. A Post Office spokesperson said: 'We want to publicly thank the Metropolitan Police for its very thorough investigation into this staged armed robbery which was solved using CCTV footage, DNA evidence and other data to identify those involved with this crime.'
