Man who murdered British backpacker Peter Falconio dies
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Daily Mail
6 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
British drug king pin once in the 'top 10 criminals in Europe' dies in Costa Del Sol with Spanish courts still considering whether to send him to jail
A notorious British drug trafficker once listed in the 'top 10 criminals in Europe' has died on the Costa Blanca. Brian Charrington, an ex-associate of former international cocaine baron Curtis Warren, passed away in the early hours of yesterday morning at Marina Baixa Hospital in Villajoyosa near Benidorm. The 68-year-old was waiting to hear whether he had to start a prison sentence in Spain over a 2013 cocaine seizure. His defence lawyer had requested the suspension of the eight-year jail term on health grounds. Charrington started out as a car dealer in Middlesbrough but went on to own a Rolls-Royce, Bentley, private jet and fleet of yachts thanks to his international drugs empire. In 2011, his fortune was put at £20 million. In the eighties, he teamed up with Curtis Warren, whose personal fortune was so large he appeared on the Sunday Times Rich List, to import cocaine to the UK from Venezuela. The pair were arrested in early 1992 after a shipment of more than 900 kilos of cocaine sealed inside lead ingots in steel boxes was discovered. The subsequent trial collapsed after it transpired that Charrington was a police informant for the North-East Regional Crime Squad. Britain's security forces went on to re-home him in Australia but his visa was revoked shortly after his arrival. He went on to build up links with North African drug dealers after relocating to Spain and laundered millions of pounds from a fortified villa on Spain's Costa Blanca which he used to bring hashish from Morocco across the border. He was acquitted in two drugs trials in the UK before being extradited to Germany and sentenced to seven years' jail in 2003 for conspiracy to smuggle cocaine into the country. Charrington was extradited to France following his release in 2006 to serve a two-year prison term over the discovery of 650 kilos of hashish found on his yacht in the English Channel in 1995. In 2004 he lost a civil suit against the Assets Recovery Agency over more than £2 million found in his loft, which he and Curtis Warren disputed the ownership of. The civil recovery order against him and Warren was described at the time as the largest of its kind. Spanish police described Charrington after his 2013 arrest in Spain as 'one of the ten most investigated criminals' by European police forces and 'leader of an international gang of drug smugglers.' Spanish police held Charrington in 2013 along with a number of other people, including his French girlfriend Isabelle Robert and son Ray, after a long-running investigation sparked by a tip-off from French police that he and Robert were smuggling cocaine into Europe from Venezuela. Their luxury villas in Calpe near Benidorm on the Costa Blanca were among a number of homes raided by police on July 4 2013. In a subsequent indictment in which prosecutors initially demanded an 18-year prison sentence for Charrington, they claimed he tried to erase information he had chalked on a blackboard in his office about amounts of cocaine and sale prices during the raid on his home. Police revealed at the time of the operation they had seized 220 kilos of cocaine worth £10 million at another apartment in Albir near Benidorm, said to have been smuggled into Spain through the nearby port of Altea. Britain's Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA), Venezuelan police and a regional 18-member-state police organisation called Ameripol set up to fight drug trafficking, were also involved. Drug lord Charrington's original 2018 trial and conviction following the 2013 drug bust were quashed by Spain's Supreme Court over impartiality issues, and a second trial had to be held. That resulted in an eight-year five five-month prison sentence for the Brit criminal, which his lawyers were trying to get him exempted from serving because of his poor health. The Spanish courts had yet to rule on Charrington's lawyer's request when he passed away. One of Brian's three grown-up children wrote on social media late last night: 'Rest in peace Dad.' The Brit criminal is understood to have been admitted to hospital shortly before his death.
Daily Mail
9 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
NRL grand final hero faces long ban for alleged heated incident with a referee during a footy match
An NRL Grand Final hero has landed in hot water after he allegedly swore at a referee during a footy match. Andrew Fifita was playing for De La Salle during a clash against the Gymea Gorillas last weekend when the incident took place. Fifita made 213 appearances for Cronulla Sharks and was a part of the team that won their maiden premiership title in 2016, notably scoring a try that led to the game-winning conversion. According to The Daily Telegraph, the 36-year-old is alleged to have called a referee a '****' during the first half of the match. He is now facing a five-match suspension over the matter, having been slapped with a Grade Two offensive language charge. 'He has pleaded not guilty and will face a judiciary hearing tomorrow night,' an NSWRL spokesperson said. Fifita, pictured with his wife Nikitia, denied that he had directed the comment toward the referee 'The NSWRL will make no further comment until the judicial matter is complete.' It also now means that Cronulla will be under the spotlight to sack the former footy star, should he be found guilty, who is the coach of their Tarsha Gale women's junior representative side. The prop forward is also employed by the Sharks as part of its culture and welfare team. 'It's an awkward situation because of his profile and the coaching position,' sources close to the club said to Nine's Wide World of Sports. Cronulla executive Dino Mezzatesta revealed that he has spoken with Fifita about the incident, with the forward insisting that he had not made the alleged comment towards the referee. 'Andrew was sent off for swearing, but he has advised the club he didn't direct it at the referee it was directed at an opposing player, who has also confirmed that the comment was directed at him,' Mezzatesta said. 'He has also acknowledged that the language was inappropriate all the same. 'Andrew is waiting for a date from NSWRL for his hearing, where he will be contesting the charge. 'The Cronulla Sharks will wait for this process to be completed.' It's not the first time that the footy player has found himself in front of a rugby league tribunal after he and his brother, David, were once stood down from playing junior rugby league games in Penrith for 12 months. Fifita had been accused of physically threatening a referee, following a match between Penrith Juniors and St Patricks in 2015. His brother, David, was also accused of swearing at the referee, telling the official 'you're a f***ing disgrace mate.'
Daily Mail
9 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Bryan Kohberger courthouse sees fights erupt in 13-HOUR line for sentencing as Idaho murderer is urged to explain himself
Tensions were high outside an Idaho courthouse as dozens of people lined up 13 hours before Bryan Kohberger is to be sentenced for the murders of four students. An argument broke out after people were accused of cutting in line as they tried to secure a seat for the 9am hearing in Boise. Kohberger, 30, is expected to be sentenced to four life sentences without parole after he pleaded guilty to the 2022 murders of Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen, Ethan Chapin and Kaylee Goncalves. Spectators and reporters began lining up outside the Ada County Courthouse at around 10pm Tuesday. Officials informed those present that they were not allowed to form a line until 4am, so spectators moved their line across the street from the courthouse. By 3am, at least 50 people were already lined up, some with camping chairs, as they waited to be let inside. There seemed to be a mix of media and crime sleuths in the line. Wednesday's sentencing hearing will conclude the case that grasped the nation's attention for years. But, many, including president Donald Trump, have said the plea deal should require Kohberger to explain why he committed the murders. The sentencing will give the families of the victims the opportunity to describe the anguish they've felt since their loved ones were killed in the early morning hours of November 13, 2022. Kohberger was a graduate student of Washington State University when he broke into a nearby rental home through a kitchen sliding door and killed the four friends, who appeared to have no connection with him. Police initially had no suspects, and the killings terrified the normally quiet community in the small, western Idaho city of Moscow. Some students at both universities left mid-semester, taking the rest of their classes online because they felt unsafe. But investigators had a few critical clues. A knife sheath left near Mogen's body had a single source of male DNA on the button snap, and surveillance videos showed a white Hyundai Elantra near the rental home around the time of the murders. Police used genetic genealogy to identify Kohberger as a possible suspect, and accessed cellphone data to pinpoint his movements the night of the killings. Online shopping records showed Kohberger had purchased a military-style knife months earlier, along with a sheath like the one at the home. Kohberger was arrested in Pennsylvania about six weeks after the killings. He initially stood silent when asked to enter a plea, so a judge entered a 'not guilty' plea on his behalf. Both the investigation and the court case drew widespread attention. Discussion groups proliferated online, with members eagerly sharing their theories and questions about the case. Some self-styled armchair detectives pointed fingers at innocent people simply because they knew the victims or lived in the same town. Misinformation spread, piling additional distress on the already-traumatized community. As the criminal case unfolded, Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson announced that he would seek the death penalty if Kohberger was convicted. The court-defense team, led by attorney Anne Taylor, challenged the validity of the DNA evidence, unsuccessfully pushed to get theories about possible 'alternate perpetrators' admitted in court, and repeatedly asked the judge to take the death penalty off of the table. But those efforts largely failed, and the evidence against Kohberger was strong. With an August trial looming, Kohberger reached a plea deal. Prosecutors agreed to drop their efforts to get a death sentence in exchange for Kohberger's guilty plea to four counts of first-degree murder and one count of burglary. Both sides agreed to a proposed sentence of four consecutive life sentences without parole, plus an additional 10 years for the burglary charge. Kohberger also waived his right to appeal any issues in the case.
