Man arrested after quadruple stabbing at Bermondsey business
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version.You can receive Breaking News on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on X to get the latest alerts.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
30 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Airbnb guest says images were altered in false £12,000 damage claim
Airbnb has apologised to a woman after an apartment host falsely claimed she had caused thousands of pounds' worth of damage and used images she says were digitally manipulated to back up his allegations. The London-based academic was refunded almost £4,300, and an internal review of how the case was dealt with has been launched at the short-term accommodation rental company. The incident highlights how cheap and easily available artificial intelligence software is now being used to manipulate images to give false evidence of what has happened in consumer complaints, according to one security expert. The woman, who is based in London, had booked the one-bedroom apartment in New York's Manhattan for two-and-a-half months earlier this year to stay in while she was studying, but she decided to leave early after feeling unsafe in the area. Shortly after she left, the host told Airbnb that she had caused more than £12,000 worth of damage, and submitted pictures of an apparently cracked coffee table as part of his case. His allegations included that she had stained a mattress with urine, and damaged a robot vacuum cleaner, a sofa, a microwave, a TV and an air conditioner. The woman denied any damage had been done to the apartment. She said she left it in good condition and had only two visitors during the seven weeks she stayed. A close examination of two pictures of the coffee table appears to show differences in the damage, leading the woman to believe they were digitally manipulated or generated by AI. She says the host was retaliating because she ended her tenancy early. Airbnb initially told her 'after careful review of the photos', she would have to reimburse the host a total of £5,314. She appealed against the decision. 'I informed them that I can provide testimony from an eyewitness who was with me during checkout and can attest under oath to the condition in which the property was left: clean, undamaged, and in good order,' she says. 'I also clearly demonstrated visual discrepancies in images of the same object (wooden table) provided by the host that show clear signs of fabrication.' She adds: 'These inconsistencies are simply not possible in genuine, unedited photographs of the same object. This should have immediately raised red flags and discredited the host's claims if the evidence had been reviewed with even basic scrutiny, but Airbnb not only failed to identify this obvious manipulation, they entirely ignored my explanations and clear evidence that the material was fabricated.' Five days after Guardian Money raised questions about the case with Airbnb, the woman was told it had accepted her appeal and credited her account with £500. When she then said she was not going to rebook with Airbnb again, the company offered an £854 refund – a fifth of the cost of her booking. She refused to accept this and was refunded the full cost (£4,269) of her booking, and a negative review that the host had placed on her profile was taken down. 'My concern is for future customers who may become victims of similar fraudulent claims and do not have the means to push back so much or give into paying out of fear of escalation,' the woman says. 'Given the ease with which such images can now be AI-generated and apparently accepted by Airbnb despite investigations, it should not be so easy for a host to get away with forging evidence in this way.' The man who complained about her is listed as a 'superhost' on Airbnb, which the site says is someone who is experienced and highly rated. He did not respond to a request for comment. Airbnb said he had been warned for violating its terms and told he would be removed if there was another similar report. The company told him that it could not verify the images he submitted as part of his complaint. Airbnb apologised and said there would be a review into how her case was handled. 'We take damage claims seriously – our specialist team reviews all available evidence to reach proportionate outcomes for both parties, and to help ensure a fair approach, decisions can be appealed.' Serpil Hall, the director of economic crime at the management consultants Baringa, said that manipulating images and videos was now 'easier than ever', and software to do so was cheap, widely available and required little skill to use. In one recent case an insurance company found there had been an increase in false claims on vehicles and home repairs using photos that had been manipulated. 'Recently, many companies have decided images can't be taken at face value any more [during disputes], and there is a need for forensic tools and fraud intelligence models to validate them.'
BBC News
30 minutes ago
- BBC News
'Shocking' link between drug use and domestic abuse in Dorset
More than 75% of those arrested for violent offences against women and girls in Dorset had cocaine or heroin in their system – a pilot project has an eight month period, Dorset Police tested 62 people who had been arrested for offences like domestic abuse and found 52 had tested positive for class A Police and Crime Commissioner David Sidwick told Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council's Police and Crime Panel that more needed to be done around the issue of crime, drugs and Alastair Keddie described the relationship between Class A drug use and domestic abuse as "absolutely shocking". Speaking at the meeting on 24 July, Mr Sidwick said: "I am very clear that we have to keep up the pressure about this, we have to keep lobbying Government because they are not doing enough."He added they also needed to look at the work that they were doing Police conducted drug tests on arrest between April 2024 and January 2025 - when officers apprehended 1,446 people for violence against women and Home Office has been approached for a comment. You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
BBC News
30 minutes ago
- BBC News
Portobello Road residents take legal action over anti-terror barriers
Residents living on Notting Hill's famous Portobello Road are taking legal action over a number of concrete barriers which have been installed on the month, Kensington and Chelsea Council placed the barriers on the west London road, following counter-terrorism guidance issued by the Metropolitan residents and market traders argue that they were introduced without formal consultation and have left them feeling council said the temporary order was introduced to protect people and it would consult with residents over a permanent solution. Law firm Broadfield, which represents the residents, claims the new barriers were introduced without formal lawyers have sent a letter on behalf of residents to the council, expressing their intention to challenge the Anti-Terrorism Traffic Regulation well as the barriers, vehicles have also been banned from using the road between 10:00 BST and 16:00 for either three or seven days a week, depending on the section of the say the measures, which were introduced over fears of vehicles being driven into pedestrians, means emergency services, delivery trucks and taxi cabs are unable to reach concerns have been expressed by blue badge holders, who said they were unable to access the street via council said it had worked with emergency services to ensure their vehicles can get through, after paramedics were forced to park beyond the barriers and carry kit to attend to a child with breathing said it had also created new blue badge bays and drop-off areas in side streets. Portobello Road claims to host "one of the most famous and historical street markets in the world", which began in the 19th Century and is particularly known for its rose to fame after being featured in the 1999 film Notting Hill, starring Hugh Grant and Julia traders say they understand the reasons for the barriers, but that they had been badly Barr, a stall holder at the market, said: "They're too low, they're not signed enough, and they cause as many problems as they cure."He said there has been "two or three crashes a day", and that residents had to persuade the council to fit reflective signs on the barriers, so they would be visible at night. Fellow trader Jane Bridgman expressed sympathy for the council, but still felt there had been issues over the lack of a full consultation."Obviously we want safety from hostile vehicles, but traders are having to witness cars getting scrunched up metres away from where they work."She also said there had been an increase in anti-social behaviour, including street drinking and drug use, since the barriers were erected. Ms Bridgman added traders had been advised there would be a "better, stronger alternative", but that this "is not going to happen immediately" and "we've got to be a bit patient".However, she said that "the new system is what most traders are hanging their hopes on, and we should have that sooner rather than later". A spokesperson for Kensington and Chelsea Council said the temporary order was introduced to protect from vehicle attacks during busy said: "Our priority remains the safety and wellbeing of everyone in the community."We believe the current measures strike a reasonable balance between protecting the public and supporting the needs of individuals."The council pledged to address concerns expressed by residents and businesses in its proposals for a permanent scheme.
