Breaking ground: Pupils to have say in sanctions against teachers who beat or abuse them
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Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Bridgerton actress agoraphobic after phone attack
Bridgerton actress Genevieve Chenneour has spoken of how she has been left "severely agoraphobic" and unable to leave home following a phone theft that turned violent in west London. The 27-year-old was attacked in a café in February after she confronted a man who had taken her phone. Speaking to the BBC for the first time about the assault, which left her concussed and traumatised, the actress said it had caused her to move out of the capital to live with her mother. "I no longer feel safe calling west London home as a single woman," she said. Last month, Zacariah Boulares, 18, was sentenced to 22 months in jail for common assault and three counts of theft. Chenneour, who played Clara Livingston in season three of Bridgerton, had been meeting her ex-boyfriend at Joe & The Juice on Kensington High Street when her phone was taken from a table. CCTV footage shows her then grabbing the thief in a bid to get her phone back, after which the altercation quickly escalated into what she described as a "full-on fight between four people for about five minutes". "I was just facing forward at the back of a café, so there shouldn't really have been anything going on behind me," Chenneour told BBC News. "I thought it was a moment to kind of relax. I put my phone down next to me, and the next thing I knew... it felt like a darkness came over me." Chennoeur said she sensed something was wrong before realising her phone was missing. When she turned, she saw a man in a black hoodie standing directly in front of her. 'Something hit me' Chenneour said she "very quickly asked for my phone back" but Boulares refused. "Luckily, I had my ex there. So I made the first move of grabbing him to get the phone and then I pushed him by his chest or neck to create some distance," she said. Chenneour and her ex-boyfriend tried to stop the man from fleeing, but the situation intensified when another man entered the cafe. "They threatened stabbing me. It escalated. I didn't know what to do because if you get off them and you're fighting, is that an opportunity for them to stab you?" She said she briefly blacked out during the confrontation. "It went black. I don't know what hit me, but something hit me. Then it carried on and I ended up on his back with my arm around his neck," she recounted. Someone shouted that the police had arrived and that the doors had been locked. Chenneour said she then let go, hoping officers would take charge. But the claim that they had arrived was false and the suspect ran off. Repeat offender Boulares, 18, was sentenced at Isleworth Crown Court on 1 July. A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said officers investigated a 19-year-old man following the incident at Joe & The Juice but no further action was taken again him. 'Like a fever dream' Chenneour said not knowing the identity of the second man continued to frighten her. "I can't understand why someone's walking around who has threatened to stab me," she said. "That just shouldn't be the case. I feel like I deserve to know that person's name. "How can you threaten to stab someone and be walking around knowing that the guy you did that with is in prison?" She also said she had no prior knowledge that the CCTV footage would be released, and did not consent to its circulation. "I woke up to this viral video of me defending myself. I blacked out so I didn't know that I'd done that. Watching that video was just the most bizarre experience. It was like a fever dream." Bridgerton actress fights back phone thief in cafe Met promises to tackle West End crime hotspots The psychological impact of the attack, she told the BBC, has been severe and long-lasting. Chenneour said she had become severely agoraphobic, adding: "I didn't want to leave the house. And then if I did leave the house, I wanted to be with someone. "But I felt like a burden. That's a really dark downward spiral that you can find yourself in." She said she stayed in hotels when returning to London for work. "I've avoided public transport, changed my routines, and I'm currently exploring therapy options," Chenneour added. She praised the café's staff, especially the women who called police and supported her. She also expressed appreciation for the officers who responded on the day - but criticised the lack of long-term support from the Met Police. Chenneour said there was "no co-ordinated aftercare" and she was "left to survive the aftermath myself". "I've spoken to people who've done the exact same thing after something similar happened. This affects every part of your life," she said. 'Relentlessly pursuing gangs' Asked what message she would give to those carrying out attacks like the one she experienced, she said: "You have no idea what people are dealing with when you rob them, threaten them, hurt them. "You don't need to hurt people to get where you want to in life. There's a better choice." The Metropolitan Police spokesperson said officers were "relentlessly pursuing criminal gangs intent on committing robbery and phone theft". They added: "We have increased patrols in hotspot areas to identify and deter perpetrators." Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to
New York Times
2 hours ago
- New York Times
Far-Right Activist in U.K. Is Arrested Over Assault at Train Station
Tommy Robinson, a far-right, anti-immigrant agitator in Britain, was arrested on Monday night on suspicion of assaulting a man at St. Pancras train station in London. Mr. Robinson, 42, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, was taken into custody at Luton Airport, northeast of London, as he returned from Portugal. The British police never confirm the identity of a person who has not been formally charged, but the British Transport Police said in a statement that a 42-year-old man from Bedfordshire had been arrested in connection with a July 28 assault at St. Pancras station. The man has been released on bail until Sept. 2, they said in response to a query from The New York Times on Tuesday that specifically named Tommy Robinson. Video footage published by The Sun, a British newspaper, showed Mr. Robinson being met by police officers as he disembarked from a plane and then being escorted into a van. Mr. Robinson had been wanted for questioning by the police since July 28, when a man was found unconscious inside St. Pancras station. A video shared widely on social media and by the BBC showed Mr. Robinson pacing nearby, although it did not show how the man ended up on the floor. In the video, Mr. Robinson can be heard telling a bystander, 'He come at me, bruv.' A post published on Mr. Robinson's account on X on Tuesday morning said 'RELEASE THE FOOTAGE' and tagged the account of London's Metropolitan Police Service. The British Transport Police issued a statement at the time of the assault saying that a man had been taken to a hospital with serious injuries after an assault at St. Pancras. They added that the suspect, whom they did not name, had boarded a flight to Tenerife in the Canary Islands in the early hours of July 29, and they appealed for any witnesses with information to come forward.
News24
2 hours ago
- News24
NCOP steps in as KZN police battle staff shortages and poor infrastructure amid rising crime levels
SAPS NCOP delegation meets with KwaZulu-Natal police amid allegations of infiltration by criminal syndicates. Only 23 000 officers serve a population of 12 million, raising alarm over SA Police Service capacity to fight crime. Umlazi Police Station still crippled after 2021 unrest, while rural communities remain underserved. KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi held a closed-door meeting this week with a delegation from the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) as Parliament intensifies efforts to strengthen its relationship with the SA Police Service (SAPS) across the country. The engagement, which formed part of NCOP's constituency work in the province, focused on the challenges facing law enforcement, including chronic under-resourcing, infrastructure shortages and rising crime levels. This comes after Mkhwanazi's explosive allegations last month. He claimed that criminal syndicates had infiltrated the highest levels of government and accused Police Minister Senzo Mchunu of interfering with police investigations. Mchunu has since been placed on special leave by President Cyril Ramaphosa, with Firoz Cachalia stepping in as interim minister. However, the NCOP delegation emphasised that these allegations were not on the agenda during their meeting with Mkhwanazi. DA provincial whip Mzamo Billy, who led the delegation, said that the oversight visit was part of their broader mandate to understand and address the challenges faced by the SAPS in the province. The engagement was purely about crime in the province and the operational challenges the SAPS is facing. We aim to help raise these issues in the national Parliament. Mzamo Billy According to Billy, during the meeting, the provincial police leadership painted a bleak picture of the reality on the ground. With a population of about 12 million, only 23 000 police officers service KwaZulu-Natal, a ratio that Billy described as 'shocking' and inadequate to meet the demands of communities. 'This tells you we are unable to deal with crime the way that we should or respond in time,' he added. Infrastructure concerns were also raised. The current SAPS provincial headquarters has been in rented premises for years and lacks basic amenities such as parking. Police here don't even have a proper headquarters. That's unacceptable. Mzamo Billy One of the pressing concerns was the state of the police stations, particularly those affected during the July 2021 unrest. The Umlazi Police Station, which was looted during the violence, is still not fully operational. Firearms were allegedly stolen and were now allegedly being used in crimes in the area. Billy said the oversight visit revealed deeper systemic issues, including an insufficient number of police stations, especially in the rural and poor communities. People in some areas still have to travel long distances to get to a police station. There are also mobile police stations in some areas that don't operate 24 hours, which is a serious concern for communities. Mzamo Billy Staff shortages also dominated the challenges. There are numerous vacancies within the SAPS, including in Crime Intelligence units, which further hamper the province's ability to effectively tackle crime. 'Even with committed officers, the police are severely under-capacitated,' Billy stressed. As part of the oversight week, the NCOP delegation was scheduled to meet with Premier Thami Ntuli and members of the provincial cabinet. These meetings are aimed at escalating the issues identified during engagements with the SAPS and exploring ways to address them through legislation or collaboration with other government departments. Billy said the delegation had agreed with the provincial police management to isolate specific challenges that require intervention at different levels, including those needing a legislative approach and others requiring engagement with departments such as public works. 'The matter of the police buildings, for example, falls under the public works department. It's our job to help facilitate that process so our officers can work in a safe and proper environment,' he said. He added that the MPs across the country should be doing similar oversight visits during the constituency weeks. 'It's what they get paid to do,' he said.
