Eastbourne man guilty of attempted murder after stabbing
"This was a violent attack which left the victim with serious injuries. Thanks to the swift response of emergency services and the courage of the victim, we were able to bring the offender to justice," Mr Smith added.Clarke will be sentenced on 16 October.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
4 minutes ago
- The Independent
Men charged in connection with alleged rape of 12-year-old
Two men have been charged in connection with the alleged rape of a 12-year-old girl in Nuneaton, Warwickshire. Ahmad Mulakhil, 23, was arrested on 26 July and charged the next day with rape, Warwickshire Police said. He appeared at Coventry Magistrates' Court on Monday and has been remanded in custody. Mohammad Kabir, 23, was arrested in Nuneaton on Thursday, the force said. He was charged with kidnap, strangulation, and aiding and abetting rape of a girl under 13. He appeared at Coventry Magistrates' Court on Saturday and has also been remanded in custody. Both men will next appear at Warwick Crown Court on 26 August. Officers are appealing to anyone who was in the Cheveral Street area between 8.30pm and 9.45pm on 22 July and may have seen anything of interest to come forward. People can give information by calling 101 and quoting incident number 418 of 22 July. Warwickshire Police did not deny a Mail on Sunday report which said both Mulakhil and Kabir are asylum seekers. In a statement, the force said that once someone is charged with an offence, it follows national guidance, which 'does not include sharing ethnicity or immigration status'. The force said: 'Our neighbourhood officers work every day with local community partners. 'When something significant happens, we brief these partners and local elected officials on the circumstances of the crime, the investigation, the work being undertaken to arrest those responsible and how local people and partners can help a concerned community. 'Where relevant, sensitive information around locations, details of the crime and policing activity to catch offenders can be shared, with a warning that this is sensitive or confidential information and disclosure by those being briefed could affect future court hearings. 'We work to hold offenders to account and will always do everything in our power to present a robust case to the courts and protect the integrity of court proceedings.'
Daily Mail
4 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
'Monster' who abused fiancée Kiena Dawes before she took her own life is arrested behind bars alongside mother and new lover on suspicion they 'coached him to give evidence'
A controlling 'monster' locked up for abusing his fiancée before she took her own life and blamed him 'from beyond the grave' was arrested alongside his mother and new girlfriend, the Daily Mail can reveal. Ryan Wellings, 31, was jailed for six-and-a-half years in January after he was convicted of subjecting new mother Kiena Dawes, 23, to years of sickening domestic abuse and brutal violence. Ms Dawes took her own life on July 22 2022 and wrote in her suicide note that she was 'murdered', adding: 'Ryan Wellings killed me... He ruined every bit of strength I had left. I didn't deserve it. I didn't ask for it.' In a case which sparked nationwide debate, Wellings became the first defendant in England to face trial for the unlawful killing of his partner after her suicide following domestic violence. Wellings, a landscape gardener from Bispham, Lancashire, was convicted of assault and coercive and controlling behaviour - but cleared of manslaughter. In a final insult to Ms Dawes and her family, the unrepentant abuser blew a kiss to his new girlfriend, Emma Croft, as the verdict was read out. The Daily Mail can reveal that Wellings, his mother Lisa Green, and Ms Croft were all arrested for allegedly perverting the course of justice. Ms Green and Ms Croft were released under investigation, while Wellings was hauled back behind bars while inquiries continue. The trial at Preston Crown Court heard how 28-year-old Ms Croft, from Blackpool, and 52-year-old Ms Green, from Bispham, had allegedly been 'coaching' Wellings to give evidence. Wellings made a series of 'calls' to the pair who had both attended the trial to support him from the public gallery. The abuser, while being held at HMP Preston, was entitled to speak to family and friends but was not legally permitted to discuss his case with them while giving evidence. But the prosecution said it was made aware of calls made where evidence was allegedly being discussed between them. Prosecutor Paul Greaney KC told the court in January: 'He has repeatedly discussed the content and nature of the evidence with Emma Croft and Lisa Green, during giving evidence and over the Christmas period. 'The assessment of the prosecution is that the defendant has misconducted himself, as has Lisa Green and Emma Croft. 'What has occurred here is effectively a scheme to coach the defendant in the evidence he's giving. 'There's going to be an investigation into this by the police because, on the face of it, there's been a conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.' A spokesman for Lancashire Police has now confirmed to the Daily Mail: 'A 28-year-old woman from Blackpool, a 52-year-old woman from Bispham and a 31-year-old man of no fixed address were arrested on suspicion of committing an act / series of acts with intent to pervert the course of public justice. 'The women have been released under investigation while enquiries continue and the man has been released back into the custody of the prison service while enquiries continue.' The date of their arrests were not disclosed by police. We revealed in February how Wellings had proposed to Ms Croft in a letter he left with Ms Green before the jury's verdict. Following the trial, Ms Croft agreed to 'step down' from her job at a beauty salon in Blackpool after the owner found the controversy surrounding her alleged involvement in the case was harming business. But she stunned friends by telling them she will 'stick by' Wellings and has accepted his 'proposal', vowing to wait for him until his release. One friend told the Daily Mail: 'She keeps telling everyone they don't really know the real Ryan, but she's in complete denial. 'The idea that she would even consider walking down the aisle with someone like him, having heard what was said in court, is quite incredible.' Another former friend of Ms Croft's said that she was 'completely in thrall' to Wellings and 'in denial' about the nature of his personality. 'She's got this fairytale view of him, but it's caused so much bad feeling in Blackpool,' said the friend. 'The owner of the salon where she worked has had enough of the bad publicity and threatening messages, so she asked Emma to step down and she agreed.' In a Facebook post, The Powder Room salon announced in February: 'Please Read. In regards to recent media coverage, we would like to inform our client that Emma Croft no longer works at The Powder Room. 'We ask that others are kind and respectful towards all staff who work hard to make our salon an inviting place and have nothing to do with the situation that has arisen. 'Police are aware of recent media comments and are staying in close contact with the owners of the salon. Thank you.' Daily Mail approached Wellings's mother Ms Green but she denied that her son was engaged to Ms Croft in February. The trial heard how Wellings repeatedly lashed out at Ms Dawes, beating her while she was pregnant with his child, as well as threatening to drown her in a bath, drill her teeth and 'make her look like Katie Piper' by dousing her with acid. He also urged Ms Dawes to kill herself, boasted that 'hitting you is like hitting a man' and, on one occasion, forced her head underwater in a bath and said: 'Say goodbye to your baby'. In one incident just 11 days before Ms Dawes's death, on July 11 2022, he 'launched' her into a radiator with such force it broke the appliance off the wall, then slammed a door in her face - knocking her out and leaving her with blood pouring from her head. She called police at least five times reporting domestic problems with Wellings. While she frequently downplayed her abuse to officers - due to threats from her partner - she did make a statement about the assault on July 11. He was arrested for assault but bailed on condition he did not contact her, which he did. The hairdresser left her nine-month-old daughter with a friend alongside a note before taking her own life on railway tracks, near Garstang, Lancashire, on July 22 2022. The note, found on her phone, said: 'The end. I fought hard, I fought long. I went through pain no one could imagine. 'I was murdered. Ryan Wellings killed me. He ruined every bit of strength I had left. I didn't deserve it. 'I hope my life saves another by police services acting faster. Don't let bullies live free.' Addressing her daughter, she wrote: 'I'm sorry I let you go... I'm so sorry I had to go. 'The world turned their back on me. I was strong. I had dreams. I had a future at one point. That was taken away from me.'
BBC News
4 minutes ago
- BBC News
Chris Bryant MP says he was abused by former National Youth Theatre boss
Labour MP Sir Chris Bryant has said he was sexually abused as a teenager by the late former head of the National Youth Theatre, Michael Chris said Mr Croft, who died in 1986, had invited him to dinner every evening while he was attending the company in London during the summer of MP for Rhondda and Ogmore made the comments in an interview with The Sunday a statement, the National Youth Theatre said it was "very sorry that this happened to him and to others who have previously shared with us their accounts of historic abuse by the same perpetrator". Mr Croft was 40 years the senior of the then 16-year-old and Sir Chris said one evening, having returned to Mr Croft's house, he came back from the toilet to find his host naked except for a silk said Mr Croft then asked him for sex, which he felt he had no option but to go through with, leaving him feeling like he was "a 16-year-old whore".In the interview ahead of the release of his book, Sir Chris said: "I don't like telling this very much because I've not told it very often."It was always the same Italian in King's Cross. He would eat and drink, I would eat, then he would theoretically give me a lift home, except I always ended up at his house."Sir Chris said Mr Croft never made an advance towards him again, with the pair remaining friends. An ordained minister, he conducted Mr Croft's funeral. "He behaved absolutely appallingly, it's despicable," Sir Chris added."Michael, in my case, managed to spot somebody who was gay at a time when nearly all homosexuality was illegal - certainly very frowned on - so presumed that people would keep a secret."He told The Sunday Times that in spite of the alleged abuse, he did not regret remaining friends with Croft and "didn't feel crucified by" the incident."I think it's important that people who have managed to be OK are able to tell these stories," he said, adding, "It's like with bullying - until one person tells the story, everyone else thinks they're the only person."He said at least one friend during his National Youth Theatre days was also abused by Mr 63-year-old also said he has been sexually assaulted by five male MPs during his time in Westminster, although he has not named or reported them."There was no system for doing so and I was frightened it would make me look bad," he said, adding he felt homophobia in Parliament had declined during his 24 years as an MP. 'Very sorry' A statement on the National Youth Theatre website said it was "grateful to Chris Bryant for disclosing to our team the historical abuse he suffered in the company in the 1970s"."We are very sorry that this happened to him and to others who have previously shared with us their accounts of historic abuse by the same perpetrator."As we set out in a public statement on the case in 2017, we stand in solidarity with all victims of abuse and encourage anyone who has experienced abuse, no matter how long ago, to speak to someone and access support." If you have been affected by the issues raised in this story you can visit the BBC Action Line for details of organisations who can offer support.
