Law will change to stop attackers fixated on violence, says Home Secretary
She said: 'We have to make sure that the system is able to respond to violent fixated individuals. We will tighten that legislation so that that is taken as seriously as terrorism.'
Her commitment, first made in an interview with the BBC, would implement a recommendation from the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, Jonathan Hall KC, who examined whether terror laws needed to be changed to deal with people such as Southport attacker Axel Rudakubana.
The review was prompted by revelations that Rudakubana had been referred to the counter-extremism Prevent programme, but his case had not been followed up as he lacked an ideological motivation.
He went on to murder three young girls and seriously wound 10 other people at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport last year and is currently serving a life sentence.
Mr Hall's review recommended against widening the definition of terrorism to include individuals such as Rudakubana, but suggested creating a new offence to deal with people who plan mass casualty attacks motivated by personal grievance or an obsession with violence for its own sake.
Ms Cooper said there was now a 'pattern' of teenagers being 'drawn into extreme violence and extreme ideologies' in their own bedrooms thanks to 'a really distorted and warped online world'.
She said: 'The sorts of things that we're now increasingly seeing online with violent fixated individuals, where there may not be a clear ideology, it may be a fixation with violence, or they may switch between different ideologies.'
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Scottish Sun
5 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
John Torode's wife Lisa Faulkner breaks silence after MasterChef star sacked ‘for using racist slur'
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) JOHN Torode's wife Lisa Faulkner has broken her silence after the MasterChef star was sacked for allegedly using a racist slur. The top TV chef, 59, was said to be heartbroken after the BBC and production firm Banijay confirmed his dismissal for racist language following the Gregg Wallace scandal. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 4 John Torode's wife Lisa Faulkner has spoken out after her husband was sacked Credit: PA 4 She penned a message on Instagram Credit: lisafaulknercooks 4 Former MasterChef hosts John Torode, 59, and Gregg Wallace, 60, Credit: BBC Earlier this month, the broadcaster confirmed the host's contract would not be renewed after a report found he had used an 'extremely offensive racist term' during drinks after filming. Torode confirmed to The Sun that this allegation referred to him, but denied that it had ever happened. Now, in a video uploaded to Instagram today, his wife Lisa broke her silence for the first time. She said: "Hi there, I just wanted to check in and say hello and I'm here. "Just thank you for all your really lovely comments because they really mean a lot, so thank you." Wallace, 60, was dropped from the BBC cooking competition in November 2024 amid numerous allegations of inappropriate conduct in the workplace. But a BBC report which upheld 45 of 83 allegations of bad behaviour against Wallace also upheld a claim that a second person used a racial phrase once several years ago - which emerged to be Torode. Torode accepted the allegation referred to him, but has denied the claims and said he has 'no recollection' of the event. He also revealed that he had been told the person with whom he was speaking "did not believe it was intended in a malicious way". The BBC was unable to specify the time or date of the allegation, narrowing it down to '2018 or 2019'. Gregg Wallace breaks silence on racism claim against MasterChef co-host John Torode Torode followed Wallace in being sacked by the BBC after allegedly using a racial slur when repeating lyrics from rapper Kanye West's hit Gold Digger at an after-work gathering. The Australian began presenting the BBC cooking contest alongside Wallace in 2005. Gregg and John celebrated the show's 20th anniversary in 2024 with a special dinner at Fishmongers' Hall in London. It comes after Wallace unfollowed Torode and Faulkner on Instagram in December, with sources claiming at the time that he was 'furious' his former co-host had not defended him publicly amid the furore. But he recently defended Torode against the racism allegations in a bombshell chat with The Sun. In an exclusive interview he said: "I'll tell you one thing right now: John Torode is not a racist. "I've known John for 30 years and he is not a racist. 'And as evidence of that, I'll show you the incredible diversity of the people that he has championed, MasterChef winners, over the years. "There is no way that man is a racist. No way. And my sympathies go out to John because I don't want anybody to go through what I've been through.'
Daily Mail
5 hours ago
- Daily Mail
John Torode's wife Lisa Faulkner breaks her silence after MasterChef star was sacked for 'using a racist slur'
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The Australian-born chef has insisted 'he had absolutely no recollection' of using a racist term while drinking with colleagues seven years ago. The person who raised the complaint is understood to have 'overheard the conversation'. The production pal allegedly backed Torode and said he only used the racial slur as an 'example' and 'apologised afterwards'. MailOnline has contacted BBC and Torode's representatives for comment. A witness told investigators he had apologised immediately, 'was mortified' and 'didn't use the term as a slur' in 2018. The BBC said last week that Torode's contract would not be renewed after a report found he had used an 'extremely offensive racist term' during an evening out after filming the show. The corporation has refused to say what the racist term was - as has Torode, who has claimed he did 'not believe that it happened'. 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In the nine months since MasterChef finished filming last Autumn there have been questions over whether it would ever be broadcast following allegations of inappropriate behaviour against presenters Wallace and Torode. Now the corporation has revealed that the amateur series of MasterChef filmed last year, before allegations against Gregg and John were upheld, will be broadcast on BBC One and BBC iPlayer from August 6. The MailOnline understand that the BBC have told the MasterChef production company Banijay that the show should reduce Gregg and John's screen time to a minimum in light of the report's findings. A source said: 'The BBC have made it clear that it should limit the amount of airtime the presenters have in the editing of the new series, with a bigger focus on the contestants who are at the heart of the competition.' 'Neither Gregg nor John will appear in BBC iPlayer thumbnails and they will not be doing any promotional activity around the latest series.' 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In its statement, the BBC said: 'This has not been an easy decision in the circumstances and we appreciate not everyone will agree with it. 'In showing the series, which was filmed last year, it in no way diminishes our view of the seriousness of the upheld findings against both presenters. We have been very clear on the standards of behaviour that we expect of those who work at the BBC or on shows made for the BBC. 'However, we believe that broadcasting this series is the right thing to do for these cooks who have given so much to the process. We want them to be properly recognised and give the audience the choice to watch the series.' The BBC concluded its statement by describing MasterChef as 'a brilliant, much-loved programme which is bigger than any one individual'. 'There are many talented, dedicated and hard-working people who make the show what it is. It will continue to flourish on the BBC and we look forward to it returning stronger than ever in the future.' The MailOnline understand that the BBC have told the MasterChef production company Banijay that the show should reduce Gregg and John's screen time to a minimum in light of the report's findings The BBC said it had taken the decision to broadcast the unaired series 'after careful consideration and consultation with the contestants' But some people are not happy with the decision, including former workers on the show. While former contestants on the show previously said that being on MasterChef can be 'life-changing' for them. Some of the women who came forward with claims against Gregg have said they didn't think it should be shown. One former MasterChef worker told BBC News it would show 'a real lack of respect' to people like her if the series was aired, while another warned it would 'make a mockery' of the people who have spoken out.
Scottish Sun
7 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Who were the victims of Moors murderers Ian Brady and Myra Hindley?
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THE crimes Ian Brady and Myra Hindley are still infamous six decades on after they embarked on an evil murder spree, kidnapping, sexually assaulting and torturing five children. But now the BBC are releasing a new two-part documentary recounting the investigation into the evil lovers. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 6 Ian Brady and girlfriend Myra Hindley murdered five children between 1963-65 Credit: PA:Press Association Who were the Moors Murders victims? Pauline Reade 6 Pauline Reade was the first victim of Hindley and Brady Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd On July 12, 1963, Brady had told Hindley he wanted to 'commit his perfect murder' when he spotted 16-year-old Pauline Reade. Hindley asked her if she would help her locate an expensive glove she had lost on the Moor. She later claimed Brady then took Pauline on to the Moor, where he slashed her throat twice and sexually assaulted her. Brady claims that Hindley helped. READ MORE ON IAN BRADY DARK TIME I was jailed with UK's worst killers… I slapped Hindley & saw West froth at mouth It was only 19 years after he was caged for life over his sickening crimes that Brady confessed to Pauline's murder. On June 30, 1987, after 100 days of searching, the body of Pauline was found buried three feet below the ground. It took pathologists a month to decide that the girl had been sexually assaulted and her throat slashed from behind. John Kilbride 6 John Kilbride was a victim Credit: PA:Press Association John Kilbride was lured to the Moor by Hindley and Brady, who sexually assaulted him before strangling on November 23, 1963, Hindley approached John Kilbride in Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire, and offered him a lift home. Brady told the 12-year-old he would give him some sherry, but they would have to make a detour on the Moor first. He sexually assaulted the youngster and attempted to slit his throat with a six-inch serrated blade before fatally strangling him with a piece of string. John was found buried on the Moors on October 21, 1965, two years after he went missing. Keith Bennett 6 Keith Bennett's body has never been found Credit: PA:Press Association Keith Bennett, 12, was on his way to his grandmother's house on June 16, 1964, when Hindley lured him into her van. She drove to a lay-by on the Moor and Brady took the boy while Hindley kept watch. Brady reappeared 30 minutes later having sexually assaulted and strangled Keith. After he was transferred from prison to maximum-security hospital Ashworth in November 1985, Brady confessed to Keith's murder in an interview with reporters. A search was carried out on the moors a year later, with Hindley joining officers in 1986 and Brady in 1987. But Keith's body was never found and it is now a secret Brady has taken to the grave. A fresh search was launched in September 2022 after a child's skull was reported to have been discovered. However, the whereabouts of Keith still remain unknown. Lesley Ann Downey 6 Lesley Ann Downey was raped and forced to pose naked for photos before being murdered Credit: PA:Press Association Desperate for another victim, cruel Brady and Hindley visited a fairground on Boxing Day, 1964, and came across Lesley Ann Downey. They approached the 10-year-old and lured her back to their house, where she was undressed, gagged and forced to pose for photographs before being raped and killed. The following morning Brady and Hindley drove with Downey's body to Saddleworth Moor, where she was buried, naked with her clothes at her feet, in a shallow grave. Her naked body was not found until October 10, 1965. At their trial in 1966, all-male jurors fell silent for 16 minutes as the tape recording of Lesley Ann Downey's terrified last moments was played to the court. The tape was played at full volume and the chilling sounds of screaming echoed through the court before only the footsteps and soft voices in the background could be heard. Harrowing passages could be heard including 'Don't undress me, will you?' and 'I want to see mummy'. The haunting sound of the 10-year-old's throat being slit was also played to the court. Edward Evans 6 Edward Evans was murdered by Brady and police found his body the next day Credit: PA:Press Association The monster couple might have gone on to murder more had it not been for a blunder involving 17-year-old Edward. On October 6, 1965, Brady met 17-year-old apprentice engineer Edward Evans at Manchester Central railway station and invited him to his home. At this point, Brady and Hindley had become intent on corrupting Myra's brother-in-law, David Smith, and recruiting him into their twisted circle where Brady would talk about murder. Brady offered a practical demonstration with Edward - striking him fourteen times with a hatchet before finishing the job by strangling him. Horrified, Smith phoned police the next morning and directed them to Brady's address. Officers searched 16 Wardle Brook Avenue where they discovered Edward's corpse wrapped in plastic sheeting. The bloody murder weapon was also recovered, along with Brady's collection of books on perversion and sadism. Brady and Hindley's gruesome reign of terror began to unravel and the twisted pair were arrested on suspicion of murder.
