Death of man in Harlow no longer suspicious, Essex police says
Detectives investigating the death of a man in a town centre are no longer treating the circumstances as suspicious.Darren Moss suffered a fatal head injury near a parade of shops in The Rows, in Harlow, Essex, on 18 December 2024.Three men suspected of murdering the 59-year-old have been told they would face no further action, Essex Police said.Det Insp Stewart Eastbrook said it had carried out a "thorough and exhaustive" investigation.
"We have not been able to establish how Darren became injured or found evidence that someone else was involved," he added."My thoughts, and those of my team, are with Darren's family at this very difficult time."
Mr Moss was found injured shortly before 21:15 GMT and died at the scene.A brief inquest opening in January heard he had injuries to his head and face.Paying tribute, his family said they "take comfort in the smiles and giggles he gave to us" following his death.They added: "Darren was a charismatic person who had the ability to find humour in everyday life. He made people laugh."Police said a file would be passed to the coroner so inquest proceedings could resume.
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Telegraph
33 minutes ago
- Telegraph
The gun-toting Palestine Action activist who says ‘resistance is not terrorism'
An Al-Yassin 105 is an anti-armour missile developed by Hamas. Named after the terrorist group's spiritual leader, Ahmed Yassin, it was first used in October 2023 against the Israeli army following the October 7 attacks. A powerful weapon, it was reportedly based on a Russian rocket and modified by Hamas to go from an armoured vehicle destroyer to be able to destroy the Israeli Merkava tank. Strange, then, to find its name co-opted on social media by a man called Paul from Dumfries. It's less incongruous, however, when you delve a little deeper and find an interest in both weaponry and pro-Palestine activism that appears to extend beyond an Instagram handle. Paul Shortt is a Scottish activist and member of Palestine Action, the group which now stands to be proscribed as a terrorist group. Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, said on Monday she would lay an order to make support for the group illegal before Parliament next week. It was reported this week that he has previously posed with a gun. The Times published a picture which had been posted on Shortt's Instagram. It appeared to show his finger on the trigger. Seeming to invoke the Hamas missile by using the handle @yassin105_73, Shortt wrote: 'Resistance is not terrorism! Resistance is justified. When people are occupied. Resist! By any means necessary.' Shortt, who bears a tattoo of a red triangle on his middle finger – a symbol often used by groups such as Hamas – posted photographs wearing a shirt in the colours of the Palestinian flag and holding a pistol across his chest, the paper reported. In another photo, posted in March, he appears to hold a gun over a keffiyeh. Over the post a song called Intifada plays, the lyrics of which include a reference to 'a fascist settler entity on a killing spree'. The track is by the rapper Lowkey, who has been criticised by Sir William Shawcross, whose independent review of the Prevent counterterrorism scheme alleged his lyrics promoted 'what I regard to be an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory about the 'Zionist lobby''. Shortt's Instagram account is listed as no longer available and it is not clear whether the gun in either photograph is real or an imitation. But whether or not he was indeed holding a weapon, the posts seem to send a clear message: when it comes to this brand of activism, violence is part of the process. Direct action Shortt certainly seems to have proved himself to be a useful foot soldier for Palestine Action. The group prides itself on direct action – last week, two of its members broke into RAF Brize Norton under the cover of darkness, damaging two military aircraft in a major breach of national security – and its supporters have been imprisoned for their activism, which has included targeting banks, universities and insurance firms. For his part, Shortt received a suspended 23-month sentence last year for property damage and burglary. Then 50 and living on the outskirts of Dumfries, it was a conviction he earned alongside several other campaigners from the group. On May 15 2022, he was one of seven activists who broke into the Bristol HQ of Elbit Systems UK, an international defence technology company. Palestine Action claims Elbit supplies equipment to the Israeli army; in court, the company denied this. Shortt and his fellow protesters used sledgehammers to smash windows and barricaded themselves in. They caused thousands of pounds worth of damage and spray-painted walls and windows. Lord Walney, who was the last government's independent adviser on political violence and disruption and was commissioned to conduct a review on the subject, recommended banning Palestine Action in 2024. He says there has been 'an edge of militant violent menace with Palestine Action's activities for a number of years'. Having the group proscribed is 'overdue', he tells The Telegraph. As for the photograph, which appears to show Shortt holding a gun: 'It's a shocking image that clearly depicts a violent threat and it demonstrates that Palestine Action are trying to deceive people when they say that they are a harmless non-violent organisation.' It's an image which might shock ordinary people, and it is behaviour like this which has led to politicians from both sides of the house to call for the group to be proscribed. But banning it has historically been difficult because 'the bar for full terrorist proscription is set very high', adds Lord Walney. 'You can have an organisation like this progressing for years, committing acts that fall under the definition of terrorism, they're dealt with through counter-terror police, but the system has judged thus far that you need an extremely high level of evidence for that full terror proscription.' Twin causes Shortt, 52, has tattooed the cause he is fighting for on his body. A big black tattoo extends from his wrist to his elbow – a filled-in map of the area in the region which some say should be Palestine and which includes the state of Israel. The Times reported he had also posted pictures of pro-Israel campaigners with red triangles over them – the symbol which has come to denote Hamas's targets. On X, an account which appears to belong to Shortt, bearing the same handle – @Yassin105_73 – has the Palestinian flag, the flag of Lebanon and the Saltire in the bio, along with two red arrows. 'Join the resistance,' he writes, with a link to join Palestine Action Scotland. There are also links to direct action training days, a Zoom link to join a 'crash course' on direct action, and to support funds for Palestine Action members who are on trial or who have been imprisoned. The profile picture is a man in a black and white balaclava with a keffiyeh print. The geolocation has him not in Dumfries but in 'Occupied Scotland'. Scottish independence appears to be a twin cause for Shortt. Last year, he appeared to comment under a post by Reform UK MP Lee Anderson using the hashtag '#SNLA', the acronym often used by the so-called Scottish National Liberation Army, a paramilitary group nicknamed the Tartan Terrorists. The group fell by the wayside in the early 2000s after being condemned by the UK government and the SNP. While many have come to pro-Palestine activism by way of Extinction Rebellion, Shortt's campaigning seems to dovetail with his alliance with his home country. 'I'm Scottish, I know about colonialism, I know about land grabs, about ethnic cleansing,' he told The Electronic Intifada ahead of his sentencing last year. 'We used to do supposedly 'democratic' protests, it just didn't work. Direct action was the only way.' To an observer scrolling back through the X account, he seems to display a consistent hatred for 'Zionists'. 'You're a Zionist, not a Jew,' he appeared to say in a post addressed to television presenter Rachel Riley in November 2023. Last year, he seemingly published what he called the 'Zionist modus operandi' – namely 'murder, torture, rape, steal'. On the day of the October 7 attacks, the account posted a cartoon with a red fist breaking out of chains emblazoned with the Israeli flag. 'Long live the resistance. From Scotland to Gaza.' A day later, the account posted a picture of Shortt raising his tattooed arm and making a fist against the backdrop of a Palestinian flag. Hours later, it also posted an image of the Israeli flag with the word 'Terrorism' across it in red lettering. More recently, the account which appears to belong to Shortt has focused on retweeting inflammatory posts. A video of students at the University of Manchester shows people protesting 'UoM's complicity in the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians'. Another shows a woman crying after losing her house in Tel Aviv. The post retweeted by Shortt reads: 'Zero empathy. If you don't wanna lose your house, don't live on stolen lands where you pay tax to a genocidal regime.' History of activism Shortt's activism doesn't appear to have always been quite so aggressive. In 2018, he wrote a letter which was published in Scottish newspaper The National. 'Are we to leave the Palestinians to stand alone, as they fight for their freedom and basic human rights in their own land?' he wrote. 'We, as a country, as people of conscience, have a duty to build and implement effective and immediate solidarity with Palestine. As Desmond Tutu said: 'If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.'' He signed it: Paul Shortt, Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign (Dumfries). In 2021, he appears to have signed a letter sent to Arlene Foster, then first minister of Northern Ireland, about a doctor and Scottish Palestinian activist who was imprisoned in Northern Ireland during the pandemic and was suffering with health problems. Since then, there is little trace of Shortt under his real name online, save for a photograph posted on Facebook last year by a clothing brand that makes Palestine football shirts. 'Paul K Shortt repping the new Toro Sportivo Saoirse Edition shirt', the post says. 'Paul who is part of Palestine Action Scotland commented 'beats any football shirt I've ever worn!'' Meanwhile, a picture of Shortt shows him looking sternly into the camera, his bicep flexed, his tattoo on full show.
Daily Mail
34 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Schoolgirl 'raped' at underpass as she walked at night: Police launch manhunt for attacker
A schoolgirl has reportedly been raped at an underpass after walking in the area at night. The Metropolitan Police has launched a manhunt for the attacker after their officers assisted the victim, 15, at the scene in east London on Sunday night. They were called to St Edmund's Way, Romford after reports of a rape and arrived there at 11.36pm. The teenager is currently being treated by specialist officers and a crime scene remains in place. A Met Police spokesperson said: 'We understand the concern this has caused in the community and people can expect to see an increased police presence in the area. 'No arrests have been made at this early stage. An investigation has been launched and anyone who has information that may assist police is asked to call 101 quoting CAD 8238/22June.' Councillor David Taylor of Havering Council, meanwhile, said on Facebook: 'I am devastated by the news, which will leave many women feeling afraid to walk alone in our town and I pray for justice for the woman assaulted.' No arrests have been made and police enquiries continue.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Fury as Met chief Mark Rowley compares pro-Israel protesters to 'stupid' football fans after they 'waved Israeli flag' at Palestine Action demo
Sir Mark Rowley has compared two pro-Israel protesters to 'stupid' football fans after the waved an Israeli flag at a Palestine Action rally. The Met chief accused the Jewish counter-protesters of trying to 'create an incident' when they walked into the crowd in Trafalgar Square with a megaphone and flag. Trainee barrister Isaac Grand, 22, and another man, who did not want to be named, had to be bundled onto a nearby double-decker bus by officers. The duo accused Scotland Yard of 'two-tier policing', with a video showing an officer telling them they were 'winding the crowd up' and creating a breach of peace by waving an Israeli flag. But Sir Mark has hit back and compared them to a Tottenham Hotspur fan unfurling a club flag in the midst of a crowd of Arsenal supporters. He today told LBC's Nick Ferrari the pair were being 'disingenuous' with what they were saying. 'They chose to walk into the middle of the Palestine Action protest, and then reveal the Israeli flags,' Sir Mark said. 'Just as if you were a Spurs fan and walked into a middle of a bunch of Arsenal fans, on a heated local derby, and then started waving Spurs flags, the police would hoick you out of there and say 'don't be so damn stupid, you are going to start a fight'. 'And they would take them out for their own protection. It's no different to that whatsoever. It's not about two-tier policing. 'If they'd wanted to protest on the other side of the road and express their view, the officers would have facilitated that. 'But if you want to walk into the middle of something to try and create an incident, then of course we're going to try and protect you from yourselves and stop an incident growing. 'And we would do the exactly the same in the opposite. If you had a pro-Israel protest going on and a couple of Palestinian supporters walked into the middle of it and waved flags, we'd hoick them out of it as well.' Sir Mark went on to praise officers for acting with 'great common sense and pragmatism'. Mr Grand today doubled down on his comments as he phoned LBC to issue a response to Sir Mark's accusation they were 'disingenuous'. He argued they had unfurled their Israeli flag to 'prove these people can't tolerate a second opinion'. Mr Grand's pal then blared through a megaphone 'Jihadists aren't welcome here', before the duo were terrifyingly soon surrounded by 40 Palestine Action protesters. 'We are constantly harassed and somebody tries to steal our flag from us, we are assaulted at several points,' he said. 'The police watched and did absolutely nothing. About two minutes in as I'm screaming for the police to intervene in this situation, they eventually circle around us and grab us onto a bus where we are essentially detained because we are not allowed to leave. 'Whilst on the bus, we are threatened with a public order offence. I said, "how are you threatening us with a public order offence when we haven't been threatening in any such way?' He went on to admit 'it was certainly a stupid thing to do, I don't refute that' but argued: 'It is shocking to me that even though we were not acting disorderly, even though we were not acting in any way aggressive, we were the ones that were threatened with the public order offence.' It comes as footage, published by The Telegraph, showed an officer telling Mr Grand he was creating a breach of the peace. The Met police officer is heard saying: 'You are quite within your right to protest but I'm not going to let two rival groups clash. 'The two of you against 500 of them. If it was a pro-Israel group and there were two Palestine guys running through with a Palestine flag, I would do exactly the same thing.' A Met Police spokesman said: 'This was a challenging protest, which saw 13 arrests and a number of officers assaulted. 'Protesters surrounded police officers on multiple occasions, and when two counter-protesters starte d waving an Israeli flag and shouting on a megaphone, they surrounded them too. 'Officers intervened to protect the two men. They were held on an out of service bus for their own safety and not because they had committed a crime. When it was safe to do so, officers escorted them out of the area. 'As the officer explained at the time, the men had every right to protest, but it was unwise for two people to walk into a crowd of 500 people with opposing views and not expect a confrontation to follow. 'Had the situation been reversed with 500 pro-Israel supporters and two pro-Palestinian, the officers would have done the same thing.' Hundreds of protesters had gathered at Trafalgar Square on Monday in response to Home Secretary Yvette Cooper's plan to add the group to the government's list of proscribed terrorist organisations. The decision came after members last week broke into RAF Brize Norton and damaged two military planes and other 'violent' action - including one incident where two police officers were assaulted with a sledgehammer. Elsewhere at the protest, members of Palestine Action were seen clashing with police. Officers were forced to drag activists out of the crowds after they were seen scuffling with officers and shouting up close into their faces, with some wearing black face coverings or Palestinian keffiyehs. This prompted protesters to respond by pushing back, throwing water and chanting at police. The Met had been forced to deploy more than 100 officers to the rally which started at midday but quickly spilled into chaotic scenes. Officers received a barrage of verbal abuse from the crowds, with some shouting 'f*** you' and 'who do you serve?'. Other chants include 'oink oink piggy, we're going to make your lives s****y'. One demonstrator said: 'We will cause mayhem today. We're here to break and smash the system. The police will get it. We don't care.' Scotland Yard said the protest had to be finished by 3pm but demonstrators have vowed to stay 'well beyond'. One said: 'They'll have to arrest us to get rid of us. We're not leaving. This is just the start.' However, three hours after the disorder exploded onto the capital's streets, the protest had ended.
