From the archive: What lies beneath: the secrets of France's top serial killer expert
This week, from 2021: An intrepid expert with dozens of books to his name, Stéphane Bourgoin was a bestselling author, famous in France for having interviewed more than 70 notorious murderers. Then an anonymous collective began to investigate his past
By Scott Sayare. Read by Simon Vance
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Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
Judge who let knife-wielding migrant stay in UK was on asylum seeker charity board
A judge who allowed a migrant convicted for drug dealing and sexual assault to stay in the UK is a former executive of a pro-asylum charity, it has been revealed. Judge Fiona Beach ruled that Christian Quadjovie was not a threat to the British public at a hearing last year. French-born Quadjovie has spent a total of 963 days behind bars in UK prisons since arriving in Britain at the age of 10. Quadjovie, who was set to be deported, was granted a reprieve by Judge Beach, an ex-director at Asylum Aid who represented migrants for free on behalf of the Bail for Immigration Detainees charity. The decision has since been overturned after government lawyers claimed her judgment was 'made against the weight of evidence'. Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, said Judge Beach's apparent conflict of interest 'undermines confidence' in the courts. 'Judges must be independent' He added: 'This is the latest example of an immigration judge with open borders views. 'The similarity between her decisions and the political views she has broadcast totally undermines confidence in the system. Judges must be independent.' Records show Judge Beach was a director of Asylum Aid between September 2004 and February 2007. She is understood to have stepped back from the group in December 2006 when appointed as a part-time judge. Quadjovie's case was first brought before her in April 2024. He was first convicted as a boy of 12 for sexually assaulting a girl under 13. In 2016, he was given a nine-month referral order for carrying a knife in public. Later that year, he was convicted of drug offences. He was detained for 30 months and caught with more drugs after his release. The Home Office tried to deport him, but he argued that he would not be able to reintegrate in France. Judge Beach's stated in the tribunal decision: 'The appellant had some support in the UK in the form of family support, potential access to education and public funds and access to housing assistance, yet found himself involved with gangs and drug dealing. 'The concern would be whether the appellant would slip back into the same way of earning money which he did in the UK, i.e. drug dealing. 'There is a real risk that this would occur again as a young man in France with few ties, no accommodation, no qualifications other than a GCSE in French and no employment experience on which to rely.' 'Not a serious threat to public security' The decision concluded: 'Taking account of all the evidence, I find that the evidence does not show that the appellant is a genuine, present and sufficiently serious threat to public policy or public security.' However, in October, Home Office lawyers said Ms Beach's judgment was made 'against the weight of evidence' and has since been overturned. A spokesman for the judiciary said: 'In each case, judges make decisions based on the evidence and arguments presented, and apply the law as it stands.' In a letter, seen by the Sun on Sunday, Mr Jenrick made a formal request to the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office to probe whether Judge Beach had declared her previous roles. In an interview with The Telegraph last week, Mr Jenrick said it was time to sack what he called 'activist' judges. He said: 'If judges want to enter the political sphere themselves, then they should stop being judges and go into politics. 'We have to have a situation where judges who act politically and bring their own personal politics into their job as a judge are held to account and frankly, can be removed.'
BreakingNews.ie
an hour ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Indian community celebrates independence day in Dublin
Hundreds of people have participated in an event marking India Day in Dublin, as gardaí and the Government sought to assure the community it was taking action against racially motivated crime. The free event at Merrion Square came despite a separate celebration being called off following concern over recent attacks on the Indian community. Advertisement Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan has expressed concern over 'totally unacceptable' attacks on the Indian community, adding that the majority appear to have been carried out by young people. Mr O'Callaghan said he engaged extensively with the Garda commissioner on the matter, and senior investigating officers had been assigned to investigate all reported incidents. Event organizer Sanjeeb Barik with a statue of the Indian deity Jagannath as people attend the India Day Festival at Merrion Square Park, Dublin (Niall Carson/PA) Sunday's celebration, organised for India's 79th independence day, featured music, dance, food stalls, exhibition stands and a range of cultural activities. Sanjeeb Barik, the secretary of organising group the Federation of Indian Communities in Ireland, said the event had gone well amid 'fantastic and beautiful weather'. Advertisement 'Lots of people are here, there's food and dancing and lots of fun.' Asked about the engagement with Government and gardai, Mr Barik said the event had received 'good support'. Speaking to the PA news agency, he said: 'Naturally, because there has been so many incidents there was some concern. 'We have been actively discussing with ministers, junior ministers and the Minister of Justice and they have all assured us that appropriate safety measures would be in place – and they are. Advertisement 'We're working very closely to make sure everyone would be safe and, importantly, that it would be enjoyable for everyone.' Mr Barik said they wanted to go ahead with the celebrations to send a message about the importance of standing together. 'It has been a challenging time but the main thing is to come together as a community and celebrate our heritage 'There are people from all backgrounds here – Indian, Irish and others – from all over the the island. Advertisement 'It is about the strength of bonding and sowing the richness of India and Ireland's multicultural spirit.' From left, Areet Kaur Chandi, seven, Japleen Kaur, 10, and Preety Singh, eight, join the festivities for India Day in Dublin (Niall Carson/PA) He said: 'We are saying come together, stand together. Celebrate unity and diversity – and I hope that will continue.' Inspector Ciaran Nunan from the Garda diversity unit said hate crimes are attacks on the whole community. 'The mission statement of An Garda Siochana is keeping people safe, and this refers to individuals, families, communities and society as a whole. Advertisement 'It also now includes hate crime. Hate crime is not just an attack on a person, it's an attack on the community. 'The gardaí is very aware of the impact that hate crime has upon individuals and communities, and we take it very, very seriously. 'Since our last India Day celebration last year, we now have hate crime legislation in force and we're applying that legislation at every opportunity – but we need people to report incidents of hate crime to us so that we can then take them on board and react to those.' Entertainment was part of the festivities in Merrion Square Park (Niall Carson/PA) He said: 'So I would encourage everybody or anybody that perceives to be a victim of a hate crime to please report it to An Garda Siochana, and allow us to continue what we're doing and work with our communities to keep people safe.'The Dublin event was attended by Akhilesh Mishra, ambassador of India to Ireland, and Minister of State Emer Higgins. The Ireland India Council, a separate group, said there had been an organised social media campaign against the Indian community in the country and the number of violent attacks has intensified since January. Last week, it said it took the 'difficult' decision to postpone its planned event at Farmleigh House over concerns for the safety of the community.
Sky News
an hour ago
- Sky News
Chadwell Heath: Three arrested after death of woman in east London
Police investigating the death of a woman in east London have arrested three men. A 35-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder, while two men, aged 21 and 22, have been arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender, the Metropolitan Police said on Sunday. Detectives opened a murder investigation after the death of the woman in Chadwell Heath early on Saturday morning. Police and the London Ambulance Service were called to reports that a woman had been assaulted in Chadwell Heath Lane at around 5.30am. "Despite the best efforts of emergency services, she was sadly pronounced dead at the scene," the force said in a statement. She has not been formally identified, but officers believe the victim was in her 20s. The Metropolitan Police said their early enquiries suggested it was an isolated incident in which those involved knew each other. The woman's family have been informed and are being supported by specially-trained family liaison officers. A post-mortem examination will be carried out in due course. Appealing for the public's help, Detective Superintendent Brian Hobbs said: "Our thoughts remain with the victim's family and friends in light of this truly tragic event. "Although we have now made arrests, local residents will continue to see an increased number of officers in and around the area while our investigative work is carried out."
