Doctor who was found guilty of breaching abortion buffer zone responds to conviction
A woman found guilty of breaching an abortion clinic buffer zone has claimed freedom of expression in the UK is in a "state of crisis."
Livia Tossici-Bolt, 64, of Bournemouth, was found guilty at Poole Magistrates Court of two charges of breaching the Public Spaces Protection Order on two days in March 2023 and handed a two-year conditional discharge.
She had held a sign saying "Here to talk, if you want" outside a clinic in Bournemouth.
Tossici-Bolt, leader of the Bournemouth branch of the "40 Days for Life" anti-abortion group, was ordered to pay £20,000 towards court costs and a £26 victim surcharge.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
20-05-2025
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Sadiq Khan accused of ruining livelihoods of thousands of London taxi drivers by creating a licencing 'shambles'
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has been accused of ruining the livelihoods of thousands of taxi drivers by creating a licencing 'shambles'. Some 3,000 drivers at a time have been forced off the road after a change to Transport For London's systems triggered huge backlogs on applications for licence renewals. The total number of cab drivers hit by delays over recent months is thought to exceed 10,000. The issue has caused fury among drivers with one telling MailOnline: 'Sadiq Khan has made a real mess of this - hundreds of drivers are desperate as they've been prevented from working for weeks on end for no reason.' The resulting mess has sparked a shortage of cabs around the capital meaning wait times for customers have gone up - with those hit including drivers for industry giants like Uber, Bolt and Addison Lee. TfL oversees all of London's travel infrastructure from trains and buses to taxis and mini cabs, and has been managed by Khan since he was appointed as The Mayor of London in 2016. But new rules put in place in July 2024 have caused chaos for the Greater London area's army of private hire drivers, who work for local minicab firms, private car companies and apps such as Uber. TFL confirmed to MailOnline that at its worst an estimated 3,000 drivers at any one time have been unable to work as they waited on delayed licence renewals - though they insist that the number waiting has begun to come down as they have addressed bottlenecks. Driver Charlie Holding, 60, told MailOnline that he was unable to work for ten weeks after getting stung by the change to the DBS process - and only finally got his permit back this week. He said: 'I've lost thousands of pounds in lost wages and it's left me in real financial problems - and all the while I've just been sitting around with nothing to do. It's been driving me mad and it's so pointless.' Mr Holding explained: 'In December, three months before my licence expired, TfL sent me an invitation to reapply for my licence online. I've been a minicab driver for twenty years, and I have had to reapply every three years, so I know the process. 'I knew the change about the DBS check, but I rather naively thought that when I did the DBS application that it would put me onto the update services automatically. After uploading my certificate and details, the application process allowed me to continue, I assumed I had done it correctly. 'Because they've got so many delays at the moment, by the time they told me that I hadn't done the update service correctly my DBS certificate had expired and I then had to reapply for it. 'If they'd let me know in good time, I could have done the update service and everything would have been fine. I would have had my new licence by the time the old one expired and I could have continued working. But like many drivers currently off the road, Charlie's biggest frustration is with TfL's handling of the crisis. He said: 'Everything is done via an online portal, you can't ring and speak to someone, or go to their office in person, like you could when the licences were handled by the Public Carriage Office. 'There's no way of communicating with anyone at TfL, and it feels like you're paying a load of money for nothing and anything that goes wrong is blamed on the drivers. There is no accountability. 'I'm hearing anecdotally stories of guys who have been waiting seven months, five months, six months, for their renewal, which is shocking. That's how they pay their bills.' Hundreds of drivers have complained that small administrative errors such as these are not being flagged immediately by the new system. Furthermore, backlogs caused by the new rules have led to some licence renewals taking months longer than they previously would have, leaving many drivers in limbo and unable to work or earn. Most frustratingly, affected drivers claim that they haven't been able to speak to anyone at TfL to hurry things along or be assigned a temporary licence, even though the governing body has claimed it would issue them. The backlog is having a knock-on effect across the transport industry, with the firms who rent ULEZ compliant vehicles - like Toyota Prius Hybrids and Tesla Model 3 EVs - to mini cab drivers complaining that their forecourts are filling up with cars. Martina Williamson of PCO Rentals in Hendon said that the licensing backlog has left nearly 100 of their 265 cars languishing on their forecourt. She said: 'At the moment we have 178 vehicles out on hire, which is a low utilisation rate for this time of year. 'In the last couple of weeks we have had at least 20 cars returned due to private hire drivers not receiving their licences. Many of them told us they had applied to renew them months before they were due to expire. 'The new hire side of the business has also been affected as those drivers are waiting for their licences, too. It's caused our utilisation to drop, as we can't hire cars to drivers without a current PCO badge. 'It's had a really serious knock on effect for the business. We've got cars sitting here that we just can't get out because the drivers' hands are tied. 'We have lost hirers that have been with us for years. They have had their livelihoods ripped from them. There's nothing in place to help them whilst they are at the mercy of TfL and their administration teams. 'Likewise for us as a company, our revenue has decreased massively. I imagine for smaller fleets they may be struggling to keep afloat.' Martina has also seen first hand how the backlog is causing extreme levels of stress and hardship amongst drivers. 'They're returning our cars, left, right and centre, and our hire vehicles, because their livelihoods have been taken away from them, and they've literally been left in limbo. 'I've had drivers sitting here crying, saying, "I don't know how I'm going to pay my rent next week". 'Lots of the drivers claim it's impossible to get in contact with anyone at TfL who can give them a straight answer and when they email they get a standard response of "Your licence is being reviewed". 'I don't know anyone who has been able to obtain a temporary renewal even though on the TfL website it states these would be issued.' Ben Fallows, 52, is the proprietor of Dab Transport in Sutton, South London. He falls under the category of a 'small operator' of PHV, meaning he is allowed to employ up to ten drivers, taking a cut of their weekly earnings. However, with one of his drivers unable to renew their licence, he is feeling the pinch. He said: 'It takes a long time to find drivers who are reliable and good for your company so when you lose one it can be catastrophic. It means I have to turn down work I would have given to them, meaning I am losing money. 'I make 20 percent from my drivers, so if I give them £1,000 of work a week I get £200 of commission, which I'm losing if I can't send one out on the road. I can't just replace him with another driver, because what happens when my driver can come back to work? I'd need to put that new man out of work. 'Technically I am having to give business to other firms, and there's a real risk that that customer I lost will become loyal to them, losing me more money in the long term.' Larger firms have also been affected by TfL's admin backlog, with taxi app behemoth Uber releasing a statement at the start of April acknowledging that some of their 50,000 drivers had been directly affected. A spokesperson said: 'We are aware of the issue and are having ongoing discussions with both Transport for London and affected drivers.' In the week ending May 11, figures released by TfL stated that there were 106,161 private hire licensees working across London, a decrease of 48 on the previous week, and that 36 of them were newly issued licences. First time licensees can expect to pay £477 to become a private hire driver in London, while renewals cost £310. The fees are paid at the time of application. For drivers renewing their licence, they also need to obtain a current DBS check, which can cost up to £54 and is valid 30 days from issue. Private Hire Licences are renewed every three years, and the biggest change to the new regulations requires drivers to not only upload their criminal record check (DBS) to the TfL system, but also enrol separately to the DBS update service, as well. Drivers who failed to do this, or did not upload vital medical documents, did not have their application flagged as incomplete, so they submitted it believing it was complete, only to find out months later when their licence had expired that there had been an issue. TfL claim that the issues have mostly been resolved following teething issues with the new system, updated renewal requirements and a cyber attack on their servers. A TfL spokesperson said: 'We are responsible for regulating taxi and PHV services in London and passenger safety is paramount. When licensing an individual we must also ensure that the applicant meets licensing requirements and is fit to be licensed. 'We have recently introduced new licence processing software that will deliver a number of benefits to licensees. Unfortunately we have experienced some issues which have impacted our processing times, compounding the difficulties we experienced following the cyber incident last year. 'The vast majority of drivers we licence are unaffected. However, we are aware that some drivers are affected. We are prioritising the renewal of existing licensees and have additional staff processing applications and issuing licences and have made good progress with this. We apologise to any affected drivers and we are working hard to resolve the issues. 'In recognition of the current situation, we are granting short-term PHV driver licences for a period of three months in cases where a complete application has been submitted and there are no issues that require further investigation.'
BBC News
14-05-2025
- BBC News
Campaign groups seek protection from Leicester anti-social rules
Campaign groups have joined forces to write a letter to Leicester's city mayor seeking assurances they are exempt from a new anti-social behaviour city council put a new public spaces protection order (PSPO) in place from April to tackle issues including e-scooters, drinking, playing loud music and the groups, which include unions, political parties and other campaigners, fear the order could "constitute an unjustified limit on their democratic rights" as the ban also includes "unauthorised structures" such as banners, stalls and City Council said there were processes in place to allow freedom of speech, which remain unchanged under the new rules. The order, which is valid for three years, covers the city centre inside the ring road and includes Leicester railway station, all of New Walk and the area between London Road and Regent Road as far as Granville has given police and council officers greater powers to take enforcement action against anyone deemed to be causing a nuisance in the new rules also aim to clamp down on anyone who is either caught collecting for charity or who puts up a gazebo without prior permission from the city was introduced after more than 1,000 residents responded to a consultation, with nine of out 10 people supporting the action to address unlicensed amplification and of May, an individual breaching the order could be given a £100 on the spot fine, and the fixed penalty notice could rise to £1,000 if a prosecution results in a conviction. In the letter to Sir Peter Soulsby, the former city mayoral and socialist candidate, Steve Score, said on behalf of the organisations that many groups had regularly campaigned on Saturdays and at other times for decades and had "never been anti-social"."To prohibit these groups from peacefully, and without causing a public nuisance, carrying out their regular campaigning would constitute an unjustified limit on their democratic rights to free speech," he wrote."We are sure that you did not intend the PSPO to be used in this way, so we are seeking assurances that trade unions, campaign groups, political parties and others will be exempt from this PSPO."Last month, religious groups received warning notices for the way they promote their faith to told the BBC they were handed warnings for using loudspeakers and setting up street stalls and banners near the Clock of the groups said they felt they had been unfairly targeted as a public nuisance for exercising their right to religious free response, Sir Peter said the order did not ban religious groups from the city centre but aimed to deter them from "unnecessary and intensely irritating behaviour".In a statement the city council added: "The PSPO does not restrict freedom of speech but it does restrict the nuisance of amplifiers, gazebos and other structures that more than 1,100 respondents to our consultation told us negatively impacted their experience of Leicester city centre."Many groups have been respectful of this so far and, as a result, the environment in the city centre is noticeably improved."There are clear processes already in place to ensure that the right to protest can be freely exercised, which remain unchanged under the new arrangements."
Daily Mail
05-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Strict new rules for dog owners in London: Council brings in ban after spate of attacks
Tower Hamlets council are introducing a strict set of rules for dog owners after a string of attacks left an 11-year-old girl with life-changing injuries and saw two Cane Corso's shot dead after mauling a woman. Under the new rules, which were approved under a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO), dogs will still be allowed to play freely off-lead in all parks and green spaces in the borough. However, dogs will be banned from certain areas such as gated children's play areas and sports areas and there will be a requirement for a maximum of four dogs per person, unless they have a professional council-issued dog walker licence. Dogs must also be kept on leads on or near roads, pavements and communal estate areas and owners must put them on a lead if requested by an authorised officer. Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) will be introduced for any breach of these rules as well as for owners who fail to pick up their dog's faeces. People who are registered blind and/or deaf and those with a physical or mental impairment who use dogs for assistance, will be exempt from the rules in line with the Equality Act 2010. Out of all the 32 London boroughs, Tower Hamlets has the eighth highest crime reports relating to dog attacks. The council will be joining neighbouring boroughs Newham and Hackney which have had dog control PSPOs in place for many years. There were 92 dog attack crime reports in the borough between April and October 2024, according to internal police data. Councillor Shafi Ahmed said Tower Hamlets Council understands the majority of dog owners are responsible and their animals posed no risk of harm. But he noted 'several high-profile incidents' had left residents concerned about dangerous dogs and expressed worries about the risks to children. In September 2022, an 11-year-old girl was left with life-changing injuries after she was attacked by a dog on a road in Tower Hamlets before being rescued by passers-by. Footage of the savage attacked shared to social media showed the girl screaming on the floor as the dog bit down on her arm and hand. One passer-by was then seen attempting to pull the dog off the child while bystanders looked on in shock. As the dog's owner fled the scene, a man could be seen rushing out of his vehicle to help the girl before running back to what appeared to be a taxi to grab a bat which he used to pummel the dog until it released her. She was taken to hospital for treatment to her hand which sustained life-changing injuries. The owner, Siddique Ali, 43, was tracked down by police 12 days later following a public appeal and was jailed for 14 months for being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control causing injury to a person contrary to Section 3 of the Dangerous Dogs Act. However, Ali's two dogs were never located. He was also banned from keeping a dog for 10 years and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £187. Detective Inspector Luke Hampton of the Met's Central East Command said: 'Ali had no control over the animal that attacked the child and even left the scene knowing that she had been seriously injured.' In February 2023, footage captured the moment police officers struggled to restrain a vicious dog after it bit a 13-year-old boy at a bus stop in Mile End. The teenager was taken to hospital for treatment and the dog was recovered by police. It is unknown whether or not officers managed to track down the owner. The Cane Corso owner was handed a suspended prison sentence in November 2023 after pleaded guilty to being the owner of a dog dangerously out of control (without injury). Pictured: the location of the incident, Commercial Road in Poplar In May 2023, a Met Police officer shot two Cane Corso's dead after they attacked a woman in Poplar, Tower Hamlets. The woman, who was walking her own dog at the time, sustained an injury to her leg after she had been knocked to the ground by the large dogs whilst trying to protect herself. Her dog was bitten and suffered a cut on its nose and had chunks of fur missing. Police found the owner, who was in his 40s, and the two Cane Corsos at the scene and attempted to negotiate with the man. After he refused to hand over his dogs, one of them jumped up at one of the officers before the man ran away with the animals. The armed officers officers pursued him to Limehouse Cut Canal but he would still not let them take the dogs. During the conversation, one of the Cane Corsos became loose and tried to run towards the officers but was stopped by the owner. Seconds later, one broke free from its lead and lunged at the dog handler before being shot dead by a firearms officer. The second dog was detained by the dog handler using a pole capture device and was tasered. However, it then broke free and was followed and shot dead by the same firearms officer as he feared for his colleagues safety. The dog owner was then tasered and arrested. After checking their systems, it revealed that he was disqualified from keeping dogs for 20 years as part of an order handed to him in 2019. The case was referred to the IOPC after the Met Police received complaints of misconduct and discrimination against the man because he was homeless. But after completing their independent investigation, IOPC officers found no evidence to uphold these claims. The Cane Corso owner was handed a suspended prison sentence in November 2023 after pleaded guilty to being the owner of a dog dangerously out of control (without injury). The clip showed the mutt chasing and attacking the horse with such aggression that the startled animal threw the officer from her saddle. She sustained 'minor injuries' He also pleaded guilty to possession of dogs whilst under a 20-year disqualification order. Earlier that month, he admitted to the same offences in connection to another incident in Westminster in February 2023 which saw a Pomeranian dog left blind after being attack by the dogs. In July 2023, police seized three dogs after they mauled a four-year-old boy in a park in Poplar estate. Officers found the boy at the scene with bite injuries, which were not life-threatening, and he was taken to hospital, accompanied by his 'shocked' mother. The dog's owner, reportedly warned of bringing the pets into the estate's shared playground where they are banned, was also bitten but refused hospital treatment. In August 2023, video footage captured the moment a dog attacked a police horse before a mounted officer was thrown from her saddle in Limehouse. The clip showed the mutt chasing and attacking the horse with such aggression that the startled animal threw the officer from her saddle. She sustained 'minor injuries'. According to The Sun, the owner, who was believed to be 12-years-old, tried to run after the tan Staffy mix as it attacked the horse. After the hound was trodden on by the horse, officers were able to tame and seize the dog. The frightened horse who had injuries to its legs attempted to flee before officers were able to reclaim the animal.
