Men in court charged over Sunderland care home crash
Both were remanded in custody and will appear at the same court on 19 August.Northumbria Police said officers were alerted to reports of a stolen BMW in Fenham, Newcastle, on the evening of 10 July and a suspect vehicle was spotted in the Sunderland area 15 minutes later.A police chase followed, which ended with the BMW crashing into the care home.Two days later, two care home residents, a woman in her 80s and another in her 90s, died.Police said eight other residents required hospital treatment after the crash which caused extensive damage to the home.
Additional reporting by the Press Association.
Follow BBC Sunderland on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
17 minutes ago
- The Independent
Father who stepped into path of train carrying young son jailed for 10 years
A suicidal father who attempted to murder his two-year-old son by walking in front of a train while carrying the child after learning his ex-partner had moved on has been jailed for 10 years. Frederick Danquah, 28, stepped in front of a train while holding his son after a relationship breakdown with the child's mother. Both the child and Danquah were injured in the incident at Garrowhill railway station in Glasgow's east end on July 2, 2023. Danquah denied attempted murder and another charge of culpable and reckless conduct, regarding another incident on the same date, stating his mental condition as a defence, but he was convicted by a jury at the High Court in Glasgow last month. At the same court on Wednesday, the judge said the 'harm was of the greatest kind' and sentenced Danquah to 10 years in prison. He also imposed a non-harassment order until the child is 18. The court heard that earlier that day, Danquah tried to climb over a footbridge above the M8 in Glasgow with his son on his shoulders, after arguing with his ex-partner who told him she had 'moved on'. After posting a suicidal message on Facebook, he prepared a 'contingency plan' including a note with contact details, the court heard. Danquah collected the child from relatives and took him into Glasgow city centre and met his sister's partner, before he attempted to climb the bridge over the M8. He was spotted by police but 'reassured them', the court heard, before he travelled to Garrowhill station with the child and made an attempt on their lives. British Transport Police said Danquah sustained a broken jaw and fracture to his neck, while his son suffered cuts and bruises but no serious injuries, and the child was discharged from hospital two days later. Sentencing, Judge Tony Kelly said: 'You went to the platform, picked up your son and walked into the path of a train. You suffered injuries and your son was injured. 'To seek to take the life of your son over some hours is great criminality. I have no doubt about your intentions. You meant to have his mother attend his funeral. It is clear you were most affected by the end of your relationship. 'She moved on, it's clear you felt unable to do so. She told you she had moved on. 'You were intent on taking your own life on July 2, 2023. There were opportunities to place your son in the care of others, instead you took him with you.' He said a train driver 'saw you step in the path of a train' and people involved in the rescue were in 'various stages of upset'. Danquah's ex-partner suffered from anxiety and had given evidence about seeing her son in hospital with severe bruising, the court heard. Judge Kelly added: 'You considered taking the life of a two-year-old. You sought to bring about for your partner the death of her son. You require to be punished.' The court heard Danquah had no previous convictions and was involved in a Ghanian community group. Danquah made further attempts on his life including in December 2023, the court heard. Defending, Gary Allan said it was a 'horrible miracle' and Danquah was receiving psychiatric help since a 'one-off horror story took place at his own hand'. Mr Allan said Danquah's ex-partner had written to the judge to offer a 'substantial degree of support', including 'confirmation of his relationship with his child' and 'a suggestion of some kind of disbelief that he could have done this', the court heard. He added: 'The verdict of the jury was that the mental condition of the accused was not such that the statutory defence was made out. What the jury didn't do was say that he wasn't suffering from some kind of depressive condition.' Mr Allan said Danquah had been 'beaten up by other prisoners', and jail 'will be living nightmare for him'. He urged the judge not to impose a non-harassment order, saying it would 'sever the relationship' with the child.
The Independent
17 minutes ago
- The Independent
Don't put expensive items at front of stores because ‘people will nick them', minister tells shopkeepers
Shopkeepers should not place 'high value' items close to store entrances because 'obviously people will nick', a Labour minister has told shopkeepers. It comes after new figures showed that shoplifting is at a record high, with retailers accusing police of not doing enough to tackle the problem. Asked about the issue, policing minister Dame Diana Johnson said expensive items such as alcohol should not be displayed at the front of stores and said shopkeepers needed to do more to deter shoplifters. Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Dame Diana said: 'I think stores need to play their part in making sure that items that are high value are not at the front of the store because that is an issue in some stores, that they put bottles of alcohol at the front of the store, which obviously people will nick. 'If they are going to steal to resell, they will nick items like that. So I think it is not just one thing here, it has to be an approach with the retailers, with the government and with the police to work together.' But she warned members of the public against confronting shoplifters, after Tory Police and Crime Commissioner for Thames Valley Matthew Barber claimed people had a duty to stand up to shoplifters rather than relying solely on police officers. 'I would not advise people to tackle an individual who was stealing. I came across someone stealing in a store in Hull. 'I went straight to the assistant to tell them what was happening. I felt that was the best thing to do. 'Obviously, it is a judgment for individuals to take, but I am worried about people feeling they need to have a go. I don't think that is appropriate', she said. Shoplifting hit a record high in 2024, with the number of offences surpassing 500,000 for the first time. Some 530,643 offences were recorded by forces in England and Wales in 2024/25 - up 20 per cent from 444,022 in 2023/24 and is the highest total since current police recording practices began in 2002/03. Offences involving theft from the person have also remained at record levels. Some 151,220 of these offences were recorded by forces in the year to March, up 15 per cent from 131,584 in the previous 12 months – again, the highest since the current recording began in 2002/03. Speaking on Wednesday, Richard Walker, the executive chairman of supermarket chain Iceland, argued that shoplifting is getting worse because offenders appeared to be able to act with 'impunity'. 'We now have over 1,000 serious incidents a year, serious incidents being marauding gangs, violent assaults, needles, knives, hammers, you name it', he told the Today programme. 'I go through our weekly serious incidents report every Monday morning, and it is clear that firstly, there is now no area of the country unaffected by this issue, it happens everywhere from small market towns through to big inner cities. 'But secondly, and importantly, there is an impunity, an increasing level of violence that is caused by a lack of deterrent.' Responding to his remarks, Dame Diana said: 'I think he does actually have a point, and that's why we're investing into neighbourhood policing, because we know a police deterrent in our town centres and in our high streets is really important in starting to tackle shop theft and anti-social behaviour. 'We're bringing forward legislation to make it a specific offence to assault a retail worker, and we're getting rid of what the previous government brought in, which was this sort of £200 limit. If you stole below £200, the case wouldn't necessarily be proceeded with. 'We want to make clear, if you steal, that is a criminal offence, whether it's £5 or £500, pounds.' On Wednesday, the government announced an expansion of the use of facial recognition technology in an attempt to tackle crime. Seven English forces will have access to 10 vans equipped with cameras across Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, Bedfordshire, Surrey, Sussex, Thames Valley and Hampshire, following recent deployments by London's Met Police and South Wales Police. Dame Diana said she believes the public would back the police's use of live facial recognition cameras, if they are used 'in a very measured, proportionate way to go after' suspects who officers are looking for. But Labour peer Baroness Shami Chakrabarti alleged that the technology had been 'developed pretty much completely outside the law', and voiced fears that the government's plan is 'yet another move towards a total surveillance society'.
The Guardian
18 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Surrey police pose as joggers to catch men harassing women out exercising
Eighteen people have been arrested after a police force sent out female undercover officers posing as joggers to catch men harassing women while they are out exercising. A pilot operation from Surrey police deployed female officers in running gear during rush hour to expose how often women are harassed. The pilot has resulted in 18 arrests for offences such as harassment, sexual assault and theft. Insp Jon Vale, Surrey's violence against women and girls safer spaces lead, said a survey found almost half of female runners in one area of the county did not report harassment to the police. He said catcalling was 'far too common', with off-duty female officers and staff members experiencing this behaviour. Although it is not a specific criminal offence, catcalling is known to sometimes escalate to more serious sexual offending. The month-long trial, which was first reported by LBC, involved plainclothes officers volunteering to jog in sports gear through areas identified as harassment hotspots, with nearby specialist units ready to intervene if they faced abuse. Uniformed officers are also working with community groups to share insight into the force's work to tackle violence against women and girls. Vale told LBC that the aim was to deter offenders. 'One of our officers was honked at within 10 minutes, then another vehicle slowed down, beeping and making gestures just 30 seconds later – that's how frequent it is. 'Someone slowing down, staring, shouting, even if it's not always criminal, it can have a huge impact on people's everyday lives and stops women from doing something as simple as going for a run. We have to ask: 'Is that person going to escalate? Are they a sexual offender?' We want to manage that risk early,' he a statement, he added: 'To date, we have made a number of interventions following reports of harassment of our plainclothes runners. In these cases, it was deemed appropriate to provide education around antisocial behaviour. 'For repeat offenders or where the behaviour is more serious, we will robustly pursue all criminal justice outcomes. We recognise this is a significant worry for women and girls, and we'll continue to patrol running routes.' PC Abby Hayward, who went undercover, said her experience reflected a daily reality for women. 'This behaviour is either a precursor to something more serious, or it's ignorance and it's fixable. That's where our interventions come in: to stop potential repeat offenders or help people understand that what they're doing isn't OK,' she said. Surrey police said they had developed the pilot out of work installing plainclothes police officers in bars, clubs and town centres at night to spot predatory behaviour and combat harassment. Other forces have considered unconventional methods to reduce catcalling. The Metropolitan police offered a buddy system in which officers joined groups from a women's running club in London in response to concerns about the harassment of members. A study last year by the University of Manchester found that more than two-thirds of women surveyed in north-west England had experienced harassment while running, including threats, verbal abuse and having objects thrown at them. Women told the researchers that they no longer report abuse to the police as it had become an 'everyday occurrence'. A separate study last year by Sport England suggested almost three-quarters of women changed their exercise routine during the winter months.
