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Newport man banned from Morrisons after racism row's memoir

Newport man banned from Morrisons after racism row's memoir

Jez Daniels, a black former officer, says he was the victim of "racial prejudice" during a visit to the Rogerstone store in Newport in February 2022.
During the visit, Mr Daniels, who was wearing a facemask as was required by law at the time, says he was followed by staff after heading directly to the alcohol aisle.
Jez Daniels maintains his belief that he was racially profiled in Morrisons, Rogerstone in 2022 (Image: Supplied) Feeling uncomfortable, he abandoned his items in the middle of the store and made to leave, but was confronted by the duty manager who accused him of trying to shoplift, and demanded he "get out".
After complaining to Morrisons head office, which prompted a wider investigation, Mr Daniels was banned from all Morrisons in the UK, with the giant insisting he had been "acting suspiciously" and was banned as "a duty of care" to their staff.
The ban was later lifted by a Morrisons chief, as "a gesture of good will" who maintained that they had acted correctly for the safety of staff and had been right to "take action".
Mr Daniels says the supermarket claimed he had tried to steal £200 worth of products (Image: Supplied) Using his knowledge as an ex-officer and now IT security consultant, Mr Daniels made a GDPR request for the CCTV footage and statements from staff about the incident, which he said "contradicted each other".
Mr Daniels previously explained that the statements given by the store claimed he had attempted to steal £200 worth of products, but was not shown any CCTV to back up this claim.
He maintains that he was "racially profiled" and the claim was made because they were "scared of me because I was a black man".
Morrisons did not respond to a request for comment at the time from the Argus.
Now, after this and numerous other experiences, Mr Daniels has written a memoir detailing his accounts of racism in the UK.
Mr Daniels has now penned a powerful memoir on his experiences of racism in the UK (Image: Supplied)
The memoir, titled Marked by Difference: A Personal Story of Facing Racism in the UK's Police, Fire Service, and Society, has just been released.
The book is an account of Mr Daniels' lived experience navigating institutional racism within some of the UK's most respected public services.
Through candid storytelling, the book exposes the structural inequalities and cultural barriers faced by ethnic minority individuals working within the police and fire services.
From confronting covert discrimination to speaking out against overt acts of injustice, Marked by Difference challenges readers to reflect on their own perceptions and to engage with the urgent need for cultural reform.
It is both a call to action and a beacon of hope for those still fighting for equality and recognition.
Independently published, Marked by Difference is now available in paperback and digital formats via Amazon, Waterstones Online, and selected local bookshops.
Mr Daniels is a former police officer and currently works as a cyber security consultant (Image: Supplied) Mr Daniels is a former police officer and firefighter, who has also served in the Royal Air Force.
In his current career he is a cyber security consultant.
With decades of first-hand experience and a passion for social justice, he brings a unique and courageous voice to the national conversation on race, identity, and institutional accountability in Britain.
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I saw a little scroat shoplifting last week and what store owner told me was truly shocking – here's what gov MUST do
I saw a little scroat shoplifting last week and what store owner told me was truly shocking – here's what gov MUST do

The Sun

time14 hours ago

  • The Sun

I saw a little scroat shoplifting last week and what store owner told me was truly shocking – here's what gov MUST do

I POPPED into a corner shop to buy chocolate last week and a young man was doing the same. Except he wasn't buying, he was taking. Or should I say grabbing and running. 5 5 The shopkeeper just shrugged and said he does it almost daily. Sometimes chocolate or cheese, but more often than not, beer. 'It's pointless calling the police. They're not interested,' he added. OK, it was just a chocolate bar. And when Policing Minister Dame Diana Johnson witnessed a 'brazen' theft in Hull's M&S last week, it was just a bunch of flowers. But these things add up. And when it involves professional gangs stealing over £120,000 worth of goods — as happened across 50 Morrisons stores last year — it's little wonder that shoplifting has surged to a record high. So what are those in authority doing about it? Well, not much if you listen to shopkeepers or any of the disgruntled motorists filling neighbourhood apps with grim tales of stolen cars and lack of police interest. But, according to Dame Diana, the Government is 'clamping down' on thefts by announcing funding for increased police presence in 500 town centres across the country by, er, 2029. Better late than never, one supposes, but in the meantime, the rhetoric from those in charge needs to change fast. For hot on the heels of saying the surge in shoplifting is 'unacceptable', Dame Diana followed it up with the observation that retailers should increase their security and make sure that goods aren't easily accessible to steal. N-ICE ONE- Iceland boss says customers will be PAID to snitch on thieves Seriously? She wouldn't (quite rightly) tell a sexual assault victim to dress more modestly for fear of attracting the wrong sort, so why should shopkeepers be expected to alter their store set-up simply because some little oik can't stay on the right side of the law? How about actually supporting businesses by providing deterrents such as, hmmm let me think, an arrest and court appearance? 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Terrified piglets hit in face and kicked across floor in sickening new pork farm scandal - just months after Mail exposed shocking cruelty at another of the company's locations
Terrified piglets hit in face and kicked across floor in sickening new pork farm scandal - just months after Mail exposed shocking cruelty at another of the company's locations

Daily Mail​

time3 days ago

  • Daily Mail​

Terrified piglets hit in face and kicked across floor in sickening new pork farm scandal - just months after Mail exposed shocking cruelty at another of the company's locations

Smacking the squealing piglet in the face with a heavy board, the farm worker delivers his blows as the terrified animal writhes and recoils. The astonishing cruelty – exposed in new undercover footage obtained by this newspaper – is just one of a litany of harrowing scenes captured at a factory farm supplying Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda and Morrisons. From injured piglets violently kicked across the floor by workers to others left contorted in pain during slow and agonising deaths, this is the daily reality for pigs farmed by Britain's largest pork supplier, which insists animal welfare is 'close to its heart'. The bombshell findings come just months after The Mail on Sunday revealed that piglets were being beaten to death at a different farm run by the same company, Cranswick. The story sparked national outrage, wiped £250 million off the company's value and forced supermarkets to cut ties with the farm. But while Cranswick at the time called the behaviour a 'lapse' in welfare standards and suspended a handful of farm staff, today's revelations suggest that cruelty is endemic within the multi-billion-pound operation. Shockingly, some of the most severe abuse was inflicted just two weeks after the farm was audited by Red Tractor, a quality mark meant to ensure standards of animal welfare. Critics say this raises questions about the scheme's credibility and are calling for a public inquiry into the industry. Cameras hidden by investigators across the site at Somerby Top Farm in Lincolnshire over a ten-month period show: Workers routinely hitting pigs with boards, paddles and their fists, deliberately targeting areas such as their snout and eyes. One piglet left dying for 33 hours as other piglets cannibalised an open wound. Legally required welfare checks often ignoring visible injuries and suffering, with one inspection of 1,000 pigs lasting just 90 seconds. Multiple botched killings of lame piglets, which left them screaming and thrashing for over 30 seconds after being shot. A manager saying: 'I'm the boss. I've been here three or four years and it's f***ing s***, this place.' Last night UK supermarkets said they had cut ties with the farm, while politicians condemned the findings as 'horrifying' and called for a police investigation. Somerby Top Farm houses around 4,000 pigs, crammed into barren sheds with up to 27 pigs per pen. It is a fattening farm, where the animals are raised to reach the right weight for slaughter. Piglets arrive at the farm (pictured) having been reared 13 miles away at Cranswick's Northmoor Farm, where an investigator secretly recorded a catalogue of abuse, as exposed by the MoS in May Piglets arrive at the farm having been reared 13 miles away at Cranswick's Northmoor Farm, where an investigator secretly recorded a catalogue of abuse, as exposed by the MoS in May. The footage revealed farm workers swinging piglets by their hind legs and smashing them onto the hard floor, a banned method of killing called 'piglet thumping'. Today's revelations about Somerby Top come after a probe carried out by rights group Animal Justice Project, which saw investigators bravely going into the farm at night to hide cameras and document widespread suffering. The farm's parent company, Cranswick, generated £146 million revenue from fresh pork last year and currently sends more than 35,000 pigs to slaughter each week, but is investing £35million to expand capacity to 50,000. Despite it marketing its meat as 'high welfare' and using the phrase 'farming with conscience' on its website, alongside photos of pigs happily enjoying idyllic green fields - video evidence shows this is far from the reality. Dr Alice Brough, a pig veterinarian who reviewed the footage, said: 'The extreme violence shown by workers is deeply concerning. 'Cranswick's welfare claims are hollow - extreme suffering is endemic on Britain's pig farms. We urgently need a public inquiry into the pig farming industry.' The investigation found multiple potential breaches of the Animal Welfare Act, including the need for protection from pain, injury, suffering, and disease. Despite it marketing its meat as 'high welfare' and using the phrase 'farming with conscience' on its website, alongside photos of pigs happily enjoying idyllic green fields - video evidence shows this is far from the reality Workers were recorded frequently swearing and shouting at the pigs while the animals were kept under constant artificial lighting for up to 50 hours at a time, in violation of rules requiring periods of darkness for animal welfare. Some of the most gruesome abuses documented were pigs being subjected to cannibalism, including being eaten alive due to ruptured hernias, stress and boredom. On top of posing urgent questions for the already under-fire Cranswick, the findings also throw into doubt Red Tractor's claims that it is the 'most trusted food assurance scheme', given that Somerby Top was certified just two weeks before some of the most severe cruelty was recorded. As many as 95 per cent of pigs in the UK come from farms certified by Red Tractor. Labour MP David Taylor said the 'sickening abuse needs to be thoroughly investigated by police'. Sir Roger Gale, patron of the Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation, described the footage as 'horrific', adding: 'If practices like this can occur under the Red Tractor banner, what is the need for such labels?' Lib Dem MP Danny Chambers said: 'The abuse uncovered in this investigation is sickening and it makes me very angry. There is no excuse for this cruel behaviour.' Green Party co-leader Adrian Ramsay said: 'This is the second Cranswick farm to be exposed for horrific cruelty. We need a national inquiry into how such systemic abuse is allowed to continue in supposedly 'assured' supply chains, and we need it now.' And Labour MP Terry Jermy, who opposed Cranswick's plans for a mega-farm in Norfolk, said: 'This latest footage is horrifying. 'I am concerned that this is another incident involving Cranswick, given their role influencing public policy as a member of the Government's food strategy board.' Claire Palmer, director of Animal Justice Project, said: 'Cranswick has created these conditions, not the pigs. The public should be appalled. It's time to end factory farming.' The group is calling for a public inquiry into pig farming and a criminal investigation. After seeing the footage, Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda and Morrisons all condemned the abuse and said they had suspended supplies from Somerby Top Farm. A Cranswick spokesman said: 'The health and welfare of our pigs is our highest priority. The content was recorded several months ago but has only recently been shared with us. 'We find the treatment of the pigs in the footage distressing to watch and we apologise unreservedly for this lapse in our standards. It does not in any way reflect operating practices at our farms today.' They added that, since being alerted to the abuses at Northmoor Farm, the company has changed management teams at the farms, recruited five full-time welfare officers and is installing AI-enabled CCTV at all indoor farms to monitor staff behaviour and animals in real time. A Red Tractor spokesman said the farm's certification had been suspended and a full investigation was under way. They added: 'The disregard of animal welfare standards in the footage does a disservice to an industry which works hard to uphold welfare requirements.'

Woman threatened to blow up home while singing 'Murder on Dancefloor'
Woman threatened to blow up home while singing 'Murder on Dancefloor'

The Herald Scotland

time6 days ago

  • The Herald Scotland

Woman threatened to blow up home while singing 'Murder on Dancefloor'

During the four hour stand off with police, Russell played the number one hit loudly from a speaker. She also shouted the lyric "Gonna burn this goddamn house right down." The incident attracted the attention of interested neighbours who were later order to vacate the area. READ MORE: Russell pleaded guilty at Glasgow Sheriff Court to culpable and reckless conduct. She also admitted a separate charge of theft. The court heard that Russell had stolen a quantity of alcohol from a Morrisons supermarket one month prior. Police went to her property on June 6 at 8.25pm to speak to her but she did not answer the door and hid behind it. Officers however were able to see Russell's feet through the letterbox. Russell refused to open the door and was informed that officers would force entry. Prosecutor Lauren Sangray said: "She told officers she would blow up the house by igniting the 12 oxygen tanks that she had within. "Russell thereafter began playing music at full volume, singing along to the song 'Murder on the Dance Floor' and then shouting the lyrics 'I'm going to burn the god damn house right down'. "Due to the level of the music and her singing, Russell had attracted the attention of neighbouring residents within their gardens who would have heard the threats she had made." Russell made threats to blow up the house and turned on a machine used to administer oxygen. Russell then flicked a lighter on and off. An evacuation of the street then took place and just before 12.15am Russell presented herself to police before being taken to hospital where she was discharged. When she was cautioned and charged, she replied: "Guilty." Sentence was deferred pending background reports until next month before Sheriff Joan Kerr who continued Russell's remand in custody meantime.

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