Two men who cut down famous Sycamore Gap sentenced
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The Independent
9 minutes ago
- The Independent
Drug-driver avoids jail over crash that caused tractor to plough into homes
A drug-driver who crashed into a tractor, causing it to plough into a row of houses, has avoided a jail sentence. Matthew Cumpsty drove a silver Mercedes E-Class through a red light into the path of a JCB tractor, Cheshire Police said. The impact of the crash in Chester caused the tractor to veer off the road into a series of homes, leaving a trail of devastation. Emergency services attended the collision in Green Lane on April 1 and found that two houses had suffered serious structural damage. Footage of the crash shows the tractor driving straight into the front of a number of properties, causing at least two to partially collapse. Police said it was 'pure chance' that there were no reports of injuries. Cumpsty was arrested at the scene after failing a roadside drugs swipe. A toxicology report later revealed that he was over the limit for benzoylecgonine (cocaine) with 65 micrograms per litre of blood, over the limit of 50mcg, the force said. The 52-year-old, of Oldfield Drive, Great Boughton, appeared at Chester Crown Court on Tuesday where he was handed a 12-month community order including 200 hours community service. He was also ordered to pay £85 costs and a £114 surcharge and received a 16-month driving ban. He had earlier pleaded guilty to drug-driving and dangerous driving. Pc Richard Phillips said: 'While Cumpsty has shown remorse for his actions, the impact of his actions that day were life-changing and it was pure chance that nobody suffered any serious injuries. 'As a result of one bad decision to get behind the wheel while under the influence, several families were left homeless and commuters travelling into Chester were left with serious disruption for several weeks while repair work was undertaken. 'In addition, Cumpsty is facing a lengthy driving ban. I hope that this ban will give him time to reflect on his actions that day.'
BBC News
10 minutes ago
- BBC News
Tributes as mum of Worcestershire crash victim Leo Painter dies
Tributes have been paid to a woman who has died 18 months after her six-year-old son was killed in a crash.A man was jailed for 18 years for causing the deaths of Leo Painter and two women in a collision on the A44 near Worcester while under the influence of alcohol and drugs.A GoFundMe page created this month, which has raised more than £2,800, said Leo's mother Gemma died on 30 June this year. A family social media tribute shared on the page said: "I hope you have found that peace now that I know you were so desperate for." The tribute also said: "I'm absolutely heartbroken but I know you just couldn't stay without Leo, he needed you more. "Go and find your little boy and play together for eternity.. I'm sure he was waiting at those pearly gates for you.. no one can ever separate you again."I will always treasure our times together and the memories we made." Courtney Hemming, 26, and Claire Adkins, 39, died at the scene of the crash in February 2024, and Leo passed away shortly after arriving at hospitalJoe-Lewis Tyler, of no fixed address, had been driving a BMW 3 Series on 22 February at about 90mph in a 50mph area on a wet admitted three counts of causing death by dangerous driving and was jailed in August last sentence also accounted for his pleading guilty to one count of causing serious injury by dangerous driving and three counts of causing death whilst driving without he drove down the A44, he crashed into a white Ford Mondeo carrying the victims, who had just left Leo's school, Abigail's Place. Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Daily Mail
10 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Mother of boy, three, mauled to death in dog attack 'found son face down with blood and marks all over his neck', court hears
The mother of a three-year-old boy who died in a savage dog attack at a farm after he allegedly wandered into a pen unsupervised has told how she heard 'screaming' when a relative found him covered in blood. Daniel Twigg suffered horrific injuries in the 'furious and prolonged' attack at Carr Farm, Rochdale, on May 15, 2022. His parents Mark Twigg, 43, and Joanne Bedford, 37, are on trial at Manchester Crown Court accused of Daniel's manslaughter. The prosecution allege their negligence meant the toddler was 'alone and unsupervised' when he entered a yard where two large, 'dangerous' and 'powerful' 50kg guard dogs were kept. Although the dogs - a Cane Corsa called Sid and Tiny, a Boerboel type dog - belonged to farm owner Matthew Brown, it's alleged the couple were looking after them at the time and should have know the risks to Daniel. They had also ignored warnings from the RSPCA that the animals were a danger, it's claimed. On the day of the attack, Twigg had left for work in the morning while Bedford had remained at their rented farmhouse. Bedford told the jury that she'd gone upstairs after Daniel had taken a bath to fetch him a pair of shorts. Daniel's parents Mark Twigg, 43, (left) and Joanne Bedford, 37, (right) are on trial at Manchester Crown Court accused of their son's manslaughter She'd asked a relative to 'keep an eye' on him downstairs, she said. Bedford, who was then seven-months pregnant, said she'd also needed to go the toilet while upstairs because she was constipated and before she could get the shorts she heard the relative 'screaming'. The relative then told her: 'Daniel is in the dog pen. He's face down and there's blood everywhere.' Bedford said she went downstairs 'as fast as she could' but it was difficult due to her pregnancy. She said she went into the pen and told the dogs to 'get away' from Daniel. Tiny was stood near the shed, she said, while Sid was was stood over the injured toddler and kept moving towards him. 'I told Sid to get off him and leave him alone and get away from him,' she told the jury. Bedford said she found Daniel face down, with 'blood and marks all over his neck' and she recalled feeling 'scared for my little boy' while trying to keep the dogs away from them both. 'I kept telling them to get in the shed but they wouldn't listen to me,' she told the jury, and she'd also asked the relative to put the dogs in the shed. Bedford then dialled 999 and moved Daniel to a bench where she performed CPR on him until paramedics arrived. Bedford said she told her neighbour Craig McDonald, who'd arrived at the scene with a knife, to 'kill' the dogs because she'd 'didn't want them to hurt anyone else'. The jury were previously told that it's not known if both dogs were involved in the attack, but Sid was 'likely' responsible. He was shot dead at the scene and a post mortem examination showed that he had not eaten for 12/24 hours while Tiny had been described as 'dangerous' and a 'ticking time bomb' by a neighbour. Daniel was taken to hospital but later pronounced dead. The prosecution allege that he was left alone in the pen for around 20 minutes and his parents were aware he was capable of entering it unsupervised. The jury have heard how Bedford had given conflicting accounts of how long Daniel had been out of her sight and that gates to the dog pen - located to the side of the farmhouse - were secured only with a Karabiner clip, rather than a padlock, which could be pressed open. Phone records show Bedford briefly accessed Facebook while Daniel was being attacked but she said she couldn't recall doing so. When asked by her barrister Ian Henderson KC why she hadn't mentioned visiting the toilet during police interviews or in defence documents, she said she was 'petrified of failing my child' and 'scared' the police would use it against her. Earlier, she'd told the jury she'd assured visiting RSPCA officers that Daniel wasn't 'left alone' with the dogs and would 'always be supervised'. And they had never spoken to her about the gates or locks to the pen, she said. The jury were told of a text message she sent to Twigg in the weeks prior to the attack when she said she was 'living in fear', which she said referred to 'a build up of events'. But she admitted wanting to move back to the family home in Blackley, Manchester, and telling a neighbour she was 'terrorised' living at the farm because dogs escaped all the time. Under cross-examination from John Elvidge, KC, she denied telling a paediatrician and a detective that Daniel had previously gone into the pen alone and been 'told off'. Bedford said Daniel had only been told not to play with the Karabiner clip and to 'come away from it'. Mr Elvidge also pressed her on why she'd not mentioned visiting the toilet in her accounts to police. Bedford said she'd just wanted to be with Daniel and 'wasn't focusing', had felt 'fear' towards police and had suffered PTSD. Twigg and Bedford, of Radcliffe, Bury, both deny charges of gross negligence manslaughter and being in charge of a dog that caused injury while dangerously out of control. The trial continues.
