Police officer caught stealing woman's underwear during property search
The footage, captured by the woman's CCTV on 12 September last year, shows Marcin Zielinski placing the pink underwear into his back pocket before leaving the room.
The footage was released by the woman on Monday (18 August) after Zielinski was sentenced to four months in prison for corrupt/improper exercise of police powers and privileges.
The police officers arrested the woman and took her to Hatfield police station for an allegation, but no further action was taken.
Hertfordshire Constabulary Assistant Chief Constable Genna Telfer said: "Zielinski has let down the public of Hertfordshire, the police service as a whole and his former colleagues, who act with professionalism and integrity.
'His criminal behaviour damages the reputation of policing and represents a fundamental betrayal of the public and the values for which the police service stands.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
22 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Hopes that ICRIR can deliver truth and accountability around the Shankill bomb
Hope has been expressed that the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR) can deliver truth and accountability around the Shankill bomb. Two men bereaved in the Provisional IRA bomb attack in 1993, and the son of a ambulance worker also murdered by the PIRA, have requested the new body take on their cases. The ICRIR was created by the previous government's controversial Legacy Act and is headed by former Northern Ireland Lord Chief Justice Sir Declan Morgan. Bereaved families, victims and certain public authorities can request the commission carry out an investigation into Troubles incidents. However, some have questioned the body's independence and its ability to uncover answers about Troubles crimes. In a statement issued through JWB Consultancy, Charlie Butler, who lost three members of his family in the Shankill Road bomb, and Gary Murray, whose 13-year-old sister Leanne was killed in it, said they want to know the full truth. One of the bombers, Thomas Begley, was killed by the blast, while Sean Kelly was convicted of murder following the bomb attack on a fish shop in the Shankill Road in 1993. JWB Consultancy said they have formally requested an ICRIR investigation into the atrocity, and hope to bring others involved to justice, including those who made the bomb, transported it and those who planned the attack. Mr Butler said others involved have escaped accountability. 'We have taken this step to continue the fight for justice for our loved ones,' he said. 'There has never been full criminal or public accountability brought to bear on many of those responsible for and who played a role in the Shankill bombing. 'We have inquiries and investigations galore into killings by loyalists or the security forces, but no such resources poured into holding PIRA accountable for their terrorist campaign. 'I hope the ICRIR will correct that imbalance and injustice. Time for truth.' Mr Murray said their fight for justice continues. 'The criminal liability for the Shankill bomb does not begin and end with the terrorist bombers, but rather every IRA member who played any role, whether active or supporting, in the plot to indiscriminately bomb the Shankill Road,' he said. 'We trust the ICRIR will conduct a robust and detailed investigation to finally hold all those involved accountable, and to provide us with the 'truth' we so often see nationalist/republican legacy groups, supported by Sinn Fein and former IRA terrorists, hold placards demanding. 'We want the truth about this PIRA atrocity.' Meanwhile, Paul Shields, the son of murdered ambulance worker and former RUC reservist Robin Shields, said his father was serving the community when two IRA gunman entered Broadway ambulance station and killed him. He said the family funeral was then disrupted by multiple IRA bomb alerts, which he said were 'designed to heap further grief upon the family and to frustrate the funeral service'. 'The murder of my father, in the prime of his life, robbed us of our family and him of the opportunity to see his children and grandchildren live their lives,' he said. 'The community also lost a courageous and dedicated servant, given that our father gave much of his life to public service both as an RUC reservist and ambulance worker. 'In death, PIRA still would not let our father rest, embarking on a series of bomb alerts designed to disrupt his funeral. 'We see and hear the catchphrase often from PIRA and their surrogates: 'Time for truth'. Yes, it is, and we as a family want the truth about the PIRA murder of our father, and all those involved to be held criminally liable.' A spokesperson for the ICRIR said: 'The commission is committed to serving victims, families and survivors. 'We respect people's choices about whether they come to the commission and our door will always remain open to all. 'We will continue to work to give answers to the over 200 individuals from across the community who have to come to us in their quest for truth and justice.'
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Officers were ‘covered in blood' after Pc shot with a crossbow
A police officer who was shot by a man with a crossbow said he lost so much blood that his colleagues were 'covered' in it. On Wednesday, a sentencing hearing at Aylesbury Crown Court heard police had been called after Jason King stabbed neighbour Alistair Mahwuto with a 'small knife' during an altercation, arising out of a 'long-standing' dispute. Police attended the scene in School Close in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, where King shot repeatedly at them using a crossbow before chasing them with the weapon and shooting officer Pc Curtis Foster, the court was told. The 55-year-old was later shot once by police in the stomach after refusing to put down the weapon when confronted by officers on May 10 last year, the court heard. Footage released by Thames Valley Police shows King, wearing shorts and a T-shirt, running across a road, pursuing the officers while pointing a crossbow. Pc Foster said of the incident: 'My recollection of the early moments when I arrived on scene was the street was empty, it was eerily quiet, no sign of the suspect and we then saw the victim who showed us a stab wound in the abdomen. 'I ascertained King had a crossbow when he removed the upstairs window to his property. He literally took the whole window out of its frame and then he was pointing something out of the window and I could see a red glint and then I realised it was a crossbow and that's when he took two shots at me out the window.' The officer added that he knew something had 'impacted' him but his adrenaline levels were 'so high' that he could not feel much pain. As a result, Pc Foster carried on running and helped clear members of the public away from the scene, despite his injury. Bodyworn camera footage shows the officer saying he thinks he has been shot and telling people to 'get back' into their houses as there is a man armed with a crossbow. Pc Foster said: 'I kind of first realised I was bleeding quite a lot when I could feel it running down my leg, and then I touched my leg above my trousers and my whole palm of my hand was red where it had gone through my trousers already so I thought yeah, I'm losing quite a lot of blood already.' He continued: 'There was a lot of blood. 'My two colleagues that turn up initially on scene were covered in my blood, that's how much blood I'd lost and when we got to the hospital the doctor had a feel of it and said I was really lucky it didn't strike an artery, it was a couple of centimetres away from hitting an artery in my leg.' Another clip shows King being confronted by an armed officer who shouts at him to 'stay still' before the officer fires one shot. The officer then runs over to King while other voices can be heard calling for paramedics. The armed officer, who cannot be named, said shooting King was 'the worst thing I've ever had to do' but that it 'neutralised a threat and kept everyone safe'. Further footage shows a police dog handler shouting to colleagues that King had attempted to shoot police dog Merlyn. Pc Foster has since made a full recovery from his injuries, police have said, while King was taken to hospital and discharged 10 days later. Judge Jonathan Cooper jailed King for nine years with a further three years on extended licence. He previously pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding, having an article with a blade or point, having an offensive weapon, wounding with intent and affray.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Here's how much it costs to house asylum seekers in UK hotels
Councils across England may take legal action to remove asylum seekers from hotels after a court injunction A landmark court judgment that has temporarily blocked asylum seekers from being housed at a hotel in Essex has left many councils considering similar court actions. On Tuesday (19 August) the High Court granted Epping Forest District Council an interim injunction to block asylum seekers from being housed at The Bell Hotel. The judge in the case ruled in favour of the council when it argued the hotel had become a public safety risk and had breached planning law. The hotel must stop housing asylum seekers by 4pm on 12 September. In response Broxbourne Council in Hertfordshire said it was taking legal advice 'as a matter of urgency' to perhaps take similar legal action. And Reform UK has stated that all 12 councils controlled by the party will "do everything in their power to follow Epping's lead", according to leader Nigel Farage. Why does this matter? The injunction poses a huge problem for the UK government who may now battle the court decision at the Court of Appeal and face the prospect of rehousing thousands. Home Office lawyers had argued during the hearing that the case had a "substantial impact" on the Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, in performing her legal duties to asylum seekers. The Labour government's attempt to delay the application was rejected by Mr Justice Eyre. The Bell Hotel has become the focus of ongoing protests in recent weeks following allegations involving individuals residing there under the asylum system. The demonstrations began after Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, an asylum seeker staying at the hotel, was charged with the sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl. He has denied these charges. In a separate case, another resident of the hotel, Syrian national Mohammed Sharwarq, has been charged with seven offences, which he denies. Additionally, several other men have been charged in connection with disorder that took place outside the premises. How many asylum seekers are placed in hotels? Since around 2020, there has been increased use of hotels for contingency asylum accommodation. The rise has been attributed to several factors, such as the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent public health measures; an increase in the number of migrants crossing the Channel in small boats; and a backlog in unresolved asylum cases. Home Office data states that a total of 109,343 people claimed asylum in the UK in the year ending March 2025. This was 17% more than in the year ending March 2024 and 6% more than the previous peak of 103,081 in 2002. The Migration Observatory, an independent research project focused on analysing migration and migrants in the UK, said that at the end of March there were 32,345 asylum seekers in hotels. This represents 30% of all supported asylum seekers in this period and has dropped from 34,530 last year and 47,518 in 2023. The peak number of asylum seekers housed was 56,042 at the end of September 2023. The majority of asylum seekers being housed in hotels are in London. In March 12,024 60% of asylum seekers living in hotels, were housed in the capital. A written parliamentary response in February 2025 confirmed 218 hotels were being used to house asylum seekers, with seven due to close in April. How much does it cost? Analysis by the Migration Observatory across 2024-25 states the average daily cost of housing an asylum seeker in a hotel was estimated to be £170 per person. This has decreased slightly in the financial year 2024/25 falling from the equivalent of £176 per person last year. The three-month average nightly rate in asylum hotels has also declined from £162 in April 2024 to £119 in March 2025, as the number of hotels being used also dropping. This reduction in cost is likely due to several factors, including the Home Office closing some hotels, accommodating more people in each hotel, implementing room-sharing policies, and possibly choosing hotels with cheaper nightly rates. The cost of using a hotel is more than six times more expensive than using other types of accommodation, with a rate of £27 being the average for other types of accommodation. When you multiply the three-month average rate of £119 per night, by the number of housed asylum seekers, it costs the UK government around £3,849,055 per night. Arguing for the Bell Hotels owner's Somani Hotels, Piers Riley-Smith, said during the court hearing that asylum seekers a "financial lifeline" to the hotel. He added it was only 1% full in August 2022, when it was open to paying customers. Why hotel court ruling creates such a problem The Home Office has been attempting to come to grips with a growing number of asylum seekers attempting to find alternatives to costly hotels. Labour has said it plans to empty the hotels housing asylum seekers by 2029, although some contracts run beyond this. The judge ruled against Somani Hotels, after Epping Forest District Council cited alleged breaches of planning laws. The government will likely challenge the decision, as they did on Tuesday, believing the ruling "substantially impact" the government's ability to house asylum seekers. If other local councils follow Epping's lead, and are successful, this could mean the mass rehousing of thousands of migrants. Dan Jarvis, Minister of State for Security, said Labour has "never thought that hotels were an appropriate source of accommodation for asylum seekers" and the government was looking at "alternative accommodation arrangements". In June, a Home Affairs Committee heard how the government was looking at buying tower blocks and former student accommodation to house migrants. Another possible alternative is for the government to house asylum seekers in flats or houses that have been rented from private landlords or social housing providers. These plans can be resisted locally, as when in October this year more than 1,000 people protested in Waterlooville, Hampshire, when plans were announced accommodate 35 families in flats above shops. The removal of migrants from hotels to private accommodation is likely to save the UK government money, as hotels are the most expensive way to house asylum seekers. This would also mean many would be relocated to housing in 'cheaper areas' of the UK, according to former Conservative MP Damian Green, who served as a minster under Theresa May. Subsequent governments have failed to establish large accommodation sites in buildings such as disused military barracks. One site, Wethersfield, a former Ministry of Defence site in Braintree, Essex, may increase its capacity to house single adult male asylum seekers. But creating large-scale sites like this can be costly. In 2024, the National Audit Office (NAO), published a report which revealed the initial set-up costs for Wethersfield were initially estimated at about £5m, but had ballooned to around £49m. Mr Green said the government should use purpose-built housing, like the Nightingale hospitals used during Covid to "toughen up" the accommodation to use as a deterrent so as not seen as 'offensively luxurious'. In 2022 the Conservative government said it would use 'large sites', such as former military facilities, barges, ferries, and cruise ships. One such site was The Bibby Stockholm, a converted barge moored in Dorset which was subsequently decommissioned by the Labour government in November 2024 amid safety concerns. The barge, which provided accommodation for up to 400 single male asylum seekers a night at maximum occupancy, had cost the taxpayer at least £34.8m, according to the National Audit Office. Another site that could be adapted for use is the Napier Barracks in Kent, which is set to be closed in September 2025. In June 2021 it was found that the site provided inadequate accommodation for asylum seekers, that the Home Office's process for selecting people to be accommodated at the Barracks was flawed and unlawful, and that residents of Napier Barracks were unlawfully detained.
