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‘Brit survivor' claims he walked away from Air India Gatwick plane crash after ‘jumping from flaming jet'

‘Brit survivor' claims he walked away from Air India Gatwick plane crash after ‘jumping from flaming jet'

The Sun2 days ago

A MAN thought to be a Brit claims he survived the doomed Air India flight that crashed and killed at least 204 people.
Ajay Kumar Vishwash, 40, claims he cheated death after jumping off the plane on fire - walking away with minor injuries.
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Footage shows Vishwash walking away from what is understood to be the crash site of the doomed Air India flight to London Gatwick.
Flanked by the locals, he can be seen walking towards an ambulance.
Footage later shows the man in a hospital being treated.
Vishwash, who still had his boarding pass, told Hindustan Times: 'Thirty seconds after take-off, there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed. It all happened so quickly."
The man revealed he had lived in London for 20 years with his wife and a child.
He added: 'When I got up, there were bodies all around me.
"I was scared. I stood up and ran. There were pieces of the plane all around me. Someone grabbed hold of me and put me in an ambulance and brought me to the hospital.'
Gujarat's police commissioner has now confirmed to The Sun that one person has miracoulously survived the fatal crash.
However, it is not clear if Vishwash is the only survivor.
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner with 242 passengers on board - including 53 Brits - smashed into a doctors' hostel in Ahmedabad in the west of India.
The plane was headed to London Gatwick with 232 passengers and 10 crew on board when it crashed just seconds after take-off.
The Dreamliner lost contact just seconds after take-off, according to flight tracking website Flightradar.
A final alert was last logged less than a minute after it started the journey from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport.
It had only reached 625ft at the time, officials believe.
Seconds before the crash, the Boeing was filmed flying low over the Meghani Nagar residential area with the pilots appearing to be in a desperate bid to keep the plane in the air.
Moments later it is seen disappearing behind buildings before a huge blast erupts in the distance.
Thick plumes of black smoke can then be seen pouring into the sky.
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: "The scenes emerging of a London-bound plane carrying many British nationals crashing in the Indian city of Ahmedabad are devastating."
King Charles also said both he and Queen Camilla are 'desperately shocked by the terrible events in Ahmedabad this morning'.
The US-built Boeing 787 is one of the world's most advanced airliners and the accident is the first fatal crash involving the plane.

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Woman who stabbed mother-of-one to death at child's birthday party is convicted of murder after police found key detail on her own phone
Woman who stabbed mother-of-one to death at child's birthday party is convicted of murder after police found key detail on her own phone

Daily Mail​

time33 minutes ago

  • Daily Mail​

Woman who stabbed mother-of-one to death at child's birthday party is convicted of murder after police found key detail on her own phone

A woman who stabbed a mother-of-one to death at a child's birthday party has been convicted of murder after police found a chilling voicemail on her phone. Hope Rowe, 33, from Aldgate, east London, launched a fatal knife attack on Charlotte Lawlor, 31, at a property in Stepney Green at around 1am on September 15 last year. Jurors at London Crown Court heard that Rowe had been 'spoiling for a fight' when she confronted Ms Lawlor and accused her of hiding her keys, before leaving the flat with the knife used to cut the child's birthday cake. Ms Lawlor, who 'just wanted to go home' during the confrontation, was leaving the property to get a taxi home when Rowe leaned around her 'MMA-expert' boyfriend and stabbed her in the chest - footage of which was played in court. Rowe blamed personality disorder and said she had no memory of the stabbing before later accusing Ms Lawlor of threatening to kill her and hurt another child at the party. But prosecutor Charlotte Newell KC said Rowe's defence was 'fanciful' and an 'invention'. Rowe's boyfriend Leigh Holder, 37, was also convicted of perverting the course of justice after driving her away from the scene, helping to dispose of the knife and throwing armed police off the scent. MyLondon revealed Holder was previously jailed for nine years for stabbing a man on the Regent's Canal towpath over a money dispute in an attack described as a 'horrific' by a detective at the time. And it was a key piece of evidence between Rowe and Holder that helped police land the convictions. A voicemail exchange revealed Rowe's pleasure at Ms Lawlor's death. When Holder told her 'You absolute idiot, you killed her', Rowe replied: 'Good.' Officers also heard Holder instructing Rowe to dispose of the knife and to avoid police. Rowe claimed that she was stabbed in the head with a key, causing her to pour with blood that triggered emotions about a past miscarriage. But Ms Newell said it was 'a lie used to justify her actions and get away with murder'. She added: 'She attacked her in revenge for disrespecting her and getting the better of her in a fight that she incited... She did not like the way Charlotte Lawlor stood up to her and spoke to her.' Rowe followed Ms Lawlor 'to attempt to inflict more wounds' after stabbing her in the chest before escaping with Holder in his four-by-four, disposing the murder weapon and making efforts to conceal the crime. Holder was stopped by police marksmen later that night, but lied about Rowe jumping out of the car and claimed he had no knowledge of her location. Rowe later wrote to a family member on TikTok to say she was 'so, so sorry'. Jurors heard the recipient replied 'It's dine [sic]', to which Rowe said 'It's not, this is bad, I'm going to be in trouble'. The murderer handed herself into Bethnal Green Police Station at 7am on the day of the attack, where video footage showed her asking police to clarify 'Is it attempted murder, or murder?'. She admitted manslaughter before the trial, so jurors were asked to choose between two psychiatric experts: one of whom said personality disorder had impaired Rowe's ability to exercise self-control, and the other, who did not find any substantial impairment. Rowe's partial defence of 'loss of control' flew in the face of the CCTV footage, which showed her using Holder as a shield so she could reach around him and plunge the knife into Ms Lawlor. Ms Lawlor died within an hour of paramedics arriving after reports of the attack. Her funeral was held at Islington and St Pancras Cemetery last October and drew hundreds of friends and family members. The moving service included poetry and a video of Ms Lawlor and her young son who recorded a note to say 'Love you mum. I'm gonna miss you.' Her parents said in a statement today: 'We are happy with the verdict. We would like to thank the jury for their attention during the trial. 'The family will never get over the loss and murder of Charlotte. It has destroyed us, leaving a gaping hole. Charlotte's son, Riley, has been left without a mum, and siblings without their older sister and best friend. 'Charlotte brought light to everyone's life.' Rowe and Holder will be sentenced at Inner London Crown Court on July 9.

EXCLUSIVE My son is a thief… I'm powerless to stop him: Mother of man who snatched phone of Bridgerton's Genevieve Chenneour calls him a 'sociopath'
EXCLUSIVE My son is a thief… I'm powerless to stop him: Mother of man who snatched phone of Bridgerton's Genevieve Chenneour calls him a 'sociopath'

Daily Mail​

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EXCLUSIVE My son is a thief… I'm powerless to stop him: Mother of man who snatched phone of Bridgerton's Genevieve Chenneour calls him a 'sociopath'

With his cheeky grin and a glint in his eye as he plays with his siblings, he looks like a precocious young boy with perhaps a small propensity for naughtiness. But a decade on, now 18, Zacariah Boulares is more than merely naughty - he is arguably the best known and most notorious phone mugger in the world. And that dubious claim to fame is because his violent street crime career now includes not one but two celebrity victims, in the form of Bridgerton star Genevieve Chenneour and previously broadcaster and singer Aled Jones. Having already spent time in a Young Offenders' Institute for the horror attack on Jones, Boulares looks certain to graduate to adult prison when he appears before a judge next Tuesday to be sentenced for the attack on the Bridgerton actor. CCTV footage from a coffee shop in Kensington this February showed Boulares attempt to snatch a phone then react violently when Ms Chenneour bravely challenged him. Until now, despite his notoriety, very little has been known about Boulares whose name only became public this week. All that was known was his rap sheet of previous offences, 12 previous convictions relating to 28 offences which include stealing a Rolex watch worth £20,000 from a 78-year-old man at Paddington station in May 2023. But now MailOnline has pieced together his life story…and it makes for grim reading. We were assisted in this enterprise by his parents who have long despaired at his behaviour - they say he has been in trouble 'since the day he was born' and his own mother describes him as 'a sociopath'. But the couple - who freely supplied these family photographs to make their son reflect on his life - say they still believe he can turn his troubled life around. His heartbroken mother Myriam told MailOnline: 'From the day he was born, I knew there was something wrong with Zac, and as he got older, I confirmed it – it got worse and worse. 'I always knew he would end up getting into trouble because of his personality from a very young age. 'I have been to court with him so many times. I knew it was not going to end up well. 'I am not excusing his behaviour for one moment. There are no excuses for what he did.' It was previously misreported that Boulares was Algerian and that he couldn't be deported back to Algeria because his offences were committed before he turned 18. But in fact the teen mugger is a British citizen by birth - he was delivered at the prestigious Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead, north London, in February 2007. His father, Toufiq Boulares, a patisserie chef, fled his native Algeria in 1991 to escape the then raging civil war and claimed asylum in the UK and has worked in kitchens across London for three decades including a Mayfair restaurant. His mother, Myriam, a French citizen from Paris, came to London in 2001 initially to simply learn English, but then she met Mr Boulares, fell in love and stayed. The couple wed and went on to have four children - Zacariah was their third born. He has an older and younger brother and an older sister who we have anonymised as he is the only one to have ever been in trouble with the police. Myriam explained: 'Zac was in trouble at school from a very young age. 'He was an angry child and always fighting. He has sociopathic traits. I tried to get him as help as possible, but I felt helpless. 'He went to see a psychologist, but Zac did not engage. He first got involved with the police when he was 12. 'He was caught riding a scooter without a helmet and then he was involved in petty crime. He was having a lot of fights at school and at football. 'Then he got arrested for theft at a cash machine. And he was arrested for a burglary in Highgate. 'His father and I tried everything to stop this behaviour, but it was mission impossible. 'Our three other children have not followed this path. As a mother I recognised with sociopathic traits.' She continued: 'The street robbery started when he was about 13. It was mainly phones. 'He started in north London, because that was where we were living. But when he was a bit older he went to the centre of London. 'He was hanging around with older people, adults. I think they used him because they knew he would receive a lighter sentence if he was caught because of his age.' Boulares was expelled from Compton secondary School in Finchley for violent behaviour and was transferred to the Pavillion, a specialist study centre in Barnet but that failed to change him. He first came to national attention for the mugging of an elderly man in Chiswick, west London in 2023. MailOnline previously obtained footage of Boulares, then 16, appearing to clutch a machete after he ran away from the spot Aled Jones was mugged of a £17k Rolex Boulares was just 16 when he terrorised 'Walking in the Air' singer Jones with a 20-inch blade and threatened to behead him when he stole his Rolex Daytona. Boulares demanded 'give me your f***ing Rolex' - and threatened to cut Jones' hand off if he refused. He had only recently released - early - from a 24-month youth detention order for that crime when he attacked the Bridgerton actor Genevieve in February. He was still 17 then but has since turned 18 which saw him transferred from remand in youth custody to adult Wormwood Scrubs. He is likely to be given a longer custodial sentence next week. After targetting Jones, Boulares appeared on the BBC investigation programme 'Hunting the Rolex Rippers' and recounted how he pulled a 23-inch machete on the star. He said: 'I just clocked the guy. He was looking at some expensive wines or cheeses. He was in a quite well-off shop and I noticed that he was wearing a Rolex. 'I followed them for a couple of minutes and then he went onto a back road where there was nobody there. 'He was with his son but I didn't know it was his son. His son is an 18-year-old guy, six foot something. So what I did is, bro I pulled a machete on him. 'I told him take off the watch, he gave it to me.' Asked how he felt after he'd robbed his victim, the thief said: 'I didn't really care. I was happy, if anything 'Half an hour after I robbed him when I was going back home the realisation hit me that I had just done something crazy, something stupid, I regretted it instantly 'I don't feel as bad because he's a well off celebrity. He's probably got ten more in his safe,' he added. Looking back and without going into detail, Mrs Boulares says she did not get the state support she wanted to try to change his trajectory when he was younger. She said: 'I did not have the help to support my son and my family. And now it is too late.' She has found watching his criminal career reported in the media particularly upsetting, she says. 'It is very hard to see your own flesh and blood portrayed like a gangster.' But she still believes he can change, she said: 'Zac has admitted his mistakes. He has gained a qualification as a bricklayer while in prison and we are trying to help him find a job. 'Now we are preparing for when Zac is released. He is looking to work in an honest job. 'He has told me 'Mum, I'm done with this.' Myriam added: 'I want to make sure everyone understands that I am not making any excuses for Zac's behaviour. 'But I have been speaking to my son while he has been incarcerated. He will be sentenced on 17th June. 'After he is released from jail we are going to take his life in a better direction.' And his father Toufiq also insists their son wants to change. He told us: 'Zac regrets everything he has done. He had a lot of problems when he was younger. Now he wants to do good things.' 'When I see my son's face all over the media, I feel bad. Zac regrets everything he has done. He is very sad. 'Now he wants to do good stuff.' It remains to be seen whether Boulares is just spinning a story to comfort his parents and try to win sympathy from a judge. The proof come when he is next released from custody, which many not be for some time.

Grenfell survivors and bereaved gather for memorial service
Grenfell survivors and bereaved gather for memorial service

BBC News

time2 hours ago

  • BBC News

Grenfell survivors and bereaved gather for memorial service

Grenfell Tower survivors, and the families of those who lost their lives, have attended a memorial service on the eighth anniversary of the 2017 tragedy. A total of 72 people, including 18 children, died in the fire, which is still being investigated by the Metropolitan Police. In a few months' time, work will begin to take down the 23-storey 200 people gathered at All Saints Church in Notting Hill, west London, for the Humanity For Grenfell annual service. Ahead of the service, flowers were laid at the foot of the tower by officials including minister for building safety, Alex Norris MP, Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan and London Fire Brigade (LFB) Commissioner Andy LFB firefighter Stephen Aslin, 58, also began a 30,000-mile cycling challenge and was cheered on by well-wishers and family. Before setting off, he led a 72-second silence to remember the victims of the fire. His solo bike ride around the world will help raise money for projects helping young people affected by the tragedy. During the service, a candle was lit in honour of each victim and prayers were led by Rev Paul Wood."We pray for all of those who seek to serve the community, for all those who seek justice," he said."We pray for all those across the world who are in pain, for those who are suffering in the Holy Land, in Ukraine and all places of war and those caught in the Air India disaster this week."Among the congregation, there remained a feeling of anger that justice had not yet been Met has previously said no charges would be announced until the end of 2026. Mr Roe said Grenfell should never be a statement, the commissioner said: "As we mark the eighth anniversary of the devastating Grenfell Tower fire, our thoughts remain with the families and loved ones of the 72 people who lost their lives, as well as the survivors, their families and the wider community."Over the years, the strength and dignity shown by the Grenfell community has been, and continues to be, humbling and inspiring." Sir Sadiq said: "Today we pause to remember the 72 people who lost their lives, and all those whose lives were changed forever by the horrific Grenfell Tower fire."Eight years on and the road to justice and change has been far too long."The publication of the final Grenfell Inquiry report last year was an important step towards correcting the catastrophic failures exposed by the tragedy, and all those responsible have more to do to ensure all lessons are learned."Every Londoner deserves to live in a safe home, something that Grenfell Tower residents were cruelly deprived of." Saturday's events will culminate in a silent walk at Notting Hill Methodist Church at 18:00 BST.

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