Does the national policing lead understand grooming gangs?
Well, Pakistani men are up to five times as likely to be responsible for child sex grooming offences than the general population, according to figures from the Hydrant Programme, which investigates child sex abuse. Around one in 73 Muslim men over 16 have been prosecuted for 'group-localised child sexual exploitation' in Rotherham, research by academics from the universities of Reading and Chichester has revealed.
'All of these issues need tackling,' Riggs added, insisting: 'I'm not here to lessen any of this type of offending in the slightest.
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Glasgow Times
an hour ago
- Glasgow Times
Service in Motherwell honours Far East campaign heroes
The event took place at the Civic Centre in Motherwell on Friday, August 15, the anniversary of Japan's surrender in 1945. It honoured the courage and sacrifice of those who served in what is often called the Forgotten War. (Image: Supplied) Among those in attendance were veterans, members of the public, and dignitaries including the Lord Lieutenant of Lanarkshire, Lady Susan Haughey, who laid the first wreath at the war memorial. The Far East campaign ran from December 1941 to August 1945 and involved British, Allied, and Commonwealth forces fighting in brutal conditions. Read more: 'Avoid the area' warning issued as Glasgow street closed amid ongoing incident Thousands never returned home. The remembrance service was led by North Lanarkshire Provost Kenneth Duffy and South Lanarkshire Provost Margaret Cooper, and included readings, music, and a minute's silence. Provost Duffy said: "Eighty years on, we stand here not just to remember history, but to honour real people, fathers, sons, brothers, and friends who endured horrors we can scarcely imagine. (Image: Supplied) "Their courage and sacrifice happened on the other side of the world, but the impact was felt in every town, village, and street here at home. "Today is about gratitude. It's about saying, in the clearest way we can, 'we haven't forgotten you.' "And as long as we keep coming together like this, we never will."
Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Brink's-Mat robbery links to Pablo Escobar and Muriel McKay murder revealed
A criminal quizzed over the 1969 abduction and murder of Muriel McKay later helped British villains to hide the proceeds of the Brink's-Mat gold bullion robbery Brink's-Mat robbery cash was hidden offshore with the help of a criminal quizzed over the kidnapping and murder Muriel McKay, a Daily Mirror investigation can reveal. Adam Hosein was working for drug lord Pablo Escobar when he provided "legal and business" introductions for a British man suspected of laundering the proceeds of the 1983 gold heist. Hosein had previously been questioned about Mrs McKay's 1969 murder after she was abducted having been mistaken for the then-wife of media mogul Rupert Murdoch. Adam's younger brothers, Arthur and Nizamodeen Hosein, were convicted of the murder at the Old Bailey in 1970 and jailed despite her body having never been found. Adam, now dead, fled the UK for his native Trinidad and later settled in Florida where he ran front companies for Escobar - portrayed in Netflix hit Narcos - in the 1980s. The Daily Mirror can now reveal that in January 1987 a man then suspected of laundering proceeds of Britain's biggest ever robbery, flew from London to Trinidad to meet Hosein. Police records show the pair then travelled on to Panama and Miami in Florida. Asked earlier this month about his dealings with Hosein, the man, now in his 70s, who we are not naming for legal reasons, told the Mirror: "While Adam Hosein may have been busy in other 'arenas', he had no direct involvement in BM [Brink's-Mat] other than facilitating legal and business intros. Networking etc.." Our revelations come as the latest series of BBC drama The Gold focuses on Scotland Yard's attempts to trace the proceeds of the Brink's-Mat robbery. It opens with the stolen bullion having been split into two, with one half hidden in a disused Cornish tin mine for years before being moved around the world. The gold was indeed split between the six robbers, with South London armed blaggers "Mad" Micky McAvoy and Brian "The Colonel" Robinson controlling one half, along with Brian Perry. The three other raiders, John "Little Legs" Lloyd, Tony White and John Fleming had the rest. After Robinson and McAvoy were jailed for the robbery the pair were cheated out of their share when Perry brought in fraudster Gordon Parry to help him hide the cash. The money allegedly hidden offshore with the help of Hosein, came from this half. A huge leak of confidential documents known as the "Panama Papers" revealed in 2016 that Parry laundered some of the cash using a company set up in the central American country. Ex-Brink's-Mat detective Ian Brown told the Mirror: "When this crime happened the most scared people of anybody were the villains because they were stuck with gold, what are they going to do with it? They are going to get money, what are they going to do with it? "They were used to ten grand, twenty grand for a robbery and they can hide that and spend it and go off on holiday and do other things but you can't with 26 million. Suddenly they were in the position of having to rely on other people to do things they were not capable of doing and that's hide money. "They have managed to find people who were capable of doing it." The other half of the gold was moved by M25 killer Kenneth Noye and Hatton Garden heist mastermind Brian Reader. They gave it to John "Goldfinger" Palmer in Bristol who smelted it in his back garden. We can now reveal that a British former solicitor's clerk suspected of hiding some of this half of the proceeds offshore has taken the secrets of the missing gold to his grave. Geoffrey Greenlees was accused of banking £4.1 raised from the stolen bullion in Dubai and was wanted by police. Greenlees was later named as a shareholder and director of a string of shell companies in the leaked Panama Papers. But he passed away in the Philippines four years ago aged 84 having never been arrested. He was named in court as being linked to this group through Jean Savage, robber Lloyd's common law wife. The former tobacconist from West Kingsdown in Kent, played by Dorothy Atkinson in the drama, is understood to still live with Lloyd in the same area. Savage's 1990 trial heard how she deposited plastic bags full of £50 notes at the Bank of Ireland in Croydon, South London, which totalled £2.5 million. It grew with interest to £4.1 million before Savage then allegedly transferred it into an account held by Greenlees in Dubai, Michael Austin-Smith, prosecuting, told the Old Bailey. Detectives said they wanted to question Greenlees and Lloyd, who had gone on the run. Lloyd, a close friend of Noye, played by Jack Lowden in the drama, fled to the United States while officers said at the time that Greenlees was last heard of in Jakarta. Ex-Brink's detective Tony Curtis, who spent 13 years on the investigation, told the Mirror he flew to the Indonesian capital in a vain attempt to track Greenlees down. Mr Curtis said: "There was no sign of him." Greenlees ended up living in Manila where he was patron and "Godfather" of the Philippine Lawn Bowls Association. A Facebook tribute to him on the Association's website said: "He died peacefully beside his family members." Only two of the robbers were convicted but they were all forced to pay out compensation to the insurers following a civil claim. Fleming, from south London, was charged with handling the gold but a London magistrate threw out the case in 1987. He is understood to have died while living on a barge in London. When Mr Brown caught up with Noye and his fellow launderers most of the gold had been sold, the cash offshore. The investigation, headed by controversial detective Tony Lundy, moved unofficially to Alicante, Spain. Bugs at Fleming's villa revealed he was moving money through an Isle of Man firm with the help of bent lawyer Patrick Diamond. Brown and Lundy flew to the British Virgin Islands, where they found links to a mafia hitman and US and Colombian drug cartels. Fleming, Diamond and Lloyd were ordered to repay huge sums after being sued by the insurers. Noye was jailed for 14 years for handling the gold with Brian Reader, who got eight. Also jailed for their part in the later operation alongside Savage were Perry, financier Parry and solicitor Michael Relton. John "Goldfinger"Palmer was acquitted of handling the gold. He and Perry were later shot dead. Of the suspected robbers just Lloyd, in Kent, and White, in South London, are believed to still be alive. Noye, now 78, served 19 years for murdering Stephen Cameron on an M25 slip road. The Mirror revealed in 2023 his links to a £40m carbon credit scheme. Mr Brown said of the Brink's-Mat proceeds: "I think it's out there but multiplied perhaps ten, twenty, thirty, forty times. It has earned hundreds of millions of pounds from the 26 million that went from Heathrow."
Wales Online
2 hours ago
- Wales Online
'I left America for UK and there are three surprising ways British gardens are different'
'I left America for UK and there are three surprising ways British gardens are different' It's is a popular pastime for many people around the world, but it seems there are some major differences when it comes to gardening on both sides of the pond One man spotted three ways British gardens are different to American ones (stock image) (Image: Peathegee Inc via Getty Images) Gardening is a beloved pastime for many across the globe, offering a chance to connect with nature and experience the satisfaction of cultivating one's own produce. It can be a therapeutic activity for many, with no limit to the variety of plants and flowers that can thrive in home gardens. The basics of gardening involve understanding soil composition, choosing suitable plants based on climate and growing conditions, and effective planting techniques. There are certain simple tasks that every garden requires, such as sowing, weeding, watering, pest control and general maintenance such as mowing the lawn. However, there are some nuances in gardening practices depending on the country. TikTok user @grande_americano, a Texan living in Suffolk with his British wife, offered such insights. He provided his followers with snapshots of his life in the UK, including how it differs from the US. In one of his videos, he discusses the differences between American and British gardening. He then highlighted three differences he has noticed, sharing his observations with his friends back in the States. 1. Brits don't say 'yard' or 'yard work' Content cannot be displayed without consent The first difference the Texan noted was that Brits don't typically use the terms "yard" or "yard work". He explained: "Gardening means everything you do in the yard. When I grew up you did yard work, which was mowing, trimming, edging and a garden was a separate thing." Article continues below He clarified that while a garden typically refers to a space for flowers or vegetables, in Britain, the term "garden" encompasses the entire outdoor area – what he would refer to as the yard, lawn and the spots where flowers and vegetables grow. The expat also found out that when a Brit talks about having a garden party, they're actually referring to an event held in the yard. 2. The soil is 'nice' Moving on, the TikTok creator shared: "The second thing is the soil is nice. I did a little bit of gardening today and it was actually somewhat pleasant to be able to pull weeds and dig around and not be hitting rocks after a half inch of top soil, like I would be doing in Texas where I'm from." He discovered that there's no limestone or dolomite to chip through in his UK garden, unlike in Texas. The American described the soil as "nice, rich dirt". 3. No 'weird' critters in the UK The final difference he observed is the absence of "weird critters" commonly found in Texas, such as scorpions or venomous snakes. He remarked: "I did see quite a few spiders and slugs and snails, [I] even saw two newts." Despite spotting "plenty of critters wandering around" and "lots of good fishing worms" in the soil, he noticed that they go about "minding their own business". Article continues below The Texan added: "I've been told that there are some snakes here in the UK and possibly one viper, one venomous snake but I've been told that you'll be lucky to ever see a snake, much less a poisonous one." The American conceded that despite his occasional complaints about the weather, it's the mild climate, coupled with the moisture and humidity, that results in "such beautiful lush gardens and scenery and countryside that we all really love".
