Ballymena riots: Violent clashes between police and 'racist thugs' as disorder erupts for second night
It came after similar violent disorder around Clonavon Terrace in the town on Monday night, following an earlier peaceful protest in the day which was organised in support of the family of a girl who was the victim of an alleged sexual assault in the area.
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Leader Live
5 minutes ago
- Leader Live
Sheku Bayoh Inquiry chairman accused of bias over ‘secret' meetings with family
Sheku Bayoh, 31, a father-of-two, died after he was restrained by around six police officers who were called to Hayfield Road in Kirkcaldy, Fife, on May 3, 2015. The Crown Office decided not to take legal action against the police involved following an investigation, but the circumstances are being examined at the inquiry. A procedural hearing on Thursday and Friday was ordered by chairman Lord Bracadale to consider an application for his own recusal, after he revealed he has met with the family of Mr Bayoh on five occasions since the inquiry began. The hearing follows an application for recusal of the chairman and an assessor on behalf of the Scottish Police Federation, Pc Craig Walker and former officer Nicole Short, represented by Roddy Dunlop KC, Dean of the Faculty of Advocates. Recusal is the legal process by which a judge or other adjudicator steps aside from participating in a case due to potential bias, conflict of interest, or lack of impartiality. Mr Dunlop told the hearing on Thursday that Lord Bracadale had written he was 'humbled and honoured' to hear the family's experiences, and that the chairman had identified two instances of 'inappropriate' comments, including by the family's solicitor, Aamer Anwar. The inquiry heard a relative made a comment that the arrest 'should never have happened', according to Mr Dunlop, while in another meeting it was alleged the family 'are the victims', which was rejected by Mr Dunlop who said there was a serious factual dispute at the centre of the inquiry. The meetings occurred on November 4, 2021; April 13, 2022; November 21, 2022; January 18, 2024; and December 5, 2024. Mr Dunlop said: 'There is an acute dispute into who is the villain in this piece.' He said the family had portrayed Mr Bayoh as 'Scotland's George Floyd', but added: 'This is a man who was intoxicated and armed with a knife.' Mr Dunlop said: 'If I had approached Your Lordship and said, Nicole Short wants to tell you in private how devastating was the illegal assault perpetrated upon her by Mr Bayoh, which ended her career with the police, Your Lordship would have instantly dismissed me, and quite rightly, he would have been entitled to raise a complaint as to my conduct.' He said 'threats to withdraw from the process will never be an excuse'. Dan Byrne KC, representing three officers involved in the inquiry, said they had told him on Wednesday: 'The chair has no idea who we are, we are just white officers.' He told the inquiry 'repeated private, secret meetings with one party, behind the back of the others', did not comply with a statutory requirement to act fairly, and said: 'Justice has not been seen to be done', describing it as 'grievous procedural inequality'. Mr Byrne said: 'The treatment they say is a parallel to George Floyd, by convicted murderer Derek Chauvin. That's clear from the campaign. 'The purpose of influence is the prosecution of the officers… the advocacy is explicit and implicit. 'The officers do not have a campaign group, they do not have access to the media or senior judges. In my submission the meetings were private, they were not transparent, there was no disclosure. The officers simply would not have had these chances. 'In the central dispute, the family have now had considerable advantage. 'The chair knows them personally; but no-one knows the officers, their families, their values, they have a great deal to lose.' Mark Stewart KC, representing ex-police officer Alan Paton, alleged his client had been 'singled out' for allegations of racism, and had retired early due to ill health, describing the impact of the inquiry on his mental health as 'catastrophic'. Alastair Duncan KC, representing the Solicitor General, said there were 'contents and circumstances of the meetings which I would consider problematic', but the Crown Office and Solicitor General Ruth Charteris KC do not support calls for recusal. However, Mr Duncan said: 'When the inquiry was asked for an explanation of the meetings, it provided an explanation in March this year, but it's very difficult to square with the minutes disclosed.' Mark Moir KC, representing the Coalition for Racial Equality and Rights, said 'there will be no winners or losers in a public inquiry', and that it is 'a relatively common feature of a public inquiry' for the chair to meet families involved, as he rejected calls for Lord Bracadale to step down. Acting for the family, Claire Mitchell KC said chairs of other inquiries, including the Victoria Climbie Inquiry, the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry, and both Covid-19 Inquiries, had met with families involved. She said: 'Chairs meet with family members on a regular basis and that is something which has been endorsed.' Ms Mitchell said no other core participants had the Article 2 considerations and believing 'all participants must be treated equally is wrong', as the inquiry 'has duties in regard to the family which it does not have to others'. She said: 'No other core participant has lost a loved one in police custody.' The two-day hearing is estimated by Mr Anwar to 'have cost in the region of £2 million'.
Leader Live
5 minutes ago
- Leader Live
Inspector's report into Chinese ‘mega-embassy' with ministers for final decision
Communities minister Baroness Taylor of Stevenage said a Government determination on the application would be made on or before September 9. Until then, neither the inspector's report nor its recommendation would be made public. The plans by Beijing for a super-embassy on the historic former site of the Royal Mint near the capital's financial district have sparked security concerns. Worries stem from the close proximity of the extensive development to critical data centres and communication cables. The contentious scheme comes against the backdrop of ongoing disquiet over Chinese interference in the UK, with allegations of spies infiltrating the establishment and secret police stations being used to intimidate dissidents in Britain. Unease has also previously been raised over ministerial involvement in progressing the plans, after the Metropolitan Police dropped their opposition. The embassy development was 'called in', which means Communities Secretary Angela Rayner, who is also Deputy Prime Minister, will make the final decision taking into account the inspector's findings. Updating peers at Westminster, Lady Taylor said: 'The inspector's report was received on June 10 by the department. 'Parties have been notified that a decision will be made on or before September 9 2025. 'As the report has just been received, we have not yet begun to assess the case. 'The inspector's report will form part of the final decision and will be released alongside it. 'Until that point, neither the recommendation nor the report will be made public.' She added: 'Because we now have the report, we will be considering it, it wouldn't be helpful to comment on any specific security issue raised on the application while it's under active consideration by the department.' The minister said the inspector's evidence-based recommendation would take into account a wide variety of material planning matters, which 'may include safety and national security'. Pressed over previous warnings by the head of MI5 over the 'epic scale' of Chinese espionage in the UK, Lady Taylor said: 'National security is, of course, the first duty of government, more generally. 'With regards to the specifics of the case, the inspector's report will consider the application against all of the national issues, local issues and regional issues, according to planning policy, and safety and national security will be taken into consideration, to make sure that we have considered fully all of the issues that may relate to this planning application.' She added: 'It's difficult to answer general questions about the relationship with China and talk about that in the same space as a planning decision, which has to be taken according to a fixed process. 'But please be assured that national security is (something) we very strongly consider to be our first duty.' Independent crossbencher Lord Alton of Liverpool, who has been banned by Beijing over his criticism of its human rights record, including its treatment of the Uighur Muslim minority, said: 'It's hard to imagine that if in 1980 the former Soviet Union had asked for a prime site for a new mega-embassy that we in Parliament would have agreed at that time.' Responding, Lady Taylor said: 'The Government stands firm on human rights, including against China's repression of the people of Xinjiang and Tibet.' On the plans for the embassy, she added: 'All material planning considerations will be taken into account in determining the case.'
Leader Live
5 minutes ago
- Leader Live
Inspector ‘disappointed' to be injured by alleged sword attacker, court hears
Marcus Arduini Monzo, 37, killed, skinned and deboned his pet cat Wizard before he launched a 20-minute spree of violence in Hainault, north-east London, on April 30 last year, the Old Bailey has heard. During the rampage, he virtually decapitated Daniel and attacked a pedestrian, two police officers and a couple in their own home, jurors have heard. One witness described Monzo screaming 'in delight' after mortally wounding the schoolboy who had been wearing his PE kit with his earphones on. Afterwards, he likened events to the Holywood movie The Hunger Games and claimed to have an alternative personality of a 'professional assassin'. On Thursday, Inspector Moloy Campbell told jurors how he was injured as he tried to detain Monzo. Before arriving at the scene, he heard on the radio that one of his colleagues had been stabbed. A member of the public waved him down and pointed towards a car park and garage area. Mr Campbell told jurors: 'Our purpose was to arrest and protect the other officers. I decided to confront the defendant.' He sprayed him first but the defendant 'blocked' the move and 'came for' the officer, jurors heard. Mr Campbell went on: 'I dropped my spray and drew my baton. I struck him or attempted to strike him. I believe I connected with him at least twice. 'Mr Monzo was slashing at me with a large sword. He made contact with my hand and certainly with my bodyworn camera.' Asked how he felt, the officer told jurors: 'I was disappointed to put it bluntly because it meant I could not carry on what I was trying to do.' Trial judge Mr Justice Bennathan observed: 'Presumably you were terrified because someone is slashing at you with a sword.' The witness replied: 'It was frightening. I remember my priority to try to carry on.' He said he saw blood when he looked down at his hand and his baton was also covered in blood. Ms Campbell said he found himself 'backed into a corner' and withdrew, and asked a colleague to put a tourniquet on his thumb. He was treated at the scene and taken to hospital as the defendant was detained and arrested a short time later, the court was told. Previously, the court has heard how Monzo launched a series of attacks by driving his grey Ford Transit van into Donato Iwule, who was 'catapulted' into a nearby garden before the vehicle smashed into a concrete pillar and fence. He went on to hit Mr Iwule in the neck with his sword before running away, it is alleged. He then virtually decapitated Daniel, who was wearing headphones on his way to school, jurors have heard. In a statement read to the court, Maria Olmos described Monzo's reaction after the attack saying: 'As he fell to his knees, the man raised both his arms to the sky. 'At the time of doing so he let out an extremely loud scream. It wasn't a scream of pain, it was a scream of delight – my interpretation was he was celebrating. 'His eyes and mouth were wide open when he screamed.' Jurors were shown further CCTV and police body-worn camera footage of Monzo running through the residential area armed with a Samurai sword. Pc Yasmin Mechem-Whitfield pursued the armed defendant through a series of alleyways through residential properties, the court heard. Monzo struck her three times with the sword that had a 60cm blade using 'extreme force', the prosecutor said. It is alleged the defendant entered a property and attacked a couple who were sleeping in an upstairs bedroom with their young daughter nearby. Forensic pathologist Dr Ashley Fegan-Earl told jurors that Daniel's injuries were 'absolutely unsurvivable'. He said that Daniel's cause of death was sharp force trauma to the head and that Monzo had used 'an extreme level of force'. Monzo denies Daniel's murder and the attempted murders of Mr Iwule, Sindy Arias, Henry De Los Rios Polania and Ms Mechem-Whitfield, as well as wounding Mr Campbell with intent. He also denies aggravated burglary and possession of a bladed article relating to a kitchen knife. Monzo previously admitted two counts of having an offensive weapon, namely two swords.
