Two more people arrested in connection with murders of great-grandparents in St Helens house fire
Eric Greener, 77, and Sheila Jackson, 83, died after the blaze in the early hours of 15 July.
On Thursday, Merseyside Police said that a 33-year-old man from Aigburth was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to murder and possession of cannabis.
He has been taken to a police station for questioning.
A 36-year-old woman from Everton was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to murder and conspiracy to commit arson. She has been conditionally bailed.
Lee Owens, 46, of no fixed address, has been charged with two counts of murder and arson with intent to endanger life. He has been remanded in custody and will appear at Liverpool Crown Court on 28 November.
Detective Chief Inspector Steve McGrath said: "Progress is being made but I would also like to take this opportunity to ask for anyone who holds information to come forward if you haven't yet done so.
"Please do not assume that we already know something which could be a vital piece of the jigsaw. Let us make the assessment and take the appropriate action."
A 31-year-old man from St Helens who was arrested on suspicion of murder remains on conditional bail.
A 48-year-old woman of no fixed abode; a 53-year-old woman from Anfield and a 45-year-old man from Liverpool, who were all arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to murder and conspiracy to commit arson, have been conditionally bailed.
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BBC News
5 minutes ago
- BBC News
Bihar: The witchcraft murders that shook an Indian village
Warning: This story contains details that some may find weeks after five members of a family in India were brutally killed and allegedly burned alive amid accusations of the practice of witchcraft, the survivors are still trying to come to terms with the tragedy. For Manisha Devi (name changed) of Tetgama village in Bihar state, the night of 6 July has been the darkest in her around 10pm, a belligerent mob gathered outside their relatives' home - by dawn, five people, including a 71-year-old widow Kato Oraon, were incident in Bihar is not an isolated one. According to the National Crime Records Bureau, more than 2,500 people, mostly women, were killed in India on suspicion of witchcraft between 2000 and 2016. But the Tetgama murders stand out, as five members of a family were killed say superstition and belief in witchcraft remain widespread among many of India's disadvantaged tribal communities, including those involved in the recent Bihar alleged murderers and victims all belong to the Oraon tribe and have lived together for generations. But what transpired on the night of 6 July has opened a chasm that is unlikely to be bridged anytime streets now echo with silence - all the residents, except four of Kato Devi's sons and their families, have fled the village. Some homes are locked, while others appear to have been abandoned in a BBC spoke to the victims' relatives, police and officials to piece together what happened on the night of the killings. Manisha Devi says she heard a commotion and found a large crowd outside the home of Babulal Oraon, the eldest of Kato's five sons who lived Oraon, his wife Sita Devi, the couple's son Manjit and daughter-in-law Rani Devi were among those killed. His youngest son, a teenager, is the only in their first information report (FIR), which is available online, have named a villager - Ramdev Oraon - as the main accused. They said Ramdev's son had died about 10 days back after falling sick, but he had allegedly accused Kato Devi and her family of killing his child through witchcraft. It's not clear what the belief was based on. Police say Ramdev is absconding and that they are looking for the night of the killings, Ramdev had allegedly brought his nephew, who appeared seriously unwell, to the victims' house. Manisha Devi said she saw the teenager lying on the ground and the village exorcist performing some rituals and reciting mantras. Manisha Devi, another relative and the survivor in his police complaint have alleged that the exorcist "pronounced Kato Devi and Babulal's wife Sita Devi as witches, blaming them for the death and illness in Ramdev's family". "Kato was dragged out and given half-an-hour to heal the sick teenager. Sita Devi, who was away visiting her mother in a neighbouring village, was called and asked to return if she wanted to see her family alive," she second relative who also witnessed the alleged murders says Kato pleaded with the villagers to see reason, but the mob kept getting angrier. "When Babulal and Manjit tried to intervene, the mob attacked them too. Rani Devi was also assaulted when she attempted to shield her husband," she adds. "When Sita Devi returned with her son, the survivor, they too were assaulted." The teenager later told the police that he somehow managed to run away, hide in the darkness and watch as his family was lynched and police complaint names 23 men and women from the village and "150 to 200 unnamed people who made up the mob"."The mob was armed with sticks, rods and sharp weapons. They tied all the five victims with a rope and dragged them to the village pond, assaulting and abusing them all the way," it complaint adds that the victims were "half-dead" when they were doused with petrol and set on fire, their bodies were packed in sacks and taken away on a tractor.A senior police official told reporters the next day that the victims were burned alive and their charred bodies had been recovered from a pond near the Magistrate Anshul Kumar also initially said the five were burned alive. But he recently told the BBC that the post-mortem report was inconclusive on the issue."The report indicates evidence of burn injuries and assault; however, it does not clearly articulate the precise cause of death, whether it was due to burning or whether that occurred post-murder."Shockingly, the night-long violence occurred not very far from the Mufassil police station, located just 7km (4.5 miles) away. Mr Kumar said the police heard about the incident 11 hours after the mob gathered, and acknowledged that it showed "there were shortcomings somewhere" and that "this was our failure". But the delay, he added, was "since the entire community was involved".In the aftermath, the officer-in-charge was suspended. His replacement Sudin Ram told the BBC that four people, including the exorcist, have been arrested. The others are absconding, he said."We have invoked laws related to unlawful assembly, rioting, causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons, wrongful restrain, mob lynching and disappearance of evidence of offence," Mr Ram said, adding that the guilty could face life imprisonment or the death penalty. The BBC has not been able to speak to the exorcist, who is in custody, or to Ramdev, whose whereabouts are unknown. The survivor is in protective custody at a safe location and receiving counselling, police official Mr Kumar said, adding that he is "gradually recovering."His brothers, who were away working when the attack occurred, are receiving free food and support, he added. They're currently staying with relatives in a nearby village.A special investigation team is probing the lynchings, but Mr Kumar said superstition-fuelled hysteria drove the crowd to commit the say this is the area's first such incident, with no prior witchcraft cases ever Mira Devi, a local social worker, told the BBC that tribal villages lack education and rely more on exorcists than on doctors or council head Santosh Singh says most children skip school to work at nearby brick kilns with their parents. A local teacher, Indranand Chaudhary, confirmed only three are enrolled - and none attend. Tetgama, a tribal village 11km from Purnea town, is home to 22 paddy fields, a villager points to burnt maize stalks - the site of the 6 July mud paths lead to the victims' homes. At Babulal Oraon's two-room hut, built from corn stalks, bamboo, and mud, time feels the room where Manjit and his newlywed wife Rani Devi slept, the bed is neatly made, with a clean sheet and the mosquito net tucked Devi sits outside her home, haunted by the senseless murders she and others witnessed that night."We stood helplessly, watching the victims desperately trying to save themselves. That scene still haunts us," one man said.
Daily Mail
5 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
NCIS actor's rape trial reveals disturbing selfie he sent terrified woman after he 'choked her unconscious'
Accused rapist Gabriel Olds had 'painful' sex with a 'scared' virgin who he choked unconscious as she fought desperately to breathe during intercourse, a court heard. The disgraced actor later texted a photo of himself 'humping' a tree despite the woman's requests for him to cease contact. The 53-year-old is charged with multiple counts of rape, sodomy and committing other graphic sex crimes on five women between 2014 and 2023. He was arrested in August last year and pled not guilty. The NCIS star met Jane Doe #7 (JD7) at a 24 Hour Fitness gym in Hollywood, California, in June 2023 as she was exercising on a StairMaster machine. He began flirting with the 31-year-old who was 'intrigued to know him more' and highlighted that he was an actor and writer who associated with A-listers and had attended Yale. They exchanged phone numbers after Olds had been talking about himself - 'monologuing for a long time' - and she 'wanted to leave.' The bespectacled Los Angeles comedy theater manager, a former personal trainer and mental health worker, wore a cream long-sleeved casual shirt over a mauve dress during the proceedings, with her long blonde hair pulled back with a clip. She told prosecutor Yasmin Fardghassemi that she and Olds had their first date on June 24 at The Misfit Bar in Santa Monica where he greeted her with a 'lingering hug.' He 'pressured' her to have an alcoholic drink so she ordered a glass of red wine and drank half. Although she didn't typically drink alcohol, she was 'trying to be cool.' Being pressured by Olds, she said, was a 'common theme' in their relationship. During powerful pre-trial testimony in Department 82 at the Airport Courthouse on Thursday, the witness revealed she felt 'insecure' and had only one sexual partner before meeting the accused and was still a virgin at the time. She disclosed that she suffers from vaginismus, a condition that made sex painful. 'Physical touch was not something that I had really experienced,' she said. She had attended an all-girls school where she was told to 'stay away from boys.' During the bar date, the two shared about their family histories, their different personalities and 'attachment theories.' There followed a brief stroll in nearby Palisades Park, close to the pier, overlooking the Pacific Coast Highway and the ocean. They began making out and Olds pulled down her dress and bra and began 'digitally penetrating' her over her underwear which she described as 'very painful.' She headed home afterwards and told the court Olds' actions her had caused her to bleed in her private area. He asked to see her again and while exchanging 'playful' texts they planned a second date. He immediately began asking her to send sexy pictures of herself which she declined to do. JD2 told the court that at the time she had just had a bad break-up with a co-worker before meeting Olds and was 'definitely curious at this point.' During their second date on July 7, 2023, they had pizza at a restaurant and talked about the novel Olds was writing and the TV show Westworld, the dystopian science fiction Western drama. She told him that she had never had vaginal sex but he didn't believe her. The court previously heard from other Jane Does who were allegedly slapped, punched in the head and back, choked and demeaned verbally by Olds during violent sexual encounters. Prosecutor Fardghassemi asked JD7 if she had heard of the BDSM type of sex which is favored by Olds, to which she responded: 'I live in Hollywood, so yeah, it's around.' After the meal, the pair went back to Olds' home in the Hollywood Hills. They had foreplay on his bed where he gave the woman oral sex - despite her protests - and boasted: 'I'm really good at it.' Without seeking her permission, he then set up his iPhone to record the witness which made her 'uncomfortable.' He told the footage was 'just for me.' She told the court: 'I felt psychologically and physically frozen.' He began having sex with her using condom even though she didn't want to be penetrated. She sobbed as she told the court: 'I'm disappointed that I didn't stick up for myself. I didn't know this person. I didn't love them.' The sex was 'very painful' but she went along with it. 'I basically felt like a leper,' she said. 'I didn't want to seem incompetent.' Despite her showing signs of being uncomfortable, Olds continued with the sex and was 'pretty locked into what he was doing. It was very clear that I was in distress and he was still trying to have sex.' She described the encounter up to that point as a 'disaster.' But things turned far darker and menacing when he strangled her during intercourse without warning using both of his hands. 'He started to choke me out,' she said. 'I remember the pressure getting harder and harder and harder.' She attempted to pull his hands away from her neck to relieve the pressure but became deprived of oxygen 'and things started getting fuzzy.' Olds, though, did not release his grip on her neck. 'There was a point where I went dark,' added the witness. 'I blacked out at that point. I felt really effed up.' When she came to, she was 'afraid' and realized she was in a 'dangerous situation.' She was 'super, super emotional and crying.' She repeatedly told Olds 'I need to go' but the much larger, 6' 1' tall actor remained positioned on top of his 5' 5', 155 pound victim. He seemed to be 'playing dumb' and told her 'let's talk about it.' Attorney Fardghassemi asked if she had wanted to have further intercourse at the time with him in that moment she responded bluntly, 'hell f**king no.' From the bench, Judge Lauren Weis-Birnstein repeated the same phrase to the court for clarity. The woman, who felt 'afraid' and 'embarrassed,' was able to flee Olds' home. He contacted her via text the following day to, in his words, 'clear the air' and she agreed to meet, but in public for her safety. 'I wanted to know if this person actually liked me,' she told the court, and to know 'How did something like that happen?' She shared a few more dates with Olds. They sometimes made out - with him taking more cell phone videos of her - but there was no more intercourse, despite his requests. During one get together at his home she had a panic attack because she didn't feel safe with him and she left. On July 12, he texted that she made him 'swoon' but she stated she could not 'recover trust.' She asked him to delete the videos he had taken of her and on August 3, 2023 told him via text to stop contacting her. However, on February 14 the following year - Valentine's Day - he texted her photos of himself 'humping' a tree and wrote: 'The last one is like me when I was inside of you :)' When she was shown the image Judge on a the prosecutor's laptop, the judge remarked: 'I can't tell what he's doing to the tree.' In a text to Olds on February 18, 2024 JD7 said of him: 'I have a visceral reaction of fear.' She later looked up his name online which was when she discovered he had been arrested and then contacted the Los Angeles Police Department. The bachelor actor has also appeared on popular TV shows such as Law & Order, Charmed and Boardwalk Empire and portrayed televangelist Pat Robertson in the 2021 indie film The Eyes of Tammy Faye alongside Jessica Chastain and Andrew Garfield. On Friday, the judge determined that Olds would stand trial on 12 felony counts and kept his bail at $3.5 million. Det. Brent Hopkins, who headed up the police investigation, told the Daily Mail exclusively: 'This was a long, extremely emotional hearing where these survivors bravely shared their stories. 'We're thankful they and all the other witnesses had the strength to see it through. 'We keep finding new stories, so if there are others out there who have not yet had their say, we hope to give them a chance to speak, as well.' Olds is being held at Los Angeles County Sheriff's North County Correctional Facility. He could spend the rest of his life behind bars if convicted on all counts.
Daily Mail
5 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
As the true scale of the involvement of South Yorkshire Police officers in the Rotherham grooming gangs scandal is revealed, one victim - just 14 at the time - tells her horrific story
With its dirty net curtains, black plastic door and stench of stale air, Elizabeth Harper will never forget the flat in which she was held in Rotherham for ten long weeks in 2004. Nor will she forget the steady stream of male strangers who were allowed into the fetid bedroom to systematically rape and abuse her.
