logo
Tributes to man fatally struck by military vehicle near Catterick Garrison

Tributes to man fatally struck by military vehicle near Catterick Garrison

BBC News5 hours ago

Tributes have been paid to a man who was fatally struck by a military truck while riding his mobility scooter.John Mitchell, 70, from Catterick Garrison, died while being airlifted to hospital following the collision on the A6136 Catterick Road, near Colburn, at about 12:50 BST on 11 June.In a statement issued via police, Mr Mitchell's family described him as a "much loved husband, brother, uncle and godfather" who would be "sadly missed".North Yorkshire Police said the military vehicle's male driver and passenger were assisting officers.
Police continued to appeal for anyone with information or dashcam footage of the collision, or the vehicles prior to the collision, to come forward.Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Scotland's prosecutors using offender's chosen gender to record crimes
Scotland's prosecutors using offender's chosen gender to record crimes

Daily Mail​

time42 minutes ago

  • Daily Mail​

Scotland's prosecutors using offender's chosen gender to record crimes

Prosecutors have been accused of 'protecting the egos of offenders' by recording their self-declared gender in official figures. Hate crime data produced by the Crown Office reflects a mix of gender based on physical appearance as recorded by police officers, and self-ID. The Crown Office insists that 'information regarding the sex or gender of accused persons is not essential to prosecute crime' – and that it will respect the 'pronouns of an accused person'. It comes after the Supreme Court ruled that the words 'woman' and 'sex' in the Equality Act 2010 refer to a biological woman and biological sex, rather than chosen gender. Last night Scottish Tory justice spokesman Liam Kerr said: 'This confirms how entrenched the SNP 's gender self-ID obsession is in Scotland's justice system and will undoubtedly lead to further confusion in how crimes are recorded. 'The Crown should have the scope to focus on what really matters, rather than being forced to waste time protecting the egos of offenders.' A Crown Office report on hate crime says 'sex can be considered to refer to whether someone is male or female based on their physiology and genetic make-up', while 'gender' represents a 'social construct or sense of self that takes a wider range of forms'. The Crown said 'in this report we refer to ''sex'' rather than ''gender'' because this better reflects recording practices in relation to this information'. But the report also says: 'In reality, it is likely that recording includes a mixture of physiological and personal identity. 'The sex of a small number of accused is not recorded, where the police have not provided this information to COPFS [Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service].' The report adds: 'Sex, as referred to in this bulletin, is generally identified by a police officer based on their assessment of whether a person presents as male or female – in most cases, this is based on the physiology of a person rather than self-identified gender. 'It is recorded for operational purposes, such as requirements for searching. It is also included in the information reported to COPFS. 'However, in most cases, information regarding the sex or gender of accused persons is not essential to prosecute crime. 'It would only be essential where it is material to the proof of the crime.' The Crown said it 'will respect and use the chosen name and pronouns of an accused person in all communications with them'. Last night Dr Kath Murray, of gender-critical think-tank Murray Blackburn Mackenzie, said: 'The corruption of criminal justice data on sex has come about through a blinkered reliance on activists in pursuit of gender self-identification.'

Asylum seeker who raped girl, 15, was not aware of 'cultural' differences, claims his lawyer
Asylum seeker who raped girl, 15, was not aware of 'cultural' differences, claims his lawyer

Daily Mail​

timean hour ago

  • Daily Mail​

Asylum seeker who raped girl, 15, was not aware of 'cultural' differences, claims his lawyer

An Afghani asylum seeker who entered the UK illegally on a small boat kicked off in court after he was caged for raping a 15-year-old schoolgirl. Sadeq Nikzad, 29, who claimed he'd not been educated on 'cultural differences' repeatedly shouted 'liar' at judge John Morris, KC, after he was handed a 12-year extended sentence at Livingston High Court. The judge hurriedly left the bench as the accused, screaming and gesticulating wildly, was handcuffed by security guards before being led to the cells. Nikzad will serve nine years in custody followed by three years on licence, go on the sex offenders register and at the end of his sentence, be deported. The court heard that Nikzad entered the UK illegally two years ago, before subjecting the vunerable teenager to the terrifying oportunistic sex attack in Falkirk town centre in October 2023. He was convicted of rape at the High Court in Edinburgh earlier this year after a jury heard how he approached the girl and asked for her phone number and if she had a boyfriend. He then made sexual remarks towards the underage youngster before leading her to the rear of The Courtyard pub where he attacked and raped her. The girl said that she froze during the assault while a woman who came across the victim shortly after said she had been 'in a daze'. The witness said: 'She looked stunned. I knew something had gone wrong. She came to me for comfort. She said she kept telling the guy she was only 15.' Nikzad's defence counsel Janice Green told an earlier hearing that her client had not been educated about the significant cultural differences between the UK and Afghanistan. Ms Green also said that the schoolgirl's evidence about language difficulties between them and the fact she had not told the accused 'No' meant the offence was 'not a typical stranger rape'. She added: 'There are no issues raised by him in relation to fear of persecution and the ultimate result is that he'll be deported at the conclusion of his sentence.' Passing sentence, judge Morris told the accused through an interpreter: 'You've been convicted of an extremely serious sexual offence against a child, and I know your counsel has now explained to you that in those circumstances only a substantial custodial sentence is appropriate.' As he informed Nikzad that his name would also be placed on the sex offenders register, he lost his temper and started waving his arms in the air and shouting at his interpreter and the judge. After sentencing, Katrina Parkes, Procurator Fiscal for High Court Sexual Offences, said: 'This was an appalling, opportunistic attack on a young girl who should have been safe going about her daily business.' She added: 'I hope this prosecution sends a clear message to men who commit serious acts of sexual violence against women and children.' Detective Inspector Forbes Wilson, from the Forth Valley Public Protection Unit, said: 'Nikzad's heinous actions had a profound effect on his young victim and I would like to commend her strength throughout this ordeal.'

Rayner ally dragged into grooming gangs row
Rayner ally dragged into grooming gangs row

Telegraph

timean hour ago

  • Telegraph

Rayner ally dragged into grooming gangs row

A Government minister and ally of Angela Rayner led a council that chose not to refer to the Pakistani heritage of grooming gangs. Jim McMahon was the leader of Oldham council when its child sexual exploitation taskforce sought to avoid drawing attention to the ethnicity of perpetrators in its media strategy. In 2012, the service expressed concern about 'community tensions' and said the 'proactive confirmation of ethnicity could provide ammunition for far-Right groups that might attempt to focus additional attention on Oldham regarding this issue'. A report by Baroness Casey this week found that police had avoided pursuing child sex grooming gangs for fear of being viewed as racist. It added that evidence suggested there were 'disproportionate numbers of men from Asian ethnic backgrounds amongst suspects for group-based child sexual exploitation'. Mr McMahon, a minister in the Deputy Prime Minister's local government department, served as the leader of Oldham council between 2011 and 2016. He was elected as MP for Oldham West and Royton in 2015. During his time at the council, he also served as the chairman of the local safeguarding accountability board. A 2022 report into local authorities' response to child sexual exploitation in Greater Manchester examined the Messenger service, a partnership that involved Greater Manchester Police and Oldham council. It said that Messenger's 2012 media strategy 'articulated a concern that there could be assumptions in the media and the public at large that child sexual exploitation was carried out by men from ethnic minorities against white girls, which could create community tensions, and that Oldham's Asian community could feel it was disproportionally associated with child sexual exploitation'. The ensuing media strategy did not mention the ethnicity of victims or perpetrators. Instead, one of the key messages was: 'Children are being sexually exploited in all communities across the UK, regardless of ethnicity, culture, class or gender. 'Furthermore, children from loving and secure homes can be abused, as well as children with pre-existing vulnerabilities.' The Conservatives said that the revelations were 'damning'. Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, said: 'While young girls were being groomed and abused in Oldham, Labour council leaders were busy drafting media strategies to downplay the role of Pakistani gangs and worry about community optics. 'There is no hiding from this. Survivors were failed and communities were misled, because actions like this perpetuated the shameful cover up of these crimes. A Labour spokesman said Mr McMahon was 'explicit and vocal' about the fact that the abuse involved predominantly Pakistani men, 'long before many others'. He added: 'To suggest this was in any way downplayed defies the evidence.' Lady Casey said in her report that she found 'many examples of organisations avoiding the topic altogether for fear of appearing racist, raising community tensions or causing community cohesion problems'. She cited the 2022 Greater Manchester report, which was conducted after Oldham council requested a review into its practices in 2019. She said it 'finds flaws in Greater Manchester Police and Oldham council's safeguarding systems, but no evidence of a cover-up of child sexual exploitation'. Lady Casey told MPs this week that she recommended a national statutory review because of the 'reluctance' of local areas to do their own reviews. She cited Oldham as the only council willing to do a review when five local inquiries were announced. Mr McMahon wrote a blog post in September 2014, almost two years after the media strategy for Messenger was approved, in which he explicitly stated the link between grooming and Pakistani men. He said: 'Anyone who shies away from acting that in Rotherham, Oxford, Rochdale and here in Oldham – and that this particular form of abuse is predominantly Pakistani men targeting white girls – is not helping the victims, and nor is it helping the Asian community at large.' Referring to the blog post, the 2022 report said that: 'This contemporaneous record clearly refutes the suggestion that Leader A [Mr McMahon] had any intention to protect those perpetrators from the Pakistani community who were exploiting children in Oldham and, quite the contrary, demonstrates Leader A's determination to address the issue publicly and head on.' It added: 'There were also, throughout this period, legitimate concerns by both the council and the police that the high-profile convictions of predominantly Pakistani offenders across the country could be capitalised on by a far-Right agenda and lead to the victimisation of the Pakistani community. 'However, it is clear from all the evidence we have seen that the council and its partners in no way avoided addressing this, and in fact saw successful disruption and prosecution as the route to winning the confidence of all communities in Oldham.' Mr McMahon told the Commons in June 2022 that the independent report 'is clear that, during the period from 2011, when I became leader of Oldham Council, I did absolutely everything possible to publicise the threat of child sexual exploitation and sought to tackle the issue head on'. 'Council failed to be publicly honest' Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, said: 'Jim McMahon ran a council whose media strategy was to brush the background of the rape gang offenders and their victims under the carpet. 'It speaks to a council more worried about false accusations of 'racism' than protecting vulnerable, white working-class girls. 'This failure to be publicly honest about what was going on led to the scandal going unaddressed for decades.' He added: 'With Labour councillors, MPs and ministers implicated in the appalling scandal, it's no surprise Starmer delayed holding an inquiry as long as he could.' A Labour Party spokesman said: 'Far from downplaying that this particular form of abuse involved predominantly Pakistani men targeting white girls, Jim was explicit and vocal about it, saying as leader of Oldham council, long before many others would, that to do so would not be helping the victims, nor the Asian community at large. To suggest this was in any way downplayed defies the evidence.' A spokesman for Oldham council said: 'We've never shied away from owning and apologising for historic failings to keep children safe from these horrendous crimes. The 2022 assurance review – which anyone can read online – outlined significant opportunities that were missed by the council and Greater Manchester Police and for those we are deeply sorry. 'However, Malcolm Newsome and Gary Ridgway were really clear in their review – Oldham council 'in no way' avoided issues around the ethnicity of offenders in the borough. In fact the records from the time show that the then leader of the council was determined to 'to address the issue publicly and head-on'. 'We engaged fully with Louise Casey for her review, and we are the only council in the country to come forward for a local inquiry. We were unflinching then and unflinching now about the mistakes of the past and our determination to protect children from this horrific abuse. We won't play political games on this issue – our survivors deserve better.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store