Police confirm mother and three children killed in north London house fire
Police have confirmed that a woman who died alongside three children in a house fire in Brent, north-west London, on Saturday (24 May) was the children's mother.
The Metropolitan Police were called to assist the London Fire Brigade after the blaze broke out in Tillett Close, Stonebridge, in the early hours of the morning.
A 43-year-old woman, a 15-year-old girl, and two boys aged eight and four died at the scene.
' I can confirm a woman and three of her children died at the scene,' Superintendent Steve Allen said.
'The wider family has been informed and officers will continue to support them,' he added.
Police have arrested a man on suspicion of murder.
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Daily Mail
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Pictured: The 'small' knife teen was carrying when he was detained by police officer later sacked over 'aggressive' arrest
The 'small' knife carried by a teen later arrested by PC Lorne Castle, who was sacked for showing him a lack of 'courtesy and respect', has been pictured for the first time. The double-bladed 8inch weapon had a Stanley blade on one end, with a retractable serrated blade on the other. The weapon fell out of a 15-year-old boys waistband on January 27, 2024, while PC Castle was arresting him for two alleged assaults in Bournemouth town centre. The ex Dorset officer was dismissed by the force after an independent disciplinary tribunal found he had committed gross misconduct in relation to the arrest. A video clip of the arrest, released by the force on Tuesday, showed the officer tackling the boy, who claimed he needed the knife 'for work', to the ground. In a moment of anger, Mr Castle is seen taking hold of the teenager's face and throat while repeatedly swearing and shouting at him. The boy can be heard shouting and crying 'what have I done' and 'what did I do' before the officer shouts 'stop screaming like a little b****, do you understand that? Shut up'. However, retired chief inspector Chris Amey, who is backing PC Castle, said the weapon shows the presence faced by officers on a daily basis, quipping he was 'embarrassed to have ever worn their uniform.' Referring to the knife, Mr Amey posted: 'Here's the "SMALL" knife that just happened to fall out of a "boy's" waistband whilst being detained for assaulting two members of the public.' Mr Amey said he described it as 'small' because this is how it was detailed by Dorset Police's barrister as well colleagues. 'If we are lucky to catch someone with a knife actually on them whilst committing an assault on two members of the public, we'll let him go and sack the officer for finger pointing and calling him hurty words,' he wrote. 'You literally couldn't make it up. Embarrassed to have ever worn their uniform.' He added: 'The boy could have quite conceivably used that knife and what's to say he would not have gone on to use that knife if Lorne had not discovered it. 'This is driving junior rank and file mad because they have seen their colleague take a knife off the street and how he has been treated by their leaders. 'I've been told by a serving officer that last Friday and Saturday night in the town centre officers were approached by youths who said 'there is nothing you can do to us because we'll get you sacked.'' Just months before making an over-zealous arrest that led to his sacking, Mr Castle had thrown himself into the River Avon in the middle of the night. A vulnerable elderly lady clinging to a tiny parcel of land needed his help so he stripped off his stab vest and threw himself into the icy water to save her in the line of duty. 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Dorset's Deputy Chief Constable Rachel Farrell said: 'We are sharing body worn video to address concerns about misinformation and to reassure the public that, while tackling crime in Dorset, our officers will continue to be proactive and robust - but by using their powers proportionately and with respect.' The Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, has been asked to intervene in the case and reinstate PC Castle. A spokesperson for the Home Office declined to comment and said it was a matter for Dorset Police.
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