Sister in court after film director found dead with Rolex watch missing
A woman has appeared in court over the death of her film director sister who was found fatally stabbed in the neck with her valuable Rolex watch missing.
Nancy Pexton, 69, is accused of murdering Jennifer Abbott Dauward, known as Sarah Steinberg, at her flat in Camden, north London.
Ms Dauward, who was nine months older than the defendant, was last seen alive on CCTV footage on June 10 as she returned from walking her dog.
Neighbours have said they regularly saw her walking her pet corgi in the area with one describing her as 'exuberant' and 'vivacious'.
Police were called to the victim's first floor flat in Mornington Place at 5.45pm on June 13 after being alerted by her concerned niece.
Ms Dauward was found on the floor of the living room partially covered with a blanket and with black tape on her mouth, the Old Bailey heard on Tuesday.
Paramedics attended and she was pronounced dead at 6.08pm.
Prosecutor Ben Holt said the victim would usually wear a Rolex and a Cartier bracelet but when her body was found, the watch was not there.
A post-mortem examination found the cause of death was a sharp trauma to the neck with eight stab wounds identified, the court was told.
Pexton was arrested on June 18 and later charged with her sister's murder, the Rolex having been recovered from a bag, the court was told.
Pexton, of no fixed address, spoke only to confirm her identity by video-link from Bronzefield prison during the preliminary hearing before Judge Judy Khan KC.
A plea hearing was set for September 9 with a provisional trial at the Old Bailey from April 7 next year.
Judge Khan remanded the defendant into custody.
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Telegraph
19 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Women will pay the price for Labour's open borders
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When a concerned resident used freedom of information legislation to find out what was going on, Cumbria Police revealed that in the space of 12 months, more than a dozen potential crimes were linked to 'guests' at the Imperial, including three sex offences. Quite the record for a small premises. There is a mountain of evidence – both official and anecdotal – that what is happening to women and girls in Barrow-in-Furness at the hands of illegal immigrants is happening to women and girls all over the country. The Home Office does not publish crime statistics according to immigration status. Nor are the police required to collect and share such data. Instead, arrests and charges are only recorded by nationality – a system that creates some very convenient ambiguity about how long the perpetrators have lived in this country. When voters are crying out to know just what kind of individuals are pouring across the Channel, and how likely it is that any will ever make a positive contribution to our society, it is an extraordinary omission. Just what are the authorities – along with all those who keep peddling the false narrative that all Channel migrants are good people – trying to hide? What little information is routinely published about crimes by foreign nationals provides a very strong clue. Despite making up less than ten per cent of the UK population, 'foreign nationals' account for around 15 per cent of all sexual offence convictions, including rape. When convictions in which the offender's nationality is 'unknown' – ie not British – are taken into account, that figure rises to almost one quarter (23 per cent) of all sex offences. It is known that only a fraction of sexual assault and rape complaints ever reach court. How many more female victims of sex offences by foreign nationals, particularly the occupants of migrant hotels, are out there, never getting justice? Among the best witnesses to the disgusting attitude of some asylum seekers towards women are female staff in migrant hotels. Unfortunately, they cannot speak out. Forced to sign confidentiality contracts, their experiences at the hands of rude, leering, entitled occupants of migrant hotels have never been documented. Some time ago, on condition of anonymity, I interviewed a cleaner at one of these places in Derby. She too spoke of rape alarms; harassment; and bowls of free condoms in the hotel foyer. One police force has felt the need to draw up a PowerPoint presentation to educate local asylum seekers about British culture. It includes recognising that women 'have the same rights as men' so 'must be treated with respect and courtesy'. What on earth are we doing continuing to provide for foreigners who are so ignorant and disrespectful that they have to be told that 'violence of any kind is not acceptable'? Crimes that do reach court offer a terrifying glimpse of the nightmare our leaders have created. Witness the case of the Qatari camel herder, who as a member of a conservative Bedouin tribe, had never had 'any meaningful contact' with a woman except his mother before coming to the UK to receive treatment for a rare heart condition. During treatment at a clinic in Marylebone linked to the Royal Brompton Hospital in Chelsea, he dragged a woman into a disabled toilet and attempted to rape her. In court, he blamed his 'limited interaction' with females in the Middle East, where his lawyer says he prefers a 'desert environment.' In another case a 29 year old Channel migrant cited 'cultural misunderstanding' and language barriers after luring a teenage girl behind a pub and raping her. The victim had repeatedly told him she was only 15 years old. A cursory internet search reveals umpteen other such cases – along with some very welcome honesty from Baroness Casey. Her report into the grooming gangs revealed that asylum seekers and foreign nationals make up a 'significant proportion' of live police investigations. Finally, someone in a position of power, telling it as it is! Neither the Home Office, nor the police, can justify continuing to hide what is going on. As thousands more undocumented young males continue to pour across the Channel, it is women and girls who are at most risk.
Sky News
21 minutes ago
- Sky News
Diddy trial latest: Rapper's defence lasts for less than hour after rapper confirms he won't give evidence
The prosecution and the defence in the case against Sean "Diddy" Combs have concluded their cases, with the hip-hop mogul's team calling no witnesses. Catch up on what happened in court in New York on Tuesday below. 20:52:01 Scroll down to catch up - and see you back here on Thursday Judge Arun Subramanian has told the jury that court won't be in session tomorrow, so they have the day off. They should return on Thursday for 9am (2pm UK time) to hear the start of the closing arguments, he said. Court will sit for full days on Thursday and Friday. Scroll down to catch up on proceedings as they happened today - and we'll be back soon with a full story of the day. 20:45:19 Defence for Diddy presents and rests its case Presenting their case, defence lawyers for Sean "Diddy" Combs entered into evidence a series of text messages they argue show how the hip-hop mogul and his girlfriends were in loving, consensual relationships. Some of the electronic messages appeared sweet and tender, while others were graphic and explicit, describing sexual acts. In one message sent in 2017, Cassie Ventura told Combs he was her "best friend" and said there was no one she loved more than him. The prosecution stipulated to the authenticity of these messages. As expected, the defence's presentation is short - and lawyers rest their case about two hours after the prosecution ends its case. Prosecutors said there would be no rebuttal case. 20:13:00 Jurors back in the courtroom for defence Court is back in session with the jury in place. Judge Arun Subramanian tells defence lawyers for Sean "Diddy" Combs they can begin their case. Previously, the team suggested they would not be calling witnesses but rather submitting evidence and reading some stipulations. 19:58:39 Diddy confirms he will not testify After the defence's acquittal motion, prosecutors tell Judge Arun Subramanian they feel they have more than established their case and ask him to decline the motion. He says he will reserve his decision. The judge then addresses Sean Combs directly, first asking how he is feeling. "I am doing great, thank you Your Honour. I wanted to tell you thank you, you are doing an excellent job," Combs says. The judge tells Combs he has the right to testify or not testify and the rapper acknowledges this is his decision to make. He says he has discussed this "thoroughly" with his team. Asked if it is his decision not to testify, he replies: "That is totally my decision. My decision, I am making it." 19:49:28 Motion for charges to be thrown out continues Defence attorney Alexandra Shapiro's motion for acquittal continues. The trial so far has failed to show evidence Sean "Diddy" Combs tried to bribe anyone surrounding the March 2016 hotel incident with Cassie Ventura, she says. This was captured on CCTV which was shown in court, with Combs seen hitting and dragging Cassie in the hallway of the hotel. Shapiro puts it to Judge Arun Subramanian that there was no police involvement and no charges were pressed. She also argues that Combs did not threaten "Mia", an ex-employee and alleged victim who testified under a pseudonym, telling the court her former boss sexually assaulted her several times. While some former workers for Combs described him as abusive and told the court they worked long hours under gruelling conditions with little sleep, they all could have left, Shapiro says. 19:02:42 Defence calls for acquittal and says charges have not been proven Defence lawyers for Sean "Diddy" Combs are now making an acquittal motion while the jurors are out for lunch, which is fairly common after the government rests in a federal case. Attorney Alexandra Shapiro is presenting their argument to Judge Arun Subramanian, and says the charges should be thrown out. The prosecution has not proved charges of racketeering (RICO), Shapiro says, telling the judge "there is insufficient proof to establish a single RICO charge in the indictment" and no evidence of a criminal "enterprise" has been shown. "They say bodyguards and high-ranking employees but they fail to prove any individual actually conspired with him," the defence lawyer says. Staff carried out errands and made travel arrangements but were not involved in anything that went on with Combs and girlfriends in hotel rooms, she adds. Jurors were told to return for 7pm UK time, but it seems likely this motion will continue for a while. 18:45:50 Court breaks for lunch Jurors are now taking their lunch break but lawyers for both the defence and the prosecution are still in the courtroom for legal discussions with Judge Arub Subramanian. The judge has told jurors to be back by 7pm UK time. 18:42:50 Prosecution rests its case against Diddy After hearing a few final message exchanges and details of bills, special agent Joseph Cerciello left the stand - and the prosecution rested its case against Sean "Diddy" Combs. The jury has heard from 34 witnesses, including Combs's ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, who accused him of years of physical abuse and coercive control, as well as violence and rape. She told the court that during their on-off relationship between 2007 and 2018, he subjected her to drug-fuelled "freak off" sexual encounters with male escorts. The 38-year-old spent four days on the witness stand, giving evidence while she was eight months pregnant with her third child. "Freak offs became a job where there was no space to do anything else but to recover and just try to feel normal again," she said. Each time, she added, she had to recuperate from lack of sleep, alcohol, drugs "and other substances", and "having sex with a stranger for days". Other key witnesses included a former personal assistant to Combs, who went by the pseudonym "Mia". She accused him of sexually assaulting her several times during her employment. And the court also heard from "Jane", a former girlfriend who also used a pseudonym. 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The Sun
24 minutes ago
- The Sun
Blatant law-breaking of illegal migrant delivery riders is scam Del Boy would be proud of… I have five ways to stop it
I CONFESS my initial reaction to yesterday's report on The Sun's investigation into asylum seekers working illegally as food delivery drivers was a combination of frustration, disbelief and anger. Frustration because it seems the Government is no nearer to achieving its goal of tackling English Channel crossings than it was on July 5 last year. 4 Since coming into power, more than 41,500 small boat migrants have arrived — and that is just those we know about. Take a look at Migration Watch's Channel Tracker ( which monitors the number of illegal arrivals. I find it very difficult to believe that ministers do not see the connection between the ease with which traffickers can get migrants here, with a helping hand from Border Force and the RNLI. Migrants are even seen on their way with a cheery wave by the French authorities assembled on the beach. Having arrived on our shores and after a cursory check they are on their way to free accommodation, £40-plus pocket money a week and, now it seems, a job in one of the fastest-growing sectors in the economy. It beggars belief They earn money delivering food, to pay off their traffickers and to send cash home to their family so that they can eventually join them in the UK. What makes me and most ordinary, hard-working, taxpaying and fair-minded citizens angry is that the Government seems to think this is acceptable. After a year in office and abandoning the only possible deterrent, the Rwanda scheme — I make no apology for mentioning it again — and doing away with the legal requirement for the Home Secretary to remove illegal arrivals, the Government has done nothing to discourage migrants and traffickers. On the contrary, its actions, or rather inaction, has simply encouraged crossings. That's why, by the end of the year, I expect there to have been more than 50,000 illegal arrivals. Channel migrants queue for cash in hand jobs as secrets of UK's £260bn illegal economy revealed In fact, the total for the year so far stands at 18,400, which is almost 50 per cent higher than the number of small boat migrants who had crossed at this point in 2024. At this rate, could we see more than 60,000 arriving? I wouldn't rule it out. It seems the gig economy — Deliveroo, Just Eat and UberEats included — need not worry about a shortage of deliverers. I confess, The Sun's report yesterday almost made me smile. How could you not laugh at the description of the scene outside a hotel in Peckham where 'the entire courtyard was filled with bikes and bags surrounding a replica of the Only Fools And Horses [Reliant] three-wheeler'? 4 4 This scam, for that is what it is, would have made Del Boy proud. As for the reaction of ministers. It beggars belief. Policing Minister Dame Diana Johnson, who, in fairness to her, commended The Sun's report, said: 'The Sun investigation is right to highlight this illegal working racket, which undermines honest business and undercuts local wages.' No kidding, minister. While Dame Angela Eagle, the Border Security and Asylum Minister, 'is meeting delivery companies next week, to help tackle illegal working in this sector.' I find that exasperating. This is the minister who sought to cast me a racist when I gave evidence to the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, to explain that repealing the Safety of Rwanda Act would 'encourage illegal immigration'. I was right, it has. She brushed this aside by asking what Migration Watch meant by the word 'indigenous' on its website. She now, it seems, is committing to talking to gig economy companies about what they intend to do to stop the illegal migrant workers, who are helping them make huge profits. The real question is, what are you going to do about it Minister? May I suggest that, if you are serious about stopping blatant law-breaking and removing one of the major incentives for migrants to make their way to the UK, you should: Ban the likes of Deliveroo, Uber Eats and Just Eat from permitting their drivers to rent out their accounts. Impose punitive fines on the companies that turn a blind eye to this dangerous practice. Make clear that migrants found to be working illegally while awaiting a decision on their asylum application will not be granted asylum. Require the companies to control and monitor the issue of licences. Applicants for these accounts must be properly vetted to ensure they have the right to work, but also ensure they do not pose a danger to those they deliver to — especially women and the elderly. The business model for these companies thrives on easy-to-hire deliverers. While that may serve their interests and those of migrants and trafficking gangs, it does nothing for the taxpayer. Hard-working Brits are effectively subsidising the practice, by providing free accommodation and benefits to the migrants, who are, after all, people who have broken into our country and then been housed and looked after. They have to be stopped.
