Moment knife-wielding attacker pulls out HUGE blade and lunges at party-goer in lawless London park
The hooded perpetrator ran up to a girl and brazenly lunged the huge kitchen knife just inches away from her face.
The victim put her hands up and tried to back away as the attacker came lunging at her with the weapon.
When she manages to get away, the attacker continued to square up to other people before settling with the knife by their side.
The incident took place at what appears to be a party in Gladstone park in north-west London.
Dozens can be seen screaming in fear and trying to flee the scene.
A man filming the shocking moment noted in disbelief when the knife was pulled out: 'She backed out a shank, are you mad?'
Police may have been present at the scene as a voice can be heard over a a speaker that they are 'at the back gate'.
Knife crime has become rampant among young people in the capital, which has seen a total of 11 teenage homicides over the last year.
There was a 20 per cent rise in knife offences in the year ending December 2023 compared to the previous year, with 14,577 knife-related crimes in total.
Labour has vowed to get 13,000 police officers back on the streets and previously announced a five-step plan to tackle the issue, including guaranteed sanctions for young people carrying knives.
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BBC News
26 minutes ago
- BBC News
Who is Jimmy Lai, the HK media tycoon on trial for national security crimes?
Hailed by some as a hero and scorned by others as a traitor, Hong Kong's pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai is in the final stage of his national security trial. Closing arguments begin on Thursday for Lai, who is accused of colluding with foreign forces under a Beijing-imposed national security law. The trial has drawn international attention, with UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer calling for Lai's release. The 77-year-old has British as well as Chinese citizenship - though China does not recognise dual nationality, and therefore considers Lai to be exclusively Chinese. Lai has been detained since December 2020 and faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment if he is say Lai's case shows how Hong Kong's legal system has been weaponised to silence political opposition. Lai has been a persistent thorn in China's side. Unlike other tycoons who rose to the top in Hong Kong, Mr Lai became one of the fiercest critics of the Chinese state and a leading figure advocating democracy in the former British territory."I'm a born rebel," he told the BBC in an interview in 2020, hours before he was charged. "I have a very rebellious character." He is the most prominent person charged under the controversial national security law which China introduced in 2020, in response to massive protests which erupted in Hong Kong the year before. The legislation criminalises a wider range of dissenting acts which Beijing considers subversion and secession, among other says the national security law is necessary to maintain stability in Hong Kong but critics say it has effectively outlawed dissent. Over the years, Lai's son Sebastien has called for his release. In February, the younger Lai urged Starmer and US President Donald Trump to take urgent action, adding that his father's "body is breaking down". Rags to riches Lai was born in Guangzhou, a city in southern China, to a wealthy family that lost everything when the communists took power in was 12 years old when he fled his village in mainland China, arriving in Hong Kong as a stowaway on a fishing working odd jobs and knitting in a small clothing shop he taught himself English. He went from a menial role to eventually founding a multi-million dollar empire including the international clothing brand chain was a huge success. But when China sent in tanks to crush pro-democracy protests in Beijing's Tiananmen Square in 1989, Lai began a new journey as a vocal democracy activist as well as an started writing columns criticising the massacre that followed the demonstrations in Beijing and established a publishing house that went on to become one of Hong Kong's most influential. As China responded by threatening to shut his stores on the mainland, leading him to sell the company, Lai launched a string of popular pro-democracy titles that included Next, a digital magazine, and the widely read Apple Daily a local media landscape increasingly fearful of Beijing, Lai had been a persistent critic of Chinese authorities both through his publications and has seen him become a hero for many in Hong Kong, who view him as a man of courage who took great risks to defend the freedoms of the on the mainland he is viewed as a "traitor" who threatens Chinese national recent years, masked attackers firebombed Lai's house and company headquarters. He was also the target of an assassination none of the threats stopped him from airing his views robustly. He was a prominent part of the city's pro-democracy demonstrations and was arrested twice in 2021 on illegal assembly charges. When China passed Hong Kong's new national security law in June 2020, Lai told the BBC it sounded the "death knell" for the influential entrepreneur also warned that Hong Kong would become as corrupt as China. Without the rule of law, he said, its coveted status as a global financial hub would be "totally destroyed".The media mogul is known for his frankness and acts of 2021, he urged Donald Trump to help the territory, saying he was "the only one who can save us" from China. His newspaper, Apple Daily, published a front-page letter that finished: "Mr President, please help us."For Lai, such acts were necessary to defend the city which had taken him in and fuelled his once told news agency AFP: "I came here with nothing, the freedom of this place has given me everything... Maybe it's time I paid back for that freedom by fighting for it." Lai has been slapped with various charges - including unauthorised assembly and fraud since 2020. He has been in custody since December of that prosecution of Lai has captured international attention, with rights groups and foreign governments urging his the years, Sebastien Lai has travelled the world to denounce his father's arrest and condemn Hong Kong for punishing "characteristics that should be celebrated"."My father is in jail for the truth on his lips, courage in his heart, and freedom in his soul," he had said.
Daily Mail
26 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Worried residents watch on as 'travellers take over local park'
Travellers enjoyed a relaxing picnic in the summer sunshine today after driving onto a park and turning a large swathe into a no-go zone for worried locals. Residents steered clear of the area and a nearby cafe closed early amid rumours of anti-social and 'aggressive' behaviour after the 12 caravans when two motor homes, plus 16 cars and vans set up at Nowton Park in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk. Police and council officers scrambled to the illegal camp to ensure the occupants - who appeared to be eating and drinking at they sat in camping chairs around a table with children playing nearby - were aware it was 'unauthorised' and legal action might be taken. Frustrated locals complained about the invasion, which ignored a sign stating 'No overnight parking'. Visitors in vehicles also normally have to pay to park there or face a fixed penalty charge. One woman, who didn't want to give her name, said she'd read on Facebook that a café in the park had closed early because of the travellers. She said: 'We went in to get an ice cream but they said they were closing unexpectedly. Other people said it was because of the travellers.' Another woman, who gave her name only as Aneta, said her boyfriend had warned her to be careful after reading unsubstantiated claims about the group on Facebook. Aneta, 30, who had been going for a walk in the park, said: 'My boyfriend just messaged me because he saw on Facebook they were here and he told me to leave immediately. 'He saw on Facebook that someone said it's not safe here and that they were abusing people.' A woman in her 70s, who used to work in administration for the police, added: 'It's never happened here before. 'I know they used to be somewhere near the Tesco roundabout for a while and they seemed to leave a lot of rubbish. 'This is a wonderful park and we don't really want caravans here.' Another man said he wasn't "bothered as long as they don't leave a mess" but added: 'Once they're here it's hard to get them to leave.' The Grounds Café in the park was closed and a sign on the door read: 'Due to unsociable and aggressive behaviour we have had to close early for the safety of staff and customers.' Nowton Park is a 172-acre site which used to be part of a country estate. Paths lead through large deciduous trees planted a century ago. The area is a magnet for families, particularly during the summer, due to facilities including football pitches, a maze, lakes and a bird feeding area. Wide gates lead to the car park where users have to enter their vehicle registration when they pay to park. Those that fail to do so face being fined. A sign states: 'A Penalty Charge Notice will be issued for: no ticket displayed, parking outside the bays, invalid ticket, parking in a Blue Badge bay without a valid Blue Badge.' The travellers - who declined to comment when approached - are thought to have driven through the gates at some point on Tuesday night and across the car park to park into the clearing where they circled their vehicles. A council official was speaking with a park ranger about the travellers when the Mail arrived this afternoon. The official said the council was taking steps to remove the group but declined to say more. A similar number of caravans and associated vehicles stopped in the car park of an Asda superstore in nearby Stowmarket on Monday before leaving the following evening - although officials and police couldn't say whether it was the same group. The sign stated it had closed early 'for the safety of staff and customers' due to 'unsociable and aggressive behaviour' in the vicinity The travellers ignored signs warning that overnight parking at the public park was banned A spokesman for Mid Suffolk District Council, which covers Stowmarket, said the camp had caused 'concern... within the community' and the spot was 'a critical area for town centre retailers and attractions during the summer holidays'. He added: 'We were immediately in contact with the landowners and offered support to resolve the situation legally and as swiftly as possible. 'Our teams have also cleared up the mess that was left.' A spokesman for West Suffolk Council, which includes Bury St Edmunds, said: 'We are aware that 12 caravans, two motor homes and 16 cars and vans have set up at Nowton Park in Bury St Edmunds. 'Both the police and officers from the council have visited the group to make them aware that the encampment is unauthorised. 'Traveller Welfare will be speaking to the families to check on their needs. The group have been issued with bin bags in which to deposit their waste. 'We manage this public park and will be looking to get it back to its community use as soon as we can, which may include undertaking a legal process if required.'
The Sun
26 minutes ago
- The Sun
BBC was caught out by own rank institutional bias after branding those concerned with illegal migrants as ‘xenophobic'
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