
Investigation into 'damage' at historic wreck site
Cannons and anchors
The investigation is part of Operation Birdie, a national initiative tackling illegal interference of historic wreck sites. Rural affairs police officers are working alongside Historic England's Maritime archaeologists and heritage crime specialists to investigate the reports.HMS Coronation lies in two parts, one inshore and one offshore, and artefacts including cannons and anchors survive, according to the Coronation Wreck Project.It said the 90-gun ship was launched in Portsmouth in 1685 and saw action in the Battle of Beachy Head against the French in 1690.Access to the HMS Coronation is through a licence scheme run by Historic England and the South West is home to 21 of the UK's 57 protected wrecks.
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Daily Record
9 minutes ago
- Daily Record
Ex-Police Scotland chief announces retirement after being cleared in sexual offences probe
Will Kerr worked for Police Scotland before moving on to Devon and Cornwall Police in December 2022. A former top Scots cop who has been suspended from his job for over two years has announced he is retiring. Will Kerr, who was Deputy Chief Constable at Police Scotland, was suspended as chief constable of Devon and Cornwall Police in 2023 after it emerged he was under investigation following allegations of sexual offences. In April this year prosecutors in Northern Ireland said a decision had been taken not to bring charges against him. Kerr was a former assistant chief constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI). He had worked for the PSNI for 27 years, later joining Police Scotland before moving to Devon and Cornwall Police in December 2022. The force's police and crime commissioner, Alison Hernandez, said it had been "mutually agreed" with Mr Kerr for him to retire, which would allow for "new and stable" leadership to be appointed. A misconduct investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) in England continues although this was not related to the criminal allegations investigated in Northern Ireland. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. In a statement, Kerr said: "Having been cleared in relation to what I believe were malicious criminal allegations in Northern Ireland, I have decided that it's now in the best interests of my family and the force that I retire as chief constable. "After nearly 36 years of public service, this is not the way I would have chosen to retire but the force, and communities across Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, deserve stable leadership in policing. "I remain a strong advocate for effective accountability in policing, but that accountability process must be fair, timely and proportionate. Sadly, like too many other officers, that has not been my experience over the past two years. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. "I continue to wish all of the highly committed officers and staff in Devon and Cornwall Police well and, despite the personal challenges of the past few years, I remain proud of the value of community-focused policing, and a firm supporter of the people within its ranks. I would also like to thank PCC Alison Hernandez for her consistent support over the past two years, and her commitment to fair and proportionate justice." Hernandez added: "Suspension from duty is a neutral act and there is always a presumption of innocence until proved otherwise. "I have now agreed Mr Kerr's departure from the force to allow processes for new and stable leadership to take Devon and Cornwall Police forward as this is now in the best interests of all parties. "Mr Kerr's skills and experience will be a loss to UK policing. I remain frustrated at the amount of time this investigation has taken and the way that cross jurisdictional issues have lengthened the process during separate investigations by the Police Service of Northern Ireland, Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland and now the IOPC. "His departure does not signal guilt, but instead a deep appreciation of the need for Devon and Cornwall Police to move forward with stable leadership from a substantive chief constable. "James Vaughan will continue as interim chief constable until a new recruitment process is complete. In accordance with police misconduct regulations, the investigations will continue."


Telegraph
9 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Policing must be seen to be even-handed
The first of Robert Peel's nine principles of policing, set out as long ago as 1829, is 'to prevent crime and disorder as an alternative to their repression by military force and severity of legal punishment'. The then Home Secretary was responding to the great fear of the authorities in the aftermath of the French Revolution: the mob. Once disorder gets a hold, dealing with it becomes increasingly difficult, requiring recourse to the Army, as happened in Northern Ireland in 1969. The simmering resentment felt in parts of the country about the way illegal migrants have been imposed on communities with no consultation whatsoever is not yet at that level. But as Nigel Farage said this week, we may be on the edge of serious civil disobedience, yet no longer possess the means to contain it. We depend on the police to keep matters under control, though in truth much of the fault lies with the Government. Labour promised that hotels would no longer be employed to house illegal immigrants and yet they are now being used more than ever. In Epping, a hotel has become a target for local protests by people no longer prepared to accept scores of young men being foisted on them. The residents are exercising their rights to object to a set of circumstances over which they have no control and about which they were never consulted. When they hear themselves described as racist thugs they are entitled to feel aggrieved. Essex Police, which has been criticised for the way it has handled days of protests, claims to have been even-handed. But by escorting pro-migrant demonstrators to the hotel, essentially to confront local people, the force's impartiality is open to question. Moreover, it has unwittingly encouraged extremists from the Left and Right to descend on Epping to cause the very trouble the police are meant to prevent. The force must be seen to act in an even-handed way while ensuring the two sides do not end up fighting one another in the streets. No one pretends this is easy but it will require the sort of adept policing that has not been the forte of Essex constabulary, to put it charitably. In the end, the fault lies with the abject failure of the Home Office to find realistic alternatives to hotels for migrants who have crossed the Channel. It is time the ex-military camps, that were once going to be used to incarcerate and process the arrivals, were reopened.


Daily Mail
9 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Moment millionaire mining tycoon 'gets in solicitor's face and pushes him against a window' after he refused to be a witness in court battle
The moment a millionaire mining tycoon seemingly got in a solicitor's face and pushed him against a window after he refused to be a witness in court was caught on CCTV. David Lewis confronted Robert Davies MBE outside the lawyer's office in Newport. Mr Lewis, whose company operated Merthyr Tydfil's controversial Ffos-y-Fran mine, was cautioned for assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH) and was later prosecuted. However, the case has since been dropped, prompting Mr Davies to release CCTV of the ordeal. The dramatic footage, seen first by WalesOnline, appears to show 75-year-old Mr Davies exiting the office to his firm, RDP Law, while Mr Lewis is outside in his car. Lewis is outside in his car. The mining tycoon, 68, then exits the vehicle and approaches Mr Davies before appearing to get right in his face. Mr Lewis then seems to follow him to the side of the building, with the lawyer appeared to be pinned up against a window. Mr Lewis then seems to follow him to the side of the building in Newport Mr Lewis is the director of Merthyr (South Wales) Ltd, which ran Ffos y Fran - the UK's last opencast coal mine - from 2007 until two years ago when it shut down. The company is currently embroiled in controversy over the land's restoration. Mr Davies has claimed the background to the confrontation regards a civil court case. He told WalesOnline: 'In April 2024, proceedings between companies controlled by Mr Lewis, and a third party, were heard by the High Court in London. Both parties had wanted me as a witness; I declined, but appeared when summoned by the court to do so.' After Mr Davies provided evidence in the High Court, he claims he received a visit from Mr Lewis on May 16 last year while heading out the office. In a statement to police, he said: 'I noticed there was a black convertible car parked in the bay immediately to the right of the front door of the office as one walks out. 'As I was leaving the front entrance, I turned left towards my car and heard someone call: 'Come here you f***ing little s***.' After a police investigation was carried out, a PC emailed Mr Davies: 'Mr Lewis will receive a conditional caution for [assault occasioning actual bodily harm] with the condition to attend a victim awareness course.' After being cautioned, Mr Lewis allegedly failed to comply with the condition, which led to a prosecution being brought for ABH. However, when Mr Lewis appeared at Newport Magistrates' Court this month, the case was reportedly dropped, leaving Mr Davies furious. Prosecutor Adam Warner later wrote to Mr Davies saying: 'I am writing to let you know that I have reviewed the charge of assault occasioning you actual bodily harm on May 16, 2024, and made the decision to stop the prosecution. The reason for my decision is that a six-month time limit to commence a prosecution for the appropriate offence has passed.' MailOnline has contacted Mr Davies for comment, and attempted to contact Mr Lewis for comment.