
Police seize supercars worth £6m in anti-social driving crackdown
The Metropolitan Police said the cars were either unroadworthy or being driven illegally.
The operation was launched following complaints from residents, businesses and visitors about high-value cars causing disruption in and around Hyde Park, Kensington and Chelsea.
Officers worked with the Motor Insurers' Bureau to issue tickets for a range of offences including driving with no insurance, no licence, disqualification, false documentation and fraudulent number plates.
Several stolen vehicles were recovered, with 10 others found to have no valid MoT and 11 without road tax.
A Ferrari 812, which can cost upwards of £200,000, was seized by police during the operation (Metropolitan Police/PA)
Eight people were arrested for offences including actual bodily harm (ABH), criminal damage, drug offences, theft and immigration breaches.
Those arrested include a 22-year-old man from Hammersmith, held for ABH and criminal damage, who was remanded in custody.
Another man, aged 25 and from London, was charged with possession of a class B drug.
A 27-year-old man from Watford was arrested for theft of a motor vehicle and released under investigation.
A 23-year-old man from Twickenham was remanded after being arrested on suspicion of theft of a motor vehicle, dangerous driving, failing to stop for police, driving without insurance or a licence, and drug-driving.
Three men, aged 26, 35 and 39, and a 23-year-old woman, all from London, were arrested on suspicion of immigration offences.
Special Chief Officer James Deller said the operation responded to concerns over 'high-value vehicles causing a nuisance in known hotspot areas in central and west London'.
He added: 'The Met has already reduced neighbourhood crime by 19% over recent months and we're addressing anti-social behaviour caused by uninsured drivers.
'This has been a great opportunity to work with the Motor Insurers' Bureau and for officers to speak with members of the public about the work we do, educate drivers and enforce the law.'
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Telegraph
41 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Woman thought trans officer could ‘kill her during sexual assault'
A young woman who alleges that she was sexually assaulted by a now-transgender volunteer Metropolitan Police officer told a court she thought he could 'kill' her. Amersham Law Courts heard that James Bubb, who now identifies as a woman named Gwyn Samuels but will be referred to by his biological sex throughout the trial, allegedly assaulted the woman multiple times while she was between the ages of 12 and 18. The trial heard they met on Omegle, a video chat site, in 2018 when the complainant was 12 and the defendant was about 21, before meeting in person for the first time at a Christian festival a few months later. On Thursday, the complainant said she was 18 when Bubb allegedly assaulted her at his flat in Chesham. The defendant is charged with assault by penetration in relation to the complainant and the alleged assault last year. 'I didn't consent' Of this alleged assault, prosecutor Richard Milne asked: 'You said the word that he had 'raped' you, can you explain what aspects of the sexual activity between you were in your mind rape and why?' The complainant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, replied: 'The fact that I didn't consent, I couldn't consent with the gag in my mouth, I didn't feel there was any way to consent that.' She went on to say that she froze during the alleged attack, which she thought could 'ruin my chance of fertility for life, and potentially kill me'. The complainant said she had told the defendant she was five years older when they first started speaking online, had sent him photos of herself wearing her school uniform but was 'scared' he would reject her if she revealed her true age. The alleged victim's mother told the court that she could often hear a 'male voice' coming from her child's bedroom at night when the complainant was about 11 to 12. She clarified that she thought this voice belonged to 'a man'. The trial previously heard that Bubb allegedly sexually assaulted the complainant on Shepherd's Bush Green while she was visiting London with her parents to celebrate her forthcoming 13th birthday. 'Very subdued' Of this trip, her mother told jurors that her child had 'disappeared' for a period while the family were in a shopping centre buying her birthday presents, and that the complainant's father said he thought she had 'gone to meet a friend'. 'She didn't come back, we were meant to board the train to go home and I'd waited, we'd waited for half an hour, maybe an hour, and I began to get really panicked,' she said. After the child returned, her mother said she seemed 'very subdued' on their journey home and did not tell her about the alleged assault until 'much later on'. The defendant, wearing a white shirt and black cardigan, dabbed his eyes and appeared to be crying at points during the hearing. The 27-year-old has denied one count of rape in relation to one complainant, and two counts of rape, two counts of sexual activity with a child, one count of assault of a child under 13 by penetration, one count of rape of a child under 13 and one count of assault by penetration in relation to the other complainant. A not guilty verdict on one of the rape charges in relation to a second complainant was returned on Wednesday after the prosecution offered no evidence. All charges are alleged to have taken place between Jan 1 2018 and April 2 2024. The defendant, of High Street, Chesham, Buckinghamshire, denies all charges. The trial continues.


Metro
an hour ago
- Metro
Gang bundled pregnant woman into van and threatened to cut her fingers off
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Three men have been jailed after kidnapping a pregnant woman and threatening to cut off her fingers. Audi Johnson, Ahmad Ghiasi, and Nicholas Mitchell bundled their victim, who was six months pregnant, into a van outside her home in Enfield, north London, on May 10 of last year. Her hands were bound with cable ties and questioned her about her partner, with one threatening to 'kick the baby out your stomach' if she lied to them. They made a series of phone calls to her partner, threatening to cut off her fingers if he didn't carry out their demands for money and jewellery. The victim was left alone and managed to escape the van, despite being bound at the wrists and blindfolded, and fled to her mum's house in a taxi. Police tracked down the van that same night and the three kidnappers were identified using DNA evidence, fingerprints and mobile phone data. All three appeared at Kingston crown court today where: Audi Johnson, 35, of Cranberry Close, Northolt pleaded guilty to conspiracy to kidnap and was sentenced to five years and four months Ahmad Ghiasi, 26, of Fourth Avenue, Luton was sentenced to seven years for conspiracy to kidnap Nicholas Mitchell, 55, of Mannock Close, Barnet was sentenced to nine years for conspiracy to kidnap In a statement submitted to the court, the victim said she hasn't been able to return to her home since the kidnapping, spending the rest of her pregnancy sleeping on her sister's sofa. She said: 'The incident ruined my life. I will never be the same person again. I am having to start my life all over again. 'I will forever have fear and paranoia as part of my life now. I didn't deserve to be a victim of what happened to me. And to top it off, it was all made so much worse by being pregnant. 'This will always be something that will be part of my pregnancy, which is meant to be a happy experience, and will always be something that is a part of my daughter.' Johnson, Ghiasi and Mitchell were members of a London-based gang, who had been contracted to carry out the kidnapping. Detective Inspector Ari Yoganathan from the Metropolitan Police said: 'The victim was leaving her home to see her personal trainer on a morning that should have been like any other. More Trending 'That a pregnant mother should be bundled into a van and kidnapped from outside her home, bound and subjected to horrific threats is a disgusting and terrifying crime. 'Officers were able to track her attackers through forensic analysis of CCTV and phone data, recordings and intelligence. 'This verdict shows how we are taking the fight to criminal gangs and committed to supporting the local communities they intimidate and threaten.' Got a story? Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ Or you can submit your videos and pictures here. For more stories like this, check our news page. Follow on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news updates. You can now also get articles sent straight to your device. Sign up for our daily push alerts here. MORE: London Vietnamese restaurant shut down after 'dog meat found in freezer' MORE: Where to sip on mini cocktails in London MORE: Guy's Hospital in London evacuated after people inhale chlorine gas in chemical incident


The Independent
3 hours ago
- The Independent
Woman thought volunteer officer could ‘kill' her during alleged sexual assault
A young woman who alleges she was sexually assaulted by a volunteer Metropolitan Police officer told a court she thought he could 'kill' her. Amersham Law Courts heard that James Bubb, who now identifies as a woman named Gwyn Samuels, assaulted the alleged victim multiple times while she was between the ages of 12 and 18. The trial heard they met on video chat site Omegle in 2018, when the complainant was 12 years old and the defendant was about 21, before meeting in person for the first time at a Christian festival a few months later. On Thursday, the complainant said she was 18 when Bubb assaulted her at the defendant's studio flat in Chesham. The defendant is charged with assault by penetration in relation to the complainant, relating to the alleged assault in 2024. Of this alleged assault, prosecutor Richard Milne asked: 'You said the word that he had 'raped' you, can you explain what aspects of the sexual activity between you were in your mind rape and why?' The complainant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, replied: 'The fact that I didn't consent, I couldn't consent with the gag in my mouth, I didn't feel there was any way to consent that.' She went on to say that she froze during the alleged attack which she thought could 'ruin my chance of fertility for life, and potentially kill me'. The complainant said she had told the defendant she was five years older when they first started speaking online, had sent them photos of herself wearing her school uniform but was 'scared' they would reject her if she revealed her true age. The alleged victim's mother told the court that she could often hear a 'male voice' coming from her child's bedroom at night when the complainant was about 11 to 12. She clarified that she thought this voice belonged to 'a man'. The trial previously heard that Bubb allegedly sexually assaulted the complainant on Shepherd's Bush Green while she was visiting London with her parents to celebrate her forthcoming 13th birthday. Of this trip, her mother told jurors that her child had 'disappeared' for a period while the family were in a shopping centre buying her birthday presents, and that the complainant's father said he thought she had 'gone to meet a friend'. 'She didn't come back, we were meant to board the train to go home and I'd waited, we'd waited for half an hour, maybe an hour, and I began to get really panicked,' she said. After the child returned, her mother said she seemed 'very subdued' on their journey home and did not tell her about the alleged assault until 'much later on'. The defendant, wearing a white shirt and black cardigan, dabbed their eyes and appeared to be crying at points during the hearing. The 27-year-old has denied one count of rape in relation to one complainant, and two counts of rape, two counts of sexual activity with a child, one count of assault of a child under 13 by penetration, one count of rape of a child under 13 and one count of assault by penetration in relation to the other complainant. A not guilty verdict on one of the rape charges in relation to the second complainant was returned on Wednesday after the prosecution offered no evidence. All charges are alleged to have taken place between January 1 2018 and April 2 2024. The defendant, of High Street, Chesham, Buckinghamshire, denies all charges. The trial continues.