Coxhoe house fire arson attack 'mistaken identity', Durham Police say
A police spokesperson said: "This was a completely reckless arson attack, which placed an innocent family with young children at risk."We do not believe that this was a random incident, but it appears that the wrong address has been targeted and a young family has been put at serious risk."The force said the blaze had been put out by the fire service on Saturday but "considerable damage" had been done to both the Mercedes and a second car parked on the drive, as well as the property's front door.
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The Independent
26 minutes ago
- The Independent
Man found guilty of murder and rape of ex-fiancee at luxury hotel
A man has been found guilty of murdering his ex-fiancee at a luxury hotel in Surrey last year. James Cartwright, 61, stood trial at Guildford Crown Court accused of killing 54-year-old Samantha Mickleburgh, whose body was found at the five-star Pennyhill Park Hotel in Bagshot on April 14 last year. The mother-of-two, from Axminster in Devon, had agreed to stay in a twin room with Cartwright – her former fiance – because she 'didn't want him to feel lonely' on his birthday, the jury was told. He phoned 999 at around 8.30am the next morning claiming he had discovered her dead beside him in bed. On Thursday, a jury unanimously convicted him of murder and rape but acquitted him of controlling or coercive behaviour. Ms Mickleburgh's loved ones cried in court after the verdicts were read out and hugged each other after the hearing. Mr Justice Murray set the sentencing date for August 8 and told the defendant: 'You have been found guilty of the murder and rape of Samantha Mickleburgh. 'You are remanded in custody to await the sentencing hearing. 'You may now go down.' Cartwright, who did not visibly react as the jury gave its verdicts, told the judge 'thank you' before leaving the dock. During the trial, jurors were told that Cartwright had lent Ms Mickleburgh tens of thousands of pounds to help renovate a property she had bought in early 2023. He claimed she owed him around £100,000 at the time of her death. The pair lived together and got engaged later that year, with Cartwright proposing on a beach during a holiday. He told the court the proposal was met with 'an immediate and emphatic yes' and described their relationship at the time as 'extremely amicable and friendly and loving'. But the relationship began to break down when Cartwright discovered 'highly sexual' messages from Ms Mickleburgh's former partner on her phone and later on her laptop. On October 2, he confronted her and admitted standing in front of her car to stop her leaving their home following an argument. 'She got into her car. It was clear that she was going to drive away,' he told the court. 'I pulled (the gate) to prevent the car from leaving. 'She chose to drive through the gate and onto the road, so I had to put myself in front of the car to stop her leaving, because the gate hadn't worked.' Cartwright said he was embarrassed by his behaviour and later apologised. Although the pair continued to live together until February 2024 and remained physically intimate, he said he no longer trusted her. Around two weeks before moving out, he found further messages between Ms Mickleburgh and her ex-partner but chose not to confront her. Instead, he said he asked if they had been in touch, and she denied it – something he described as 'almost terminal on my part'. Following their separation, Cartwright began speaking to other women on the dating app Bumble and told one that the upcoming dinner with his ex had 'the feel of a final farewell'. Another message described it as 'the last goodbye'. Cartwright said he had not yet met the women in person and was only seeking 'companionship' and 'friendship'. The defendant, of no fixed address, told the court he had been married and divorced three times and had three adult daughters.
Daily Mail
27 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
How brave daughters led police to Devil's Den suspect after he 'murdered their parents in front of them on scenic trail'
Two little girls led police to the man suspected of killing their parents in front of them while they were out on a family hike, investigators have revealed. Andrew James McGann, 28, was arrested for the murders of Clinton and Cristen Brink, 43 and 41, at Devil's Den State Park in Arkansas on Saturday. The couple's daughters, ages seven and nine, gave police a description of the man who attacked their parents with a knife, officials said on Thursday. 'The initial information that came from the kids gave us our first starting point, which was a description of a suspect,' said Arkansas State Police Major Stacey Rhodes. Police said McGann, a school teacher, attacked Clinton first, giving Cristen time to get their daughters away from the scene. 'The mother did not return all the way to the car with the kids, we believe the mother took them to safety then returned to help her husband,' said Col. Mike Hagar. The little girls eventually flagged someone in the park down and led them and police to their parents' bodies. A witness at the scene also reportedly shared images of the suspect's car - a Kia Stinger - with authorities. Police then identified the vehicle's owner and located the Kia at a barber shop in Springdale, not far from the park, where the suspect was getting a haircut. McGann did not resist arrest and confessed to the murders, according to officials, who said he appeared to made little to no effort to conceal himself or flee the area. DNA recovered at the crime scene matched McGann, officials added. The arrest marked the end of a frantic manhunt; police said they received as many as 500 tips as they searched for the suspect. Rhoads said the public's help and video footage they received was instrumental in capturing McGann. Tips came in from as far away as Washington state, she said. Arkansas prosecutor Brandon Carter said he will seek the death penalty against McGann. Col. Mike Hagar that authorities are trying to determine a motive for the attack and have no reason to believe McGann knew the couple or their children. He also said they will look into whether McGann committed other crimes across the country. The Brinks had recently moved from South Dakota to the small city of Prairie Grove in northwest Arkansas. Their water was connected less than two weeks ago, Mayor David Faulk said. Clinton Brink had been scheduled to start working as a milk delivery driver on Monday in the Fayetteville area, according to Hiland Dairy, his employer. Cristen Brink had been licensed as a nurse in Montana and South Dakota before moving to Arkansas. They had another daughter was not on the hike with them. The three sisters are now in the care of family. The Brink family said the couple died 'heroes protecting their little girls.' McGann is scheduled to appear in court on August 1. Springdale Public Schools said in a statement it had hired McGann as a teacher candidate for the upcoming year but that he had not yet had any contact with its families or students. McGann has active teaching licenses in Arkansas, Texas and Oklahoma, according to each respective government certification website. He was placed on administrative leave in spring 2023 while he was employed at Donald Elementary School in Flower Mound, Texas, 'following concerns related to classroom management, professional judgment, and student favoritism,' according to a spokesperson for the Lewisville Independent School District. McGann resigned from the Lewisville posting in May 2023, the district said in a statement.
Telegraph
27 minutes ago
- Telegraph
It's time Labour told us: whose side are they on?
There are two ways the Government could have chosen to deal with the mass migration crisis (and it is a crisis). It could have taken voters' concerns seriously. It could have tried to understand and empathise with the concerns of those who are angry at the use of local hotels for housing asylum seekers who should surely have claimed asylum in France when they had the chance. It could even have shared the anger of parents in Southport last summer – not the anger displayed in response to the riots or the demonstrations. Rather, ministers could have echoed the rage felt by residents who had just been told about the murders of three young girls. Instead, ministers adopted a different approach. As revealed by The Telegraph, the focus of government activity was apparently less about addressing the public's concern over immigration and more about targeting social media posts that criticised migrant hotels or complained of 'two-tier policing'. It has been revealed – courtesy of a US congressional committee rather than Whitehall sources – that civil servants working for the technology secretary, Peter Kyle, flagged videos with 'concerning narratives' to social media giants including TikTok, warning that they were 'exacerbating tensions' on the streets. But you know what is even more likely to exacerbate tensions on Britain's streets than a TikTok video? The maintained presence of 'asylum seekers' from developing countries whose cultural values are sometimes at odds with Western liberal values. Which is more damaging to the fabric of our society, the accusation on social media that police officers deal more harshly with some protesters than others, even if their actions are the same, or the Afghan rapist who blamed cultural and language differences between him and his victim? The leaked emails from the Government's National Security and Online Information Team (NSOIT) were centred on last year's protests following the killings in Southport. It's possible the same unit was back on the case during the recent demonstrations at an asylum hotel in Epping, around which police had to erect a ring of steel in order to protect guests from the anger of protesters. But to what extent did ministers seek to understand the rage felt by parents following the revelation that an Ethiopian asylum seeker at the hotel had been reportedly charged with sexually assaulting a schoolgirl just days after arriving in the UK? Were they more concerned about the damaging narrative of the event as portrayed on social media? Ministers still seem not to have got the message. When foreign, undocumented, unvetted young men are placed in any local community, residents' fear and suspicion is an inevitable consequence that must be acknowledged and addressed, not suppressed. Where evidence emerges of sexual assault by one of those young men, public outrage is a natural response. The days of not looking back in anger are far behind us. Silencing critical voices is not only anti-democratic, it is positively harmful and destructive to the social contract. Rather than risk its total destruction, the Government needs to repair it. It could start by reassuring the country whose side it is actually on.
