Girl, 16, 'strangled to unconsciousness by stranger' in Coleford
She had no serious injuries but was taken to hospital as a precaution.
Investigators are now trying to find the two men. One was white with tanned skin and blond hair, 5ft 9in to 6ft tall, and between 16 and 18 years old. He was wearing a green tracksuit.The second man was white, between 17 and 20 years old, and the same height. He was dressed in black.
He had brown hair, shaved shorter at the bottom and longer on top, and facial stubble.Officers are also trying to trace a member of the public who helped the girl after the attack on Old Station Way.They have asked for anyone who was in the area between 19:00 BST and 20.30 BST to contact them.
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The Independent
4 minutes ago
- The Independent
Ten more years of injustice: Figures lay bare scale of IPP scandal
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The jail term – described as 'psychological torture' by the UN – was outlawed in 2012, but not retrospectively, leaving those already jailed incarcerated indefinitely. Victims of the scandal, whose tragic cases have been highlighted by The Independent, include: Leroy Douglas, who has served almost 20 years for robbing a mobile phone; Thomas White, 42, who set himself alight in his cell and has served 13 years for stealing a phone; and Abdullahi Suleman, 41, who is still inside 19 years after he was jailed for a laptop robbery. At least 94 prisoners have taken their own lives in custody after losing hope of ever getting out. A further 37 self-inflicted deaths have taken place in the community under strict licence conditions which leave offenders in fear of being hauled back to prison indefinitely for minor breaches. Successive governments have refused justice committee recommendations to resentence IPP prisoners, claiming it will lead to dangerous prisoners being released without supervision. However an expert panel, convened by the Howard League for Penal Reform and former top judge Lord John Thomas, last month urged the government to end the injustice by giving prisoners a release date at their next review by the Parole Board within a two-year window. Other measures being considered by ministers include reducing numbers recalled to prison and providing a package of mental health support for IPP prisoners on release. The Howard League's director of campaigns, Andrew Neilson, said the data in the annual report 'underlines how much further and faster ministers will have to go to end a scandal that leaves thousands of people still in prison without an end date in sight'. 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He has been held for 17 months on his latest recall, despite facing no further police action, and told he must complete a five-month course before the Parole Board will consider him for release. The latest figures show prisoners serve a further 25 months on average before they are re-released, even if they are not convicted of a further offence. A spokesperson for The United Group for Reform of IPP (UNGRIPP) said the latest report shows the government's plan 'misses the mark in the urgency that is needed to put an end to this 20 year long injustice'. 'By sticking with this approach the government are committing themselves to a slow change scenario,' they added. 'UNGRIPP do not believe that this or any action plan can fix the IPP sentence, the only true way to fix it is through parliamentary policy and the politicians know this but are choosing to ignore it.' 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The Sun
4 minutes ago
- The Sun
Protesters clash with cops outside migrant hotel after asylum seeker appears in court over ‘sexually assaulting' girl
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Times
32 minutes ago
- Times
16-year-olds to be given vote in next UK general election
Angela Rayner has denied claims of trying to rig the political system by allowing 16-year-olds to vote at the next election, accusing critics of 'running scared' of young people. The deputy prime minister argued that lowering the voting age would get 'democracy back on track' and give frustrated teenagers 'a stake in our country's future'. However, the measure immediately provoked a row as the Conservatives accused Labour of a 'brazen' attempt to shore up support, while Nigel Farage described the move as 'an attempt to rig the political system'. Votes for 16-year-olds was not a priority for Labour's first year, but reforms pledged in the party's manifesto have now been revived. Ministers are not planning to rush changes in before next year's elections in Scotland and Wales, but they could be in place in time for local elections before the end of the parliament. Teenagers will be able to register to vote from the age of 14 — but as part of wide-ranging laws to reshape the electoral system, ministers are hoping to end the need to do so at all by bringing in automatic registration. Tougher punishments for those who harass and abuse MPs will also be introduced as ministers make hostility towards politicians an aggravating factor in sentencing. A clampdown on foreign donations has been promised, by requiring that British companies giving to political parties are carrying out 'genuine commercial activity'. In addition, recipients will have to make more effort to check the source of donations. Fines for breaking electoral rules will be increased 20-fold to £500,000, and online political adverts from campaign groups will be required to carry declarations of party affiliation. The most controversial measure is lowering the voting age to 16, which Labour denies is an attempt to boost its own support by increasing the number of left-wing younger voters. Writing for The Times, Rayner hit back at these charges. 'Unlike our opponents, this Labour government is not running scared of a generation that's hungry for change,' she said. The change is 'about fairness and transparency', 'giving the young a stake in our country's future' and 'bringing them into our communities, not excluding them', she added. Citing her own experience of becoming a single mother at 16, Rayner said 'nobody expected much of me' but recalled: 'I got a job, I paid taxes, I supported my son.' She continued: 'There are many other 16-year-olds across this country who are working hard every day, paying their taxes, caring for relatives and contributing to our society. By law, they can serve our country in the armed forces — but, unlike their peers in Scotland and Wales, 16-year-olds in England and Northern Ireland can't vote. Why not?' Rayner was forced to retract an attempt to justify the policy by claiming teenagers could marry at 16, which has not been true for two years. She argued that giving the vote to 1.6 million teenagers would strengthen the electoral system and 'include younger generations who have been failed for too long by 14 years of chaos, neglect and decline'. In a strategy paper published on Thursday she added: 'The strength of our democracy is determined by how much of the country participates, and the faith they have in the results.' Ministers are also promising more 'democratic education in schools' to encourage young people to turn out. Legislation is expected after the end of the present parliamentary session next spring. Rayner has committed to enshrine the changes into law before the next election. She criticised 'shocking abuse and intimidation' at the last election, where half of candidates reported some kind of harassment. 'Quite apart from the terrible toll on individuals, this victimisation is likely to deter many good people from standing for public office and deprive our country of their contribution,' Rayner wrote, describing it as 'an attack on our freedom'. She promised 'tougher sentences for those responsible for threatening behaviour '. Candidates' addresses will no longer have to be published. Bank cards will also be accepted as identification at polling stations. Rayner said Conservative reforms requiring ID at the ballot box 'went too far' and excluded thousands of voters. Dame Rachel de Souza, the children's commissioner, said: 'Lowering the voting age to 16 sends the message that their voices and ideas do matter.' Chris Sherwood of the NSPCC said: 'When given the opportunity to vote, young people become part of the democratic conversation and can help shape decisions that affect their lives and futures.' Luke Tryl of the polling group More in Common said: 'Given young voters tend to lean to the left, we should expect the Greens and Labour to be the bigger winners of extending the vote to 16 and 17-year-olds, with Reform doing well among young men, and the Tories the big losers. But 16 to 17-year-old voters would only make up a small proportion of the electorate, so are unlikely to shift the dial politically at a national level.' Paul Holmes, the shadow communities minister, said: 'This is a brazen attempt by the Labour Party, whose unpopularity is scaring them into making major constitutional changes without consultation.' He added: '16-year-olds will be able to vote in an election but not stand as candidates, and they will be able to vote but not permitted to buy a lottery ticket, consume alcohol, marry or go to war. This is a hopelessly confusing policy.' Analysis: lowering voting age may not benefit Labour By and large, existing voters do not want to extend the franchise (Chris Smyth writes). Polls show about half are opposed, with only about a third backing the change. Nor is electoral reform top of many people's priority list, making it in some ways an odd choice for legislation in the first session of a government facing so many challenges in areas voters do really care about. The obvious explanation is raw political expediency: young people are more likely to vote Labour, so adding 1.6 million of them to the electoral register will boost Sir Keir Starmer's hopes of re-election. Voters themselves incline to this view, with polling suggesting most think Starmer is doing it to benefit Labour. Undoubtedly Labour is the most popular party among the young. Latest polls give it 28 per cent among those aged 18-24, compared to 22 among the whole electorate, where Reform UK leads on 28 per cent. Yet Sir Keir Starmer cannot assume that adding even younger voters will automatically benefit Labour. Nigel Farage has showed an unrivalled ability to reach out to Gen Z on social media, and has more than a million TikTok followers, more than all other MPs combined. Young men in particular, are leaning towards Reform, with More in Common finding a seven-point lead for Farage over Labour among 18 to 24-year-old men. Even more dangerous may the risk to the left. The Greens score 26 per cent among younger voters, only narrowly behind Labour, and are ahead among young women. Pro-Gaza candidates did best in areas with lots of 16 and 17-year-olds and the emergency of a Jeremy Corbyn-led party to harness left-wing anger could easily draw youth votes away from Labour. With Labour dealing with the messy compromises of government, there is a real risk that idealistic younger voters will go elsewhere, while the right-wing youth vote is energised in opposition. Starmer won the last election by promising to bring back grown-up government after years of chaos. The danger now is he ends up fighting the next one like a frustrated parent trying in vain to make angry teenagers listen.
