Seventh person charged with murder over Plymouth acid attack
She appeared at Plymouth Magistrates' Court earlier and was remanded into custody until her next appearance at crown court. Six other people appeared in court charged with murder at the beginning of June.
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Daily Mail
31 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Father-of-two stabbed an armed intruder to death to protect his partner and children after masked gang burst into his home and started beating him: Five men are jailed
A father-of-two stabbed an armed intruder to death after he was beaten with a crowbar in front of his family. Six masked men burst into his North Yorkshire home, and he was forced to protect his partner and their two children. Defending himself and his terrified family, he grabbed a man and, in the struggle, fatally stabbed one of the intruders. Armed with weapons, they wore dark clothing and balaclavas to barge into a house in Selby in March 2022. The other five men fled in a getaway car while the man, who has not been named, called 999 and tried to save the sixth intruder's life. Police and paramedics raced to the home, but the gang member died at the scene. The other gang members have now been jailed for almost 70 years in total. The homeowner was not charged with any offences in connection with the sixth gang member's death. A major investigation was launched, which included a manhunt for the masked attackers, with all five identified and arrested over the following 48 hours. Alan James Hall, 34, of Selby, Daniel Welford, 31, of Pontefract, Max Jackson, 33, of Stockton on the Forest, York, Kallan Hunt, 35, of no fixed abode and Andrew Richardson, 38, of Doncaster, South Yorkshire, were later found guilty of aggravated burglary. During interviews, only Welford placed himself at the scene but downplayed his involvement, stating he didn't know what the others were going to do. Richardson denied any involvement in the offence, claiming he went to the scene when he found out his friend had been stabbed to death. Hall denied committing any offences and then, when presented with the evidence, gave 'no comment' answers. When presented with the fact that his blood was found at the address, Hall suggested he had a cut on his hand from a dog bite. Jackson denied any involvement and told interviewers that he didn't know anything about the burglary, as he wasn't there. In a subsequent interview, he maintained he didn't go into the address and answered 'no comment' to all questions. Hunt denied any offences and gave a prepared statement saying he was at another address when he heard something had happened. When presented with evidence including phone work, CCTV and witness accounts, he provided 'no comment' answers. A force spokesperson said: 'The intricate investigation used traditional and digital forensic opportunities, including CCTV, telecommunications analysis, fingerprint and DNA examinations to identify all five individuals, placing them together before, during and post-offence. 'A number of key witnesses were also interviewed during the investigation.' All five were charged with aggravated burglary in October 2023. However, due to the number of defendants involved and the backlog of court cases, the case was sent to Leeds Crown Court but could not be listed for trial until July 2025. The defendants faced compelling evidence thanks to a thorough forensic examination of the scene, vehicle and weapons that gave further corroboration to those involved in the attack. In the face of overwhelming evidence, Hall and Richardson pleaded guilty on first day of the trial. The three other men pleaded not guilty, but the jury unanimously found them guilty of aggravated burglary. Earlier this month, Jackson and Welford were jailed for 13 years each. Richardson and Hall were jailed for 11 years, 4 months each. Hunt was deemed by a judge to be a dangerous offender and jailed for 19 years, with a further five years on extended license at the end of that sentence. Several members of the investigation team were awarded a Judge's Commendation for their work on securing convictions. Detective Sergeant Jon Kenworthy of North Yorkshire Police's Major Investigation Team said: 'This was a pre-meditated, violent and distressing attack on the victims, who were home with two very young children. 'Violent acts of this nature committed on North Yorkshire communities are rare but will not go un-punished and our teams will work relentlessly, however long it takes to bring offenders to justice. 'Ultimately this has turned into a fatal incident for one of the perpetrators. 'Any loss of life is a tragedy to the family and the full circumstances of his death have been impartially and diligently investigated.' He added: 'Today's outcome sends a clear reminder to anyone who decides to go masked up, tooled up intending to cause acts of violence to people and property, of the risks and the consequences, of their decision-making. 'You will find yourself in custody and you will be held to account for your actions - the offenders will now all be spending a considerable amount of time, in their cells reflecting on their poor decision-making that night. 'I commend the actions of the first attending officers who rushed to the scene to try and save the life of the man who was fatally injured as well as secure and preserve the scene. 'A large police investigation used several departments and specialised officers who were proactive and persistent throughout the investigation to ensure all available evidence was secured.'
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Former priest ‘instilled culture of fear' enabling him to sexually abuse women
A former priest convicted of sexual offences against nine women 'instilled a culture of fear' within church members which enabled him to abuse his victims, the Crown Prosecution Service has said. Christopher Brain, 68, from Wilmslow, Cheshire, was the leader of the Nine O'Clock Service (NOS), part of the Church of England, in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, between 1986 and 1995. On Wednesday, he was found guilty of 17 counts of indecent assault during the years he led the movement by a jury at Inner London Crown Court. The former priest was cleared of a further 15 counts of indecent assault. The following day, the 11-strong jury was discharged after failing to reach a verdict on five more counts, having started deliberations on August 12. In total, Brain was charged with one count of rape and 36 counts of indecent assault between 1981 and 1995 against 13 women. He pleaded not guilty to all charges. Julie Moss, senior crown prosecutor of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: 'Chris Brain abused the trust and power he gained as a religious leader to sexually exploit and abuse young women. 'He instilled a culture of fear to subjugate and control NOS members into submission and to do his bidding. 'Brain discouraged members of the Nine O Clock service from having any contact with family or friends outside of the NOS community to isolate members them and make them susceptible to his control.' Ms Moss said Brain had set up a 'home base team' where he required female NOS members to assist his household, including 'attending upon him in his bedroom' before he slept, which is when many of the offences occurred. She added: 'The victims were too scared of being excluded from the religious group to refuse. 'This became known as the 'putting to bed rota'. 'Brain clearly engaged in controlling behaviour and is a narcissist who subjected his victims to awful and horrendous act of sexual violence. 'We hope that these convictions help in some part to see justice delivered for the victims.' Addressing the jury on Thursday, Judge Freya Newbery said: 'I am going to discharge you now on those counts. For you it all comes to an end now. 'I am really grateful for such a lot of time that you have given.' Ms Newbury gave the jurors the option of exemption from jury service if summoned within the next 10 years. A further hearing to determine whether prosecutors believe there are grounds for a retrial for the charges was set for September 4.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Warning far-right has ‘hijacked' women's safety for political gain
Leading women's rights groups have warned that the far right movement has 'hijacked' the issue of women's safety for political gain. More than 100 organisations have written to prime minister Sir Keir Starmer to urge the government to stop far-right groups from 'weaponising' violence against women and girls (VAWG) for a 'racist, anti-migrant agenda'. It comes after weeks of far-right protests outside hotels housing asylum seekers across the country, with many participants claiming to be there under the banner of 'protecting' women and girls in their community. The letter states how in recent weeks, the organisations had seen 'vital conversations' about VAWG be 'hijacked by an anti-migrant agenda' that 'fuels division' and harms survivors. The groups have expressed concerns that the issue is being 'hijacked by people seeking to use women and girls' pain and trauma – and the threat of it – for political gain'. The letter, co-ordinated by End Violence Against Women Coalition, Women for Refugee Women, Hibiscus and Southall Black Sisters, read: 'Over recent weeks, people claiming to care about the 'safety of women and children' have left families, women and children living in temporary asylum accommodation afraid to leave their front door. 'They follow in the footsteps of the rioters who used the appalling murder of three young girls as an excuse to bring violence to our streets; with targeted attacks against migrant, minoritised and Muslim communities.' The statement was supported by frontline organisations including Rape Crisis England and Wales, Refuge and the Suzy Lamplugh Trust. The groups have joined to 'refuse to let women's safety be turned into hate speech' and have told the government to act urgently to prevent misinformation spreading. They warned that they had seen MPs share false statistics about the nationality of perpetrators, and warned that ministers saying protestors have 'legitimate concerns' risks 'normalising and enabling the spreading of racist narratives by the far-right'. The organisations warn that false narratives reinforce 'damaging myths' about gender-based violence, such as that it primarily comes from strangers. They say the false picture allows perpetrators who harm women and girls 'to hide behind racial stereotypes and scapegoating', while hostile immigration policies put marginalised women and survivors in the UK at an 'even greater risk of harm'. 'The far-right has long exploited the cause of ending violence against women and girls to promote a racist, white supremacist agenda,' Andrea Simon, director of the End Violence Against Women Coalition, said. 'These attacks against migrant and racialised communities are appalling and do nothing to improve women and girls' autonomy, rights and freedoms.' Andrea Vukovic, co-director of Women for Refugee Women, said the organisation had supported women in recent weeks that had fled war and persecution, and have been too afraid to leave their homes due to attacks on migrant and racialised communities. Selma Taha, executive director of Southall Black Sisters said: 'Attempts to weaponize VAWG through racist scapegoating of migrants not only distract from real solutions, but also deepen the marginalisation of Black, minoritised and migrant victim-survivors. 'The government, our public institutions, and the media must take responsibility for shaping an accurate, evidence-based narrative on immigration, and must end the normalisation of far-right misinformation in debates on immigration and VAWG.' A Home Office spokesperson said: 'All acts of violence against women and girls are intolerable, so our upcoming VAWG Strategy will set out how we will protect the most vulnerable and halve these crimes in a decade. "At the same time, we know that people are concerned about the impact of illegal migration. That's why we are changing the law to deny registered sex offenders' asylum and we will do everything in our power to deport them from the UK."
