Latest news with #AdamBrooks
Global News
02-06-2025
- Sport
- Global News
ANALYSIS: Could hometown hero Toews finish NHL career in Winnipeg?
Five Manitoba-born players have suited up for the Winnipeg Jets in the 14-year history of the 2.0 version of the franchise. There is a genuine opportunity for that number to grow to six in season 15. The last Manitoban to wear a Jets jersey in an NHL regular-season game was Winnipegger Adam Brooks in 2021-22. Story continues below advertisement Cody Eakin is the only homegrown product to appear in the post-season for Winnipeg — and that was the play-in series versus Calgary in the Edmonton Bubble in 2020. Quinton Howden, Eric Fehr and Derek Meech are the only others with a Manitoba birth certificate of the group of 160 players who have played for the 2.0 Jets. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy But there is every reason to believe that come July 1, or maybe even sooner, it won't be a reach that Jonathan Toews could become the next made-in-Manitoba product to join that list. And without a doubt, there would be the expectation — both from himself and the hockey club — to make the biggest impact. Toews, through his agent Pat Brisson, has made it clear he's ready to return to the National Hockey League. I'm not sure there would be a better fit than his hometown Jets. Story continues below advertisement There is no doubt the three-time Stanley Cup champ wouldn't be putting himself out there if he didn't believe he could still be an effective NHL player. Even after a more-than-two-year absence. And even at the age of 37. Forget about the sentimental aspect of 'Captain Serious' finishing a Hall of Fame career in front of his family and friends. The Jets are a legitimate Cup contender. They are deep up front, so Toews doesn't need to be 'the guy.' But there is still a big enough role available at second-line centre to provide plenty of appeal to a very proud player. Winnipeg will not be the only team interested. But the Jets just might offer the opportunity that turns out to be the most interesting for Toews. 4:25 John Shannon on the Jets: Looking to the offseason
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Free family fun day to give people a ‘taste of cycling' at North East velodrome
A free family fun day to give people of all ages a taste of cycling will be held at a North East velodrome over the bank holiday weekend. To mark a change of management at the Middlesbrough Velodrome, based at the Sports Village, NE Cycling CIC have organised different activities that will take place on Saturday (May 24), between 1pm and 5pm. As well as a range of local vendors, there will be children's coaching sessions, group rides and various interactive activities such as cycling demos, challenges and opportunities to experience the velodrome track. Various sycling activities have been arranged to give people a taste of the sport (Image: NE CYCLING) Adam Brooks, CEO and head of coaching and facilities, said: 'Saturday will be about demonstrating to everyone a bit of everything that is going on here at the Velodrome. 'We will be showing people what track cycling is, so people of all ages can get involved for the first time and have a bit of fun too – for free. Most read: 'Extremely rare' and 'collectable' 50p being sold for over £20k in County Durham The North East restaurant attracting Hollywood actors and host of other celebs 'We love it here': Emmerdale and I'm A Celeb star takes family trip to seaside town 'There will be skills courses for the little ones, mountain bike and cyclo-cross courses and Wattbike vhallenges, alongside the event village where there will be food vendors, face painters - and whatever else. 'It will feel like a mini-cycle festival and we hope to grow this year on year by holding it annually. We want this to be a hub for cycling where people come and get a flavour for everything to do with cycling.' After Saturday's family fun day, the best juniors from across the country will compete in the National Track Sprint Futures Series on Sunday (May 26).
Daily Mail
15-05-2025
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Fury as children are being advertised stab-proof vests for £50 on social media as Britain's youth knife crime epidemic soars to record highs
British children are being advertised stab-proof vests for £50 on social media in a 'dangerous' new trend campaigners fear will put lives at risk, MailOnline can reveal. Videos seemingly aimed at youths have appeared on TikTok and Snapchat in the past few weeks flogging body armour, with clips being viewed thousands of times. It comes amid claims terrified teenagers fear being stabbed in schools or outside their homes as Britain's knife crime crisis continues to spiral out of control. In one video, uncovered by MailOnline, youths wearing face masks and balaclavas are seen gathered around a Lamborghini Gallardo before showing off the stab vests. In another, those advertising the defensive kit say they can protect children 'going out to collect milk for their mothers' as well as gangsters venturing into enemy territory. But anti-knife campaigners say the videos risk 'glamorising' knife violence and have demanded the Government takes swift action. Adam Brooks, whose father was brutally hacked to death by a machete gang almost 34 years ago, feared the trend will lead to a fresh wave of bloodshed. He told MailOnline: 'This is a worrying development and it needs to be stamped out pretty quickly. 'The dangerous thing about this group selling stab vests is that it will lure young kids into a false sense of security thinking they will be all right. 'It worries me kids could think they're indestructible and suddenly come unstuck. 'These "vests" won't protect them from being stabbed in the face, neck or legs. It will encourage children to stab each other. It will make young people more of a target.' In the UK, there are currently no legal restrictions on the purchase and ownership of stab protection products. Likewise, selling them is not illegal. The group behind the videos flogging the stab vests are believed to be based in Birmingham - but claim they can ship their products nationwide. Analysis by MailOnline has revealed at least one of the clips was filmed in the Yardley district of the city - which is the constituency of Labour MP and Home Office minister, Jess Phillips. In one video filmed in a car park at night, a man dressed in a red coat and black and white keffiyeh - a traditional Middle Eastern headdress - is seen sitting a pick-up truck sporting one of the stab vests. 'Salam Alaikum my people,' he says. 'We say if you've got to get milk for your mum from the "op block" - get a stab-proof vest... you shouldn't have "ops" anyway, but if you do, get a stab-proof.' In one video, filmed outside a KFC in Birmingham, a young male is seen being confronted by two other youths before running off to collect a stab-proof vest Another youth wearing a black ski mask, sunglasses, bucket hat and black, Stone Island trousers, adds: '£50 a vest, delivery to all over the UK. You heard my boy.' An 'op' is a slang term often used in rap or gang culture relating to an 'adversary' or 'enemy'. In another video, this time filmed at the back of a KFC in Birmingham 's Yew Tree Retail Park, one male is seen rowing with two others youths. A caption on the video reads: 'Don't get caught lacking this summer', followed by a 'sun' and 'knife' emoji. The boy is then seen sprinting away to a group of six men, most wearing balaclavas and ski masks, before one puts a stab vest on him. The lad then turns back to confront the pair as they dash away - with the video fading to an advert for the stab vest saying: 'Don't get caught lacking this summer'. The disturbing new trend comes amid fears Britain's knife crime epidemic has reached unprecedented levels of violence, with campaigners warning the nation's streets are turning into a blood-soaked 'hellscape'. Mr Brooks, who was 11 when his father Alan was hacked to death by a machete gang after banning a group of drug dealers from his pub in July 1991, is among those campaigning for change. The father-of-three - who was previously stabbed and used to carry a knife when he was younger - said the authorities must intervene to stop the sale of body armour to children and young people. 'This is sending a terrible message to youths. It highlights just how bad Britain's streets have become,' he warned. 'This will encourage a wave of knife crime and bloodshed across the UK. It's irresponsible and dangerous. 'This is the sad state of affairs that we are in... This could drag normal youths into gang violence or knife violence. This could escalate the problem.' Influencer publican Mr Brooks - who runs the Three Colts boozer in Buckhurst Hill, Essex - feared the vests could also lead to tragic accidents. 'Groups of friends could try out how good these vests are and accidentally stab their mates to death while testing out them out. That's the sort of tragedy we could see,' he warned. He is calling for mandatory five-year sentences for adults caught carrying blades on the street, and three years for youths. It comes amid a 'national emergency' which has seen the scourge of knife crime spread to every corner of England and Wales. County lines drugs gangs and rival cartels are warring in city streets while youngsters in towns are carrying knives into school and slaughtering children in parks. Mr Brooks has teamed up with Norman Brennan, a former police officer and director of the Law and Order Foundation, t o launch a petition calling for tougher penalties for knife yobs. So far, around 35,000 people have signed up to the campaign calling for a debate in parliament. The target is 100,000. Mr Brennan - who was almost stabbed to death tackling a burglar while serving as a cop in London - warned the 'tsunami' of bloodshed washing over Britain had now reached apocalyptic levels. 'This is a national crisis. It is an emergency like I've never seen. We are heading to the abyss,' he told MailOnline over the weekend. 'We have slipped into a tide of anarchy. There's no police on the streets. The public don't feel safe. Criminals walk around now feeling untouchable. 'I predicted this knife crime epidemic 20 years ago. I've been warning governments of all political colours of the perfect storm that was coming - and now it's here. It's a tsunami... it's a tide of bloodshed.' The revelation seems to echo a hard-hitting advert by the C hildren's Society in 2019 for a fake online shop selling child-sized stab-proof vests. The organisation launched the 'The Store of Modern Childhood' in a bid to raise money for vulnerable children by taking users to a donation page when they click on the advert. All of the fake products on the site were listed as free, with users able to make a donation of £12 - £50, which went towards helping the charity's mental health services across England and Wales. At the time, it was part of an effort showing how children's happiness in Britain had fallen to its lowest level in a decade. The stab-proof vest promised to fit children aged 11 to 18 with the description saying children are able to 'wear it in or out of school to stop all but the most determined blades!' Last month campaigners in Wales warned the campaign was now becoming a reality, with teens buying stab vests online and wearing them to school or stashing them in bushes near their homes. Reformed drug dealer-turned-anti-knife campaigner Wes Cunliffe, of Newport, said a series of high-profile killings of teens were fuelling fears among children. 'A lot of young people I know are wearing stab vests because they're thinking someone could attack at any given time,' Mr Cunliffe, 34, told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast. 'When you see things like Temu come up on your apps, it actually comes up with stab vests. And then they stash them locally around the communities and estates in Newport.' Mr Cunliffe now works with children and has been a youth mentor for eight years. He says he is increasingly being told young people are now carrying blades out of 'fear'. He added: 'Everywhere you look on social media, you see young people, balaclavas on, attacking each other with machetes, knives, hammers, screwdrivers. The violence is absolutely unreal.' Back in Birmingham, and the city is among one of the worst affected by knife crime in England and Wales outside of London. West Midlands anti-knife crime mentor Malachi Nunes said: 'Knife crime is higher in the West Midlands because young people here follow the trend of what's happening in the capital. London has a big influence on cities like Birmingham. 'More young people are carrying knives now because their school friends are being stabbed and they don't feel safe, even at school.' The West Midlands Police area - which covers Birmingham - last year had the highest rate of knife crime offences in England and Wales, according to a national study. Offences involving a knife per 100,000 of the population, in the force area in 2023, totalled 180, up from 167 in 2022. Over the same period, London's Metropolitan Police force had a total of 165. Overall however, across all West Midlands regional forces, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures show crime has fallen by five per cent.
Daily Mail
11-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Campaigners demand minimum five-year jail term for knife thugs amid fears Britain's blood-soaked streets are turning into a 'lawless hellscape'
Britain's knife crime epidemic has reached such crisis levels the nation now faces plunging into the 'abyss' of a 'lawless hellscape' unless urgent action is taken. That's the chilling warning victims have today issued to Prime Minster Sir Keir Starmer as they demand tougher jail terms for knife thugs. Campaigners are calling for mandatory five-year sentences for adults caught carrying blades on the street, and three years for youths. It comes amid a 'national emergency' which has seen the scourge of knife crime spread to every corner of England and Wales. County lines drugs gangs and rival cartels are warring in city streets while youngsters in towns are carrying knives into school and slaughtering children in parks. Norman Brennan, a former police officer and director of the Law and Order Foundation - which campaigns for victims - said the 'tsunami' of bloodshed washing over Britain had now reached apocalyptic levels. Mr Brennan - who was almost stabbed to death tackling a burglar during his time as a London cop - has teamed up with publican influencer Adam Brooks, whose father was murdered by a machete gang, to call for tougher sentences. 'This is a national crisis. It is an emergency like I've never seen. We are heading to the abyss,' he said. In this chilling footage, two men who appear to be armed with machetes, were seen confronting each other at a packed market in East Ham, east London in October 'We have slipped into a tide of anarchy. There's no police on the streets. The public don't feel safe. Criminals walk around now feeling untouchable. 'I predicted this knife crime epidemic 20 years ago. I've been warning governments of all political colours of the perfect storm that was coming - and now it's here. It's a tsunami... it's a tide of bloodshed.' The pair have launched a petition calling for change. In a matter of days, more than 32,000 people signed it. It needs 100,000 to be debated in parliament. Currently a person aged 18 or over who is convicted of a second knife offence faces a mandatory minimum sentence of six months imprisonment and at least a four-month detention and training order for 16- and 17-year-olds. The maximum sentence for possession of a knife is four years. However, Norman and Adam hope harsher jail terms will act as a 'deterrence', and prevent youngsters from arming themselves with a knife and stabbing someone. For Adam, it's an issue devastatingly close to his heart. The father-of-three runs the Three Colts pub in Buckhurst Hill, Essex, following in the footsteps of his dad, Alan - who was brutally murdered in July 1991. Alan was the landlord at The Gunmakers Arms boozer and the Clydesdale pub when he was hacked to death by machete-wielding gangsters after barring a notorious group of drug dealers from his boozer days earlier. Adam was just 11 when his father was slaughtered and said the impact of losing his 'idol' and 'hero' - a respected East End boxer - had ruined his life and sent him on a 'suicide mission' in his youth, picking fights with criminals and bouncers. 'There isn't a day that goes by when I don't think of my dad. That was in 1991. That was 34 years ago. It's a pain that you feel for the rest of your life,' Adam told MailOnline. 'As a kid it messed me a couple of years I was on a suicide mission. It's like I was seeking out the most dangerous person I could have a row with. 'I went on a bit of a kamikaze run for a few years, picking fights with doormen and gangsters and all sorts. 'Now I've got a 15-year-old son and I'm petrified of what could happen to him... I'm that scared, if I had enough money I'd think about moving my children to another country.' Speaking bluntly of the UK's knife scourge, he said: 'In certain areas, it's a hellscape.' Adam, who himself has been stabbed, said the devastating consequences knife crime can have on the families of the victims, was unimaginable. 'You're inflicting pain on families and friends for the rest of their lives. But you're also ruining your own life too and the lives of your family. There's no upside to carrying knives,' he added. Stark figures show knife crime continues to rise, with recent figures for England and Wales showing a staggering 50,973 offences being recorded in 2023/24 - marking an 80 per cent surge in the last 10 years, the Office For National Statistics said. In London, there has been a dramatic 17.4 per cent hike as the capital reached a shameful 14-year high of 15,859 offences, up from 12,786 the year before. According to the Crime in England and Wales 2024 report, around 30 per cent of knife-enabled crime was recorded by the Metropolitan Police Service. And in the quaint communities of Avon and Somerset, the region has seen a breathtaking 32 per cent explosion in knife crime. Even in some of the UK's most desirable places to live, like Norwich and Guildford, aren't immune to the modern menace of knife crime. The counties they grace have seen a steep rise in knife-related offences over the last eight years - 196 per cent for Norfolk and an almost unbelievable 681 per cent for Surrey, home to Britain's 'stockbroker belt'. While knife crime in both areas remains relatively low compared to the rest of the country, they are representative of a wider phenomenon that is worrying police and crime experts. MailOnline's analysis of police figures shows other English and Welsh counties that saw the highest rise in knife offences from 2015/16 to 2023/24 are also largely rural in character. In second place after Surrey was Gwent with a 240 per cent increase, followed by Norfolk and then Avon and Somerset (134 per cent). 'We have a knife crime epidemic in this country and it is only getting worse,' Mr Brooks added in a post on social media. 'Our Government wants to do these silly propaganda stunts like rounding the edges of knives... Rounding the edges is never going to stop knife crime – it's not even going to make the tiniest of difference. 'It's all for propaganda and all for brownie points. We need tough action; we need five-year mandatory sentences if you're caught in public with a knife. 'We need these knives off our streets and the only way that happens is through tough action and through deterrence; we need to up stop and search and make these people realise they can be stopped at any time and if they're caught with a knife their going to prison for five years. 'No ifs, no buts, no appeals – you're caught with a knife... you're going to go away. Say goodbye to your family and off you go because we need these knives off the street.' As well as calling for harsher jail sentences, Mr Brennan and Mr Brooks are also demanding for mass stop and search powers to be ramped up, a new national education and mentor programme for children and for parents to take greater responsibility if their children are caught with a blade. A spokeswoman for the Metropolitan Police told MailOnline: 'Tackling violence remains a top priority for the Met, with targeted activity occurring in across all parts of the organisation to tackle everything from organised groups who habitually use violence to facilitate their criminal enterprises to those causing harm in their neighbourhoods through anti-social behaviour and criminality. 'The factors that contribute to people carrying and using knives are complex and require the collective effort of police, local partners, charities and our communities. 'We have already seen some success, reducing the number of personal robberies by over 10 per cent, which makes up a large proportion of knife crime. We are also reducing the number of victims who are injured by knives and sharp objects specifically, and have achieved significant reductions of 18% less victims injured by violence. 'We will continue to prioritise our activity and proactively target those causing the most harm.'
