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Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Vigil for 'four beautiful souls' killed in fire
About 150 residents gathered for a prayer service in Brent, north London on Tuesday evening to remember a mother and three of her children who died in a house fire. Nusrat Usman, 43, her daughter Maryam Mikaiel, 15 and sons Musa Usman, eight, and Raees Usman, four, died when their home in Stonebridge went up in flames on Saturday morning. A 13-year-old girl, who has not been named, remains in hospital in a critical condition, while a woman in her 70s has been discharged. Local councillor Muhammed Butt told BBC London the tragedy had united the community. The vigil was held in the middle of the housing estate where the four lost their lives. Mr Butt, who is leader of Brent Council, told BBC London: "We are mourning the loss of four beautiful souls. "I live just around the corner, just across the road, and the community is so united. "Everyone knows one another so to have this tragedy you can see, you can feel the loss that people are feeling. "They care about one another, they look after one another and they care about everyone." Members of the community spoke about the loss of the family and how the father Ozzy was still coming to terms the tragedy. Eight fire engines and about 70 firefighters from stations across Wembley, Park Royal and Willesden were sent to tackle the blaze. A teddy bear and flowers were seen laid near the properties over the weekend. The London Fire Brigade said a woman and child were initially rescued from the second floor of one of the affected properties and received emergency care but were declared dead at the scene. Two more children were found inside the property and also declared dead, it added. One neighbour, who said the family had moved to the UK from Pakistan more than 20 years ago, told the BBC that after hearing smashing and screaming, she had gone out to find the building on fire. The Metropolitan Police said a man, 41, had been arrested on suspicion of murder outside the property. He has since been bailed and detained under the Mental Health Act. Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to Mother and three children who died in Brent fire named Murder arrest as mum and three children die in fire Metropolitan Police
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Yahoo
Two teens admit machete murder of boy, 14, on bus
Two teenagers have pleaded guilty to the murder of a 14-year-old boy who was attacked with machetes on a bus in south-east London. Kelyan Bokassa was stabbed 27 times as he travelled home on a route 472 bus in Woolwich on 7 January. The two boys, both aged 16, who cannot be named because of their age, appeared at the Old Bailey on Friday, where they also admitted to carrying a bladed weapon. Sentencing will take place on Friday 25 July. Kelyan's mother was heard crying in court as the pleas were entered. Emergency services were called to Woolwich Church Street, near Woolwich Ferry, just before 14.30 GMT, but Kelyan had sustained a severed femoral artery and died shortly after medics arrived. Scotland Yard later issued CCTV images of two boys as part of a public appeal for information. A court previously heard that Kelyan had been sitting at the back seat of the bus when two people both armed with "lengthy machetes" attacked him. The schoolboy was the first teenager to be killed by knife crime in the capital in 2025. Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to 'I've lost my son and I still can't believe it' Teen attacked with machetes on bus home, court told HM Courts and Tribunals Service
Metro
19-05-2025
- Metro
Mum of student killed in Strand crash 'almost reached her' as she lay dying
The mum of a student killed in the Strand crash was just yards from her injured daughter, but unable to reach her as she lay on the ground dying. Aalia Mahomed, 20, died, and two others were injured when a van crashed into the pedestrianised area outside King's College London campus on the Strand. The second-year physics and philosophy student was sitting down with friends outside the university when the van ploughed through the closed gates on March 18. Her family described Aalia as a 'ray of sunshine' as they tried to come to terms with her sudden death. Samira Shafi, Aalia's mum, described how she rushed to the crash scene after being alerted by her daughter's friend. Samira told BBC London: 'I got a call from Aalia's friend. There was just blue lights everywhere, it was cordoned off. 'It is a pedestrian zone and it's really hard to make sense of any of it because she wasn't doing anything dangerous – she was sitting on a bench in a pedestrian area in some sunshine.' The mum reached the area in 10 minutes after the frightening call. But as the emergency scene was cordoned off, she couldn't get to her injured daughter. She continued: 'I was told to stay back quietly because several people had been hurt, and so that's what I did. 'But later on based on the time that I got there, I worked out that I was there for nine minutes before Aalia's death was called. 'Maybe if she'd heard my voice she might have pulled through.' She added: 'Aalia wasn't just a daughter, she was my best friend and my rock.' Samira said that although an investigation is being carried out, the past eight weeks 'have felt like a lifetime.' She said: 'I haven't got answers to what happened that day. 'It's been slow. I keep being told an investigation is being carried out and these things take time, which I appreciate. 'But the silence is quite difficult for us because for us these eight weeks have felt like a lifetime.' She said she appreciates there is a process 'that needs to take place, but I would hope it's done as swiftly as possible to get us on some level of clarity.' To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video A 26-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of causing death by careless driving and on suspicion of drug driving. He remains on bail. More Trending Metro understands that family liaison officers are in contact with the family. Chief Superintendent Thomas Naughton, from the Met's roads and transport policing command, told Metro: 'Aalia's family continue to be supported by specialist officers, we regularly meet with them to discuss the progress of the investigation and to ensure they are receiving the support they need. 'Our investigation continues at pace and we are working closely with the Crown Prosecution Service. A 26-year-old man remains under investigation on conditional police bail following his arrest at the scene.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Raid of Café Diana in Kensington uncovers 45 tubs of 'illegal' shisha tobacco MORE: Brockwell Park festival organisers give major update over Mighty Hoopla MORE: Man says cafe staff refused to serve him because of his face tumours
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Yahoo
Five people stabbed at south-east London event
Five people have been taken to hospital after a number of people were stabbed at an event in south-east London. Emergency services were called to Nathan Way in Thamesmead shortly after 04:15 BST to reports that a number of people had been injured. Officers and paramedics found five people with stab wounds. All of them were taken to hospital and no arrests have been made. A cordon remains in place and inquiries are ongoing, the Met Police said. Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to Met Police
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Campaigner wins legal fight over park festivals
A campaigner has won a High Court challenge over the use of a south London park for music festivals this summer. Brockwell Park, near Herne Hill, is due to host a series of events, such as the Mighty Hoopla, which are expected to attract hundreds of thousands of people Local resident and Protect Brockwell Park member Rebekah Shaman took court action over a planning law which only allows a change in use of a park for 28 days each year without additional planning consent. Ruling in her favour, Mr Justice Mould found that parts of the park would be used for the events for 37 days. Lambeth Council has been approached for comment. The judge said his ruling was only about the lawfulness of the council's decision to grant permission for the additional days - a decision he described as "irrational". Ms Shaman told BBC London: "We are feeling elated, it's been a long time coming. It's regrettable we had to take Lambeth Council to court; it isn't what we wanted to do but we felt they were not engaging with us. "This has been going on for years, it isn't a one-off situation and it has been a consistent deterioration of the park, to the point where the community had to speak up to protect the park for future generations." She added: "We are hoping to come to an agreement where events can still continue, but on a much lower level and also much more connected to the community." Lawyers for Lambeth Council and festival organisers Summer Events Limited both asked for permission to challenge his decision but the judge refused. However, they are still able to ask the Court of Appeal for permission to challenge the decision directly. The Academy Award-winning actor Sir Mark Rylance, who has supported the campaign, described the ruling as "wonderful news". Emily, in Brockwell Park, told BBC London: "I think the result is brilliant. I have been going to the festival for many a year, however the destruction of the park afterwards is pretty bad... I'm wholeheartedly really pleased." Matt, who has lived in the area for the past 12 years, said: "I'm really happy with the outcome because it's a win for the local community who've been fighting Lambeth Council for a long time." However, local resident Lucy told BBC London: "I think it's brilliant to bring festivals to Brockwell Park, I think it's a great celebration of culture, we need to give opportunities to young people and we need to keep art alive." Richard Harwood KC, for Ms Shaman, had argued that Brockwell Park had "increasingly" been used for large commercial events in recent years, with "substantial" parts of the park being fenced off from the public during the events with damage caused to the ground. "Due to inclement weather over the weekend of one of the commercial events, the park effectively became a mudbath," Mr Harwood added, referring to one event last year. Matthew Reed KC, for Lambeth Council, said the "majority" of the park remained unfenced and available for the public to use during the events. He also said that the council was able to lawfully decide how often the park was used for festivals and would grant special permission if needed. However, Mr Justice Mould found in his ruling that Lambeth Council's planning officer had "erred in taking into account the mere prospect of planning permission being granted". The Protect Brockwell Park group has previously said it is "not anti-festival" and supports "well-run, inclusive events". The group said in a statement: "These large-scale, high-impact commercial festivals are damaging Brockwell Park's ecology, heritage and community value. "The park is being overused and under-protected." Additional reporting by Frankie McCamley and Barry Caffrey Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to Campaigners call for end to big festivals in park Event cancelled after park 'churned up' by festivals Music festival noise levels anger local residents Lambeth Council Protect Brockwell Park
