Latest news with #CentralCriminalCourtofEnglandandWales
UPI
6 days ago
- Politics
- UPI
Britain urges police to release nationality of suspects in some crimes
New guidance in Great Britain said that police should consider releasing the ethnicity and nationality of suspects charged in high-profile or sensitive cases. The Central Criminal Court of England and Wales in London is shown. File Photo by Mark Thomas/EPA Aug. 13 (UPI) -- New national guidance in Britain said that police should consider releasing the ethnicity and nationality of suspects when they are charged in high-profile or sensitive cases. The guidance said that there must be a policing reason to release the information, such as to combat disinformation or improve public safety. The move was in response to protests after two men were charged with the alleged rape of a 12-year-old girl in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, outside of Birmingham, England. The two charged were reported to be Afghan asylum seekers. Warwickshire Police would not confirm the immigration status, which led Reform U.K. -- a right-wing populist party -- and its leader Nigel Farage to accuse the police of a cover-up. The police strongly denied this. Ahmad Mulakhil was charged with rape, and Mohammad Kabir has been charged with kidnapping and strangulation. Responding to protests last week, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper urged police to release the ethnicity, saying police should be more transparent. The National Police Chiefs' Council and the College of Policing said they support the new initiative, but it has also drawn criticism from some anti-racist activists, who have said that it could risk making violence against women and girls an issue of ethnicity instead of misogyny. The Home Office will decide if it is "appropriate in all the circumstances" to confirm immigration status of a suspect, the guidance said. Policing Minister Diana Johnson told Sky News, "We welcome the guidance. We want to be as transparent and as open as possible with the public," including releasing ethnicity and nationality unless there is "good reason not to." Police didn't share basic facts about the "Southport killer" last summer, which led to "dangerous fictions," an independent watchdog said. The attack took the lives of three girls, ages 6,7 and 9, at a Taylor Swift-themed party. Ten others were also injured. Attorney Jonathan Hall said it would have been "far better" for police to share more accurate detail about the arrest of Axel Rudakubana, the man later convicted of the killings. Far-right agitators wrongly claimed that he was a Muslim asylum seeker. Deputy chief constable Sam de Reya, NPCC spokesperson, told The Guardian, "We saw during last summer's disorder, as well as in several recent high-profile cases, what the major, real-world consequences can be from what information police release into the public domain. "We have to make sure our processes are fit for purpose in an age of social media speculation and where information can travel incredibly quickly across a wide range of channels. Disinformation and incorrect narratives can take hold in a vacuum. It is good police work for us to fill this vacuum with the facts about issues of wider public interest."
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Russell Brand granted bail on rape and sexual assault charges
Actor and comedian Russell Brand was granted bail on Friday during a court appearance in London on charges of rape and multiple counts of sexual assault. Sporting a pair of dark sunglasses and dark denim, Brand spoke only to confirm his name, address and date of birth before leaving the Westminster Magistrates' Court in the British capital, according to multiple reports. Brand will next appear at the Old Bailey, the Central Criminal Court of England and Wales, on May 30. The 50-year-old funny man last month was hit with six charges, including one count of rape, one count of indecent assault, one count of oral rape and two counts of sexual assault. They stem from from alleged incidents involving four different women that occurred over a span of six years, including a rape in Bournemouth in 1999, an incidental assault in Westminster, London in 2001, an oral rape and sexual assault in Westminster in 2004 and another sexual assault between 2004 and 2005, also in Westminster, according to authorities. The charges are the result of an 18-month investigation, prompted by a series of allegations brought against the podcaster by multiple women in the fall of 2023. Around the same time, The Sunday Times, The Times of London and the TV network Channel 4 published a joint report in which several women accused Brand of sexual assault and rape between 2006 and 2013. The alleged assaults occurred at the peak of his fame, which included his marriage to Katy Perry. One of the women in the report claimed she was just 16 years old when a 30-something Brand started an 'emotionally and sexually abusive' relationship with her. Another said he raped her in his Los Angeles home in 2012, while a third women claimed he forced himself on her a year later at his residence in West Hollywood. Additional allegations include that Brand exposed himself to a woman in an office building and then joked about the incident on his radio show. The comedian, meanwhile, has adamantly denied the accusations, calling them 'hurtful' in a video shared online. He acknowledged that while he has a 'promiscuous' past, all of his sexual encounters have been consensual. 'I was always transparent about [being promiscuous] then — almost too transparent. And I'm being transparent about it now,' Brand added. 'To see that transparency metastasized into something criminal, that I absolutely deny.' Brand has not been charged in the U.S. for any of the alleged assaults said to have occurred in California. 'The Met's investigation remains open and detectives ask anyone who has been affected by this case, or anyone who has any information, to come forward and speak with police.'
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Russell Brand out on bail after court appearance on rape, sexual assault charges
May 2 (UPI) -- British actor and media personality Russell Brand was granted bail Friday after his appearance in a London court on charges of rape and multiple counts of sex assault. In a brief procedural hearing, Brand only spoke to confirm who he is and where he lives, and that he understands the rules of his bail. He will next appear at the Central Criminal Court of England and Wales on May 30. Authorities in London charged Brand on April 4 with counts related to rape, indecent assault and sexual assault in connection with four victims between 1999 and 2005. He has denied the allegations. "I want a trial, because I know that I'm innocent," and "a thorough and intrepid examination will establish that innocence in the eyes of everybody. I welcome it, what a relief it will be," Brand said in a video posted to X Thursday.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Russell Brand granted bail after appearing in London court on rape and sexual assault charges
British comedian and actor Russell Brand was granted bail after appearing in a London court Friday on charges of rape and multiple counts of sex assault. Brand, who was charged last month, has always denied having non-consensual sex since the allegations about him were first aired two years ago. Brand's appearance Friday came ahead of the first hearing of the case at Westminster magistrates' court. He arrived in a black shirt unbuttoned down to his chest, black jeans, and dark sunglasses. Making his way through the main entrance, he was flanked by journalists and photographers on both sides, to whom he did not give any interviews or comments. In a short procedural hearing, the 49-year-old right-wing wellness influencer spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth, address, and that he understood his bail conditions. Brand will next appear at the Old Bailey, the Central Criminal Court of England and Wales, on May 30. London police on April 4 charged Brand with rape, oral rape, indecent assault and two counts of sexual assault in cases related to four separate women between 1999 and 2005. Court documents detailing the charges stated Brand indecently assaulted a woman in 2001 by 'grabbing her arm and dragging her towards a male toilet.' In another instance in 2004, he was accused of sexually assaulting another woman in Westminster by touching her breasts without her consent. After he was charged, Brand in a video on X stated, 'I have never engaged in non-consensual activity,' adding, 'I am now going to have the opportunity to defend these charges in court and I'm incredibly grateful for that.' The charges came after detectives began investigating in September 2023 after The Sunday Times newspaper and British broadcaster Channel 4 reported allegations that Brand had sexually and emotionally abused four women. Brand was accused of rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse by four women. One of them said she was 16 (the age of consent in the U.K.) and Brand was 30 when they began a relationship that included abuse and sexual assault. Born in Essex, Brand rose to fame in British television in the early 2000s, including a stint as a broadcaster on the BBC, from which he resigned in 2008 after he and his co-presenter made prank calls to British actor Andrew Sachs, which resulted in more than 42,000 complaints. He later moved to Hollywood and starred in numerous films, including 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall' in 2008 and 'Get Him to the Greek' in 2010. He married pop star Katy Perry in 2010, but the couple divorced 14 months later. In 2017, he married Laura Gallacher, with whom he has three children. Last year, he said he had become a Christian. Brand, who has since faded from mainstream culture, is an outspoken critic of American politics and free speech and regularly posts his views on his YouTube channel. 'These allegations pertain to the time when I was working in the mainstream, when I was in the newspapers all the time, when I was in the movies,' he said in another video on X posted in September 2023. 'And as I've written about extensively in my books, I was very, very promiscuous,' he said. 'The relationships I had were very absolutely, always consensual,' he added, before suggesting that the mainstream media may have an agenda against him. This article was originally published on
