Latest news with #Crime
ITV News
2 days ago
- ITV News
Stoke-on-Trent benefits cheat mum caught out by her own Facebook posts while running marathons
A mother from Stoke-on-Trent who falsely claimed more than £20,000 in benefits while posting social media pictures of her running marathons, has been ordered to repay the money. Sara Morris, 50 and from Stone, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2005. But in 2020 she exaggerated the extent of her condition and claimed Personal Independence Payment (PIP). The mother-of-three lied about the extent of her condition, saying she wasn't able to stand at the cooker, lacked balance and had difficulties getting out of the bath also claimed to be anxious when she left the house, saying a trip to the pharmacy to collect her medication left her in Crown Court heard she was paid £2,292.63 in PIP a month. But she failed to inform the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) that she was a member of the Stone Master Marathoners, and regularly ran 5km and 10km was caught out by her own Facebook posts of her running. Morris was overpaid £20,528.83 in benefits between October 20th 2020 and April 25th 2023. She pleaded guilty to dishonestly making a false statement to obtain a benefit, and was jailed for eight months last has now re-appeared at the same court for a Proceeds of Crime hearing. Judge Graeme Smith was told Morris benefited from her criminality by £22,386.02, and the available amount was £60,000. Morris was ordered to repay £22,386.02 within 28 days, or serve nine months in prison in default. "She took part in a five-mile race" The court heard investigators carried out surveillance on Morris from February 5th to February 20th 2023. Prosecutor Regan Walters said "On February 5 she took part in a five-mile race and was seen running without assistance and showed no signs of balance problems. "On February 11 she was seen running with the Stone Master Marathoners and showed no signs of discomfort."The investigation found that Morris had competed in 73 races between May 2019 and December 2022. "It crossed over into the realms of dishonesty" Morris was interviewed on May 11th 2023 and said her multiple sclerosis had worsened, and that she was suffering from fatigue. But she confirmed she had been a member of Stone Master Marathoners running club before making her claim, adding that she had filled in her PIP form on her worst Cliff, mitigating, said Morris was diagnosed with MS 19 years ago and the "severity of its impact ebbs and flows to a degree"'. .Mr Cliff said "But it is accepted by her that the application did not give the full picture. It crossed over into the realms of dishonesty."He said Morris's marriage broke down in the spring of 2020, and said she did not enjoy a lavish lifestyle through her fraudulent claim. Mr Cliff said "She lost her home because of financial problems and was struggling to keep her head above water financially."The application did not give the full picture. She did say running was one of the ways she tried to manage her MS. "She has found it difficult to come to terms with her dishonesty."Morris must also pay a £187 surcharge.
News.com.au
2 days ago
- General
- News.com.au
Former Charles Manson cult member Patricia Krenwinkel recommended for parole
One of Charles Manson's accomplices has been recommended for parole after serving decades in prison for her role in the 1969 murders of pregnant actress Sharon Tate and six others in California. A state parole board has again recommended the release of Patricia Krenwinkel, who is the longest-serving female inmate in the state. At 77, Krenwinkel is still serving a life sentence at the California Institution for Women for her role in one of America's most notorious killing sprees. She was convicted on seven counts of first-degree murder in 1971. Krenwinkel was just 19 years old when she abandoned her life as a secretary in California to follow Charles Manson, the charismatic cult leader who has since transformed into one of history's darkest and most mysterious figures. Drawn in by promises of love and spiritual enlightenment, Krenwinkel instead became a key figure in one of the most infamous crimes in American history. Krenwinkel personally stabbed heiress Abigail Folger multiple times and then participated in the murders of grocery store owners Leno and Rosemary LaBianca, writing 'Helter Skelter' and other phrases on the walls in the victims' blood. Convicted of seven counts of first-degree murder, Krenwinkel was originally sentenced to death. But in 1972, her sentence was commuted to life in prison after California briefly abolished the death penalty. She has been incarcerated ever since. Over the years, Krenwinkel has expressed remorse and described years of psychological abuse at Manson's hands. She has stated she was under the influence of drugs and fear throughout her time in the cult. Nonetheless, her parole efforts have been repeatedly denied, with authorities citing the severity of her crimes. In May 2022, Krenwinkel was recommended for parole for the first time, but the decision was reversed by Governor Gavin Newsom. Her most recent recommendation in 2024 now awaits approval, reigniting debate over justice, rehabilitation, and the enduring legacy of the Manson Family. The recommendation came on Friday and must still pass several hurdles before being confirmed. It requires final approval from the full Board of Parole Hearings and California Governor Gavin Newsom, who denied a similar parole recommendation in 2022. That review process can take up to 150 days. According to state prison officials, she had previously been denied parole 14 times. Charles Mason died in prison in 2017 at the age of 83. Manson, whose name to this day is synonymous with unspeakable violence and madness, died of natural causes at Kern County hospital, according to a California Department of Corrections statement. Manson — who exerted a form of mind control over his mainly female followers — had been in prison for four decades. In the 1960s, he surrounded himself with runaways and disaffected youths and then sent them out to butcher members of Hollywood's elite. Prosecutors said Manson and his followers were trying to incite a race war he dubbed Helter Skelter, taken from the Beatles song of the same name. The Polanski house in Beverly Hills was targeted because it represented Manson's rejection by the celebrity world and society, according to one of the Family member's statements. Manson considered himself the harbinger of doom regarding the planet's future. He was influenced not only by drugs such as LSD, but by art works and music of the time such as The Beatles song, Helter Skelter, from their White Album. He often spoke to members of his 'Family' about Helter Skelter, which he believed signified an impending apocalyptic race war. He preached that the black man would rise up and start killing members of the white establishment, turning the cities into an inferno of racial revenge. Manson also had a strong belief in the notion of Armageddon from the Book of Revelations and looked into obscure cult churches such as the Church of the Final Judgement.
The Print
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Print
From a PMO ‘rejected' catering bill to a ‘stranded' home minister: Ex-UP DGP shares snippets in book
The top officer retired in January 2020 from the post of Uttar Pradesh director general of police (DGP) after heading the CISF and the NDRF at the Centre. Last year, he came out with his memoir — 'Crime, Grime and Gumption: Case files of an IPS officer'. The 1983-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer has come out with a compilation of his 'mosaic of experiences' gathered during 37 years of his career — 'Through My Eyes: Sketches from A Cop's Notebook'. New Delhi, Jun 1 (PTI) A caterer, who fed a prime minister's entourage in a mofussil town in the early 80s, being denied a Rs 7,000 bill due to mention of chicken in the menu and the administration forgetting to receive a home minister at the railway station on a wintery morning are some of the anecdotes shared in a book written by former Uttar Pradesh DGP O P Singh on his policing experiences. The latest book, in Singh's words, is 'not merely a recounting of events but a mosaic of narratives, each woven with the depth and nuances of storytelling'. 'This book is a collection of such moments — anecdotes from my life, spanning from my childhood to my years in the police service,' he writes in the author's note. Reading the book is like 'flipping through an old photo album', he says. Sharing an incident from the summer of 1985, Singh, then a newly minted IPS officer-under-training in Moradabad district, recounts the day when he along with the city magistrate and DSP went to a restaurant near the railway station for a cup of tea. A man stood before them with 'hands folded in greeting, head slightly bowed, his expression a mix of deference and desperation'. The city magistrate dismissed him 'with a quick flick of his eyes' and said 'not now'. A 'curious' Singh sought to know who he was? 'The man, as it turned out, was a caterer by profession. Years ago, when Chaudhary Charan Singh was Prime Minister, he had been tasked with providing food for the PM's entourage during a visit to this district. 'As part of the grand arrangements made by the district administration, he had diligently prepared and served meals to a host of officials, guests and staff,' Singh writes. He submitted a 'modest' bill of Rs 7,000 after the visit and mentioned 'chicken' among the delicacies served. 'What followed was a textbook case of bureaucratic ping-pong. The bill, innocuous as it seemed, began its long and winding journey through the labyrinth of government officers, file upon file, desk upon desk, the poor carter's bill travelled far and wide, gathering signatures, queries, objections and eventually dust.' 'Years passed and the bill's odyssey finally ended in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) where it awaited the ultimate stamp of approval,' Singh writes. The PMO passed the final order: 'The Prime Minister does not eat chicken. Payment denied.' His money, Singh says, it seemed, had been 'devoured- not by the diners, but by the system'. The city magistrate ended the story saying 'The poor fellow has been chasing that payment ever since.' 'Whenever we see him coming, we know it is chicken bill time,' he said. Singh wonders at the 'absurdity' of this incident saying the caterer's story was 'a masterclass in the peculiar ways of bureaucracy, where logic often took a backseat to red tape'. In 1986, Singh was posted as the Circle Officer (CO) of Mughalsarai in Varanasi district and was doubling up as 'CO VIP' on a particular day. The then Uttar Pradesh home minister Gopi Nath Dixit reached the temple town on a scheduled tour onboard an early morning train but 'surprisingly', Singh found out that there was 'no sign' of the VIP car or the protocol magistrate to welcome and escort the minister. He alone received the minister and drove him in his Gypsy with his (Singh's) gunner climbing into the back. 'This was the home minister of Uttar Pradesh, a cabinet-rank minister- a man of stature and significance- and yet, here we were, with no arrangements in place to honour his position.' 'The chill of the morning air felt heavier now, pressing on my sense of responsibility,' the retired IPS officer recounts. The 'worst' was yet to come, he adds. The VIP suite at the Circuit House, reserved for the minister, was locked and this was 'nothing short of an administrative debacle'. The caretaker was quickly located by a sentry and a traffic constable on duty and the suite was 'hurriedly' opened. Soon after, the minister's PA reached the guest house and dialled some of those who mattered in the district. In no time, the Divisional Commissioner, DIG, District Magistrate and Senior Superintendent of Police descended upon the Circuit House as the assistant 'unleashed a torrent of reprimands'. The book, written in a short story format across 42 chapters, mentions some moving incidents involving Singh's police career including a case of 'honour killing' where a man killed his daughter in 'cold blood' and buried her body in the courtyard and the 'tension' in Kasganj district when a Dalit decided to take this wedding procession through areas dominated by the upper caste. The author also shares a 'softer side' of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, in a chapter named after him, when he 'offered' him the services of the state helicopter for conducting field visits across the large central Indian state. PTI NES ZMN This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
From a PMO 'rejected' catering bill to a 'stranded' home minister: Ex-UP DGP shares snippets in book
New Delhi, A caterer, who fed a prime minister's entourage in a mofussil town in the early 80s, being denied a ₹7,000 bill due to mention of chicken in the menu and the administration forgetting to receive a home minister at the railway station on a wintery morning are some of the anecdotes shared in a book written by former Uttar Pradesh DGP O P Singh on his policing experiences. The 1983-batch Indian Police Service officer has come out with a compilation of his "mosaic of experiences" gathered during 37 years of his career "Through My Eyes: Sketches from A Cop's Notebook". The top officer retired in January 2020 from the post of Uttar Pradesh director general of police after heading the CISF and the NDRF at the Centre. Last year, he came out with his memoir "Crime, Grime and Gumption: Case files of an IPS officer". The latest book, in Singh's words, is "not merely a recounting of events but a mosaic of narratives, each woven with the depth and nuances of storytelling". "This book is a collection of such moments anecdotes from my life, spanning from my childhood to my years in the police service," he writes in the author's note. Reading the book is like "flipping through an old photo album", he says. Sharing an incident from the summer of 1985, Singh, then a newly minted IPS officer-under-training in Moradabad district, recounts the day when he along with the city magistrate and DSP went to a restaurant near the railway station for a cup of tea. A man stood before them with "hands folded in greeting, head slightly bowed, his expression a mix of deference and desperation". The city magistrate dismissed him "with a quick flick of his eyes" and said "not now". A "curious" Singh sought to know who he was? "The man, as it turned out, was a caterer by profession. Years ago, when Chaudhary Charan Singh was Prime Minister, he had been tasked with providing food for the PM's entourage during a visit to this district. "As part of the grand arrangements made by the district administration, he had diligently prepared and served meals to a host of officials, guests and staff," Singh writes. He submitted a "modest" bill of ₹7,000 after the visit and mentioned "chicken" among the delicacies served. "What followed was a textbook case of bureaucratic ping-pong. The bill, innocuous as it seemed, began its long and winding journey through the labyrinth of government officers, file upon file, desk upon desk, the poor carter's bill travelled far and wide, gathering signatures, queries, objections and eventually dust." "Years passed and the bill's odyssey finally ended in the Prime Minister's Office where it awaited the ultimate stamp of approval," Singh writes. The PMO passed the final order: "The Prime Minister does not eat chicken. Payment denied." His money, Singh says, it seemed, had been "devoured- not by the diners, but by the system". The city magistrate ended the story saying "The poor fellow has been chasing that payment ever since." "Whenever we see him coming, we know it is chicken bill time," he said. Singh wonders at the "absurdity" of this incident saying the caterer's story was "a masterclass in the peculiar ways of bureaucracy, where logic often took a backseat to red tape". In 1986, Singh was posted as the Circle Officer of Mughalsarai in Varanasi district and was doubling up as "CO VIP" on a particular day. The then Uttar Pradesh home minister Gopi Nath Dixit reached the temple town on a scheduled tour onboard an early morning train but "surprisingly", Singh found out that there was "no sign" of the VIP car or the protocol magistrate to welcome and escort the minister. He alone received the minister and drove him in his Gypsy with his gunner climbing into the back. "This was the home minister of Uttar Pradesh, a cabinet-rank minister- a man of stature and significance- and yet, here we were, with no arrangements in place to honour his position." "The chill of the morning air felt heavier now, pressing on my sense of responsibility," the retired IPS officer recounts. The "worst" was yet to come, he adds. The VIP suite at the Circuit House, reserved for the minister, was locked and this was "nothing short of an administrative debacle". The caretaker was quickly located by a sentry and a traffic constable on duty and the suite was "hurriedly" opened. Soon after, the minister's PA reached the guest house and dialled some of those who mattered in the district. In no time, the Divisional Commissioner, DIG, District Magistrate and Senior Superintendent of Police descended upon the Circuit House as the assistant "unleashed a torrent of reprimands". The book, written in a short story format across 42 chapters, mentions some moving incidents involving Singh's police career including a case of "honour killing" where a man killed his daughter in "cold blood" and buried her body in the courtyard and the "tension" in Kasganj district when a Dalit decided to take this wedding procession through areas dominated by the upper caste. The author also shares a "softer side" of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, in a chapter named after him, when he "offered" him the services of the state helicopter for conducting field visits across the large central Indian state. PTI NES ZMN
Scotsman
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Dept. Q Review: Is the new Netflix crime drama set in Edinburgh worth watching?
Matthew Goode stars in new Netflix crime drama Dept. Q. | Justin Downing/Netflix There's a new crimefighter on the streets of Auld Reekie in a hotly-anticipated new Netflix series - and we've seen the first two episodes. Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Edinburgh must have a decent claim to the title of the British televisual murder capital - with corpses cropping up at an alarming rate in a string of small screen adaptations, including Ian Rankin's Rebus, Kate Atkinson's Case Studies and Irvine Welsh's Crime. Now the body count is set to rise again, thanks to new nine-part Netflix crime drama Dept. Q. It offers a fresh take on Jussi Adler-Olsen's acclaimed series of novels, already turned into a Danish film franchise, with the action transposed from Copenhagen to the streets of Scotland's Capital. It's not a tough leap to make given the shared ground covered by the Scandi Noir and Tartan Noir writing genres. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Our new rogue policeman-with-issues (is there any other kind?) is DCI Carl Morcjk, played by Matthew Goode. Goode is one of those actors you instantly recognise but struggle to remember exactly where from. The answer, depending on age and taste, is likely to either be prestige dramas The Crown and Downtown Abbey or superhero film Watchmen. He plays Morcjk with sweary, exasperated abandon; perpetually looking like he's just rolled out of bed after about 20 minutes sleep to deliver withering putdowns to Millenial underlings. The first episode, as is often the case with such series, is as overstuffed as an Edinburgh morgue. The huge number of characters requiring introduction and scene-setting marks to hit mean your full attention is demanded. Play with your phone for a couple of minutes and expect to be all at sea. Put simply, the premise is that DCI Morcjk is a brilliant but near-universally loathed detective who is put in charge of a new cold case unit after a traumantic incident at a crime scene leaves his partner paralysed and another officer dead. Morcjk himself barely escapes with his life, adding another layer to his previous misanthropic view of life. As he says to his psychologist (played by Kelly Macdonald, effortlessly elevating every scene she's in): 'I had problems with human beings long before I got shot in the face'. Meanwhile, we also meet a maverick prosecutor, played by Chloe Pirrie (Shell, An Inspector Calls), whose troubled professional and personal life appears to be putting her on a collision course with DCI Morcjk. Kelly Macdonald in Dept. Q. | Netflix The titular Dept. Q is the dusty basement office/toilet he's banished to by a budget-hungry boss (a magnificently mercenary Kate Dickie), complete with a stack of unsolved case files and a mysterious Syrian assistant called Akram whom, you suspect, contains multitudes. So far, so Slow Horses, and it's hard to not compare it with the award-winning Apple TV+ series. Gary Oldman's filthy (in every sense of the word) Jackson Lamb makes DCI Morcjk look like Hercule Poirot when it comes to language and personal hygiene. What marks Dept. Q out is the excellent, largely Scottish, cast - with every actor from north of the border seemingly making an appearance. Indeed, if this one runs (and there are 10 books so far), it could fill part of the Scottish thespian employment gap left by the soon-to-end River City. Along with Kate Dickie and Kelly McDonald, there are big-hitters like Mark Bonnar and Shirley Henderson, alongside up-and-comers including Leah Byrne and at least two members of the Still Game gang. Of course Edinburgh itself has a starring role too, and it's fun to pick off the locations used, from the High Court to the number 34 bus heading to Leith. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Leah Byrne in Dept. Q. | Jamie Simpson/Netflix It's a tricksy and intricate opening episode which pleasingly pulls the rug from under your feet with a wicked twist. The second instalment ventures further into Morcjk's first investigation, adding depth to the main protagonists and allowing subsidiary characters more room to breathe (Henderson in particular shines) - while a cliffhanger means that it'd be a crime not to click the 'next episode' button.
