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Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
LAILA CUNNINGHAM: The crimewave sweeping our country isn't beyond repair – if we toughen up
I'm a mother of seven. Two of my children have been mugged – one had a knife pulled on him, and both have had phones and wallets stolen on the streets of London. I've chased attackers myself because the police never showed up. I was a Senior Crown Prosecutor, but I lost the job I loved because I spoke the truth about frontline police cuts, the dangers of censorship, and the establishment's refusal to confront the truth about the rape gangs. That's why I defected from the Tories. Because, when it comes to law and order, the old parties sold us out to cheap labour, open borders and political correctness. I gave up my career to join Reform and speak the truth – our country's safety is too important. Britain was once renowned as a country of civility, freedom and hospitality. This is far from where we live today. Modern Britain is defined by rising crime, lawless streets and a justice system that seems more focused on curbing free speech than on tackling rapists or knife-wielding thugs. Women are afraid to walk alone. Parents hesitate to let their children out of sight. Something is fundamentally wrong with both our justice system and approach towards criminal prosecutions. The British people have had enough of hearing about daily stabbings, killings and assaults – and that a foreigner who has raped a woman can't be deported because his 'human rights' matter more than hers. People are jailed for tweets, while sex offenders and violent criminals serve laughably short sentences. Labour want to go even further. They want to criminalise free speech by pushing an official 'Islamophobia' definition that could make it an offence to criticise a religion. That's not justice. It's censorship. All the while, we are importing waves of unvetted young men, many of whom do not share our values and show no respect for our way of life. If we speak up, we're smeared as racists or arrested for hate speech. The state now protects the offender, not the public. It prioritises feelings over safety. Ideology over truth. The result? We live in a lawless Britain. Reform's plan is clear, simple and essential for protecting this country for future generations. We will deport all foreign prisoners, freeing up 10,400 prison spaces. We'll recruit 30,000 new police officers over a five-year Parliament – and raise standards to ensure they're fit to do the job. By scrapping all diversity, equity, and inclusion roles and regulations, we'll pave the way to ending two-tier policing. And we'll restore law and order through zero-tolerance policing: Investigating every reported crime and reclaiming our streets with stop-and-search in high-crime areas targeting one in five people. The crimewave sweeping Britain isn't beyond repair. The problem is, no other party is serious about stopping it. Labour and the Conservatives are complicit in this crimewave. They let it happen, then pretend to be shocked by the consequences. Reform's goal is simple: To restore the UK's position as one of the safest, cleanest, and most orderly countries in the world. The Government is supposed to prioritise safety and work for the people. That is exactly what Reform will deliver – a government focused on your safety, not slogans or ideology. A government that always puts the British people first.
CBC
6 days ago
- Politics
- CBC
Crown seeking 8 years for convoy leader Chris Barber, 7 for Tamara Lich
Social Sharing The Crown says it's seeking an extraordinary sentence for an unprecedented crime, as court began hearing sentencing submissions Wednesday in the mischief case of Ottawa truck convoy leaders Tamara Lich and Chris Barber. Crown prosecutor Siobhain Wetscher asked Justice Heather Perkins-McVey to impose a prison sentence of seven years for Lich and eight years for Barber. But Barber's lawyer called that "cruel and unusual punishment." Instead, she argued her client should walk free with an absolute discharge. Barber was found guilty in April of mischief and counselling others to disobey a court order, while Lich was convicted of mischief alone. Wetscher admitted the sentences she's asking for are at the upper end of the range — the Criminal Code sets a maximum of 10 years for mischief — but she argued that they're justified. "It's not a sentence that is being sought lightly, but one that the Crown believes is proportional," Wetscher said. Wetscher said the pair played prominent leadership roles in the weeks-long occupation that took over downtown Ottawa for more than three weeks in early 2022. She said the Crown isn't seeking to punish them for their political beliefs, but for crossing the line into "sustained criminality" that paralyzed the city and flouted the law. "The Crown acknowledges that it's seeking an extraordinary sentence in this case," she said. "However, Mr. Barber and Ms. Lich are criminally responsible for extraordinary harm and profound impact to the public." She quoted from witness impact statements from residents and business owners who endured the protest, leaving them with hefty financial losses and lasting psychological scars. "It's difficult to imagine an offence of mischief with greater impact," Wetscher said. 8 years an 'abusive' sentence: Barber's lawyer But Barber's lawyer Diane Magus argued that examples of such offences are easy to find. She came armed with precedents, citing serious mischief cases that resulted in sentences far more lenient than what the Crown is seeking for Lich and Barber. She mentioned Pat King, who was convicted for his role in the same protest but received a three-month conditional sentence, plus nine-months' credit for time served. Wetscher argued that King was a less influential figure among the Ottawa protesters compared to Lich and Barber. But Magus cited still other cases. She brought up the "Black Bloc" protesters at the 2010 G20 summit in Toronto. They caused extensive property damage, including upending police cars and smashing storefronts, but received comparatively light sentences of under two years. Magus said the fear and intimidation those protesters caused was "much more severe than in this case." She said her client should get an absolute discharge, which would allow him to walk free without any jail term or criminal record. "The sentence sought was excessive, abusive and would amount to cruel and unusual punishment," she said of the Crown submission. At the very least, she said Barber should be able to serve a conditional sentence in the community, not in prison. Magus quoted from character letters that described Barber as a pillar of his community in Swift Current, Sask., a responsible business owner with strong family ties. She said a criminal record will mean a big hit to his trucking business, since it will make it difficult for him to cross the border into the United States. She said there are also mitigating factors in how Barber handled the protest, such as his willingness to work with police to move some trucks from residential areas to Wellington Street. Perkins-McVey agreed that was a mitigating factor, though she noted that it only limited the protest, without ending it.
CBC
15-07-2025
- CBC
Man gets 7-year sentence for Edmonton LRT stabbing, his 4th violent offence on transit
Social Sharing The man who fatally stabbed a stranger outside Edmonton's Belvedere LRT station has been handed a seven-year prison sentence — his latest conviction for violence on public transit. Jamal Wheeler, 29, pleaded guilty last year to manslaughter in the July 9, 2023 killing of Rukinisha Nkundabatware. He'd never met Nkundabatware before, apart from a brief altercation inside the station, minutes earlier. The 52-year-old father, who came to Canada as a refugee from Congo, took the train to Belvedere to meet a friend. Video played in court Monday shows Wheeler coming toward the two men across the transit centre bus loop and stabbing the victim. Nkundabatware ran across the street and collapsed, where he died from a single wound to the chest. "This was a completely unprovoked attack on a stranger," Crown prosecutor Shivani Naidu-Barrett said Monday. "You saw how the victim was walking across the street on his own. There was no threat by him, and Mr. Wheeler just comes up and stabs him." With enhanced credit for the past two years Wheeler has already spent in custody, his time behind bars is reduced to about 4½ years. This is Wheeler's fourth time being sentenced for a violent incident in Edmonton's transit system. In 2016, armed with an axe, he robbed a stranger at a west Edmonton transit centre. He also punched a man on the Belvedere LRT train platform, sending him falling to the tracks. The following year, after a jail sentence for those offences, he used bear spray on three bystanders at a southeast bus terminal. At the time, he was under release conditions barring him from Edmonton transit property. Wheeler also has other convictions related to violence and weapons on his record. But Naidu-Barrett said his history of targeting transit users is especially aggravating when it comes to the latest attack, which prompted an outcry about safety issues in the city's transit system and public spaces. Court of King's Bench Justice Kent Teskey addressed Wheeler directly throughout parts of his decision. "When people have to look over their shoulder and think: Is this person just going to work or is this person going to throw a punch? ... That has an impact on the whole community." 'This is not the first time' Several of Nkundabatware's children watched the sentencing process in the courtroom. One of his sons, David Nkundabatware, wrote in a victim impact statement that he avoids the LRT and the transit station where the attack happened. "I now live in constant fear," he said. "We lost not just a loved one, but also a source of support, guidance and strength. His killing has left a permanent scar on our lives." Defence lawyer Tariq Salloum told the court that Wheeler's actions have to be considered in the context of his upbringing in "trauma, addiction and chaos." Wheeler was diagnosed with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder and ADHD as a child, with an assessment at the time calling him "impervious to the consequences of his actions" and impulsive. Court heard he was separated from his parents at a young age and raised without meaningful connection to his Métis heritage, ultimately dropping out of school in Grade 9 and beginning a lifelong struggle with drug addiction at 15. Acts of violence on public transit aren't exclusive to Wheeler, Salloum said. "That may speak to our issues with regards to dealing with people like Mr. Wheeler, when we don't have safe housing for them, we don't have proper addictions resources. They don't have anywhere else to be other than transit," he said. Before he was sentenced, Wheeler apologized in court for his actions. "I deeply regret what happened," he said. Salloum argued for a sentence of five to six years, while the Crown said seven to nine years is the appropriate range. Teskey ultimately landed on seven years, saying the sentence has to reflect both Wheeler's background and a message about the community's right to feel safe in public spaces. "Where I become concerned is this: While you have your background and your FASD, this is not the first time the court has dealt with you with regards to a transit centre," Teskey told Wheeler. "These are all people in our community that you had an impact on. And the court's dealt with you and tried to reform your behaviour, and it was not successful." He told Wheeler that he needs to change that pattern.
News.com.au
10-07-2025
- News.com.au
Senior police witness allegedly fails to appear at Kiama MP Gareth Ward's criminal trial
The sexual abuse trial of Kiama MP Gareth Ward came to a startling, hours-long halt on Thursday after a senior police witness allegedly failed to appear in court, instead remarking he was 'happy to get arrested'. Mr Ward, a NSW independent MP, was charged in March 2022 with three counts of assault with act of indecency, an alternative charge of common assault against an 18-year-old man at Meroo Meadow in 2013, and intercourse without consent against a 24-year-old man in Potts Point in 2015. Since his arrest three years ago, the 43-year-old has denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty to all counts. His criminal trial has faced several tiresome delays since it first began in May, and Thursday was no different. Mr Ward and all relevant legal parties as well as the 13-person jury attended the Darlinghurst District Court on Thursday as the criminal trial before Judge Kara Shead SC continued for its seventh week. However, a senior police witness called by Crown Prosecutor Monika Knowles about 10am seemingly failed to appear, halting proceedings. About 2pm, when the man had arrived, David Campbell SC asked the former officer if he understood his requirements to appear before the court on Thursday morning, to which the man replied 'yes' he did understand, but admitted that 'no, he did not attend'. 'I apologise for the inconvenience I had commitments I could not get out of this morning at 10am … and I advised I would be a bit late,' the former officer said. 'It certainly wasn't my intention to be disrespectful or to disobey that order.' The court was told the man had discussions with another police officer who he believed would advise the court of his unavailability on his behalf. He was then told by the police officer that he would need to obtain a medical certificate, which he said he was willing to do given he had been 'quite unwell'. Mr Campbell put to the man that he told another officer words to the effect that he was 'happy to get arrested' and that he 'simply couldn't move the meetings over'. 'I did make an off the cuff comment to that nature,' he replied. It was suggested by Mr Campbell the officer 'did what he wanted to do' instead of 'what he should do'. 'Absolutely not,' the man said. The former officer's evidence is expect to continue on Thursday afternoon. The allegations against Mr Ward were first reported to police in November 2020. He is alleged of assaulting a man, who had just turned 18 at the time of the alleged assault at Mr Ward's South Coast home in February 2013. It is also alleged the MP sexually assaulted another man – who was 24 years old at the time – at his Potts Point apartment in September 2015. Beginning his political career in 2011, Mr Ward was a councillor on the Shoalhaven Council before becoming the Liberal member for Kiama in 2011, a seat he has held since. The trial before a 13-person jury continues.
News.com.au
10-07-2025
- News.com.au
Depraved ‘sexual deviant' sexually assaults transgender prisoner, random woman on street
A sexual deviant's horrific spree of predation – including his sexual assault of a prisoner and a random woman on the street – has been exposed in court. District Court Judge Michael Burnett was scathing in his assessment of Michael Anthony Holbeck as a 'sexual deviant who can't control his behaviours' after being told of his criminal history for similar sexual offences over the years. Among them was an offence where Holbeck, 39, was convicted of plying a 13-year-old boy with drugs before procuring him to have sex with his then partner, Emily Jean Taylor-Renolds. Brisbane District Court was told the pair then made a false rape complaint against the boy. '(There's) a concerning history of similar offending,' Judge Burnett said. Holbeck was sentenced to three years' jail for his role in the offending, while earlier this year, Taylor-Renolds received a two-year suspended jail term. On Thursday, Holbeck pleaded guilty to four counts of sexual assault, which occurred in 2021 and 2024. Brisbane District Court was told the first tranche of assaults occurred while Holbeck was in custody on remand at Woodford Correctional Centre in 2021 for unrelated charges. Over several nights Holbeck sexually assaulted the prisoner. 'The complainant … was very strong in their protests against that offending,' Crown prosecutor Julie Aylward said. The prisoner detailed the horrific abuse in a diary and complained to prison officers in mid-2022. It was not investigated by Corrective Services until the end of 2023 during a review of the complaint – resulting in Holbeck being charged. In January 2024, while Holbeck was on bail and awaiting his court date for the prison assaults, he approached a random woman sitting on a bench in Brisbane. 'Mr Holbeck came and sat next to her, ran his hand up her leg and tried to lift up her pants,' Ms Aylward said. The court was told Holbeck continued to touch her and brought her closer, only to flee when confronted by a bystander. Holbeck later told police he was 'attempting to transfer' his 'energy' to the woman, whom he claimed to know. Ms Aylward described Holbeck as an 'indiscriminate' sexual offender whose criminality extended to everyone – including children and people he did not know. 'He represents a real danger to the community,' she said. 'His history shows that nothing has stopped him from offending.' The court was told Holbeck had convictions for sending explicit images to a 16 year-old boy he knew and for carnal knowledge involving a 14-year-old girl. Defence barrister James Feely told the court that his client was remorseful, having read victim impact statements prepared by the victims. He submitted that any further custodial sentence for Holbeck would not 'provide a tangible reflection' of his guilty plea due to the time Holbeck had already spent in pre-sentence custody on remand. 'The issue is, given the amount of time he's already served, that's the period during which the community has already been protected,' Mr Feely submitted. 'Any other punishment, effectively, is disproportionate.' The court was told Holbeck had been diagnosed with schizophrenia by prison mental health staff and had endured a 'prejudicial' upbringing – including a sexual assault when he was a child. Holbeck had lost his leg as a result of drug use. Mr Feely said his client otherwise had the support of his elderly adoptive mother and was receiving support from the Richmond Fellowship for his integration back into the community. Judge Burnett will sentence Holbeck later in the afternoon.
