Latest news with #Hoo
Daily Mail
12-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Boy, 11, is arrested on suspicion of assault after 'group of antisocial youths sprayed liquid over customers' in quiet Kent village
Police investigating a 'feral' group of children accused of terrorising a sleepy village in Kent have arrested an 11-year-old schoolboy. Locals living in the community of Hoo say they have been besieged by youths, who have allegedly threatened to attack business owners with acid and plastic knives. One newsagents claimed it receives daily threats of violence from yobs - with the anger exploding when staff ask to see their IDs when they try to buy cigarettes and vapes. The mayhem has left pensioners too terrified to venture out at night, with some fearing they will be jumped by the school-aged delinquents when the sun goes down. Fed-up locals have been demanding action from Kent Police to tackle the spate of alleged anti-social behaviour. Today, the force said it had arrested a boy after scouring through CCTV and speaking to witnesses after a group of children entered the newsagents and allegedly threw a liquid from a bottle. The alleged incident took place on Saturday, April 12, shortly before 5pm. The youngster, from Chatham, had attended a police station with his parent for a voluntary interview before his arrest. He has since been released on bail. Inspector Paul Diddams of Medway's Community Safety Unit said: 'While we continue to investigate recent reports of disorderly behaviour in Hoo, we have taken steps to address the issues that have been raised and our neighbourhood officers remain focused on ensuring a swift and effective response to protect the public. 'Anyone experiencing antisocial behaviour should report it as soon as possible and via the appropriate channels, so that the measures taken are robust and proportionate.' Kent Police has upped patrols in the area with safety cameras also being installed as part of a clampdown on antisocial behaviour. MailOnline revealed last week how gangs of youths are also running amok at another parade of shops just half a mile away. They have been accused of stealing from convenience stores and fighting in the streets late at night. And three months ago one particularly violent incident reportedly saw a teenager slashed in the face with a pair of scissors. Police were called to the Premier Express store on the Knights Road parade of shops at about 11.30pm on Monday, February 3. The boy was taken to hospital with facial injuries but was discharged a short while later. A 26-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of assault and an investigation is continuing. The parade of shops has two convenience stores, a hairdressers, a pharmacy, funeral parlour, a Chinese takeaway and a kebab shop. A mother of two, who lives nearby and only gave her name as 'Jan' for fear of being targeted by the yobs said: 'There are issues all the time with youngsters running amok. 'Some of them are only 14 years old yet they can be out in the streets until nearly midnight. 'They are a pain in the a*** a lot of the time, shouting, swearing, stealing from the corner shop and riding their bikes dangerously in the road.'
Sky News
09-04-2025
- Sky News
Family reveal daughter's 'painful' last memory of mother stabbed at Notting Hill Carnival
The family of a mother who was fatally stabbed as she attended Notting Hill Carnival with her three-year-old daughter has said "the feeling of loss is overwhelming, but so is the feeling of rage". Cher Maximen, 32, was stabbed at the west London carnival's "Family Day" on 25 August last year. Shakeil Thibou, 20, has been found guilty of her murder following a trial at the Old Bailey. "I've lost my parents. I've lost my brother. Nothing has felt like this ever," Ms Maximen's cousin Lawrence Hoo told Sky News. "It is the cruellest thing, it truly is." Ms Maximen died at a carnival she had been to so many times - she barely missed one. On the day, Ms Maximen and her three-year-old daughter arrived at Europe's biggest street party with a group of friends and their children. They'd been sitting and chatting when she was knocked over by some men who had started fighting. News of her stabbing came almost immediately. Mr Hoo remembers receiving the call. "When I first heard that she'd been stabbed, I know it sounds silly, but I thought Cher will be alright. Cher's strong, she'll get through this." Ms Maximen was taken to hospital and underwent a number of emergency procedures before being put on life support. Mr Hoo immediately headed to London to be at her bedside. "I can remember being in the hospital being sat there with her, with other family members and that's the last time I saw her. It still doesn't feel real. There's still disbelief," he said. "It's the most senseless act to someone who had so much life and so much to give." Ms Maximen died from her injuries six days after the incident. Relatives say she was a vivacious young woman who grew up in Bristol and then London, finding her feet working with people in music and entertainment. 'She lit up the room' Ms Maximen was described as a "people person", which for Mr Hoo manifested in her being "a bright light" in the lives of her loved ones. He said: "It's just this energy she had, she lit up the room. If you walked into a space, you'd know that Cher was there. Her energy itself would fill the room. She was a very bright light." Her life changed three years before her death when she became a mother in her late 20s. Her daughter became her life's work, she poured her love and energy into creating a person her family describe as her mini-me. "She's Cher 2.0," Mr Hoo said. Ms Maximen was stabbed just metres from her daughter on that day. Mr Hoo said the idea of the toddler witnessing her mother on the ground punctuates the sadness the family feel with anger. "The feeling of loss is overwhelming, but so is the feeling of rage," he said. "She [Ms Maximen's daughter] is aware that on that day, something happened to her mother. "She saw her mother drop to the floor, and then she saw her mother bleed. That's the daughter's last living memory of her mother. And to live with that, knowing that that's happened, that somebody did that. That's why it's so hard and that's where the rage comes from." The family is now rallying around the little girl who is growing up without her mother. Mr Hoo said the attack "will be a memory that will recur" for Ms Maximen's daughter, adding "that is why it is so painful and hard to try to live with". "I think the trauma is going to be there, and trauma will raise its head when it chooses to come up. But we'll be there for her," he said. The family held Ms Maximen's funeral in October, and dozens came to remember a woman who loved to spread joy. Mr Hoo said their focus is now Cher's daughter: "It's difficult to say how do we celebrate this life that was taken so prematurely. But I think it goes into her daughter, and it's to give her daughter the best life and love, and tell her who her mother was.
Sky News
09-04-2025
- Sky News
Cher Maximen: Family's 'rage' after mother stabbed to death in front of daughter at Notting Hill Carnival
The family of a mother who was stabbed to death as she attended Notting Hill Carnival with her three-year-old daughter has said "the feeling of loss is overwhelming, but so is the feeling of rage". Cher Maximen, 32, was stabbed at the west London carnival's "Family Day" on 25 August last year. Shakeil Thibou, 20, has now been found guilty of her murder after a trial at the Old Bailey. "I've lost my parents. I've lost my brother. Nothing has felt like this ever," Ms Maximen's cousin Lawrence Hoo told Sky News. "It is the cruellest thing, it truly is." Ms Maximen died at a carnival she had been to so many times - she barely missed one. On the day, Ms Maximen and her three-year-old daughter arrived at Europe's biggest street party with a group of friends and their children. They'd been sitting and chatting when she was knocked over by some men who had started fighting. News of her stabbing came almost immediately. Mr Hoo remembers receiving the call. "When I first heard that she'd been stabbed, I know it sounds silly, but I thought Cher will be alright. Cher's strong, she'll get through this." Ms Maximen was taken to hospital and underwent a number of emergency procedures before being put on life support. Mr Hoo immediately headed to London to be at her bedside. "I can remember being in the hospital being sat there with her, with other family members and that's the last time I saw her. It still doesn't feel real. There's still disbelief," he said. "It's the most senseless act to someone who had so much life and so much to give." Ms Maximen died from her injuries six days after the incident. She was a vivacious young woman who grew up in Bristol and then London, finding her feet working with people in music and entertainment. Ms Maximen was described as a "people person", which for Mr Hoo manifested in her being "a bright light" in the lives of her loved ones. He said: "It's just this energy she had, she lit up the room. If you walked into a space, you'd know that Cher was there. Her energy itself would fill the room. She was a very bright light." Her life changed three years before her death when she became a mother in her late 20s. Her daughter became her life's work, she poured her love and energy into creating a person her family describe as her mini-me, "she's Cher 2.0" Mr Hoo said. Ms Maximen was stabbed just metres from her daughter on that day. Mr Hoo said the idea of the toddler witnessing her mother on the ground punctuates the sadness the family feel with anger. "The feeling of loss is overwhelming, but so is the feeling of rage," he said. "She [Ms Maximen's daughter] is aware that on that day, something happened to her mother. "She saw her mother drop to the floor, and then she saw her mother bleed. That's the daughter's last living memory of her mother. And to live with that, knowing that that's happened, that somebody did that. That's why it's so hard and that's where the rage comes from." The family is now rallying around the little girl who is growing up without her mother. Mr Hoo said the attack "will be a memory that will recur" for Ms Maximen's daughter, adding "that is why it is so painful and hard to try to live with". "I think the trauma is going to be there, and trauma will raise its head when it chooses to come up. But we'll be there for her," he said. The family held Ms Maximen's funeral in October, and dozens came to remember a woman who loved to spread joy. Mr Hoo said their focus is now Cher's daughter: "It's difficult to say how do we celebrate this life that was taken so prematurely. But I think it goes into her daughter, and it's to give her daughter the best life and love, and tell her who her mother was. "I just wish that we had so much more time."
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
American mink recovers from injury at Virginia Wildlife Center
ROANOKE, Va. (WFXR) – For the first time in five years, since 2019, the Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center is caring for an American Mink. The mink was brought to the center on February 27 with limited mobility, including one functional arm and two immobile legs. It has since been receiving round-the-clock care, including anti-inflammatories, pain medication, and laser therapy to help reduce the swelling. Although the healing process is slow, there are signs of progress. Due to treatment, the mink is now starting to get movement back in all limbs. 'Hoo' goes there? Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center releasing Eastern Screech Owl The cause behind the injuries is unknown; however, the center believes the trauma is related to a vehicle collision. The severity of the injuries is believed to be from a spinal trauma that caused swelling and pressure on the spinal cord and nerve that left the mink with temporary paralysis. Minks are known to be solitary, nocturnal, and semi-aquatic, with a diverse diet of insects, rodents, fish, crustaceans, amphibians, and birds. Meet 'Cosmos,' Wildlife Center of Virginia reveals ambassador Opossums new name They are great swimmers and have webbed feet, which allow them to dive up to 17 feet. They can also stay underwater for several minutes. Their species are likely to be found in wetlands, including rivers, ponds, and streams, which is why intake at the center is rare. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
