Latest news with #LiverpoolIncident
The Independent
6 days ago
- General
- The Independent
Speed of release of race and ethnicity of Liverpool suspect ‘unprecedented'
The speed at which police released the race and ethnicity of the suspect in the Liverpool car incident is 'unprecedented', a former chief superintendent has said. Merseyside Police confirmed they had a arrested a 53-year-old white British man from the Liverpool area around two hours after the incident that left dozens of people, including four children, hurt. The force was criticised in the wake of the Southport murders last summer for not releasing more information after false rumours were started online that the killer was a Muslim asylum seeker. Former Metropolitan Police chief superintendent Dal Babu told BBC Radio 5 Live: 'What we do have, which is unprecedented, is the police very quickly giving the ethnicity and the race of the person who was driving the vehicle… and it was Merseyside Police who didn't give that information with the Southport horrific murders of those three girls, and the rumours were that it was an asylum seeker who arrived on a boat and it was a Muslim extremist, and that wasn't the case. 'So I think what the police have done very, very quickly, and I've never known a case like this before where they've given the ethnicity and the race of the individual who was involved in it, so I think that was to dampen down some of the speculation from the far-right that sort of continues on X even as we speak that this was a Muslim extremist and there's a conspiracy theory.' In March, Chief Constable Serena Kennedy told MPs she wanted to dispel disinformation in the immediate aftermath of the Southport murders by releasing information about attacker Axel Rudakubana's religion, because he came from a Christian family, but was told not to by local crown prosecutors. Police did disclose that the suspect was a 17-year-old male from Banks in Lancashire, who was born in Cardiff. Widespread rioting followed the murders, with some disorder targeting mosques and hotels housing asylum seekers. Mayor of the Liverpool City Region Steve Rotheram backed the force's unusual decision to release the information about the Liverpool suspect so quickly. He told reporters: 'If you have a look at my timeline, there was somebody very quickly saying 'Why are you lying? There's been another incident in another part of the city', which obviously wasn't true, and then they were trying to stir it up who might be responsible for it. 'That's why I think the police acted… to dampen that sort of speculation, because it was designed to inflame. It was designed to divide.' Asked if he would like to see similar details released in the future in similar cases, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: 'That is a matter for the police and the investigation is ongoing so I think we need to leave that to them. 'I think today is a day really for thinking about all those impacted by this and being absolutely clear that we stand with them.'
Telegraph
27-05-2025
- General
- Telegraph
Do not expect us to release every suspect's ethnicity, say police
Police forces have said they will not release the ethnicity of every suspect in the wake of the incident in Liverpool on Monday The driver of a car that ploughed into crowds during Liverpool football club's victory parade was described as 'white British' hours after being arrested on Monday. In the wake of the Southport killings in 2024, Merseyside Police was heavily criticised for allowing a void of information about the perpetrator, Axel Rudakubana, which was filled with misinformation, including that he was a Muslim asylum seeker. Keen to avoid a potentially similar situation, the force said Monday's suspect was a 53-year-old white British man from the Liverpool area just two hours after the incident took place. Usually when a suspect is arrested, police forces in England and Wales disclose the age of the person and where they were arrested, but there is no national guidance about what information to release and it is ultimately at the discretion of the chief constable, sources said. They added that revealing suspects' nationalities would not happen in every case because it was not always relevant and may be an issue at trial in some cases. 'Given the events that followed the Southport attack there is obviously a heightened awareness of when information should be released to the public to prevent misinformation spreading,' one source said. Dal Babu, a former chief superintendent of the Metropolitan Police, said the decision to release the ethnicity of the suspect so early was highly unusual. Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, he said: 'What we do have, which is unprecedented, is the police very quickly giving the ethnicity and the race of the person who was driving the vehicle. 'It was Merseyside Police who didn't give that information with the Southport horrific murders of those three girls, and the rumours were that it was an asylum seeker who arrived on a boat and it was a Muslim extremist and that wasn't the case. 'So I think what the police have done very very quickly, and I've never known a case like this before where they've given the ethnicity and the race of the individual who was involved in it. 'I think that was to dampen down some of the speculation from the far-Right that sort of continues on X even as we speak that this was a Muslim extremist and there's a conspiracy theory.' Violent disorder broke out in the Southport area in the aftermath of the attack and there was widespread rioting across the country. Mr Babu said Merseyside Police had clearly learnt lessons from the Southport attack and was trying a new strategy to quell false narratives forming early. He said: 'It's remarkably striking because police will not release that kind of information because they'll be worried about prejudicing any future trial, but I think they have to balance that against the potential of public disorder and we had massive public disorder after the far-right extremists had spread these rumours.' Steve Rotheram, the mayor of Liverpool, defended the force's decision to release the ethnicity of the suspect. He said: 'If you looked on social media, already within minutes of the incident being posted, there was speculation from some nefarious groups [who] were trying to stir up speculation around who was responsible for it. 'The whole idea was to put to bed the misinformation and disinformation that was out there to calm people.' Merseyside Police held a press conference four and a half hours after the attack in which they provided further information, including the fact the man arrested was believed to be the driver of the vehicle, rather than a passenger. They also stated that the incident was not being treated as terrorism. Asst Chief Constable Jenny Sims said: 'Extensive enquiries are ongoing to establish the circumstances leading up to the collision and it is vital that people do not speculate or spread misinformation on social media.'
ABC News
27-05-2025
- General
- ABC News
Liverpool parade crash driver arrested on suspicion of 'driving while unfit through drugs', police say
Police suspect a man they arrested after a car ploughed into large crowds of people in Liverpool, north-west England, earlier this week could have been driving while affected by drugs. Officers arrested a 53-year-old local man at the scene, on Water Street in the city centre, just after 6pm Monday, local time (2am Tuesday AEST). Hundreds of thousands of Liverpool Football Club fans had packed in to the surrounding area to watch a parade marking their team's English Premier League title win. While the police investigation is ongoing, and no charges have been laid yet, Detective Chief Superintendent Karen Jaundrill on Tuesday said the man had been "arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, dangerous driving offences and driving while unfit through drugs". She said detectives were making "significant progress" with their probe and reiterated that police did not believe terrorism was a factor in the incident. Authorities say there have so far been 65 "casualties" connected to the incident. Of those, 50 were treated in hospital, and 11 were still there on Tuesday afternoon. "They appear to be recovering well," said Assistant Chief Constable Jenny Sims, from the local constabulary, Merseyside Police. Assistant Chief Constable Jenny Sims described Monday's incident as "devastating" and said police had "worked extensively" with event organisers to try and ensure the parade was carried out safely. She said Water Street had been closed to traffic, but that it was "believed" the car's driver was able to follow an ambulance through a road block that had been temporarily lifted. Meanwhile, King Charles III says he and Queen Camilla, who are not in the UK right now, have been left "deeply shocked and saddened" by the incident. The royal couple touched down in Ottawa, Canada for a two-day tour around the time the crash took place. In a statement posted to social media, King Charles said: "My wife and I were deeply shocked and saddened to hear of the terrible events that took place in Liverpool on Monday." "It is truly devastating to see that what should have been a joyous celebration for so many could end in such distressing circumstances. "At this heartbreaking time for the people of Liverpool, I know that the strength of community spirit for which your city is renowned will be a comfort and support to those in need. "Our prayers and deepest sympathy are with all those who have been affected, and my special gratitude goes out to the first responders, emergency services personnel and other individuals who rushed to the aid of the injured." Liverpool FC have a global fanbase, and the O'Brien family travelled from Ireland to be part of Monday's parade, which took place on a public holiday in the UK. They were on Water Street when the incident unfolded and were initially in the car's path. "We were walking, singing and having a good time. And the next thing was, people were just pushing us to one side because this car was coming at us," Marie O'Brien said. "It was the ordinary people that just saved everybody. It would have been worse, only for people seeing it happen, pushing us." Melbourne man Corey Judd travelled to Liverpool to watch the parade and said the day had initially started well. "Everyone we met was having absolute blast and everyone was happy," he said. "It was just such a great mood and welcoming of people from other countries." Mr Judd was about 200 metres from where the incident unfolded, and said the mood changed immediately. "It just it felt like such a dampener on everything that had happened. It was horrible," he said.
Irish Times
27-05-2025
- General
- Irish Times
Speed of release of race and ethnicity of Liverpool suspect ‘unprecedented'
The speed at which police released the race and ethnicity of the suspect in the Liverpool car incident is 'unprecedented', a former chief superintendent has said. Merseyside Police confirmed they had a arrested a 53-year-old white British man from the Liverpool area about two hours after the incident that left dozens of people, including four children, hurt. The force was criticised in the wake of the Southport murders last summer for not releasing more information after false rumours were started online that the killer of three young girls was a Muslim asylum seeker. Former Metropolitan Police chief superintendent Dal Babu told BBC Radio 5 Live: 'What we do have, which is unprecedented, is the police very quickly giving the ethnicity and the race of the person who was driving the vehicle ... and it was Merseyside Police who didn't give that information with the Southport horrific murders of those three girls, and the rumours were that it was an asylum seeker who arrived on a boat and it was a Muslim extremist and that wasn't the case. READ MORE 'So I think what the police have done very, very quickly, and I've never known a case like this before where they've given the ethnicity and the race of the individual who was involved in it, so I think that was to dampen down some of the speculation from the far-right that sort of continues on X even as we speak that this was a Muslim extremist and there's a conspiracy theory.' In March Chief Constable Serena Kennedy told MPs she wanted to dispel disinformation in the immediate aftermath of the Southport murders by releasing information about the attacker Axel Rudakubana's religion, as he came from a Christian family, but was told not to by local crown prosecutors. Police did disclose that the suspect was a 17-year-old male from Banks in Lancashire, who was born in Cardiff. Widespread rioting followed the murders, with some disorder targeting mosques and hotels housing asylum seekers. − PA
South China Morning Post
27-05-2025
- General
- South China Morning Post
Speedy release of Liverpool parade suspect's race, ethnicity ‘unprecedented'
The speed at which police released the race and ethnicity of the suspect in the Liverpool car incident is 'unprecedented', a former chief superintendent has said. Merseyside police confirmed they had a arrested a 53-year-old white British man from the Liverpool area around two hours after the incident that left dozens of people including four children hurt. The force was criticised in the wake of the Southport murders last summer for not releasing more information after false rumours were started online that the killer was a Muslim asylum seeker. Former Metropolitan Police chief superintendent Dal Babu told BBC Radio 5 Live: 'What we do have, which is unprecedented, is the police very quickly giving the ethnicity and the race of the person who was driving the vehicle … and it was Merseyside police who didn't give that information with the Southport horrific murders of those three girls, and the rumours were that it was an asylum seeker who arrived on a boat and it was a Muslim extremist and that wasn't the case. 'So I think what the police have done very, very quickly, and I've never known a case like this before where they've given the ethnicity and the race of the individual who was involved in it, so I think that was to dampen down some of the speculation from the far-right that sort of continues on X even as we speak that this was a Muslim extremist and there's a conspiracy theory.' 03:11 Anti-racism protests sweep UK after far-right riots against immigration Anti-racism protests sweep UK after far-right riots against immigration In March, chief constable Serena Kennedy told British MPs she wanted to dispel disinformation in the immediate aftermath of the Southport murders by releasing information about the attacker Axel Rudakubana's religion, as he came from a Christian family, but was told not to by local crown prosecutors.
