Latest news with #Lyttle
Sunday World
5 days ago
- Politics
- Sunday World
Sinn Féin appoints new councillor who had told cops he'd ‘shoot them with machine-gun'
Ruaídhrí Lyttle stepped down and apologised back in 2023 after disturbing comments he made during a drunken rant at the police resurfaced Sinn Féin has appointed a new councillor who pulled out of the last election after it emerged he'd been to court for telling cops he'd 'shoot them with a machine-gun', it has emerged. Ruaídhrí Lyttle stepped down and apologised back in 2023 after disturbing comments he made during a drunken rant at the police resurfaced. West Tyrone Sinn Féin MP Órfhlaith Begley announced on Friday night that 30-year-old Lyttle was being co-opted onto Fermanagh and Omagh District Council to represent the Gortin and Killyclogher area of Mid-Tyrone. She wrote: 'Delighted to welcome our new councillor Ruaídhrí Lytlle [sic] for the Gortin and Killyclogher area of Mid Tyrone. 'I also want to thank our outgoing councillor Anne Marie Fitzgerald for her many years of commitment and service. 'During her 18 years as a councillor, Anne Marie has been a first-class representative and a tireless worker on behalf of the community she has represented.' And Lyttle himself said: 'This evening, I am taking the opportunity to announce my co-option as the Sinn Féin cllr for Mid Tyrone in place of Anne Marie Fitzgerald, who has offered her resignation after serving the local community with distinction for over 18 years. 'I would like to acknowledge the dedication, hard work and commitment to this role that Anne Marie has given for the last 18 years. I am determined to serve in this role as cllr for Mid Tyrone in the same manner. 'I am determined to bring the same energy and commitment to this role as Anne Marie has. I am determined to campaign tirelessly for local people on local issues. I look forward to the challenges ahead and to representing you all.' Despite a chequered past, Lyttle is highly regarded in Sinn Féin and is known for working hard on the ground on a number of issues. And despite his misdemeanours, his announcement has been widely welcomed among nationalists in Tyrone. In April 2023 in the run-up to the local council elections we revealed (right) how Lyttle, who had been standing for the republican party in the Mid-Tyrone area, had been involved in an embarrassing incident six years ago which resulted in him being brought to court. In response, Lyttle told the Sunday World he didn't want the issue to become a 'distraction' for his 'party colleagues' and he had decided to step down. We had revealed that Lyttle, who lives in Omagh, was convicted of disorderly behaviour on a boozy night out in the County Tyrone town two days before Christmas in 2017. And things took a decidedly nasty turn when Lyttle, who was 23 at the time, approached police officers and started to shout abuse at them, including telling them he would 'shoot them with a machine-gun'. Police in Omagh are particularly sensitive to such threats — however unlikely they are to be carried out—– given that dissident republicans murdered PC Ronan Kerr in Omagh in 2011. Lyttle announced his plan to stand for election six days after DCI John Caldwell survived a murder bid at the hands of two dissident republican gunmen in February and he was hoping to be elected to represent the Killyclogher and Gortin areas — to which is now being co-opted. In a statement at the time he told the Sunday World: 'I apologised in court a number of years ago for my behaviour and accept fully that my actions were wrong. 'My role in this incident remains a matter of deep regret. I don't want this issue to become a distraction for my party colleagues and in light of this, I have reconsidered my position. 'I have decided to withdraw my name from standing in this year's local government elections.' Sources who know Lyttle told us they were 'surprised' he jumped so quickly. 'I'm very surprised he's decided to drop out over this,' said one source. 'It was obviously an embarrassing incident but it was six years ago and he has apologised. 'Ruaídhrí would have been a good council rep but he obviously had a past and he'd been done for being disorderly a few times so maybe he was worried about the details of all of those coming out.' Lyttle was arrested and brought before District Judge Bernie Kelly, who told him he couldn't blame alcohol for his shocking outburst, his behaviour had been 'despicable' and that he had exposed 'the true Ruaídhrí Lyttle'. He was fined £100 for the drunken outburst. But Omagh Magistrates Court was told in 2017 Lyttle had two previous cautions for disorderly behaviour. His solicitor told the court Lyttle had consumed 'a lot of alcohol' and clearly hadn't learned his lesson from the previous cautions'. Judge Kelly was less than impressed with Lyttle's behaviour, saying: 'I genuinely never know where to start with someone like you. 'You were three years old when the Good Friday Agreement was signed. How much personal experience do you have of the Troubles?' A sheepish Lyttle replied a simple 'none', to which the judge asked: 'So what gives you the right to make such comments about police officers?' Shame-faced Lyttle replied: 'I don't have any.' But Judge Kelly wasn't finished with Lyttle. She added: 'Alcohol does not turn you from Doctor Jekyll to Mr Hyde. If it was not in you it would not come out. Alcohol pulls down the facades. 'That was the true Ruaídhrí Lyttle we saw that night. It was despicable behaviour. I promise you there will be an entirely different outcome if I see you again.'
Ottawa Citizen
29-07-2025
- Ottawa Citizen
Closing statements wrap up in Lam sisters' murder trial in Ottawa
Closing arguments have wrapped up in the murder trial of two Vietnamese sisters in Ottawa, and the jury is expected to be sequestered starting Tuesday. Article content Hue Ai Lam and her sister Chau Khan Lam face first-degree murder charges in relation to the death of their mother, Kieu Lam, in October 2022. Article content Article content Both sisters pleaded not guilty, saying they killed their mother after suffering from years of verbal and physical abuse. Article content Article content Ewan Lyttle, Chau's lawyer, and Paolo Giancaterino, Hue's lawyer, argued the sisters were acting in self-defence. Article content Article content Kieu never showed her daughters love and affection, they said. Instead, they said, she physically and verbally assaulted them for decades, which caused deep psychological harm. Article content Giancaterino also said the abuse escalated after Hue was diagnosed with Parkinson's, which left her with the decreased ability to defend herself. Article content 'This is a case about a woman who, throughout her adult years, was controlled, demeaned and subjected to violence at the hands of her mother, who once she was no longer of use to her mother faced an escalation of the emotional and physical violence to the point that she attempted to commit suicide,' Giancaterino said. Article content Lyttle also said Chau was isolated from the world, forbidden from having any semblance of a social life in Ottawa. Article content Article content Despite living in the city for 30 years, Lyttle said Chau did not have any friends and rarely visited her brothers. Chau had to ask her mother for permission if she wanted to go out of the house, or else the elderly woman would accuse her of being disobedient. Article content Article content He pointed to statements where Chau said she stayed home to take care of her mother but was physically abused. Kieu once jabbed Chau in the forehead while getting her toenails clipped, she said while on the witness stand earlier this month. Article content 'You must understand that child was in her mother's presence, literally, 24 hours a day for decades. She was impossible to avoid,' Lyttle told the jury. Article content Lyttle and Giancaterino told the jury the sisters ultimately felt like they did not have a lot of options to leave the abuse because of cultural expectations.
Fashion Network
10-06-2025
- Business
- Fashion Network
M&S online fashion orders resume after cyberattack
The return of online shopping marks a major milestone for the retailer, which has been struggling to get services back to normal since the cyber attack, which left some shelves empty and deliveries on standby. M&S was hit by a cyberattack over the Easter weekend, which initially affected its click & collect and contactless payments. A few days later, the company suspended online orders, and warned services could continue to be disrupted until July. But on Tuesday, M&S managing director of fashion, home and beauty, John Lyttle, said a selection of the retailer's "best-selling" fashion ranges would now be available online. On social media, Lyttle confirmed: 'We are bringing back online shopping this week. A selection of our best-selling fashion ranges will be available for home delivery to England, Scotland and Wales from today'. According to reports, the retailer is estimated to have been losing about £25 million in online clothing and homewares sales a week. M&S has also estimated that the cyber ttack will hit this year's profits by around £300 million and a sum that would only partly be covered by any insurance payout. Some personal customer data was stolen by hackers during the attack, which the retailer has said could have included telephone numbers, home addresses and dates of birth. The company has told customers that the data theft did not include useable payment or card details, or any account passwords. One analyst said the online shopping return was welcome but problems remain. Pippa Stephens, Senior Apparel Analyst at GlobalData, said: 'Marks & Spencer's resumption of online orders across select fashion products following a cyberattack will be a welcome relief for shoppers, with many holding off on purchases for almost seven weeks due to its physical locations being less convenient to visit or there being insufficient stock in-store. 'However, the retailer is currently estimating delivery times of up to 10 days, which may still deter customers who are accustomed to faster delivery options from its competitors. Many key products are also lacking availability across several sizes, which could frustrate customers and lead to lost sales opportunities.' 'M&S was one of the biggest winners in the UK apparel market in 2024, with its market share rising 0.4ppts to 5.2%, the highest it has been since 2017. This upward trajectory has now been compromised by the cyberattack, with GlobalData estimating that the retailer could have lost up to £130m in online apparel sales while its website was down, depending on how much spend shifted to stores. There are further losses to come still until the website is fully operational again, with disruption expected to continue until at least July. 'The impact of this cyberattack will be long-lasting for M&S, with the stealing of customer data potentially undermining its hard-won gains in brand reputation and customer loyalty. The retailer will have also been left with excess seasonal stock, impacting its margins as it will be forced to implement more discounts." But it's clear this is about more than M&S as a number of other retail/fashion firms not just in the UK have also suffered cyberattacks. Stephens said the M&S issues have been a warning to the entire industry: 'Therefore, this incident serves as a stark reminder of the vulnerabilities retailers face in an increasingly digital landscape, where a single breach can have far-reaching consequences. The recent cyberattacks on other prominent apparel players such as Harrods, The North Face and Adidas underscores the pervasive threat to the retail industry and highlights the urgent need for robust cybersecurity measures.' That's something the companies that have suffered -- and their peers that haven't been the subject of cyberattacks so far -- will be taking to heart.
Fashion Network
10-06-2025
- Business
- Fashion Network
M&S online fashion orders resume after cyberattack
The return of online shopping marks a major milestone for the retailer, which has been struggling to get services back to normal since the cyber attack, which left some shelves empty and deliveries on standby. M&S was hit by a cyberattack over the Easter weekend, which initially affected its click & collect and contactless payments. A few days later, the company suspended online orders, and warned services could continue to be disrupted until July. But on Tuesday, M&S managing director of fashion, home and beauty, John Lyttle, said a selection of the retailer's "best-selling" fashion ranges would now be available online. On social media, Lyttle confirmed: 'We are bringing back online shopping this week. A selection of our best-selling fashion ranges will be available for home delivery to England, Scotland and Wales from today'. According to reports, the retailer is estimated to have been losing about £25 million in online clothing and homewares sales a week. M&S has also estimated that the cyber ttack will hit this year's profits by around £300 million and a sum that would only partly be covered by any insurance payout. Some personal customer data was stolen by hackers during the attack, which the retailer has said could have included telephone numbers, home addresses and dates of birth. The company has told customers that the data theft did not include useable payment or card details, or any account passwords. One analyst said the online shopping return was welcome but problems remain. Pippa Stephens, Senior Apparel Analyst at GlobalData, said: 'Marks & Spencer's resumption of online orders across select fashion products following a cyberattack will be a welcome relief for shoppers, with many holding off on purchases for almost seven weeks due to its physical locations being less convenient to visit or there being insufficient stock in-store. 'However, the retailer is currently estimating delivery times of up to 10 days, which may still deter customers who are accustomed to faster delivery options from its competitors. Many key products are also lacking availability across several sizes, which could frustrate customers and lead to lost sales opportunities.' 'M&S was one of the biggest winners in the UK apparel market in 2024, with its market share rising 0.4ppts to 5.2%, the highest it has been since 2017. This upward trajectory has now been compromised by the cyberattack, with GlobalData estimating that the retailer could have lost up to £130m in online apparel sales while its website was down, depending on how much spend shifted to stores. There are further losses to come still until the website is fully operational again, with disruption expected to continue until at least July. 'The impact of this cyberattack will be long-lasting for M&S, with the stealing of customer data potentially undermining its hard-won gains in brand reputation and customer loyalty. The retailer will have also been left with excess seasonal stock, impacting its margins as it will be forced to implement more discounts." But it's clear this is about more than M&S as a number of other retail/fashion firms not just in the UK have also suffered cyberattacks. Stephens said the M&S issues have been a warning to the entire industry: 'Therefore, this incident serves as a stark reminder of the vulnerabilities retailers face in an increasingly digital landscape, where a single breach can have far-reaching consequences. The recent cyberattacks on other prominent apparel players such as Harrods, The North Face and Adidas underscores the pervasive threat to the retail industry and highlights the urgent need for robust cybersecurity measures.' That's something the companies that have suffered -- and their peers that haven't been the subject of cyberattacks so far -- will be taking to heart.
