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Daily Mirror
20 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Sad reason woman stole bus and went on 7-mile journey before spitting on cops
Shazma Ansar spat at three officers after stealing the bus and driving for seven miles, smashing into parked cars - a court heard she was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia A knife-wielding woman stole a bus from an airport and took it on a seven-mile journey which ended in a smash with parked cars for a tragic reason. Shazma Ansar, 29, used the blade to threaten driver Mark Lewis and demanded he take her to London from Birmingham shortly after midnight. He went to get police for support but found the bus had gone when he returned. But she was eventually arrested on St. Benedicts Road, Small Heath, after smashing into stationary cars and wedging the bus between vehicles when she was trying to turn around. In custody she also spat at three different officers. Birmingham Crown Court heard Ansar, previously from Shard End, suffered paranoid schizophrenia and had not been taking her medication at the time. On Wednesday she was sentenced to a hospital order with restrictions under the Mental Health Act, reports BirminghamLive. She admitted threatening someone with a knife, aggravated vehicle taking, three charges of assaulting an emergency worker as well as driving without a licence and insurance. Ansar had boarded the bus on Timberley Lane, Shard End, shortly after midnight on September 24 last year. She asked to go to Small Heath but when Mr Lewis said he was going to Birmingham Airport she agreed to go there instead. Prosecutor Sally Cairns said: "When they arrived the defendant was the only passenger. She lay down across the back seats. Mr Lewis drove the bus to a stand at Birmingham Airport and displayed the 'out of service' sign. He asked the defendant if she was going to leave. She demanded to be taken to London. "Mr Lewis told her he couldn't do that, but he could take her back to where she got on. The defendant walked down the bus, close to the driver's side, with a kitchen knife in her hand. She said 'if you don't take me to London I will kill you', swearing at Mr Lewis." Mr Lewis agreed and convinced Ansar to let him go to the toilet. Instead, he alerted police at the airport but when they returned the bus had gone. It was next spotted on Coventry Road where Ansar turned off into St. Benedicts Road which had cars parked on either side. Ms Cairns said: "As it drove down the bus clipped wing mirrors. The defendant turned left and tried to turn the rear of the bus. It collided with a parked car and pushed that car into another car. The defendant carried on driving dragging parked cars caught on the bus. She tried to manoeuvre the bus by doubled parked cars but the bus became lodged." Police arrived to find Ansar beeping the horn, 'acting bizarrely' and 'asking for a Lamborghini'. She was arrested but later on that morning she spat in the face of a detention officer after asking to be let go. She also spat at two police constables after being taken to Sandwell Hospital having complained of chest pains. Psychiatrists have confirmed she suffers from paranoid schizophrenia with symptoms including hearing voices and acting upon them, the court was told. Ansar is currently being treated at Chadwick Lodge secure mental health hospital in Milton Keynes. Recorder Rebecca Wade agreed to the recommendation for a hospital order with restrictions, concluding Ansar had a 'lack of insight' into her mental illness and offending as well as taking into account her 'persistent history of none-compliance with treatment'. She added she posed a risk of causing serious harm to the public if not detained.
CTV News
a day ago
- Health
- CTV News
Man injured during Mental Health Act arrest in Surrey, B.C., watchdog says
Investigators from B.C.'s Independent Investigations Office are seen in this file photo from the IIO. A man was injured during a Mental Health Act arrest in Surrey, B.C., earlier this month, prompting an investigation by the province's police watchdog. The Independent Investigations Office of B.C. said the incident happened on the afternoon of May 9, while members of the Surrey RCMP Provincial Operations Support Unit were responding to a 'disturbance call' at a residential building near 34 Avenue and 152 Street. 'After arriving, officers located one man who had reportedly been in possession of a weapon and moved to detain him under the Mental Health Act,' the IIO said in a news release Tuesday. 'The man suffered injuries during the arrest process and was then taken to a hospital for treatment.' The watchdog didn't learn of the incident until May 21, when it was notified by the Surrey Police Service. It's unclear what led to the delay. An SPS spokesperson declined to comment when contacted by CTV News. An IIO spokesperson said these types of delays are typically the result of police being unaware of the severity of a person's injuries. 'Whether that was the case in this instance will be determined during the IIO investigation,' the spokesperson told CTV News, in an email. The IIO only investigates officer-involved incidents that result in death or serious harm, which includes injuries that cause serious disfigurement or disabilities. The watchdog is tasked with investigating those incidents whether or not there is any allegation of wrongdoing on the part of police.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Vigil for 'four beautiful souls' killed in fire
About 150 residents gathered for a prayer service in Brent, north London on Tuesday evening to remember a mother and three of her children who died in a house fire. Nusrat Usman, 43, her daughter Maryam Mikaiel, 15 and sons Musa Usman, eight, and Raees Usman, four, died when their home in Stonebridge went up in flames on Saturday morning. A 13-year-old girl, who has not been named, remains in hospital in a critical condition, while a woman in her 70s has been discharged. Local councillor Muhammed Butt told BBC London the tragedy had united the community. The vigil was held in the middle of the housing estate where the four lost their lives. Mr Butt, who is leader of Brent Council, told BBC London: "We are mourning the loss of four beautiful souls. "I live just around the corner, just across the road, and the community is so united. "Everyone knows one another so to have this tragedy you can see, you can feel the loss that people are feeling. "They care about one another, they look after one another and they care about everyone." Members of the community spoke about the loss of the family and how the father Ozzy was still coming to terms the tragedy. Eight fire engines and about 70 firefighters from stations across Wembley, Park Royal and Willesden were sent to tackle the blaze. A teddy bear and flowers were seen laid near the properties over the weekend. The London Fire Brigade said a woman and child were initially rescued from the second floor of one of the affected properties and received emergency care but were declared dead at the scene. Two more children were found inside the property and also declared dead, it added. One neighbour, who said the family had moved to the UK from Pakistan more than 20 years ago, told the BBC that after hearing smashing and screaming, she had gone out to find the building on fire. The Metropolitan Police said a man, 41, had been arrested on suspicion of murder outside the property. He has since been bailed and detained under the Mental Health Act. Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to Mother and three children who died in Brent fire named Murder arrest as mum and three children die in fire Metropolitan Police
ITV News
2 days ago
- Health
- ITV News
Mental health inequalities experienced by Black communities in Berkshire explored in new report
A new report has explored the mental health inequalities experienced by Black communities in local services. Mind in Berkshire heard from more than 180 people on several key themes relating to Black people's access to mental health care and support. Between 2021 and 2023, data showed that Black individuals were over three times more likely to be detained under the Mental Health Act than white individuals in the county. The charity was commissioned by the local NHS Trust to engage with Black communities to understand the context behind these figures better and identify themes that may help inform future service development. Berkshire Healthcare NHS Trust said it has a dedicated project aimed at understanding and addressing the issues. The feedback explored themes of: Mind in Berkshire is a partnership between two mental health charities, Oxfordshire Mind and Buckinghamshire Mind. Jess Willsher and Joel Rose, Co-CEOs of Mind in Berkshire said: "This report, a product of our collective efforts, represents an important step in understanding the experiences and perspectives of Black communities in Berkshire about mental health services. "We are grateful to everyone who contributed so openly to this engagement. "It is important that these findings now lead to constructive and collaborative change, across the system, so that disparities are reduced and experiences improve." Dr. Kathryn MacDermott, SRO of the Mental Health Act Detentions Project at Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, said: "Nationally and within Berkshire, Black people are disproportionately more likely to be detained under the Mental Health Act 1983. "For the last two years, Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust have had a dedicated Mental Health Act Detention project which aims to understand and address these longstanding racial inequalities. "We welcome the findings of the report and will continue to work with Mind in Berkshire, embedding learnings from the report within the ongoing work we are doing."
The Journal
3 days ago
- Health
- The Journal
Minister proposes changes to Ireland's new mental health law to deal with involuntary patients
THE MUCH DELAYED Mental Health Bill, which is set to overhaul Ireland's mental health laws, will see 200 amendments to it proposed by government today. The long-awaited legislation , which has suffered protracted delays for years, aims tp strengthen regulation around people consenting to the type of treatment they receive. It will also regulate all community Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) which currently fall outside the scope of regulation set out under the 2001 Mental Health Act. It is close to ten years since an expert group tasked with reviewing the Mental Health Act 2001 recommended 165 changes to the law, but the pace of the new legislation has been painfully slow. Promises were made that the legislation would be passed prior to the election, however, with the bill fell with the dissolution of the last Dáil. It was later restored to the legislative agenda by Minister for Mental Health Mary Butler. Minister Butler and Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill will today propose over 200 amendments at Committee Stage with aims to progress the bill in the coming weeks. Advertisement Involuntary patients in mental health facilities The bill provides for an updated involuntary admission and detention process for people with severe mental health difficulties, including a revised set of criteria for admission. It also reforms the approach to consent to treatment for involuntarily admitted people. The most significant amendments proposed to Cabinet for approval today relate to adults who are involuntarily admitted to an acute mental health unit and lack capacity to consent to treatment. The Journal has reported extensively on the rights of voluntary and involuntary patients in mental health facilities and how the laws need reform. The proposed new mental health law, as published but yet to be passed all stages of the Oireachtas, permits treatment for involuntary patients who lack capacity and do not have a substitute decision arrangement in place. The draft bill proposes retaining the tribunal or a review board when it comes to such decisions, but it also requires a Circuit Court order for treatment decisions where a patient lacks capacity. The proposed amendments being brought to Cabinet seek to extend the permissible treatment period for a further 21 days (up to a maximum of 42) where it is approved by a second consultant psychiatrist, or while awaiting the appointment of a substitute decision-making arrangement by a court, provided the person continues to meet the criteria for involuntary admission and continues to lack capacity. The Medical Independent reported this month that consultant psychiatrists raised concerns that introducing such a structure could also lead to delays in treatment for patients. Related Reads Mental illness: How do schizophrenia and psychosis present, and how can we best treat them? Govt signs off on largest overhaul of Ireland's mental health law after years of delays Overhaul of mental health law which 'deprives people of liberty' may not happen before election The amendments also propose to broaden the criteria for the administration of treatment during such periods beyond risk to self and others to include criteria based on the need for treatment. The minister for mental health believes the amendments seek to strike an appropriate balance between respecting the autonomy of the individual while ensuring timely access to care and treatment where necessary. Butler is understood to be confident the amendments will make the bill stronger, easier to implement and better protect and vindicate the rights of people accessing treatment. CAMHS regulations The new legislation also deals with CAMHS – an issue that has caused much controversy in recent years, particularly around the issue of waiting lists. While progressing with the legislation, Minister Butler has formally written to the Mental Health Commission to request the Commission begin the development of new standards to regulate CAMHS in preparation for the commencement of the legislation. Stronger safeguards for people accessing inpatient treatment also forms part of the legislation, which also includes provisions to allow 16 and 17-year-olds to consent to or refuse mental health treatment. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
