Latest news with #MetropolitanPoliceService
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Watch live: Madeleine McCann investigators scour abandoned farmhouse near Christian Brueckner home in Portugal
Watch live as investigators searching for Madeleine McCann scour an abandoned farmhouse near the home of prime suspect Christian Brueckner. German and Portuguese police are in the municipality of Lagos, which sits next to Praia da Luz, the town in the Algarve where Madeline went missing 18 years ago. The search will cover 20 properties, cisterns, wells and ruins, according to sources close to the investigation. Investigators will reportedly look at trenches dug near the resort at the time of Madeleine's disappearance and are also using ground-penetrating radar to see if it can find any traces of the young British girl. Madeleine vanished from an apartment complex on 3 May, 2007 whilst on holiday with her family, prompting a Europe-wide police investigation. Investigators from Germany have taken the lead in the case since identifying 48-year-old Brueckner - who is currently in prison for a separate crime - as their prime suspect in 2020. Brueckner has repeatedly denied any involvement in the three-year-old's disappearance. A spokeswoman for the Metropolitan Police said: 'We are aware of the searches being carried by the BKA (German federal police) in Portugal as part of their investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann. 'The Metropolitan Police Service is not present at the search, we will support our international colleagues where necessary.'
3 days ago
German police to start new search in Portugal near where British toddler disappeared in 2007
LONDON -- German police investigating the disappearance of British toddler Madeleine McCann are to carry out fresh searches near the Portuguese holiday resort she was last seen 18 years ago, U.K. police said on Monday. The 3-year-old disappeared from her bed while on vacation with her family in the Praia da Luz resort, in southern Portugal, on May 3, 2007. She has not been seen since. The main suspect in the case is Christian Brueckner, who is currently serving a seven-year prison sentence in Germany for raping a 72-year-old woman in Portugal in 2005. He is under investigation on suspicion of murder in the McCann case but hasn't been charged. He spent many years in Portugal, including in Praia da Luz, around the time of the child's disappearance. Brueckner has denied any involvement in her disappearance. 'We are aware of the searches being carried by the BKA (German federal police) in Portugal as part of their investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann," the Metropolitan Police, in London, said in a statement. 'The Metropolitan Police Service is not present at the search, we will support our international colleagues where necessary," it added, without giving more details. The McCann case received worldwide interest for several years, with reports of sightings of her stretching as far away as Australia as well as books and television documentaries about her disappearance. Investigators in the U.K., Portugal and Germany are still piecing together what happened on the night she disappeared. She was in the same room as her brother and sister — 2-year-old twins — while their parents, Kate and Gerry, had dinner with friends at a nearby restaurant. Madeleine's family marked the 18th anniversary of her disappearance last month, and expressed their determination to keep searching.
Daily Record
3 days ago
- Daily Record
Fresh Madeleine McCann searches in Portugal being conducted by German police
'The Metropolitan Police Service is not present at the search, we will support our international colleagues where necessary.' Fresh searches are to be carried out in Portugal by German police investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann. Madeleine, then aged three, disappeared in 2007 while on holiday with her family in the resort of Praia da Luz after her parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, went out to dinner and left her sleeping in a room with her toddler twin siblings. On Monday, the Sun reported searches are to be carried out this week near where she was last seen. A spokeswoman for the Metropolitan Police said: 'We are aware of the searches being carried by the BKA (German federal police) in Portugal as part of their investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann . 'The Metropolitan Police Service is not present at the search, we will support our international colleagues where necessary.' The prime suspect in the case is Christian Brueckner, who is currently serving a seven-year prison sentence in Germany for the rape of an elderly woman at her home in Praia da Luz in 2005. German authorities said they are receiving support from Portuguese law enforcement. They last carried out searches in the country in 2023 near the Barragem do Arade reservoir, about 30 miles from Praia da Luz. Brueckner, who spent time in the area between 2000 and 2017, had photographs and videos of himself near the reservoir. He has denied any involvement in her disappearance. It had previously been searched in 2008, when Portuguese lawyer Marcos Aragao Correia paid for specialist divers to search it after he claimed to have been tipped off by criminal contacts that Madeleine's body was there. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Later, in 2014, British police were given permission to examine scrubland near where she vanished. Last month Madeleine's family marked the 18th anniversary of her disappearance, describing her as 'beautiful and unique' before her 22nd birthday, and expressing their determination to keep searching. A statement from her parents Kate and Gerry McCann and the family said: 'The years appear to be passing even more quickly and whilst we have no significant news to share, our determination to 'leave no stone unturned' is unwavering. We will do our utmost to achieve this.' In April, ministers approved more than £100,000 in additional funding for Scotland Yard detectives investigating Madeleine's disappearance.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Russell Brand pleads not guilty to rape and sexual assault charges by 4 women
Actor and comedian Russell Brand has formally pleaded not guilty to charges of rape, indecent assault and sexual assault. On Friday, BBC reported that Brand arrived at at Southwark Crown Court in London for a hearing in which he denied the charges of rape, indecent assault, and sexual assault against him. The charges relate to four separate women, for incidents that allegedly took place between 1999 and 2005. Brand, 49, arrived with his lawyer, Oliver Schneider-Sikorsky, who successfully defended Kevin Spacey against sexual assault allegations in 2023. After denying the charges, Brand put his sunglasses back on and walked out of the dock, flanked by security guards as he strode past photographers and avoided questions lobbed his way by reporters and camera crews, according to the outlet. The hearing took place a month after the Metropolitan Police Service announced that the Crown Prosecution Service authorized it to charge Brand. Following an investigation, the Get Him to the Greek actor is facing one count of rape, one count of indecent assault, one count of oral rape, and two counts of sexual assault. Brand is accused of raping one woman in Bournemouth, England, in 1999; indecently assaulting a second woman in London in 2001; orally raping and sexually assaulting a third woman in London in 2004; and sexually assaulting a fourth woman in London between 2004 and 2005. Detectives began investigating Brand in September 2023 after receiving a slew of allegations, which were reported as part of a joint investigation by The U.K. Times, The Sunday Times, and U.K. network Channel 4's television series Dispatches that same month, according to a press release from the Metropolitan Police Service. "The women who have made reports continue to receive support from specially trained officers," Metropolitan Police Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy, who led the investigation, said in a statement at the time. "The Met's investigation remains open, and detectives ask anyone who has been affected by this case, or anyone who has any information, to come forward and speak with police." Brand denied the allegations from the Times' article through a YouTube video titled "So, This Is Happening." The former actor, who has stepped away from Hollywood and become a controversial YouTube wellness guru, said he "absolutely" refuted the "serious allegation," claiming that all of his relationships were "consensual." He added that the claims were "extremely egregious and aggressive attacks." He also denied the allegations against him in an Instagram reel. "I've always told you guys when I was young and single, before I had my wife and family... I was a fool, man," he said in the video. "I was a fool before I lived in the light of the Lord. I was a drug addict, a sex addict, and an imbecile. But what I never was, was a rapist. I've never engaged in non-consensual activity. I pray that you can see that by looking in my eyes." He concluded his response by thanking his followers for their "continuing support," plugging his show, and then stating that he is grateful to have "the opportunity to defend these charges in court."The former star has courted controversy throughout his career before he stepped out of the limelight. These days, he is most commonly known as a controversial YouTuber who often discusses American politics and platforms conservative pundits like Tucker Carlson. He previously garnered criticism for peddling conspiracy theories and misinformation about COVID-19. He also became a vocal supporter of Donald Trump, whose inauguration he attended in January. Brand is on conditional bail until his trial begins on June 3, 2026. Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly
Middle East Eye
17-05-2025
- Middle East Eye
Three Iranian nationals charged with espionage in the UK
Three Iranian nationals have been charged with espionage in the UK, police in London said on Saturday. Mostafa Sepahvand, 39, Farhad Javadi Manesh, 44, and Shapoor Qalehali Khani Noori, 55, are accused of spying for Iran between 2024 and 2025, following an investigation by the Metropolitan Police Service's counterterrorism unit. The unit's commander, Dominic Murphy, said in a statement that they face "extremely serious charges, brought following a very complex and rapid investigation". The three men - all London residents - were arrested and detained for two weeks under the National Security Act 2023, which allows police to arrest people suspected of involvement "in threat activity emanating from a foreign power". Police added that Sepahvand was also charged with surveillance, search or reconnaissance "with the intent to commit serious violence against a person in the United Kingdom". New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Manesh and Noori are charged with committing similar acts, "with the intent that serious violence be committed by others against a person in the United Kingdom".
