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The Sun
4 days ago
- Health
- The Sun
I watched maniac hack his own neck with kitchen knife & took on infamous ‘suicide bomber'…my life as hostage negotiator
AS filing cabinets, chairs and shattered glass rained from the sky, John Sutherland felt like he was in a scene from the apocalypse. Hours earlier a man wearing a suicide vest and wielding a homemade flamethrower had stormed offices on London's Tottenham Court Road and taken terrified hostages, including a pregnant woman. 10 10 10 More than 1,000 workers, shoppers and tourists were evacuated as it was feared the 'terrorist' had enough explosives to 'bring the whole building down with everyone in it'. Dubbed 'the Siege of London', it was an exceptionally-high alert situation due to it being three months before the 2012 Summer Olympics. 'It was one of the most extraordinary days of my whole career,' former Met Police Chief Superintendent John, now 55, tells us. 'I was on the scene working out what on earth to do when I heard the sound of glass shattering. I looked up and a window was being broken. 'A series of office equipment - computers, furniture, cabinets, everything - rained down onto the street below. It was genuinely apocalyptic.' Fortunately, despite threatening to "blow everyone up", the suspect's bomb jacket was fake and the attacker wasn't a terrorist but a disgruntled HGV driver. Ex-BNP candidate Michael Green, then 48, carried out the siege to retrieve £1,000 he paid for a driving course after failing his exams twice and feeling he had 'nothing left to live for'. Green forced his hostages to lob office supplies through a window to 'liquidise some assets'. 'He raided their offices as way to settle his grievances after some form of meltdown,' John says. 'It could have ended terribly but we managed to get him and everyone out unscathed.' It's one of many colourful tales from the retired Met officer, who has mined his experiences over 26 years as a hostage and crisis negotiator to pen his Sunday Times bestselling crime thriller, The Castle. I'm a cop turned vigilante who hunted down a one-man crime wave after police turned a blind eye In an exclusive interview, John explains that unlike in Hollywood movies, 90 per cent of his work was 'holding out a hand' to those in crisis on 'the worst day of their lives'. He tackled dozens of threats in London and recalled the simple question he was routinely asked before being dispatched on a job: 'Are you ready to save a life?' 'Whether it was 3am or in the middle of the afternoon, when you heard those words it focused the mind, because it was the only thing that mattered,' John says. 'I've always said the greatest duty and privilege for any police officer is to save the life of another human being, and that is the exact job of a negotiator.' Stand-off tragedy Despite that, it was a deeply challenging and emotionally turbulent role which is voluntary within the police force. When on shift, negotiators are on-call 24 hours a day for that week. Most stand-offs go on for a few hours, but John said it was not unusual for them to last two to three days. One of the longest he was involved with was the tragic Markham Square siege in London's Chelsea on May 6, 2008. John was the negotiator for the five-hour stand-off which ended with wealthy divorce barrister Mark Saunders being shot dead by police. The 32-year-old, who had represented presenter Chris Tarrant, had fired shotgun rounds from his £2.2million home during a mental health episode linked to alcohol and drugs. 10 10 Out of respect for Mark's widow, John only says a few words about the tragedy, admitting: 'It was one of the days that will stay with me for the rest of my life.' Previously in his memoir, Blue, John mournfully explained how "a man died on my watch", and he was "the last living soul to hold a conversation with him". Another harrowing encounter saw John talk down an Eastern European man who was threatening to throw himself from the 17th floor of a block of flats in Islington overlooking Arsenal's Emirates stadium. 'He was standing on the wrong side of the window on a ledge that was six inches wide, if that,' John recalls. 'Inexplicably, the windows opened into space with no balconies. 'I don't know how long I was with him, all I know was that it was a hell of a long way down and any of the next moments could have been his last. 'It was difficult talking to him because I didn't speak his language, but as a negotiator you try to find common humanity and understand the story of the person you're dealing with. 'For him it was a perfect storm of being unable to get a job because he had no address, but not being able to have an address because he didn't have a job.' John admits he had no idea whether he would be able to coax the man back inside after he'd reached such a heartbreaking 'point of desperation', but thankfully he succeeded. Heartbroken OAP John tells us the key to a successful hostage negotiation is the art of listening, as was proven in an extraordinary case at an old people's home. Upon arriving, John was taken into a communal area where a man in his 80s sat in an armchair holding a large kitchen knife to his throat. 'There was almost a surreal nature to the scene, he clearly represented no threat to anyone else but a significant threat to himself,' John recalls. He approached him slowly and sat in an armchair nearby, knowing he could move much faster should he need to flee, and "asked the old boy tell his story'. It was difficult talking to him because I didn't speak his language, but as a negotiator you try to find common humanity and understand the story of the person you're dealing with John Sutherland 'It transgressed, later on in life, he'd fallen in love with a fellow resident of the home but his feelings were not reciprocated," John says. 'In fact she had been fairly unkind to him and he was an old boy with a broken heart. I listened to him and he agreed to put the knife down.' The need to be heard and 'feeling that they matter' were common themes, with John recounting many stories of people on the edge after mental health struggles. They include a man threatening to jump into an icy cold pond on Hampstead Heath at 3am and a drug addict holding a hypodermic syringe in his neck 'as a weapon'. Life in the balance 10 By the time John arrived at one difficult incident there was already a line of territorial support group (TSG) officers on the scene, clad with long shields. He recalls: 'The man in his 20s was in the kitchen-diner of a flat on one side, with a knife to his throat, and I was safely behind the shields trying to engage with him. 'This poor young guy was seriously mentally ill. It was one of few times in my career where I've spoken to someone directly and knew mine wasn't the only voice they were hearing.' John remembers him 'pacing continually backwards and forward, like a tiger I'd seen in London Zoo', twisting the knife more and more. If there's a life hanging in the balance, you can't wait for anyone else. You have to get on and deal with what is in front of you John Sutherland 'One minute he was with us, partly lucid, the next he was somewhere else,' he recalls. The man eventually surrendered after speaking to his mum on the phone. In another incident a man with a kitchen knife was furiously 'sawing backwards and forwards on his head and neck' while holding his ex-girlfriend and child hostage. John recalls the "curtain of blood running down his face and soaking his clothes", adding it reminded him of a scene from the Stephen King film Carrie. Race against time Whenever he received a dispatch call, John says there was an element of adrenaline, which was followed by exhaustion "so deep you're almost unable to speak or walk" afterwards. But he remained motivated by the 'profound sense that today we did something good'. He retired in February 2018, and John has now turned his hand to writing books including memoirs Blue and Crossing The Line, and fiction titles The Siege, The Fallen and his latest novel, The Castle. 'Psychologically and emotionally I draw on my lived experience," he says. "Alex, one of the lead characters [in The Castle], is a version of me, but is a million times more interesting. 'But my deeper purpose to all of it, which I feel very passionately about having worked as a hostage and crisis negotiator, is for people to re-learn the art of listening. 'In the world at the moment it seems that most of us are shouting at each other and not listening. Listening is in danger of becoming a lost art. 'While I hope my thrillers are thrilling, subtly they have something to say about the ways that we listen and how it can do some good in the world. It can save people's lives.'
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Non-Executive Chairman of Omni Bridgeway Michael Green Buys 187% More Shares
Potential Omni Bridgeway Limited (ASX:OBL) shareholders may wish to note that the Non-Executive Chairman, Michael Green, recently bought AU$216k worth of stock, paying AU$1.60 for each share. That certainly has us anticipating the best, especially since they thusly increased their own holding by 187%, potentially signalling some real optimism. We check all companies for important risks. See what we found for Omni Bridgeway in our free report. The insider Vadim Rubinchik made the biggest insider purchase in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for AU$4.6m worth of shares at a price of AU$0.93 each. Although we like to see insider buying, we note that this large purchase was at significantly below the recent price of AU$1.89. Because it occurred at a lower valuation, it doesn't tell us much about whether insiders might find today's price attractive. Omni Bridgeway insiders may have bought shares in the last year, but they didn't sell any. The chart below shows insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction! See our latest analysis for Omni Bridgeway Omni Bridgeway is not the only stock insiders are buying. So take a peek at this free list of under-the-radar companies with insider buying. Looking at the total insider shareholdings in a company can help to inform your view of whether they are well aligned with common shareholders. Usually, the higher the insider ownership, the more likely it is that insiders will be incentivised to build the company for the long term. Insiders own 6.7% of Omni Bridgeway shares, worth about AU$36m. We've certainly seen higher levels of insider ownership elsewhere, but these holdings are enough to suggest alignment between insiders and the other shareholders. It's certainly positive to see the recent insider purchase. We also take confidence from the longer term picture of insider transactions. But we don't feel the same about the fact the company is making losses. Given that insiders also own a fair bit of Omni Bridgeway we think they are probably pretty confident of a bright future. Therefore, you should definitely take a look at this FREE report showing analyst forecasts for Omni Bridgeway. Of course Omni Bridgeway may not be the best stock to buy. So you may wish to see this free collection of high quality companies. For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions of direct interests only, but not derivative transactions or indirect interests. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Daily Mail
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Gym-goer claims he was kicked out of Crunch Fitness for wearing popular hat
A Wisconsin gym-goer has claimed he was kicked out of a Crunch Fitness franchise because he proudly displayed his support for President Donald Trump - though police say his ouster was a result of his harassing other members. Michael Green, 42, is now suing the Fitness Ventures LLC - a Crunch franchisee with locations in 27 states, claiming he was discriminated against for wearing a 'Trump 2024' hat, the Independent reports. Green admits in the lawsuit he still does not 'understand what happened' when he was escorted out of the Madison location on March 30. But he has come to the conclusion 'someone at the gym had a perceived issue with me and decided to weaponize the police against me.' 'I had been wearing a pro-Trump hat during prior gym visits, but stopped du to the stares I would get from staff and members,' he wrote in the federal complaint he filed himself. 'Perhaps it was some kind of retaliation for being a Trump supporter, even worse a black Trump supporter in Dane County.' Green is now arguing that the gym violated the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by 'engaging in discriminatory practices' against him. He is seeking $75,000 in damages, which he says is 'enough that [it] may provide a deterrent from similar behavior in the future.' According to his complaint, Green was working out at the gym on March 30 when he was suddenly 'approached by a staff member and two Madison Police officers. 'The staff member said that I was being "aggressive" to gym members,' he recounts. 'I still have no clue what exactly is going on, the staff member was extremely vague.' He said he then asked if he could use the shower before he left, and was told that he couldn't - at which point he went into the locker room 'to change clothes as quickly as I could.' As soon as he left the locker room, Green claims he was confronted by 'six to 10 Madison police officers. 'I asked them what was going on, they explained thy were called to make sure I left the premises, and I left as instructed.' Once outside, though, Green claims he realized he had left some of his belongings inside the gym - and called the office to see if a staffer could give his items to one of the cops at the scene. But the complaint says the officers soon left, and the Crunch employee told him to meet him at the gym entrance to pick up his stuff. 'While walking towards the gym, I flagged down a Madison Police officer and asked them if they could get my items instead of me approaching the gym,' Green wrote. '[T]he officer agreed.' At that point, Green said he called the gym to tell the staff member that a police officer would be returning to collect the items rather than himself. But the situation quickly escalated when Green complained abut the 'vulgar, racist stereotyping rap music' the gym plays, which he says 'paints African Americans in a fictional, terrible light.' The staffer then allegedly denigrated black people - which Green responded to with a homophobic slur. The police incident report obtained by the Independent, though, tells a completely different story. It says police were dispatched to the gym on March 30 after an employee complained about a member who was allegedly 'causing a disturbance' and asked to have police standing by when staffers removed him. The guest - Green - had allegedly 'approached other gym members and screamed and cursed at them' because he wanted to use their equipment. The police report notes that members of the gym asked the manager to have Green removed, but did not want to file charges against him. It also says that only two officers responded to the call - not the half dozen Green claimed - and they escorted him to the locker room, then stood outside as he gathered his belongings. In the end, the police report says, officers told Green not to return to the gym for the remainder of the day and he was seen walking away. 'The case is closed on our end,' a Madison police spokeswoman told The Independent. But this is not the first time Green has filed a discrimination lawsuit against a gym. In fact, just two weeks before he filed the federal suit against Fitness Ventures LLC, he sued Anytime Fitness - making similar accusations. In that suit, Green says he would repeatedly receive sneers from his fellow gym-goers for 'show[ing] my support of our president by wearing different types of Trump apparel such as hats, book bags, t-shirts, etc.' Then on February 4, Green said another member snickered at him and told him 'I'm wondering why your black and you like Trump so much.' Green claims in the lawsuit that he ignored the man and 'told him I'd train him instead of arguing with him. 'As I worked out, I explained to him what kind of exercises I was doing and why I was doing them. I did that throughout my workout,' he admits. 'At some point in the morning, one of the Anytime staff members showed up and asked me what was going on,' he continued. 'I explained to him that I was trying to train that guy so he could stop being concerned about my political leanings.... He told me that it was my fault that I chose to be pro-Trump, then he told me to stop bothering the guest.' In the aftermath, Green said he complained to Anytime Fitness about the employee - and when he went to a different location later that day, he received a phone call from someone claiming to be the vice president of the gym. The vice president informed him that he wanted to cancel Green's contract, but Green continued his workout. By the time he was changing out of his exercise clothes, Green claimed Madison police came and escorted him out. But Green decided to press matters and mentioned Richard Johnson, who he said was 'a young African American man that Madison police recently beat to death and used the Dane sheriff to help them attempt to cover it. 'Apparently that angered the cop, which set up a path for a rough night of abuse by law enforcement, starting with me bein arrested for trespassing,' he wrote. Green did not name Madison police as a defendant in either lawsuit - and apparently came to the conclusion that the fault lies with Dane County (which he did not name as a defendant either). He described the county in his latest suit as being 'extremely liberal' and derides the residents as being biased against conservatives. 'The anger I feel about this can only be overshadowed by an overall sense of sadness,' he writes.
The Independent
07-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Gym-goer claims he was kicked out of a Wisconsin Crunch Fitness for wearing a ‘Trump 2024' hat
A devoted Donald Trump fan was thrown out of a Crunch Fitness in Madison, Wisconsin, after cops said he 'screamed and cursed' at other members trying to work out, but the aggrieved member – who is now suing the chain – believes his banishment stems from the Trump hat he sometimes donned while there. Michael Green filed a federal lawsuit against Fitness Ventures, LLC, a Crunch franchisee with locations in 27 U.S. states, claiming he was discriminated against for being a Trump supporter – not for causing a disturbance, as a police report obtained by The Independent shows. 'I still don't understand exactly what happened, but I'm thinking someone at the gym had a perceived issue with me and decided to weaponize the police against me,' Green's March 31 complaint states. 'I had been wearing a pro-Trump hat during prior gym visits but stopped due to the stares I would get from staff and members… Perhaps it was some kind of retaliation for being a Trump supporter, even worse a [B]lack Trump supporter in Dane County.' Green, 42, believes Crunch violated the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by 'engaging in discriminatory practices' against him. He is seeking $75,000 for his alleged troubles, writing in his self-filed complaint, '$75,000 is enough that may provide a deterrent from similar behavior in the future.' Two weeks before filing suit against Crunch, Green sued another area health club over similar allegations, claiming he had been discriminated against for 'show[ing] my support of our president by wearing different types of Trump apparel such as hats, book bags, tee shirts, etc.' He was also removed from that gym by police for allegedly harassing the manager, a Democrat, over her political leanings. In a phone call on Wednesday, Green told The Independent that the hat in question at Crunch read: 'Trump 2024.' 'I had stopped wearing it, but they had already pegged me as a Trump guy,' Green said. Over the course of 40 minutes, Green, who said he voted for Trump in 2024, railed against DEI initiatives, the transgender community, and the 'liberals' he insisted were responsible for pushing him into the president's arms. 'I'm not a cult follower, it's just living in that area, them telling me that he's bad… that made me say, 'OK, well, I'm gonna vote for him then,'' Green said. Fitness Ventures, LLC executives did not respond to requests for comment. Green's beef stems from an encounter on March 30, the day before he sued Crunch, when he was exercising at a local gym, according to his complaint. While there, his complaint states, he 'was approached by a staff member and two Madison Police officers.' 'The staff member said that I was being 'aggressive' to gym members,' Green's complaint goes on. 'I still have no clue what exactly is going on, the staff member was extremely vague. I was drenched in sweat so I asked If I could use the shower before I left, the staff member told me I could not so I went into the locker room to change clothes as quickly as I could.' Upon leaving the locker room, Green 'was confronted by 6-10 madison [sic] police officers,' his complaint continues. 'I asked them what was going on, they explained they were called to make sure I left the premises. I left as instructed.' Once he was out of the building, Green realized he had forgotten some of his belongings at the gym, his complaint says. So, as cops were still on the scene, Green called Crunch and asked a staffer to give his things to the officers so he could get them back, according to the complaint. But, it says, the police soon left, and the Crunch employee told Green to meet him at the gym entrance to pick up his stuff. 'While walking towards the gym I flagged down a Madison Police officer and asked them If they could get my items instead of me approaching the gym,' Green's complaint states. '[T]he officer agreed.' Green then called the gym to tell the staff member that police would be coming back instead of him, according to his complaint. During that call, Green complained about the 'vulgar, racist, stereotyping rap music' Crunch plays, which, the complaint asserts, 'paints African-Americans in a fictional[,] terrible light.' The staffer followed up by denigrating Black people, to which Green responded with a homophobic slur, says the complaint, which does not specify whether or not Green ultimately got his property back. However, an incident report shared with The Independent by a Madison Police Department spokeswoman tells a different story. Officers were dispatched on March 30 to Crunch after an employee called the cops about a gym member – Green – who was allegedly 'causing a disturbance,' and asked to have police standing by when staffers ejected him, according to the report. Green reportedly had 'approached other gym members and screamed and cursed at them' because he wanted to use their exercise equipment, the report states. It says these members asked the manager to have Green removed, but did not wish to press charges against him. According to the incident report, only two officers responded to the call, not the half-dozen or more mentioned in Green's complaint. They escorted Green to the locker room and stood outside as he gathered his belongings, the report explains. The officers instructed Green not to return to Crunch for the remainder of the day, after which Green was seen walking away toward a nearby mall, according to the report. 'The case is closed on our end,' the Madison police spokeswoman told The Independent. Last month, a woman claimed she had been kicked out of an Indianapolis bar for wearing a MAGA hat; the bar said she had been harassing an employee. Last year, two women were removed from a British Airways flight after trading punches over a Trump hat one was wearing. Things have also gone the other way for people sporting Trump merch – in October, former Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell claimed to have gotten out of a speeding ticket thanks to a cop who spotted his MAGA hat and let him go. In his complaint, Green declares Dane County, where Madison is located, to be 'extremely liberal,' and derides its residents as biased against those on the right. 'The anger I feel about this can only be overshadowed by an overall sense of sadness,' Green's complaint concludes. 'I don't believe this to be a Crunch or Fitness Venture issue as it's more a Dane County issue.' Dane County is not named as a defendant in Green's suit.
Reuters
30-04-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Handelsbanken profit beats forecast as costs come down
STOCKHOLM, April 30 (Reuters) - Swedish bank Handelsbanken ( opens new tab reported first-quarter net profit above market expectations on Wednesday as its work to streamline the bank led to lower costs, sending its shares up 6.6% in early trading. The bank, a rival of Swedbank ( opens new tab, SEB ( opens new tab and Nordea ( opens new tab, said net profit fell 4% to 6.32 billion Swedish crowns ($656 million) from 6.60 billion crowns a year earlier, against a mean analyst forecast of 5.94 billion crowns, according to LSEG estimates. Handelsbanken, which has struggled to contain costs in the last year, said that total expenses fell 7% to 6.03 billion crowns from 6.47 billion crowns last year, better than analysts' estimates of 6.36 billion crowns. Handelsbanken CEO Michael Green said that support functions and the use of external consultants had been pared back, reducing spending at the bank whose costs have been closely eyed by investors after past unexpected increases. "The efforts carried out over the past 12 months have not only reduced the running cost base, but also strengthened the cost culture throughout the bank," he told a news conference. Global fears over tariff wars have harmed the recovery of the fragile, export-driven, Swedish economy. The dimmed outlook has changed the view on monetary policy and several analysts now see the central bank cutting rates at least one more time this year from the current 2.25%. The bank, whose main markets are Sweden, Norway and Britain, said its net interest income, which includes revenues from mortgages, fell 2% to 11.35 billion crowns from 11.59 billion crowns a year earlier, coming in above the 11.01 billion crowns expected by analysts. Its commission income rose 5% to 2.90 billion crowns, from 2.75 billion crowns a year earlier, below the mean forecast of 2.97 billion crowns. Handelsbanken said it had seen increased demand for advisory services at its local branches due to the uncertain macroeconomic climate. The bank also said it had appointed Marten Bjurman as its new chief financial officer, starting in September at the latest. ($1 = 9.6363 Swedish crowns)
