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BBC News
a day ago
- General
- BBC News
Hartlepool women's lies helped murderer 'escape justice'
The lies of two women in the aftermath of a murder allowed the suspect to "escape justice" by killing himself, a court has mule Kieran Wood, 24, was lured to a house and stabbed to death by recently-released prisoner Paul Foster in Hartlepool in May 2023, Teesside Crown Dowson and Lisa Lithgo were both there but lied to police and said they did not know who either of the men were, which gave Foster time to escape and take his own women, who were recorded concocting their stories, admitted perverting the course of justice. Their sentences will be determined at another hearing. Foster had been released from prison on 19 May 2023 and went to the home shared by Dowson, her partner Kenneth Dowson and Lithgo on Spurn Walk where drugs were sold and consumed, prosecutor Dr Christopher Wood days later, Lithgo arranged to buy £300 worth of cocaine from a local dealer known as Turkish, the court Wood said the deal was a set up by Foster which would see whoever delivered the drugs attacked and Wood, from Horden in County Durham and a "drug runner" for Turkish, took the cocaine to the house, entering shortly after 15:35 BST on 22 May, the court heard."Unfortunately he wouldn't leave alive," the prosecutor said. Mr Wood was stabbed nine times in the torso and arms, with Foster then seen on CCTV leaving at about 16:00 after being "hugged and kissed" by the attack, Kenneth Dowson, who has since also died, activated an emergency call system which, over the following 16 minutes, recorded the voices of the two women getting their story straight, the court was police arrived after being alerted by a passer-by, the women told their lies to officers, the court that evening, police identified Foster as the main suspect but when they went to arrest him in the early hours of 23 May they found he had killed himself, the court heard. Had officers been told the truth by the women at the outset, they could have caught and arrested Foster while he was still alive and "allowed him to face justice for the murder of Kieran Wood", the prosecutor lies also delayed police telling Mr Wood's family of his death, with them hearing it from other sources. 'Brutal' murder Mr Wood's mother Paula Scott told the court her first born son had been her "absolute bundle of joy" and he was always said her "darling boy" fell in with the wrong crowd but was not a troublemaker or fighter, adding he was "mischievous" and a "proper lady's man".Ms Scott said she would be haunted forever by his "brutal" murder and the lies told by Dowson and Lithgo, which allowed a "murderer to escape justice and ultimately end his life".The court heard Mr Wood had a young daughter and his son was born two days after his "cold, calculated and violent" for both women said they had feared what Foster would do to them and their families if they had told police he was the was disputed by prosecutors with Judge Francis Laird KC saying the issue would affect their sentence, so another session known as a Newton hearing would be needed to determine if they had actually acted out of fear of Foster.A date for that hearing is yet to be 57 and of Grange Road in Hartlepool, and Lithgo, 38 and of Wilson Street in the town, were released on bail. Follow BBC Tees on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram. Send your story ideas here.
Daily Mirror
27-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mirror
M&S to open 12 new stores after issuing cyber attack update
One of the new stores, which will be located in Godalming, will measure 22,000sq ft - making it the largest M&S food hall to date Marks and Spencer has announced plans to open 12 new food halls in former Homebase locations. Some of the locations M&S is targeting include Abingdon, Cannock, Farnham, Godalming and Northampton. The new stores in Abingdon and Cannock are expected to open in late 2025 and will measure 18,000sq ft. The rest of the locations will open in mid-2026, with the Godalming store set to measure 22,000sq ft - making it the largest M&S food hall to date. The new stores will create more than 550 jobs. M&S CEO Stuart Machin said: 'Investing in new and renewed stores is one of our key transformation priorities. 'Securing these highly desirable sites in priority locations will accelerate this strategy, drive further growth in our M&S food business and most importantly give our customers the best possible M&S shopping experience.' The move is part of M&S' store rotation programme, which aims to increase the number of its food-only sites to 420 by 2028, while reducing the number of its full-line stores to 180. It comes after Marks and Spencer issued an update following its cyber attack and warned that ongoing disruption could last until July. The supermarket was targeted on Easter weekend but shoppers are still currently unable to order from M&S online. At the time, the cyber attack impacted contactless payments and click and collect orders, while some shelves in stores were also left empty. M&S stores are largely back to normal in terms of stock availability, but online orders remain paused around four weeks after they were first halted. The cyber attack is expected to cost the company around £300million. It has subsequently been revealed that customer data, which could have included names, email addresses, addresses and dates of birth, was taken by the hackers. It has been reported that the cyber attack is being linked to hacking group Scattered Spider - with some of the hackers believed to be just teenagers. Paul Foster, head of the National Crime Agency national cyber-crime unit, told the BBC: "We are looking at the group that is publicly known as Scattered Spider, but we've got a range of different hypotheses and we'll follow the evidence to get to the offenders." M&S chief executive Stuart Machin told reporters that hackers gained access to its IT systems through a third party after 'human error' rather than a weakness in the system. He said: 'Unable to get into our systems by breaking through our digital defences, the attackers did try another route, resorting to that term social engineering by entering through a third party.'
Daily Mirror
24-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mirror
M&S cyber attack - everything we know so far and when online orders might return
The supermarket giant M&S this week revealed that the Easter weekend cyber attack is expected to cost the company around £300million Marks and Spencer has warned that ongoing disruption from its cyber attack last month could last until July. The supermarket was targeted last month on Easter weekend but shoppers are still currently unable to order from M&S online. The supermarket this week revealed the cyber attack is expected to cost the company around £300million. Customer data, which could have included names, email addresses, addresses and dates of birth, was also taken by the hackers. Here we explain what happened and what it all means for M&S shoppers. What happened? The retailer first noticed 'suspicious activity' around its IT systems during the Easter weekend. The incident affected some payments, including contactless, while click and collect orders were impacted as well. Its logistics and distribution systems were also disrupted, resulting in some empty shelves in stores. Most of these issues were sorted relatively quickly - but online orders on the M&S website remain paused for now. Who is behind the cyber attack? It has been reported that the cyber attack is being linked to hacking group Scattered Spider - with some of the hackers believed to be just teenagers. Paul Foster, head of the National Crime Agency national cyber-crime unit, told the BBC: "We are looking at the group that is publicly known as Scattered Spider, but we've got a range of different hypotheses and we'll follow the evidence to get to the offenders." M&S chief executive Stuart Machin told reporters that hackers gained access to its IT systems through a third party after 'human error' rather than a weakness in the system. He said: 'Unable to get into our systems by breaking through our digital defences, the attackers did try another route, resorting to that term social engineering by entering through a third party.' When will stores be back to normal? M&S stores are largely back to normal in terms of stock availability, but online orders remain paused around four weeks after they were first halted. Shoppers can still browse M&S products online - you just can't make a purchase. M&S expects the disruption could continue into July. Mr Machin said that around 85% of its range would be first made available online again, as it restores different parts of its online distribution network. Do M&S shoppers need to worry? The company has confirmed that personal customer data, including names, email addresses, addresses and dates of birth, were stolen in the attack. Because of this, it is advised that shoppers take extra caution if they are contacted by someone who claims to be from M&S. In an email to shoppers, Jayne Wall, operations director at M&S, said there is no evidence that this data has been shared. The data also does not include useable card or payment details, or any account passwords. The supermarket said shoppers will still be prompted to change their password next time they log in to their M&S account as a matter of caution. M&S said: "You do not need to take any action, but you might receive emails, calls or texts claiming to be from M&S when they are not, so do be cautious. "Remember that we will never contact you and ask you to provide us with personal account information, like usernames, and we will never ask you to give us your password."
France 24
21-05-2025
- Business
- France 24
Cyberattack costs UK retailer Marks & Spencer £300 mn
Marks last week revealed that some personal data of its customers had been stolen in a cyberattack that has crippled its online services for weeks. "In Fashion, Home & Beauty, online sales and trading profit have been heavily impacted by the necessary decision to pause online shopping, however stores have remained resilient," Marks said in a statement. "We expect online disruption to continue throughout June and into July as we restart, then ramp up operations." The impact on annual group operating profit is estimated at around £300 million, "which will be reduced through management of costs, insurance and other trading actions", the retailer added. The news came as Marks on Wednesday reported operating profit before adjusting items of £985 million for its financial year to the end of March. Following the update, its share price dropped 2.5 percent at the start of trading in London. Group operations have since Easter been hampered by a ransomware sting which forced the retailer to suspend online sales, contactless payments at stores and even recruiting operations. Marks said information stolen could include names, dates of birth, home addresses and telephone numbers. However, it did not include "useable payment or card details", nor account passwords. The company reported the incident to relevant government authorities and law enforcement. "There's still a big unknown regarding any potential fines on Marks and Spencer from the Information Commissioner's Office, which enforces data protection regulation" in Britain, noted Dan Coatsworth, investment analyst at trading group AJ Bell. Taking into account the way the fine is calculated and previous penalties handed down to UK companies for data breaches, Marks could take a further hit totalling around £550 million, he added. 'Crime investigation' Britain's National Crime Agency told the BBC it is investigating a series of cyberattacks including on luxury department store Harrods and the Co-op food chain. "We are looking at the group that is publicly known as Scattered Spider, but we've got a range of different hypotheses," Paul Foster, head of the NCA's national cybercrime unit, told a BBC documentary. The BBC said on its website "the hacks have been carried out using DragonForce, a platform that gives criminals the tools to carry out ransomware attacks." Despite the Marks attack having a bigger impact, chief executive Stuart Machin described it as only "a bump in the road". © 2025 AFP
Straits Times
21-05-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
Cyberattack costs UK retailer Marks & Spencer $519 million
Marks and Spencer said information stolen could include names, dates of birth, home addresses and telephone numbers. PHOTO: REUTERS LONDON - British clothes-to-food retailer Marks and Spencer on May 21 said a cyberattack disrupting its online service is set to last through to July and hit group profit by around £300 million (S$519 million). Marks last week revealed that some personal data of its customers had been stolen in a cyberattack that has crippled its online services for weeks. 'In Fashion, Home & Beauty, online sales and trading profit have been heavily impacted by the necessary decision to pause online shopping, however stores have remained resilient,' Marks said in a statement. 'We expect online disruption to continue throughout June and into July as we restart, then ramp up operations.' The impact on annual group operating profit is estimated at around £300 million, 'which will be reduced through management of costs, insurance and other trading actions', the retailer added. The news came as Marks on May 21 reported operating profit before adjusting items of £985 million for its financial year to the end of March. Following the update, its share price dropped 2.5 per cent at the start of trading in London. Group operations have since Easter been hampered by a ransomware sting which forced the retailer to suspend online sales, contactless payments at stores and even recruiting operations. Marks said information stolen could include names, dates of birth, home addresses and telephone numbers. However, it did not include 'useable payment or card details', nor account passwords. The company reported the incident to relevant government authorities and law enforcement. 'There's still a big unknown regarding any potential fines on Marks and Spencer from the Information Commissioner's Office, which enforces data protection regulation' in Britain, noted Dan Coatsworth, investment analyst at trading group AJ Bell. Taking into account the way the fine is calculated and previous penalties handed down to UK companies for data breaches, Marks could take a further hit totalling around £550 million, he added. 'Crime investigation' Britain's National Crime Agency told the BBC it is investigating a series of cyberattacks including on luxury department store Harrods and the Co-op food chain. 'We are looking at the group that is publicly known as Scattered Spider, but we've got a range of different hypotheses,' Mr Paul Foster, head of the NCA's national cybercrime unit, told a BBC documentary. The BBC said on its website 'the hacks have been carried out using DragonForce, a platform that gives criminals the tools to carry out ransomware attacks'. Despite the Marks attack having a bigger impact, chief executive Stuart Machin described it as only 'a bump in the road'. He added: 'It has been challenging, but it is a moment in time, and we are now focused on recovery, with the aim of exiting this period a much stronger business.' AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
