Latest news with #Rotherham
The Independent
5 hours ago
- The Independent
In numbers: People sentenced for offences linked to summer 2024 disorder
Hundreds of people have been sentenced in the past 12 months for offences in connection with the disorder that broke out in parts of the country after the knife attack by Axel Rudakubana at a Southport dance studio on July 29 2024 that left three girls dead. The PA news agency has tracked more than 500 individuals from charging to conviction and sentencing, to get as a full as picture as possible of how the criminal justice system dealt with those who took part in the disturbances. – People sentenced Some 544 people have been sentenced for offences linked to the disorder whose details have been recorded by PA. The offences all took place in England and occurred in the days following the Southport attack, including the major outbreaks of violence in Southport itself on July 30, Liverpool and Stoke-on-Trent on August 3 and in Rotherham and Tamworth on August 4. Of the 544 people, the most common location for an offence leading to conviction and sentencing was Rotherham (84 people), followed by Southport (73), Bristol (41), Liverpool (37), Hull (34), Manchester (32), Middlesbrough (28), Plymouth (22) and Stoke-on-Trent (19). – Ages of people sentenced The oldest of the 544 people to sentenced is Keith Edwards, 81, of Nottingham, who was given a 28-day jail sentence, suspended for two years, after pleading guilty to a charge of assault by beating during unrest in the city on August 3. He was also told to pay £85 in costs and a £154 victim surcharge. The oldest person to receive an immediate prison sentence is William Morgan, 69, of Walton in Merseyside, who was jailed for two years and eight months for violent disorder and possessing an offensive weapon, a cosh, during unrest in Liverpool on August 3, in which police were attacked and a library was set on fire. The youngest is a 12-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, who threw stones at police after rioting erupted outside a mosque in Southport on July 30, and who was given a 12-month referral order plus a three-month curfew order. His father received a six-month parenting order. Some 101 of the 544 people sentenced are under 21, or 19% of the total. This includes 43 under the age of 18. A further 68 (13%) are aged 21 to 24, while 83 (15%) are aged 25 to 29. This means 54% of those sentenced are under the age of 30. Some 166 of the 544 sentenced, or just under a third of the total (31%), are aged 30 to 39, while 79 (15%) are aged 40 to 49, 32 (6%) are aged 50 to 59 and 15 (3%) are 60 and over. – Offenders sentenced to jail A total of 473 of the 544 people received immediate custodial sentences, including six under-18s. Of the 71 others, 23 received suspended jail sentences; 35 (all aged under 18) received referral orders; five received community orders; four were fined; two were referred to a youth offender panel; one received a behaviour order and one was sentenced to 120 hours of unpaid work. – Longest prison sentences The longest jail sentences have been given to people who were part of the mob that besieged a Holiday Inn Express that housed more than 200 asylum seekers in Manvers near Rotherham on August 4. Two of these people were given nine-year sentences. One is Thomas Birley, 27, of Swinton in South Yorkshire, who pleaded guilty to arson with intent to endanger life, violent disorder and possession of an offensive weapon, and was part of a group who pushed a burning bin against the hotel and stoked the fire. The second is Levi Fishlock, 31, of Barnsley in South Yorkshire, who pleaded guilty to violent disorder and arson with intent to endanger life, and who added planks of wood to the burning bin as well as building barricades that were set alight. Two other people who were part of the mob were given eight-year jail sentences. One is Arron Bailey, 28, of Darfield in Barnsley, who pleaded guilty to violent disorder and arson with intent to endanger life and who helped fuel the fire outside the Holiday Inn, besides spraying a fire extinguisher at police and pushing a shopping trolley at a line of officers. The other is Morgan Heeley, 26, also of Darfield in Barnsley, was pleaded guilty to arson with intent to endanger life and violent disorder, and who tried to encourage the fire as well as shoving a female officer and smashing a hotel window. Mason Lowe, 28, of Bolton-upon-Dearne in South Yorkshire, was given a seven-and-a-half year jail sentence for his involvement in the Holiday Inn mob in Manvers, after admitting arson with intent to endanger life and violent disorder. The same length of sentence was handed to Andrew McIntyre, 39, of Rufford near Ormskirk in Lancashire, who pleaded guilty to encouraging violent disorder and criminal damage and possession of a knife, for his actions in spreading misinformation on social media that encouraged violence in the immediate aftermath of the July 29 attacks. – Shortest prison sentences The shortest jail sentence is four weeks, which was given to Shane Dennis, 30, of Knowle in Bristol, who pleaded guilty to a racially aggravated public order offence after shouting racist remarks during unrest in the city on August 3. A slightly longer jail sentence of seven weeks was handed to Jake Grainger-Quinn, 29, who pleaded guilty to a public order offence in Whitehall in central London on July 31, when he was part of a crowd rushing at and pushing against a police cordon. Lee Dunn, 51, of Egremont in Cumbria, was given an eight-week jail sentence after pleading guilty to sharing three grossly offensive messages on social media on or about July 31. James Nelson, 19, of Horwich in Bolton, was handed a two-month jail term after pleading guilty to causing criminal damage during the disorder in Bolton on August 4. The average length of jail sentences given to offenders is 26 months. – Sentencings by police force Four police forces together account for more than half of the 544 people sentenced: Merseyside (112 people, or 21% of the total), South Yorkshire (87 or 16%), Cleveland (46 or 8%) and Greater Manchester Police (45 or 8%). The next highest forces are Avon & Somerset (42 or 8%); Humberside (34, 6%); Staffordshire (33, 6%) and Devon & Cornwall (22, 4%). – Types of offence The most common offence for which people have been sentenced is violent disorder. Some 442 of the 544 people sentenced were found guilty of violent disorder, either by itself or in combination of other offences. Other offences that have led to jail sentences include assaulting emergency workers, possession of a knife or sharp object in a public place, publishing written material to stir up racial hatred, riot and causing racially aggravated intentional harassment.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
In numbers: People sentenced for offences linked to summer 2024 disorder
Hundreds of people have been sentenced in the past 12 months for offences in connection with the disorder that broke out in parts of the country after the knife attack by Axel Rudakubana at a Southport dance studio on July 29 2024 that left three girls dead. The PA news agency has tracked more than 500 individuals from charging to conviction and sentencing, to get as a full as picture as possible of how the criminal justice system dealt with those who took part in the disturbances. – People sentenced Some 544 people have been sentenced for offences linked to the disorder whose details have been recorded by PA. The offences all took place in England and occurred in the days following the Southport attack, including the major outbreaks of violence in Southport itself on July 30, Liverpool and Stoke-on-Trent on August 3 and in Rotherham and Tamworth on August 4. Of the 544 people, the most common location for an offence leading to conviction and sentencing was Rotherham (84 people), followed by Southport (73), Bristol (41), Liverpool (37), Hull (34), Manchester (32), Middlesbrough (28), Plymouth (22) and Stoke-on-Trent (19). – Ages of people sentenced The oldest of the 544 people to sentenced is Keith Edwards, 81, of Nottingham, who was given a 28-day jail sentence, suspended for two years, after pleading guilty to a charge of assault by beating during unrest in the city on August 3. He was also told to pay £85 in costs and a £154 victim surcharge. The oldest person to receive an immediate prison sentence is William Morgan, 69, of Walton in Merseyside, who was jailed for two years and eight months for violent disorder and possessing an offensive weapon, a cosh, during unrest in Liverpool on August 3, in which police were attacked and a library was set on fire. The youngest is a 12-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, who threw stones at police after rioting erupted outside a mosque in Southport on July 30, and who was given a 12-month referral order plus a three-month curfew order. His father received a six-month parenting order. Some 101 of the 544 people sentenced are under 21, or 19% of the total. This includes 43 under the age of 18. A further 68 (13%) are aged 21 to 24, while 83 (15%) are aged 25 to 29. This means 54% of those sentenced are under the age of 30. Some 166 of the 544 sentenced, or just under a third of the total (31%), are aged 30 to 39, while 79 (15%) are aged 40 to 49, 32 (6%) are aged 50 to 59 and 15 (3%) are 60 and over. – Offenders sentenced to jail A total of 473 of the 544 people received immediate custodial sentences, including six under-18s. Of the 71 others, 23 received suspended jail sentences; 35 (all aged under 18) received referral orders; five received community orders; four were fined; two were referred to a youth offender panel; one received a behaviour order and one was sentenced to 120 hours of unpaid work. – Longest prison sentences The longest jail sentences have been given to people who were part of the mob that besieged a Holiday Inn Express that housed more than 200 asylum seekers in Manvers near Rotherham on August 4. Two of these people were given nine-year sentences. One is Thomas Birley, 27, of Swinton in South Yorkshire, who pleaded guilty to arson with intent to endanger life, violent disorder and possession of an offensive weapon, and was part of a group who pushed a burning bin against the hotel and stoked the fire. The second is Levi Fishlock, 31, of Barnsley in South Yorkshire, who pleaded guilty to violent disorder and arson with intent to endanger life, and who added planks of wood to the burning bin as well as building barricades that were set alight. Two other people who were part of the mob were given eight-year jail sentences. One is Arron Bailey, 28, of Darfield in Barnsley, who pleaded guilty to violent disorder and arson with intent to endanger life and who helped fuel the fire outside the Holiday Inn, besides spraying a fire extinguisher at police and pushing a shopping trolley at a line of officers. The other is Morgan Heeley, 26, also of Darfield in Barnsley, was pleaded guilty to arson with intent to endanger life and violent disorder, and who tried to encourage the fire as well as shoving a female officer and smashing a hotel window. Mason Lowe, 28, of Bolton-upon-Dearne in South Yorkshire, was given a seven-and-a-half year jail sentence for his involvement in the Holiday Inn mob in Manvers, after admitting arson with intent to endanger life and violent disorder. The same length of sentence was handed to Andrew McIntyre, 39, of Rufford near Ormskirk in Lancashire, who pleaded guilty to encouraging violent disorder and criminal damage and possession of a knife, for his actions in spreading misinformation on social media that encouraged violence in the immediate aftermath of the July 29 attacks. – Shortest prison sentences The shortest jail sentence is four weeks, which was given to Shane Dennis, 30, of Knowle in Bristol, who pleaded guilty to a racially aggravated public order offence after shouting racist remarks during unrest in the city on August 3. A slightly longer jail sentence of seven weeks was handed to Jake Grainger-Quinn, 29, who pleaded guilty to a public order offence in Whitehall in central London on July 31, when he was part of a crowd rushing at and pushing against a police cordon. Lee Dunn, 51, of Egremont in Cumbria, was given an eight-week jail sentence after pleading guilty to sharing three grossly offensive messages on social media on or about July 31. James Nelson, 19, of Horwich in Bolton, was handed a two-month jail term after pleading guilty to causing criminal damage during the disorder in Bolton on August 4. The average length of jail sentences given to offenders is 26 months. – Sentencings by police force Four police forces together account for more than half of the 544 people sentenced: Merseyside (112 people, or 21% of the total), South Yorkshire (87 or 16%), Cleveland (46 or 8%) and Greater Manchester Police (45 or 8%). The next highest forces are Avon & Somerset (42 or 8%); Humberside (34, 6%); Staffordshire (33, 6%) and Devon & Cornwall (22, 4%). – Types of offence The most common offence for which people have been sentenced is violent disorder. Some 442 of the 544 people sentenced were found guilty of violent disorder, either by itself or in combination of other offences. Other offences that have led to jail sentences include assaulting emergency workers, possession of a knife or sharp object in a public place, publishing written material to stir up racial hatred, riot and causing racially aggravated intentional harassment.
Telegraph
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Tech Secretary under fire as Online Safety Act faces mounting backlash
Meanwhile, Preston Byrne, a US lawyer, said on X he was preparing to sue Ofcom in the US over the act on the instruction of unnamed tech companies. The rules may also to reignite anger over grooming gangs and child abuse. Sammy Woodhouse, a campaigner who helped reveal the Rotherham abuse scandal, said last night on X that the 'Online Safety Act – put in place by our government – has done nothing but silence the victims' after a post from a grooming victim was subject to an age restriction. The Online Safety Act requires tech giants to enforce their terms of service and introduce measures to stop children seeing extreme or explicit content. Most visibly, this has led to new ID or age estimation checks for porn websites. But other websites that allow explicit posts, such as X, have also had to introduce the new checks. Failure to abide by the rules can lead to fines of up to 10pc of a company's turnover. The legislation is broad enough that some fairly innocuous content, such as a Reddit forum dedicated to beer, has now been placed behind a digital age verification wall. Critics, including Mr Farage, claim this will just drive internet users towards the dark web or to readily available VPN apps, which are used to hide an internet-user's identity and location. Petition hits 450,000 signatures Even some of Mr Kyle's Labour colleagues are not happy with the byzantine digital laws, which were originally passed under the Conservatives, though critics on the Left tend to fear the act does not go far enough when it comes to tackling misinformation or protecting children. Chi Onwurah, the Labour chair of Parliament's science committee, says: 'The Labour Government inherited the Online Safety Act, which everyone acknowledged is a bit of a mess.' She says the act has proved 'woefully incapable' of tackling disinformation. Mr Kyle has said 'he wants the Government to go further but we have yet to see any real evidence of that', she said. However, she also criticised Farage's insistence that Reform would repeal the law. 'Given the strength of Reform's calls for action on real world grooming and child sexual abuse, it seems strange that they are seeking to roll back online protection for children,' she said. So far, Mr Kyle is not budging. A petition to scrap the law, signed by 450,000 people, received a response from the Government that insisted there were 'no plans to repeal the Online Safety Act'. And on Thursday, Ofcom announced 34 new investigations into pornography websites over their compliance with its age-check rules. 'This enforcement goes to the very heart of what the Online Safety Act is here to do – protecting children from pornographic material,' Mr Kyle said on Thursday. 'These laws have nothing to do with censorship or policing adults seeking to access legal content. Those who suggest otherwise are playing politics with child safety and have no practical alternatives for protecting our children from content they should never see – content that can cause lasting, even fatal, damage.'
BBC News
12 hours ago
- BBC News
Rotherham man, 84, jailed for 26 years for abusing two girls
An 84-year-old man has been jailed for raping and abusing two young girls in the 1970s and 80s. Lutfur Rahman, of Brinsworth Road, Rotherham, was found guilty of 18 sexual offence charges after a trial at Doncaster Crown Court ended on Yorkshire Police praised the bravery of the two victims who came forward after they were subjected to "years of horrific abuse".Police said Rahman, who was sentenced to 26 years in jail and an additional two years on license, was "likely to spend the rest of his life behind bars." Jurors found Rahman guilty of the offences, which included two counts of rape, seven counts of indecent assault and four counts of sexual intercourse with a said the victims came forward to report the offences in December 2022 and an investigation was opened by Rotherham's child exploitation Con Rachel Watts, the officer in charge of the case, said: "Rahman preyed on two vulnerable young girls, subjecting them to years of horrific abuse."I would like to commend the tremendous bravery of both victims, who had to re-live the abhorrent crimes during the trial as a result of Rahman refusing to admit what he had done. "Their courage has resulted in Rahman now likely to spend the rest of his life behind bars." Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North
Daily Mail
15 hours ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Revealed: The top baby names in England and Wales with a 23% rise in Muhammad as it takes number one spot for second year in a row
Yusuf Mahmud Nazir died from respiratory failure, pneumonia and tonsillitis in November 2022 - just eight days after he was seen at Rotherham Hospital and sent home with antibiotics. After his family rejected a previous report branding the child's care 'appropriate', a new publication by NHS England has finally confirmed little Yusuf was failed by the health service. His uncle Zaheer Ahmed broke down in tears today as he said his nephew was failed before developing multi-organ failure and suffering several cardiac arrests. 'Despite all these failings, despite all these issues that we've had, we still do not know how Yusuf has died. We want answers. We want an inquest. An inquest will tell us how Yusuf has died. And this is what the family are demanding,' he said.
