Latest news with #Sansom
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Binghamton YMCA turning old pool into emergency housing
BINGHAMTON, NY (WIVT/WBGH) – Since closing the pool at the Binghamton YMCA in November, the organization is turning that space into extra beds for the homeless. The YMCA Residence Program provides 87 single bedrooms to homeless and at-risk men. The Binghamton Y says less than one percent of its membership utilized the Binghamton pool, which is why they're turning it into additional emergency housing. The executive director of the Binghamton Y, Gareth Sansom was the guest speaker at the Binghamton Noon Rotary Club today and says along with more beds, they're hoping to build a gym and office space to bring in local services. Sansom says it will take about two years before they break ground and estimate the project to cost $26 million. 'That space will allows us to provide over 10,000 nights of safe care for homeless men when we utilize that space. Housing will be what we predominantly use the downtown space for. And at this point, we're estimating between additional emergency beds, what we currently offer, and the expansion, that we should be able to provide about a hundred and seventy beds every single night of safe care for homeless men in Broome County,' says Gareth Sansom. Sansom says they're changing the Johnson City branch to be more family oriented, including the new discovery den, walking paths, skate park, and more. He hopes to add an additional 10-15 emergency beds during the summertime. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Safety Commissioner highlights ‘injustice' over lack of redress for mesh scandal
Ministers have been urged to give financial compensation to women affected by the mesh scandal as the Patient Safety Commissioner expressing her disappointment over a lack of action to date. Last year, Dr Henrietta Hughes highlighted that thousands of women's lives were 'destroyed' because of pelvic mesh and said that there was a 'clear case for redress' for thousands of women and children affected by vaginal mesh implants and sodium valproate. She said the Government should create a two-stage financial redress scheme – an interim scheme and a main scheme. But campaigners said they have 'faced silence' in the year since the report was published. Dr Hughes said: 'It is very disappointing that women who have suffered so much harm are still waiting for redress. 'This is an injustice as it augments the original harm they suffered. They need redress now and the Government must act immediately.' Kath Sansom, founder of the Sling the Mesh campaign group, called on the Government to urgently act on the report's findings. Ms Sansom told the PA news agency that women's lives have been 'irreparably damaged' by mesh, with many unable to work or reduce their hours due to chronic pain and disability. But despite this, no compensation scheme has been put in place to help those affected, Ms Sansom said. She said: 'For a year, we have waited for action, but all we've received is silence. 'The Hughes Report made it clear that financial redress is essential. 'It is unacceptable that the Government continues to turn a blind eye to women who have lost their health, their jobs, and their quality of life through no fault of their own. 'The time for excuses is over – we need action now.' Transvaginal mesh implants were used to treat pelvic organ prolapse and incontinence after childbirth. However, in some cases they have caused debilitating harm to some women. This morning's launch in Parliament of my report into redress options for those harmed by pelvic mesh and valproate heard how women were deceived, kept in the dark, and fobbed off and let down by the health system – read the report at — Patient Safety Commissioner (@PSCommissioner) February 7, 2024 Side effects have included infection, pelvic pain, difficulty urinating, pain during sex and incontinence. MP Sharon Hodgson, chairwoman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for First Do Harm, said: 'A year on from the publication of the Hughes Report which calls for a redress scheme for women impacted by the mesh and valproate scandals – the Government are yet to issue a response. 'I will not rest until these thousands of women and families get the justice they deserve. 'They have been let down by a system supposed to protect them and as a result will suffer lifelong physical and mental barriers – they will never be the same again. 'While financial compensation cannot reverse this damage, it would at least provide confirmation to them that – contrary to the gaslighting and dismissal they have received – they were right to raise concerns, that they were wronged, that it wasn't their fault, and that they deserve better.' Alison Fuller, from the charity Epilepsy Action, said: 'It's been a year since Hughes report led by the Patient Safety Commissioner on redress options for people harmed by sodium valproate and pelvic mesh. 'For the first time, the report sets out the options to provide redress for people harmed by sodium valproate, when risks weren't communicated effectively. 'These families are struggling immensely, not just from an emotional standpoint, but from a financial one, too. They have been for decades. They simply can't wait any longer. 'Yet a year on we still have no clear timeline for a response to the recommendations. We're aware the Government has acknowledged it and committed to considering it. But the people affected deserve more than that.' A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: 'The harm caused by sodium valproate and pelvic mesh continues to be felt today. Our sympathies are with those affected and we are fully focused on how best to support patients and prevent future harm. 'This is a complex area of work and Health Minister Baroness Gillian Merron met with some of those affected before Christmas, and has committed to providing an update to the Patient Safety Commissioner at the earliest opportunity.'
Sky News
30-01-2025
- Sky News
Man convicted of murdering and dismembering woman set to die in prison
A couple who killed a woman and dumped her dismembered body in a park have been jailed for life. Steven Sansom and his partner Gemma Watts, 49, previously pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey to the murder of Sarah Mayhew, 38, and perverting the course of justice. Mrs Justice Cutts sentenced Samson to life imprisonment for murder with a whole life order, which means he will never be released from prison, and five years for perverting the course of justice to run concurrently. It is the second life sentence for Sansom, 45, who was jailed for robbing and murdering a taxi driver in 1999 and released from prison on licence in 2019. Watts held back tears as she was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 30 years, along with five years for perverting the course of justice. If she is ever released, she will spend the rest of her life on licence. The couple are said to have known Ms Mayhew, who was found dead in Rowdown Fields, New Addington in south London, after police were alerted to the discovery of human remains on 2 April last year. The judge said that Sansom "had murder in mind" and that Watts, who was obsessed with him, took part in the murder. Ms Mayhew was never seen again after she joined Sansom, whom she had met years before on a dating site, at his ground floor flat in Sutton at about 11pm on March 8 2024. The judge said: "Her fear and suffering must have been acute as she realised why she was there and what was happening. "She was an innocent woman lured to that flat to die in order for you could both act out your bloodthirsty and wicked fantasy." Sansom is believed to have used the name Red Rum, which is murder spelt backwards, on his profile on Facebook. On 10 March, a post appeared on the account saying: "Best friends are those who don't say anything when you show up at their door with a dead body. They just grab a shovel and follow you." The pair sat quietly in the dock as details of their "kinky" sexual relationship - including a stream of messages between them about bestiality, humiliation and causing hurt - were outlined at their sentencing hearing. They indulged in "depraved conversation about sexual activity" and the graphic messages between them soon evolved into becoming more than fantasy. The judge said there was a "clear and proper inference in my view that this murder involved sexual and sadistic conduct." Sansom, from Sutton, southwest London, robbed and slashed the neck of 59-year-old married father-of-two Terence Boyle on Christmas Eve 1998. He ordered a cab to take him home from East Croydon before attacking driver Mr Boyle, who was described as "a quiet, gentle, unassuming family man". He crawled dying from his cab after Sansom attacked him and stole £25 to buy Christmas presents. Sansom, then 20, laughed afterwards and told a friend: "His kids are going to have to see him in hospital over Christmas," the court heard at the time.
Sky News
30-01-2025
- Sky News
Couple jailed for life for murdering and dismembering woman
A couple who killed a woman and dumped her dismembered body in a park have been jailed for life. Steven Sansom and his partner Gemma Watts, 49, previously pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey to the murder of Sarah Mayhew, 38, and perverting the course of justice. Sansom was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder with a whole life order which means he will never be released from prison. It is the second life sentence for Sansom, 45, who was jailed for robbing and murdering a taxi driver in 1999 and released from prison on licence in 2019. Watts was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 30 years, along with five years for perverting the course of justice. If she is ever released, she will spend the rest of her life on licence. The couple are said to have known Ms Mayhew, who was found dead in Rowdown Fields, New Addington in south London, after police were alerted to the discovery of human remains on 2 April last year. Sansom is believed to have used the name Red Rum, which is murder spelt backwards, on his profile on Facebook. On 10 March, a post appeared on the account saying: "Best friends are those who don't say anything when you show up at their door with a dead body. They just grab a shovel and follow you." Sansom, from Sutton, southwest London, robbed and slashed the neck of 59-year-old married father-of-two Terence Boyle on Christmas Eve 1998. He ordered a cab to take him home from East Croydon before attacking driver Mr Boyle, who was described as "a quiet, gentle, unassuming family man". He crawled dying from his cab after Sansom attacked him and stole £25 to buy Christmas presents. Sansom, then 20, laughed afterwards and told a friend: "His kids are going to have to see him in hospital over Christmas," the court heard at the time. Please refresh the page for the fullest version.
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Yahoo
'Bloodthirsty' couple jailed for dismembering woman
A builder who committed the "bloodthirsty" murder of a 38-year-old woman and then dismembered her body has been jailed for the rest of his life. Steven Sansom, 45, from Sutton, was handed a "whole life order" at the Old Bailey on Thursday after pleading guilty to the murder of Sarah Mayhew last year and perverting the course of justice - meaning he will never be released from prison. His partner, Gemma Watts, 49, from Croydon, was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 30 years after also admitting to the murder of Ms Mayhew and trying to hide the victim's remains in a south London park. The court heard Sansom had murdered before - serving nearly 20 years in prison. Warning: The following story contains distressing details Sentencing the pair on Thursday, Mrs Justice Cutts said Ms Mayhew's "greatest misfortune was to know the two of you". The judge said she was "quite certain" that graphic messages of sexual violence between Sansom and Watts moved from fantasy to a plan to involve a third party, who they planned to murder. When Sansom had contacted Ms Mayhew "he had murder in mind" - she had been taken to his flat for "depraved and violent sexual activity", the court heard. "Her fear and suffering must have been acute as she realised why she was there and what was happening," the judge added. "She was an innocent woman lured to that flat to die," she added, so the pair could act out their "bloodthirsty and wicked fantasy". Prior to sentencing, in a statement read to the court, Ms Mayhew's father, David Mayhew, said: "I ask myself the same question all the time 'why did you have to kill her?' Maybe I will never know." He thanked the killers for pleading guilty to murder and sparing the family the ordeal of having to go through a trial. "That said, whatever sentence you receive will never compare to the pain you have caused us," he said. Ms Mayhew's mother, Angela, said she missed her "beautiful, pretty girl". "It breaks my heart she is not around, I miss Sarah all the time," she said. Alexandra Healy KC, the defence barrister for Sansom, said he accepted a whole life order was appropriate in this case, even though he had pleaded guilty. Before the murder, the killers exchanged "depraved" messages detailing a desire to kill people with a knife or knives while engaged in sexual activity. Prosecutor Tom Little KC said it was a killing that involved sexual and "sadistic" conduct. Ms Mayhew had accompanied Sansom to his flat in Burnell Road, Sutton, at about 23:00 GMT on 8 March 2024. "From that point in time she was never seen again and she never left that property alive," said Mr Little. "How long she lived for only the defendants know and they have never said. "What precisely happened to her body after she had been murdered by them in the property only the defendants know." Ms Mayhew's head and limbs were found more than eight miles (nearly 13km) away in Rowdown Field in New Addington on 2 April, the court heard. Her torso was discovered later in the River Wandle. She had been living at Friars Wood in Croydon at the time of her death and knew both Sansom and Watts, who was also from Croydon, Mr Little said. Messages between the killers indicated that Ms Mayhew introduced them to each other in the summer of 2023. By the time of the murder, Sansom and Watts had been in a sexual relationship for seven months. "Messages indicate that from the early stages their relationship was characterised by sado-masochistic violence," said Mr Little. "Such was the intensity of the defendant's relationship at this early stage that they referred to dying together if they were ever caught." He added "given the messages sent between the defendants" it was not possible to conclude Ms Mayhew was killed immediately. After the murder, Sansom said: "We're not evil, we're not evil. We done the world a service." Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version. You can receive Breaking News on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on X to get the latest alerts. Couple admit murdering and dismembering Sarah Mayhew Man admits murdering and dismembering Sarah Mayhew Remains found in river believed to be Sarah Mayhew Hunt for woman's remains continues, Old Bailey hears HM Courts & Tribunals Service
