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Daily Mirror
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Chris Brown arrested at Manchester hotel over alleged bottle attack
Controversial singer Chris Brown was arrested at a five-star hotel in Manchester over an alleged bottle attack at a night club in London two years ago The Metropolitan Police arrested the No Guidance singer, 36, after 2am at The Lowry Hotel in Manchester. He was reportedly arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm to music producer Abe Diaw at Tape nightclub in 2023. The Mirror have reached out to the Met Police for comment. Chris arrived into Manchester Airport on a private jet on Wednesday afternoon. The Met said to The Sun: ''A 36-year-old man was arrested at a hotel in Manchester shortly after 02:00hrs on Thursday, 15 May on suspicion of grievous bodily harm. ''He has been taken into custody where he remains. The arrest relates to an incident at a venue in Hanover Square on 19 February 2023. The investigation is being led by detectives from the Central West Area Basic Command Unit.'' In October 2023, music producer Abe Diaw claimed he was assaulted by Chris in a lawsuit. The court documents alleged that Chris 'inflicted severe and lasting injuries' after 'beating [the music producer] over the head." According to the lawsuit, the incident occurred in February of 2023 at the Tape London nightclub and the musician allegedly used a bottle of Don Julio 1942 tequila. After the initial hit with the bottle, Chris allegedly 'ruthlessly stomped on' and kick plaintiff Amadou 'Abe' Diaw in the neck which rendered him unconscious for 30 seconds. The music producer was rushed to the hospital as a result of the injuries he received, according to the documents attained by Page Six. He also alleged he had 'lacerations on his head and torn ligaments in his leg.' He further asserted he had 'suffered serious and permanent emotional distress and trauma.' * This is a breaking showbiz news story. Join The Mirror 's WhatsApp Community or follow us on Google News, Flipboard, Apple News, TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads - or visit The Mirror homepage.
USA Today
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Russell Brand appears in UK court to hear charges in rape, sexual assault case
Russell Brand appears in UK court to hear charges in rape, sexual assault case Show Caption Hide Caption Actor Russell Brand charged with rape and sexual assault of four women The Metropolitan Police charged comedian Russell Brand with rape, indecent assault, oral rape and two counts of sexual assault. Russell Brand made his first U.K. court appearance ahead of what may be a lengthy trial over charges that he raped and sexually assaulted multiple women. In the brief appearance May 2, Brand listened as the charges were laid out and then was granted conditional bail, according to CNN and The New York Times. In gold-rimmed aviator shades and a shirt unbuttoned to expose a large swath of his chest, Brand was escorted by police into the courtroom, through throngs of photographers. When the hearing was done, he exited into a black Mercedes Benz. Brand has previously denied any wrongdoing. Russell Brand charges include rape The comedian and actor was charged by London's Metropolitan Police last month with with rape, indecent assault, oral rape and two counts of sexual assault. Detectives in the U.K. began investigating Brand in September 2023 after receiving a number of allegations, a release from authorities revealed at the time. The tips followed a growing body of reporting in the British press that accused Brand of inappropriate sexual behavior. Brand later took to Instagram to respond to the charges. "We're very fortunate in a way to live in a time where there's so little trust in the British government," he told followers in a video statement. "We're very fortunate, I suppose, that this is happening at a time where we know that the law has become a kind of weapon to be used against people." The charges stem from a series of alleged incidents in the late 1990s and early 2000s: a rape in 1999, an incidental assault in 2001, an oral rape and sexual assault in 2004 and another sexual assault between 2004 and 2005, according to Metropolitan Police. "The women who have made reports continue to receive support from specially trained officers," Andy Furphy, a detective superintendent with the Metropolitan Police, said in a release at the time of the charges. "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," Furphy said. Long a controversial figure, Brand has fallen out of public grace amid reports of alleged rape and assaults. In the years since he has taken a religious turn, announcing plans last year to be baptized and using his social media to dip into conspiracy circles, spreading unfounded theories on topics ranging from 9/11 to the COVID vaccine. "I've always told you guys that when I was young and single before I had my wife and family … I was a fool, man," Brand continued in his Instagram statement, saying he was a drug and sex addict and even an "imbecile," but never a rapist. "I've never engaged in nonconsensual activity, I pray that you can see that by looking in my eyes," the actor continued, saying he felt "grateful" he would have the opportunity to defend himself in court. Russell Brand rape, assault charges follow BBC apology The charges against Brand follow a formal apology given by the BBC to employees in January over its handling of harassment complaints against the comedian during his tenure at the network. The British news organization published the results of a review into Brand's conduct, revealing that power dynamics at play created a breeding ground for Brand's "unacceptable" behavior. Brand, who served as a presenter on BBC's 6 Music and Radio 2 between 2006 and 2008, first fell under scrutiny in 2023 after a spate of women accused the actor of emotional and sexual abuse. The accusations of wrongdoing at the BBC included Brand exposing his genitals to a woman in a bathroom shortly before recording a segment for his radio show in which he joked about the encounter. The woman was not a BBC employee but worked in the same building as the company's Los Angeles bureau. Another claim, made by a woman who said she had a three-month relationship with Brand when he was a presenter for Radio 6, alleges he used to have a car pick her up at school or her grandmother's house and bring her to his home. She was 16 at the time while Brand would have been in his 30s. "What is clear is that many BBC staff and freelancers, especially in more junior roles, found Russell Brand demanding and difficult to work with and his behavior extreme, but all felt that there was no point in complaining as they believed they would not be listened to and, rightly or wrongly, that Russell Brand as a high-profile presenter had the support of the station management," wrote Peter Johnston, the BBC Director of Editorial Complaints and Reviews. If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence, RAINN's National Sexual Assault Hotline offers free, confidential, 24/7 support to survivors and their loved ones in English and Spanish at: (4673) and and en Español
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Co-op fends off hackers as police probe M&S cyber attack
The Co-op has shut down parts of its IT systems in response to hackers attempting to gain access to them. It said the "proactive measures" it had taken to fend off the attack had had a "small impact" on its call centre and back office. Meanwhile, The Metropolitan Police has confirmed it's looking into the major cyber attack at fellow retailer Marks & Spencer (M&S). "Detectives from the Met's cyber crime unit are investigating," it said in a statement. It is not known whether there is any link between the two incidents. There are more than 2,500 Co-op supermarkets in the UK, as well as 800 funeral homes. It also provides food to Nisa shops. A spokesperson confirmed its shops and funeral homes were operating as usual following the attempted hack. "We are working hard to reduce any disruption to our services and would like to thank our colleagues, members, partners and suppliers for their understanding during this period," they said. "We are not asking our members or customers to do anything differently at this point." It comes as M&S enters the second week of a cyber attack that has caused chaos costing it millions of pounds in lost sales. The retailer has not said what took out its online ordering systems and left empty shelves in stores. Ciaran Martin, the founding Chief Executive of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), told the Today programme on BBC Radio 4 on Wednesday it had "serious" consequences for M&S. "It is a highly disruptive event and a very difficult one for them to deal with," he said. Experts have told the BBC they believe the cyber attack affecting M&S is a result of ransomware called DragonForce. Ransomware is malicious software which locks an owner out of their computer or network and scrambles their data - with the criminals demanding a fee to unlock it. It is not known whether the Co-op discovered the hacking attempt as a result of any extra security checks following the cyber attack on its high street rival. Dan Card, cyber expert at BCS, the chartered institute for IT, said it was "very rare" for a firm to take systems offline after an attempted hack. "Taking systems offline is typically indicative of either a loss of control or to defend against a zero day where no patch is available," he said. A "zero day" is a term for a vulnerability in a computer system which its owners don't know about - meaning anybody can exploit it. There have been similar hacking attempts on supermarket chains in the past, with Morrisons being impacted by an incident in December 2024. Meanwhile, the banks Barclays and Lloyds were hit by outages earlier in 2025. Cyber attack on M&S leads to click and collect delays M&S customers in limbo as cyber attack chaos continues Sign up for our Tech Decoded newsletter to follow the world's top tech stories and trends. Outside the UK? Sign up here.
BBC News
30-04-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Co-op fends off hackers as police probe M&S cyber attack
The Co-op has shut down parts of its IT systems in response to hackers attempting to gain access to Co-op said the "proactive measures" it had taken to fend off the attack had had a "small impact" on its call centre and back The Metropolitan Police has confirmed it's looking into the the major cyber attack at fellow retailer Marks & Spencer (M&S)."Detectives from the Met's cyber crime unit are investigating," it confirmed in a statementThere are more than 2,500 Co-op supermarkets in the UK, as well as 800 funeral homes. It also provides food to Nisa shops.A spokesperson confirmed its shops and funeral homes were operating as usual following the attempted hack. "We are working hard to reduce any disruption to our services and would like to thank our colleagues, members, partners and suppliers for their understanding during this period," they said."We are not asking our members or customers to do anything differently at this point."It comes as M&S enters the second week of a cyber attack that has caused chaos costing it millions of pounds in lost retailer has not said what took out its online ordering systems and left empty shelves in stores, but the BBC has been told by security experts that ransomware called DragonForce was Martin, the founding Chief Executive of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), told the Today programme on BBC Radio 4 on Wednesday it had "serious" consequences for M&S. Sign up for our Tech Decoded newsletter to follow the world's top tech stories and trends. Outside the UK? Sign up here.
The Independent
19-04-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Statue of suffragette Millicent Fawcett defaced as thousands of trans rights protesters march on London
Police have launched an investigation after seven statues were daubed with graffiti before thousands of trans rights protesters marched through central London. Trans rights groups, trade unions and community organisations demanded 'trans liberation' and 'trans rights now' as they came together for a demonstration in Parliament Square in Westminster on Saturday. It was organised amid anger over the UK's highest court ruling the terms 'woman' and 'sex' in the 2010 Equality Act 'refer to a biological woman and biological sex'. 'F** rights' and a heart were painted on the banner held by suffragette Millicent Fawcett, and 'trans rights are human rights' was sprayed on the pedestal bearing a memorial to South African military leader and statesman Jan Christian Smuts. The square is home to 12 statues of political figures including Winston Churchill, Abraham Lincoln and Mahatma Gandhi. No arrests have been made, but officers are investigating, The Metropolitan Police said. Chief Superintendent Stuart Bell, who was leading the policing operation for the protest, said: 'It is very disappointing to see damage to seven statues and property in the vicinity of the protest today. 'We support the public's right to protest but criminality like this is completely unacceptable. We are now investigating this criminal damage and urge anyone with any information to come forward.' Activists waved flags and holding banners as they marched towards St James's Park. The impact of the long-awaited judgment delivered on Wednesday means transgender women with a gender recognition certificate can be excluded from single-sex spaces if 'proportionate'. The government said the unanimous decision by five judges brought 'clarity and confidence' for women and service providers, while a Labour Party source said Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer had brought the party to a 'common sense position' on the subject from an 'activist' stance. The ruling means trans women cannot use single-sex female toilets, changing rooms or compete in women's sports, according to the head of Britain's equalities watchdog. Among the groups supporting the London protest are Trans Kids Deserve Better, Pride in Labour, the Front for the Liberation of Intersex Non-binary and Transgender people (Flint) and TransActual. A rally and march organised by Resisting Transphobia is also taking place in Edinburgh on Saturday afternoon. Avery Greatorex, co-chair of Pride in Labour, told the PA news agency: 'Not a single trans person or trans organisation was represented in that case, and so we weren't given an opportunity to have a seat at the table, which is obviously a very concerning thing for our community when decisions are being made without us. 'So the protest was organised to put pressure on the Government, on the public to act. 'To be able to secure the rights of transgender people and to secure those protections, we need legislative power and we need lobbying power.' A spokesperson for Trans Kids Deserve Better said: 'The transmisogyny that led to this court ruling is unacceptable. 'Though this ruling has brought another wave of fear to the trans community, we will continue to fight for our rights and freedoms. 'When you attack trans women you attack all trans people and all women. Our rights do not oppose each other, they go hand in hand, and we will keep fighting until we're all free.'
