Latest news with #law enforcement
The Sun
10 hours ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Madeleine McCann cops calling off search will spend weeks poring over samples after digging under ‘Brueckner tent' site
COPS in the Madeleine McCann search will spend weeks poring over samples they have collected for any shred of evidence after it is called off. Teams have spent three days scanning and digging scrubland near where Maddie disappeared - and paid particular attention to a farmhouse - but are expected to wind up this afternoon. 4 4 4 4 A group of officers today returned to the derelict farmhouse scouted on day one of the operation - and donned gloves to carry out a close fingertip search. They have also dug a trench at the site - where 2007 satellite images showed what appeared to be a white tent. Prime suspect Christian Brueckner is known to have wild-camped in the hippy hangout area around the time of Maddie's disappearance. Investigators were seen carting away soil and other material, and will now spend weeks analysing this for anything linking Brueckner to Maddie. The search was scheduled to last three days from Tuesday with an option to extend if anything of interest was unearthed. A source close to the investigation told The Sun on Thursday morning: 'There are currently no plans to extend and if the situation remains the same the search will end this evening. 'It's very disappointing but nothing taken away from the search area so far has provided any clues.' Investigators are in a race against time to turn up evidence pinning Maddie's case to Brueckner - who they are convinced killed the tot - before he flees Germany. They have zeroed in on an area of scrubland - which prolific thief Brueckner scuttled around as his "rat-run" in 2007. Plans to scour the wider area were scrapped last night - with cops focusing all their efforts on the abandoned buildings linked to the convicted rapist. Police said they were scouring at least five structures within the 21-square-kilometre search area, where there is a crumbling farmhouse, disused well and derelict barns. Cops arrived armed with a radar scanner which can penetrate 15ft into the ground, hoping to find evidence of her body or any other clues. And on Wednesday a large yellow JCB-type digger rolled up to excavate, with evidence of it digging trenches in some of the crumbling sites. The Sun team on the ground saw the excavator pulling back earth to clear it for the radar, and teams taking away boxes of soil for lab testing. It comes after we revealed key figures in the case were flown back to Germany to give further statements on the claims Brueckner kidnapped and killed the toddler in 2007. The ongoing searches are understood to be linked to these secret meetings, which took place at the start of the year. A police theory is the three-year-old or her pyjamas might have been dumped in trenches near the holiday resort that were dug as part of extensive works at the time. Brueckner is set for release from jail in September after serving a seven-year prison sentence in Germany for a 2005 Praia da Luz rape of an elderly American woman. He has never been formally charged over Madeleine's disappearance and denies any involvement - but German cops are convinced he is guilty. If released, he is expected to flee Germany for a country without an extradition treaty - so even if evidence linking him to Maddie emerges in the future, it may be impossible to bring him to justice. 3rd Jun 2025, 08:29 By Annabel Bate First pics of new search revealed
Daily Mail
12 hours ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Hero police officer sacked over 'aggressive' arrest of knife-wielding teenager says he is being treated like an 'abuser' and will appeal his case
A hero police officer who was sacked over his 'aggressive' arrest of a 15-year-old boy carrying a knife has said he is being treated like an 'abuser'. Former officer of Dorset Police, Lorne Castle, was dismissed by the force after an independent disciplinary tribunal found he had committed gross misconduct in relation to the arrest in Bournemouth town centre on January 27 2024. The ex-police constable had admitted misconduct in relation to breaching the standards of professional behaviour relating to authority, respect and courtesy, conduct and use of force, but denied gross misconduct. Following the hearing, Dorset Police said he acted 'inappropriately' as he detained the teenager after receiving reports of two assaults in the seaside town. It is understood that he intends to appeal the decision to sack him for gross misconduct. The married father-of-two said: 'I've got a phenomenal family and everyone knows that, but people are asking that question now "am I some sort of abuser?" because I attempted to arrest someone who was potentially violent.' A video clip of the incident, released by the force on Tuesday, shows the officer tackling the boy, who was later found to be carrying double-edged Stanley-style knife, to the ground before taking hold of the teenager's face and throat while repeatedly swearing and shouting at him. The boy can be heard shouting and crying 'what have I done' and 'what did I do' before the officer shouts 'stop screaming like a little b****, do you understand that? Shut up'. The teenager also screams 'my f****** neck, get off me, I don't want you on me', while Mr Castle is on top of him. The officer later shouts 'stop resisting or I'm gonna smash you, do you understand?' and says the boy is being arrested on suspicion of assault. The spokesman for the force said: 'PC Castle was seen to use unnecessary and inappropriate words towards the boy and place both his hands on his throat. 'The panel found that PC Castle failed to act with self-control, did not treat the boy with courtesy or respect. 'His shouting, swearing, finger pointing, taking hold of the boy's face and throat, and suggested use of leg restraints was not necessary, reasonable or proportionate.' Speaking on LBC radio, Mr Castle said that the suspect, who had been wearing a mask, had been 'an unknown risk' and was found to be in possession of a knife during the arrest. The 46-year-old said: 'If I'd have known on those circumstances that he had a knife, that would have probably been a firearms incident. 'The real danger is the unknown. We knew he was potentially violent, but we didn't know how violent. 'Now, the risk for any police officer is the moment you go to detain someone, until you know you've got them safely detained.' He added that it was a 'scary situation' because he was on the ground with the offender with other people nearby. Mr Castle, who previously received a bravery award from the Humane Society, said he had received thousands of messages of support but felt that people were questioning his nature despite previously having '10 years of exemplary service'. He also revealed to the Telegraph that four months before this arrest, he plunged into a freezing river in the middle of the night to save a drowning, vulnerable elderly woman. Although police regulations prohibited him from entering the water, Mr. Castle disregarded the rules, removed his stab vest, and waded into the icy current, as her terrified family watched. 'Do you know what was going through my mind at that time? If I hit her with the ring, or she attempts to get it and gets dragged away, I'm up for manslaughter because professional standards will tell me 'you weren't supposed to go in. You were trying to be a hero. That is the world that we operate in'. After saving her, he was awarded for his action. In a statement, Dorset Police Federation criticised the force's decision to release the footage, saying it had done so 'without also providing context or balance'. 'Our view is that the showing of selective clips of an officer's body-worn video is not a useful or responsible way to properly inform the public about an incident, and only serves to entice the public into making judgements without having the benefit of all the facts', the body said. Adding: 'This is not fair or just. ' It added its members were still in limbo over how much force they should use in an arrest situation, and following PC Castle's sacking, it called on force commanders to provide 'urgent clarification' to frontline officers on the issue of force. But the federation said no such clarification has been forthcoming. Meanwhile, a distinguished former police and crime commissioner of Dorset Police said his former force has gone 'woke'. Martyn Underhill said he found it 'scary' how Dorset Police behaved, calling it an 'overreaction'. He said that while he deserved to be interviewed and disciplined, they were wrong to dismiss the 46-year-old officer without notice for gross misconduct. He also slammed their 'questionable' decision to release footage of the arrest and said he was one of the 2,500 people who have so far donated to a GoFundMe campaign. A campaigner for frontline police officers said the force had 'scored one of the biggest own goals ever' by sacking PC Castle. Dorset's Deputy Chief Constable Rachel Farrell said: 'We are sharing body worn video to address concerns about misinformation and to reassure the public that, while tackling crime in Dorset, our officers will continue to be proactive and robust - but by using their powers proportionately and with respect.' The Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, has been asked to intervene in the case and reinstate PC Castle. A spokesperson for the Home Office declined to comment and said it was a matter for Dorset Police.
CTV News
3 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Police arrest Orillia man with numerous outstanding warrants
Police with the Repeat Offenders Parole Enforcement (ROPE) have charged a 48-year-old man in Ramara Township with numerous outstanding warrants. On Friday, at approximately 1:30 p.m. officers tracked down a man at a commercial business on Monck Road. Officials say he had allegedly been evading police and appeared to have outstanding charges and three warrants. He was arrested at the business and is scheduled to appear before the courts at a later date.
Daily Mail
27-05-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
Award-winning police officer faces sack for grabbing boy, 15, by throat and shouting 'stop screaming like a little b****' during arrest, misconduct panel told
An award winning police officer has been accused of grabbing a teenage suspect by the throat, called him a 'b***h' and threatening to 'smash him up'. Pc Lorne Castle is facing misconduct proceedings for allegedly making the 15-year-old boy feel 'frightened and intimidated' as he arrested him for an assault. A hearing was told that the teenager had been wanted for assaulting members of the public and was carrying a knife at the time of his arrest. The officer ran towards the masked teenager, known as Witness A, and pushed him against a wall before dragging him to the ground and sitting on him. He then shouted at him to 'show me your f*****g hands' and then put his hands and finger in the hoodie-wearing teen's face. When Witness A was unable to move his arm Pc Castle told him to 'stop screaming like a little b***h' as he called for back-up on the radio. He grabbed the boy by the throat and threatened to 'smash up' the boy if he resisted. When his back-up arrived, he ordered colleagues to put the boy in leg restraints. Witness A was left 'petrified' by PC Castle's behaviour in Bournemouth, Dorset, at 5.30pm on January 27, 2024. The officer is accused of committing gross misconduct in regards to authority, respect and courtesy and conduct and use of force and is facing a disciplinary hearing at Dorset Police HQ. The 46-year-old married father of two has twice won a national award since joining Dorset Police over 10 years ago Last year he was awarded a National Humane Society gong for saving a person from drowning in the River Avon in Christchurch and had previously been awarded Neighbourhood Police Officer of the Year. He accepts he committed misconduct but denies his behaviour amounted to gross misconduct as he said the boy had been arrested twice for assaults on unrelated people. Pc Castle said the boy was wearing a face covering and at risk of escape as he had previously fled a Town Ranger. Mark Ley-Morgan, representing the Dorset Police, said: 'At about 5.30pm on January 27, 2024 in Bournemouth you arrested a 15 year-old boy, Witness A, on suspicion of assault. 'You approached Witness A at speed and took hold of him before telling him what he was under arrest for. 'You forced him to the ground and he was lying on his back with his face up. 'You repeatedly stated to Witness A 'show me your f*****g hands'. It should be clear to you he was frightened and intimidated by your actions. 'It should have been clear to you when you were on top of him that he could not comply with your instructions. 'When he replied that he couldn't you grabbed hold of his back with your right hand and pointed to his face with your index finger and shouted 'stop screaming like a little b***h, do you understand, shut up'. 'Witness A asked you what he had done and you grabbed him by the throat then called for assistance and said on the radio he was behaving 'like a b***h'. 'You said 'stop resisting or I'm going to smash you up' then you put both hands on Witness A's throat. 'You put Witness A in a head lock and you told other officers to put him in leg restraints.' In the footage the boy, who can't be identified, can be heard pleading for Pc Castle to stop and repeatedly stating 'I've done nothing wrong, I don't deserve this'. Mr Ley-Morgan told the hearing that in the days after the incident Pc Castle put in a report that he 'completely stood by his actions and use of language'. Pc Castle had said in his report that he had used the term 'b***h' and 'smash you up' as this was language he thought the boy would understand and he wanted to assert verbal dominance without having to use more physicality. But more recently Pc Castle had reflected on the incident and felt he had made 'serious mistakes' during the arrest which were borne out of anxiety at putting himself in danger. However, Mr Ley-Morgan argued that this change of heart was a 'cynical attempt by Pc Castle to garner sympathy'. Mr Ley-Morgan told the hearing: 'Looking at the video it is clear that you didn't take Witness A to the ground because he was resisting. 'He was taken completely by surprise when you smashed him up against the wall and took him to the floor. 'It is clear from his reaction that Witness A was petrified of what the officer was doing to him. 'No reasonable officer would have thought Witness A was attempting to escape or doing anything that could be described as aggressive or threatening. 'Witness A was grabbed by the throat, had a finger jabbed in the face and his face slapped. 'Pc Castle breached standards of professional behaviour by failing to act with self control and failing to treat him with courtesy or respect. 'He abused his power and authority and his behaviour undermined confidence in the police. 'It was totally unnecessary and disproportionate, and in our view this is so serious dismissal would be justified.' Pc Susannah Justice was one of the other officers to attend the arrest and told the hearing the suspect was resisting their attempts to detain him. But she said she was concerned about Pc Castle's use of the word 'b***h' and 'smash him up'. The hearing continues.
ABC News
26-05-2025
- ABC News
Damaging winds to batter flood-hit NSW after lashing South Australia
Photo shows Image shows a Sydney street with police cars in the background, with police tape cordoning off some of it Has Video Duration: 1 minute 47 seconds . 1 m 47 s
