Latest news with #youngoffenders
Sky News
4 days ago
- General
- Sky News
Personal trainer jailed over 'first date' chase that ended in crash involving five police cars
A personal trainer who admitted dangerous driving on a first date that ended in a police car pile-up has been sentenced to one year and two months in a young offenders' institution. Mazyar Azarbonyad, 20, was taking a woman home in the early hours of 9 April when his driving triggered a car chase and eventual crash involving five police cars. Seven officers ended up in hospital, and one of their cars had its roof torn off in the dramatic collision that left debris strewn across the A1 near Newcastle. At Newcastle Crown Court in April, Azarbonyad admitted a series of driving offences, including driving without insurance several times after the crash, and failing to stop. The incident happened after police had tried to stop his powerful BMW in the Whickham area of Gateshead because they were concerned about how it was being driven. Azarbonyad and his female passenger were both uninjured. The woman, aged in her 20s, was arrested on suspicion of aiding and abetting dangerous driving but was later told she would face no further action. However, Northumbria Police said she remains on bail on suspicion of drug possession. Defending, solicitor Jack Lovell had told the court the defendant, of Durham, had shown genuine remorse for his actions. Please refresh the page for the latest version.
CTV News
6 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Five youths charged after bear spray attack near Calgary Transit bus
Police vehicles at Calgary Police Service headquarters in Calgary on Thursday, April 9, 2020. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh) Five young offenders – three girls and two boys – have been charged in connection with an incident where bear spray was deployed near a Calgary Transit bus. Police said at 3:40 p.m. on Friday, May 23, two groups of youths got into a fight at a bus stop near Third Street and 61 Avenue S.W. near the Chinook CTrain station. Officials say one group attempted to get onto the bus, but the second group used bear spray near the door. The fumes affected the victims as well as the bus driver and passengers already on the bus. The suspects fled the scene but were arrested a short time later. Police say three girls, aged 14, 15 and 16, and two boys, aged 14 and 16, have been charged with four counts each of assault with a weapon. The 14-year-old girl was also charged with failure to comply with a release order. Additional charges against the 16-year-old boy include two counts of carrying a concealed weapon, possession of an imitation weapon and failing to comply with a release order. None of the accused can be named due to the provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act. Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact police by calling 403-266-1234. Tips can also be submitted anonymously to Crime Stoppers through any of the following methods:
The Guardian
27-05-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Young offenders at Midlands prison ‘dehumanised' by violence, say mothers
Young offenders at a troubled prison in the Midlands have been stabbed, 'dehumanised' and are 'becoming more violent' in order to survive, mothers of prisoners have told the Guardian. HMP Swinfen Hall, near Lichfield, Staffordshire, has seen a growing number of disturbances, including the intervention of riot officers. The prison officers union last month called for the Ministry of Justice to intervene and clear the place of weapons after several staff members were attacked. On Friday, an air ambulance was called to the prison for at least the third time this year – this time in response to an alleged stabbing of a prisoner. Three mothers of inmates have spoken out about conditions inside the prison for about 600 inmates, because of fears for the safety and sanity of their sons within the Category C prison. Rachel, 43, from Preston, said her 22-year-old son, who has been in Swinfen for two years, was slashed on his hand on Thursday by an inmate during the one hour in which he is allowed to leave his cell each day. 'Someone just produced a weapon and swiped at his hand,' she said. 'When my son asked why he had been slashed, the attacker said: 'I never liked you.' That is what Swinfen is like. They are free to dehumanise and degrade and stab each other. There are not enough guards and many don't have enough experience to handle the violence. 'My son says that so many prisoners have so many weapons that he prays every day that this isn't the day that he gets stabbed. But then it finally happened. 'I know, and he knows, that he deserves to be punished. He deserves to have his liberty taken away. But there is no rehabilitation and there is no protection and the threats are constant… They are locked in their cells for most of the day. And when they get out of the cells, there are drugs and knives everywhere. 'So he stays in his cell for 23 hours a day, in constant fear. Because he is in for a sex crime, he has items stolen, his clothes have been urinated upon, and his food is spat on. He is scared that he will be attacked in the shower and went weeks without having a wash because he was warned he would be attacked. 'He still hasn't had a sentencing plan and so can't get on any educational courses. I have asked if he could be sent to a prison in Lancashire so he can try to maintain close links with his dad and his siblings, but instead he is stuck surrounded by gangs stabbing each other,' she said. Marie, 50, from Warwick, whose 26-year-old son is serving a seven-and-a-half year sentence for a violent assault, said he was becoming more violent inside the prison in order to survive. 'He hears the guards preparing to open his door and he gets ready, gets his trainers on, because he has to be instantly prepared to fight. Attacks happen that quickly. It has happened to him before. 'I don't want him out of jail. He is in there to learn a lesson. But he is not being rehabilitated. In fact, he is getting more violent because that's the only way he can survive.' Dawn, 58, whose 21-year-old son is autistic, has a borderline personality disorder and is serving a seven-year sentence, said she was given regular reports on stabbings, gang fights, beatings and attacks of prison officers witnessed by her son. 'He has lost three stones in weight in eight months and is losing his hair from the stress of being in such a violent environment. He has said he wants to take his own life and I'm worried he's going to get a knife in his back. The security at the prison is lax – you do not get properly searched on the way in. No wonder there are so many weapons and drugs.' Their claims come days after Shabana Mahmood, the lord chancellor, accepted many of the recommendations of a sentencing review, in the hope that it would ease overcrowding and reduce tensions in prisons in England and Wales. A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: 'This government inherited a prison system in crisis. Our landmark sentencing reforms will reduce violence by making prisoners earn their release through good behaviour, while our £4.7bn investment will deliver 14,000 new prison places. 'We take the safety and wellbeing of staff and prisoners extremely seriously, and we don't hesitate to push for the strongest possible punishment for those who break the rules.'
RNZ News
23-05-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
What ethnic communities get from Budget 2025
Police and ambulance outside the Pooja Jewellers in Papatoetoe after reports of an armed robbery. Photo: Supplied / NZME In response to demands from the ethnic community for tougher penalties for young offenders , the government has unveiled what it calls a "significant financial boost in Budget 2025 ... to help serious and persistent young offenders turn their lives around". "This government's efforts to keep the public safe and reform young offenders is already bearing fruit," Minister for Children Karen Chhour said. "The Budget [delivered by Finance Minister Nicola Willis on Thursday] ensures we can continue this important work." For this, more than $103 million would be invested over four years in upgrading facilities and funding ways to address recidivism amongst young people, the minister said. It included $33 million for the operation of military-style academies and transitional support for young serious offenders, she said. A further $16 million would implement the new legislative regime for Young Serious Offenders, as proposed in the Oranga Tamariki (Responding to Serious Youth Offending) Amendment Bill, Chhour said. The remainder would cover repairs, upgrades and improvements to Oranga Tamariki and youth justice residences, she said. A related demand from the community has been to increase police resources to improve law and order nationwide , especially with regards to retail crime such as ram raids and aggravated robberies. "The budget invests $480 million to support police on the frontline to crack down on crime and keep communities safe," Willis said in her Budget speech on Thursday. "This year's Budget package continues to support police's frontline to deliver the policing services our communities need," Police Minister Mark Mitchell added. "There is also new funding of $60 million over four years for the Police Prosecutions Uplift Programme (PUP), and funding to update the out-dated police payroll, human resources and workforce management systems. "PUP is a programme of targeted interventions, including improving prosecutions to support court efficiencies and more timely case resolutions. It has the added benefit of freeing up frontline police from administrative overhead," Mitchell said. Another initiative the government claimed would free up police was "overhauling the way emergency services respond to 111 calls". Budget 2025 invests $28 million over four years to fund the transition from a police-led response to a mental health response to 111 mental distress calls. "New Zealand's current response to mental distress crisis calls is not fit-for-purpose. Transitioning from a police-led response to a mental health response is the right thing to do," Minister for Mental Health Matt Doocey said. "Police do a great job in our communities, but they are not mental health professionals," he said. "Police will always attend when there is a threat to life or safety, but this initiative will free police up to do with core policing." Putting victims front and centre of the justice system and speeding up the court process was another demand that kept coming up in discussions in the ethnic community. Budget 2025 has provided $246 million of additional funding to courts over the next four years. "This funding will support the ongoing operation of specialist courts, tribunals, the District Court, senior courts, the Coroners Court and the legal aid system," Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith said. "Justice delayed is justice denied. Waiting months or years for a case to be resolved only adds to the frustration and trauma for victims and, indeed, all court participants," he said. "While there has been progress, it's really important that we keep things moving. This funding will to do exactly that." Budget 2025 allocated $18.225 million to the Ministry of Ethnic Communities to improve the wellbeing of New Zealand's ethnic communities, improve social cohesion and enable well-informed decision-making by the government. This represented a slight increase from last year's Budget to cover the $18.002 million that was spent. While there's no change in the Ethnic Communities Grant, which remains at $4.232 million, the increase is mainly in funding for support, advisory and information services provided to assist ethnic communities. In particular, the government has increased the funding for Language Assistance Services to $325,000 from the current level of $45,000. The language programme is a cross-government initiative to address language barriers in accessing public services and information. It is currently managed by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE). "[But] the programme will move into the business-as-usual stage from 1 July 2025. At this time, the role of administering LAS will transition from MBIE to the Ministry for Ethnic Communities," MBIE said. Budgeting for the rest of current and past policy initiatives of the Ministry of Ethnic Communities has roughly remained the same.
The Independent
20-05-2025
- The Independent
Prison service ‘closed ranks' after young offender took his own life, FAI finds
Failing to discipline prison officers after an inmate took his own life 'condoned' bad practice at a young offenders' institution, the Scottish Prison Service has been warned by a sheriff. Jack McKenzie, 20, died in his cell at Polmont YOI in September 2021, nine months after being remanded on rape and sexual assault charges, which he denied. Mr McKenzie was pronounced dead in his cell at 7.57am on September 3, after taking his own life which was deemed 'unpredictable' in a fatal accident inquiry (FAI) determination by Sheriff Simon Collins, after hearing evidence at Falkirk Sheriff Court. Mr McKenzie had been confined to his cell following an 'aggressive' outburst attributed to drugs on September 1. His death could have occurred between 3am and 7.36am, the inquiry found, however, two prison officers tasked with a 'hatch check' just after 6.30am did not do so sufficiently, and a total of seven recommendations were issued to Scottish Prison Service (SPS) regarding improvements. Sheriff Collins said in his determination 'poor practice must be investigated and sanctioned, not ignored and therefore – apparently – condoned'. It added: 'The purpose of imposing a sanction is not to criticise prison officers for the sake of it, but to seek to drive up standards in the hope – in the present context – of preventing the deaths of further young prisoners by suicide.' A six-month deadline was set for SPS to reduce 'abusive and bullying verbal behaviour, drug dealing, and to respond to physical disturbances' during the night, in the sheriff's determination. Mr McKenzie was described as a 'chronic drug user' who had been remanded four times in three years in Polmont YOI, however, his death was described as 'impulsive' and a report called for improvements to cell environments. Sheriff Collins, who presided over the Katie Allan and William Brown FAI, which also investigated Polmont, said 10 young prisoners died by suicide there between 2010 and 2023, while more than 120 prisoners died by suicide in Scottish prisons between 2011 and July 2024. A total of seven recommendations were made, and the report said: 'Jack's death was spontaneous, unpredicted and unpredictable. But it is well known that prisoner suicides can be so. 'Accordingly prisoners should, insofar as reasonably possible, be detained in environments which are safe, in the sense of minimising the risk of such suicides.' The report said an audit had been done of potential suicide risks in equivalent cells and using the Manchester Tool Kit (MTK), Mr McKenzie's cell would have 'indicated the highest level of risk'. It said: 'If a young, vulnerable prisoner was accommodated, without regular observation, the resulting overall MTK scoring for the cell would have indicated the highest level of risk, calling for remediation.' The sheriff wrote it 'would have been a reasonable precaution for the Scottish Prison Service prior to September 2021, to have removed and replaced the toilet cubicle door in Jack's cell, or to have modified it, such that it was not readily capable of being used… without significant ingenuity or adaptation'. Mr McKenzie was perceived by staff as 'jovial, funny, likeable and talkative' but on drugs could be 'aggressive, agitated and anti-authority' and traded substances. However, he had never been assessed as suicidal, the report September 1, Mr McKenzie smashed two phones and was restrained and confined to his cell due to becoming 'non-compliant' and intoxicated – using an order which would have expired on September 4 just after 3pm. The report said: 'There was simply nothing to indicate, prior to September 3 2021, that Jack had any thoughts or intention of dying by suicide'. Accounts from neighbouring cellmates suggested 'that Jack was still alive at around 3am to 4am' on September 3, the report said. At 6.37am on September 3, two prison officers failed to carry out a hatch check at Mr McKenzie's cell to ensure he was safe and failed to take steps to ascertain his whereabouts, and did not log concerns on a handover, it added. A recommendation said: 'A sanction should have been imposed on both officers and/or corrective training required of them.' Governor Gerry Michie did not issue any 'disciplinary action, reprimand, warning or sanction' and neither officer was 'offered, nor required, to undertake additional training '- which was branded 'unacceptable' in the report. The report said: 'The absence of any disciplinary action, given the seriousness of the breach, and the possible seriousness of the consequences of it, is incongruous and unacceptable. 'I do not accept, as SPS submitted, that this was within the range of reasonable responses open to governor Michie. 'Rather, it was a response which sends a message to prison officers that they will not be held to account for a failure to 'do the basics well', and a message to the public that the first response of SPS to poor staff practice in the context of the death of a prisoner is to close ranks and protect its own.' Procurator fiscal Andy Shanks said: 'The sheriff's determination, which makes significant recommendations in relation to reduction and prevention and the checking of cells, is extensive and detailed. 'The FAI followed a thorough and comprehensive investigation by the procurator fiscal who ensured that the full facts of Jack's death were presented in evidence. My thoughts remain with Jack's loved ones.' An SPS spokesperson said: 'We would like to offer our sincere condolences and apologies to the family of Jack McKenzie for his sad death and the failings identified in this report. 'We are grateful to Sheriff Collins for his recommendations, which we will fully consider as we continue to deliver systemic change, at pace, in a way which keeps young people in our care safe, during one of the most challenging and vulnerable periods of their lives.' Justice secretary Angela Constance said: 'I wish to express my deepest condolences to the family of Jack McKenzie, I am deeply sorry about his death. 'Deaths from suicide in custody are as tragic as they are preventable, and Jack's death should not have happened whilst he was in the care of the state. 'I have been clear that there needs to be systemic change and action at pace to ensure we prevent avoidable deaths in custody. Work is well underway to put in place the necessary reforms to make our prisons safe and rehabilitative. 'I thank Sheriff Collins for his detailed determination which has highlighted a number of reasonable precautions that should have been taken and systemic failures that must be addressed to help prevent other deaths in custody. 'His recommendations will be given very careful and detailed consideration and responded to formally by July 11. 'Delivering lasting change must be underpinned by accountability and transparency at every stage which is why I have established a ministerial accountability board to provide oversight and drive progress.'
