birminghammail--2019-06-02--EXCLUSIVE - Drugs kingpin John Anslow batters Lee Rigby killer in jail feud

BLACK Country drugs baron John Anslow – the mobster whose jail escape made national headlines – has been involved in a violent prison clash with the killers of soldier Lee Rigby.  And the underworld kingpin, sentenced to 22 years for orchestrating a coke and cannabis distribution network, got the better of the brawl, his father, John Snr, claimed.  The fight was the culmination of simmering bad blood between Tipton’s Anslow, who spent 439 days on the run before being snared in Northern Cyprus, and Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale.  Anslow, whose cell in high-security nick Belmarsh neighboured the terrorists’ lock-ups, had become increasingly agitated over the pair’s loud, all night conversations.  His dad said: “All night and all day they were shouting. One each side of him. One tried to put it on him and came off worst. John got him on the floor and was throwing punches before the screws pulled him off. He gave it to him. He stood his ground and had a go back.”  He added: “They (Adebolajo and Adebowale) are the worst of the worst. I’d like to do to them what they did to Lee Rigby.”  A spokesperson from the Ministry of Justice questioned the claim, although, without a date for the incident, admitted a probe into the allegation was near impossible.  She stressed strict conditions were in place to prevent Adebolajo and Adebowale mingling with other Belmarsh inmates. Such a confrontation would be ‘unlikely’, she claimed.  The extremists’ savage crime revolted the nation. On May 22, 2013, they mowed down 25-year-old Lee near Woolwich’s Royal Artillery Barracks, in London, then hacked him to death with knives and a cleaver in the road. They yelled to passers-by that Lee had been targeted in retaliation over the killing of Muslims by British soldiers.  In February 2014 both men were sentenced to life: Adebolajo, aged 28, is one of the few UK prisoners serving a whole life term. He is destined to die behind bars.  Before being snared, father-of-three Anslow posted message of support for our troops. But John Snr questions why the 38-year-old was placed in close prison proximity to the extremists – and in earshot of their radical views. Following the incident, which occurred a couple of years ago, Anslow was transferred to Frankland Prison, County Durham, and is currently incarcerated at HM Prison, Wakefield, the largest high security prison in Britain.  He and his father are glad to see the back of Belmarsh’s ultra-strict regime. The Thamesmead, London, institute is used for the detention of terrorists.  “It was a joke,” said John Snr, who now lives in London, “there was no sympathy (towards visitors).” He previously dubbed the prison barbaric.  “He is OK and half way through (his sentence). He can get out more and mix with the general prison population.”  In 2012 Anslow was convicted, while still in hiding, of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, appealed over his long sentence three years later – and failed.  He gained a global reputation as a gangster after being sprung from a prison van taking him to crown court.  Known on the streets as Skitz, the hardman was liberated from outside Redditch’s Hewell Prison in January, 2012, by a masked gang armed with sledgehammers. They drove off in a silver Merc.  Anslow was the first Category A prisoner to escape since 1995 and the break-out earned him an additional seven years.  He was no shrinking violet while evading the long arm of the law, taunting police on social media sites. Threads on one Twitter account - OutOntheRun – included: “Lapping it up in the sun! I hear they don’t even talk about me on the news back home anymore.”  On Facebook he posted a defiant message: “Go on, jog on, walk on, goodbye, bon voyage, f*** off - and **** everybody that got a problem with me.”  Another site titled ‘John Anslow Is An Innocent Man Being Set Up’ has clocked up more than 300 ‘likes’.  The villain’s whereabouts gripped the nation, with reports of sightings in Spain, Morocco and the UK - including Birmingham city centre.  Chillingly, at the height of the manhunt, our newsdesk received a gloating, anonymous call pin-pointing the fugitive’s location.  “You’re not even close,” the underworld figure told this reporter. “John’s in Northern Cyprus.”  “You think you know everything,” he laughed.  Police asked the Sunday Mercury not to report the information in the name of “responsible reporting”. We agreed.  Anslow was collared in March 2013 in the desolate Alsancak district of Northern Cyprus – a country which has become the criminal fraternity’s new bolthole because it shares no extradition treaty with the UK.  But he was arrested on suspicion of immigration offences and deported by the Turkish Cypriot authorities.  Like his prison breakout, Anslow’s escape from the UK – despite airports and ports being placed on high alert – was the stuff of big screen gangster blockbusters.  Sources informed this paper he was smuggled out of the country in a metal freight box.  He spent three days in the box, briefly seeing daylight when the tanker docked in Italy. He only emerged when the cargo was finally unloaded in Turkey.  From there, Anslow – subject of an international hunt and with a £10,000 reward on his head – travelled to the gangster paradise of Northern Cyprus.  John Snr has always maintained his son’s luxury lifestyle – the Wolverhampton Wanderers fanatic spent £36,000 on sponsorship at Molineux – was built on elaborate gambling scams, not narcotics.  Back in 2014, he said: “Yes, he’s dabbled in drugs, but not to the extent that’s been said. My son’s no angel – far from it – but he’s not what they’ve made him out to be.  Claims that Anslow was a mere minnow in the illicit drugs trade were not borne out by information and evidence gathered by the police.  A bug in his Bradley flat revealed a far-reaching drugs network. A subsequent raid uncovered a Rolex watch and tell-tale signs of a luxury lifestyle funded by thousands of pounds of cocaine and cannabis.  From Anslow’s Tipton manor, large quantities of drugs were distributed nationally.


birminghammail--2019-06-03--Lee Rigbys killers battered in prison by John Anslow and everyone is saying the same thing

Lee Rigby's killers 'battered in prison' by John Anslow and everyone is saying the same thing

BirminghamLive readers have flocked to social media after it emerged John Anslow – the mobster whose jail escape made national headlines – was allegedly been involved in a violent prison clash with the killers of soldier Lee Rigby.  The fight was the culmination of simmering bad blood between the underworld kingpin , sentenced to 22 years for orchestrating a coke and cannabis distribution network, and Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale.  Anslow, whose cell neighboured the terrorists’ lock-ups, had become increasingly agitated over the pair’s loud, all night conversations and ultimately got the better of the brawl, his father, John Snr, claimed.  Anslow became infamous after being the first category A prisoner to escape custody in more than 17 years.  The underworld kingpin was sprung from a prison van in a "well-orchestrated armed ambush" in January 2012 whilst he was being taken from Hewell Prison in Redditch to Stafford Crown Court.  The Black Country criminal, then 35, went on the run after a gang of three masked men stopped the prison van, smashed its windows with sledgehammers and punched its driver.  Anslow had led a lavish lifestyle as head of a major drugs ring selling cocaine and cannabis across the West Midlands, and he was due to be transferred to a high security jail.  His dad said: “All night and all day they were shouting.  "One each side of him.  "One tried to put it on him and came off worst.  "John got him on the floor and was throwing punches before the screws pulled him off.  "He gave it to him.  "He stood his ground and had a go back.”  He added: “They (Adebolajo and Adebowale) are the worst of the worst.  "I’d like to do to them what they did to Lee Rigby.”  Before being snared, father-of-three Anslow posted message of support for our troops.  But John Snr questions why the 38-year-old was placed in close prison proximity to the extremists – and in earshot of their radical views.  Following the incident, which occurred a couple of years ago, Anslow was transferred to Frankland Prison, County Durham, and is currently incarcerated at HM Prison, Wakefield, the largest high security prison in Britain.  He and his father are glad to see the back of Belmarsh’s ultra-strict regime.  The Thamesmead, London, institute is used for the detention of terrorists.  “It was a joke,” said John Snr, who now lives in London, “there was no sympathy (towards visitors).”  “He is OK and half way through (his sentence). He can get out more and mix with the general prison population.”  BirminghamLive readers have flocked to have their say on social media.  "Great news, this man deserves an award" wrote Rose Richardson, while Paresh added: "Good news 100% proud of him!"  "Well done lad! We are all super proud of you," added Alison.  John Nooman added: "As a former soldier, thank you."  "Should have his sentence reduced," Steve Morgan said.  But not everybody agreed, with one BirminghamLive reader condemning those lauding his actions.  "An eye for an eye makes us all blind," they wrote.  A second concurred, writing: "I can't believe people are condoning violence."  Details of the drugs empire that Anslow led were revealed by police after he was cleared of a murder charge.  West Midlands Police said he used drugs cash to fund a lavish lifestyle of fast cars and luxury holidays.  Between July 2010 and March 2011 he splashed out £24,000 on holidays to the Dominican Republic, St Lucia and Bangkok, which were paid for in cash.  He also owned several high-value cars and showered his partner with Rolex watches and diamond jewellery that were collectively valued at £26,440.  The avid Wolverhampton Wanderers fan also spent more than £36,000 in sponsorship at the Molineux Stadium between 2008 and 2011.  Police also found £107,900 in cash hidden inside two safes at his home.  On 11 February 2011, two days after the Liverpool drugs find, West Midlands Police officers uncovered half a kilo of 100 per cent pure cocaine along with cutting agents and a drugs press at a Tipton business premises belonging to one of Anslow’s associates.  He was caught when police in Liverpool tracked a local drug dealer to an address in February 2011 and uncovered cannabis with a street value of more than £1.1 million.  The drugs courier linked back to Anslow’s Tipton home and phone analysis revealed regular contact between Anslow and the men monitored by Merseyside Police.  Realising he was wanted for questioning, Anslow sent West Midlands Police a Spanish postcard in an attempt to convince detectives he’d fled to the continent.  But police didn’t fall for the trick and found him lying low on August 12, 2011 in a Bewdley caravan park.


birminghammail--2019-06-17--Horror moment killer neighbour climbs window before trio beat Kevin Shepperson to death

This was the horrifying moment a man climbed from one flat to another - before "viciously" pulverising a man to death with a dumbell.  Wayne Kendall climbed from his own flat in Bloxwich Road South, Willenhall into the home of victim Kevin Shepperson who lived directly above.  The 22-year-old sneaked into Mr Shepperson’s flat via a window before letting cousin Nazeem Kendall, aged 22, and Camerron Mackenzie, 21, into the property. The video can be viewed above.  Once inside, the trio battered Mr Shepperson with a dumbbell weight.  Mr Shepperson was later discovered the following day by a friend.  The 39-year-old was found with his hands and feet tied and a belt strap around his neck; his TV and PlayStation had also been taken.  A post mortem examination revealed he was repeatedly stamped on, suffered rib fractures and brain injuries.  West Midlands Police discovered the tragic victim's bank card had been taken and used to pay for a hotel stay hours after he was killed.  In December 2018, Camerron Mackenzie, of Richmond Street, Walsall, pleaded guilty to murder and today (June 17), following a three-week trial at Wolverhampton Crown Court, Wayne of Bloxwich Road South, Walsall and Nazeem, of no fixed abode, have been found guilty of murder and robbery.  The three men will be sentenced at a later date.  The three men will be sentenced at a later date.  Mackenzie, following the killing on August 21 last year , used his own details for a hotel reservation.  Both Mackenzie and Wayne Kendall were arrested just two days after Mr Shepperson’s body was discovered. Nazeem Kendall was detained two weeks later.  Detectives found the victim’s blood on a dumbbell in Wayne Kendall’s flat – along with the stolen electrical items – and DNA recovered from skin scrapings found under the victim’s fingernails failed to rule out Nazeem as a potential suspect.  In an emotional tribute, Mr Shepperson’s family said: "On 22 August 2018 our lives were torn apart when we were informed that our son Kevin had died.  "To find out this information was bad enough but to have someone deliberately and viciously beat and stamp on him until his injuries caused his death is unbearable.  "Kevin has had his struggle over the years with addiction but the only person he hurt was himself. At the time of Kevin’s death he had turned his life around.  "We are pleased that the people responsible for Kevin’s death, whose only aim was to profit from stealing his property for their own enjoyment, have been found guilty of his killing.  "The past ten months have been a nightmare and have been an emotional and painful time. No parent should ever have to bury their child.  "We would very much like to thank the Police, specifically the Homicide Department who completed a thorough investigation into what happened to our son and we cannot thank them enough.  "They stood up for Kevin when he was unable to have a voice.  "The amount of work and hours spent on the investigation has been extensive and we really appreciate everyone’s efforts.  "We have been supported throughout our ordeal by our family liaison officers who have been our rock.  "We would like to thank Mr Kent and Ms Wolf, our legal team, for presenting the evidence provided by the police and successfully getting the right outcome for Kevin.  "No sentence given will ever be enough for our son’s life but it is a comfort that the people responsible are now behind bars and unable to hurt other innocent people.  "We miss Kevin terribly and I can’t imagine that this will ever go away."  Detective Sergeant Tim Longbottom, from force CID said: "This was a brutal attack on a man in his own home.  "Mr Shepperson was very security conscious and yet they managed to climb up via the window to pursue their attack.  "The cowardly group not only killed him, they stole his belongings and continued to spend the dead man’s money.  "Fortunately CCTV enabled us to track them down and we are very pleased to see them all behind bars."


birminghammail--2019-06-18--Ana Kriegel killers Boy A and Boy B found guilty of 14-year-olds murder

Ana Kriegel killers Boy A and Boy B found guilty of 14-year-old's murder

Two 14 year-old boys have been found guilty of the murder of 14-year-old Ana Kriegel in Dublin last year.  Boy A has also been found guilty of aggravated sexual assault.  The jury of eight men and four women deliberated for 14 hours and 25 minutes after a six-week trial in Dublin's Central Criminal Court.  Ana Kriegel's naked body was found with a ligature around the neck in a derelict house in Lucan, Co Dublin, days after the 14 year-old went missing on May 14, 2018.  Former state pathologist Professor Marie Cassidy identified about 50 areas of injury on the schoolgirl's head and body, and concluded the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head and neck.  Ms Cassidy also said that there was evidence of penetration or attempted penetration of the vagina.  After the verdict, Ana's parents hugged and wept in the court room.  Boy B's father left the room immediately after the verdict, slamming the door, before returning shortly after, loudly clapping and saying: "An innocent child is going to prison."  Both boys have been remanded in detention until July 15.  Justice McDermott asked for both boys' school reports as well as a number of social work reports.


birminghammail--2019-06-19--Britains Got Talent star Simonne Kerrs killer Desmond Sylva found guilty of explosive rage murder

Britain's Got Talent star Simonne Kerr's killer Desmond Sylva found guilty of 'explosive rage murder'

An Iraq war veteran has been found guilty of stabbing a Britain's Got Talent finalist to death in a violent rage.  Desmond Sylva, 41, knifed his on-off girlfriend Simonne Kerr, 31, more than 70 times at his flat in Clapham, south London, on August 15 last year.  The former soldier, who served in Iraq and Kosovo, admitted manslaughter but denied murder, citing depression.  But prosecutor Oliver Glasgow QC told jurors it was an all too familiar case of "sexual desire, appalling violence and desperate lies".  He said: "He wanted to restart a sexual relationship with Simonne Kerr. When he did not get what he wanted, he could not control his anger and he exploded."  Sylva made no reaction as the Old Bailey jury delivered its guilty verdict after three days of deliberations.  Ms Kerr, whose six-year-old son Kavele tragically died of sickle cell disease, shot to fame in the NHS choir B Positive on the ITV show Britain's Got Talent.  She met Sylva through dating app Tinder and arranged to visit his flat after finishing her shift at Guys and St Thomas's Hospital on the morning of August 15.  Sylva attacked her in bed with a 20cm kitchen knife, slashing her throat and repeatedly stabbing her face and neck.  Afterwards, he called 999 and said: "I've just committed a murder. I'm ex-Army and I've got lots of mental health issues."  Mr Glasgow told jurors: "It is hard to imagine how terrifying the last few minutes of Simonne Kerr's life must have been as she struggled to prevent the man who was supposed to care for her from murdering her.  "The moment she realised the man who had been pursuing her wanted more than a relationship and in fact wanted to kill her must have been utterly horrifying."  For the latest on trials and court cases from across Birmingham and the West Midlands, join BirminghamLive's Court Facebook group .  Sylva had a history or depression, bipolar disorder and post traumatic stress disorder - but also had problems controlling his temper, jurors heard.  Before he joined the Army, Jamaican-born Sylva had cut his neck while working in a bakery.  The divorced father-of-one served 10 years in the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers before being discharged on medical grounds.  In 2010, Sylva throttled his mother Patricia King, telling her repeatedly: "You're dead," jurors heard.  Ms King reported the assault to police, but later withdrew the complaint because he had been depressed and suicidal.  Sylva's ex-wife had also accused him of being violent, but jurors were told the allegation was unproven.  On August 9 last year, Sylva was admitted to hospital after he took an overdose.  The day before the killing, the security guard told his brother Damian, a serving Signalman, he feared he would kill himself or someone else.  Giving evidence, Sylva said: "I did not mean to kill her. I had deep feelings for her.  "When I slashed the knife across her throat at that split second I thought I had a mental breakdown."  Psychiatrist Dr Philip Joseph told jurors Sylva suffered from moderate depression, but did not report having flashbacks of Iraq during the killing.  He said Sylva had told him they argued and she called him a "good for nothing" before threatening him with a knife.  The defendant claimed he must have lost control as he disarmed her, but said he could not remember the stabbing.  Dr Joseph questioned whether it had anything to do with being depressed, suggesting Sylva was "pre-disposed to violence".  He added: "It may be his attack on Simonne is all to do with battling with feelings and angry outbursts leading to an enraged state of mind."


birminghammail--2019-06-24--Watch as killer gunman hands himself in after accidentally blasting best friend in the head

Watch as killer gunman hands himself in after 'accidentally' blasting best friend in the head

This is the moment a killer handed himself into police after 'accidentally' shooting his best friend dead.  Jordan Bassett can be seen surrendering himself to officers at a station after he blasted his pal at a flat in Chepstow Close, Willenhall, Coventry.  The 25-year-old was caught in the above bodycam footage as police came out to arrest him.  Just days before, on December 7 last year, Bassett had been 'messing around' with a gun and shot Addison Packeer in the head.  A witness described told the pair were talking about drugs before Bassett told the 27-year-old victim he had only paid him £200 of a £2,000 debt.  He heard a ‘pop’ and walked into the room to find Bassett with his arms around the Addison pleading: “Addi, addi, what’s happening? What did I do, what did I do?"  Police to spend £7 million on tackling knife crime and youth violence  Bassett threatened to kill that witness if he called police before he could flee the scene.  Armed police raced to the property to find the 27-year-old lying in a pool of blood on a settee in the living room.  He was pronounced dead at the scene, and Bassett was quickly identified as the killer.  Police launched a hunt for him, but before they could trace him, he handed himself in Little Park Street police station in the early hours of December 10.  He pressed the intercom button at the station and told officers he wanted to confess, but that it had been an accident.  According to Bassett, the 9mm Luger pistol had belonged to the victim, who had claimed that it was not loaded.  Bassett, of Tintagel Close, Willenhall, had been playing about with the deadly weapon when it fired.  Panicking, he tried to stem the flow of blood before riding his motorbike to a quarry in Willenhall to throw the gun and magazine into the water.  As he confessed to his crime, he told officers exactly where he had tossed the gun.  Within hours of the arrest, officers uncovered the firearm and a magazine containing a bullet.  Bassett admitted manslaughter, and today (June 24) at Warwickshire Justice Centre, he was found not guilty of murder.  He was found guilty of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life.  He will be sentenced on Wednesday, June 26.  Det Insp Caroline Corfield, who led the investigation, said: “We might never know exactly what happened in the flat, but the reality is that anyone who gets involved with firearms is putting themselves and others in serious danger.  "There is only one purpose to an illegally held, loaded handgun and that is to shoot someone.  “Sometimes the person shot is not the intended target.  "Here we have a man who has shot dead his best friend. Two families will have to live with the consequences of that for the rest of their lives. Our thoughts remain with family of Addison Packeer."


birminghammail--2019-06-30--Mums daily torment as daughters killer walks the streets

Mum's daily torment as daughter's killer walks the streets

The mother of a woman brutally murdered by her partner says she can’t get her daughter’s killer out of her head.  Tina Moore was just 30 years old when she was strangled by her then partner Toby Norris.  But her killer is now a free man after being released from prison.  And her mum Sonia says she thinks about evil Norris every single day, six months since he was let out.  Tina was found dead in a downstairs bedroom in her Uttoxeter home by her father, Kenneth, on October 4, 2003.  It was later revealed that the mother-of-two had been strangled by Norris following a night out.  The then 23-year-old was handed a life sentence in 2004 and served 12 years behind bars for the crime.  Sonia had campaigned for years against Norris’ release – but says that now he is free to walk the streets, she finds herself thinking about him all the time.  “He’s currently in a hostel down south but they won’t tell me any more than that,” she says.  “We’ve not had any problems with him, and I don’t think we will. It sounds like he has been behaving himself .  “But, of course, he’s going to be behaving himself – he wants to get out of the hostel.  “I hope he will continue to behave and that he has changed, but I have my doubts about him, and wonder whether he would come back around here.  “I honestly don’t know if he would. He is certainly hard-faced enough to, but he knows if he does he’ll go straight back to prison.”  Norris, from Chipping Norton in Oxfordshire, met Tina while he was working in Uttoxeter for a company that erected marquees for events.  On the evening before Tina’s death, the couple had been seen arguing. The row was over Norris meeting with a woman he had been seeing before he met Tina.  During a five-day trial at Stafford Crown Court, it was said the couple seemed to have smoothed it over and were later seen enjoying themselves at the former 9B bar, in High Street, Uttoxeter, before returning home.  When at home, however, the argument started again and Norris pushed Tina onto the bed, holding her by the neck until she died. He said he did not mean to kill her, but merely to “shut her up” during the argument.  When police arrived at the scene, Norris was nowhere to be found. He had fled to Belgium to escape capture but finally faced justice in 2004, when he was jailed for life .  Sonia and Kenneth have since raised their late daughter’s children, Tyler and Ben, but say they have never been able to move on.  She says she thinks about Norris every day, worrying where he could be, or if he may return to Uttoxeter.  The conditions of the killer’s release state that he cannot travel anywhere near Tina’s family.  If he visits Uttoxeter, Burton, Stafford, Derby or Stoke, he could be sent back to prison.  And Sonia admits part of her wants him to return to the area – purely so he will be put back behind bars.  “I am certainly going to keep tabs on him,” she says. “One of the family liaison officers told me that if I ever see him, I should take a photo of him.  “Now, I carry my phone on me at all times. I won’t go out of the house without it. I wouldn’t do that if it wasn’t for him.  “I never trusted him, and I don’t know if he will come back.”  A Parole Board spokesman said : “We can confirm that a panel of the Parole Board directed the release of Toby Norris following a hearing in October 2018.  “Parole Board decisions are solely focused on whether a prisoner would represent a significant risk to the public after release. The panel will have looked at a whole range of evidence, including details of the original evidence and any evidence of behaviour change. We do that with great care and public safety is our top priority.”


birminghammail--2019-07-19--Dad-of-two Tank shot to death in broad daylight - before killer went to pub

Dad-of-two 'Tank' shot to death in broad daylight - before killer went to pub

A dad nicknamed 'Tank' was gunned down in a hail of bullets - before his killer went to the pub.  Depraved Wade Cox has been jailed after shooting a dad-of-two dead in broad daylight.  The 29-year-old, from the North West, was found guilty of the senseless killing of Luke Graham.  Graham - known as 'Tank' - was gunned down in a hail of bullets in Ashton-under-Lyne.  The shooting, Manchester Crown Court heard, came as children played nearby last summer.  After murdering Mr Graham, Cox spent the night in his local pub.  Police say he acted 'as though nothing had happened'.  Four other men have been jailed in relation to the brutal murder, reports the Manchester Evening News.  A sentencing hearing heard that Cox lured Mr Graham and another man to a house in Ashton before shooting at them.  Mr Graham suffered a fatal gunshot wound to his shoulder but the other man survived, after being shot to the leg as he ran away.  He went to hospital, but discharged himself later.  Cox, who was wearing a balaclava and gloves, fired a total of five shots.  The court heard that Cox, as well as Mr Graham and the other man who arrived on Birch Street in a Volkswagen Caddy were all involved in drug dealing.  Cox claimed that Mr Graham had been dealing on his patch.  He hatched a plan to trick the man who was with Mr Graham into heading to the house on Birch Street, where Cox would lay in wait for his victim to arrive.  Prosecutors said it was more likely that the man with Mr Graham was the target of Cox's scheme.  Cox ordered addicts who lived in the house to call the man, and pretend they wanted him to come round to sell them some drugs.  When he arrived with Mr Graham, Cox burst out of the house and began shooting at them on June 13 last year, at about 4.50pm.  Sentencing, Mrs Justice Cutts said: "This must have been a terrifying event. Gang violence had broken out in a place where young families lived.  "Mothers told of their fears for their children who were playing innocently in the street."  The other man was shot to the leg, but was able to flee. Cox fired two more shots in his direction but missed.  He returned to Mr Graham, who lay on the floor dying, shooting at him again, but missed.  Cox fled to a house in Openshaw before being picked up by Jack West.  Benjamin Dodd was then told by Conor Cornforth to destroy the Audi.  Dodd set fire to the Audi later on a street near houses, managing to set himself on fire in the process.  He lied about how he suffered burn injuries to his hands and face when he went to hospital.  Cox was arrested in the early hours of the following day.  A jury at Manchester Crown Court spent two weeks considering their verdicts before finding Cox, of Rainow Avenue, Droylsden, guilty of murder and wounding with intent.  Another man, Jordan Atkinson, 26, of Stamford Drive, Stalybridge, was found guilty of encouraging or assisting an indictable offence and was jailed for eight years.  West, 29, of Parrenthorn Road, Prestwich; Cornforth, 27, of Calder House, Old Mill Wharf, Droylsden; and Dodd, 28, of Easton Road, Droylsden, were found guilty of assisting an offender.  West was jailed for 42 months, Cornforth received 37 months; and Dodd for 30 months.  In a victim impact statement read in court, Mr Graham's father Peter Graham said: "Luke and his murder will be a part of my life forever. I was left numb and I will miss him."  Just before he was murdered, Mr Graham passed his driving test, and his father said he felt that could have been a turning point for his son.  At the time of his death, Mr Graham said: "Luke was a loving son, dad and brother, who was always there for his family and friends.  "He was the type of person who would go out of his way to help others and now we are broken as a family.  "We can’t believe that he’s gone and that he has been taken from us in such a horrific and cowardly act of violence.  "Losing Luke has devastated me as a father, and I wouldn’t want any other parent or family to go through the hell that I am living in at the moment.  "I would just like to thank the police for their tireless efforts in trying to piece together what has happened and would especially like to thank the community at Birch Street in Ashton where Luke passed away.  "People there risked their own safety and tried their best to save Luke when he was killed that evening.  "It is a great comfort to me as a dad that he did not pass away alone and that there were people there for him."  After the hearing, Detective Chief Inspector Liz Hopkinson, of GMP’s Major Incident Team, said: "This was a painstaking investigation to root out those involved in the brutal murder of Luke Graham and I would like to thank my team who have been dedicated to bringing those responsible to justice for over a year.  "After their despicable actions, Cox and West even dared to venture to their local pub in Droylsden later that evening as though nothing had happened, proving their callousness knew no bounds.  "As the Judge sentenced them today, she stated that they were part of an organised crime group who were selling Class A drugs and they were doing this to vulnerable people in the community on a daily basis, which is why I am glad we have removed them from our streets for some time.  "These men have ripped Luke from his family and friends in the cruellest way imaginable and I hope they can take some comfort from today’s result.  "A collective 53 years behind bars where there is no doubt in my mind that each and every one of them deserves to be."

newsdesk@birminghamlive.co.uk (Andrew Bardsley, James Rodger)


birminghammail--2019-07-21--How Birmingham public schoolboy turned into evil rapist and killer - and his links to Suzy Lamplugh

He was the Sutton Coldfield schoolboy who appeared to have the world at his feet.  John Cannan was brought up in a respectable middle-class family who sent him to private school for the best possible start in life.  But the smooth-talking son of an engineer had demons - dark demons - which first surfaced when he was just 14.  It was in 1968 that the then teenager first attacked a woman, indecently assaulting her in a telephone box in Erdington.  The young offender was placed on probation but went on to join the Merchant Navy aged 17 before later leaving and becoming a car salesmen.  Yet that facade of respectability was destroyed when the charming but shirt-tempered Cannan embarked on a depraved crimewave through the early 1980s - which ended with rape, kidnapping and murder.  In 1981, he robbed a petrol station and a clothes shop at knifepoint and brutally raped a store assistant after threatening to stab her baby.  The former public schoolboy was jailed for eight years.  He was on day release from Wormwood Scrubs in London in 1986 when estate agent Suzy Lamplugh went missing.  In her work diary, the 27-year-old had written she was due to meet a mysterious Mr Kipper at a house - but she was never seen again.  An artist impression of Mr Kipper bore an uncanny resemblance to Cannan, who has always denied any involvement in her disappearance.  It was claimed that his nickname in prison was "Kipper".  Cannan was questioned by police regarding the disappearance of Suzy in 1989 and 1990 after he was jailed for life for the abduction and murder of newlywed Shirley Banks.  The 30-year-old had been on an evening shopping trip to Bristol when she vanished. Her naked body was later found at Dead Women's Ditch in the Quantock Hills in 1987.  There were rumours Cannan may have briefly dated Suzy and killed her when she tried to end the relationship.  Statements from her family and friends and his former lovers and fellow inmates  suggested the pair may have had a fling in the months before she vanished.  Cops believe Suzy may have been planning to tell him it was over when she vanished.  The much-loved daughter of Diana and Paul Lamplugh was officially declared dead in 1994.  In December 2000, Cannan was arrested again for her murder and questioned, but was not charged.  Two years later detectives said publicly that they believe he killed Suzy and confirmed this in 2006 when arguing against any reduction in his tariff.  Cannan subsequently complained via his solicitors about the police publicly naming him, saying he was "devastated and distressed".  Yet what is not in doubt is that Cannan is a cold-blooded killer, who targeted professional women.  He was given three life sentences with a recommendation never to be released for the murder of Shirley Banks, the attempted kidnapping of another woman on the previous night and the rape of a third woman in Reading in 1986.  And the evidence of his involvement in the disappearance of Suzy Lamplugh has grown over the years.  A former girlfriend Gilly Paige told police that he had once suggested the estate agent's body was buried at Norton Barracks, a former army barracks in Worcestershire, as they drove past.  Yet Cannan later wrote a letter to the local paper Sutton News denying the claims.  “May I please assure you, that whilst it is perfectly true that I did give ice-skater Gilly Paige a lift from Bristol to Birmingham, where both our families live, I did NOT at any time say that I had raped and killed Miss Lamplugh,” he said.  One of his fellow prisoners also told police that Cannan had buried the body of Suzy under the patio of his mother's former house in Sutton Coldfield.  A search of that property last year revealed nothing.  Human remains were discovered in a Worcestershire village last Friday - eight miles from where police had begun another search for missing Suzy.  West Mercia Police said they received reports of bones being found in the village of Kempsey.  Weeks earlier detectives had been searching for evidence of missing Suzy in Pershore - some eight miles away.  West Mercia Police later said the remains could be linked to the disappearance of a woman in 1982.  “This discovery is currently being treated as an unexplained death and we will be following many lines of enquiry,” the force said.  “Included within this is to establish if this is connected to the disappearance of a woman from the village of Kempsey in the 1980s.”  In a statement, the force added: “We are aware there is some speculation that this discovery may be linked to the disappearance of Suzy Lamplugh, who also went missing in the 1980s.  “Although we don’t believe it to be, until we have the post-mortem results we are not in a position to link the bones to any particular person at this stage and are keeping an open mind.”  Supt Damian Pettit, South Worcestershire’s Local Policing Commander said: “This is understandably a concerning discovery for the people living in and around the village of Kempsey. Thankfully, findings of this nature are very rare and I would like to take this opportunity to reassure the community that this is very unusual for the area.  “We are conducting a very thorough investigation and have multiple lines of enquiry to explore and one of which is into the disappearance of a woman from Kempsey that was launched in 1982.  “At this stage we don’t believe the remains to be connected to the Met Police’s missing person investigation for Suzy Lamplugh.  “Until we receive the post-mortem results we are not in a position to clarify any further details. I would like to reassure you that we are moving as fast as we can and will keep you informed with any significant updates.”  Meanwhile on Wednesday police said they had called off the Pershore dig after finding no new evidence.  Scotland Yard said in a statement: "We remain committed to securing justice for Suzy and her family, and officers will continue to assess any new information received in connection with this case.    "Anyone that knows anything that could assist the investigation is asked to call officers on 0207 230 4294."  As for Cannan, he is now 65-years-old and is unlikely to ever be freed from prison for the crimes he has proven to have committed.  The mystery of the disappearance of Suzy Lamplugh continues, a mystery police are determined to one day solve.


birminghammail--2019-07-21--This week in Midlands courts Teenage killer county lines drugs gang and a police officer - among

This week in Midlands' courts: Teenage killer, county lines drugs gang and a police officer - among others

A teenager has been sentenced to 19 years in prison for stabbing Mohamed Sidali to death outside Joseph Chamberlain College. Louai Ali, 17, plunged a two pronged knife into Sidali’s chest in front of terrified students outside the gates in Belgrave Road, Highgate, on February 13.  A depraved man - branded a "sexual predator" - has been jailed after abusing seven children over two decades. The Midlands man has been locked up after abusing kids over a 20-year period. Derek Stevenson, from Staffordshire, raped one victim on numerous occasions and indecently and sexually assaulted the others.  A county lines gang flooding Warwickshire with drugs from Birmingham has been busted - and its members will serve 68 years in jail. Five men and two women were jailed for more than 44 years on Thursday, July 11.  Three friends who appeared in a YouTube video glamorising drugs and guns have been jailed for a total of nearly 40 years. In the video, which has been viewed by more than 48,900 times, the Birmingham men rap about shootings, cash, drugs and the police.  This is a round-up of some of the biggest cases dealt with across the region as we name and shame a number of those up in court this week.  See more BirminghamLive crime stories here  Click on the links below to see the offenders and details of their crimes .  A teenager has been sentenced to 19 years in prison for stabbing Mohamed Sidali to death outside Joseph Chamberlain College. Louai Ali, 17, plunged a two pronged knife into Sidali’s chest in front of terrified students outside the gates in Belgrave Road, Highgate, on February 13. A security guard who tried to intervene and grab the knife was stabbed in the back.  Following a trial, the defendant, of Hodnet Grove, Highgate, was found guilty of wounding with intent, unlawful wounding and two charges of having an offensive weapon. This morning, he was jailed for a minimum of 19 years for his crime which have left Mr Mohamed’s family ‘devastated.’  Sentencing Judge Mark Wall QC said: “Your actions have left devastation In their wake. “Sidali’s loss has been deeply felt by his family and friends. “His mother has anxiety attacks and his brothers now fear going to school. “His death is described as leaving a huge void in their lives.”  Three men have been jailed after a vigilant CCTV operator saw them with a sawn-off shotgun on a busy shopping street in Birmingham. Armed cops were alerted and raced to Farnborough Road, Castle Vale , and arrested the group who had been handed the weapon from a BMW.  Jordan Kibuka, 19, and Darnell Duquesney, 20, had previously admitted possessing a prohibited firearm while Makenzie Blackburn, 20, was found guilty of the same charge.  Kibuka, of Hawker Drive, Castle Vale, was sentenced to six years and eight months detention after he had also pleaded guilty to possessing a class A drug with intent to supply. Duquesney, of Alcott Grove, Kitts Green , had also admitted possessing cannabis. He was handed a sentence of five years and one month. Blackburn was sentenced to five years and three months after also being found guilty of two charges of possessing a knife.  A drug dealer is now behind bars - after he came clean to his mum and dad after police busted him.  The dealer, from the Midlands, was caught by cops as police netted cocaine and cannabis. He has subsequently been jailed for three years - after being caught with more than £1,000.  Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard how Liam Frimpong had been preparing to bag the loose cannabis at his  Newcastle  home, reports StokeonTrentLive. But police carried out a search warrant and discovered the stash of drugs, along with a trail of text messages.  Now the 33-year-old dad, of Quinton Grove, Milehouse, has pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply cannabis and possession with intent to supply cocaine.  For the latest on trials and court cases from across Birmingham and the West Midlands, join BirminghamLive's Court Facebook group .  A dangerous driver crashed his 'pool car' into a taxi carrying four people. The banned motorist, from the Midlands, went the wrong way up a street before crashing into a lorry and taxi.  It came as he tried to evade the police. Sean Hambleton was being chased by cops when they lost sight of him. He was careering along Lichfield Street, in Hanley, when he was spotted by officers.  They picked up the Vauxhall Astra again when it was nearing the A500 on the wrong side of the carriageway, reports StokeonTrentLive. Hambleton, of Preston Street, Smallthorne, then crashed into the two other vehicles.  Now he has been jailed at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court after pleading guilty to dangerous driving, driving while disqualified, and driving without insurance.  A monkey dust addict mum-of-two repeatedly stabbed a man in back during a vicious robbery after tricking her way into his home. And her partner sprayed the victim with lighter fluid, reports StokeonTrentLive , our sister title.  Wayne Ferns and Vanessa Malpass subjected a man to a vicious robbery which saw him sprayed with lighter fluid and stabbed several times with a kitchen knife. The pair tricked their way into the victim’s home before attacking him and stealing his property.  Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard Ferns - who tried to hide his identity by wearing a beanie hat fashioned into a mask - later told police he had gone to the house in Leek to ‘enforce a drugs debt’. The 40-year-old has now been jailed for seven-and-a-half years, while his accomplice Malpass received a four-and-a-half year sentence.  Prosecutor Richard McConaghy said the victim heard knocking on his back door on the night of the offence. He looked out to see 32-year-old Malpass and, mistaking her for someone else, went down to let her in.  A Burntwood man has been jailed for defrauding an elderly woman out of thousands of pounds. David Cope, aged 68, was sentenced to a total of 32 months at Stafford Crown Court after he pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation and theft at an earlier hearing.  He was sentenced to 16 months for fraud, with 16 months for theft to be served concurrently.  In a separate matter Cope was sentenced to a further 16 months for sexual offences. He pleaded guilty to causing a child to watch or look at an image of sexual activity and two further counts of attempting to cause a child to watch or look at an image of sexual activity. These offences were committed between in 2016.  The court heard that Cope, of Bells Lane, Boney Hay, had been entrusted with an elderly woman’s bank card to assist with purchasing small items such as sweets when she went into a care home.  A county lines gang flooding Warwickshire with drugs from Birmingham has been busted - and its members will serve 68 years in jail. Five men and two women were jailed for more than 44 years on Thursday, July 11.  The sentences, handed down at Warwick Crown Court, follow five men being jailed for more than 23 years back in November 2018 for their part in the operation. The jail terms come after an investigation by the Warwickshire Police Serious and Organised Crime Unit (SOCU).  Between February 2015 and November 2017, detectives identified 429 class A drug deliveries made by the gang into Warwickshire. The drugs had an estimated street value of more than £400,000.  The venture was headed by Meshach Duncan who recruited a team - including Mateuz Frasunkiewicz, Dajon Donaldson and Kirean Aldred - to ship the drugs into Warwickshire. Rebecca Mannix, Kyle Crossley and Debra Walsh were also recruited to help deal the drugs in the county.  A "naive" woman who took almost £3,000 in cash and a mobile phone to Holland to help an on-the-run killer has been jailed for two years. Melisa Birkinshaw pleaded guilty in June to perverting the course of justice by helping Tyrone Andrew after he had stabbed Reagan Asbury in the neck following a boxing match at Walsall Town Hall in 2017. Andrew, of St Helen's Street, Derby, fled to Amsterdam and then Spain but was jailed for 14 years in August last year after being found guilty of manslaughter.  Birkinshaw, formerly of Cavendish Court, Derby, looked at the floor but remained composed in the dock at Birmingham Crown Court on Friday as she was jailed. The 22-year-old admitted doing acts intending to pervert the course of justice between October and December 2017 by permitting her bank account to receive cash intended for Andrew, and giving money and a phone to him in Holland.  The court heard that Andrew was in phone contact with Birkinshaw while he was still in Walsall, and later met her outside her flat. She flew from Luton Airport to Amsterdam three days after the killing with cash that had been deposited into her building society account by associates of Andrew.  A drug dealer was caught with three air guns, two coshes and a knuckle-duster at his home - and has subsequently been locked up. The dealer was also found with pepper spray at his house in the Midlands. And police also discovered crack and heroin worth a staggering £2,400.  Khalid Jones left two police officers fearing for their safety after grabbing a pistol from a shelf when they called at his home. The female officers had to wait three minutes for armed police back-up to arrive at the scene, Stoke Crown Court heard. Jones, 26, of Minshall Street, Fenton, denied ever intending to threaten them with the weapon, according to StokeonTrentLive , our sister title.  He was subsequently arrested. Police recovered 12.8 grams of crack cocaine, with a street value of around £1,080, and 13.5 grams of heroin, worth around £1,350.  Prosecutor Paul Spratt said they also seized 18 boxes of diazepam, three mobile phones ‘which showed some indication of drug supply’ and a total of £4,000 in cash. Several weapons were found during the search as well, including two coshes, a knuckle-duster, three air weapons and pepper spray. They were items associated with his 'trade' as a dealer, Mr Spratt told the court.  Now Jones has been jailed for three years after admitting two charges of possession of class A drugs with intent to supply, possession of the diazepam and two counts of possession of a prohibited weapon.  A 20-year-old who was left needing more than 40 stitches after being brutally attacked in a pub in the Midlands has spoken out. Jack Robinson, 20, required stitches around his eye being viciously attacked inside a heaving pub in Staffordshire.  The joiner was on a night out with friends from the Potters Bar football team. Jack had to quit his job and faces more surgery in the next 18 months after being brutally glassed in a pub.  The Stoke City fan has spoken out after seeing his attacker - 25-year-old Christian Peach - locked up for two years at Stafford Crown Court, reports StokeonTrentLive. Jack, from Meir Park, has welcomed the sentence handed down to Peach, of Hemlock Road, Meir, after he pleaded guilty to a charge of wounding.  He said: "There are no winners in this case. "Both families have suffered and I'm just happy there's been a bit of justice given. "It wasn't particularly about what he got, it was just that he paid for what he did. "It's given me a bit of closure because it's affected my family and now we can put this behind us, deal with it and move on."  This is the first picture of illegal immigrant Warsame Mohammed, who was part of a gang who stabbed a dad-of two following a row about a minor prang.  Tragic Zakir Nawaz, 21, died after being attacked in Highfield Road, Washwood Heath , in September 2016. His second child had been born just ten days earlier. Mohamed and two associates were in a vehicle that had earlier collided with the victim's hire car.  Mr Nawaz, from Stechford, was repeatedly kicked, punched and stamped on before being stabbed in the chest. He was pronounced dead at the scene minutes later while Mohamed, 23, pictured for the first time, and suspected knifeman Abdulahi Shire fled the country.  Fugitive Mohamed, who is understood to have gone to Holland, sneaked back into the UK and was arrested after police spotted him walking on the M40 in January. Mohamed, from James Turner Street, Winson Green, tried giving false details but checks revealed he was wanted over the murder and arrested.  He was due to stand trial for murder but pleaded guilty to manslaughter at a later stage. Mohamed was given a four-and-a-half year jail sentence for manslaughter and two years for violent disorder, to run concurrently at Birmingham Crown Court on Wednesday.  A married police officer who sent sexual messages to vulnerable victims and contacted prostitutes while at work has been jailed for 14 months. Pc Palvinder Singh sent "hundreds and hundreds" of flirty messages to four victims, including ones about bondage and threesomes, a court heard.  Birmingham Crown Court was told that Singh sent naked pictures of himself to two women, including a selfie in the shower and one beside his locker at a police station. In a statement summarised by the prosecution to the court, one of the women he had formed a relationship with said he had treated his job "as a dating agency".  The 39-year-old Smethwick-based officer, who has been married for 16 years, invited one of the women to his family home to engage in sexual activity while his wife was away.  Jailing Singh, Judge Roderick Henderson told the disgraced officer: "You have a fine record as a police officer over 14 years and you have thrown it away. "Over five months you went off the rails and committed these offences. "We give our police officers great power, not just legal powers, but influence."  Three friends who appeared in a YouTube video glamorising drugs and guns have been jailed for a total of nearly 40 years. In the video, which has been viewed by more than 48,900 times, the Birmingham men rap about shootings, cash, drugs and the police .  A West Midlands Regional Organised Crime Unit (ROCU) investigation spanning three years led to their arrest, crown court trial and prison sentences.  Remi Carty first came to police attention in 2016 when he was caught with a loaded pistol in a Birmingham fast food restaurant. After his release from prison, he remained on licence and when detectives conducted a warrant at a property in Redhill Road, Northfield in September 2018, CCTV showed the 20-year-old fleeing the property in his socks as police arrived.  Officers found a large quantity of class A drugs, a loaded 9mm pistol, a sawn-off shotgun and ammunition in two bags in a shed in the rear garden. Fingerprint analysis also connected Carty’s friend - 21-year-old Shaun Barnhurst - to the find.  During the investigation a third man - Kyle Esty - retrieved items from a wheelie bin at Barnhurst’s address and between November and January 2019 the 22-year-old made several street-level drug deals.  A pervert pensioner has been JAILED - after getting a schoolgirl to perform a sex act on him. Phillip Thornton was told in court: "There was a significant disparity in age." The Midland OAP has been locked up for four years.  He incited the girl - who was aged between nine and 11 - to touch him sexually and perform the act. The abuse was reported years later and the 70-year-old denied the allegations, reports StokeonTrentLive, our sister title.  He went on trial at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court charged with indecent assault, indecency with a child and indecency towards a child. He was cleared of indecent assault and the jury could not reach a verdict on the indecency towards a child charge and a not guilty verdict was entered on that matter. But Thornton, of Burnaby Road, Sandyford, was found guilty of indecency with a child and has been jailed for four years.  Prosecutor Richard McConaghy said the victim can recall the defendant asking her to rub some powder on his private parts. The victim confided in her boyfriend years later and he called the NSPCC. She reported the matters to police in 2017.  A bungling burglar left his DNA at a garage during a break-in - helping him be rumbled by police.  Dim Craig Kirkland broke into the detached garage of a house in the Midlands. His burglary - which was his 25th offence - came while the homeowners were asleep. He stole power tools worth £1,590. Kirkland, 43, has been handed a two-and-a-half year prison sentence. He was traced by Staffordshire Police after forensic scientists discovered his DNA on the garage window.  Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard Kirkland has 124 previous offences on his record. The latest break-in - on High Lane - happened sometime between 11.30pm on October 21 and 8am the next day.  StokeonTrentLive, our sister title, reports his 30-month prison term will run concurrently to the two-and-a-half year custodial sentence he is currently serving after burgling a property in Fegg Hayes.  A son who battered his mother to death after flying into a rage over her drinking has been jailed.  Matthew Page claimed Mary Page told him to "finish it" after he kicked her in the face at the family home in James Street, Bilston, on January 31. He had exploded with rage when he came home to find his mother had barricaded herself in her bedroom - warning him not to come in because she was "pissed".  The 40-year-old forced his way into the room as she had previously tried to commit suicide while under the influence - but when he saw his mother worse for wear, he launched his attack, kicking and punching her before picking up a bedside cabinet and hitting the 68-year-old over the head with it.  Page, who admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility, moved his mother onto her bed when he believed she was dead and began cleaning up the blood. Wolverhampton Crown Court was told Page had also covered his mother with a duvet and wrapped her head in a towel,  which he said he had done to spare his brother the distress.  Three Midland men have been jailed for a total of more than eight years after police spotted a local 'gopher' and busted a County Lines drugs ring in Wales.  Two men from Dudley and a third from Walsall travelled to Llanelli to take part in an operation to supply cocaine, heroin, synthetic cannabinoids ('spice') and cannabis. But they were caught after police spotted local man Damien Hearne, who was described in court as 'a gopher'.  Swansea Crown Court heard it was a ' County Lines operation ', where a telephone line referred to as Mitch was used to facilitate the sale of the drugs, WalesOnline reported . Ravi Talware, Daniel Higgins and Ben Walker all travelled from the West Midlands to the town in south west Wales to take part in an operation.  Talware, 29, of Quicksand Lane, Walsall, admitted two counts of conspiring to supply class A drugs and two counts of conspiring to supply class B drugs, along with having an offensive weapon. Higgins, 37, of Vauxhall Street in Dudley, admitted two counts of conspiracy to supply class B drugs, and one count of having an offensive weapon. Walker, 21, of Bath Meadow in Cradley, Dudley, admitted one count of conspiring to supply class A drugs. Hearne, 35, of Elizabeth Street in Llanelli, admitted two counts of conspiring to supply class A drugs and one count of conspiring to supply class B drugs.  An evil slavery gang which forced workers to live in squalid conditions reportedly supplied the nation’s biggest supermarkets with freshly picked groceries. Some of the biggest names in the industry - including Tesco, Asda, Waitrose, Sainsbury and M&S - all bought vegetables from firms that hired vulnerable men and women brought into the UK and controlled by the ruthless gang.  The huge gang collected around 400 drug addicts and alcoholics in Poland with the promise of good money when they got to England. But they were paid just 50p a day as the majority of their earnings from hard manual labour on farms, in factories and recycling centres were siphoned off, an investigation by the Sunday Times reported.  All the supermarket chains and other companies involved said they did not know the workers were being exploited. The Sunday Times said several became aware of the mistreatment only when it contacted them. There is no suggestion the firms were actively complicit.  Led by the Polish Brzeninsky family the criminal mastermind gang pocketed a staggering £2million. Now eight members of the Polish Roma gypsy gang have been jailed after two trials at Birmingham Crown Court.  A woman has been jailed after brazenly assaulting a police officer for the SIXTEENTH time.  Victoria Everill is back behind bars in the Midlands - after targeting a cop yet again. The abusive woman, aged 28, was jailed in August, 2018 and again in January. Over the years, she has racked up a catalogue of offences against bobbies since 2008.  Now Everill has been locked up yet again after admitting her third attack on police officers in the past 12 months, reports StokeonTrentLive . Magistrates at North Staffordshire Justice Centre heard police arrested the defendant on the evening of April 29.  Prosecutor Emma Lineton said: “Officers noticed she appeared to be under the influence of alcohol. She was unsteady on her feet and her speech was slurred.  A "trusted" Birmingham teacher who abused two young girls has been jailed for ten years. One of the youngsters said Iain McDowall robbed her of her innocence and ruined her childhood.  The 47-year-old, of Willow Avenue, Edgbaston , was found guilty after a trial of two charges of sexual assault on a child under 13 and another serious sexual charge. He was jailed at Birmingham Crown Court and also ordered to register as a sex offender for life.  The crimes happened between 2008 and 2010 when the defendant was working at a city school. The court heard McDowall was " utterly trusted by his colleagues ."  The abuse of one of the girls only came to light in October 2017 when she revealed what had happened in a letter to her mother. In a statement read to the court, the other girl said she now felt aggression towards men.  A sick robber has been jailed for more than six years after targeting two pensioners - pulling gold earrings from one while she shopped.  Lukeny Pedro grabbed an 83-year-old woman from behind in a shop and pulled her gold earrings from her ears, a court heard. Five weeks before, he robbed a pensioner on a bus, grabbing an £1,100 gold chain from round his neck.  Pedro, aged 24, of Sydenham Road, Smethwick, pleaded guilty to two charges of robbery and one of fraud at Warwick Crown Court. Judge Peter Cooke jailed him for a total of six years and eight months.  Prosecutor Ian Speed said on April 17 a 73-year-old Asian pensioner, who suffers from Parkinson's, was targeted on a bus at Pool Meadow bus station in Coventry. He had his gold chain and pendant pulled from round his neck by Pedro, who ran from the bus with it. Later that day, police were contacted by staff at H&T Pawnbrokers to say that a man had just sold them a chain with a distinctive pendant.  Firefighters were forced to tackle a 'full-on' blaze after an arsonist barricaded himself in a wardrobe.  The arsonist, high on monkey dust, locked himself away and torched his clothes in staggering scenes. He thought 'people were after him', a court in the Midlands heard.  The fire caused £4,250 damage - and the defendant's parents paid for the repairs. Adam Shaw barricaded himself inside the wardrobe in the middle of the night and used the flame from a lighter to illuminate it.  Now, StokeonTrentLive reports the 38-year-old has been jailed for 28 months following the blaze at the terrace property on Stanton Road. Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard firefighters were faced with a 'full-on fire' after the defendant called 999 at 3.20am on November 17. He had escaped the blaze through a window.  A rapist who had been hunted by police for almost 20 years was finally arrested on board a flight to Pakistan moments before it was due to take off, a court heard.  Mohammed Ibrar Aslam, 47, from Sutton Coldfield, had been a wanted man after he attacked a drunk woman in 2001 who had earlier been snatched off the street. Despite extensive inquiries at the time of the shocking attack, he remained at large for nearly two decades, a court heard.  West Yorkshire Police’s Cold Case Review Team began a new inquiry last year following advances in forensic science. Following a huge and time-consuming investigation, Aslam, aged 29 at the time of the rape, was identified as a potential suspect for a DNA test.  Information about Aslam had been circulated via police and E-Border systems, a court heard. Police finally got their man on January 8 this year after officers from the West Midlands found him on board an Emirates flight at Birmingham International Airport.  In February he pleaded guilty to the rape charge after his DNA matched samples taken from the victim 18 years. Aslam, of Birmingham, was jailed for 11 years and three months at Leeds Crown Court.  A monkey dust addict from the Midlands waved a knife at a terrified neighbour before kung fu kicking a bush.  Carlo Vella believed he was being attacked by 'demons and devils'. The man, from Staffordshire, would spend £70-a-week on his habit. The 39-year-old walked towards the retired victim while wielding the blade as she stood outside her Newcastle flat, reports StokeonTrentLive. She and a friend managed to seek refuge in her home and call the police.  Officers arrived to find the defendant huddled on the floor before seizing the blade and arresting him.  Now Vella, who is a long-term drug user and has mental health issues, has been jailed for 12 months and made the subject of a five-year restraining order which prevents him having any contact with his former neighbour.  Prosecutor Antony Longworth told Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court the woman was waiting for a neighbour outside her flat at Stoneyfields Court, Sandy Lane, Newcastle, at 9pm on August 25 when she became aware of the defendant.  A student who branded himself ‘Diablo the MDMA dealer’ has been jailed. The Midlands man has been caged after he was caught by police. Cops found hundreds of pounds worth of ecstasy and cannabis.  The 22-year-old was caught with a stash of cannabis and some scales in his girlfriend’s room at Keele University. Dawit Tekle fled the complex, reports StokeonTrentLive , our sister title. And the next day university staff intercepted a package addressed to him which contained hundreds of pounds worth of class A drug MDMA (ecstasy).  The defendant was tracked down at Southampton University a few weeks later when he was in possession of £5,500. His phones were analysed and showed he was involved in the supply of MDMA.  Now Tekle has been jailed for two-and-a-half years at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court. Prosecutor Paul Spratt said two security officers at Keele University went to the defendant’s girlfriend’s room at 3.30pm on November 23, 2017 after receiving a report someone was smoking cannabis.  A thug attacked and racially abused a 'good Samaritan' in a city centre - moments after being chucked out of a bar. The 28-year-old, from Staffordshire, has been handed a jail term over the dramatic incident in the Midlands.  Drunken Aaron Robinson targeted somebody who had rushed to the aid of a stricken man - before attacking both him and his friend. He has been jailed for 22 months following the altercation in Hanley, which saw police and paramedics called to the scene.  Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard how the 28-year-old had been ejected from a bar in Trinity Street before the incident on the night of September 18.  A depraved man - branded a "sexual predator" - has been jailed after abusing seven children over two decades.  The Midlands man has been locked up after abusing kids over a 20-year period. Derek Stevenson, from Staffordshire, raped one victim on numerous occasions and indecently and sexually assaulted the others.  Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard all seven victims were aged between five and 15 and have been deeply affected by his offending. The 65-year-old, of Mendip Place, Knutton, has been handed a 25-year prison term for the offences, reports StokeonTrentLive .


birminghammail--2019-07-25--Chilling CCTV of teen killer calmly walking to popular park to rape and murder girl

This is the chilling moment a youngster calmly walks to a Wolverhampton park to brutally rape and murder a 14-year-old girl.  In the footage, which was released by West Midlands Police, Ayman Aziz is captured on CCTV travelling towards West Park to violently kill Viktorija Sokolova.  The warped 17-year-old lured the Lithuanian-born youngster to the park under the pretence they would 'smoke weed and talk' on April 11, 2018.  But only today are we able to report this, after courts lifted restrictions on revealing the killer's identity .  Wolverhampton Crown Court had heard that he intended to have sex with Viktorija and had searched for sexually explicit content online beforehand.  Aziz subjected the schoolgirl to horrific levels of violence in a two-hour attack after she refused his advances.  He was caught on CCTV as he attempted to cover up the offence by hiding bloodied clothing, having deleted Facebook messages and hurled his victim's phone towards a lake.     Detectives believe he used a hammer, which has never been found, to launch the assault on his victim - who suffered a fractured skull, brain injuries and shattered vertebrae.     Throughout his trial, Aziz showed no remorse, gave no evidence in his defence and simply nodded as he was ordered by the judge to be taken to the cells.     Aziz could not be identified in reports at the time as reporting restrictions because of his age were imposed.  Although the trial judge agreed to lift those restrictions following an application by PA and other media organisations, the teenager's lawyers challenged that decision and the restrictions remained in place pending an appeal.  Adam Kane QC argued the reporting restrictions should not be lifted because they would have an adverse effect on Aziz's rehabilitation.  He also said the teenager, who has been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, has been "bullied and threatened" in detention and has stopped attending educational classes as a result.  But the Lord Chief Justice Lord Burnett and two other senior judges rejected Aziz's challenge at the Court of Appeal on Thursday, meaning he can now be named.  The judges also rejected an appeal by Aziz, who watched the hearing over a video link from the young offenders' institution where he is detained, against his minimum term.     Detective Inspector Caroline Corfield, who worked on the case, described the scene as one of the most shocking and brutal murders officers had ever seen.  She said: “It’s one of the most shocking murder investigations that I have never worked on.  “She was 14-year-old, she went to the park that night to meet someone she called a friend. But he has murdered her in an explicitly violent attack and then degraded her by dragging her body from the initial site of the attack and leaving her stripped, half-naked, over a park bench to be found by a dog walker the next morning.”


birminghammail--2019-08-01--Dads hell at never meeting daughter murdered by killer mum Louise Porton

Dad's hell at never meeting daughter murdered by killer mum Louise Porton

The devastated dad of two girls murdered by their mum has told of his heartbreak after 'never even meeting' his youngest daughter.  Louise Porton was today, August 1, convicted of murdering her two young daughters after they "got in the way" of her sex life.  Porton had denied killing three-year-old Lexi Draper and 17-month-old Scarlett Vaughan, but was unanimously found guilty by a jury at Birmingham Crown Court on Thursday, after a five-week trial.  Porton blinked as the verdicts were read out and then sat in the court dock, one hand over her eyes, head bowed.  The 23-year-old suffocated Lexi in the early hours of January 15 last year and was then heard "laughing" at a funeral parlour two days before killing Scarlett just over two weeks later, on February 1.  In a heartbreaking statement, released by Warwickshire Police, dad Chris Draper said he was 'heartbroken' to learn of Lexi's death, having only spent a 'short time' with her.  Just two weeks later, he learned his younger daughter, Scarlett, had also died.  "When we lost Lexi we were heart broken and couldn't believe she had gone. Then we were devastated to hear about Scarlett," Chris said.  "Only having a short time with Lexi and never meeting Scarlett makes it all the more heart breaking.  "We will miss out on all those special occasions they would have celebrated. Their first day at school, birthdays, getting married and having children of their own.  "The loss of Lexi and Scarlett has not just affected the immediate family, but also all those who were part of their lives.  "The only comfort is that Lexi and Scarlett are together.  "We would like to thank everyone for their support and help."  During the trial, harrowing details emerged about the death's of the young girls and the behaviour of Porton.  Jurors heard Porton had accepted 41 friend requests on a dating app just a day after the first child Lexi died, and was described by prosecutors as being "calm and emotionless" following Scarlett's death.  When Lexi was ill in hospital, just over a week before she died, Porton took topless photos in the toilets and was arranging to perform sex acts for money with a man she had met through a website.  Prosecutors said it had appeared to the funeral arranger present that Porton was "using FaceTime and that she was speaking to a man".  Jurors were told that after police seized her phone, they uncovered searches including how long it took a dead body "to go cold up to the shoulder" and "five weird things that happen when you die".  Opening the Crown's case at the start of the trial, prosecutor Oliver Saxby QC said: "The overwhelming inference is that Lexi and Scarlett died because someone deliberately interfered with their breathing.  "That someone can only have been this defendant."  Both children had symptoms consistent with deliberate airway obstruction and Scarlett had signs of recent bleeding in her neck tissue, suggestive of neck compression, jurors heard.  Mr Saxby said specialist doctors could find no "natural reason" for why either child had died.  Almost two weeks before her death, Lexi had been taken to hospital on January 2 and then January 4, but was sent home with antibiotics for an apparent chest infection.  Prosecutors said that while in hospital with her sick daughter, Porton went to the toilets and took topless photos.  It was in the days after Lexi was discharged on January 4, the prosecution alleged the mother looked online for "can you actually die if you have a blocked nose and cover your mouth with tape".  Porton also searched "how long after drowning can someone be resuscitated?" and accessed an article called "Toddler brought back to life after nearly drowning", jurors heard.  The Crown alleged Lexi had been dead for some time before a 999 call was made from her home on January 15, with Mr Saxby pointing to evidence of Porton's web searches.  After Scarlett's fatal collapse, Porton told police it was "entirely false" to suggest the toddler was already dead when she was recorded on CCTV carrying the little girl from a hotel, in Rugby, where she had been staying.  But the paramedic responding to the subsequent non-emergency 111 call Porton made, described the girl being "freezing and completely lifeless" when he arrived.  CCTV showed Porton filling up with petrol during the period when jurors heard Scarlett had already died.  The first day of trial was told that from August 2016 until early November 2017, Porton lived at an address in Willenhall, near Walsall, where her landlady spent "more and more time" caring for Lexi and Scarlett while their mother was "doing social things" instead of looking after them.  The landlady made a statement to police saying Porton was doing "whatever she could not to have them with her".  Conceding that being a young mother of two young children would have placed a burden on the defendant, Mr Saxby added: "No doubt, she would have needed time to herself.  "But, in the context of what was later to happen - in the context of two unexplained deaths consistent with deliberate airway obstruction - it is hard not to draw the conclusion that, for the defendant, at times, her two children got in the way of her doing what she wanted, when she wanted and with whom she wanted."  Porton had denied wrong-doing throughout, telling police in a prepared statement: "My children were never an inconvenience to me and I accommodated my lifestyle and personal life around them.  "I still don't know how my daughters died, or what caused it."  Porton, formerly of Skiddaw, Rugby, Warwickshire, will be sentenced by Mrs Justice Yip on Friday.


birminghammail--2019-08-01--Listen as killer mum Louise Porton calmly calls 999 - despite daughter being dead for some time

Listen as killer mum Louise Porton calmly calls 999 - despite daughter being dead 'for some time'

This is the moment killer mum Louise Porton calmly dialled 999 to request urgent help for her 'unconscious' daughter - despite the tot having been dead 'for some time'.  Porton, 23, was today (August 1) found guilty of the murder of daughters Lexi Draper and Scarlett Vaughan - who died just two weeks apart.  She was convicted after a five-week trial at Birmingham Crown Court.  Lexi, three, was pronounced dead by paramedics at the family home in Beechwood Court, Rugby in the early hours of January 15 last year. Porton called an ambulance saying she had found Lexi lifeless in her bed after going in to check on her.  Following Lexi's death the Sudden Unexpected Death in Infancy and Childhood procedures (SUDIC) were followed by professionals.  Porton claimed that on the evening of February 1, she had set out to take Scarlett to the hospital after she had fallen ill.  On her way to the hospital she pulled over in the car park at Elliott's Retail Park in Rugby to call an ambulance.  Scarlett was taken to hospital where she was pronounced dead.  In audio released by the Crown Prosecution Service, Porton can be heard calmly speaking to an ambulance service operator - claiming daughter Lexi was unconscious and not breathing.  Ambulance service: "This is the ambulance service, is the patient breathing?"  Ambulance: "Who are we talking about?"  Porton: "Lexi, she is three"  Ambulance: "She's three? OK. She's unconscious and she's not breathing? Help has been arranged OK?"  Almost two weeks before her death, Lexi had been taken to hospital on January 2 and then January 4, but was sent home with antibiotics for an apparent chest infection.  Prosecutors said that while in hospital with her sick daughter, Porton went to the toilets and took topless photos.  It was in the days after Lexi was discharged on January 4, the prosecution alleged the mother looked online for "can you actually die if you have a blocked nose and cover your mouth with tape".  Porton also searched "how long after drowning can someone be resuscitated?" and accessed an article called "Toddler brought back to life after nearly drowning", jurors heard.  The Crown alleged Lexi had been dead for some time before the 999 call was made from her home on January 15, with prosecutor Oliver Saxby QC pointing to evidence of Porton's web searches.  She was then heard "laughing" at a funeral parlour two days before killing Scarlett on February 1.  Prosecutors said it had appeared to the funeral arranger present that Porton was "using FaceTime and that she was speaking to a man".  Jurors were told that after police seized her phone, they uncovered searches including how long it took a dead body "to go cold up to the shoulder" and "five weird things that happen when you die".  Opening the Crown's case at the start of the trial, prosecutor Oliver Saxby QC said: "The overwhelming inference is that Lexi and Scarlett died because someone deliberately interfered with their breathing.  "That someone can only have been this defendant."  Both children had symptoms consistent with deliberate airway obstruction and Scarlett had signs of recent bleeding in her neck tissue, suggestive of neck compression, jurors heard.  Mr Saxby said specialist doctors could find no "natural reason" for why either child had died.  After Scarlett's fatal collapse, Porton told police it was "entirely false" to suggest the toddler was already dead when she was recorded on CCTV carrying the little girl from a hotel, in Rugby, where she had been staying.  But the paramedic responding to the subsequent non-emergency 111 call Porton made, described the girl being "freezing and completely lifeless" when he arrived.  CCTV showed Porton filling up with petrol during the period when jurors heard Scarlett had already died.  Porton had denied wrong-doing throughout, telling police in a prepared statement: "My children were never an inconvenience to me and I accommodated my lifestyle and personal life around them.  "I still don't know how my daughters died, or what caused it."  Porton, formerly of Skiddaw, Rugby, Warwickshire, will be sentenced by Mrs Justice Yip on Friday.


birminghammail--2019-09-10--First picture of killer girlfriend Olivia Halcrow who stabbed partner to death in drunken rage

A drunk girlfriend who killed her boyfriend in a frenzied stabbing has been jailed for 18 years.  The body of Gary Cunningham, 29, was discovered by a delivery driver outside her home in Harborne, Birmingham.  He had been stabbed by Olivia Labinjo Halcrow TWELVE times and bled to death.  The 26 year-old previously been acquitted of murder but was found guilty of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility by a jury at Birmingham Crown Court.  The court heard that Labinjo Halcrow had been Mr Cunningham's on and off girlfriend and had a young son from a previous relationship.  Text messages between the pair suggested there had been a history of physical violence between them.  Labinjo Halcrow lived in a block of flats in Frensham Way and in the early hours of February 23 a neighbour had heard "banging and screaming".  Mr Cunningham had gone out in the morning to a garage but he was later found propped up against a fire exit door with blood around him.  One of the wounds he suffered had severed an artery below his left knee and he had bled to death.  Kate Bex QC, prosecuting, said there was evidence that both had been on drink and drugs before the killing and said that the defendant had been three and a half times over the alcohol limit for driving when the victim died.  Ali Bajwa QC, defending, said Labinjo Halcrow suffered from a depressive illness and had no memory of the stabbing.  He claimed that she had been subjected by Mr Cunningham to a controlling and manipulative relationship.  In passing sentence Judge Simon Drew QC said: "On the morning of 23 February after consuming large quantities of alcohol you attacked Gary Cunningham.  "I accept that your relationship with him was a volatile one, punctuated by episodes of violence. However I do not accept that was only one way.  "It also became clear to me as the trial progressed that you are someone who can be bullying, manipulative, prone to exaggeration and if necessary lies, in order to get your own way."  He added: "In my judgement the degree of responsibility retained by you was somewhere between medium and high.  "I accept you may not have been aware of the fact that Gary Cunningham was bleeding to death on the landing outside your flat.  "However not only did he suffer multiple injuries but he also sustained 12 separate wounds.  "The fact that some of them were relatively superficial suggests that the attack went on for some time, therby prolonging the suffering.  "Furthermore the fatal blow did not cause instant death."


birminghammail--2019-10-03--Killer Paul Proctor shocked when told he faced manslaughter charge 17 years after punching victim

Killer Paul Proctor "shocked" when told he faced manslaughter charge 17 years after punching victim in face

A man who killed a "gentle giant" was left "shocked" as he was dragged back into a police station and charged with the manslaughter of his victim 17 years after brutally attacking him.  But the detective who investigated the tragic case said that Proctor, who was today jailed for two years and ten months for manslaughter  Paul Proctor, 47, of Priestland Road, Shard End, had already served an 18 month custodial sentence back in 2002 after pleading guilty to a charge of wounding following an attack on Mark Wilkie outside The Tyburn pub, in  Castle Vale , on August 6, 2000.  Mr Wilkie was left for dead in a sickening assault where he suffered a horrific brain injury from a single brutal punch. He was just 27 and never fully recovered.  Mark was left in a wheelchair and needing round-the-clock care, before he finally succumbed to his injuries in October 2017.  His close-knit family were torn apart by the attack and his mum, Lilly, died just two months after him.  Following Mark's death from pneumonia, linked to a head injury, Proctor - of Priestland Road, Shard End - was charged again with manslaughter and pleaded guilty to the offence at Birmingham Crown Court back in August.  Today he was starting another period in custody after being sentenced to two years and ten months.  Detective Inspector Jim Colclough, who led the investigation, said Proctor hadn't shown any remorse following Mr Wilkie's death.  He said: "As a result of the sad death of Mr Wilkie in October 2017 we reopened the case and due to medical evidence we were able to link his death with Paul Proctor and the one punch he inflicted on Mr Wilkie on that day. We were then able to secure a manslaughter charge.  "Following Mr Wilkie's death Proctor was brought into the police station. He had served a custodial sentence of 18 months back in 2002 for wounding. As a result of his death we spoke to Proctor. He was clearly shocked facing a manslaughter charge 17 years after Mr Wilkie's death."  DI Colclough said Proctor's actions had turned the lives of Mr Wilkie and his family upside down.  He added: "This brutal act had a devastating affect on Mr Wilkie and his close family. He was left with a brain injury and required long term care for his injuries. This now brings closure and some kind of justice for Mr Wilkie's family."  Speaking exclusively to Birmingham Live  Mark's sister Claire Hazel said said her family's lives had been shattered by the unprovoked attack, and they were 'struggling to come to terms' with the events of the past two decades.  She said: "We put our lives on hold - the attack destroyed our family.  "I half expected him to go back to being the Mark we all knew and loved, but he never recovered and was left severely disabled and needing 24-hour care.  "He had no quality of life and to this day, we still can't believe it happened.  "It had a huge affect on our mum and the rest of the family. We would go to hospital every day and sit with him, I'd take my son who was only one at the time and I'd only leave when it was time to fetch my daughter from school.  "I did it out of sisterly love - Mark was my only brother and he was wonderful. He was kind, caring, loving, thoughtful and a real family man."

newsdesk@birminghamlive.co.uk (Charlotte Paxton, Andy Richardson)


birminghammail--2019-10-16--First picture of killer driver Adrian Paskin who left his girlfriend Sarah Handley to die in horror

First picture of killer driver Adrian Paskin who left his girlfriend Sarah Handley to die in horror crash

This is the first picture of driver Adrian Paskin who killed his girlfriend in a high speed crash whilst fleeing from police.  Mum Sarah Handley was left with fatal head injuries in the back of the vehicle - but cowardly Paskin fled the scene in Handsworth , leaving her to die.  Paskin was jailed for over nine years at Birmingham crown court on Wednesday (October 16).  The 35-year-old, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving, driving while disqualified and driving with no insurance.  It happened as Paskin fled from officers in his Ford Fiesta after being spotted on the M6 on the evening of Saturday August 17.  His vehicle had already being involved in a police pursuit earlier that day which was abandoned by officers due to his dangerous driving.  After leaving the motorway, Paskin realised he was being followed and made off at speed.  He drove on pavements in excess of 70mph and ran two red lights. The pursuit was again abandoned as it was considered too high risk.  Sadly within a minute of the pursuit being abandoned Paskin’s Fiesta was found on Crocketts Road, where it had collided head on with a WV Golf at the junction with Junction Road.  Paskin ran from the scene, leaving his girlfriend, 28-year-old Sarah Handley, in the back of the car. Tragically Sarah died shortly after in hospital from head injuries sustained in the collision.  The three people in the WV Golf all received hospital treatment for minor injuries.  Six hours after the collision Paskin handed himself in to police and was arrested for causing death by dangerous driving.  He was today given a 14 year sentence reduced to nine years and four months for his guilty plea at Birmingham Crown Court.  The force’s Professional Standards Department was informed as well as the Independent Office for Police Conduct, as is normal procedure in a collision where a police vehicle is involved, who are conducting an investigation.  Sergeant Dean Caswell, from the Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: "This is such a tragic case, Sarah was a much loved mother, daughter, sister and aunty.  "She was taken in such horrific circumstances and my sympathy remains with her family at this extremely difficult time.  "Paskin’s behaviour was persistently dangerous on two occasions on that day, the judge describing it as a deliberate act.  "He showed no regard for the law or the safety of his girlfriend and other road users, and his dangerous actions lead to Sarah’s death."


birminghammail--2019-12-05--Alesha MacPhail's killer Aaron Campbell 'could not have been stopped'

A review into the case of teenage killer Aaron Campbell has found his actions could not have been predicted by authorities.  Campbell was jailed for life after snatching Alesha MacPhail from her bed on the Isle of Bute before raping and murdering the six-year-old last summer.  Argyll and Bute Child Protection Committee carried out a review following the crime, which said Campbell, then 16, had been known to the authorities and was twice referred to the Youth Justice Service.  His offending was considered low-level, however, and did not warrant the implementation of the authority's Sexual Harmful Behaviours Protocol.  The report was produced in June but not published in full due to data protection laws.  A summary, which refers to Campbell as "X", said: "The review has established that those professionals working with X were not aware of concerning behaviours that would have raised concerns for those professionals working with X.  "The review group are of the view that there was no indication that agencies could have foreseen or predicted X's offending behaviour."  The group commended the response of the local secondary school head teacher and staff in helping Campbell's fellow pupils come to terms with the crime.  The report said: "Initially, some pupils could not believe that X had committed the offence and could not accept this up until the point where he was found guilty and sentenced.  "The head teacher sensitively and effectively managed an exceptional set of circumstances and worked with colleagues from educational psychology and Rape Crisis to provide support and counselling to pupils and staff."  Alesha, from Coatbridge in North Lanarkshire, was staying with her grandparents and father Robert MacPhail on her school holidays when she was preyed on by Campbell on July 2 last year.  The teenager, who the High Court in Glasgow heard had previously bought cannabis from Mr MacPhail, tried to incriminate his partner, Toni McLachlan.  Campbell was found guilty and sentenced to a minimum term of 27 years in jail, reduced to 24 years following an appeal.  The review group included representatives from Argyll and Bute Health and Social Care Partnership and Police Scotland.  The committee found evidence of good communication between the island's social work team and education services, which it said had "played a key role as named person in supporting and monitoring X".  It ruled out carrying out a significant case review.  Alesha's uncle, Calum-John MacPhail, told the Daily Mail: "There should be a full investigation to find out if opportunities were missed to save Alesha.  "We had no idea before this that there were any markers or concerns about Campbell - apart from unconfirmed rumour - and I'm angry about that.  "There has to be a full significant case review and we need to find out what happened to prevent any future tragedies."  Cleland Sneddon, chairman of Argyll and Bute chief officers group for public protection, said: "Our drive is to do all we can to protect children.  "We therefore went beyond what is required from an initial review and carried out a thorough, multi-agency assessment of what happened.  "This robust process has evidenced that a crime of this nature could not have been foreseen."  He added: "Given the extensive and thorough nature of the multi-agency assessment, it is our view that the initial review has covered everything that would be expected to be assessed by a significant case review.  "We will use the work of our initial review to support ongoing development of child protection practices.  "Our thoughts continue to be with Alesha's family and everyone affected by her loss."


breaking911--2019-09-04--Homeowner Suspect Killed In Home Invasion Shootout Killer Remains at Large

Homeowner, Suspect Killed In Home Invasion Shootout; Killer Remains at Large

HOUSTON, Texas — The Harris County Sheriff’s Office Gulf Coast Violent Offender and Fugitive Task Force needs the public’s assistance locating 19-year-old George Ramiro Burgos who is wanted for Capital Murder.  On Thursday, July 17, 2019, at approximately 2:40 a.m., Burgos along with four other men committed a home invasion robbery in the 16000 block of Pecan Street in Channelview, Texas.  During the incident, the homeowner and one suspect were killed in an exchange of gunfire.  Three of the four suspects have been apprehended.  George Ramiro Burgos is a Hispanic male, 5’7″ in height, and weighing approximately 145 lbs. He has brown eyes and short brown hair and possibly a thin mustache.  Anyone with information on his whereabouts is urged to call the HCSO Homicide unit at 713-274-9100.


breaking911--2019-09-08--4 Shot 3 Dead In NC Cops Searching For Killer

4 Shot, 3 Dead In NC; Cops Searching For Killer

COLUMBUS COUNTY, NC — On Saturday, 6:55am Columbus County Sheriff’s Office Deputies, Brunswick Fire Department, and Whiteville Rescue were dispatched to a home on Brittany Lane, outside of Whiteville, in reference to multiple victims with reported gunshot wounds.  Upon arrival, CCSO Deputies located four individuals at the residence with apparent gunshot wounds. Despite all life-saving efforts, three of the four victims succumbed to their injuries. The fourth victim was transported to Columbus Regional Healthcare Systems by Whiteville Rescue and is expected to survive. CCSO Deputies secured the scene and began an investigation.  CCSO and Columbus County District Attorney Investigators arrived shortly after to interview witnesses and to conduct a crime scene investigation.  During the incident, the suspects reportedly stole the victim’s vehicle, later identified as a silver 2011 Ford Fusion, bearing North Carolina Registration Plate PFH-6923, and fled the scene.  Sheriff Jody Greene wants to remind the public that it is important to pay attention to what is going on around you and to call 911 if you see anything suspicious.  The Columbus County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division is requesting anyone with information in this case to please contact Investigator B. Fowler at 910-640-6629.


breaking911--2019-10-07--FBI Confirms Samuel Little Is The Most Prolific Serial Killer In U.S. History

The FBI confirms that Samuel Little, 79, is the most prolific serial killer in U.S. history. To date, Little has confessed to 93 murders. The FBI’s Violent Criminal Apprehension Program (ViCAP) can also confirm that Little has been matched to 50 cases, with many more pending final confirmation.  In 2012, Little was arrested and extradited to California on a narcotics charge. Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) obtained DNA that connected Little to three unsolved homicides that occurred in 1987 and 1989. In 2013, the LAPD notified ViCAP, which initiated a full background investigation and found an alarming pattern that linked Little to many more murders. Little was charged with three counts of murder and ultimately convicted and sentenced in 2014 to three consecutive life terms without parole.  In May 2018, the Texas Rangers and the FBI were able to obtain detailed information on additional murders across the country that Little voluntarily provided.  Little says he strangled his 93 victims between 1970 and 2005. Many of his victims’ deaths, however, were originally ruled overdoses or attributed to accidental or undetermined causes. Some bodies were never found.  “The FBI is grateful for the Texas Rangers and state and local law enforcement partners who have worked diligently to confirm these cases,” said John Selleck, assistant director of the FBI’s Critical Incident Response Group. “Strong cooperation and information sharing between the FBI and its partners resulted in successful connections to Little’s crimes, ultimately bringing him to justice and helping victims’ families through the closure process.”