Author: Henry Caldwell

The Metropolitan Police has issued an urgent appeal for a woman to come forward after detectives identified what they believe to be a rape captured on CCTV in south London, in a case officers say has caused them serious concern for the victim’s safety. The incident is reported to have taken place outside Gaumont Place, a residential development off Streatham High Road, at around 5.30am on Tuesday 12 May. It was not reported to the police at the time, and only came to officers’ attention the following day, when the footage was reviewed and the alarm was raised. Specialist detectives…

A former imam who exploited his standing as a trusted religious leader in east London to rape and sexually abuse women and girls some as young as 12 has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 20 years. Abdul Halim Khan, 54, of Old Ford Road in Tower Hamlets, was sentenced at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Thursday following one of the most extensive child sexual abuse investigations the Metropolitan Police has pursued within a London faith setting. He was convicted in February of 21 sexual offences, including nine counts of rape and five counts of raping a…

Two men who travelled across London to film themselves verbally abusing a Jewish man for a social media stunt have admitted committing a religiously aggravated hate crime, in a case that police say underlines the rising tide of antisemitism on the capital’s streets. Adam Bedoui, 20, of Park Lodge Avenue, and Abdelkader Bousloub, 21, of Merrivale Mews, both Hillingdon, west London, pleaded guilty to a religiously aggravated public order offence at Thames Magistrates’ Court on Saturday. The pair were charged within 48 hours of the incident, the Metropolitan Police said. According to officers, the two men set out from west…

A 48-year-old man has become the ninth person arrested over the arson attack that destroyed a fleet of volunteer-run Jewish ambulances in north London, as detectives press on with one of the most extensive counter-terrorism operations the Metropolitan Police has run in recent years. The suspect was detained on Leytonstone High Road on Wednesday and is being held on suspicion of conspiracy to commit arson, the Metropolitan Police confirmed. He remains in custody. The arrest is the latest development in the investigation into the firebombing of four Hatzola ambulances in Golders Green during the early hours of 23 March. The…

Three men who lay in wait for a teenage drug runner before stabbing him to death in a west London park have been handed life sentences totalling a minimum of nearly 80 years, after their downfall was sealed by an electronic tag worn by one of the killers. Daniel Matos, 24, Keith Preddie, 34, and Joshua Cowley, 29, were sentenced at the Old Bailey on Thursday for the murder of 19-year-old Tyler Donnelly, who was knifed in Hanworth Park, Feltham, on the night of 24 January 2024. Matos was ordered to serve a minimum of 27 years and six months,…

A British immigration officer who exploited his position at Heathrow Airport to track Hong Kong pro-democracy activists on behalf of Chinese intelligence has been convicted at the Old Bailey, in a case that has prompted the Foreign Office to summon Beijing’s ambassador to London. Chi Leung “Peter” Wai, 40, a Border Force officer and former Royal Navy sailor, was found guilty of assisting a foreign intelligence service under the National Security Act, alongside his handler Chung Biu “Bill” Yuen, 65, a retired Hong Kong police superintendent who managed the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (HKETO) in London. Wai was…

British Transport Police have launched an appeal for information after a man allegedly exposed himself and masturbated on a London Underground train in front of fellow passengers. The incident is reported to have taken place at around 5.10pm on Monday 20 April aboard a westbound District Line service. According to officers, the suspect left the train at Upney Underground station in Barking, east London, shortly after the alleged offence. Detectives have now released a CCTV image of a man they wish to identify, in the hope that members of the public may be able to help piece together what happened.…

More than 150 firefighters are battling two major blazes in London on Tuesday night, as the London Fire Brigade (LFB) deals with simultaneous incidents at an office block in Old Street and a residential building in Clapton. According to the London Fire Brigade’s official account on X, twelve fire engines and around 80 firefighters were called to a fire involving a lower floor at an office in Old Street late on Tuesday evening. The brigade urged the public to stay away from the area while crews worked to bring the flames under control. “Please avoid the area whilst crews work…

A man in his twenties is recovering in hospital after being stabbed on Harlesden High Street in the early hours of Sunday morning, the Metropolitan Police have confirmed. Emergency services were alerted shortly before 3.45am on 3 May following reports of a stabbing on the north-west London thoroughfare. When officers arrived alongside paramedics, however, they were unable to locate anyone injured at the scene. The force was subsequently informed that a man had presented himself at hospital with stab wounds. Detectives say his injuries, while serious enough to require treatment, are not believed to be life-threatening or life-changing. CCTV enquiries…

Counter-terrorism detectives have arrested two people in connection with an arson attack on a memorial wall in north London that displays photographs of Iranian protesters allegedly killed by the regime in Tehran. A 46-year-old man and a 38-year-old woman were detained at an address in Romford on Monday morning on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life. Both remain in custody at a London police station, while officers continue to search the property where the arrests were made. The pair are being questioned over a fire reported at the memorial in Limes Avenue, NW11, in the early hours of…