Author: Henry Caldwell

A mother and her boyfriend who subjected a two-year-old boy to months of escalating abuse have been convicted, after detectives unpicked a web of lies the pair had constructed to conceal their actions from paramedics, doctors and police. Kol Page was found unresponsive at an address in Bromley in April 2022, with severe bruising to his face and a serious abdominal injury. He survived but never recovered, spending fourteen months in hospital before moving into foster care. He died on 29 June 2024, aged four years and three months. Zoe Coutts, 35, Kol’s mother, was convicted at Southwark Crown Court…

A west London council is under pressure to find millions of pounds to restore one of the capital’s most recognisable bridges, after a structural fault forced its closure earlier this year — and disputes over who should pay are complicating efforts to reopen it quickly.Albert Bridge, which has spanned the Thames for 150 years, was shut to vehicles in February after engineers identified cracks in a cast-iron component. While pedestrians and cyclists can still cross, around 15,000 cars and light vans are being redirected to alternative crossings every day.The repair bill is estimated at £8.5 million. Kensington and Chelsea Council,…

Two men are set to appear at the Old Bailey next month charged with the murder of a 46-year-old man who died after being assaulted during a burglary at his south-east London home. Myles Meyjes passed away on 20 February 2025, more than a week after he was admitted to hospital following what was reported as an aggravated burglary at his address in SE12. He had first sought medical attention on 12 February, several days after the assault took place. The Metropolitan Police launched a murder investigation in December, after the conclusions of a post-mortem examination prompted a formal review…

Counter-terrorism officers have taken charge of the investigation into the arson attack on four Jewish charity ambulances in Golders Green, as London’s Metropolitan Police announces a significant surge in protective operations across the capital’s Jewish communities ahead of Passover.Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, speaking outside New Scotland Yard on Tuesday, confirmed that 264 additional officers have been deployed to patrol Jewish areas of London. The reinforced presence includes visible armed officers on foot, mounted police and specialist drone units. Schools and synagogues are receiving dedicated attention as part of the security uplift.Mr Taylor described the attack as “absolutely horrendous”, adding that…

Counter Terrorism Police Take Over Golders Green Jewish Ambulance Arson Investigation As Online Claim Of Responsibility EmergesCounter terrorism officers have assumed control of the investigation into the arson attack on four Jewish community ambulances in north London, as police confirm they are examining an online claim in which a group has claimed responsibility for the attack.Detective Chief Superintendent Luke Williams, who leads policing in north west London, delivered a formal statement on Monday morning in which he disclosed that while the incident had not been declared a terrorist event, the specialist resources and expertise of Counter Terrorism Policing were now…

A serving Metropolitan Police officer has lost his job following a formal misconduct hearing that concluded he could not be trusted to carry out duties involving discrimination or hate crime investigations impartially.PC Brendan Jones was dismissed without notice on 26 February 2026, after a panel determined that comments he made to colleagues — in which he reportedly suggested that “the Muslims were taking over” — amounted to a serious breach of professional standards.The remarks came during a workplace conversation about a television documentary on doomsday preppers, during which PC Jones allegedly told fellow officers that the end of civilisation had…

Dozens of residents were woken and forced to leave their homes in the early hours of Monday morning after a series of explosions tore through a north London street, where four Jewish community ambulances had been set deliberately alight.Around 30 people were taken to a local shelter after being evacuated from properties near Highfield Road in Golders Green, where the blast was powerful enough to blow out windows in an adjacent block of flats. One resident, Ushi Gross, told the BBC he was roused from sleep by what he described as an explosion at around 1.30am. “We’ve all been woken…

Traders on one of West London’s busiest Asian shopping streets say they are living in fear after a string of violent raids left their premises wrecked, their staff too frightened to return to work, and no arrests made by police. Several businesses on Ealing Road in Wembley were targeted by groups of masked young men earlier this month, with footage circulating online showing individuals storming the interiors and causing widespread damage. Among those hit were Suraj Sweet Mart, Panesar Food and Wine and the Manek Chowk Indian restaurant. The owner of Manek Chowk, speaking anonymously, said his staff had objects…

A construction company has been fined more than £40,000 after a 19-year-old worker plunged to his death through an inadequately covered ventilation shaft at a West London building site in what a safety regulator has described as a wholly avoidable tragedy. Renols Lleshi was working on the 12th floor roof garden of a residential block under construction at the Ark Soane Academy site in Mill Hill Road, Acton, on 5 July 2023, when the covering beneath him gave way. He fell six floors and died at the scene. An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive found the ventilation shaft…

A former volunteer police officer has been sentenced to 24 years in prison after being convicted of a series of sexual offences, including the rape and assault of a child. Gwyn Samuels, who previously served as a Special Constable with the Metropolitan Police under the name James Bubb, was found guilty of five offences following a trial at Amersham Law Courts. Sentencing took place on Friday 20 March. Upon release, Samuels will serve a further eight years on licence and has been made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for life. The offences took place between January 2018 and…