Author: James Whitmore

A repeat offender who targeted the same railway station clothing shop four times has been sentenced to 12 weeks imprisonment following a swift investigation by British Transport Police. Zenith Lawrence, 24, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Monday 19 January to stealing nearly £3,800 worth of merchandise from the All Saints store at St Pancras International. The case moved from arrest to conviction in just two days after a plain-clothes officer recognised Lawrence during a targeted anti-theft patrol operation on Saturday 17 January. The officer spotted Lawrence at the station around 3pm and immediately alerted…

A court appearance has been scheduled for next month after a teenager was charged in connection with a fatal house fire that claimed the life of a 15-year-old girl nearly two years ago. The 16-year-old boy will appear before Stratford Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday 24 February following charges brought on Tuesday related to the death of Tiffany Regis. Tiffany died following a fire at a property on Tollgate Road in Beckton, east London, on 6 April 2023. She was 15 years old at the time of the incident. The teenager faces three charges: manslaughter, arson, and arson with recklessness as…

A Royal Artillery officer has been shot dead during a night-time training exercise at a military range where another soldier was killed in similar circumstances eight years ago. Captain Philip Gilbert Muldowney, 25, died on Sunday evening after being struck during a live-firing drill at Otterburn range in Northumberland. The incident occurred at around 8pm, just minutes into the tactical training exercise. According to a source who spoke to The Sun, the fatal shot was fired in pitch-black conditions as troops wearing night vision goggles assaulted targets with SA80 assault rifles. “He got shot just a couple of minutes into…

A murder investigation has been launched after a woman was found dead at her home in Ilford, with a man arrested at the scene.Officers were called to an address in Applegarth Drive at around 04:00hrs on Tuesday, 27 January. Upon arrival, they discovered a 58-year-old woman dead at the property.A 57-year-old man was arrested at the scene on suspicion of murder and taken into custody, where he remains. Police believe they have identified the victim but are working to notify her next of kin.Detective Inspector Nikki Hardy, from Specialist Crime North, said: “Our thoughts are with the woman’s loved ones…

Senior figures at the City of London Police have welcomed the government’s police reform proposals whilst emphasising the force’s unique role in tackling fraud and economic crime.Tijs Broeke, Chair of the City of London Police Authority, and Pete O’Doherty, City of London Police Commissioner and National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for Cyber and Economic Crime, issued a joint statement in response to the government’s White Paper on police reform.“We support the Government’s ambition for more effective policing and welcome the White Paper’s recognition of the City of London Police’s unique expertise in fraud and economic crime,” they stated.The pair highlighted…

Two-storey home in Morden left destroyed after early morning incidentAround 60 firefighters tackled a major house fire in south London during the early hours of this morning, rescuing three people from the burning property.Multiple 999 calls alerted emergency services to the blaze at a two-storey end-of-terrace home on Halesowen Road in Morden shortly after 04:00.London Fire Brigade control officers received the first call at approximately 04:04. Crews from eight to ten fire engines brought the fire under control roughly two hours later, shortly after 06:00.The fire affected the ground floor, first floor and roof of the property, leaving the entire…

West Yorkshire resident also faces unrelated charges involving indecent images A 21-year-old man has been charged with encouraging suicide following the death of a man in the United States, the Crown Prosecution Service has announced. Dylan Phelan, from Morley, West Yorkshire, has been charged with encouraging suicide, contrary to Section 2 of the Suicide Act 1961, after allegations that he encouraged the suicide of a 21-year-old man in Louisiana during a video call on 30 October 2024. Phelan is also charged with making an indecent image of a child and possessing extreme pornography. These charges are not connected to the…

Trio to appear in court next month over incident on Petty France in December Three people have been charged with stirring up racial hatred during a protest in Westminster last year, the Crown Prosecution Service has announced. Azza Zaki, 60, Haya Adam, 21, and Abdallah Alanzi, 24, have been charged in connection with an organised protest along Petty France on 17 December. Each defendant faces one count of using threatening words and behaviour when, having regard to all the circumstances, racial hatred was likely to be stirred up, contrary to section 18 (1) of the Public Order Act 1986. A…

Criminal defence lawyer exploited trust and paid victims for explicit images before escalating to physical abuse A criminal defence solicitor has been jailed for nine years and nine months after systematically grooming and sexually abusing two 13-year-old girls. Suleman Baig, 40, from Grimsby, pleaded guilty to 15 charges relating to child sexual abuse at Leeds Crown Court. The offences included sexual assault, inciting children to engage in sexual activity, and making indecent images of children. The court heard that Baig, who was a practising solicitor at the time of his offending, exploited a position of trust to abuse the girls…

A 10-year-old boy remains in a critical condition in hospital after being struck by a car whilst crossing a road on his scooter in North London.The collision occurred on Honeypot Lane in Stanmore at around 08:30hrs on Sunday, 25 January. The child was treated at the scene by paramedics from the London Ambulance Service and the London Air Ambulance before being transferred to hospital.The driver, a 28-year-old man, stopped at the scene and was arrested on suspicion of drug driving and causing serious injury by dangerous driving. He has since been interviewed under caution and released on bail.Metropolitan Police officers…