Author: James Whitmore

Royal Borough of Greenwich has extended its three-year reign as London’s top affordable housing developer with planning approval for another 28 council properties designed to help families struggling with rental costs. The borough has now outpaced every other London authority for new affordable home construction for three consecutive years, demonstrating sustained commitment to tackling accommodation shortages through direct council building rather than relying solely on private developers. Planning permission has been granted for developments in four Greenwich neighbourhoods, with sites confirmed in New Eltham, Plumstead, Hornfair Park and Eltham. The properties will include one-bedroom, two-bedroom and three-bedroom options to accommodate…

Metropolitan Police have dismantled a major organized crime operation after surveillance work and encrypted platform analysis led officers to an Essex residence containing 33 kilograms of illegal narcotics and nearly £180,000 in cash, resulting in prison terms for two defendants who funded foreign vacations and designer purchases through years of criminal enterprise. Kingston Crown Court sentenced Samuel De Vere-Hunt, 30, of School Road, Kelvedon Hatch, to 12 years imprisonment Friday following guilty pleas to 12 charges spanning money laundering, drug supply conspiracy, and possession offenses. His partner Rosie Wise, 25, of the same address, received a suspended sentence of one…

A London court has imposed a life sentence with a 37-year minimum on a disqualified driver who unleashed a deadly vehicle assault across multiple West End locations during the early hours of Christmas 2024, striking five pedestrians and claiming one life. The Old Bailey delivered its sentence Friday against Anthony Gilheaney, 32, of Harlow, Essex, following his December conviction on charges including murder, attempted murder, and grievous bodily harm with intent. The court heard evidence of a sustained attack pattern beginning approximately after midnight on December 25, 2024, spanning several streets in central London. The rampage claimed the life of…

Catherine O’Hara, the beloved actress known for her roles in Schitt’s Creek, Home Alone and Best in Show, has died at the age of 71. The Hollywood icon passed away on Friday, sources with direct knowledge told TMZ. The cause of death has not been released. The Daily Mail has requested comment from representatives for O’Hara. O’Hara’s last public appearance was at the Emmys in September, where she appeared frail on the red carpet. The appearance came four months before her death. O’Hara became a household name playing Macaulay Culkin’s mother in the first two Home Alone films. She later…

Judge Orders 29-Year Minimum Term for Man Who Pursued Colleague to Railway Station A hotel worker finished her Sunday night shift shortly before midnight and walked to catch her train home, talking on the phone with a friend. She never completed that journey. Deng Chol Majek, 27, pursued Rhiannon Whyte from their shared workplace to Bescot Stadium station on October 20, 2024, where he carried out a fatal knife attack on the platform. Whyte sustained severe injuries and succumbed to a catastrophic brain injury three days later while hospitalized with family present. The sequence of events was captured on surveillance…

A single message in a private online forum shattered years of silence in 2019, ultimately bringing down a children’s mentor who spent two decades evading accountability for sexually exploiting students under his care. That digital confession—posted by one woman describing troubling encounters with a former school employee—resonated immediately with others in the closed group. Multiple women recognized the same pattern of behavior, privately comparing experiences that mirrored their own trauma. By January 2020, three had contacted authorities. Two more followed by year’s end. The collective testimony led to Thursday’s sentencing of Emem Udaw, 51, of Knollmead, Tolworth, who received eight…

More than four years after losing their daughter, the family of Gunner Jaysley Beck has finally secured criminal charges against two senior officers they hold responsible for catastrophic failures in responding to her sexual assault complaint.Major James Hook and Colonel Samantha Shepherd, both part of Beck’s military chain of command, will stand trial at court martial on charges of conduct prejudicial to good order and service discipline under the Armed Forces Act. The prosecution follows a lengthy investigation by the Defence Serious Crime Command.Both officers had knowledge of the 19-year-old soldier’s assault allegations before she died by suicide at Larkhill…

A former nursery worker from north London has pleaded guilty to 30 additional sexual offences as part of what the Metropolitan Police has described as one of its most complex child sexual abuse investigations. Vincent Chan, 45, of Stanhope Avenue, Finchley, appeared at Highbury Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, 29 January for his first appearance on the new charges. He admitted 12 counts of taking and making indecent images of children, one count of sexual assault, 11 counts of voyeurism and six counts of outraging public decency. The offending relates to 16 victims, 10 of whom were children at the time.…

A 19-year-old man has been arrested in connection with a series of fires in north London last year that are linked to a high-profile public figure.The man was detained on Wednesday, 28 January in Harlow, Essex, on suspicion of conspiracy to commit arson. He was taken to an Essex police station and subsequently released under investigation pending further enquiries.The arrest forms part of an ongoing investigation into various fires that took place in the NW5 area in May 2025. According to the Metropolitan Police, the case is being led by officers from Counter Terrorism Policing London due to the incidents…

Commuters face widespread service changes across London’s transport network this weekend, with several lines affected by planned engineering works.Transport for London has issued guidance covering closures and alterations from Friday 30 January to Sunday 1 February, urging passengers to check live information via the TfL app or website before travelling.Two long-running projects continue to affect services throughout the period. Barons Court station remains impacted by works running from Monday 19 January to Sunday 7 June, with eastbound District and Piccadilly line trains not stopping there. The station itself remains open and westbound services continue to call.Cutty Sark DLR station is…