Author: Darren Smith

John Alford, the actor best known for his role in the long-running ITV drama London’s Burning, has been found dead in prison, weeks after being sentenced to custody for sexually abusing two young girls. A Prison Service spokesman confirmed the death to The Sun on Sunday, stating: “John Shannon died in prison on 13 March 2026.” Alford, whose real name was John Shannon, was 54 years old. According to a source cited by The Sun on Sunday, staff discovered Alford unresponsive on his bed when they opened his cell door on Friday morning. Alford had been reported to police in…

A large crowd gathered outside a non-halal Indian restaurant in west London on Thursday evening, blocking its entrance and refusing to disperse for several hours despite a significant police presence, according to the establishment’s owner. Harman Singh Kapoor, who co-owns Rangrez on Fulham Palace Road in Hammersmith with his wife Khushi, posted multiple videos to social media platform X showing what he described as a blockade of more than 100 people, primarily young men of Somali origin, gathered outside the premises. The footage showed heated confrontations, shouting and a considerable number of officers at the scene. No arrests were made…

A Metropolitan Police officer who appeared as the public face of the force’s recruitment drive has been charged with stalking and harassment, it has emerged, after allegedly tracking a woman’s movements and repeatedly contacting her against her wishes. PC Samson Akinnawo, 35, who serves in the Met’s Specialist Operations unit, appeared at Thames Magistrates’ Court facing allegations relating to his conduct towards a woman named as Melieka Daley. The charges cover a period between June and August of last year and follow his arrest in July 2025, Scotland Yard confirmed. Prosecutors told the court that Akinnawo allegedly made repeated telephone…

Iran’s judiciary chief continued his speech denouncing Israel without pause as an IDF missile exploded behind him during a mass pro-regime rally in Tehran on Friday, in scenes broadcast live on state television. Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejei was addressing crowds gathered for the annual Quds Day demonstration when the blast occurred, pressing on regardless. “Our people are not afraid of the bombing, we will continue along this route,” he declared, adding that Iran stood with its people “against arrogance and Pharaoh-like oppressors.” National security chief Ali Larijani, also in attendance, sought to frame the strikes as a sign of weakness…

Two men are facing potential prison sentences after being convicted of affray following a violent street brawl in Blackwood, Caerphilly, that witnesses described as terrifying — with children among those who looked on as the mass fight unfolded. Omed Pirot, 31, and Shahab Husseini, 25, were found guilty at Newport Crown Court after a confrontation between staff from two rival barber shops escalated into a melee involving 13 people on the afternoon of 13 February. A third defendant, Sardam Ebrahimi, 27, of Newport, was acquitted of affray by the jury. The violence was rooted in a commercial dispute between Kurds…

Explosive ordnance disposal officers were scrambled to a special educational needs school in Greater Manchester on Friday morning after a pupil brought in what was described as a Second World War-style device intended for a classroom show and tell. Samuel Laycock School on Broadoak Road in Ashton-under-Lyne was the scene of a significant emergency response after Greater Manchester Police received reports of the item shortly after the school day began. Officers arrived within minutes, and EOD specialists were deployed alongside other emergency services as a precautionary measure. The school, which is operated by New Bridge Multi-Academy Trust and supports 239…

Asylum seekers will continue to be housed at a hotel in Epping, Essex, after two Court of Appeal judges rejected the local council’s attempt to overturn a previous ruling that had allowed the arrangement to stand. Lady Justice Andrews and Lord Justice Holgate ruled on Friday morning that the council’s appeal was “unarguable,” bringing to a close a lengthy and costly legal battle that has drawn significant public attention since protests erupted at the site last summer. The Conservative-led council had sought to challenge a November High Court decision in which Mr Justice Mould declined to grant a permanent injunction…

Questions are mounting over the true condition of Iran’s newly installed Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, after reports emerged that he is lying in a coma in a Tehran hospital — even as the Islamic Republic published what it described as a written message authored by him. The 56-year-old, son of the assassinated Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is said to be receiving intensive care at Sina University Hospital in the Iranian capital’s historic quarter. An entire section of the building has reportedly been sealed off and placed under heavy security. Trauma teams at the hospital are said to have told an insider…

A British military base in northern Iraq was struck by a swarm of Iranian drones overnight, injuring a number of American personnel and setting part of the camp ablaze, while RAF pilots flew sorties over the wider region. Anti-drone specialists deployed from Britain intercepted a number of the incoming projectiles, and no UK service personnel were reported as casualties. US forces stationed at the base sustained injuries, though none are said to be serious. The attack came as Defence Secretary John Healey visited the UK’s military planning headquarters at RAF Northwood, where he was briefed by senior commanders including Lieutenant…

Illegal vape shops have been handing out free vapes to children as young as 11 in exchange for sexual favours, an investigation has alleged, with enforcement officers in the West Midlands warning that a new grooming epidemic may be taking hold. A Trading Standards enforcement team in Dudley, operating as part of efforts to crack down on shops selling illegal vapes and age-restricted products to minors, told Channel 4 News they had uncovered deeply troubling connections between rogue retailers and criminal networks. Enforcement officer Richard Timmins said: “I had one the other day, a child as young as 11 purchasing…