Author: Darren Smith

A violent offender who subjected his partner to hours of torture including holding her head under sewage water and defecating on her face whilst she lay unconscious has been imprisoned for more than 15 years. Liam Dawson, 34, received a 15-year and three-month sentence with an additional four-year extended licence period after admitting grievous bodily harm with intent at Stafford Crown Court, where he was observed vaping and laughing during his victim’s emotional testimony delivered via video link from HMP Dovegate. The mother-of-three described the attack as “inhumane” and credited a stranger who heard her screams with saving her life,…

A Pakistani national whose asylum claim was rejected has been imprisoned for 15 years after a jury convicted him of repeatedly raping an eight-year-old girl whilst threatening that disclosure would result in her father killing her. Kamran Khan, 44, was found guilty of two rape charges, four counts of sexually assaulting a child, two counts of causing a child to watch sexual acts, and two counts of causing a child under thirteen to engage in sexual activity following offences committed between September 2024 and July 2025. Judge Freya Newbery told Khan during sentencing: “You thought she would never tell because…

Armed officers and a police helicopter are scouring East Bristol after a daylight shooting left a man in his twenties with life-changing injuries and prompted authorities to lock down three schools as a precautionary measure. Avon and Somerset Police launched a manhunt following reports at 1.47pm on Tuesday that a firearm had been discharged at a vehicle on Speedwell Road in the Speedwell area, with the gunman remaining at large several hours after the attack. The victim was airlifted to Southmead Hospital by emergency helicopter services before 2.30pm, where medical staff are treating serious injuries that officers have characterised as…

A 26-year-old man with a history of mental health treatment and previous assault allegations has been charged with attempted murder after allegedly stalking a commuter before shoving him into the path of an approaching train at a Seattle railway station. Elisio Melendez was arrested on 24 March and held on $750,000 bond following the 19 March attack at Northgate station, where surveillance footage captured him lurking behind an elevator whilst monitoring victim Peter Michael Walbrun, who stood on the platform reading articles on his mobile phone. King County prosecutors disclosed Melendez had been charged with stabbing his sister in the…

A Brazilian asylum seeker who triggered a terrorism alert by placing a hoax explosive device outside MI5 headquarters on New Year’s Day will be sentenced at the Old Bailey after magistrates ruled the case too serious for their jurisdiction. Julian Valente Pereira, 32, forced emergency services to divert resources from policing London’s New Year celebrations when he propped a fake bomb against Thames House doors alongside a cigarette lighter and stuffed 30 pages of documents detailing “psychological torture” through the entrance. Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring transferred the case to Crown Court on Wednesday, indicating an 18-month prison sentence would be…

Counter-terrorism officers have detained three additional suspects over the firebombing of Jewish community ambulances in north London, including a dual British-Pakistani teenager, as investigators pursue links to a suspected Iran-backed extremist group. Men aged 17, 19 and 20 were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit arson with intent to endanger life following the 23 March attack that destroyed four Hatzola volunteer ambulances outside a synagogue in Golders Green. The two older suspects hold British nationality whilst the youngest possesses dual British and Pakistani citizenship. All three remained in custody at a London police station on Tuesday, joining two previously…

A 36-year-old man has been remanded in custody after appearing before magistrates charged with deliberately driving into pedestrians in Derby city centre, leaving seven people requiring hospital treatment. Sandhu Ponnachan, of Chariot Close in Alvaston, faces six counts of grievous bodily harm with intent, one count of attempted GBH with intent, dangerous driving and possession of a bladed article following the 28 March incident outside the Bishop Blaise pub on Friar Gate. The defendant, who relocated to Derby from India several years ago, showed no emotion during his brief appearance at Southern Derby Magistrates’ Court on Monday. Wearing glasses, a…

A wave of coordinated youth disorder is sweeping English towns and cities following viral social media “linkups” that have seen hundreds of teenagers descend on high streets during Easter holidays, forcing shop closures, mass arrests and emergency police deployments. The disorder—which erupted in Birmingham on Friday before spreading to Clapham over the weekend and Solihull on Monday—has prompted warnings from Metropolitan Police that viral footage is inspiring copycat incidents across the country as bored schoolchildren on half-term transform retail areas into lawless battlegrounds. More than 100 teenagers swarmed Clapham Common basketball courts on both Saturday and Tuesday before ransacking shops…

Lawyers representing the man accused of assassinating conservative activist Charlie Kirk have made explosive claims that forensic analysis failed to link the fatal bullet to their client’s weapon. Tyler Robinson, 22, faces potential execution if convicted of murdering the Turning Point USA co-founder during a September speaking engagement at Utah Valley University. However, defence attorneys filed court documents on Friday alleging the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was “unable to identify the bullet recovered at autopsy to the rifle allegedly tied to Mr Robinson.” The revelation emerged in a motion seeking to postpone Robinson’s preliminary hearing—currently scheduled for…

The bereaved family of a teenager who died following a collision whilst riding a scooter in Lincolnshire have described his “infectious smile” and “naturally funny, cheeky charm” as police continue investigating the fatal incident. Lachlan, 13, succumbed to his injuries on Friday, 27 March, three days after being struck by a white Seat Ibiza in Grimsby. Emergency services had transported him to hospital with life-threatening injuries following the Tuesday afternoon collision. His sister and guardian paid emotional tribute, stating: “Lachlan’s smile was truly infectious, lighting up any room he entered. It wasn’t just his mouth that smiled – his eyes…