Author: Darren Smith

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…

A 21-year-old man from Leeds has pleaded guilty to encouraging the suicide of a vulnerable young man in the United States after urging him to end his life during a live video call on the online platform Discord. Dylan Phelan admitted the offence at Leeds Crown Court after a police investigation established that he had actively participated in a video call on 30 October 2024 during which Travis Dyer, 21, from Theriot, Louisiana, was urged to harm himself and take his own life with a shotgun. Dyer died while the call was still ongoing. The pair had been in contact…

Iran will not compete at this summer’s World Cup, the country’s sports minister has confirmed, ruling out any possibility of participation in a tournament hosted by the United States — the nation currently engaged in active military conflict with Tehran. Ahmad Donyamal made the announcement in a television interview on Wednesday, delivering the clearest statement yet on Iran’s position after weeks of mounting uncertainty over the team’s involvement. “Since this corrupt government assassinated our leader, we have no conditions under which we can participate in the World Cup,” he said. “In view of the malicious measures taken against Iran, two…

A man who attempted to have sex with a 14-year-old girl in a Cardiff park has been jailed for two years after screaming abuse at the judge sentencing him and storming out of his video link room mid-hearing. Abdirahman Osman, 44, who lived in the Roath area of Cardiff, was found guilty of attempting to engage a child in sexual activity following an incident involving a group of schoolgirls at a local park. Attending his sentencing hearing from custody via video link, Osman told Judge Lucy Crowther he wished to return to Kenya before shouting “f**k your country” and walking…

A teenage girl has been taken to hospital after being stabbed at a secondary school near Norwich, triggering a major armed police response that left pupils hiding under desks with classroom doors barricaded for over an hour while a suspect remained at large. Officers were called to Thorpe St Andrew School on Laundry Lane at 10.24am following reports of a stabbing. Pupils were instructed to conceal themselves, switch off their phones and remain in classrooms while teachers barricaded doors from the inside. Police drones were deployed as officers searched for the suspect, who was believed to have fled the school…