Author: Darren Smith

Voice notes recovered by the National Crime Agency showed Kashid Rashid discussing the need to create false invoices to support fraudulent Bounce Back Loan applications that netted his family £150,000 during the Covid-19 pandemic. Rashid, 53, from Ilford, his wife Noreen Malik, 46, nephew Rehaan Mohammed, 32, and brother Rizwan Haider, 61, were sentenced today at Southwark Crown Court after being convicted by a jury following a five-week trial on 28 November 2025. The group used three businesses to successfully apply for three Bounce Back Loans totalling £150,000, submitting one further unsuccessful application that would have secured another £50,000. They…

Ian Huntley has been given just a five percent chance of survival after triple murderer Anthony Russell allegedly beat him around the head three times with a metal spike at HMP Frankland in County Durham, an insider has revealed. The 52-year-old Soham killer remains in a medically induced coma in hospital following the Thursday morning attack. A Durham Constabulary spokesperson confirmed this morning: “There has been no change in the 52-year-old man’s condition overnight – he remains in hospital in a serious condition.” An insider stated: “It is miraculous he is still alive. Medics have worked miracles on him and…

A Metropolitan Police officer has been dismissed after failing to mention in his statement that he punched a man in the face during an arrest in an attempt to conceal his use of excessive force. PC Peter Odusote will be placed on the College of Policing barred list following the misconduct hearing which concluded on Thursday, 26 February. The list prevents individuals from being employed by police, local policing bodies, the Independent Office for Police Conduct, or His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services. The panel heard PC Odusote, attached to the Central West Basic Command Unit,…

Bill Clinton has become the first former president ever compelled to testify before Congress against his will, appearing for a historic deposition near his Chappaqua, New York home after being threatened with contempt charges. The 79-year-old opened his Friday testimony by furiously attacking Republicans for forcing his wife Hillary to appear before lawmakers, stating: “Before we start, I have to get personal. You made Hillary come in. She had nothing to do with Jeffrey Epstein. Nothing. She has no memory of even meeting him. She neither traveled with him nor visited any of his properties.” Hillary told lawmakers on Thursday…

A student broke her back after leaping 10ft from a window to escape Valdo Calocane in May 2020, three years before he fatally stabbed three people in Nottingham, a public inquiry heard. Feven, identified only by her first name, fractured her vertebrae and required surgery after jumping from her flat when the paranoid schizophrenic attempted to kick down her door. She was 22 years old at the time of the attack. Police visited her a week after hospital discharge and told her: “They told me I had been very brave. If I had not jumped out of the window many…

Police are investigating whether a 21-year-old woman charged with two murders claimed additional victims after discovering she posted social media selfies with “follow me” and “DM for follow back” hashtags on the day her second alleged victim died. The woman, identified only by her surname Kim, faces two counts of murder after men in their twenties died under similar circumstances at Seoul motels on 28 January and 9 February. Authorities arrested her on 11 February following the deaths. Mobile phone evidence revealed Kim allegedly asked ChatGPT: “What happens if you take sleeping pills with alcohol?” She also questioned how much…

A rapist who repeatedly changed his story and tried to blame relatives for attacking a woman after she left a Southampton nightclub has been jailed for 10 years following a DNA match made more than two years after the assault. Musafar Hotak, 25, was sentenced at Southampton Crown Court after being found guilty of raping a woman in her 20s on 12 July 2022. The DNA was matched to Hotak when he was being investigated for other criminal matters more than two years later. The victim had become separated from friends during a night out and was under the influence…

Defence Secretary John Healey has ordered Ministry of Defence officials to “leave no stone unturned” in a review of all records relating to whether Jeffrey Epstein used RAF bases during visits to the UK,the Telegraph reports. The search will examine military records and emails to determine if the sex offender booked RAF airfields, using details of Epstein’s jet issued by US officials. An MoD spokesman stated: “The defence secretary has ordered a review of all records that the department may hold relating to Epstein flights landing at RAF bases to ensure that any information which relates to Epstein’s crimes is…

The European Commission has referred former EU trade commissioner Peter Mandelson to its anti-fraud office following the release of files suggesting he shared confidential information about a €500 billion euro bailout with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. OLAF, the European anti-fraud office, confirmed it is examining the matter after receiving the 18 February referral from the Commission. The assessment follows publication of documents indicating Mandelson provided Epstein with details about the 2010 bailout designed to save the euro whilst serving as a senior British minister. A European Commission spokesperson told POLITICO the referral was made “given the circumstances, and the…

Gerald “Gerry” Dorgan has died from injuries sustained when his daughter’s transgender ex-husband opened fire at a youth hockey game in Rhode Island, becoming the third fatality from the February 16 massacre at the Dennis M. Lynch arena in Pawtucket. The 75-year-old had been in critical condition since Robert Dorgan carried out the mass shooting that also killed his daughter Rhonda Dorgan, 52, and grandson Aidan Dorgan, 23. Authorities confirmed his death on Wednesday. Rhonda’s mother Linda Dorgan and Thomas Geruso, a family friend and assistant principal at a Pawtucket high school, remain in serious but stable condition following the…