Author: Darren Smith

A man from North Carolina has sparked widespread outrage after posting images appearing to show him urinating on the grave of murdered Texas teenager Austin Metcalf, just days after the conviction of his killer Karmelo Anthony. The photographs were first brought to wider attention after being shared by Britannia Daily, before spreading rapidly across X and other platforms, prompting widespread condemnation, calls for Johnson’s arrest and disbelief at the act. The marker reads “Austin Matthew Metcalf, July 31, 2007 – April 2, 2025, Beloved Son, Brother and Warrior.” The caption accompanying the post expressed support for Anthony, reading: “I woke…

A 12-year-old girl who was allegedly gang-raped by five or six classmates during a birthday party in Burgos, Spain, has returned to school alongside her alleged attackers after they served only a one-week suspension — with police confirming none of those involved can face prosecution because they fall below Spain’s age of criminal responsibility. The alleged attack took place at a public venue outside the children’s school during a birthday party, according to Diario de Burgos. All those involved are aged just 11 or 12, placing them below the legal threshold at which children can be held criminally responsible in…

A jury has convicted the brother of Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell of sexually assaulting multiple women after posing as a rideshare driver to target them outside bars and other locations, with the verdict landing one of the state’s most senior law enforcement figures squarely back at the centre of her family’s long-publicised troubled history with the criminal justice system. Alvin Campbell, 45, was found guilty on Thursday of 21 out of 22 counts relating to sexual assaults committed between 2017 and 2019, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office said. The jury was deadlocked on one charge of rape, with…

A major search operation is underway in southern Portugal for a 23-year-old British man who went missing while swimming at Peneco Beach, after his 19-year-old companion, also from the UK, raised the alarm having managed to make it out of the water safely. The teenager was confirmed by Portugal’s National Maritime Authority to be “physically well and does not require medical assistance,” though he is being offered psychological support following his friend’s disappearance. Expert divers, police and maritime officials have been mobilised in a wide-reaching operation involving multiple agencies. The coastline is being searched by lifeguards, the Port Captain, members…

A US podcaster has called for a “mass exodus” of Black Americans to Africa in response to the conviction of 19-year-old Karmelo Anthony for the murder of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf, sparking widespread mockery and a fierce online backlash even from within the Black community. Speaking on his Larry Reid Live podcast, Atlanta-based host Larry Reid said: “I want you to begin to think about this America and the white people problem that we have… As a collective, let’s drain this place of its benefits and make our mass exodus and go home and build.” He went on to describe Africa…

A man involved in a viral confrontation outside the courthouse where Karmelo Anthony was convicted of murdering 17-year-old Austin Metcalf has been arrested, one of at least two people taken into custody as tensions boiled over following the verdict in one of the most racially charged trials in America this year. Anthony, now 19, was found guilty of murder on Tuesday by a 12-person Collin County jury, which deliberated for approximately two hours and 20 minutes before rejecting his claim of self-defence in the fatal stabbing of Metcalf at a Frisco track meet in April 2025. He was sentenced to…

A talented young organist from King’s College Cambridge has been found dead in the River Cam, with the local community describing his loss as a “deeply saddened” moment for the college and the wider music world. Harrison Cole, 25, who served as Assisting Organist at King’s College, was discovered in the river near the college at around 9.15am on Sunday 7 June. Cambridgeshire Police confirmed his death is not being treated as suspicious and has been passed to the coroner. A force spokesperson said: “We were called to the River Cam at about 9.15am on Sunday with reports of the…

A children’s snail race due to take place at Nottingham’s Central Library has been scrapped after an animal rights group complained that even picking up the snails could cause them stress or injury, prompting a wave of online ridicule from residents who branded the decision absurd. The event, dubbed “The Slowest Show on Earth,” had been planned as part of a “green week” highlighting action on climate change, and organisers had developed what they described as the “world’s first electronic snail racing board” to engage children with the activity. However, Nottingham City Council pulled the event following complaints from the…

The US Supreme Court has blocked Alabama from executing death row inmate Jeffery Lee by nitrogen gas, just hours before his scheduled execution, after lower courts ruled the method likely violates the constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment. The high court denied the state’s emergency application late Thursday, with Lee’s execution having been scheduled for 6pm local time. Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch dissented, saying they would have granted Alabama’s request to overturn the lower court rulings. Lee, 49, is now spared execution by nitrogen for the time being, though the state retains the option to…

A 14-year-old girl has been charged with three counts of attempted murder following a triple stabbing at a Manchester high school, after the Crown Prosecution Service authorised charges and counter-terrorism detectives confirmed the case remains under active investigation. The teenager was charged on Thursday 11 June with three counts of attempted murder and two charges of possessing a bladed article on school premises, the Manchester Evening News reports. She was due to appear before Manchester Magistrates’ Court. Officers were called to Co-op Academy Manchester on Plant Hill Road in Blackley on Tuesday 9 June following reports that three people had…