Author: James Carter

The director of a Syrian detention camp housing over 2,000 people with links to Islamic State has reported increasingly hostile behaviour from residents following a government offensive that weakened Kurdish-led security forces. Hakmiyeh Ibrahim, who oversees the Roj camp near the Iraqi border, stated that camp residents have become emboldened, telling guards they will soon be free whilst Kurdish personnel will be imprisoned instead. The shift in attitude followed territorial gains by Syrian government forces against the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces earlier this month. More than 2,300 individuals are housed at Roj, predominantly women and children who have been detained…

A multi-agency investigation into large-scale illegal waste tipping in Kidlington has resulted in two additional arrests, bringing the total number of suspects detained to three since the probe began. Officers from the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit executed warrants at two locations on 29 January, working alongside the Environment Agency, Thames Valley Police, Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary and Surrey Police. A 69-year-old man was detained at a property in Andover whilst a 54-year-old man was apprehended in Slough. Both suspects face allegations of environmental and money laundering offences. They have been released on conditional bail pending further…

Anthony Joshua has returned to the gym as part of his mental and physical recovery whilst pledging to help achieve the goals his late friends had set for their families. The heavyweight boxer, 36, has spent recent weeks mourning the loss of personal trainer Latif “Latz” Ayodele and recovery therapist Sina Ghami, both 36, who died in a car accident in Nigeria on New Year’s Eve. Joshua was also injured in the crash and required brief hospitalisation before returning to the UK in early January. Speaking a month after the tragedy, Joshua revealed he has resumed training as a means…

Metropolitan Police officers have analyzed 69 electronic devices as part of one of the force’s most complex child sexual abuse investigations, leading to a former nursery worker admitting 30 additional offences. Vincent Chan, 45, from Stanhope Avenue in Finchley, appeared at Highbury Magistrates’ Court on Thursday where he entered guilty pleas to charges spanning multiple locations and years of offending. The British national admitted 12 counts of taking and making indecent images of children, one count of sexual assault, 11 counts of voyeurism, and six counts of outraging public decency. The crimes relate to 16 victims, including 10 individuals who…

The Department for Work and Pensions has upheld its decision not to provide financial redress to women affected by state pension age changes, citing the inability to justify a compensation bill exceeding £10 billion. Pat McFadden, DWP minister, delivered the confirmation to the House of Commons following a review of the Government’s position on payouts for an estimated 3.8 million women born during the 1950s. The determination followed months of deliberation, which included the discovery of a 2007 internal DWP evaluation during court proceedings. The document revealed officials had ceased sending automatic pension forecast letters to affected individuals. Mr McFadden…

An employment tribunal has upheld the dismissal of a London bus driver who was fired for gross misconduct after physically confronting a man who stole a passenger’s necklace. Mark Hehir’s appeal was rejected at a Watford tribunal, which ruled that Metroline’s decision to terminate his employment fell within the reasonable range of responses available to an employer in such circumstances. The incident occurred on 25 June 2024 when Hehir was operating the 206 route between Wembley and Maida Vale. A man boarded the vehicle, pushed past a female passenger and snatched jewellery from her neck before fleeing the scene. Hehir…

A Bradford man has been sentenced to more than eight years imprisonment after firing a pistol during a violent confrontation involving up to 15 balaclava-wearing men armed with weapons. Mohammed Kamal, 25, discharged the firearm during the late-night incident in a Manningham car park on 19 April, striking another man in the groin and leg. Witnesses reported seeing the large group carrying machetes, axes and hammers in the Victor Street area. The victim required surgical treatment following the attack. Kamal, of Girlington Road, Bradford, faced an initial attempted murder charge before admitting wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm…

The Defence Accident Investigation Branch has opened an inquiry following the death of a Royal Artillery officer during live-fire training at a Northumberland range where another soldier was fatally shot a decade ago. Captain Philip Gilbert Muldowney, 25, died on Sunday, January 25, after being struck during a night-time tactical exercise at Otterburn Training Area. The incident marks the second fatal shooting at the facility in ten years. The captain was participating in training alongside elite Scots Guards personnel when he was hit at approximately 8pm. Troops were using night vision goggles and SA80 assault rifles to engage pop-up targets…

A former Labour Member of Parliament is scheduled to appear before magistrates next month after prosecutors authorised a sexual assault charge following a police investigation. Conor McGinn, 41, will attend Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday, February 27, to face one count of sexual assault. The charge relates to an allegation made by a woman concerning an incident in July 2022. Mr McGinn served as the Labour MP for St Helens North throughout a nine-year parliamentary career between 2015 and 2024. He represented the Merseyside constituency until standing down at the general election. The Crown Prosecution Service confirmed it had authorised…

A far-right extremist who operated a Telegram group distributing terrorist material whilst manufacturing weapons at his London flat has been imprisoned for 15 years. Robert Adamski, 29, was convicted of four counts of disseminating terrorist publications and possession of a document for terrorist purposes following a two-week trial at Woolwich Crown Court in October 2025. He had previously admitted two counts of possessing a prohibited firearm. Counter Terrorism Command officers discovered extremist flags and images of Adolf Hitler when they raided Adamski’s Leyton home in July 2024. An ‘SS’ flag was among items seized during the search. The raid also…