Babak Belurs

Minggu, 24 April 2022

Jamie Wallis MP says he wants to begin gender transition process 'as quickly as possible' as he descibes rape and blackmail ordeal - Sky News

A Tory MP who announced last month that he is trans has said he hopes to begin the process of transitioning "as quickly as possible" and hailed the "incredible amount of support" since he came out.

Speaking on Sophy Ridge on Sunday, Jamie Wallis, MP for Bridgend, also described his experiences of rape and blackmail.

Mr Wallis acknowledged the transition process will be "challenging and difficult" with "lots of hurdles", saying: "It's not going to be done overnight, it's going to take many, many years."

But he added: "I think now that I am out and people do know, I'm free to start that and actually go on that journey at a pace that I find comfortable."

'Maybe there was some sort of horrible mistake'

Asked why it is he feels that he is a woman, Mr Wallis said: "I have gender dysphoria... that is the medical diagnosis that is required for a legal change of gender but it is also the condition that describes that lack of reconciliation between what you look like and what your body says and how you feel on the inside."

Mr Wallis, who said he currently still prefers the pronouns he and him, revealed he has felt this way for a "very long time".

"I was eight years old when I was trying to work out what this was... because there wasn't the ready access to the internet and there wasn't anyone else in my community at home that felt like this or that I knew about," he said.

"So I had absolutely no idea what it was and I remember being eight and trying to work out whether this was something that affected just me or whether there were other people that might feel like this.

"I came to the wrong conclusion. At the time I thought that it was just me and maybe there was some sort of horrible mistake or something had gone very wrong."

'It's foolish to live for other people'

Mr Wallis said he spent a lot of time trying to hide who he was and "sort of run away from it", not letting people know how he felt.

"I just remember being really frightened, scared," he said.

He described the important moment when he realised he was not alone and that other people experienced similar things to him.

He said he reached a point in his life when he decided it was "foolish to live for other people".

"About a year ago, maybe about six or eight months ago, I woke up one day and I realised actually I am no longer ashamed of this.

"This is who I am, this is what I want and actually I have waited a long time to feel that way."

Mr Wallis said his emotional statement on Twitter last month, in which he revealed he was transgender, was "probably inevitable" after that realisation.

Following his announcement, Mr Wallis was widely praised for his bravery by MPs from across the political spectrum, including Boris Johnson who said his message "would have taken an immense amount of courage".

'A part of me died'

In his interview with Sky's Sophy Ridge, Mr Wallis was asked about what he had said in the statement about his experience of rape.

He continued: "I met someone that I liked and things started off quite well.

"Then I was not okay with not being what I consider to be responsible and safe practice in the bedroom, so I withdrew consent and then there was… then he just decided that he was going to do it anyway and I was powerless to stop him and in that moment a part of me died and I have been trying to get it back ever since."

Asked if he had managed to get that part of himself back, he replied: "No."

"I tried to forget about it for a few weeks and it almost worked, almost worked but then you start getting nightmares, flashbacks, it starts occupying every one of your thoughts and you find yourself just staring off into the distance because you're thinking about it again and that's when I chose to get some help.

"Like I said in my statement, I'm not okay, I'm not the person I was before that happened but I am at least in a place where I can get on with my life whilst I am dealing with it."

Mr Wallis spoke about how many people had contacted him after his statement in March to report similar experiences.

He said: "I think what is truly frightening actually is after I said what I said, there has been a shocking number of people getting in touch with me to say that something similar has happened to them and that has changed my whole thinking and has made me become very concerned about the potential for this to be a much more pervasive issue than I think a lot of people currently think it is."

Outpouring of support following blackmail ordeal

Also detailed in his March statement on Twitter was his experience being blackmailed over his gender identity.

He said: "I was in a very dark place, someone had got this information and had evidence of it and they blackmailed me - but the police were fantastic.

"Not only did they take it seriously but they got a successful outcome, so the CPS, the police, were really good."

Since putting out the statement, Mr Wallis said he has received an "incredible amount of support".

Asked what advice he would give to a young person grappling with their gender identity, he said: "I waited and a lot of young people right now I think are dealing with gender issues and my advice to them would be, you've got a long life.

"I wouldn't wait as long as I've waited, I'm 37 - maybe you can move a little bit quicker than that - but actually there's absolutely nothing wrong with just taking some time and discovering yourself and don't feel rushed to pick up a label or view it in any way.

"But when you know who you are and you are ready and you want to tell the world and assert that, there are people like myself here that are waiting and we're welcoming, we're friendly and we're here to help and support."

Watch MP Jamie Wallis's full interview on the Sophy Ridge on Sunday programme on Sky News from 8.30am this morning.

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2022-04-24 04:53:13Z
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Sabtu, 23 April 2022

Drone pictures of heath fire at Canford Heath - Bournemouth Echo

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Drone pictures of heath fire at Canford Heath Bournemouth Echo
Huge wildfires rage in Dorset - fire crews battle blaze as residents ordered to evacuate Express
Firefighters battling 'significant' blaze at heathland in Dorset Bridgwater Mercury
Fire crews spend hours tackling blaze at Gorton allotment Manchester Evening News
'Significant' fire being tackled at Lodmoor bird reserve Dorset Echo
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2022-04-23 21:05:47Z
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Bedworth: Three stabbed and 10 others hurt in town centre attack - BBC

Two men and a woman have been stabbed and at least 10 other people injured in a town centre.

Officers were called at about 08:00 BST to reports of people being assaulted in Bedworth, Warwickshire, on Coventry Road and Gilbert Close.

One of the men who was stabbed, aged in his 20s, is in a stable condition in hospital.

A 33-year-old man, from Bedworth, has been arrested and remains in custody, the force said.

It added he would undergo a mental health assessment and officers were not looking for any other suspects.

The other two stab victims have been discharged from hospital after treatment; the other victims all suffered minor injuries.

One woman told the BBC she was woken up by loud bangs on her front door and, when she answered, a man punched her twice and stabbed her in the throat with a pair of scissors.

A neighbour, Sheila Corcoran, said the attacks had made her feel unsafe: "You are always going to think now, is somebody going to come and bang the door?"

Det Sgt Rich Simpkins described it as a "nasty incident" and said he wanted to hear from anyone else who might have been attacked.

"We know that a number of people were in the area at around the time of the incident and that there may be more members of the public who may have been approached or assaulted," he said.

Extra police patrols will be carried out in and around the town centre, the force said.

Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk

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2022-04-23 17:34:01Z
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Jacob Rees-Mogg criticised for leaving 'demeaning' notes for civil servants working from home - Sky News

Jacob Rees-Mogg has been criticised for leaving "crass, demeaning" notes on the empty desks of civil servants urging them to return to the office.

The government efficiency minister has recently called for the "rapid return" of civil servants to their desks in Whitehall now COVID restrictions have ended.

In notes left for civil servants, he wrote: "Sorry you were out when I visited.

"I look forward to seeing you in the office very soon."

Sky News understands Mr Rees-Mogg's department, the Cabinet Office, was completely empty when he left the notes.

He is said to consider it very important for the taxpayer to see that the government is working properly and the Whitehall estate is well used.

Dave Penman, the head of the civil servants' union FDA, said Mr Rees-Mogg was "virtue signalling to his political base" and in doing so damaging the morale of civil servants.

Mr Penman told Sky News: "That a minister would think it appropriate to leave such crass, demeaning notes for civil servants is testament to just how disconnected Jacob Rees-Mogg is from the business of government.

"With every pronouncement and display like this, he demonstrates that he has no clue how the modern workplace operates and cares little about the effective delivery of vital public services.

"Instead, he's intent on virtue signalling to his political base, and is either oblivious to or simply doesn't care about the damage he's doing to the morale of civil servants and the reputation of the civil service as an employer."

Mr Penman added: "Ministers should care about what is being delivered by the civil service, not where someone sits at a particular point in the day.

"It's time Rees-Mogg's cabinet colleagues stood up for the staff in their departments and ended the harmful culture war that's being waged on the very people tasked with delivering the government's agenda."

Labour's deputy leader, Angela Rayner, tweeted: "Hasn't Jacob Rees-Mogg got more important thing to be doing than pottering around leaving creepy notes for public servants? We're not in the 18th Century now."

Earlier this month, Mr Rees-Mogg wrote to all secretaries of state arguing that ending working from home now COVID restrictions have been scrapped would bring the benefits of "face-to-face collaborative working".

He also sent ministers a league table showing which departments had been sending staff into the office most, with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) at the top, and the Department for Education at the bottom.

The league table showed how many employees from each department were going into the office on an average day during the week beginning 4 April.

At the Department for Education, 25% were going in, on average, while the rest worked remotely, with the Department for Work and Pensions at 27% and the Foreign Office at 31%.

The DTI had 73% in the office, followed by the Department of Health at 72%, and Mr Rees-Mogg's department, the Cabinet Office, at 69%.

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2022-04-23 15:13:42Z
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Dog homes inundated with people returning their pets as the cost-of-living crisis bites - Sky News

A charity is being inundated with calls from people looking to give up their dogs due to the cost-of-living crisis.

Birmingham Dogs Home has taken in 53% more animals than last year and its two sites are now full.

Charity fundraiser Rachel Frost told Sky News: "I don't think we saw that the cost of living was going to increase.

"We kind of knew about the lockdown dogs and people not having the time for them once things got back to normal, the socialising aspect of dogs during lockdown, so we foresaw we were going to get an increase in dogs that way, but the cost of living has shocked people."

The charity, which is also battling to absorb the costs of rising utility bills and fuel, is currently housing 130 dogs - with 93 brought to them over the last month.

Cersi, a one-eyed French bulldog, will soon be looking for a new home after veterinary treatment. She was taken in because her owner could no longer afford her.

"Everything's gone up, so that's really tough on families, it's a very hard decision to make," Ms Frost added.

At Christmas, the RSPCA rescued 29% more animals than the previous year in England and Wales.

The charity said it was expecting to see a further increase by summer due to the cost-of-living crisis.

A spokesperson told Sky News: "For those who are struggling to care for their pet as a result of the cost-of-living crisis, we would urge people to please seek help from friends and family, or reputable charities like ourselves.

"We're concerned that we could see a rise in abandonments as the rising cost of living puts a strain on people's finances or we could see a rise in pets being treated with home remedies to cut costs instead of being taken to the vet.

"This could all have a worrying impact on animal welfare."

Tumours, knee surgery and skin irritations are amongst the problems that vets at Birmingham Dogs Home are dealing with.

The average cost of caring for a small dog is around £50 a month, but that doesn't include cover if things go wrong.

Vet Matt Perks explained: "In terms of insurance, there's a wide range out there - but you're probably looking at £50 a month for a good level of cover with lifetime cover.

"It's so worth that security. If, for example, a dog ever needs an MRI scan, you're probably talking £2,500 to £3,000 for a scan alone, some orthopaedic procedures we're talking well into thousands of pounds.

"During lockdown, people went out and bought a dog thinking it's a good idea and then it's only an afterthought when the dog starts getting problems - and is probably why we end up with these relinquishments, because people can't afford the care."

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2022-04-23 00:59:51Z
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Jumat, 22 April 2022

Hakeem Hussain: Drug addict Laura Heath found guilty of manslaughter after son dies of asthma attack - Sky News

A drug addict mother has been found guilty of the manslaughter of her asthmatic son after he died alone and "gasping for air" in a garden.

Laura Heath deliberately "prioritised her addiction to heroin and crack cocaine" prior to the "needless, premature" death of seven-year-old Hakeem Hussain on Sunday 26 November 2017, Coventry Crown Court heard.

The 40-year-old, formerly of Long Acre in Nechells, Birmingham, has been convicted of gross negligence manslaughter after her "frail" son died of an asthma attack at the home of a friend where they had been staying.

Images shown in court revealed how Heath, who had a £55-a-day drug habit, had even modified one of her son's blue inhalers with foil and an elastic band so she could use it to smoke crack.

It emerged during the trial that school nurse Melanie Richards had told a child protection conference just two days before Hakeem's death he could "die at the weekend".

Health, education and social workers voted to protect Hakeem at the same conference.

However, the meeting ended with an agreement that the family's social worker would speak to Heath about the outcome on the Monday - by which time Hakeem had died.

Neelam Ahmed, a family outreach worker at the boy's school, told jurors how she had voted at that meeting "to take Hakeem immediately in to care".

Both Ms Richards and Ms Ahmed scored Hakeem's safety as "zero" out of 10.

Andy Couldrick, chief executive of Birmingham Children's Trust, said after the verdict that social workers missed "clear opportunities" to prevent the boy's death.

The jury also heard how Heath had previously had other children taken into care.

A serious case review into all agencies' contact with the youngster and his mother, before his death, is set to be published within weeks.

Boy had been in hospital three times before his death

Crown counsel Matthew Brook said when opening the case that Hakeem had been repeatedly absent from school and had experienced three emergency admissions to hospital.

The third was when he spent four days in Birmingham Children's Hospital's high dependency unit for four days in September 2017 to receive treatment for his "life-threatening" condition.

Prosecutors said Heath should have been well aware of Hakeem's spiralling health problems.

However, Heath "failed to administer" any "preventer" asthma medication in the two days before he died and did not have access to a spacer device used to get more drugs into a child's lungs, her trial heard.

Police searches later found part of a spacer amid the squalor of mouldy food, over-filled ashtrays, and drugs paraphernalia in her home.

Heath smoked three bags of heroin the night before son's death

During the trial it was heard Heath had been living in a home on Long Acre since 2013, with one visitor describing the conditions as "disgusting".

The same witness told how Hakeem said he had no bed, sleeping instead on the sofa, while there was evidence Heath used an upstairs bedroom for sex work to fund her habit with a basket of condoms next to the mattress.

In the days before his death, Heath recently started staying with a friend, Timothy Busk who lived in a flat in Cook Street, a short walk away.

One visitor described it as being "foggy and smoky" inside and a "mess", the court heard.

Heath would later tell police she smoked three bags of heroin - two before Hakeem went to bed at 10.30pm - and one afterwards, leaving her in a drug-induced sleep on the night before her son died.

Mr Busk then woke Heath up at 7.37am on Sunday 26 November 2017 and told her he had found Hakeem dead in the garden and had carried his gaunt body to the sofa.

Heath phoned 999 and later told police in interview: "Hakeem was freezing and his lips were blue.

"Hakeem would go out when he was unwell and must have fallen asleep (when outside).

"I just suspect he didn't wake me up, took himself to get fresh air and then probably fell asleep."

Jurors heard Hakeem's father - who attended much of the trial - was in prison at the time of the boy's death for an offence not related to his son.

Heath will be sentenced on Thursday.

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2022-04-22 16:55:18Z
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Luton flat fire: Man fell to his death from burning high-rise after police arrived to hunt arsonist - Sky News

A man fell to his death from a burning high-rise flat after police arrived to hunt a suspected arsonist living there.

Detectives had been investigating three attempted arson attacks on local properties in the early hours of Wednesday and used CCTV footage to identify a suspect living on the 14th floor of a flat in Green Court, Luton, Bedfordshire.

Five officers were sent to the home, in a 15-storey block, at around 4am on Thursday but arrived to find the entrance on fire.

They tried to get inside to rescue the man but were overcome by the flames, police said.

One of the officers suffered serious burns and remained in hospital on Friday.

The others were treated for "minor injuries and smoke inhalation" and discharged.

Emergency services were called to the scene but police said the "fire took further hold of the flat" before the man, in his 50s, fell from a window and died.

He had not been formally identified by Friday afternoon.

Police have contacted the next of kin of the person they believe him to be, while the matter has been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.

Assistant Chief Constable Sharn Basra said: "This is a tragic case and we are working hard to establish all of the facts of what took place.

"Our focus on Thursday was on identifying the man who had died and tracing his family members before we released any further information publicly.

"We have also been carefully recovering all possible evidence from the scene and assisting residents who had been displaced from their homes.

"What is clear from the evidence collected so far is the bravery of the attending officer, who tried to fight through the flames to save the man inside.

"Our thoughts remain with both him as he recovers in hospital and the loved ones of the man who sadly died."

More than 100 residents were evacuated from the building on Thursday morning, with the majority allowed back into their flats by the evening.

Anyone with information which may aid the investigation is asked to call 101 or get in touch with police through beds.police.uk/ro/report, quoting Operation Cheagle.

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2022-04-22 17:32:43Z
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