Minggu, 28 Januari 2024

Bristol stabbing: Boys aged 15 and 16 killed in attack - BBC.com

PA Media Police and forensic officers at the scenePA Media
Police are looking for further suspects who are believed to have been involved in the attack

Two boys, aged 15 and 16, have died after being stabbed in Bristol.

They were attacked in Knowle West at about 23:20 GMT on Saturday by a group of people who fled the scene in a car, Avon and Somerset Police said.

A 44-year-old man and 15-year-old boy have been arrested and are in custody.

Bristol Commander Supt Mark Runacres said at a press conference: "There are further suspects that are being sought amongst the group that we believe are responsible."

Police have begun a murder investigation and they said a vehicle had been seized.

Supt Runacres said officers were keen to speak to passengers who were on a bus on Ilminster Avenue, where the stabbings occurred, at the time.

"Our collective thoughts are with their families at what is undoubtedly a very difficult time. Specialist family liaison officers will now be assigned to the families to provide them with support and keep them updated on the investigation," he said.

"A cordon is in place on Ilminster Avenue between Newquay Road and Tavistock Road, and members of the public can expect to see a large police presence as forensic searches and other enquiries are conducted."

PA Media A forensics officer carrying two large bagsPA Media
Forensic searches are being carried out in the area

Formal identification of the victims has not yet taken place and a forensic post-mortem will be scheduled in due course.

Supt Runacres said several witnesses had been identified.

In a statement, he said: "[I'm] frustrated that offences like this will take place anywhere. It's demoralising. But it makes me determined to support the community.

"[And] it makes me determined to work with the team of police officers we have committed to this to identify those and bring them to justice."

area cordoned off with police officers and vehicles
An investigation into the attack is being led by Avon and Somerset Major Crime Investigation Team

The neighbourhood policing team will be setting up a mobile police station near the scene and anyone with concerns or questions is encouraged to to speak to any of the officers.

High visibility patrols will also be carried out to provide reassurance to the community. Supt Runacres said it was extremely important there should be no commentary or sharing of information or images online which could in any way prejudice any future proceedings.

"I'd also like to remind people of the impact the sharing of images, footage or even discussing the incident online may have on the families of the two boys," he said.

"They are already going through the most difficult of times and you may cause them further upset."



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2024-01-28 16:14:00Z
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Badenoch tells anti-Sunak plotters stop 'stirring' but won't rule out leadership bid - The Independent

Kemi Badenoch has told plotters trying to oust Rishi Sunak from office to stop stirring – but did not rule out a future leadership bid.

The business secretary said she fully supported the prime minister as she attempted to distance herself from the bid to eject him from Downing Street.

Her name is at the centre of intense speculation over who could replace him, but she insisted the shadowy group were not her friends.

“They don’t care about me. They don’t care about my family or what this would entail. They are just stirring,” she said.

But she did not rule out a future tilt at the top job, saying “You never know these things [standing again] until you’re in the moment”.

Business secretary Kemi Badenoch

The beleaguered Mr Sunak is the focus of a plot by MPs, donors and former aides to force him from office.

Ms Badenoch’s name has been put forward as the possible “consensus” candidate to replace him – the MP who could command the most support across the party.

Asked about the plot on Sky’s Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, she said: “A lot of people who are going around doing this are creating problems and difficulties that the party and, more importantly, the country does not need.

“I fully support the prime minister.”

Those putting her name forward are not her friends, she said, adding: “They need to stop messing around and get behind the leader.

Prime minister Rishi Sunak

“The fact of the matter is most people in the country are not interested in all of this Westminster tittle-tattle. Quite frankly, the people who keep putting my name in there are not my friends.”

Tory donors recently funded an explosive poll that predicted a devastating Labour landslide unless Mr Sunak was removed as leader.

Tory peer Lord Frost, who organised the poll, has been warned he risks losing the party whip unless he comes clean and names the anonymous moneymen.

And this week a senior Tory linked to Liz Truss and Boris Johnson, Sir Simon Clarke, went public with calls for his party leader to go.

Ms Badenoch said she called Sir Simon afterwards “and asked him what on earth he was doing”.

She warned the Tory party cannot keep treating prime ministers as “disposable”, as she said she was “extremely” frustrated at the speculation.

But another Boris Johnson ally, Nadine Dorries accused Ms Badenoch of pursuing her leadership ambitions despite the denials.

On Ms Badenoch’s effective call for the plotters to shut up, Ms Dorries said: “She should take her own advice.”

She also accused the business secretary and former immigration minister, Robert Jenrick, seen as another leadership contender, of self-interest, saying: “What they are out for is themselves.”

Tim Montgomerie, who worked for Boris Johnson in Downing Street, said Tory members watching her interview would be thinking: “I would not mind Kemi as leader.”

A secret group of up to seven former advisers have been accused of running the campaign, dubbed the “Sheekey plotters” after a well-known seafood restaurant, J Sheekey, in central London they are said to frequent.

One was publicly unveiled as Will Dry, a former No 10 special adviser who worked on polling, while others are reported to have threatened to sue those who publicly name them.

The group are thought to be planning a war of attrition against the prime minister and are seen as upcoming “pain points” for the Tory leader, including looming by-elections and the local elections in May.

No 10 has taken to calling their attacks the “grid of s***”, a play on the Downing Street “grid” which dictates when government announcements will be made.

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2024-01-28 14:17:33Z
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King will not carry out royal engagements for up to a month as he recovers from surgery, Sky News understands - Sky News

The King will not carry out royal engagements for up to a month as he recovers from surgery in hospital, Sky News understands.

The King underwent a procedure for an enlarged prostate on Friday at The London Clinic and remains in hospital, with the Queen telling patients he is "doing well" during a visit.

Sky's royal correspondent Laura Bundock says there will now be a "period of recuperation" for the King.

He will be available for state matters while in hospital and can attend to red boxes with government papers when he is discharged, she added.

The King had last carried out duties in private on Thursday, ahead of arriving in London from Norfolk to prepare for the procedure.

Charles, who only acceded to the throne 16 months ago, had to cancel engagements ahead of the surgery as his doctors urged him to rest, though the exact nature of his treatment is not known.

Camilla visited Charles on his second day in hospital
Image: The Queen has visited the King each day during his hospital stay

The 75-year-old was diagnosed with the benign condition on 17 January after going for a check-up when he was experiencing symptoms.

It's understood he wanted to share the news to encourage other men to get themselves checked.

NHS England reported a boost in views of its "enlarged prostate" page on the NHS website, recording one visit every five seconds on the day the diagnosis was announced.

A Buckingham Palace spokesman previously said the King was "admitted to a London hospital for scheduled treatment".

The London Clinic
Pic:Reuters
Image: The King and the Princess of Wales are being treated at The London Clinic. Pic: Reuters

"His Majesty would like to thank all those who have sent their good wishes over the past week and is delighted to learn that his diagnosis is having a positive impact on public health awareness," the spokesman added.

The Princess of Wales is also staying at The London Clinic having undergone abdominal surgery.

Read more:
NHS skin cancer page boost after Duchess of York diagnosis
What we know as Princess of Wales recovers in hospital

Ahead of his own treatment, Charles visited Kate after her successful operation.

It is not known how long Charles will spend in hospital, but reports suggest he could remain there for the duration of the weekend.

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2024-01-28 13:40:49Z
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Sabtu, 27 Januari 2024

Major emergency response as man left seriously hurt after being hit by car - Manchester Evening News

A 64-year-old man was rushed to hospital with serious injuries after being hit by a car while crossing a major road in Bury.

Emergency services, including police officers and paramedics, were called to the scene of the crash on Derby Way, near Peel Way, at around 5.08pm yesterday (Friday). A stretch of the road was closed off near The Rock Shopping Centre as crews responded.

The man was taken to the Salford Royal Hospital from the scene. Police said his injuries were not 'immediately believed to be life-threatening or life-changing'.

Join our WhatsApp Top Stories and Breaking News group by clicking this link.

The driver of the car - a 44-year-old man - was arrested on suspicion of causing serious injury. Last night, he was released from police custody under investigation.

The busy road was cordoned off for several hours after the crash while investigations were carried out. Drivers were urged to avoid the area as congestion built up to the closure.

Police on the scene in Bury after the crash
Police on the scene in Bury after the crash

In an appeal issued this morning (Saturday), police urged any witnesses of the crash to come forward. They also want to speak to anyone who has CCTV or dash cam footage.

Information can be shared by calling 0161 856 4741, quoting log number 2733 of 26/01/2024. You can also report information to GMP's website using the ‘tell us about’ tool: www.gmp.police.uk

Alternatively, contact the independent charity Crimestoppers - anonymously – on 0800 555 111.

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Read more of today's top stories here

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2024-01-27 11:51:00Z
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Matthew Turner: Decorator who stole £32,000 worth of watches from Duke of Westminster's bedroom avoids jail - Sky News

A decorator who stole watches worth around £32,000 from the Duke of Westminster's home has avoided jail "by the skin of his teeth".

Matthew Turner, 24, was given a 20-month sentence, suspended for two years, after admitting the burglary of three watches, taken in August 2022.

Turner was working on renovations at Eaton Hall, on the outskirts of Chester, when he took the items from the bedroom of the duke, otherwise known as Hugh Grosvenor.

The 7th Duke of Westminster, Hugh Grosvenor
Image: The 7th Duke of Westminster, Hugh Grosvenor. Pic: PA

Sentencing Turner at Chester Crown Court, Judge Steven Everett, the Honorary Recorder of Chester, said: "You have escaped prison by the skin of your teeth."

The court heard Turner, who was addicted to cocaine at the time, took a Cartier London Tank JC watch, bought for £18,000, a Panerai Luminor Marina watch, worth £7,000, and a Breitling watch, worth about £7,000.

The items are of "huge sentimental value, beyond their financial worth," the duke said in a statement.

"My bedroom is a private, extremely personal space within my home," he said, adding, "I feel very uncomfortable knowing someone who is trusted to do a job has entered my room and stolen my personal possessions."

More from UK

The burglary only came to light when Harry Fane, who had sold the Cartier watch to the duke, spotted it for sale on an auction site in November that year in what was described in court as an "astonishing coincidence".

Judge Everett said it was clear Turner had declined to tell police where the other two watches, which have never been recovered, were, suggesting "at least one of the watches went to your drug dealer."

At the time of the offence, Turner was working for a firm which had worked on the duke's estate for more than 50 years and were "well and truly trusted" by the family, the court heard.

Read more on Sky News:
I took a lie detactor test - here's why it failed
Charity sees 'unprecedented' rise in antisemitic attacks
Brexit raises costs of fish, cheese and flowers

Last year, the duke, 32, was estimated by Bloomberg to have a net worth of approximately £9.42bn, much of it from his family's property empire.

The duke, who is godfather to Prince George, was top of the 2023 Sunday Times under-35's Rich List, with an estimated fortune of almost £10bn.

He was said to own "half of London" when he inherited his title and 300 acres of land across Belgravia and Mayfair, on his father's death, in 2016.

Myles Wilson, defending, said Turner had been spending hundreds of pounds on cocaine.

He said: "It's a typical scenario where his debts increase, his dealers become more desperate, he becomes more desperate and he's committed crime and really self-destructed."

Peter Hussey, prosecuting, said Turner had admitted a separate offence of taking £60 from a work colleague that December.

Turner was told he must complete 200 hours of unpaid work and 30 days of rehabilitation activity.

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2024-01-27 09:47:48Z
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Can you beat a lie detector? UK police increasingly using polygraph tests - here's how people try to cheat - Sky News

I'm officially a bad liar.

With a blood pressure cuff pumped tight around my arm, straps around my chest monitoring my breathing, and sensors on my fingers to pick up any traces of sweat, veteran polygraph test examiner Don Cargill says he can easily spot the signs I've told him a fib.

I've denied writing the number three on the piece of paper placed underneath my chair, in a simple exercise designed to show how my body reacts to lying. Even with nothing to lose, it's an uncomfortable experience.

But while commonly associated with daytime television programmes like The Jeremy Kyle Show, the use of lie detectors is expanding within the criminal justice system.

And the answers people give could help determine whether or not they can see their children - or even land them back in jail.

Jeremy Kyle in 2019. Pic: ITV
Image: Lie detector tests featured regularly on The Jeremy Kyle Show. Pic: ITV

In an office above a branch of Carpetright in west London, Mr Cargill carries out private polygraph tests. His clients have included foreign politicians accused of bribery, bodybuilders who want to prove they haven't taken performance-enhancing drugs, and people accused of stealing from their family or being unfaithful to a spouse.

More and more are trying to cheat the polygraph using instructions found online, he says. "There's a lot of techniques they do but we spot 90% of them or more."

I'm asked to jump up and down and open my mouth before my test. Some people have pressed drawing pins into the bottom of their shoes, or even superglued tacks in their mouths, to create a pain response in their brain to distort the chart, Mr Cargill says.

He asks for identification to make sure a stand-in hasn't been sent and carries out other simple tests to spot signs of sleep deprivation or illegal drug use.

A camera is trained on the subject's eyes to make sure they don't cross them or "zone out", while a seat pad is in place to catch out anyone clenching their bottom.

All of these methods have been used to try to cheat the test, Mr Cargill says.

Lie detectors are increasingly being used by police forces
Image: Sky's Henry Vaughan takes a lie detector test

Can lie detectors be cheated?

It is possible to beat the polygraph, says Newcastle University Emeritus Professor Don Grubin, but it takes a lot of practice with the equipment and examiners are trained to spot the signs of anyone trying to trick the test.

Double child killer Colin Pitchfork - who was jailed for life after raping and strangling 15-year-olds Lynda Mann and Dawn Ashworth in Leicestershire in 1983 and 1986 - was recalled to prison in 2021 partly due to concerns he was using breathing techniques in a bid to beat the lie detector.

The Home Office says the polygraph records physiological changes in a person, quoting research from the American Polygraph Association which found deception is accurately detected in 80 to 90% of cases.

Since 2014, probation services have carried out more than 8,800 polygraph tests, while police have conducted more than 4,600, says Prof Grubin, who explains around 60 to 70% result in disclosures - where someone reveals relevant information.

His company, Behavioural Measures UK, has trained and supervised dozens of police and parole polygraph test examiners over the past decade, and like other experts in the field, he doesn't like the term lie detectors.

The technology detects the "cognitive process" (or the brain working harder) when someone tells a lie, he explains.

Polygraph results
Image: The results of a polygraph test

The "real skill lies in the experience of the examiner", says Mr Cargill, the chief executive of VAST Screening Technologies Ltd and the chairman of the British and European Polygraph Association.

"Nervous reactions are completely different from people telling lies," he says. "Your heart rate physically increases because you're triggering the autonomic nervous system, which triggers a fight, flight or freeze response. You want to run away."

But critics, including University of Northumbria researchers Dr Marion Oswald, a professor of law, and associate professor Dr Kyriakos Kotsoglou, say much of the research is carried out by the industry itself and the accuracy can't be tested in a real-life situation - because it is impossible to verify if someone has told a lie.

They say it is an intrusive "interrogation" technique used to illicit confessions, arguing the polygraph device itself is unnecessary and could be swapped for putting someone's hand on a photocopying machine - a method apparently used by Detroit police and immortalised in cult American crime drama The Wire.

"If you can convince the subject that she or he is being monitored for lies and they believe it, then she or he will disclose more information," says Dr Kotsoglou.

How are lie detectors used?

The results can't be used as evidence in criminal courts but mandatory lie detector tests have been used as a licence condition for sex offenders since 2014, then rolled out to convicted terrorists in 2021 in the wake of the Fishmongers' Hall attack.

They are also used by police and the security services to monitor the small number of terror suspects made subject to Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measures (Tpims).

There is currently a three-year trial for their use on domestic abuse offenders, while the new Criminal Justice Bill proposes to extend this to convicted murderers who pose a risk of committing a relevant sexual offence on release.

The tests provide "invaluable information we would otherwise not have had about offenders' behaviour which helps us to better protect the public", the Ministry of Justice says.

The Metropolitan Police is looking into using lie detection technology to vet new recruits or root out corrupt officers following a string of damaging scandals, including the cases of Sarah Everard's murderer Wayne Couzens and serial rapist David Carrick.

David Carrick and Wayne Couzens
Image: David Carrick and Wayne Couzens

But "this is still at an early research stage" and there are no imminent plans to use the technology in this way, the force says.

Others are turning to lie detectors to try to prove their innocence.

Kevin Duffy, 70, passed a polygraph test after he was convicted of sexually assaulting a child, but the results weren't taken into account by the judge who jailed him for more than nine years.

His son Ryan Duffy, 44, says: "If there's something that can be used when it's one person's word against another's that can highlight some kind of evidence, why can't it be used?

"If they are prepared to look at it after conviction for single case issues such as, 'are you using public transport, hanging around schools', and relying on data for probation services, then why can't you use it beforehand?"

Kevin Duffy took a polygraph test to try to prove his innocence. Pic: Ryan Duffy
Image: Kevin Duffy took a polygraph test to try to prove his innocence. Pic: Ryan Duffy

People can't be sent back to prison for failing a test, but they can face further sanctions, such as stricter licence conditions, and they can be recalled for making disclosures that reveal they have breached licence conditions or indicate their risk has increased.

The information gathered can be shared with police to carry out further investigations, which could lead to charges, while those found trying to trick the polygraph can also be recalled to prison.

A government report last year revealed four convicted terrorists were sent back to jail as a result of lie detector tests - three were recalled after disclosing "risk-related information", while the fourth didn't comply with their polygraph licence condition.

'An uncomfortable experience'
Image: Sensors pick up any traces of sweat during the polygraph test

An increasing number of police forces are using the polygraph, which is seen as a useful tool to monitor and assess the risk of people on the sex offenders' register, allowing officers to concentrate stretched resources on those deemed the most dangerous.

At least 14 of the 43 territorial police forces in England and Wales are now using lie detectors, with 14 police officers and 11 staff qualified as polygraph examiners, according to figures obtained by Liberty Investigates.

The data shows 671 polygraph tests were carried out by the 13 forces who provided figures by calendar year, up from 458 in 2018, and a five-year high.

More forces are expected to start using the technology as the College of Policing makes available training through its "polygraph school".

Polygraph test
Image: Polygraph tester Don Cargill reviews Henry's results

Suspects facing lie detector tests

Testing is "only mandatory by way of conditional caution or a positive obligation of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order or Sexual Risk Order" imposed by the courts, says the National Police Chiefs' Council, and "any police use of polygraph will form part of a wider and detailed risk management plan tailored to the individual concerned".

But the University of Northumbria researchers say a non-statutory regime of testing is being carried out by some forces, including on suspects during criminal investigation.

People arrested on suspicion of committing online child sex offences, for example, could be asked to take a test as part of a risk assessment to determine whether they can have contact with children, including their own.

Figures obtained by Prof Oswald and Dr Kotsoglou, using freedom of information requests, show that at least 228 such polygraph interviews were carried out over six years.

Other responses indicated use in "voluntary" risk assessments of convicted sex offenders, including those who apply for removal from the sex offenders' register, and ambitions to use polygraph testing for more general offences such as violence.

History of the lie detector

The polygraph machine was invented in 1921 by police officer John Larson in Berkley, California, and has been used by US law enforcement agencies ever since and spread across the world.

His work was picked up by Leonard Keeler, who is widely credited as the inventor of the modern lie detector.

In the 1990s, the polygraph entered the computer age as statisticians at Johns Hopkins University developed an algorithm to analyse the data collected.

Jack Ruby, who shot dead Lee Harvey Oswald two days after he assassinated John F Kennedy requested and was granted a polygraph test to try to prove he was not involved in a conspiracy with Oswald - but then FBI-director J Edgar Hoover said the technique was not "sufficiently precise" to judge truth or deception "without qualification".

Notable failures include CIA agent Aldrich Ames, who passed two polygraph tests while spying for the Soviet Union.

Prof Oswald says: "I think our concern is that should we really in this country be basing really serious criminal justice decisions in a legal system on a scientific technique that is highly contested, to put it mildly, and hasn't, especially in the policing circumstance, been discussed by parliament?"

The College of Policing says: "The College is working closely with the NPCC to establish a Polygraph School so that policing in England and Wales has access to standardised learning and development in the use of the tool that is tailored to their operating environment.

"The College will develop operational advice so that forces using the tool have a consistent basis on which to do so whilst recognising the relevant legal provisions."

Peter Bondarenko demonstrates the VAST device
Image: A new test known as 'polygraph in a box' has been developed

What is the future for lie detectors?

The technology has existed in some form for around a century and now Mr Cargill has invented what he calls a "completely revolutionary" Validated Automated Screening Technology (VAST) system - or "polygraph in a box".

Programmed to find out anything from whether someone has massaged the qualifications on their CV to if they're a member of an international terrorist organisation, he says the device is as accurate as any polygraph examiner and is already being used by police in the UK.

But the testing time is reduced to around 20 minutes from three hours and can be used with just 15 minutes training.

After filling out a questionnaire, the subject - attached to the device, wearing headphones and sensors on their fingers and palm - is instructed to silently answer "no" to the questions by a person in a recorded video on the screen. A human then grills them about any responses that indicate deception.

"I call it a truth verifier rather than a lie detector because what it's doing is testing integrity," explains Mr Cargill.

The technology, he says, would be ideal for use in police vetting and he wants to see it rolled out to areas such as Border Force, where officers could verify someone's age or country of origin.

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2024-01-27 02:50:01Z
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Jumat, 26 Januari 2024

Nottingham killer could be eligible for release in three years - The Telegraph

The Nottingham killer Valdo Calocane could become eligible for release after three years under the terms of the hospital order imposed by the judge, The Telegraph can reveal.

Calocane, a paranoid schizophrenic, was handed an indefinite order to be detained in a high security hospital on Thursday after he pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the basis of diminished responsibility.

The 32-year-old took the lives of 19-year-old university students Barnaby Webber and Grace O’Malley-Kumar before killing 65-year-old school caretaker Ian Coates in a series of violent attacks in Nottingham on June 13 in 2023.

The order, under section 37 of the Mental Health Act 1983, entitles an offender to a review of their mental health every three years where they could become eligible for release if doctors assess that they have recovered and are of sound mind.

Under the terms of his sentence, Calocane is also subject to a section 41 order which gives the Justice Secretary or a first tier tribunal the power to block his release on the grounds that he is assessed to still be a risk to the public.

However, the judge did not impose a section 45a order, which would have meant that even if Calocane was judged safe to release, he would only be allowed to serve the rest of his sentence in jail, rather than in the community.

The Telegraph revealed on Thursday that Victoria Prentis, KC, the Attorney General, is to review the sentence after a complaint was lodged with her office that it was “unduly lenient”.

She has 28 days to decide whether to refer the case to the Court of Appeal to decide whether the sentence was appropriate and should be increased.

School caretaker Ian Coates (left) and university students Grace O’Malley-Kumar and Barnaby Webber were killed by Calocane in violent attacks
School caretaker Ian Coates (left) and university students Grace O’Malley-Kumar and Barnaby Webber were killed by Calocane in violent attacks

Legal experts suggested that one option would be to impose a section 45a so that Calocane would be required to serve his sentence in prison if he was to recover his mental health.

The judge decided against the 45a order on the basis that the current prognosis is that Calocane is unlikely to recover sufficiently to be released and is likely to spend the rest of his life in a secure hospital.

It is understood there is concern within Government at the three-yearly-review trigger for release. It has been raised previously as a source of additional trauma for bereaved families by the victims’ commissioner.

Offenders can apply to have the review every year, rather than an automatic reassessment every three years. 

“For victims’ families it means they can feel as if they are perpetually living on the edge, with the case being reviewed year after year after year,” said a victims’ commissioner source.

Calocane was originally charged with murder but this was downgraded to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility due to his paranoid schizophrenia.

Outside Nottingham Crown Court after the sentencing, Barney’s mother Emma criticised the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) saying she had felt “rushed, hastened and railroaded” into accepting the manslaughter plea.

Mr Coates’ son James said: “This man has made a mockery of the system, and he has got away with murder.”

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman on Thursday said “any lessons must be learned” by the CPS, police and NHS and told them they must review their handling of Calocane and the killings, describing it as a “truly harrowing” case and offering his “heartfelt condolences”.

A spokeswoman for the Attorney General’s office confirmed a complaint had been received which would now be considered by Ms Prentis and her legal team. More than 100 offenders had their sentences increased in 2022, the latest data shows.

A CPS spokesman said: “Our thoughts and sympathies are with the families of the victims at this incredibly difficult time. Engagement with those who have been left bereaved is one of our highest priorities and in all cases, we continue to liaise with victims’ families throughout the legal process.”

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