An Australian man who raped a British backpacker during a month-long kidnapping ordeal in outback Queensland has been jailed for 10 years.
Marcus Allyn Keith Martin, 25, had pleaded guilty to charges of rape and deprivation of liberty.
He held Elisha Greer, then 22, hostage during a 1,600km (1,000 mile) road trip in 2017 - during which she was beaten and had a gun held to her head.
Ms Greer, from Liverpool, was rescued after police pulled over their 4x4.
Judge Dean Morzone told the Cairns District Court on Tuesday that Martin would be required to serve at least 80% of his sentence, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported.
Rescue after fuel stop
The court heard the pair had begun a brief relationship after meeting at a party in January 2017, but Martin soon turned violent.
After embarking on a road trip, Martin held Ms Greer against her will and beat and raped her repeatedly.
The ordeal ended four weeks later in the town of Mitchell, after a service station owner called police.
The owner had witnessed Ms Greer driving off without paying for fuel. Police stopped the 4x4 a short time later and found Martin hiding in the back.
An Australian man who raped a British backpacker during a month-long kidnapping ordeal in outback Queensland has been jailed for 10 years.
Marcus Allyn Keith Martin, 25, had pleaded guilty to charges of rape and deprivation of liberty.
He held Elisha Greer, then 22, hostage during a 1,600km (1,000 mile) road trip in 2017 - during which she was beaten and had a gun held to her head.
Ms Greer, from Liverpool, was rescued after police pulled over their 4x4.
Judge Dean Morzone told the Cairns District Court on Tuesday that Martin would be required to serve at least 80% of his sentence, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported.
Rescue after fuel stop
The court heard the pair had begun a brief relationship after meeting at a party in January 2017, but Martin soon turned violent.
After embarking on a road trip, Martin held Ms Greer against her will and beat and raped her repeatedly.
The ordeal ended four weeks later in the town of Mitchell, after a service station owner called police.
The owner had witnessed Ms Greer driving off without paying for fuel. Police stopped the 4x4 a short time later and found Martin hiding in the back.
An Australian man who raped a British backpacker during a month-long kidnapping ordeal in outback Queensland has been jailed for 10 years.
Marcus Allyn Keith Martin, 25, had pleaded guilty to charges of rape and deprivation of liberty.
He held Elisha Greer, then 22, hostage during a 1,600km (1,000 mile) road trip in 2017 - during which she was beaten and had a gun held to her head.
Ms Greer, from Liverpool, was rescued after police pulled over their 4x4.
Judge Dean Morzone told the Cairns District Court on Tuesday that Martin would be required to serve at least 80% of his sentence, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported.
Rescue after fuel stop
The court heard the pair had begun a brief relationship after meeting at a party in January 2017, but Martin soon turned violent.
After embarking on a road trip, Martin held Ms Greer against her will and beat and raped her repeatedly.
The ordeal ended four weeks later in the town of Mitchell, after a service station owner called police.
The owner had witnessed Ms Greer driving off without paying for fuel. Police stopped the 4x4 a short time later and found Martin hiding in the back.
But while Trump met with only the queen in 2018, this time around, the heir to the British throne, Charles, Prince of Wales, and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, as well as Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, will also play hosts.
Also underscoring the personal nature of Trump's June trip is the fact that the president plans to bring all four of his adult children with him to the U.K. for the state visit, a White House official confirmed to CNBC on Friday.
The optics of Britain's royal family hosting the extended Trump family are likely to create just the kind of imagery the president is known to appreciate.
Below is an abridged list of the events Trump is expected to attend in the U,K. that will feature members of the royal family, according to the Buckingham Palace schedule.
MONDAY 3rd JUNE
The President of the United States of America and Mrs. Trump will arrive in the UK on the morning of Monday 3rd June.
Her Majesty The Queen, joined by The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall, will officially welcome The President and Mrs Trump at Buckingham Palace. The President will receive a Ceremonial Welcome in the Buckingham Palace Garden and The President, accompanied by The Prince of Wales, will inspect the Guard of Honour.
The Queen will host a private lunch at Buckingham Palace for the President and First Lady, after which Her Majesty will invite The President and Mrs. Trump to view a special exhibition in the Picture Gallery, which will showcase items of historical significance to the United States from the Royal Collection.
Afterwards, The President and Mrs. Trump, accompanied by The Duke of York, will visit Westminster Abbey.
The President and Mrs. Trump will then join The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall for tea at Clarence House.
In the evening, Her Majesty The Queen will give a State Banquet at Buckingham Palace for The President of the United States of America and Mrs. Trump.
TUESDAY 4th JUNE
On Tuesday morning, The President and The Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon Theresa May MP will co-host a business breakfast meeting, attended by The Duke of York, at St James's Palace, with senior UK and US business leaders.
In the evening, The President and Mrs. Trump will host a return dinner at Winfield House, the Residence of the Ambassador of the United States of America. The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall will attend the dinner on behalf of Her Majesty The Queen.
WEDNESDAY 5th JUNE
On Wednesday, The Queen, accompanied by The Prince of Wales, with The President and Mrs. Trump, will attend the National Commemorative Event for the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings at Southsea Common, Portsmouth, alongside over 300 D-Day veterans.
The Queen will formally bid farewell to The President and Mrs. Trump in Portsmouth.
But while Trump met with only the queen in 2018, this time around, the heir to the British throne, Charles, Prince of Wales, and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, as well as Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, will also play hosts.
Also underscoring the personal nature of Trump's June trip is the fact that the president plans to bring all four of his adult children with him to the U.K. for the state visit, a White House official confirmed to CNBC on Friday.
The optics of Britain's royal family hosting the extended Trump family are likely to create just the kind of imagery the president is known to appreciate.
Below is an abridged list of the events Trump is expected to attend in the U,K. that will feature members of the royal family, according to the Buckingham Palace schedule.
MONDAY 3rd JUNE
The President of the United States of America and Mrs. Trump will arrive in the UK on the morning of Monday 3rd June.
Her Majesty The Queen, joined by The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall, will officially welcome The President and Mrs Trump at Buckingham Palace. The President will receive a Ceremonial Welcome in the Buckingham Palace Garden and The President, accompanied by The Prince of Wales, will inspect the Guard of Honour.
The Queen will host a private lunch at Buckingham Palace for the President and First Lady, after which Her Majesty will invite The President and Mrs. Trump to view a special exhibition in the Picture Gallery, which will showcase items of historical significance to the United States from the Royal Collection.
Afterwards, The President and Mrs. Trump, accompanied by The Duke of York, will visit Westminster Abbey.
The President and Mrs. Trump will then join The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall for tea at Clarence House.
In the evening, Her Majesty The Queen will give a State Banquet at Buckingham Palace for The President of the United States of America and Mrs. Trump.
TUESDAY 4th JUNE
On Tuesday morning, The President and The Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon Theresa May MP will co-host a business breakfast meeting, attended by The Duke of York, at St James's Palace, with senior UK and US business leaders.
In the evening, The President and Mrs. Trump will host a return dinner at Winfield House, the Residence of the Ambassador of the United States of America. The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall will attend the dinner on behalf of Her Majesty The Queen.
WEDNESDAY 5th JUNE
On Wednesday, The Queen, accompanied by The Prince of Wales, with The President and Mrs. Trump, will attend the National Commemorative Event for the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings at Southsea Common, Portsmouth, alongside over 300 D-Day veterans.
The Queen will formally bid farewell to The President and Mrs. Trump in Portsmouth.
British broadcasters BBC and Channel 4 have revealed that the rise of SVOD services including Netflix and Amazon has lead to rising production and talent costs in the UK television sector.
The rising cost of drama production has been laid out by both broadcasters in their submission to the House of Lords Communications Committee Inquiry on Public Service Broadcasting In The Age Of Video-On-Demand.
C4 highlighted the fact that the average budget for its drama has risen by over 100% in the last few years from £725,000 per hour in 2013 to £1.5M in 2017. “This is particularly driven by an increase in costs of production crew, as a result of increased demand and high tariffs from other content producers,” it noted in its submission.
The broadcaster added that it responded to these increased costs by co-producing with international operators, including with the likes of Netflix. However, it added, “We do not believe it is appropriate for Channel 4 to develop co-productions for all its titles, given the likelihood for co-producers to want stories that are likely to have a more global appeal, and we believe it is important that UK-specific stories do not get diluted. We also know that longer-term concerns have been raised by high-profile talent such as Peter Kosminsky about whether we and the other public service broadcasters are becoming increasingly priced out of the market, particularly in genres like drama.”
Netflix and Amazon’s European growth has also caused issues with the demand for skilled production crew and studio space. C4 said that the SVOD services “should play their part in addressing” this and called for these companies to “commit to some level of transparency and reporting of their activity in the UK”.
Similarly, the BBC claimed that the SVOD services “may present long-term challenges to the established business models for producers” in the UK as well as an increase on talent costs. “The changes in the market have resulted in more fluidity across the sector in terms of talent. Talent development and idea creation is essential and, with the increased opportunities available from SVODs, the cost of talent, on and off screen, has inflated,” it noted.
The BBC has been increasingly co-producing its scripted slate with the SVOD with titles including Neil Gaiman’s forthcoming adaptation of Good Omens with Amazon.
“Co-production investment has been an important source of funding for the BBC’s programmes. It has helped us to continue to commission programmes which, due to significant cost inflation, might not be possible for the BBC to finance alone given constrained public service budgets,” it wrote. “However, working with SVODs presents the BBC with challenges, including the risk that the BBC and other PSBs are cut out of future opportunities as SVODs increasingly seek to fully fund commissions, working directly with established talent and producers.”
The issue of attribution has also come up again. Channel 4 has been particularly vocal on this topic with its Netflix co-production The End Of The Fxxking World, which it noted was “commonly perceived by both press and audiences as being a Netflix ‘Original’ show”. “The importance of retaining brand attribution is a key strategic focus for Channel 4 going forward, and we are investing significantly in marketing to ensure that our programmes and our brand cut through with audiences. Where we negotiate co-productions directly with the SVOD platforms, we are ensuring that our brand stings are ‘burnt in’ to the beginning of shows once they appear on these services and the programming tiles that viewers scroll through attribute the shows to us,” it added.
While series such as Derry Girls and Catastrophe are described as ‘original’ SVOD shows, “despite merely being an acquisition”, it noted that as a public service broadcaster it had to following formal reporting requirements as to what is original versus acquired content. “It would not be possible under this regulatory regime to classify acquired shows such as Homeland, The Handmaid’s Tale or The Good Place as ‘Channel 4 Originals’ just because we have the UK rights to show them,” it noted.
NEAR WELWYN GARDEN CITY, England — An old toilet and a rusty kitchen sink sit amid a massive heap of junk covering the floor of an ancient beech forest.
Mattresses, old fridges, asbestos, office chairs and even a pink children's slide are mixed in with household and construction waste — with a mansion on the historic Brocket Hall Estate just a short walk away.
An estimated 485 tons of trash were dumped in the greenery here over a five-day period last summer.
Dating to 1760, Brocket Hall has been home to two British prime ministers and describes itself as a "favorite country retreat of royalty."
Susannah Ireland / for NBC News
Michael Longshaw, the estate’s managing director, says "an enormous, almost like a military operation" was required to get so much garbage there in such a short time. He is now bracing for a cleanup bill expected to reach £200,000 ($258,000).
There is big money to be made in illegal dumping, and it can be made fast. And England's Environment Agency says "networks of career criminals" are increasingly getting involved in illegal dumping.
"They are not specialized waste crime criminals," North Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner Julia Mulligan told NBC News. "They are largely organized criminals looking at ways in which they can make and launder money. This is another string to their bow, if you like.”
Bluebells grow near piles of trash dumped near the Brocket Hall Estate, which is located around 22 miles north of central London.Susannah Ireland / for NBC News
The Environment Agency says criminals resort to intimidation and even violence to gain access to potential dumping sites.
Many victims are reluctant to go on the record about how they were targeted due to fear of reprisals.
But some like Stuart Roberts, vice president of the National Farmers' Union for England and Wales, recounted the steps being taken to protect their land from the gangs.
Trenches have been built around some properties, while others resort to installing reinforced gates and surveillance cameras or blocking access routes with slabs of concrete.
“We have to take defending ourselves into our own hands,” Roberts said.
At Brocket Hall, bluebells have bloomed around the garbage. A moat will be dug around the area once the waste is cleared.
“It’s almost like going back to the Middle Ages,” Longshaw added.
Michael Longshaw is the managing director of the Brocket Hall Estate.Susannah Ireland / for NBC News
Because of the huge profits and light penalties, the head of the Environment Agency has called waste crime the "new narcotics." Sir James Bevan compared the current situation to how Britain once struggled to tackle that illegal trade.
“It feels to me like drugs felt in the 1980s," Bevan added. "The system hadn’t quite woken up to the enormity of what was going on and was racing to catch up.”
While those convicted can go to jail, fines are often low in comparison to large profits that can be reaped. Few cases result in serious sentences, making the crime extremely lucrative and relatively low-risk.
The money-making model criminals use is relatively simple.
Legitimate waste carriers charge their customers a fee of several hundred pounds for the removal of each ton of waste. Almost half of that fee is paid to a licensed transfer station that then sorts and disposes of the waste.
But criminals are offering to take waste at lower prices and then dump it at farms, industrial sites or on estates, such as at Brocket Hall.
Brocket Hall Estate employee Andrew Scott surveys the junk he discovered last year. "It's disgusting," he said. "I still have no idea if it happens again, how we are going to stop it. It’s a nightmare."Susannah Ireland / for NBC News
They pocket the entire fee and leave landowners with hefty bills to remove the junk.
Based on anecdotal information about the rates typically charged by criminal operators, it's estimated the culprits who dumped hundreds of tons of waste at the Brocket Hall Estate made at least £20,000 (nearly $26,000) from that location alone.
"And we are just one of the sites selected on that particular day," Longshaw said.
The Environment Agency estimates illegal waste and the criminals behind such crimes divert as much as £1 billion ($1.3 billion) every year from legitimate businesses and Britain's Treasury.
Farmers are often the easiest prey. When security measures such as moats fail, Roberts says there is not much that can be done to protect themselves and their land.
“You don’t go near those people,” he said. “You basically just report it to the police and look the other way because you can’t confront them."
Roberts said even if someone is caught and prosecuted, the fines they face are often laughable. “So actually, for them it’s almost a commercial cost,” he said.
Lizzie Noel, who chaired the government's independent review into waste crime, said tracing criminals back to the waste they dump can be tricky for Environment Agency investigators.
"Part of the problem is that it’s not the police’s principle responsibility — the responsibility for investigating is spread across multiple agencies," Mulligan, who assisted Noel with the review, added. "That complexity causes problems."
A pink children's slide is among the piles of waste left on the Brocket Hall Estate.Susannah Ireland / for NBC News
The review also found it can cost anywhere from £10,000 to £500,000 ($13,000 to $660,000) to clear a single dump of waste.
And the criminals often return with more junk once a site has been cleared, repeating the cycle.
At Brocket Hall Estate, the area where the waste was dumped has now been fenced off and signs on trees advise that the site is being monitored.
Longshaw wants the culprits to be held responsible for the costs incurred to return the land to idyllic English countryside, but no one has been arrested in the case.
“I think there should be a mechanism put in place whereby the perpetrators of the crime pay for the cleanup. Simple as that,” he said.
