Kamis, 28 April 2022

Drug addict mother Laura Heath jailed for manslaughter after son Hakeem Hussain suffered fatal asthma attack - Sky News

A drug addict mother has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for the manslaughter of her asthmatic son who died alone and "gasping for air" in a garden.

Laura Heath "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 during her trial.

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

Mr Justice Dove said Hakeem's death was the result of Heath's "catastrophic and deplorable" parenting.

He told Heath the death had occurred after her life "entered a drug-fuelled downward spiral into squalor, chaos and tragedy".

The judge said: "When Hakeem Hussain died in the early hours of the morning he was only seven years old.

"It is clear that in his tragically short life he had been an inspiration of happiness and affection for people who knew him.

"All of that potential for a wonderful and fulfilling life was cut short, extinguished as he collapsed on his own suffocating, clutching a leaf in the garden.

"The truth is that Hakeem died as a result of your deplorable negligence. You had allowed your life to be completely overtaken by your addiction to heroin and cocaine. His death was needless, tragic and a result of your abject failure as his mother."

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

Heath had admitted four counts of child cruelty before the trial, including failing to provide proper medical supervision and exposing Hakeem to the smoke of asthma triggers; heroin, crack and cigarettes.

Undated handout photo issued by West Midlands Police of drugs paraphernalia and inhalers found at property at which drug user Laura Heath is alleged to have unlawfully killed Hakeem Hussain through gross negligence, after using his inhaler to smoke drugs. Issue date: Tuesday April 5, 2022.
Image: Heath modified a blue inhaler with foil and an elastic band so she could use it to smoke crack

School nurse warned Hakeem could 'die at the weekend'

During the trial it emerged that school nurse Melanie Richards had warned a child protection conference Hakeem could "die at the weekend" just two days before his death.

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

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 into care".

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

After the verdict Andy Couldrick, chief executive of Birmingham Children's Trust, said 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 agencies' contact with Hakeem is set to be published within weeks.

Undated handout photo issued by West Midlands Police of the kitchen at the property of drug user Laura Heath who allegedly has unlawfully killed Hakeem Hussain through gross negligence, after using his inhaler to smoke drugs. Issue date: Tuesday April 5, 2022.
Image: Police released images of the home where Laura Heath lived with her son in Birmingham

'Disgusting' conditions inside home

During the trial jurors heard how 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 and slept 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 Hakeem's death, Heath had recently started staying with a friend, Timothy Busk, who lived in a flat a short walk away in Cook Street.

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

Undated handout photo issued by West Midlands Police of the living room at the property of drug user Laura Heath who allegedly has unlawfully killed Hakeem Hussain through gross negligence, after using his inhaler to smoke drugs. Issue date: Tuesday April 5, 2022.
Image: A witness told the court Hakeem would sleep on the sofa rather than in bed

Heath smoked three bags of heroin on night before death

Heath told police on the night before her son died that 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.

Mr Busk 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: "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."

In the early hours a neighbour had heard tapping at his window but saw nothing in the darkness after going downstairs to investigate.

At the opening of the trial the Crown said Heath "failed to administer" any "preventer" asthma medication in the two days before Hakeem died, and did not have access to a spacer device, used to get more drugs into a child's lungs.

Police searches found part of a spacer amid mouldy food, over-filled ashtrays and drug paraphernalia in Long Acre.

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2022-04-28 12:00:53Z
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Bermondsey deaths: Man in court after family members found dead - BBC

(Left to right) Samantha Drummonds, Dolet Hill, Denton Burke and Tanysha Ofori-Akuffo
Met Police

A man has appeared in court charged with murdering four members of a family at a home in south-east London.

Samantha Drummonds, 27, her mother Tanysha Drummonds, 45, grandmother Dolet Hill, 64, and Ms Hill's partner Denton Burke, 68, were found by officers with stab wounds on Monday.

Worried neighbours had called police to the home in Delaford Road, Bermondsey.

Joshua Jacques, 28, appeared before Westminster magistrates where a hearing was set for the Old Bailey on 3 May.

Mr Jacques, of Lewisham, was remanded into custody.

NHS worker

Earlier this week, Ms Hill's niece Venecia Reid paid tribute to her aunt, saying she "didn't deserve this".

"She was very loving, very kind, very generous, she'd do anything for you," Ms Reid said.

Tanysha Drummonds, who was also known as Rachquel, lived in Kennington and was previously named by police as Tanysha Ofori-Akuffo.

Her daughter, Samantha, lived in Forest Hill.

Jamaican-born NHS worker Ms Hill and partner Mr Burke lived at the terraced property where the four were found dead.

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2022-04-28 12:51:13Z
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Go home and avoid Commons bars Ben Wallace tells MPs in sexism row - The Times

MPs should avoid parliament’s bars and go home instead to reduce the “poisonous” culture of inappropriate and sexist behaviour, the defence secretary has said.

Ben Wallace said that there is a “problem with the overall culture” in parliament after two female Tory MPs said that they had seen a male colleague watching pornography on their phone in the House of Commons.

Wallace told Times Radio: “The fundamental problem of Westminster is the overall culture that hundreds and hundreds of people are working long hours in a place with bars and that mix becomes poisonous.

Ben Wallace said that long working hours and alcohol are a bad mix
Ben Wallace said that long working hours and alcohol are a bad mix
TAYFUN SALCI/REX FEATURES

“We see all sorts of problems, and that’s been going on for decades and it’s not easy to fix. We’ve seen lots of problems in the bars over the decades. We’ve

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2022-04-28 09:20:00Z
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Rabu, 27 April 2022

COVID-19: Government broke the law by failing care home residents who died of coronavirus, High Court rules - Sky News

The government broke the law by discharging untested hospital patients into care homes during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, the High Court has ruled.

The case was brought by Dr Cathy Gardner and Fay Harris whose fathers, Michael Gibson and Donald Harris, died after testing positive for coronavirus.

In a ruling on Wednesday, Lord Justice Bean and Mr Justice Garnham concluded that policies contained in documents released in March and early April 2020 were unlawful because they failed to take into account the risk to elderly and vulnerable residents from non-symptomatic transmission of the virus.

They said that, despite there being "growing awareness" of the risk of asymptomatic transmission during March 2020, there was no evidence that Matt Hancock, who was health secretary at the time, addressed the issue of the risk to care home residents of such transmission.

The SAGE scientific advisory group said "asymptomatic transmission cannot be ruled out" in early February.

But government documents show there was no requirement for hospital patients to be tested for COVID, before being transferred to care homes, until mid-April.

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PM responds to care home ruling

Dr Gardner, whose father died at the age of 88 in a care home in Bicester, Oxfordshire, in April 2020, said in a statement after the ruling: "My father, along with tens of thousands of other elderly and vulnerable people, tragically died in care homes in the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I believed all along that my father and other residents of care homes were neglected and let down by the government."

A barrister representing Dr Gardner and Ms Harris told the judges that more than 20,000 elderly or disabled care home residents had died from COVID-19 in England and Wales between March and June 2020.

Jason Coppel QC said the fathers of both Dr Gardner and Ms Harris were part of that "toll".

"The care home population was known to be uniquely vulnerable to being killed or seriously harmed by COVID-19," said Mr Coppel in a written case outline.

"The government's failure to protect it, and positive steps taken by the government which introduced COVID-19 infection into care homes, represent one of the most egregious and devastating policy failures in the modern era."

Read more: Daughter of care home victim says government claims of 'protective ring' were 'a lie'

Cathy Gardner (2nd left) and Fay Harris (2nd right), whose fathers died from Covid-19, leave the Royal Courts of Justice
Image: Cathy Gardner, left, and Fay Harris, right, took High Court action against the government

Mr Coppel told judges: "That death toll should not and need not have happened."

He added: "Put together, the various policies were a recipe for disaster and disaster is what happened."

Mr Coppel said other countries, particularly in the Far East, had shown the way to safeguard residents by stopping the virus getting into care homes.

Mr Hancock's spokesman said the High Court found he acted reasonably but Public Health England "failed to tell ministers what they knew about asymptomatic transmission" of COVID-19 and "Mr Hancock has frequently stated how he wished this had been brought to his attention earlier".

Lawyers representing Health Secretary Sajid Javid, NHS England and Public Health England had fought the claim the government acted unlawfully by failing to protect care homes.

Read more: Matt Hancock says 'we worked as hard as we could to protect care homes'

This ruling lays down a marker for future government responses to health emergencies

The government's failure to protect elderly and vulnerable residents inside care homes is the single biggest scandal of the UK response to the pandemic. Tens of thousands of our most at risk community were left exposed to a killer virus that we knew would target them first. The government says it had to take action to protect the NHS and increase capacity so it would not be overwhelmed by the emerging global health crisis.

But, and this is important, when concerns were voiced about discharging patients who might be carrying the virus into these care homes, those warnings were dismissed. We were told repeatedly by the government that it had thrown a "ring of steel" around these care homes. We know now that happened far too late. Tens of thousands of these vulnerable residents died as a result of the government’s unlawful action.

We carried out our own investigation to find out what had happened during the spring of 2020. We sent Freedom Of Information requests to 143 NHS Trusts. Of these 59 responded. We learned 6435 people were discharged from hospital into a care home between 19 March and 15 April. Two thirds of these patients (4210) did not have a COVID-19 test during their stay or at discharge. Of those who were tested 623 were positive. NHS Trusts confirmed to Sky that there were patients who were discharged with a positive test result.

The High Court judgement is the first time the government has been held to account for its handling of the pandemic. It comes ahead of any inquiry. It brings a sense of justice to the two women who took the government to court. Dr Cathy Gardener lost her father Michael and Fay Harris' father Don died of COVID while living as residents in a care home. It will bring comfort to tens of thousands of grieving families who have demanded answers from the government. It also puts down a marker for future government responses to emerging health emergencies. There is also now the very really possibility of compensation claims.

Dr Cathy Gardener told me right after the judgment was handed down that she wants and apology from the prime minister and she wants him to resign. She has always insisted government policy was responsible for Michael’s death. The High Court agrees.

Sir James Eadie QC, who represented Mr Javid and Public Health England, said the women's claim should be dismissed.

"This is a judicial review challenge to six specific policies made in the early stage of the pandemic," he told judges.

"As the evidence demonstrates, the defendants worked (and continue to work) tirelessly to seek to protect the public from the threat to life and health posed by the most serious pandemic in living memory, and specifically sought to safeguard care homes and their residents."

He added: "The lawfulness of the decisions under challenge must be assessed in the context of the unprecedented challenge faced by the government and the NHS at that time, in particular March and April 2020."

Eleanor Grey QC, who represented NHS England, also argued that the claim should be dismissed.

A government spokeswoman said: "Every death is a tragedy and we worked tirelessly to protect the public from the threat to life and health posed by the pandemic and specifically sought to safeguard care homes and their residents.

"We have provided billions of pounds to support the sector, including on infection and prevention control, free PPE and priority vaccinations - with the vast majority of eligible care staff and residents now vaccinated."

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2022-04-27 12:33:04Z
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Annual MOT could be scrapped amid cost of living crisis - Sky News

Annual MOT checks could be scrapped under government plans to ease the cost of living for households across the country, Sky News understands.

On Tuesday, Boris Johnson held a cabinet meeting in which he asked his top team to come with "innovative" ideas to help ease the pressure on household finances which do not require government spending.

Sky News understands that Transport Secretary Grant Shapps mooted the idea of moving from an annual vehicle check to a check every two years.

Politics Hub: Boris Johnson to face Keir Starmer at PMQs later today

The proposed change could save motorists up to £55 annually.

But it is understood that not all cabinet ministers at the meeting supported the idea, with at least one objecting on the grounds that inefficient cars burn more fuel.

Some industry experts, including motoring body the AA, have also warned such a move could lead to higher repair bills for drivers who do not catch problems early enough.

More on Boris Johnson

British Transport Secretary Grant Shapps walks outside Downing Street, in London, Britain, April 19, 2022. REUTERS/Toby Melville
Image: Transport Secretary Grant Shapps is said to be the minister who mooted the idea of scrapping annual MOTs

Annual MOT could be made bi-annual

Millions of people in Britain are facing an increase in energy bills, council tax and the effects of a National Insurance tax rise - as well as inflation hitting a 30-year-high of 7% earlier this month.

After the PM's cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Number 10 announced that Mr Johnson will chair a committee with the aim of tackling the cost of living crisis "in the next couple of weeks".

The membership of the Domestic and Economic Strategy Committee, which is not new, includes the prime minister, Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Cabinet Office minister Steve Barclay.

Read more:
The four simple changes you can make to save £400 on your energy bills
Five million households now in 'fuel stress' as energy price cap rises to almost £2k

The prime minister's official spokesperson confirmed ministers talked through "a number of ideas" to ease the pressure on household finances which will "feed in to a more formal process".

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Sky's business correspondent Helen-Ann Smith looks at how prices of every day items have been impacted by rising inflation

Govt will have 'more to say' on childcare

A future announcement on childcare aimed at easing the financial burden faced by many families was also hinted by Number 10.

Asked about the childcare measures, the PM's official spokesperson added: "I think all I can say is that this is an area where the government recognises there is more to do.

"There is live policy work taking place and I'm sure we'll have more to say in the future."

A possible move could be increasing the number of individuals a childminder can look after at once to bring down costs for parents and carers.

At present, childminders can look after a maximum of six individuals under eight years old at a time.

Speaking on Wednesday, Justice Secretary Dominic Raab told Sky News "there is a whole range of things" that ministers are looking at to ease the financial burden increased living costs are putting on households.

"We're going to continue unflinchingly to look at what more we can do - and the reason being is we understand the pressure that families up and down the country are facing," he said.

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'No golden bullet' to solving cost of living crisis

On Tuesday morning, Armed Forces minister James Heappey told Sky News there is "no doubt" that any interventions by the government will be "expensive", but added that "cumulatively" a range of measures could "start to make a difference".

He also warned that there is "no golden bullet" to solve the cost of living crisis.

Meanwhile, Labour has reiterated its call for an "emergency budget" to tackle the rising costs households are facing.

Speaking to broadcasters on Tuesday, Sir Keir Starmer said it should include a windfall tax on oil and gas companies to allow energy bills to be cut "at the very least".

The Labour leader added that he would like to see "rate relief for businesses" and money fraudulently claimed through coronavirus business support schemes "clawed back".

"The argument the government is trying to put forward that there is nothing we can do is absolute nonsense," he added.

According to new figures released by the Office for National Statistics this week, almost nine out of 10 adults say they have seen a rise in their cost of living - compared to 62% in November last year.

On Monday, supermarket groups Asda and Morrisons announced efforts to help struggling shoppers during the cost of living crisis.

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2022-04-27 07:56:33Z
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Bermondsey stabbings: Family members pay tribute after four 'lovely' relatives killed in London house - Sky News

Candles spelling out the word 'family' have been left on the pavement near where four relatives were stabbed to death in a house in southeast London.

Denton Burke, 58, and his partner Dolet Hill, 64, were both killed at their home in Delaford Road, Bermondsey, in the early hours of Monday.

Ms Hill's daughter, Tanysha Ofori-Akuffo, 45, also known as Rachquel, who lived in Kennington, and Ms Ofori-Akuffo's daughter, Samantha Drummonds, 27, who lived in Forest Hill, also died at the property.

As the community in Bermondsey comes to terms with the loss of the four people, details about who the victims are and what they loved are beginning to emerge.

Mr Burke was a "bubbly" man who "loved to cook" - his speciality being his jerk chicken and rice.

His sister, Julieth Hutchinson, says she was last with him on 12 March, celebrating Ms Hill's birthday.

She is still struggling to come to terms with the death of her brother but says she wants to remember "his beautiful smile" and laughter.

More on London

Chyloe Daley, 26, Mr Burke's niece, says the four deaths have "affected all of us quite badly".

Denton Burke and his partner Dolet Hill live together on Delaford Road in Southwark. Pic: Met Police
Image: (L-R) Dolet Hill and Denton Burke lived together in Bermondsey. Pic: Met Police
Tanysha (aka Rachquel) Ofori-Akuffo, 45, is Ms Hill's daughter, has also been named. Pic: Met Police
Image: Tanysha Ofori-Akuffo, 45, also known as Rachquel, is Ms Hill's daughter. Pic: Met Police
Samantha
Image: Samantha Drummonds, 27, daughter of Tanysha Ofori-Akuffo, was also found dead

"It's the brutality of it all that hurts the most," added Ms Daley, who says he was a "great husband, father and uncle".

We heard more too about Ms Hill.

She worked as a housekeeping assistant for Guy's and St Thomas's hospital in their pharmacy department for 21 years before retiring in 2018.

Neighbours, friends and family left tributes to the people killed
Image: Tributes have been left for the four people who were killed

In a statement, they described her as a "well-respected colleague" who helped others in the workplace as an "active UNISON representative".

They added that: "Our thoughts are with Dolet's family, friends and all who worked with her."

These tributes are echoed on the streets surrounding the three-bed terraced house where the four people lost their lives.

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Neighbours shocked after stabbings

Neighbours said the family were "lovely" and were shocked something so awful, happened so close.

A 28-year-old man from Lewisham, who is suspected of carrying out the fatal attack, is in hospital in a stable condition.

He was tasered by Metropolitan Police officers before his arrest.

Read more:
All victims identified and suspect under arrest in hospital
'Parents are scared for their children's lives' says neighbour

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2022-04-26 21:33:57Z
1387191011

Selasa, 26 April 2022

P&O ferry European Causeway has power restored after drifting in Irish Sea due to 'mechanical issue' - Sky News

Power has been restored to a P&O ferry after three lifeboats were launched following a "mechanical issue" in the Irish Sea.

It was adrift five miles off Larne in Northern Ireland for more than an hour on Tuesday afternoon, according to the Marine Traffic site.

P&O tweeted that tugs had been deployed to tow it back to port.

However, shortly after, the coastguard said: "The European Causeway has restored power and is now heading into Larne under its own power following an earlier mechanical failure."

It said the cruise ship Queen Victoria and local coastguard and lifeboat teams were standing by - but that there was no danger to passengers.

Three lifeboats were sent to the scene between 2pm and 3pm, the RNLI said.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency has been inspecting the firm's ships following safety concerns prompted by P&O's controversial mass redundancy.

More on P&o

The ship that developed problems, the European Causeway, was only released from detention on 8 April.

It was banned from sailing after an initial inspection on 25 March found 31 safety failings.

The ship was eventually allowed to operate again on the Larne-Cairnryan route following a second examination.

P&O's European Causeway ferry docked at Larne Port in Northern Ireland last week
Image: The European Causeway pictured docked at Larne in March

'Deeply concerning' for crew and passengers

P&O said an independent investigation would examine the cause of Tuesday's power cut.

The company called it a "temporary mechanical issue" and said tugs remained on stand by as it continued towards the Northern Irish coast.

"There are no reported injuries onboard and all the relevant authorities have been informed. Once in dock a full independent investigation will be undertaken," it added.

The RMT union called the incident "deeply concerning, not least for the agency crew and passengers on board".

P&O caused an outcry after suddenly replacing almost 800 workers with cheaper agency staff on 17 March - a decision it later admitted was illegal.

The government's business misconduct watchdog has launched criminal and civil probes into the company.

All of P&O's ferries must pass an inspection before being allowed to sail again.

Dover-based ships the Pride of Kent and Spirit of Britain also did not pass initial inspections.

However, it's understood freight services to Calais are set to resume by Wednesday, with passenger services running again early next week.

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2022-04-26 15:10:47Z
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