Liverpool shooting: Girl, 9, shot dead and two injured - BBC

A nine-year-old girl has died after being shot in Liverpool.

An unknown man was reported to have fired a gun inside a house in the Dovecot area at 22:00 BST on Monday.

The girl was shot in the chest and died in hospital. A man also suffered gunshot wounds to his body and a woman was shot in the hand.

Merseyside Police has put a cordon in place as officers hunt the gunman. Assistant Chief Constable Jenny Sims said the shooting was "truly shocking".

"No parent should ever have to suffer the loss of a child in these dreadful circumstances," she said.

"This crime is abhorrent and our communities must come forward and tell us who is responsible.

"This cowardly individual does not deserve to be walking the streets and I would urge those who know anything to speak to us and tell us what they know so that we can put the person responsible behind bars where they belong."

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The girl's next of kin has been informed.

The injured man and woman were taken to hospital after the shootings in Kingsheath Avenue.

Police said house-to-house and forensic inquiries would be carried out.

The force has been appealing for dashcam, CCTV and mobile phone footage from anyone in the area at the time.

West Derby's Labour MP Ian Byrne, whose constituency includes the street, said residents were "all struggling to process it as a community".

He said he would be asking his constituents to "help the police and give them as much information as possible".

At the scene

Andy Gill, BBC News

An extremely extensive cordon has been set up around where this shooting happened and there is a very big police presence in the area.

This is the second murder investigation into a fatal shooting in the city in two days and Merseyside Police have said they were aware there was sometimes a culture of "not grassing" to police.

However, officers have urged people to get beyond that culture and come forward with information.

The girl's death comes after a spate of killings involving guns and knives on Merseyside.

On the same night as the shootings, a woman was found with a stab wound in her chest in a pub car park in Kirkby, while on Sunday, 28-year-old council worker Ashley Dale died after being shot in the Old Swan area of Liverpool.

Police are also still searching for two people who fled on electric bikes after following Sam Rimmer, who was in his early 20s, was shot in Toxteth on 16 August.

Monday was also the 15th anniversary of the killing of 11-year-old Rhys Jones, who was mistakenly shot by a gang member in Croxteth on his way home from football practice in 2007.

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Labour's Paula Barker, the MP for Liverpool Wavertree, said the girl's death was "obviously devastating" and the "mindless violence simply has to stop".

"I think, as a city, we come together in adversity and I know people in Liverpool will be absolutely horrified this morning," she said.

Liverpool city councillor Harry Doyle, who represents the area, said what had happened was "absolutely abhorrent" and the community was "in utter disbelief".

He added there was "absolutely no place for this sort of violence on our streets".

A woman who lives nearby, who asked to remain anonymous, said the shooting made her worry for her own children.

"It's devastating. It can't carry on like this," she said.

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2022-08-23 08:18:04Z
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Liverpool shooting: Girl, 9, shot dead and two injured - BBC

A nine-year-old girl has died after being shot in Liverpool.

An unknown man was reported to have fired a gun inside a house in the Knotty Ash area at 22:00 BST on Monday.

The girl was shot in the chest and died in hospital, a man also suffered gunshot wounds to his body and a woman was shot in the hand.

Merseyside Police has put a huge cordon in place as officers hunt the gunman. Assistant chief constable Jenny Sims said the shooting was "truly shocking".

"No parent should ever have to suffer the loss of a child in these dreadful circumstances," she added.

"This crime is abhorrent and our communities must come forward and tell us who is responsible."

The girl's next of kin has been informed.

The injured man and woman were taken to hospital after the shooting in Kingsheath Avenue.

A cordon is also in place and police said house-to-house and forensic inquiries would be carried out.

The force is appealing for dashcam, CCTV and mobile phone footage from anyone in the area at the time.

At the scene

Andy Gill, BBC News

We're at just one side of an extremely extensive cordon around where this shooting happened.

There's a very big police presence here.

There is currently another murder investigation under way in Liverpool - hours after police said on Monday they were aware there was sometimes a culture of "not grassing" to officers.

Officers said people must get beyond that culture and must come forward with information.

That applies in this tragic case of the death of a nine-year-old girl.

In a separate incident, 28-year-old Knowsley Council worker Ashley Dale died after being shot in the Old Swan area of Liverpool early on Sunday.

Police are still searching for two people who fled on electric bikes following the fatal shooting of Sam Rimmer aged in his early 20s in inner-city Toxteth late on 16 August.

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2022-08-23 06:24:55Z
1542167477

Criminal barristers in England and Wales vote to go on all-out strike - BBC

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Barristers have voted to go on an indefinite, uninterrupted strike in England and Wales from next month.

The walkout by members of the Criminal Bar Association (CBA) will begin on 5 September.

Until now, members have been striking on alternate weeks in a dispute with the government over pay, working conditions and legal aid funding.

The strikes are expected to delay thousands of cases, leaving victims and the accused waiting longer for justice.

The CBA is asking for a 25% rise in pay for legal aid work, representing defendants who could not otherwise afford lawyers.

Members have rejected the government's 15% pay offer, saying it would not kick in immediately or apply to existing cases.

The current strike action means members are already scheduled to strike on 30 August, meaning members' last working day will be on Friday.

Out of 2,273 votes cast, an overwhelming 1,808 members (79.5%) voted to escalate the strike, while 258 were in favour of continuing the current action, and 207 in favour of stopping all action.

Today's vote in favour of a walk-out will not just affect more than 70 Crown Courts across England and Wales - it will delay justice.

Given very few of us ever see the inside of a courtroom, why does this matter?

If hearings or trials cannot take place because there are no barristers present to represent defendants, there won't be any trials in which criminals are sent to prison and those who are innocent are acquitted.

Victims, like defendants, will be left in limbo, unsure when they will see justice.

Tentative plans to broker a deal behind the scenes by bringing forward payments have failed - partly because there is simply no trust between the profession and ministers who won't meet them.

Quite simply, this strike has been years in the coming. Criminal barristers are incredibly angry - and it's very hard to see how this stand-off can be resolved any time soon.

Kirsty Brimelow QC, vice-chair of the Criminal Bar Association, said the strike action was a last resort.

She told BBC Breakfast: "Barristers have had to endure collapses in their income and cuts and underfunding so that their income has decreased over 28% since around 2006."

A solution to the dispute would be an "injection of money" into the cases barristers were working on, she added.

"The remedy is for an injection of money into the backlog of cases, which currently stands at 60,000 cases, that barristers are working on, that will cost the government only £1.1m per month," Ms Brimelow said.

"Currently, it's costing much more for the courts to sit empty."

• Victim's father backs barristers' strike action
• Why is everyone going on strike?
• Which workers are allowed to go on strike?

Justice Minister Sarah Dines said the decision by barristers was "irresponsible".

"The escalation of strike action is wholly unjustified considering we are increasing criminal barristers' fees by 15%, which will see the typical barrister earn around £7,000 more a year," she said.

Downing Street said it was a "disappointing decision" that would "force victims to wait longer for justice". A No 10 spokeswoman urged the CBA to "rethink" their plans, saying the government had set out a pay rise for September.

Opposition leader Sir Keir Starmer - a former barrister - said the government was doing "absolutely nothing" to resolve industrial disputes, including the row with criminal barristers.

"I quite understand, whether it's barristers or others, why people and how people are struggling to make ends meet," he said.

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Michelle Heeley, a criminal barrister, told BBC's Five Live the justice system was "crumbling" because of a lack of increase in pay.

Responding to comments that criminal lawyers were perceived to be well paid, she admitted those high up the pay scale were "very fortunate". But she said the median pay for a junior barrister was £12,700 per year.

"That's why they cannot survive doing criminal work, and that's why they're walking away," Ms Heeley said.

According to Ministry of Justice (MoJ) figures, more than 6,000 court hearings have been disrupted a result of the dispute over conditions and government-set fees for legal aid advocacy work.

Courts in England and Wales are already dealing with a large backlog of cases, made worse by the pandemic - figures from HM Courts and Tribunal Service at the end of April show there were 58,271 cases waiting to go to trial.

Some 6,235 court cases were disrupted during the first 19 days of industrial action between 27 June and 5 August - including 1,415 trials - according to the government.

How much do criminal lawyers earn?

Barristers are self-employed and often perceived as highly-paid.

The median salary for a criminal barrister in the year 2019-20 was £79,800, according to an independent review.

But that figure falls to a range of £55,900 to £62,900 once expenses are accounted for.

Meanwhile, new criminal barristers can earn as little as £9,000 once costs, including transport, are factored in, while some barristers say the time they spend preparing cases means their hourly earnings are below minimum wage.

Barristers with zero, one or two years of practice earned a median of £25,100 before expenses and a net figure of £18,800 after expenses.

Lawyers who work in other areas, such as private corporate law, can expect to earn £100,000 a year from very early in their careers.

Are you facing a delay in getting your case to court? Are you a criminal barrister? Share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.

Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also get in touch in the following ways:

• WhatsApp: +44 7756 165803
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If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. Please include your name, age and location with any submission.

• FOOTBALL'S PSYCHOLOGY EVOLUTION: 'In the future, every player will have their own psychologist'
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2022-08-22 12:03:18Z
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Felixstowe: Strike continues at UK's biggest container port - BBC

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A second day of strike action is under way at the UK's busiest container port after workers walked out on Sunday in a pay dispute.

The union Unite said about 1,900 of its members were taking action, expected to last eight days, at the Port of Felixstowe in Suffolk.

A 7% pay offer from the port operator was described as "significantly below" the rate of inflation by Unite.

The decision to strike was described by the port as "disappointing".

A picket line formed again on the second day of strike action, with the union saying it would be manned until 22:00 each day of the strike.

The Port of Felixstowe handles about 48% of container trade, and employs about 2,550 people, Unite said.

Port spokesman Paul Davey said the pay offer of "7% plus £500 was "a very fair offer indeed."

However, Unite general secretary Sharon Graham, said Felixstowe docks and its parent company were "enormously profitable" and were putting their profits ahead of "paying their workers a decent wage".

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Docker, Andrew Damant, on the picket line on Monday, said workers wanted a 10% rise.

"My rent was increased by £90 six months ago," he said.

"We're on pay-as-you-go gas and electric meters [and] whereas gas was £20 a month in the summer before, it's now £40 a month, the electricity is £100 a month and this is only going to go up and up and up."

There is also concern about the impact of the strike on shipping companies.

Mark Woodward, from DFDS Seaways, said: "Longer term, if the situation isn't resolved, it's going to have a reputational impact both on ourselves as DFDS and the Port of Felixstowe as a safe operating zone and customers will look necessarily elsewhere."

Strike action at the port is expected to last until Monday, 29 August.

Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk

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2022-08-22 07:21:24Z
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Girls beat boys in GCSEs as pupils brace for big fall in passes - The Times

Girls are expected to outperform boys in their GCSEs because they were less likely to neglect their studies during the lockdown in favour of PlayStation games, an education expert has said.

Professor Alan Smithers, director of education at Buckingham University, said that the pandemic had done little to close the gender gap. A record drop in GCSE grades is expected this week after the exams were sat for the first time since 2019.

Pupils receive results on Thursday. GCSEs are graded from 9 to 1 in England, with a 7 pegged to a low A and a 4 to a low C. Wales and Northern Ireland retain letter grades and Scottish pupils do not take GCSEs.

Smithers estimates that about a quarter of a million

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2022-08-21 23:01:00Z
1541969533

Murder probe after woman found with fatal gunshot wounds in garden - BBC

A woman who was found with gunshot wounds in a back garden has died, police have said.

The woman was discovered injured after officers were called to Leinster Road, Liverpool, early on Sunday morning.

She was taken to hospital where she was pronounced dead.

Merseyside Police have launched a murder inquiry and appealed for information about a "vehicle being driven erratically" around nearby Prescot Road.

Det Supt Mark Baker said: "This investigation is in the very early stages and, while we understand the public will be very shocked and concerned by what has happened, we have a number of officers at the scene who are carrying out extensive inquiries to understand what has taken place and take immediate action."

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2022-08-21 10:18:18Z
1542167477

Owami Davies: Met Police spoke to woman on day of missing report - BBC

Met Police

Police officers had contact with a student nurse on the day she was reported missing by her family, it has emerged.

Owami Davies, 24, who is studying nursing at King's College London, left her home in Grays, Essex, on 4 July and was last seen in Croydon on 7 July.

The Met said its officers had spoken to her in Croydon on 6 July but did not yet know she was a missing person.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) requested a referral.

An IOPC spokesperson confirmed this had been received.

"We are currently assessing the available information to determine what further action may be required," they added.

Ms Davies's family reported her missing to Essex Police on 6 July and the force handed the investigation over to the Met on 23 July.

In a statement, the Met said officers were called to an address in Clarendon Road, Croydon, to concerns over the welfare of a woman on 6 July.

Police and the London Ambulance Service attended and spoke to the woman but she told them she did not want help and left.

Ms Davies had not yet been marked as a missing person on the police database at the time.

The force said it only later established that the woman they had spoken to was Ms Davies as a result of their missing person investigation.

Met Police

The force's own professional standards body has said it will not investigate the officers involved but the IOPC requested the matter to be referred to them.

In a statement, Scotland Yard said: "The Met's Directorate of Professional Standards (DPS) were consulted and as there has been contact with police the IOPC were informed.

"The IOPC has requested the matter be referred to them.

"The officers are not subject to any current investigation by the DPS.

"The interaction recorded on the officers' bodyworn video has been viewed by members of the Independent Advisory Group and Owami's family to ensure openness and transparency."

Five people have been arrested - two on suspicion of murder and three on suspicion of kidnap - but have since been released on bail, pending further investigation.

The force issued a fresh appeal at the beginning of this week, saying Ms Davies could be in Croydon and "in need of help".

On Thursday, British Transport Police (BTP) tweeted that Ms Davies could still regularly be taking trains, may appear dazed or confused and may be seeking to engage with women travelling alone.

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2022-08-21 07:59:16Z
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