Babak Belurs

Kamis, 26 Januari 2023

Man charged with assaulting Matt Hancock on London Underground - Sky News

A 61-year-old man has been charged with assaulting former health secretary Matt Hancock on the London Underground.

Geza Tarjanyi, from Leyland, Lancashire, faces three counts - one of common assault and two public order offences, British Transport Police said.

He has been released on bail and will appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on 22 February.

Mr Hancock is understood to have been unhurt after the alleged attack on Tuesday which began at Westminster station before continuing on a Tube train.

The second public order offence relating to the MP for West Suffolk is alleged to have taken place on 19 January in nearby Parliament Street.

The 44-year-old was health secretary when the coronavirus pandemic struck - and was a key figure in the lockdown restrictions and vaccine rollout that followed.

He resigned from his cabinet post in June 2021 after pictures were leaked of him having an affair with his former aide in his office, breaking guidance about mixing with other households.

In November last year he appeared on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! and surpassed the expectations of many by reaching the final but finished in third place.

Mr Hancock was stripped of the Conservative whip over his appearance on the reality TV show, and has since said he will not contest his seat at the next election when he will step down.

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2023-01-26 11:35:30Z
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Leah Croucher murder suspect changed appearance - police - BBC

E-fit of Neil Maxwell depicting him with a slimmer face and dark beard

The man suspected of murdering a teenager whose body was found three years after she vanished is likely to have changed his appearance around the time of the offence, police said.

Leah Croucher's remains were found at a house in Loxbeare Drive, Milton Keynes in October.

Neil Maxwell, who was found dead in April 2019, remains the only suspect.

Police have released a new image of what Mr Maxwell could have looked like around the time of the murder.

Detectives said they believed Maxwell changed his appearance to evade arrest for another crime.

Ms Croucher, 19, was last seen walking to work on 15 February 2019. Her cause of death is "still under investigation", an inquest heard on Wednesday.

At the time Ms Croucher went missing, Maxwell was on the run from police in connection with a sexual assault in Newport Pagnell in November 2018, and he had previous convictions for sexual offences against women and children.

Thames Valley Police said the 49-year-old, who worked as a maintenance man for the owner of the Loxbeare Drive home owner, who lives abroad, was the only person to have keys to the house.

Officers also found Ms Croucher's rucksack and other possessions in the loft of the house in Furzton in October.

'Complex investigation'

house being searched in Loxbeare Drive, Milton Keynes

Police said they believed Maxwell changed his appearance to evade arrest as no witnesses have placed him in Milton Keynes since December 2018.

The force released an e-fit image of what they believe Maxwell may have looked like between December 2018 and April 2019.

Det Ch Supt Ian Hunter said the "complex investigation" had "made steady progress" with hundreds of people interviewed and extensive forensic searches and examinations taking place, as well as CCTV reviews.

He said: "Despite the comprehensive media reporting along with the further inquiries with acquaintances, associates and employers and the new house to house and CCTV inquiries, we have still not identified anyone who saw Maxwell in or around Milton Keynes since early December 2018.

A map showing the various locations connected to Leah Croucher investigation

"More pertinently, we are yet to identify anyone who had seen Maxwell in Loxbeare Drive before, after, or at any time close to when Leah went missing on 15 February 2019."

Police said they believed he also used false names and stopped using his mobile phone and known vehicles.

Officers appealed for people to come forward with information about Maxwell's movements and identity based on the new image.

"He is likely to have known he was returning to prison if he was arrested and convicted," Det Ch Supt Hunter said.

"The investigation has now also established that Maxwell is likely to have changed his appearance to avoid being recognised. He had grown a beard and may have lost weight."

He said the force was "absolutely committed to establishing the truth" and Ms Croucher's family are "at the heart of everything we do".

Leah Croucher: A timeline

14 February 2019: Leah Croucher is last seen by her parents at the family home in Quantock Crescent, Milton Keynes at 22:00 GMT
15 February 2019: CCTV footage shows her walking to work down Buzzacott Lane in Furzton at 08:16. She never arrived
April 2019: Thames Valley Police says three people had reported possible sightings of Ms Croucher near Furzton Lake between 09:30 and 11:15, on the day she went missing
October 2019: A two-week search by Thames Valley Police at the Blue Lagoon nature reserve in Bletchley finds nothing
15 February 2021: On the second anniversary of her disappearance, police say there are "no significant leads" and the case is "bewildering and frustrating"
12 October 2022: Police launch a murder investigation after human remains and a rucksack are found in the loft of a home on Loxbeare Drive in Furzton
14 October 2022: Neil Maxwell, a deceased sex offender, is named main suspect in the case by police
21 October 2022: Police confirm that the body found in Loxbeare Drive belongs to Leah Croucher, but cannot confirm the cause of death
25 January 2023: Inquest opened and adjourned into Leah Croucher's death

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Rabu, 25 Januari 2023

PMQs latest: Rishi Sunak over Zahawi's tax affairs at PMQs - BBC

In an interview this morning, Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood would not be drawn on whether Nadhim Zahawi should stand down over the issues surrounding his tax affairs, joking: “Isn’t it time for the weather now?”

On BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Ellwood was asked if the current controversy was a distraction for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

“The fact you’re still asking these questions shows, yes, it is a distraction," he replied.

“We should be continuing our discussion on Ukraine and you’re asking me now about another issue to do with the Conservative Party."

The issue surrounding Zahawi’s tax affairs “should have perhaps been slid across to the ethics adviser much sooner”, he said.

“Nobody knows the full picture...apart from Nadhim Zahawi and of course the HMRC,” Ellwood added.

“Let's allow the [ethics advisor’s] report to land and then we’ll have to take things from there."

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2023-01-25 09:11:15Z
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Girl, 14, stabbed at Didsbury school and boy arrested - BBC

A 14-year-old girl has been stabbed and seriously injured at a school in Manchester.

Police said she was attacked just after 13:00 GMT on Tuesday at Parrs Wood High School in the East Didsbury area.

She was taken to hospital for treatment for injuries described as "serious though not life threatening".

A 14-year-old boy was arrested at the Wilmslow Road school and is being questioned, Greater Manchester Police said.

The girl's injuries were believed to have been caused by a "sharp object" after the attack during her dinner break, the force said.

Police have appealed for witnesses to come forward and said they were working with the local authority and the school to support children affected by the incident.

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Selasa, 24 Januari 2023

Chris Mason: Can Nadhim Zahawi survive tax row inquiry? - BBC

By Chris Mason

Political editor, BBC News

"It's a political tragedy." One long standing Conservative figure is reflecting on the political pickle Nadhim Zahawi finds himself in.

"He set up an incredibly successful polling company. He knows just how opinion polls work and what you can read into them. He's a great organiser. It makes him an ideal party chairman," they add.

But there's a "but" coming.

"But this is really difficult. How can he function as party chairman with all this going on? Talk to rich donors who are scrupulous about their taxes? Talk to the grassroots?"

Mr Zahawi insists: "I'm confident I acted properly throughout."

The former Tory minister Caroline Nokes has told the BBC her party chairman should "stand aside" while an inquiry by the prime minister's ethics adviser takes place.

But others say this is impractical: Were he to do so, there would have to be a temporary replacement, who may find themselves replaced were Mr Zahawi to be exonerated.

"Once you get off the roundabout it is hard to get back onto it," it was put to me.

"I love him, but patience really is running thin" a minister says.

There's a sense he has mucked up and defending him is difficult.

And part of that is the degree to which MPs say privately the whole thing looks so otherworldly: for millions of people who pay tax as they earn, the idea of accountants and complex arrangements seems hard to relate to.

And for many businesses with experience of filing tax returns, the sums involved here, settling a bill and penalty of around £5m, seem off the scale compared with their own lives.

Another minister goes as far as to say they feel it "doesn't pass the smell test;" that there were no excuses for ending up having to pay a penalty to the tax authority and not getting things right in the first place.

And enter next Lord Evans of Weardale, the Chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life.

'Too nice'

He's told BBC Radio 4 that reports Mr Zahawi threatened some journalists with being sued if they reported on his tax affairs don't match with the behaviour "the government has committed itself to".

"The sort of attempts, apparent legal attempts to suppress this story... I don't think that does live up to the sort of standards that the public would rightly expect."

So how soon might all this be sorted out, one way or another?

It is the job of the recently appointed Independent Adviser on Ministers' Interests, Sir Laurie Magnus, to determine if Nadhim Zahawi broke the rule book of being in government, the ministerial code.

And here are those rules, against which Mr Zahawi will be judged.

One senior MP told me the prime minister had been "too nice" in asking Sir Laurie to look into things, and could have just sacked Mr Zahawi.

Another countered that the government had been criticised for not having an ethics adviser until his appointment last month, so you might as well use him when an incident like this flares up.

Downing Street have said the inquiry was requested because of "potential breaches of the ministerial code" based on what the prime minister's official spokesman called "ministerial declarations".

In other words, what Mr Zahawi did and didn't say about his tax affairs.

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At Prime Minister's Questions last week, Rishi Sunak told the Commons his party chairman had addressed the issue of his tax "in full". But it turns out he hadn't.

Downing Street didn't learn until the weekend that he had in fact paid a penalty to HM Revenue and Customs as well as an outstanding tax bill. And then it asked Sir Laurie to look into it all.

So what is in the rules that could prove tricky for Mr Zahawi?

It's for the adviser to advise and then the prime minister to decide what to do. But let's take a look.

"Holders of public office should act and take decisions in an open and transparent manner. Information should not be withheld from the public unless there are clear and lawful reasons for so doing," are two sentences that jump out.

"Ministers must ensure that no conflict arises, or appears to arise, between their public duties and their private interests" is another.

'Swiftly'

Nadhim Zahawi says he looks forward "to answering any and all specific questions in a formal setting to Sir Laurie" but isn't being drawn into saying anything else publicly while the inquiry is carried out "in order to ensure the independence of this process".

So when will Sir Laurie be finished?

Downing Street wants it done "swiftly."

One senior figure well-placed to know the hoped-for timetable told me it could be done within a week.

Let's see. These things have a tendency to trundle on.

There is no doubting the appetite among Conservative MPs to get this sorted one way or the other and quickly, so the focus can turn to something, anything, else.

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2023-01-24 22:52:43Z
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Ukraine: Chris Parry and Andrew Bagshaw killed in Soledar rescue attempt - BBC

Andrew Bagshaw (L) and Christopher Parry (R)

By Andre Rhoden-Paul

BBC News

British nationals Chris Parry and Andrew Bagshaw, who were reported missing in eastern Ukraine, have been killed, their families have said.

Mr Bagshaw, 47, and Mr Parry, 28, were last seen heading to the city of Soledar on 6 January.

Mr Bagshaw's family said the pair were attempting to rescue an elderly woman when their cars were hit by a shell.

The family of Mr Parry said the men had died while "attempting a humanitarian evacuation".

Earlier this month, the Russian mercenary group Wagner claimed the body of one of the men had been found.

Soledar had been the focus of intense fighting and earlier this month Russia's military claimed to have captured the Ukrainian salt-mine time town after a long battle.

In a statement issued by the UK Foreign Office, Rob, Christine and Katy Parry wrote: "It is with great sadness we have to announce that our beloved Chrissy has been killed along with his colleague Andrew Bagshaw whilst attempting a humanitarian evacuation from Soledar, eastern Ukraine."

Speaking of Mr Parry, originally from Truro in Cornwall, they said: "His selfless determination in helping the old, young and disadvantaged there has made us and his larger family extremely proud. We never imagined we would be saying goodbye to Chris when he had such a full life ahead of him. He was a caring son, fantastic brother, a best friend to so many and a loving partner to Olga.

"Chris was a confident, outward looking and adventurous young man who was loyal to everyone he knew. He lived and worked away as a software engineer but Cornwall was always his home. He loved rock climbing, cycling, running and skydiving and wanted to travel the world.

"He found himself drawn to Ukraine in March in its darkest hour at the start of the Russian invasion and helped those most in need, saving over 400 lives plus many abandoned animals.

"It is impossible to put into words how much he will be missed but he will forever be in our hearts.

"We feel so privileged that he chose our family to be part of."

Mr Parry and Mr Bagshaw had been in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine doing voluntary work.

Scientific researcher Mr Bagshaw was a British national but lived in New Zealand. He had been a volunteer in Ukraine since April.

His parents, Dame Sue and Prof Phil Bagshaw, said the men had been delivering food and medicines and helping the elderly.

In a statement released via news outlets they said Mr Parry and Mr Bagshaw "were attempting to rescue an elderly woman from Soledar, in an area of intense military action, when their car was hit by an artillery shell.

"Andrew selflessly took many personal risks and saved many lives; we love him and are very proud indeed of what he did."

They added: "The world needs to be strong and stand with Ukraine, giving them the military support they need now, and help to rebuild their shattered country after the war."

Cherilyn Mackrory, the Conservative MP for Truro and Falmouth, tweeted: "My deepest condolences to the family of my constituent Christopher Parry, whose death in Ukraine has been confirmed by the Foreign Office.

"My thoughts are with his family at this time, and I understand they are receiving support from Foreign Office staff."

The Foreign Office has previously warned against all travel to Ukraine, saying there is "a real risk to life".

British nationals still in Ukraine should leave immediately if it is safe to do so, it said.

Map of eastern Ukraine showing areas of military control

Mr Parry previously spoke to the BBC Radio Cornwall on 2 January from the Bakhmut area in eastern Ukraine.

Explaining his motivation for being there, he wanted to help children particularly.

"To be able to get them out of these war-torn areas, it makes it definitely more worthwhile than anything else that I can imagine," he said.

On 3 January, three days before the volunteers disappeared, Mr Parry told a freelance journalist he had been volunteering as an evacuation driver.

He said: "I receive requests from family members who ask us to go and collect their relatives...

"A lot of volunteers won't go anymore, but there are people there who want to get out, so I'm willing to go."

AMANDA AND ALAN'S ITALIAN JOB: It's demolition mixed with la dolce vita...
LORD SUGAR'S NO-NONSENSE BOARDROOM IS OPEN: But whose story has reached 'The End'?

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2023-01-24 21:33:59Z
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Babak Belurs

Kamis, 26 Januari 2023

Man charged with assaulting Matt Hancock on London Underground - Sky News

Leah Croucher murder suspect changed appearance - police - BBC

'Complex investigation'

Leah Croucher: A timeline

Related Internet Links

Rabu, 25 Januari 2023

PMQs latest: Rishi Sunak over Zahawi's tax affairs at PMQs - BBC

Girl, 14, stabbed at Didsbury school and boy arrested - BBC

Related Internet Links

Met Police condemn 'sickening' child sexual offences by serving officer - Sky News

Selasa, 24 Januari 2023

Chris Mason: Can Nadhim Zahawi survive tax row inquiry? - BBC

'Too nice'

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'Swiftly'

Ukraine: Chris Parry and Andrew Bagshaw killed in Soledar rescue attempt - BBC