by Bethany Rielly
A POLICE officer was filmed by his own body camera as he grabbed the arms of a protester, telling them: “I’ll do what I want” after being asked to stop, a court heard today.
The footage was shown as evidence in a trial against a protester who has been accused of assaulting the officer during a demonstration outside the Turkish embassy in 2019.
The defendant, who wants to be referred only by his initials JL, has pleaded not guilty to the charges on the grounds of lawful defence of another.
In Southwark Crown Court the prosecution said today that the alleged assault revolved around a push which was carried out “not with any particular degree of violence” but was still considered to be an “unreasonable act of aggression” against PC Nicolas Swift.
by Bethany Rielly
SIX activists arrested earlier this week for occupying an Israeli arms factory have had their homes raided during their time in custody, which lasted 48 hours longer than the standard 24 hours.
The six members of direct action group Palestine Action climbed onto the roof of the UAV Engines factory in Shenstone on Tuesday morning, shutting down the site for the day.
They smashed windows, poured red paint down the walls and also sprayed the police’s cherry picker with paint. The factory is owned by Israel’s largest private arms company Elbit Systems and makes drone parts.
The activists were arrested that afternoon and have been held on remand for more 24-hour period, a measure often reserved for those suspected of “serious crimes.”
by Bethany Rielly
THE government’s Everyone In scheme failed to prevent a “staggering increase” in homeless deaths last year, campaigners said today, after figures revealed the death toll jumped by more than a third in 2020.
Campaign group Museum of Homelessness (MoH) recorded 976 deaths among homeless people across Britain last year, a 37 per cent increase on 2019.
The high rates come despite the government’s Everyone In scheme whereby thousands of rough sleepers were put up in repurposed hotels during the first wave of the pandemic.
MoH said that that while the scheme succeeded in preventing deaths from Covid-19 less than 3 per cent caused by the virus the effort had failed to compensate for years of funding cuts to mental-health, addiction and housing services.
Liverpool FC s Alex Oxlade Chamberlain and Perrie Edwards stunning home with ultra modern interior
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Updated
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain of Liverpool and girlfriend Perrie Edwards have been in a relationship for more than four years
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by Bethany Rielly
A MATERNITY service has been told by inspectors to make improvements due to staff shortages and failures to listen to the concerns of midwives.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) visited Worcestershire Royal Hospital in December following concerns raised by several whistle-blowers.
Inspectors said that staffing levels were often lower than planned, morale was low and staff did not think that their concerns were listened to.
As a result the maternity services rating has dropped from “good” to “requires improvement.”
The hospital’s overall rating of “requires improvement” remains unchanged.
Whistleblowers from the department had told the CQC in July that the service was always short-staffed and they were often made to move around the department.