Emergency worker assaulted in York disorder incident
Supt Ed Haywood-Noble said: "We are committed to tackling all types of unacceptable and criminal behaviour in our city centre at night."The vast majority of people are using the city's bars without issue or incident and those who are intent on committing crime in York are not welcome."Anyone who witnessed the incident has been urged to contact police.
Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
21 minutes ago
- The Independent
Southport, one year on: A community still in mourning – but united by grief
One year ago, the quiet seaside town of Southport found itself in the national spotlight for the most tragic reason imaginable. On Monday 29 July, what was meant to be a joy-filled Taylor Swift-themed dance class ended in devastation after Axel Rudakubana, then 17, launched a rampage at the summer holiday event. The attack claimed the lives of Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and left eight more girls and two adults critically wounded. In the hours and days that followed, the nation's attention – and the world's media – turned to the mourning Merseyside town. But as the media and TV crews began to leave, the relatively small and tight-knit community in Southport remained. Working together, they began to pick up the pieces from the most awful event in the town's recent history. 'We're just a typical English seaside town – it's quiet and not much happens here. Certainly not things like what happened last year,' Sheila Anderson, 62, who has lived in Southport for decades, tells The Independent. 'What happened has changed the town. We're no longer an anonymous seaside town – it's changed our identity a bit.' Like many people in Southport, Sheila and her husband Brian Anderson, 68, heard the news of what had happened at the studio on Hart Street from neighbours and colleagues, as information filtered through on that Monday afternoon. 'Everyone was just in shock,' says Sheila. 'A lot of it was asking, 'Do you know anybody?' rather than thinking about what the cause was. We didn't know much, but there was a sinking feeling that the accusations were going to start.' The loss of three young lives was not the only horrific event the town was forced to face that week. A calm vigil for the murdered girls later descended into chaos as violent riots broke out in the streets. What ensued was a series of racist riots that went on for weeks across the country, sparked by misinformation spread online about the identity of the killer. Despite the pain, the community of Southport gathered the morning after to clean up their town. Skips were hired, and walls were rebuilt brick by brick, as people displayed a community spirit that has come to be at the forefront of Southport's identity in the year since. 'The way it was handled has given us a sense of pride,' says Sheila. 'The riots were awful, but the general consensus was that it wasn't us – it was people from other places. 'The town is definitely still grieving, and this week will be difficult. But we know we did what we could. We want to look after each other, and because of last year we feel we want to get involved more in the community.' Speaking ahead of the first anniversary of the attack, Brian says: 'People are still processing what happened, and it's a difficult time. But we're just hoping trouble stays away and we'll get through it.' Maz Langshaw, 52, heard the sirens pass her home on the day of the attack, and says she quickly became aware of what had happened through social media. Her volunteer-run cafe, The Old Bakehouse Coffee Shop, is one of several 'reflection hubs' that will open on Tuesday to allow the community a safe place to grieve, reflect, and participate in the planned three-minute silence in the afternoon. The cafe, which opened in February, is also a community interest company (CIC), which runs community events throughout the week and is staffed by volunteers who receive training in the hospitality industry. 'I didn't open this place directly because of what had happened. I had always been passionate about it, but it gave me the motivation to make it a volunteer-run CIC,' says Maz. 'I wanted to reflect in my own way after the attack. But the people on Hart Street have not been left to process things. 'They still have people going and pointing, and saying 'That's where it happened.' Processing and grief have been hindered a lot by the media, and social media.' Describing how the town has handled its grief in the wake of the attack, she adds: 'We were all led by the amazing families of the children. We are led by them, and they are passionate about making sure the girls have a legacy and are not defined by what happened to them.' Each of the girls' families has set up a charity or a CIC in the wake of the tragedy – Bebe's Hive, Elsie's Story, and Alice's WonderDance Foundation. Much of Southport has been involved in fundraising for the organisations, from running marathons to organising community days. Southport Hesketh Round Table is continuing to raise funds for all 26 families directly affected by the tragedy. Its chair Jordan Shandley, 33, says: 'We're all about giving back to the local community, so when what happened last year happened, our first thought was about how to help.' Donations for its fundraiser quickly topped £100,000, and the organisation still receives contributions to this day, which are split evenly between the families. Jordan says: 'Sadly the town will never not be affected by what happened. It's a mark on the town's history and it is very sad. But we want to show the real side of Southport – it is a lovely town with a strong community.' Fellow member Marc Foreman, 47, says: 'We don't want Southport to be known for the riots. Of course, it will always be the town where this atrocity happened. But all of these charities and CICs that have been set up from it are what we are focusing on now, and for the future.' Southport Trinity Cricket Club also raised over £34,000 for Bebe's Hive and Alder Hey Children's Charity, both of which it has partnered with. Its chair, Steve Bennet, says the response to the club's fundraising event was 'overwhelming', with local businesses literally 'pulling things off the shelf' to donate when asked. 'The attack hit the club quite badly. One of our members was the grandparent of Bebe King, and others knew children who were at the event,' he says. 'The impact of the event was something that hit everyone very hard. I couldn't really talk about it out loud for six months. You know the saying, 'You're all six connections away from everyone else'? It's very true in Southport, so everyone has been able to empathise with the position of the families.' The club decided to organise a community day fundraiser, which saw more than 15,000 raffle tickets sold and auctions set up. Steve adds: 'One of our members knocked on every door and business in the area to ask for raffle donations or if they could help in anyway. It was quite overwhelming to have that kind of response. 'The generosity of the businesses, not just giving prizes but providing toilets, fences, tables, their time and everything else free of charge, was incredible.' Although nothing formal will happen at the club to mark the anniversary of the attack on Tuesday, Steve says the bunting remains up as a 'constant reminder'. 'It's going to be low-key, but people are carrying it with them all the time,' he says. 'From a club perspective, it's brought us into a more tightly knit group through the shared experience of grief for our friend, and for those affected.'
The Sun
30 minutes ago
- The Sun
Predator pastor who sexually assaulted woman while pretending to ‘exorcise demons' jailed for 10 years
A PREDATOR preacher who sexually assaulted a woman while pretending to 'exorcise demons' has been caged for 10 years. Cult leader Walter Masocha, 61 - called 'The Prophet' by parishioners - was also jailed for a rape bid during a six year reign of sexual terror between 2006 and 2012. 2 The "archbishop" of Stirling-based Agape for All Nations Church told a woman, 58, that God had "given her to him as a gift" and ordered her to kiss his "holy lips". At the High Court in Livingston, judge Susan Craig told Masocha, who watched on via video link from jail, that he had used his front as a preacher to 'callously exploit' his victims. She said: "You are nothing more than an opportunist sexual predator and are guilty of the grossest breach of trust. "The common denominator was the victims worshipped you, a 'prophet' who could work miracles. "You took sexual advantage whenever you felt like doing so." He was jailed for 10 years, given a further four-year extended sentence and placed on the sex offenders register indefinitely. A 39-year-old witness said she was 20 when Masocha began sexually abusing her. She told the jury: "He would tell me, 'God said I need to look after you and has given me special love for you in particular'." She said the fiend sexually assaulted her in his home in Bridge of Allan, near Stirling. He also tried to rape her after taking her into his bedroom. Why I married a sexual predator and I want babies with him The Zimbabwean founded his church in 2007. He lived a jetset life visiting ministries across the UK, US, Canada and Africa. He was convicted in 2015 of a sex assault on a woman and sexual activity with a girl of 15. The conviction was later quashed on appeal. Agape's church was also linked to the horrific killing of five-year-old Scott Chirashi in Alva, Clacks in 2014. His mother Farai Chirashi, who had been shunned by the church, stabbed the schoolboy to death and cut his heart out but was found not guilty of murder at the High Court in Glasgow by reason of insanity. When she killed her son, she thought she was on a "mission from God". One ex-church member claimed that Chiriseri was "demonised" by the preacher when she left his church.
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Stephen Lawrence's dad ‘very frustrated' after public parole hearing for killer David Norris is delayed
MURDERED Stephen Lawrence's father was 'very frustrated' yesterday after a public parole hearing for one of his son's killers was delayed. David Norris was due to begin a two-day bid for freedom tomorrow but it was adjourned after unspecified information was not made available to the panel. 3 3 A lawyer for Neville Lawrence said the Government had failed to provide the details. A spokesperson for the Parole Board said: "The hearing has had to be adjourned due to information directed by the panel not being made available for the case. "Without all proper information, the panel cannot consider a parole review. "The panel's priority must be to ensure the relevant information is available, so that they can thoroughly review the potential risks and ensure public protection." Guy Mitchell said: ' Dr Lawrence is understandably very frustrated by this last-minute delay. "We understand this is due to the Government failing to provide certain information to the Parole Board in time. "Dr Lawrence is seeking a full explanation as to the reason for this failing." Dr Lawrence has previously said he is not satisfied with Norris getting parole, but will accept it if he can show remorse. Norris got life with a minimum 14 years after he and Gary Dobson were convicted of murder in 2011, some 18 years after the racist killing of Stephen, 18, in Eltham, South East London. My son Stephen Lawrence's killer is living in luxury in jail and taking selfies - he's living a better life than me 3
