Man charged after serious assault in Claverham
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BBC News
34 minutes ago
- BBC News
Two women raped by Met policeman from Stevenage, trial told
A man raped two women when he was a Metropolitan Police officer, a prosecutor told a jury. Jake Cummings, who has also been a special constable in Dorset, "does not take no for an answer", barrister James Thacker KC said at a trial at St Albans Crown told jurors that Cummings, now 26, who lived in Lytton Way, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, had already been convicted of controlling and coercive behaviour and who was arrested at his mother's home in Weymouth, Dorset, denied rape. Mr Thacker gave details of allegations made by the two women when opening the case on had been in relationships with each woman and had raped one in 2021 and the other in 2024, he added that Cummings had told police investigating the women's allegations that sex was two women lived in different parts of Britain and did not know each other, Mr Thacker told the said the behaviour and stalking offences Cummings had either been found guilty of or admitted related to the two women. Mr Thacker said Cummings raped one of the women in 2021 when they were still in a said Cummings wanted sex but the woman did not."However she was extremely concerned about him getting angry," Mr Thacker told jurors."She therefore submitted to having sexual intercourse with him."He said Cummings had raped the woman and added: "She was forced in all the circumstances to have sexual intercourse with him." Mr Thacker said Cummings had raped the second woman after they met following the end of their relationship."He asked her for sex," said Mr Thacker."She said no."Mr Thacker added: "He does not take no for an answer."He said Cummings was a "serving police officer" when the women were had been a special constable in Dorset in 2018 until he joined the Metropolitan Police in November 2019, Mr Thacker told the jury. Judge Bilal Siddique told jurors that the two women could not be identified as rape victims in trial continues. Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
44 minutes ago
- BBC News
Lewes Prison sees rise in assaults on staff, report finds
Assaults on prison staff by prisoners at Lewes Prison have risen despite better living conditions, a report has involving prisoners attacking staff rose by 15% in the space of a year to 79 assaults over 12 months, with prisoner self-harm also increasing by 5% to 651 cases during the same the report from the Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) also found that prisoner-on-prisoner violence fell by 16% to under 200 incidents between February 2024 and January 2025.A Prison Service spokesperson welcomed the progress highlighted in the report but said it is "ramping up efforts to tackle the root causes of violence". An IMB spokesperson said issues persisted despite better living conditions at the prison, with prisoners spending more time out of their cells and more opportunities for education and Fairclough, IMB Lewes vice-chairman, said there was "clear evidence that the prison has become a better place".He added: "However, the board is still concerned about high levels of violence and rates of prisoner self-harm, though we welcome some recent signs of improvement."Prison officers also felt required to use force against prisoners in 25% more incidents, amounting to 721 cases, the report found. 'Significant challenges' The IMB added it was concerned about the high proportion of cases involving force against younger prisoners and prisoners from minority ethnic backgrounds.A third of incidents involving force were against prisoners from a Caribbean, African or other black background but there was no evidence of bias or prejudice, the report with heating and hot water supply meant that the prison had at times been "unacceptably hot or cold" for prisoners and staff alike, the report issues in the report included a lack of CCTV in areas of the prison and "significant challenges" with illicit worth more than £1.5m including drugs and mobile phones were intercepted at the prison, with 35% more weapons and nearly double the amount of "illicitly brewed alcohol" also with mental health were also raised, with the prison having no psychiatrist for most of summer 2024, the report Prison Service added: "We are pleased the IMB has recognised the progress being made at HMP Lewes."But we know more needs to be done and are ramping up efforts to tackle the root causes of violence including through landmark sentencing reforms to reduce pressure on our prisons."A report in May 2024 from HM Inspectorate of Prisons said HMP Lewes was "trapped" in a cycle of rising violence, self-harm and drug report stated that only a third of prisoners were engaged in education or employment and while the institution had "clear plans to improve", many inmates spent just two hours a day out of their cells or as little as 90 minutes working.
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Campaigner Martin Cosser calls for renewed efforts on knife crime
Almost two years after the murder of his son, campaigner Martin Cosser says there was still "so much" that needs to be done to warn children of the dangers of knife Cosser, a member of a government taskforce, set up the charity Charlie's Promise following the death of his 17-year-old son, who was stabbed at a party in West Sussex in July has renewed calls for compulsory knife crime education, and told BBC South East that he's now spoken to over 40,000 pupils in the region since he started giving talks in schools last Home Office has been contacted by the BBC for comment. Mr Cosser, from Milford, Surrey, set up Charlie's Promise to educate young people about the dangers of carrying said his most important target was to get the discussion of knife crime onto the school syllabus - and particularly in primary schools. He has had two meetings with policing minister Dame Diana Johnson where he has called for this. Gun and knife crime is not mentioned specifically in the part of the school syllabus focusing on relationships, sex and the government says teaching does focus on situations which lead young people to carry weapons, such as involvement in gangs and county lines Department for Education says it allows schools discretion to tailor the content of the curriculum to suit the threats that face their pupils specifically. Mr Cosser has delivered more than 200 awareness talks in schools, and more than 10% of students reached have been at primary school."Children at that age are easily influenced," he said. "They are like sponges, they want to learn."He also told BBC South East how proud he is of the progress made so far."But there is so much more that we need to do," he added. While the feedback he received from pupils, parents and teachers was "encouraging", he said there was "a lot of things they didn't know about knife crime".Charlie Cosser's killer, Yura Varybrus, is currently serving a life sentence in prison. If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this story you can visit the BBC Action Line.
