Officers found not guilty of assaulting 92-year-old amputee
But within a minute and half of arriving, the two police officers who responded had sprayed him with synthetic pepper spray and discharged a taser. Mr Burgess died 22 days later of Covid. Today a jury at Southwark Crown Court acquitted Constables Stephen Smith and Rachel Comotto of assault.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Record
4 hours ago
- Daily Record
Creep dodges jail after paying 13-year-old girls hundreds of pounds to send him naked photos
Sleazy Martin Murray befriended the youngsters on Snapchat. A creep has dodged jail after paying 13-year-old girls hundreds of pounds to send him naked photos. Sleazy Martin Murray befriended the youngsters on Snapchat. He told one she had a "really pretty" face before demanding pictures of "the real stuff". Murray, 49, of Pretoria Court, Coalburn, admitted getting two girls to send him intimate images between October and November 2020. Airdrie Sheriff Court heard they used the cash to buy clothes. Annette Ward, prosecuting, said one girl, who lived in the south of England, accepted a request from Murray to talk on Snapchat. He told her he was in his 40s and they chatted about school. She then asked him for £50 and in response he sent her £10 via Paypal. Ms Ward stated: "Murray asked what she looked like and she sent him a photo of her face. "He replied 'Wow! You look really pretty.' and asked her for pictures of 'the real stuff'. "He asked her for photos in her bra and then to take off her underwear. "She was naked in some of the photos she sent. He told her she had a nice body and sent heart emojis. "In general he would send money before she sent pictures. Sometimes if she was out shopping she would ask him for money. He would send it and ask for something in return later. "The girl thinks she sent him more than 20 photos and videos and received in the region of £600 from Murray. "She told a friend who added Murray on Snapchat. The friend also sent nude pictures and thinks she got about £70 from him." Ms Ward said the first girl told police she knew what she was doing was wrong and began to worry that someone would find out. The prosecutor added: "Contact came to an end when the second girl's mum found out about it." Murray told police he believed the girls were 16 and claimed he couldn't remember asking them for naked pictures. But he admitted: "I might have had a few drinks and been looking for attention." Defence lawyer Archie Hill said Murray has no history of similar offending and hasn't been in trouble since this came to light in early 2021. Mr Hill told the court: "At the time of these offences the country was subject to a Covid lockdown and restrictions. "His alcohol consumption had increased, he became disinhibited and started surfing the internet. "He is remorseful, ashamed and embarrassed." Social workers say parcel delivery driver Murray poses a high risk of further sex offending, but Sheriff Joseph Hughes told him: "I must consider if there is a prospect of rehabilitation. "The clear intention of the custody threshold test, in my opinion, is to reserve prison for the most serious offences. "A community order with suitably accredited programme requirements designed for people convicted of sexual offences can be a proper alternative to a short, or even moderate, custodial sentence." Murray, whose partner has stood by him, was given a three-year supervision order and must complete the 'Moving Forward, Making Changes' programme. He faces a 7pm-7am curfew under a six-month electronic tagging order and will be on the sex offenders' register for five years. * Don't miss the latest headlines from around Lanarkshire. Sign up to our newsletters here.
Evening Standard
a day ago
- Evening Standard
What's really behind the death of London pubs?
Or another example: The Pelican in Notting Hill – a pub that has existed for over 250 years. Opening as Covid lockdowns ended, we hold our hands up to having been unprepared for the swell of customers that summer. But even when we'd got to grips with it, the venue faced a sustained campaign by individuals, taken unquestioningly by the authorities, leading to a lengthy process of official challenges to regain permission for a few tables outside. And, as ever, the legal fees. The most serious (spurious) allegations were never upheld, but the license conditions remain a daily challenge to maintain.
NBC News
a day ago
- NBC News
Washington says China will not let U.S. government employee leave the country
WASHINGTON — The U.S. State Department said Monday that the Chinese government had blocked a U.S. Patent and Trademark Office employee visiting the Asian country in a personal capacity from leaving. 'We are tracking this case very closely and are engaged with Chinese officials to resolve the situation as quickly as possible,' a State Department spokesperson said. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is part of the federal Department of Commerce. The individual's name and whether the person was detained were not disclosed. The Chinese Embassy in Washington and the U.S. Commerce Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The Washington Post reported Sunday that a U.S. citizen who works for the Commerce Department had traveled to China several months ago to visit family. The man was being prevented from leaving the country after he failed to disclose on his visa application that he worked for the U.S. government, the newspaper said, citing sources. Beijing has used exit bans on both Chinese and foreign nationals in connection with civil disputes, regulatory enforcement and criminal investigations. Analysts say the tactic is at times used to crack down on local dissent and also as diplomatic leverage in disputes with other nations. Washington and Beijing have had friction for years over issues ranging from tariffs to Taiwan and the origins of Covid-19. Chenyue Mao, a Wells Fargo banker, has also been blocked from leaving China. Beijing's foreign ministry said Monday that she was involved in a criminal case and obliged to cooperate with an investigation. Mao is the latest of several executives from foreign corporations to be stopped as they tried to depart China. The U.S. bank suspended all employee travel to China after Mao's exit ban, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters last week, saying Mao was a U.S. citizen.
