logo
Fatal XL bully attack and school closure

Fatal XL bully attack and school closure

Yahoo02-03-2025
Here's our weekly roundup of stories from across local websites in the West of England.
We have a daily round up as well. Make sure you look out for it on the website and the local section of the BBC News app.
Kasha Sanderson, 39, of Wick, Bristol, appeared at Maidstone Magistrates' Court this week after 13 firearms, including a submachine gun, and 13 rounds of ammunition were seized from a vehicle at Dover.
Eight of ten trees in Weston-super-Mare have had to be removed due to vandalism, the Weston Mercury has reported. Planted in 2023, the trees were picked specifically as they would thrive in a coastal location, but now council officers are looking to replace them.
Meanwhile, one Cheltenham Town FC fan truly captured the chaos of a late comeback goal on Tuesday evening when they grabbed the club's pitch-side "fan cam" to film a wild celebration.
And a part of St Pauls, in central Bristol, was completely closed for three days for filming. While it is not confirmed what was being filmed, the same area was previously used for scenes in Young Sherlock.
Finally, a woman in Somerset was banned from keeping animals for ten years after moving home and leaving her cats alone to starve. Jodie Louise Davey, of Mariners Close, Bridgwater, was also sentenced to 12 weeks custody, suspended for 18 months.
Woman, 19, dies in suspected XL bully dog attack
M4 and M48 reopens after body found on carriageway
M4 death investigated after online 'predator' sting
Soldier's sister says Army 'not safe' for women
Parents 'heartbroken' as school announces closure
Bristol Live published an article on a couple in Westbury Park who will, next week, celebrate 20 years of 'Martini Mondays' - a weekly night where they take to their art-deco inspired viewing room to watch a classic film.
For two decades Ian and Yvette Perryman have sat together with a cocktail, often dressed up for the occasion, and settled in for some movie magic.
Headlines: Trees removed from high street and free bus tickets
Seized firearms and airport parking charges up again
New swimming pool plans and stunt pilot views
Beach proposal and the 'Clifden' Suspension Bridge
M5 flooded and Severn Bridge closed in bad weather
Follow BBC West social channels in Bristol, Gloucestershire, Somerset, and Wiltshire. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Crazed NYC gunman Shane Tamura chased and fired at helpless maid who miraculously escaped unscathed: ‘Sheer terror'
Crazed NYC gunman Shane Tamura chased and fired at helpless maid who miraculously escaped unscathed: ‘Sheer terror'

New York Post

timean hour ago

  • New York Post

Crazed NYC gunman Shane Tamura chased and fired at helpless maid who miraculously escaped unscathed: ‘Sheer terror'

The crazed gunman behind the fatal rampage in a Midtown skyscraper chased and opened fire on a helpless maid who miraculously escaped unscathed, the NYPD's chief of detectives revealed Wednesday — as he described the massacre as the worst crime scene he's seen in 30 years. The unidentified cleaner encountered the heavily-armed Shane Tamura as he stormed the mostly deserted 33rd floor of the Park Avenue office tower soon after spraying the lobby with bullets on Monday night. 'When he gets to the top floor, he sees a maid who has been there for years, beloved, just cleaning up and doing her job when everyone leaves,' John Chell, the chief of detectives, told Fox News' 'Fox & Friends.' Advertisement 6 Gunman Shane Tamura seen walking with a rifle in his hand before opening fire at 345 Park Avenue on Monday, July 28, 2025. Obtained by NY Post 6 Workers barricade the doors at 345 Park Avenue after a gunman opened fire in the building. 'He's firing AR-15 rounds at her. The sheer terror. Thank God she got away — he made a right and she made a left.' 6 NYPD Crime Scene Unit investigator inspects a bullet hole at the scene of a deadly mass shooting in Midtown. REUTERS Advertisement Moments later, he gunned down his last victim: Rudin Management employee, Julia Hyman, who worked on the floor. 6 NYPD officers comfort one another after the body of fallen Officer Didarul Islam was transferred to a funeral home. James Keivom 'The crime scene was horrible. Thank God this didn't happen a half hour earlier. There were minimal people,' Chell said. Advertisement 'The crime scene, the video, in three decades of doing this was just horrible,' he added. 6 Members of the NYPD salute and pay their respects to fallen Officer Didarul Islam. James Keivom The psycho's rampage only ended when he turned the gun on himself, authorities said. The gunman was later found carrying a suicide note that revealed he'd targeted the NFL's headquarters — because he believed himself to suffer a football-related brain injury. Advertisement 6 The victims of the shooting: Top row from left to right: Wesley LePatner and Aland Etienne. Bottom row from left to right: Julia Hyman and Didarul Islam. Blackstone; Facebook; Obtained; Linkedin How the shooting unfolded Reports of the shooting at 345 Park Ave. start coming in around 6:28 p.m. Shane Tamura, 27, is seen getting out of a black BMW between 51st and 52nd streets with an M4 rifle. He enters the lobby and turns right, where he shoots police officer Didarul Islam, 36, dead. Tamura guns down a woman cowering behind a pillar in the lobby, sprays more bullets and walks toward the elevator bank — where he shoots dead a security guard crouching at his desk. One more man reports being shot and injured in the lobby. He was in critical but stable condition. The gunman allows a woman to walk out of the elevators unharmed before heading up to the 33rd floor, where building owner Rudin Properties' offices are located, 'and begins to walk the floor, firing as he traveled.' One woman is shot and killed on that floor before Tamura shoots himself in the chest. It's unclear how long the mayhem lasted. Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch posted on X at 7:52 p.m.: 'The scene has been contained and the lone shooter has been neutralized.' He only ended up on the 33rd floor after mistakenly going up the wrong elevator banks in search of the NFL's offices, according to authorities. The other victims killed included NYPD Officer Didarul Islam, Blackstone exec Wesley LePatner and security guard Aland Etienne.

Michael Goodwin: Mamdani's cop-hating agenda speaks louder than his hollow words after horrific NYC shooting
Michael Goodwin: Mamdani's cop-hating agenda speaks louder than his hollow words after horrific NYC shooting

New York Post

time10 hours ago

  • New York Post

Michael Goodwin: Mamdani's cop-hating agenda speaks louder than his hollow words after horrific NYC shooting

Sensible New Yorkers didn't need yet another reason to vote against Zohran Mamdani for mayor, but Monday's horrific Midtown slaughter provided a clear illustration of why the radical Democrat must not win the keys to City Hall. Mamdani is in Uganda celebrating his wedding, but his initial statement on X about the bloodbath on Park Avenue rings hollow given his past smears of the NYPD and repeated calls to ­'defund the police.' 'I'm heartbroken to learn of the horrific shooting in midtown and I am holding the victims, their families, and the NYPD officer in critical condition in my thoughts,' Mamdani posted on X late Monday. Advertisement 'Grateful for all of our first responders on the ground.' By the time of that statement, Mayor Adams and Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch already had visited the scene and identified the dead officer as Didarul Islam, 36, who was killed while providing off-duty lobby security for 345 Park Ave. The mayor and the commissioner said he had emigrated from Bangladesh, had two children and was expecting a third with his pregnant wife. Advertisement Adams, in moving remarks, said the officer was 'doing what he does best . . . saving lives. He was protecting New Yorkers.' Nonetheless, it took Mamdani another six hours before he named Officer Islam and repeated the biographical details Adams and Tisch had revealed. Shallow platitudes In that second post, Mamdani added that when Islam 'joined the police department, his mother asked him why he would pursue such a dangerous job. He told her it was to leave behind a legacy that his family could be proud of.' How the shooting unfolded Reports of the shooting at 345 Park Ave. start coming in around 6:28 p.m. Shane Tamura, 27, is seen getting out of a black BMW between 51st and 52nd streets with an M4 rifle. He enters the lobby and turns right, where he shoots police officer Didarul Islam, 36, dead. Tamura guns down a woman cowering behind a pillar in the lobby, sprays more bullets and walks toward the elevator bank — where he shoots dead a security guard crouching at his desk. One more man reports being shot and injured in the lobby. He was in critical but stable condition. The gunman allows a woman to walk out of the elevators unharmed before heading up to the 33rd floor, where building owner Rudin Properties' offices are located, 'and begins to walk the floor, firing as he traveled.' One woman is shot and killed on that floor before Tamura shoots himself in the chest. It's unclear how long the mayhem lasted. Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch posted on X at 7:52 p.m.: 'The scene has been contained and the lone shooter has been neutralized.' Advertisement 'He has done that, and more,' the mayoral wannabe said, before concluding: 'I pray for him, his family, and honor the legacy of service and sacrifice he leaves ­behind.' Fair enough, but given his past attacks on the NYPD, and his immaturity, it remains impossible to imagine Mamdani providing leadership or reassurance to a stricken police force and a rattled city at a moment of distress. The candidate is just 33 years old, and his burn-it-all-down attitude about long-established norms and traditions, especially his socialist, antisemitic and anti-police positions, make for a poor comparison next to the splendid example Adams and Tisch offered Monday. Both are seasoned public servants whose experience and values made for a compelling lesson in crisis leadership. Advertisement The mayor, now 64, wore the NYPD uniform for 20 years, and is seeking re-election in the general election as an independent. Every morning, the NY POSTcast offers a deep dive into the headlines with the Post's signature mix of politics, business, pop culture, true crime and everything in between. Subscribe here! Other candidates on the ballot include former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa. Tisch is 44, and her pedigree is impeccable in that she served with distinction in critical roles under two of the most successful NYPD commissioners ever, Ray Kelly and Bill Bratton. Meanwhile, Mamdani is a rich-kid socialist whose wealthy parents made it possible for him to avoid work and try to become a rap artist. Indeed, he seems never to have held an actual job before winning election to the Assembly four years ago, which should never be confused with full-time work. Here is the latest on the NYC mass shooting: One of the few things he's done is steep himself in the toxic brew of NYPD hatred. Advertisement Recall that fever was all the rage among his fellow travelers in the aftermath of ­George Floyd's death in May 2020 and the subsequent riots in Minneapolis and elsewhere. As Fox News recounts, Mamdani has a nasty habit of attacking the NYPD on social media. On June 8, 2020, while running for office, he wrote that 'we want to defund the police.' In November that year. he posted that 'Queer liberation means defund the ­police.' Advertisement 'We don't need an investigation to know that the NYPD is racist, anti-queer & a major threat to public safety. What we need is to #DefundTheNYPD.' He looked for excuses to attack the department, accusing officials of using 'budget tricks to keep as many cops as possible on the beat. NO to fake cuts — defund the ­police.' In December that year, he demanded that the department 'be dismantled.' Blaming the cops Advertisement 'All this misery. All for money. In the last budget, the City Council tried to make the NYPD reduce its overtime budget by half. They simply refused. There is no negotiating with an institution this wicked & corrupt. Defund it. Dismantle it. End the cycle of ­violence,' he wrote. See, he believes cops create violence, not actual criminals. It's worth noting that during his serial bloviations, violent crime was spiking. As the department itself later noted in a report. 'The NYPD in 2020 confronted a + 97% (1,531 v. 777) increase in shooting incidents and + 44% increase in the number of murders (462 v. 319) amid the challenges' of the COVID pandemic. Advertisement It went on to concede that 'burglaries increased by 42% and car thefts increased by 67%.' The 2020 crime wave took place under Bill de Blasio, aka Mayor Putz, the worst inhabitant of City Hall New York has had in decades. Naturally, the Putz also had a terrible relationship with the NYPD. Hundreds if not thousands of ­officers showed their disdain by turning their backs on him when he spoke at the funerals of slain officers. The first incident came early in de Blasio's tenure during rites for NYPD patrol partners Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu, who were slain in December 2014. The second came three years later, when the mayor left New York the day after the ambush killing of Miosotis Familia, a 12-year veteran of the force, who was shot in the head while sitting in her mobile command unit in The Bronx. After her death, the mayor jetted off to Germany to participate in a demonstration against the G20 meeting of world leaders. He defended the trip, saying 'it was important to let people in other parts of the world know that many Americans disagree with President Trump.' 'This was a particularly meaningful moment,' he insisted, saying people needed to know 'that the cities of America, that the states of America were not going to follow along with President Trump on issues like climate change.' He returned and spoke at the police funeral, but many of those in uniform were furious and turned their backs as he spoke. Later, a police union official said the mayor's 'compass led him to Germany rather than the Grand Concourse.' 'He should have been here with the family . . . He should have been there with us,' the official said. How predictable that Mamdani has called the Putz 'the best mayor of my lifetime.' Even more chilling, reports say that refugees from that failed administration are flocking to Mamdani's team, and some are said to be giving him advice in hopes of returning to City Hall if he is victorious in November. For the city, that would be doubling down on disaster. Pray that New Yorkers are smart enough to say No, hell No! to a second coming of the Putz.

Rape crisis centre to launch single sex-only meetings after trans row
Rape crisis centre to launch single sex-only meetings after trans row

Yahoo

time11 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Rape crisis centre to launch single sex-only meetings after trans row

A rape crisis charity at the heart of a row over whether trans women can attend support sessions for women has announced it is launching a new service for women which will exclude transgender participants. In 2022 a woman known as "Sarah" told BBC News she was suing Brighton-based Survivors' Network because she felt uncomfortable talking about her own abuse in front of a trans woman who had joined the group. The charity, which provides support services for survivors of sexual violence in Sussex, says it will now run a new group for biological women who live as women, alongside its existing meetings that allow trans and non-binary people to take part. Earlier this year, a UK Supreme Court ruling said single-sex services should be reserved for people of the same biological sex. Sarah told the BBC in 2002 she had been sexually abused as a child and then raped when in her 20s. She had approached the group for support after coming into contact with the man she said had attacked her. "I was finding it really hard to cope," she said at the time. She said she had found the sessions helpful and supportive at first. She called them a "safe space". However, a trans woman - a biological male who identified as a woman - started attending the support group for victims of sexual abuse and assault. Sarah says the trans woman presented as typically male in the way she looked and dressed, and Sarah felt uncomfortable in her presence. "I don't trust men because I was raped by a man," she said at the time. "I don't necessarily trust that men are always who they say they are." Sarah stopped attending the sessions. At the time, Survivors' Network said trans women were welcome into all its "women-only spaces", and that it would defend the legal claim being brought against it. Now, in a joint announcement, Sarah, whose online identity is Sarah Surviving, and the Survivors' Network, say they have come to an agreement before the case was due to go to trial in September. The new group for biological women will exclude trans men (born female but identifying as men) and trans women (born male but identifying as women) as well as non-binary people (who don't identify as either men or women). The statement says the new peer support group in Brighton for biological women will run in addition to the original group that allows trans and non-binary people to attend. "For some biological women, such a space is imperative for their healing and acknowledges their trauma," write the charity's co-chairs on its website. The new service will run as a 12-month pilot scheme, funded by the Office of Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner. On X, Sarah Surviving wrote "This is the best possible outcome for sexual violence survivors in our city." Woman suing rape charity in trans row (June 2022)

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store