Cyclist dies following crash with car at Aust
The road was closed while investigators were at the scene and was reopened at 20:30 on Sunday, police said.
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Telegraph
35 minutes ago
- Telegraph
High Court orders investigation into MI5 over false evidence
MI5 could still face contempt of court proceedings over incorrect evidence provided in a bid for an injunction against the BBC, judges at the High Court have said. In a decision on Wednesday, the Lady Chief Justice Baroness Carr said that a further investigation should be carried out and that it would be 'premature to reach any conclusions on whether to initiate contempt proceedings against any individual'. In 2022, Suella Braverman, the then-attorney general, went to the High Court to stop the BBC airing a programme that would name a man who had allegedly abused two women and was a covert human intelligence source. An injunction was made in April 2022 to prevent the corporation disclosing information likely to identify the man, referred to only as 'X', though Mr Justice Chamberlain said the BBC could still air the programme without identifying him. But at a hearing earlier this year, the London court was told that part of the written evidence provided by MI5 was false. Lawyers for the BBC told the court the 'low threshold' for launching contempt proceedings against MI5 and a number of individuals for not being fully transparent with the court had been met. On Wednesday, Baroness Carr said that a new investigation should be carried out on behalf of the Investigatory Powers Commissioner. The written witness evidence, now accepted to have been false, said the Security Service had maintained its policy of neither confirming nor denying the identities of intelligence sources. However, MI5 disclosed X's status to a BBC reporter, but then claimed it had maintained its policy of neither confirm nor deny. Lawyers on behalf of MI5 apologised earlier this year and carried out two investigations, which concluded the false evidence was given due to a series of mistakes, with no deliberate attempt by any staff member to mislead. 'Serious procedural deficiencies' In Wednesday's 26-page ruling, the three judges said they were not 'satisfied' with the investigations or their conclusions. Baroness Carr, sitting with Dame Victoria Sharp and Mr Justice Chamberlain, also said: 'The investigations carried out by MI5 to date suffer from serious procedural deficiencies. 'Their conclusions cannot presently be relied on.' They added: 'It is regrettable that MI5's explanations to this court were given in a piecemeal and unsatisfactory way – and only following the repeated intervention of the court.' In the programme about X, the BBC alleged the intelligence source was a misogynistic neo-Nazi who attacked his girlfriend, referred to by the pseudonym Beth, with a machete. Beth is bringing related legal action in the Investigatory Powers Tribunal, with the judges finding on Wednesday that the specialist tribunal – which investigates allegations against the UK intelligence services – was also misled. Baroness Carr later said: 'Whilst we accept the genuineness of the apologies proffered on behalf of MI5, the fact remains that this case has raised serious issues. 'MI5 gave false evidence to three courts. This was compounded by inadequate attempts to explain the circumstances.' Full and unreserved apology Following the ruling, Sir Ken McCallum, the MI5 director-general said: 'I wish to repeat my full and unreserved apology for the errors made in these proceedings. 'We take our duty to provide truthful, accurate and complete information with the utmost seriousness. 'Resolving this matter to the court's satisfaction is of the highest priority for MI5 and we are committed to co-operating fully with the Investigatory Powers Commissioner's Office and the court. 'MI5 is now embarked on a programme of work to learn all lessons and implement changes to ensure this does not happen again. This programme will build in external challenge and expertise – with independent assurance to the Home Secretary on our progress. 'MI5's job is to keep the country safe. Maintaining the trust of the courts is essential to that mission.' A BBC spokesman said: 'We are pleased this decision has been reached and that the key role of our journalist Daniel De Simone in bringing this to light has been acknowledged by the judges. 'We believe our journalism on this story has always been in the highest public interest.'
Scottish Sun
36 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Hollyoaks star leaves soap months after joining and he's already filmed VERY dramatic exit
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A HOLLYOAKS star has left the soap - just months after joining the cast in a very dramatic exit. Actor Zachary Sutcliffe made his debut on the soap last month as the serial killer Bobby Costello. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 2 Actor Zachary Sutcliffe has already filmed his final scenes in Hollyoaks Credit: Lime Pictures 2 Zachary was pictured filming his exit last month He returned after escaping from the juvenile detention centre where he was being held following the murder of his own great grandfather - and serial killer - Silas Blissett. Silas had been determined to terrorise and kill Bobby's mum Mercedes but at the last minute Bobby turned on him and pushed him onto his own fatal trap. Viewers watched as Bobby broke out of the youth prison to reunite with mum Mercedes, before Myra accidentally let slip he was out and caused the police to hunt him. He fled the village but was found by Clare Devine who spotted an opportunity to take her revenge on Mercedes - and make some money in her family business. And it's only going to get darker - but it will also mean the exit of Zachary as Bobby. A source said: 'Bobby might be a killer but he has no idea who he's dealing with with Clare. 'He thinks she's helping him but the truth is much worse and she's got plans to sell him in her sickening exploitation ring to make money. 'Zachary's stint on the show as always going to be a short stint as Bobby is caught between Clare and Mercedes. 'He's filmed his exit scenes and they are definitely going to shock. 'It's full-on Hollyoaks drama.' Hollyoaks star quits after nine years - and his final scenes have already aired Hollyoaks has been contacted for comment. Later this year the Channel 4 soap will celebrate its 30th anniversary with a month-long celebration including a major stunt and a battle between two of the show's biggest villains.
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Who is Lucy Letby and why is her case back in the news?
It is now approaching two years since Lucy Letby was told she would die in prison after being given 15 whole-life sentences. The 35-year-old murdered of seven babies and the attempted murder seven others, making two attempts on the life of one of them, making her the most prolific child serial killer in British legal history. Since her conviction, a highly-vocal campaign has protested her innocence, but investigations continue into whether she may have committed other crimes against children before she was caught. Earlier the police confirmed a "full file of evidence" has been passed to prosecutors who will consider fresh charges relating to the non-fatal collapse and deaths of babies in Chester and Liverpool. Who is Lucy Letby? Her trial at Manchester Crown Court revealed Letby to have lived an unremarkable life before her arrest in July 2018, with detectives who worked on the case describing her as "the human form of beige". Born in Hereford in January 1990, she attended a local school and sixth form and, she told jurors, "always wanted to work with children". She was the first person in her family to go to university and studied nursing for three years at the University of Chester. During her studies and training she had placements at the Countess of Chester Hospital and Liverpool Women's Hospital. Letby qualified as a band five nurse in 2011, and was considered competent and capable by the majority of her colleagues. But the public inquiry set up to examine how she was able to murder children under the noses of her colleagues heard she initially failed her final year student placement because her assessor felt she was "cold" and "lacked empathy" with patients and their families. Letby appealed that decision, however, and passed with a new assessor. At the time of her arrest she was living in a modest semi-detached property in Westbourne Road, Chester, with two cats, Tigger and Smudge, and appeared to have an active social life. What did Lucy Letby do? Over the course of a nine month criminal trial, a jury heard that Letby was present at a series of "unexplained" deaths and sudden collapses of vulnerable babies on the neonatal unit where she worked. The indictment - the list of charges she faced - focused on the period between June 2015 and June 2016, when Letby was removed from frontline duties. Prosecutors said she attacked babies by injecting air into their bodies, by force feeding them, by poisoning them with insulin, and in some cases causing traumatic injuries by inflicting physical blows. Why Letby case is under more scrutiny than ever One piece of evidence presented in court was a staffing rota which showed only Letby was present at every single incident considered suspicious by the prosecution. On 8 August 2023, the jury returned the first set of verdicts, before returning the second set on 11 August. Letby was convicted of seven murders and six attempted murders, with not guilty verdicts on two counts of attempted murder and the jury deadlocked on another six counts. After a retrial in July 2024, she was convicted of a further count of attempted murder. What happened next? Letby almost immediately applied for leave to appeal her original convictions, which was refused on 4 July 2024 by the Court of Appeal. However one significant detail did emerge in that process. An academic paper by Dr Shoo Lee, a retired Canadian neonatologist, had been used by the prosecution at trial to highlight signs of vascular air embolism - the introduction of air bubbles into their veins - in newborns. Dr Lee, who was unaware of his work being involved in the case during the trial, had since been contacted by Letby's legal team and stated his belief that his paper had been misinterpreted by prosecution experts. Letby was also separately refused leave to appeal against her conviction from the re-trial. In September 2024, the Thirlwall Inquiry into the circumstances of Letby's offending began in Liverpool, and heard evidence over seven months. The chairwoman of the inquiry, Lady Justice Thirlwall, had confirmed she would not hear evidence on whether Letby's convictions were safe, stating it was not the appropriate forum. It is due to publish its findings early next year. Innocence campaign In the weeks and months after Letby was convicted, a steady drumbeat of questions about the safety of her convictions grew louder. While some of that discourse veered into online conspiracy chatter, serious academics including medical experts and statisticians also questioned the case. Conservative peer Sir David Davis announced he believed a miscarriage of justice had taken place and has since supported the campaign. Last month, his Conservative Party colleague and former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said the case should be "urgently re-examined". In February this year Letby's post-trial barrister, Mark McDonald, called a press conference featuring a panel of 14 international experts in neonatology and paediatric care and chaired by Dr Lee. Dr Lee said the panel had independently reviewed the evidence heard at trial and concluded no murders or attempted murders had taken place. Dr Lee said the panel believed the babies in question had died due to natural causes or poor medical care. The report, along with other evidence, has been submitted in an application to the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), the statuatory body set up to examine potential miscarriages of justice. The CCRC is reviewing the application and said it could take some time to reach a decision as to whether to refer the case back to the Court of Appeal for a full families of Letby's victims, through lawyers, have described the panel's report as a "rehash" and "full of analytical holes". Criminal investigation continues While Letby's legal team have been working to secure a new appeal, detectives on Cheshire Police's Operation Hummingbird, which was set up to investigate the events at the Countess of Chester, have been continuing their enquiries. Shortly after Letby was convicted in 2023, the force announced it was still investigating non-fatal collapses and deaths of babies that were not included on the indictment - both in the Countess of Chester Hospital and Liverpool Women's Hospital. In October that year, it also launched an unrelated but parallel investigation called Operation Duet, looking at potential offences of corporate or gross negligence manslaughter relating to the response of hospital leaders to rising death rates. This week there were significant updates in both investigations. On Tuesday the force announced three former senior managers at the Countess of Chester had been arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter and had been bailed pending further enquiries. On Wednesday, news broke that a "full file of evidence" had been handed by the Operation Hummingbird team to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) for a decision on whether to bring fresh charges against response, her barrister Mr McDonald said the evidence of her innocence was "overwhelming". "We will cross every bridge when we get to it but if Lucy is charged I know we have a whole army of internationally renowned medical experts who will totally undermine the prosecution's unfounded allegations," he added. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on BBC Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram, and watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer.
