Four teenagers arrested after drone seen hovering above high-security prison
A drone, mobile phones and suspected drugs were also found after a car containing the suspects, aged 15, 16, 18 and 19, was stopped on the A46 in Alcester, Warwickshire.
West Mercia Police said a seized 'contraband package' was believed to be intended to be flown into HMP Long Lartin in south Worcestershire in the early hours of Friday.
The force said in a statement: 'A report was received shortly before 2am today that a drone was circling the airspace above the prison in South Littleton.
' Inquiries were made and patrol officers were on the tail of a suspect vehicle by 2.25am.
'The car was stopped on the A46 in Alcester with four people inside.
'A quick response and good co-ordinated work meant the contraband package had not made it into the prison and it was seized.'
Those arrested were held on suspicion of conspiracy to convey prohibited items into a prison and remain in police custody.
Detective Chief Inspector James Bamber said: 'An immediate response from us and good policing work by everyone involved meant we were able to intercept a suspect vehicle before it reached its suspected final destination.'
Anyone who spots a drone near the prison or who has information about other suspicious activity near HMP Long Lartin is urged to report the matter via 999 immediately.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Tense moment Aussie woman unleashes the ‘world's angriest tirade' on a terrified tradie after making a shocking discovery in her backyard
A furious mother has confronted an Endeavour Energy worker in a blazing roadside showdown, accusing him of filming her while she was semi-naked in her backyard. The dramatic clash unfolded on Tuesday in Yarramundi, in Sydney 's rural north-western outskirts, when the partially-clad woman spotted a drone hovering over her property. The enraged mum immediately pulled up her pants and jumped in her car to track down whoever was operating the drone. She eventually found an energy worker packing up his drone equipment and pulled up alongside to confront him, as her daughter filmed her as she unleashed her fury. 'You were over my f***ing house, in my backyard?' she yelled at him in the expletive-laden tirade shared online under her TikTok handle of GiddyUpQueen. 'I was in my backyard and had my f***ing pants off and you were droning there.' The worker, who introduced himself as Aaron, remained calm during the heated exchange and insisted the drone was only photographing power poles for maintenance purposes. But the barefoot woman furiously dismissed his version of events and accused him of invading her privacy as her anger boiled over in the roadside clash. The video of her tirade at the stunned worker has since racked up more than 100,000 views. 'I'm recording to ask you why you are filming out the back when I haven't got my pants on and your drone is out the back filming me?' she shouted at the worker. He tried to explain himself and said, 'Ma'am listen,' and asked, 'Why are you yelling at me?' before she cut him off. 'No, I don't want to listen,' the mum fumed. 'There is no excuse for that because you were just filming me with this f***ing thing!' The volatile scene escalated further when the woman reached into the back of the man's ute and appeared to grab at the drone. 'Ma'am, you cannot touch that, it's a federal offence,' the man said calmly, holding his hands up. 'I don't give a f**k,' she snapped back without hesitation. 'So is filming someone in their backyard.' Growing more enraged, the woman began calling the worker a 'f*** dog' repeatedly as he replied, 'Ma'am, you don't want to listen to what I have to say.' 'What could you possibly say that makes that okay?' she yelled. 'How is Endeavour Energy allowed to film naked women in their backyard?' Attempting to defuse the situation, the worker calmly explained the drone was only used to take photos, not videos, of power poles as part of an official inspection. 'My name is Aaron and I'm from Endeavour Energy. We are photographing the poles for the 2024, 2025…' he added before being cut off again. Before he could finish, the woman, dressed in jeans and a grey T-shirt, interrupted. 'You were over my f***ing house,' she shouted. 'In my backyard. I seen you. My bird was screaming and told me,' she said, referring to her pet cockatoo. 'I want to see the footage. I want to see the footage from my f***ing house. Don't tell me to calm down, I just seen a drone in my backyard and I've got no pants on.' The worker replied: 'I'm happy to show you what I can.' But the woman then told him nothing would calm her down and that she wanted the authorities involved. As the worker tapped the drone monitor in an attempt to bring up the images, the woman's patience ran out. 'What an invasion of privacy,' she yelled. 'I want to see the footage or I am calling the police out here right now and I will be telling them.' The video then cut off. The woman later posted the footage to her TikTok account, tagging Endeavour Energy, NSW Police, the AFP and multiple media outlets, using the hashtag #wewantjustice. She also added the caption: 'This morning we caught Endeavour Energy recording us with a drone in our backyard. 'There's no power poles there. He took off and didn't show us the footage.' The woman Daily Mail Australia she lost her temper because there appeared to be no oversight on what the worker was filming. 'A lone man is allowed to drone over women's backyards without supervision on what he's looking at and its not being monitored. I'm really over it ... it's only girls that live here,' she said. 'They are supposed to provide the footage and we have had no response from anyone.' But an Endeavour Energy spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia records are kept and that their pilot had been undertaking a pre-summer aerial inspection - a critical safety program that helps prevent bushfires and that no video was recorded. 'Each year we inspect over 180,000 power poles in bushfire-prone areas to safeguard customers and communities. 'In 2024, we transitioned from using helicopters to drones for quieter, more precise inspections. 'The drones are operated by licensed pilots, fly along the powerline corridor and pause at the top of each pole to capture images of the asset condition with precision, speed and minimal disruption. 'They do not record video and their technology ensures they only capture pictures of the network. They also praised Aaron's ability to remain calm during the unexpected situation. 'We commend our team member, shown in the video, for his efforts in trying to support this customer. 'Our team are always open to explaining the importance of these inspections and share the images taken, as he was trying to do here.' The woman added that she was also angry because she is of the opinion she is being bullied off her property. 'We have been subjected to (workers from) Boral (who built a concrete plant across the road) p***ing out the front of our property for three years because we asked them not to once.'
The Guardian
3 hours ago
- The Guardian
British teenager Bella Culley to be held in Georgia till September drugs trial
The British teenager Bella Culley is to be held in a Georgian prison for at least five more weeks as she awaits trial on drug-smuggling charges, a court in Tbilisi has ordered. Culley, the great-granddaughter of a former Labour MP, was arrested on arrival at the city's airport in May. Georgian prosecutors said she was carrying a large amount of illegal drugs in luggage she brought with her from Thailand. During a short hearing on Thursday, she reportedly told the court in the Georgian capital: 'I hope you understand my story through my eyes. I never thought something like this would happen to me.' Her lawyer, Malkhaz Salakia, said there was no evidence she had any intention of breaking the law, adding: 'There were people who forced my client to commit this unknowingly.' It was reported that Culley concluded the submission to the court by saying 'madloba' – 'thank you', in Georgian. 'Bella will become a mother soon, she is expecting a boy,' Salakia told the court. 'I want her to feel this motherhood in freedom. It's a moment of her becoming a mother for the first time in her life – she turned 19 this June. 'Since the crime committed is not connected to Georgia, and her family has been here – father before and now the mother is here – they are here to look after her, and there is no possibility of influencing the witnesses because they are police and officials, she can be assigned to visit the police department two times per month or every day. 'However, the judge decides – she will fulfil her duty. It's summer, and a pregnant woman needs special hygiene in the month of July – we are offering a plea agreement of 50,000 [Georgian lari; over £13,500], which will be paid immediately and we ask her immediately to be set free.' But the judge decided no new evidence had been presented and, consequently, Culley would remain in detention until her trial began on 2 September unless a plea deal could be agreed beforehand. Culley exchanged regular looks and smiles with her mother, Lyanne Kennedy, during the 30-minute hearing and Kennedy became emotional after learning the sex of her unborn grandchild. 'I'll come and see you tomorrow, I love you,' she reportedly told her daughter. Georgian authorities said Culley, who is from Billingham on Teesside, faced up to 20 years in prison or a life sentence if she was found guilty. Local police said officers seized up to 12kg of marijuana and just over 2kg of hashish in a travel bag at Tbilisi international airport. Culley is the great-granddaughter of Frank Cook, a Labour MP who represented Stockton North for 27 years, rising to become a deputy speaker of the Commons. Cook died in January 2012, aged 76. The Foreign Office has previously confirmed it was 'supporting the family of a British woman who is detained in Georgia'. Cleveland police, on Teesside, confirmed an 18-year-old woman from Billingham had been arrested in Georgia on suspicion of drug offences and remained in custody.
Daily Mail
4 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Fascinating reason Bryan Kohberger's inmates WON'T kill Idaho murderer revealed by expert
Quadruple murderer Bryan Kohberger is not likely to be killed by his fellow inmates because the risk of them ending up on death row is too high, an expert has claimed. Kohberger, 30, was sentenced Wednesday to four consecutive life terms for the brutal November 2022 slayings of four young University of Idaho students. A plea deal struck earlier this month saw him spared the death penalty, but he will never be able to apply for parole. He was handed a life sentence for each life he took - one for Madison Mogen, a second for Kaylee Goncalves, a third for Ethan Chapin and the final one for Xana Kernodle, all aged just 19 or 20 at the time of their deaths. Several of the victims' loved ones shared their desire for Kohberger to be attacked in prison during their addresses to the court. And even though his fellow inmates already think he is a 'f*****g weirdo', a former police investigator warns murder is not something Kohberger has to fear. Kohberger is 'vulnerable' being confined in the general population unit, retired NYPD inspector Paul Mauro admitted to Fox News, but can find some safety in the fact that 'Idaho is a death penalty state'. 'If you're in for life, and you kill somebody, well, that's going to get you to death penalty,' Mauro explained, suggesting that for most prisoners murder is too risky. Inmates sentenced to execution are housed in a designated part of the prison referred to as 'death row' and remain in isolation for 23 hours a day. As a result of his plea deal, Kohberger won't be kept near death row inmates - those most likely to be unbothered by the repercussions of committing murder. Kohberger was already in custody at the Idaho State Correctional Complex in Kuna by Wednesday afternoon, a source familiar with the case told Fox. The facility is located about 16 miles away from the Ada County courthouse in Boise, where he was sentenced earlier in the day. Once in custody, inmates go through an evaluation process to asses their 'needs' and 'determine appropriate housing placement', a state corrections department official said. The evaluation, which typically takes seven to 14 days to complete, includes a psyche check to determine whether a prisoner poses a threat to themselves, fellow inmates or prison staff. The prisoner's 'classification, housing placement, and privileges' will be determined after the evaluation process is complete. Mauro predicts Kohberger will be temporarily placed in solitary confinement, but eventually join the general prison population with other killers. And although the victims' families want Kohberger to 'living in fear' and thinking he is a 'target' in prison, the ex-inspector does not think threats on his life are likely. At least one fellow prisoner has already admitted he would have 'physically assaulted' Kohberger if he 'wasn't worried about further legal repercussions', jail records reveal. The inmate was talking about Kohberger during a jail transfer and branded him a 'f*****g weirdo'. Another prisoner alleged Kohberger became aggressive during a phone call with his mother MaryAnn after hearing an inmate shout 'you suck' at a sports match on TV. The killer allegedly thought the prisoner was talking about him and his mother and, according to records, 'immediately got up and put his face to the bars'. Mogen, Kernodle, Goncalves and Chapin were found stabbed to death on November 13, 2022 in their shared home on King Road in Moscow, Idaho. Kohberger was arrested in Pennsylvania, where his parents lived, in connection to the gruesome slayings roughly six weeks later. Police said they recovered DNA from a knife sheath found at the home, and used genetic genealogy to identify Kohberger as a possible suspect. They accessed cellphone data to pinpoint his movements and used surveillance camera footage to help locate a white sedan that was seen repeatedly driving past the home on the night of the killings. A Q-tip from the garbage at his parents' house was used to match Kohberger's DNA to genetic material from the sheath, investigators said. The 30-year-old killer - who spent years studying criminology - pleaded guilty to the quadruple murder earlier this month in a deal to avoid the death penalty. Kohberger's attorneys got his trial moved to Boise after expressing concerns that the court wouldn't be able to find enough unbiased jurors in Moscow. But Hippler rejected their efforts to get the death penalty taken off the table and to strike critical evidence - including the DNA - from being admitted in trial. The trial had been set to begin next month. In exchange for Kohberger admitting guilt and waiving his right to appeal, prosecutors agreed not to seek his execution. Instead, both sides agreed to recommend that he serve four consecutive life sentences without parole for the killings. The victim's families were split on how they felt about the plea deal. If investigators know why Kohberger committed the crime, they haven't said so publicly. Nor is it clear why he spared two roommates who were home at the time. Cellphone location data did show Kohberger had been in the neighborhood multiple times before the attack. Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson has said that Kohberger used his knowledge about forensic investigations to attempt to cover his tracks by deep cleaning his vehicle after the crime. Police say Kohberger's Amazon purchase history shows he bought a military-style knife as well as the knife sheath found at the home. But the knife itself was never found. The case drew widespread interest and judges feared the publicity could harm Kohberger's right to a fair trial. A sweeping gag order was imposed and hundreds of court documents were sealed from public view. After Kohberger pleaded guilty, a coalition of news organizations asked that the gag order be lifted and the case documents be unsealed. Hippler agreed, but said unsealing the documents will take time. It's not clear how many answers they might contain.
