Family tributes to 'beautiful boy' killed in crash by Corhampton
In the tribute to their loved one they said: "Damo was one of a kind — warm, caring, and full of life. He would do anything for his friends, and his loyalty knew no limits."He didn't just have friends — he collected hearts. Whether it was through a laugh, a conversation, or simply being there when someone needed him, he made people feel truly loved. His circle of friends was wide, and they all knew how lucky they were to have him."The family said that he was passionate about music and "loved beyond measure and missed beyond words".They added: "He leaves behind a family who adored him beyond words: his five siblings — Ashleigh, Mercedez, Lucifer, Jay, and Megan — each holding precious memories of their brother's laughter, kindness, and cheeky grin. The bond they shared is unbreakable and eternal."Damien may be gone from our sight, but never from our hearts."Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary has appealed for witnesses or anyone with relevant dashcam footage to contact the force.
You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
5 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Southport, one year on: Seaside town still in mourning readies itself for an 'emotional day' as the first anniversary of horror killing spree that left three girls dead, families torn apart and all of Britain in shock arrives
Exactly a year ago sadistic Southport murderer Axel Rudakubana savaged children at a Taylor Swift-themed summer holiday dance class. Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, all died and eight more children aged between seven and 13 suffered knife wounds, as did dance teacher Leanne Lucas while trying to protect the children. To remember the devastating day, the Merseyside town will hold a three-minute silence and lower flags on public buildings. But the families of the three girls who were murdered have asked for no flowers to be left at schools or the scene of the killings and for no vigils or large public gatherings. To respect their wishes, public bodies will not call the day an anniversary. Patrick Hurley, the MP for Southport told The Guardian it would be a 'really emotional day' for the town which bore the 'long-lasting detrimental psychological and emotional impact of the attack.' He added: 'We know that what happened in July last year is always going to be a part of the town's history but there's so much more than that. 'It's a day to remember the girls who were killed and it's a day to remember the response of the community when everybody came out and supported everbody else.' In an attack that prosecutors described as a 'meticulously-planned rampage' the knife-wielding maniac knifed as many children as he could within 12 minutes. Businessman John Hayes, who rushed to the scene from his office nearby and attempted to overpower Rudakubana, was also stabbed. Others nearby who heard screams also hurried to the scene and police arrived, bringing the horrific incident to an end. One of the officers who was called was Sergeant Greg Gillespie. Describing his experience of the traumatic, he told the BBC about the 'fear' he saw in people's faces - even recalling seeing a little girl he thought to be dead. He said: 'I don't think there's any amount of training or experience that can quite prepare you to deal with something like that or to process it. 'Everyone now knows the sequence of events that occurred that day - that wasn't known to us at the time.' He added that all they knew was that a child had been stabbed and 'the offender was in the building.' Sergeant Gillespie, alongside PC Luke Holden and PCSO Timothy Parry all arrived at the scene but without any understanding of the scale of the stabbing. Sergeant Gillespie and PC Holden entered the building 'shoulder to shoulder' and were immediately faced with 17-year-old Rudakubana, who 'showed' them the blood-stained knife. All three officers were recognised at the Police Federation of England and Wales 2025 bravery awards. PC Holden told the BBC: 'My hyper-vigilance increased 1,000% and I was wary of everyone in every situation. 'You start thinking worst case of every situation you deal with. All the officers said the attack changed their lives. Rudakubana was given a life sentence, with a minimum term of 52 years - one of the highest on record - after pleading guilty to the three murders and 10 attempted murders, plus other offences, including making the deadly toxin ricin, in January. Police intelligence officers are monitoring social media to look for any attempts to stir up disorder in or around Southport this week. They want to prevent a repeat of the anti-immigration riots that spread across England after the attack last summer. Meanwhile, Southport's town hall gardens are set to undergo a £10million renovation to commemorate the girls. Their families said they hoped the new square and community space would serve as 'a legacy inspired by our three beautiful amazing girls'. There is currently an inquiry investigating how various agencies, including the police, the courts, the NHS and social services, failed to spot the risk posed by Rudakubana, 18, in the run-up to the attack. Rudakubana had been referred to Prevent, the Government's counter-terror programme, three times but his case was closed prematurely because he did not have a clear political or religious motivation. He had also been caught repeatedly with a knife. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper told MPs that a review of his contact with the programme found he had 'admitted to having carried a knife more than ten times, yet the action against him was far too weak'. She said he was referred to Prevent repeatedly because he was 'expressing interest in school shootings, the London Bridge attack, the IRA, MI5 and the Middle East'. Tablet computers at his home showed he downloaded papers on historical violence by the Nazis, Genghis Khan and even relatively obscure conflicts in French colonies during the 17th century – plus footage of beheadings and torture. As well as the digital discoveries, a machete and scabbard, a set of arrows and a black holdall were found in Rudakubana's bedroom at the family home in Banks, Lancashire, a village five miles north of Southport. The Prevent review, conducted since the summer, has concluded that 'too much weight was placed on the absence of ideology' and that his case 'should not have been closed' by counter-terror police who were assessing whether he posed a threat. On the second day of the hearings, a series of moving impact statements from the parents of four of the girls who attended the holiday club, at the Hart Space, in the Merseyside seaside town, were read to a hushed council chamber at Liverpool Town Hall. Sir Adrian said Rudakubana perpetrated 'an almost unimaginable but nonetheless mercilessly calculated' killing spree at the Taylor Swift-themed dance club. The retired judge described the attack as 'one of the most egregious crimes in our country's history.' Sir Adrian said it was 'truly critical' that the inquiry secured answers for the families of Rudakubana's victims and made recommendations to prevent anything similar happening in the future. The hearings will examine why several agencies, including the police, the courts, the NHS and social services, who all had contact with Rudukabana, failed to identify the risk he posed. It will also investigate whether the attack could or should have been prevented. Sir Adrian said that one consideration for the inquiry would be whether courts should be allowed to impose restrictions on people suspected of planning serious violent offences, even if they have not committed any crime. It will look into whether measures, such as imposing curfews, electronic tags, internet bans or restrictions on social media use should be available in such circumstances. Sir Adrian said the inquiry will examine whether Prevent needs to be overhauled to address those drawn into extreme violence without a clear 'religious or political cause.' The chairman said there appeared to be several 'undisputed and troubling facts' that already suggested Rudakubana's attack was far from being 'an unforeseeable catastrophic event.' By July last year, he had been on the radar of various State agencies for several years, had a 'known predilection for knife crime' and posed a 'very serious and significant risk of violent harm,' Sir Adrian said. 'Furthermore, his ability, unhindered, to access gravely violent material on the internet, to order knives online at a young age, and then to leave home unsupervised to commit the present attack, speaks to a wholesale and general failure to intervene effectively, or indeed at all, to address the risks that he posed,' he added. Police discovered a sinister arsenal of weapons, including a bow and arrow, two machetes, two large kitchen knives, a sledgehammer, materials to make Molotov cocktail explosives and ingredients to make the deadly toxin ricin, at Rudakubana's home following the attack. The widespread rioting and civil unrest following the murders is not being examined by the inquiry. The hearings have been adjourned until September, when statements from the remaining relatives of victims and survivors are expected to continue.
Daily Mail
35 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Furious locals' in deprived Hampshire town say 'secret' plan to move migrants into £250,000 flats will be the final nail in the coffin of their 'Zombieland' High Street
Residents of a deprived Southern town known for its derelict high street and have claimed they are being exploited by the government after plans were leaked detailing how a new migrant hotel could be installed above a cluster empty shops. Locals in Waterlooville, Hampshire have said the new arrivals could bring 'chaos' to the already 'dead' community hub following unrest at other migrant sites last week which saw riot police deployed in Epping and Canary Wharf. The Home Office plan to relocate 35 asylum seekers to a brand new development, where flats can sell for £250,000, is part of a new initiative to lower the numbers in hotels and 'disperse' migrants across UK towns and cities. However, it was done without any consultation with the local council to the dismay of locals and tensions in the town which has been described as a 'zombieland' due to its low visitor numbers is high. With just days to go until a decision is due to be made and amid a planned protest to block the move, residents have expressed concern at being kept in the dark over major decisions that could shape the future of their town. Waterlooville used to be a 'thriving' high street but lost many big name stores including Waitrose, Wilko, Game and Peacocks in recent years, with much of the footfall being 'taken' by a nearby retail park. These days the 'barren' high street has maintained its Wetherspoons but little else and some residents fear this complete lack of life in the town centre will lead to the migrant men loitering aimlessly. When MailOnline visited the town yesterday, tensions were high with some locals fearing for the safety of their families and the future of the town should the move go through. Pompey fan Steve, 58, who has lived in the area his whole life said: 'I've got a 13-year-old granddaughter, when you're about that age, you want to go out up the high street, but I'd be worried now. 'There's no criminal history checks on these people. It's easy to get swept up in that aspect, but it's not just that, I think it will attract trouble for us as well as the migrants. 'With the planned protests, I don't want people to start smashing things up because that plays into the hands of the Home Office and police who say 'see, there we go, right wing'. 'We have genuine concerns but the narrative can change quickly.' The earmarked development is a newly converted block of 19 flats called Waterloo House. It is owned by Mountley Group whose Director, Hersch Schneck, also owns a migrant hotel in nearby Cosham. At the top of the market, the flats could fetch £250,000 each but falling house prices mean taking them off the market and entering into a deal with Clearsprings, a company which procures accommodation for asylum seekers on behalf of the Home Office, could be a far more profitable move for Mountley Group. That's because the government could offer top of the market fees in order to get migrants into housing. As a result, Mountley Group could enjoy fixed guaranteed rates for several years and not be at risk of market turbulence. As well as private rentals, the Home Office is seeking medium-sized sites such as former student accommodation and old tower blocks to house migrants. The flats are located above a bric a brac store called The Junk Emporium which was once a Peacocks clothing store and before that, a Tesco. A member of staff at the shop, who rent from Mountley Group, told MailOnline how they only found out about the plans over Facebook and revealed the fallout of the row has severely impacted business. She explained: 'Yesterday we probably took around a third less. They [customers] think it's to do with us but it's not, we just rent the shop, they kind of assume we know what is going which we don't. 'We've had lots of phone calls and people coming in asking questions we can't answer. We were always under the impression that the flats above would be sold to commuters and people like that. 'The only thing the owners have told us is that it will not be for 35 single men, it is families. What concerns us is this protest. We have not had any assurances in the event of damage to the shop.' Others in Waterlooville, said to be named by soldiers returning from the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, feel just as left out of the conversation. Sid Conroy, who used to work for Airbus and now spends his time breeding racing pigeons, fears serious repercussions if the hotel gets given the greenlight. The 68-year-old said: 'I'm dead against it, there could be fights and trouble up here. You're going to have problems here, I can tell you that. 'There are people waiting years on housing waiting lists and it just seems like they get a brand new flat just like that? Why can't they look after us first? 'Our government is making us unhappy because of it. People are left behind, they're thinking more of the people coming in now. You get them coming over here, causing mayhem, causing trouble, all they get is a slap on the wrist and don't do it again. This is how I see it.' Jdarno Osborne, a mum whose children have challenging medical needs, says the hotel has left her angry because she has struggled to get stable housing in the past. The 36-year-old, who has lived in the area her whole life, said: 'It's funny how they can quickly house people from out of the country yet our own don't get support. 'I've got six kids, I lived in a two bed flat for thirteen years and yet somebody can come over and get helped straight away. 'My daughter is 15 now, they sometimes come here to hang with their friends. But it is worrying, there are things kicking off elsewhere because you hear of cases of rapes, harassment, stalking. 'We have to deal with this but people don't seem to care.' The row over the proposed hotel has triggered a political fallout which has seen local MP for Fareham and Waterlooville, Suella Braverman, the former Home Secretary, launch a petition to block the hotel going ahead. She said such sites make town centres 'no-go zones for the patriotic, common-sense majority' adding: 'This site, in the centre of our town, is utterly inappropriate for migrant accommodation. It must be stopped.' Her petition has garnered nearly 10,000 signatures. Leader of Labour-run Havant Borough Council, Councillor Phil Munday, said last week how the row came about after Clearsprings, who are procuring the site, sent their consultation to the wrong email address. In a furious public statement, he said he was 'extremely disappointed' that such an important issue was handled so poorly but went on to lambast Ms Braverman for 'headline-grabbing'. WATERLOOVILLE: The town, located near the South Downs National Park, is said to have its name originated from soldiers returning from nearby Portsmouth after the Battle of Waterloo in 1815 He added: 'They also failed to follow up to ensure a response of some kind was registered. These consultation exercises need to be taken seriously. The council have secured a 10-day consultation extension period to consider the plans. A decision is expected on 1st August. 'I look forward to the council providing a response that reflects the concerns of the borough', Mr Munday said. Nikki Woodley and her 14-year-old son Harry said they also have reservations if migrants were to be relocated to the high street. Nikki said: 'The council say the information was sent to the wrong person which I don't know if I agree with or not. But I'm obviously against the hotel. It's the worse place to put it because there are children everywhere here. 'I'm not saying they're going to be all horrible and bad and criminals but if they're illegal we don't know who they are, we've got no idea who they are, they could have PTSD. 'I don't suppose you'll come anyone who is for it.' Harry, who spoke to MailOnline with permission from his mum, said he sometimes hangs out on the high street and while the prospect of groups of young migrant men wouldn't bother him too much he said 'I'd probably feel a bit cautious' and consider socialising elsewhere. Kathleen Kingston, 67, who has lived in the area her whole life said housing people above shops on a high street is plain wrong. She went on: 'I think of the accommodation for locals like housing association, there are more people that need housing.' Patricia Walding, 87, added: 'These hotels are changing our towns, they are costing us a fortune and robbing the taxpayer while our own people are sleeping on the streets, I think it's disgusting.' Sid Conroy, who used to work for Airbus and now spends his time breeding racing pigeons, fears serious repercussions if the hotel gets given the greenlight But not everyone is so against the plans. One lady, an SEN teacher, who did not want to be named, feels local people are unloading unrelated grievances about their lives onto asylum seekers because they are 'an easy target'. The mum said: 'People have got different views, those views are not wanting to house asylum seekers. The views and reasoning behind it are one, very racist, and two, not the right reasons. You hear it a lot, just the chat about migrants. 'I don't believe for one second they care about the money side of things with the migrant criss or the actual safety of other people. 'I understand people are concerned about women and children. I'm concerned about the other side of it, the protests, all these people gathering. They'll say its peaceful but it definitely wont be. 'I've had asylum seekers as students, one of them has just past their level three and I couldn't be more proud. When you actually listen to someone like that and they tell you stories what it is really like to come from somehwere like that, you have no idea, you get to wake up in a warm bed every morning. When you see videos they won't show on the BBC. 'Everytime I share my views, people say it's stupid. But you can't help where you're born.' The Leader of Havant Borough Council, Councillor Phil Munday, said 'I understand we have an instructed duty from the Home Office to house asylum seekers within the borough, however it is important that the council works closely with all concerned to advise on the placement for these vulnerable people. 'I have taken immediate action and personally called The Home Office to request an extension to their consultation in order for us to respond accordingly. This has also been followed up with formal requests in writing from our officers. 'We are extremely disappointed that the company involved with this important consultation, considering the impact it may have on our local community, was not only sent to an incorrect email address, but they also failed to follow up to ensure a response of some kind was registered. These consultation exercises need to be taken seriously. Councillor Phil Munday added 'I also have grave concerns on the impact the recent video posted by MP Suella Braverman will have, and I would urge the community to act responsibly and allow us to address this matter formally in the correct manner. 'As part of my open letter to Suella Braverman MP on this matter I will be reminding her that those who could potentially be accommodated somewhere within our borough, will be supported asylum seekers. 'They are categorically not recognised by the state as illegal immigrants – regardless of the headline-grabbing title of Suella Braverman's petition – and I urge people to consider this in their views and actions.' As of late June 2025, there are approximately 32,000 asylum seekers housed in hotels in the UK. As of July 20, 2025, over 20,000 migrants have crossed the English Channel in small boats this year, according to the BBC.
BBC News
35 minutes ago
- BBC News
Maguiresbridge: Murder victims will be buried together in County Clare
Vanessa Whyte and her two children, who were murdered in County Fermanagh, will be buried together in her home town in County Clare. The 45-year-old and her children, 14-year-old James Rutledge and 13-year-old Sara Rutledge, were shot and killed in their home in Maguiresbridge on Monday night the man suspected of killing them, Ian Rutledge (43) died in hospital. Last week police said a suspected triple murder and attempted suicide was one line of inquiry for detectives. Prayer service held in County Clare for mother and childrenSchool to remember murdered brother and sister 'for years to come'Childminder said she loved murdered children 'like they were her own'Shooting victim was 'devoted mum to Sara and James' Funeral arrangements for Ms Whyte and her children were announced on Monday night. In a post on social media the funeral directors said: "People attending the service of removal and funeral Mass are asked to please wear bright and cheerful colours in their memory."A service of removal will take place at St Mary's Church in Maguiresbridge at 11:00 BST on Wednesday 30 funeral Mass will be held in Vanessa Whyte's home town of Barefield, County Clare on Saturday 2 August."Following Mass, Vanessa, James and Sara will be laid to rest together in Templemaley Cemetery," they said. Emergency services were called to their home on the Drummeer Road on Wednesday morning. Two of the victims were declared dead at the scene and a third victim died later that day in after the attack, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) told a news conference a man from the same household was in hospital with gunshot wounds. The PSNI's district commander said that no arrests had been made and at that stage it was not anticipated that any would be made. On Monday, detectives investigating the shooting reiterated their appeal for "anyone with information, no matter how insignificant it may seem, to come forward". On Saturday, they issued an appeal over the movements of a silver Mercedes between Maguiresbridge and Newtownbutler on the day before the shootings. Tributes to murder victims Sara and James were both students at Enniskillen Royal Grammar School and were former pupils of Maguiresbridge Primary School in their home of mourners attended a vigil for the family in the primary school's grounds on Friday. Several senior politicians were present as religious representatives addressed the vigil, and a minute's silence was held as a mark of respect for the victims. A prayer service also took place on Sunday evening at the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Barefield, County the service, the parish priest, Fr Tom Fitzpatrick, told mourners:"Let us remember Vanessa not just by the way she died, but by the life she lived, her smile, her strength, her incredible powerful love for her children. "She gave it her all to the very end.""We remember James and Sara, not just as victims of violence, but as children who played and who laughed and had their favourite stories, of course favourite foods I'm sure as well, and great dreams," he added."Dreams that will never be fulfilled, but dreams that mattered because they were theirs."If you are affected by any of the issues in this article, details of organisations that can offer help and support are available on the BBC Action Line.
