
Appeal after cyclist seriously hurt in Leicester attack
The injured man has since been discharged from hospital, the force added.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


BBC News
27 minutes ago
- BBC News
Brynmill murder charge as man dies in Swansea
A man has been charged with murder following the death of a 65-year-old man in Swansea. Police were called to an alleged assault and an unconscious man outside The Mill pub on Brynymor Road, Brynmill in Swansea at around 20.15 BST on 65-year-old man was taken to Morriston Hospital where he died on Sunday. His next of kin has been informed and are being supported, South Wales Police Vonks, 50, from Swansea, has been charged with murder and is due to appear at Swansea Magistrates' Court on Monday.


The Guardian
30 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Man carrying home his gardening tools arrested by armed police in Manchester
A man who had returned home from his allotment with a trug of vegetables and gardening tools strapped to his belt was arrested by armed police, after a member of the public said they had seen 'a man wearing khaki clothing and in possession of a knife'. Samuel Rowe, 35, who works as a technical manager at a theatre, had come back from his allotment in Manchester earlier this month and decided to trim his hedge with one of his tools, a Japanese garden sickle, when police turned up on his doorstep. 'I just heard shouting behind me, and then two armed officers shouting at me to drop the knife,' he said. 'And then they turned me around, pushed me up against my house, cuffed me, and then they arrested me, put me in the back of the van.' The tools he had on his belt, he said, were a Niwaki Hori Hori gardening trowel in a canvas sheath, and an Ice Bear Japanese gardener's sickle. When he was arrested, Rowe said, the officer pulled the trowel out of its sheath, and said: 'That's not a garden tool.' 'I said it is, because it was in the Niwaki-branded pouch that you get at garden centres,' Rowe said. He was then taken to a police station and questioned. 'They started asking questions, like if I was autistic or anything like that, asking me whether I'd ever been in the army, whether I told people I was in the army,' he said. 'I was obviously in shock. I was struggling to think straight, struggling to talk properly, because I was pretty scared. I was answering the questions honestly, whatever they asked me, because I hadn't done anything wrong in my mind.' Rowe said police had questioned him on whether he was 'planning on doing something' with the tools, and he said he was also asked to explain what an allotment was. '[I had] to explain in very basic terms what an allotment is to this guy,' he said. 'So it didn't fill me with a lot of confidence that I was going to be let off.' 'I kept explaining that they're gardening tools, none of the blades were on show,' Rowe added. 'I said that I don't leave [the tools] at my allotment because it's not secure, people can break into the allotments and easily get into your shed in five minutes … they were just constantly not listening.' Rowe said he was interviewed without legal representation as officers had been unable to reach a solicitor, and after spending several hours in custody he said he accepted a caution so he would be released. 'I was trying to be overly polite in the police station and trying to ingratiate myself with them in a way, because I felt like my future was in their hands, basically,' he said. 'It was up to them whether they decided I was committing a crime or not.' A Greater Manchester police spokesperson said: 'At around 12.20pm on 3 July, we acted on a call from a member of the public that a man was walking in public wearing khaki clothing and in possession of a knife. 'Nearby officers were flagged down by the caller, who directed them towards a male. He was subsequently stopped and a small sickle, a large dagger which was in a sheath on a belt, and a peeling knife, were seized. 'He was arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon and taken into custody. He admitted the offence and was given a conditional caution, which entailed advice and guidance around the legislation of knives and bladed weapons in a public place.' Rowe is now seeking legal representation to try to challenge his arrest and his caution. He is worried it will affect his future employment, as part of his job involves working with vulnerable adults. 'I've basically got a caution that's going to show up on a DBS [Disclosure and Barring Service check] that I don't think I deserve,' he said. 'I shouldn't have been arrested by armed officers. I want my caution removed, and then I'd like my gardening tools back. And if I got that, I might even like an apology off them, but I know the chances of that are next to nothing.'


Telegraph
39 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Police use spit hoods on suspects once an hour
Police officers are using spit hoods to defend themselves in potentially violent situations once every hour, new figures have shown. The mesh fabric hoods are placed over a suspect's head to prevent them from spitting or biting when arrested or in custody. Figures show that they were used 26,4000 times over three years and that their use is increasing each year. Official data showing the use of spit hoods between 2021 and 2024 has been released by the Home Office, following a House of Lords written question by Lord Palter of Spalding. In 2021-22, they were used by police 8,281 times, in 2022/23 it was 8,275 and in 2023-24, it was 9,844. On average, that is 8,800 each year, which breaks down to 24 times a day. The Metropolitan Police had the highest number with 4,503 over the three years, Greater Manchester Police with 1,951 and West Midlands Police using 1,875. Critics of the tactic have voiced concerns that spit hoods can be dangerous, potentially leading to suffocation or distress, and that they can mirror a waterboarding effect. Two serving Metropolitan Police officers and a former officer are facing a gross misconduct hearing after a 90-year-old black woman with dementia was 'red-dotted' with a Taser, handcuffed and put in a spit hood. The woman was targeted with the Taser when she refused to drop kitchen utensils she had been holding after officers were called to an address in Peckham, south London, in May this year over reports of a disturbance. Officers approached the woman who spat in the direction of some officers. She was physically detained and placed in handcuffs and then a spit hood was applied, but she was not arrested. Ambulance staff attended and the woman was taken to hospital still in the handcuffs and spit hood. These were later removed at the hospital. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is now investigating the police officers' actions. Steve Noonan, the IOPC director, said: 'We are concerned by some of the actions and decision-making of police officers involved in the detention of this elderly and vulnerable lady, and we recognise this incident has also caused community concern. 'It's important that an independent investigation takes place to establish the full circumstances.' But officers have defended their use of spit hoods. Peter Bleksley, a retired Metropolitan Police detective, said: 'This is the shocking reality of policing in 2025. If there's a risk of an officer being spat on, I'd say put the hood on. ' Violence against police is out of control. It needs a proper crackdown. The use of these hoods is a clear sign it is not acceptable in any form.' 'Put yourselves in the shoes of the officers' He added: 'It's a horrific thing to have to go through. Anyone who does not believe me, I'd say put yourselves in the shoes of the officers it is happening to. 'They are there for a reason. Anyone making the human rights argument, what's humane about being spat on? It's a disgraceful act.' One officer from Kent, who did not want to be named, said: 'It's becoming an increasing problem. There is more reporting of it now. 'No police officer wants to have to use them. But if we're being spat on, we have to. It's also about controlling what could be an unfolding violent situation and not making it worse.'