Ram raiders snatch cash machine from Devon Co-op store
A cordon has been put around the Cranbrook store while investigations take place.It is thought the men in the Cranbrook raid left the scene in a different black car, possibly an Audi or a Mercedes, which may have false number plates.
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The Independent
29 minutes ago
- The Independent
MPs back proscribing direct action group Palestine Action as terror organisation
MPs have backed the Government's move to ban direct action group Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation, despite warnings it will have a 'chilling effect' on protest. Legislation passed in the Commons on Wednesday, as MPs voted 385 to 26, majority 359 in favour of proscribing the group under the Terrorism Act 2000. The motion is expected to be debated and voted on by the House of Lords on Thursday before it becomes law. If approved, it would become a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison to be a member of the direct action group or to support it. Security minister Dan Jarvis told MPs that protesters expressing support for Palestine 'have always been able to, and can continue to do so' as he urged support to ban Palestine Action. He said: 'Palestine Action is not a legitimate protest group. ' People engaged in lawful protest don't need weapons. People engaged in lawful protest do not throw smoke bombs and fire pyrotechnics around innocent members of the public. 'And people engaged in lawful protest do not cause millions of pounds of damage to national security infrastructure, including submarines and defence equipment for Nato.' Palestine Action is seeking a legal challenge against the Government's bid to proscribe it, with a hearing expected on Friday to decide whether the ban can be temporarily blocked, pending further proceedings to decide whether a legal challenge can be brought. The Government's move comes after two planes were vandalised at RAF Brize Norton on June 20 in an action claimed by Palestine Action. Five people have since been arrested on suspicion of a terror offence in relation to the incident. Mr Jarvis said the attack at RAF Brize Norton 'was just the latest episode in Palestine Action's long history of harmful activity', adding: 'Palestine Action has orchestrated a nation-wide campaign of property damage featuring attacks that have resulted in serious damage to property and crossed the threshold from direct criminal action into terrorism.' But the minister faced backlash from some MPs who described the move as a 'draconian overreach' and likened the group to the Suffragettes. The United Nations also warned ahead of the vote for the UK not to proscribe Palestine Action, as experts are concerned at the 'unjustified labelling of a political protest movement as 'terrorist'.' Independent MP for Coventry South Zarah Sultana also told the Commons: 'To equate a spray can of paint with a suicide bomb isn't just absurd, it is grotesque. 'It is a deliberate distortion of the law to chill dissent, criminalise solidarity and suppress the truth.' Former soldier Clive Lewis, now the Labour MP for Norwich South, said: 'I understand what terrorism is. I was in London on July 7 in 2007 and I watched my community, this city, attacked by real terrorists. 'And at that point, rightly or wrongly, I decided I was going to Afghanistan to fight the terrorists. 'And I went because I love this country, and I love our democracy, and I want to see it protected. I think today's proscription order against Palestine Action undermines that and I wish my Government wouldn't do it.' A spokesperson for Palestine Action said: 'We are confident that this unlawful order will be overturned. 'As United Nations experts have made clear, spraying red paint and disrupting the British-based operations of Israel's largest weapons firm, Elbit Systems, is not terrorism.' Outside of Parliament, four protesters were arrested by the Metropolitan Police following a demonstration to oppose the move to ban Palestine Action. The police had imposed Public Order Act conditions aimed at limiting the protest to Richmond Terrace, off Whitehall. One woman, who identified herself as Emma Kamio to the PA news agency, appeared to use the protest technique known as 'locking on' to cause an obstruction outside of Carriage Gates, one of the entrances to the parliamentary estate. Her daughter Leona Kamio was among a group of pro-Palestine protesters who have appeared in court to deny breaking into the UK site of an Israel-based defence firm with sledgehammers, causing £1 million of damage. Police were seen speaking to Ms Kamio as she sat on the pavement outside Parliament with her arm inside what appeared to be a suitcase. Listing the four arrests, a Met spokesperson said a woman 'who locked herself onto a suitcase outside the gates of Parliament' was among them for 'breaching the conditions and for being in possession of articles intended for locking on'. Among those arrested was also a 'man who blocked the gates of Downing Street with his mobility scooter and refused to move to the conditioned area'. A larger than usual number of officers could be seen in the area around Parliament. The Met said the 'significant policing presence in the vicinity of Parliament' was because of its 'responsibility to take action to prevent serious disruption to the life of the community', including by ensuring MPs 'can go about their business free from intimidation or unreasonable interference'. The legislation approved by MPs also bans two white supremacist groups, Maniacs Murder Cult and Russian Imperial Movement, including its paramilitary arm Russian Imperial Legion. The Home Office describes the Maniacs Murder Cult as a neo-Nazi transnational and online organisation which has claimed a number of violent attacks around the world. Russian Imperial Movement is a ethno-nationalist group which aims to create a new Russian Imperial State. Its paramilitary unit fought alongside Russian forces in the invasion of Ukraine to advance its ideological cause. It also runs a paramilitary training programme to support attendees to carry out terror attacks, the Home Office added.
Daily Mail
31 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Facing jail, predatory pastor who carried out 'appalling' sexual assaults on two women
A predatory pastor sexually assaulted a parishioner whilst pretending to 'remove demons' from her body, a court heard. Walter Masocha repeatedly touched the woman inappropriately at his home in Stirling, telling her she was a gift to him from God. He also attempted to rape a woman and indecently assaulted her during a campaign of sexual abuse spanning six years. Masocha, Archbishop of the Agape for All Nations Church, was found guilty after a trial at the High Court in Livingston of the attempted rape, an indecent assault and a sexual assault against one woman and indecent assault of his other victim. He committed the offences at addresses in the Stirling area between January 2006 and July 2012. The jury heard from a 39-year-old woman who said she was aged 20 when Masocha began sexually abusing her. She said most people in the church referred to the accused as 'Dad' or 'Daddy' and looked on him as a father figure. She told the court: 'He would say 'My children' implying we needed to be there for him. 'He would tell me 'God said I need to look after you and has given me special love for you in particular'. 'Several times during so-called surgeries he said to me 'God has given you to me to nurture you, look after you and provide for you. He told me to love you in any way you want to be loved. You don't need a boyfriend'.' She said Masocha sexually assaulted her at his home and in a later incident slapped her bottom as she was going upstairs. She told how he later tried to rape her after taking her into his bedroom. Her husband told the court he and the victim later confronted Masocha, who responded by asking them to pray for him, saying: 'I'm sorry I loved you too much.' The jury also heard evidence from a 58-year-old who was sexual abused by Masocha around 20 years ago. The woman said he had told her that God had 'given her to him as a gift' and ordered her to kiss his 'holy lips'. She said he tried to justify touching her inappropriately by claiming he was 'removing demons' from her body and giving her blessings in return. Summing up the prosecution case, advocate depute Michael McIntosh said in his closing speech: 'She was looking for prayer and she found herself being preyed upon. 'Walter Masocha wasn't just a pastor and a preacher, he was a predator who thought that his power and position rendered him immune from suspicion.' Giving evidence in his own defence, Masocha accused the two complainers, and two other women who gave evidence of earlier sexual abuse by him, of making up all the allegations against him. Masocha, 61, a former accountancy lecturer at Stirling University - founded his own successful church in Scotland in his spare time in 2007. The Zimbabwean national built up The Agape for All Nations Church into a formidable international religious organisation with more than 2,000 members, appointing himself as Archbishop on the same salary as the Archbishop of Canterbury. He set up ministries across the UK, the United States and Canada as well as in numerous African countries. He was known and respected by church members as 'The Prophet', 'The Apostle' and 'A Man of God'. Judge Susan Craig called for background reports and a risk assessment before sentencing and adjourned the case until later this month. She remanded Masocha in custody until then. She told him: 'This was appalling behaviour. It's completely clear to me that this will result in a custodial sentence. 'While you've been bailed until now I'm going to revoke that bail immediately and the officers there will take you into prison for remand.' It was only after the jury's verdicts were announced that it could be revealed that Masocha was convicted in June 2015 of sexually assaulting a woman at the Church of Agape and engaging in sexual activity towards a schoolgirl. He was sentenced at the time to 250 hours of unpaid work and placed on the sex offenders register for a year, but the conviction was later quashed after appeal court judges ruled he was the victim of a miscarriage of justice.
Telegraph
36 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Police failed to tell Letby she could be facing further charges
Police failed to tell Lucy Letby that she could be facing further charges, forcing her to find out through 'gossipy' leaks to the press, her barrister has complained. Mark McDonald, defending Letby, said it was concerning that police did not 'have the courtesy' to inform her legal team that it was passing a new file of evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). The file is thought to relate to new baby deaths and non-fatal collapses at the Countess of Chester Hospital and Liverpool Women's Hospital between 2012 and 2016. Mr McDonald argued that evidence of Letby's innocence was now 'overwhelming' and said he was concerned that police were using journalists 'as a conduit for leaked gossip'. He said: 'One could be cynical and say that the police are afraid of what will happen when Lucy's conviction is overturned. '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.' 'Carefully consider the evidence' Letby, 35, from Herefordshire, was convicted of murdering seven babies and attempting to kill seven others while working at the Countess of Chester in 2015 and 2016. But since the trial, scores of scientists, medics and politicians have come forward to question how the trial was conducted, while a panel of eminent experts has reviewed the cases and concluded that there were no murders. Jeremy Hunt, who was health secretary during the period when Letby worked at the Countess of Chester, has said there are 'serious and credible' concerns regarding the conviction. The case is currently under consideration by the Criminal Cases Review Commission, which looks into potential miscarriages of justice. The CCRC is expected to report back by Christmas. Following her convictions, Cheshire Constabulary announced that it would be investigating more attacks at the Countess of Chester and elsewhere, and officers have interviewed Letby in prison on several occasions. A spokesman for the force said: 'We can confirm that Cheshire Constabulary has submitted a full file of evidence to the CPS for charging advice regarding the ongoing investigation into deaths and non-fatal collapses of babies at the neonatal units of both the Countess of Chester Hospital and the Liverpool Women's Hospital as part of Operation Hummingbird.' The CPS confirmed that it had received the file and said it would 'carefully consider the evidence to determine whether any criminal charges should be brought'. A spokesman said: 'As always, we will make that decision independently, based on the evidence and in line with our legal test.'
