Man accused of plot to share Shapps details says he wanted to ‘expose' Russian spies
Howard Phillips, 65, was charged with assisting a foreign intelligence service after passing a USB stick containing details relating to Shapps including his home address and the location of his private plane to undercover officers, who prosecutors say he believed to be Russian spies. He previously pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Opening his defence at Winchester crown court, Phillips said he was not acting against the UK when he allegedly leaked Shapps's details but carrying out a secret plot to 'trap' Russian spies.
Phillips, a retired insolvency worker from Harlow, Essex, told the court he was Jewish and hoped to pass information about the Russian spies to Israel, as he believed this would 'benefit' the state.
He also told jurors that he first met Shapps, then his local MP in the constituency of Welwyn Hatfield, at a synagogue.
Jeremy Dein, representing Phillips, asked whether he had any 'feelings about Russia' before he made contact with whom he presumed was the Russian intelligence service. In response, he said he did hold opinions – and they were 'very negative'.
When asked about his view of the UK, he said: 'I love the UK … I would never do anything deliberate which would have the potential to harm this country – not ever.'
Phillips told jurors he first made contact with the agents by sending a letter to the Russian embassy in March 2024. 'I simply wrote a letter portraying that I had information and that if they are interested, they should be in contact with me,' he said.
Phillips said he did not have any information to share, and when asked why he made contact, he said: 'Because of events that were happening in the world, I was intending to track and expose the Russian agents.'
When asked why he wanted to do this, Phillips said: 'Because they are the enemy and also, there was another side to it that was, at the time, the media portrayal of Israel was very negative.
'I was thinking to myself, if I could expose an agent, I could take that to the Israelis and facilitate benefit to the Israelis by the [UK] media having to portray that Israel had helped the UK – which goes on behind the scenes anyway.'
The court heard that Phillips had met Shapps on four occasions in the past, after they met at Potters Bar synagogue in Hertfordshire. He said he had 'socialised' with Shapps in the then MP's house after an 'invitation to dinner and also to a meeting'.
When asked if he was 'friends' with the politician, he said: 'I would say more acquaintances than friends.'
Phillips said that in early 2024 he was living off his 'dilapidating capital', adding: 'I was pretty low about everything.'
He told jurors he had also sent letters to the Iranian and Chinese embassies in March 2024. When asked why, he said: 'The same criteria. To expose and trap a foreign agent who I perceived were the enemies.'
The court heard he had sent several letters in the past to various political figures, celebrities and businessmen, among others. In November 2022 he sent a letter to the actor Jennifer Aniston and the agent of Tom Cruise.
Phillips also sent letters to Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, Suella Braverman and Steve Barclay, among others. The trial continues.
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Sky News
25 minutes ago
- Sky News
A nationwide hunt was launched when Constance Marten disappeared with her partner Mark Gordon and their newborn baby. This is the story of how the couple's desperate bid to evade the authorities and keep their daughter Victoria ended in her tragic death.
A nationwide hunt was launched when Constance Marten disappeared with her partner Mark Gordon and their newborn baby. This is the story of how the couple's desperate bid to evade the authorities and keep their daughter Victoria ended in her tragic death. When the car in front of Ken Hudson's van burst into flames, he stopped on the motorway to help. But Mark Gordon and Constance Marten didn't want him to wait for the emergency services to arrive. Their newborn daughter's dark wispy hair poked out of the blanket she was wrapped in against the cold night, and Ken put his hand on her head, wishing her "God bless", before driving away. He didn't know that the family would soon be the focus of a national search, after a placenta wrapped in a towel in the burnt-out car revealed baby Victoria's secret birth, and that he would be one of the last people to see her up close while she was still alive. Prosecutors said the couple were motivated by a desire to keep their daughter after their four other children were taken into care, and had planned to avoid detection by the authorities since Marten fell pregnant. A multi-million pound family trust fund gave her access to money, and they were able to stay on the run for 54 days, living off-grid and sleeping in a tent as they travelled hundreds of miles across the country. When Victoria was found dead inside a Lidl bag in an allotment shed in Brighton, East Sussex, days after their arrest, Ken was left thinking: "What if?" "If I'd have waited for the emergency services and they'd have arrived… somebody would've been there to stop them leaving the scene," he says. "If that would've happened, then maybe the baby would've survived." Gordon, 51, and Marten, 38, were found guilty of child cruelty, concealing the birth of a child and perverting the course of justice last year, and have now been found guilty of manslaughter by gross negligence after a retrial. WARNING: This article contains material you may find distressing. ROYAL LINKS Marten, nicknamed Toots, comes from a wealthy family of landowners who have links to the Royal Family; her grandmother was reportedly a playmate of Princess Margaret, while her father, Napier Marten, was a page to the late Queen. She grew up in Crichel House, a Dorset estate, which the family reportedly put on the market for £100m in 2010, before its sale to an American buyer. But giving evidence during her trial, Marten said she "never really had a strong connection" with her family and that although she was financially privileged growing up, "emotionally" she was "not at all". "Obviously I don't want to seem ungrateful for having comfort and nice things and access to finances," she said. "It's great but without familial love… there are more important things." Following her private education, Marten studied Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Leeds, spending a year abroad in Cairo, where she took photographs of the Egyptian revolution. While at university, she accepted a fixed penalty notice for the attempted theft of a T-shirt in what she later told jurors was a "silly prank". She said travelling was her "passion" and that she had "been very blessed", enjoying trips to places like India, Nigeria, Uganda, South America and across Europe. Marten completed a journalism course, including a module on court reporting, according to her LinkedIn profile, and later studied at the East 15 Acting School in Essex. Her online CV says she had a day's internship at the Daily Mail and worked as a senior researcher for Middle Eastern news station, Al Jazeera, including on a documentary about a religious cult in Nigeria. A FAMILY FEUD Marten says she met Gordon in 2014 in a shop that sold incense. She didn't introduce him to her family, saying she had fallen out with them around two years earlier. She said they became good friends and went travelling to Peru, where they married in an unofficial wedding ceremony, and later described Gordon as her "soulmate" to police. 'I had to escape my family' Constance Marten Marten was about to be bought a house in London from the family trust fund before the birth of her first child, but the offer was withdrawn when she decided to leave the capital, the court heard. She claims she was "cut off overnight" while heavily pregnant, telling the jury she and Gordon went to Wales while "trying to flee" her family, who saw her as "an embarrassment". She says she believed they were pursued by private investigators who tampered with vehicles and installed a GPS tracker in a "cat and mouse" game. "Some people who are privileged think they are above the rules," she said. "It is harrowing, you are up against these people who will stop at nothing, who have endless resources and connections." The court heard Marten's mother, Virginie de Selliers, used private investigators to trace her daughter in 2016, while her father used the same firm to approach Gordon the following year. Ms De Selliers also used private investigators to locate Marten and Gordon in 2021 in an operation codenamed "Lynx". "I had to escape my family because [they] are extremely oppressive and bigoted and wouldn't allow me to have children with my husband," Marten said. "They would do anything to erase that child from the family line, which is what they did end up doing." By the time she had her second child, Marten was receiving £2,000 a month from the trust fund and later claimed benefits she wasn't entitled to, the court heard. 'You have made choices in your personal life which have proven challenging' Marten's mother Virginie de Selliers Her monthly allowance increased from £2,500 to £3,400 and she was given almost £50,000 in the months before she disappeared, after requesting money for a car and camera equipment. In an audio appeal made while Marten and her partner were on the run, her father said the family had lived "in great concern". Her mother, who attended the start of her daughter's first trial, said in an open letter: "You have made choices in your personal adult life which have proven to be challenging, however I respect them, I know that you want to keep your precious newborn child at all costs." MARK GORDON'S CRIMINAL PAST Gordon was born in Birmingham before moving to the US with his family, where he carried out a violent sex attack on a woman in Florida when he was just 14 years old. He placed a nylon stocking over his face and broke into his next-door neighbour's house armed with a knife and hedge clippers on 29 April 1989, before raping the victim while she was held captive for four-and-a-half hours. Weeks later, on 21 May, Gordon broke into another neighbour's home, where Patrick Nash lived with his wife and baby son, through a kitchen window. Mr Nash told Sky News he thinks the teenager didn't expect him to be there when his wife woke up to find Gordon, who had "strategically placed" the kitchen knives around the house, at the end of the bed armed with a shovel. "As I was getting out of bed, I was attacked," he said. "As I was attacked, I chased him out of the house. He came in through a kitchen window and went out the same way." Mr Nash, who was left needing more than a dozen stitches to his head after being hit with the shovel, added: "We were both upset. It was very frightful... We didn't sleep well for quite some time." Gordon, then aged 20, was sentenced to 40 years' imprisonment in 1994 after he was convicted of offences including rape, aggravated burglary, false imprisonment and indecent assault over the two attacks. He was released and deported to the UK in 2010 after serving 22 years and he is required to sign the sex offenders' register. In court, Gordon claimed he had suffered "human rights violations" because he had not been supervised in police interviews, and had challenged the convictions while in custody. He said his mother was a hard-working nurse who had two or three houses, adding: "The idea I was underprivileged was not the case." His older sister, Karen Satchell, the only one of seven siblings who went to the US with Gordon, insisted: "He's not a rapist, he was a 14-year-old boy in the wrong place at the wrong time." After spending so much time in prison, he wanted to "live off the land as a naturalist", she said. Karen, who now lives in London, said her "very shy" and "mysterious" brother had never introduced her to Marten or their children, was "an extremely private person" and that "nobody knew where he lived or how he lived". "They didn't want riches or gold, they didn't care about black or white. They didn't care about anything but their love when they wanted to have kids," she told Sky News. Gordon also pleaded guilty to assaulting two police officers who had been called to a maternity ward in Wales in 2017 around the time Marten gave birth to their first child, and was jailed for around 20 weeks. A woman who rented a property to the couple in Wales said they would pay the rent from a carrier bag full of cash. 'I had quite a few fights with Mark' The couple's former landlady She said she was worried about their baby because the parents seemed to be "manic". "I could tell she was educated. I knew she was kind. She fell in love with this chap," she told Sky News. "He wasn't a very nice man. She kept telling me how he was lovely. "I had quite a few fights with Mark. He used to phone me at 11pm saying he wanted me to follow a religion with him," the landlady added. Another property manager described to Sky News how he believed Gordon was meditating in the centre of the room surrounded by incense sticks in the gaps in the wooden floor, after finding burn marks in the flat. And a landlord who rented the couple a property in London said they left the room "like a junkyard" littered with "piles of rubbish", food waste and old clothes, as well as damaged walls. TAKEN INTO CARE The couple had four children together from 2017, before Marten became pregnant with Victoria in 2022. All four children were made subject to care and placement orders in January 2022 and Marten told the jury they had been "stolen by the state". There was an alleged incident of domestic violence in 2019 when Marten suffered a spleen injury after Gordon was accused of pushing her out of a window. A family court judge said there was a "risk of harm to the children by being exposed to physical violence between the parents". 'Mummy and daddy cancelled again' One of Marten and Gordon's children The couple were said to have "interacted well" with their children during supervised contact sessions, but their attendance was "inconsistent". One child was described as "inconsolable" when the parents failed to turn up at the contact centre, telling staff: "Mummy and daddy cancelled again." Prosecutors said that as soon as Marten realised she was pregnant with her fifth child, she and Gordon started planning to "go dark" so they could conceal the birth from the authorities and keep the baby. Gordon's sister, Karen, believes "it was a simple situation of just a couple trying to live and get away" and said: "We cannot judge their mindset or where their mental health went at that point." Victoria is believed to have been born in December 2022 before her parents went on the run with her. Here's how the hunt for the couple and their baby unfolded. DECEMBER 2022 Marten and Gordon book into the Woodcutter Cottage in Northumberland on 20 December, reserving it for six nights. Marten told police she gave birth in the holiday home on Christmas Eve - a claim disputed by the prosecution. The owners find the house in a "disgusting state" on 28 December, with urine stains on the bathroom floor, red wine on the quilt and cat litter strewn around. The same day, the couple's Suzuki car breaks down on the M18 near Doncaster. A recovery driver who takes them to a nearby Sainsbury's did not see or hear a baby. Prosecutors say the baby was likely born after 28 December, but they could not say exactly where or when the birth took place. At some point between 28 December and 4 January, Marten and Gordon travel across the Pennines. They check into the Ibis hotel at the Lymm Services in Cheshire in the early hours of 4 January before moving to the AC Hotel in Salford, Greater Manchester. 5 JANUARY 2023 The couple are travelling in a Peugeot 206 car, which catches fire on the M61 in Greater Manchester. It is not clear how, when or where they got the car. Ken Hudson was driving a van behind them and called the emergency services from the hard shoulder, where he filmed the car alight and billowing smoke. Ken watched Gordon open the boot of the car before "frantically" getting things out and throwing them over the crash barrier. After noticing Marten was carrying a baby, he asked if the infant was okay, to which Marten replied: "She's fine." "[I was] cut up because I believe that if I stayed with the vehicle, the baby may be still alive," he said. Marten's passport and a placenta wrapped in a towel were discarded in the wreckage. Abandoned items found nearby included a bible, a bag of more than 30 mobile phones, five used nappies and a cat in a pet carrier. 5 JANUARY At around 6.30pm, the couple walk from the burning car towards Anchor Lane bridge, which links the Highfield and Little Hulton areas. They get a lift to a Morrisons supermarket in Bolton, with the driver saying the baby was wrapped in a blanket. They are then seen on CCTV at Bolton Interchange bus station, with the baby apparently under Marten's coat. From there, they take a 35-mile taxi to Liverpool for about £80. In Liverpool, they flag down taxi driver Ali Yaryar and ask to go to Harwich in Essex, 270 miles away, paying him £400. Yaryar says he saw a baby inside Marten's jacket dressed only in a nappy. He offered a car seat but she declined, saying the baby was "too small". After the burning car is discovered with the placenta inside, Greater Manchester Police launches a missing persons case. 6 JANUARY The couple check into a Premier Inn hotel in Harwich at around 3am, using the false surname of Thomas, and pay in cash. Receptionist Rae Robson says Marten seemed stressed when she and Gordon were told to leave the next day as they didn't have proof of identity. When staff entered the vacated room, it smelled like "rotten flesh" or an "infected piercing", the receptionist said. That evening, the couple move to the Fryatt Hotel near Harwich International Port, again paying in cash. They check out the next morning just before 7am and Marten is seen on CCTV dressed in a red shawl at the port around 9am. A member of the public, Dale Gosling, confronts the couple near the port after watching a TV news report about their disappearance, but they deny being the missing couple. It was a "freezing" morning and the baby was dressed in a white onesie and wrapped inside Marten's coat in a towel or blanket, he said. The baby gave the kind of cry he "could not walk away from", he said, and he offered them a lift to the hospital or a cup of tea at his house. "I recall a child screaming to the point where I had to physically turn around and involve myself with people because the child was distressed," Mr Gosling said. Marten looked "scared" and "like a woman who had just given birth", he said, and seemed more amenable to the idea, but Gordon insisted they were going to London to see friends or family. 7 JANUARY From Harwich, they get a taxi to Colchester for £30 on 7 January. Cab driver Colette Franklin described how Gordon "slid down his seat" when a police car came towards them. They take another taxi later that morning from Colchester to High Street North in East Ham, east London, where CCTV shows Marten appearing to cradle the child beneath her unzipped jacket. Gordon buys a buggy in Argos while Marten waits at a table in a German doner kebab shop. With Victoria in the buggy, they take a taxi from East Ham to Whitechapel. Gordon goes to another Argos store, buying a two-person tent and camping bedding, including a children's unicorn sleeping bag. Shortly after midnight, they get in a taxi in east London carrying Argos bags and a Lidl bag. They are dropped off in Green Lanes in Haringey, north London - although they had wanted to go seven miles further, to the Enfield Tesco Extra. Taxi driver Abdirisakh Mohamud said he became "suspicious" and "uncomfortable" and decided to end the journey early. "The more I thought about it, the more concerned I felt about the baby," he added. 8 JANUARY They take another £475 taxi from Allison Road, Haringey, to Newhaven ferry port in East Sussex on 8 January, having initially asked to be taken to Portsmouth. Taxi driver Hasan Guzel described hearing "meowing" noises during the journey and at first thought they came from a pet. "I could see it was a baby, I could see the noise was coming from a baby. I thought, why didn't she tell me about this, it's been nearly four hours we have been travelling," he said. Mr Guzel said when he dropped them in Newhaven just before 5am, it was cold and dark and he was "concerned as to what they were going to do next". Marten bought snacks and petrol with cash from a Texaco petrol station in the early hours of 9 January. Three days after their first visit to the Texaco petrol station, Marten returns on 12 January and buys Haribo sweets, Mini Cheddars, matches, bottles of water and a filled glass bottle of petrol, paying in cash. The trail then goes cold until sightings in Brighton almost a month later. Marten has claimed that during this time before the sightings, the couple took multiple trips to Brighton to buy food, recounting one memory of the pair eating food on the beach. On 31 January, a £10,000 reward is offered by the Metropolitan Police for information leading to the family being found safe. 27 FEBRUARY - ARREST There are several sightings of Marten and Gordon before they are arrested on 27 February. Gordon is seen on 16 February coming out of a blue tent pitched in woodland on the South Downs. A witness said it was about -2C and "not camping weather". The couple are later seen looking "dishevelled, a bit dirty" near Hollingbury Golf Course, with Marten pushing a buggy. Marten and Gordon are then seen on Coldean Lane, Brighton, on 18 February, with a witness saying he thought there was a child under Marten's coat. There is another sighting of the couple on 19 February when a blue tent was spotted near Stony Mere Way in Stanmer Park, Brighton. A witness noticed a "mum with baby" and the child was "very pale". The baby was in a sling and her head was "wobbling" and "floppy", the witness said. "I do think that baby had died. It was dead." 'Where's your child?' Police Sergeant Robert Button The couple are seen on CCTV trying and failing to break into Hollingbury Golf Course on 20 February and "scavenging for food from the bins". On 27 February, Marten and Gordon are spotted by a member of the public - who recognised them from media reports - at Mulberrys convenience store on Hollingbury Place in Brighton, where they are buying food and using the cash point. Just after 9.30pm, the witness calls 999 and six minutes later, police arrive. By that time, the pair were on neighbouring Stanmer Villas, where they were detained. An officer's bodycam footage shows Marten being told she is under arrest for child neglect, to which she replied: "For doing what?" She was then asked by officers: "Where's your child? Where's your child? Sorry, where is your child, we need to know?" to which she did not respond. A dog handler then asks her: "Tell me now because I'm going to send the dog into the wood to try and find someone so you tell me where it is now." Marten was then further arrested for concealment of the birth of a child, which she is heard saying was "not an arrestable offence", adding: "You can't arrest someone for hiding a pregnancy." 'I'm not going to make you a sandwich' PC Matthew Colburn PC Matthew Colburn helped handcuff Gordon and asked repeatedly where the child was and whether she was alive, as he continued to demand food and drink. He was given ginger beer, chicken and crisps, before asking for mayonnaise, saying he did not want to talk and asked why finding the baby was the "bigger deal". "I'm not going to make you a sandwich, we've got a child to find," PC Colburn was heard replying on body-worn video. "We need to potentially save a life. That's the number one priority. It may not be your priority, but it's everyone else's priority." The next day, the couple are further arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter. 1 MARCH - BODY FOUND Police launch a large-scale search for the missing newborn, using a helicopter, sniffer dogs, thermal imaging cameras, and drones. More than 200 officers search an area of 90 square miles, including the golf course, Wild Park Local Nature Reserve and allotments. They scour woodland and ponds and search every shed at the Roedale Valley Allotments near where the couple were arrested, forcing entry to outbuildings where necessary. Police find the remains of the baby in a disused allotment shed on 1 March. Later, her name is revealed to be Victoria. When the body was found, it was not initially possible to determine the baby's gender, and police said the child may have been dead for "several weeks". The dead child was discovered stuffed inside a Lidl carrier bag among rubbish including a Budweiser beer can, Coke cans, several pages of The Sun newspaper and an egg sandwich package. At the post-mortem examination, the cause of death was "unascertained". Dr Nat Cary told the court Victoria was wearing just a nappy and had signs of "significant decomposition" when he examined her. Asked to consider possible reasons for her death, he raised possible causes - including cold, co-sleeping or breathing being obstructed - but said "none of that is provable". The court heard from a paediatric consultant that Victoria could have been two, four or six weeks old at the time of death. HOW DID VICTORIA DIE? "I have never had a case before where I don't know the date the child was born and the date the child died, combined with an unascertained cause of death," says senior crown prosecutor Samantha Yelland. Pathologists found no active cause of death - she hadn't been assaulted - but said Victoria didn't die of natural causes. She was alleged to have been inadequately clothed in a babygrow, while Marten got wet as she carried her daughter underneath her coat. Investigators were able to provide temperatures in the specific area where they were said to be living and prosecutors said the baby died from hypothermia or was smothered while co-sleeping in a "flimsy" tent. Ms Yelland said Marten and Gordon "love their children" but "think about themselves and what they want" over the safety of their kids. She said they "should have known that that was a serious risk of death as a result of their actions, but they just thought that what they were doing was better". Both trials were hampered by disruption and delays and while giving evidence the second time, Marten dramatically revealed Gordon's "violent rape conviction", which the jury were not supposed to be told about. She then parted with her 15th barrister, but was still represented by junior counsel, while Gordon decided to represent himself, questioning his partner in an extraordinary courtroom cross-examination. Gordon described Victoria's death as a "tragic incident" and said he and his partner had been "hounded" and "traumatised" after losing four children to the care system. "I say the baby passed due to unintended circumstances," he said. "I say the parents had a difficult time and there is an aspect of mental challenge going on here." 'We did everything we could to protect her' Constance Marten Weeping in the witness box, Gordon said they had been treated like "monsters" and dragged through mud like "scum" over what happened. Marten said she awoke to find Victoria was dead on 9 January after their first night sleeping in a tent, which was intended to be a "pit stop" to avoid "prying eyes" for a day or two before renting a cottage or travelling abroad. She said Victoria died after she fell asleep over her, telling the jury she "blacked out" and was "flopped forward" with her head on floor. Marten wept as she said she would "turn back time" if she knew her daughter, their "number one priority" was in danger but "we did everything we could to protect her." Marten said she has found Victoria's death "very difficult to live with" but that it "wasn't due to neglect in any way". "If I had a crystal ball and I could see into the future what would happen to Victoria because of my exhaustion then of course I would have preferred to have made different choices, but we did what we could in the moment to keep her with her parents and to protect her," she said. Retired social worker Andrew Reece believes social services and other agencies did everything they could, but Marten and Gordon had the ways and means of evading professionals. "This couple were hell-bent on evading everyone concerned because they didn't want their child to be removed," he says. "It's extremely difficult as a social worker in those circumstances." CREDITS: Reporting: Henry Vaughan, home affairs reporter, Josephine Franks, reporter, Ashna Hurynag, news correspondent, Luke Engelen, producer, Victoria Bird, field news editor, and Eve Bennett, producer Digital production: Henry Vaughan, home affairs reporter, and Josephine Franks, reporter Data and forensics: Natasha Muktarsingh, assistant editor Design: Taylor Stuart, designer Pictures: Press Association, Metropolitan Police, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Facebook Editing: David Mercer, assistant editor Top Built with Shorthand
The Sun
29 minutes ago
- The Sun
Three arrested after dad, 24, stabbed to death ‘in front of screaming girlfriend' outside 5* hotel & casino
THREE men have been arrested after a dad was brutally stabbed to death outside of a five-star hotel and casino. Blue Stevens, 24, tragically died after being attacked outside the five-star Park Tower Hotel and Casino in Knightsbridge, London, on Wednesday evening. 5 5 In an update today, the Metropolitan Police said it had now arrested a trio of men, all in their 20s, in connection with Blue's death. One has been detained on suspicion of conspiracy to murder and remains in police custody. Another was arrested on suspicion of murder and has been bailed pending further enquiries. Detective Chief Superintendent Christina Jessah said: 'These arrests mark a significant milestone in this complex and unfolding murder investigation. 'We continue to progress at pace. While we retain an open mind around motive, one line of enquiry is now that this may have been a targeted attack. 'Increased police patrols remain active in and around the Knightsbridge area. Please do speak with an officer if you have any questions or concerns.' Blue tragically died outside the luxury Park Tower Hotel and Casino in the heart of London on Wednesday night. Onlookers watched on in horror as the 24-year-old was stabbed to death in broad daylight while with his partner. It is not clear whether he had been in the casino beforehand but emergency crews were seen going into and out of the building on Wednesday evening. Cops launched their murder investigation yesterday as countless tributes were paid to the dad, including from his partner and his devastated mum Charlie Sheridan. Man in his 30s dies after being stabbed outside casino on posh London street The heartbroken parent said: "He lit up my heart every time I laid eyes on him. My only son. I lived for him. "I can't stop crying. I can't breathe. "Please. I want him back." She also posted an image on Facebook with the quote: "Everyone in your life will have a last day with you, and you won't even know when it will be. "Cherish them before it's too late." Witnesses say Blue's partner returned to the scene yesterday to leave a touching tribute to her lover. She wrote in a card nestled amongst a large number of floral tributes: "To My Blue. We are all absolutely devastated without you. "You took a piece of my heart with you. A part of me has gone with you. I love you more than absolutely anyone in this world. "My boy forever and always." Some witnesses said Blue was violently confronted by a man who was attempting to rob him. Sam, 55, who was staying at the hotel, told The Sun: "I saw the guy on the floor and they were trying to revive him. There were about 10 cars, police, medics everything. "I saw them reviving the guy, it's scary. It was night, he was on the floor you could only see him from a distance. "The doorman said it was a robbery - apparently they grabbed his bag and ran away. "The streets were full and all of a sudden someone comes along and stabs someone." Blue, understood to be from Yateley in Surrey, is believed to have driven to Knightsbridge in a white BMW, Metro reported. He parked just 50 yards away from the crime scene and is believed to have been returning to his motor when he was suddenly attacked. Other members of Blue's family, as well as his friends, paid tribute yesterday, praising him for being a "great dad" who would "help anyone out". One of Blue's cousins also confirmed he had a passion for wrist watches - when prompted on whether Blue may have died as a result of a botched robbery of his timepiece. Detectives had said they were pursuing lines of enquiry that Blue's death may have come as part of a robbery, although this has yet to be confirmed. HOTEL 'SADDENED' BY TRAGIC DEATH A spokesperson for the Park Tower Hotel said: "We are very saddened by this incident that occurred on the street adjacent to our hotel. "Our thoughts are with the victim's family at this difficult time. "We can confirm that the incident did not involve any of our hotel guests or staff. "We are fully cooperating with the authorities as they investigate this matter. "As this is an active investigation, all inquiries should be directed to the Metropolitan Police." BCU Commander Christina Jessah said: "Our thoughts remain with Blue's loved ones following this tragic incident and they continue to be supported by specialist officers. They have asked for their privacy as they come to terms with Blue's death. "We are working at pace to establish the exact circumstances and advise people avoid speculating while we continue our enquiries. "We understand the impact this incident has had on the local community and local businesses. "That is why we have increased the number of police on patrol in the area and I encourage the public to speak to them if they have any questions or concerns."
BBC News
32 minutes ago
- BBC News
South Norfolk Council attempts to guide mega solar farm plans
A council has put together a new guide for developers of mega solar farms amid fears the area is being "disproportionately targeted".South Norfolk Council's document will inform its response to proposals in the hope of "minimising adverse effects" on the area has been earmarked for several large projects, including what could be the biggest solar farm in the council leader Daniel Elmer said the district had become a "nexus" of energy infrastructure applications due to its flat landscape and location along a grid connection to London. "We don't want to be unreasonable, but we do want to make sure every proposal that comes forward works for the residents of South Norfolk as well as everyone else," he on large projects will be made by the government due to their size, the Local Democracy Reporting Service the authority is seeking to guide energy-related proposals include National Grid's pylon network from Norwich to Tilbury, Essex, running through villages such as Flordon and Winfarthing, as well as four huge solar are the East Pye project, set to span 2,700 acres (1,090 ha) across villages including Hempnall, Great Moulton and Saxlingham; an unnamed 5,000-acre (2,020 ha) project in Gissing; an unnamed 2,500-acre (1,010 ha) project near Long Stratton, and the Tasway Energy Park earmarked for 3,600 acres (1,460 ha).But plans for a huge battery storage facility across farmland in Rushall, near Diss, have just been "paused" by developers after opposition. 'Fair share' South Norfolk Council's supplementary planning document will help identify areas most at risk of being impacted by renewable energy schemes and find other suitable Wateridge, Green councillor for Bunwell, said: "The village is starting to look completely encircled – the news about Tasway was the final straw for many residents."I wholeheartedly support renewable energy projects, but every county across the country should be hosting its fair share."There is no doubt that South Norfolk is being disproportionately targeted by energy companies." South Norfolk Labour MP Ben Goldsborough recently faced criticism for opposing the Tasway Energy Park, despite having endorsed the East Pye project, barely a mile said he believed his constituency needed to "play its role" in the transition to green energy."But when we keep getting as many applications as this, we have to say, enough is enough," he could become the biggest solar energy producer in the country if the schemes all go ahead. Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
