Fans of Irish band Kneecap surround a London court as a band member faces a terror-related charge
LONDON — Fans of the Irish-language hip-hop group Kneecap mobbed sidewalks outside a London court Wednesday as a member of the trio faced a terror-related charge in what he says is a politically motivated effort to silence the band's support for Palestinians before its appearance at the Glastonbury Festival .
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23 minutes ago
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Burglar and wife in plot to smuggle phones and steroids into HMP Birmingham using corrupt guard
A convicted burglar and his wife smuggled steroids, mobile phones and tobacco into HMP Birmingham with the help of a prison guard. David Bradley pressured his partner Tanya Parker to obtain the in-demand items and provide them to corrupt officer Christopher Lawley, who was paid around £2,000 to bring them in to the Winson Green jail. But the scheme was busted after the guard sparked suspicions due to the shape of the bag he was carrying in. READ MORE: Face of dad jailed over three-minute TikTok rant despite grovelling apology Four packages of illegal items were subsequently recovered, including from a waste bin and the urinals. Bradley, aged 34, and Parker, 36, both of Hermes Crescent, Coventry and who have four children together, were spared jail at Birmingham Crown Court on Thursday, June 26. But Judge Dean Kershaw blasted Parker in particular for falling pregnant having warned her previously she could be sent to prison. He questionned why she did not use contraception and accused her of trying to 'manipulate' the system to avoid custody. Both pleaded guilty to two offences of conspiring to convey prohibited articles into prison while Bradley also admitted an offence related to illegally having a mobile phone in prison. Bradley had been remanded to HMP Birmingham having carried out a number of domestic and commercial burglaries which involved ripping out ATM machines. He later received lengthy jail sentences. Lawley, who was jailed earlier this year for his involvement in the contraband scheme, had been a prison officer on the K Wing. Prosecutor Simon Rippon said: "Matters came to a head on the 30th of June 2019. "Prison officer Lawley was suspected to have carried illegal articles into the prison at the start of his shift on that date. "He was detained at the conclusion of his shift. A search was conducted of the wing. "A list of items were recovered from a number of packages." He stated Bradley carried out a 'key role' in identifying the in-demand items to Parker in calls made from a phone he was using illegally from prison. Steroids were also found at their home while Parker had received more than £3,800 in payments to her bank account. John O'Higgins, defending Bradley, stated he took 'full responsibility' for the racket and was 'ashamed' of involving his wife in it. But he argued the way in which his separate burglary cases had been handled had resulted in an 'extremely prejudicial' delay in the case. The barrister told the court Bradley had 'done everything right' since being released last October, including not reoffending, obtaining work at a carpet business and fully complying with his strict licence conditions which are due to last until 2029. Mr O'Higgins said: "For a man who has done everything required of him and who has served a substantial prison sentence - effectively double figures - it would be wrong in principle to send him back to prison for these offences." He added: "He has rebuilt himself in every possible way." Cathlyn Orchard, defending Parker, told the court at the time of the offences she was left to look after their four children while Bradley, who she has been with since the age of 16, was in jail. She said: "She was put under enormous amounts of pressure and did make a mistake in that situation. "She was put into an impossible situation by her partner." But in an extraordinary twist the barrister told the court Parker was currently seven weeks pregnant. In response Judge Dean Kershaw expressed dismay and questioned whether she used contraception. Ms Orchard initially replied that she had not 'gone into that detail' with her client, adding the pregnancy was 'unplanned'. Then, after speaking to Parker in the dock at the back of the court she confirmed she had not been taking the pill and did not know why. Judge Kershaw said: "What did she possibly think - having had children - happens? That some angel would come down and stop her getting pregnant? "It looks to me she is trying in some way to manipulate the process thinking this will be extra mitigation. It won't. It won't work with me." Moving to sentence he said: "The presence of unauthorised mobile phones and other contraband in prison undermines security and adds to crime. It is well-established just how serious it is." Judge Kershaw told Parker her pregnancy did not impact his decision, before concluding the public 'do not need protection from you'. He sentenced her to an 18-month community order with 100 hours of unpaid work and 30 days of rehabiliation. Judge Kershaw told Bradley he was the 'leading light' of the scheme who put 'undue pressure' on his wife and abused her loyalty. Initially he announced a sentence of 27 months - too high to be suspended - but then he took an 'exceptional course' and reduced it to the 24-month threshold saying 'I believe you have changed'. Judge Kershaw added: "I'm satisfied you can lead a good and productive and from now law-abiding life. "I am sure the public don't need protection from you beyond the strict licensing provisions currently in place. "The hard work you have done over the last number of years in prison and now out of prison will be lost if I send you to prison immediately, so I'm not going to do that." Bradley was sentenced to 24 months suspended for 18 months as well as ordered to carry out 160 hours of unpaid work and 30 days of rehabilitation activity. Lawley, aged 43, of Bexley Grove, West Bromwich had admitting three offences of conveying or conspiracy to convey prohibited articles into prison. He was sentenced to two years and two months at hearing in May this year.
Yahoo
25 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Police examining Glastonbury performances labelled ‘hateful' and ‘grotesque'
Police continue to examine videos of comments made by acts Bob Vylan and Kneecap at Glastonbury as the festival enters its third day. Rapper Bobby Vylan, of rap punk duo Bob Vylan, on Saturday led crowds on the festival's West Holts Stage in chants of: 'Free, free Palestine' and: 'Death, death to the IDF', before a member of Irish rap trio Kneecap suggested fans 'start a riot' outside his bandmate's upcoming court appearance. In a post on social media, Avon and Somerset Police said: 'We are aware of the comments made by acts on the West Holts Stage at Glastonbury Festival this afternoon. 'Video evidence will be assessed by officers to determine whether any offences may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation.' Reacting on social media, the Israeli Embassy said it was 'deeply disturbed by the inflammatory and hateful rhetoric expressed on stage at the Glastonbury Festival'. A statement on X said: 'Freedom of expression is a cornerstone of democracy. But when speech crosses into incitement, hatred, and advocacy of ethnic cleansing, it must be called out—especially when amplified by public figures on prominent platforms. 'Chants such as 'Death to the IDF,' and 'From the river to the sea' are slogans that advocate for the dismantling of the State of Israel and implicitly call for the elimination of Jewish self-determination. When such messages are delivered before tens of thousands of festivalgoers and met with applause, it raises serious concerns about the normalisation of extremist language and the glorification of violence. 'We call on Glastonbury Festival organisers, artists, and public leaders in the UK to denounce this rhetoric and reject of all forms of hatred.' This is grotesque. Glorifying violence against Jews isn't edgy. The West is playing with fire if we allow this sort of behaviour to go unchecked. The cultural establishment needs to wake up to the fact this isn't protest, it's incitement. (1/2) — Kemi Badenoch (@KemiBadenoch) June 28, 2025 Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch called the scenes 'grotesque', writing on X: 'Glorifying violence against Jews isn't edgy. The West is playing with fire if we allow this sort of behaviour to go unchecked. 'The cultural establishment needs to wake up to the fact this isn't protest, it's incitement. 'Less than 2 years ago, hundreds were raped and murdered at a music festival. It's not just the act but the gormless people clapping along and cheering. People with no idea what real terror is. 'They don't understand the evil ideology they're amplifying – and they don't care.' A BBC spokesperson said: 'Some of the comments made during Bob Vylan's set were deeply offensive. During this live stream on iPlayer, which reflected what was happening on stage, a warning was issued on screen about the very strong and discriminatory language. We have no plans to make the performance available on demand.' Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has spoken to the BBC director general about Bob Vylan's performance, a Government spokesperson said. They added: 'We strongly condemn the threatening comments made by Bob Vylan at Glastonbury. 'The Culture Secretary has spoken to the BBC director general to seek an urgent explanation about what due diligence it carried out ahead of the Bob Vylan performance, and welcomes the decision not to re-broadcast it on BBC iPlayer.' Kneecap, who hail from Belfast, have been in the headlines after member Liam Og O hAnnaidh, who performs under the name Mo Chara, was charged with a terror offence. In reference to his bandmate's upcoming court date, Naoise O Caireallain, who performs under the name Moglai Bap, said they would 'start a riot outside the courts', before clarifying: 'No riots just love and support, and support for Palestine.' In the run-up to the festival at Worthy Farm in Somerset, several politicians called for the group to be removed from the line-up and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said their performance would not be 'appropriate'. During the performance, Caireallain said: 'The Prime Minister of your country, not mine, said he didn't want us to play, so f*** Keir Starmer.' He also said a 'big thank you to the Eavis family' and said 'they stood strong' amid calls for the organisers to drop them from the line-up. O hAnnaidh, 27, wore a keffiyeh during the set, while member JJ O Dochartaigh, who performs under the name DJ Provai, wore his signature tri-coloured balaclava as well as a T-shirt that said: 'We are all Palestine Action', in reference to the soon-to-be banned campaign group. News broadcasts criticising the hip hop trio played from the sound system before they walked onto the stage were booed by the Glastonbury Festival audience. The trio opened with the song Better Way To Live from their 2024 album Fine Art and also performed tracks including Get Your Brits Out and Hood. Access to the area around the West Holts Stage was closed around 45 minutes before their performance after groups of fans arrived to form a sea of Irish and Palestinian flags. Earlier on Saturday, the BBC confirmed they would not be live-streaming the set but said the performance is likely to be made available on-demand later. O hAnnaidh was charged with allegedly displaying a flag in support of proscribed terrorist organisation Hezbollah, while saying 'up Hamas, up Hezbollah' at a gig in November last year. On June 18, the rapper was cheered by hundreds of supporters as he arrived with bandmates O Caireallain and O Dochartaigh at Westminster Magistrates' Court in Free Mo Chara T-shirts. He was released on unconditional bail until the next hearing at the same court on August 20. Saturday night's Pyramid Stage headliner, Neil Young and The Chrome Hearts, opened with the song Sugar Mountain, with Young saying 'thank you folks' to the crowd as the song ended. The set list, drawing heavily from live album Live Rust, included songs Be The Rain, When You Dance I Can Really Love, Cinnamon Girl and Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black), with lyrics that reference Johnny Rotten, the stage name of Sex Pistols's John Lydon. Charli XCX's performance on the Other Stage saw US singer Gracie Abrams perform the viral Apple dance. As the song began, the British pop star said: 'Who the f*** is gonna be Apple girl, Glastonbury?' while holding what appeared to be a glass of wine. The 32-year-old played her Partygirl set at Glastonbury Festival last year, but this time the singer performed on a much bigger stage amid a year that has seen her pick up a slew of awards. Elsewhere at the festival, Haim performed as the surprise act on the Park Stage at 7.30pm, while on the Pyramid Stage, Pulp were revealed to be Patchwork with the Sheffield-formed Britpop band paying homage to their breakthrough 1995 stand-in headline set during the performance. Performing in the coveted Sunday legends slot this year is Sir Rod Stewart, who previously said he will be joined by his former Faces band member Ronnie Wood, as well as other guests. Sir Rod's performance will come after he postponed a string of concerts in the US, due to take place this month, while he recovered from flu. US singer Olivia Rodrigo takes the final Sunday slot after opening the British Summer Time Hyde Park concert series on Friday. The BBC is providing livestreams of the five main stages: Pyramid, Other, West Holts, Woodsies and The Park.
Yahoo
35 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Cumbrian railway station ranked amongst worst for delays over past 12 weeks
NEW data has revealed that a west Cumbrian train station is amongst the worst for delays and cancellations across the country over the past 12 weeks. According to On Time Trains, just 14 per cent of trains arrived on time at St Bees station, with 8 per cent delayed by more than 10 minutes and 5 per cent of services cancelled. St Bees was ranked as the 2,614th 'best' station in the country out of 2,639, making it the 25th worst performing station in England, Scotland and Wales. Other stations on the Cumbria coast trainline were also among the worst performing stations including Workington and Whitehaven, according to On Time Trains. There is a stretch of single track near St Bees station which can cause congestion which leads to delays. Matt Rice, Northern's chief operating officer, said: 'We have been working hard to stabilise performance and cut cancellations in recent months. 'There are green shoots of progress, but we know more work needs to be done before we can deliver lasting improvements for our customers. 'That includes securing a new agreement, so we are no longer reliant on conductors volunteering to work Sundays. 'We are also working to reduce sickness levels by helping staff return to work, introducing state-of-the-art simulators to accelerate our training programme and planning to make the largest ever investment in our fleet by introducing up to 450 new trains.' Cumbrian MPs have called for a 'major upgrade' of the Cumbrian coast railway line to help boost economic growth. Former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak promised to 'upgrade' the energy coast line linking Carlisle, Workington and Barrow after cancelling the leg of HS2 from Birmingham to Manchester. The upgrade would see more space for freight and passenger trains and improve the reliability of the line more broadly – both seen as essential to support inward investment and to meet the needs of businesses and communities along the length of the line and the wider rail network. Labour MP for Whitehaven and Workington, Josh MacAlister, raised the issue in parliament and said investment in the line is 'much needed'. READ NEXT: Plans unveiled for new bar at Carlisle Citadel station | News and Star 'A major upgrade of the Energy Coast Rail Line is critical to our success in West Cumbria and delivering it is a top priority for me,' said Mr MacAlister. 'I'm now working with Cumbria's other MPs, the leaders of both councils and our civil and defence nuclear leaders to secure £5million from the government to get it to FBC - Final Business Case - which is the next and final stage before we can then get a funding decision from government on the upgrade.'
