logo
Woman stopped on M6 had '£370,000 of cannabis' and a child in her car, court hears

Woman stopped on M6 had '£370,000 of cannabis' and a child in her car, court hears

Yahoo6 days ago
A WOMAN has appeared in court accused of a cannabis supply crime after a £370,000 drug haul was found in a vehicle as she travelled with a young child.
Leonnie Anne Southgate, aged 34, faces one charge.
This alleges that she was in possession of a controlled drug — cannabis resin — with intent to supply it to another.
The charge has been brought following an incident on Wednesday this week, July 23. Police had stopped a vehicle, which had been travelling southbound on the M6, at Southwaite services.
Prosecutor Diane Jackson told Carlisle Magistrates' Court this morning (Friday): 'In her vehicle was found to be £370,000 worth of cannabis. There was a child in the vehicle also.'
In total, 37 kilos of cannabis had been found in a Sports Direct bag for life in the boot of the vehicle. The child was aged two.
Southgate did not formally enter a plea to the allegation at the request of a defence solicitor.
After hearing brief details from the prosecutor, magistrates concluded that the case should be sent to Carlisle Crown Court.
Southgate, of Silkstone Crescent, Buxton, is due to appear there in front of a judge, for a plea and trial preparation hearing, on August 22. In the meantime she has been remanded in custody after an application for bail by her solicitor was refused.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Illegal cannabis business operators charged with murder after five of their workers die, prosecutors say
Illegal cannabis business operators charged with murder after five of their workers die, prosecutors say

Yahoo

time21 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Illegal cannabis business operators charged with murder after five of their workers die, prosecutors say

Two Los Angeles County men accused of running an illegal cannabis extraction business have been charged with murder after five of their workers died in two separate incidents, authorities said Friday. According to the L.A. County district attorney's office, Ted Chien, 53, and Han Quan Jiao, 55, administered the operation, which included at least nine locations countywide. In October 2023, an explosion occurred at a warehouse in Irwindale that was allegedly being used for honey oil extraction, prosecutors said in a statement. Four workers — Yi Luo, Xin Chen, Guangqi Fu and Quizhuo Liang — were killed in the blast. Another employee, Bordin "Tony" Sikarin, was killed just over a year later in a fire that broke out at a laboratory in South El Monte, according to the district attorney's office. Prosecutors allege that the location was also run by Chien and Jiao. Read more: A massacre that killed 6 reveals the treacherous world of illegal pot in SoCal deserts The two are accused of continuing to distribute illegal concentrated cannabis even after the deaths of the five workers, officials said. "This case shows the deadly and disastrous results when illegal cannabis operations recklessly put greed over the safety of their employees and neighbors," said L.A. County Dist. Atty. Nathan Hochman. "Cannabis may be legal in California, but this kind of high-risk, illegal activity is not." Chien, of Temple City, has been charged with five counts of murder and two felony counts of arson causing great bodily injury, prosecutors said. Jiao, of Rosemead, faces one count of murder and arson causing great bodily injury. The two also face eight felony counts of manufacturing a controlled substance and three felony counts of maintaining a place for selling or using a controlled substance, according to the district attorney's office. If convicted as charged, prosecutors say Chien could face a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty. Jiao could face a life sentence. Read more: California hails $544 million in illegal weed seizures. But it's just a drop in the bucket Several workers were also charged for their alleged involvement in the enterprise, the district attorney's office said. Xiaolong Deng, 36; Chengyan Xu, 61; Christopher Reyes, 30; and Frank Herrera, 35, allegedly worked for Chien and Jiao. They each face one count of conspiracy to manufacture concentrated cannabis, a controlled substance. Reyes, Herrera and Deng were also each charged with one count of manufacturing and compounding or producing a controlled substance. Xu was charged with two counts of the same offense, officials said. The case was being investigated by the district attorney's Bureau of Investigation, as well as several other agencies including the Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Postal Service. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Map reveals parts of Wales where most sexual offences are reported
Map reveals parts of Wales where most sexual offences are reported

Yahoo

timean hour ago

  • Yahoo

Map reveals parts of Wales where most sexual offences are reported

Sexual offences reported to police soared in Wales last year - as a new estimate suggests one in eight women aged 16 or over was a victim of sexual assault, domestic abuse, or stalking last year. For men, that estimate is one in 12, making the overall average one in 10 for adults in England and Wales. That adds up to more than three million women and around two million men aged over 16 suffering from sexual assault, domestic abuse or stalking. Don't miss a court report by signing up to our crime newsletter here READ MORE: Met Office weather maps show moment Storm Floris wall of rain will cover Wales READ MORE: Met Office issues 24-hour weather warning as Storm Floris to batter Wales It is the first time an estimate has been made of the combined prevalence of sexual assault, domestic abuse, and stalking. Separate Home Office figures show the number of sexual offences that were reported to police in Wales, including rape and sexual assault, increased by 11% in the year ending March, 2025, to 10,577 crimes. That's an increase of 1,113 sexual offences. However, that might be at least partially explained by increased public confidence in reporting crime. Cardiff reported the highest number of offences, with 1,238 crimes recorded by South Wales Police. That was followed by the Cwm Taf Community Safety Partnership area which takes in Rhondda Cynon Taf and Merthyr Tydfil counties (948) and Swansea (857). However, crime rates, the number of crimes recorded in each area for every 1,000 people who live there, allow for a fairer comparison of areas with different population sizes. They show that in Wales, sexual offences were most likely to be recorded by police in Denbighshire. North Wales Police recorded 441 sexual offences in Denbighshire last year, around a third as many as there were in Cardiff. However, when compared to the size of the population, that translates to a crime rate of 4.6 offences for every 1,000 residents living in Denbighshire, or the equivalent of one in 219 people suffering some form of sex crime in the last year alone. That was the highest rate in Wales, and the 26th highest rate of more than 300 community safety partnership areas in England and Wales, which are broadly similar to council areas. Conwy (482 crimes, a rate of 4.2 offences per 1,000 people), and Torfaen (381 crimes, a rate of 4.1) had the next highest crime rates in Wales. In Cardiff, the area with the highest number of crimes, the rate was 3.3 offences per 1,000 residents, the equivalent of one in 301 people reporting a sexual offence. You can see the rates and numbers of sexual offences where you live using our interactive map below. While the Home Office figures show crimes recorded by police, the new estimates of people suffering sexual assault, domestic abuse, or stalking have been published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) using data collected as part of the Crime Survey for England and Wales. This annual poll, based on face-to-face interviews, seeks to measure the amount and impact of crime, including offences which may not have been reported to police. The survey measures experiences of crime, with sexual assault, domestic abuse, and stalking referred to as 'crime types' because in some cases a criminal offence may not have occurred. Despite the grim picture painted by the CSEW and official police figures, the End Violence Against Women Coalition (EVAW) believes even more crimes are being hidden. Rebecca Hitchen, head of policy and campaigns at EVAW, said: 'This new, combined measure of domestic abuse, sexual violence and stalking fails to capture the full spectrum of VAWG (violence against women and girls) incidents, including online abuse, so-called 'honour'-based abuse, child abuse and sexual harassment. "Our concern is that this measure has been created for the ease of government, rather than trying to truly represent the scale and impact of violence against women and girls. 'Even with this narrower approach the figures are stark, with an estimated one in eight women experiencing a form of domestic abuse, stalking or sexual assault last year alone. "There is no more time to waste. We need a plan from the top that sets out clearly how the government intends to tackle this national crisis. 'We're calling for a further consultation process to be opened so that there is transparency and a clear structure around how the VAWG sector and VAWG experts can inform and guide the development of the government's approach to measuring VAWG and the delivery of its mission to halve it. "This must include consultation with smaller specialist VAWG organisations, including those led 'by and for' Black, minoritised and migrant women, and others who are marginalised.' Get daily breaking news updates on your phone by joining our WhatsApp community here. We occasionally treat members to special offers, promotions and ads from us and our partners. See our Privacy Notice

'When my brother was killed, I felt I hadn't done my job'
'When my brother was killed, I felt I hadn't done my job'

Yahoo

timean hour ago

  • Yahoo

'When my brother was killed, I felt I hadn't done my job'

"I remember I didn't speak until the age of five and Anthony used to communicate for me. We used to have our very own secret language which we still use now, and we speak every day." These are the heartfelt words of Dominique Walker, speaking this week about the murder of her brother Anthony and the life they shared before tragedy struck. It has been 20 years since the racially-motivated murder of Anthony Walker. His sister Dominique, reflects on a legacy forged in pain, activism and hope. Speaking candidly about the trauma which reshaped her family's life, Dominique has emerged not just as a sister in mourning, but as a mother, a celebrated academic and an unrelenting advocate for justice and anti-racism. However, it's fair to say those achievements have come with a cost. Anthony Walker was just 18-years-old when he was chased into a park and attacked with an ice axe. It was a brutal and merciless hate crime that shocked the entire country and left Anthony's family and friends completely devastated. READ MORE: People told to stay indoors after man slashed in the neck READ MORE: Dad wants to find woman after what happened on Mathew Street His killers Michael Barton, then 17, and his cousin Paul Taylor, then 20, fled the country in the hope of avoiding justice and answering for their vicious crime. Both were eventually taken into police custody, convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. Dominique said she had known Barton and Taylor since childhood: "I'd seen Paul [Taylor] the week before Anthony was killed and that was normal. We all grew up in the same area together. "When you're raised in a place like Liverpool, everyone knows everyone. I knew his family and they knew our family. Our mums shared the same playgrounds." But familiarity didn't protect her brother from hatred. The theme of protection is one which resonates with Dominique who saw herself as the protector of her three younger siblings. She said: "When Anthony was killed, I felt I hadn't done my job and that I hadn't understood the level of threat we were living with. "I needed to make sense of what had happened. I wanted to demystify the criminal justice processes, police investigations and also the drivers of hate and prejudice. "I wanted to know why these things happened, why it happened to me and my family and what I could do to try and prevent it happening to anyone else. I knew I couldn't do it for our Anthony but I could do it in his name." In the following twenty years, Dominique has worked tirelessly to accomplish all of those things. After establishing the Anthony Walker Foundation and a career in the police force, she has recently completed her PhD and is a senior lecturer in police and forensics investigations at Liverpool John Moores University. Her next target is to become a professor. Dominique's drive to understand the world and seek out new opportunities for learning are truly inspiring, but she said she does wonder what the motivations are for striving for more and more things. She said: "I think some of it's trauma driven. I think joining the police was trauma driven. I wanted to arrest racists and I did. I was good at my job, but I also wanted to help Black people, to understand the system from the inside.' "The urge to understand and use that information as a tool to protect myself and others - that was intensely motivating. Alongside that, I've had significant therapy because the trauma was so vast and so impactful and the fact I was so young as well. "I don't think people understand the damage that happens to families when something like this happens. There is an inherent damage in relation to your perception of self and your perception of others. "The day Anthony died was the worst day of my life. I remember my mum didn't speak for two weeks afterwards. Nobody could. People look at me now as the mouthpiece of the foundation, but it was born of that time because I needed to speak and I haven't stopped talking since. "I recognise the importance of dialogue because we need wider, deeper, more insightful conversations about race, developing our racial literacy because we've got none. Race is a figment of our imagination, but the realities of racism are very real." Anthony's murderers robbed him of a future filled with so much promise and possibility. At the time of his death, Anthony was a youth worker, an active member of his church and aspired to become a lawyer. Dominique said: "Anthony was the best of us and he had such big plans. "Whereas I was just concerned about going out with my mates, Anthony had already shaped out his path. He used to joke with me that I'd be working for him one day - twenty years after his death, he was spot on about that one!" Through the foundation, Dominique works across Merseyside, running programs that empower young people - of all backgrounds - to recognise and stand up to racism. The foundation is largely split into two teams - one to support victims of hate crime and a second to provide educational opportunities for schools and workplaces to promote equity and inclusion. After two decades, Dominique is looking to the long-term future of the foundation and hopes to pass the baton to a younger generation, she said: "I think about my brother every day and I know he would be happy with the work we've done in his name, but I know he also wants me to be happy outside of that. "I am a mum, I am married and balance my academic career with my work here, but recognised I also needed to heal. I need to find strategies that will also allow me to centre joy. "Part of that is maintaining a relationship with Anthony outside of what happened. To live with the relationship we had and still have. "I have learned that embracing joy is not selfish nor does it lessen the significance of our loss, but that it's essential because it brings people together and it's what makes us human." As the city remembers Anthony Walker, Dominique said it's important to use this moment as an opportunity to reckon with the unfinished fight for racial justice, led by people like her, who turned personal tragedy into transformative power. However, she added that it's equally important to remember Anthony as the person he was - a young man with dreams, passions and surrounded by love.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store