Latest news with #Bolt
TimesLIVE
6 hours ago
- TimesLIVE
Defence pokes holes in state's case in Jayden-Lee murder trial with Bolt trip timeline evidence
A critical piece of evidence presented during the fourth day of Tiffany Meek's bail application in the Roodepoort magistrate's court has cast doubt on the timeline provided by the state regarding her whereabouts on the day her son, Jayden-Lee Meek, was found dead. Tiffany Meek, 31, from Fleurhof, accused of killing her 11-year-old son, faces charges of murder, crimen injuria, attempting to defeat or obstruct the course of justice, and defeating or obstructing the administration of justice. Meek's legal representative, advocate Noven Naidoo, handed over records of e-hailing service Bolt showing she only left her mother's house at 5:12am on the morning of May 14, contradicting a security guard's statement that Meek entered her residence at 4am and departed at 5am. According to the records, Meek was picked up at her mother's house and dropped off at the Swazi Place complex at 5:22am, after she allegedly received a phone call informing her that her son's body had been found near the staircase of her house. Meek's attorney argued that this documented timeline proves Meek could not have been at her residence between 4am and 5am, as claimed in the guard's occurrence book (OB) entries. In addition to the timeline dispute, the court heard there were discrepancies in the descriptions of what Jayden-Lee was wearing on the day he disappeared. The descriptions provided by the mother, a teacher and the security guard differed. 'My client will state that she helped him get dressed that morning, and he was wearing grey long pants, a white shirt, a tie and black takkies on the day,' Naidoo submitted. Investigating officer Sgt Linda Duma said he could not comment on what the child was wearing on the day he disappeared because he got the information from the people who had seen Jayden-Lee on the day. Naidoo also drew the court's attention to inconsistencies in the OB kept at the complex gate. Copies of the OB for May 13 and 14 presented in court reflected that the first recorded report of Jayden-Lee's disappearance was only made after 8pm on May 13, long after Meek claims she notified the security guard at about 5pm. According to Naidoo, Meek had informed the day shift guard her son was missing, left her contact number and told him to call her if the boy returned. No such entry exists in the OB. Naidoo questioned why no earlier note was made and pressed the investigating officer on whether pages might be missing. He said on the day Jayden-Lee's body was found, Meek's family had attempted to photograph the OB book and noticed a missing page. 'There is no record of this in the OB,' the investigating officer responded and acknowledged that he did not certify the OB book copies submitted to court, citing a heavy workload. Questions also emerged around the legality of the security guards. When asked about their immigration status, Duma admitted he did not know, confirming only that they were Congolese nationals. Naidoo pointed out that South African law prohibited undocumented foreign nationals from being employed in the private security industry. The bail hearing will continue Friday.
The Citizen
8 hours ago
- The Citizen
Videos: Contradictions emerge in bail hearing of murdered Jayden-Lee's mother
Conflicting accounts of clothing and missing occurrence book (OB) entries came under scrutiny today during the bail application hearing of Tiffany Nicole Meek (31) in the Roodepoort Magistrate's Court. According to the Roodepoort Record, Meek's defence attorney, Noven Naidoo, cross-examined state witness and investigating officer Sergeant Nceba Diko about the clothing Jayden-Lee Meek (11) was reportedly wearing on the day he went missing. Naidoo highlighted that the teacher, the day shift security guard at Swazi's Place, and Meek herself all gave differing statements about Jayden-Lee's clothing. 'My client informed me she helped him get dressed that morning. He was wearing grey long pants, a white shirt, a tie, and black takkies,' Naidoo told the court. A statement from Jayden-Lee's teacher at Royal College indicated he was wearing a red school tracksuit with a school badge and carrying his school bag. The day shift security guard reported seeing Jayden in a red school jacket with a badge and black shorts. Diko said he could not confirm what the child was wearing, as the descriptions were provided by individuals who had seen Jayden-Lee that day. OB entries from Swazi's Place were also submitted to court. The entries showed that the first report of Jayden's disappearance was made to the night shift security guard at 20:30 by unknown individuals. Meek reported the matter at 21:00, accompanied by police. Naidoo stated: 'The accused will say she spoke to the day shift security guard and that an entry was made in the OB. She gave him her phone number, told him she was going to the shop, and instructed him to call if Jayden returned.' Diko responded: 'There is no record of this in the OB.' Naidoo also questioned the officer about an alleged missing page from the OB, claiming that on May 14 – the day Jayden-Lee's body was discovered – Meek and her family noticed the page was missing when they attempted to photograph the book. Diko admitted he had not certified the OB copies submitted to court, citing workload as the reason for the oversight. The defence presented a Bolt receipt showing Meek travelled to Swazi's Place at 05:12, not 04:00 as stated by Diko. Naidoo said this detail had been deliberately omitted from Meek's affidavit to illustrate that she did not travel there at 04:00, as alleged. This timing further contradicted the OB entry provided by the security guard. Further questioning focused on the nationality of the security guards. Naidoo asked whether Diko had checked their immigration status. 'They are both Congolese nationals, and I did not check their status,' Diko said. When asked by the court about the relevance of this line of questioning, Naidoo argued that if the guards were arrested, they might not be available to testify. Before proceedings concluded, the investigating officer presented Jayden's school bag, which was found at Unit 13, where Meek resides. A schoolbook was then used to confirm that Jayden had attended school on May 13 and had written work for that day. The bail application is set to continue on Friday. Meek remains in custody. Breaking news at your fingertips… Follow Caxton Network News on Facebook and join our WhatsApp channel. Nuus wat saakmaak. Volg Caxton Netwerk-nuus op Facebook en sluit aan by ons WhatsApp-kanaal. Read original story on At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
Indian Express
15 hours ago
- Sport
- Indian Express
Australian teen sensation Gout Gout to run in 2026 Glasgow Commonwealth Games
Eight months after he broke Peter Norman's 56-year-old Australian record of 20.06 seconds in men's 200m, 17-year-old Australian teen sensation Gout Gout has announced that he will run in next year's Glasgow Commonwealth Games. The Australian athlete had ran his personal best in men's 200m with a timing of 20.02 seconds sin the Ostrava Golden Spike Meet in Czech Republic last month and is now expected to run in 100m event in Glasgow with a possibility of running in 200m event too. Gout Gout will also be competing in the world junior championships in the USA starting August 5 with the Glasgow Commonwealth Games happening from July 23 to August 2 next year. 'We need to wait for the full Commonwealth Games program to be released, but yes we are planning that Gout will be available to run an event in Glasgow before going onto the World Juniors in Eugene,' Gout's manager James Templeton told Code Sports. In December last year, Gout had become the second fastest U18 sprinter in men's 200m with US athlete Erriyon Knighton being the fastest U18 200 m runner with a U18 world record time of 19.84 seconds set in 2021 at the age of 17 years, with his timing of 20.04 seconds in the Australian All Schools Championship in Brisbane breaking Norman's record of 20.06 seconds made in his silver medal winning feat in 1968 Olympics. Track legend Usain Bolt had run 200m with a timing of 20.13 seconds as a 16-year-old in 2003 and also holds the all-time world record of 19.19 seconds made during the 2009 World Championships. While Bolt never competed in an individual race in Commonwealth Games, the Jamaican legend was part of Jamaica's gold medal winning 4X100m men's relay team in 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games. 'It's very exciting when our best athletes publicly announce their intention to be at the Games. There is of course qualification processes that all of our athletes will need to go through, a lot can happen in the year leading into a Games. It's really exciting that the athletes are saying they want to compete in the Games and we're looking forward to having our best athletes possible on our team ready to go in a year's time. There is of course qualification processes that all of our athletes will need to go through, a lot can happen in the year leading into a Games. It's really exciting that the athletes are saying they want to compete in the Games and we're looking forward to having our best athletes possible on our team ready to go in a year's time.' Petria Thomas, Australia's Glasgow 2026 chef de mission, told ABC Sport. The 17-year-old Gout was born in Ipswich in Queensland with his parents being South Sudanese immigrants, who moved to Australia in 2005. The teen sensation, who will be competing in the World Championships later this year, will also hope to emulate Bolt, who won the 200m title in world junior championships in 2002, in the world juniors in USA post Commonwealth Games. He had also talked about comparisons with Bolt after he came up with his best timing of 20.02 seconds at Ostrava. Back in 2006, Bolt had made his European debut winning the gold in Ostrava with a timing of 20.28m before he went to break world records and won three Olympic 200m golds along with other Olympic titles. I feel good. New personal best, new national record in my first European race. I don't feel any pressure. Because as soon as I step out on that track, it's just me by myself and what I've got to do – my favourite thing, and that's to run. So, I just go out there and run and nothing stops me from doing that … Get some more races in me and (the 20-second barrier) will drop for sure.' Gout told reporters after winning the title in Ostrava.
North Wales Chronicle
18 hours ago
- Politics
- North Wales Chronicle
Artificial intelligence to be trialled for disputes over asylum seekers' ages
Ministers hope to roll out facial age estimation for migrants arriving by small boats and lorries over 2026, subject to further testing of the technology to go ahead this year. The technology, trained on millions of images of people with confirmed ages, has been decided as the 'most cost-effective option' to assess ages in such cases where it is unknown or disputed, according to border security minister Dame Angela Eagle. The announcement on Tuesday comes as the borders watchdog report into Home Office age assessments said it is 'inevitable' that some decisions will be wrong without a 'foolproof test' of chronological age. The watchdog added this is 'clearly a cause for concern, especially where a child is denied the rights and protections to which they are entitled'. Currently initial age decisions are made by Home Office staff based on a migrant's physical appearance and demeanour. Announcing the move, Dame Angela said in a written statement: 'Accurately assessing the age of individuals is an incredibly complex and difficult task, and the Home Office has spent a number of years analysing which scientific and technological methods would best assist the current process, including looking at the role that artificial intelligence (AI) technology can play. 'Early assessments suggest that Facial Age Estimation could produce workable results much quicker than other potential methods of scientific or technological age assessment, such as bone X-rays or MRI scans, but at a fraction of the cost, and with no requirement for a physical medical procedure or accompanying medical supervision.' It comes as borders watchdog David Bolt's report also published on Tuesday looked at Home Office processes into age assessments, where those crossing the English Channel and first processed at Western Jet Foil, in Dover, Kent, make up a bulk of initial age decisions. Between January 2023 and January 2025, Mr Bolt said 20 out of 59 cases where a person was sent to Manston processing centre as an adult were then later sent back to Western Jet Foil and accepted as being a child. The independent chief inspector of borders and immigration said: 'The environment at Western Jet Foil, and the physical and mental condition of the migrants after a long, arduous, and perilous journey, make the already difficult task of assessing age even more challenging.' The report, which does not cover the Home Office's fresh announcement on using artificial intelligence, calls for officials to involve interpreters, social workers and experts in the process to gain more confidence in its decisions. Mr Bolt said many organisations who advocate for children believe the initial age decision process is 'crude and cruel'. He added: 'Over the years, and again during this inspection, I have listened to young people who felt disbelieved and dismissed by the Home Office, whose hopes have been crushed, and whose mental health has suffered. 'The Home Office has an uphill task in persuading these critics that it can be trusted in this area. Committing to better communication, engagement and collaboration would be a start.' During the visit, inspectors saw examples of a lack of cultural awareness, decisions that relied on generic physical characteristics, and questioning that focused on the migrant's credibility which should not form the basis of an age decision. Mr Bolt also cited concerns from local authorities and NGOs of examples of young people who felt pressured into signing a Home Office 'statement of age' document to say they were over 18 years old, or had not understood what they had been asked to sign. The chief inspector also called for both the Home Office and its critics to agree that some initial age decisions, that are opinion, are wrong, and that some migrants lie about their age. He added that this means not having a type of initial age assessment risks incentivising more to do so, which is not in the best interests of unaccompanied asylum seeking children. Responding to the report, the Home Office accepted all recommendations, including to carry out an evaluation of initial age decision training, and publish guidance on processes needed before someone signs the 'statement of age' form. The Refugee Council welcomed the Government's response to the report, but also called for caution over the use of AI to determine ages. Chief executive of the charity Enver Solomon said: 'We welcome the decision to abandon intrusive scientific methods like X-rays and MRI, which we have long called for, but we are not convinced that replacing them with AI tools is the answer. 'These technologies continue to raise serious questions about accuracy, ethics and fairness. 'We call on the Government to implement reforms that prioritise professional assessments led by trained social workers, which is the most accurate way to determine age and ensure that every child is properly identified, supported, and given the chance to recover and thrive.'
Rhyl Journal
a day ago
- Politics
- Rhyl Journal
Artificial intelligence to be trialled for disputes over asylum seekers' ages
Ministers hope to roll out facial age estimation for migrants arriving by small boats and lorries over 2026, subject to further testing of the technology to go ahead this year. The technology, trained on millions of images of people with confirmed ages, has been decided as the 'most cost-effective option' to assess ages in such cases where it is unknown or disputed, according to border security minister Dame Angela Eagle. The announcement on Tuesday comes as the borders watchdog report into Home Office age assessments said it is 'inevitable' that some decisions will be wrong without a 'foolproof test' of chronological age. The watchdog added this is 'clearly a cause for concern, especially where a child is denied the rights and protections to which they are entitled'. Currently initial age decisions are made by Home Office staff based on a migrant's physical appearance and demeanour. Announcing the move, Dame Angela said in a written statement: 'Accurately assessing the age of individuals is an incredibly complex and difficult task, and the Home Office has spent a number of years analysing which scientific and technological methods would best assist the current process, including looking at the role that artificial intelligence (AI) technology can play. 'Early assessments suggest that Facial Age Estimation could produce workable results much quicker than other potential methods of scientific or technological age assessment, such as bone X-rays or MRI scans, but at a fraction of the cost, and with no requirement for a physical medical procedure or accompanying medical supervision.' It comes as borders watchdog David Bolt's report also published on Tuesday looked at Home Office processes into age assessments, where those crossing the English Channel and first processed at Western Jet Foil, in Dover, Kent, make up a bulk of initial age decisions. Between January 2023 and January 2025, Mr Bolt said 20 out of 59 cases where a person was sent to Manston processing centre as an adult were then later sent back to Western Jet Foil and accepted as being a child. The independent chief inspector of borders and immigration said: 'The environment at Western Jet Foil, and the physical and mental condition of the migrants after a long, arduous, and perilous journey, make the already difficult task of assessing age even more challenging.' The report, which does not cover the Home Office's fresh announcement on using artificial intelligence, calls for officials to involve interpreters, social workers and experts in the process to gain more confidence in its decisions. Mr Bolt said many organisations who advocate for children believe the initial age decision process is 'crude and cruel'. He added: 'Over the years, and again during this inspection, I have listened to young people who felt disbelieved and dismissed by the Home Office, whose hopes have been crushed, and whose mental health has suffered. 'The Home Office has an uphill task in persuading these critics that it can be trusted in this area. Committing to better communication, engagement and collaboration would be a start.' During the visit, inspectors saw examples of a lack of cultural awareness, decisions that relied on generic physical characteristics, and questioning that focused on the migrant's credibility which should not form the basis of an age decision. Mr Bolt also cited concerns from local authorities and NGOs of examples of young people who felt pressured into signing a Home Office 'statement of age' document to say they were over 18 years old, or had not understood what they had been asked to sign. The chief inspector also called for both the Home Office and its critics to agree that some initial age decisions, that are opinion, are wrong, and that some migrants lie about their age. He added that this means not having a type of initial age assessment risks incentivising more to do so, which is not in the best interests of unaccompanied asylum seeking children. Responding to the report, the Home Office accepted all recommendations, including to carry out an evaluation of initial age decision training, and publish guidance on processes needed before someone signs the 'statement of age' form. The Refugee Council welcomed the Government's response to the report, but also called for caution over the use of AI to determine ages. Chief executive of the charity Enver Solomon said: 'We welcome the decision to abandon intrusive scientific methods like X-rays and MRI, which we have long called for, but we are not convinced that replacing them with AI tools is the answer. 'These technologies continue to raise serious questions about accuracy, ethics and fairness. 'We call on the Government to implement reforms that prioritise professional assessments led by trained social workers, which is the most accurate way to determine age and ensure that every child is properly identified, supported, and given the chance to recover and thrive.'
