Latest news with #MarthaFairlie
ITV News
07-07-2025
- Politics
- ITV News
Thousands of petals fall in St Paul's to remember 52 victims of July 7 bombings on 20th anniversary
A remembrance service at St Paul's Cathedral was held to mark 20 years since London's transport network was hit by a coordinated terrorist attack, as ITV News' Martha Fairlie reports Fifty-two thousand petals fell in St Paul's Cathedral during a service to remember those who died in the July 7 terrorist attacks in London 20 years ago. Saba Edwards, daughter of Behnaz Mozakka - who died on the Piccadilly line, and Thelma Stober - who survived the Aldgate bomb, struggled to contain their emotions as they read the names of the 52 people who died as the petals floated down. Ms Edwards stifled a sob and paused as she read her mother's name. The moving tribute was paid during a memorial service on Monday, which was attended by bereaved relatives, survivors and emergency workers, as well as royalty and politicians. Four suicide bombers targeted three Tube trains and a bus on July 7, 2005, in the worst single atrocity on British soil, killing 52 and injuring hundreds more. The service was opened with a prayer read by Dean of St Paul's Cathedral the Very Reverend Andrew Tremlett, who said the attack "left deep scars in the soul of our capital". He said, "We give thanks for the spirit of this city: its openness, its endurance, and its steadfast refusal to let the hatred prevail." The congregation included Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper. Four candles representing the site of each attack were carried through the cathedral by representatives of the emergency services and placed in front of the altar. They were carried by emergency responders Victor West from Transport for London; Helen Skeggs from the Metropolitan Police Service; Guy Tillotson from London Fire Brigade and Tracy Russell from London Ambulance Service. Readings were given about the history of each of the parts of London that were targeted in the attacks. Ellie Patsalos, wife of survivor Professor Philip Patsalos - who was around three feet from the bomb that went off in a train between Kings Cross and Russell Square, read the first passage. This was followed by readings from Tony Silvestro, an emergency responder from British Transport Police who was called to Aldgate; Reverend Julie Nicholson, mother of musician Jennifer Valda Ann Nicholson who was killed at Edgware Road; and George Psaradakis, the driver of the bus that was blown up in Tavistock Square. A conclusion was then read by Graham Foulkes, father of David Foulkes, who died at Edgware Road. He said: "These four pieces of London epitomise what is great about this city: an international cross roads of diversity and ingenuity, tolerance and respect, challenge and opportunity. When four bombs exploded on July 7 2005, lives were destroyed and the flame of hope faltered for what seemed like an eternal moment. "For many people nothing was the same again and yet everything was the same because the good which is in Londoners and the countless visitors whom they host at any given moment is not erased by hatred or threat but rather is fostered to produce a harvest of hope for each generation." Later, prayers were given by those affected by the attacks - Azuma Wundowa whose mother Gladys Wundowa was killed in Tavistock Square; Philip Duckworth who survived the Aldgate bomb; Ken McAulay, Steve Keogh and Tony Moore from the Met Police, and Jo Dover, support expert for victims of terrorism. A group of faith leaders also made a statement to say "we stand united in our determination to resist and overcome the evil of terrorism".
ITV News
13-05-2025
- ITV News
Merseyside man to be freed after 38 years in prison as murder conviction overturned
Merseyside man's conviction overturned after 38 years, as ITV News' Martha Fairlie reports A Merseyside man has had his murder conviction overturned by the Court of Appeal after spending nearly four decades in prison, in what is now believed to be the longest miscarriage of justice involving a living inmate in British history. Peter Sullivan, 68, was jailed in 1987 for the murder of 21-year-old Diane Sindall, a florist and barmaid who was brutally attacked while walking to a petrol station in Bebington, Merseyside after her van broke down. Ms Sindall had been returning home from work when she was beaten to death and sexually assaulted, with her body left partially clothed and mutilated. Mr Sullivan, who was in his twenties, was sentenced to life in prison. Prosecutors claimed he had been drinking after a darts match and launched a random, violent attack using a crowbar. He has always maintained his innocence. This appeal marks the third time Mr Sullivan, appealed against his conviction – 17 years after his first attempt to overturn it – after the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) referred his case to the Court of Appeal. The Court of Appeal quashed the conviction on Tuesday 13 May after hearing new DNA evidence from the original crime scene, which revealed the presence of genetic material belonging to an unidentified person. The discovery, made possible by advances in forensic science, raised serious doubts about Sullivan's guilt. Lord Justice Timothy Holroyde, Court of Appeal The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) referred the case to the court in 2024, describing the conviction as potentially "unsafe". The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) told the Court of Appeal that new DNA evidence is 'sufficient fundamentally to cast doubt on the safety of the conviction'. In written submissions for the hearing, the CPS said the new DNA evidence is 'reliable' and that it 'does not seek to argue that this evidence is not capable of undermining the safety of Mr Sullivan's conviction'. Duncan Atkinson KC, for the CPS, said that following Sullivan's arrest in September 1986, he was interviewed 22 times over four weeks. He was denied access to legal advice in the first seven interviews despite requesting it, but later 'confessed to the murder' in an unrecorded interview a day after his arrest. He later repeated the confession in a recorded interview, but Mr Atkinson said that this 'was inconsistent with the facts established by the investigation' and inconsistent with Sullivan's earlier interviews. Sullivan then retracted his confession later that day. Mr Sullivan first applied to the CCRC in 2008 over concerns related to DNA evidence, but it did not refer the sentence to the Court of Appeal at that time. The CCRC said in November last year that experts at the time had advised that 'any further testing would be very unlikely to produce a DNA profile'. Mr Sullivan then had an appeal bid, which did not involve the CCRC, dismissed by the Court of Appeal in 2019, after judges ruled that bite mark evidence used in the challenge was not central to the prosecution at trial. He then applied to the CCRC again in 2021 to refer his case, raising concerns over police interviews, bite mark evidence used during his trial, and the murder weapon. Following Mr Sullivan's conviction being overturned, Detective Chief Superintendent Karen Jaundrill said: 'Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of Diane Sindall who continue to mourn her loss and will have to endure the implications of this new development so many years after her murder. "We are committed to doing everything within our power to find whom the DNA, which was left at the scene, belongs to.'Unfortunately, there is no match for the DNA identified on the national DNA database.'We have enlisted specialist skills and expertise from the National Crime Agency, and with their support we are proactively trying to identify the person the DNA profile belongs to, and extensive and painstaking inquiries are underway.'We can confirm that the DNA does not belong to any member of Diane's family, nor Diane's fiancé at the time, and we believe it could be a vital piece of evidence linking the killer to the scene.""To date more than 260 men have been screened and eliminated from the investigation which was reopened in 2023. "The investigation team has obtained most of the samples locally, however, screening has also taken place in Swansea, Perth, London, Hull and Newcastle with the provision of voluntary DNA elimination samples.'On the night of Friday, 1 August 1986, Diane had been working at the pub. She had left work at 11.45pm in her blue Fiat van, but on her way home the van ran out of petrol on Borough Road. Diane got out of the van and was seen by several witnesses at the time walking along Borough Road between midnight and 12.20am on the Saturday morning.'Twelve hours later on 2 August Diane's body was discovered by a member of the public in an alleyway off Borough Road. Diane had been sexually assaulted and brutally murdered.'She had suffered extensive injuries to her body. Her cause of death was established as a cerebral haemorrhage following multiple blows. 'On 17 August 1986 property belonging to Diane was recovered on Bidston Hill. The investigation team at the time subsequently identified witnesses who had seen a small fire, at the location where the property was found, on Sunday, 3 August, and had witnessed a man running from the scene.'Diane's murder sent shockwaves through Birkenhead when it happened and I would appeal to anyone who lived in the area at the time, and has any information which could help us with our inquiries, to come forward.'You may have been in the area of Borough Road on the night of the murder and may have seen someone acting suspiciously.'If you were in the area, or had concerns about an individual at the time, let us know so our team can trace and request a DNA sample from the person you suspect, or a relative of theirs if they have perhaps passed away, or they have emigrated to another country.'Anyone with information should contact Merseyside Police social media desk via X @MerPolCC or on Facebook 'Merseyside Police Contact Centre'. You can also report information via their website or call 101 quoting incident reference contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111, or via their website here.
