Latest news with #OneStop
The Herald
4 days ago
- The Herald
Security guard who died while pursuing robbers hailed a hero
A security officer who was shot dead while pursuing three robbery suspects has been hailed a hero. One Stop officer Vikesh Maniram, 39, who was stationed at Nagiah's butchery in unit 2 Chatsworth was killed when he tried to apprehend the suspects, who fled in a taxi after robbing a tote. His distraught mother, Premie Maniram, said she was devastated by her only son's death. 'He left home on the day without saying goodbye, which is something he normally does not do. He was a lovely, joyful child,' said Premie. She said their bond was strong and coming to terms with the loss was not easy. 'It's been heartbreaking. Though I have been getting support from family and friends, when a loved one is gone the loss is unbearable. He died a hero.' She said her son's employees called to give her the grim news. Premie said her son and daughter Reshma Olivier, 36, who is a policewoman, shared a passion for serving the community. A distraught Reshma said she had gone to church and missed calls from her family alerting her to the news. 'I had missed calls from my father and my brother-in-law which preceded a call from one of the managers at One Stop, who eventually told me the tragic news. In retrospect, I don't know if it was good because we would have rushed straight to the crime scene and seen my brother with a bullet through his upper chest. 'My brother made people feel safe. People knew he was helpful and the minute they would see the One Stop security vehicle all their fears would be allayed,' she said. Olivier said she had shared good childhood memories with her brother. Through their work in law enforcement they had also forged a strong bond which involved talking about suspects. 'It was such a common factor. My father too is also a retired policeman and my husband is also in the police force,' she said. One Stop group's spokesperson Maveshin Odayar said Maniram's death had taken a heavy toll on the company. He said Maniram would be remembered for his dedication. 'He was annoyingly dedicated to his job. He was attentive and went beyond the call of duty in exercising his duties,' said Odayar. 'We just have to wait for the law to take its course,' he said. Maniram, who is survived by his 11-year-old daughter and fiancé, will be laid to rest on Wednesday at his home in Newlands East. TimesLIVE
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Yahoo
$1.7 million approved for wrongfully convicted Broward man sentenced to 400 years in prison
Gov. Ron DeSantis has approved a $1.7 million payment to a Broward man who was once sentenced to 400 years in prison after being wrongly convicted of serving as the getaway driver in a robbery near Fort Lauderdale. Sidney Holmes, now 59, can't get the 34 years he spent behind bars back, but he can live the rest of his days knowing that his name has been cleared. 'This a gesture that recognizes Mr. Holmes was wronged and that we, in the State of Florida and in the justice system, will help him and compensate him,' said State Attorney Harold Pryor, whose Conviction Review Unit identified Holmes' case and conducted the investigation that determined he was an innocent man. Holmes was 22 years old when he was accused of taking part in a Father's Day 1988 robbery at the One Stop store in the 2500 block of Northwest Sixth Street, in an unincorporated area west of Fort Lauderdale. The getaway driver was described by a witness as 'short and heavyset.' Holmes was a lanky 6 feet and 183 pounds. He also said he was at a family gathering at the time of the robbery. It didn't matter: A jury convicted him the following April, and the prosecutor, calling Holmes a habitual offender, sought a prison term of 825 years. Circuit Judge Mel Grossman, finding that sentence too harsh, ordered Holmes behind bars for 400 years. Exonerated Broward man seeks $1.7 million from state after serving decades of 400-year sentence 'The reason for my recommendation and an exceedingly high number of years is to ensure that he won't be released from prison while he's breathing,' the original prosecutor said at Holmes' sentencing hearing. The conviction review unit became aware of Holmes' case in 2020 and convinced a judge to release him in 2023. 'It's surreal,' Holmes said when he walked out of jail after spending more than half his life behind bars. 'I never would give up hope. I knew this day was going to come sooner or later, and today is the day.' Because of his prior criminal record, Holmes was not legally entitled to payment under the state's law on compensating victims of wrongful incarceration. A claims bill filed by state Rep. Michael Gottlieb and state Sen. Jason Pizzo was passed earlier this year and signed Tuesday by the governor. Holmes will receive $1,722,000 along with 120 hours of college or career center tuition and fees. 'Since his release from prison, Mr. Holmes has obtained full-time employment,' the State Attorney's Office announced in a news release. 'He has also visited our office and participated in training sessions by talking to our prosecutors about his experience and how to try to avoid wrongful convictions in the future.' Rafael Olmeda can be reached at rolmeda@ or 954-356-4457. Follow him on
Daily Mail
10-06-2025
- Daily Mail
Moment 'Britain's worst shoplifter' drops knife during raid as he is jailed for the THIRD time this year after racking up 20 convictions in just six months
A man known as 'Britain's worst shoplifter' has been jailed for the third time this year after his latest stealing spree saw him convicted of 20 offences. Soma Deasley has gathered a staggering 51 shoplifting convictions since 2021 after a string of brazen thefts targeting Marks & Spencer, Matalan, the Co-op, Next and Asda stores across the country. The 36-year-old has committed 40 offences alone since the start of 2024 and was even caught stealing four times in one month in January last year. During a raid in April last year, Deasley was caught on CCTV attempting to steal wine and sweets from a OneStop in Peterborough when a knife fell out of his trousers. He was seen cramming the stolen items into his backpack when the weapon clattered onto the floor. But Deasley remained seemingly oblivious as he continued to take items from the shelves and walk out without paying. He was later handed a 24 week sentence for the incident along with two other thefts from another OneStop earlier in the month. But Dealsey's latest crimewave, during which he stole around £540 of goods between April 21 and May 27, has led to his longest prison stint yet. He appeared at Peterborough Magistrates' Court on June 2 where he was sentenced to 28 weeks in prison and ordered to pay compensation for the stolen goods. It is the latest in a sorry string of offences for the crook. On Monday February 5, 2024, he was spotted in Lincoln Road, Millfield, by response officers who were on patrol in the area in the early hours. Knowing that he was wanted in connection with shoplifting offences, he was arrested and taken into custody for questioning. At the time, police said he had been convicted of ten recent theft offences, with the latest four taking place the month before. On January 24 he had entered Next in Brotherhood Retail Park and stole £300 worth of bedding, before returning to the store a few hours later and making off with three jumpers worth £135. Five days later he targeted the same store, this time stealing clothing worth £150. The following day he entered Asda Living in the Brotherhood Retail Park and filled a bag with £257 worth of candles. He was challenged by security as he went to leave the store but made off. Then, he admitted four counts of theft from a shop at Cambridge Magistrates' Court and was sentenced to ten weeks in prison. At the time, PC Rob Reay, from the force's Prevention and Vulnerability Hub, said: 'Deasley is persistent in his offending, and despite interventions and offers of support he continues to commit crime to fund addiction. 'For repeat offenders such as Deasley, we are able to build an application for a Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) which we will now be taking to the courts with the intention of getting him banned from entering the areas he targets.' In May last year, police released video footage of Deasley stealing sweets from the OneStop in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, on April 28 when a knife clearly falls from his trousers. Deasley, of no fixed address, was later charged with possession of a knife, three counts of theft from a shop and possession of crack cocaine after two white wraps were found on him upon arrest. He was found to have stolen a total of £147.20 worth of laundry products from another OneStop on two occasions earlier in the month and was given 24 weeks in jail. But Deasley was back in trouble with the law in December 2024 after turning his attention to petrol stations. He entered Esso, in Welland Road, Dogsthorpe, on November 9 and stole numerous boxes of Ferrero Rocher by putting them in a bag and down his trousers, before hiding near the exit doors until a customer came through so he could run out. He stole from Esso again on December 1, and stole twice from BP, in Bretton Way, Bretton, between November 14 and 28. He appeared at Cambridge Magistrates' Court on Friday December 6, where he was jailed for eight weeks after admitting the offences. But as soon as he was let out he was at it again - stealing £500 of gear from shops in Peterborough in two weeks. He stole from One Stop, in St Pauls Road, New England, four times, and Co-op, in Hampton Gardens, once, between January 24 and February 6, 2025, taking £583.15 worth of sweets, cleaning and hygiene products. Then, he was sentenced to ten weeks in prison after he admitted the five thefts at Huntingdon Magistrates' Court on Monday February 10. However he was sent back to prison for ten weeks in March after he was caught on CCTV stealing £270 worth of items from One Stop, in St Pauls Road, New England, over two thefts on March 15 and 18. He admitted four counts of theft from a shop at Cambridge Magistrates' Court on Friday March 21. At the time, PC Bethany Page, who investigated, said: 'Deasley has been convicted of nine shoplifting offences so far this year and was jailed only last month for theft.' Experts have warned that repeatedly imprisoning shoplifters doesn't tackle the root cause of the behaviour. Around 70% of repeat offending is thought to be caused by addiction to Class A drugs - typically heroin and crack cocaine. 'Custody is not a panacea for prolific shoplifting and is unlikely to break the cycle of offending,' said Cardiff University law lecturer Frederick Cram, who has researched new ways to break the cycle. The last few years have been a shoplifting nightmare for High Street shops. Since the pandemic, the Russia Ukraine conflict and soaring inflation, theft has soared in the UK, recently hitting the highest level ever seen. A huge 516,971 offences were logged by police forces last year, up 20 per cent from 429,873 in 2023. The figure is the highest since current police records began 22 years ago in 2003, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Daily Mirror
07-06-2025
- Daily Mirror
Phone box rapist brands himself 'f***ing dog' before crying in court
Married father-of-one Cornel Filipeche, 21, was sentenced to 10 years behind bars after he dragged a woman into a phone box and raped her in Birmingham - before crying in court A rapist who dragged his victim into a phone box before attacking her called himself a "f***ing dog" before he burst into tears in court. Cornel Filipeche, 21, attacked a complete stranger near the One Stop shopping centre in Birmingham. The Romanian national had been pleasuring himself after he left the toilets at The Arthur Robertson Wetherspoon's pub, just moments before he shamelessly pounced on his unsuspecting victim. Filipeche had left the pub at around 1.30am on January 18 and waited at a bus stop, where he went up to a woman and asked her for a light for his cigarette. The father-of-one hid around the corner as she walked away and watched her cross the road, near Perry Barr train station. He terrifyingly jumped out and grabbed her before dragging her into a phone box - where he raped her and inflicted serious bodily harm, Birmingham Live reports. This horror ordeal lasted four minutes and Filipeche ran away with the victim's phone. Emergency services were called to the scene where they found her covered in blood, bruises and traumatised. The married 21-year-old was jailed for 10 years and handed an extended five-year licence after a judge declared he was "dangerous". The rapist cried in court as Judge John Butterfield said Filipeche had shown no remorse for his crime other than telling probation workers that: "I feel like a f***ing dog. I feel like s***. I don't want to remember this." The judge said the attack was "profoundly troubling" and the "most horrific four minutes" of the victim's life. The victim bravely attended the sentencing hearing and stared down Filipeche, who occasionally looked back towards the public gallery. She told the court she was too scared to leave her home after the horror incident. The married dad was seen crying in court as he held his head in his hands. Detective inspector Emma Watson, from the force's public protection unit, said: "I want to thank the victim for her bravery in coming forward and reporting this to us. Her actions may have saved other victims. " West Midlands Police encourages anyone who has suffered abuse to come forward. You will be supported, and you will be believed." At the time of the attack, West Midlands Police issued a public appeal for information which led to Filipeche's arrest at an address in Lozells three days later. He pleaded guilty to rape, inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent and robbery at his first court appearance. It later emerged that he had previously assaulted a woman in Spain which earned him a six-month suspended sentence at a Court for Violence Against Women in 2023.
Time of India
05-06-2025
- Time of India
Lucknow: Accused in rape of 3-year-old girl, killed in encounter with police
LUCKNOW: Hours after the abduction and rape of a three-year-old girl sleeping with her mother under a bridge near Alambagh metro station, the accused was killed in an encounter with Lucknow police early Friday. The accused, identified as Deepak Verma, a habitual offender with multiple criminal cases lodged across city police stations, was traced through CCTV footage that captured him fleeing with the child on a white scooter around 3.30 am on Thursday. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central Zone) Ashish Srivastava said multiple police teams were formed immediately after the incident, and a reward of ₹1 lakh was announced for information leading to Verma's arrest. Based on the scooter's registration details and a tip-off, police intercepted Verma near Devi Kheda in Cantonment. 'When asked to surrender, he opened fire at the police team. In retaliatory firing, he sustained injuries,' said Srivastava. Verma was taken to a hospital, where doctors declared him dead. Meanwhile, the minor survivor, who suffered severe injuries to her private parts, remains critical and is being treated at Lokbandhu Hospital. Doctors confirmed she lost significant blood and will require plastic surgery. 'She is under treatment at KGMU," said the DCP. To recall, a case had been filed under rape and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act ( POCSO Act ), 2012. The incident had come to the fore when officers from One Stop, an organisation supporting women, notified police around 10 am on Thursday after a handicapped person heard the girl's screams about 500 metres from where she was sleeping and informed the victim's family. The victim's family narrated, 'After completing the work, we slept. Late at night on Wednesday, someone took the girl away. At 4 am on Thursday, an old man woke us up, and then we came to know about the incident.' The family took the girl to Lokbandhu hospital, where doctors confirmed she had been raped and was in critical condition. Dr Rajiv Dixit, medical superintendent, said the child bled profusely from a deep wound in her private part, and her overall condition remained critical. The girl would require plastic surgery, with experts including a gynaecologist, paediatrician, and surgeon involved in her care. She is currently under treatment at KGMU trauma center.
