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May 14 2024

Twin who saved sister in crocodile attack honoured on King’s first gallantry list | UK News

A 31-year-old woman who saved her twin sister from a crocodile attack in Mexico will receive a bravery honour after being included on the King’s first Civilian Gallantry List.

Georgia Laurie, from Sandhurst in Berkshire, punched the reptile in the face when it attacked her twin Melissa in June 2021.

Both women were seriously hurt but survived after treatment.

Georgia will receive the King‘s Gallantry Medal, which acknowledges exemplary acts of bravery.

Ms Laurie said the medal was an “honour” that left her “so shocked”.

“I didn’t see it coming, I didn’t expect it.

“I feel really privileged, it’s a silver lining to have come out of the terrible ordeal… it kind of softens the whole traumatic experience,” she said.

“It’s been a good thing for not just me but for the whole family, I feel like I have to share it with my sister because, let’s face it, I don’t think I would have been nominated for it if she didn’t survive.

“What’s made this story so incredible is Melissa’s unwavering bravery throughout it all because she was so strong during it and I don’t think I would be here without her, she really gave me the strength to keep fighting.”

The twins were swimming in a lagoon near Puerto Escondido when Melissa was dragged under the water.

Melissa survived with an open fracture to her wrist, severe puncture wounds to the abdomen and many injuries to her leg and foot, while Georgia was bitten on her hand.

Georgia added: “The further away it gets, the less it feels real.

“But then something like this happens and it puts it all back into perspective again, like wow, that actually did happen, it’s a crazy story.

“Because when you think about it, it does sound like a horror movie, but it’s part of the tapestry of our life.”

Police officer Zach Printer, who confronted gunman Jake Davison unarmed on 12 August, 2021 in Keyham, Plymouth, is also included on the King’s Civilian Gallantry List.

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Davison killed his mother Maxine, 51, and then shot dead three-year-old Sophie Martyn, her father Lee, 43, Stephen Washington, 59, and Kate Shepherd, 66.

PC Printer was attending to Mrs Shepherd when he saw Davison carrying the firearm.

He immediately sprinted towards the 22-year-old, telling him to stand still in the hope he could talk him down. Davison then took his own life.

The officer was acknowledged for his “selfless and brave actions” while confronting Davison, which prevented further harm to others.

Among the other recipients is PC Steven Denniss, who was stabbed in the leg when apprehending a double murder suspect while off-duty in Louth, Lincolnshire, in June 2021.

PC Denniss was walking his dog when he spotted Daniel Boulton, who was wanted for the murder of his former girlfriend Bethany Vincent, 26, and her nine-year-old son Darren Henson the previous evening.

Without any protective equipment, PC Denniss tried to detain Boulton until colleagues arrived, and was stabbed by him while on the phone with police.

The officer chased Boulton until he was joined by armed officers, before the suspect was arrested and later charged and jailed for life with a minimum term of 40 years.

This year’s Civilian Gallantry List, which includes nine people, is the first to be approved by the King.

Also on the list are Lawrie Elsdon-Dew, for protecting others during fierce fighting outside the British embassy in Sudan in April 2023, and Stacey Farrington and Jake Walker, who stopped a speeding car travelling the wrong way on a motorway using an ambulance.

The King’s Commendation for Bravery is set to go to Stephen Ellison, who rescued a stranger from a river in Chongqing, China, in November 2020.

Chhaganlal Jagaita, who helped people out of a burning hotel in Mati, Greece in July 2018, and Paul Martin, who intervened during a knife attack in April 2021, also received recognition.

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May 13 2024

Sherif Lawal: UK-based boxer dies after being knocked down during professional debut | UK News

A boxer has died after being knocked down during his first professional fight in London.

Sherif Lawal was treated by paramedics at the scene after the referee ended Sunday’s bout in the fourth of a scheduled six rounds.

He was taken by ambulance to hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

The UK-based boxer, 29, had lost the fight to Portuguese Malam Varela at Harrow Leisure Centre, in northwest London.

Warren Boxing Management said in an Instagram post that Lawal “collapsed” during the fight.

Read more from Sky News:
Fury’s dad headbutts member of Usyk entourage
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The British Boxing Board of Control issued a statement expressing its condolences to the middleweight boxer’s family.

“The thoughts of all those involved in boxing in Great Britain are with them at this difficult time,” it said.

The rest of the scheduled bouts at the Harrow event were cancelled after the announcement of Lawal’s death.

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May 13 2024

Sir Chris Bryant: Senior Labour MP reveals skin cancer found in his lung | Politics News

A leading Labour MP has revealed that he is having treatment after skin cancer was discovered in his lung.

Sir Chris Bryant told Sky News he has been having immunotherapy for the past three months after a routine scan detected a melanoma in his right lung in January.

The 62-year-old had surgery where doctors collapsed his lung so a robot could cut out the melanoma – with his lung then re-inflated.

Five years ago, Sir Chris had a melanoma cut out of his head after being given a 40% chance of living a year, so has scans every six months.

The shadow creative industries minister told Sky News’s Kay Burley: “I had the results of my last scan which said that it wasn’t clear this time.

“They’d found something in my lung, which they thought was probably a melanoma, not lung cancer, skin cancer in my lung, which would obviously be very serious.

“That’s stage four metastatic cancer. And so very frightening.”

Sir Chris added that he wanted to come on Sky News to warn about the risks of being out in the sun.

“Skin cancer really does kill,” he said.

“And yesterday, lots of people would have been out in the sun. Enjoying the fact that they could sunbathe and all the rest of it.

“But the truth is that all of this stuff happened to my head and the skin cancer in my lung, all of that is in the end because of sun damage.

“So people can do things, cover up. If you’ve got a mole and you’re in doubt, get it checked out.

“Really, really important. We can save lives.”

The Rhondda MP said if he had not gone for his last scan he most likely would have been going to the doctor in a year or 18 months with a “really bad chest”.

“It would have been a death sentence. Good news is they’ve cut it out,” he said.

“There’s no more cancer at the moment. I’ve had a scan. There’s nothing in that.

“And I’m on immunotherapy and immunotherapies.”

On social media, Sir Chris later said the treatment was “tough” – but he has “every hope of being completely cancer-free for the rest of my life”.

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May 13 2024

Good maternity care ‘exception rather than the rule’, birth trauma inquiry finds | UK News

Good care for pregnant women “is the exception rather than the rule”, a landmark inquiry has said.

A parliamentary inquiry into birth trauma has found there was “shockingly poor quality” in maternity services, which resulted in care that lacked compassion and a system where “poor care is all too frequently tolerated as normal”.

The inquiry’s report is set to be released later this morning and was first reported by The Times.

The report also found that women were “treated as an inconvenience” and errors were covered up by hospitals that “frustrated parents’ efforts to find answers”.

Victoria Atkins, the health secretary, said that the experiences uncovered in the report were “harrowing”.

The Times reported that the inquiry found new mothers had been left on blood-soaked sheets for hours, berated by midwives, or in one case been dismissed as an “anxious mother” when her baby then later died from complications that she was warning about.

The report calls for a new maternity commissioner who will report to the prime minister.

Each year, around 30,000 women will suffer a negative experience before, during or after delivery.

In 2011, Sarah Embleton suffered a serious birthing tear which was missed by doctors for more than a year – leading to complications.

“I was in a lot of pain a lot of the time because obviously things that healed by themselves in a way that they shouldn’t have done, she told Sky News.

“So, urgency, not being able to hold in, needing to go to the loo, that sort of physical side was pretty horrendous.”

Read more from Sky News:
Women ‘failed at every stage’ of maternity care
Mother left with injuries after giving birth breaks ‘silence’
Grieving parents demand nationwide guidance after failings

She added: “Also the psychological side as well, I was diagnosed with PTSD.

“There is no area of my life that was untouched by it.”

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May 13 2024

Police Scotland’s chief constable: SNP finance probe heading to prosecutors ‘within weeks’ | UK News

The police investigation involving Nicola Sturgeon’s husband is “moving on” with prosecutors to receive a file within weeks, Scotland’s most senior officer has told Sky News.

The former first minister and SNP leader’s spouse, Peter Murrell, has been charged in connection with embezzlement of party funds.

In her first interviews since taking on the UK’s second biggest police force, Chief Constable Jo Farrell insisted her officers are “objective” but refused to be drawn on whether the long-running probe will end imminently.

The investigation, dubbed Operation Branchform, was launched in July 2021 after officers received complaints about how SNP donations were used.

There were questions about more than £660,000 raised for a second Scottish independence referendum campaign.

Police Scotland has said Nicola Sturgeon remains under investigation after she was arrested and released without charge in 2023.

The SNP’s former treasurer, Colin Beattie, was also detained for almost 12 hours for questioning in spring last year.

The 72-year-old has told Sky News he had heard “nothing at all” from police recently.

Murrell, 59, was chief executive of the SNP for two decades.

He quit the role weeks before his arrest and resigned his SNP membership in the wake of his police charge.

The probe has involved detectives seizing a £100,000 motorhome from outside the home of one of Murrell’s elderly relatives.

Officers concluded in April there is sufficient evidence to charge Murrell in connection with embezzlement of party funds.

The next stage is for Scotland’s prosecution service, the Crown Office, to receive a report on the case from police and decide whether to proceed to court.

A Crown Office spokesman said: “All (of) Scotland’s prosecutors act independently of political interference.

“As is routine, to protect the integrity of ongoing investigations, we do not comment in detail on their conduct.”

Chief Con Farrell was questioned by Sky News about why the investigation was taking so long to conclude.

She said: “It’s a live investigation, complex investigation and the matter has been progressed, and we expect the report to go to the Crown Office in a matter of weeks.”

Asked about this probe continuing in a general election year, she said: “We’ve investigated allegations. That’s moving on.

“We have very skilled, professional, objective individuals working on that case.”

The senior officer refused to say when the SNP probe would be fully concluded or whether other individuals would face further questions.

“I’m not going to make a commentary on the length of it. One person’s been charged, the report will go to the Crown Office and it’s a live investigation,” she said.

Read more from Sky News:
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Ms Sturgeon unexpectedly announced her resignation as SNP leader and first minister of Scotland months before police arrested her and her husband.

She has always insisted the probe never played any part in her sudden departure from office.

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May 12 2024

Pinewood-owner Aermont among suitors for £850m Village Hotels | Business News

The major backer of Pinewood Studios is among the suitors vying to buy Village Hotels, one of Britain’s biggest mid-market hotel chains.

Sky News understands Aermont, which specialises in real estate-backed investments, submitted an offer last week for Village Hotels, which is owned by KSL Capital Partners.

City sources said KSL was seeking offers worth in the region of £850m or more.

A number of other parties are also understood to have tabled bids ahead of a deadline last week.

Blackstone, the giant private equity firm, is considering making an offer but has yet to do so, according to insiders.

The auction is being handled by bankers at Morgan Stanley.

It comes months after attempts to sell Center Parcs UK were called off, while a mooted sale of Travelodge has so far failed to result in a deal.

Village Hotels comprises a portfolio of more than 30 properties from Aberdeen to Bournemouth, with rooms available at budget prices.

Founded in 1995 as Village Urban Resorts, the hotels feature pub-style restaurants and gyms.

KSL was reported to have paid £485m for the business when it bought it in 2014 from De Vere Group.

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The Denver, Colorado-based buyout firm has also owned other UK hotel chains including Hotel du Vin and Malmaison.

Aermont and Blackstone declined to comment.

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May 12 2024

UK weather: Warning of ‘danger to life’ as thunderstorms to strike most of country | UK News

Thunderstorms are set to strike across large parts of the UK this afternoon – with a warning that flooding in some places could cause “danger to life”.

The Met Office has issued a number of yellow weather alerts across the country, which look set to bring Britain’s warm spell to an end.

Not everyone within the warning areas will see a thunderstorm, but are still being advised to prepare for the adverse weather.

Western and central Northern Ireland is the first to be hit, with the anticipated heavy showers and thunderstorms from 12pm expected to lead to difficult driving conditions, power cuts and flooding.

From 1pm, thunderstorms will sweep in across parts of Wales and western and central England.

Check the weather forecast in your area

The Met Office has warned: “Flooding of homes and businesses could happen quickly, with damage to some buildings from floodwater, lightning strikes, hail or strong winds.

“Fast flowing or deep floodwater is possible, causing a danger to life.”

From 2pm, the storms will hit Scotland. The yellow weather alert stretches from southern Scotland up to the Central Belt as well as the Highlands and Islands.

The Met Office has warned Scots: “There is a small chance of fast flowing or deep floodwater causing danger to life.”

The heavy showers and thunderstorms in Northern Ireland are expected to come to an end at around 7pm, and at 11pm in England and Wales.

The bad weather is expected to continue in Scotland until 3am on Monday.

The thunderstorms could bring the UK’s warm spell to a dramatic end – after Saturday was confirmed as the hottest day of the year.

Sky News weather producer Joanna Robinson said: “A thundery breakdown is expected on Sunday afternoon, but many eastern parts of Britain will stay fine and dry.

“The Met Office has issued several thunderstorm warnings, which highlight the areas at risk of severe weather.

“It’s important to note that not everywhere within the warning area will catch a thunderstorm.

“Where they do occur, they could bring torrential rain, large hail up to 2cm, gusty winds and frequent lightning, with localised disruption possible.

“It’ll be another warm afternoon for most, with 27C or 28C possible somewhere in southeast England.

“That would be the UK’s highest temperature of the year so far, beating Saturday’s 25.9C at Herstmonceux.

“Next week looks cooler and more unsettled, but there’ll be some pleasant sunshine at times.”

Read more from Sky News:
Global temperature streak continues with record hot April
London must adapt to ‘new reality’ as number of days over 30C rises

Stay safe in thunder and lightning

Before the thunderstorm:
• Lightning can cause power surges, so unplug any non-essential appliances if not already using a surge protector.
• Seek shelter if possible. When you hear thunder you are already within range of where the next ground flash may occur. Lightning can strike as far as 10 miles away from the centre of a storm.

During the thunderstorm:
• Telephone lines can conduct electricity so try to avoid using the landline, unless in an emergency.
• If outside, avoid water and find a low-lying open place that is a safe distance from trees, poles or metal objects.
• Be aware of metal objects that can conduct or attract lightning, including golf clubs, golf buggies, fishing rods, umbrellas, motorbikes, bicycles, wheelchairs, mobility scooters, pushchairs, wire fencing and rails. If you are in a tent, try to stay away from the metal poles.
• If you find yourself in an exposed location, it may be advisable to squat close to the ground with your hands on your knees and your head tucked between them. Try to touch as little of the ground with your body as possible. Do not lie down on the ground.
•If you feel your hair stand on end, drop to the above position immediately.

After the thunderstorm:
• Avoid downed power lines or broken cables.
•If someone is struck by lightning, they often suffer severe burns. The strike also affects the heart, so check if they have a pulse.

Driving in a thunderstorm:
• If you are caught out in thunder and lightning, it is advised that you wind up the windows and stay inside your car. In the vast majority of cars with a metal roof and frame, the frame will act as a conductive Faraday cage, passing the current around the passengers inside and on to the ground.
• Soft-top convertibles, with their fabric roofs, are the most at risk and could catch fire if struck by lightning.
• Be aware that current can travel through other parts of many modern cars, including GPS and radio systems. Cars with metal interior handles, foot pedals and steering wheels can also carry current.
• Cars can be damaged both internally and externally by lightning strikes.
• Thunderstorms can also bring a risk of sudden gusty winds. Those most at risk would include cyclists, motorcyclists and high-sided vehicles.
• Remember to give vulnerable road users including cyclists, motorcyclists and pedestrians more room than usual.
• Keep your speed down. Lowering your speed will lower the distance you travel when buffeted around by the wind.
• Hailstorms can be extremely dangerous to drive in – reducing your ability to see and be seen, as well as causing damage to your vehicle. If hail is severe, stop and pull over to a safe place and remain inside the vehicle.

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May 12 2024

Mother whose abusive ex-partner broke her hand leads campaign to change law over access to children | UK News

When Michelle’s ex-partner broke her hand – she knew enough was enough.

A line had been crossed. The abuse was emotional, coercive, and now physical. Her, and their child’s safety, was now compromised.

Fearful, Michelle – not her real name – decided that any father-child contact should be supervised.

Michelle’s ex-partner, however, wanted unsupervised contact with their child. He pushed back – and what followed was four years of court proceedings.

Michelle, and other campaigners like her, are calling on the government to end the presumption of contact between parents and their children.

On Monday, they will present a report to the government with recommendations to change the law.

Their main demand? To make parental contact earned – and not simply handed to abusers.

Currently, under British law, there is no blanket ban on an abusive adult having contact with their children.

According to the Children Act of 1989, there is a presumption of contact between parent and child when adults separate – to benefit the child.

However, according to Michelle, this isn’t always the case.

“The court system,” she told Sky News, “was as abusive as my ex-partner. It had an agenda to promote unsupervised contact at any cost, despite my medical and police evidence [of harm].”

“It felt to me, I was living in Victorian times, that my child belonged to my partner, and that I had to do what he wanted.

“It’s a very misogynistic system… that it doesn’t matter what the circumstances are – children will always have contact with their fathers.

“But it shouldn’t be at any cost…”

‘No parent is better than an abusive parent’

Dr Charlotte Proudman is leading the campaign.

The barrister and founder of the non-profit organisation Right to Equality told Sky News: “In my view, no parent is better than an abusive parent.

“Even if a parent is a rapist, a child sex offender, has been abusive, there is a presumption that they should have regular contact with their child, which can mean, in some instances, that a child is having unsafe contact with a dangerous parent.

“To argue against that can cost huge amounts of money and take a significant amount of time, even years.”

‘I shouldn’t be the exception… this should be standard’

This is something Conservative MP Kate Kniveton knows too well.

She told Sky News that she suffered 10 years of abuse from her ex-husband – a former MP.

The family court made findings of rape and sexual abuse, which he denies.

Ms Kniverton won a landmark case against her former partner, which now means he is barred from direct contact with their child.

Therefore, she supports the recommendations to change the law, in order to protect both women and children.

She said: “The result we got with my child was great… my child is protected.

“But I shouldn’t be the exception…This should be standard in so many cases.

“You hear that contact has been ordered even with the most abuse of power.

“It is so important that the government listen to this and they overturn that presumption to protect children.”

As of Friday, the government announced that paedophile rapists will have their rights to contact their own children automatically removed.

But this current campaign wants an end to the assumption that parents can contact their children even when they are guilty of domestic abuse, sexual abuse or child abuse.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice told Sky News: “Children’s safety is absolutely paramount and judges already have extensive powers to block parental involvement where there is a risk to the child.

“We are continuing to review the approach to parental access to make sure all children are kept from harm.”

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May 11 2024

Paul Taylor: Human remains found in Cumbria identified as 56-year-old from Scotland | UK News

Human remains discovered in woodland belong to a man whose disappearance sparked a murder inquiry, police have confirmed.

Paul Taylor, 56, from Annan in Dumfries and Galloway, was last seen on 17 October 2023.

His Vauxhall Corsa was driven south to Carlisle that evening.

Two days later, the blue hatchback was found abandoned in Langwathby in northern Cumbria.

A month after Mr Taylor disappeared, Cumbria Constabulary launched a murder inquiry.

Earlier this month, suspected human remains were found in the Finglandrigg Wood area, off the B5307, west of Carlisle.

Now, detectives have said they are those of Mr Taylor, and his family has been informed.

Read more:
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There will be a police presence for “some time” while officers “continue their work at the scene”, the force said.

People are asked to avoid the area.

Two teenagers have been charged in connection with the case.

In February, a 19-year-old man appeared in court charged with murder.

A second 19-year-old man was later charged with assisting an offender.

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May 11 2024

Lambeth: Man left outside London hospital with gunshot wound dies | UK News

A man has died in south London after being left outside a hospital with a gunshot wound.

The Metropolitan Police launched a murder investigation after the man, in his 20s, was dropped off by the hospital in an unknown car.

Officers were called at around 2.30am after the man was found. He died around 30 minutes later.

Detectives believe he was shot on the Westbury Estate in St Rule Street, Lambeth.

Read more from Sky News:
Two women killed in house fire
Man charged with murdering woman, 66

No arrests have been made and a crime scene is still in place while detectives carry out inquiries.

Detective Inspector Martin Thorpe said the victim was “a young man with his whole life ahead of him, a life that has been tragically cut short”.

He added: “A young man has lost his life and his family desperately want answers.

“My officers and I are working to bring them the justice they deserve and your information could be a critical part of our investigation.”

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