A man arrested in connection with two east London crossbow attacks has now been released, police say.
The 47-year-old was arrested on Sunday on suspicion of murder, but police confirmed on Tuesday that he had been released while they continue to investigate the case.
Two people were attacked earlier this month. The first was a 44-year-old woman who was hit in the head while crossing the road by Clifton House in Shoreditch on the evening of 4 March.
The second incident took place on the evening of 14 March, near Arnold Circus, roughly 200m from the first attack, when a 20-year-old man was struck in the neck.
Both victims have been released from hospital, police said on Tuesday.
Detective Chief Superintendent James Conway, who is responsible for policing in Hackney and Tower Hamlets, said the force had been examining CCTV, intelligence and forensic evidence.
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“This remains a complex and ongoing policing operation, and the community will continue to see an enhanced police presence in the area,” he said.
“I’d like to thank local people for their valuable support and would urge anyone still yet to talk to police to do so as soon as possible.”
A man has been charged with the murder of a “devoted family man” who is thought to have been killed while trying to stop his car being stolen.
Christopher Hanley, 57, died after being found unresponsive on Olympic Street in Beswick, near Manchester city centre, just before 11am on Saturday.
Marvin Sutton, 35, of no fixed address, is accused of the murder and will appear at Tameside Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, Greater Manchester Police said.
The force said initial enquiries suggested Mr Hanley was hit by a black Land Rover and the victim was killed trying to stop his car from being stolen.
He was pronounced dead at the scene, despite the efforts of members of the public and emergency services.
Mr Hanley’s family said in a statement issued through police: “As a family we are heartbroken and shocked at the sudden loss of Chris, a loved and devoted family man who adored his grandchildren, tragically and unfairly, taken way too soon.”
A 43-year-old man remains on bail on suspicion of assisting an offender.
A man has been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage after crashing his car into the gates outside Buckingham Palace.
The crash at the royal residence in central London took place at around 2.35am on Saturday morning.
The man was apprehended at the scene by armed officers and taken to hospital, the Metropolitan Police said.
Following an assessment, he was sectioned under the mental health act.
He has since been released on bail.
Image: Scaffolding remained in place on Sunday. Pic: Jordan Pettitt/PA Wire
There were no reports of any injuries and inquiries into what happened are ongoing, the police said.
“The matter is not being treated as terror-related,” they added.
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A man who killed his wife with a hammer more than 13 years ago has lost his bid for freedom.
British Airways captain Robert Brown bludgeoned 46-year-old Joanna Simpson to death in their family home in October 2010 as their two young children cowered in a playroom.
Brown then dumped the 46-year-old’s body in a makeshift coffin in Windsor Great Park.
The killing was the subject of a new ITV documentary The British Airways Killer.
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Image: Robert Brown. Pic: PA
Brown’s High Court challenge against a government move to block his automatic release from prison was dismissed by Mr Justice Ritchie today.
He had claimed “political motivation” amid a media campaign against his release improperly contributed to a decision to refer his case to the Parole Board.
His lawyers argued at a hearing in London earlier this month that Justice Secretary Alex Chalk’s referral was unlawful.
Brown was cleared of murder after a trial, but admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility, with a psychiatric report saying he suffered from an “adjustment disorder”.
Brown was sentenced to 24 years for manslaughter and a further two years for an offence of obstructing a coroner in the execution of his duty.
Aged 47 at sentencing in 2011, Brown believed he was “stitched up” by a prenuptial agreement and was affected by stress linked to his divorce, a judge was told.
He was due to be automatically freed on licence halfway through his sentence in November last year, but Ms Simpson’s friends and family urged Mr Chalk to intervene.
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Brown ‘a danger to anybody he came in contact with’
Referral overrides automatic release
In October last year, Mr Chalk used new powers to have Brown’s case reviewed by the Parole Board.
Brown’s lawyers argued the referral was “an obvious attempt to seek to reverse engineer justification for a decision that was in reality prompted and obtained through conscious or unconscious political bias”.
The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) rejected his allegations, arguing the minister “in no way seeks to ‘go behind’ or ‘disapply’ or ‘fail to respect’ the sentencing court’s decision”.
Lawyers for the department said Mr Chalk believed Brown “would pose a significant risk of serious harm to the public if released on licence”, adding the offender had “persistently refused to engage in the rehabilitative elements of his sentence”.
Ms Simpson’s mother Diana Parkes, who was made a CBE in December for services to vulnerable children suffering from domestic abuse and domestic homicide, said the decision was the “right one”.
She added: “Brown committed the most horrific crime against my loving and caring daughter, Jo. He must be kept in prison.”
A murder investigation is under way after a man was shot dead while walking his dog.
Brian Low, 65, was gunned down in the Pitilie area on the outskirts of Aberfeldy at around 8.30am on Saturday 17 February, Police Scotland said.
Emergency services attended, but Mr Low, of Aberfeldy, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police are treating the death as murder following a post-mortem examination.
The force said Mr Low’s family are being supported by specialist officers and a report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal.
Detective Chief Inspector Martin Macdougall, of the major investigation team, said: “Our thoughts are with Brian’s family at this very difficult time and we are doing all we can to get them answers.
“We have been carrying out extensive enquiries since Brian’s death and detectives are working alongside uniformed officers to establish the full circumstances.”
Mr Low was walking his black Labrador along a remote track when he was shot.
DCI Macdougall is urging anyone with information about the incident, including photographs, CCTV or dashcam footage, to come forward.
He added: “Please do not assume that the police already know the information you have.”
An online portal has been set up for members of the public to submit information in regards to the case.
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Local Area Commander Greg Burns added: “I understand this is an extremely concerning incident for this small, rural community.
“I want to take this opportunity to reassure people that we are working round the clock to find out what happened to Brian.
“We will have additional high-visibility patrols in the area and you will see significant police activity over the coming days.
“Anyone with any concerns can approach these officers at any time.”
A woman who filmed herself killing a cat before putting the animal in a blender has been jailed for life for murdering a man four months later.
Scarlet Blake, 25, appeared at Oxford Crown Court on Monday after being found guilty of murder last week.
Warning: This story contains descriptions that readers may find distressing
Blake live-streamed the dissection of a family pet after watching a Netflix documentary called Don’t F*** With Cats, in which Luka Magnotta kills kittens before filming a murder.
Prosecutors said Blake, who is transgender, had a “fixation with violence” and found Jorge Martin Carreno, 30, while searching the streets of Oxford looking for someone to kill in the early hours of 25 July 2021.
Sentencing Mr Justice Chamberlain KC said Blake “had an obsession with harm and death”.
“The decision to kill was entirely yours,” he said, telling Blake, “you were completely indifferent to this suffering.”
Blake will serve a minimum term of 24 years in jail.
The body of the BMW factory worker, a Spanish national who was walking home alone after a night out with work colleagues, was found in the River Cherwell at Parson’s Pleasure around 24 hours later.
Image: Jorge Martin Carreno. Pic: Family handout
Her trial heard a murder investigation was launched two years later when Blake’s former partner Ashlynn Bell, who lives in the US, told detectives Blake had confessed to killing Mr Martin Carreno using a homemade garrote.
Blake pleaded guilty to a charge of criminal damage over killing the cat but denied murdering Mr Martin Carreno by inflicting blows to his head before trying to strangle him and then putting him in the river.
Four months before his death, she used food and a crate to capture a cat and take it to her home, where she killed it.
In the video, in which Blake dissects the animal, removing the fur and skin, she says: “Here we go my little friend. Oh boy, you smell like shit. I can’t wait to put through the blender.”
Image: Blake filmed herself killing a cat. Pic: TVP
Prosecutors said it showed she had a “disturbing interest in what it would be like to harm a living creature”.
“It was an interest that went beyond mere fantasy,” Alison Morgan KC told jurors, who were also shown videos of Blake and a partner engaging in consensual strangulation with ligatures.
“She described herself to others as being someone who derived sexual gratification from the thought of violence and the thought of death,” said the prosecutor.
CCTV footage showed Mr Martin Carreno trying to find his way home, while Blake walked the streets, wearing a facemask and distinctive combat-style jacket with hood over her head, while carrying a rucksack.
“He died because he encountered the defendant on that night,” said Ms Morgan.
“He died because he met a person who had a fixation with violence and with knowing what it would feel like to kill someone.”
Blake, who was born in China and came to the UK aged nine, blamed Ms Bell for making her kill the cat.
She said Mr Martin Carreno was still alive when she left him at the riverbank, and that she had made up details of killing him to please her ex-partner after seeing his death in the news.
Mr Martin Carreno’s family paid tribute to “an extraordinary being full of passion and kindness” who was one of three triplet brothers.
“Today, his absence leaves a deep wound in our hearts,” they said in a statement. “His life was stolen, cutting short his projects and dreams.”
Mr Martin Carreno’s mother said her son “aspired to build a better world” and was an “incredibly good person”.
A 44-year-old man has been charged with the attempted murder of Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell in Co Tyrone last year.
The man was arrested in the Dungannon area on Thursday and charged on Friday evening.
He has been charged with attempted murder, directing terrorism and preparation of terrorist acts.
The man is due to appear before Dungannon Magistrates’ Court on Saturday morning, the Police Service of Northern Ireland said.
The senior officer was seriously injured after he was shot several times in front of his son at a sports complex in Omagh, Co Tyrone, on 22 February 2023.
The detective, who had investigated a number of high-profile murder cases, spent several weeks in intensive care.
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A typed message, purportedly from the New IRA, was posted on a wall in Londonderry and said the group was responsible for the shooting.
Police have said the New IRA is the main line of inquiry in the investigation.
A number of people have previously appeared in court charged in connection with Mr Caldwell’s shooting and on charges around the claim of responsibility.
Mr Caldwell suffered “life-changing” injuries in the attack.
He made his first public appearance since the shooting in May – when he attended a garden party in Co Down with the King and Queen.
Police are on the hunt for a man following a complaint he has been repeatedly approaching a young woman in the street, leaving her “shaken by the incidents”.
The man has accosted the 22-year-old at various times of the night and day while the woman has walked along Benvie Road in Dundee, near to Black Street and Cleghorn Street.
The man was said to have made attempts to speak to the woman on Tuesday 2 January, Tuesday 30 January, Friday 2 February and Sunday 4 February before leaving the area.
PC Andrew McIlvenny said: “The woman was not hurt any of the times she was approached by the man but has been left shaken by the incidents.”
The man is believed to be in his late-20s to early-30s and is around 5ft 6in tall. He is described as slim with a tanned complexion, short black hair and black stubble.
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Police Scotland said he was wearing a full white tracksuit with three blue stripes, and a gold signet ring on his left hand. He also had a Staffordshire bull terrier dog with him during some of the incidents.
PC McIlvenny added: “I would like to reassure the community that our officers are doing everything they can to find the person responsible.
“I would appeal to anyone who recognises the description of the man to get in touch.”
A man has been found stabbed to death in a west London park as police launch a murder investigation.
The body of Tyler Donnelly, 19, was discovered by joggers in Hanworth Park in Feltham at around 7.40am this morning.
Detective Chief Inspector Brian Howie, who is leading the investigation from the Met‘s Homicide Command, has appealed to the public to come forward if they have any information.
Image: The entrance to Hanworth Park on Elmwood Avenue Pic: Google Street View
He said: “Tyler left his home around 9.10pm on Wednesday evening and rode his bike along Elmwood Avenue and at some stage entered the park. He never returned home.
“If you were in the park and saw something, regardless of the reason you were there, please do get in touch. Our focus is on what happened to Tyler and who was responsible.”
The detective added: “Similarly, if you were driving through Elmwood Avenue, returning home or out walking, did you notice anything? Did you perhaps see Tyler, who was wearing dark clothing, riding his grey bike or did you see him with anyone?
“The H25 bus route goes through Elmwood Avenue, were you travelling through this area on Wednesday or in the early hours of Thursday? Did you see Tyler or anyone matching his description?”
Detective Howie said Mr Donnelly’s family and friends “are inconsolable after receiving the worst possible news imaginable”.
“Our thoughts are with them and they are being supported by specialist officers.”
No arrests have been made and police said a post-mortem examination will be carried out in due course.
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Chief Superintendent Sean Wilson, leading policing in Hounslow, said: “It saddens me to see another young life so needlessly cut short and I urge anyone who has information about who is responsible to get in touch with the investigation team.
“I know that this incident will be a shock for those living and working in the area and my officers will be conducting additional patrols to provide reassurance to the community.”
A 40-year-old man has been charged with the murder of a woman in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk.
Police were called to the address on Princes Road shortly after 9am on Saturday after receiving information the body of a woman was inside the property.
A woman, believed to be in her 30s, was discovered.
An initial Home Office post-mortem examination was conducted on Sunday and preliminary findings show the woman’s death was consistent with compression to the neck, Norfolk Constabulary said.
Adam Barnard, of Princes Road, Great Yarmouth, has been charged with the woman’s murder.
He has been remanded in custody and is due to appear at Norwich Magistrates’ Court on Monday.
Norfolk Constabulary has referred itself to the police watchdog as it had been in contact with the woman before she died.
Detectives are continuing to appeal for any witnesses who may have seen or heard any suspicious activity in the Prinecs Road area to come forward.
