Tag: england

Grand National delays lead to over 100 activists arrested

The Grand National, one of the world’s most famous horse races, was delayed Saturday after animal rights activists scaled fences around the perimeter of Aintree racecourse and got onto the track.

A total of 118 people were arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and public nuisance offenses in a bid to disrupt the race, Merseyside Police said.

Many activists from an estimated group of 300 climbed the high fences around the racecourse just outside Liverpool and got onto the track a few minutes before the race was scheduled to start.

Some affixed themselves to the race fences using glue and lock-on devices, according to the Animal Rising organization, before being taken away by police and security officials.

Police and security officials were seen stopping other activists by shaking the perimeter fences to prevent them being climbed. Local residents were seen helping security keep activists away from the course.

The race was delayed as a result and the 39 competing horses were kept in the parade ring. It was originally scheduled to begin at 5:15 p.m. local time and ended up starting around 15 minutes later.


A total of 118 people were arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and public nuisance offenses in a bid to disrupt the race, Merseyside Police said.
AP

Many activists from an estimated group of 300 climbed the high fences around the racecourse just outside Liverpool and got onto the track a few minutes before the race was scheduled to start.
Many activists from an estimated group of 300 climbed the high fences around the racecourse just outside Liverpool and got onto the track a few minutes before the race was scheduled to start.
AP

The day started with three people arrested in connection with a plan by the activists to disrupt the race. All three were arrested on “suspicion of conspiracy to cause public nuisance,” police said.

Their names were not disclosed.

“We respect the right to peaceful protest and expression of views,” Merseyside Police said, “but criminal behavior and disorder will not be tolerated and will be dealt with robustly.”

Animal Rising had called on protesters to gather outside the racecourse to demand an end to “animal cruelty for entertainment.” The group tweeted a video that it said shows one of its spokespeople being arrested at the protest.


The race was delayed as a result and the 39 competing horses were kept in the parade ring. It was originally scheduled to begin at 5:15 p.m. local time and ended up starting around 15 minutes later.
REUTERS

Police said they have been working with race organizers ahead of and during the Grand National Festival, which started Thursday.

Animal Rising activist Alex Lockwood this week told British radio station talkSPORT that they planned to disrupt the Grand National, arguing that standing outside and handing out fliers “never stopped anything.”

Further inflaming matters was the news that two horses — Dark Raven and Hill Sixteen — died in races at Aintree on Saturday.


An Animal Rising activist has said they planned to disrupt the Grand National, arguing that standing outside and handing out fliers “never stopped anything.”
REUTERS

Hill Sixteen was in the field for the Grand National and died after sustaining an “unrecoverable injury,” organizers said.

On Thursday, another horse — Envoye Special — suffered a fatal injury in the Foxhunters’ Chase, which is run over the fences used for the Grand National.

“This horrific ‘sport’ continues to take lives right in front of our eyes.


Some affixed themselves to the race fences using glue and lock-on devices, according to the Animal Rising organization, before being taken away by police and security officials.
AP

Animal Rising had called on protesters to gather outside the racecourse to demand an end to “animal cruelty for entertainment.”
REUTERS

It’s time to BAN this horrific industry,” Animal Rising wrote Saturday.

The Grand National is among the biggest occasions on the British sporting calendar and is regarded as one of the most dangerous horse races in the world because of the size of the fences.

Changes were made in 2012 to make the course safer, including softening some of the fences, after two horses died in the Grand National that year and in 2011.


The Grand National is among the biggest occasions on the British sporting calendar and is regarded as one of the most dangerous horse races in the world because of the size of the fences.
AP

There have been four fatalities from 356 runners in the nine Grand Nationals since.

Four horses died at the Aintree festival last year, including two who were injured in the Grand National.



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Banksy mural on abandoned UK farmhouse destroyed in building demolition

Banksy’s latest artwork was destroyed when the barren UK farmhouse it was affixed to was demolished this week — to the dismay of the contractors who were unaware the British artist was behind the piece, according to reports.

The mural, dubbed “Morning is Broken,” appeared on the side of the building and depicted a young boy opening corrugated metal curtains alongside a cat.

But the piece was short-lived and became history along with the dilapidated building in the seaside town of Herne Bay in Kent, according to the BBC

The anonymous artist confirmed he created the mural in a post shared with his 12 million followers Wednesday.

One of the Instagram photos shows the artwork was a casualty of demolition work on the abandoned building that had ivy growing on it and white paint peeling from it.

The bulldozing is reportedly supposed to pave the way for new homes on the land.

One of the contractors told KentOnline he and his crew “had no idea it was a Banksy” when they began their work Tuesday.

“It made me feel sick realizing it was a Banksy – we were gutted,” George Caudwell said.

The farm reportedly dates back to as far as 1529.

The dismantled artwork comes just one month after another Banksy work of art highlighting domestic violence against women was partially dismantled.

The piece featured a 1950s-era housewife with a swollen eye and missing tooth seemingly shoving a man in a chest freezer.


The art work was of a young boy opening corrugated metal curtains alongside a cat.
@banksy/Instagram

The farmhouse which was adorned by the Banksy was destroyed earlier in the week.
@banksy/Instagram

The now destroyed building was located in the seaside town of Herne Bay in Kent.
@banksy/Instagram

The work makes use of a real abandoned freezer that was left on the adjoining property before Banksy used it for the mural.

But the local district council insisted the freezer was unsafe to keep in public and wheeled it away just hours after Banksy posted an image of the mural to Instagram, taking away the full effect of the masterpiece.

Banksy has also reportedly painted several murals in Ukraine as the country fights against a Russian invasion. 



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UK’s PM Rishi Sunak fined for not wearing seatbelt in moving car

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was slapped with a police fine after he was caught not wearing a seatbelt in a moving vehicle.

After posting a video of himself promoting the government’s new funding policy, it became apparent that Sunak did not clip his seatbelt as he sat in the backseat.

In the since-deleted clip, filmed in Lancashire, England, during Sunak’s trip across the northern part of the country, the Prime Minister seemingly broke the law that has been in place since 1983.

Lancashire Police have since issued a $123 fixed penalty fine to the 42-year-old Tory leader, who has accepted to pay it.

“The prime minister fully accepts this was a mistake and has apologized,” Sunak’s office told The Post. “He will of course comply with the fixed penalty.”

Passengers caught failing to wear a seatbelt can be issued a fine of $123 (£100). If the case goes to court, the fine can increase to $620 (£500).

Lancashire Police told The Post in a statement, “You will be aware that a video has been circulating on social media showing an individual failing to wear a seatbelt while a passenger in a moving car in Lancashire.

Sunak has now been fined twice for breaking the law while in government.
AFP via Getty Images

“After looking into this matter, we have today issued a 42-year-old man from London with a conditional offer of fixed penalty.”

It’s the second time Sunak has been handed a fine for breaking the law while in government.

He previously breached lockdown rules and was subsequently fined by London’s Metropolitan Police for attending a birthday party when social distancing was in place.

Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson was also fined.

The Labour Party has since slammed Sunk’s law-breaking journey, saying he’s been turned into a “laughing stock.”

“Hapless Rishi Sunak’s leveling-up photo op has blown up in his face and turned him into a laughing stock,” a Labour spokesperson told The Post.

“He started the week hoping people would be grateful for a partial refund on the money that has been stripped from them over 13 years of the Tories. But instead he got a warring party and yet another fine from the police.

“Just when you thought this Tory government couldn’t get any more ridiculous, they manage it.”

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Ant Anstead’s son Hudson visits UK for first time: photos

Christmas across the pond!

Ant Anstead spent the holidays in the United Kingdom, bringing his 3-year-old son, Hudson, to his native country for the first time.

“What a simply INCREDIBLE week of adventures back in Blighty!” the motor specialist captioned an Instagram slideshow Tuesday with the toddler and his half-siblings, Amelie, 19, and Archie, 16.

“Hudzo and I spent Christmas morning on the sandy beach of Laguna then the rest of Christmas Day on a flight to the UK!!” he explained. “His first time ever out the US.”

Anstead, 43, went on to document his family’s “muddy boots woodland walk,” their shopping adventure in London and a “HUGE family Christmas gathering at [a] local school!”

The former “Wheeler Dealers” host concluded his social media uploads with videos of his toddler learning to play cricket.

“It’s merely my parental duty to teach Hudzo British sports,” he joked. “‘Daddo it’s like baseball….’ 😂.”

Anstead shares the little one with ex-wife Christina Haack.
Getty Images

The car builder shares his little one with ex-wife Christina Haack, who spent Christmas Eve with Hudson.

The former couple’s holiday schedule was decided when their custody battle was settled in November 2022. When years end in an even number, Anstead is granted Dec. 23 through Christmas Day with Hudson, as well as the week of his school vacation.

The former couple co-parent the little one.
ant_anstead/Instagram
The former couple co-parent the little one.
thechristinahall/Instagram


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Haack, who has the same rights during odd-numbered years, saw Hudson on Dec. 24.

“Wonderful Christmas Eve with family and friends,” the “Flip or Flop” alum, 39, captioned an Instagram Story picture last month featuring husband Josh Hall, as well as her two children with ex-husband Tarek El Moussa, Taylor, 12, and Brayden, 7.

Haack spent Christmas Eve with their toddler.
thechristinahall/Instagram

The festive photo marked a rare moment of Haack showing Hudson’s face to her followers.

The “Christina in the Country” star often covers her youngest child’s features with emojis after Anstead accused her of “exploiting” him in September 2022.

“I CHOSE and choose not to post Hudson because I was exhausted with Instagram being used as a tool against me,” Haack explained when questioned about hiding Hudson two months later.

As for Anstead, he defended his own pictures with their son in October 2022, writing, “Hudzo not having to work in his childhood … that’s a win.”



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Damien Bendall sentenced to life in prison after confessing to Killamarsh murders.

A UK man sentenced to life in prison Wednesday for a quadruple homicide was captured on chilling police bodycam footage casually admitting to the slayings.

Damien Bendall made the cold-blooded confession shortly after he killed his partner Terri Harris, 35, her two children John-Paul Bennett, 13 and Lacey Bennett, 11, and her close friend 11-year-old Connie Gent inside a home in the English town of Killamarsh last year, according to the footage released Wednesday by the Derbyshire Constabulary.

“I know what’s going to happen. I’m going to go to prison, obviously, again,” Bendall told one of the officers outside the house where the crimes occurred.

When the officer asked why, he calmly replied, “I’ve murdered four people.”

Bendall pleaded guilty to the four murders and also to raping Gent, according to Derbyshire Constabulary. He was hit with five life sentences for the heinous crimes.

Bendall’s confession to the murders was caught on the cops’ body cameras.
Derbyshire Constabulary

Before the shocking caught-on-camera confession to police, Bendall also admitted to the crime when he alerted a dispatcher over the phone to the bloody scene, according to audio of a call that was released.

“I need the police and the ambulance here now because I’ve killed four people,” he said.

Bendall, 32, was in a relationship with Harris and the two were living together with her two kids, the police force said. Gent, the 11-year-old friend, was sleeping over at the time of the Bendall’s attack.

Bendall talking to the cops right before confessing to the murder.
Derbyshire Constabulary
Part of Bendall’s phone call to the police was recorded and shared by the Derbyshire Constabulary.
Derbyshire Constabulary


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Harris was pregnant at the time of the murders, the BBC and other outlets reported.

Lord Justice Nigel Sweeny blasted Bendall as he sentenced him to five life prison terms for the September 2021 murders he carried out with a claw hammer.

“You began a relationship with Terri Harris in April 2020. During the course of that you were abusive and controlling. You took various drugs and were violent and unstable. On the evening of Saturday 18 September while with Terri and the three children you were under the influence of cocaine and cannabis,” Sweeny said, according to the Derbyshire Constabulary.

“You carried out a brutal and vicious attack on a (defenseless) woman and three children during which you went around the house attacking them, hitting them multiple times about the head and upper body with a claw hammer.”

Damien Bendall called the cops on himself after the murders.
Derbyshire Constabulary

Detective Inspector Mark Shaw, who spearheaded the probe, said in a statement the level of force and violence used by Bendall proves he wanted them all dead.

“They had all, by the nature of their relationship, come to trust Bendall and he took the opportunity to shatter that trust and carry out the horrendous acts,” Shaw said. “The force and weapon he used would have meant they were very quickly left incapacitated.”

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Two London teens stabbed to death one mile apart

Two 16-year-old boys were stabbed to death in Greenwich, England just one mile from one another Saturday night, the latest in a violent rash sweeping through the city.

The unnamed teenagers were found injured with stab wounds in Abbey Wood and Thamesmead just past 5:00 p.m., London’s Metropolitan Police said.

The boys died later that night, cops said.

“Given the proximity in time and distance of the incidents, officers will be seeking to urgently establish any link between them,” the Met said.

At least four others were stabbed across the city in November, with two succumbing to their injuries.

Keisha Christodoulou, 32, was stabbed to death inside ar Tanner’s Hill home on the first day of the month. Police believe 33-year-old Leon Murray killed her and that the two had known one another before the stabbing.

Three teenagers were arrested for the fatal stabbing of Gabriel Petrov Stoyanov, 21, on Bromley Road Nov. 4. George David, 16, went on the lam, but was arrested several weeks later along with two unnamed 14- and 17-year-old boys.

The boys are the latest in a string of unrelated stabbings to sweep the city.
Daily Mail
Two others have died from stabbings this month.
Daily Mail

Two men were charged after a man in his 40s was stabbed in Queen’s Road, Twickenham on Nov. 18. The victim was taken to the hospital and his condition was assessed as not life-threatening.

The next day, a man in his 20s was stabbed in the leg at the junction of Lion Road and Bexleyheath Broadway in Bexleyheath. Two men, aged 24 and 25, were arrested in connection to the crime.

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Impossible 8′ set interrupted by invading sheep

Tom Cruise was met with an unexpected dilemma on the set of “Mission: Impossible 8.”

The actor and his crew were forced to his the brakes on production after an unlikely confrontation with a flock of sheep in England’s Lake District.

The animals were seen heading toward the filming area and began chewing on the grass near a marquee set up for filming on Wednesday.

The 60-year-old Hollywood star couldn’t help but laugh at the hold-up and was even seen moving out of the way so the animals could pass through, Fox News reports.

The actor, who stars as crime-solving hero Ethan Hunt in the film franchise, has been filming scenes for the film since July.

Cruise, who is famous for performing his own stunts, was recently seen jumping off a mountain and paragliding during filming.

The seventh film from the franchise is set to be released in July 2023. A release date for the eighth film has not yet been announced.

The flock of sheep was seen eating the grass near the film set, causing the crew to halt production.
SplashNews.com

It seems as though England had several surprises in store for Cruise.

A group of local walkers in Lake District got more than what they bargained for on Tuesday after accidentally stumbling upon the actor in the countryside.

The actor happily posed for snaps with a couple of passersby, before thanking them and returning to filming.

Cruise executed the final scene of the shoot after the sheep were cleared from the area.
SplashNews.com

“He was nice and polite and really humble. Tom Cruise apologized for the noise of the helicopters and asked if we were alright,” Adam Wheeler told The Northern Echo.

“He was making sure everybody who wanted to, got their photos with him. We were the last ones to get his picture and then he just paraglided off the mountain back to his camp next to Buttermere.”

“It was a real pleasure meeting one of the most famous Hollywood celebrity actors out there – one of the richest as well. It was not what we expected while out walking on the fells,” Wheeler added.

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Owner of car Princess Diana died in wants the vehicle back

It’s been 25 years since Princess Diana perished in car crash in Paris, changing the trajectory of the royal family forever.

Etoile Limousines owner Jean-Francois Musa was the proprietor of the vehicle that the Princess of Wales died in, alongside Dodi Fayed and driver Henri Paul, on Aug. 31, 1997.

Musa, 63, is now claiming that French authorities have not allowed him to take back his missing Mercedes-Benz S280.

“It’s legally mine — [but] I have no idea where the car is,” he told the Mirror. “All I know is it is legally mine and obviously I want it back. It should have been returned by now but that hasn’t proved possible. I always owned it outright. It wasn’t subject to any financing.”

While Musa has stated that he wants the wreckage — which experts said could be worth more than $10 million — to be put in an American museum to commemorate the beloved people’s princess, he alleged that the royal family would prefer the automobile to be trashed secretly.

It was reported in 2017 that the car was held in a police impound lot in a shipping container in Creteil — a city outside of Paris.

The wrecked car that Diana, boyfriend Dodi Fayed and their driver Henri Paul died in 25 years ago.
AP
Diana became a part of the royal family when she married Prince Charles at St. Paul’s Cathedral on July 29, 1981 in London, England.
WireImage

Conspiracy theories about Diana’s death have long plagued her memory, with many claiming her passing was not an accident.

“There was no plot,” Musa insisted. “This was a routine road accident – the kind all of us dread. It is all very sad.”

Lord Stevens, the former head of the Metropolitan Police, told Times of London recently that theories about the accident are more popular than ever this year, as it marks the 25th anniversary.

The 79-year-old had also led Operation Paget, which investigated the tragedy.

“She was so popular. People find it very difficult to understand how someone like that could die in such an accident,” he said.

He went on: “You will have certain people around who — whatever the evidence — will still think there is a conspiracy here. I think it is probably impossible [to persuade them otherwise].”

Musa noted that the date Diana passed was such “a sad day.”
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A new Discovery+ docuseries, “The Diana Investigations,” reported that Princess Diana predicted she would die two years prior to the accident.

The new investigation revealed that Princess Diana told her lawyer, Victor Mischon, in 1995 that efforts to “get rid” of her would be attempted in the following year — citing a car accident as one of the possible means.

While Diana claimed “reliable sources” granted her the information, she was tight-lipped about their true identity, as documented in a letter penned by Mischon.

Dubbed the “Mischon Note,” the conversation provided eerie insight into what could have led to that fateful night, Aug. 31, 1997, when her driver Henri Paul crashed inside Paris’ Pont de l’Alma tunnel.

With a concoction of prescription drugs and alcohol in his system, and speeding at 65 mph, Paul attempted to ditch paparazzi on motorbikes, and instead sent the Mercedes carrying Princess Diana and her partner Dodi Al-Fayed into a pillar.

Following the crash, Mischon gave the note to Sir Paul Condon, the Metropolitan Police commissioner at the time, but a formal inquiry into the princess’ death didn’t begin until Jan. 6, 2004.

Called Operation Paget, the then-Metropolitan Police Commissioner John Stevens launched the investigation, unearthing the startling note from a safe kept by Condon.

Stevens interviewed Mischon prior to the attorney’s death in 2005, confirming that Mischon “hadn’t held much credence” to the princess’ concerns. In fact, he thought “she was paranoid.”

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