Saturday, 9 August 2014

RAPIST CAUGHT BY DNA SCRAP


Peter Carroll jailed for 15 years for 1996 Norwich rape
The trial in June was told Peter Carroll fantasised about having sex with a dead or unconscious woman

A man found guilty of raping and attacking a woman 18 years ago, after being identified from a scrap of DNA, has been jailed for 15 years.

Peter Carroll, 56, choked a woman almost to death after picking her up while she was working as a prostitute in Norwich in 1996.

In June, a jury found Carroll guilty of rape and attempting to cause grievous bodily harm.

Carroll, of Aylesbury, was jailed by a judge at Norwich Crown Court.

Judge Stephen Holt said Carroll would only be considered for parole after 10 years and if given parole he would spend 10 years on licence (a five-year extension on normal parole).

DNA sampleThe victim, who was 20 at the time, was left for dead, the trial jury heard in June.

In her effort to fight off her attacker, a "small amount" of Carroll's skin became lodged under her fingernail and that was kept on file by police.

Carroll, of Barnsbury Avenue, Aylesbury, who had previously lived in Beccles, Norfolk, where he worked as a Hotpoint engineer, was arrested years later for an unrelated assault and a DNA sample was taken.

Last year police re-examining the case linked him to the 1996 offence.

Carroll had claimed he acted in self defence when the woman attacked him.

John Farmer, prosecuting, said Carroll had a "deviant sexual obsession" with the idea of having sex with a dead or unconscious woman.

He added that Carroll had been married three times and would speak openly about his use of prostitutes.

THREE YEAR OLD GIRL DIES IN BUS COLLISION


The road was closed for four hours after the accident

A three-year-old girl has died after being hit by a bus in Luton.

Mayah Shazad was struck by the bus on Dunstable Road in the town's Bury Park area at about 15:45 BST on Friday, Bedfordshire Police said.

The road was closed for more than four hours while officers investigated the scene. Police are appealing for people to come forward with any information.

Buses will not currently run along the Dunstable Road route and will use Dallow Road and Hatters Way instead.

"The girl's family are being supported by family liaison officers who are keeping them in touch with developments," said Bedfordshire Police.

"Our condolences are with them at this time."

CRISIS IN UKRAINE: ARMY CLOSES IN ON DONETSK REBELS

 Civilians have been taking refuge in bomb shelters in Donetsk

Ukrainian government forces are poised to take a key town in the east, which would divide the last two major pro-Russian rebel groups, reports say.

A rebel commander was quoted as saying Krasnyi Luch, a town between the two rebel strongholds of Luhansk and Donetsk, had been captured by the army.

Other rebels later said they would be willing to accept a ceasefire.

Some 1,500 people are believed to have died since the conflict began in April, when rebels stormed cities in the east.

The government stepped up operations to retake rebel-held areas following the election of Petro Poroshenko as president in June.

'Completely encircled'

Rebel commander Igor Girkin was quoted by Russian media as saying that Krasnyi Luch had been "captured" after Cossacks defending the town "ran away".

A small detachment of rebels, he said, was still holding out in the town, which connects the city of Donetsk with Ukraine's Luhansk region on the Russian border.

Girkin, who is also known as Strelkov, said his men in the Donetsk region were "completely encircled".

Ukrainian security spokesman Andriy Lysenko said he could not confirm that government forces had taken Krasnyi Luch.

Aleksandr Zakharchenko, the newly installed political leader of the rebels in Donetsk, was later quoted by the AP news agency as saying he would accept a ceasefire.
The Ukrainian military has been closing in on Donetsk city
People in Donetsk have been trying to secure their houses in case the conflict gets too close

Meanwhile, in the city of Luhansk, second only to Donetsk in its importance to the rebels, there are fears of a humanitarian disaster.

The city council reported on its website (in Russian) on Saturday that the city of 425,000 people had been without electricity and power for a week. Mobile phones and land lines were not working, it said.

Parts of the city were still being bombarded and most shops were shut, although bakeries and some chemist's shops remained opened, it added, quoting residents.

Western government accuse Russia or arming the rebels, a claim the government in Moscow denies.

In the latest violence, the Ukrainian government says 13 soldiers were killed on Friday.

A civilian was killed in Donetsk on Saturday when a shell hit a street in the city's Kirovskyy district, the city's official authorities reported. Shells also hit the Petrovskyy district, they added.

In other developments
The Russian navy "expelled" a US submarine from its territorial waters in the Barents Sea on Thursday, a navy source told Russian media
Russia announced it was freeing five Ukrainian officers for "humanitarian reasons", a day after announcing their arrest for suspected war crimes in Ukraine
The authorities in the Ukrainian capital Kiev dismantled protest barriers erected during the winter in the city centre
The UK and US v not to use humanitarian assistance as a pretext for sending troops into the east

FINALLY GOSPEL SINGER SINACH TIES THE KNOT

Award winning gospel singer, Osinachi Kalu popularly known as Sinach tied the knot with her boo, Joseph, a Christ Embassy pastor in Ebonyi state on Saturday, June 21.

The traditional ceremony had friends and family members in attendance.

There was also a cultural dance group that entertained the crowd, who were cheering, screaming and clapping over the wonderful dance steps.

Osinachi and Joe would be having their white wedding ceremony on the 28th of June in Lagos.

According to report, Pastor Chris Oyakhilome would be joining the couple together himself.
Sinach is an award winning songwriter, worship leader, recording artist and a key member of the LoveWorld music team of Christ Embassy. She has written over 200 songs including All things are possible, Born to win, Fire in me, More of You, No failure with God, ‘This is your Season’, which won the Song of the Year award in 2008 and many others.

Check out photos from the wedding below:



Sinach and her husband



Sinach and Pastor Joe



Sinach and her hubby standing in front of the cake



Sinach posing



Sinach and her traditional dance group





Sinach and her mom



Sinach and her sister

Wishing the couple a happy married life!

WOMAN WHO HOSTS INTERNET CHATROOMS RAPE ARRANGEMENT JAILED FOR SIX YEARS


Joanne Berry was jailed after being found guilty at Maidstone Crown Court

A woman who used internet chatrooms to try to arrange for strangers to rape a former work colleague has been jailed for six years.

Joanne Berry, 30, from Grove Park, south-east London, said she liked role-play and invited men to act out violent "rape scenarios" with her.

But instead of giving her own address she gave that of the work colleague in Kent.

A judge said Berry may have held the victim responsible for losing her job.

One man tried to barge into the victim's home, but aborted the plan when he realised they had both been set up.

'Irrational vendetta'

Berry was convicted at an earlier hearing at Maidstone Crown Court of putting a person in fear of violence, assault with the intention of committing a sexual offence, common assault and attempting to cause a person to engage in sexual activity without consent.

"That (the victim) was not in fact raped or seriously sexually assaulted is entirely fortuitous” Judge David Griffith-Jones QC

Judge David Griffith-Jones QC said Berry had developed an "irrational vendetta" against the victim who had only shown kindness towards her.

She found a chatline through which she made contact with a man known in court as "DH", who gave evidence during the trial.

Eventually Berry persuaded DH to come to "her home", knock on the door and "rape" her, but she gave him the victim's address.

The judge said her behaviour was wicked and calculating.

"That (the victim) was not in fact raped or seriously sexually assaulted is entirely fortuitous," he said.

Part of a victim impact statement was read out at court. The woman described how the ordeal had left her suffering panic attacks.

She now refuses to sit out in the garden on her own because she fears men may force their way in and she panics when someone knocks on her door.

Friday, 8 August 2014

MAN KILLED AS E-CIGARETTE EXPLODES



Fire service warnings about dangers of e-cigarette

"A man was killed when a charging E-cigarette exploded and ignited oxygen equipment he is believed to have been using", Merseyside's fire service said.

David Thomson, 62, was found in the living room of a house in Penkett Road, Wallasey.

"A small fire in the bedroom of the property had gone out before firefighters arrived", Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service (MFRS) said.

The exact cause of death is yet to be established, with an inquest now due.

Mixing warning
An MFRS spokesman said: "The subsequent fire investigation identified that an e-cigarette that had been charging in the bedroom exploded, caught fire and ignited the oxygen tube of an oxygen concentrator, which may have been in use by the occupier."

Myles Platt, MFRS area manager said: "The investigation into the cause of this fire is continuing but at this stage it is thought that the charging device being used at the time may not have been the one supplied with the e-cigarette".

"We urge people to always use electrical equipment in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions and guidance, always ensure that no electrical items are left charging overnight or left unattended for a long period when being charged, and do not mix parts from different e-cigarettes".

"Only use the original charger or electrical cables supplied and ensure you purchase electrical items from a reputable source."

Since January, nine fires involving e-cigarettes have been recorded on Merseyside.

Service representatives are speaking to people in the Wallasey area to give advice about the safe use of e-cigarettes following Tuesday's fire.

FLASH FLOODING IN CAMBRIDGESHIRE (ENGLAND) TRAPS DRIVERS AND CUTS OFF POWER

Rescue crews tried to restart cars that had stalled in the flooding.

Homes evacuated after flash flooding

Torrential rain in Cambridgeshire caused a riverbank to collapse, left 856 homes without power, trapped drivers and closed two supermarkets.

The weather also hit Norfolk and Lincolnshire, where homes were evacuated and an air display cancelled.

BBC Weather said 50mm of rain fell in Cambridgeshire in an hour, damaging the banks of the River Nene in March.

A Tesco shopper said water was "pouring through the ceiling near the fresh fish counter".

'Engines cutting out'

Richard Mayer, 32, became trapped in his car at Bar Hill while he was visiting to buy a home in the area.

Speaking from the vehicle he said: "Water is lapping over the kerb now. People can walk through it, but it's far more than you'd want to drive through. I'm sitting in my car on the pavement in order to maintain some height just down from the Bar Hill roundabout near Tesco".
"There are cars everywhere and the flooding is getting worse as people are trying to drive through it, but their engines are cutting out which is causing them to block the road."


Drivers were being advised to avoid the A428 westbound between Hardwick and Dry Drayton, which is blocked due to flooding

More than 50mm of rain fell in Cambridgeshire in an hour confirmed BBC Weather

Fire service group commander Ryan Stacey said: "We have seven crews currently in the March, Doddington and Wisbech St Mary areas, assisting with evacuating residents, salvaging and pumping water out of homes. The exact number of properties affected cannot be confirmed, but we understand that we are assisting currently at least 60 properties."

He warned: "Don't try to drive through standing water - as well as the water damaging your car, there may be hazards under the water you can't see."

A rest centre was opened in St John the Evangelist Parish Hall in Queens Street, March.

There have also been reports of flash flooding in west Norfolk.

Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service said officers have been dealing with about 40 flood-related calls with ongoing incidents in Swaffham, Necton, Outwell and Downham Market.

The heavy rain caused subsidence on parts of the riverbank in March and flooding in The Ship Inn cellar

Police in Cambridgeshire urged people to avoid driving on the county's roads unless absolutely necessary due to the "deluge of rain currently being experienced".

Ch Insp Nick Night said: "We are assisting partner agencies including the Highways Agency, Fire and Rescue Service, Fenland District Council and Cambridgeshire County Council with road closures, evacuating residents and pulling vehicles out of flood water.

"We do not have a stock of sandbags, so please do not call 999 requesting any."

The UK Power Network said it had been working to restore power to homes and about 400 homes were still without power at about 21:00 BST on Friday.

Bungalows in Poplar Close in March in Cambridgeshire were flooded