butitdidntmake

[butitdidntmake]

Paedophile driven to court in hospital gown to be jailed

Shocked this story didn’t make. Roy Whiting’s crimes led to massive changes in newspapers, the law and society. This man could well have been involved in making him into the child killer who ruined many lives. Disappointed for Green’s brave victims and the diligent police who worked so hard to return him to prison this didn’t get a good show.

A convicted paedophile was driven to court in his hospital gown when doctors passed him fit to go back to prison for another 12 years following a second conviction for abusing young boys.

In a dramatic end to his trial, former sports coach Michael Green - described as child killer Roy Whiting’s mentor and idol - was hospitalised with a suspected stroke.

Police who investigated Green, drove him to court as soon as he was discharged from hospital by doctors in Brighton.

Green, 75, abused boys as young as nine, the court heard, while coaching ice hockey and when he worked as a cricket coach at an exclusive private school.

He befriended Whiting who went on to rape and murder eight-year-old Sarah Payne when they were both involved in motorcycle speedway racing in Sussex.

Green was found collapsed in his flat by police after he failed to appear in court to hear closing speeches at the end of his two week trial.

The judge ruled the trial should carry on without him.

After spending nearly five days under the care of doctors in Brighton, Green was discharged and driven straight to court knowing he would be jailed for a second time.

Still wearing his hospital gown, Green was led into the court building by the same police officers who investigated his crimes.

After a meeting with his barrister, Green shambled the last few metres down the corridor still wearing his hospital wristband to the public entrance using a walking frame, complaining of the pain he was feeling.

Prison officers in blue surgical gloves sat either side of the convicted paedophile who listened with his head bowed as Recorder Elliott QC told him she had considered the possibility he will die in prison.

One of his victims watched from the public gallery overlooking the court as Green was jailed for a second time for abusing boys in his care.

Green, 75, conducted a serious, repeated and widespread campaign of abuse, the judge told him.Green was already convicted of abusing two boys in Hampshire in the early 1980s and jailed for nine-and-a-half years in 2001.

He was freed on licence when more allegations against him were brought to police.

As the new allegations did not involve abuse after his previous conviction, he was not taken back into custody.

The 75-year-old was terrified of being attacked as he walked in and out of Lewes Crown Court each day of his trial fearing his victims or their families could try to take their revenge.

Child killer Roy Whiting idolised Green and worshiped him as a God, it was claimed.

Whiting was jailed for life in 2001 for the rape and murder of eight-year-old Sarah Payne.

His crime shocked the nation and let to the passing of Sarah’s Law which allows parent to know if a convicted sex offender could have contact with their children.

The two men met while Green was a coach with the Crawley Tigers speedway team.Green made Whiting captain of the team as they grew closer.

He was described as the future child murderer’s mentor.

Green went on to be a sports coach at Windlesham House boarding school in West Sussex where he abused boys in the cricket team.

Recorder Sarah Elliott QC said Green was guilty of abusing seven boys aged between ten and 15-years-old.In each case, he was their sports coach.

"The seriousness, harm caused and culpability of the offender are the main considerations I must apply.

“The delay in bringing these matters to trial is in part down to the shame and confusion the victims felt at what they had suffered through you.

"You used your popularity and position as their sports coach in a gross abuse of trust.

"You befriended your victims and their families for your sexual purposes.

"In relation to the offences at the school, they were borders with you looking after them in the evenings and weekends, so they were effectively trapped with you.”

Green used pornography, gifts and trips to the cinema to see racy films to groom his victims, the Recorder said.

“With some, you simply got into bed with them,” she said.

The hours Green spent as a sports coach gave him the opportunity to abuse boys for his own deviant sexual pleasure, he judge said.

“This was a serious, repeated and widespread set of offences,” the judge said.

Green shook his head as the Recorder detailed his offences and jailed him for a total of 12 years for a total of 18 offences.

Green was convicted of 17 after already admitting one offence.

Green’s successful prosecution was down to the hard work of Sussex police and in particular DC Dawn Robertson, the Recorder added.

Detective Constable Dawn Robertson, who was involved with both investigations, said; "Green's 2014 sentence received considerable publicity and as a result these seven further victims came forward to us over the ensuing months.

"We have great admiration for their readiness to help see justice done, and for giving evidence at Green's trial where he denied the allegations throughout and continues to do so even after conviction, as he did in 2014.

"It is clear that throughout that period of the eighties and nineties he was actively involving himself in different types of sports coaching, all of which had one thing in common - they gave him access to young and often vulnerable young boys who he systematically abused under the guise of helping them.

"Reports of this type will always be taken seriously and investigated wherever possible.”

The Recorder also made a Sexual Harm Prevention Order preventing Green from having unsupervised contact with any child under the age of 18.

In a heartbreaking impact statement, one of Green’s victims said his life had been blighted by the abuse he suffered.

“All my life this has haunted me and has been a dark demon I’ve had to deal with.

"The mental scars are sometimes unbearable to live with."

The court heard Green, who had also worked as an insurance agent. used his position as a trusted sports coach to attack seven more boys across Sussex between 1980 and 1994.

He was described as a sexual predator would take boys back to his home where he would then climb into bed with them.

One victim said he came forward after reading reports of another child abuse case.

“He’s the scum of the earth,” the man told police after coming forward in 2015.

"I saw something on the news and thought, he’s going to get away with it.

"I wanted to get my point across.”

He told police he had been sexually assaulted after meeting Mr Green when he was 11-years-old.

The man, now in his 40s described Michael Green as having a musky smell.

"Like a dirty person sort of smell,” the man said.

“I was scared to say anything.

"I didn’t know what to think.

"I didn’t know what would happen to me, so I let him carry on do it.

"I just blocked it out of my mind for years,” the man said.

“I was disgusted with it, but I was only young so I tried to put it to the back of my mind.”

Green even abused schoolboys in the cinema as they watch Madonna in A League of Their own and Whitney Houston in The Bodyguard.

Another man, also now in his 40s, who asked not to be named said Green was notorious as a Nonce when he coached boys in the ice hockey team.

"Everybody knew what he was up to.

"When I heard he had got the job at the school, I felt sorry for those boys.

"He would stand around naked in the showers with boys aged ten and 11.

"People would just tell him to get away from the boys.

"He was just known as a nonce.

"He was a horrible bastard.

"If I saw him now, I'd knock him out.

"We just knew him as Mick the Nonce.”

The jury were told of Green's previous conviction at the start of the trial but not about his connection to Whiting.

Prosecutor Richard Cherrill said new charges were brought when other men started to come forward after reading press coverage of the case, and from the high profile coverage surrounding other historic sex abuse cases.

He said: “We say his previous conviction is relevant.

“That is because it shows his propensity and desire to abuse young boys in his care."

Mr Cherrill told Lewes Crown Court how Green performed sex acts on boys as young as nine.

He would tell boys that they were special and he loved them and would beg for cuddles for his own sick desires.

One reported the boys felt “mystified and repulsed” when Mr Green told them to sit on his knee while he licked and nibbled their ears.

In a dramatic end to the trial, Green suffered a suspected stroke at home over the final weekend break.

Police were sent to his home after he failed to appear at court on Monday morning.

As he was waiting to be assessed by a neurology specialist, the judge ruled the case against Green could go ahead.

The jury heard closing arguments with an empty dock.

Mr Cherrill told the jury: “The defendant is ill.

"He’s not done a runner, he cannot be here.”Green was discharged and driven from hospital an hour before his sentencing.

ends

[butitdidntmake]

Pride, in the name of...

This was to be my Pride 2017 story. I thought this ticked a lot of boxes. Gender, generation and gay rights, but it didn’t make.

A gay man abused by an 80-year-old woman during a parking row said he believed she thought her age meant she could get away with it. James Sidebottom was called a faggot by antique dealer Patricia Pavey when they clashed over her habit of parking outside this charity shop. Pavey from Lewes in East Sussex told Mr Sidebottom his kind was not welcome. Magistrates in Brighton ordered the 80-year-old former nurse to pay £529 after they found she had told Mr Sidebottom to fuck off back to Brighton. On the eve of the Brighton Pride festival celebrating the gay and lesbian community, the court heard Mrs Pavey was guilty of using abusive words which caused Mr Sidebottom distress. Magistrates rejected claims from Pavey, who lives above her antique shop in Lewes, she had not used the word Faggot and had to check with her hairdresser what the word meant. Mrs Pavey confronted Mr Sidebottom as she was being issued with a ticket for parking her black Kia Sorento outside his charity shop across the road from her flat in the town on February 25 this year. He told magistrates in Brighton he was a proud gay man. “She parks in front of my shop every day,” he said. “People in mobility scooters can’t get in my shop, customers can’t get into the shop. “She puts the boot up all the time so it looks like she’s unloading so people can’t get into the shop. “It’s been going on for years. “I’m in the Conservative Party of Eastbourne and I even wrote to my MP.” The charity shop manager said Pavey had been aggressive towards him. “Your type should fuck off back to Brighton where they come from, we don’t want faggots here, she said.” Asked to identify who had shouted at him, Mr Sidebottom pointed at Pavey and said: “That woman there. “I’m proud I’m gay, I’ve never had to hide my sexuality and I don’t live in Brighton. “I was very angry and that’s when I reported it to police.” Traffic warden Harry Clark said he had ongoing issues with Mrs Pavey. “It’s not nice,” he said. “Aggressive towards myself, shouting, getting in my personal space. “She was shouting so much, I could feel her spit hitting me. “It’s not the first time I’ve encountered her in that kind of manner.” Despite signed statements and live evidence from three witnesses, Mrs Pavey, who represented herself, maintained they were all lying. During a difficult hearing at Brighton Magistrates Court, Pavey said she had been to an auction house, Waitrose and the library on Saturday, February 25. “I put my shopping inside the door and turned round and they were writing me a ticket.” She told the court Mr Sidebottom was already outside his shop. “He started sneering and laughing at me. “He said I’d been there all day. “I said to the traffic warden I’ll show you my books to see when they were taken out but they ran off before I could come back with them. “I deal with traffic wardens every day. “I understand they have a difficult job to do.” The antique shop owner also denied being homophobic. “How can I be? “I went on holiday with my hairdresser and his partner and his mother. “I am not homophobic, I’ve never heard that word before. “I had to ask my hairdresser what that word means. “It’s completely and utterly untrue,” Pavey said. “I called him a liar when he said I’d been there all day. “At the very end I did say to him you’re a fucking liar but that is very unusual language for me. “The parking ticket was rescinded anyway,” Pavey said. “I’ve never heard of anything like it. “I have no problems with Age UK or any other charity shop. “I’m a retired nurse. “I’ve worked with people with AIDS, so don’t tell me I’m homophobic. “If I’m homophobic how is it I’ve gone on holiday with my hairdresser?” Magistrate Mrs Jo King (CORRECT) told Pavey: “This language has no place in a tolerant society.” In his Victim Impact Statement, Mr Sidebottom said: “The whole situation is extremely distressing. “I’m filled with dread at the thought of meeting Mrs Pavey when I go into work. “Just because she is of that generation, she feels she can get away with it.” The court granted a restraining order against Mrs Pavey which mean she cannot contact Mr Sidebottom or park outside his charity shop for a period of two years. Mrs Pavey was ordered to pay a total of £529 in fines, costs and victim surcharge. A furious Pavey said: “I will appeal. “I have been the victim throughout this. “I will have to close my business and move my home because of this.”

ends

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Life sentence for career paedophile

A very disturbing story. The IPP isn’t allowed any more and this could add a bit of controversy to this story. This was a tricky one for the judge who did a great job of being as fair as possible to a man who has decades of the most serious offending. I though it might have a chance for both these reasons, but it didn’t make.

A former service station worker was caged for life after a court heard he had a 40 year career of serious sexual offences against young children. Gerald Bourne, 65, was described as such a danger to children he should be jailed for life. Bourne was given an indeterminate sentence for the systematic abuse of four young children in 2010 and was due to be considered for parole when two more victims came forward. Lewes Crown Court heard Bourne’s first conviction was for indecently assaulting a child in 1971. Bourne, originally from Hastings, appeared by video link from HMP Lewes for sentencing after pleading guilty at an earlier hearing. He was abusing two girls at the same time as the four other children he was jailed for molesting in 2010 at the same court. The youngest girl was six-years-old when he raped her. One of the girls has learning difficulties and the other now suffers from crippling anxiety. He abused the girls at the services where he worked and at their homes. Bourne tried to deny the new allegations against him as he was due to be considered for parole. Lewes Crown Court heard he has ten previous convictions for 42 offences dating back to 1971. In a Victim Impact Statement, one girl said she has always had difficulties but does go out a little bit even though she suffers from anxiety. She said the effect on her family makes her very, very angry and upset. The second girl said she is so permanently anxious she has to be medicated. “She’s so anxious she feels she going to be sick around other people,” Judge Barnes said. Police also found indecent images on a laptop computer Bourne tried to dump at the services where he worked.indecent images on a laptop computer Bourne tried to dump at the services where he worked. Her Honour Judge Shani Barnes describe his crimes as awful. “Your criminal career has been a long one. “You have been sexually abusing young children since 1971. “You have always sought out women and adults as friends who had young, vulnerable children so you could prey upon them. “I now have to sentence you for the systematic rape of these two little girls which was going on at the same time as these other little boys.” Judge Barnes said his offences were so serious, only a life sentence would reduce the risk he poses to the public. “They were so serious as to justify the imposition of a period of life imprisonment.” The judge said aggravating circumstances meant Bourne must serve a minimum of 20 years from the date of his conviction in 2010. Bourne was given full credit for his early plea, meaning he will have to serve a minimum of six years from the date of the latest conviction. “If you are released, you will be subject to licence for the rest of your life,” Judge Barnes said. Bourne nodded and said: “Thank you very much, your honour. “Bye, bye.” DC Lee Watts of Sussex police said: “Bourne was in a relationship with the grandmother of one of the girls. “He was abusing them at the place where he worked. “When the girls came forward, they said he would take them to his place of work and abuse them there.”

Gerald Bourne

[butitdidntmake]

Worthing Walter White

I thought this one had a chance. Hard up guy who turned to crime is exploited by unseen Mr Big in the drug world, but it didn’t make.

A drug farmer dubbed the Worthing Walter White was jailed for 16 months after police raided his homegrown cannabis operation. Mirroring the plot of Breaking Bad, Peter Fardell, 59, from Worthing turned to crime after a life of respectability. He worked at a major multinational pharmaceutical company for 22 years before being sacked. He tried to grow a landscape gardening business but turned to cultivating cannabis. Fardell started growing his own when the gardening business struggled and the money from a company pension he cashed in started to run out. He did his best to keep his secret life as a drug manufacturer from his wife and family while he converted a shed and loft to hot housing and hydroponics. Police found 152 plants in the shed and loft and more cannabis bagged up ready to sell under his bed when they executed a search warrant in January this year. Fardell had been harvesting the plants to produce skunk cannabis on a commercial scale, the Crown Court at Brighton heard. The mock Tudor mid terrace house in Worthing was turned into a commercial cannabis farm. Police found 120 cuttings which had been replanted in a hot house inside the converted shed. Five bags containing 30g of skunk each were found sealed in a box in the bedroom. Recorder William Featherby QC rejected Fardell's claims the cannabis was being grown for his own personal use. The Recorder said it would have been difficult for Fardell to carry on his life and work as a gardener if he was consuming 30g of skunk a week. Police drug expert PC Victoria Bailey described what she found at the house. Recorder Featherby also said it was inconceivable anybody would take on the expense of setting up a cannabis growing operation and increased electricity bills which would result from the 600 Watt lamps, fans and pumping just to save on the cost of personal consumption. Fardell's shed had been converted to growing cannabis with insulated walls, heating, lighting timers, humidity monitors and hydroponic equipment. The loft had similar equipment with lights on adjustable pulleys and had also been rigged with ducting to funnel the smell from the plants outside. “There was too much, the value of it was too high and in my opinion it is not for personal use,” PC Bailey said. Working on recent figure, PC Bailey said the cannabis and plants found at the house could be worth between £16,200 and £65,320. Police found 32 plants in the loft and 120 cuttings already planted in the shed and the court head evidence Fardell had cultivated at least three crops of cannabis. Fardell maintained his home farm was designed to produce enough cannabis for his own use. Mr Recorder Featherby said: "A heavy user would take a very lengthy period indeed to get through it." Getting through a 30g bag in a week would constitute a very heavy user indeed, the Record said. "He says he had a friend. "The two of them hit upon a scheme in which parts of the defendant's house would be given over tot he cultivation of cannabis." The friend supplied Fardell with the equipment at a knock down price, the Recorder said, and invested time and expertise to help set it up. "I find that wholly incredible evidence," the Recorder said. The cannabis growing operation was for commercial purposes, he said. "This defendant was caught red handed. "He had all the equipment required to grow cannabis in sub tropical conditions in a loft in Worthing. "He was farming on behalf of this friend and supplying onward for whole sale and retail distribution." Fardell shook his head as the Recorder told him the quantities involved were far higher than even the heaviest user could smoke. Fardell and Hurley both pleaded guilty at a hearing on April 4. Hurley, 74, was given a 12 month community order with 40 hours unpaid work. The Recorder told her she had turned a blind eye to Fardell's activities in a gross error of judgement. "It is a great shame that this has descended upon you through the misjudgement of your partner at this stage in your life." She kissed Fardell as she left the dock. Jailing him for 16 months, Recorder William Featherby QC told Fardell: "I find you were a small farmer of cannabis acting for profit for an organisation whose size is not known. "You very foolishly got involved in this scheme." Prosecutor Nicola Shannon said after the sentencing: "It's like Breaking Bad has come to Sussex." The Recorder also ordered the forfeiture and destruction of the drugs and equipment used to produce them.

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Rapist stalked second victim with phone spyware

This one took a bit of work. Lots of time in court and trying to get it into the paper. In the end, a space could not be found for it which is a shame because it’s a strong story.

The victim was concerned about her identity. There were no reporting restrictions and no legal reason to preserve her anonymity. I’ve removed her name and tried to make sure she can’t be identified.

A convicted rapist was jailed for six months after a court heard he stalked another woman, stole her underwear and bugged her mobile phone with spyware after being released early from prison. Jay Carson, 32, was a leading member of English Civil War re-enactment society the Sealed Knot before he was sentenced to four years for rape and eight months for blackmail in 2009. Guildford crown court heard he filmed himself raping his ex-girlfriend after using other recordings to blackmail her when she left him for another man. Following his early release, Carson changed his name from James Clemson and returned to Crawley, West Sussex, where he befriended a married woman he met at a weight loss class in 2013. Public school educated Carson and primary school teacher ***** began a two year relationship. When Mrs ***** tried to end the affair, Carson embarked on a prolonged stalking campaign. Carson convinced her husband to allow him to install the spyware to monitor who she was speaking to online and take control of her phone. Carson told Mr ***** his wife and daughter were in danger from the men she was meeting online and the spyware would let them keep an eye on her. Carson also invented an online profile which he used to manipulate Mrs ????. A trial at Horsham magistrates court also heard Carson drove to Basingstoke to confront and threaten another man Mrs ***** had been talking to through an online dating site. A warrant was issued for Carson’s arrest after he used Mrs ***** keys to enter her flat. Mrs ***** said she had never given keys to Carson. Her mother was at home when Carson let himself in, the court heard, and she recognised him and called the police. When detectives searched his home and car they found Mrs *****’s black and pink lace knickers. The teacher said she felt disgusted and completely violated after realising her phone had been hacked and messages sent from her Facebook and WhatsApp accounts without her knowledge. “The messages were always sent when I was working at school and it didn’t matter how many times I changed my passwords,” she told the court. “The messages stopped as soon as he was arrested,” Mrs ***** said. Carson told Mrs ***** about his conviction for rape two months into their relationship. “The way he told me it, I felt sorry for him,” she said. “He believed his ex was trying to get revenge on him and hurt him. “To find out it mirrored what he did to her just makes my skin crawl,” Mrs ***** said. Mrs ***** said Carson threatened to use intimate photographs to blackmail her after she tried to end their relationship. The court heard he also sent pictures of a slashed wrist and knife, claiming he was suicidal. In her victim impact statement, Mrs ***** said had been very frightened by what happened. “It has changed my life,” she said. “I’m now more cautious an wary of people and I’ve not been back to dating sites for months. “I’ve had to change my phone number twice and I’m not sure what else has been taken from the house. “I feel distressed and harassed by what he has done to me and I was worried it would impact on my work as a primary school teacher.” Sentencing Carson to six months for stalking at Crawly magistrates court, chair Ann Schroder said: “You were found guilty at the trial and we believe there is no reason to suspend the sentence. “You do not believe you did anything wrong. “I am sentencing you to 26 weeks, the maximum allowed.” Carson was also ordered to pay £620 costs, £115 victim surcharge and a restraining order was also imposed. Carson showed no emotion as he was taken down. When Chairwoman Schroder asked him if he understood what he been said to him, Carson said: “I do.”

ends

[butitdidntmake]

TWOCKER RAMMED POLICE CARS

Hove, actually

08 Oct. 2016

A menace to society who could have killed police and public, but it didn't make

Followed this one from magistrates court. Police officers injured after a twocker - taking without consent - rammed two patrol cars. I thought it had potential. Lack of dash cam footage killed it, I reckon. A dramatic story with a solid result, but it didn't make.

Police tried to snatch the keys out of a moving stolen car after the driver rammed them, a court heard.

Officers smashed their way into the car following a high speed chase which a judge said could have been fatal.

They used batons to smash the windows before beating the driver.

Patrick MacPherson was jailed for six months after leading police on a drug fuelled rampage in his mother’s car.

PC Paul Bubb (correct) smashed the driver door window and reached into the car to grab the keys after MacPherson ignored orders to stop his engine.

The 25-year-old continued driving while the officer tried to wrestle the keys from the ignition.

PC Bubb used his baton again to strike MacPherson around the head and shoulders before the car thief rammed the patrol car.

PC Bubb and his partner PC Parry called for backup after deciding it was too dangerous to continue their high speed pursuit of MacPherson.

Another Sussex police patrol car spotted marks on the road left by the stolen Peugeot running on only three tires.

They gave chase and arrested MacPherson after he abandoned the car and made off on foot.

Jailing MacPherson for six months, His Honour Judge David Rennie told Hove Trial Centre it was only good fortune nobody was seriously injured or killed in the incident.

MacPherson admitted stealing the car, driving dangerously while disqualified and with no insurance.

He admitted drinking before taking he car although he was not over the drink drive limit.

Blood tests showed he had taken cocaine before taking the car.

MacPherson took his mother’s white Peugeot 107 at 2am on March 12 this year from her home in East Grinstead, West Sussex.

Police recorded his speed at more than 70mph in a 30mph zone.

He drove down the wrong side of the road, straight over one round about, the wrong way round another at 50mph then through a red light while police gave chase.

Matthew Haywood for the Crown told Hove Trial Centre PC Bubb and PC Parry cornered the Peugeot after MacPherson drove down a dead end.

“PC Bubb tried to open the driver door, but it was locked.

“He told him to turn off the engine.

“PC Bubb took out his baton and struck the window on the drivers side which smashed,” Mr Haywood said.

Another police constable smashed the passenger window.

“When both windows had been smashed, the defendant put the vehicle into reverse and rammed PC Parry and Bubb’s vehicle behind him.”

MacPherson then drove the car into a car park when police again cornered him.

“PC Bubb was trying to remove the keys but was finding this difficult as the defendant was driving forward and back.

“He then struck the defendant with his baton in the head and shoulder area.

“The defendant managed to turn around and headed for the exit of the car park.

“PC Bubb tried to hit him again but missed, hitting the rear driver side window,” Mr Haywood said.

PCs Bubb and Parry decided not to try to follow MacPherson due to the risk involved.

Other officers were able to follow the tracks left by the bare rim of the 107 as MacPherson again drove at his speed.

He was arrested on foot after ramming another police car with two officers inside.

His Honour Judge Rennie said: “This was a highly dangerous situation which you caused in which people could have been killed.

“It was just good fortune nobody was seriously injured or killed,” the judge said.

MacPherson was jailed for six months and disqualified from driving for two years at Hove Trial Centre on Wednesday, October 5.

[butitdidntmake]

FRAUD FAILURE

Hove Trial Centre, Sussex

12 Sept. 2016

Half million pound fraud which didn't make

Here's another one from the same Crown Court which I thought had a decent chance. This particular fraud is pretty common, apparently. Half a million pounds from one vulnerable victim, but it didn't make.

A conman who was part of a ruthless gang who swindled life savings of more than £500,000 from an elderly man with dementia was jailed for two years.

Frederick Sheridan, 48, laundered £137,500 through two bank accounts as part of the gang who targeted the vulnerable 75-year-old.

A judge at Hove trial centre jailed Sheridan for his part is the fraud which forced John Grayson from London to sell his home to continue paying for the care of his sister.

The court heard Mr Grayson is in the early stages of dementia and his sister lives in a nursing home.

Their combined life savings were paying for her care and planned eventual care for Mr Grayson.

Threats, Demands and Fear

He has been forced to sell his home and none of the money has been recovered.

The gang targeted Mr Grayson after spotting him mowing his lawn in East Sheen.

He was told work needed to be done on his chimney and was charged £10,000 to be paid in cash.

After handing over the money, Mr Grayson was visited by another man calling himself Patrick Jeffrey who said he would be reported to the police for money laundering and not paying VAT on the repair work.

Threats and demands for more money followed as Mr Grayson was told he needed to pay more money to stay out of trouble.

In a statement, Mr Grayson said: "The funds represent the remainder of my life savings and of my sister.

"It has been unsettling for me and I am worried about my sister's care and reprisals from Mr Jeffery and his associates."

Father-of-two Sheridan, from Dale Farm, Essex, told police he met a man in a pub who offered to pay him to launder £137,500 through his two bank accounts in 12 instalments.

The handyman claimed he was paid £200 for each transaction.

He was one of four people who received payments from Mr Grayson during a ten day period between September and October 2014 totalling more than £500,000.

Sheridan admitted introducing his relative Daniel Sheridan to the same man he met in the pub before he also started receiving payments.

Daniel Sheridan was jailed for his part in swindling Mr Grayson out of his life savings at the same court in April this year.

He was sentenced to 16 months while already serving another nine months for a similar offence in Sheffield.

Dire Straits

Jailing him for two years, Recorder David Brock told Sheridan: "You played a significant role as part of a group activity.

"It was essential that you were involved.

"That money had come from a man in his mid 70s and his and his elderly sister's life savings.

"Taking away that money has left him in dire straits.

"You were not the person who perpetrated the fraud, appalling as it was, against Mr Grayson but you received that money into your account at best turning a blind eye as to where it had come from.

"His life has been ruined as a result of this fraud."

Police are still hunting two other members of the gang.

[butitdidntmake]

Gerry Palmer

Hove Trial Centre, Sussex

09 Sept. 2016

Murderer in Rosary Beads, kept out of the papers by the press office

This is an interesting one. My day job has its frustrations. Spouting advice is easy. Understanding the motivations of others and accommodating them is a bit more complicated. Dealing with press offices is a challenge.

It's a new thing now for police press offices to be pro-active. I'm no traditionalist but there are certain demarkations, grown up over decades, which should be left alone.

As the only reporter in court for this one, I thought the story would have a better chance of making the national papers held over to the next day. There's no problem with this as far as the law is concerned.

The police press office were not in agreement and posted their version the same afternoon. Despite not having a representative at the trial to hear anything the Crown or the judge said, to see the Rosary Beads around the murder's neck or his face when they took him down, their version was picked up by a few local news outlets and reproduced as court copy.

My version is possibly too long and could do with a polish. It's reproduced here as I filed it at around 4.30pm, too late for the dailies.

I thought this had a real chance to get in the nationals and deserved to be read by a lot of people given the nature of the crime, but it didn't make.

Unbelievable Savagery

A manipulative man with an unpleasant streak was jailed for life with a minimum of 22 years after he murdered his partner with unbelievable savagery when she ended their relationship.

Gerry Palmer, 50, stabbed and slashed Carrie Izzard, 48, more than 30 times with a kitchen knife and left her body to be found by her family.

Her Honour Judge Christine Laing QC told Palmer he murdered his partner with a ferocity which must have inflicted considerable pain and suffering prior to her death.

"Carrie Izzard was 48 when she was murdered by you in quite unbelievable savagery in her own home," Her Honour Judge Laing QC said.

"She had changed the locks to prevent you from coming in without her agreement.

"She, sadly, opened the door to you and you did not get far into that house before launching your attack on her.

"The ferocity and number of defensive injuries demonstrate you must have inflicted considerable pain and suffering to her prior to her death.

"You made no effort to seek help for her just in case she could have been saved.

"You left the body to be discovered while taking time to wash the knife."

Palmer ran a fishing tackle business next to the camera and antique shop in Sidley Mrs Izzard owned with her husband.

He wheedled his way into Mrs Izzard's life soon after the sudden death of her husband in 2014, police said.

They were together on and off for two years before he murdered her in March this year.

Utterly Callous

Her Honour Judge Laing QC said his utterly callous actions had caused devastating loss to her family and friends.

"She ended relationship because of your infidelity.

"You benefited from her financial situation.

"Your desperation to get her to take you back was in part motivated by your financial situation.

"You are a manipulative man with a clearly unpleasant streak.

"I am quite satisfied you killed her in anger and frustration," the judge told Palmer.

"She fought for life.

"The trauma for her of her final minutes of life is unimaginable."

Palmer pleaded guilty at Hove trial centre.

Rosary Beads

Wearing a blue T-shirt and rosary beads around his neck, he showed no emotion as he was taken down.

James Lofthouse for the Crown said the savage attack took place at Mrs Izzard's home in Herstmonceux, East Sussex on March 20.

"The relationship started very, very quickly.

"She was grieving and vulnerable and he was full on.

"Six weeks after the death of her husband, the defendant moved in.

"Friends and family found him controlling.

"He didn't like her going out without him, bombarding her with texts and calls.

"In November or December 2015, Carrie discovered he was having a relationship with another woman."

I've killed her, mate

Carrie Izzard confided in friends she was resolved to ending the relationship and move on, the court heard.

Mr Lofthouse said police recovered a text message Palmer sent to a friend at 0407 on March 20.

"In a message to a friend he wrote: I've killed her, mate. Thanks for everything, mate. Goodbye."

A kitchen knife found in the upstairs bathroom sink still had traces of blood and a partial print on the handle from Palmer.

Mr Izzard had 18 stab to head and neck, four stab wounds to her trunk, breast and back, nine more defensive injuries and two more to the back of the neck, requiring severe force.

Police found Palmer at the chalet in Wyland International Angling Centre near Battle which Mrs Izzard had arranged for him to live in.

He was locked in a toilet, covered in blood with a knife in his right hand.

He was treated in hospital before being taken to a police station where he refused to answer questions for three days.

A suicide note was found in the shop with letter addressed to Carrie Izzard.

Devastating Shock

In a statement, the family of Carrie Izzard said they were still struggling to come to terms with her death.

"The loss of Carrie was - and still is - a devastating shock and in such violent, unloving and cruel circumstances is something which we will never recover from.

"The realisation of losing her hits us in waves and we are still finding it hard to deal with our loss.

"We will never again be able to share the joys of life, see her bright smile, hear her laugh, sing or banter with her in humour which we shared.

"Following her death, we were denied being able to see her to say goodbye.

"We will never get over the loss of Carrie in such tragic circumstances and we are overwhelmed by the way that our own lives have changed and the future will no longer be as planned.

"The full reality of what has happened has not fully hit us yet and when we think of how Carrie spent her last minutes we feel immense hurt and sadness that they were not spent hearing kind loving words and actions but that of fear, disbelief and pain."

DCI Jason Taylor of Surrey and Sussex Major Crime Team said: "Palmer has been exposed as a man who wheedled his way into Carrie's life at a time when she was most vulnerable and then sought to control her.

"Palmer was a manipulative man who gave little but took a lot.

"When Carrie finally broke free, he could not accept it and when his initial attempts to win her back were unsuccessful, he became spiteful and bitter, tragically ending her life a violent and cruel way

"Palmer has been convicted and given substantial prison sentence.

"Although this can never undo what he has done to Carrie and her family, I hope it will bring some justice for them."

[butitdidntmake]

FAMILY INQUEST

Gibraltar12 Dec. 2015

Yes, but where are the monkeys?

A Spanish couple stopped me to ask where the monkeys are. My language skills are just about up to it.

The Atlantic roaring at my back through the Straits, crashing off the rocks, majestic cliffs in front.

Yes, but where are the monkeys?

It's a frustrating business sometimes. Five days in court, hearing some of the most emotional and distressing evidence.

There's a lot more which can be written about this case. This is just the verdict piece.

But it didn't make.

A British man who tortured his Spanish partner then killed her and two daughters spent a weekend locked in the flat with his dog and their bodies before committing suicide, a coroner ruled.

Bodybuilder John Shannon, 31, from Llandudno unlawfully killed the mother, her four-year-old daughter and his six-week-old baby with a collection of knives and a corkscrew.

Returning verdicts of unlawful killing and suicide, Gibraltar coroner Charles Pitto said Shannon used severe force to stab all three in the heart before cutting his throat in front of the bathroom mirror.

Shannon, described as a troubled, Jekyll and Hyde hard man with anger issues, had abused cannabis and anabolic steroids since his late teens.

He was on the run following an arrest for cannabis growing in the UK and Spanish drug police had raided his home in Estepona.

"A hard man, a jealous man with a black and white view of the world, even if this masked underlying doubts," Mr Pitto said.

"A man who was obsessed with body building and a long term abuser of cannabis and steroids.

"A man who was liable to flare up if he felt he was crossed or wronged," the coroner said.

Shannon suffered a rapid descent into a psychotic episode of paranoid delusions, the coroner said.

He believed he was being pursued by Lebanese killers who wanted to remove his organs and take his daughter and fled the family home in Estepona for Gibraltar.

He messaged his step father to say he could hear people trying to break into the flat he borrowed at Boschetti's Steps.

A final WhatsApp message sent after the killings on Saturday, March 28 this year said: "Done. Eject now."

Charles Pitto said Shannon's family had missed the significance of the increasingly worrying text messages in the days leading up to the tragedy which shocked the tiny British overseas territory.

Step father Terence Moorhead said after the verdict: "John was sick and we've got to try to come to terms with what has happened."

Shannon spent the weekend locked in the flat with the bodies and his French Bulldog, Rambo.

Mr Moorhead sent Shannon a message to say he was boarding a flight to Gibraltar on Monday morning.

Shannon read the message at 0730, then slashed his neck, the coroner said.

Police broke down the door to the flat just before noon the same day and discovered the dog roaming freely among the four bodies.

Shannon's blood was smeared around the flat and he had a number of self inflicted stab wounds to his back, chest and thighs.

Police found eight knives and a bent and bloodied corkscrew which could have been used to inflict a circular injury found in four-year-old Amanda's chest.

Mr Pitto repeated findings by expert witnesses heard during the five day inquest suggesting Shannon had tortured his partner Anarda De La Caridad Perez Freeman, 37.

"Anarda's face wounds suggest they were inflicted in a controlled manner," Mr PItto said.

"Possibly in an attempt to extract information."

Her daughter from a previous relationship, Amanda, also suffered defensive wounds and was heard pleading for her life before being fatally stabbed in the heart and neck.

She was described as a happy, well cared for little girl.

Shannon's daughter, Eve, was only six weeks old when he took the family to Gibraltar from their home in Estepona, Spain.

Charles Pitto said: "Eve was a baby, so young that she hardly have been aware of her own existence."

Shannon did not communicate with anyone again.

No more noise was heard from the flat.

When police broke down the door, the central heating, oven and hob were on despite high temperatures in Gibraltar.

Mr Pitto said: "From childhood he had displayed aggressive and anti-social behaviour and attitudes.

"Dr West said there was evidence of an earlier possible psychotic incident and self harming.

"Worrying behaviour which continued into adult life.

"Dr West described an increasingly rapid descent into paranoia.

"This is a view shared by Terence Moorhead but the significance of the WhatsApp messages was missed by the family.

"Despite their well founded concerns, they did not call the police.

"An approach which had persisted over many years.

"They made no attempt to confront his mental issues by engaging professional help."

Mr Pitto said: "There can be only one explanation for what happened.

"The door was locked from the inside.

"Metal shutters were locked from the inside.

"There was no sign of entry to the flat.

"Cutting one's neck in from of a mirror is a feature found in many cases where it is self inflicted.

"The fatal wounds for all three females were not self inflicted and severe force would have been needed.

"John Shannon would have taken minutes after his injuries before dying, shown by the distribution of his blood around the flat.

"Rigor mortis was absent from the three females but present in John Shannon.

"This would support the view that had died some time before.

"The only verdict can be unlawful killing and suicide.

"Baby Eve died from a stab wound to the heart at 0330 on March 28.

"Anarda died from a stab wound to the heart at 0315 on March 28.

"She was attacked and received a fatal stab wound.

"Amanda died from a stab wound to the heart and aorta.

"She was the victim of an attack on March 28 at 0330.

"John Shannon died from a wound to the neck between 0730 and 1130 on March 30.

"He took his own life while the balance of his mind was disturbed.

"What is done is done," Mr Pitto said.

DCI Wayne Tunbridge led the seven month murder investigation which ruled out any third party involvement in the killings.

He thanked the expert witnesses and offered his condolences to the families.

"I want to thank the families who have been very supportive from the outset.

"This was the largest murder investigation the Royal Gibraltar Police has dealt with in living memory.

"Those families are now going home to their respective countries and will have to deal with what has happened these last few months.

"We left no stone unturned to build a case to hand over to the coroner who returned the correct verdict.

"It has been a traumatic ordeal for all those involved," he said.

ends

[butitdidntmake]

Slurry

This didn’t make today. Can’t think for the life why not. Could have been written a bit harder?

A man was arrested after a large bucket of human waste was thrown at the offices of a controversial welfare-to-work firm.

Workers at the offices of A4e were evacuated after the attack yesterday (Tuesday) afternoon.

It is believed one employee was the target and may have been sprayed with the human waste.

Witnesses described the substance as collected diarrhoea.

Police said they were alerted after a threatening phone call was made to the A4e office in Brighton.

“They came up to the second floor office with a barrel of shit and threw it,” an office worker who asked not to be named said.

Workers in other offices in the building were unable to leave after the incident.

“I was trying to leave the office and I was nearly sick because of the smell,” the office worker said.

A4e is a controversial welfare-to-work company.

They were employed by the Department for Work and Pensions to provide an employment and training scheme called Inspire to Aspire.

A4e took huge sums of public money until police were called in over concerns that staff were billing taxpayers for non-existent clients.

A whistleblower claimed forged signatures and blank timesheets were routine techniques used for bumping up the numbers of successful job placements.

The attacker was described as an older man with long hair and a grey beard.

A spokesman for Sussex police said: “A man was arrested on suspicion of criminal damage after he allegedly poured urine on an office floor in Brighton.

”Police were called to the office in Queens Road at 1.22pm on Tuesday (November 11) following a threatening phone call made to a member of staff.

“A 41-year-old man from Brighton remained in custody on Tuesday afternoon.”

ends

[butitdidntmake]

BBC California dreamin

This story hasn’t made anywhere. Amazed.

A group of top managers from cash strapped BBC News are spending two weeks in California thinking about the corporation’s future. Head of News James Harding and an undisclosed number of managers flew to Stanford near Palo Alto on Wednesday as part of the Future of News project. The corporation refused to say how many people were on the trip describing it as a small number. Rumours about the trip were greeted with despair at BBC News where more than 400 face redundancy next year. “Eyes rolled in the newsroom when we found out. "Lots and lots of shite happening in that place. "I just despair. "When we first heard a about it, the rumour was it was a month or more. "So two weeks seems almost reasonable by comparison. "Usual Management bollocks going on. "Nothing ever changes.” The California trip is scheduled to last just over two week but the BBC would not say exactly how long. A corporation spokesman said: “James Harding will be visiting Stanford for just over two weeks to meet media academics, industry experts and senior US journalists to understand developing trends in news and technology. "Stanford is hosting three seminars at which leading figures in the international media will share ideas. "We don’t comment on costs but we’ll have done everything possible to keep costs to a minimum. "James Harding is travelling on economy class flights and will stay in moderately priced accommodation.” The BBC paid more than £10,000 for James Harding and the director general to visit Asia in April. In a blog post, James Harding said: "The BBC’s Future of News project is intended to make sure that we look beyond our daily output to keep abreast of innovation and new ideas in the news business; it’s intended to help us articulate for ourselves a sense of where we’re going in what is obviously a very fast-moving world for news; and it’s intended to provide a menu of ideas for the BBC when we come to make the case for the renewal of the Royal Charter. "The aim, plainly, is not to provide a definitive or limited answer to the question of what will be the future of news. "Instead, we want to start a discussion – amongst ourselves, with our audiences, with people across the industry we work in. "Stanford University in California has kindly agreed to host us for two weeks, where we will hold a series of seminars, meet with some of the leading new media businesses, collate the interviews and information we have to date and set out a framework for the Future of News. "We will look to draw the ideas together in a first draft by Christmas.”

ends