Newsif Blog

Police are hunting a gang of crooks following a spate of bizarre portable toilet thefts during lockdown.  Inspector Rob Offord said the thefts have been carried out across Northamptonshire at random, with charities and building sites among those targeted.  He told a council meeting the force had nothing to go on - apart from the suspects had been mainly striking at night in unattended places without any CCTV. Officers have now advised portable toilet owners, or those hiring the toilets, to secretly mark them so they can be identified if stolen and later found. Inspector Rob Offord said the thefts have been carried out across Northamptonshire at random, with charities and building sites among those targeted. Pictured: Stock image Inspector Offord told a Kettering Town Forum meeting: 'It was found in Wellingborough back in August and months proceeding that there was a spate. 'All I can ask is the owners or people hiring them ensure there is some unique identification on them. 

The mother of a black teen shot dead by a cop was hospitalized with a suspected broken arm and a bleeding head when she and her daughters were arrested during protests after the officer was cleared of wrongdoing.  Alvin Cole, 17, was gunned down by Wauwatosa Police Officer Joseph Mensah outside a shopping mall in Wisconsin back on February 2. Mensah, who has killed three people in fatal shootings in the last five years, was cleared of all criminal charges Wednesday when Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm ruled the officer had acted in self defense. Cole's devastated mother Tracy Cole, 48, and two sisters Taleavia and Tristiana Cole were arrested Thursday night during protests that erupted in the city in the wake of the decision not to charge the cop. Disturbing footage surfaced on Facebook Live of Tracy's arrest showing the grieving mom screaming 'I cant believe y'all did this to me. Y'all killed my son' as cops appear to pull her from a car and ar

Staff tired of working from the confines of their home will be able to switch location after one pub offered workers the chance to rent a 'pub desk' at their venue. The Famers Arms in Goldcliffe, near Newport, South Wales, is offering workers the chance to book a three-hour time slot and work from its pub for the price of £10.  The slot, which includes a pub table to work on, Wifi, a power socket, unlimited tea or coffee and a sandwich, will also give workers the chance to have a socially distanced conversation with other pub-goers.  The pub's co-owner Craig Leith said: 'It makes sense. People are stuck at home day-in day-out in the same routine and their mental health is suffering. The Famers Arms in Goldcliffe, near Newport, South Wales, is offering staff working from home the chance to rent a table at their pub  The three-hour slot, which is being priced a t £10, includes a pub table to work on, Wifi, a power socket, unlimited tea or coffee and a sandwich. Pictured:

A teacher was left brain damaged and permanently disabled after a 'furious' attack by a pupil who battered her around the head with a mobile phone, a court has heard. Gillian Stephens was working as a safeguarding lead at Putteridge High School in Luton, Beds., when the violent assault happened. A female GCSE student who suffered from behavioural problems launched the beating on Mrs Stephens, using her mobile phone as a weapon to rain blows upon the teacher's head. Mrs Stephens has been left severely disabled since the attack on June 16, 2016, and has been unable to work since. Teacher Gillian Stephens was left brain damaged and permanently disabled after a 'furious' attack by a pupil who battered her around the head with a mobile phone, a court has heard And Luton Crown Court heard yesterday that at the time of the attack, Putteridge High School had no risk assessments to protect staff from violent pupils. The court heard that the school's board of governors ha

A Tesco shopper was left stunned after discovering the face of Donald Trump in her £4.60 frozen tuna steak.  Amanda Brewster, 36, did a double-take when she took her lunch out of the freezer and spotted the US President's fishy doppelganger staring back at her. The mother-of-two, from Houghton-le-Spring in Tyne and Wear, was stunned to find Mr Trump's uncanny likeness in her steak - including his trademark bouffant - but said that her version was much happier looking. Amanda Brewster, 36, was stunned to find the face of Donald Trump in her £4.60 Tesco tuna steak when she took her meal out of the freezer The mother-of-two was shocked by the steak's uncanny likeness to President Trump - even featuring his trademark bouffant After taking a quick photograph, the Trump look-alike was shoved in the oven and Ms Brewster enjoyed it on a bed of coconut rice.  Ms Brewster said: 'I fancied a tuna steak, took it out of the freezer, put it on the side and I thought 'oh my god th

A businessman accused of tax evasion was told Sir Philip Green would 'sort out' the BHS pension deficit before the tycoon sold it to him for £1, a court heard today. Dominic Chappell, 53, blames Sir Philip, 68, for the retailer's collapse and maintains he would have been able to pay his taxes 'had BHS not failed', jurors were told. Chappell allegedly cheated the taxman out of more than £600,000 after splurging on yachts, a Bentley Continental, Beretta guns and holidays in the Bahamas. The businessman acquired BHS through Retail Acquisitions Limited , a company he was on the board of directors for, Southwark Crown Court heard. Trevor Burke, defending, told the court that Chappell was not given access to the pension scheme until after the sale of the retailer. Dominic Chappell (left, outside Southwark Crown Court in London on Wednesday) blames Sir Philip Green (right, in London in 2014) for the collapse of department store chain BHS Jurors heard that he was subsequent

This is the moment a Sikh activist is fined £10,000 for breaching Covid regulations by organising a 4,000-strong protest in London to support Indian farmers. The dramatic moment two Metropolitan Police officers confronted protest organiser Depa Singh and hit him with the fine was captured on camera.  On camera Mr Singh, 39, says: 'For arranging a gathering under COVID restrictions, we're standing in solidarity with our farmers in Punjab, they fined me £10,000.' When a fellow protester asks the officers what is happening, one responds: 'We're not getting involved in talking to the press mate.'  Mr Singh had led the march in Southall, West London, along with a 100-vehicle convoy made up of tractors, trucks, vans and cars. Sikh activist Depa Singh is seen arguing with two police officers as they issue him with a fine  Mr Singh, 39, explains that he was given the £10,000 fixed penalty notice for organising a rally attended by 4,000 people and a convoy of 100 vehic

Northern Ireland's Deputy First Minister is self-isolating after a family member tested positive for Covid-19. Michelle O'Neill, who is being tested herself, will need to restrict her movements for two weeks and work remotely from her Co Tyrone home. It would only have potential self-isolating consequences for Ms O'Neill's Stormont colleagues if the Sinn Fein vice president tests positive for the virus. It comes as the Stormont Executive continues to grapple with high infection rates across the region. The Derry and Strabane Council districts are one of the worst hit areas in the UK and Ireland. Michelle O'Neill (pictured yesterday), who is being tested herself, will need to restrict her movements for two weeks and work remotely from her Co Tyrone home Ministers moved on Thursday to increase fines for non-compliance with Covid-19 regulations. The executive also extended the number of places where the wearing of face coverings will be compulsory. But the powersharing

This is the shocking moment a clubber who was denied entry returned carrying a kitchen knife and charged at the doorman shouting 'you're going to get it'.    Arvin Ramchurn, 42, chased doorman Colin Edwards through the foyer and into One O Four in Southampton, where revellers fled in terror. The footage was released after Ramchurn was given a suspended sentence, prompting him to grim as he walked from the court.    Arvin Ramchurn, 42, entering the club with a knife, and on the right smiling as he walked free from court  Prosecutor Simon Foster told Southampton Crown Court that Ramchurn had 'reacted aggressively' and hurled abuse Mr Edwards, 43, when he was refused entry. Ramchurn, of Southampton, reappeared half an hour later and pulled the large knife from a bag he had. He was arrested nearby and when officers checked his bag they found a meat cleaver and another black-handled knife. When questioned, he claimed he had been given the blades by 'some sort of s

A schoolboy who was shot in the face on his way into classes is no longer in a life-threatening condition. The 15-year-old boy had been fighting for life since being blasted with a shotgun at 8.40am on September 7 on the Grange Farm estate in Kesgrave, Suffolk. But police have now confirmed that his condition is 'stable' and no longer considered to be life-threatening. Another boy aged 15 from the Woodbridge area who is believed to be a former friend of the teenager has been charged with attempted murder. The injured boy was allegedly shot with a 12-gauge Beretta over-and-under shotgun after a confrontation.He was taken by air ambulance to Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, where he remains in intensive care with what are described as life-changing injuries. Suffolk Police revealed two weeks ago that he had regained consciousness for the first time since the shooting. Police were called to reports that a teenager had been shot on the Grange Farm housing estate A Suffolk Pol

The husband of a disability rights campaigner, who was found dead in her home, has pleaded not guilty to murdering his wife, a court has heard.  Jackie Hoadley, 58, was found bludgeoned to death at the family home in Eastbourne, East Sussex, in July. Her husband Ray, 62, was arrested an hour later at the residential care home where their two severely disabled children are cared for. He pleaded not guilty to her murder at Lewes Crown Court on Friday and is set to go on trial in January. Ray Hoadley (right, with wife and adopted children Matthew, 15, and Ellie, 8) has pleaded not guilty to the murder of his wife Jackie Hoadley, 58, Lewes Crown Court heard on Friday Mrs Hoadley is  a well-known disability rights campaigner who has raised petitions about the lack of available funding for basic needs. The couple shared two adopted children, Matthew, 15, and Ellie, 8, who both have complex disabilities. Hoadley, wearing a black sweatshirt and dark trousers, was read the murder charge and ask

A jealous girlfriend 'grinned' as she stabbed her partner to death in front of friends just weeks after biting his testicles in a  savage attack, a court heard.   Cordelia Farrell, 38, from Birmingham, is accused of murdering her partner Wayne Coventry, 36, in a violent rage after he was found dead at his brother's home in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, on October 14 last year.   Just weeks before the stabbing, Farrell had attacked Mr Coventry by dragging him around his flat by his testicles and biting his genitals, Worcester Crown Court heard. When she was arrested for the assault, the court heard she told police that one of them 'would end up dead'.   Wayne Coventry, 36, was found dead at his brother's home in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, on October 14 last year Jurors heard Mr Coventry and Farrell had been in a two-and-a-half year relationship which was described as 'toxic' and 'characterised by violence and jealousy'.  Dayfdd Enoch QC, prosecutin

A woman was fined £1,000 for going to the pub less than half an hour after being told to self-isolate by coronavirus contact tracers. She was told to isolate by a NHS Test and Trace official in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, but ignored the instructions and headed to a pub in a taxi 25 minutes later. Investigations were carried out by Test and Trace to confirm what had happened and the woman was handed the fine by police officers for her 'blatant breach'. The woman was told to isolate by a Test and Trace official in Barrow-in-Furness (file image) The woman, who was branded 'selfish' by a council chief, had been told she would need to isolate as she had been a close contact to a positive case. Cumbria Police Superintendent Carl Patrick said: 'This was a blatant breach and put all those this woman came into contact with at unnecessary risk. Covid-19 app's check-in feature is 'not expected to send out alerts frequently'  The effectiveness of England and Wales&

A 12-year-old girl turned to prostitution, drugs and alcohol after being removed from foster care and ending up homeless. The child's former foster mum has flagged concerns about the girl's descent into delinquency and youth crime on the Gold Coast since being removed from care. Alarm bells went off after the girl, who has been homeless for nearly a year, posted distressing messages on social media revealing she was suicidal. 'To all the f***ing people who say I am ugly and worthless and fat. I know I am,' one post reads. The 12-year-old girl, known only as 'L', has posted a series of disturbing messages about suicide after becoming homeless aged just 11 'When I die please don't come to my grave and tell me how much you miss me and love me because those are the exact things I wanted to hear when I was alive,' another reads. She also shared an acrostic poem spelling out the word 'suicide' including words like 'drowning', 'unimporta