Teenager jailed for stabbing 17-year-old to death over £90 bicycle

Teenager jailed for stabbing 17-year-old to death over £90 bicycle

Danny Drake, 16, must serve a minimum of 13 years for killing Alim Uddin and attempting to conceal the evidence

· Press Association

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· The Guardian, Tuesday 18 November 2014 14.58 GMT

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Alim Uddin, who was attacked after asking Danny Drake for his money back after he failed to deliver a bike. Photographs: Metropolitan police/PA

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· A 16-year-old who admitted stabbing another boy to death in a row over the sale of a £90 bicycle has been handed a life sentence.

· Danny Drake knifed Alim Uddin, 17, seven times at a block of flats in Brixton, south London, on 4 May.

· Alim had gone to meet Danny to ask for his money back after handing over £90 for a bike the defendant failed to deliver, the court heard.

· Danny, from south-west London, had denied murder but changed his plea to guilty on the second day of his Old Bailey trial after hearing the prosecution case against him.

· Sentencing him on Tuesday, Judge Stephen Kramer ordered Danny to serve a minimum of 13 years behind bars.

· Earlier, David Jeremy QC, prosecuting, told the court: “This defendant stabbed Alim Uddin to death. The reason, if there can be a reason, was that Alim Uddin had given the defendant £90 to buy a bicycle from him.

· “Danny Drake did not provide the bicycle and he did not give his cash back so the two of them arranged to meet so, as Alim Uddin understood it, he could be repaid. He was angry that the defendant had ripped him off. There were on both sides expressions of youthful bravado but nothing that suggested it would lead to a killing.

· “The friends of Alim Uddin described the two boys as being wary of each other but said Alim was not angry or expecting a fight. He just wanted his money back.”

· The victim went alone to meet Danny at Tilford House in Brixton, leaving his friends in a nearby park. Just before 5pm, a resident at the block of flats heard a thud and discovered Alim collapsed on his doorstep. The teenager was pronounced dead at King’s College hospital an hour later.

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Danny Drake. Friends of the teenagers said the pair had been wary of each other

· A postmortem examination found seven incised wounds – four to the front of his chest, one to his lower back, one to his shoulder and one to his thigh.

· Jeremy said: “The stab wounds suffered by Alim Uddin and the complete lack of injury suffered by the defendant paints a clear picture of how Alim Uddin came to his death.”

· After the murder, Danny tried to distance himself from what he had done, the court heard. He was caught on CCTV going home and then leaving a short time later carrying a bag and wearing a different top bound for a relative’s house in Tooting, south-west London.

· But when police searched his home, they discovered a blood-stained sweatshirt with DNA matching Alim’s on it, the jury was told. Danny had also taken clothes to a launderette in Tooting but, finding it closed, had soaked another top and a pair of jeans in the bath.

· Police found the clothes after they traced Danny to the second address, with a black bag that contained the murder weapon and the handle wrapped in a glove.

Robbers armed with guns or knives to receive longer sentences

Sentencing Council recommends increased punishment for those who use the weapons – or threaten to use them

· Owen Bowcott

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· The Guardian, Tuesday 21 October 2014

The new sentencing guidelines refer to the societal concern that knife crime is widespread: ‘Sentence levels must reflect the serious social problem of offenders carrying knives.’ Photograph: David Sillitoe for the Guardian

Violent robbers armed with knives or guns are likely to receive longer sentences in future under draft guidelines published on Tuesday.

Even muggers who threaten victims with a bladed weapon or imitation firearm will find themselves in the most serious category of offending when they come before the courts, according to recommendations by the Sentencing Council.

The proposals, contained in a consultation paper on expanded guidelines for robbery, also introduce punishment ranges of up 20 years for those responsible for multiple attacks on commercial premises.

Guidelines issued by the Sentencing Council for England and Wales do not alter the law but by setting out suggested ranges for offences ensure greater consistency across the courts and reflect shifts in public perceptions of crime.

Penalties for robbery have risen by around 20% since 2007, according to the council, in a period of heightened concern over fatal stabbings and knife crime. Street robberies account for nearly two-thirds of all robbery convictions.

“Sentence levels must reflect the serious social problem of offenders carrying knives,” the new guidelines state. “Even in cases where a knife is not produced, and indeed may not exist, if an offender threatens to use a knife the victim has every reason to believe the threat is real as there is societal concern that knife crime has become widespread. This is particularly true in street robberies.”

Any offence where a knife or gun is used – or their use is threatened – “will be considered to be the most serious in order to ensure the longest sentences are given to offenders who arm themselves with weapons,” the council proposes. Under existing guidance, use of a weapon does not automatically mean offenders are put in the top category of seriousness.

Judges are also urged to take into account the life-changing effect on victims of robberies who “may feel unable to continue to use public transport or walk home from school or work if that is where the offence occurred”.

The chairman of the Sentencing Council, Lord Justice Treacy, said: “Robberies can leave victims injured or traumatised as well as losing property, so we are ensuring that the full impact of these offences is at the forefront of judges’ considerations about the length of sentence a robber should get.

“Our proposals will give judges comprehensive guidance to help them sentence the great range of offenders who come before them, from a street mugger to gang members responsible for a major heist.”

Overall robbery has declined: the number of adults sentenced fell from around 5,500 in 2011 to 4,400 in 2013.

Revenge gang killed innocent man in bungled attack, court hears

Aytach Lisani stabbed Christopher Foster to death outside a pub in Borough, south London, in November last year

· Press Association

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· The Guardian, Wednesday 8 October 2014 13.52 BST

Five more men deny murdering Christopher Foster and are on trial at the Old Bailey.

A gang of hooded men wielding bats and a knife murdered a “totally innocent man” in a bungled revenge attack, a court has heard.

In a case of mistaken identity, Christopher Foster, 34, was stabbed in the back outside a pub in Borough, south London, on 29 November last year.

The attacker, Aytach Lisani, 33, has pleaded guilty to murdering the City porter and father of one. Five more men deny the charge and are on trial at the Old Bailey.

The court heard the group had mistaken Foster for a man called Harry Saunders, whom they believed was responsible for slashing the face of their friend Aydin Salih weeks before.

The prosecutor, David Fisher, told the jury: “On the evening of Friday 29 November last year Christopher Foster was standing with his friend Danny Murphy outside Saint Christopher’s Inn on Borough high street.

“They were having a last drink outside, as were a number of people. The atmosphere in the alleyway was good, but it was interrupted by a group of approximately seven men and a man named Aydin Salih.

“Faces obscured by hoods and scarves, their conduct was menacing, some were carrying bats and at least one knife.

“Christopher Foster had his back to the advancing group until, at the last moment, he turned.

“Danny Murphy believed there would be trouble, but had no idea why. They decided to go back inside the pub, but before they could do so Christopher Foster was stabbed once to the left side of his back, most probably from behind.

“Both men managed to enter the pub but Mr Foster had been seriously injured and collapsed.” He died in hospital an hour and a half later.

Fisher told the jury: “Christopher Foster had not said or done anything at all that could begin to explain why he was stabbed, and you may conclude that he was wrongly believed by a number of these defendants to be a man called Harry Saunders, who was in the same area as Mr Foster and had just weeks earlier apparently slashed the face of Aydin Salih.”

Salih was the cousin of Aytach Lisani, of south-east London, and an associate of others in the group, the court heard. Fisher said: “This was therefore a revenge attack on a man believed to be Harry Saunders, but who was in fact a totally innocent man and a stranger to most of the defendants, if not all of them.”

The attack stemmed from an incident on 20 September last year when Salih was treated at St Thomas’s hospital for a serious facial injury that needed stitches, the court heard. He refused, however, to co-operate with police or substantiate the fact that he had been attacked.

Instead, phone records showed that he contacted Aytach Lisani who in turn phoned his brother Ali Lisani, jurors were told. Meanwhile, Harry Saunders was in custody between 9 and 25 October last year, the court heard.

Billy Dove, 30; Ricky Huggins, 29; Rocky Djelal, 34; and Ali Lisani, 38; all of south-east London, deny murder along with Mohmmed Aalamani, 28, of east London. Michael Gore, 55, and Joanna Stevens, 33, of south-east London, deny perverting the course of justice.

The trial continues.

Man 'wielding knife' shot dead by police in London

Death of suspect, who was reportedly threatening woman, marks first fatal shooting by Met since that of Mark Duggan

· Vikram Dodd and Matthew Weaver

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· The Guardian, Friday 5 September 2014 19.58 BST

Forensic investigators prepare to examine a property in Islington, north London, where police officers shot dead an armed man. Photograph: Oli Scarff/Getty Images

Armed officers shot and killed a man on Friday who they said had broken into a house and threatened a woman with a knife.

It was the first fatal shooting by Metropolitan police officers since that ofMark Duggan in August 2011 which led to the worst riots in modern English history.

The death followed an apparent standoff, with bullets fired by police hitting the man inside the house in Islington, north London. The 40-year-old died after multiple shots were fired. One witness described hearing one shot, then a pause, then four more fired in quick succession.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission is investigating. The IPCC is expected to treat officers as witnesses rather than suspects as investigators try to establish the sequence of events that led to officers opening fire, and their belief they had no choice because the life of the woman, themselves or their colleagues, was in imminent danger from the suspect.

In a statement Met police commander Neil Basu said officers were called on Thursday to reports of a man breaking into a house, and arrived at 11.19pm to find a man threatening a woman with a knife.

A police negotiator was sent to the scene. Police policy is to resolve such incidents peacefully and wait it out unless a threat to life emerges.

Basu said officers believe "the man and woman were known to each other – at this stage we cannot confirm the exact relationship".

Just before 1am on Fridayafter a standoff of about 90 minutes, armed officers opened fire.

For officers to open fire lawfully they must have an honest belief that a suspect is threatening someone's life.

Police would not say if officers stormed the house, referring questions about the incident to the IPCC.

Basu said the woman, who locals said was younger than the man alleged to have broken into her home, was uninjured but left in shock.

Police said the suspect died at 1.20am while on his way to hospital. "The man's next of kin have yet to be informed – at this stage all I will confirm is that he is a 40-year-old black man, thought to be born in Islington," Basu said.

Michaela Fox, 38, heard the shots from inside her home 100 yards away. She said she heard five shots. After the first there was a short pause, with the next four being fired in rapid succession: "My neighbour asked if the bangs were fireworks. I said no."

Lyssa Barber, a neighbour who works in the City, said: "I was woken up to shouts and immediately afterwards to what sounded like four or five bangs. They were gunshots. I think I heard five gunshots, but a gunshot in real life doesn't sound like it does on TV. It sounded like loud bangs on a door. Bang, bang, bang. Then I realised, if it's somebody banging on the door, why can I hear it?

"We saw the ambulance and police. There were eight police vehicles I could see from my window, and I saw five armed officers.

"The ambulance arrived as I was looking out of my window. Police came out of the house. We could see someone being led away. I'm fairly sure they were wearing pink and had to be supported by officers."

At the scene forensic examiners continued their work. Witnesses differ in their recall of the number of shots fired, with accounts varying from three to 10.

Theresa May moves to give police powers to identify internet users

Lib Dems welcome plan to force internet service providers to keep details linking IP addresses to individuals

· Press Association

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· theguardian.com, Sunday 23 November 2014 06.35 GMT

· Jump to comments (588)

Theresa May Photograph: Oli Scarff/PA

Police are to get powers to force internet firms to hand over details linked to IP addresses in order to help them help identify criminal suspects online.

The anti-terrorism and security bill will oblige internet service providers (ISPs) to retain information linking IP (Internet Protocol) addresses to individual users.

The home secretary, Theresa May, said the measure would boost national security – but again complained that Liberal Democrats were blocking further steps.

“Loss of the capabilities on which we have always relied is the great danger we face,” May said. “The bill provides the opportunity to resolve the very real problems that exist around IP resolution and is a step in the right direction towards bridging the overall communications data capability gap.

“But I believe we need to make further changes to the law.

“It is a matter of national security and we must keep on making the case for the communications data bill until we get the changes we need.”

However, the Lib Dems insisted that the communications data bill – branded the “snooper’s charter” – was “dead and buried”.

The party also stressed that the deputy prime minister, Nick Clegg, had been calling for the IP measures since spring 2013.

“It is good news that the Home Office has finally got round to producing proposals on this after being repeatedly asked by Nick Clegg. These can now be agreed and acted on in the upcoming Bill,” a Lib Dem spokesman said.

“This is exactly the kind of thing that we need to take action on, rather than proposing an unnecessary, unworkable and disproportionate snooper’s charter. There is absolutely no chance of that illiberal bill coming back under the coalition government - it’s dead and buried.

“The issue of IP address matching only resurfaced as a result of deeply misleading claims made in Theresa May’s conference speech. That is what has prompted the Home Office to stop sitting on their hands.”

Emma Carr, director of campaign group Big Brother Watch, said: “It is perfectly reasonable that powers to provide the police with the ability to match an IP address to the person using that service is investigated.

“However, if such a power is required, then it should be subject to the widespread consultation and comprehensive scrutiny that has been sorely lacking to date with industry, civil society and the wider public when it comes to introducing new surveillance powers.

“Before setting her sights on reviving the snooper’s charter, the home secretary should address the fact that one of the biggest challenges facing the police is making use of the huge volume of data that is already available, including data from social media and internet companies. The snooper’s charter would not have addressed this, while diverting billions from investing in skills and training for the police.”

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