March 2008 - Crime in the News

• Scarlett's body to return to UK

  The body of murdered Scarlett Keeling is due to be flown back to the UK after she was found raped and murdered in Goa. [31st March 2008]

• Police pursuit death

  A woman has died after a Mercedes, which was being persued by police, crashed into a car she was travelling in. [31st March 2008]

• Have Your Say

  The government are reviewing how crime and anti-social behaviour should be tackled in the UK. Fill out their online survey before 11th April to tell them your opinions.

• Teenage binge drinking linked to serious crimes

  A survey in the North-West of England has found that teenagers are drinking an average of 44 bottles of wine or 177 pints of beer each per year. [28th March 2008]

• Two teen stabbings in one day

  A 14-year old and a 17-year old were both stabbed to death in London yesterday in separate incidents. [28th March 2008]

• Paedophile hostel ban

  A ban on paedophiles being housed in hostels near schools has been criticised because it has led to some dangerous individuals being improperly monitored in the community.[28th March 2008]

• Crimestoppers Call Bureau reaches milestone

  Crimestoppers 24/7 Call Bureau took its 100,000th actionable call yesterday - less than three years after the 24-hour centre was opened. [27th March 2008]

• Teenage stab victim dies

  A teenager found on the street in Stamford Hill, having been stabbed, has died. [27th March 2008]

• Matalan killing: Man arrested

  A 26 year old has been arrested in Hackney over the murder of East London Matalan shop manager. [27th March 2008]

• Adult forces children to fight for camera

  Two boys were forced into punching, kicking and headbutting each other, while an adult filmed them and urged them to fight more violently. [27th March 2008]

• Children were pushed off balcony

  An eyewitnesses has said that she saw a man push his children off a balcony in Crete, before jumping himself. [27th March 2008]

• New evidence at Crete death inquest

  New evidence will be heard at an inquest, following the death of a six year old boy after his father jumped off a balcony with him in Crete. [26th March 2008]

• Teachers to be protected from cyber bullying

  Schools Secretary Ed Balls has said that cyber bullying of teachers should be a 'serious disciplinary offence'. [26th March 2008]

• Riskiest UK-burglary spots listed

  A survey has revealed that households in Nottingham are at the highest risk in the UK of being burgled, followed by London, Bristol and Stockport. [25th March 2008]

• Gun crime sentences criticised

  Merseyside's Chief Constable has accused some judges of giving lenient sentences for gun crimes. [25th March 2008]

• Matalan murderers: CCTV released

  CCTV footage of three men who are believed to have murdered an East London Matalan shop manager has been released. [25th March 2008]

• Crimestoppers denies Home Office grant axe

  In response to the article in the weekend's Sunday Express by Jason Groves, the Chief Executive of the charity Crimestoppers, Michael Laurie CBE, said that contrary to the claims of Mr Groves, he was very optimistic about the future of Crimestoppers. [23rd February 2008]

• Suffolk killer lodges appeal

  Steve Wright, who was jailed for life for murdering five prostitutes in February, has made an application to appeal against the convictions. [20th March 2008]

• Paedophile deported from Australia

  A paedophile, who was born in the UK but moved to Australia when he was five, has been deported back to England. [20th March 2008]

• Men arrested over Northern Bank robbery

  Two men have been arrested in connection with the Northern Bank robbery in Belfast in 2004. [20th March 2008]

• Weapon handover criticised

  An internal police report has highlighted failings in how weapons were handled when they were handed-in to North Wales Police. [19th March 2008]

• Student wanted in connection with death

  Police want to interview a student in connection with the death of Norwegian student, Martine Vik Magnussen, in London, whose body was found in a central London basement. [19th March 2008]

• 'Happy slapping' teenager prosecuted

  A 15-year old girl who filmed a man being kicked and punched to death has been sentenced to two years in jail. [19th March 2008]

• Donovan remanded over Shannon abduction

  After his court appearance today, Michael Donovan has been remanded in custody until 25th March. He's been charged with unlawful kidnap and imprisonment of Shannon Matthews. [18th March 2008]

• Man due in court for Shannon's abduction

  Michael Donovan, 39, is due in court in Dewsbury today charged with the kidnap and false imprisonment of nine year old Shannon Matthews. [18th March 2008]

• Young children to sign 'good behaviour' contracts

  Children as young as ten will be asked to sign 'good behaviour contracts' to prevent them from offending in the future, according to Children's Secretary Ed Balls. [18th March 2008]

• Shannon Matthews

  Since the safe rescue of missing schoolgirl Shannon Matthews last Friday, there have been a number of misleading reports in the media about the role of Crimestoppers and a delay in the police acting on information passed to us.

• Drug crime strategy criticised

  The UK Drug Policy Commission has criticised the current policy for tackling drug-related crime, as there is a lack of evidence about which strategies work. [17th March 2008]

• Cyclist murderer charged

  A woman has been charged with the murder of Rachel Jones, 26, who was cycling down a Liverpool road on Friday night. [17th March 2008]

• Headless body named as missing Hertfordshire man

  A headless and handless body found next to a garage block is believed to be that of a Hertfordshire traveller who was abducted. [17th March 2008]

• Missing schoolgirl found alive

  Shannon Matthews, the missing nine year old who went missing on 19th February in West Yorkshire, has been found alive. [14th March 2008]

• Pregnant woman's killer gets life

  The man who shot a 22-year old pregnant woman twice in the head will serve a minimum of 30 years in jail. [14th March 2008]

• 'Drowned' canoeist admits deception

  Canoeist John Darwin, who was presumed dead five years ago, has admitted to seven charges of obtaining cash by deception after he reappeared. [14th March 2008]

• Man questioned over Heathrow alert

  A man is being questioned after he ran towards the runway in Heathrow airport yesterday wearing a rucksack. [14th March 2008]

• Binge drinkers tackled in the Budget

  In the Budget, which was announced yesterday, it was announced that alcohol tax will go up by 6% above inflation. [13th March 2008]

• Children stopped at Heathrow carrying drugs

  Two Mexican children, who were travelling with their mother, have been stopped at Heathrow airport with £675,000 worth of drugs strapped to their legs. [13th March 2008]

• Goa teenager was drugged and sexually assaulted

  Police in Goa have revealed that Scarlett Keeling was drugged and sexually assaulted before she died. [13th March 2008]

• Chief Constable Michael Todd

  Crimestoppers is deeply saddened by the news of the tragic and untimely death of Greater Manchester Police, Chief Constable, Michael Todd. [12th March 2008]

• Credit card fraud increases to £535million

  There was a 25% increase in UK credit and debit card fraud last year, with losses reaching £535m, according to new figures published by the Association of Payment Clearing Services (Apacs). [12th March 2008]

• Teenager murdered in Liverpool

  A Somali teenager has died and another teenager left injured after a violent assault near Sefton Park on Monday night. [12th March 2008]

• Three guilty of murder in disturbed Kent burglary

  Two 19-year olds and a 16-year old have been found guilty of murdering a man, who disturbed them burgling his house in Whitstable. [12th March 2008]

• Rat poison wife in Cheltenham court

  A Gloucester woman has appeared in court, accused of putting rat poison into a fruitcake she made for her husband. [12th March 2008]

• Illegal forced marriages escalating

  A report has suggested that there may be thousands of illegal forced marriages in the UK each year. [11th March 2008]

• Islanders rally over child abuse handling

  Jersey residents held a rally on Saturday to demonstrate their concern over the child abuse allegations at the former children's home, Haut de la Garenne. [10th March 2008]

• Goa murderer in court

  The man suspected of raping and murdering a British teenager will appear in court today. [10th March 2008]

• Swans killed by young people in park

  A group of young people chased two young swans away from a lake before battering them to death with tree branches. [10th March 2008]

• Cotswolds crash - Appeal for information

  Detectives investigating a car crash in the Cotswolds, which killed seven people, are appealing for a tanker driver to come forward. [10th March 2008]

• Teen admits to park murder

  A 16-year old boy admitted to Preston Crown Court that he murdered a 20-year old woman in a Lancashire park last year. [10th March 2008]

• Child finds loaded gun

  An 11-year old boy found a loaded handgun in his West Midlands garden and fired it, thinking that it was a toy. [10th March 2008]

• Suspect didn't know pregnant woman was dead

  The man accused of murdering a pregnant woman on her doorstep has told the Old Bailey that he didn't know she was dead until he was arrested. [10th March 2008]

• Schoolgirl hurt in hit-and-run

  A 15-year old schoolgirl has been injured in a hit-and-run incident in Reading. [10th March 2008]

• Garages in St Ann's to be destroyed

  Garages on the St Ann's estate in Nottingham will be demolished to help reduce anti-social behaviour in the area. [10th March 2008]

• Mini-motos putting lives at risk in Leicester

  Leicester City Council's anti-social behaviour unit has been receiving complaints about gangs of mini-motorbike riders across the city. [10th March 2008]

• Extremist recruiter jailed

  The man who organised secret extremist training camps, which were attended by the four failed suicide bombers in 2005, has been jailed indefinitely. [7th March 2008]

• Arrest in Milly Dowler inquiry

  A man has been arrested for potentially disposing of a car linked to the Milly Dowler murder investigation. [7th March 2008]

• Four charged over park death

  Four people have been charged with the murder of Mohammed Raja Shariq, who was killed while trying to break up a fight in a Burnley park. [7th March 2008]

• Teenager charged with brick murder

  An 18-year old has been charged with the murder of a 16-year old boy, who was hit over the head with a brick. [7th March 2008]

• Renewed appeal over Hertfordshire abduction

  A photograph of a car from which a man was abducted on 29th February has been released, in the hope that someone with information will come forward. [7th March 2008]

• Essex criminal caught in Australia

  A Westcliff man who was sentenced to five years in jail fled to Australia in 2004. He's recently been arrested in Australia and flown back to the UK to face justice. [7th March 2008]

• ID card plans revealed

  Revised plans for rolling out ID cards across the UK wll be revealed today in a speech by Home Secretary Jacqui Smith. [6th March 2008]

• International child sex abuse ring smashed

  Eight British children aged between six and 14 years old have been rescued in the UK, some of whom were abused by their parents. [6th March 2008]

• Lancashire stab victim called police

  A man who was stabbed and killed in a Burnley park on Tuesday made a desperate call to the police minutes before. [6th March 2008]

• Celebrity drug use sends wrong message to young people

  The United Nations drugs watchdog has said that dealing too softly with celebrity drug-users sends out the wrong message to people, particularly young people. [5th March 2008]

• Man arrested for ticket touting

  A man has been arrested for fraud, ticket touting and money laundering after tickets from top football clubs have been sold at inflated prices through a website. [5th March 2008]

• Crime has fallen since 24-hour alcohol licensing

  Licensing Minister Gerry Sutcliffe has said that crime has fallen since 24-hour drinking laws were introduced, but there is a problem with alcohol-fuelled violence between 3-6am. [4th March 2008]

• Warning after attempted child abductions

  Parents and children are being warned after a girl was abducted and another girl was nearly abducted in Birmingham. [4th March 2008]

• 1,300 replica guns recovered

  Over 1,300 replica guns were recovered during the Metropolitan Police's gun surrender. [4th March 2008]

• Most Wanted sex offender caught

  A paedophile who appeard on Crimestoppers' Most Wanted website has been caught, after staff at a hostel on the Isle of Skye became suspicious of him. They looked up his name, 'Anthony Bird', on google, to find that he was on Crimestoppers' Most Wanted website as a wanted sex offender. [3rd March 2008]

• Terrorist prisoners link with prison gangs

  The increasing number of terrorist prisoners are linking up with existing gangs in British high-security prisons. [3rd March 2008]

• Two-strike rule for shops selling alcohol to young people

  Shops caught selling alcohol to under-18s could lose their license, in Gordon Brown's review of the Licensing Act, to be published this week. [3rd March 2008]

• Hoax caller claimed that people were dying in a fire

  A hoax caller sent three fire engines to an address in Runcorn, claiming that people were dying in a house fire. [19th March 2008]