The Modern Day Scourge Of The 'Influencer'

An influencer has been charged after allegedly headbutting a charity worker who refused to let him film himself handing food to the homeless. The incident, which happened at Homeless Project Scotland's Glassford Street shelter on Thursday just after 11pm, saw an influencer allegedly turn violent after his request for a photo opportunity was refused.

These young folk, with their TikToks, eh?  

A 49-year-old man was arrested at the scene at 11.38pm and then charged in connection to the alleged incident. He will appear in court at a later date.

Isn't that a bit old to be an influencer?  

It is not known who the 49-year-old influencer is, but it is understood that he was staying at the House of Gods Hotel in Glasgow, where rooms start from about £150 per night. The charity claimed that House of Gods hotel staff attended the scene and asked their guest to return.

Wow, that's good hotel service if it includes negotiating a way out of chokey for you!  

Remember When Newspapers Felt A Duty To Inform Their Readership?

A 51-year-old Suffolk woman's appeal against an 18 month ban for drink driving has been upheld at Ipswich Crown Court.

Oh?  They are usually pretty open and shut - what grounds was her appeal made on?

Nicola Charalambous, of Folly Road, Mildenhall had been found guilty of drink driving and driving without due care and attention at Suffolk Magistrates' Court on Wednesday, October 8.However, at an appeal hearing on Friday (February 6), prosecutors withdrew their evidence against her meaning she has been cleared of the charges and her driving ban has been overturned.

 Hmm, suspicious, or what? Shame there's no...oh, what did they used to call them...*snaps fingers...* reporters, that was it! to tell us. 

In addition to being disqualified from driving for 18 months, Charalambous was also fined £180 and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £144, plus £650 in costs.

Does she get those refunded? We shall never know, if we rely on local newspapers...

H/T : Dave Ward via email

Another Day, Another Murderous 'Child'...

Referring to what might have led to the death of Ms Bednarczyk, Mr Skinner added: 'The sad truth is we may never know - but we don't need to know - what brought about this situation.

'Difficult as it may be to accept, this killing is nothing to do with her (the girl's) mental health - as much as we all might want the comfort of seeking to say to ourselves that mental health and diminished responsibility explains what she did. 'Why do I say this? Because of the evidence of her premeditation – I have told you about the research she was doing - because of the evidence of her lies, and because of the evidence of respected and experienced medical professionals who say she did not have an abnormality of mental function which gives rise to the defence of diminished responsibility.

And yet, despite all this, she is still accorded accommodations due to her status as a 'child' by the justice system: 

Because of the girl's age, she is sat on the back row of the court benches accompanied by an intermediary and her social worker instead of in the glass-panelled dock. Neither judge Mrs Justice Tipples nor any of the barristers in the case are wearing gowns or wigs, and jurors have been told the sitting hours will mirror those of a school day.

But the odd part about this story is what happened after she was picked up by the police close to the ctime scene:

The teenager was taken to hospital, where she was seen smiling by a police officer and a nurse and did not appear to be 'confused or responding to voices telling her what to do', the court heard. Mr Skinner added that the girl asked for her mobile phone to be returned to her, and started sending text messages to her friends 'about what she said had happened'.

Isn't securing a suspect's phone SOP for police these days? Frankly this is the sole astounding thing about this story!  

That Familiar Feeling....

 Saw this in the 'Mail' and had a strong feeling of deja vu:

The fire brigade rushed to a flat on Barking Road, Upton Park, in Newham, at around 1.20pm on Tuesday after two adults and two children complained about 'a smell of chemicals'.The cause of the incident is not yet clear, but it is now subject to investigation by the Metropolitan Police and London Fire Brigade.

A council spokesperson added: 'Details about the exact nature of the incident are not yet clear and the Metropolitan Police will remain on the scene as the investigation progresses.'

Speculation in the comments to the article centres on mixing over-the-counter-cleaning-chemicals, but the combination of death plus notoriously Third World-colonised area reminded me of another at first 'mysterious' death... 

Time will no doubt tell...

This Was Inevitable, Wasn't It?

A transgender woman has been accused of sexual assault after she 'concealed male genitalia' during a night with a Snapchat date. Paul Reid, prosecuting, told Teesside Crown Court that Watkin performed sex acts on the man after he arrived at a house in Thornaby, north Yorkshire, a number of years ago.

The MSM still ‘respecting pronouns’ of these transcultists, even as they stand in the dock. Why?  

The prosecutor then told the jury that Watkin later contacted her date to reveal 'a massive secret.' Messages sent between the two were read out to the jury. When the alleged victim asked if the secret was that she was pregnant, Watkin replied: 'I'm trans. I'm sorry I didn't tell you.' The man messaged: 'WTF. So you have a d***?' before repeating his question. Watkin added: 'That's why I haven't s****** you.'

A clear case of sex by deception, brought in by progressive lawmakers who must surely have realised this was likely to snare unintended consequences in the net, unless they are even more stupid than I thought possible.

'The defendant had concealed from the man that she had a penis, during their brief relationship,' Mr Reid told the jury.

If it had a dick, it wasn’t a chick, MSM. 

'The man told the police that if he had known Watkin was transgender, he would not have consented. He said: "I don't swing that way."'

Oh, if only there hade been some clue when you met IRL

                                                             The awesome power of filters 

And that’s not the most surprising thing about this story: 

Watkin, of Thornaby, denies two counts of sexual assault and one count of sexual assault by penetration.

Do they mean ‘rape’ ? That would be the more normal charge, but since that’s an act that under UK law can only be carried out by a male, are they manipulating the charges to attempt to maintain a fiction?  

Why Isn't This A Bigger News Story?

Hertfordshire Police were called to Cowley Hill in Borehamwood at about 12:15 BST on Saturday, and a 100m (328 ft) cordon was put in place, with some nearby homes evacuated.

 

Unlike most such stories, there turned out to be something to it:

Controlled explosions took place following an assessment by the explosive ordnance disposal unit.

some on social media suggesting these were car bombs, not seen on the mainland since the IRA days: 

 The force said a 38-year-old man from Edgware, London, and a woman aged 38 from Borehamwood had been arrested in connection with the incident and were in custody. Police said they believed it was a "targeted attack on the victim" which had "caused a lot of concern in the local community".

The victim isn’t named either. Maybe when the accused are charged and the names revealed the MSM will take more notice. It finally made the 'Mail' on Saturday, but very, very far down the screen.... 

Robert Kovacs, 38, of Edgware, has since been charged with attempted murder, making an explosive substance with intent to endanger life / injure property and doing an act with intent to cause an explosion likely to endanger life / injure property.

Curious case. 

H/T: LisaJG via Twitter

Where's The 'Mystery' Here?

                         

It can only be the identity of the driver, since the story itself holds many clues on why it happened:

Jacob Calland was riding an e-scooter with a friend before it collided with a car in Wythenshawe, Manchester, back in March.

 Illegal scooter, ridden unsafely...

Carly described her son as "very loving, headstrong, and a cheeky chappy".

Translation: A feral nightmare in the neighbourhood.

"He knew what he wanted in life and he was always going to go for it," she said.

 So, a typical modern teenager, brimming with undeserved self-esteem and indulged in this attitude by his family (and by family, it seems the only one eager to ralk to the press is the mother, there's no mention of a father, which could be another clue)

In conversations with Jacob, the mum said she had warned him not to get on e-bikes or electric scooters, because "he didn't have road sense on his feet never mind on something as powerful as these things".

 Another hallmark of the modern teenager, the lack of concept of personal danger. So there's very little mystery here, I feel as if this is a story I've read time and again. Of course, it wouldn't be a modern tale of woe without a demand for someone else to DO SOMETHING! And so, right on cue:

Carly has now called for stricter regulations and safety measures for e-scooters and said "if I can save one life it is going to be worth it".

 Not if its the sort of life this waste of oxygen was living...

Alongside her calls for e-scooter licences and a ban on their sale to children, Carly wants to see more safety equipment on the vehicles. She said: "When we get in a car we have to wear a seat belt. Why when they get on the e-scooters do they just get to go on them with no helmets [and] no safety equipment?"

This little shit clearly ignored all the existing legislation governing these machines, what good would even more have done?

Carly also wants stricter punishments for those breaching e-scooter laws. The heartbroken mum said: "You think it is never going to be you. I thought the same. I never thought that my son was going to die on an e-scooter.

It would appear you never thought, full stop. And you appear to have passed that trait on to your offspring. 

Only An ‘Alleged’ Attack?

 I often use the tag 'puzzling news items' as a sarcastic one, but this seems a genuine story for it.

Members of a Dundee community have gathered in a pub close to where a scientist was allegedly fatally attacked to raise money for her grieving family and “honour her name and her life”. Dr Fortune Gomo, 39, died after suffering injuries near her home in the city on the afternoon of Saturday, July 5.

Asked about the reasons for the level of support from the community, Mr Crawford explained that people had been “shocked” by the news of the alleged attack, and had wanted to show Dundee is “full of love”.

There's no quote from local police - is this even being investigated?  I had to Google, and yes, they've got someone for it - but it's not mentioned in this article, and despite being in the BBC News site, thete isn't even a link to it in this story:

A 20-year-old man accused of murdering a scientist by stabbing her on a street in Dundee has appeared in court for the second time. Dr Fortune Gomo, 39, was treated by paramedics but died in South Road, in the city's Lochee area on 5 July. 

Kyler Rattray, from Dundee, made no plea and was remanded in custody when he appeared via videolink at Dundee Sheriff Court.Mr Rattray was fully committed for trial and the case will call again at a later date.

What could be the reason for the BBC's desire to conceal details of a potential murderer? 

Remember This One?

The son of a woman killed in an XL bully attack in Hornchurch will face trial...

Oh? And why, exactly? We were told way back when this happened they were her own dogs! 

Could it be the authorities lied? Again?

...accused of neglecting the two dogs prior to her death.

Yes Reader, you read that right. Charges under animal cruelty legislation, not for the death of his mother...

It is alleged that Mr Mahal allowed the two XL bullies, named Scarface and Bella, to suffer with conditions noted by the vet during an examination.

Charming names. 

Mr Mahal is also charged with possession of a fighting dog, Scarface. Mr Mahal, of no fixed address, appeared at Willesden Magistrates’ Court on Thursday (March 6).

And to prove I hadn't simply imagined it:

At the time of Ms Mahal’s death police said the two XL bullies at her home belonged to her and were registered in line with the new requirements after the dog breed was added to the banned list for England and Wales last year.

Can't wait to see what the trial reveals! 

It's Not Often These Days That Newspapers Teach You Anything....

...so I really have to applaud the 'Guardian' here for shining a light on, well, read on:

“We did not come here to break any laws. By accident and stupidity we did,” says Lornoy David, one of the Belgian smugglers.

Ah, here we go, the age old story of swarthy foreign men approaching naive tourists to smuggle drugs... 

The cargo, which two Belgian teenagers had apparently intended to ship to exotic pet markets in Europe and Asia, was ants. Their enclosures were a mixture of test tubes and syringes containing cotton wool – environments that authorities say would keep the insects alive for weeks.

Oh! Well, that was unexpected! 

The cases have shed new light on booming global ant trade – and what authorities say is a growing trend of trafficking “less conspicuous” creatures. These crimes represent “a shift in trafficking trends – from iconic large mammals to lesser-known yet ecologically critical species”, says a KWS statement.

Who are coincidentally easier to smaggle.But why is there a black market in ant anyway? 

The seized species include Messor cephalotes, a large red harvester ant native to east Africa. Queens of the species grow to about 20-24mm long, and the ant sales website Ants R Us describes them as “many people’s dream species”, selling them for £99 per colony. The ants are prized by collectors for their unique behaviours and complex colony-building skills, “traits that make them popular in exotic pet circles, where they are kept in specialised habitats known as formicariums”, KWS says.

Oh, well, everyone has to have a hobby, I guess.  

One online ant vendor, who asked not to be named, says the market is thriving, and there has been a growth in ant-keeping shows, where enthusiasts meet to compare housing and species details. “Sales volumes have grown almost every year. There are more ant vendors than before, and prices have become more competitive,” he says.

“In today’s world, where most people live fast-paced, tech-driven lives, many are disconnected from themselves and their environment. Watching ants in a formicarium can be surprisingly therapeutic,” he says.

Millennials..! *rolls eyes* 

Here, We Appear To Have Schrödinger's XL Bully....

A girl taken to hospital with puncture wounds from a dog bite was attacked by a "potential XL bully type dog," police have said.

Only a 'potential' one? Why haven't the police determined if it was or not? 

She was bitten outside a shop in the Trebanog area of Rhondda Cynon Taf on 7 April, according to South Wales Police, who added her wounds were not life-changing.

Wales! Again! What is it with the Welsh and vicious dogs? But back to that 'potential' report...

The dog was destroyed before officers were able to confirm if it was an XL bully, the force explained.

By whom? The owner? Well, surely the vet can be questioned and the corpse seized? 

Nothing To Worry About, Just Go About Your Lives!

Police were called to a property on the A259 Marina in St Leonards on Thursday (March 20) following concerns over suspected chemicals found at the address. A section of the road was closed, and nearby homes were evacuated. More than 500 cannisters of chemicals were found inside the property, which have now been desensitised and disposed of safely. This included an additional 30 vessels of unidentified substances which are currently being tested.

So, terrorism? *laughs* Of course not! 

A 28-year-old man was arrested and has been detained under the Mental Health Act.

And the police do their best to reassure the population they are on top of things: 

Detective Superintendent Steve May said: “This has been a challenging few days for all involved, particularly those residents evacuated from their homes, and I would like to thank the public for their patience and support during this operation.

“We are doing all we can, with our partners, to bring this incident to a safe resolution and return the area to normality. I am confident the end is now well within sight.

“We are aware of speculation among the public around the full circumstances of this incident, and I would like to reiterate that, at this time, there is nothing to suggest any sinister motivation from the individual who has been detained, nor any ongoing risk to the public.

“There is currently no evidence to suggest any links to terror, extremist ideology or large-scale drug production.

Not really sure what that leaves, DS May.... 

Step Aside, Dallas Police*!

There's a new bunch of legendary incompetents in town!

Police initially said the couple's German Shepherd named Bear was found dead in its kennel inside the home, but the pup was actually alive and healthy at a pet daycare center in Santa Fe along with their other dog Nikita, a seven-year-old Akita-shepherd mix, according to USA Today.

And that also turns out to have been misinformation, with the New Mexico cops now admitting they aere running around at the house. 

The dog that was actually found dead in the home with the couple was Zinna, their 12-year-old reddish Australian Kelpie mixed breed, Sherry Gaber, a friend of the couple, told the outlet. Gaber, an animal chiropractor, was already thrown off by the news of Hackman and Arakawa's deaths, but when she heard about Bear, she couldn't wrap her head around it.

None of us can... 

It is unclear how the deceased dog was misidentified, but a spokeswoman with the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office told the outlet she wasn't aware of the mix-up.

It's pretty clear, actually - the New Maxico Police Farce is staffed with incompetents. 

Two days after the couple were found police announced that they believe the Oscar-winner died on February 17, after finding that was the day his pacemaker stopped recording his heartbeat. Police saw no signs of foul play but are also investigating the deaths as potentially suspicious. The case is shrouded in the kind of intrigue reserved for Hackman's detective thriller novels and has garnered international attention - with many wondering how their deaths went unnoticed for so long.

An ignominious end for a great artist. One wonders how his family can live with themselves. 

* to explain the title, it comes from a passage in Stephen King's 'The Tommyknockers'. To describe police incompetence.

Can We Have Some Accuracy In Headlines?

A far more accurate headline would read 'Woman is killed after veering onto the opposite side of the road and straight into a stationary double-decker bus'

Police have appealed for witnesses and dashcam footage to work out how the collision happened.

Blimey, it doesn't take Sherlock Holmes, does it, fellers? 

I Think He's Already Established His 'Level Of Dangerousness'...

This is the terrifying moment a record store owner keels over and almost dies in the street after an anaesthetic nurse jabs him with a deadly drug in a 'motiveless' attack. In shocking footage, Gary Lewis is shown sliding off a chair outside his shop, Betterdaze, before being helped into the recovery position by police officers. The video was taken shortly after he was injected with a dose of rocuronium by Darren Harris, 57, who has now been found guilty of attempted murder.

It's a pretty baffling crime, seemingly stemming from nothing. The defence tried a tactic of 'they had a falling out over selling some records' yet could produce no evidence this actually happened.  

Today, Harris's 79-year-old father Kenneth told MailOnline of his shock about his son's bizarre attack, saying: 'Whatever has happened is out of order, it's just not him.' He told of how Harris and his wife were looking forward to their retirement after his son had worked his way up to become an anaesthetic nurse from a hospital porter.

*boggle* 

Harris's stepmother and Kenneth's wife, Brenda Cahill, 79, says her daughter thinks he may have been having a psychotic episode when he carried out the attack.

Ya think!? But this was clearly well planned, not a spur of the moment episode of madness and loss of control.... 

Police bodycam also captures the moment Harris was arrested - and his shocking refusal to tell police what was in the syringe he used to attack Mr Lewis.

He should get longer for that alone. 

Harris, who was today convicted of attempted murder, ambushed his victim on July 2 in Northallerton after prowling outside Mr Lewis's shop. The jury at Leeds Crown Court took less than two hours to find him guilty of attempted murder.

Two hours? The tea and biscuits in the jury room must have been good... 

Sentencing was adjourned to assess Harris's level of 'dangerousness.'

Think that's pretty well established already. 

“The thing just collapsed. We don’t know why.”

Rabon said authorities were investigating a “catastrophic failure” of an aluminum dock gangway that sent at least 20 people plunging into the water.

“It is a structural failure,” Rabon said at a news conference Sunday. “There should be very, very little maintenance to an aluminum gangway like that, but we’ll see what the investigation unfolds.”

A team of engineers and construction specialists planned to be on site early Sunday to begin investigating why the walkway – installed in 2021 – failed, Jones said.

I wonder.... 

Joe Biden said federal officials were ready to provide any assistance needed. “What should have been a joyous celebration of Gullah-Geechee culture and history instead turned into tragedy and devastation,” the president said in a statement. “Jill and I mourn those who lost their lives, and we pray for the injured and anyone still missing. We are also grateful to the first responders at the scene.”

Anyone wondering what 'Gullah-Geechee culture' means (who hasn't watched Kardea Brown's cookery show on the Food Channel), wonder no more: 

Small communities descended from enslaved island populations in the south – known as Gullah, or Geechee in Georgia – are scattered along the coast from North Carolina to Florida. Scholars say their separation from the mainland caused residents to retain much of their African heritage, from their unique dialect to skills and crafts such as cast-net fishing and weaving baskets.

Maybe their African heritage and skills at building bridges should have been sought? 

Pop Quiz! Literally…

A venue in Lincoln has apologised for the treatment of some male attendees at a planned concert by the Last Dinner Party – which the band ultimately cancelled shortly before show time due to illness. On X, one man wrote that on arriving at the Engine Shed, he was “funnelled into a dark corner with other men, told I might be a pervert cus I’m alone and then taken into a room alone with a security guard where I was interrogated and searched. Feel sick.” In subsequent comments, he said he had been asked what his favourite song by the British group was.Another man wrote: “I rocked up there tonight at 8.45 on my own, no queue, I got asked how long I had liked them for, and to name my favourite song. I thought it was a bit strange and the first time I’ve ever felt like I’m on mastermind to get into a gig. Now I’ve read this I understand why now.”

Well, it's more than I do! What a bizarre thing to ask. And why just ask men? 

In a statement posted to X, the Engine Shed said they were aware of reports online that the entry procedure that night “fell far short of our venue entry policy, which requires all attendees to be treated equally and subject to the same entry requirements”. It said that a preliminary investigation had shown that after security were told about incidents at previous gigs by the band, “the venue management team made an ad-hoc change” to policy.

I know this in the 'Guardian' and I shouldn't expect any journalism, but...what incidents? 

The Last Dinner Party posted a statement on Instagram saying that the policies were “created and enforced by the venue at their own discretion, and were not made in consultation with us.

“They do not reflect our beliefs and would not have been implemented had we been made aware of them in advance … Our shows are intended to be safe, welcoming spaes for everyone, which is something we deeply care about. Seeing inclusivity embraced by our fanbase is one of the best parts of performing live.”

I'm not a concert-goer, but I always thought for those who were, it was about the music.... 

If You Build It....They Might Not Come!

A box which appeared in the Chantry Centre months ago, but has remained empty, could finally be put to use. The large black box, outside Boots, has been vacant for months, but was initially installed to be used as a customer service point.

Before they realised that 'customer service' wasn't something they wanted to spend money on?  

This plan was not progressed with and questions have been raised about what it will be used for. 

 Answers on a postcard...

A council spokesperson said: “The pod was initially installed in the Chantry Centre to be used as customer service point. The pod has since attracted interest in being let out and documentation is currently being agreed between legal teams to progress this.

Giant aquarium? 

H/T: IanJ via email 

Should Have Been A Bit More Philosophical About It, Then...

Michael O’Neill, defending, told the court: ‘He is clearly an intelligent man.

‘I am instructed to move for bail. He is a man without any previous convictions and studies philosophy at university.’

Probably shouldn't have lost his temper at missing his train and shoved a woman onto the tracks then, should he?

Sheriff McCormick said: ‘You pushed a railway worker on to tracks at Queen Street station during a busy commuting time.

‘Standing the gravity and nature of the offence, it is unlikely there will be an alternative to custody.’

Why are you even looking for one? You should be looking at how you can recommend deportation back to the States.

She told him that the train had gone and he shouted: “Don’t you come near me, you made me miss my train.

“Don’t look at me you scumbag c***.”

Not the sort of foreign student we need more of here. What could have prompted such a vicious assault? Is there a clue in other, earlier news reports? 

A woman has been accused of pushing a railway worker on to train tracks.

Cheyenne Naeb, 26, allegedly assaulted the woman at Glasgow’s Queen Street station on February 1, 2023.

Court papers state Naeb, of Dundee, initially behaved in a threatening or abusive manner 

It is claimed that she shouted, swore and acted in aggressive manner. 

A mistaken report? Or another loco transgender suspect?

That Doesn’t Leave Much Else, Does It?

Police have today confirmed (Sunday) that there have been no updates since a container carrying organs was reportedly found four days ago in Sutton.

No, Reader, not the musical instruments...

Officers say the content in the container was described to either belong to a human or an animal.

Well, the detective powers of our police farces never cease to amaze me....