Man Denies Murdering Pregnant Ex

A man accused of murdering his heavily pregnant ex-girlfriend and causing the death of their unborn daughter, pleaded not guilty at the Old Bailey yesterday.

Tony McLernon, 23, of North Grove, Harlow, was remanded in custody until his trial at Chelmsford Crown Court on February 18 next year.

Appearing at court number one, dressed in a blue tracksuit top and jeans, McLernon only spoke to confirm his identity and enter his pleas during the thirteen-minute hearing.

He pleaded not guilty to murdering of 20-year-old Estyna Blunnie (pictured) and one count of child destruction on June 27.

Estyna, of Halling Hill, was found fatally injured on the roadside in Howard Way shortly before 3am on Wednesday, June 27.

She died from severe head injuries.

She was taken to Princess Alexandra Hospital but doctors were unable to save her or her unborn baby, who she planned to call Mia Rose.

Members of her family attended the Old Bailey, but did not sit in court because they are witnesses in the case.

One relative, who will not be giving evidence, was given permission by the judge to enter and listen to the proceedings.

Laptop Cocaine Smuggler Jailed

A South African cocaine smuggler – who had the drug sown onto her laptop case – is starting a fourteen-and-a-half year sentence after being caught at Gatwick Airport.

Claudia Yvonne Schade, 43, was sentenced shortly after her travel companion Susan Margaret Thompson, 63, of Albermarle Road, Beckenham was cleared of the same offence.

She denied, but was convicted at Croydon Crown Court of importing 6.46 kilos of cocaine on April 3 as she stepped off a flight from Trinidad and tobago.

“It was a very large and every expensive amount of cocaine,” the jury were told. “It was secreted in each of these defendants laptop cases.”

The laptop cases were in the women's suitcases and were searched by the UK Border Agency.

The court also heard in recent times Schade, a woman of previous good character, had travelled to Japan and made other international trips.

Islamic Tutor Cleared Of Groping Student

An Islamic teacher, accused of a sex attack on one of his female students in a public park, was cleared of the charge today after the trial judge ruled the complaint was motivated by religious tradition and custom rather than any sexual act.

Akram Almaged, 48, (pictured) of Orchard Close, Dollis Hill, denied sexually assaulting the 27 year-old woman in Fryent Country Park, Kingsbury on August 7, last year.

Harrow Crown Court heard ex-University of Tehran lecturer Almaged taught 18-20 students at his home, including the complainant, who arrived at the address with fruit and sweet meats on the day of the alleged assault.

They went for a walk and she told the jury she fainted four times as they strolled around the park and as she came around the first time she was lying on the ground with the defendant's jacket under her head.

She claimed he placed his hand on the upper part of the left-side of her chest and then caressed her lips, cheek and hair and in her original statement told police the defendant's palm was on her breast as he moved his other hand towards her hip.

The woman told police Almaged proposed marriage to her and told her: "I love you. You are good. Are you with me?"

She said she was "shocked" by the defendant's behaviour and walked in the opposite direction when he tried to intice her towards some bushes.

They returned to Almaged's address, where the woman said he demanded a photo of her and she felt obliged to hand one over just to get out of the house.

However, she returned that night for a lecture with other students and it took her six weeks to make a complaint to police after lengthy discussions with fellow members of her community.

Judge Jeremy Donne QC ordered the jury to return a not guilty verdict at the conclusion of the prosecution case, announcing: "It is all wrapped up in the individual's view of strict Islamic observance.

"I have had concerns about this case from a very early stage. This entire case takes place in the context of a defendant and complainant who are strict adherents to the Islamic religion."

Two fellow students also gave evidence against Almaged and the judge questioned their motivation.

"Much of the disapprobation towards this defendant that the witnesses have is the fact he was alone with this young woman and his admitted touching is simply viewed critically as trespassing Islamic borders."

Almaged told police he did hold the victim, but only because she was ill and tired and asking for help.

"Every time she asked for help I held her by the hand. If I had bad intentions I would have touched her in other places.

"I am really astonished by the entire story," he told officers.

Judge Donne added: "It is clear the complainant was in a confused and disorientated state on this day as illustrated by her repeated faintings.

"This is a case where it is not clear the touching can be viewed as sexual and it is my duty to remove this case from the jury. If I allow it to go to the jury there could be a miscarriage of justice."

Transexual's Home-Made Bomb Threat

A killer transexual - rejected by the Army as a bomb disposal expert years ago - was caught by police with home-made explosives after threatening to shoot herself.

Former prostitute Angie Dews, 43, - born Mark Camm - stabbed a client, who became her boyfriend, to death fifteen years ago and a murder charge was dropped on the grounds of diminished responsibility.

She pleaded guilty to three counts of making explosives at Southleigh Community Hospital, Brighton Road, Purley on or before January 18 and today received a two-year supervision order with a mental health treatment requirement.

The hospital had to be evacuated when police found the bombs and specialist officers confirmed they were viable explosive devises.

"It is apparent to me you were not thinking very clearly when you made these improvised devices at your home," Croydon Crown Court Judge Jeremy Gold QC told Dews. "

"Bearing in mind the sensitivity surrounding explosive devises it is not surprising your case has been treated as seriously as it has."

Dews, who received a hospital order without limit of time, at the Old Bailey in 1998 for the manslaughter of her partner has been in custody since her arrest.

"Despite that conviction, which is all in the past, it doesn't seem to me, providing you are subjected to a proper regime of treatment, that you are a risk to the community at large.

"You must not do this again, however desperate you are in your personal life," added Judge Gold.

Prosecutor Miss Shekinah Anson told the court: "The defendant telephoned her step-mother, saying she had made a gun, and was going to kill herself if she was not told she was loved by her step-mother.

"Her step-mother phoned the police and when officers went to the hospital on a welfare check they found the improvised explosive devices on a table in the defendant's room."

Dews had been under the supervision of Springfield Hospital's mental health team and a social worker since her release from a secure hospital on November 30, 2010.

She told police she built the IED's in response to her rejection from the armed forces in the 1990's, which destroyed her dream of becoming a bomb disposal expert.

Dews claimed she failed the exam by two questions and the Army interviewer told her she would never make it as a bomb specialist.

The construction of the bombs was an attempt to prove she was up the role.

Spit-Row Knifeman's Murder Bid

A car passenger, who plunged a knife into another man's heart over a remark made about spitting out of the vehicle's window, will be sentenced for attempted murder next month.

Joseph Dolan, 21, (pic.bottom) of Summerwood Road, Isleworth stabbed Lee Collins, 23, (pic.top) after the roadside incident in West London.

He was convicted at Isleworth Crown Court of attempting to murder Mr. Collins in Elmwood Avenue, Feltham on March 2.

During the trial the jury heard that at around 4.50pm Mr. Collins was standing with a group of friends next to his new car in a service road off Elmwood Avenue, when another car drove past.

Dolan, who was the front seat passenger, spat on the ground as he passed the victim's group and Mr. Collins made a comment towards Dolan.

Dolan's car stopped a short distance away and he got out and confronted Mr. Collins.

Standing face to face with the victim, Dolan asked “What did you say?” and without warning removed his right hand from his jacket and stabbed Mr. Collins in the left side of his chest, penetrating his heart.

He then turned and walked back to his car which drove off.

Mr. Collins was taken to St. Mary's Hospital where he underwent extensive treatment to the heart and brain.

He remained in a critical condition and was released from hospital on March 27, however he will have ongoing left sided body weakness for life and is highly likely to require further surgery.

Detective Chief Inspector Andy Manning said: : “Lee Collins' life was saved thanks only to the expert medical care provided by the emergency services.

“He received life changing injuries which will affect him for the remainder of his life.



“Dolan carried out a vicious and callous attack on Lee and his violent action has resulted in a lifetime of suffering for both Lee and his family.

“This conviction sends out a strong message to those who act in this mindless fashion, that the MPS will pursue you and put you before the courts, where justice will be served.” 

Thugs Jailed For Gun And Knife Robbery Of Young Mum

Two home invaders, who subjected a young mum and her toddler to a terrifying gun and knifepoint ordeal, have each been jailed for eight years.

They are: Olumide Buraimoh, 20, (pic.top) of Sceux Gardens, Camberwell and Sanchez Adams, 19, (pic.bottom) of nearby 
Knatchbull Road.

They had targetted a drug dealer, who shared the Herne Hill address with the 24 year-old woman and her 3 year-old daughter.

They were sentenced at Woolwich Crown Court for robbery and possession of a firearm, with intent to endanger life, at the property on September 24, last year.

Buraimoh and Adams arrived at the flat at around 2.00pm on the pretext of buying drugs from the dealer who also lived there.

Once inside, Adams pulled a gun and threatened to kill the woman and her child.

He struck the woman on the neck, while Buraimoh picked up the girl and took her to another part of the flat.

He then returned to the mother and held her down on the floor with a knife to her neck, whilst Adams ripped her watch from her wrist.

During the ordeal the woman heard shots being fired inside her flat and police later found evidence of gunfire, including a .32 inch calibre bullet which had been lodged in the front door.

Detective Inspector Raymond Keating, of the Trident South Shootings Team, said:

”It is due to the courage of this young woman giving evidence in court that these dangerous men have been convicted and sentenced.

“Everyone who worked on this case was struck not only by the unnecessary violence of this attack, but by the determination of the victim to see justice for herself and her three-year-old daughter.


“Trident officers have extensive experience of helping and protecting victims and witnesses who feel vulnerable, and this case illustrates how, with the help of the public, those who cause harm and misery in the community can be convicted and imprisoned.”

Cannabis Worth £47K In Family Hols Suitcases

An Edmonton mother-of-two, who smuggled £47,000 worth of cannabis through Gatwick Airport after a Caribbean holiday, has been told she will be going to prison.

Judian Lindsay-Smith, 34, of St. Joseph's Road posed as an innocent tourist returning from Jamaica with her children, aged 14 and 8, but was carrying 34lbs of the drug.

She denied, but was convicted at Croydon Crown Court (pictured) of importing cannabis at the airport on February 20 and will be sentenced on October 19.

“I want you to be in no doubt whatsoever that the sentence will be one of imprisonment,” Judge Shani Barnes told Lindsay-Smith today, bailing her for a pre-sentence report.

The court heard UK Border Agency staff were monitoring baggage as it was unloaded from the kingston flight.

A black suitcase bearing the defendant's address was checked and contained 17lbs of herbal cannabis wrapped in foil.

A brown suitcase, which also had the same address, was searched and another 17lbs of the drug was inside.

Officers observed as Lindsay-Smith's teenage son collected the suitcases and the family tried to depart via the 'nothing to declare' channel.

They were stopped and the defendant claimed she had only visited Jamaica to see her elderly grandmother, who had suffered a stroke eighteen months earlier.

She had spent eight days abroad and denied knowing there was cannabis in both her suitcases, later denying they were her suitcases at all.

The jury were also told each bag weighed 17lbs less on departure than when Lindsay-Smith returned.

Priest Wanted By Police For Sex Crimes

A priest is on the run from police after he was arrested for old sexual abuse allegations made by an ex-pupil at a West london school.

Laurence Soper, 68, (pictured) is believed to have fled to the continent – probably Italy - and is also known by his birth name, Andrew Charles Kingston Soper.

He was originally arrested in October, 2010 after a man in his forties – who attended St. Benedict's School, Ealing as a child – made a statement to police four months earlier.

Officers from the Met's Child Abuse Investigation Team bailed Father Soper to return to a West london police station in March, 2011, but he failed to appear.

Officers have made extensive enquiries to trace him without success and a European Arrest Warrant for his arrest has been obtained.

Police
are appealing for anyone who may know of his whereabouts to make contact on 020 8246 1901.

If you wish to remain anonymous call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. 



Star Banned For Riding Moped Uninsured

Comedian and Hollywood actor Omid Djalili was fined £2,900 and hit with a six-month driving ban today for riding his three-wheel moped uninsured and with an expired licence.

The face of Moneysupermarket.com has now clocked up a whopping thirty-six penalty points for driving offences and owes approximately another £3,000 in fines and court costs he claims to know nothing about.

Gladiator and Pirates of the Caribbean star Djalili, 46, (pictured outside court) of Sheen Lane, East Sheen  argued he needed to keep his licence to avoid fanatics, who have issued death threats, and abusive passengers on public transport.

The father-of-three denied, but was convicted at City of London Magistrates' Court of riding his Piaggio MP3 without insurance and not in accordance with a licence in Grosvenor Road, Pimlico on May 4.

He was fined £2,000 and given six penalty points for driving without insurance and fined £700 for the licence offence and ordered to pay £600 costs and a £15 victim surcharge.

Djalili admitted illegally riding his moped in a cycle-only superhighway lane while travelling to the Vaudeville Theatre, where he was starring in Joe Orton's 'What The Butler Saw' and was fined an additional £200.

Police Sergeant Simon Rhodes told the court: "I was drawn to the speed, which I deemed to be over thirty miles per hour. The vehicle then pulled into the cycle lane and undertook six vehicles."

The officer impounded the scooter because Djalili's licence had passed the twelve penalty point threshold, rendering his insurance invalid, and it took the entertainer two weeks to get it back.

"I had absolutely no idea I had these points on my licence, I never received anything," Djalili told the court. Maybe I was on tour at the time doing stand-up comedy. I have never received anything about these court cases."

Djalili has five previous offences of failing to inform who was in charge of his Lexus car and Piaggio moped when caught on London traffic cameras either speeding, jumping red lights or breaching other road laws.

"These points will be contested and I am in the process of appealing," said Djalili, who has instructed celebrity law firm Freeman and Co.

Claiming any disqualification would cause him 'exceptional hardship' he told the court: "I have found myself being harassed and recognised on public transport.

"If I don't stop and take a picture with someone it can get abusive, which is distressing.

"I also suffer terrible nausea on tour buses and let my crew go ahead and I follow in my car and my wife has a nervous disorder, which prevents her driving."

Chelsea-born Djalili, whose parents are Iranian, added: "There is also a security issue. Coming from the Middle East and not being a muslim I've had death threats and have always felt more secure when I am driving."

Bookie Bandit: Do You Know Him?

Police are hunting this wannabe armed robber, who threatened to shoot the cashier of a West London bookies.

The Metropolitan Police's Flying Squad have released this CCTV still in the hope the suspect will be identified and brought to justice.

He walked into William Hill Bookmakers, Golborne Road, North Kensington at 7.20pm on Saturday August 4.

The suspect threatened to shoot the cashier, intimating he was in possession of a gun. 

When the cashier refused to hand over money, the suspect made off empty handed. 

He is described as between 55 and 65 and around six feet tall. 

He was wearing a light brown or beige zip up fleece/cardigan jacket.

Anyone with information that may assist police should call 020 8247 7948. 

To remain anonymous call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. 

Solicitor Jailed For £1.3M Mortgage Fraud

A disgraced criminal defence solicitor was jailed for two years today for a £1.3m mortgage fraud involving six East London properties.

Mother-of-two Elena Quinlivan, 35, (pictured) of Louise Road, Stratford planned to build a property empire of rentals, using forged identity documents, bank statements and payslips.

"You obtained mortgages to the tune of over one point three million and the mortgages were for houses you intended to let out for profit," Southwark Crown Court Judge Nicholas Lorraine-Smith told tearful Quinlivan.

"The housing market was promising and your head was turned by the fraudulent success of an associate, with his expensive home and car.

"You are an intelligent solicitor, who also once worked for an estate agents, and cannot be called naive."

Manchester University graduate Quinlivan worked for Ilford-based ST Law after qualifying on May 15 2008 and was also employed for three years by leading human rights solicitor Imran Khan, who represented her in court.

She pleaded guilty to seven counts of conspiring with others to obtain money transfers in sums of £166,000; £198,249; £171,000; £142,000; £228,000; £204,000 and £223,250 on various dates between January 1 2003 and March 27 2005.

The charges relate to 47 Louise Road; 54 Glenavon Road; 26 Simmons Walk and 108 Geere Road, Stratford; 180 Sherrard Road, Forest Gate and 114 Western Road, Plaistow.

Quinlivan's total benefit was  calculated at £905,031 and she must repay £108, 405 within twelve months or serve an additional two years' imprisonment.

Prosecutor Mr. Stuart Biggs told the court Quinlivan's financial advisor offered a "one-stop fraudulent shop," providing the defendant with forged passports, driving licences and utility bills, along with bogus references and national insurance numbers in various identities.

She began building a property portfolio while only a part-time £100 a week administrator at an estate agents, helping support her husband while he completed a phd at Queen Mary University.

Quinlivan used her maiden name and the names of family and friends to obtain the mortgages, once successfully passing herself off as a £48,000 a year executive and her husband as a £78,000 a year IT consultant.

"There was a culture at the time that mortgages were given out left right and centre," said Quinlivan's lawyer Mr. Khan. "She saw her financial advisor making a large amount of money.

"She was bedazzled by him and taken in by his talk and ability to make money very quickly. She fell for it and admits it was stupidity in the extreme."

After the final bogus application in 2005 Quinlivan threw herself into her legal career and the family recently moved to Atlanta, Georgia, where her husband Dr. Mark Quinlivan is an associate faculty member at the U.S's National Centre for Infectious Diseases.

"She has worked in these courts in a very different position," added Mr. Khan. "Not all lawyers are intelligent. This is not some scheme hatched by a master criminal, but one person, rather clueless."

Judge Lorraine-Smith said: "These were multiple frauds over a long period of time and were professionally planned. These offences deserve a long prison sentence."

CCTV Captures Credit Card Conman

Police are hunting this audacious credit card fraudster, who tricked a high-end Knightsbridge jewellery store into selling him two luxury-brand watches, worth over £10,000 each.

Hackney Police in East London believe the suspect has links to their area and have released this CCTV footage in the hope somebody will identify him.

He fraudulently used the card on August 15, last year to obtain the watches at Pacha Jewellers.

The suspect went on to use the card in a number of smaller value transactions before the card was blocked.

Anyone with any information is requested to contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Disowned Son Cleared Of Vandalising Father's Bentley And Lincoln

A teenager, accused by his father of deliberately vandalising his two prestige vehicles parked outside the family's suburban home, was cleared of the charges yesterday.

Sir Ricky Daniel Hearne, 19, of Gilliam Grove, Purley was reported to police by his father David, 64, who claims he caught his estranged son on home CCTV causing over £3,000 worth of damage to the cars.

After a trial at Croydon Magistrates' Court Hearne jr. was cleared of causing £1,920 worth of criminal damage to a Bentely turbo and £1,259 to a silver Lincoln (pictured being driven away by Hearne snr.).

Hearne snr., who has recently changed his name, told the court he has been a victim of a campaign of vandalism by the defendant, who he calls 'Ricky', even accusing him of blowing a vehicle up at Christmas.

The father-of-nine, who now questions whether the defendant is his biological son, installed CCTV outside his home after a series of attacks on his property.

After returning home from a trip to Israel on June 4 and finding the two cars damaged he viewed the recorded footage.

“I see Ricky come in and throw something at the windscreen and kick the wing mirror off and kick the side of the Bentley,” Hearne told the magistrates.

“The whole side of the car was kicked in, in two or three places and the petrol cap and back of the car had been kicked in.

“It was Ricky. I am one hundred per cent. I have now more than disowned him, I despise him.

“When someone puts a petrol bomb in your car on Christmas morning, you would.

“I have had seven (cars) done by him in the last twelve months.

“I have video evidence of him doing it. It is not fantasy or make believe. I just don't understand why he is doing it.

“The windscreen of the Lincoln was smashed in and the wing mirror had been kicked off.”

Since the allegation Hearne jnr. has lived at another address.

Iphone App Tracks Down Knife-Wielding Masked Mugger

A knife-wielding masked mugger – caught by a new 'Find My Iphone' app – after a brazen North London street robbery has been locked-up for four years.

Self-employed Jason Harewood, 19, (pictured) of Andover Road, Holloway pleaded guilty on the day of his trial to robbing the 42 year-old man in Fortis Green, Muswell Hill on March 15.

He got away with the victim's Iphone, cash card and pin number after pouncing from behind and threatening the man with a knife at 10.40pm.

Police were called on 999 and plain clothed officers from Haringey's Robbery Q-cars attended in an unmarked vehicle.

The officers took the victim on a drive around to see if he could spot the suspect and used an Ipad to trace the phone.

The Ipad was purchased by the Met to be used to trace stolen items using Apps such as 'Find My Iphone' - and it was successful in tracing the phone to a road in Holloway where the victim pointed out Harewood.



Harewood ran from police and the officers gave chase, seeing him discard an object into nearby bushes.

The item was found to be the victim's Iphone.

The officers found Harewood trying to hide on top of some garages and arrested him on suspicion of robbery.

Harewood denied the robbery and told police that he had not been in Muswell Hill at the time.

However, officers had seized his Oyster card on arrest and checks revealed the card had been used on the night of the robbery on a 43 bus.

Police recovered CCTV from the bus showing Harewood getting off in Muswell Hill moments before the robbery.


Detective Constable John Martin of Haringey CID said: “I'd like to thank the victim of this robbery for his diligence in phoning police on 999 at the earliest opportunity and having already installed and enabled the tracker app on his phone prior to the theft.

“His actions enabled police to do what we like to do best, to obtain best evidence and to arrest the offender at the earliest opportunity.

“Faced with the overwhelming evidence Harewood realised he had no option but to enter a guilty plea. 



"Harewood had only been released from prison on licence a couple of weeks before carrying out this robbery, having served one year of a two year sentence for a knife point robbery just streets away the previous year.

“By carrying out a similar offence, he has shown a complete disregard for the criminal justice system and for the right of law abiding members of the public to go about their business without fear.

“I am pleased that he will not be walking the streets for a significant period of time.”

Armed robbers Caged For Violent Shop Raids

Two vicious teenage armed robbers, who hospitalised victims of South London convenience store raids during a ten-day rampage, have been caged.

The shopkeepers were threatened with a handgun and subjected to wholly unnecessary violence.

The mini crime-wave from March 23 to April 3 was finally ended by the Met's Flying Squad.

They are: Rahmon Wray, 18, (pic.top) of Solon Road, Clapham and Philip Nelson, 18, (pic.bottom) of Kenilford Road, Balham.

They each received a total of seven years custody for conspiracy to rob and posssession of a firearm whilst committing an indictable offence.



On Friday March 23 at 4:35pm two youths were seen arriving outside Anish Food Stores at 196 Weir Road, Balham on a cream moped.

They did a 'drive past', looking in the direction of the shop and then returned moments later.

Wray got off the moped and removed an object from under the seat.

He walked towards the door, placing the object in his waistband, whilst Nelson waited outside on the moped.

Wray entered the shop and looked around - having spotted the CCTV and security screen he walked out and got on the rear of the moped and both teens rode off.



On Sunday March 25 at 3:40pm the two attended Parsons Convenience Store at 193 Franciscan Road, Tooting.

Nelson, armed with a black handgun, threatened a male member of staff at gunpoint.

The victim offered no resistance, however Wray went behind the counter, picked up a bottle from the shelf and hit the victim over the head, causing injuries which required hospital treatment.

The suspects stole the contents of the till and cigarettes, before leaving the venue on a moped.

On Monday April 2 at 8:20am the robbers attended The Cosy Corner at 73 Emmanuel Road, Balham on a moped.

Nelson was armed with a black handgun and threatened a lone female member of staff and requested that she hand over the contents of the till and cigarettes.

Wray searched the rear of the store looking for items to steal, and then both men left the store with money and cigarettes.

On Tuesday April 3 at 12:45pm the men struck again - attending the Vale Mini Market at 134 Streatham Vale SW16 on a moped.

Wray placed a bottle on the counter as if to purchase it and then has produced a black handgun which he has used to pistol whip the victim several times over the head, causing injuries which required the victim to attend hospital.

Wray then ripped the till from the counter and left the scene on the moped.



The suspects travelled a short distance to A C A Newsagents at 110 Fernthorpe Road, Streatham at about 12:50pm.

Having entered the venue a black handgun was produced which was again used to pistol whip the male owner who offered no resistance, before stealing the contents of the till and making off on the blue moped.

The victim was also taken to hospital for his injuries.



On Friday April 13 Wray and Nelson were arrested by officers from the Flying Squad in Renmuir Street, Tooting.