Scottish Street-Drinker Convicted Of Killing Duck

Duck Killer: Muir

A street drinker caught on CCTV killing a female duck in front of her mate by the Thames is facing a ban from going anywhere near wildlife.

Robert Lyle Muir, 49, who lives in digs in Sandycombe Road, North Sheen was convicted of killing a wild bird, namely a female mallard, contrary to the Wildlife and Countryside Act. 

A council CCTV operator was filming a group sitting by Richmond Riverside near Heron Square when Glaswegian Muir grabbed the bird and twisted her neck.

He was investigated by the Metropolitan Police’s Wildlife Crime Unit  and today was bailed until February 10 for sentencing and faces six months imprisonment.

Prosecutor Mr. Janaka Siriwardena told the court: “There will be an application at the sentencing hearing for a restraining order for Mr. Muir not to approach wildlife within fifty metres.”

His lawyer Mr. Tim Sleigh-Johnson said the order would be unworkable. “He will have to stay inside with all his windows and doors closed.

“If a wild animal came close to him he would be in breach.”

Mr. Janaka Siriwardena explained: “It was a hideous, despicable unprovoked attack on a defenceless animal.

“He lured the duck near to him and then killed it for mere sport.”

Muir was with a group of drinkers being monitored by council-operated CCTV at 6.15pm on May 25, last year when the female duck and her male mate flew across the river towards them. 

Cruel: Muir Caught Killing Bird

“The ducks will seek out humans for food and one of the group was seen throwing bread to the ducks,” said the prosecutor.

“As the duck approached Mr. Muir lent over and took the duck by the neck and wrung the neck and threw the duck in front of him.

“It was then put in a white plastic bag and thrown away.

“It is likely that the ducks were mates for life and Mr. Muir killed this duck by luring it and without any justification whatsoever killed the duck by wringing its neck in a heinous manner.”

Detective Constable Sarah Bailey said: “The likelihood is that the female was nesting at that time,” explaining the ducks probably had a river nest laden with eggs.   

“Muir grabbed the bird and appeared to twist her neck, then grab a second time, apparently to finish her off.

“I assume the duck was exhibiting signs of life and he wings the neck again and wipes his hands,” explained the officer.

The remains were tossed into a nearby bin and a female member of the drinking group was seen fleeing in disgust.

Mug: Muir In Custody

Muir denied the charge based on the only possible defence available to him, namely that the bird was injured and suffering and he was carrying-out a mercy killing.

He continued lying in the witness box, claiming: “It looked like it had been hit by a propeller on the right side. The ribs were cut.

“It was cut to the bone, a clear cut on the left side.

“The girls I was sitting with were getting upset because of the injuries.

“I did the right thing in my eyes and I apologise if I got it wrong. I did it twice to make sure it wasn’t suffering.”

Before the trial he told Mr. Siriwardena: “If I lose my house I hope you’re proud of yourself, that’s a real possibility. This is a stitch-up.”

Should Have Gone To Specsavers: OAP Gets Two Months For Wrecking Optician's

Locked-Up: Alan Parkinson

 An OAP, who downed half a bottle of spirits before wrecking an optician’s during an alcohol-fuelled dispute, has been jailed for two months.

Alan Parkinson, 68, of The Beeches, London Road, Mitcham, insisted he was due a discount on his recent purchase and threatened: "I'll destroy your shop."

Kingston-upon-Thames Crown Court Judge Tim Lamb QC did not buy the pensioner’s claim he was the sole carer for his wife, meaning a prison term would impact her as well.

“He’s an old hand, he’s got convictions for fraud, he’s been in prison. He knows his way around the system,” said the judge at a previous hearing.

Parkinson pleaded guilty to causing an affray at John Lewis Opticians, 261 London Road, Mitcham on February 27, last year and causing £10,000 worth of criminal damage to display cabinets, spectacles and a computer.

Parkinson was a regular customer and entered the opticians at 10am.

He wanted a refund for some glasses and was not happy and said his daughter told him he had paid too much.

Parkinson, who has 243 offences on his record, was told there was no discount due because the frames and lenses had been bought at different times.

The store manager Zaid Shoaib and the consultant refused to budge, causing Parkinson further irritation.

"He was huffing and puffing and his eyes were bulging," said prosecutor Mr. Paul Adams. "He said: 'I know what I'll do, I'll destroy your shop.'

"He left but returned ten minutes later and said: 'Last chance. Are you going to give me a refund?'

"He picked up a chair and swung it around the store, destroying property including a glass cabinet, which shattered.

"He threw the chair in the direction of Mr. Shoaib and it missed.

"He picked up a glasses tray and threw it and then picked up a computer screen and smashed it."

As he left the scene of destruction Parkinson turned and warned the two men: "You don't know me."

Previously prosecutor Mr. Colin Banham told the court: “He was clearly intoxicated and staggering and was smelling strongly of alcohol.”

Parkinson told police when quizzed: “My head had changed. I went from mellow to feeling hot, my stomach felt hot.”

“He said that he ‘just lost it’ and was sorry about what happened,” added the prosecutor.”

Parkinson’s lawyer Mr. Ben Holt said: “He says there was provocation towards him and homophobic insults.

“He’s incredibly concerned about the prospect of a custodial sentence regarding his responsibilities.

“He has a wife to whom he’s a responsible carer.”

Parkinson claims a serious car crash forty years ago left her brain-damaged.

Actor's Rent Deposit Paint Revenge

A model and actor, who appeared in BBC’s Judge John Deed, found himself in the dock after splattering his old rented room with paint in a deposit revenge attack.

Spencer Burrows, 36, who has also appeared in EastEnders and Casualty smashed his way into the property after he was forced to leave due to non-payment of rent.

He pleaded guilty on Thursday to causing criminal damage to the bedroom in Coleridge Close, Nine Elms on November 2, last year.

Jobless Burrows, a product of the renowned Anna Scher acting school, is now claiming benefits and is believed to be living with his parents in Mousehole Lane, Southampton.

A charge of burglary, with intent to cause criminal damage, was dropped by the prosecution.

Wimbledon Magistrates Court heard his deposit of a few hundred pounds was not returned so Burrows forced his way in through a rear glass door, damaging it in the process.

He splattered his former room with paint, throwing it over the walls and furniture.

Landlord Alan Wen estimates the damage at £1,000, but has failed to produce evidence proving this.

Burrows told the court he has mental health issues and is currently taking medication for depression.

The magistrates conditionally discharged Burrows for six months and ordered him to pay £200 compensation, telling him: “You caused damage and we hope it’s a one-off.

“It’s a serious matter and we are giving you a chance. Don’t let us down.”

Burrows also appeared in movie High Heels and Low Lifes, starring Minnie Driver and Hugh Bonneville and tv’s Missing, starring Pauline Quirke.

Sacked UPS Driver Tagged After Road Rage Row With Bus Driver

A disgraced UPS driver, sacked after he was filmed ranting aggressively at a bus driver during a Knightsbridge road-rage incident, has been ordered to wear an electronic tag.

Darren Lee, 39, stopped his delivery van in the middle of busy rush-hour traffic to confront the driver and repeatedly punched the wing mirror.

He pleaded guilty at Hammersmith Magistrates Court to threatening behaviour on August 11, last year and received a three-month community order.

He must obey a night time tagged curfew between midnight and 5am for the period of the order and pay £350 compensation to bus driver Mohammed Wardheere.

Lee, of Fellows Court, Weymouth Terrace, Bethnal Green was originally charged with also assaulting Mr. Wardheere, but this was withdrawn by the prosecution.

“The victim was a bus driver and entitled to go about his work without fear,” District Judge Vanessa Barressa told him.

“The nature of the incident involved insulting words, throwing water, punching the wing mirror and inviting the bus driver to fight.”

Lee initially fought the case, only pleading guilty on the day of the trial and remained defiant in his probation service interview.

“There is little by the way of remorse of this offence and you blame the bus driver for starting the event and say he tried to spit at you and hit you from the cab.”

Following the ordeal Mr. Wardheere said: “I have come to peace with the assault.

“I am a spiritual man and I aim to live life as stress-free as possible and I have come to a personal peace with the incident.”  

The Chinese Are Coming: (With Dodgy Credit Cards)

A Chinese tourist has been jailed after he was caught at Harrods trying to buy an iPhone with one of his five fake bank cards.

Hong Kong-native Lipman Li, 30, claims he bought the counterfeit cards on the internet after arriving in the UK a month before his arrest.

He has swapped the comfort of the London House Hotel, Kensington Gardens Square for a small room at one of Her Majesty’s secure establishments.

Yesterday he pleaded guilty at Hammersmith Magistrates Court to one count of fraud by false representation on January 23, namely using a counterfeit HSBC card to purchase the £695 phone.

He also pleaded guilty to possessing fraudulent articles, namely two HSBC, two American Express and one Capital One card.

Li, who has been locked-up since his arrest, was sentenced to twenty-six weeks imprisonment and ordered to pay £115.

Prosecutor Mr. Tom Gill told the court the store cashier alerted security after Li presented the fake card and when police searched him four more were discovered.

The court heard he is an Economics and Finance graduate, who worked in that sector until 2014.

More recently he has used his language skills to teach English and took time off to visit London as a tourist and explore employment opportunities with friends who had opened a consulting business.

Li arrived in this country on December 23, last year and says he is “shocked” by what he did and now just wants to go home.

“What concerns me is the number of cards in his possession,” announced District Judge Vanessa Barressa. “Each and every one of these cards were counterfeit.

She told bespectacled Li: “You targeted a high-end store, Harrods, and a hi-end item, an iPhone priced at nearly seven hundred pounds.” 

Happy Egg Farmer Sentenced For Nightclub Headbutt

Mitchell Britten

A young farmer, who supplies M&S and the Happy Egg Co. has been sentenced for breaking another reveller’s nose with a dance floor head butt, leaving the victim “spitting blood”.

After a day enjoying the England v New Zealand test match at Lord’s Mitchell Britten, 24, went to the Cuban-themed Embargo Republica club.

During the early hours of May 25, 2015 at the King’s Road, Chelsea nightspot he head butted the 27 year-old VIP guest he says got aggressive with him.

Britten, of Cavick House Farm, Cavick Road, Wymondham was convicted by an Isleworth Crown Court jury of causing Neil Brotherston actual bodily harm.

He was cleared of the more serious count of wounding.

Today he was sentenced to a twelve-month community order, which includes 80 hours community service work.

He was also ordered to pay Mr. Brotherston £500 compensation and a £140 victim surcharge. 

Britten claimed he only leaned forward to secure some personal space.

Neil Brotherston

Mr. Brotherston, who had been drinking since 6pm, and was consuming vodka in the club told the jury: “My recollection is leaving the VIP table area, walking across the club to the bar area, to the toilet and being head butted.

“The next memory is being in a state of shock with bouncers. My nose was bleeding pretty heavily and was not straight so I presumed I’d broken my nose.

“I saw myself in the mirror of the staircase and how bloody my nose was and on my shirt. There was blood everywhere.”

He got a taxi home at 2.10am and his doctor mother told him to go to hospital.

“I had to have my nose re-straightened under anaesthetic. There is still a bump down the right hand side.”

Prosecutor Mr. Alex Wright told the jury Britten, who always claimed self-defence, was found by police via the club’s records and questioned at Notting Hill Police Station on July 22.

“He said that he bumped into a guy on the dance floor, put his hand up to say sorry and the man pushed back and came into his space.

“He said he could not push or punch the man and put his head down towards him.”

As a result Britten told police the man “began spitting blood” and he informed the club staff.

Britten appeared in court throughout the trial wearing his trademark country-style green hacking jacket.

Cavick House Farm described itself as a working farm that has been in the same family since the 1970’s

It boasts 16,000 free range hens on the two-acre site, with a specially-planted woodland and grassland to produce the best eggs

The farm is registered Lion Code Quality and with UK Egg Packers and is part of the environmental Natural England Higher Level Stewardship Scheme.

It has a caravan site, a self-service egg shed and a farm cafe, gift shop calledThe Hen House and a pop-up lamb shop.

Britten runs a pedigree Charollais flock of sheep alongside his commercial Lleyns flock and encourages visitors to view the livestock.

Bus Pervert Used Phone To Film Up Schoolgirls' Skirts

An octogenarian pervert spent the summer using his mobile phone to film up young schoolgirls skirts as he rode the bus.

David Phillips, 80, said his age excluded sexual gratification despite thousands of images of young girls, including upskirt clips being on his phone.

“I’m eighty so there’s nothing that sexual going on. Do you know what I mean?” he told police when they raided his home.

Phillips, of St. Mary’s Court, Stamford Brook Road, Hammersmith pleaded guilty to outraging public decency on or before August 9, last year by taking indecent images of schoolgirls.

He also admitted making an indecent image of a child on or before the same date and was bailed until February 20 for a probation report.

Prosecutor Miss Carly Loftus told Hammersmith Magistrates Court yesterday: “Between May and July there were a number of reports made to police of a male filming schoolgirls on Chiswick buses.”

Phillips rode the 237 and 267 bus routes, commonly also used by schoolgirls and was often seen using a “discreet” small black mobile phone.

Transport for London and the police investigated and identified Phillips as a possible suspect because his appearance matched the description given by the girls and he had a similar previous conviction.

In 2010 he was placed on probation for filming up females’ skirts on a moving escalator.

On August 9 his home was raided by police officers, but he was not in.

“They saw him stood at a bus stop adjacent to the property with a black Samsung mobile phone in his hand.”

Phillips immediately admitted taking pictures of schoolgirls, explaining: “I just have them on my phone.”

When asked why he did it, he said: “I don’t know. Because I can I suppose.”

Miss Loftus added: “The video files were predominantly schoolgirl upstart shots and some of schoolgirls in provocative poses.”

The police split the images into two categories, which totalled 102 and 4,461 video clips of schoolgirls.

Jemima Goldsmith's Alleged Stalker Appears In Court

A man accused of stalking high-profile journalist and millionaire’s daughter Jemima Goldsmith, appeared at Hammersmith Magistrates Court for the first time today.

Conor Donal O’Mahoney, 60, of Pittock House, Freemens Way, Deal, Kent, did not enter a plea and was bailed until February 20 for the Crown Prosecution Service to review the case.

He charged with one count of stalking involving serious alarm or distress on or before September 27, last year within the London borough of Hammersmith and Fulham.

It is alleged he had an adverse effect on the 42 year-old mother-of-two’s usual day-today activities by contacting her on social media and once sending an Addison Lee taxi to her home address.

Westminster-born Jemima was married to Pakistani cricket legend Imran Khan between 1995 and 2004 and is identified in the charge under her married name.

Her parents are millionaire financier Sir James Goldsmith and Lady Annabel Goldsmith.

Her brother, Conservative politician Zac Goldsmith, 42, recently lost his Richmond Park seat and failed in a bid to become Mayor of London.

The CPS review is due to mental health issues O’Mahoney has.

Red-Trousered Suspect Wanted By Police After Two Schoolgirls Molested

Police are hunting this suspected pervert after two teenage schoolgirls were molested minutes apart in north London.

At approximately 4.00pm on Wednesday, July 20 a 13-year-old girl was sexually assaulted on her way home from school in Silver Street, near to the junction with Tanners End Lane, Enfield.

The man walked past the girl and without talking to her molested her and kept walking.

A few minutes later in the same street the man did the same thing to a 14-year-old girl, who was also on her way home from school.

The man is described as white, about 5ft 8ins, of medium build.

He has short black hair and stubble.

He was wearing a grey t-shirt, dark body warmer and bright red trousers.

Detective Inspector Chris Rixon from Enfield CID is leading the investigation.

He said: "We have been carrying out extensive enquiries to identify this man who we want to speak to in connection with this investigation.

"That has included a significant trawl and search of CCTV in the local area and we have now issued this still to ask the public for their help.

If you recognise this man or have any information that could help us identify him then please get in contact with us.

"At this stage we have no information to suggest there are any other incidents, but I'd ask anyone else that something similar has happened to to report it so it can be investigated."

Anyone with any information is asked to contact Enfield CID on 020 8345 3349 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Park Rape Investigation: CCTV Image Released

Police are hunting this suspect after a 59 year-old woman claims she was raped in a west London park in the early hours of the morning.

Detectives from the Metropolitan Police's Sexual Offences Exploitation & Child Abuse Command are appealing for the public’s help to identify the man.

At approximately 3.40am on Sunday, July 10, last year a group of friends were walking along James Street, Hounslow, towards Inwood Park.

As they neared the park they heard sounds that suggested someone needed help.

The friends climbed into the park and found the woman, who stated she had been raped.

Police were called to the park and an investigation was started.

As part of that investigation officers have carried out an extensive trawl of local CCTV.

Detectives have recovered CCTV from the nearby High Street, Hounslow, which shows the woman heading inside a cab office.

At approximately 1115am, CCTV shows her leaving the cab office and walking along Hanworth Road towards the park with an unknown man.

The man is described as approximately 6ft tall, clean shaven with short dark hair.

Anyone who recognises the man in the CCTV or has any information that may assist the investigation is asked to contact police on 101, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Film School Burglary: CCTV Image Released

Police hunting a burglar, who nicked a £2,000 laptop from a private film school in east London, have released this CCTV image of their suspect.

He walked into the Central Film School, Universal House, Wentworth Street, Whitechapel between 6.00pm and 6.45pm on July 26, last year.

CCTV in the stairwell caught the moment the suspect walked into the building and left with a rectangular object in his hand.

He is described as a slim, tanned man, aged in his late twenties with short black curly hair with white dye on top.

He was wearing a white T-shirt with a blue Adidas logo on it and grey trousers.

Police are keen to hear from anyone who may recognise or witness the man shown on CCTV.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Man Knocked Unconscious Outside East London Pub: CCTV Released

Police hunting a drinker who left a man out cold and with cuts to his head outside an east London pub have released this CCTV image of their suspect.

On July 11, last year officers were called to the report of an assault outside The Goose public house, Broadway, Stratford at 10.00pm.

An ambulance crew were already at the scene treating an unconscious 41 year-old man.

CCTV enquiries identified this suspect outside the pub, matching the description given by the victim.

The suspect is described as a white man in his thirties with short brown hair wearing a plain dark blue T-shirt, grey trousers and white shoes.

Police are keen to hear from anyone who may recognise him.

Contact officers on 101 or via Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Investors Defrauded Of £7.7M During Rare Earth Metals Swindle

Christopher Sabin & Tobias Ridpath

Four businessmen plotted together to dupe investors into handing over £7.7m in savings and pensions for so-called precious metals worth a fraction of the price, a court heard today.

Using a misleading website and inaccurate glossy brochure they either cold-called customers with scripted patter or placed ads offering the opportunity to purchase supposedly lucrative metals vital to 80% of the world’s industry.

They are: Christopher Sabin, 43, of Eyot House, Church Street, Shoreham, Sevenoaks.

Tobias Ridpath, 52, of Wellington Square, Hastings.

Nicholas Start, 35, of Spencer Close, Pamber Heath, Tadley, Hampshire.

William Berkeley, 52, of Barrington Court, Chichester Terrace, Horsham.

All four have pleaded not guilty at Blackfriars Crown Court to conspiring to defraud investors by making false representations.

Sabin and Ridpath, who the prosecution say established the scheme have also pleaded not guilty to money laundering.

Prosecutor Mr. David Durose told jurors Denver Trading - started by Sabin and Ridpath -  was run from a short-term £860 per month office in the City.

The court was told Start headed a “prolific” brokerage - London Commodity Markets - and Berkeley took over the Swiss branch of the business after the original director quit, claiming the business “stank horribly.”

One typical investor, Cecil McMurray, invested £243,000. “He lost a vast amount of money.”

Another client bought 100 kilos of rare metals in September, 2012 for £39,000 and two-and-a-half years later that investment was worth £285.

Nicholas Start 

The investors did not know approximately 50% of the money they handed over immediately went to the company as a sales commission - halving the investment, the jury were told.

“Not one of them have made a penny and they have lost pension pots and life savings. The losses are in the millions and millions of pounds.

“They were duped into investing,” explained Mr. Durose, who said the fraud lasted approximately one year from Spring, 2012.

Investors were wooed with promises of returns on investments in Rare Earth Metals and Rare Earth Elements, which were vital in engineering and manufacturing.

The court heard Sabin and Ridpath founded the company in the Seychelles on February 23, 2013 and quickly gave it the trappings of a successful business.

“This was all to give legitimacy to a dishonest enterprise. These investors were being ripped-off.

“The huge commissions are utterly inconsistent with any legitimate investments.

“Purchasers were not told about the size of the commissions and some were lied to.”

Only around 15%-20% of investors money ever went towards buying the rare metals.

William Berkeley

“There is no resale market for these metals. They were almost useless as an investment.”

The price of such metals has been falling since 2011, added Mr. Durose. “The investors were blatantly lied to.”

Sabin and Ridpath hid behind a nominee director and nominee shareholder and when later quizzed by police claimed they were no more than business development managers and did not run the company.

Their website developer also quit his involvement in November, 2012, unimpressed by Sabin and Ridpath.

By then there were 1900 customer contracts on the system and dozens of sales staff selling rare metals to investors.

Customer were told their investment would double or triple over three to five years, with Denver Trading’s commission a modest 5%.

One investor was even promised a 1000% return in five years, but he and other customers were paying a five-fold mark-up.

The jury heard £5.6m ended up in a Cypriot bank account controlled by Sabin and Ridpath.

The trial is expected to last three months…………

Notorious Thief Nicked From Men Near Landmark Gay Nightclub

A notorious thief, who preys on gay men and is banned from every public toilet in central London, has been jailed for targeting victim's near the famous Heaven nightclub.

Charles Lee Omishore, 36, who conveniently lives in social housing in the heart of the West End in Peabody Buildings, Drury Lane nicked a wallet and iPhone from two men.

The crack addict was served with a five-year ASBO in February, 2013 prohibiting him from public lavatories after a spate of pick-pocketing while engaged in sexual activity with his victims.

He appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court charged with stealing a green wallet and contents and the mobile phone in Villiers Street, Charing Cross on December 16, last year.

Omishore was also charged with breaching his Anti-Social Behaviour Order and was jailed for twenty-eight weeks.

He has preyed on Soho and the West End's gay community for over a decade and the ASBO covered Westminster and part of Camden.

Omishore is believed to have many victims who never came forward and he also stole from them in clubs, bars and even the Hyde Park rose garden.

Carer Jailed For Stealing £171K From 95 Year-Old

A council-funded carer, who stole £171,000 from a vulnerable 95 year-old pensioner, has been jailed for two years and four months.

Nazneen Chattun, 55, cashed 71 cheques and obtained Power of Attorney, which gave her control of OAP Eileen Layton’s bank accounts.

“You came to realise quickly she was to be an excellent source of money for your needs and you started to steal from her for a sustained period,” Isleworth Crown Court Recorder Edward Jenkins QC told her.

“You acted in breach of trust of your employers and the trust society has placed in you as a carer.”

First-time offender Chattun, of Biscoe Close, Hounslow denied, but was convicted of three counts of theft totalling £171,455 between June 30 and August 21, 2013.

She gave £8,388 of Eileen’s money to her children and police fortunately restrained £130,000 in her bank account.

Mauritius-born Chattun was paid by Hounslow Council to provide care to Eileen at her home in The Drive, Isleworth.  

Hounslow social services became involved after Eileen was taken to West Middlesex Hospital’s casualty department on February 10, 2012.

They discovered she had been neglecting herself and living in sub-standard conditions.

There was no heating in the house, it leaked and she was not eating or cleaning herself properly.

Eileen gave evidence to the jury via video link, but mostly answered: “I don’t know” and: “I can’t remember” to questions.

She had lived alone for fifty years and said of Chattun: “I don’t know much about Naz. She’s someone that used to pop in every other day.

“She used to do a bit of shopping sometimes if I ever wanted any bread or whatever and sit and talk. I didn’t take much notice.

“I don’t have a lot of money surely?” said Eileen, explaining her working life was spent at a Waterloo restaurant owned by her father.

Recorder Jenkins told Chattun: “You fought the case and now at last changed your view and accepted responsibility.

“You may have been two solitary people who found some form of company and you saw this as a form of escapism rather than pure greed.

“You needed to take further steps to control her money and you got Power of Attorney over her financial affairs, showing a level of persistence and considerable sophistication.” 

Chattun’s lawyer Mr. Edward Henry said: “She will be broken if you send her to custody today. There are other ways she can be punished and helped.”