Neighbours At War Over Union Jack Bunting

Bunting: Julie Anderson

A royalist, accused of racially harassing her neighbours, was arrested the day after she shouted and swore at one of them for removing coronation Union Jack bunting from her home, a court heard.

Julie Anderson, 54, says she recorded neighbour Marcia-Elouise Worrell taking down the flags and can be heard repeatedly shouting: “F*** off, Queen and country, you’re c****, you f***ing racist c****, for my Queen for my country, for my King for my Queen.”

Anderson, of Strathan Close, Putney pleaded not guilty to the racially-aggravated harassment of Mrs Worrell and her daughter Allana Roucou between March 1 and June 12 this year and was acquitted by Wimbledon Magistrates.

She was also cleared of simply harassing Ms Roucou, but was found guilty of harassing Mrs Worrell and was bailed for a pre-sentence report to October 13.

Marcia-Elouise told the court: “She would shout at me: ‘There’s no black in the Union Jack,’ and it escalated during the Coronation, asking people if they knew how to sing the National Anthem.

“She would sing ‘Morning Has Broken’ a she walked past my house and she would emphasise the words ‘BLACKbird has spoken,’ deliberately.

“She threw her Union Jack bunting into my front garden and it makes me feel she has an issue with anybody that is not white.”

Anderson was arrested on June 11, the day after Marcia-Elouise visited her home, where she was recorded on the defendant’s mobile phone reaching up to the Union Jack bunting.

“I felt like she was using those flags to antagonise the community, but I did not pull them down.

"In Our Faces": Union Jack Bunting

“I’d had enough of ‘no black in the Union Jack’ and the flags being in our faces. It was not patriotism it was racism.”

Regarding the flags Marcia-Elouise conceded: “I was saying: ‘Get rid of this.’

“I was fed up of the things that she said to us that were so evil. Just leave us alone.”

She said there were earlier incidents involving Anderson, who she said deliberately walked to her home to harass her family.

Marcia-Elouise said trouble started when she challenged Anderson about her behaviour towards a 17 year-old girl walking her chihuahuas on the close green.

“She was very aggressive towards the girl, calling her a c***, and I said: ‘You can’t shout at her like that.’

“After that she made it an almost daily event to come to my address and shout abuse. 

“She accused me of being a crackhead, a drug-offender, a paedophile and that I am sleeping with her doctor.

“She made statements about my race and my colour and her rants last about ten minutes and I feel she needs help. I did not want it to become a police matter.

Allana Roucou & Marcia-Elouise Worrell

“When we were in our front garden she tried to punch my daughter in the back of the head and she tried to bite my face and she then threw a carton of milk.”

Anderson claims she is victimised by her neighbours. “They harass the s*** out of me,” she told the court.

“I love the Royal Family, I’m traditional and I put the flags up every year for the tennis and any royal occasions.

“They call me a racist, but I am not racist. It is our flag, the flag of the UK and it was the coronation.”

Anderson told the magistrates she was harassed by Marcia-Elouise, the day before she was arrested, when the complainant came to her house.

She recorded the confrontation, which was played in court, showing her neighbour reaching up over her front door.

“What is she doing ripping down our beautiful Union Jacks? Flags for our King, our United Kingdom,” she told the trial from the witness box.

“They are racist against our King and Queen.

“I am not a racist. I am allowed to put my flags up and I put them up for the tennis as well.

“They have lied on the stand, but I have been truthful.”

Ms Roucou told the trial Anderson would shout outside the family house at 2am. “She would shout that number forty-five were drug dealers and that we abuse our kids.

“When I asked her to leave us alone she told me to f*** off.

“One day we were in our front garden and Julie approached and I received a blow to the back of my head. 

“My seventeen year-old brother intervened and Julie opened milk or some sort of liquid and threw it over us.

“She would continue to visit the address and shout number forty-five are c****, that we touch our kids and sell drugs.

“It is awful being awoken by this outside and it instantly puts me on edge and I cannot rest.”

The daughter also confirmed she heard Anderson shout: ‘There’s no black in the Union Jack.’  

“It meant that black people are not part of the UK and it felt really inflammatory. It made me feel I did not belong and that my identity can be used against me.”

The court was played further CCTV from near the complainants’ home, which they say recorded Anderson shouting at 2am: “You’re a crackhead Marcia. Smoking drugs.”

Ms Roucou told the trial: “There is no drug-taking in my household and she is associating black people with drugs. I am not a drug-user.”

Bench Chairman Gilles Casse announced: “In our opinion we don’t believe a custodial sentence would be appropriate in this case.

“After listening to the evidence we have not seen any evidence of direct comments of a racist nature towards either individual.”

Outside court Anderson said: “I loved our Queen. It broke my heart when she died because she was like a mother to me as I don’t have a mother.”

Award-Winning NHS Nurse Moonlighted At Private Hospital

Convicted: Bridgitte Magno & husband leave court 

An award-winning NHS neurological nurse, who moonlighted at a private hospital while on official sick pay, has received a suspended prison sentence.

Bridgitte Magno, 32, was employed at King’s College Hospital, Camberwell, but says she was a victim of “bullying” and a “toxic environment” - forcing her to take time off due to mental stress.

However, it was discovered that while receiving a total of £2,587.36p in sick pay she worked shifts in the private health sector, via a specialist employment agency, Croydon Magistrates’ Court heard.

The Philippines-born mother-of-two, of Deventer Crescent, East Dulwich pleaded guilty to one count of fraud between December 14, 2020 and November 28, 2021.

After she resigned from the NHS she took a permanent £850 per-week role at the private Cleveland Clinic, Portland Place, and that position is now in jeopardy as a result of the conviction.

Senior Staff Nurse Magno was sentenced to twenty weeks imprisonment, suspended for two years and ordered to repay the remaining £2,300 she still owes King’s College Hospital NHS Trust.

She referred herself to the Nursing and Midwifery Council and now potentially also faces professional conduct proceedings, which threatens her career and visa status in the UK.

Prosecutor Amanda McCabe told the court: “This is sick pay fraud. The defendant is a qualified nurse who was employed by the NHS at King’s College Hospital from 2019.

“The defendant, while working in he NHS, made dishonest false representations to make a gain for herself by taking sickness absences and working privately.”

During thirteen separate periods of absence between 2020 and 2021 Magno received sixty-two days of sick pay.

“The defendant attended interview and denied any wrongdoing,” explained Ms McCabe.

Magno earned approximately £8,000 working for the private health provider while on NHS sick pay, claiming she was under financial pressure to support her own family and her mother and siblings in the Philippines.

The fraud was finally exposed near the end of 2021. “She said she was suffering from stress so was unable to carry out shifts during her notice period.

“It was treated as sick leave and during that time she worked shifts for Thornbury Nursing Services and this brought up concerns about her previous sickness absences.

“The prosecution say this is a Category A offence of fraud over a substantial period.”

Magno promised to repay the money to the NHS, but only made two payments of £187.36 and £100.00.

Her lawyer, who refused to give her name, told the court: “Her husband is in court to support her and I submit she is entitled to full credit for her early guilty plea.

“She is very well educated and came to the UK with a great deal of nursing experience and her visa is due to expire in 2024.

“She has children aged ten and seven and is currently eight months pregnant and has worked for King’s College Hospital for a number of years in exemplary fashion.

“She was a very good nurse and has received awards for her good work at the Trust. She loves what she does and takes pride in her work.

“She was placed in the stroke department and was not able to transfer to neurology - which is her expertise. 

“However, she became unwell due to the toxic environment, was bullied and shouted at in front of patients and her mental well-being deteriorated.

“After periods of sick leave she always returned back to work with gusto. She loved being a nurse.

“She was suffering financial difficulties. Her father had died and she had to support her mother in the Philippines and her siblings and their children and her mental health led to some poor decisions.

“She did bank work via an agency, which is not prohibited. She fully regrets that bank work while she was depressed and suffering post-traumatic stress disorder.

“The conviction means her work prospects are severely jeopardised as well as her visa. She has been in the country five years and is currently eight months pregnant.

“She is an excellent nurse, who has been the recipient of many awards and the Nursing and Midwifery Council are awaiting today’s outcome to see if her licence should be revoked.

“If she cannot work in this country she will have to return to the Philippines.”

Magistrate Roger Brice told Magno: “We have listened very carefully to what’s been said by the Crown and on your behalf.

“The public do not expect their funds to be dishonestly taken from them. Taxpayers expect their funds to go to healthcare and not be defrauded by those that work within the NHS.

“We are not going along with the pre-sentence report, which is very light. We are not going to send you to prison today, but it was an option.”

Vodka Heiress Caught On Phone By 'CyclingMikey'

Porsche: Marinika Smirnova

Former Miss Russia and heiress to the Smirnoff vodka empire, Marinika Smirnova, was caught driving through Hyde Park while on her phone by road-safety activist ‘CyclingMikey’, a court heard.

The 40 year-old star of Fox TV’s ‘Meet The Russians’ was just one mile away from her six-bedroom £4.7m apartment in Queen’s Gate, Kensington when she was recorded by the infamous YouTuber.

She failed to appear at Lavender Hill Magistrates’ Court, where she was fined £220, with £620 costs, ordered to pay an additional £88 surcharge and received six penalty points on her driving licence.

The model and professional dancer - related to Pierre Smirnoff, who supplied his vodka to the court of Emperor Nicholas Romanov II - was convicted of using a handheld mobile phone while driving along West Carriage drive on December 10, last year.

Lavender Hill Job: Mike Van Erp

‘CyclingMikey’ - real name Michael Van Erp, 50, - was walking his bike through the park when he spotted Smirnova at the wheel of her red 3.8 litre Porsche, with personalised number plate SM11NOV.

Cycling around west London he has captured hundred of motorists using their phones and assisted prosecutions against ex-footballer Frank Lampard; movie director Guy Ritchie, former boxer Chris Eubank and comedy producer Jimmy Mulville.

He has posted the Smirnova encounter on his youtube channel and the GoPro footage was also played in court to the magistrates.

“It was 1.00pm and I was walking my bike on the pavement  in Hyde Park and I noticed a red Porsche in the queue of traffic,” Zimbabwe-born Dutchman Van Erp told the trial. “I noticed the driver was using a mobile phone.

“She had her head down in her lap and I could clearly see the driver was on her phone.”

Van Erp circled around the rear of the Porsche and pedalled up to the driver’s side.

“I saw the lit-up screen on the phone and some changes in the apps she was navigating through.

“As I leaned in the female driver put the phone away and looked at me, a disdainful look and I don’t blame her for that.

“I did not recognise the driver, but I have since searched her and she is a bit of a celebrity.

“I look for road behaviours, not particular people or particular cars, although I do admire her good personal plate.”

Smirnova did not respond to the police offer of a fixed penalty and applied to adjourn the trial at short notice because she is out of the country.

However, this was rejected by the magistrates, who convicted her and bench Chairman John Soones announced: “The phone was in her hand and we feel it was being used.”

He told Van Erp at the trial’s conclusion: “What you do is sensible and you assist the police in collecting evidence.”

Movie Props Pal Of Ex-Gangster Dave Courtney Sentenced For 'Weapons' Stash

Weapons: McGirr

The movie props housemate of notorious gangland hardman Dave Courtney has been sentenced after police found a collection of knuckle dusters and other weapons in the property.

Last month, Brendan McGirr, 56, received a twelve-month conditional discharge, plus £85 costs and a £26 victim surcharge.

He originally appeared at Bromley Magistrates Court alongside Courtney, 64, who had the same charge against him dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service.

However, McGirr, of Chestnut Rise, Plumstead pleaded guilty to possession of offensive weapons, namely knuckle dusters, a dagger and a martial arts throwing star.

The court heard local police visited the ‘Camelot Castle’ address at 6.40pm on December 29, last year to discuss Courtney’s New Year organised bare knuckle fights. 

Courtney was on holiday and McGirr again allowed the police in, this time accompanied by a Sergeant and various weapons were identified scattered around the property.

The officers noticed many swords, some in buckets, but they were all clearly blunt and McGill produced weapons and handed them over to the police voluntarily.

They were hanging on walls and strewn across shelves and other surfaces and none were in locked cases.

Charges Dropped: Courtney

The six knuckle dusters were of various designs and the throwing star is a Japanese weapon known as a shuriken.  

Courtney’s home is a local landmark, bedecked with union flags and flags of St. George, plus a huge side wall mural of the ex-gangster depicted as a knight sitting on a knuckle duster-themed throne surrounded by his men.

In a statement to police Mr McGill said the items recovered were all film props belonging to his company and he felt possession of them was lawful.

He said they were for the purpose of theatrical productions and film and television and were used in rehearsals and were like displays in a museum.