man shot dead and woman repeatedly stabbed in Easter Sunday attack

Crime reporter(wp/es):

A man has been shot dead and a woman stabbed several times in an Easter Sunday attack in Essex.

Police have launched a murder investigation following the shooting late on Sunday evening in Wickford.

Officers were scrambled to Cranfield Park Avenue at 9.45pm where they found the 45-year-old victim alongside a woman with multiple stab wounds.

Both were rushed to a nearby hospital but the man died from his injuries. Essex Police said the woman, 35, was in a serious but stable condition on Monday morning.

An Essex Police spokesman said: “Detectives have launched a murder investigation after a man was shot dead.

“Police were called by the ambulance service at 9.45pm yesterday, Sunday April 16, with reports a man had been shot and a woman had been stabbed in Cranfield Park Avenue Wickford.

“Both were taken to hospital but sadly the 45-year-old man died.”

Camberwell Station could be reopened after 100 years to solve 'travel misery'

Pic:Camberwell Station has been shut off to passengers for 101 years
Staff reporter(wp/es):
An abandoned railway station last used over a century ago could be reopened to alleviate travel misery for thousands of commuters in south east London.

Camberwell Station, which sits on the Thameslink line between Loughborough Junction and Elephant and Castle, last served passengers in 1916 before it closed amid wartime constraints.

MPs said that reopening the stop, which is now hidden entirely by nature, would be a major boost for residents who “have suffered poor transport links for years”.

Harriet Harman (for Camberwell and Peckham) and Helen Hayes (for Dulwich and West Norwood) wrote an open letter to Transport Secretary Chris Grayling to discuss their proposal.

It reads: “The reopening of the station would come as much needed relief to residents of Camberwell who have suffered from poor transport links for years, especially following the disappointment of the proposal for the Bakerloo Line extension to only serve Old Kent Road, and with the ongoing disruption to Southern Rail services.

“The proposal is supported by nearby King’s College Hospital, which employs thousands of staff and for whom constraints in local public transport capacity create significant issues in getting staff, patients and visitors to the hospital.”

Opened in 1862, Camberwell Station has been shut off to passengers for 101 years and its ticket office has for years been a mechanic’s garage. The platforms are completely covered in bushes.

Ms Harman told the Weastar Times: “This is so important for Camberwell residents who have endured terrible transport links for years, even more so following the disappointment of the proposal for the Bakerloo Line extension to not go through Camberwell, and with the unending Southern Rail misery.”

Southwark Council said it hopes to “work with TfL” on reopening the station.

Former mayor of London Boris Johnson said at a Mayor’s Question Time in 2016 that reopening the station would be “possible” if timetable changes could be made to accommodate it.

Located on Camberwell Station Road, the stop served the mainland City line from Herne Hill to Farringdon Street when it first opened. The line also served another forgotten station, Borough Road, which closed in the early 20th century.

There have been extensive plans to develop the station area into a vibrant cluster of small to medium businesses, making use of the railway arches.

A Department of Transport spokesman said they would not comment on the reopening of the station until plans had been submitted.

“We are committed to improving access to rail services for passengers and are happy to support proposals for new stations where these are viable and deliver the quality service passengers want,” he said.

Man fighting for life after being mowed down in 'hit-and-run' in east London

Crime reporter(wp/es):

A man is fighting for life in hospital after he was mowed down by a van in a suspected hit-and-run in east London.

A witness described how the victim, a 54-year-old man, was left lying in the street with blood pouring from his head after he was hit by the vehicle as he crossed the road in Bow on Saturday night.

He was struck by a van, which is believed to be a dark coloured Ford Transit, and the driver fled the scene, police said.

Police, paramedics and doctors from London’s Air Ambulance raced to the crash near to Bow Road Tube station at about 9.45pm.

Scotland Yard said the man was rushed to hospital where he remained on Monday in a critical condition.

Witness Hussain Manawer was driving along Bow Road when he saw the crash and stopped to administer first aid to the victim.

In a post on social media, he said it was “heartbreaking” to watch as blood poured from the injured man’s head as they waited for the ambulance to arrive.

“He was hit so hard, his shoes were about 15 meters away from his body. The only thing I knew to do was to pray for him,” Mr Manawer, who stopped at the scene with a friend, wrote.

Detective Sergeant Stephen Pidgeon said: "A man has been left in a critical condition and it is of paramount importance that anyone who witnessed the incident or has any information comes forward. 

“We know that at least one passing vehicle witnessed the incident as the occupants of this vehicle stopped at the scene and provided first aid to the victim. 

“Given the time of evening and that there is a tube station in close proximity there would have been a number of people who may have seen the lead up to the collision or the incident itself. I would urge anyone with any information no matter how small to get in contact."

British couple kicked off overbooked Easyjet flight from Luton

Pi c:The couple were kicked off their plane/AFP
Staff reporter(wp/es):

A British couple were told to leave their overbooked Easyjet plane and not offered compensation just 24 hours after United Airlines passenger David Dao was dragged from his flight.

The pair, who paid £628 for flights from Luton to Sicily, claim they were told by staff after boarding the plane they would have to leave because it was overstaffed.

Staff allegedly did not tell them of their right to a replacement flight that day or compensation and said there would not be another flight for four days.

Easyjet has apologised and blamed the incident on an error, saying they should not have issued boarding passes to the couple.

Viddha, 35, and Manoj, 38, and told the Independent they had planned a six-day break, booking £1,270 of non-refundable accommodation and transfers in Sicily. In the end, they had to cancel the trip.

Manoj told the paper: “This was an incredibly humiliating situation.

“The airline had overbooked and we were involuntarily off-boarded from the aircraft by two airport staff in front of a packed plane.

"The only difference between us and the chap involved with United Airlines is that we weren't physically dragged off.”

A spokesman for Easyjet said: “The circumstances were very unusual and resulted from a manual error at the gate. 

“We have listened to our call recordings and at no point did we refuse alternative travel or EU261.

“We want to reassure our customers that we will be providing additional training to our contact centre agents to make sure that future customers are not put through a similar experience.  

“This should also have been handled better at the airport on the day so this has been picked up with the individuals concerned.  We are genuinely sorry for what has happened.”

The incident occurred last Monday, just a day after shocking footage showed Dr Dao being dragged screaming from an overbooked United Airlines plane.

Dr Dao, 69, is taking legal action over the incident, which saw him lose two teeth and break his nose.