Police charge Ben Lacomba with murder of missing mum of five

Pic:Mum-of-five Sarah Wellgreen (PA)
Crime reporter(wp/es):

A man has been charged with the murder of a mum of five after she disappeared in early October.

Ben Lacomba, 38, was first arrested over the disappearance of 46-year-old Sarah Wellgreen on October 16 - a week after she went missing.

He was re-arrested on Thursday following new information, Essexpolice said, and has now been charged with her killing.

Officers are still searching for Ms Wellgreen's remains.

She was last seen on October 9 in New Ash Green, Kent, and has not been in touch with her family since.

Police said Ms Wellgreen's car was left at home and there have been no new transactions on her bank or credit cards.

Last month, her son Lewis Burdett thanked the public for their support.

He said: "The last month has been a never-ending nightmare and so distressing for our family. We would like to thank everyone for their kind thoughts and for respecting our privacy at this difficult time, and ask that it continues.

"If there is any comfort to be found during this time, it has been through seeing the support the community has given in the search to find our mum

Since her disappearance, officers have searched woodland near the Bluewater shopping centre in Dartford, and areas in Greenhithe near the River Thames.

Divers have also entered the River Darent in Dartford town centre while police and council workers have searched drains and the fire service provided a drone.

Hundreds of members of the public have also volunteered to help with searches.

Lacomba is due to appear at Medway Magistrates' Court via video link on Friday at 10am.

Sadiq Khan calls for overhaul of Scotland Yard's gang matrix as 4 in 5 names on it are shown to be black

Pic:London Mayor Sadiq Khan has called for an overhaul of Scotland Yard's gang database ( Getty Images/wp )
Crime reporter(wp/es):

Sadiq Khan is calling for an overhaul of Scotland Yard’s controversial gangs database after it was found to include a “disproportionately” high number of young black men.

The Mayor today published a review of the confidential Gangs Matrix, which was created after the 2011 riots to identify those considered at risk of becoming involved in gangs.

City Hall found that of the 3,200 names listed on the database, three quarters are under the age of 25 and four-in-five are black. 

It said that while there is evidence the list has helped to reduce offending rates, measures were required to “restore trust” and ensure it is used “lawfully and proportionately”. 

The review also said the representation of young black men on the matrix is disproportionate to their likelihood of either causing or being a victim of gang violence and communities have “deep reservations” about how it operates. 

It adds: “Further investigation is to be carried out to understand if this disproportionality is legitimate and to be transparent.”

The report comes after an investigation by the UK’s data watchdog accused the Met of “serious breaches” of data protection laws. 

Information commissioner Elizabeth Denham said details about individuals suspected of gang involvement were “inappropriately” shared with housing and education authorities, potentially jeopardising their careers and alienating communities.

The Standard revealed earlier this month that the Met is being sued by a 28-year-old man from Newham who claims his name appeared on pages from the database which were leaked onto social media.

Mr Khan said local borough police forces have since deleted their informal gang databases and added: “To many Londoners, the way [the matrix] is applied and enforced is a cause for concern and it needs to be comprehensively overhauled to ensure it is used lawfully and proportionately.” 

He said Londoners need  “confidence in how it is used by the Met.” The review also called for the matrix to be in line with data laws and have annual reviews.

Young man knifed to death off busy north London high street

crime reporter(wp/es):

A young man has been stabbed to death in an alleyway off a busy high street in north London.

Emergency services were scrambled to Albert Place, off TottenhamHigh Road, at 1.20am on Saturday.

Police and paramedics found a man, believed to be in his 20s, with stab injuries.

He was rushed to an east London hospital but was pronounced dead just under an hour later.

Scotland Yard is working to identify of the victim and no arrests have been made.

Detective Chief Inspector Glen Lloyd, who is leading the investigation, said: “We’re in the early stages of the investigation and at this stage we are working hard to piece together the chain of events that led to a young man losing his life.

“Only days before Christmas, a life has been senselessly taken and my team will work tirelessly to bring those responsible to justice as soon as possible.

“I am appealing to anyone with information, no matter how insignificant they think it may be, to come forward and speak to police. If there is a reluctance to speak to police, you can of course contact Crimestoppers anonymously.”

Formal identification awaits and a post-mortem examination will be held in due course.

Anyone with information should contact police on 101 quoting CAD 503/22 Dec. To remain anonymous contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

UK consumers gloomiest since 2013, car production slumps

Business correspondent(wp/reuters):
British consumers are their gloomiest in more than five years, business sentiment is its weakest since the 2016 Brexit referendum and car output has tumbled this year, according to three surveys that paint an ominous picture for 2019.

Brexit worries weighed on consumer and business morale, according to the surveys, while car production is falling at its fastest rate since Britain was last in recession in 2009.

GfK’s monthly consumer sentiment index edged down to -14 in December from -13, its lowest since July 2013 although it was in line with economists’ expectations in a Reuters poll.

While consumers felt better about their personal finances over the past year and were more willing to make major purchases, their expectations for the economy over the next 12 months tumbled to its lowest since December 2011.

“In the face of ever-rising costs, and the threat of higher inflation combined with uncertainty around the outcome of the Brexit negotiations, it’s no surprise that consumers are in a chilly mood of despondency,” GfK executive Joe Staton said.

With less than 100 days until Britain is due to leave the European Union, Prime Minister Theresa May has yet to win the support of much of her Conservative Party for the deal she struck last month with other EU leaders.

Without a deal Britain risks major economic disruption when it leaves the bloc.

On Thursday, Bank of England officials trimmed their forecast for quarterly economic growth in the last three months of 2018 to 0.2 percent from 0.3 percent and said the picture in early 2019 was likely to be similar.

Lloyds Bank said on Friday its monthly survey of business sentiment sank to its lowest since just after the referendum decision in June 2016 to leave the EU.

Similar to consumers, businesses were more downbeat about the outlook for the economy than their own financial situation.

“The expected slowdown in economic growth in Q4 could well be extended into early 2019, but there is potential for a rebound in sentiment should there be some respite in uncertainties that firms currently face,” Lloyds economist Hann-Ju Ho said.

A big slump in car production last month — linked to weaker growth in export markets as well as Brexit worries — is almost certain to weigh on fourth-quarter economic growth figures.

The number of cars produced in Britain in November fell 19.6 percent from a year earlier to 129,030, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said.

This was the biggest year-on-year drop in nine months, and production for the year to date is down 8.2 percent at 1.44 million cars, the biggest such decline since Britain’s last recession in 2009.

“Output (was) seriously impacted by falling business and consumer confidence in the UK allied to weakening export markets,” SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said. “If the country falls off a cliff-edge next March the consequences would be devastating.”

British politician, soldier and diplomat - Paddy Ashdown dies

Staff reporter(wp/reuters):
Paddy Ashdown, the face of centrist politics in Britain for more than a decade and a one-time marine commando who sought to secure peace in the former Yugoslavia, died on Saturday after being treated for cancer. He was 77.

Ashdown led the Liberal Democrats for 11 years up to 1999, steering it to become a campaigning force in British politics against the Conservatives and the Labour Party.

The party said Ashdown died on Saturday evening after a short illness. He had recently been hospitalised with bladder cancer.

It said he would be remembered as someone who made an immeasurable contribution to furthering the cause of liberalism.

Tributes came in from across the political spectrum. Prime Minister Theresa May said Ashdown served his country with distinction. “He dedicated his life to public service and he will be sorely missed,” she said in a statement.

Calling Ashdown a “true patriot”, former Conservative Prime Minister John Major said: “In Government, Paddy Ashdown was my opponent. In Life, he was a much valued friend.”

Jeremy John Ashdown was born in India on Feb. 27, 1941, the eldest son of an Indian army colonel. When he was five, his father became a pig-farmer in Northern Ireland.

He was educated at an English private school where he earned the nickname Paddy because of his strong Irish accent.

He spent years in the Royal Marines, and was on active service as a commando in the jungles of Borneo. He entered parliament in 1983 and was virtually unknown when he became leader of the pro-European party five years later.

However his craggy good looks - he had short sandy hair - and an earnest expression swiftly helped him to become one of his country’s most popular leaders and for a time the ““Mr Clean” of British politics.

He also gained in stature during the 1991 Gulf War, which allowed him to display his military experience and diplomatic skills.

Ashdown’s image as a family man above the sniping of mainstream politics took a hit in February 1992 when he was forced to admit to a brief extra-marital affair with his secretary.

Having stood down in 1999, he went on to become the United Nations high representative and European Union special representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Ashdown described himself as having few gifts other than strong willpower.

“People said I couldn’t learn Chinese, they said I couldn’t run 30 miles in six hours. This sounds extraordinarily arrogant but I can’t remember a thing upon which I’ve set my mind that I didn’t succeed in doing,” he said in early 1992.

He was replaced as head of the party by Charles Kennedy who enjoyed further electoral success when he opposed Blair’s decision to invade Iraq, and the party under Nick Clegg entered power in a coalition David Cameron’s Conservatives in 2010.

It has since been decimated at the polls.

Ashdown, the author of several books, had two children with his wife, Jane.

He had in recent years campaigned alongside Cameron and other leaders for Britain to remain within the European Union. He warned that chaos could ensue if it voted to leave and described Brexit as “a sense of personal bereavement”.