shipping worker shot dead on doorstep

Crime reporter(wp/es):

Detectives launched a murder hunt today after a young man who worked for a shipping company was shot dead on his doorstep in front of his mother.

James Owusu was speaking on his phone with his front door open in Harlesden when two men casually walked past and blasted him in the back, his family said.

Police, paramedics and firearms officers rushed to the scene in Tynsdale Road at 10.45pm last night after reports of a shooting.

Mr Owusu, 22, a business administration graduate, was treated in his home for mutliple gunshot wounds but died at the scene.

Today his devastated family told how the victim worked for a shipping company in Wembley and was also a part time DJ.

His mother Deborah described how witnessed her son slump on the doorstep after he was gunned down.

She told the Standard : “He was my only son, I am absolutely devastated. He was a good boy in every way. We cannot understand why this has happened I am heartbroken.”

His uncle George  said: “He was a bright, lovely, gentle guy. He was never in any trouble. We cannot understand. He was shot in front of his mother.

"We are all just confused, I spent a lot if time with him, we even worked together. He was no gang member or anything like that.”

Another uncle Tom Katro, 49, said Mr Owusu’s family were originally from Ghana and were well respected in the community. He said his nephew was brought up as a Jehovah’s Witness and attended bible reading classes.

Mr Katro, who runs a valet service, said: “James was a lovely boy who knew his scriptures well. He was bright and was liked by everyone who knew him. He went to university and his family were very proud of him. 

“This was not a boy who was in trouble. His mum and dad are devastated. He was shot in front of his mother who has been very ill. He was her only son this is just so terrible.”

A witness, who did not want to be named, said: “Two people walked by and shot him in the back. He was on his phone and the door was open, he was not expecting it.

"I tried to save him and gave him CPR but there’s nothing more I could have done. He was a good friend, we are all hurting.”

The boss of the shipping company where the victim worked described him as a “model employee”.

Sam Amiah, 63, who runs Sam Amiah Shipping, said: “He was really good. I knew him from a little boy because I am close to the family. He worked hard, was always punctual and was good on the phone.

“Just hours before he was killed he called me to talk about the business and was doing an extra course at the University of Hertfordshire to improve himself.

"He did some DJing as well but it never got in the way off his work for me. Believe me, he was a good person.”

Resdients described hearing four load bangs which they thought was fireworks going off.

Pauline Murray, 43, said: “There were four load thuds, I thought it was fireworks going off so thought no more about it. It’s such a tragedy. It happens too much around here.”

The shooting took place just fifty metres from the spot where Oilver Tetlow, 27, was killed in a hail of machine gun fire in March. There is no evidence the incidents are linked.

Scotland Yard appealed for witnesses to the shooting. There have been no arrests.

Theresa May 'could call election next year' after High Court ruling

Pic: Theresa May PM
Political reporter(wp/es):

Theresa May could call a snap general election next year to ensure she has enough supportive MPs to start the Brexitprocess, ministers have said.

Three judges today ruled that the Prime Minister must give MPs a vote before invoking Article 50, which starts the countdown for Britain to leave the EU.

Speaking after the High Court ruling, Tory former minister Dominic Raab said if the debate gets to the stage where MPs in the Remain camp are threatening to block the triggering of Article 50 in a Commons vote, Mrs May could call an election.

Mrs May has said she will formally begin the Brexit process by the end of March and has insisted she will not reveal her negotiation plans, despite calls from MPs for her to do so.

The next election is not due to take place until 2020 unless the Government loses a vote of no confidence or there is a vote by MPs with a two-thirds majority in favour of an early election.

Appearing on BBC Two's Daily Politics alongside Labour MP Stephen Kinnock, Mr Raab said: "I think the elephant in the room here is if we get to the stage where effectively Stephen and his colleagues are not willing to allow this negotiation to even begin, I think there must be an increased chance that we will need to go to the country again.

"I think that would be a mistake and I don't think those trying to frustrate the verdict in the referendum will be rewarded."

But Mr Kinnock accused Mr Raab and Mrs May of being "scared" of MPs.

He said: "I don't know what Dominic and the Prime Minister and all these people are scared of. 

"Why don't we just have a mature, sober debate in Parliament, as we do on any issue that comes before us, and this happens to be the most important since the Second World War."

Labour MP Mike Gapes said a general election before Article 50 is triggered was now likely.

He tweeted: "I predicted an early election. I think this court judgment makes it now very likely before Article 50 is triggered."

Meanwhile, Ladbrokes slashed its odds on a general election next year to 2/1.

Woman dies after falling from library balcony in Birmingham

Crime reporter(wp/es):

A woman has died after falling from a library in a busy city centre.

Distraught shoppers alerted emergency services after the woman fell from the building in Birmingham at about midday today.

She was pronounced dead at the scene.

A spokesman for West Midlands Police said the death is not being treated as suspicious.

He added: ‘Police received an emergency call just after 12 noon.

“The woman’s family has been informed.’

A Birmingham City Councilspokesman added: ‘We can confirm there was an incident at the Library of Birmingham this morning, in which a woman tragically died.

“We are co-operating with the police in their investigation of the incident and we are also offering support to library staff and those working at the café who may have been affected by the incident.’”

Girl, 15, sexually assaulted on Overground train in Hackney

Crime reporter(wp/es):

Police are hunting a train pervert who sexually assaulted a teenage girl on a journey through east London.

The 15-year-old was on an Overground train from Dalston Kingsland and when she was attacked, police say.

A man approached her and then started to touch the teenager through her clothing.

She protested and ran off the train when it reached Hackney Wick.

British Transport Police now want to speak to anyone who may have seen the October 13 attack, which took place at around 6pm.

They also want to speak to people who may have seen the man acting suspiciously before the sex assault.

Two schoolchildren and a man found dead in house

Staff reporter(wp/es):

Two schoolchildren and a man have been found dead at a house in Leicestershire.

Police were called to the semi-detached home in a leafy residential area of Hinckley at 9.30pm, following calls from concerned neighbours who had heard a disturbance.

Officers including specialist negotiators made contact with another man inside the house and an injured woman on the street.

The woman was taken to hospital in the early hours of the morning where she is now in a stable condition, Leicestershire Police said.

The causes of death are not known but detectives have said they are not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident on Welwyn Road.

Nearby resident Wendy Aubrey told The Hinckley Times: “My neighbour could see a woman standing in the street. She phoned the police. I was woken up by screaming.

“All the cars came down, there were loads of them. I was kept awake by all the doors banging.

“I’ve been here 30 years, there’s always something going on in Hinckley, but you don’t expect it round here.”

Detective Chief Supt Sandall, head of Leicestershire Police’s Crime and Intelligence Directorate, said: “A number of enquiries are now underway to understand what caused the three deaths, and the circumstances surrounding the events of last night in the house.

“Whilst we are not, at this stage, looking for anyone in connection with what happened, we would like to hear from anyone who may have information for us.”

The case has reportedly been referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission as police had prior contact with the people involved.

Post-mortem examinations will be carried out in due course.

Heathrow Airport receives a noise complaint every five minutes

Staff reporter(wp/es):

Heathrow Airport is the subject of a noise complaint every five minutes, statistics show.

There were 25,200 complaints made between July and September this year, coming from 2,218 people.

However, just under half of the complaints – 12,312 – came from the same 10 people, a report reveals.

Slough was home to the majority of complaints during the summer period, with 3,944.

There have been 84,000 complaints in total this year up to the end of October, approximately one for every five take-offs and landings.

Campaigners opposed to the third runway at Heathrow, which was announced by the government last week, believe it will increase pollution and the number of complaints will rise.

John Stewart, chairman of the Heathrow Association for the Control of Aircraft Noise (Hacan) told the BBC: "I would expect complaints to rise, certainly initially, if a third runway was built.

"The biggest thing that Heathrow could do to reduce complaints would be to give more communities a break from the noise during the day by varying the flight paths.

"Most of the complaints are coming from areas that get noise all day long."

A spokesman for Heathrow Airport said: "Heathrow's plans for expansion will ensure fewer people are impacted by aircraft noise, offer more predictable respite than we can now and a world-class noise insulation scheme.

"Heathrow has consistently reduced the number of people impacted by aircraft noise, by incentivising airlines to bring their cleanest, quietest aircraft to the airport and driving forward changes in how they operate through measures like steeper approaches.

"Independent experts agree. Following the most in depth study of aviation expansion in a generation, the Government's Airports Commission confirmed a bigger Heathrow can be a better neighbour."

London banker James Starkey who was tortured and murdered was due to return to UK today

Pic:James Starkey
Crime reporter(wp/es):

A London banker found strangled to death in a penthouse apartment in South Africa while on a work trip was due back in the UK today, friends revealed. 

James Starkey, 36, from Woolwich, was found dead after apparently inviting his attacker into the flat in Johannesburg.

Today it emerged he proposed to his fiancée, who wishes to remain anonymous, just two weeks before being murdered when she flew from London to visit him in South Africa.

Friends said she was left “distraught” by the killing and suspected the perpetrators targeted Mr Starkey, who worked for City consultancy firm Catalyst, because they thought they thought he was a wealthy foreigner.   

One friend said: “His fiancée is distraught. We’re all in shock. It seems to be a case of a white banker staying in an estate where it’s white people and I think people have been watching him and mistakenly thought he had money.

“There’s no forced entry so we imagine he may have let them in. Family members did go to see the body and it looks like he’s been tortured. It’s tragic. He was due to return to London today. He was a top guy.

“Their plans were to go to Australia (Mr Starkey’s home country) and get married.”

His body was found in Raphael Penthouse Suites building on October 8 when staff forced open the door after a colleague raised concerns.

Staff at the upmarket block have been quizzed by investigators, while management of the building confirmed they had scanned security footage after finding the dead body and handed all relevant material to detectives.

The Raphael Penthouse apartments are next to Nelson Mandela Square, one of Johannesburg’s best-known tourist hot spots. The complex, owned by Legacy Hotels, is accessed through several sets of security card-protected doors. Reception staff are accompanied by 24-hour security guards.

David Stroud, from Legacy Hotels, said that Mr Starkey appeared to have let his attacker into the building. He said: “This incident was not a breach of security in the building and took place between the tenant and his invited guest in a private apartment.

“We are not in the habit of presuming to tell occupants who they should or should not have visit them.”

Mr Starkey, who had worked for a host of top banks including Ernst & Young, Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan, was apparently planning to settle back in Australia.

His family told the Sydney Morning Herald: “Words cannot describe how devastated we are.

“James lived life to the full and certainly had everything to live for, having recently become engaged and planning to return to settle in Australia in the near future.”