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.

Elderly woman dies after being hit by car on leafy road in north-west London

Staff reporter(wp/es):

An elderly woman has died after she was hit by a car on a leafy road in north London.

Police and paramedics rushed to the scene of the crash in Harrow at 10.45am on Saturday morning.

The female pedestrian, a woman aged in her 70s, was pronounced dead at the scene just under an hour later, Scotland Yard said.

An air ambulance was also called after the crash, which happened in Bessborough Road at the junction with Whitmore Road.

The car stopped at the scene.

A Met Police spokesman said: “Officers are in the process of informing next of kin.

“A post-mortem examination will be held in due course.

“No arrests have been made and enquiries continue.”

World's oldest person and last known survivor of the 1800s Emma Morano dies at 117

Pic:Emma Morano died on Saturday at her home in northern Italy
Staff reporter(wp/es):

The world's oldest person has died in Italy at the age of 117, reports say.

Emma Morano, who was born on November 29, 1899, was officially the last surviving person in the world who was born in the 1800s.

She put her longevity down to genetics, being single and her diet of three eggs, two of them raw, each day for more than 90 years.

Ms Morano died on Saturday in her home in the city of Verbania, northern Italy, according to local media.

"She had an extraordinary life, and we will always remember her strength to help us move forward in life," the mayor of Verbania was quoted as saying.

She was born in the Piedmont region of Italy, the oldest of eight siblings, and officially became the world's oldest living woman when American Susannah Mushatt Jones died in May.

Ms Morano took up her unusual diet as a young woman after she was diagnosed with anaemia shortly after World War One.

More recently she had cut down to two eggs a day, along with a few biscuits.

Last year, in an interview with AFP, her doctor Carlo Bava, said: "Emma has always eaten very few vegetables, very little fruit. When I met her, she ate three eggs per day, two raw in the morning and then an omelette at noon, and chicken at dinner."

Ms Morano also credited her longevity to her decision to kick out her abusive husband in 1938.

"I didn't want to be dominated by anyone," she once said. 

Her long life was also likely down to genetics - her mother lived until she was 91 and several sisters reached 100.

Police officer injured and man attacked in mass brawl at Camden Lock

Crime reporter(wp/es):

A police officer was injured after a mass armed brawl broke out in north London in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Weapons were found at the scene in Camden Lock where a large crowd of people began fighting in the street at around 3am.

Police were called and one officer was injured as they tried to break up the brawl, on Chalk Farm Road. 

But officers believe another man was also injured during the fight and fled the scene before police arrived. It is thought he has not received medical treatment.

Detectives are now appealing for information and witnesses to trace the victim and have released a CCTV image of him.

He is described as black, aged in his late teens to early 20s, around 5ft 10ins tall and with a ponytail. He was wearing a black jacket and jeans.

The Met Police said a 17-year-old boy has been charged in connection with the incident. Enquiries are continuing.

The officer who was wounded suffered minor injuries, police said on Sunday.