Alex Dombrandt: Could England pick Harlequins number eight for Six Nations?
Harlequins number eight Alex Dombrandt would flourish in the international environment, says England scrum-half and club team-mate Danny Care.
The uncapped 22-year-old is thought to be pushing for a place in England’s Six Nations squad after starring for Quins of late.
“He reads the game so well, he’s smart and makes the right decisions all the time,” Care said.
“You put him in an England shirt and he is only going to excel.”
Care believes Dombrandt would provide England with an extra dimension if he made his international debut.
The former university student is on head coach Eddie Jones’ radar after appearing for an England XV in a non-cap game against the Barbarians in May.
There also appears to be an opening at the back of the scrum, with Billy Vunipola the only specialist number eight in the Rugby World Cup squad after Bristol’s Nathan Hughes fell out of favour.
“For me he’s got everything. He’s hungry for it, he’s got the work-rate and the work ethic, and he’s a good boy,” Care told the Rugby Union Weekly podcast.
Dombrandt only broke into the Quins first team a year ago after completing his undergraduate studies at Cardiff Metropolitan University.
But after a breakthrough season last time around, he recently signed a new deal to stay at The Stoop despite firm interest from Northampton Saints.
“He went to uni, did it properly and enjoyed himself, but he’s got a chance to play professional rugby and he’s grasped it with both hands,” Care added.
“I’m not picking the England squad, but 100% [he should be in].
“I just think if you throw him in there, and you have him running lines alongside Billy Vunipola, Mako Vunipola, Joe Marler – which attacker is the defender going to take?
“He is different, and there aren’t many of him around. And he can play six [blind-side flanker], seven [open-side flanker] or [number] eight.”
Loughton hit-and-run: Harley Watson named as victim
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Harley Watson, 12, was described by his school as “liked and loved”
A 12-year-old boy killed in a hit-and-run outside a school has been named locally as Harley Watson.
He was struck near Debden Park High School in Loughton, Essex, at about 15:20 GMT on Monday.
A 51-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of his murder, as well as the attempted murder of four other teenagers and a 23-year-old woman who were hurt in the crash.
One of the victims was described by his mother as “battered and bruised”.
It is understood all the injured children – two 15-year-old boys, a 13-year-old boy, and a girl, 16 – are pupils at the school.
Debden Park’s head teacher Helen Gascoyne, said: “Our thoughts are with the family and all those affected.
“The school will be open [on Tuesday] with a number of counsellors on hand to support our community.”
Flowers and messages to Harley Watson and his family have been left at the scene of the crash
Christian Cavanagh, executive head teacher, described the Harley’s death as “a young life so tragically lost”.
He said: “This young man had made his mark on the school and was liked and loved by staff and students.
“We will consult with the family and our school community to decide how best to commemorate his life.”
‘I’ve been hit by a car’
Donna Mills, the mother of Alfie Barnes who was one of the 15-year-olds struck by the car, said he was “still in shock… battered and bruised”.
“He remembers the car coming towards him, he remembers getting hit, but it is a bit of a blur. He hit his head and I think he blacked out for a bit,” she said.
“Alfie rang me and said ‘mum I have been hit by a car’, so I shot down there as fast as I could. It was horrendous.
“It was… horrible to see, kids laying on the floor, just terrible.”
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Debden Park High School opened on Tuesday for staff and pupils to support each other
Essex Police said officers are looking for a silver Ford Ka that was “likely to have damage to [its] front”.
Earlier, the force took the step of naming Terry Glover, 51, as someone they wanted to speak to in connection with the crash.
Met Police superintendent sentenced over indecent video
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Supt Novlett Robyn Williams (right) was on trial with her sister Jennifer Hodge and Dido Massivi (left)
A senior police officer convicted of possessing a child abuse video on her phone has been told she faces “immense” career consequences.
A court heard Novlett Robyn Williams failed to report her sister for sending the “disturbing” clip last year.
While jurors at the Old Bailey accepted Williams did not view the material, they rejected her claim she was unaware of its presence on her phone.
She was ordered to carry out 200 hours’ community service.
Williams had denied the charge, saying she “zoned out” when she received the video.
The jury was told she was one of 17 people to receive the 54-second clip via WhatsApp, and prosecutors had argued there was no way she could have missed its arrival in her inbox.
They said a response sent to her older sister Jennifer Hodge, saying “please call”, was evidence that she wanted to discuss the content.
Judge Richard Marks QC, sentencing, told the Old Bailey her “grave error of judgement” was likely to have “immense” career consequences.
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Supt Williams, pictured with London mayor Sadiq Khan, was highly commended for her work helping families affected by the Grenfell Tower disaster
The court heard Williams, who was commended for her work after the Grenfell Tower disaster, had an exemplary disciplinary record, was highly regarded for her work and was awarded the Queen’s Policing Medal for distinguished service in 2003.
Judge Marks told her it was “completely tragic you found yourself in the position you now do” considering her “stellar career in the police force over 30 years”.
She was cleared of a charge of corrupt or improper exercise of police powers in failing to report the distribution of an image.
As the prosecuting barrister, Richard Wright QC, noted, this is a “sad” case for all those involved, particularly for Robyn Williams who could well lose the job she cherishes.
She was the only one to be prosecuted of the 17 people who received the child abuse video.
Two individuals reported it, but no action was taken against the other 14, raising concerns among her supporters that she’s been unfairly targeted.
Did it have to end up in a trial at the Old Bailey? Or could the Superintendent have been dealt with through internal misconduct procedures, given her 36 years’ distinguished service?
There is also a wider question for all of us about our legal responsibilities when we’re sent material on social media that we haven’t asked for.
This case has demonstrated the risks of not reporting and deleting footage that contains illegal content.
Williams’ sister Jennifer Hodge, 56, of Brent, was ordered to carry out 100 hours of community service having been found guilty of distributing an indecent image of a child.
The social worker had denied sending the video, which she received from her partner and allegedly depicted a young girl performing a sex act on a man.
Her barrister Andrea Brown also told the court the conviction had “destroyed her relationship” with her police officer sister, who is her only immediate family member.
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Supt Novlett Robyn Williams had denied all the charges
Hodge’s partner Dido Massivi, 61, was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment suspended for two years as well as 200 hours of community service.
The bus driver had denied two counts of distributing indecent photos and one count of possessing an extreme pornographic image portraying a person having sex with a horse.
Prosecutors said there was no suggestion the defendants derived any sexual gratification from the images but all three will be placed on the sex offenders’ register – Hodge and Williams for five years, and Massivi for 10.
Both Hodge and Massivi were also sacked from their jobs following their arrest, the court heard.
Scotland Yard said Williams remains on restricted duties but that would be “reviewed now criminal matters are complete”.
Sri Lankan bombings: British victims ‘unlawfully killed’ says coroner
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Anita Nicholson and her children Alex, 14, and Annabel, 11, died in the Shangri-La hotel bombing
A mother and her two children were among six British nationals killed in the Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka, an inquest heard.
Anita Nicholson, 42, and her children, Alexander, 14 and Annabel, 11, died instantly in an explosion at the Shangri-la Hotel in Colombo.
Lorraine Campbell, Bill Harrop and Sally Bradley also died in the blast at the Cinnamon Grand Hotel.
All six were unlawfully killed, the coroner recorded.
Mr Harrop, a retired firefighter and his wife, Dr Bradley, had been on holiday from their home in Australia when they were killed in an explosion at the restaurant of their hotel.
The couple, originally from Manchester, had been described as soulmates.
Bill Harrop and his partner Sally Bradley
Ms Campbell, an IT director from Greater Manchester, was on a business trip at the time. Her family has spoken of the “enormous void” created by her death.
Ben Nicholson survived the blast which killed his wife and children.
The family had been visiting Sri Lanka from their home in Singapore having previously lived in Upminster, East London.
Mrs Nicholson, a lawyer for mining firm Anglo American, went to college in Thurrock, Essex and had been living in Singapore with her family since 2010.
Senior coroner for Essex Caroline Beasley-Murray recorded that all six were unlawfully killed as she concluded inquest hearings in Chelmsford.
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The damaged Shangri-La hotel in the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo, after an explosion
Mr Nicholson described his wife as “a wonderful, perfect wife and a brilliant, loving and inspirational mother to our two wonderful children”.
He said: “Alex and Annabel were the most amazing, intelligent, talented and thoughtful children, and Anita and I were immensely proud of them both and looking forward to seeing them develop into adulthood.
“They shared with their mother the priceless ability to light up any room they entered and bring joy to the lives of all they came into contact with.”
The six British Nationals were among 310 victims of a wave of bombings in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday.
Two other Britons, brother and sister Daniel and Amelie Linsey, 19 and 15, were killed in the blasts.
Joseph McCann: Man embarked on ‘series of depraved sex attacks’
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Joseph McCann is accused of 37 offences against 11 alleged victims
A man embarked on a series of “depraved” sex attacks on women and children, one as young as 11, a court has heard.
Joseph McCann is accused of 37 offences against 11 alleged victims, including rapes, kidnap and false imprisonment, over two weeks in April and May.
The Old Bailey heard the 34-year-old snatched two women off London streets and told one he would “never release her” as he raped her multiple times.
Mr McCann of Harrow denies the charges.
The jury was told one 25-year-old woman was abducted as she walked home in Walthamstow, east London, just after midnight on 25 April.
Prosecutor John Price QC said the defendant told her “to stop screaming or he would stab her” then dragged her into a car “and drove off”.
The court heard the woman was raped “many times” in various locations over the next 14 hours and subjected to acts of “shocking depravity and violence”.
“He made her call him ‘daddy’ and say that she was a child. At one point the man parked the car near to a school, saying that he wanted to make her rape a child,” Mr Price said.
Later the same day, and while still holding the woman prisoner, the defendant abducted a 21-year-old woman in Edgware, north London, as she walked along the street with her sister, the court heard.
CCTV of the woman being bundled into a silver people carrier just after midday was played to the jury.
Mr Price said she “suffered a similar fate” to the 25-year-old woman before the pair managed to escape while in Watford where Mr McCann had booked a hotel room for two nights.
He told the jury they would have come to “further harm” but one of the women hit their captor over the head with a vodka bottle and some builders “bravely” intervened to prevent them being recaptured.
Grenfell Tower: Jacob Rees-Mogg criticised for ‘insulting’ comments
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Jacob Rees-Mogg made the comments on LBC’s Nick Ferrari show
Jacob Rees-Mogg has been criticised for saying it would have been “common sense” to flee the Grenfell Tower fire, ignoring fire brigade advice.
The Leader of the House of Commons was appearing on a radio phone-in on the findings of a Grenfell inquiry report when he made the comments.
The Grenfell United group called the MP’s comments “insulting”. Mr Rees-Mogg said he “profoundly apologised”.
Seventy-two people died in a fire at the tower block on 14 June 2017.
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Seventy-two people died in the fire at Grenfell Tower in June 2017
Speaking on LBC’s Nick Ferrari Show on Monday, Mr Rees-Mogg said: “The more one’s read over the weekend about the report and about the chances of people surviving, if you just ignore what you’re told and leave you are so much safer.
“And I think if either of us were in a fire, whatever the fire brigade said, we would leave the burning building. It just seems the common sense thing to do.
“And it is such a tragedy that that didn’t happen.”
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The blaze reached the top of Grenfell Tower within an hour of the first 999 call
On Tuesday, Mr Rees-Mogg said: “What I meant to say is that I would have also listened to the fire brigade’s advice to stay and wait at the time.
“However, with what we know now and with hindsight I wouldn’t and I don’t think anyone else would. I would hate to upset the people of Grenfell if I was unclear in my comments.”
In a statement, survivors’ group Grenfell United said: “The Leader of the House of Commons suggesting that the 72 people who lost their lives at Grenfell lacked common sense is beyond disrespectful.
“It is extremely painful and insulting to bereaved families.”
Former Grenfell resident Joe Delaney told the BBC: “Jacob Rees-Mogg talking about common sense is a bit like my dog talking about wifi. It’s surprising he even understands the concept.”
‘Stay put’
Grenfell inquiry chairman Sir Martin Moore-Bick said fewer people would have died if the London Fire Brigade (LFB) had taken certain actions earlier.
Sir Martin criticised the LFB for following a “stay put” strategy, where firefighters and 999 operators told residents to stay in their flats for nearly two hours after the blaze broke out.
The advice is designed to prevent hundreds of people descending stairs while firefighters are coming up during a contained fire.
As flames spread around Grenfell’s external cladding, the advice may have prevented some families escaping, the report found.
LFB Commissioner Dany Cotton told the London Assembly on Tuesday that the brigade would respond differently to a Grenfell-like fire in the future.
She told the fire resilience and emergency planning committee: “Knowing what we know now about Grenfell Tower and similar buildings with ACM cladding, our response would be very different.”
Hashim Amla: Surrey sign ex-South Africa batsman on Kolpak deal
Surrey have signed former South Africa batsman Hashim Amla on a two-year Kolpak contract.
The 36-year-old retired from international cricket in August as the Proteas’ second-highest Test run scorer with 9,282 runs in 124 matches.
Amla is the only South Africa batsman to score a Test triple hundred – 311 not out against England in 2012.
He was Test captain between 2014 and 2016, scoring 28 centuries and averaging 46.64.
“Surrey are one of the most established and accomplished cricket clubs in the world and I am very excited to be joining them again,” he told the Surrey website.
“I was part of the Surrey team in 2013 and 2014 and thoroughly enjoyed myself during those stints, so to rekindle that relationship for a longer period is something that excites me. I’m really looking forward to working with Alec Stewart and the rest of his team.”
Amla joins former South Africa team-mate Morne Morkel at 2018 County Championship winners Surrey, who had been looking for an experienced batsman with Ollie Pope and Rory Burns likely to be away on England duty for extended periods of next season.
As well as his two previous spells with Surrey, he has also played for Essex, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Hampshire.
In total, Amla scored more than 18,000 runs across all formats for South Africa with 55 centuries in 349 matches and has been ranked as the number one batsman in both Test and one-day international cricket.
He scored 27 one-day international centuries, the most by a South Africa batsman, and scored 8,113 runs at an average of 49.46 in the format.
“With several of our players now in or around the international setup, the opportunity to bring Hashim back to Surrey was too good to ignore,” said Surrey director of cricket Alec Stewart.
“His record speaks for itself and we know from his previous spells here that he will be an excellent resource for all of our players to learn from both on and off the field.”
Amla’s career in numbers
- Tests: 124, 9282 runs, average 46.64, 28 hundreds, highest score 311*
- ODIs: 181, 8113 runs, average 49.46, strike-rate 88.39, 27 hundreds, highest score 181
- T20Is: 44, 1277 runs, average 33.60, striker-rate 132.05, highest score 97*
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Extinction Rebellion protests continue in London despite ban
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Extinction Rebellion is calling on the government to explain its plan to meet a net-zero emissions target
Extinction Rebellion activists are continuing protests despite a London-wide ban by police.
The group says it will challenge the ban, saying it believes it is unlawful. Lawyers and politicians have also criticised the move.
Meanwhile climate change protesters targeted the Department for Transport and MI5 on Tuesday morning.
A government spokeswoman said protests “should not disrupt people’s day-to-day lives”.
Extinction Rebellion’s co-founder, Gail Bradbrook, was arrested after climbing on to the entrance of the Department for Transport on Tuesday morning. Police also cleared further protesters from outside the building.
Activists have also been arrested on Millbank outside MI5’s headquarters, where a small group had gathered. Two men briefly sat in the middle of the road before being moved by officers.
On Monday evening, the Metropolitan Police began clearing protesters from Trafalgar Square following the announcement of a ban on the protests.
Under Section 14 of the Public Order Act, the force had imposed conditions requiring activists to stop their protests in central London by 21:00 BST on 14 October or risk arrest.
The Metropolitan Police said that the ban was imposed after “continued breaches” of a condition limiting the demonstration to Trafalgar Square.
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There was a large police presence at the Department for Transport
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Protesters who had camped out in Trafalgar Square have now been moved on
Speaking to the Victoria Derbyshire programme, Extinction Rebellion campaigner and former Met Police officer Paul Stephens said: “Police are being really sloppy with the law, and it won’t stand up in court.”
He added that “there will be a judicial review”.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has said he is “seeking further information” about the decision to impose the ban and why it was necessary.
“I believe the right to peaceful and lawful protest must always be upheld,” he said.
A spokeswoman for the government said the UK was “already taking world-leading action to combat climate change”.
The statement added: “While we share people’s concerns about global warming, and respect the right to peaceful protest, it should not disrupt people’s day-to-day lives.”
‘Overreach of powers’
Meanwhile, lawyers have questioned whether the ban by police was legal.
Anti-Brexit barrister Jo Maugham QC said the move was “a huge overreach” of police powers, while human rights lawyer Adam Wagner described it as “draconian and extremely heavy-handed”.
Mr Wagner added in a tweet: “We have a right to free speech under article 10 and to free assembly under article 11 of the (annex to the) Human Rights Act. These can only be interfered with if the interference is lawful and proportionate. I think the police may have gone too far here.”
Shadow home secretary Diane Abbott tweeted: “This ban is completely contrary to Britain’s long-held traditions of policing by consent, freedom of speech, and the right to protest.”
Allan Hogarth, of Amnesty International, issued a statement saying the ban was “an unlawful restriction on the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly”.
A number of demonstrations have been staged across the capital by Extinction Rebellion, which is calling on the government to do more to tackle climate change.
The protests were due to last two weeks and have led to more than 1,400 arrests.
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Police remove an Extinction Rebellion protester from Trafalgar Square in central London
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Protesters gathered their belongings as police removed the last of the Extinction Rebellion demonstration
The Met said there had been 1,457 arrests by 08:45 BST on Tuesday, in connection with the nine days of Extinction Rebellion protests in London.
Last week, the Home Office confirmed to BBC News that it was reviewing police powers around protests in response to recent demonstrations.
What are the rules around protests?
Police have the powers to ban a protest under the Public Order Act 1986, if a senior officer has reasonable belief that it may cause “serious disruption to the life of the community”.
Police are also under a duty to balance the task of keeping the streets open with the right freedom of assembly under the Article 11 of the Human Rights Act 1998 and freedom of expression, under Article 10. These rights are not absolute – the state can curtail them.
However, the BBC’s home affairs correspondent Dominic Casciani said: “The test, if and when it gets to a court battle, is whether police action was proportionate to threat and only what was strictly necessary.”
By law, the organiser of a public march must tell the police certain information in writing six days in advance.
Police have the power to limit or change the route of the march or set other conditions.
A Section 14 notice issued under the Public Order Act allows police to impose conditions on a static protest and individuals who fail to comply with these can be arrested.
David Price to fight Dereck Chisora in all-British heavyweight fight
Dereck Chisora will face David Price on 26 October in a British heavyweight bout where both men will risk their careers, says promoter Eddie Hearn.
Chisora, 35, was set to face Joseph Parker until the former world champion withdrew following an illness he believes stemmed from a spider bite.
Price, 36, has stepped in and enters the bout off a run of three victories.
“I kept in the gym all summer as I had a feeling I had to be ready for a call like this, and ready I am,” Price said.
The bout, at London’s O2 Arena, will form part of the undercard to the world title fight between super-lightweights Josh Taylor and Regis Prograis, which is the final of the World Boxing Super Series.
Chisora has previously expressed his displeasure at not being the night’s main event and threatened to walk away from competing if he was not paid more.
But following news of Liverpool’s Price taking part he said: “David Price has stepped up and I’m ready for whatever he brings. This is north versus south and in my home town I write the rules.”
Price – who has 25 wins from 31 outings – and Chisora – with 31 wins from 40 contests – have both built momentum in recent fights with strong displays.
But with each vying to push forward from the elite level domestically to become part of the conversation among the very top heavyweights globally, a defeat for either would prove damaging at such a late stage in their careers.
“It was frustrating to lose the Parker fight but I feel we now have a fight with even more curiosity and danger,” said promoter Hearn. “The careers of both men are on the line, they will be giving it everything. It’s going to be a dramatic fight and dramatic night.”