Even Fox Mulder Wouldn't Touch This One...

...and come to think of it, didn't Dana Scully have something rather pithy to say about the ability of government to maintain a coverup?

MPs are calling for a Hillbsorough-style independent panel inquiry into claims...

Wait for it... 

...of an alleged Government cover-up over the toxic death of a seven-year-old schoolboy during floods ten years ago.

Yes, it's this case. Again.

The Mail on Sunday has highlighted the decade-long crusade by Zane's parents, Kye Gbangbola, 57, and Nicole Lawler, 46, to uncover the truth about the tragedy.

Well, no, actually, what they want to uncover is someone other than themselves to be to blame. 

Gas detection kit worn by firefighters at the scene sounded the alarm for hydrogen cyanide at the property and neighbours were evacuated.

Zane's death was discussed at an urgently-convened Cobra meeting in Whitehall later the same day.

But a coroner's inquest later concluded that Zane's death was due to carbon monoxide poisoning. The coroner Richard Travers said fumes from a petrol pump hired by Zane's parents to clear water from their home was to blame.

But that would mean shadowy forces weren't to blame, and the parents can't have that, as it points the finger back at them. 

The family's home in Chertsey, Surrey - where Mr Gbangbola and Ms Lawler still reside - flooded again last month during Storm Henk.

I wonder how they cleared that floodwater?  

You Don't Have To Be An Idiot To Be A Judge...

...but you do have to have a warped sense of priorities:

At a hearing in May 2021 at Norwich County Court he was awarded £8,500 by judge Mr Recorder Gibbons who rejected most of his claim for clinical negligence on the grounds that Cojanu had been dishonest over how he incurred the injury, loss of earnings and medical care costs he claimed he would incur.

I wouldn't even have given him that...but since he's no doubt not paying for his legal fees, why not keep on trying? 

Eventually you'll find a sucker... 

His lawyers then appealed the decision at the High Court, with Mr Justice Ritchie this week ruling that his compensation be increased to £17,500 while stating that Cojanu being 'dishonest' about how he received his injury was not relevant to the civil claim against the NHS.

Really? 

'...cause of the cut fingers has no relevance to the clinical negligence claim. In my judgment the mechanism of how he cut his finger is incidental to the claim or collateral thereto.'

Well, except for the very reason that there was a delay, that is... 

The cancellation took place because of security concerns over taking him to the North London hospital...

If they'd left Joe Bloggs sitting in the waiting room for weeks that would be one thing. But they don't have to ensure Joe Bloggs doesn't escape justice or assault someone else, do they?  

In Our Topsy Turvey World, Would Anyone Bet They Wouldn't Win?

Claire Vickers, 46, and her friend Barry Douglas, 44, were stuck on a slide for two hours after breaking into Aldershot Lido when it was closed.

Claire shattered her ankle and Barry broke both of his ankles and fibular, reports the Mirror.

Gran Claire also had her shin bone poking out of her leg after the pair got drunk, broke into the lido and decided to go down the slide, nor realising there was a metal barrier placed at the exit.

And let that be a lesson to you, eh? 

But wait! What's the lesson again? 

While no police action was taken against either Claire or Barry, he suggested that there should have been "better security" at the waterpark.

He also said that it was "too easy to get into" and warned that they may be taking "legal action" against the Lido.

Ah, yes. 'Where there's blame, there's a claim'... 

H/T: Peter W via email

Given It's Croydon, I'm Only Surprised It Wasn't From A Gun...

Janet, 26, who lives in Crystal Palace, was about to tuck into them with her daughter over the weekend when four-year-old exclaimed that she'd found something on one of them.

"We washed them twice including with some bicarbonate of soda (Ed: I prefer cream and sugar on mine!), and then we left to dry out. Then my daughter picked out one she wanted and said: 'Mum there's a bug on it, there's a bug on it!'

Your child is going to fail at school if she confuses molluscs with insects... 

Janet called the company's customer service and was offered a five pound gift card in response, something she didn't consider wholly adequate.

What a shock! 

Are You Sure About That, Mrs Wright?

Wright's mother added that she wants Potter to be held accountable for 'everything she's taken from us'.

What's the going rate for a worthless wastrel son, with no apparent prospects other than petty gangsterism, who is prepared to resist arrest to avoid answering charges and has a warrant out for his arrest on attempted aggravated robbery charges after allegedly holding a woman at gunpoint for $820 in December 2019?

Wright's bail was originally set at $100,000 with orders that he should not contact the victim or any witnesses, refrain from drugs and alcohol and not have any weapons. A bond bailsman paid $40,000 for his release.

But his bail was revoked in July last year due to his 'failure to not possess a firearm or ammunition' and not keeping in touch with his probation officer, court papers show. At that time a judge issued a warrant for his arrest, that was still outstanding on the day he died.

I can't believe that even in America, it'd be all that much.  

Better Not Check The Lasagna...

...there might be a horse's head in there!

Polly Wheaton, 47, popped out to Lidl to buy the ingredients for a vegan bolognese for her twin daughters Isabelle and Megan, 20.

But as Isabelle got to the final few mouthfuls on her plate, she was horrified to find what looked like the scaly head of the reptile in her food.

The family think it came from a jar of sauce or tin of tomatoes from the supermarket.

They think..? But they aren't sure?

"I feel at the very least that this product should have been recalled. The fact that we found an exotic animal in our food in the middle of a global pandemic is shocking."

But I haven't had so much as a courtesy call from Lidl to apologise.

"I've had to constantly chase them over the last six weeks, and all they've told me is that their complaints team is still looking into it.

"I think this should take precedence over someone who has complained about a bad can of baked beans or something."

Hmmmm....

Polly said the suspected lizard's head was about the size of her thumbnail - which is why she had not seen it when she was pouring the ingredients into her sauce.

And as a 'nail technician' I guess she's qualified to judge! So....Lidl haven't done anything about this?

A spokesperson for the German supermarket said: "We were very sorry to hear of this matter and would like to sincerely apologise for any distress that this may have caused.

"We are keeping the customer updated on the progress of this investigation, and upon its conclusion will share any results directly."

Ah. But clearly she wants her 15 minutes of fame regardless.

"It's Everyone Else's Fault, 'cos I Is Black!"

Jordan Walker-Brown fell from a wall while being pursued by two officers. A Metropolitan Police officer is under criminal investigation by the police watchdog over the incident in London.

It will examine what role ethnicity played in decisions that day amid concerns about the disproportionate use of Tasers on black men.

So this young black chap was just innocently walking down the road when the police decided to arrest him for no reason?

"I do not pretend to be anyone other than myself," Mr Walker-Brown told the BBC from hospital in a statement released through his lawyer.

"I ran from the police because I had a small amount of cannabis in my possession for personal use - and I had fresh in my mind the memory of a similar encounter with TSG [Territorial Support Group] officers only the previous day when I was mistreated, arrested and charged for possession of a similar amount of cannabis."

Ah. Well, I guess that explains that!

He said he believed he was targeted by police because he is black.

"I know that I would not have been the subject of police attention, on either day, if I had not been a young black man," he added in the statement.

You don't think the 'being caught with cannabis earlier' had anything to do with it then? Oh, and being a known criminal?

Jordan Walker-Brown has previously served time in prison.

We aren't told what for. Maybe that would spoil the picture the BBC - our state broadcaster, remember - is trying to present of this poor innocent lamb?

And as for 'disproportionate use of taser on black men', perhaps they should look to the many YouTube videos of the attitudes to police questions that they display?

(Epping station) 🇬🇧 pic.twitter.com/yI0KrsdWIr

— London & UK Crime.. (@CrimeLdn) July 3, 2020

A Chip On Her Shoulder? It's An Entire Sack Of Potatoes!

Bennett is now so frightened that she has installed cameras in her car. She said: “I feel I have to protect myself from the police more than anything else as a black person in London.”

Really?!

Is it the police stabbing black youths on the streets, then, or is it other black youths?

Are the police carrying out vicious muggings and rapes, or is it people who are the same colour as her?

All the police are doing is their job. And facing the usual battle from people who think they shouldn't have to comply.

When Bennett refuses to wind down the window or get out, and later says she is calling a lawyer to check the search is legal “because this is what you’re doing to black people”, he replies: “You’re really starting to annoy me.”

You're not the only one, chum!

She insists: “I don’t know what I’ve done wrong.” Within a minute, the footage shows, he threatens: “Open the door or the windows are going to go in.” Six minutes later he and a colleague pulled her from the car, according to the police report.

An official police investigation found no wrongdoing on the part of officers.

Quite so. What are the police supposed to do when someone objects to being stopped? Just shrug and say 'OK then'?

When police officers stopped Neomi Bennett late at night, they did not know anything about her – including that she had been awarded a British Empire Medal for services to nursing, and invited to Downing Street in recognition of her work. In her opinion, they simply saw a black woman sitting in a car...

Quite so, again. Are BEM holders sacrosanct, and people who have visited 10 Downing Street to be considered off limits? In a country where a sitting MP was a wrong 'un with a criminal record?

Now she intends to bring a civil claim against the Metropolitan police for wrongful arrest, assault, battery, false imprisonment and malicious prosecution.

Of course she does. She sees the compo train rollin', she ridin'!

She believes her experience illustrates the challenges faced by black people once they are in the justice system. She was found guilty at Wimbledon magistrates court in September of resisting/obstructing a constable and says she worried about bringing up racism to an all-white bench.

“Even in court I never once said: ‘This is because I’m a black person,’ for fear of them thinking: she’s got a chip on her shoulder.”

Now, who'd think that?

Strange Priorities...

At the time of Mombeyarara’s arrest, Clare Collier, advocacy director at the campaign group Liberty, described the video of him being tasered as “incredibly distressing”.

Presumably, the fact that this 'gentleman' drove his child in an uninsured car, over the speed limit and while intoxicated, then decided to fight the police who stopped him, isn't even mildly concerning.

Mombeyarara’s solicitor, Terence Channer, from law firm Scott-Moncrieff & Associates Ltd, said: “I am advising Mr Mombeyarara on bringing a civil action against the chief constable of Greater Manchester police for the very troubling use of force in this case.

“The IOPC are currently investigating the incident. I understand [they] have obtained crucial body-worn video footage, CCTV, and mobile phone footage, which they are reviewing. My client and I therefore await the outcome of the IOPC investigation with some interest.”

As do we all. Because if they decide there's no case to answer, the look on your greedy faces will be wonderous to behold.

Rob Potts, assistant chief constable at Greater Manchester police, said: “It is important to us that we demonstrate a commitment to equality, diversity and human rights in order to earn the confidence and trust of all our communities (Ed: I thought we had just the one..?),” he said.

“That trust is a vital element in GMP protecting society and helping keep people safe across all our communities. We are involved in constructive dialogue with community representatives in relation to this incident.”

And that's your problem. There should be no 'negotiation' with the criminal community. Which is the community he belongs to. 

The Police Didn't Sell Your Daughter Stolen Goods, Did They?

The family of a young woman shot dead outside Bexleyheath police station nearly 17 years ago has expressed "relief" at coming a step closer to finding out exactly how she died.

Hasn't there been a trial?

Yes indeed, reader. There has:

Sabina Rizvi, 25, was killed in the early hours of March 20 2003 outside the police station on Arnsberg Way.

In 2004, Paul Asbury, then aged 22, was convicted of her murder and the police watchdog went on to produce a report in 2011.

So what's left to argue?

Speaking outside court afterwards, family solicitor Anna Moore said: "Sabina was shot outside a police station in 2003.

"A man has been convicted of that crime but there has never been an investigation into the full circumstances of her death, whether there was involvement of anyone else and what happened at the police station.

"My client has been fighting for years, ever since Sabina's death in 2003, for an investigation into her death. They are relieved this is starting.

"There has never been an investigation into how Sabina came to her death. They are looking for answers. They want to know what happened to their loved one and what happened on the night she died.

"There was an indication this case is likely to be heard by a jury, which is what the family are asking for."

What exactly were the circumstances, then?

Sabina loved cars and a friend of hers, Mark, offered her an Audi TT to buy. It was very expensive and I didn't want her to buy it, but she'd fallen in love with it. When she rang me to tell me she'd bought it, it was as if she'd won the world, so I couldn't be annoyed with her.

The following day however, she told me that the owners of the car were threatening her, saying it'd been stolen and that they wanted it back. Sabina immediately phoned the police and went with Mark to the police station to try and sort things out. I spoke to her several times that evening, and she said everything was fine.

Hmmm....

The trial was very anti-climactic for me. You desperately want justice, to find out exactly what happened, but all it did was confirm that Sabina wasn't going to come back. Paul Asbury, one of the murderers, was found guilty but the police don't think he pulled the trigger, those people are still out there. I feel very let down by the police.

Why? Shouldn't you feel let down by her friend Mark? Wasn't he the one who got her into this?

No, 'Bad Luck' Is When A Tree Falls On Your Head...

...not the inevitable consequences of drug-taking:

A coroner said Luke Blackhurst vomited in his sleep but did not wake up . She said it was “incredibly bad luck”.

Well, yes. What caused it, food poisoning? A cheese sandwich too late at night?

Analysis from a toxicology report found he had low levels of various drugs in his blood, including morphine and ketamine.

Ah.

Staff at Fred Emery Court had met Luke in the weeks before his death after he and two friends had caused noise disturbances in the housing project, which Luke had attributed to alcohol.

Lovely!

The coroner recorded a conclusion of misadventure, and said Luke’s death was drug-related.

She added: “Losing someone like Luke is something no one who knew him will ever recover from, but I hope there is some comfort in the fact that he was asleep in the last hours of his life.”

Of course, the parents - sorry, parent, dad's not in the picture, it seems - feel that someone's to blame. 

What? No, not him! Not the friends who took drugs with him. Not the dealer who sold him drugs.

Don't be silly...

Mrs Blackhurst believes there was not enough support in place for her son.

She said: “Despite the coroner’s findings, I had concerns for Luke’s safety and level of care.

“There is clearly a need to develop stronger safeguarding processes. I am also really disappointed regarding the lack of understanding regarding Luke’s diagnosis.”

What's to 'understand'? He liked to party. Too much. That's not complicated to understand, is it?

“I would have thought staff would encourage Luke to go to the adult learning difficulty team at the council or that a key worker would have helped him make an appointment with this service, but it was not addressed. Luke needed gentle prompting.”

Well, you're his mother. Why didn't you do it, instead of expecting strangers to do it?

She said: “Professionals I’ve spoken to all say they know what autism is but the question is, do they? Putting pressure on people with autism can make things much worse.”

Isn't 'prompting' putting pressure on people then? Make up your mind!

No Amount Of Signage Will Help...

Jonathan's mum, Joyce Adebanjo, said her son was a "nice guy" and a "peaceful person". She is now in contact with other drowning victims' loved ones to prevent further deaths and improve signage around the river.

What's wrong with the signage then?

She added: "A smartphone was bigger than the signage there.

"Nothing has been done to prevent these deaths in the most dangerous part of the river.

Apart from all the warnings, the previous deaths, the expectation that people take responsibility for their criminally-stupid actions, you mean?

"I'm working to start a class action with other families who have lost relatives in the river.

"Next week I am meeting with a mum who lost her son near to where Jonathan died. We are going to come together. It's someone's child, someone's brother who has died.

"I want something to be changed. My son is not going to be a statistic."

He already is. Nothing's going to change that.

A sign located around five metres from the ladder where Jonathan entered the water indicated that people had previously drowned in the basin, the hearing was told.

No point putting up more signage for Darwin Award winners to ignore.

Take, Take, Take...

I told you we hadn't seen the last of this story:

Shukri’s uncle Mustaf Omar, 29, said: “We are not happy with the lack of information in the report. It’s a whitewash. We hoped the school would interview Shukri’s mother for this report and other parents whose children might have experienced bullying but they weren’t approached.

“It was very insulting that we were asked to go to the police station to receive this school report. We asked for an interpreter for Shukri’s mum, Zamzam, but there was no interpreter there. Zamzam just sat there crying. In the end we walked out of the police station in protest about the way we were treated.”

*rolls eyes*

Shukri’s mother, Zamzam Arab Ture, is calling on the school to be investigated for a potential breach of its duty of care towards pupils.

She said: “If the rights we came to this country for exist I want something done.”

You've got a bloody nerve demanding your 'rights' when you haven't even bothered to learn the language of the country you came to!

An investigation has been launched into whether police treated Shukri’s family “less favourably” because of their ethnic background.

Of course it has.

But, But...Obesity Crisis!

A photograph posted on social media claims to show a child's lunch at Stourport Primary School and has been met with outrage from parents who say they have since complained to the school.

What did it consist of, turkey twizzlers smothered in butter?

...comprising one fish finger and seven chips.

*laughs*

Parents report to pay £2.10 each day for hot lunches. The school's website says its lunches are sourced from local produce and provide "healthy nutritional meals".

Can't do them under the ASA, since it mentions nothing about size of portion or value for money!

Stourport Primary School refused to comment on the complaints.

Sensible. It's a no win situation if you do. 

Are You Kidding Me..?

Deborah Coles, the director of Inquest, which supports the families of people who die in custody, said the system had again failed to hold police to account.

This is the case of Sean Rigg, the floridly mentally ill strapping young man acting aggressively in a public street, who died while being restrained in 2008.

That's right. 11 years ago. And there's been no less than four attempts in that time to try to blame the police for his death. All of which have now failed.

Because they weren't to blame. They did the best they could, in challenging circumstances, to keep people safe.

An initial hearing by the IPCC exonerated officers of responsibility for Rigg’s death, but in 2012 an inquest jury found Rigg had died of cardiac arrest after “unnecessary” and “unsuitable” restraint while lying face down.

I'd love to hear what that jury would have done faced with someone refusing to listen to reason...

This prompted the police watchdog to review its earlier investigation. It was another four years before prosecutors confirmed that no criminal charges would be brought over his death, bar one count of perjury against White, who was later cleared.

The IPCC was abolished in January 2018 and replaced by the Independent Office for Police Conduct, which directed the Met to bring disciplinary action against the officers.

And they've been cleared again. What a waste of time, money and police resources.

The investigations have taken so long that Birks is now an ordained priest, although he is still paid a police salary because he was denied permission to resign while proceedings were ongoing.

Still, looks like the sister is getting a book out of it, and more publicity to spit her dummy on all the TV stations & radio shows she attends. 

Let It Not Be The Last...

A holidaymaker who launched a bogus £2,500 claim for food poisoning has been referred to police by the judge who threw out his spurious case.

In what’s believed to be a first, deputy district judge John Josephs asked officers to investigate whether Tom Oakey’s dishonest allegations about a five-star Bulgarian hotel constitutes a crime.

And just how did he determine they were dishonest?

...his claim collapsed when investigators found Facebook pictures of the 30-year-old and his girlfriend Claire Fursey, 31, sipping cocktails and dining at restaurants when he claimed he had been unwell.

Oakey, who engaged a ‘no win, no fee’ firm to bring his case, also claimed that he had to postpone a boat trip, but snaps on Fursey’s Facebook page showed the pair enjoying a ‘sunset cruise’ the day after he said he had become ill at Hotel Helena Park in Sunny Beach.

LOL! These people are as thick as they are crooked!

As well as being referred to police, Oakey was ordered by Northampton County Court to pay holiday operator Tui almost £9,000 in costs.

I hope they have good jobs...

"How Does The Defendant Plead?"

"Woof! Woof! Grrrr!"

A policeman whose dog injured a member of the public has been charged with racially aggravated wounding.

Paul Birch, a West Midlands Police constable, is accused of unlawfully and maliciously causing grievous bodily harm to a man with a group of travellers. It follows an incident at the site of the former North Worcestershire Golf Course in Northfield, Birmingham, in September last year.

The injured man was taken to hospital after being bitten by the animal, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said.

That'll be an incident resulting from this, no doubt. The initial complaint was for one of theft.

Officers were engaging with a group of people on the site when a police dog seized a man by the leg.

Unbidden by the handler? Or directed by him? Hmmmm. This is going to be a very interesting one....

H/T: InspectorGadget via Twitter

And What Caused The Judge's Brain Injuries...?

A young mother who sustained severe brain injuries while 'tram surfing' as a teenager has won £485,000 in compensation.

Rebecca Kelly was just 13-years-old when she held onto the outside of a Luas tram in Dublin before falling back and hitting her head on the tracks. Ms Kelly, now 20-years-old, has received a staggering payout from the High Court in Dublin despite admitting the accident was her fault.

I mean, he must have had some...?

Mr Justice Cross approved the settlement and told Ms Kelly it was unnecessary to state she had done a 'silly thing' but commended her for her honesty.

*boggle*

Just That Little Bit Too Wacky...

Bryan Crawford, 37, of Nether Priors, in Basildon, took his children to a Wacky World inflatables session at the Sporting Village in Cranes Farm Road.

At the event, which took place at the weekend, he said his youngest child was trapped inside one of the inflatables after the fan came away from the apparatus, causing it to collapse.

 Oh noes!

Mr Crawford said that only two members of staff were inside the hall watching the children as they used the 11 different inflatables.

So...? Don't they state that it's your responsibility to supervise the kids?

He said: “I have four children so I have to put myself in a position where I could see what all of them were doing at all times.

“My 13-year-old daughter doesn’t need too much supervision but the younger ones I had to keep an eye on.”

 So you saw immediately what happened, and ran to help?

Suddenly Mr Crawford’s youngest son ran to him in tears.

His eldest daughter told him the inflatable had collapsed on top of her brother, and she had to help him get out of the inflatable as it continued to deflate on top of him.

 Hmmm. Guess daddy had something else he was engrossed in. Wonder what it was?

He said: “He was incredibly shaken up and scared after it happened. He’s now terrified of bouncy castles.”

 That'll save you a fair bit then!

“The time it took for my little boy to get out of there and run to me could have been ages.”

'Could have been'..? So you don't even know if it was?

I’m angry there was no one there to help.”

There was. His sister. Which was fortunate, as it turned out. Wasn't it?

If Compensation Is Awarded...

The families of three young boys who were injured as they played near the railway in the Black Country are to sue rail bosses.

 ...and who'd be surprised if it was, then maybe the rail company should countersue for the repair bill?

One boy was injured when he came into contact with a 25,000 volt cable, another suffered minor burns, while the third was left traumatised after witnessing it.

The families claim a "big gaping hole" in the fence had not been repaired and allowed the boys to get in and play.

The families want compensation for the "psychological trauma" the boys suffered, as well as their physical injuries.

We, the British public, should demand compensation from the parents for the aggravation reading such ghastly chutzpah causes us.

“It is well known that children, commonly teenagers, will play upon railway property, or enter to 'train surf'," Mr Hannington said. "The fact that they are not permitted to be there does not absolve the railway operator or landowner of any responsibilities to the children trespassing."

Funny. I never did as a child.