Muslim Raped Tourist He Offered Free Bed

Abdelali Nachet, 34, offered tourists a free bed through the 'Couch Surfing' website, which aims to match travellers up with free accommodation as they undertake their journeys.

After getting his 29 year old Chinese victim back to his flat, he imprisoned her and subjected her to a brutal attack, raping her at least twice:

A woman of 29 was raped by a man who offered her free accommodation through a website aimed at helping travellers, a court has heard.

She arranged to stay with Abdelali Nachet through couchsurfing.com after using the site to stay with strangers across Europe without any problems.

But her brief stay in Leeds turned into a nightmare, it was alleged.

Nachet, 34, took her back to his flat, threatened to kill her and raped her twice during a 'degrading and humiliating' ordeal that lasted throughout the night.

Prosecutor Simon Phillips said the woman tried to escape but tripped up in the hall and Nachet told her: 'If you try to run away I will kill you and after that I will kill myself.'

He added: 'She felt in very real and genuine fear that she was at risk of being murdered by this defendant.

'She submitted, she never consented. He was aware of this but was persistent. He went on and on for a long time.'

The woman from Hong Kong had recently completed a trip to Italy and Spain using the same worldwide hospitality website which enables travellers to fix up free accommodation with volunteers offering themselves as hosts.

She had also used it in France and had stayed with another single man in Birmingham without incident.

Mr Phillips said: 'This site enables travellers to find free accommodation with like-minded individuals, people interested in travelling, people who want to meet new people, interested in hosting people overseas, showing them some hospitality and perhaps showing them the area where they live.

'It's a recognised forum for finding accommodation. There is nothing disreputable about it.'

The woman wanted to visit Leeds and emailed Nachet, a Moroccan, after spotting his entry on the website. Nachet said on his site profile he worked in marketing and would
offer Moroccan hospitality and show visitors a 'good time'.

She travelled from Birmingham by bus on March 5 and was met by Nachet at around 6pm, Leeds Crown Court heard.

He took her for a drink in a cafe and they then made a meal together at his two-bedroom city flat.

Afterwards she asked to use the internet to make her next booking. He was playing music and began dancing.

He asked her to join him and when she said she was not good at dancing, he said he would show her.

Mr Phillips said he held her and began to get very close. She did not like it and said she had to get back on the internet.

Later the woman was getting ready to go to bed and Nachet knocked on the door and offered to show her some family photographs, the court heard.

To be polite she agreed and followed him into the bedroom. The light was suddenly turned off and he allegedly attacked her.

Nachet allegedly made the woman have a bath after the rapes to get rid of incriminating forensic evidence.

Mr Phillips said the morning after Nachet did some vacuuming before leaving the flat with the woman.

She got on a bus back to the West Midlands and alerted police after telling a male friend she had met on couchsurfing.com what had happened.

The jury heard the night after the alleged rape, two women and a man Nachet had met on the same website had travelled to Leeds to stay at his flat.

Mr Phillips said Nachet started dancing with one of the women and tried to touch her breasts.

Nachet denies two counts of rape and one of sexual assault. When arrested he
claimed she consented.

The jury watched a recorded police interview in which the woman gave a graphic account of the sex attack speaking through a translator.

She said she trusted the couchsurfing website and thought it was a 'reliable' tool for travellers.

The case continues.

Sadly, I think what happened may count as Moroccan hospitality. See here, here, here and here.

Paris on Riot Alert - Situation Normal (II)

The violence in Bagnolet, sparked by a criminal who was fleeing police killing himself in a motorbike crash, continued last night:

The suburbs of Paris were once again the scene of violence Monday evening following the death of 18-year-old Yakou Sanogo, who was killed Sunday in a motorbike accident as he was being pursued by a police car.

Several cars, a bus, and rubbish bins were set ablaze in the eastern suburb of Bagnolet, in what appeared to be a game of hide and seek between police and groups of local youth.

In the neighbourhood from which the victim hailed, police were targeted with projectiles at just before 11pm Paris time (GMT+2).

Officers say there were no serious injuries. Monday’s incidents were reportedly less severe than those on the night of the accident. “Tension is starting to go down again,” the mayor of Bagnolet, Marc Everbecq, told AFP.

An investigation is underway to determine whether the police have any responsibility in the accident. Some residents in Bagnolet accuse the police of having “pushed” Sanogo.

According to the official autopsy, Sanogo’s died of a “thoracic injury” sustained when he crashed into a metal barrier at a street that had been closed to entry.

The autopsy yielded no evidence of other injuries, which was presumed to rule out the theory that Sanogo had been hit by the police vehicle.

Now, whose fault is all of this?

The Mayor of Bagnolet, Marc Everbecq, has some thoughts for us:

I know that extreme right groups are rampant at this time. Their words are ugly. Those people who benefit from the difficulties that immigrants have to go home if they are not happy here, forget that France colonized the countries and that those bourgeois French made them come here to exploit them.

But this small fact racist fascists never talk about because they are on the side of exploitative employers. Their racism has therefore only one purpose: divide the exploited to improve the the grip of the exploiters. Racism is the poison that kills society. Thus, it is not only the immigrants who are challenged. Through them, also the French workers who are crushed to bend the spine and are less strong before the bosses. You see, go howl with the wolves fascists do nothing good. And we do not get caught by the legitimate frustration caused by these tensions.

Did you get that?

Racism and France's history are to blame for the problems she faces today, not the importing of millions of unassimilable immigrants.

In fact, even suggesting the latter is a huge part of the problem, and the legitimate frustrations you may have about your car being burned, your house stoned, your daughter harassed, you son beaten should not mould themselves into criticisms of multiculturalism or the French state.

It would be funny if such a dangerous man were not the mayor.

Robert Marchenoir, writing at Gates of Vienna, answers the usual media bias and provides background to this incident:

The first dispatches, such as the WSJ article, mentioned that the deceased motorcycle rider was a pizza delivery man.

This is disingenuous, because it suggests that a lawful, hardworking citizen was harassed by the police while minding his own business and helping the economy run.

Actually, he wasn’t delivering pizza at the time. He rode a trial motorcycle unlicensed for use on public roads. Furthermore, he was doing so in a noisy, disruptive, aggressive and dangerous way, as immigrant youths have taken to doing in city estates, for fun as well as to assert their dominance on public space.

Such antics generally include revving up the engine constantly in order to do as much noise as possible, riding on the back wheel, and riding very fast in residential areas. It’s called a “rodeo” in French.

Residents of “enriched” neighbourhoods are routinely submitted to that particular form of harassment. Beyond the annoyance and aggression, it’s definitely dangerous for pedestrians, children, old people and even other drivers.

In Bagnolet, on the day of the accident, this had been going on for quite a while when the residents complained, and the police came to the scene.

Usually the police do not bother to intervene when they receive such complaints, firstly because there are so many of them, and secondly because it’s very dangerous to try and stop those rogue riders.

They usually flee from the police, and, not infrequently, get killed in an ensuing accident. Then the police find themselves in a life-threatening situation while “elder brothers” congregate and a riot breaks out.

Coming next in the scenario, the immigrant community pretends that the “youth” has been killed by the police, the authorities chicken out and put the police version on the same level as the immigrants’, the policemen are submitted to a humiliating inquiry, and politicians, from the right and the left alike, call for an improved “dialogue” and more public funds being poured on city estates.

This incident was not different.

Knowledgeable bloggers researched the wrecked motorcycle from published media images, found out that it cost 6,000 euros, and asked how an 18-year-old was able to purchase one with the wages of a pizza delivery job.

Notice the cookie-cutter paragraph at the end of the WSJ dispatch:

“Tensions between young people and police have long simmered in housing projects in France’s suburbs, feeding on poverty, unemployment and anger over discrimination against minorities.”

This has been printed and said so many times that nobody bothers with a reality check any more. Surely it should be a matter for thought that in this particular incident, the aforementioned explanation is just a load of [insert expletive here].

“…feeding on poverty…”: nope. Not when you’re able to afford a €6,000 motorcycle (that’s $8,500) at age 18.

“…unemployment…”: nope. This one had a job delivering pizzas, as the mainstream media obligingly rushed to inform us.

“…and discrimination against minorities”: nope. Actually, it’s rather the opposite. Try riding a motorcycle in a city at 51 km/h if you’re a white, aboriginal French person. You’ll quickly get a hefty fine, and points will be nipped off your license. If you don’t pay, you might even land in prison.

Three Years for a Life

The following story pretty much sums up 'justice' in New Britain:

A car dealer who killed a 'hard working mother of three' in a hit and run was branded callous and despicable by the judge who jailed him.

Atif Faiz was driving at twice the speed limit in a road race with another car, when he knocked down Amanda Bailey on a clear, cold winter night, Burnley Crown Court heard.

Rafhan Sarwar, one of the three passengers, described his friend's 'stupid heavy driving' as 'red lining every gear', prosecutor Timothy Brennand told the court.

Mr Brennand said the Astra was six seconds behind another car, and that both were going at a 'grossly excessive speed'.

He said: 'Witnesses described the vehicles as accelerating hard. One pedestrian had to take evasive action to avoid being hit.'

The other driver of the car managed to drive in front of Faiz, and sped past Ms Bailey, 33.

But the Morrisons supermarket shop assistant - who was on maternity leave - thought it was safe to cross and was half-way over the street when Faiz bore down on her at 60mph.

She was hit on Leeds Road, Nelson, Lancashire, at 11.50pm on February 11 this year and died shortly afterwards.

Mr Brennand said: 'There's some evidence the car attempted to swerve just before the incident but whatever evasive action was taken was too little, too late.'

Faiz and his companions failed to call an ambulance or stop at the scene, he said.

Mr Brennand said that 'none of them demonstrated any humanity or compassion' and branded their flight from the scene and subsequent silence during police questioning as 'shameful'.

The court heard that passenger Mohammed Tehseen Zaman, 19, confessed to two friends that he had been involved in a hit and run.

Another one of the passengers, Mohammed Zaheer Rashid, returned to the scene to find out what the police knew.

Mr Brennand said the group were returning from Huddersfield, where they had bought a car for Mohammed Tehseen Zaman's father.

He said Ms Bailey, whose daughters are aged 11 months, three and 13, was well-liked.

Mr Brennand said: 'She was well known, well respected, a hard working mother-of-three.'

Faiz, who has a six-week old child, pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving.

The 23-year-old, of Leeds Road, Nelson, was jailed for three years. He also received a consecutive four-month sentence for assaulting a man in July last year.

Zaman, also of Leeds Road, was sentenced to 16 months in a young offenders' institution after pleading guilty to perverting the course of justice.

Judge Beverley Lunt told Faiz: 'Any human being who could treat another so callously can only be described as despicable.'

She added: 'If you have any conscience, you should be haunted every day of your life by what you have done and the hurt you have caused.'

Mohammed Zaheer Rashid, 24, of Burns Street, and Rafhan Sarwar, 19, of Charles Street, both Nelson, who pleaded not guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, were discharged by Judge Lunt.

She told them: 'You acted dishonourably in this case and will have to live with the shame and with everyone knowing you acted with no honour for the rest of your lives.'

Ms Bailey's mother, Joan Smith, 53, who is raising her daughter's children, criticised the sentence.

Speaking outside court, she said: 'Three years for a life is not justice. I'm really disgusted.

'I feel sorry for them (the defendants) because if I put myself in their position I think I'd be frightened and panic but I'd never have left the body in the road, I wouldn't do that to a dog or a cat so I wouldn't do it to a human being.'

Detective Inspector Pete Broome, from Lancashire Police's major investigation team, said: 'Faiz's actions that night led to the death of a young woman who had so much to live for.

'His actions have not only left three young children without a mother, but a mother and father without their much loved daughter.

'This case highlights the stupidity of reckless, break-neck speeding, which played a huge part in this tragic incident. The terrible consequences of this collision should serve as a strong warning to people not to do this.'

Elizabeth Reed, division crown prosecutor for Burnley, said: 'This case serves as a reminder of the terrible consequences of driving in such a reckless way that other people's lives are endangered.'

A case like this should be classed as manslaughter.

The article sums up the complete disregard this man and his accomplices had for other people's lives and restrained, safe behaviour; this was not a tragic accident, but an event which they chose to participate in and had control over, unlike the victim and her family.

A recent case which involved a drunk man throwing a glass bottle through a pub doorway, upon which it shattered a shard of glass punctured the neck of a young mother, killing her, was classed as manslaughter.

How is this case really any different?

This man didn't set out to kill, true, but his actions were so reckless it was all but inevitable that someone would get hurt.

My heart goes out to her family, who on top of their tragic loss have to suffer seeing this rash fool walk out of prison to pick up his life in just a few years, if that.

Saudi Tourists Targeted in Geneva

The following story comes from the French blog François Desouche, and concerns some of the strange situations which begin to occur when large numbers of different immigrants live together in a society which is alien to them.

I suppose in some respects this situation is the ultimate expression of diversity; immigrant criminals, largely North Africans, taking opportunites and preying on foreign tourists.

The translation is my own, and may contain some mistakes:

A report by the television channel Al-Arabiya, the second largest in the Arab world after Al-Jazeera, has caused turmoil in the Gulf. He denounced the vulnerability of the victims who were Arab tourists in Geneva.

The report shows evidence of a Saudi family in Switzerland one member of whom was assaulted with an iron bar. The victim was hospitalized, he does not appear in the video, but his brother is interviewed in the corridors of the hospital. The incident would have occurred a week ago or so. The journalists of Al-Arabiya speak of an increase in attacks targeting the Saudis, and assigns them to nationals of the Maghreb, the Balkans or the Caucasus. Until today, the Geneva police claimed to be unaware of the case.

As a first step, the police had indicated that there was only one case of a Saudi victim of theft in Geneva in recent weeks. But Monday, she confirmed the information that a 48-year-old Saudi was indeed assaulted in Geneva three weeks ago. He was found unconscious in the streets of the city.

At the antenna of Radio Suisse Romande, the Consul General of Saudi Arabia in Geneva has asked the city authorities to show more severity against offenders.

If the Swiss authorities won't protect their own people and their own famously peaceful and ordered society by not importing these criminals in the first place, or kicking them out when they inevitably misbehave, what makes the Saudi consul confident that the safety of tourists, Arab or otherwise, matters to them?

Frankly, if Saudi tourists feel so vulnerable in Geneva they can simply go somewhere else; the residents of that city don't necessarily have that choice, and deserve a greater say in their own future.

Crackdown on Free Speech in Britain

From the BBC:

A man from Lancashire has been charged over the distribution of hundreds of leaflets that blamed Muslims for the heroin trade.

Anthony Bamber, 53, Greenbank Street, Preston, is accused of incitement to commit religious hatred.

The pamphlets were sent to households in areas of North Yorkshire, Lancashire and Cumbria in November.

Mr Bamber will appear before Preston Magistrates' Court on Wednesday. Three other men were released without charge.

Now, without putting too fine a point on this, we know that at least 93% of the world's opium is produced in Afghanistan.

We know that Osama bin Laden has called for the streets of the West to be flooded with cheap heroin as a new front to his Jihad against us.

We also know that in some parts of the country, drug dealers are overwhelmingly Muslims, normally Pakistani but also Turks and Albanians.

This case reminds me of the persecution of the British blogger Lionheart, who was facing prosecution at one point for his crusade against the Pakistani drug gangs who blighted his area.

Perhaps if the police and authorities focused more of their attention on actual criminals, ordinary members of the public would not need to start campaigns like this one.

Islamist Activity in Spain 'Stable & Structural'

From Tea & Politics:

(T&P’s translation from Spanish) Article published by El Correo de Andalucía:

The phenomenon of the Islamist terrorism in Andalucia is not “isolated” any more: it has become “stable and structural”. After March 11th bombings, Jihadi nets have settled in all the provinces and have solid foundations in all of them to fund their operations, specially using drug trafficking. Since then, two terrorist attacks have been aborted in Andalucia.

An example: Civil Guard detains 5 alleged drug traffickers who were selling hashish and to have more benefits, were also selling stolen cars. It would be just one more anti-drug operation, if it weren’t because, among those five “narcos”, was Mohammed El-Khaloum, vice-president of the Islamic movement of Algeciras (Cádiz). With the money obtained from drug trafficking, he was funding a terrorist cell which wanted to attack in the north of Morocco, according to investigation sources.

El-Khaloum’s arrest is a clear signal of the presence of Islamism in Andalucia, even after all the policial macro-operations which had been carried on in this community, a dozen in the last 5 years, with 37 arrests, and another 7 of a minor entity. The official confirmation comes when Interior Ministry, in a report made by presidential advisers in counterterrorism matters, it is stated that the Jihadism is an “structural phenomenon” in regions like Andalucia, Catalonia, Valencia and Madrid. “Since March 11th, these nets have not stopped growing, while inserting themselves structurally. So, it’s necessary that answers to this phenomenon are designed and implemented to diminish its importance“, adds Javier Jordán, professor of Political Science and Management at Granada’s University and specialist of Real Instituto Elcano (Note that Mr. Jordán does not refer to the “extinction” of this phenomenon, but to diminish its importance. So he is really considering “extinction” as something impossible. BUT the important thing here is that the Govt. hasn’t even done what is necessary to diminish its importance).

Andalucia is the second region with more “nuclear” operations made -that is, operations which target ideologues and very organised nets-, only after Catalonia. The islamists prefer this region, basically, because of the numerous Maghrebi population living there -around 85,000 people, according to the National Institute of Statistics (INE)-, as the Maghreb is the point of departure for most of the Islamist terrorists founding terrorist nets in Spain. Another cause is the traditional demand of Andalucía as heart of Al-andalus, the land where Islam’s light lit like no where else (WTF!) and that wakes up the terrorists’ desire for reconquest. There is another third cause that draws these groups to Andalucia: its closeness to the “frontier”, whether it’s with Africa or with Portugal, something which makes it easier for them in case they need to flee.

Only in some isolated cases, these nets have considered Andalucia as the target of their attacks. Since 2004, 2 terrorist plots have been aborted, in an embryonic phase both of them, out of seven aborted in Spain in the same period. The first was discovered in an attempt to obtain explosives and radioactive substances to attack “an extremely crowded event in Madrid or in a city located in Andalucia”, planned by Moroccans arrested on Dec. 2004. The second aborted plan targeted the Algeciras-Ceuta ferry and was discovered on March 2005. The alleged terrorists were again of Moroccan nationality.

In Nov 2005, a group of Algerians was arrested while they prepared a “great action” in Madrid. They tried to buy illegally explosives in some Granada’s mines. A Moroccan youth was also arrested in Dec. 2006 in Cadiz, with his fingernails recently cut and a shaved chest (I wonder what this implies…), ready to attack in Morocco.

But normally, extremists seek in Andalucia usually volunteers for their war and funding. Interior’s report explains that the arrested in those years made “logistical” and “recruiting” activities. Normally, they send youths to Iraq or Afghanistan, not to attack in Europe (wow, I’m relieved…).

Propaganda actions using the web, are nearly non from Andalucia, as it is a tool to connect with foreign countries. In Andalucia, as in the rest of Spain, family, religious and social nets are much more used, and that’s where Interior Ministry is reinforcing its precautionary presence.

These terrorists are not only immigrants who have recently arrived, unemployed, with a marginal situation or suffering racism. Among the arrested, there were Maghrebies who had been radicalised after achieving a stable position in society or were already owners of their own businesses. Javier Jordán explains that Jihadist phenomenon in Spain has a “firm trend who will be mantained in the next decade and which will affect some sectors of te scond generation of immigrants”, those who are now children or teenagers“.

Notice how the authorities attempt to make excuses in the last paragraph, seeming to accept that an immigrant who can't find work or suffers 'racism' might turn against their new country; no mention at all of the fact that no one put a gun to their head and forced them to go to Spain in the first place.

Is there anything which some people won't accept in the name of making a society more diverse?

German & Turkish Terrorists Plead Guilty in Düsseldorf

Presumably after so embarrassingly misinterpreting the tenets of the religion of peace, they wish to cut their losses and get lighter prison sentences.

From The Local:

The three Germans and a Turkish national belonging to the so-called Sauerland cell have spent the past weeks detailing their plans to agents from the Federal Crime Office after a shock announcement in a Düsseldorf court on June 9 that they would plead guilty to the charges against them.

The four defendants, who could face 15 years in prison if convicted, aim to shorten what was expected to be a mammoth trial and reduce their sentences by confessing, defence attorneys said.

"The accused confirmed that they intended to kill as many American soldiers as possible here," federal prosecutor Volker Brinkmann told reporters as the trial resumed. He added that the four had made "very comprehensive statements" about the plot.

Presiding judge Ottmar Breidling said at the start of the hearing that he believed after reviewing the accounts of the confessions that they would lead to a relatively quick end to the trial and expose the dimensions of the plot.

"We are impressed on the one hand by the scope of the testimony and on the other by the candour," he said, noting that the transcripts and notes from the questioning comprised 1,584 pages.

The accused were to tell the court of their alleged bid to mount at least three car bombings against US military installations and American citizens in Germany. They planned the attacks just before a parliamentary vote to extend the mandate of German troops serving in Afghanistan, authorities say.

Prosecutors accuse the group, known as the Sauerland cell after the region where they were captured in September 2007, of aspiring to carry out attacks on the same scale as those of September 11, 2001 on the United States which killed more than 3,000 people.

After months of surveillance, police using US and German intelligence said they caught three of the suspects red-handed, mixing chemicals to make the equivalent of 410 kilogrammes (900 pounds) of explosives - 100 times the amount used in the 2005 London bombings that killed more than 50 people.

Two of the suspects, Fritz Gelowicz, 29, and Daniel Schneider, 23, are German converts to Islam, a third is a German citizen of Turkish origin, Attila Selek, 24, and the fourth a Turkish national, Adem Yilmaz, 30.

They have been charged with belonging to a terrorist organisation - the Islamic Jihadic Union in Pakistan, an extremist group linked to al-Qaida -and plotting to stage attacks with explosives.

The trial was expected to be one of the lengthiest and costliest on a militant plot in Germany since urban guerrillas from the Red Army Faction faced court in the 1970s.

Prosecutors said they were considering whether to bring charges against a fifth man, a Turkish national living in Germany Mevlut Kar, who is suspected of providing the group with more than 20 detonators for their explosives.

German media have reported that Kar has ties to Turkish intelligence but Brinkmann said they had no evidence that he worked as an informant for Ankara.

The Temptations of "Uncovered Meat" in New York

In this article describing how a Muslim personal trainer touched the genitals of a female client in New York, notice how much time is spent talking about the actual crime they are reported, and how much time is spent talking about a previous, already solved crime - which was not committed by a Muslim:

NEW HYDE PARK, N.Y. (WPIX) - A personal trainer at a local, popular gym was arrested and charged after police said he inappropriately touched a female client during a training session.

According to detectives, 27-year-old Mahmood Malik surrendered to police at the Third Precinct Saturday, and was charged with third-degree sexual abuse. The defendant pleaded guilty to the charge.

Malik, who is employed as a personal trainer at L.A. Fitness in New Hyde Park, touched the 24-year-old's female client's genitals during a session on Tuesday at 10 p.m. police said.

The details surrounding the assault were not released.

It's unclear whether L.A. Fitness was aware of the incident at the time of Malik's arrest. A phone call to corporate headquarters was not immediately returned.

This isn't the first time a trainer at the New Hyde Park L.A. Fitness location inappropriately touched a client. Back in January 2008, Mark Griffin, 42, of Laurelton, Queens forcibly touched a woman he was training at the fitness club, police said.

Griffin reportedly rubbed up against the woman from behind during a triceps exercise. Griffin insisted on giving her a massage after the workout, and he touched her "most intimate private area" during the rubdown, Nassau County Detective Lt. Raymond Cote said.

At the time, Griffin was on parole after serving 12 years for armed robbery. The woman reported the incident to cops and gym management the next day, but Griffin was allowed to continue to work at the gym for nearly two more weeks, Cote said. Griffin's position at the gym was eventually terminated, and was arrested and charged with forcible touching.

Police are now seeking other potential victims of Malik, and are asking anyone who may have been victimized by the trainer to call the Third Squad at 516-573-6354.

They are appealing to see if Malik committed other sexual assaults against clients, but still manage to dedicate more than half the text to an irrelevant, unconnected case.

Paris on Riot Alert - Situation Normal

Last night a 'youth' riding a motorbike was asked to pull over by a police car after residents spotted him driving erratically.

Like any innocent, upstanding citizen would, he made off at high speed and lost control of his motorbike, killing himself.

This led to a spate of vandalism and violence, during which 'only' one bus shelter and twenty nine cars were destroyed, a handgun was fired at police, a school and local shops had their windows smashed and a local police station was "targeted".

The authorities are now engaged in a major hand wringing exercise, blaming anyone but the criminals and the violent thugs who used his death as an opportunity to cause mayhem:

The French department of internal police affairs launched an investigation among police staff on Monday, a day after an 18-year-old man died while fleeing a police vehicle on a motorbike in the Parisian suburb of Bagnolet.

According to Le Monde, Yacou Sanago, a pizza deliverer, lost control of his motorbike 30 metres from his place of work on the Boulevard Raspail at around 8 pm. A police car asked him to “pull over to the right for a check”, according to the French daily, quoting a source involved in the investigation.

The young man took flight and lost control of his motorbike.

Brice Hortefeux, the French interior minister, said in a statement that locals had actually called the police because the youth was riding recklessly, “having a rodeo on two roads”.

Hortefeux announced he would hold a meeting with 20 community associations on August 31 on the theme of police-community relations.

Sanago’s death has aggravated feelings of resentment between police and residents of the poorer suburbs outlying the north and east of Paris.

Shortly after the incident, protests and vandalism erupted in the young man’s home town. A bus shelter was destroyed and garbage bins were set on fire. Youths also targeted the area’s police station.

“Close to 29 vehicles were set on fire and rioters shattered windows of shops and a school,” said a statement by the interior ministry.

Calm returned in the early hours on Monday.

Ahead of an autopsy scheduled for Monday, investigators took testimony to determine the circumstances in which Sanago died.

Of central concern is the question as to whether the police car might have hit the young man’s motorbike.

An investigator told AFP: “The police car didn’t touch him. There was no contact between the motorbike and the police car.”

In 2005, the accidental death of two youths from the Paris region who were trying to evade police sparked more than two weeks of rioting that spread across the country.

Some French reports indicate that at least ten men with iron bars stormed into a police station to confront officers after the accident, and a stun gun had to be used.

Of course, these incidents of violence are a common occurrence in France, and it is rare that they are deemed worthy of being reported fully in the French press, let alone translated into English.

In Toulouse on Saturday night, police arrested a 'youth' at a roadside checkpoint.

Naturally, his friends took exception to this, and spent the rest of the night setting rubbish bins on fire, then violently attacking the police and fire brigade when they arrived on the scene.

The police described these criminals as 'just kids'; all night these 'kids' threw anything they could get their hands on off of high balconies at the police officers below, then barricaded themselves into flats when the officers stormed into the corridors.

On 29th of June, all of the following happened in just one night (the number next to the incident describes the specific geographical area in which it took place, based on the French number plate system):

Tremblay-en-France (93): mortars fireworks taken against the policemen. In the night from Saturday to Sunday in the city of "large", a police patrol was targeted by projectiles and smoke from mortars with fireworks. One hundred hooligans were involved in skirmishes. One was arrested.

• Mantes-la-Jolie (78): Val Fourré Clashes between police and hundreds of thugs. An identity check degenerated when thugs launched projectiles at the police. The police called in reinforcements to identify and complete their checks. The thugs were dispersed by firing tear gas and flashball. No arrest.

• Drancy (93): a young biker was taken to hospital in critical condition after colliding with a police officer. He tried to escape a police control while riding, no helmet on a moto-cross. Source

• La Courneuve (93): Case of Kalashnikov fire on a police van. Three thugs in police custody were brought before the magistrate in Bobigny. On 17 May, a police netted two guards overnight had been an ambush in the district of "4000" in La Courneuve. The police had been shot a with a Kalashnikov.

• Bagneux (92): A man shot and wounded. Around 11.25 am the author of the aggression has come to the door of the apartment of the victim. When the occupant opened it, he shot with a handgun and then fled.

• Val-d'Oise (95): A cashier is accused of having misappropriated credit card numbers of more than 200 customers. The damage is around 250 000 €.

Well, this is the bad news - the good news is that France has a President and Establishment fully committed to further immigration and diversity.

Should be fun to visit there in about ten years, shouldn't it?

Muslim Rioter Jailed for Sexual Assault

From The Telegraph & Argus:

A man jailed for five years for his part in the Bradford riots has been locked up for sexual assault and harassment.

Hedar Ali, 29, was imprisoned for four years and four months and made to sign on the Sex Offenders’ Register for the rest of his life.

Ali, of Templar Way, Fairweather Green, Bradford, was held in custody after pleading guilty to the offences.

Bradford Crown Court heard they were committed while he was on bail on two charges of common assault against the same victim.

Magistrates jailed him for 56 days for those offences, committed in July last year.

Four months later, Ali sexually assaulted his victim after drinking brandy.

Prosecutor Jayne Beckett said he grabbed the woman by the neck and pinned her down.

His catalogue of harassment included turning off her electricity supply, poking a garden cane through her letterbox, confronting her in a supermarket and making a gesture of slitting her throat.

Mrs Beckett said Ali was arrested near his victim’s home in December. He fled on foot from the police but was caught after a chase.

In a statement to the court, the woman said she lost weight and was scared all the time Ali was pestering her.

Mrs Beckett told the court Ali was convicted of riot in 2002 and sentenced to five years’ imprisonment.

Ali’s barrister, David McGonigal, said his client wanted to make a fresh start with his life.

He had not caused the woman serious injury and would not approach her again.

Judge Roger Scott said the offences were aggravated by the fact Ali was on bail for the two earlier assaults.

He sentenced him to 40 months imprisonment for sexual assault and 12 months for harassment.

Ali was made the subject of a Sexual Offences Prevention Order barring him from contact with his victim.

The Police DNA Database is "Racist"

From The Guardian:

Almost one in four black children over 10 have had their profiles placed on the police DNA database. The disclosure has sparked claims from the chair of an influential parliamentary committee that the disparity with white children is undermining social integration.

About a million children have been added since the national DNA database started in 1995. However, there has been a dramatic rise from 2004, when police were given the power to add the profiles of people routinely arrested, even if not convicted of a crime. According to new figures obtained by the campaign group Genewatch, almost 45,000 black children aged 10 to 17 in England and Wales – about 23% of all black children in the age group – have been added to the database in the past five years. By contrast, the DNA profiles of just under 10% of white youths aged 10 to 17 – about 440,000 children – have been added. "The racial bias in the database is shocking and black children have been disproportionately affected," said Helen Wallace, director of Genewatch. In the vast majority of cases, the children's profiles have been retained once they turned 18 and became adults.

Keith Vaz MP, chair of the home affairs select committee, said: "Such disparity in the treatment of different ethnic groups is bound to lead to a disintegration of community relations and a lack of trust in the police force."

The figures have raised questions about the government's desire to retain the DNA profiles of children – arrested but never convicted of crimes – for up to six years and of adults for up to 12 years. The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has warned the government risks breaking European law because ministers have failed to provide "clear, justifiable reasons for holding on to DNA data from people who had not been convicted of a crime." In a lengthy submission to the government, the commission said the government's proposals for the retention of DNA profiles failed to recognise there were a disproportionate number of young black men, vulnerable people and children on the database.

John Wadham, the EHRC's group legal director, said: "It would be sensible for the government to get this right now or it could face many expensive legal challenges."

Truly a headscratcher, this one.

It could either be racist bias, as Keith Vaz claims, or maybe - just maybe - it could be the fact that young black males are involved in crime at a frankly astonishing rate compared to their presence in the wider population.

You'll note that despite the disgusting bias of the police, it is only young black males who seem to be over represented, not Hindu girls or Chinese pensioners.

In all seriousness though, what is society to do?

Do the police just stop arresting black criminals to correct the "bias"? How serious does their crime have to be before protecting the public is more important that meeting the targets?

Black men are imprisoned at a rate which far exceeds their numbers as a percentage of the population; should we just let some out and give another group a turn, regardless of who statistically commits the most crime?

Then we have this nonsense from Keith Vaz:

"Such disparity in the treatment of different ethnic groups is bound to lead to a disintegration of community relations and a lack of trust in the police force."

Ah - but not the higher propensity some ethnic groups seem to have for criminal behaviour?

No, what leads to lack of trust in the police force is favouritism and treating certain groups leniently.

I'm sure most black people want black criminals off the streets; justice must be colour blind, or it is not justice.

But of course, in the world of The Guardian, the only way to resolve this situation is to pretend that all cultures and lifestyles are equal, and society is responsible for any disparity in the numbers.

I truly fear for the future if such thinking becomes more mainstream, and all the authorities care about is making the figures look acceptable to Big Brother rather than punishing the guilty and protecting the innocent - regardless of their colour.

American Soldiers Taught Islam is a "Beautiful Religion"

Thousands of American soldiers based at Fort Carson are to receive lessons on 'Islamic culture', whilst a Major General commanding the 4th Infantry Division described Islam as a "beautiful religion" and insisted that "greater cultural understanding is needed":

MARK BARNA – Colorado Springs Gazette

Representatives of the Islamic Society of Colorado Springs met Thursday with Fort Carson military leaders at the Army base to discuss ways to improve cultural awareness and an understanding of Islam among deploying soldiers.

Maj. Gen. Jeffery Hammond, commanding general of the 4th Infantry Division, initiated the meeting in hopes of developing a better cultural-awareness program for the thousands of soldiers already at Fort Carson and the hundreds expected to arrive this summer.

“We want to talk to (soldiers) about this beautiful religion,” Hammond said at the one-hour meeting, attended by local Islamic leaders Arshad Yousufi, Farouk Abushaban and Dawud Salaam; 4th Infantry Division cultural adviser Al Azim; and four other Army leaders.

Yousufi, who has participated in previous cultural awareness programs at Fort Carson, told the general those programs weren’t taken seriously enough.

“The weakness of those programs was that they were informal and occasional,” Yousufi said.

Yousufi also brought up what he sees as a tendency among some military leaders to turn the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq into a holy war between Christianity and Islam.

“If you approach this as a crusade, you will stir up trouble,” he told Hammond.

Hammond agreed with the Muslim leaders that greater cultural sensitivity is needed, and he said he wants the Army and Muslim leaders to continue working together to teach soldiers about Islam.

He hopes to have a revised cultural-awareness program in place in about a month.

“The soldiers go off (to Iraq) with a common mission, to protect the people,” Hammond said, “But you can’t protect the people without understanding the people.”

Abushaban praised Hammond for his efforts.

“This is a great step forward,” he told Hammond. “We have more in common than we know.”

Hat tip: Creeping Sharia.

Update on the Birmingham Incident

I have long suspected that the police, where possible, treat ethnic minorities with kid gloves in a riot situation.

Firstly, we had the police running away from very aggressive Muslim males during the anti-Israel protests back in January, doing nothing to quell their violence; then, the police backing off from Tamil aggression in Parliament Square later in the year.

Of course, this is sharply contrasted with events which took place at the G20 protests, when the people who faced the riot police were largely white Britons; then, many officers could barely restrain themselves from assaulting protesting members of the public (some of whom were violent anarchist agitators, it must be said).

The following video seems to fit the pattern:

Note that the officer is assaulted several times before he or any of his colleagues react.

I wonder if they would have been so restrained had they been up against one of the "fascists" whom everyone is talking about?

Presumably the officers are trying to understand the Asian chap's obvious and understandable anger after seeing a group of Englishmen waving a Union Flag and singing God Save the Queen on the streets of a British city.

Astoundingly, despite the lies of the media, that pretty much is what we are talking about here.

The violence is being blamed on the provocation of the English & Welsh Defence League existing at all, let alone exercising their right to free speech:

sunnihammer: Quote

these cry babies are going around You tube and other forums, playing the victim claiming that they came for a peaceful demonstration only to be physically attacked and ambushed by Muslim pakis.

It is funny they should say that considering their last demonstration organized by this same group in Luton was not very peaceful when they smashed cars and Asian shop windows and attacked the random "muslim" in the street.Maybe its due to the fact that they faced little opposition in Luton giving them the confidence and courage to cause uncontested mayhem and thought it could be repeated in Birmingham.

I guess their lucky streak had run out.

Of course, what is not mentioned at the Muslim forums is that they only formed in the first place after the shameful abuse ofour troops by a small group of Muslims back in March.

Observe some of the anger and bloodlust in the Muslim rhetoric:

Undercover_85: Quote

Salam everybody

I have just arrivedback from the UAF protest to counter demo the EDL.
Guess how many of them turbned up?> The number wassnt even in in 3 digits. I asked a copper and he said there was signficantly less than a hundred possibly 80.
On the other side (our side) the number was just under a thousand at the start!
Looks like them text messages done the damage! Apart from a few kids from Alum Rock messing aroiund it was a successful and peaaceful yet boisterous demo. At least we showed the Racist scum that you cant come into our streets abusing our way of life.

(15) 2009-08-08 21:17:39

Muhammad: Quote

True - the fascist scum were massively outnumbered, they didn't stand a chance in hell. This is a mere warning to those contemplating trouble in our cities, we will be waiting. They need to simply understand that because Islam is a religion of peace, it also provides Muslims with the right to defend themselves and uphold Islamic culture. It may have only been a handful of racist hooligans, but a strong message is neccessary to those sitting at home and the new cadets thinking of jumping on the fascist bandwagon.

(16) 2009-08-08 22:57:48

The problem here is the general definition of 'fascists' and 'Right-wing extremists'.

Technically speaking, groups such as the UAF and the Muslim community should welcome the formation of the English & Welsh Defence League - a patriotic group which is not affiliated with the BNP and does not focus on race or colour, but on British values and preserving our way of life.

They do not, however, but try to smear these patriots in any way they can - and that says to me that any form of patriotism or criticism of immigration and multiculturalism will eventually become completely taboo in public, as they already are in places like Sweden.

Many are now coming forward to blame the protesters and their 'extremism' for the violence; frankly, I am rather tired of being lectured to about fascism and extremism by people who proudly hold up banners sponsored by the Socialist Worker whilst chanting 'Allahuakbar':

Over at 'Up Pompeii', a commenter called Jane has the following to say:

Jane wrote:
This is not what happened at all.I was there, I am white and I hate political correctness. I do think there is too much political correctnhess in this country. However, whilst the anti fascists (mainly Asian British and some White British) were having there demostration a group of thugish looking whites came chanting abuse down new street at the anti fascists stirring up racial hatred. Asians were not burning the British flag, they were holding up the flag in pride to show they are British. Thank goodness this far right organization only has a small following. It shows that most White British people in this country have got brains and this ignorant party is just a small minority. Take your racial hatred and ignorance somewhere else. You do not represent Britain or British people!!

I find this very hard to believe, for the simple fact that had these events occurred, they would have been on the front page of every newspaper yesterday.

Even the BBC carried the report that Asian protesters were burning Union Jacks, and videos like this keep cropping up - this one showing the man in green who was having his head stamped on by Asian and black rioters having his wallet stolen afterwards, when he was safely barely conscious.

Is anyone seriously telling me that the media and the Establishment would miss a chance to prove their narrative about the country being full of evil racists?

If we bear in mind the violence against patriots and random white males the mere presence of the demonstration sparked, I think we can be fairly confident that had racists been beating up Muslims, there would have been full scale riots and possibly even deaths in response.

Sadly, that's what our country is coming to - the most violent are the ones who prevail and get listened to.

If anyone was there and would like to write a guest post, please get in touch.

Muslim Thugs Attack Anti-Islamisation Demonstrators & Burn Union Flag

I find the situation I am about to describe disturbing for many reasons. Most people who read this blog regularly are fully aware that the media are a disingenuous bunch - but some of the bare-faced lies told to the masses about the following events are nothing short of chilling.

On Saturday, a group of British patriots calling themselves the English and Welsh Defence League and Casuals United gathered in Birmingham to protest against creeping Islamisation in Britain.

They made clear that they were there for a peaceful protest, but would defend themselves if attacked.

They also made very clear that they were in no way affiliated with the British National Party.

None of this stopped the BBC going into overdrive about 'Right-wing' protests, however - nor did it stop Unite Against Fascism and other hardcore Leftists going to the protest and looking for trouble.

What is most disturbing, however, is just how Leftist, Islamist and extreme elements of immigrant and ethnic minority groups seem to have come together.

The results are as follows - bear in mind, the protest consisted for the most part of some patriots waving Union Flags and singing God Save the Queen:

Police arrested 33 people during a clash between anti-fascists and a right-wing group as the centre of Birmingham turned into a war zone yesterday.

Terrified shoppers cowered in fear as a group came into violent contact with Unite Against Fascism marchers in a violent brawl that dominated the streets.

The so-called English and Welsh Defence League and Casuals United formed after British soldiers were abused by Islamic radicals at a homecoming parade in Luton earlier this year.

But Unite Against Fascism claim that the Casuals are made up of members of far-right groups and had planned to cause racial unrest in the city.

Two people were injured, according to West Midlands Police, and there were several reports of criminal damage including a car.

A force spokesman said the majority of the arrests were for disorder.

Scores of officers were involved in policing the rival protests, which had gathered near Birmingham's Bullring shopping complex around 7pm.

Gary Nichols watched the disturbances from his city centre flat and said he was unable to go outside for about two and a half hours.

He told the BBC: 'It started off with a group of white guys who were chanting, 'England, England'. I thought they were just football fans, but then a larger group of black and Asian people turned up and it all kicked off.

'You had people burning the Union flag. People were being kicked - some of them weren't anything to do with the protests.

'It all seemed to be very systematic - groups were arriving in cars and getting involved in the violence.'

Broken banners were left scattered on the ground outside the Bullring following the disorder.

West Midlands Police said they believed the English and Welsh Defence League and and Casuals United protesters gathered after communicating on social networking sites.

Footage from yesterday's event showed members singing the national anthem in the city centre.

Eyewitness Emily Bridgewater was shopping when violence broke out.

She said: 'Everything seemed fine until suddenly it all kicked off outside and there was stampeding and screaming.

'We ended up being locked in Primark, the shutters came down and the alarms went off as the riot police tried to regain control of the street.

'It was very frightening.'

Today Chief Inspector Mark Payne, from West Midlands Police, said there were 35 arrests, mainly for disorder.

Three people were injured and there were several reports of damage, including a car.

He said the force will consider applying for injunctions to stop troublemakers travelling to the West Midlands.

Ch Insp Payne said: 'As part of this investigation, police will be studying photographs and video images and will be arresting and prosecuting anyone identified found to be engaged in acts of criminality.

'We will also look at applying for injunctions to prevent people travelling to the West Midlands who are intent on causing trouble.'

He said the number of arrests may increase as investigations continue, and more reports come in to police.

'The events of yesterday are a very rare occurrence and normal city centre life resumed within a short space of time, he added.

'I want to reassure all members of the community that the city centre is, and will continue to be a safe place to live, shop and visit.

'It is important to be aware that West Midlands Police have no powers to ban or stop peaceful protests and would not seek to do so.

'However, if criminal acts or racially aggravated incidents are reported, then police will arrest and prosecute anyone found to be responsible.'

Local MP Khalid Mahmood, who had called for the Casuals march to be banned, said:

'I predicted this would happen when the Casuals announced their protest.

'Lots of innocent people, children and families, could have been hurt in this idiotic incident and I wholeheartedly condemn both sides for taking part in these scenes which have brought shame on Birmingham.'

He added: 'I condemn the Casuals for organising their protest and inciting this fighting but I equally condemn the anti-fascist campaigners who rose to the bait.

'People have a democratic right to protest. But perhaps in future West Midlands police should look at holding sensitive demonstrations on separate days.

'That way they might avoid the scenes which have blighted our city centre tonight.

The Unite Against Fascism march had been previously discussed with officers, the force said.

One shopper, who declined to be named, said broken banners were left scattered on the ground outside the Bullring following the disorder.

Police had vowed to deal robustly with anyone acting outside the law at the protests.

West Midlands Police said an investigation was being carried out into any criminality during the two separate protests.

A spokesman said although no formal request to march was submitted, they were aware of a group who planned to visit Birmingham to protest against Islamic fundamentalism.

Discussion and planning on online social networking sites led police to believe the group involved was the English and Welsh Defence League, or Casuals United.

The spokesman said it was aware of speculation that the group is linked to the British National Party (BNP), but no information or intelligence had been received to support that.

The group's website refers to itself as "an alliance of normal British people of various different colours/races who have come together in order to create a massive, but peaceful protest group to force our Government to get their act in gear."

A special post about the Birmingham demonstration called for supporters to make their voices heard but not get involved in violence.

It said: "If attacked we defend ourselves but we are there for a PEACEFUL PROTEST."

Police said the counter protest in Birmingham was organised by Unite Against Fascism.

The national group describes itself as aiming to alert British society to the rising threat of the extreme right, in particular the BNP.

A West Midlands Police spokesman said the group's leader co-operated with police throughout planning for the event.

You see, it wasn't just a case of BNP supporters and their Left-wing counterparts clashing.

As the eye-witness stated, the patriots were attacked by black and Asian people, largely young men, hiding behind the banner of 'we hate the BNP'.

Why is it a crime to sing Britain's national anthem and wave Britain's flag in a British city?

Surely all the integrated minorities and good immigrants we constantly hear about should have joined in by expressing pride for their chosen homeland?

Surely all the moderate Muslims we constantly hear about should have clapped the patriots on the back and bought them a round of Cokes for highlighting issues of extremism and fighting strict interpretations of the Islamic faith which only a tiny minority of Muslims adhere to?

Oddly, that's not what happened:

The Daily Mail captioned this image thus:

A man with a Union Jack flag is seemingly attacked after the protest sparked violence.

'Seemingly attacked'?

He is clearly being kicked as our flag is ripped from his hands. You'll note that he is being implicitly blamed for his predicament, despite being much older and out-numbered - 'after the protest sparked violence', as if the reaction of the Asian youths present is a reasonable one after being confronted with the sight of a man in late middle-age holding a Union Jack.

Was this one of the flags which was later burned? Oddly, both the Mail and the BBC declined to show footage of that.

Despite the fact this protest was billed as evil racists demonstrating against good, progress, enrichment and the future, even the sickeningly biased media couldn't cover up the fact that the pictures taken only seemed to show white people injured. Observe:

The picture was captioned thus:

Out of control: Men appear to be attacked as the demonstration span out of control.

What 'appears' to be happening to me is that a white man is on the floor being kicked by several Asians, whilst the man about to jump on his head has been cropped out of the photo to avoid the actual situation being quite so obvious.

There is a good chance these lads weren't even demonstrators - witnesses said that the black and Asian thugs who took on the UAF banner were simply looking for lone white males.

Here is the real picture, with the aftermath:

Observe the Asian man in the brown -shirt in the background - he is the one who can be seen jumping on the white man's head in the first picture. The white man's injuries:

Naturally, the protesters are being blamed for 'stirring up racial tensions'; what is overlooked is that this group of patriots only formed after Muslim extremists heckled homecoming British troops back in March.

The Sunday Mercury only interviewed a Muslim in their coverage, and let him rant lies about 'fascists' until his little heart was content:

Perhaps if the obviously unbiased Khalid Mahmood MP's suggestion had been taken on board then and the right to freedom of speech had been matched with sensitivity, none of this would have happened.

Or do the sensibilities of British people in their own country not matter?

Hopefully this incident and the media lies and bias will go a long way towards educating people about where the real danger lies in this country.

Update on Belgian Prison Break (II)

Last time I posted an update on this story, it was to reveal that a Belgian convert to Islam (and the girlfriend of one of the Muslim criminals) had played a key role in the escape of three of Belgium's most wanted criminals from prison by helicopter.

This occurred despite the fact that after converting to Islam she had regaled the Belgian media with details of her decision - and how she'd done it because Islam is a religion of love and peace.

It now turns out that she may have paid the ultimate price for her abject stupidity - Belgian police fear that her boyfriend and his criminal cohorts have killed her to prevent her being caught and talking.

From Islam in Europe:

The Belgian police thinks that the woman who helped free three criminals from the Bruges prison two weeks ago might not be alive anymore. They fear that the threesome got rid of the 23 year old Lesley Deckers, anonymous police sources told Belgian newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws Friday.

Two of the three escaped criminals have been arrested, including Lesley Decker's boyfriend. The third is still on the run, but the police got a lot of tips about him. On Lesley they haven't received even one tip.

The three escaped the Bruges prison using a helicopter rented by the woman. They spent some time in a hotel in Amsterdam, from which they went to commit bank robberies in Belgium. On of the three was arrested in Brussels on Monday, the second was arrested in Morocco on Thursday.

Source: AD (Dutch)

Religion of peace indeed.

Update 11th August:

She's alive and has been caught.

Escaped Illegal Immigrant Rapes Woman Twice

A story which shows the farce which Britain's border controls have become.

A Jamaican illegal escaped from high security detention at Heathrow airport and went on to subject the same woman to two violent sex attacks.

From the Mail:

A dangerous illegal immigrant brutally raped a woman twice after escaping from holding cells at Heathrow Airport.

Jamaican Bruce Augustine Gaynor, 32, was held by immigration officers as he tried to enter Britain using a false passport and was detained by the UK Border Agency in a secure holding area at Terminal 3.

Blackfriars Crown Court in London heard last week that after his escape from the high-security area in August 2007, he committed a series of violent crimes against a woman while he was on the run, including two rapes and an attack with a sock stuffed with bullets The judge presiding over the case, Judge David Richardson, has ordered a report into the circumstances surrounding the escape.

ESCAPED: Deported Bruce Augustine Gaynor re-entered Britain with a false passport then escaped a Heathrow cell and raped a woman twice.

The court heard that Gaynor had been deported from Britain in June 2006. However, he re-entered the country in August 2007 using a Jamaican passport in a false name, claiming that he was in transit to Hong Kong.

He was held at the secure unit, where he was fingerprinted and his true identity was discovered. But he fled and over the next 14 months preyed on the woman, who is also Jamaican, raping her, and beating her on numerous occasions.

During one attack Gaynor filled a sports sock with bullets and attacked the woman with it, smashing it across her arm. On another occasion he stabbed the woman, who was living in East London, in the back before raping her on a stairwell in a council block.

The court heard that Gaynor had committed a series of vicious attacks on the woman before his deportation from Britain in 2006 and continued his campaign of violence after his escape.

He was finally arrested on January 15 this year.

Last week he was convicted of two counts of rape, two counts of assault causing actual bodily harm, making threats to kill, two counts of unlawful wounding and one of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. He was found not guilty of a further eight counts of rape. He was remanded in custody to be sentenced on September 4.

A UK Border Agency spokesman said last night: ‘It was regrettable that this person escaped. We have reviewed and strengthened our holding arrangements.’

Terror Threat Forces England Out of World Badminton Championships

Apparently a very specific threat from a Muslim terrorist group has caused the English badminton team to cancel their trip to India.

I can't imagine they would throw away all their hard work in progressing in the competition on a whim, so there must have been just cause to be afraid.

From The Daily Telegraph:

The eight-strong squad was due to travel to India for the competition, which begins on Monday in Hyderabad, but cancelled the trip after reports of threats from Muslim extremist group Lashkar-e-Taiba.

Badminton England chief executive Adrian Christy said: “This was an incredibly tough decision and one we didn’t take lightly.

“After the Olympic Games, this is the most prestigious championships in the world but we were not prepared to risk the safety of our players, coaches and staff in what we felt could have been a very volatile environment.”

Lashkar-e-Taiba is a Pakistani-based military group fighting against the Indian control of Kashmir.

It has been linked to the November 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai, in which 188 people were killed, as well as an October 2005 bomb attack in Delhi which killed 60 people.

Christy said: “We are extremely grateful for the speed in which the BWF (Badminton World Federation) and the organising committee reacted to the concerns following the threat.

“We have carefully considered the comments made by the local police authorities and we know that they have the best interest of all competitors in mind.

“We have also listened to the advice from the Foreign Office and British High Commission. We have been in constant dialogue with them over the past couple of days.

“The conclusion is that safety is of paramount importance and therefore, with great regret, the team will be returning home immediately.”

Performance director Ian Moss said: “It is a disappointing outcome, especially after we had enjoyed a very good preparation at our holding camp in Doha, Qatar, last week.

“Our athletes were extremely well prepared for these championships but, at the end of the day, personal safety must take priority over performance.

“This was a unanimous squad decision and is not reflective of the efforts made by the organising committee to create the safest environment possible for all athletes.”

But Indian officials have sought to downplay threats against the tournament.

Indian home affairs minister P Chidambaram is reported in The Times of India as saying that there was “no specific information” about any planned terrorist attack.

He said: “I am satisfied that the World Badminton Championship will take place in complete security. No one needs to have any apprehensions on this score.”

A Badminton World Federation official said England were the only team that would be leaving.

"No other team has withdrawn or indicated a decision to withdraw," S. Selvam, BWF spokesman said.

Home of Fish & Chips May Become Asian Bazaar

This story concerns the fate of the 150 year old Tommyfield Market in Oldham.

Of course, becoming an Asian bazaar is only one of three options on the table for the historic market (known as the birthplace of fish & chips) - but the article fails to mention the fact that the huge shift in the area's demographics may have something to do with the decline of the market's traditional customers.

What with parts of Oldham being no-go areas for white people, it's hardly surprising. Things like this may seem insignificant to some, but as with the decline of the traditional local pub and the abandonment of some historic inner city churches, they are hugely symbolic.

From The Manchester Evening News:

A HISTORIC Oldham market could be turned into an Asian bazaar because of a slump in customers.

Tommyfield Market has stood for 150 years and is known as the birthplace of fish and chips.

But officials say it has fallen on hard times in recent years due to a lack of investment.

Now Oldham council is considering turning it into a specialist Asian market as part of a £500,000 revamp.

Regeneration boss Coun Mohib Uddin said the town was losing out because many of its Asian community travelled to Bradford for some goods.

He said the proposal was one of a number being considered.

"We will be turning it into a specialist market because that will bring in people from far and wide," he said.

"It could be an Asian market, a farmers' market or an antiques market. It might also be a combination of the three or have different markets on different days."

Coun Uddin said he wanted to recreate the market's `glory years'.

He explained: "About 25 years ago, when I was a child, my dad used to take me there religiously and it was packed. Sadly that is not the case any more."

The plans will see stalls ripped out and replaced by portable gazebos that will be taken down at night to prevent anti-social behaviour.

Some of the brick units at the back of the market will also make way for additional parking.

The revamp includes plans to introduce a street market nearby.

Coun Uddin said pavement stalls should be in place on Albion Street by Christmas. They will sell a variety of items.

"They will only be given a licence if they are selling high quality goods," he added.

The council has already met market traders and Coun Uddin revealed there had been a `positive' response.

"We'll be meeting them again and of course we'll listen to what they say," he said.

"This is aimed at reinvigorating the market which has been pretty much ignored for the last 20 years."

The plans will also see money spent on the markets in Royton and Shaw.

Doctor Walks Free After Killing Baby

British justice strikes again for a bereaved family - a doctor whose car mounted the kerb and crushed a two month old baby to death has walked free from court.

From The Evening Standard:

The parents of a baby boy crushed to death by a GP's car spoke of their grief today after the doctor walked free from court.

Two-month-old Sacha Mason suffered head injuries and died after Dr Mohammed Fazle Hussain's vehicle mounted the kerb and slammed into his buggy.

The baby was being pushed by his mother Miriana Weston, then 32, when the crash happened in Park Avenue, Willesden, on 20 August 2007. Ms Weston escaped with minor injuries.

Dr Hussain, 64, of Pinner, was yesterday cleared at Harrow crown court of causing death by dangerous driving. The trial was being heard for the second time after a jury failed to reach a verdict earlier this year.

Sacha's parents said the verdict was "irrelevant" to their ability to cope with their son's death. Ms Weston and David Mason, of Cricklewood, said: "It doesn't require a vivid imagination to understand the impact that this has had on our lives.

"The outcome is irrelevant to our ability to recover from what happened; nothing can compensate for the loss of our son. It has been very difficult reliving events that we would rather not remember, so we are exceedingly glad it is over."

The judge found Dr Hussain, originally from Bangladesh, did not make a dangerous overtaking manoeuvre. The GP said he lost control of the hired Ford Fiesta, which had mechanical problems and failed to stop when he braked. Before the trial, he expressed sympathy for Ms Weston and Mr Mason, saying: "I do feel very bad for them."

Note how he 'feels very bad for them' (good of him, I'm sure), but blames a technical fault with the car.

Here is a report on the court case from back in February:

Dr Mohammed Fazle Hussain swerved into the middle of the road then back on to the pavement, ramming two-month-old Sacha Mason's pushchair as it was being wheeled by his mum Miriana Weston.

Witness Sharifa Ahmed told Harrow crown court that seconds before the smash in Willesden, North London, Dr Hussain had just missed her car.

Sharifa Ahmed said: "If he had not swerved back he would have hit me."

Dr Hussain, 63, told police his Ford Fiesta had suddenly mounted the pavement and the brakes failed. But an expert found no faults with the car.

It's always someone else's fault, isn't it?

Portugal to Accept Syrian Guantanamo Inmates

From France 24:

Portugal will accept two Syrian nationals for resettlement from the U.S. detention camp of Guantanamo Bay in Cuba on a special visa, the foreign ministry said on Friday, lauding the forthcoming closure of the camp.

Their names were not revealed. The ministry said the prisoners are part of a group of several dozen detainees who had been cleared of terrorism charges, but cannot be returned to their countries due to the risk of persecution.

In December, Portugal became the first country to press publicly for a coordinated European Union resettlement plan for Guantanamo prisoners, which was followed by an EU decision in June to take in detainees on a case-by-case basis.

The foreign ministry said in a statement the government had weighed various aspects—“humanitarian, foreign relations, safeguarding security and the prospects of successful integration of the chosen ex-detainees” before taking the final decision to accept the two.The special temporary visas to be issued imply either state interests or humanitarian reasons, according to the law.

It praised the closure of the Gunatanamo detention centre as allowing “the revival of the Transatlantic relationship and a victory for all those who defend and promote the respect for human rights within the framework of the war on terror”.

The facility at the U.S. Navy base in Guantanamo, which opened after the Sept 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, quickly became a symbol of detainee abuse and detention without charge under the previous administration of George W. Bush.

President Barack Obama has pledged to close the prison by the end of the year, and the inmates either have to face trial or be released. Washington faces opposition to transferring detainees to the United States, be it for trial or release.