2 weeks agoNew York StateComments Off on Popular children’s cup sold at Matalan for £3 urgently recalled over ‘risk of eye injury’
A POPULAR children’s cup sold at Matalan for £3 has urgently been recalled as it poses a “risk of eye injury”.
Matalan has recalled its Blue Easter Tumbler Cup with Straw over safety fears, warning it could pose a serious risk to children.
MatalanShoppers who bought the Bunny Tumbler with Straw are urged to stop using it immediately[/caption]
The £3 cup features a bunny wearing sunglasses, with ears sticking out from the lid.
It poses an injury risk, as users could accidentally be poked in the eye by the pointed ears.
The sought-after Matalan cup does not meet the requirements of the General Product Safety Regulations 2005, according to the government’s website.
Shoppers who bought the Bunny Tumbler with Straw are urged to stop using it immediately and return it to their nearest Matalan store for a full refund.
Those with further queries can contact Matalan’s Customer Care Team on 0333 0044444 or email customercareceo@matalan.co.uk.
It comes after the retail giant urgently recalled three children’s clothing products over a “risk of being strangled”.
Matalan made the decision after deciding that a number of boy’s swim shorts posed a serious risk to kids.
The recall affects the blue shark rash vest and shorts worth £12 on the website at the time of writing.
The other two products recalled were the seersucker swimshorts in blue and the boys tie dye swimshorts.
Parents were urged to take the faulty items away from little ones and return them “immediately” to a Matalan store.
All three products could cause entrapment and strangulation, warned the retailer.
Matalan stressed that no receipt will be required to claim the refund.
Matalan said: “It has come to our attention that the above boys’ swim shorts do not meet our usual high standards for quality and safety, as there is a high possibility of entrapment and strangulation with the draw cord.”
The company also urged customers who bought the swimwear as gifts to inform others about the recall notice straight away.
It added: “If you have bought the above for someone else or know someone who has one then please let them know immediately about this notice.”
Matalan apologised for the inconvenience caused to shoppers and confirmed that the recall does not affect any other products.
The retailer added: “We pride ourselves on delivering great quality at great prices, and we’re really sorry for any inconvenience caused.”
2 weeks agoNew York StateComments Off on From Rose West & Myra Hindley’s ‘affair’ to child killers at war… why infamous monsters ALWAYS become rivals behind bars
THEIR deadly urges might appear to make them kindred spirits, but behind bars, the world’s most despised serial killers have often turned against each other in explosive fashion.
From loathsome love affairs to murder plots and gruesome jail attacks, these warped rivalries also expose a dark psychology that drives these infamous monsters, according to a top criminologist.
ShutterstockRose West, pictured with killer husband Fred, was reportedly targeted in jail[/caption]
PA:Press AssociationSpree killer Joanna Dennehy had plotted to take down West[/caption]
The twisted pair were both caged at HMP Bronzefield in Surrey. West was allegedly taken into solitary confinement before she was transferred to another prison the following day, as prison guards feared the worst.
Criminologist Professor David Wilson is not at all surprised that Dennehy would want to target West, explaining she is desperate to cement her own self-styled reputation as Britain’s most evil woman.
“Quite clearly Rose West is a convicted serial killer, then you have Joanna Dennehy who isn’t a serial killer, but is a spree killer,” he explains.
“But Joanna Dennehy has carefully constructed for herself a persona where she wants to be seen as the most dangerous woman that Britain has ever produced.
“And therefore having Rose West in the same prison… she undermines that sense.
“A plot for the spree killer to kill the serial killer embellishes and improves her reputation as being that dangerous female murderer. She would be the ultimate top dog.
“These people want to reinvent their brand, sometimes they are polishing that sense of what the public think of them, because these confrontations get reported on. They can enhance and keep their brand in the limelight.”
But Dennehy isn’t the only notorious prisoner to start a bitter feud behind bars with an infamous rival.
And Professor Wilson, also a former prison governor, says there are two key reasons for this – personality and the prison environment.
“Ultimately what characterises them all is narcissism. These people like to be the centre of attention, and as long as they can be the centre of attention that fits their psychological needs,” he says.
“Sometimes a friendship or alliance with another prisoner who has a reputation outside or inside can enhance their narcissistic personality trait.
“But other times if they feel that they are under threat from that person, they will change their behaviour accordingly and they will fall out.
“Then the key sociological aspect is that they are all incarcerated in a maximum security prison or a secure hospital. And there is a prison hierarchy and they have a reputation that they want to retain.
“Sometimes the fact that there is a hierarchy means that they want to position themselves as higher up than another prisoner.
“Or it may be that they see a kindred spirit so that they can combine forces and act jointly to maintain their place in the hierarchy.
“Sometimes there are genuine friendships that develop within secure hospitals and maximum security prisons.”
But often these friendships can twist into deadly and bitter rivalry… as we reveal here.
Rose West and Myra Hindley
Rose West and Myra Hindley are rumoured to have had a short-lived affair
Mass murderers Rose West and Myra Hindley were as “thick as thieves” until a sudden split after they quarrelled over who was more famous, a fellow lag claims.
Moors Murderer Myra and Cromwell Street killer Rose first met in HMP Durham in the mid 1990s.
It was claimed they had a “short-lived lesbian relationship” before the fallout.
West’s former solicitor Leo Goatley said: “Rose’s first paramour was the Moors murderer, Myra Hindley, who happened to be on the hospital wing at HMP Durham at the same time in 1995 and early 1996.”
However, Mr Goatley claims their relationship didn’t last long with West saying Hindley could be “very manipulative”.
He told the Daily Mail: “When I visited a few months later, Rose’s opinion of Hindley had changed dramatically.
“She was saying, ‘You have to watch Hindley, mind. She is very manipulative.
“‘You don’t realise it, but she gets you doing stuff for her. Oh, she’s clever, all right. She’s flippin’ dangerous, that one. She ain’t going to take me for a c*** again.’
“And so heralded the end of the romance.”
Fellow prisoner Linda Calvey, who served 18 years inside, later claimed the relationship didn’t last long, saying: “As fast as it happened, it ended.
“There was talk that because Rose was more famous than Myra it had put her nose out of joint.”
Yorkshire Ripper and Ronnie Kray
Ronnie Kray and the Yorkshire Ripper fell out over the former’s sexual advances
Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe and gangland killer Ronnie Kray were both banged up in maximum security psychiatric hospital Broadmoor in the early 90s.
Serial killer Sutcliffe and mobster Kray were once on friendly terms inside, with Sutcliffe being trusted to cut Kray’s hair.
But Sutcliffe told a pal just months before his death that he threatened to kill Kray after the gangster made advances towards him.
In one letter, he wrote: “I did not give Ronnie a beating although I did threaten him when he tried to make advances on me.”
Ronnie Kray died, aged 61, in 1995, while Sutcliffe, who murdered 13 women, died at HMP Frankland from a combination of Covid-19 and heart disease in November 2020, aged 74.
Ian Brady and Raymond Morris
The infamous child killers scalded each other in a fierce feud
The country’s most notorious child killers, Raymond Morris and Ian Brady, were embroiled in a savage, behind-bars rivalry.
While serving their life sentences the pair often had violent clashes as they argued about who had the greater notoriety.
The Cannock Chase Killer and the Moors Murderer attacked each other in Durham Prison, throwing hot water over each other – and both received treatment for scalds following the violence.
Historian Richard Pursehouse said of one of the attacks: “Assuming the phrase was around then, apparently Brady, who had chosen ‘tea, no milk, plenty of sugar’, had ‘napalmed’ Morris.
“The lack of milk means it would be hot, while lots of sugar means the tea would stick to Morris’s face.”
Walsall monster Morris, who died in 2014, was only ever convicted of the murder of seven-year-old Christine Darby but remains chief suspect in the killings of Margaret and Diana Tift.
Brady, along with his girlfriend Myra Hindley, was convicted of the murders of five children. He died in prison in 2017.
Charles Bronson and Robert Maudsley
The pair are said to have ‘hated’ each other inside the notorious ‘Monster Mansion’
One of Britain’s most feared killers is reportedly embroiled in a bitter feud with infamous prisoner Charles Bronson.
Robert Maudsley, who earned the nickname ‘Hannibal the Cannibal’ after allegations he ate one of his victims’ brains, has been locked up for more than 40 years.
His dangerous reputation has led to him being kept in isolation inside a glass box underground.
The pair reportedly “hated” each other inside HMP Wakefield, also known as “Monster Mansion”.
In the book, Inside Wakefield Prison, authors Jonathan Levi and Emma French recount how one prison guard, named Jo, described how the pair would torment one another.
“Robert Maudsley, Bob as he is known, hates Bronson. They simply do not get on,” they explained. “When I was on the unit, Maudsley would play rock music loud to annoy Bronson.”
The music would echo through the cell walls and provoke Bronson to “shout” at the killer who refused to respond.
In a particularly twisted form of revenge, Bronson was allegedly known to whistle outside Maudsley’s cell, supposedly because the latter’s mother would lock him in a cupboard and whistle outside the door.
Bronson has claimed he and Maudsley fell out over a rejected gift – and he wants revenge.
He revealed that he sent Maudsley a watch as a gift, only for it to be rejected by the killer, who instructed the prison guard trying to deliver it to throw the watch in a bin.
After the incident he called Maudsley “an ungrateful b*****d and threatened: “I pray to one day bump into him at 300mph and, unlike him, I don’t need a blade.”
Levi Bellfield and John Warboys
Bellfield and Warboys were pals before falling out over a ‘betrayal’
Black cab rapist John Worboys bonded with killer Levi Bellfield over their love of football and food – before falling out when Bellfield found out Worboys admitted he was guilty.
Bellfield became “best friends” with rapist Warboys and even offered legal advice, said insiders.
When Worboys was moved to a different prison he kept in touch with Bellfield, one of the UK’s most notorious child killers, by letter.
Despite their friendship Bellfield later wrote to a pen pal claiming they were only pals because he believed Warboys was innocent.
He wrote: “He told me he was innocent when I was there. And if he’s admitted his guilt now I’m a little bit disappointed because I looked to him as being innocent.
“Like a mug I was, but that’s what he told me. That’s what he told everyone.”
Bellfield was jailed for life in 2008 for the hammer murders of Amelie Delagrange, 22, and 19-year-old Marsha McDonnell and the attempted murder of Kate Sheedy, 18.
Three years later he was convicted of killing schoolgirl Milly Dowler, 13, who was abducted on her way home from school in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey in 2002.
Roy Whiting and Gary Vinter
Double killer Gary Vinter, right, said Roy Whiting was a ‘dirty little nonce’
Double killer Gary Vinter set his sights on Roy Whiting because of his notoriety.
Convicted sex offender Whiting had been jailed for life 2001 for the murder of eight-year-old Sarah Payne, who disappeared while playing near her grandparents’ home in Kingston Gorse, West Sussex, in July 2000.
Vinter stabbed Whiting in the eyes with a sharpened toilet brush handle in 2011.
He attacked Whiting in an attempt to get his own jail conditions changed, Newcastle Crown Court heard. Vinter told the court: “He [Whiting] was a dirty little nonce. That’s why I did it.”
Vinter admitted the attack and was given an indefinite sentence with a notional five-year minimum jail term.
But that wasn’t the end of his prison violence and Vinter has since become known as one of the most feared prisoners in the British justice system.
In 2016 he was handed another life sentence for trying to kill double killer Lee Newell, a fellow lifer at HMP Woodhill.
Newell was kicked repeatedly in the head. A prison officer said they were the worst injuries he had seen.
Passing sentence, Judge Richard Foster told Vinter: “You must be one of the most dangerous individuals within the prison system today. Your record is truly shocking.”
Edmund Kemper and Herbert Mullin
California killers Kemper and Mullin tormented each other
In 1970s California, there was not one but two serial killers on the loose at the same time.
Eventually cops arrested Herbert Mullin and Edmund Kemper after the deaths of 21 people, and the pair ended up in adjoining cells in prison.
But that despite their grisly common ground, the men did not get along, with Kemper trying to torment Mullin.
Kemper recalled: “Well, [Mullin] had a habit of singing and bothering people when somebody tried to watch TV.
“So I threw water on him to shut him up. Then, when he was a good boy, I’d give him some peanuts. Herbie liked peanuts.
“That was effective because pretty soon he asked permission to sing. That’s called behaviour modification treatment.”
Who are the UK's worst serial killers?
THE UK's most prolific serial killer was actually a doctor.
Here’s a rundown of the worst offenders in the UK.
British GP Harold Shipman is one of the most prolific serial killers in recorded history. He was found guilty of murdering 15 patients in 2000, but the Shipman Inquiry examined his crimes and identified 218 victims, 80 per cent of whom were elderly women.
After his death Jonathan Balls was accused of poisoning at least 22 people between 1824 and 1845.
Mary Ann Cotton is suspected of murdering up to 21 people, including husbands, lovers and children. She is Britain’s most prolific female serial killer. Her crimes were committed between 1852 and 1872, and she was hanged in March 1873.
Amelia Sach and Annie Walters became known as the Finchley Baby Farmers after killing at least 20 babies between 1900 and 1902. The pair became the first women to be hanged at Holloway Prison on February 3, 1903.
William Burke and William Hare killed 16 people and sold their bodies.
Dennis Nilsen was caged for life in 1983 after murdering up to 15 men when he picked them up from the streets. He was found guilty of six counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder and was sentenced to life in jail.
2 weeks agoNew York StateComments Off on HMRC locks 100,000 tax accounts after it’s hit by ‘organised crime’
THOUSANDS of taxpayers have had their online accounts locked and login details deleted after “organised crime fishing” scams targeted HMRC in a £47million fraud sting.
Up to 100,000 personal tax accounts were shut down after it detected unauthorised access by criminal gangs in an elaborate bid to extract repayments from the tax authority – not from individuals.
Getty - ContributorThousands of HMRC online personal tax accounts have been locked down[/caption]
GettySecurity systems detected unauthorised access to some accounts[/caption]
Officials told MPs that the threat, which has not been classified as a cyber attack, was carried out over an extended period last year by multiple crime syndicates running phishing campaigns.
Angela McDonald, deputy chief executive of HMRC, told the Treasury Committee: “At the moment, they’ve managed to extract repayments to the tune of £47 million. Now that is a lot of money and it’s very unacceptable.”
The tax office said the breach was identified nearly a year ago but it has only now begun informing affected customers by letter.
Letters are being sent from today until June 25.
Anyone hit will need to re-register for online services with new Government Gateway credentials.
In a statement, HMRC said: “We have written to affected customers and taken action to protect these accounts.”
“This was an attempt to claim money from HMRC, not an attempt to take any money from you,” the statement added.
The agency said it has locked down affected accounts, deleted login details to prevent future unauthorised access, removed incorrect information from tax records, and checked to ensure no other details were changed.
John-Paul Marks, the newly appointed HMRC chief executive, told MPs: “It’s about 0.2% of the PAYE population, around 100,000 people, who we have written to, are writing to, to notify them that we detected activity on their PAYE account.”
Asked to confirm this affected individuals not companies, Marks replied: “That’s right, individuals. To be clear, no financial loss to those individuals.
“This was organised crime fishing for identity data outwith of HMRC systems.”
He also revealed that the criminal probe into the breach has included “jurisdictions outside the UK” and led to “some arrests last year.”
HMRC’s phone lines were also plunged into chaos today as a major system outage knocked out all call centres — just as worried taxpayers may be trying to call.
Anyone dialling HMRC is currently met with a recorded message stating: “This phone line is temporarily unavailable due to technical difficulties but normal service will resume as soon as possible.”
Marks said: “Something has disrupted those telephony lines and expecting them to be back up and available in the morning.”
McDonald added: “The system will be up and running by tomorrow morning.”
Anyone concerned about their account is urged to wait for the letter or email the Fraud Prevention Centre at FraudPreventionCentre@hmrc.gov.uk.
Back in March 2022, HMRC had warned of a rising wave of phishing attacks seeking Government Gateway logins to file bogus tax refund claims.
Despite the breach, HMRC stressed: “This was not a cyber security breach… HMRC is always facing these kinds of attempts on the organisation, it is a constant battle.”
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2 weeks agoNew York StateComments Off on Israel issues warning to Greta Thunberg’s so-called Freedom Flotilla as eco-pest aims to SAIL to terror hotbed Gaza
ISRAEL has issued a warning to Greta Thunberg’s so-called Freedom Flotilla as the climate activist aims to sail into Gaza.
The Swede is pulling the dangerous stunt after leaving from Catania, Italy, on Sunday aboard the Madleen.
ReutersGreta Thunberg sits aboard the aid ship Madleen during the stunt[/caption]
Thunberg speaking ahead of the dangerous stuntAPThunberg and the Madleen are currently south of Greece[/caption]
The boat, carrying 11 pro-Palestine protesters, is currently south of Crete and is aiming directly for the terror hotbed with only a “symbolic” amount of aid.
The young campaigners say they are hoping to “break the siege” and raise “international awareness” of the humanitarian crisis on the Gaza Strip.
Thunberg, 22, has posted on social media with a Palestine flag and wearing a keffiyeh scarf while on the pointless journey.
Israel is prepared to raid the ship, IDF spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin said.
He said: “We have gained experience in recent years, and we will act accordingly.”
One activist on board has said they are being followed by a drone – a month after another boat under the same flag was allegedly attacked by one.
In a video on social media, one of Greta’s shipmates said: “We can clearly see a drone to our left. It’s gaining on us a little bit.”
Organisers of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition say their voyage is “a non-violent, direct action to challenge Israel’s illegal siege”.
Ahead of the journey, Thunberg said through tears: “we are doing this because, no matter what odds we are against, we have to keep trying.
“Because the moment we stop trying is when we lose our humanity.
“And no matter how dangerous this mission is, it’s not even near as dangerous as the silence of the entire world in the face of the live-streamed genocide.”
Israel rejects any accusation it is conducting a genocide and says the accusations are an anti-Semitic “blood libel”.
Israel is, instead, aiming to wipe out the terror group Hamas which conducted the bloody October 7, 2023, massacre killing 1,200 people and taking 250 hostage.
Hamas is accused of using innocent Palestinian civilians as shields and holding aid meant for them to ransom.
GettyGaza has been hammered by the IDF as it aims to wipe out Hamas[/caption]
Shutterstock EditorialDisplaced people are seen near temporary shelters in Gaza[/caption]
ReutersThe crew aboard the Madleen[/caption]
US Senator Lindsey Graham has slammed the flotilla saying: “Hope Greta and her friends can swim!”
Negotiations are ongoing to find peace in the strip, with Israel last week signing up to a US proposal.
Israel has paused aid delivery after soldiers opened fire on people heading toward an aid site.
Gaza health officials, the Red Cross and the U.N. rights office said 27 people were killed on Tuesday, and witnesses blamed Israeli forces.
Israels military said it fired near people it described as suspects who it said approached its forces and ignored warning shots.
It says it is looking into reports of casualties.
The UN has warned that Gaza had become “the hungriest place on Earth”.
It said the territory’s entire population was at risk of famine.
It comes after reports that the chief, who was also one of the October 7 masterminds, had likely been killed in an Israeli airstrike on May 13.
Israel appears to have successfully eliminated Sinwar Jr by bombing what it said was Hamas’ command centre under the European Hospital in the southern Gaza Strip.
Will there be peace in Gaza?
Terror group Hamas has not agreed with the latest US proposal for peace in the strip – whereas Israel has.
Hamas has said that it is ready to release hostages in a bid to end the war in Gaza.
The militants said they would release ten living hostages and 18 bodies in return for Israel’s release of a number of Palestinian prisoners.
Hamas said: “This proposal aims to achieve a permanent ceasefire, (Israeli) withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and ensure the flow of aid to our people and families.”
There was no immediate response from Israel to the statement.
