Cookstown: Two rescued from flat after arson attack

Two people had to be rescued after an overnight arson attack on a flat in Cookstown, County Tyrone, police have said.A man in his 40s and a woman in her 30s were inside the property in Princess Avenue when an accelerant was poured through the letterbox on the front door and set alight.Firefighters removed the pair from the building and put out the blaze. Another fire at an outbuilding close to the property was also extinguished.The blaze was reported shortly after 00:50 BST on Sunday.
A spokesperson for the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service ( NIFRS) said the woman was taken out of a downstairs window, while the man was removed from the kitchen."The male and female were treated at the scene by colleagues from Northern Ireland Ambulance Service, then taken to hospital for treatment for smoke inhalation," said a police spokesperson."Enquiries are continuing to establish the circumstances and at this stage, the incident is being treated as deliberate ignition."

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Daily Mail​

an hour ago

• Daily Mail​

EXCLUSIVE Neighbours' fury as Rochdale grooming gang leader throws parties in house fitted with police panic alarm after using legal loophole to dodge deportation

Furious neighbours of Rochdale grooming gang ringleader Qari Rauf say they are terrified to let their children out of sight - after discovering he's still living freely on their street, having used a legal loophole to dodge deportation. The convicted paedophile, 55, was one of nine men jailed in 2012 for raping and trafficking vulnerable girls across northern England in a case that shocked the country. Rauf was told he would be deported to Pakistan in 2014 after serving just two-and-a-half years of a six-year prison sentence – but he remains in the UK more than a decade later. He was supposed to be deported after his release, but avoided removal by destroying his passport and claiming to be stateless. Despite losing an appeal against deportation in 2018, he has never been sent back - with Pakistan refusing to accept him without valid travel documents. Now residents say he is back living in a terraced house in the same area where his victims were targeted - and throwing parties with 'loads of people' coming and going. While victims continue to rebuild their lives, Rauf has reportedly been given extra protection, including a panic button in his home linked directly to Greater Manchester Police. One woman said she was told by officers he had 'done his time' when she demanded that they remove him. Angie Harrison, 45, a mum of two girls aged seven and eight, said: 'He has loads of people there, having parties and we don't like the look of the people who come. The convicted paedophile, 55, was one of nine men jailed in 2012 for raping and trafficking vulnerable girls across northern England in a case that shocked the country. Rauf was told he would be deported to Pakistan in 2014 after serving just two-and-a-half years of a six-year prison sentence – but he remains in the UK more than a decade later 'We are back-to-back with his house. I don't like letting the kids in the garden. I have told them all about him. It is disgusting. 'We have tried everything to get him out. We asked him who was taking photos out the back window. 'The street is full of kids. I am constantly checking and checking. 'It is horrible. It is awful when you have to sit out watching your kids. We're the ones watching over our own kids like prison guards.' She added: 'He is two doors down from a child minder. He went to prison and came out and moved back to this street.' Nodding in agreement, child minder Anita Howarth, 58, said: 'I will pay for him to get a new passport if it gets rid of him. 'It is a constant reminder that our country does not care. I sit out watching the girls and who they are talking to. 'Every time I walk past, I think of grooming gangs. It is pathetic. It is just horrible. Our country has let us down big time. 'I don't get it. The authority does not seem to care. 'I know it is not just Asians who do it. It white people as well. But we don't like any paedophiles no matter what colour they are. 'But I think it is disgusting. We don't want our own paedophiles, let alone ones from other countries.' Lena Carter, 64, who has lived on the street for nearly 30 years, said her daughters used to play in Rauf's back garden. 'The two youngest used to play in his back garden. They were never allowed in the house thank God. He broke the law but he knows how to play the system. 'I can't believe he is still there. But I am not moving. I have been here nearly 30 years and will be here forever. 'All of Rochdale has gone bad now. All the shops are shut. It is only big places like Marks and Spencer's that can afford the rents. The small retailers cannot. 'I never thought he would have the cheek to come back on the street. He is very blatant. He walks around as if to say "I have abused the kids and I am all right". 'I understand he has been banned from the mosque. He walks around in Western clothing now unless his friends are around. 'What can we do to get him out if the law says he can stay? The police will turn up and remove you if you are near his house. 'They tell us to leave him alone. I don't think any of them work apart from the son who sometimes runs the father around in his car. 'He comes out, gets in the car and goes. 'It makes me wonder what he has told his girls about why he has been away. I cannot believe his wife took him back. 'The police told me I cannot say anything to him because he has done his time. I said "What about the poor girls?" But they weren't interested. 'When his children were younger, he was still doing the school run and was allowed to sit in his car outside schools. The police said he was allowed to do the school run. 'He is still being driven around by his son and is all smiles. He seems to have disappeared for a while. But he will be back again.' Her daughter's boyfriend added: 'I was going to smash his windows but am not allowed to.' Another female neighbour said: 'His son drives him around in his car. He just walks along the street. He has been a bit more cagey since he got out of prison. 'He was never supposed to have come back to this house. But he just doesn't care. There is not much we can do. 'I think he owns the house and we cannot get him off the street. We think he has gone into hiding again until the fuss dies down.' Another said: 'When I have got the windows open I just shout 'paedo'. But he just does not care. 'I have not seen him since the week before last. He walks around here like he owns the place. He doesn't care at all. 'It's like he does not have a care in the world. I am surprised his windows have not been smashed to be honest. 'I am really surprised. But I have heard he has police alarms in his house. It is disgusting. Then you hear about it happening again. 'One of the other ring leaders used to work down Rochdale market where I used to buy my clothes. 'My daughter has just turned 16 and she wonders why I don't let her go out and about. I don't like her going off the street to be honest.' Another woman whose daughter lives nearby added: 'It is crazy he is still living here. Before we knew what had happened we thought he was a really nice guy. 'He used to make curries for everyone. They always seemed friendly. Everyone wants him out now but it's his own fault. 'My daughter is 27 but when it was happening she was a teenager so it is worrying.'

Telegraph

2 hours ago

• Telegraph

Police told bike-theft victim they would only help in ‘life-or-death situation'

Police told the victim of a bike theft that they would only respond if it was a 'life-or-death situation'. Marios Symeonides had his £5,000 bike stolen from outside his house in Camden, north London, on a Sunday afternoon despite it being secured with two £400 locks and a £120 GPS device. Police did attend after a neighbour called 999, but then called inquiries off after just 20 minutes. 'My wife rang the police, who initially said they would only come if it was a life-and-death situation,' Mr Symeonides told The Times. 'It was only after I cycled off in pursuit that they called back and came because some neighbours had seen the thief cutting the lock and rang 999.' A total of 33 bikes have been stolen in that part of Camden this year, according to police data analysed by The Telegraph. None of the thefts have been solved. Nationally, fewer than one in 50 of the 60,000-plus annual bike thefts are ever solved. Vast areas of England and Wales did not see a single individual punished for such a theft last year. Mr Symeonides followed the thief on a rented Lime e-bike while tracking the GPS on his phone. By the time police joined the pursuit, the thief was 20 minutes ahead and the chance to intercept was gone. 'Police were under time pressure, they had to go' The bike was stolen at 12.27pm, but by 1.47pm the thief was in Queen's Park, Kilburn, nearly four miles away, according to the GPS. When police and Mr Symeonides arrived in the 'nice neighbourhood' lined with terraced homes that sell for £900,000, the bike and the thief were nowhere to be seen. Despite carrying out door knocks and looking into gardens, the police called time on the investigation after 20 minutes and handed Mr Symeonides a report and a number to follow up. 'I was hoping that the police would be able to get more CCTV because they have it everywhere now,' Mr Symeonides said. 'But they were under time pressure. They had to go.' 'Police numbers are falling rapidly' On a Sunday afternoon in Camden, a popular tourist part of London, officers are restricted by the resources available and forced to prioritise which crimes to focus on, a spokesman told The Telegraph. He said: 'We recognise the impact of bike theft and understand the disruption it causes for victims. Officers carry out patrols and operations across London and will carry out enquiries when offences are reported. 'On the day of the incident, the Met received around 250 calls relating to incidents in Camden, and we have to balance the demand for our services with the resources available. Officers visited the victim and carried out inquiries to attempt to locate the bike, including reviewing doorbell footage and tracking data.' Last month, Sir Mark Rowley, the Met Police commissioner, said he did not have enough officers to meet rising demands. 'We're carrying the scar tissue of years of austerity cuts and the effects of that,' he said. 'Forces are much smaller when you compare the population they are policing than they were a decade or 15 years ago. 'Our numbers [of officers] are falling rapidly. London is over a million people bigger since then. Demand is going up 5 per cent a year, every year across the country. Five per cent more people are calling 999 looking for help from police. That's a massive number, and that compounds year on year.' Despite continued searches and offers of assistance from fellow London cyclists online, Mr Symeonides is still without his bike. He received a payout for from his insurance, but claimed he had lost about £900 from the theft.

Daily Mail​

3 hours ago

• Daily Mail​

Twelve people are arrested after 145 people report being pricked by SYRINGES across international music festival

Twelve suspects have been detained after 145 people were 'pricked with syringes' at an international music festival. French police opened an investigation following reports the Fete de la Musique was infiltrated by attackers yesterday evening. Before the party in Paris, which authorities reported as having 'unprecedented crowds' posts had social media had called for women to be targeted. The interior ministry confirmed today 145 people had reported being stabbed with needles after millions had taken to the streets to celebrate. Paris police reported 13 cases in the capital. Officials did not say whether these were cases of so-called needle spiking with date-rape drugs such as Rohypnol or GHB, used by attackers to render victims confused or unconscious and vulnerable to sexual assault. 'Some victims were taken to hospital for toxicological tests,' the ministry said. In Paris, investigations were opened after three people including a 15-year-old girl and an 18-year-old male, reported being stabbed in separate incidents across Paris, prosecutors said. All three reported feeling unwell. Across France, 12 suspects have been arrested. Among them were four people in the southwestern city of Angouleme suspected of having targeted around 50 victims, a police source said. Apart from those suspects, more than 370 people were detained during the festival on various charges, including nearly 90 people in Paris. Fourteen participants in the festivities were seriously injured, including a 17-year-old hospitalised after being found sitting on the street with stab wounds to the lower abdomen. Thirteen members of law enforcement were also injured. The prefect of the Paris police, Laurent Nunez, said that 'no major incident has been reported'. Organisers at the Fete de la Musique have been contacted for comment. Footage circulating on social media also shows attendees in Paris partaking in aggressive behaviour on the streets amid the festivities. L'auteur du coup de pied dans le visage de cette femme doit être identifié et retrouvé @PoliceNationale @BrunoRetailleau @Gendarmerie #FetedelaMusique — Antho Ⓜ️ (@MAnthoParis) June 21, 2025 In one particularly shocking video, a man dressed in a blue T-shirt strikes a kick at a woman's head before pulling another male to the ground. The festival is an annual music celebration that takes place on June 21. On Music Day - as it is known in English - citizens and residents are urged to play music outside in their neighborhoods or in public spaces and parks. The occasion is now celebrated in 120 countries around the world. Organiser Emmanuel Sémo said: 'Over the past three years, this type of incident has unfortunately been on the rise in major cities, particularly in Paris, often amplified by viral TikTok challenges. 'However, at our event, we take these risks very seriously and have implemented heightened vigilance measures to ensure everyone's safety. 'Ahead of the EF FESTIVAL or VERSO FESTIVAL, we issued preventive messages across our social media channels, sent information by email to attendees, and displayed dedicated signage on site. 'Security checks were reinforced at the entrances, and patrols were increased throughout the venue to detect and prevent any suspicious behaviour. 'This year, we had two suspected cases out of over 17,000 attendees. After investigation by emergency services, both were proven to be false alarms. While this represents an extremely low incident rate, safety remains an absolute priority for us. We also note that no intervention from law enforcement was required during the event. 'The atmosphere remained positive, the audience was respectful and well-filtered at entry points; We're proud of the secure and welcoming environment we created.'