Latest news with #Woolwich
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Boy, 15, 'heard screaming for help' after Woolwich machete stabbing
A 15-year-old boy was heard screaming for help after he was stabbed with a machete in Woolwich, a court has been told. Daejaun Campbell died after an alleged 'targeted' attack in Eglinton Road, on September 22 last year. Three teenagers are accused over his murder – Jacob Losiewicz, 18, Marko Balaz, 19, both from Abbey Wood, south-east London, and a boy aged 17, who cannot be named for legal reasons. Prosecutor Mukul Chawla KC told an Old Bailey jury during the trial's opening on Friday: 'The three defendants appear to have targeted Daejaun Campbell as he approached and went past the house that the three of them were in. 'Two of the defendants, Marko Balaz and (the 17-year-old), physically attacked Daejaun Campbell while the third, Jacob Losiewicz, was in close proximity providing encouragement first of all by his presence… and also providing shelter to the other two immediately after the attack. 'This was therefore, say the prosecution, a murder in which all three defendants jointly participated.' Footage was played to jurors which the prosecution alleged shows the 17-year-old defendant 'picking up the machete he had just used to stab' Daejaun. The jury was taken through multiple witness accounts of the incident, with one witness, named only as Witness A, believing they heard Daejaun screaming for help. 'They heard three to four screams of distress from outside,' Mr Chawla said. 'The victim screamed a number of times during the incident. Witness A thought he might have been screaming 'help'.' Mr Chawla told jurors the reason for Daejaun's killing 'cannot be established', but said it is clear he had been carrying drugs, possibly crack cocaine, and money when he was attacked. 'He may therefore have been a person exploited, by reason of his age if for no other reason, to be used as carrier and supplier of drugs by organisations that will use younger people and other vulnerable people for those purposes,' the prosecutor said. 'That may be or may have been the reason why he was attacked.' READ MORE: The court heard that during the incident, Daejaun threw a 'large knife' that he was carrying although it appears to have only hit a metal fence or railing and broken into pieces. All three defendants deny murder, and the jury was told the 17-year-old has pleaded guilty to possessing an offensive weapon – a machete – in a public place. The trial continues.
The Independent
2 days ago
- The Independent
Boy, 15, heard screaming for help after machete stabbing, court told
A 15-year-old boy was heard screaming for help after he was stabbed with a machete in south-east London, a court has been told. Daejaun Campbell died after an alleged 'targeted' attack in Eglinton Road, Woolwich, on September 22 last year. Three teenagers are accused over his murder – Jacob Losiewicz, 18, Marko Balaz, 19, both from Abbey Wood, south-east London, and a boy aged 17, who cannot be named for legal reasons. Prosecutor Mukul Chawla KC told an Old Bailey jury during the trial's opening on Friday: 'The three defendants appear to have targeted Daejaun Campbell as he approached and went past the house that the three of them were in. ' Two of the defendants, Marko Balaz and (the 17-year-old), physically attacked Daejaun Campbell while the third, Jacob Losiewicz, was in close proximity providing encouragement first of all by his presence… and also providing shelter to the other two immediately after the attack. 'This was therefore, say the prosecution, a murder in which all three defendants jointly participated.' Footage was played to jurors which the prosecution alleged shows the 17-year-old defendant 'picking up the machete he had just used to stab' Daejaun. The jury was taken through multiple witness accounts of the incident, with one witness, named only as Witness A, believing they heard Daejaun screaming for help. 'They heard three to four screams of distress from outside,' Mr Chawla said. 'The victim screamed a number of times during the incident. Witness A thought he might have been screaming 'help'.' Mr Chawla told jurors the reason for Daejaun's killing 'cannot be established', but said it is clear he had been carrying drugs, possibly crack cocaine, and money when he was attacked. 'He may therefore have been a person exploited, by reason of his age if for no other reason, to be used as carrier and supplier of drugs by organisations that will use younger people and other vulnerable people for those purposes,' the prosecutor said. 'That may be or may have been the reason why he was attacked.' The court heard that during the incident, Daejaun threw a 'large knife' that he was carrying although it appears to have only hit a metal fence or railing and broken into pieces. All three defendants deny murder, and the jury was told the 17-year-old has pleaded guilty to possessing an offensive weapon – a machete – in a public place. The trial continues.
Yahoo
15-06-2025
- Yahoo
Man in his 20s taken to hospital after being stabbed in Woolwich ‘group attack'
A man in his 20s has been taken to hospital after being stabbed in Woolwich. Officers were called to reports that a man was attacked by a group of men in Plumstead Road at around 8.45pm on June 13. London Ambulance Service crews also attended and found a man with multiple stab injuries. He was taken to hospital for treatment where his condition was assessed as non life threatening. No arrests have been made as police enquiries are ongoing. A spokesperson for Metropolitan Police said: 'Around 8.45pm on Friday, 13 June, officers responded following reports that a man had been attacked by a group of men in Plumstead Road, Woolwich. 'A man in his 20s was treated at the scene for multiple stab injuries, and was taken to hospital. "His condition has been assessed as non-life-threatening, and we await further updates on his condition. 'No arrests have been made, and officers are making urgent enquiries to locate the suspects. 'Anybody who witnessed the incident – or who has information – should contact the police on 101, quoting crime reference 8162/13JUN.'
Telegraph
15-06-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
‘McDonald's? Meh': how the fast food giant lost its grip on Britain
When McDonald's opened its first UK restaurant in Woolwich, south-east London, in 1974, thousands queued to get a taste of its legendary burgers and fries. Their enthusiasm was a sign of things to come: in the decades since, McDonald's has grown to become Britain's biggest restaurant chain. Today it has almost 1,500 sites across the country and almost £2bn in annual revenues. Yet Britain's enduring love affair with the once-glamorous 'golden arches' is on the rocks. Sales have fallen amid a backlash over price increases, while both cheaper rivals such as Greggs and more upmarket fast food offerings such as Wingstop are luring away customers. With its ubiquitous presence on Britain's high streets and comparative lack of glamour, McDonald's has been caught in a pincer movement between cheaper rivals and upmarket chains – leaving it adrift in the viciously competitive dining market. 'It is faced with customers trading down into cheaper alternatives and independent fast food and then you've got people trading out, going up into the cool, trendy brands,' says Simon Stenning, the director of Future Foodservice, a consultancy. McDonald's leadership team in America has repeatedly singled out the UK as one of its most difficult markets, warning that negative comparable sales in Britain are dragging on international performance. Speaking to investors last month, Chris Kempczinski, its chief executive, said: 'The UK is not yet gaining share. There's still work for us to do in the UK. The share losses are to the people that we should be beating.' McDonald's has been hit by sharp increases in the cost of ingredients and staff in recent years, forcing the chain to raise prices, angering customers in the process. The price of a Big Mac has risen to around £4.89 from £2.99 in 2020, while a Double Cheeseburger has risen from £1.49 to £2.29 over the same period. A large Big Mac meal costs about £7.59. Though it is still one of the cheaper meals on the high street, experts say the inflation has particularly hurt McDonald's because it has more customers on lower incomes than other chains. 'McDonald's is a bit like JD Wetherspoon: all human life is there,' says Peter Martin, the founder of hospitality consultancy Peach 20/20. 'You've got a big chunk of that who are much more price-sensitive.' 'A lot of its customer base is struggling financially at the moment or are worried about outlook for finances and therefore being a bit more careful with their spending,' adds Eleanor Scott, a travel and leisure specialist at PwC. 'A Big Mac is a 'known value' item. People know how much it costs, and if that changes, they notice,' she says. 'For a lot of other operators, that just isn't the case.' She adds: 'If you put 40p on a £2 product, it's a lot more noticeable as a percentage than putting 40p on a £5 product. Their price point makes that a lot more visible.' Last year, Greggs overtook McDonald's to become the UK's most popular breakfast location as shoppers sought out even cheaper meals. Greggs sells a breakfast roll with a cold drink for £2.95, while a savoury bake and a hot drink cost £3.55. In a financial update in February, Kempczinski alluded to the threat posed by Greggs, saying: 'You have a very strong local competitor [in the UK] who's been very aggressive from a value standpoint, particularly on breakfast.' But it goes beyond Greggs. Stenning says there is 'an awful lot of cheaper independent fast food' challenging McDonald's on price at the lower end too. McDonald's has introduced a £5 meal deal in a bid to restore its reputation for cheap prices. But it faces a battle on another front. Newer, more premium brands such as Wingstop and Popeyes are drawing attention away. 'If you're young and in the right demographic, Wingstop or Dave's Hot Chicken is absolutely the place to be, to be seen, to take all your photos and all that malarkey,' says Stenning. 'McDonald's? Meh.' 'There's so many brands coming in. There's so much choice,' adds Martin. 'I don't think McDonald's are going to go away, just like Burger King's not going to go away, or KFC – but they're going to have to react.' Walk into any McDonald's today and the scene is very different from the hustle and bustle that greeted diners in Woolwich 50 years ago. McDonald's restaurants have been criticised for becoming less welcoming in recent years after the business ramped up its use of self-checkout kiosks. Instead of walking up to the till and speaking to a member of staff, customers are faced with impersonal screens to key in their orders. 'I don't think the screens help, because that means a whole bunch of people are standing around the tills and queues are stretched throughout the store,' Amir Mousavi, the founder of The Good Food Studio, a restaurant consultancy. The masses of delivery riders that wait outside its stores to pick up orders have proved divisive in some parts of the country too. Last month, a group of Fulham residents launched a campaign to block plans for 24-hour trading at a local McDonald's. They argued the site had become a hotbed of crime and that groups of delivery riders crowding the site were blocking access to their homes. 'People are really p----d off with delivery drivers,' says Martin. 'That is a real issue.' Many of McDonald's newer sites are now designed with riders in mind – some even have their own dedicated waiting rooms. The business has even opened sites that cater solely to delivery orders. But this is a much trickier feat to pull off on busy high streets. 'The more out-of-town sites are being designed with that in mind, but legacy sites haven't,' Martin says. 'If you're building from scratch, it's easier to segregate.' McDonald's woes in the UK have also been compounded by the impact of a sexual harassment scandal at the chain in recent years. Alistair Macrow, its UK chief executive, was hauled before the business and trade select committee for a second time this year after the BBC unearthed more than 100 complaints. The company has launched a clampdown on sexual harassment in its stores, telling the BBC in March it had implemented 'everything from enhanced training programmes and onboarding practices, through to the launch of a new digital speak-up channel designed with our franchisees' restaurant crew in mind'. At the same time, it faced boycotts from pro-Palestinian customers after its former Israeli franchisee gave free meals to Israeli soldiers. McDonald's bought back the Israeli business in 2024 after calls for boycotts caused a slump in global sales. Kempczinski called the boycotts 'disheartening and ill-founded', blaming them on 'misinformation'. Whether these last two issues will tangibly hurt the British business is debatable. 'I don't think for ordinary people it makes a lot of difference, quite frankly,' says Martin. Regardless of its challenges, McDonald's has vowed to keep investing in the UK, announcing plans last year to spend £1bn on opening 200 new restaurants, in a move it claims will create over 24,000 new jobs by 2028. But one thing is certain: it won't be smooth sailing for the fast food giant from here on out. A McDonald's spokesman said: 'The long-term investment in our menu, our people, our restaurants and our communities has seen our share of the market grow significantly since Covid-19, and in the past five years our growth has been three times that of our nearest competitor. 'There is no escaping the fact that the economic environment remains challenging for consumers – but this makes our role as a reliable, affordable brand that people can trust more important than ever before.' He added: 'There is a huge amount of opportunity in the UK market, and we are focused on both delivering that growth and delivering for our customers.'
BreakingNews.ie
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- BreakingNews.ie
Laurence Fox could face trial in 2027 over upskirting photo of TV star
Laurence Fox could face trial in 2027 over allegations he shared a compromising photo of TV star Narinder Kaur on social media. The actor-turned-activist is alleged to have shared a compromising image in a tweet posted in April 2024 of Kaur, 52, who appears regularly on Good Morning Britain and has previously appeared on GB News. Advertisement Ms Kaur, who has waived her right to anonymity, sat in the public gallery at Woolwich Crown Court on Thursday as Fox, of Peldon in Essex, appeared charged with two counts under the Sexual Offences Act 2003. Narinder Kaur sat in the public gallery at Woolwich Crown Court on Thursday (Lucy North/PA) The 47-year-old defendant is accused of sharing a photograph of a person's genitals 'intending that the person or another person would see the genitals, and for the purpose of obtaining sexual gratification, and being reckless as to whether that person would be caused alarm, distress or humiliation' in the first count. The second count alleges he shared a photograph which showed, or appeared to show, 'another person in an intimate state, with the intention of causing that person alarm, distress or humiliation'. The court hearing on Thursday was listed for plea and trial preparation but Fox, who was wearing a white shirt and grey blazer with jeans, was not asked to enter any pleas. Advertisement A provisional trial with a time estimate of four days was set for December 6th, 2027 at the same court, with Fox granted bail to appear for a further case management hearing on November 14th this year. Sarah Forshaw KC, defending, asked the court if it would be possible to look at whether other venues may be able to accommodate an earlier trial as 'December 2027 is a long way ahead'. The police previously said Fox had been 'charged with an offence contrary to section 66A of the Sexual Offences Act 2003' which 'relates to an image that was posted on a social media platform in April 2024'. Fox is an actor-turned-activist (David Parry/PA) Section 66A of the Sexual Offences Act relates to 'cyber flashing'. Advertisement The charge, introduced in 2023, makes it an offence to intentionally share a sexual image of someone without consent, with the aim of causing alarm, distress, humiliation or for sexual gratification. Upskirting, taking pictures of people under their clothes without their permission, became a specific criminal offence in 2019. Offenders can face up to two years in jail and be placed on the sex offenders' register. Fox was fired from GB News in October 2023 after an on-air rant about journalist Ava Evans. Advertisement He previously starred as James Hathaway in ITV's drama series Lewis.
