‘Controlling and coercive’ man jailed for 14 years for manslaughter of his baby
A “controlling and coercive” father who shook his three-month-old daughter, causing her un-survivable head injuries, has been jailed for 14 years.
Samuel Warnock, 29, of Devizes in Wiltshire, previously pleaded guilty at Winchester Crown Court to the manslaughter of Maya Warnock in 2021.
His wife and Maya’s mother, Jasmine Warnock, 29, was also sentenced to a three-year community order with 30 rehabilitation days after pleading guilty to child cruelty for failing to stop her husband from assaulting their daughter.
Sentencing the pair, the judge, Mrs Justice May, said that the death came against a background of domestic abuse by Warnock against his wife.
She described Warnock as a “reckless and irresponsible new father, prone to anger, easily frustrated, profoundly needy and dangerously incapable of caring properly for a tiny new baby”.
The judge told Mrs Warnock: “You are to some extent a victim of controlling and coercive behaviour and this impacted your ability to recognise what he was doing but it didn’t render you entirely powerless.”
Unions concerned at proposals for Channel 4 regional production budget
Unions have raised concerns about Ofcom proposals which could allow Channel 4 to allocate 91% of its production budget to projects in England.
The broadcasting regulator is consulting on the licence renewal for Channel 4 as the current licence ends on December 31 this year.
The Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC), representing a number of unions which work in broadcasting, says the “made outside England” quota should be increased to at least 16%, with a specific Scottish quota of 8%.
Union leaders say Scottish production companies could lose out under the proposals and a joint letter has been sent to Channel 4 and Ofcom.
Francesco Acerbi leaves Italy camp in wake of racist abuse allegation
Francesco Acerbi has left the Italy national squad ahead of upcoming friendlies in the United States after he was alleged to have racially abused Napoli defender Juan Jesus.
The Inter Milan defender is alleged to have racially abused Brazil international Jesus in Sunday’s 1-1 draw in Serie A, something Acerbi has denied.
The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) said Acerbi has explained his version of events to Italy coach Luciano Spalletti and his team-mates and it has been agreed he will take no part in games against Venezuela and Ecuador.
A statement on the FIGC website read: “Francesco Acerbi, who arrived at the national team camp in Rome this morning, explained to head coach, Luciano Spalletti, and his team-mates his version of the alleged racist expression reported by Juan Jesus during Inter vs Napoli last night, as required by the internal policy of Club Italia.
“From the Nerazzurri defender’s report, in waiting for what happened to be reconstructed in compliance with the autonomy of sporting justice, it emerged that there was no defamatory, denigrating or racist intent on his part.
“However, it was agreed that Acerbi should be left out of the squad for the next two friendlies scheduled in the United States in order to let things settle for the national team and the player himself, who will return to his club today.
“As a result, Roma defender Gianluca Mancini, who was already part of a reserved squad list, has been called up.”
An Inter statement added: “FC Internazionale Milano takes note of the official statement released by the FIGC in relation to the events involving Francesco Acerbi during last night’s match against Napoli, and of the fact that FIGC and Acerbi have agreed that the player will not be involved in the national team’s next two friendlies scheduled in the United States.
“FC Internazionale Milano will meet with the player as soon as possible to shed light on the exact details of what happened last night.”
Starmer praises Sadiq Khan’s push for clean air in London after Ulez controversy
Sir Keir Starmer has praised Sadiq Khan’s commitment to clean air in London after last year urging the mayor to “reflect” on the expansion of the ultra-low emission zone (Ulez).
The Labour leader, who lives in north-west London, said he did not want his children to “breathe in dirty air” as he appeared alongside Mr Khan for the launch of the mayor’s re-election campaign.
The Ulez scheme was expanded last August to cover the entirety of Greater London, a controversial move overseen by Mr Khan.
Sheffield kebab shop food hygiene rating drops to zero
The food hygiene rating at a Sheffield kebab shop has dropped from one to zero after mouse droppings and mould were found on the premises.
Adnan’s Fried Chicken on West Street, which serves up kebabs, fried chicken, pizzas, burgers have been told “urgent improvements are necessary”.
Police appeal for missing Doncaster woman
South Yorkshire Police are appealing for information about a Doncaster woman that was last seen on 14 March.
Shirley, aged 66, who also goes by the name of Pam, was last seen at 7:40pm leaving a property on Winchester Avenue in the Wheatley area of Doncaster.
Anyone who has seen Shirley has been asked to contact South Yorkshire Police.
Police appeal for missing Doncaster woman
South Yorkshire Police are appealing for information about a Doncaster woman that was last seen on 14 March.
Shirley, aged 66, who also goes by the name of Pam, was last seen at 7:40pm leaving a property on Winchester Avenue in the Wheatley area of Doncaster.
Anyone who has seen Shirley has been asked to contact South Yorkshire Police.
Sheffield indoor market opens its doors for the first time in big boost for local business
A new independent indoor market in Sheffield welcomed its first customers today with the promise of hosting almost 100 local businesses and entrepreneurs.
Red Brick Market Sheffield opened at 10am today on Clough Road opposite Bramall Lane. It aims to provide a diverse experience for Sheffield's shoppers with up to 95 stalls selling a wide variety of goods.
Christopher Day, the founder of Red Brick Market, said: "This market gives the baby businesses an easier chance to grow without all the worries and hassles of a mega-long lease and stupid business rates.
"I think it's going be a good offering in terms of independence because there doesn't seem to be many options in Sheffield for small businesses."
Lower rates for retail units are being offered to stall owners to make the market affordable for local enterprises, with the company pledging to promote alternative products to what is offered on the high street.
The marketplace is the third of its kind in the UK after successful launches in Liverpool in 2018 and Birmingham in 2022.
Steve, whose business, The Binley People, has been operating in Sheffield for the last 15 years, said: "This is brilliant for the community, there's nowhere else in town you can do this. It's nice to actually have shops where people can buy things that they can put their hands on, rather than getting a load of crap through the internet."
The venue's unprecedented size also makes the market a unique opportunity for sellers as well as buyers, having previously been a trampoline park.
Steven, the owner of the Retro Sheffield stall, said: "This is a bit of a departure from the norm for me, I usually just work in flea markets but when I heard about this I thought I'd give it a try.
"Independent retailers need space like this to sell their stuff without the enormous overheads of fixed shop rents."
Red Brick Market Sheffield is open from 10am-6pm from Monday to Saturday, and 10am-4pm on Sundays.
Sparks fly as robots square off in Sheffield
Roboteers from across the UK descended on Kommune in Sheffield on Saturday for a day of Robot Wars-style combat.
Competing robots were equipped with a variety of different weapons, such as flippers, hammers, and spinning blades, with the aim of either incapacitating the other robots or causing the opposing team to ‘tap out’, and concede the fight.
Unlike the televised competition, in which the robots could weigh well over 100kg and be expensive and time-consuming to build, Saturday’s event was restricted to a maximum weight of 1.5kg, making the competition more accessible to roboteers from all walks of life.
Father and son named by police investigating double deaths
A father and son whose deaths led to a woman being arrested on suspicion of murder have been named by police.
Both named Peter Cooke, aged 68 and 36, the men were found at a property on Eaglesfield Road, Hartlepool, on Friday.
Their family has asked for privacy at this difficult time, Cleveland Police said, and they are being helped by specially-trained officers while an investigation continues.
A 39-year-old woman arrested on suspicion of murder remains on police bail while officers make inquiries, the force said.
Steelers poised for Elite League grand slam
The Sheffield Steelers look to lock up the best record in the league on Wednesday in an away fixture with the Cardiff Devils.
When asked about his outlook for the season moving forward, Head coach Aaron Fox said: “We’ve still got some work to do for sure. I think we put ourselves in a great spot though.
“Heading to Cardiff on Wednesday to play for a trophy and, with nine games remaining, I think we've definitely done a great job.”
The Devils currently hold the second best record in the league with 67 points, trailing only the Steelers, who lead with 79 points.
In four previous matchups this season, the Steelers and Devils have won two games each.
The Steelers will need to work their way past the Devils’ goaltender Ben Browns, arguably one of the best at his position this season. He is currently fourth in the league in save percentage, however the Steelers' Matthew Greenfield sits in first place.
After a 3-1 victory over the Guildford Flames in the Challenge Cup final on Wednesday, the Steelers have the rare opportunity to claim the Elite League grand slam by winning the league championship, Challenge Cup and playoff championship in a single season.
Last season, the Belfast Giants took the first Elite League grand slam since the Nottingham Panthers did in 2013.
Following a tense game on Saturday night, Coach Fox said he expected his team’s quality of play to be down after a massive cup final win on Wednesday night.
“There was a bit of a lull from our group tonight, for sure. It was something I expected,” said Coach Fox. “We talked about trying to make sure mentally we were switched on from puck drop. The come down from Wednesday was obviously going to be there.”
Nevertheless, Coach Fox was pleased with the result of the match and praised the play of Greenfield in the shootout.
The playoffs are set to begin in April and the Steelers are ready to make a deep run. Should the Steelers finish top of the league, which they are almost certain to do so, they would face the eighth placed team in a best of three series.
Should the Steelers claim the league championship this week, they must ensure not to get complacent in the final two weeks of the regular season.
Sadiq Khan launches re-election bid with 40,000 new council homes pledge
Sadiq Khan accused the Tories of an “abject failure” to tackle the housing crisis as he launched his mayoral campaign with a pledge to build 40,000 new council homes by the end of the decade.
In a speech on Monday alongside Sir Keir Starmer, he said London would go “much further, much faster” with Labour running both Downing Street and City Hall.
Mr Khan promised to unleash “the greatest council housebuilding drive in a generation” and to double his previous goal to start building 20,000 council homes, which he hit last year.