Killers

THERE’S nothing like a lovely relaxing autumnal dog walk, but there are plenty of hidden dangers pet owners need to look out for, it turns out.

This comes as new research from dog walking insurance providers, Protectivity, reveals that the majority of pet insurance claims are linked to dog walking.

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Since these hazards can end up not only being dangerous for your pet, but costly when the vet bill arrives, it’s good to know what to avoid.

Luckily, Protectivity has partnered with three certified canine experts to share practical tips and advice to safeguard dogs on their autumn walk.

Ingesting slugs or snails 

The damp weather that autumn brings can lead to an increase in slugs and snails that can carry lungworm larvae, a potentially fatal issue if left untreated.

Sadie Geoghegan-Dann, Canine Welfare Expert & Dog Trainer at Nervous Rex warned: “Having personally lost one of my own dogs to lungworm, I can’t emphasise enough how dangerous it is to let your dog play around with slugs and risk eating one.”

The expert added that lungworm can take hold very fast and can be fatal in no time if not spotted.

Terry Cuyler, Certified Dog Trainer and owner of Pawsitive Results Dog Training added: “My default solution to this problem is to train a good “drop it” command.

“Occasionally, despite our best intentions, a dog will grab something while we’re not able to intercept them. An effective ‘drop it’ guarantees that they’ll drop the object at once, and this can be a life-saver.”

Fallen fruits from apples, pears and plum trees

As autumn rolls around, fruit trees start to shed their sweet-smelling fruit and while it may seem enticing to dogs, fallen fruit can cause severe stomach upsets and present a choking hazard. 

Dog owner, Shakira Sacks, from Leeds, explained how her four year old cocker spaniel, Autumn, had to receive medical treatment after ingesting a fallen plum on a walk.

Shakira said: “Being a cocker spaniel, Autumn is forever eating things she shouldn’t. Over the years, we’ve implemented lots of training commands but on a recent walk in our local park, she ate a fallen plum, including the stone. 

“After speaking to our vet, they asked us to bring her in immediately and two hours of induced vomiting and a £350 bill later, Autumn was her happy self again.

“It was, however, a very scary experience and has made me even more hyper-vigilant of hazards that I wasn’t aware of previously. I had no idea that although plums are usually safe for dogs to eat, the stones can be toxic, as can the flesh when it’s mouldy.” 

Acorns on the ground 

The phrase ‘are acorns poisonous to dogs’ has been searched 7,000 times on Google in the UK in the last month alone, revealing the very real concern owners have. 

Terry warned: “In my experience, one of autumn’s most underappreciated perils is the abundance of acorns. I have worked with dogs who have come to significant injury from eating them.”

Acorns contain tannins, the dog pro explained, which can cause stomach issues and even kidney damage in dogs. For smaller breeds they also pose as a chocking risk.

Fallen conkers

Conkers are another highly toxic risk for dogs on autumnal walks, with severe cases costing up to £2,000 in veterinary treatment. 

Terry said: “I see this process repeat itself time and time again during autumnal walks. Dogs have an instinct to be attracted to conkers, acorns, and fallen fruits, as these trigger their hidden foraging instinct and carry scents of wild animals to them.”

He recommended looking out for key warning signs, like over-sniffing at ground level, sudden stops during walks, and that familiar head-down posture showing keen interest in something to eat.

But mostly, pet owners should be aware of the “freeze and stare” posture just before their strike and correct immediately with a high-reward treat and a ‘leave it’ command.”

Duhhhh-nuh. Duhh-nuh. …

Friday marks 50 years since the 1975 film “Jaws” from Steven Spielberg introduced audiences to that infamous John Williams movie score — and the fear that they should clearly feel over the great white shark lurking just beneath their feet, waiting to chomp down on their dangling legs as they enjoy a day at the beach.

Except, over the past six decades, marine biologists like Chris Lowe at the Shark Lab at Cal State Long Beach have found that great white sharks and their selachian counterparts not only don’t want to eat humans but also would like to avoid us if at all possible.

“Believe it or not, a lot of the times they’re big babies. They’re big scaredy-cats,” Lowe told me.

As part of the series I’ve completed over the last year in The Wild, exploring how to react should you see a potentially dangerous animal on the trail, I spoke to Lowe, who has studied sharks for the past 35 years, about how you should react if you see a great white shark in the wild.

Lowe said that unlike 50 years ago when “Jaws” was filmed — where sharks’ populations were so low that even the “Jaws” filmmakers could barely find a shark in the ocean to record — the great white shark population has bounced back thanks to conservation efforts.

“Sharks are probably swimming by people way more often than they would ever imagine — they just don’t know they’re there,” Lowe said. “I think your chances of seeing a shark, any shark — a white shark, a leopard shark, a bull shark, a tiger shark, no matter where you go — is actually getting much better.”

Cal State Long Beach Shark Lab student assistant Julianne Santos shows Huntington Beach junior lifeguards a white shark jaw during a July 2023 presentation.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Please note that my conversation with Lowe focused on how a beachgoer should react if they see a great white shark off the coast of a Southern California beach, and I primarily asked him for tips for folks swimming or snorkeling. The Shark Lab has a great short guide for surfers, and there is other guidance available for spearfishers.

All right, no need for a bigger boat. Let’s dive in.

1. Observe the shark’s behavior

You’re swimming in the ocean, perhaps snorkeling, and you see a great white shark swimming about 20 feet from you. First, “take a deep breath and go, ‘Wow, that’s so cool,’” Lowe said.

Next, observe what the shark is doing. Is it relaxed? Has it spotted you yet?

Lowe said that oftentimes, you will see a shark because the animal wanted you to or allowed you to see it. The majority of human-shark encounters in Southern California occur without the human ever knowing it happened.

“We see it all the time from our drones — they’ll come up behind people, and in fact get what I would consider uncomfortably close to people, and then it’s almost like [they think,] ‘OK, that’s not what I thought it was,’ and then they just turn and take off,” he said.

I asked what uncomfortably close means, thinking 15 feet, 10 feet. “Three feet,” Lowe told me.

2. Keep your eye on the shark

“Let the shark know you see it,” Lowe said. “As the shark is swimming around you, you should pivot to always face the shark. That is part of this body communication that all animals use. If you’re ever threatened, do you ever turn your back on the threat?” (No.)

Move calmly and naturally as you float in the water. Do not throw anything at the shark or jerk around.

Most often, this is where the encounter ends, Lowe said. If the shark doesn’t feel threatened, you’ll observe the shark until it leaves the vicinity, and then you can alert a lifeguard of what you saw.

3. If you suddenly lose track of the shark, look behind you

You might have (even accidentally) startled the shark by moving too quickly.

When Lowe and his students go out into the ocean to tag sharks, they will pull up next to a shark and start recording it with a camera and taking other measurements. But if they startle it or if the shark feels threatened, the shark almost always loops around and tries to get behind the boat. It’ll do the same if you scare it.

People mistake this as the shark stalking them. “Actually, no,” Lowe said. “That’s how it’s investigating you safely. People forget these animals are just as much worried about their safety as we are [worried about ours].”

Researchers with the Shark Lab at the Cal State Long Beach have found that sharks and humans swim together at some California beaches more often than previously thought.

(Carlos Gauna / Cal State Long Beach)

4. Keep your distance as you keep watching the shark

If a shark feels threatened, it will arch its back and drop its fins and start an exaggerated slow-motion swimming behavior, Lowe said. “They will open their mouths, they’ll bear their teeth,” similar to an angry cat, he said.

You should, if you haven’t already, start to back away slowly from the shark, maintaining eye contact. Unlike the movies when people thrash out of the water, you want to backpedal at a normal speed. Remember, this animal is likely scared too.

Do not move toward the shark. “If you chase that shark, if you pursue it, it will break out of that behavior, and it will rush in and bite. And then it will take off,” Lowe said. “That’s a defensive response.”

5. If the shark gets in your space, bop it on the nose

Hopefully your encounter has ended by now, as this next tip is for exceedingly rare instances when a shark is getting in your space.

If you’ve been backing away from the shark, and it keeps coming toward you, getting within arm’s length, give it a “good pop to the nose,” Lowe said.

“The animal has to know you’ll defend yourself,” he said.

How hard should you strike its nose? “It’s not a little flick, it’s not a hand wave,” Lowe said. “You want the animal to know you will defend yourself because, in many cases, they are just as afraid of getting hurt as you are. A little bop on the nose quite often is enough to stop that from happening, and of course, you keep backing up. That’s the best you can do in those circumstances.”

6. If attacked, fight back with all you’ve got

If the shark bites you, you should punch it in the nostrils, eyes and gills. “There are pretty good eyewitness accounts of people fighting back, and that making a difference and then getting the shark to release. And in some cases, they don’t even see the shark after that,” Lowe said.

Most sharks bite once and leave.

Like other apex predators in California, sharks have in rare instances attacked and, in even rarer instances, killed people.

In the past 75 years, there have been about 223 shark incidents in California, with “incident” defined as a documented encounter where a shark touched a person or their surfboard, paddleboard, kayak, etc., according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Of that, at least 195 of the incidents involved white sharks. None of the 16 fatal shark incidents in California occurred in L.A. County.

These numbers feel even lower when you consider that millions of people visit California’s beaches every year.

Even with the large number of white sharks present along Southern California beaches, swimming and recreating along the coastline remains a largely safe activity, Lowe said. (In terms of risks, you’re much more likely to step on a stingray.)

I hope you will never need these tips and instead have great experiences this summer on our beautiful beaches.

I have to admit that, as someone who grew up in the landlocked state of Oklahoma, I came into this conversation with a lot of fear. It doesn’t help that my wife watches the Discovery Channel’s Shark Week every year. But after talking to Lowe, I feel about sharks like I do about bears and mountain lions. They live here too, and when we visit their homes, we could see them. More often than not, they mean us no harm and want to be left alone to live their lives — just like we do ours.

“People need to stop thinking of these animals as nothing more than these mindless animals,” Lowe said. “They are more like us than [people] think. If somebody was invading your personal spaces, you should defend yourself. You will defend yourself, whether you do it innately or not. The animals will do the same. If they feel threatened, they will protect themselves.”

3 things to do

Note: Out of concern for the safety of community members who could be targeted in ICE raids, multiple outdoors events have been postponed this week. Please check before heading out to make sure the activity you’re attending is still happening.

Visitors take a guided nature hike during an open house at the Chatsworth Nature Preserve by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power in celebration of Earth Day on April 23, 2022.

(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

1. Hike on the longest day of the year in Chatsworth
The Chatsworth Nature Preserve will host a summer solstice event from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday featuring guided hikes, storytelling, live animal exhibits and more. Guests should wear hats and comfy shoes and they should bring refillable water bottles and sunscreen. Dogs are not allowed. Visitors should enter through the Valley Circle Boulevard gate, west of Plummer Street. Learn more at ladwp.com.

2. Tend to trees near Malibu
The Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains needs volunteers from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday to care for newly planted oak trees in Nicholas Flat in Leo Carrillo State Park. Participants will water, weed and mulch around newly planted trees and possibly plant acorns to replace trees that died. Volunteers will also collect data for a reforestation project. Volunteers should wear comfortable clothing and durable shoes. Register at eventbrite.com.

3. Celebrate inclusivity and nature in San Dimas
L.A. County Parks and Recreation will host Pride Outside at 5 p.m. Friday at the San Dimas Canyon Nature Center (1628 N. Sycamore Canyon Road in San Dimas). The event will include a hike alongside representatives from Pomona Valley Pride, which is partnering with the county for the event. Learn more at the park’s Instagram page.

The must-read

A view of the Chuckwalla Mountains. President Biden established Chuckwalla National Monument shortly before leaving office, protecting over 600,000 acres of public lands in the California desert.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

The Chuckwalla National Monument, a 624,000-acre desert landscape next to Joshua Tree National Park, faces an increased threat of losing its federal monument status after a recent ruling from the Department of Justice. Times staff writer Lila Seidman reports that a May 27 legal opinion by President Trump’s DOJ overturns a more than 80-year-old Justice Department determination that presidents can’t revoke national monuments created by their predecessors under the Antiquities Act. This opens a wide window for Trump to dismantle Chuckwalla and the Sáttítla Highlands near the Oregon border, which President Biden established as national monuments shortly before leaving office. “Whether presidents have the authority to alter monuments is hotly contested,” Seidman wrote. “Litigation challenging Trump’s previous monument reductions was still pending when Biden reversed them and the matter was never settled.” We’ll keep you posted on what happens next.

Happy adventuring,

P.S.

The Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority, which manages more than 75,000 acres of public land around L.A. County, announced this week that it is reopening multiple hiking areas closed in response to the Palisades fire. This includes the popular Escondido Canyon Park & Falls, which I’m eager to see, and San Vicente Mountain Park. A few Wilders, who recently emailed me regarding trail closures, will be happy to hear Westridge-Canyonback Wilderness Park and Mandeville Canyon are reopening too. You can read more about other recent trail reopenings here.

For more insider tips on Southern California’s beaches, trails and parks, check out past editions of The Wild. And to view this newsletter in your browser, click here.

The first film I saw in a theater was “The Love Bug,” Disney’s 1969 comedy about a sentient Volkswagen Beetle named Herbie and the motley team who race him to many a checkered flag. Although my memory is hazy, I recall my toddler’s delight: a car could think, move and communicate like a real person, even chauffeuring the romantic leads to their honeymoon. Nice Herbie!

Or not so nice. A decade later, Stanley Kubrick opened his virtuosic “The Shining” with fluid tracking shots of the same model of automobile headed toward the Overlook Hotel and a rendezvous with horror. Something had clicked. Caroline Fraser’s scorching, seductive “Murderland” chronicles the serial-killer epidemic that swept the U.S. in the 1970s and ’80s, focusing on her native Seattle and neighboring Tacoma, where Ted Bundy was raised. He drove a Beetle, hunting for prey. She underscores the striking associations between VWs and high-yield predators, as if the cars were accomplices, malevolent Herbies dispensing victims efficiently. (Bundy’s vehicle is now displayed in a Tennessee museum.) The book’s a meld of true crime, memoir and social commentary, but with a mission: to shock readers into a deeper understanding of the American Nightmare, ecological devastation entwined with senseless sadism. “Murderland” is not for the faint of heart, yet we can’t look away: Fraser’s writing is that vivid and dynamic.

She structures her narrative chronologically, conveyed in present tense, newsreel-style, evoking the Pacific Northwest’s woodsy tang and bland suburbia. Fraser came of age on Mercer Island, adjacent to Lake Washington’s eastern shore, across a heavily-trafficked pontoon bridge notorious for fatal crashes. Like the Beetle, the dangerous bridge threads throughout “Murderland,” braiding the author’s personal story with those of her cast. A “Star Trek” geek stuck in a rigid Christian Science family, she loathed her father and longed to escape.

In Tacoma, 35 miles to the south, Ted Bundy grew up near the American Smelting and Refining Co., which disgorged obscene levels of lead and arsenic into the air while netting millions for the Guggenheim dynasty before its 1986 closure. Bundy is the book’s charismatic centerpiece, a handsome, well-dressed sociopath in shiny patent-leather shoes, flitting from college to college, job to job, corpse to corpse. During the 1970s, he abducted dozens of young women, raping and strangling them on sprees across the country, often engaging in postmortem sex before disposing their bodies. He escaped custody twice in Colorado — once from a courthouse and another time from a jail — before he was finally locked up for good after his brutal attacks on Chi Omega sorority sisters at Florida State University.

Fraser depicts his bloody brotherhood with similar flair. Israel Keyes claimed Bundy as a hero. Gary Ridgway, the prolific “Green River Killer,” inhaled the same Puget Sound toxins. Randy Woodfield trawled I-5 in his 1974 Champagne Edition Beetle. As she observes of Richard Ramirez, Los Angeles’ “Night Stalker”: “He’s six foot one, wears black, and never smiles. He has a dead stare, like a shark. He doesn’t bathe. He has bad teeth. He’s about to go beserk.” But the archvillain is ASARCO, the mining corporation that dodged regulations, putting profitability over people. Fraser reveals an uncanny pattern of polluting smelters and the men brought up in their shadows, prone to mood swings and erratic tantrums. The science seems speculative until the book’s conclusion, where she highlights recent data, explicitly mapping links.

Caroline Fraser laments the lack of accountability that the wealthy Guggenheim family has faced for operating a company that spewed toxins in Tacoma air for decades.

(Hal Espen)

Her previous work, “Prairie Fires,” a biography of Laura Ingalls Wilder, won the Pulitzer Prize and other accolades. The pivot here is dramatic, a bit of formal experimentation as Fraser shatters the fourth wall, luring us from our comfort zone. While rooted in the New Journalism of Joan Didion and John McPhee, “Murderland” deploys a mocking tone to draw us in, scattering deadpan jokes among chapters: “In 1974 there are at least a half a dozen serial killers operating in Washington. Nobody can see the forest for the trees.” Fraser delivers a brimstone sermon worthy of a Baptist preacher at a tent revival, raging at plutocrats who ravage those with less (or nothing at all).

Her fury blazes beyond balance sheets and into curated spaces of elites. She singles out Roger W. Straus Jr., tony Manhattan publisher, patron of the arts and grandson of Daniel Guggenheim, whose Tacoma smelter may have scrambled Bundy’s brain. She mentions Straus’ penchant for ascots and cashmere jackets. She laments the lack of accountability. “Roger W. Straus Jr. completes the process of whitewashing the family name,” she writes. “Whatever the Sackler family is trying to do by collecting art and endowing museums, lifting their skirts away from the hundreds of thousands addicted and killed by prescription opioids manufactured and sold by their company — Purdue Pharma — the Guggenheims have already stealthily and handily accomplished.” Has Fraser met a sacred cow she wouldn’t skewer?

Those beautiful Cézannes and Picassos in the Guggenheim Museum can’t paper over the atrocities; the gilded myths of American optimism, our upward mobility and welcoming shores won’t mask the demons. “The furniture of the past is permanent,” she notes. “The cuckoo clock, the Dutch door, the daylight basement — humble horsemen of the domestic Apocalypse. The VWs, parked in the driveway.” “Murderland” is a superb and disturbing vivisection of our darkest urges, this summer’s premier nonfiction read.

Cain is a book critic and the author of a memoir, “This Boy’s Faith: Notes from a Southern Baptist Upbringing.” He lives in Brooklyn, New York.

SOUTHPORT monster Axel Rudakubana can still buy jail treats such as Maltesers and McCoy’s despite attacking a guard with boiling water.

The triple killer, 18, has them served by officers in his cell at London’s Belmarsh Prison.

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Child killer and jail attack fiend Axel Rudakubana last night faced calls for his canteen privileges to be stripped immediately — with a source saying: “It’s shocking and disgusting he still has these rights.”

Rudakubana — serving at least 52 years for killing three girls at a dance class — is also allowed to call family, have religious visits and receive money from relatives while at Belmarsh, South East London.

A source said: “He’s been spending £5.50 a week in the canteen since the attack, and can spend it on anything he likes as long as it’s not dangerous.

“He’s still allowed to buy things like Maltesers and Pringles crisps if he fancies them.”

Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick led outrage at the treatment of Rudakubana.

He said: “I cannot believe this monster has been allowed to keep these privileges. It’s a disgrace.

“He should be stripped of them immediately, no questions asked.

“It’s the least the victims of his horrendous crime would expect. We’ve got to regain control of prisons before an officer is killed.”

Since the attack Rudakubana has been busted down to a “basic” regime which means his TV has been removed and his time out of his cell has been limited.

Our source added: “He is mostly confined to his cell. He fills in a sheet and stuff gets delivered.

“That means that prison officers, who are the colleagues of the guy he attacked, have to collect his canteen order and deliver it to his cell.

‘Array of goods’

“It’s made some angry and upset.

“The array of goods on the canteen list is quite staggering and it has all the decent brands.

“He can also buy toiletries, vitamins, drinks and biscuits.

“He’s not spending much because he’s on basic level and doesn’t have a job due to the danger he poses.

“But the principle of it is shocking — and he’s been spending what he can every week since the attack. It’s very rare for a governor to completely strip a prisoner of canteen rights but I’d say this is an instance where it’s justified.

“He’s also been able to call his family and had a bit of money sent in to him despite the attack.”

Lags at Belmarsh can buy goods including Cadbury Twirl bars, Haribo Starmix bags, McCoy’s crisps, Diet Coke, Vimto, vitamins, fruit and cereals like Shredded Wheat and Ready Brek.

Also on offer are “I Love You” cards, draughts sets, prayer mats, cross pendants and prayer hats. But Rudakubana is barred from buying anything that could be turned into a weapon.

That includes tins of tuna, after the jagged edge of a can was used to slash Sara Sharif’s killer dad Urfan at Belmarsh in January.

Rudakubana is also banned from buying butter or baby oil which could be heated for an attack.

Police are investigating the “serious assault” he allegedly carried out at Belmarsh on May 8.

The fiend was allowed a kettle and is believed to have used it to boil water.

His supervision had been downgraded weeks earlier.

It’s very rare for a governor to completely strip a prisoner of canteen rights but I’d say this is an instance where it’s justified

Source

The officer was taken to hospital but escaped serious injury and is believed to have returned to work.

Rudakubana struck weeks after Manchester Arena terrorist Hashem Abedi, 28, stabbed and burned four officers at Frankland jail, Durham.

Rudakubana is also said to have had visits from an imam since his attack.

But he has been barred from religious ceremonies for fears he would be targeted.

Inmates in UK jails have rights including protection from bullying, access to a solicitor and healthcare plus the right to communication and to make complaints.

All other privileges have to be earned, and cons can have their time out of cells severely restricted.

Inmates who behave can become “enhanced” prisoners and earn the right to spend more money and watch TV.

Another source said: “It’s fairly unheard of to strip someone of the canteen. But a lot of the public would think it should be done here.

“The issue they have is they need to keep him happy and stop legal complaints. Certain prisoners are experts at knowing their rights.

“They were planning to move Rudakubana but the transfer has been delayed by the lack of an alternative.

“The natural place would be the separation centre at Frankland. But, ironically, that’s been closed down while the attack by Abedi is investigated.”

Rudakubana was jailed in January for the murders of Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine.

The Prison Service said it did not comment on individuals.

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Timeline of events related to the Southport stabbings

AXEL Rudakubana has pleaded guilty to the murders of Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, and 10 counts of attempted murder.

Here is a timeline of events relating to the case:

2002: Rudakubana’s father Alphonse moves to the UK from Rwanda, according to an interview he gave to his local newspaper in Southport in 2015.

August 7, 2006: Rudakubana is born in Cardiff, Wales.

2013: The family – including Rudakubana’s father, mother and older brother – move from Wales to Banks in Lancashire, a few miles from Southport.

July 29, 2024: Shortly before midday, a knifeman enters a dance class at The Hart Space in Hart Street in Southport.

Bebe, Elsie and Alice are fatally wounded. Eight other children are injured, as are instructor Leanne Lucas and businessman John Hayes.

Police say they have detained a male and seized a knife.

Within hours, claims spread online that the suspect is an asylum seeker who arrived in the UK by boat in 2023.

Some claims include an alleged identity.

July 30, 2024: In the evening, a peaceful vigil is held outside Southport’s Atkinson arts venue, where flowers are laid in memory of those who died.

Shortly after the vigil, a separate protest begins outside the town’s mosque in St Luke’s Road.

People throw items towards the mosque, property is damaged and police vehicles are set on fire.

July 31, 2024: Demonstrators gather in Whitehall, London, for an “Enough Is Enough” protest.

Flares and cans are thrown at police and more than 100 people are arrested.

Disorder also breaks out in Hartlepool, County Durham, and Aldershot, Hampshire.

August 1, 2024: Police announce that Rudakubana has been charged with the murders of Bebe, Elsie Dot and Alice, 10 counts of attempted murder and possession of a bladed article.

He is not named by police because of his age.

He appears in court in Liverpool and Honorary Recorder of Liverpool Andrew Menary KC rules he can be named, as he is due to turn 18 in a week.

He initially smiled on entering the courtroom – then kept his face covered by his sweatshirt for the remainder of the proceedings before the case was adjourned.

Later that evening, demonstrators gather outside a hotel in Newton Heath, Manchester.

August 2, 2024: Three police officers are taken to hospital after disorder in Sunderland.

August 3, 2024: There are scenes of violence during planned protests across the UK, including in Liverpool, Hull, Nottingham and Belfast.

August 4, 2024: Disorder continues, including outside a Holiday Inn Express in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, where masked demonstrators launch lengths of wood and sprayed fire extinguishers at police officers.

August 5, 2024: The Government holds an emergency Cobra meeting in the wake of the disorder and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer vows to “ramp up criminal justice”.

That evening, a peaceful vigil is held in Southport, a week on from the killings. Police deal with disorder in Plymouth, Devon and Darlington, County Durham.

August 7, 2024: Prison sentences for those involved in the unrest begin to be handed out. Derek Drummond, 58, is the first person to be jailed for violent disorder at Liverpool Crown Court, where he is sentenced to three years.

More than 100 protests are planned for across the country, with counter-demonstrations taking place, but the majority of police forces report very little trouble.

October 29, 2024: Merseyside Police announces Rudakubana will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court via videolink the next day charged with production of a biological toxin, Ricin, and possession of information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing to commit an act of terrorism.

October 30, 2024: Rudakubana appears at Westminster Magistrates’ Court via videolink from HMP Belmarsh to face the two new charges.

He holds his sweater over the bottom half of his face and does not respond when asked to confirm his name.

November 13, 2024: Rudakubana appears at Liverpool Crown Court via videolink. He covers his face with his grey sweatshirt and does not speak throughout the hearing.

About 20 family members of victims sit in the public gallery. The case is adjourned until December 12, when a preparatory hearing will take place.

January 20, 2025: Rudakubana appears at Liverpool Crown Court for the first day of his trial where he pleads guilty to all 16 charges, including the murders of Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven.