police

A JACK the Ripper copycat who stalked the same streets as the serial killer has died in jail.

Derek Brown has died at the age of 64 after being taken to hospital.

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Brown was sentenced to a minimum term of 30 years on October 6 2008 after he was found guilty of murdering DVD seller Xiao Mei Guo, 29, and prostitute Bonnie Barrett, 24.

He denied murder but admitted paying both women for sex before their disappearance in 2007.

The previously convicted rapist found his victims in the Whitechapel area of London – famously stalked by Jack the Ripper in the 1880s.

A search of Brown’s Rotherhithe flat found traces of blood belonging to both women, as well as a receipt for a bow saw, heavy duty gloves, rubble sacks and cleaning materials.

Brown was serving his sentence in HMP Wakefield but is believed to have become unwell last month.

He was taken to hospital and died two days later on September 9 at the age of 64 – just days away from his 65th birthday.

However, his victims remains have never been found to this day.

A source close to Brown said: “He was in critical care since Saturday.

“They found him in his cell on Saturday, and he was in critical care since Saturday 5pm until Monday when he died at 3pm.”

Police at the time of the murders believed Brown sought “notoriety” for the killings.

Detective Chief Inspector Mark Kandiah said: “If he kept killing prostitutes from the Whitechapel area, then that link (with Jack the Ripper) would be made.

“If this was a spree, it seems likely that we stopped him at number two.”

A Prison Service spokesperson said: “Derek Brown died in hospital on 29 September while serving a sentence at HMP Wakefield.

“As with all deaths in custody, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman will investigate.”

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THE NOTORIOUS “Tinder Swindler” has claimed from his jail cell that he doesn’t remember “conning women out of hundreds of thousands.”

Simon Leviev, 35, has spoken out for the first time since his arrest in Georgia for alleged fraud.

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Talking from his prison cell, the Israeli scammer admitted to a local celebrity lawyer Mariam Kublashvili that he is no angel but has no recollections of the alleged crimes he has been accused of, reports MailOnline.

The infamous scammer has appointed Ms Kublashivili as his new lawyer, who has since likened him to The Wolf of Wall Street.

Like the disgraced stockbroker played by Leonardo di Caprio, she believes Leviev has turned over a new leaf.

His latest claim follows an arrest made last month under mysterious circumstances following an Interpol Red Notice for alleged fraud in Germany.

Mr Leviev was cuffed at Batumi International Airport, Georgia, on September 14th.

He is currently being held in Kutaisi Penitentiary Establishment No 2 and awaiting extradition proceedings.

If convicted, he could face up to ten years behind bars.

Yesterday, Mr Leviev spoke out via Ms Kublashivili for the first time since the dramatic arrest, where he has claimed to have no recollection of this.

He said: “Under the circumstances, I believe I’m either being set up or there’s been some kind of misunderstanding.”

Leviev, whose real name is Shimon Yehuda Hayut, became the subject of a 2022 Netflix documentary after he spent years luring women on dating app Tinder, while posing as an heir to the Leviev diamond fortune.

He told his victims he was the son of Israeli diamond tycoon Lev Leviev – but he has no relation to the family whatsoever.

He was arrested in 2019 in Greece then extradited to Israel where he served a 15-month sentence for fraud, forgery and theft.

His legal team are now questioning why an Interpol notice was triggered when he entered Georgia without the Germans first going to authorities in his homeland.

Mr Leviev’s Israeli lawyer Sharon Nahari said: “To arrest him in a third country, rather than addressing the matter openly through Israel, is unfair and unacceptable.”

Mr Nahari also characterised the case as “disproportionate” and “based on weak evidence.”

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The newly appointed Ms Kublashvili added that she fears he will not receive a fair trail due to a pre-existing biased narrative.

Referencing The Wolf of Wall Street, she claimed that Mr Leviev is now a very different person.

She highlighted that since 2022 he has embarked on a new and completely legal career and published his own memoir.

In addition to fighting his extradition, Ms Kublashvili also hopes to move Leviev from his current prison to one in Georgia’s capital, Tbilisi.

She claims that the current conditions he is being held in fail to meet basic hygiene standards.

Ten years on from being conned out of thousands, Mr Leviev’s victims remain traumatised.

While the Netflix documentary The Tinder Swindler brought their story to the world, the women he affected say the aftermath and the long road to recovery were far more difficult than anyone could have imagined.

“I’m still traumatised,” Cecilie, 36, told The Times.

Cecilie was conned into taking out nine loans totaling $250,000 (£190,000), and was hounded by creditors to the point where she contemplated suicide. 

She eventually sought help at a psychiatric unit and has spent the last seven years in therapy. 

She “never wanted to be on” antidepressants but explains that she “needed them.” 

Pernilla, 38, also contemplated suicide after learning the truth about the man she once considered a friend.

She lost the $45,000 (£33,840) she had saved for a home deposit and then doubled that amount in legal fees when she tried to take her bank to court. 

The pair have since released a book, Swindled Never After: How We Survived (and You Can Spot) a Relationship Scammer, deep dives into their traumatic journey in a bid to prevent others from falling for the same cruel tricks.

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A government official in Ecuador has accused protesters of attempting to attack President Daniel Noboa, alleging that a group of approximately 500 people surrounded his vehicle and threw rocks.

The attack, which unfolded in the south-central province of Canar, took place as Noboa arrived in the canton of El Tambo for an event about water treatment and sewage.

Environment and Energy Minister Ines Manzano said Noboa’s car showed “signs of bullet damage”. In a statement to the press, she explained that she filed a report alleging an assassination attempt had taken place.

“Shooting at the president’s car, throwing stones, damaging state property — that’s just criminal,” Manzano said. “We will not allow this.”

The president’s office also issued a statement after the attack on Tuesday, pledging to pursue accountability against those involved.

“Obeying orders to radicalise, they attacked a presidential motorcade carrying civilians. They attempted to forcibly prevent the delivery of a project intended to improve the lives of a community,” the statement, published on social media, said.

“All those arrested will be prosecuted for terrorism and attempted murder,” it added.

Five people, according to Manzano, have been detained following the incident. Noboa was not injured.

Video published by the president’s office online shows Noboa’s motorcade navigating a roadway lined with protesters, some of whom picked up rocks and threw them at the vehicles, causing fractures to form on the glass.

A separate image showed a silver SUV with a shattered passenger window and a shattered windscreen. It is not clear from the images whether a bullet had been fired.

Noboa, Ecuador’s youngest-ever president, was re-elected in April after a heated run-off election against left-wing rival Luisa Gonzalez.

May marked the start of his first full term in office. Previously, Noboa, a conservative candidate who had only served a single term in the National Assembly, had been elected to serve the remainder of Guillermo Lasso’s term — a period of around 18 months — after the former president dissolved his government.

Combatting crime has been a centrepiece of Noboa’s pitch for the presidency. Ecuador, formerly considered an “island of peace” in South America, has seen a spike in homicide rates as criminal organisations seek to expand their drug trafficking routes through the country.

Ecuador’s economy has also struggled to recover following the COVID-19 pandemic.

But Noboa has faced multiple protests since taking office.

In recent weeks, for example, he has faced outcry over his decision to end a fuel subsidy that critics say helps lower-income families.

Noboa’s government, however, has argued that the subsidy drove up government costs without reaching those who need it. In a presidential statement on September 12, officials accused the subsidy of being “diverted to smuggling, illegal mining and undue benefits”.

The statement also said that the subsidies represented $1.1bn that could instead be used to compensate small farmers and transportation workers directly.

But the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE), the country’s most powerful Indigenous advocacy organisation, launched a strike in response to the news of the subsidy’s end.

It called upon its supporters to lead protests and block roadways as a way of expressing their outrage.

Nevertheless, on Tuesday, the group denied that there had been an organised attack on Noboa’s motorcade. Instead, CONAIE argued that government violence had been “orchestrated” against the people who had gathered to protest Noboa.

“We denounce that at least five comrades have been arbitrarily detained,” CONAIE posted on X. “Among the attacked are elderly women.”

It noted that Tuesday marked the 16th day of protest. “The people are not the enemy,” it added.

CONAIE had largely backed Noboa’s rival Gonzalez in the April election, though some of its affiliate groups splintered in favour of Noboa.

This is not the first time that Noboa’s government has claimed the president was the target of an assassination attempt.

In April, shortly after the run-off vote, it issued a “maximum alert” claiming that assassins had entered the country from Mexico to destabilise his administration.

At the time, the administration blamed “sore losers” from the election for fomenting the alleged plot.

THIS is the chilling moment a woman was dragged down a river between the jaws of a crocodile.

Footage of the sinister creature was caught by witnesses after 57-year-old Soudamini Mahala was snapped up as she bathed in the Kharastrota River in India.

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The huge reptile can be seen swimming through the water with Mahala’s lifeless body in its mouth.

The shouts of shocked villagers were shouting in surprise in the background audio of the video.

Despite cries for help, nobody was able to reach her in time.

Witnesses said the crocodile lunged at the unsuspecting woman and pulled her into the water before anyone could react.

Locals rushed to the river, too late to save the victim from the crocodile’s death grip.

The ordeal took place in Kantia village, in the Jajpur district Odisha, in eastern India.

“The woman was taking a bath in the Kharasrota river around 4pm on Monday,” a police spokesperson said.

“A crocodile dragged her into the high stream of the river.

“Villagers present on the riverbank tried to chase the reptile but failed to rescue her,” they added.

Emergency services rushed to the river after being alerted to the attack and have since launched a search operation to recover Mahala’s body.

Eyewitness Naba Kidhore Mahala said villagers had jumped in to try and save Mahala.

“As we noticed that the crocodile was dragging the woman into the river, we jumped to rescue her,” he said.

“All our efforts went in vain.”

The tragic crocodile attack comes just days after a camper was found dead after sending his family photos of a bear.

The man’s body was discovered with extensive wounds two days after snapping pics of the forest giant.

Family of the unidentified camper raised the alarm after he went radio silent from Sam’s Throne Campground in Arkansas.

The 60-year-old from Missouri was found several yards from the campsite on October 2 after his son requested a welfare check as he had not heard from him “for a couple of days”.

The Newton County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release that he had been dragged from the campsite which has been “disturbed” and where officers found “evidence of a struggle and injury”.

“There were also drag marks leading from the campground into the woods,” the release added.

While officials await autopsy results to confirm the cause of death, they said his body had “extensive injuries consistent with those expected from a large carnivore attack”.

This is in line with pictures he sent his family just days before his body was found showing a “young male bear” near his campsite on September 30.

“Until the Arkansas Crime Lab completes the autopsy, we can’t 100% say it was a bear, but everything strongly indicates it,” Sheriff Glenn Wheeler said.

“We are attempting to find the bear and dispose of it so the Game and Fish Commission can test it for anything that may have led to the encounter.

“We know without a doubt that a bear was in camp with our victim and the injuries absolutely are consistent with a bear attack.

“This is a highly unusual case. We are very early in the investigation and search and will update as we can.

“If you are in the area, just be aware and use caution, especially with children,” he added.

“History tells us that once a bear becomes predatory, it often continues those behaviors.”

As the hunt for the bear continues, the Sam’s Throne Campground has been shutdown to the public.

The camper’s death, if confirmed to be caused by a bear, will be the state’s second fatal bear attack in one month, which is highly unusual.

ANOTHER wife of the Manchester synagogue terrorist said the attacker “raped” her and lied about being married with a child.

The woman, whose identity is being protected, told how Jihad Al-Shamie abused her mentally and sexually after they first met on Muslim dating app Muzz.

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She had converted to Islam in 2012, ten years before meeting Al-Shamie.

The woman became trapped in a volatile cycle in which he would flip between being “vile” and then “nice” to draw her back in to their on-and-off relationship.

Eventually, Al-Shamie told the woman he was married and had a son, but confessed to keeping them secret.

In text messages seen by the M.E.N, he wrote: “I didn’t tell u because I really like you and wanted u to be my 2nd wife.”

But Al-Shamie told her men can have four wives in Islamic culture and that his first wife “accepts” it.

Within a month of entering into a relationship with him, the pair married in January 2022.

The woman said their Islamic ceremony took place over a video call because of Covid restrictions.

But the marriage was soon filled with coercive and controlling behaviour.

She claimed Al-Shamie raped her, but she did not report it to police.

The attacker’s abuse is laid out in Facebook messages between the couple.

He tells her: “Good luck getting any guy to deal with your rubbish.”

And: “You’re not worth it and I can do better – don’t need someone with your baggage and mental issues.”

To try and win her back, Al-Shamie would promise grand gestures, such as buying a property close to where she lived, although these never came into fruition.

The woman told M.E.N she thought she loved him at the beginning of their partnership.

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“He was caring and understanding and didn’t judge my kids for their needs,” she said.

“He would say ‘I love you, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that’. He was controlling and abusive.

“He did rape me multiple times, but to us we just fulfil what our husband’s say.

“He was one of them where you have got to do it there and then.”

She categorized their relationship as “his way or no way” and described him as constantly being “pushy” – telling her wives had to “obey” their husbands.

The Sun previously reported how Al-Shamie was a teenage drop-out who smoked weed and was obsessed with violent video games.

A former friend told The Sun on Sunday that killer Al-Shamie would smoke around 2g of strong skunk a day when he was a teen and frequently felt the wrath of his parents.

His obsession led him to dropping out of Liverpool John Moores University a year into his English, media and cultural studies degree course in 2011.

Meanwhile neighbours said he would spend his time lifting weights in his garage or wander around in his pyjamas and flip flops.

The woman also reflected this portrayal in her tales of Al-Shamie, who she claimed was always “between jobs” and “living with his parents”.

After their relationship ended, the last time Al-Shamie contacted her was April earlier this year, but she ignored him.

The woman also recalled her horror when she discovered he had committed the Manchester synagogue terror attack.

“My first thought was just ‘why’. He would never preach anything. The only thing he would do was pray,” she said.

“He never showed me, or said anything about, terrorism, or joining anything. It was all about the mosque and praying.”

This comes as another wife of Al-Shamie also came forward with her story after meeting him on the same Muslim dating app.

Born in Syria, Al-Shamie was granted British citizenship in 2006 when he was around 16, having entered the UK as a young child.

The 35-year-old was on police bail accused of rape when he carried out the car and knife terror attack in Manchester on October 2.

He claimed to be a devout father but cheated on his wife and married a second woman days after meeting her, The Telegraph reported.

The newspaper said that he met a young woman from Manchester after the Covid lockdown.

It’s believed that he moved in with the woman and her family in May 2022 and they married in an Islamic ceremony.

But he was unfaithful and used a dating app to meet several other women.

Al-Shamie’s first marriage reportedly fell apart six months ago after he married a second woman – but it is not known if this was legal.

Elizabeth Davis, 46, is said to have married the killer in secret and only told her family about him only after the synagogue attack.

A source told The Sun on Sunday: “Liz converted to Islam four years ago.

“Her conversion caused tensions with her family, they say she became a totally different person after that.

“She stopped communicating with relatives and friends.

“It was like she had been brainwashed.

“The family only found out that she had got married to Al-Shamie after the synagogue attack on Thursday.

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“The family are horrified that she has been involved with someone like that.

“It’s possible she got married to him in an Islamic law ceremony.”

Another woman said she was just 18 when she dated Al-Shamie, who she said lied to her about his age.

He told her he was in his mid-twenties and reportedly encouraged her to watch “extreme videos”.

During their four-month relationship, she said he hit her and ordered her to dress more conservatively.

She even said he referenced possibly wanting to join the Islamic State.

She said he stalked her and told her about his rape fantasises.

The Times reported that Al-Shamie used fake name on his dating app accounts but kept getting banned because of his “speech and what he was sending”.

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Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill Monday that will allow police oversight officials investigating misconduct to access confidential law enforcement personnel records, a change that watchdogs have argued will increase accountability for officers who break the rules.

Los Angeles County advocates and members of the county’s Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission pushed for months in support of AB 847. The legislation comes in response to what proponents have described as efforts by the sheriff’s departments in L.A. and other counties to stymie access to sensitive records.

When it takes effect on Jan. 1, the new law will “grant access to the confidential personnel records of peace officers and custodial officers … to civilian law enforcement oversight boards or commissions during investigations” into officers’ conduct, according to the bill’s legislative summary.

Hans Johnson, the chair of L.A. County’s Civilian Oversight Commission, said it’s a much-needed change.

“I’m pleased because this has been a long road,” he said in a phone call Monday night. “Tonight is a moment of vindication.”

The Sheriff’s Department wrote in a statement that “the passage of AB 847 provides clarity to a long-standing legal issue that has been the subject of contention between the Department and its Civilian Oversight Commission (COC) since its inception.” It added that the “Department will work with County Counsel, labor representatives, and the COC on the implementation of this new law.”

Some law enforcement unions and advocacy groups criticized the law.

Lt. Steve Johnson, president of the L.A. County Professional Peace Officers Assn., said in an email that his organization “fully understand[s] the intent to enhance civilian oversight,” but when “access to confidential records isn’t safeguarded with precision and responsibility, it opens the door to real dangers. Transparency must never come at the cost of personal safety or public trust.”

Newsom’s office did not immediately provide a comment Monday.

Johnson said the bill’s signing is an especially meaningful victory for the families of people such as Joseph Perez and Emmett Brock, who were beaten by L.A. County sheriff’s deputies in 2020 and 2023, respectively. He also cited the case of Andres Guardado, who was shot to death by deputies in 2023, “and others who were the subjects of efforts by our commission to get records disclosed to us under subpoena about sheriff deputies’ encounters and beatings.”

In a phone call Monday night, Vanessa Perez, Joseph’s mother, called the law’s signing a “big victory not just for Joseph, but for all families impacted by the Sheriff’s Department.”

Perez said she expects the new law will allow the Civilian Oversight Commission to review previously off-limits records about the deputies who beat her son and redacted portions of other documents.

She and other members of the general public will not be able to access the records, as the law requires “oversight boards to maintain the confidentiality of those records, and would authorize them to conduct closed sessions, as specified, to review confidential records,” according to its legislative summary.

Still, Perez is hopeful her son’s case will benefit from the additional disclosure now allowable under AB 847.

Robert Bonner, a former federal judge and former chair of L.A. County’s Civilian Oversight Commission who has said he was abruptly removed from that post earlier this year, praised the bill’s signing in an email Tuesday.

The law “will be essential to holding accountable those who use excessive force against members of the public,” Bonner wrote. “This is a big deal. This is a quantum leap forward for civilian oversight commissions.”

A WIDOW is set to sue a utilities station operator after her husband was electrocuted while pruning hedges.

Gardener Blair Campbell, 35, was carrying out work on an ivy-covered bush when he accidentally came into contact with a substation wire in October 2022.

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The dad-of-two was airlifted to hospital following the horror but tragically died shortly after.

An inquest at Cheshire Coroner’s Court found that Blair from electrocution.

The victim’s widow, Tina, says she is yet to receive any apology from SP Energy Networks – part of Scottish Power – who operated the station.

She now says she will sue the company to get damages for her husband’s death.

Tina, who lives in Mobberley with her two children, said she had received no apology or compensation from Scottish Power.

She said: “There was not a lot we could do prior to the inquest. Because of the complexity of the case and involvement by HSE and the police that delayed things and we had to wait two years for the inquest.

“My solicitors have been in touch since the inquest with Scottish Power sending paperwork, but basically there has been silence.

“As a result my solicitors have had to put the matter back into the courts.

“I believe that Scottish Power now has 28 days to respond after they were put on notice of our intentions.

“If that fails we will have to apply for a court date, which is unlikely to be before autumn next year. This would drag it out for another 12 months.

“The inquest was over three days with a jury and the conclusion was that they (the power company) ‘more than likely contributed to the death of Blair’ due to the lack of maintenance.”

The inquest was told Blair ran firm, Blue Kiwi Gardens and Maintenance, after moving to the UK from New Zealand to be with Tina.

On October 3, 2022, he had gone to work to prune the hedge when he suffered the fatal shock.

Thick ivy on the bush had covered warning signs about the substation – meaning Blair was unaware of the danger underneath.

The court was told that before Blair’s death, numerous reports had been made about a need to remove the ivy that were not acted on.

SP Energy Networks, which maintains the substation, has now made changes to its health and safety policy.

THE family of a mother found dead in a scalding hot bathtub fear their loved one had been forced to take drugs.

Ana Carolina de Silva was found dead with her partner in a motel bathtub after they had been partying until after midnight following their daughter’s fourth birthday party.

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The pair – who had been found in a tub filled with 50C water – had died from poisoning, causing severe dehydration and heatstroke, leaving their young daughter orphaned.

Both parents had traces of cocaine and very high levels of alcohol in their blood when they died.

Ana’s family said unequivocally she was “not a drug user”, in a statement released to the media.

The family said they had “concerns of possible forced ingestion or poisoning” after the 42-year-old businesswoman was found dead.

“It is with deep indignation that we, the family of Ana Carolina de Silva … repudiate the fake news that has been spread,” the statement opened.

“Although reports indicate the presence of substances in her blood, we affirm with complete certainty that Ana was not a drug user.”

“Given the inconsistencies, we raise serious concerns about possible forced ingestion or poisoning and demand a rigorous, transparent and impartial investigation,” the statement added.

The family said they want to “preserve Ana’s memory and dignity, [and to] ensure that the truth prevails over cruel and unjust speculation”.

“We will not allow her story to be tarnished by unjust assumptions,” the statement said.

“We will continue to seek answers, confident that justice will be served.”

The statement was released on October 1, when the Civil Police reached the conclusion of the case.

According to the investigation, Ana and her husband, military police officer Jeferson Luiz Sagaz, 37, “[died from] exogenous poisoning”.

Chief medical examiner Andressa Boer Fronza said the deaths were “the process of heatstroke with intense dehydration, thermal collapse, culminating in organ failure and death.”

Investigators say the couple passed out in a bathtub filled with 50C water while a space heater blasted heat into the room.

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Toxicology tests revealed very high alcohol levels and traces of cocaine, Globo G1 reported. 

As well as the room, officers examined the couple’s car and the motel’s CCTV.

Following the family’s statement, the Civil Police told Brazilian media outlet G1 “it would not be commenting on the investigation”.

Scientific police said “all forensic examinations carried out followed strict scientific protocols and were conducted by official experts and specialised technical teams”, repeating the sentiments of the finalised reports.

In a press conference where details of the investigation were revealed to the public, chief inspector Felipe Simao said the couple “had a busy social life but did not have a drug habit”.

“The big issue raised in the statements we took, talking to people involved in this, is that they did not have the habit of using cocaine,” he said.

The couple had spent the day of their deaths celebrating their daughter’s birthday at a food park, drinking before heading to a night club.

They then checked into the Dallas Motel in São José, Santa Catarina state, just after midnight on August 11.

But Jeferson and Ana Carolina never returned to collect their child the next morning at Jeferson’s sister’s home.

Worried relatives reported them missing, and police later found the pair lifeless in the bathroom.

Police said there was no history of violence.

Ana owned a nail salon and had been with Jeferson for nearly 20 years.

The couple’s daughter, just four years old, is now in the care of relatives after the tragic birthday celebration turned fatal.

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A MAJOR update in the hunt for a missing British hiker has come just a week after the search kicked off.

British tourist Elaine McSorley vanished after embarking on a self-guided hike from her South African hotel last week.

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But the search for the missing 71-year-old has been called off with no trace of her, according to local media outlet The Witness,

The major update comes after Elaine was reported missing on Saturday, September 27.

After an extensive six day search undertaken by local police, search and rescue teams, K9 units, and volunteers from security companies, local communities, the Community Policing Forum (South Africa’s neighbourhood watch), and nearby game reserves, the search has come to an end.

Investigators used all means possible, with drones, helicopters and fixed-wing aircrafts in an attempt to find the missing woman.

Despite the extensive efforts, no trace of Elaine has been found.

South African police said the investigation will continue, with hopes of narrowing down to a smaller search area.

She had set out with her husband Leon, 81, to hike from the Ghost Mountain Inn and Safari Lodge in eMkhuze.

Leon had turned back earlier due to the heat, while Elaine continued walking to a lake.

Leon raised the alarm three hours later when she later failed to return.

He has since checked out of the Ghost Mountain Inn and police do not know where he is.

Police said earlier in the week that they suspect a crocodile took Elaine, or foul play — but have no evidence of either.

Lieutenant Colonel Paul Magwaza said: “The British couple checked into the Ghost Mountain Inn at 1pm and went for a walk at 2pm.

“According to the husband, during the walk to the lake, he decided to turn back and returned to the hotel, but when she did not return, he raised the alarm.

“We have been searching day and night but there is no sign of her. It is like she has vanished into thin air. The dogs have picked up no traces either.

“If she had simply collapsed and died we would have found her by now. There are theories as to what happened but I am not going to speculate.”

A police forum member said: “We’re starting to look at whether she was dev­oured.

“There’s no sign of crime.”

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Elaine’s disappearance comes after a fisherman disappeared while trying to catch sardines.

Fears the man had been taken by sharks surfaced after friends of the missing 37-year-old rushed to the spot where he vanished – but retreated when the fins of two other beasts suspected to be Bronze Whalers headed for them.

The horror attack on July 6 happened on a beach popular with divers and surfers at Mfazazana, Kwa-Zulu Natal province, 60 miles south of Durban.

A National Sea Rescue Institute spokesman confirmed that a 37-year-old local man had been reported missing “following a shark incident that involved 3 local fishermen”.

They said: “We and the SA police and the Water Policing and Diving Services unit were told a man disappeared under the water after a shark surfaced where he was netting.

“It appears that at least one friend attempted to intervene but it is believed that he was confronted by at least 2 sharks in the surf and he retreated to the shoreline.

“It is believed the sharks were feeding on a school of sardines at the time. A large scale search is underway but so far no sign of the missing man has been found”.

In the last 25 years, 37 people have been killed by sharks off the coast of South Africa – with the last being restaurateur Kimon Bisogno, 39, in September 2022.

Police in the United Kingdom are investigating a suspected arson attack on a mosque in southern England as a “hate crime” as a spate of violent crime against religious sites is reported.

Officers were called to the site of an arson attack on Phyllis Avenue in Peacehaven, East Sussex, just before 10pm (22:00 GMT) on Saturday, local police said.

The fire damaged the front entrance of the mosque and a car, they said, adding that no one was injured. Images and footage shared online show a burned-out car at the entrance of the mosque.

Sussex Police also shared images of two masked men dressed in dark clothing, and appealed for help from the public to identify them.

According to a report on CNN, which quoted a volunteer mosque manager, two people were inside the building when two people in balaclavas tried to force the mosque door open and poured petrol onto the steps, setting the building alight.

A spokesperson for the mosque said in a statement that the community was “deeply saddened” by the “shocking” attack. “While the incident has caused damage to our building and vehicles, we are profoundly grateful that no-one was injured.”

“This hateful act does not represent our community or our town. Peacehaven has always been a place of kindness, respect, and mutual support, and we will continue to embody those values,” the statement continued.

“We ask everyone to reject division and respond to hate with unity and compassion,” it added.

Detective Superintendent Karrie Bohanna said the attack had caused concerns within the Muslim community. “There is already an increased police presence at the scene, and there are also additional patrols taking place to provide reassurance at other places of worship across the county,” Bohanna said.

“Sussex Police takes a zero-tolerance approach to hate crime, and there is no place for hate across the county.”

Possible act of ‘terrorism’

Mothin Ali, deputy leader of the Green Party, said the police must establish the motives of the attack and whether it constitutes “an act of terrorism”.

“People were inside the mosque when it was firebombed and people in this community will be feeling frightened and targeted for their faith,” Ali said.

Chris Ward, the Labour MP for Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven, said he was “appalled” by the “disgusting” attack.

“That there were no injuries is purely by chance,” he said. “This violence and hatred has no place in our peaceful, tolerant local community. We will root it out, and we stand in solidarity with all affected.”

The attack comes after a ramming and stabbing at a synagogue in northern Manchester on Thursday. It killed two people and seriously injured three.

The Muslim Council of Britain condemned Saturday’s attack, saying it was “profoundly shocked and alarmed by the Islamophobic arson attack” and urged authorities to “provide robust protection for all places of worship”.

The mosque attack “follows a disturbing pattern of violence and intimidation”, it added. “Just last week, an Imam was stabbed in Hounslow, while mosques across the country have faced bomb threats and coordinated hate campaigns,” the council added in its statement.

Separately, the East London Mosque said on X that “our communities must remain united – Muslims, Jews, Christians, people of all faiths and none – in standing together against extremism, intolerance and violence.”

The Board of Deputies of British Jews also condemned the mosque attack, saying on X that “every faith community has the right to worship free from fear. Our country is better than this.”

The attacks on religious sites come as the atmosphere in the UK remains tense after months of protests against asylum seekers and a social media campaign called #OperationRaisetheColours.

In recent weeks, those heeding the call have pinned the flag of England bearing St George’s Cross and Union Jacks to motorway bridges, lampposts, roundabouts and some shops across the UK. Red crosses have been spray-painted on the white stripes of zebra crossings.

While some supporters frame the project as patriotic, it has been tied to racist incidents including the appearance of racist graffiti.

Oct. 5 (UPI) — Officials are looking for two suspects in a possible arson at a mosque in Sussex Saturday.

No one was injured in the incident, but the entrance to the building was damaged and they are investigating the fire in Peacehaven, East Sussex as a hate crime but not an act of terror, Sussex police said.

“This was an appalling and reckless attack which we know will have left many people feeling less safe,” Sussex Detective Inspector Gavin Patch said.

Sussex police said they were called to the scene on Phyllis Ave. shortly before 10 p.m. Saturday to find parts of the building on flames. Video showed one person fleeing the building. Police said an accelerant was sprayed near the entrance to the building, which caused the fire to spread from the building to a car parked just outside.

“We are treating this as an arson with intent to endanger life and are continuing to pursue a number of lines of enquiry to identify those responsible,” he added.

Photos released by the police show one man carrying a black jacket with a Pre Londpn logo in white on the chest.

The second suspect is wearing bright red gloves.

Police have increased their presence at the church since the incident, and increased patrol at other houses of worship.

A THREE-year-old boy has been rushed to hospital with serious injuries after a horror van crash.

The tot was walking in a car park in Bournemouth, when a blue Vauxhall Vivaro hit him on Saturday.

Dorset Police were called to the scene, in Landsdowne Road, at 12.35pm.

Paramedics rushed the three-year-old to hospital with serious injuries.

His family is being supported by specialist officers.

No arrests have been made and the van driver is assisting officers with the investigation, said the force.

Sergeant Richard Stroud, of the Roads Policing Team, said: “Our thoughts are with the young boy involved in this incident and his family.

“Our enquiries into what happened remain ongoing and I would urge anyone who witnessed the incident, or who has any information that might assist our investigation, to please contact us.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact Dorset Police online, via email at [email protected] or by calling 101, quoting occurrence number 55250147249.

Alternatively, independent charity Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously online using its website or by calling Freephone 0800 555 111.

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On Nov. 26, 1983, six men robbed a warehouse serving London’s Heathrow Airport. Hoping to find £1 million worth of foreign currency, they found instead 6,800 gold bars, worth £26 million in 1983 money — a record-setting robbery at the time — under the temporary supervision of Brink’s-Mat. (A union of the American security firm and a British transport outfit.) This event has been transmuted into “The Gold,” an involving British drama premiering here Sunday on PBS.

The robbery itself takes up little screen time; the question on the criminal side becomes how to turn three tons of gold into cash, and for the police, one of recovering the loot and bringing the villains to justice. The cops and the criminals overlap here and there, a point screenwriter Neil Forsyth does not want you to miss, and is a particular bee in the bonnet of upright Detective Chief Superintendent Brian Boyce (Hugh Bonneville), self-contained but always ready to speak his mind. (He is also “infuriated” by what people get wrong about jazz, which he likens to police work.)

Recruited by Boyce to a special task force are detectives Tony Brightwell (Emun Elliott), historical, and Nicki Jennings (a charismatic Charlotte Spencer), invented, who are good company for the viewer and generally for each other, though as people who spend long hours sitting together in cars waiting for something to happen, they have their moments of friction, played for humor. As a created character, Jennings — who, as a woman, has to outline the many steps and hard work it took to achieve her position — offers an opportunity for emotional elaboration, notably in scenes (affectionate, prickly) with her father, Billy (Danny Webb), “by a country mile the worst villain in England,” his criminal career sidelined by ill health.

Though one of the actual robbers, Micky McAvoy (Adam Nagaitis), gets a good deal of attention, the bulk of the series involves three criminals subsequently processing the gold and laundering the money. Kenneth Noye (Jack Lowden) is “a fence with protection,” owing to his friendship with police officers through membership in the Masons. (When Boyce brings Jennings and Brightwell onto his team, he sets the rules as “no overtime, no drinking at lunchtime, no freemasonry.”) John Palmer (Tom Cullen), a dyslexic dealer in gold and jewelry, has a handy portable smelter in his yard. And the invented Edwyn Cooper (Dominic Cooper), an up-from-the-streets solicitor with posh airs and a rich wife whose snooty parents treat him with barely disguised disdain, finds himself working for “a group of businessmen who have a lot of money that needs to be made respectable,” in the words of liaison Gordon Parry (Sean Harris, sinister).

Stretched over six episodes, it’s not a speedy telling, and, in fact, a second series covering a long tail of aftermath has already aired in the U.K. Apart from some surveillance, tailing suspects, one fatal encounter and an occasional chase, there’s little in the way of capital-A Action, mostly just a lot of talk — inquisitive, instructive, threatening, discursive, domestic or speechifying. Though the production is naturalistic — in a way that ties it to an earlier, golden era of British productions — the dialogue can sound highly composed. Characters are given little monologues, often to explain how they became the person they are, that play as the sort of thing that might occur late in the last act of a stage drama: Jennings found the sirens outside her window comforting, which led her to police work, “so that kids like me will be safe”; Boyce had a life-changing moment involving a pair of red leather shoes while fighting in the so-called Cypriot Emergency. Some dialogue might have been lifted whole from a 1930s gangster film. Critiques of British class structure and bad actors within the police department are raised high enough to be impossible to miss.

There are a lot of moving parts in “The Gold,” represented in sometimes brief alternating scenes, and it may take a while, among the crooks, at least, to get a handle on things, to sort out where you are, who’s who, who’s married to whom, and what part each plays in the caper. Though Noye is arrogant enough to root against, Forsyth wants to show, as much as each character allows, the just-folks elements of his bad guys, psychologically relatable sorts who have, from early experience, a lack of opportunity, or a certain kind of genius, decided that the path to freedom is best paved with other people’s money. (“If it wasn’t for people trying trying to break out of the lives they’ve been given,” observes Boyce of his country’s social stratification, the police would be out of a job.) This may be soft-pedaling matters somewhat — to read the historical accounts might give you a different picture — but as drama it pays dividends.

As a period piece, it doesn’t oversell the era. There are old cars, of course, and more mustaches than we are currently accustomed to. But apart from the pop songs that run over the end credits, nothing screams These Are the ’80s. (Compare, for example, the “Life on Mars” sequel, “Ashes to Ashes.”) It’s more a question of what isn’t there. The detectives have a computer, but only Brightwell has an idea of what it’s for or how to use it. No cellphones, but there are walkie-talkies. A tracking device, apparently the only one in all of British law enforcement, has to be imported from Belfast (and sneakily at that). There is a refreshing absence of guns — none of those Kevlar-clad teams going in with pistols raised. (Just truncheons.) And the remodeling of East London into a gentrified glass forest, a minor plot point, has only just begun.

It’s like a vacation from now, and who can’t use one of those?

INDIANAPOLIS — Former USC quarterback Mark Sanchez was pepper-sprayed and stabbed multiple times during a late-night altercation with a 69-year-old truck driver in a downtown Indianapolis alley, which resulted in criminal charges against the Fox Sports analyst, according to court records filed Sunday.

Based on hotel video footage of the altercation early Saturday and the driver’s statement to police, an Indianapolis police affidavit alleges that Sanchez, smelling of alcohol, accosted the driver of a box truck that backed into a hotel’s loading docks, leading to a confrontation outside the vehicle that prompted the driver to defensively pull out a knife.

Sanchez was hospitalized with stab wounds to his upper right torso, the affidavit signed by a police detective said. Sanchez remained hospitalized early Sunday, according to police. The truck driver, identified as P.T., had a cut to his left cheek, it said.

Sanchez was in stable condition, Fox Sports said Saturday. There was no immediate update Sunday.

His initial court hearing was set for Tuesday in a Marion County courtroom.

Sanchez stabbed multiple times

As the altercation escalated, the driver feared “‘this guy is trying to kill me’” and pulled his knife as Sanchez came at him, the affidavit said. Sanchez was initially stabbed two or three times, then stabbed again when he went at the driver again, it said.

“The next thing P.T. knew was Mr. Sanchez looked at him with a look of shock, he slowly turned around and Mr. Sanchez took off northbound in the alley,” the document said.

Sanchez was in Indianapolis to call Sunday’s Raiders-Colts game. Instead, he was charged with battery resulting in injury, unauthorized entry of a motor vehicle and public intoxication — all misdemeanors. Police got a warrant to obtain Sanchez’s phone and clothes from the hospital, the document said.

There were no immediate court records indicating whether Sanchez had legal representation yet.

Marion County prosecutor Ryan Mears said Sunday that his office would “follow the facts and the law wherever they lead.”

“What began as a disagreement between a 38-year-old former professional athlete and a 69-year-old man should not have escalated into violence or left anyone seriously injured,” Mears said in a statement.

Fox Sports announcers acknowledge Sanchez’s absence

Sanchez told police at the hospital that all he could remember was grabbing for a window, the court document said. Sanchez said he didn’t know who else was involved or where the altercation happened.

“Friday night in Indianapolis, one of our team members, Mark Sanchez, was involved in an incident that, to be honest, we are still trying to wrap our heads around,” Curt Menefee said Sunday on Fox’s primary NFL pregame show. “At this time, our thoughts and prayers are with Mark and his family and all of those involved.”

Fox Sports play-by-play announcer Chris Myers also acknowledged Sanchez’s absence on Sunday before introducing Sanchez’s replacement, Brady Quinn. Myers said he wanted to send thoughts and prayers to Sanchez and everyone involved in the incident.

Police officers found Sanchez with the stab wounds when they were dispatched to a downtown pub about 12:35 a.m. Saturday. The truck driver was found in the alley.

Details of the confrontation were disclosed in the affidavit, based on video footage and the truck driver’s statement to police.

The video showed a man believed to be Sanchez running in the alley toward the truck, the affidavit said. The driver works for a company that specializes in commercial cooking oil recycling and disposal, and he was performed his work duties, it said.

Sanchez opened the truck door and began talking to the driver, the affidavit said. Sanchez told the driver he couldn’t be at the loading dock and that Sanchez had spoken to the hotel manager, the document said. Sanchez smelled of alcohol and his speech was slurred, the driver told police.

Affidavit says Sanchez threw truck driver to ground

Sanchez followed the driver from side to side of the truck, the court document said. When the driver darted toward the driver’s door, video showed Sanchez “grabbing and throwing” the driver toward a hotel wall, it said. The fight continued against a dumpster and Sanchez threw the driver to the ground, it said.

Sanchez climbed into the truck but got out when told by the driver he wasn’t allowed in, it said. Sanchez repeated that he spoke to a manager and didn’t want the driver to replace fryer oil, the document said. Sanchez tried again to get into the truck and blocked the driver from calling his manager, it said.

Believing he was in danger, the driver grabbed pepper spray from his pocket and sprayed Sanchez’s face, it said. Sanchez wiped his face and advanced toward the driver again, it said.

The driver then pulled his knife and stabbed Sanchez as the ex-quarterback came at him, it said. The driver fell onto pallets on the ground, he told police.

“While P.T. was on the ground, he could only see the feet of Mr. Sanchez coming at him, making P.T. realize that he was in a life-or-death situation,” the affidavit said.

The driver made it to his feet and stabbed Sanchez the last time as Sanchez came at him, it said.

Sanchez had a 10-year NFL career before retiring in 2019. He appeared on ABC and ESPN for two years before joining Fox Sports as a game analyst in 2021. The Long Beach native led Mission Viejo to a 27-1 record as a starting quarterback, winning a Southern Section Division II title in 2004. He later starred at USC from 2006 to 2008, passing for 3,965 yards and 41 touchdowns en route to a Rose Bowl win.

He left college early and was selected by the New York Jets with the fifth pick in the 2009 NFL draft. Sanchez also appeared in games with Philadelphia, Dallas and Washington.

Schreiner and Marot write for the Associated Press.

AN EX-girlfriend of the Manchester synagogue attacker was forced to watch Isis terror videos, she has claimed.

Jihad Al-Shamie, 35, unleashed terror outside Manchester’s Heaton Park synagogue on Thursday, leaving two dead and three more in hospital.

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The seven-minute knife rampage took place on the holiest day of the Jewish calendar – Yom Kippur – with the killer then shot dead by cops.

A former partner has now claimed she was groomed by Al-Shamie and forced into a “controlling relationship”.

The pair, who met on a Muslim dating app, were in a relationship for four months before she left him over his extremist views, and moved from the UK.

She claimed Al-Shamie told her he wanted to join Isis and also pressured her to become “dedicated to the cause”.

She said: “He used to sit there and make me watch videos – like extreme videos – that I had no interest in.

“I am Muslim and of course I love to learn more. But this stuff was things that I have been raised to not agree with.

“He used to always say I was taught the wrong way and I wasn’t taught right. He was basically just trying to groom me into what he thought.”

Meanwhile, as reported by The Mail on Sunday, it has been revealed one of the women arrested by cops over the synagogue attack was an NHS Mental health peer support worker.

The 46-year-old is a white British woman, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, and neighbours claimed she had recently converted to Islam.

“I was doing such a course, and she told me she was a peer support worker herself,” said one local.

“She said she travelled to Manchester for her shifts at a hospital.”

Al-Shamie is also believed to have been married to a British Pakistani woman in Manchester.

It is understood they share a two-year-old child, but are no longer in a relationship.

A former friend of Al-Shamie also revealed he was teenage drop-out who smoked weed and was obsessed with violent video game Street Fighter.

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The friend told The Sun on Sunday that killer Al-Shamie would smoke around 2g of strong skunk a day when he was a teen and frequently felt the wrath of his parents.

And he said he spent hours in his bedroom playing the computer game using the name “Jiji”.

His obsession led to Al-Shamie dropping out of Liverpool John Moores University a year into his English, media and cultural studies degree course in 2011.

The former pal said: “He was a bit of a rebellious wild child. He got into a lot of trouble with his parents. He used to smoke cannabis from an early age.

“He would spend a lot of time practising Street Fighter, like obsessively practising this computer game. He was very good at it, to the point where he competed a couple of times in competitions.”

The source added: “It was probably why he dropped out of uni.

“He was spending too much time smoking weed, working out and playing video games.”

He added: “His personality type, he would latch on to one thing and get buried deep into it. The only thing I can think of is that he’s done that but with radical religion.”

Al-Shamie, whose name is said to translate as “struggle of the Syrian” became “reclusive” after dropping out of education and started to practice Islam around 2018.

Neighbours said he would spend his time lifting weights in his garage or wander around in his pyjamas and flip flops.

The pal, who lost touch with him, said: “I heard he became a bit reclusive and appeared to be very into his faith, which surprised me as he was never that kind of guy.

“There were some concerns about his mental health. I don’t know if he ever got professional help.”

He said he was worried Al-Shamie would go down a “rabbit hole”, adding: “He had an addictive personality. My suspicion is that he ended up self-radicalising.”

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Al-Shamie moved to the UK from Syria with his family when he was a young child and was granted British citizenship in 2006.

His father Faraj is a trauma doctor who later divorced his mother Formoz and moved to France.

This comes as four people arrested in connection with the synagogue terror attack will remain in custody for extra questioning.

Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, were killed in the rampage before Al-Shamie was shot dead by armed cops.

Six people have now been arrested on terror charges following the chaos.

Cops confirmed they have been granted custody extensions to hold four people detained in connection with the attack on the Crumpsall synagogue for a longer amount of time.

Two men, aged 30 and 32, as well as a 61-year-old woman arrested in Farnworth will remain in custody for “up to a further five days”.

The force added how an 18-year-old woman and a 43-year-old man, also arrested in Farnworth, remain in custody for questioning.

Greater Manchester Police said: “We have been granted warrants of further detention for four individuals currently in custody.

“This means they can remain in custody for up to a further five days.

“Everyone in custody has been arrested on suspicion of commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism.”

Everyone in custody has been arrested on suspicion of commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism.

Al-Shamie first drove into worshippers at the Heaton Park synagogue at 9.30am on Thursday morning.

He also stabbed terrified members of the public while wearing a fake “bomb vest” – killing Melvin Cravitz, 66, and Adrian Daulby, 53.

Four others were injured in the horror.

Counter-terrorism officers have since revealed the attacker was likely influenced by “extreme Islamist ideology”.

A statement from Greater Manchester Police read: “We believe Al-Shamie may have been influenced by extreme Islamist ideology.

“Establishing the full circumstances of the attack is likely to take some time.  

“We have now arrested three further people, one man and two women, aged between 18 and mid-40s.

“This brings the number of people in custody arrested on suspicion of commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism to six.”

Al-Shamie was not known counter-terrorism agencies but had previous convictions.

It is not known when the alleged rape took place but the attacker was under investigation by Greater Manchester Police at the time.

GMP confirmed to The Sun Online al-Shamie was arrested but had been released pending investigation.

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COPS have launched a hate crime investigation after reports of a suspected arson attack at a mosque.

CCTV footage shows two men with face coverings pull up to the Peacehaven Community Mosque, in East Sussex, on Saturday night.

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The video appears to reveal one yob, wearing a black jacket, walking up the front steps holding a green container.

He appears to douse the entrance steps with an accelerant before they go up in flames.

Within seconds the car has also turned into a fire ball.

A man who was inside the mosque runs out in terror, seeking safety.

It is not known how many people were in the building when the inferno was sparked.

Fire crews were called out to the chaotic scene and a large police presence remains in the area.

Footage from the scene shows a burnt-out vehicle being dampened by firemen.

A member of the Mosque told The Sun Online: “There was an attack on the mosque, a few individuals came with balaclavas on and blew up a vehicle outside the mosque and set the front a light.”

“It was a targeted attack,” he claimed.

“There’s a large police presence here now.”

Sussex Police Detective Superintendent Karrie Bohanna said: “This is a fast-moving investigation, and we are urging anyone with relevant information to report it to us.

“This includes anyone with CCTV, ring doorbell, dashcam, and mobile phone footage in the area at the time.

“We understand the concerns this has caused within the community, and the impact that will be felt by the Muslim community as a result.

“There is already an increased police presence at the scene and there are also additional patrols taking place to provide reassurance at other places of worship across the county.

“Sussex Police takes a zero-tolerance approach to hate crime and there is no place for hate across the county.

“If you have concerns for your safety or experience any hate or criminal behaviour, please speak to an officer or contact us online or by calling 101. Always dial 999 in an emergency.”

Anyone with information about the arson can report it to Sussex Police online or on 101, quoting Operation Spey.

Alternatively contact CrimeStoppers anonymously by calling 0800 555 111.

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More to follow… For the latest news on this story keep checking back at The Sun Online

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Tyrese Gibson faces one charge of cruelty to animals stemming from a September incident in Fulton County, Ga., that left a neighbor’s 5-year-old dog mauled and dead.

The Fulton County Sheriff’s Office booked the 46-year-old singer-actor, a staple in the “Fast and Furious” film franchise, on Friday. He was released on a $20,000 surety bond. Attorney Gabe Banks said in a statement that Gibson voluntarily turned himself “to answer for a misdemeanor warrant.”

“Despite what others might say, throughout this entire process Mr. Gibson has cooperated fully with legal authorities and will continue to do so until this matter is resolved,” Banks said. “Mr. Gibson once again wants to extend his deepest condolences to the family who lost their dog and respectfully asks for privacy and understanding as this matter is handled through the appropriate legal channels.”

Police said earlier this week that Gibson failed to turn himself into law enforcement after an arrest warrant was issued stemming from a violent incident involving the actor’s Cane Corso dogs. On the night of Sept. 18, a neighbor of the “Morbius” star let her small spaniel out to her yard and returned five minutes later to find the dog had been attacked. The dog was rushed to a veterinary hospital but did not survive, police said.

The Cane Corsos were then seen at the house, where the owner called police, saying she was afraid to go outside. Animal control officers responded and were able to keep the dogs back while the neighbor went to her vehicle.

The arrest warrant issued for the movie star was part of an “ongoing issue” following multiple calls about the dogs in the last few months, Fulton County Police Capt. Nicole Dwyer said. Gibson received multiple warnings before the warrant was issued, and police also attempted to cite him before the attack, Dwyer said, but Gibson was not at his Atlanta home.

Police had a search warrant for Gibson’s property on Sept. 22, but the actor and the dogs were not there.

In a statement shared to the actor’s Instagram page on Wednesday, Gibson and Banks expressed condolences to the family “who lost their beloved dog in this tragic incident.” The “Transformers” and “Baby Boy” star said his heart “is truly broken,” the note said, and that “he has been “praying for the family constantly, hoping they may one day find it in their hearts to forgive him.”

The statement said that the attack occurred while Gibson, who “accepts full responsibility for his dogs,” was out of town. The actor has since rehomed the two adult dogs and their three puppies, the statement said, adding “the liability of keeping them was simply too great.”

Gibson also issued a personal statement, describing his passion for dogs and declaring that his animals have “never been trained to harm.” He said he has been in Los Angeles with family, mourning the death of his father.

“Please know that I am praying for you, grieving with you, and will continue to face this tragedy with honesty, responsibility, and compassion,” he added.

In another Instagram statement shared Tuesday, Banks explained that Gibson’s decision to bring the Cane Corso dogs into his home was for security against stalkers who had been “randomly showing up at his home” in recent years. Banks said that the dogs “never harmed a child, a person, or another dog” until the September incident.

Gibson said Tuesday: “I had no idea I would ever wake up to this nightmare, and I know the family must feel the same way. To them, please know that my heart is broken for you. I am praying for your healing and for your beloved pet, who never deserved this. I remain committed to facing this matter with honesty, responsibility, and compassion.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

A SHAKESPEAREAN twist of fate brought two lovers together again, more than a decade after they first crossed paths.

A Tennessee woman who ran away as a teenager fell in love with one of the police officers tasked with finding her.

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Roshin Ali was just 13 years old when she fled her family’s home in Jackson, fearing her father would kill her.

Police had just begun their search for the missing teen when she returned home the following day.

Roshin landed a job at the same sheriff’s department 12 years later, where she met Tyler Schrupp.

Unbeknownst to the pair, Tyler had been in the unit of police searching for Roshin all those years ago.

He later said he didn’t recognise her when she started working at the sheriff’s department, but he was immediately drawn to her.

“He wouldn’t stop staring at me, but literally wouldn’t say a word at all,” Roshin said.

Tyler said he had been “kind of nervous” to talk to Roshin, because he “thought she was very beautiful”.

Eventually, Tyler mustered up the courage to say hello, and the two felt an immediate connection.

As their bond grew, Roshin started opening up about the trauma of her youth.

“We started putting the dates together and then she described the area,” Tyler said.

“That’s when I started to be like ‘Ok I was a part of that’. It’s crazy that back then I was looking for you, and now we’re sitting here talking.”

The pair are now engaged and share a five-month-old son.

Roshin shared the couple’s story to her TikTok account in July.

The story-time went viral, accumulating more than five million views.

Using a trending audio, she is shaking hands with Tyler, describing him as an “officer who went searching for me while missing”.

The video opened the floodgates to thousands of concerned comments asking if he had groomed her.

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In a follow up four-part series, Roshin, known as Roro Nicole on social media, set the record straight.

“Some of the comments were that he’s grooming me, he kidnapped me and I’ve been with him this whole time, [he] kept me in his basement,” she said.

In harrowing detail, Roshin told her story, beginning in 2010 when she was 13 years old.

Her father was a gambling addict who didn’t allow his children to leave the house.

He arrived home one day after losing all his money, threatening to kill Roshin and her siblings if he caught them outside.

“We immediately … ran into our bedroom because we were afraid that he was going to start beating on us like he normally does whenever he comes home upset,” she said in the video.

Her sister stood with her back against the closed bedroom door, with her feet jammed against the wall, keeping their father out of the room.

“He told my mom to go get a knife and then he began to try stab her through the door,” Roshin said.

Her father eventually got into the room, grabbed her sister by the hair and dragged her into their parent’s bedroom, where he began to beat her with a cable wire.

“We can literally hear her begging him not to kill her,” Roshin recounted.

“He duct taped her hands together, her legs together and then placed duct tape on her mouth so nobody could hear her screaming.

“The my mom walks into our room and she looks at us, and she goes ‘y’all are next'”.

Roshin and her brother fled the home, climbing out of their bedroom window to escape.

The pair ran to the nearest park, before their father called the police and reported them missing.

When police attended the family home, Roshin’s sister reported the savage assault.

Their parents were arrested, but only spent “a couple of days” behind bars.

Roshin and her brother, who was 12 at the time, were found the following day and placed into foster care with their two older siblings.

“I truly believe if it was not [for] me running away from the house that day and officers being involved, I don’t think that we’d still be here alive,” she said.

Tyler and Roshin – who plan to exchange vows in 2026 – said people are touched by their story.

“Somebody said he’s my hero,” Roshin said.

“And he is.”

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