Man tells of desperate attempts to save wife, son and family friend who died in Loch Lomond
A man has told Sky News of the desperate attempts to save his wife, their nine-year-old son and a family friend who died in Loch Lomond.
Edina Olahova, 29, and Rana Haris Ali lost their lives alongside their friend Muhammad Asim Riaz, 41, near Pulpit Rock on Saturday evening.
Waris Ali said his wife, son and family friends, including children, decided to stop off at the beach on the way back from Isle of Skye.
He said they sat on a pier and the youngsters went into the water, thinking it was shallow, but then they “went under”.
He said his wife saw the children were drowning and the adults went to save them.
(L-R) Edina Olahova, Waris Ali and Muhammad Asim Riaz with his wife
He has told Sky News of his desperate attempts to rescue his wife.
He said: “I managed to stay afloat and head towards the shallow water, but when I got out, I saw my wife’s hands outside and just her eyes out of the water.
“I took my shirt off and threw it to her so she could grab it, but she couldn’t. I then went to go and get help.”
He said Mr Riaz’s wife called the emergency services.
Mr Ali said a Scottish man arrived and saved Mr Riaz’s son, but couldn’t save the other three.
He said: “I was trying to save my wife for some time, took my shirt off but realised I couldn’t do anything to save her. And the guy who came couldn’t save anyone else, just Asim’s son.”
Waris Ali and his wife Edina Olahova
“I don’t have any words to put together how I’m feeling,” he said.
“The three were such lovely people, Asim was my best friend, he was my family. He was more than a friend he was my brother, the three of them would help anyone they could help.”
He added: “My wife and my kid were helpful, they would help me or anyone else, if they were in pain, they would do whatever to help. They would help without even thinking to protect other people. That’s why today she’s not here because her husband was drowning in the water.”
Mr Riaz’s seven-year-old son is currently in intensive care at the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow.
The incident followed the deaths of three other young people in similar circumstances in Stonehouse, involving an 11-year-old boy; in Lanark, where a 13-year-old boy lost his life; and another on Loch Lomond on Friday, which claimed the life of a 16-year-old boy.
A senior officer from Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said this weekend was one of the worst in memory for the service.
Alasdair Perry, a Deputy Assistant Chief Officer, told Good Morning Scotland: “This is the worst weekend in relation to incidents of this nature I can remember and I’d like to offer my condolences and those of everyone at the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service to all those affected by this weekend’s tragic events, and in particular to the friends and families of all those involved.”
Raza Haris Ali, nine
Simon Jones, the executive lead for water safety at Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, added: “It’s been a terrible week in the park and across other parts of Scotland as well for tragic events.
“Our deepest sympathies go out to friends and family.
“We can’t remember a period like this – many of our staff were closely involved and it’s been very traumatic for people involved.
“[It’s been] really, really challenging and sobering – giving us a lot of cause for reflection.”
Health Secretary Humza Yousaf also said the Scottish Government was “concerned” by the recent tragedies.
He added: “First and foremost my condolences go out to all the families and the communities that have been affected by this.
“I think all of us have been rocked by these tragedies and I spoke to a couple of my ministerial colleagues over the weekend as this news unfolded, and certainly whatever we can do in government to support those in our national parks or other stakeholders to make our parks, our walks, our tourist hotspots as safe as possible, then the government is committed to do that.”
Mr Perry urged those swimming in open water to adhere to safety advice, not to leave young people unattended, and to ensure they do not swim after consuming alcohol.
UK
Post Office scandal: At least 8 convictions may be linked to second IT system used by Post Office
At least eight convictions predating the Horizon Post Office scandal are being looked at by the body investigating potential miscarriages of justice, Sky News has learned.
The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) has confirmed it is examining multiple cases of former sub-postmasters affected by Capture software.
The computer accounting system was used in the early 1990s, prior to Horizon being introduced to Post Office branches from 1999 onwards.
Horizon was at the centre of the Post Office scandal and saw hundreds of sub-postmasters wrongly convicted of stealing from their branches.
The Kroll report, commissioned by the government earlier this year, found that Capture had bugs and glitches and there was a reasonable likelihood it had caused cash shortfalls too.
Lord Beamish, the former Labour MP Kevan Jones, has been supporting victims and is calling for the government to extend current legislation to automatically quash convictions.
The Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Act was passed in May but does not include Capture victims.
Lord Beamish told Sky News he has raised the issue with the Justice Secretary and called for a House of Lords debate.
“The government are going to have to take this seriously,” he said. “We can’t have a situation where we have a two-tier system where people get exonerated from Horizon and the Capture cases are either forgotten or have to go through a very lengthy legal process to get their names cleared.”
Chris claims his mother was wrongly jailed because of accounting problems with the Post Office software Capture
He added he had “little faith” in the CCRC’s “ability to deal with cases”, after multiple Horizon cases were referred to the body years ago.
“The problem with these cases is the lack of evidence… that has been destroyed or lost so actually proving some of these cases through that process will be very difficult.
“Therefore I think a blanket exoneration like we had with Horizon I think has got to be discussed and considered for these cases.”
The CCRC told Sky News it has five cases under review “in which the Capture IT system could be a factor”.
It also said it is “seeking further information” on eight cases referenced in the Kroll report.
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The CCRC added that the time taken for a case review to be completed was dependent on the “complexity” of each case “and how readily available information about it is”. In a statement, it admitted: “The availability of information can be a particular hurdle in older cases.”
Chris’s mother died earlier this year following a battle with Alzheimer’s and never got to clear her name
Chris Roberts’ mother, Liz Roberts, was convicted in 1999 of stealing £46,000 from the Post Office and spent 13 months behind bars.
Liz, who was in the advanced stages of Alzheimer’s disease, passed away earlier this year.
Chris said she was jailed four days before he turned 17, and he used to have “nightmares” that she was “going to die in there”.
“There was no evidence of any financial gain because they went through everything. And obviously the money wasn’t in our accounts because it didn’t exist,” he added.
Despite being offered “three deals” by the Post Office to plead guilty, Liz refused and was sent to prison.
Liz Roberts during happier times before she was jailed for theft – her son insists she was innocent
Chris believes that the 2019 High Court win by Horizon victims was a missed opportunity for the Post Office to look back at Capture cases.
“It would have been worth something then because my mum would have died knowing that everybody else knew she was innocent,” he said.
“My dad would have died knowing that the love of his life wasn’t vilified as a criminal.”
Chris wants his mother exonerated and “those actively responsible” to “stand up in court… and justify themselves”.
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Sky’s Adele Robinson examines Britain’s biggest miscarriages of justice
A Department for Business and Trade spokesperson said: “We were horrified to learn about the issues with the Capture system and are working closely across government to thoroughly examine Kroll’s independent report and consider what action should be taken.
“We continue to listen to postmasters and others who have been sharing their views on the report’s findings since its publication last month.”
Official accounts have revealed for the first time how much the King’s 2023 coronation cost UK taxpayers.
According to the accounts, the government spent £72m on the coronation – the first in Britain since Queen Elizabeth II’s in 1953.
The figure includes £50.3m of costs attributed to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), which coordinated the coronation, and £21.7m in costs for the Home Office for the policing of the event.
By comparison, Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral and events during the period of national mourning cost the government an estimated £162m – £74m for the Home Office and £57m for the DCMS as well as costs to the devolved governments.
The figures come from the culture department’s recently released annual report and accounts.
The department said it had “successfully delivered on the central weekend of His Majesty King Charles III’s Coronation, enjoyed by many millions both in the UK and across the globe”.
People walk past a souvenir shop during the coronation. Pic: Reuters
It described the event as a “once-in-a-generation moment” which provided an occasion for the “entire country to come together in celebration”.
Both the King and Queen were crowned at Westminster Abbey in May last year, in a ceremony attended by dignitaries from around the world.
A star-studded concert at Windsor Castle, featuring Take That and stars such as Olly Murs, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie, took place the following night.
It had been described ahead of the event as being a “slimmed-down affair” – with the country still in the grips of the cost-of-living crisis – and accounts show an “underspend” related to the coronation of around £2.8m.
Olly Murs performing at the Coronation Concert. Pic: Reuters
Did coronation boost the economy?
Despite talk of a coronation boost, the UK’s economy actually contracted in the month of May 2023.
However, experts said that was mostly due to the cost of the additional public holiday for the event, which weighed on output.
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Each bank holiday costs the UK economy around £2.3bn, with the extra bank holiday for the late Queen’s funeral estimated to have cost around £2.4bn, according to government figures.
With the extra coronation bank holiday, data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed negative growth of 0.1% during May 2023.
However, that was slightly better than economists had predicted ahead of the event.
Prior to the event, economic forecasters, the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR), had predicted a boost of £337m for the UK’s economy due to the coronation – including £104m in extra pub spending and an estimated £223m spend from tourism to the UK during the period.
Hotel revenue was also said to be up by 54% compared to the same point in the previous year, while bookings for UK-bound flights for the coronation weekend jumped by 149% within 24 hours of the day being announced, according to TravelPort.
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