Teenager dies after fireworks ‘hurled’ down street – as violence mars Bonfire Night in parts of UK
A teenager has died after being found injured near to where fireworks were being “hurled”, as Bonfire Night was marred by violence and anti-social behaviour in parts of the UK.
The 17-year-old boy was found hurt in the garden of a property in Halifax, West Yorkshire, shortly after 8pm on Saturday.
He was taken to hospital where he died, police said.
Yorkshire Live reported that the teenager had jumped over a fence and crashed into a greenhouse after “scenes of chaos” on Vickerman Street, as a large group threw fireworks towards police.
An eyewitness told the news outlet that fireworks were being “hurled” in the street at the time the teenager was found injured and described the scenes as “horrendous”.
West Yorkshire Police has referred itself to the watchdog, the Independent Office for Police Conduct, over the incident after officers had been called to the street “due to fireworks being set off”.
It came as police across the UK reported violence and anti-social behaviour linked to Bonfire Night, with disorder in Edinburgh branded “disgraceful”.
In West Yorkshire, riot officers were called in to deal with disorder in Leeds when fireworks were thrown towards police in the city’s Hyde Park area.
Elsewhere, four youths were arrested after police and fire service vehicles were attacked in the Bradford Moor area in the run up to Bonfire Night.
In Liverpool, two men were shot in an “horrendous incident” close to a Bonfire Night party.
Edinburgh’s council leader said there were ‘disgraceful’ scenes in the city
The victims suffered serious leg injuries and a suspect, dressed all in black, reportedly ran from the scene in Netherton at about 11.20pm on Saturday, Merseyside Police said.
In Greater Manchester, firefighters said they attended more than 200 incidents on “another busy Bonfire Night”.
In Eccles, a firework was thrown at firefighters who were trying to put out an unsupervised bonfire.
Fireworks were also aimed at crews responding to an incident in Crumpsall Park, Manchester, and a firework was reportedly put through the letterbox of a home in Salford.
In Edinburgh, a road was blockaded with fire and motorbikes raced through part of the city amid Bonfire Night chaos on Saturday.
Footage shared online showed a motorbike gang racing in the streets with fireworks being set off along the ground, seemingly aimed at people and vehicles.
Edinburgh’s council leader Cammy Day criticised the scenes, saying what happened was “disgraceful and disgusting”.
The first known victim of serial paedophile Richard Burrows has told Sky News he regrets not reporting his assault at the time to save others from “falling into the same trap”.
Burrows, 81, will learn his sentence at Chester Crown Court today after being convicted last month of dozens of sexual offences against young boys.
The judge told him it is “inevitable” he might never be released.
The former scout master had spent 27 years on the run, living in what he called “paradise” in Thailand, after stealing the identity of a friend and fleeing the UK when he was due in court in 1997.
A police photo of Burrows from the 1990s. Pic: Cheshire Police
He was arrested when he arrived at Heathrow in March last year.
The trial heard that Burrows had obtained positions of authority and systematically abused boys from the 1960s to the mid-1990s.
He had worked as a housemaster at a school for troubled boys and befriended other youngsters through amateur radio clubs.
One of those was his first victim, aged 14 at the time in the late 1960s, and now 71.
He told Sky News: “It’s been an awfully long time and after 57 years I’ve got to see the results at the end of it.
“It does actually feel like a weight’s been lifted. You hear that expression all through life, but it’s the first time ever really felt it.”
He described Burrows as a “devious, nasty creature”.
Read more:
Decades on the beach – sex offender’s life in hiding
The man, who cannot be identified as he is the victim of a sexual offence, attended Burrows’s trial and delivered a victim impact statement at his sentencing.
He said he wanted to do this because of the regret he carries to this day.
“I wish I’d said something when it happened because I feel that, in retrospect, if I would have said something, then maybe it would have stopped other people from falling into the same trap that I did,” he added.
“But at that time, at that age, I thought I probably wouldn’t have been believed, and I felt too ashamed and embarrassed and even guilty to even mention it to anybody else. So, I didn’t, and I regret not doing that.”
Photos of Burrows in Thailand. Pic: Cheshire Police
The man contacted police after seeing an appeal for help in finding the fugitive Burrows on the BBC’s Crimewatch programme in 2011. It would be another decade before he was arrested.
He said: “I really begrudge him those 27 years. It’s 27 years and he’s just left a trail of wreckage behind him while he’s enjoying himself.
“It’s a shame he’s not got another 27 years to look forward to in jail.”
Although he was the earliest victim on the indictment at Burrows’s trial, like detectives from Cheshire Police, he believes there could be other victims who have not come forward.
He said: “Personally, I don’t think I was the first victim. I think that he was probably fairly well practiced in the art of what he was doing prior to my meeting him.”
Burrows being met by police at Heathrow. Pic: Cheshire Police
Burrows was initially charged in May 1997 but failed to attend a hearing later that year.
He remained on the wanted list until police using facial recognition software matched him to a man using the name Peter Smith. He had stolen the identity of a terminally ill friend to obtain a passport.
After his conviction in March, judge Steven Everett told Burrows he had caused “untold distress and trauma to the victims and their families”.
The UK has joined US forces in attacking a Houthi target in Yemen for the first time since Donald Trump was re-elected.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed the strikes took place on Tuesday as part of the government’s response to Houthi attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
The ministry said careful intelligence analysis identified a cluster of buildings used by the Houthis to manufacture the sort of drones used to attack ships, located 15 miles south of the capital Sanaa.
RAF Typhoon FGR4s conducted strikes on several buildings using Paveway IV precision-guided bombs.
The planes had air refuelling support from Voyager tankers.
The ministry said the strike was conducted after dark to reduce the likelihood of civilians being in the area.
All the aircraft returned safely.
John Healey. Pic: Reuters
Defence Secretary John Healey said: “This government will always act in the interests of our national and economic security.
“Royal Air Force Typhoons have successfully conducted strikes against a Houthi military target in Yemen and all UK aircraft and personnel have returned safely to base.
“We conducted these strikes, supported by the US, to degrade Houthi capabilities and prevent further attacks against UK and international shipping.”
Read more from Sky News:
Kneecap’s Eden Project gig cancelled amid ‘kill MPs’ row
Israel releases medic detained after IDF attack on aid workers
Crush fly-tippers’ vans, government tells councils
Houthis a ‘persistent threat’ to ‘freedom of navigation’
Mr Healey said Houthi activities in the Red Sea are a “persistent threat” to “freedom of navigation”.
“A 55% drop in shipping through the Red Sea has already cost billions, fuelling regional instability and risking economic security for families in the UK,” he said.
“The government is steadfast in our commitment to reinforcing global stability and protecting British working people. I am proud of the dedication and professionalism shown by the service men and women involved in this operation.”
Listen to The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim every Wednesday
US intensifies strikes on Houthis
It was the first time UK forces have struck a target in Yemen since May last year, the ministry confirmed.
The US has intensified its strikes on the Iran-backed Houthis under Mr Trump’s presidency, after his re-election in November 2024.
The group began launching attacks on shipping routes in November 2023 saying they were in solidarity with Palestinians over Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Footage showing people being pulled from rubble has been released by Houthi rebels in Yemen
The strike came after a Houthi-controlled TV channel claimed a US strike killed 68 people at a detention centre for African migrants in Yemen on Monday.
-
Sports3 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports1 year agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports1 year agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Business3 years agoBank of England’s extraordinary response to government policy is almost unthinkable | Ed Conway