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Two men from Yorkshire have been jailed for murdering a young father who went to the aid of a 17-year-old girl while she was being attacked.

Reece Radford, 26, died from a single stab wound to the chest six days after being confronted by Dereck Owusu and Louis James.

Owusu, 40, of Strathmore Grove, Rotherham, and 46-year-old James, of Manor Lane, Sheffield, were both given life sentences at Sheffield Crown Court, with minimum terms of 15 years and 25 years respectively.

In a statement read out in Sheffield Crown Court, Mr Radford’s mother, Laura Radford, said: “It was not just my son who was killed that night, my family was killed, my heart is broken.

“Reece was the life and soul of this family. He would light a room up as soon as he came in. He wasn’t just my son, he was my best friend, my soulmate, my everything.

‘He was special and loved beyond life’

Reece Radford, 26, who was stabbed in Sheffield
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Reece Radford, 26, who was stabbed in Sheffield

“It is killing me knowing I am never going to see his big brown eyes, never going to hear his laugh or see him grow into the best daddy ever. That has been taken away from us.”

Ms Radford added: “Our hearts will never heal from the loss of Reece – he was special and loved beyond life. We will all miss him forever.”

Police explained Owusu and James were on Arundel Gate in Sheffield city centre just before 1am on 29 September, when they saw the 17-year-old girl.

They added the pair shared alcohol with her before a violent confrontation broke out, which led to Owusu punching the teenager in the face.Mr Radford saw the incident, with officers saying he acted as a “good Samaritan” by stepping in to help the girl, punching Owusu in the face.

‘Sincere condolences’

Detective Chief Inspector Rebecca Hodgman said: “The three ended up in the road, and Reece fell to the floor where he was subjected to a barrage of kicks from both men.

“Then the assault abruptly ended. Reece crossed the road and collapsed on the other side. He had been stabbed in the chest.

“While Reece was lying critically injured on the floor, Owusu approached again swirling his belt in the air, before striking it at a friend of Reece, who was on the phone to the ambulance. The men then fled the scene a second time.”

Ms Hodgman added: “Reece’s family have been left devastated by his death, and I want to once again offer my sincere condolences to them.

“I hope the sentences handed to Owusu and James today will go some way to helping them start to rebuild their lives.”

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Man arrested on suspicion of murder after woman shot dead in Talbot Green, South Wales

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Man arrested on suspicion of murder after woman shot dead in Talbot Green, South Wales

A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a 40-year-old woman was shot dead in South Wales.

The woman was found with serious injuries just after 6pm on Sunday and died at the scene despite the efforts of emergency services.

She was discovered in the Green Park area of Talbot Green, a town about 15 miles west of Cardiff.

A 42-year-old local man is in police custody.

Detective Chief Inspector James Morris said: “I understand the concern this will cause the local community, and I want to reassure people that a team of experienced detectives are already working at pace to piece together the events of last night.”

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South Wales Police said a number of crime scenes have been set up and road closures are in place.

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Drivers ‘confused’ by transition to electric vehicles, ministers warned

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Drivers 'confused' by transition to electric vehicles, ministers warned

UK drivers are “confused” by the country’s electric car transition, ministers are being warned.

Although most drivers are not hostile towards electric vehicles (EVs), many are confused about what changes are coming and when, according to new research from the AA.

In a survey of more than 14,000 AA members, 7% thought the government was banning the sale of used petrol and diesel cars.

Around a third thought manual EVs exist, despite them all being automatic.

More than one in five said they would never buy an EV.

The government’s plan for increasing the number of electric vehicles being driven in the UK focuses heavily on increasing the supply of the vehicles.

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What you can do to reach net zero

In 2024, at least 22% of new cars and 10% of new vans sold by each manufacturer in the UK had to be zero-emission, which generally means pure electric.

More on Climate Change

Each year, those percentages will rise, reaching 80% of new cars and 70% of new vans in 2030.

Manufacturers will face fines of £15,000 per vehicle if electric vehicle sales fall short of 28% of total production this year.

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By 2035, all new cars and vans will be required to be fully zero emission, according to the Department for Transport.

Second-hand diesel and petrol cars will still be allowed to be sold after this date, and their fuel will still be available.

There are more EVs – but will people buy them?

In February, 25% of new cars were powered purely by battery and in January, they made up 21% of all new cars registered in the UK.

But despite the growth of electric sales, manufacturers continue to warn that the market will not support the growth required to hit government EV targets, and called for consumer incentives and the extension of tax breaks.

The AA suggested the government’s plan focuses on “supply but does little to encourage demand for EVs”.

It called on ministers to co-ordinate a public awareness campaign alongside the motoring industry which directly targets drivers who doubt the viability of EVs.

“Our message to government is more needs to be done to make EVs accessible for everyone,” said Jakob Pfaudler, AA chief executive.

Which? head of consumer rights Sue Davis said: “When it comes to making sustainable choices such as switching to an electric car, our research shows that people are often held back by high costs, complex choices or uncertainty.

“The government needs to provide the right information on electric vehicles and other sustainable choices so that people have the confidence to switch.”

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “We’re investing over £2.3bn to help industry and consumers make a supported switch to EVs.

“This includes installing a public charge point every 28 minutes, keeping EV incentives in the company car tax regime to 2030, and extending 100% first-year allowances for zero-emission cars for another year.

“Second-hand EVs are also becoming cheaper than ever, with one in three available under £20,000 and 21 brand new models available for less than £30,000.

“We’re seeing growing consumer confidence as a result.”

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Man charged after climbing Big Ben’s Elizabeth Tower

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Man charged after climbing Big Ben's Elizabeth Tower

A man has been charged after climbing up the tower of Big Ben, the Metropolitan Police has said.

Daniel Day, 29, of Palmerston Road, Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, faces charges of intentionally or recklessly causing a public nuisance and trespassing on a protected site.

He will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court later today.

Police were called to reports of a man climbing up Elizabeth Tower at 7.24am on Saturday.

The man was carrying a Palestinian flag and remained barefoot on a ledge for more than 16 hours before being lifted to the ground in a cherry picker just after midnight.

Read more from Sky News:
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Westminster Bridge was forced to close to traffic during the morning, as tourists in central London stood around watching the spectacle.

Police said specialist officers worked with the fire brigade “to bring this incident to a close as quickly as possible whilst minimising risk to life”.

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