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A Nigerian senator, his wife and a medical “middleman” have been jailed for conspiring to traffic a market trader to the UK to harvest his kidney.

Politician Ike Ekweremadu, 60, and his wife Beatrice, 56, stood trial accused of a conspiracy to bring the man to Britain from Lagos so he could provide an organ for their 25-year-old daughter Sonia Ekweremadu.

The couple, along with medical “middleman” Dr Obinna Obeta, 50, were found guilty in the Old Bailey in March.

Sonia Ekweremadu – who has a serious kidney condition – wept in court as she was cleared of the same charge.

At a sentencing hearing on Friday, Ekweremadu was jailed for nine years and eight months, his wife Beatrice was sentenced to four years and six months in prison, while Obeta received a 10-year prison term.

Beatrice Ekweremadu
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Beatrice Ekweremadu

Mr Justice Johnson told the defendants: “In each of your cases the offence you committed is so serious that neither a fine nor a community sentence can be justified.”

It was alleged the 21-year-old market trader was to be rewarded for donating the organ in an £80,000 private procedure at London’s Royal Free Hospital.

The prosecution claimed the donor, who cannot be identified for legal reason, was offered up to £7,000 along with the promise of a better life in the UK.

The donor did not understand until his first appointment with a consultant at the hospital that he was there for a kidney transplant, the Old Bailey was told.

According to the consultant, he had a “limited understanding” of why he was there and was “visibly relieved” at being told the operation would not go ahead.

It was claimed the man was falsely presented as Sonia Ekweremadu’s cousin in a failed attempt to persuade medics to carry out the procedure at the Royal Free Hospital.

Sonia Ekweremadu
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Sonia Ekweremadu

Defendants ‘intended harm’ to donor

On the question of harm to the victim, the judge said: “The transplant did not go ahead but each intended that it should go ahead and you each intended the harm to the donor that would result.

“He would have faced spending the rest of his life with only one kidney and without the requisite funding for the required aftercare.”

He added that the risks had not been properly explained to the victim and there had been no consent “in any meaningful sense”.

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The Ekweremadus, who have an address in Willesden Green, northwest London, and Dr Obeta, from Southwark, south London, had denied the charge against them.

Sonia Ekweremadu, who takes dialysis weekly, declined to give evidence but it was said on her behalf she knew nothing of a reward offered to donors.

The case marked the first time defendants have been convicted under the Modern Slavery Act of an organ harvesting conspiracy.

While it is lawful to donate a kidney, it becomes criminal if money or another material advantage is rewarded.

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Sentebale war of words continues as charity calls for clarity on commission’s probe into Prince Harry claims

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Sentebale war of words continues as charity calls for clarity on commission's probe into Prince Harry claims

The war of words over Sentebale is continuing, with the charity calling on the Charity Commission to provide clarity that its recent report did not specifically investigate claims of racism and misogyny against Prince Harry. 

Sources close to the Duke of Sussex claim they are “rehashing unsubstantiated allegations of bullying, misogyny and more”, describing their latest move as not “just provocative, it’s pitiful”.

A source at Sentebale has told Sky News: “We have written to The Charity Commission stating that the onus is on the commission to restate for the record that individual allegations of bullying have not been investigated or addressed in the commission’s report.”

It comes after the Charity Commission report stated that “based on the evidence provided and reviewed by the commission, it found no evidence of: widespread or systemic bullying or harassment, including misogyny or misogynoir at the charity”.

However, the commission added that it “acknowledged the strong perception of ill treatment felt by a number of parties to the dispute and the impact this may have had on them personally”.

But sources at Sentebale believe the reporting around this statement – that Prince Harry has been cleared of bullying – has been inaccurate, as the charity watchdog did not specifically look at allegations made by the chair, Dr Sophie Chandauka, including during an exclusive interview on Sky News.

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From March 2025: Charity chair’s bullying claims on Sky News

A source close to Prince Harry and the former board of trustees has hit back, and said: “It’s remarkable, just yesterday Ms Chanduaka was applauding the Charity Commission’s findings, yet today, after a flurry of unflattering headlines, she’s back on the warpath.

“Issuing yet another media statement only reinforces the commission’s criticism about using the press to air internal disputes.

“Rehashing unsubstantiated allegations of bullying, misogyny and more, which the commission found no evidence of and dressing them up as veiled threats isn’t just provocative, it’s pitiful.

“If Ms Chanduaka has genuine concerns, she should spell them out plainly or, better yet, redirect her energy toward something truly worthwhile, like raising money for the children Sentebale exists to support.”

It’s understood Prince Harry and his supporters have also been left unsatisfied by the scope of the report, including their concerns about money spent on consultants that was authorised by Dr Chandauka.

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Responding to Sky News, the Charity Commission said: “We have issued the charity with an action plan which sets out steps the current trustees need to take to improve governance weaknesses and rectify findings of mismanagement.

“We now urge all involved to put their differences behind them and allow the charity to focus on its work and beneficiaries”.

Their report, released on Wednesday, was highly critical of all parties for allowing their disagreement to play out so publicly and allowing it to severely impact the charity’s reputation.

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Bromley burglary: £500,000 worth of gold stolen from home

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Bromley burglary: £500,000 worth of gold stolen from home

Police have launched an appeal after £500,000 worth of jewellery was stolen from a house in southeast London.

The incident took place at a home in Bickley Road, Bromley, on 30 December last year.

Footage showed three men entering the property through a forced bathroom window.

The group, who entered the home at 5.40pm and left at 6.25pm, carried out the theft while the owners were home.

Pics: Met Police
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Pics: Met Police

The Metropolitan Police have now shared images of the stolen jewellery in a new appeal for information.

No arrests have been made in connection with the burglary so far.

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Pics: Met Police
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Pics: Met Police

Detective Constable Jamie White, of the Met’s South Area Command Unit, said: “While the monetary value of this theft is enormous, the sentimental value is priceless – with many of the pieces being passed down through generations of the family.

“Helpfully, a number of the pieces stolen are unique, so we are hoping that releasing these photographs will jog someone’s memory.”

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Three charged with showing support for Palestine Action

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Three charged with showing support for Palestine Action

Three people have been charged with showing support for Palestine Action after the group was banned as a terror organisation.

Two women and a man were arrested in Westminster following a protest in central London on 5 July, the Metropolitan Police said.

Jeremy Shippam, 71, of West Sussex, Judit Murray, also 71, of Surrey, and Fiona Maclean, 53, of Hackney in London, were charged with displaying an article in a public place, arousing reasonable suspicion they are a supporter of a proscribed organisation, under section 13 of the Terrorism Act 2000.

The trio are due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 16 September.

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What’s happening to Palestine Action?

The charges come ahead of a planned protest in support of the group on Saturday afternoon in Parliament Square in London, which organisers expect more than 500 people will attend.

Defend Our Juries, which is organising the demonstration, said protests will continue until a High Court challenge over Palestine Action’s ban in November.

Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, said: “Anyone who displays public support for Palestine Action, a proscribed organisation, is committing an offence under the Terrorism Act and can expect to be arrested and, as these charges show, will be investigated to the full extent of the law.

“These charges relate to three people arrested in central London on 5 July.

“We are also planning to send case files to the Crown Prosecution Service for the other 26 people arrested on the same day.

“I would strongly advise anyone planning to come to London this weekend to show support for Palestine Action to think about the potential criminal consequences of their actions.”

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The latest charges bring the total number of people charged with offences under the Terrorism Act related to Palestine Action to 10 across England, Wales and Scotland, Counter Terrorism Policing said.

Vicki Evans, senior national coordinator for Prevent and Pursue at Counter Terrorism Policing, said: “Our role is to enforce the law where we suspect offences to have been committed and we will continue to do so, without fear or favour.

“At this time, it remains illegal to be a member of or encourage support for the group Palestine Action. This legislation is specific to that group and does not interfere with the right to protest in support of the Palestinian cause.

“Operational plans are in place to ensure this right can be preserved over the coming days with protests expected in several major cities, including London.

“As well as robust plans to respond to activity in support of this proscribed group, resources are also in place to investigate offences that may be identified or reported following such events.”

More than 220 people have been arrested at protests across the UK in response to the proscription last month, as part of the campaign coordinated by Defend Our Juries, including on suspicion of membership of, inviting support for and showing support for Palestine Action.

The ban on the group came after two Voyager aircraft suffered around £7m worth of damage at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire on 20 June.

Three days later, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced plans to proscribe Palestine Action, calling the vandalism “disgraceful” and saying the group had a “long history of unacceptable criminal damage”.

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