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Antimonarchy protesters booed the moment King Charles III was crowned in Westminster Abbey, before launching into a chant of “not my king”.

It comes after a man with an unused megaphone has been arrested in St James’s Park, with police claiming it could “scare the horses”.

Police were seen surrounding a handcuffed anti-monarchy protester at the park in London, with Sky’s Jason Farrell reporting that an officer said he “was in a crowd of monarchists and [the megaphone] could cause them distress”.

It was the latest in a series of arrests in the hours leading up to the King’s coronation, with several human rights organisations accusing officers of being heavy-handed in their approach.

Sky News reporters on the ground say more than a dozen have been arrested – and the Metropolitan Police have confirmed seven arrests so far.

A van contained protest material that has now been confiscated. Pic: Twitter - @Labour4Republic
Image:
A van contained protest material that has now been confiscated. Pic: Twitter – @Labour4Republic

Among those detained are the leader of anti-monarchy group Republic, who was led away in a police van just after 7am as he made his way to a designated protest site, and Just Stop Oil protesters who were arrested on the Mall near Buckingham Palace a short while later over their plans to go over the barrier.

But Just Stop Oil claims they 20 members have been arrested merely for “wearing t-shirts and dispute claims they had planned to jump he barrier.

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Meet the coronation protesters

Another member of the Not My King protest was arrested at St James's Park
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A member of the Not My King protest was arrested at St James’s Park

‘Dystopian nightmare’

Footage on Twitter shows a police officer taking the details of Republic CEO Graham Smith.

In the video, one officer can be heard saying: “They are under arrest, end of.”

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Watch as Charles is crowned King

Scotland Yard said four people have been arrested on “suspicion of conspiracy to cause public nuisance”, after they were found with lock-on devices. A further three people were arrested at Wellington Arch and are being “held on suspicion of possessing articles to cause criminal damage”.

A spokeswoman for Just Stop Oil said five demonstrators were also arrested at Downing Street.

Pic: Twitter - @Labour4Republic
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Pic: Twitter – @Labour4Republic
Just Stop Oil arrests
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Just Stop Oil arrests on The Mall

She said the group’s plan was “only to display T-shirts and flags”, adding: “This is a dystopian nightmare.”

Onlookers to the arrests at The Mall sang the national anthem as the demonstrators shouted messages about climate change and the right to protest.

Some people approached protesters who were wearing handcuffs and told them to “shut up”, while others heckled the group and laughed at them.

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Guide to today’s coronation service
Which celebrities are attending today’s service?

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Anti-monarchy protesters arrested

‘Worrying’ use of new powers

Republic activist Luke Whiting, 26, said the group was arrested as they tried to bring yellow placards to a protest, and questioned if it was because “one of them was carrying a megaphone”.

He told Sky News: “We were very open with police about what we planned to do, which is hold a demonstration in Trafalgar Square.

“It seems [the protesters] have been arrested using this new powers. It’s quite a worrying thing to happen, we were pretty shocked.”

He said the group has been “open” with the police about what they had planned.

“They’ve said it’s perfectly legal for us to bring placards, bring flags and protest the coronation,” he added. “In a democratic society it is absolutely our right to do this and be peaceful and that’s what we are planning to do.”

Arrests have incensed protesters – as police’s threshold for disruption very low

It’s not surprising police already have used their new powers, given recent warnings in media briefings and a Home Office letter to protest groups.

The arrest of Republic supporters followed the alleged discovery, in a van delivering placards, of so-called ‘lock-on devices’.

A lock-on offence – the chaining of protesters to railings or buildings – is one of the new laws the government rushed through days before the coronation.

Sources said the devices were straps for carrying banners and a padlock to be used for locking the van during the day.

The arrest of a man for carrying a megaphone, which apparently could spook the processional horses and which he hadn’t used, particularly incensed protesters.

Police said they would clamp down where protest turned into disruption, but these arrests appear to have breached a very low threshold.

‘Incredibly alarming’

Non-profit campaign group Human Rights Watch said the “incredibly alarming” arrests were “something you would expect to see in Moscow, not London”.

Its UK director Yasmine Ahmed said in a statement: “Peaceful protests allow individuals to hold those in power to account, something the UK government seems increasingly averse to.”

On Wednesday, the Met announced it would have an “extremely low threshold” for protests during the coronation, and demonstrators could expect “swift action”.

The policing operation is set to see 11,500 police officers on duty on Saturday.

Sacha Deshmukh, Amnesty International UK’s chief executive, said the human rights group was concerned about the force’s statements about its “low tolerance” for protests ahead of the arrests.

He said: “We need to see what details emerge around these incidents, but merely being in possession of a megaphone or carrying placards should never be grounds for a police arrest.”

Arrest
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Protesters have been taken away in police vans

Police ‘found evidence of locking on’

One woman in a Republic T-shirt who was arrested said the group had been questioned about how they got through road closures.

“We had a delivery of placards ready for the protest, and then the tactical support unit questioned us as to how we had got through the road closures,” she said.

“They questioned whether what we were doing was a delivery. They then said they found evidence of means of locking on, of items that could be used to lock on, and they arrested us.”

Officers carried her away from where she had been standing outside a Tesco store, while two men who appeared to have been part of the same demonstration were carried away by officers into a marked police van.

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Watch anti-monarchy protests

Why protesters have taken to the streets

Campaigners from two anti-monarchy groups have been speaking to Sky News this morning, ahead of the coronation ceremony, about why they have taken to the streets.

“I don’t believe that power should pass from one nepotism baby to the next,” said Imogen McBeath from No More Royals.

“There is no qualification that they have that means they have a divine right to rule.”

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Meet the coronation protesters gathering in central London ahead of the King’s coronation

When questioned about the King’s attempts to slim down the monarchy, she replied: “If they wanted to make an effort, they would recognise where their wealth comes from – which is colonisation.

“They would give back jewels and artefacts that they have stolen.”

Luke Whiting from Republic added: “It’s an incredibly expensive coronation process, up to a quarter of a billion pounds in the middle of a cost of living crisis. I think people have really been shocked by that.”

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Boy saved from burning car after M6 crash caused by suicidal ex-RAF pilot, inquest hears

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Boy saved from burning car after M6 crash caused by suicidal ex-RAF pilot, inquest hears

A workman saved a seven-year-old boy from a burning car in the aftermath of a deadly crash caused by a suicidal ex-pilot, an inquest has heard.

The schoolboy’s rescue came following the collision on the M6, which killed former RAF man Richard Woods and four others, in October last year.

Last week a coroner ruled that Woods, 40, took his own life by deliberately driving his Skoda the wrong way down the motorway while drunk and hitting a Toyota Yaris head-on.

The driver of the Toyota, Jaroslaw Rossa, 42, was also killed, along with his two sons, Filip, 15, and Dominic, seven, and his partner Jade McEnroe, 33.

Cockermouth Coroner’s Court heard on Thursday that Ms McEnroe’s son was also in the car but survived after workman Gavin Walsh came to his rescue at the scene, which was near Tebay services in Cumbria.

In a statement to the inquest, Mr Walsh said he was a passenger in a transit van travelling to Scotland when he witnessed the crash.

He jumped out of the vehicle and used a jack to smash the rear windscreen of the Toyota and pulled the boy out of the burning vehicle.

Mr Walsh said: “We really did try, I can assure everyone we did our best. We only had minimal time.

“I saved a life that day and I hope never to witness anything like that again.”

He added that he has never stopped thinking about the boy, and said: “I hope we will meet again one day and I will give you a massive hug.”

At the time, the family were returning to Glasgow from a trip to Legoland in Windsor, Berkshire.

The inquest heard that Wood, who was travelling at a speed of at least 65mph, would have been charged with manslaughter had he survived.

Recording conclusions of unlawful killing, Cumbria assistant coroner Margaret Taylor said: “I found that Jaroslaw, Jade, Filip and Dominic died as a consequence of the unlawful acts of another driver.”

The inquest heard how Mr Woods, from Cambridgeshire, had served a distinguished 14-year career in the RAF and was a flight instructor for BAE Systems at the time of his death.

Jade McEnroe and son Arran. Pic: Cumbria Constabulary
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Jade McEnroe. Pic: Cumbria Constabulary

Dominic and Filip Rossa. Pic: Cumbria Constabulary
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Dominic and Filip. Pic: Cumbria Constabulary

In Ms Taylor’s record of inquest, Mr Woods was said to have been experiencing “a number of stressors in his life” and had a “history of harmful use of alcohol”.

Following the crash, he was found to be nearly four times over the legal drink-drive limit and a two-thirds empty bottle of gin was found in his car.

On the day of his death, concerns had been raised over his behaviour at a work conference near Preston in Lancashire.

Mr Woods failed to return to his seat after lunch and was later spotted driving erratically and swerving across three northbound carriageway lanes on the M6.

After pulling onto the hard shoulder, he then proceeded to U-turn and drove southward on lane three.

Filip, Dominic and Jaroslaw Rossa. Pic: Cumbria Constabulary
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Filip, Dominic and Jaroslaw Rossa. Pic: Cumbria Constabulary

Detective Sergeant Deborah Story, from Cumbria Police, told the inquest that Mr Woods would have been prosecuted on four counts of manslaughter had he lived.

She said hypothetical charges of murder were considered by detectives but not thought appropriate because of a lack of information that Mr Woods knew the family or anything that provided a link between them.

Ms McEnroe’s parents, Marie McEnroe and George McNellis, told the coroner they thought it was “murder”.

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A statement from the mother of Filip and Dominic, and the ex-wife of Mr Rossa, Kamila, was read out at the inquest.

She said Mr Rossa, known as Jarek, was born in Poland where they became a couple and went on to have three boys.

He loved playing computer games and had “lots of friends”, she said, and worked at the Wagamama restaurant in Silverburn, Glasgow.

She said she was “devastated” over the deaths, adding: “Our lives will never be the same.

“I am heartbroken at the passing of my beloved angels Filip and Dominic.”

Marie McEnroe said her daughter, a spa therapist, had been in a relationship with Mr Rossa for about two-and-a-half years.

She said Jade had been a “brilliant mother” to her only child, was “really happy” with Mr Rossa and it was “lovely chaos” when all the boys were playing together.

Ms McEnroe added: “Life changed forever that day”.

Ms Taylor praised the “selfless acts of bravery” from those in the aftermath of the collision, including Mr Walsh, who she said went towards the burning car “without hesitation for his own safety”.

The coroner added: “Without his swift response, Jade’s child would also have perished.”

Addressing the bereaved family members, she said: “Your loss is unimaginable but you have conducted yourself with dignity and I thank you for that. I wish you strength for the future.”

Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK.

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Thomas Kettleborough: ‘Vile’ former police inspector caught in child sex sting

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Thomas Kettleborough: 'Vile' former police inspector caught in child sex sting

A ‘vile’ former police officer who was caught in a sting operation after travelling to meet what he thought was a 14-year-old boy has been jailed.

Thomas Kettleborough, 35, then an inspector with Avon and Somerset Police, was arrested in July 2023 while attempting to meet up with ‘the teenager’ after communicating with him on Grindr and Snapchat.

However, he was actually speaking to undercover officers.

After being detained at a car park in Bristol, officers found a bag in the boot of his car containing “an assortment of sex toys, condoms and bondage equipment, including a pair of limb restraints,” Exeter Crown Court heard.

More than 150 indecent images of children were also discovered on his phone and computer.

Kettleborough used the apps to have sexually explicit chats with the teenager, using the name Liam, while claiming to be 28, prosecutors said.

In February, he pleaded guilty to several child sex offences, including attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and attempting to cause or incite a child to engage in sexual activity.

Last month he was sacked by Avon and Somerset Police and barred from policing for gross misconduct.

He was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison on Thursday.

Assistant Chief Constable Joanne Hall, from Avon and Somerset Police, said the public would be “appalled by the vile and manipulative actions of this former officer”.

She added: “He was caught following a policing operation designed to keep children safe which has resulted in his wider offending being identified.”

Detective Inspector Dave Wells, who led the investigation, said Kettleborough’s crimes took place over four years,

The former officer held positions of trust in the police, the Sea Cadets and the Royal Lifesaving Society, but “concealed his true identity through an online persona as ‘Liam’, ‘L S’ and ‘Liamss5506’,” Mr Wells said.

Mr Wells added: “Specialist investigators are ready to listen and investigate any reports relating to Thomas Kettleborough or any other matters of concern. I want people to know that they will be believed.

“Thomas Kettleborough is now behind bars. I hope if there are others that have been affected by this case, they now feel empowered to tell someone, if they are ready to do so.”

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Lee Bremridge, defending, said Kettleborough had shown genuine remorse for his crimes.

He added that the former officer had “done everything that he can attempt to do to try and understand why it is he committed the offences that he did.”

Kettleborough was also handed an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and will be on the Sex Offenders’ Register for life.

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Girl, 13, dies in house fire

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Girl, 13, dies in house fire

A 13-year-old girl has died after a house fire in Merseyside.

Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service (MFRS) said it was called to the scene in Prescot, in the borough of Knowsley, at 11.42pm on Wednesday.

Crews arrived to find a blaze in the rear bedroom of a mid-terraced house.

In a statement, police said: “A man, woman and five children were able to escape from the property unharmed.

“Sadly, a 13-year-old girl was pronounced dead at the scene. Her family are aware and are being supported by specially trained officers.”

Police said four firefighters entered the property with breathing apparatus to tackle the fire, which was on the first floor, and search for people.

The blaze was extinguished at 12.29am on Thursday.

A joint investigation involving MFRS’s Incident Investigation Team and Merseyside Police has been launched.

Detective Inspector Steven O’Neill said: “Our thoughts are with the family of the young girl at this very sad time…

“A joint investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing and the girl’s family is being supported by specially trained officers.”

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