Connect with us

Published

on

A man who murdered his girlfriend in what was described as a “beyond sadistic” attack has been jailed for a minimum of 23 years.

Christopher McGowan, 28, violently beat and strangled mother-of-one Claire Inglis.

He also burned the 28-year-old with a lighter and jammed a wet wipe down her throat.

Ms Inglis sustained 76 injuries in the fatal attack, which left her with bleeding inside her skull and extensive injuries to her neck.

McGowan was handed a life sentence with at least 23 years behind bars at the High Court in Edinburgh on Wednesday.

Judge Michael O’Grady said: “To those who have not listened to the evidence in this trial, it is difficult to truly convey the utter brutality of the death you inflicted on Claire Inglis.

“By the time her broken and lifeless body was found, she had no fewer than 76 separate sites of injury.

“The fact is, this young woman was not only murdered; she was subjected to nothing short of torture.

“I shudder to imagine what her last minutes were like.

“To describe what you did as sadistic falls woefully short of the mark. It was beyond sadistic.”

Claire Inglis captured on CCTV before she was murdered by  Christopher McGowan. Pic: Crown Office
Image:
Claire Inglis captured on CCTV before she was murdered by Christopher McGowan. Pic: Crown Office

Ms Inglis died at her home in St Ninians, Stirling, on Sunday 28 November 2021.

McGowan was found guilty last month following a trial at the High Court in Stirling.

He had initially claimed he had been acting in self-defence.

‘He should never have been in flat with my grandson’

McGowan was said to have a “long record of offending”, comprising some 39 previous convictions.

The court heard his relationship with Ms Inglis was “new”.

McGowan had previously been remanded in custody on charges including dangerous driving but was bailed to Ms Inglis’ home address a few weeks before the attack.

Four of the five bail orders in force against McGowan at the time of the murder were granted in little more than two months before the killing.

Speaking after the case, Ms Inglis’ parents criticised the decision to release McGowan to live at their daughter’s home.

Her father Ian said: “He should never ever have been put in her flat with my grandson and Claire – not with the criminal record he had.”

Read more from Sky News:
Man jailed for life for murdering woman with tyre iron
Murderer dies without revealing where victim’s remains are

‘You have shown not a flicker of emotion’

Judge O’Grady noted a background report which said McGowan had accepted full responsibility for the murder and had shown “remorse and regret”.

However, the judge added McGowan had gone to “great lengths” to “minimise and deny” his responsibility for Ms Inglis’ death.

The judge said: “And as for your remorse and regret, I have watched you carefully throughout these proceedings.

“Even in the face of the most graphic and distressing evidence, you have shown not a flicker of emotion, not a hint of distress, not a shadow of remorse.”

The judge said McGowan’s detailed account of the events of that night was a “self-serving tissue of lies and a grotesque distortion of the awful truth”.

He added: “It is that dishonesty which is the true measure of your remorse.

“As for the tears you shed at interview, I have no doubt they were shed for none but yourself.”

Young son ‘bereft and bewildered’ after ‘evil’ crime

The judge said Ms Inglis’ life “ended in pain and terror at the age of 28”.

He said: “I have in particular mind the victim impact statement of her young son who now spends each day lonely, bereft and bewildered, unable to make sense of why he must grow up without his mother.”

Judge O’Grady added: “It is often said in these courts – because it is always true – that no sentence a judge can impose can truly reflect the taking of a life.

“It cannot bring back one who is lost, or change the past, or turn back time.

“All it can do is, in some measure, punish the perpetrator and mark the horror and despair that all right-minded people feel when forced to confront the evil done by such as you.”

Claire Inglis captured on CCTV before she was murdered by  Christopher McGowan. Pic: Crown Office
Image:
Ms Inglis was a mum-of-one. Pic: Crown Office

Following the court case, Moira Orr, Scotland’s Procurator Fiscal for homicide, said McGowan showed “cruelty and contempt” for Ms Inglis.

Ms Orr added: “As prosecutors, we have worked to deliver justice for Claire.

“The case was carefully investigated by COPFS working with Police Scotland, demonstrating that McGowan had displayed aggressive and controlling behaviour towards Claire prior to her murder.

“By not accepting responsibility for his actions, McGowan made Claire’s family go through the ordeal of a trial. Our prosecution team unpicked his deception, and this has resulted in his conviction for murder.

“Our thoughts are now of Claire, and we offer condolences to everyone who loved her.”

Continue Reading

UK

‘Britain’s strictest headteacher’ Katharine Birbalsingh criticises Education Secretary over ‘appalling’ schools bill

Published

on

By

'Britain's strictest headteacher' Katharine Birbalsingh criticises Education Secretary over 'appalling' schools bill

Educators are split over the government’s proposed Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, with some saying the move will improve fairness and accountability and others warning it could limit innovation in academy schools.

Pushed by the Department for Education (DfE) as a means to reform the education system, the bill seeks to improve school standards, strengthen attendance policies, and ensure that children receive a well-rounded education that prioritises their wellbeing.

The legislation also includes measures to increase school accountability, particularly for academies, by giving more oversight to the DfE.

Katharine Birbalsingh, headteacher of Michaela School in Wembley, north London, called it “absolutely appalling”.

“I’m just really concerned because, at the moment, school leaders have the freedom to do various things that are right for their intake,” she told Sky News.

“This bill will take those freedoms away.”

Ms Birbalsingh, also known as ‘Britain’s strictest headteacher’, added: “We got unlucky because we could have had Wes Streeting as education secretary, which would have been fine. Unfortunately, we got her [Bridget Phillipson].

More on Education

“She [Ms Phillipson] is so arrogant. She’s just marched in there and gone, ‘I know what I’m doing, I’ll just do what I want’.”

But some argue that academies are left to their own devices and have a lack of accountability when it comes to things like parental complaints.

The bill will require all schools to follow the national curriculum and employ teachers who have Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) or are working towards it.

The founder of the Oasis Academies, Steve Chalke
Image:
Steve Chalke, founder of Oasis Academies

The founder of Oasis Academies, Steve Chalke, told Sky News: “We’re excited about the changes because we feel that education has been in a very, very poor place for the last decade or more.

“Schools have been stripped of resources and there have been giant problems about the recruitment and retention of teachers.

“We feel that this important bill is beginning to address all of those issues.”

The bill plans to provide all primary school children with breakfast, alongside uniform limits.

This would prevent schools from having more than three items of branded uniform clothing, potentially addressing concerns parents have about the cost of uniforms.

Mr Chalke said: “I am a fan of working hard collaboratively to create the best opportunities for any and every young person and their family.

“Because behind every struggling child is normally a parent who’s struggling with that.”

He added: “We at Oasis are excited about all of this, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have questions.

“It doesn’t mean that we’re being led blindly down the road, but our job is to be engaged in the discussion about how academies work more widely with their local authorities.”

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

February: Govt’s overhauling of Ofsted inspections

Read more:
More children than ever are not in school

Teaching unions gear up for fight over AI job-loss fears
Headteachers ‘receive murder threats’ by pupils’ parents

The bill will also give local authorities greater control over the pupil admission process.

Ms Birbalsingh said: “Any council could decide to reduce the number of children in one school and therefore reduce the money at that school and give more pupils to another school that’s struggling.”

Mr Chalke said: “Educational academy boards, academy groups, need to be accountable in strong partnership with others. And if this bill delivers everything it promises, wow. I think [it] will be an extraordinary outcome.”

Empty classroom chairs TOP
Image:
The bill will give local authorities greater control over the pupil admission process

The bill is set to be debated further in the coming weeks as it moves through parliament.

A DfE spokesperson said: “This government is determined to drive high and rising standards for every child through our Plan for Change, to ensure every family has a good local school for their child.

“Our landmark Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill delivers on this mission, getting high-quality teachers into every classroom, and ensuring there is a floor on pay and no ceiling.

“These measures will make sure we are giving every child an education as good as the best.”

Continue Reading

UK

Labour MPs Yuan Yang and Abtisam Mohamed denied entry and deported from Israel

Published

on

By

Labour MPs Yuan Yang and Abtisam Mohamed denied entry and deported from Israel

Two Labour MPs have been denied entry to Israel and deported.

Yuan Yang and Abtisam Mohamed were rejected because they were suspected of plans to “document the activities of security forces and spread anti-Israel hatred”, according to a statement from the Israeli immigration ministry.

Ms Yang, who represents Earley and Woodley, and Ms Mohamed, the MP for Sheffield Central, both flew to the country from Luton on Saturday.

According to a statement from the Israeli immigration ministry, they were accompanied by two assistants and during questioning, the MPs claimed they were visiting Israel “as part of an official parliamentary delegation”.

The ministry branded their claim as “false”, but UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy reacted to news of the MPs’ detention saying their treatment while “on a parliamentary delegation to Israel” was “unacceptable”.

In their own statement, the two women said they were “astounded at the unprecedented step taken by the Israeli authorities”.

“It is vital that parliamentarians are able to witness, first-hand, the situation in the occupied Palestinian territory,” the statement said.

More on Israel

“We are two, out of scores of MPs, who have spoken out in Parliament in recent months on the Israel-Palestine conflict and the importance of complying with international humanitarian law. Parliamentarians should feel free to speak truthfully in the House of Commons, without fear of being targeted.”

They said they had travelled to “visit humanitarian aid projects and communities in the West Bank” with “UK charity partners who have over a decade of experience in taking parliamentary delegations”.

“We thank them, the staff of the British Embassy in Tel Aviv, the British Consulate in Jerusalem, the Middle East minister and the Foreign Secretary for their tireless support,” the statement concludes.

Israel’s UK embassy said the MPs were denied entry because they had “accused Israel of false claims, were actively involved in promoting sanctions against Israeli ministers, and supported campaigns aimed at boycotting the state of Israel”.

Its statement said the women “chose not to exercise their right under Israeli law to petition the court to reconsider the decision”.

As a result, they were “offered hotel accommodation, which they declined” and their return flight was covered by the Israeli state.

“The visit was intended to provoke anti-Israel activities at a time when Israel is at war and under attack on seven fronts. Its purpose was to harm Israel and Israeli citizens and spread falsehoods about them,” the statement added.

“The state of Israel has both the authority and the duty to prevent the entry of individuals whose presence in the country is intended to cause harm to its citizens – just as such authority exists in the United Kingdom.”

Read more from Sky News:
UK carmaker to ‘pause’ US shipments over Trump tariffs
Two people die after caravan fire at holiday park

Mr Lammy said in a statement to Sky News: “It is unacceptable, counterproductive, and deeply concerning that two British MPs on a parliamentary delegation to Israel have been detained and refused entry by the Israeli authorities.

“I have made clear to my counterparts in the Israeli government that this is no way to treat British parliamentarians, and we have been in contact with both MPs tonight to offer our support.

“The UK government’s focus remains securing a return to the ceasefire and negotiations to stop the bloodshed, free the hostages and end the conflict in Gaza.”

In an interview with Sky’s Trevor Phillips, chief secretary to the treasury Darren Jones echoed Mr Lammy’s accusation of “unacceptable” behaviour by the Israelis.

But Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch told Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips that “every country should be able to control its borders” and “that’s what Israel is doing” because they “gave reasons why those people shouldn’t have come in based on their laws”.

“It’s really important, I believe, to respect those countries’ decisions,” she told Sky News.

Ms Badenoch also said she is “very concerned” about the “rhetoric” on the Middle East from Labour MPs – and six independents – and therefore she was “not surprised” by the move of Israeli border officials.

She claimed there is “a lot of repeating of misinformation, repeating of conspiracy theories” during Prime Minister’s Questions.

“I see Labour MPs standing up and saying things which even Keir Starmer has to disagree with and shut down at PMQs,” she added.

Continue Reading

UK

Artist behind Trump portrait branded ‘the worst’ by president says her business is ‘in danger of not recovering’

Published

on

By

Artist behind Trump portrait branded 'the worst' by president says her business is 'in danger of not recovering'

An artist whose official portrait of Donald Trump was publicly criticised by the president said her business is now “in danger of not recovering”.

The Republican leader made headlines at the end of last month when, in a post on his Truth Social platform, he said the portrait hanging in Colorado’s State Capitol had been “purposefully distorted”.

Following the criticism, officials said the portrait would be taken down and it has since been removed.

Sarah Boardman, the British artist who painted the Trump portrait, said in a statement to Sky News she felt her “intentions, integrity, and abilities” had been “called into question” when the president criticised the oil painting.

In his post, Mr Trump said a portrait by the same artist of former US president Barack Obama was “wonderful” but “the one on me is truly the worst”.

Sarah Boardman. Pic : AP
Image:
Sarah Boardman. Pic : AP

Read more from Sky News:
Thousands protest against Trump at rallies in every US state
Do Trump’s numbers on tariffs really add up?

Referring to Ms Boardman, whose collection of official portraits also includes one of former president George W Bush, Mr Trump said “she must have lost her talent as she got older”.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Trump’s portrait to be taken down

He then added: “In any event, I would much prefer not having a picture than having this one.”

Almost two weeks since the criticism, Ms Boardman has now responded saying her business has been detrimentally impacted.

She said: “President Trump is entitled to comment freely, as we all are, but the additional allegations that I ‘purposefully distorted’ the portrait, and that I ‘must have lost my talent as I got older’ are now directly and negatively impacting my business of over 41 years which now is in danger of not recovering.”

The artist also described how “for the six years that the portrait hung in the Colorado State Capitol Building Rotunda, I received overwhelmingly positive reviews and feedback”.

“Since President Trump’s comments, that has changed for the worst,” she added.

👉 Follow Trump 100 on your podcast app 👈

Ms Boardman said the Colorado State Capitol Advisory Committee, Denver, commissioned her to paint the official portrait of President Trump for the Denver State Capitol Gallery of Presidents.

“The reference photograph and my subsequent ‘works in progress’ were all approved, throughout that process, by that committee,” she said.

“I completed the portrait accurately, without ‘purposeful distortion’, political bias, or any attempt to caricature the subject, actual or implied. I fulfilled the task per my contract.”

Continue Reading

Trending