Connect with us

Published

on

Thousands of illegal wildlife products – including reptile blood – were seized by UK Border Force as part of a global operation against organised crime.

Clothes and accessories made from snakeskin, turtle shell and ivory, as well as consumer products containing cactus, orchid and caviar were seized in the UK in October.

Known as Operation Thunder, the 145 seizures made at the border also included 53 live birds.

The global operation, led by Interpol and the World Customs Organisation, saw over 133 countries make 2,114 seizures and 500 arrests.

Undated handout photo issued by the Home Office of a Sawfish rostrum seized during Operation Thunder. Border Force officials seized thousands of illegal wildlife products coming into the UK during October in an international operation against organised crime, the Home Office has said. Known as Operation Thunder, products include clothes and accessories made from snakeskin, turtle shell and ivory as well as consumer products containing cactus and orchid, crocodile blood and caviar. UK officers ma
Image:
Sawfish rostrum seized by UK Border Force. Pic: Home Office

More than 300kg of ivory were recovered, along with thousands of turtle eggs, 30 tonnes of plants, dozens of big cat body parts and rhino horns as well as primates, birds and marine species in countries like India, Thailand and the Czech Republic.

Wildlife crime is the fourth-largest international crime, worth up to £17bn globally a year, according to the Home Office.

Pangolin in Boswana. Pic: Interpol
Image:
Pangolin in Botswana. Pic: Interpol

Ivory. Pic: Interpol
Image:
More than 300kg of ivory was discovered. Pic: Interpol

“The illegal wildlife trade is driven by criminal gangs and threatens species with extinction, fuels corruption, and deprives the world’s poorest communities of sustainable livelihoods,” Tom Pursglove, minister for legal migration and delivery said.

“Border Force plays a leading global role in eradicating this damaging illegal trade, and our recent successes under Operation Thunder are proof of this.”

The current operation is intended to help protect the overall decline of nature and meet the government’s target of protecting 30% of nature by 2030 – agreed internationally at a UN summit.

Read more:
Gamekeeper who filmed animal fights for TikTok spared jail
Endangered baby rhino born at Oregon Zoo

Two golden handed tamarins in Czech Republic. Pic: Interpol
Image:
Two golden handed tamarins in the Czech Republic. Pic: Interpol

It comes as the government faces pressure to strengthen action on animal welfare after its Hunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) Bill was defeated in the House of Lords last month.

If passed, it would have prohibited bringing trophies of dead animals such as lions into the UK from hunting trips in Africa and elsewhere.

Turtle in Thailand. Pic: Interpol
Image:
Turtle in Thailand. Pic: Interpol

Dr Mark Jones, head of policy for charity Born Free, said: “Wildlife trafficking is serious, organised, transnational and increasing.

“It is also closely tied to other forms of serious crime, such as corruption, fraud and money laundering. All too often, criminal gangs view wildlife trafficking as a low-risk high-return activity.

“The work of Border Force in interrupting the trafficking of wildlife products across the UK’s borders is critical to the UK’s efforts to tackle this scourge.”

Continue Reading

UK

Man accused of driving into crowds at Liverpool victory parade faces further 24 charges

Published

on

By

Man accused of driving into crowds at Liverpool victory parade faces further 24 charges

A man accused of driving into crowds at Liverpool FC’s title parade faces 24 new charges.

More than 130 people, including children, were injured when Paul Doyle allegedly drove his Ford Galaxy vehicle into hordes of fans at the celebrations on 26 May.

The 53-year-old, of Croxteth, Liverpool, was originally charged with two counts of wounding with intent, two counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, two counts of attempted grievous bodily harm with intent, and one count of dangerous driving.

Six of the new alleged offences relate to babies, including one six-month-old and one seven-month-old, proceedings at Liverpool Crown Court heard on Thursday.

The new indictment, which was not read out in court, now has 31 counts relating to 29 victims, aged between six months and 77 years old.

Doyle now faces 18 counts of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm, nine counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, two counts of wounding with intent, one count of dangerous driving and one count of affray.

He appeared in court via video link from prison and was in tears.

Read more from Sky News:
Fourteen injured after children’s rollercoaster ‘derails’
Travellers warned after rise in chikungunya infections
Photos of ‘zombie rabbits’ go viral – yes, they’re real

He did not enter any pleas during the hearing, which lasted around 20 minutes.

The case was adjourned until 4 September, when Doyle is expected to enter pleas.

Continue Reading

UK

Mosquito bite warning after rise in chikungunya cases in travellers returning to UK

Published

on

By

Mosquito bite warning after rise in chikungunya cases in travellers returning to UK

Travellers are being warned about mosquito bites on holiday after a rise in chikungunya infections in people returning to the UK.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) also said the first cases of the emerging oropouche virus had been recorded.

Chikungunya typically causes sudden fever and joint pain, which can be debilitating, and lasts from a few days to weeks.

The name comes from a word in a Tanzanian language meaning “that which bends up”, owing to the joint pain associated with it.

Most people recover but in some cases the symptoms can last several months or even years.

It’s spread by mosquito bites in tropical and subtropical regions, and most of the 73 cases reported in the UK so far this year were in London and linked to travel to Sri Lanka, India, and Mauritius.

Only 27 cases were reported in the same January to June period last year.

More from UK

Chikungunya can’t spread directly from person to person – so if someone becomes ill in the UK, they can’t pass the infection on, and the mosquitos responsible aren’t present here.

Dr Philip Veal, consultant in public health at the UKHSA, said it can be a “nasty disease” and the increase in cases was “worrying”.

“It is essential to take precautions against mosquito bites when travelling,” he said.

More on this story:
Thousands fall ill with chikungunya in China

“Simple steps, such as using insect repellent, covering up your skin and sleeping under insecticide-treated bed nets can greatly reduce the risk.”

Chikungunya is mainly found in Asia and Africa, but cases have been reported in Europe and North America this year.

Two vaccines to guard against the infection are available in the UK from private travel clinics.

The first cases of the Oropouche virus have also been confirmed in Britain, according to the UKHSA.

It’s spread by midge and mosquito bites and the three cases are all linked to travel to Brazil.

Oropouche was first identified in Trinidad and Tobago in the 1950s and had been mainly confined to the Amazon area.

However, cases have been increasing since 2023 and have shown up in places such as the Dominican Republic, Cuba, and Peru.

Read more from Sky News:
Swarm of jellyfish shuts down nuclear plant
Vaccine gives hope for pancreatic cancer patients

Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle and joint pain, nausea and vomiting.

Anyone who gets such symptoms after being in Central and South America or the Caribbean is advised to get urgent medical advice.

Most people recover on their own, but it can cause severe disease in the very elderly or those with a weak immune system.

Continue Reading

UK

Man staying at hotel that has been focus of protests denies sexual assault charge

Published

on

By

Man staying at hotel that has been focus of protests denies sexual assault charge

A man staying at a hotel that has been the focus of a series of protests has denied a charge of sexual assault and faces a trial next month.

Mohammed Sharwarq, a 32-year-old Syrian national, was arrested after police were called to the Bell Hotel on the Epping High Road in Essex yesterday, police said.

Sharwarq, who is alleged to have kissed a man on the neck, indicated a plea of not guilty to a charge of sexual assault at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court today.

He indicated guilty pleas to six further charges concerning four complainants – with two counts of common assault and four of assault by beating.

Sharwarq is alleged to have punched a man in the face, thrown an object at a man, slapped a third man in the face and attempted to punch a fourth.

Sky News understands the alleged offences took place inside the hotel between 25 July and 12 August.

Read more from Sky News:
Three teens in court over man’s murder
What to expect from Trump-Putin summit

District judge Lynette Woodrow remanded Sharwarq, who was assisted in court by an Arabic interpreter, in custody until his trial on 30 September.

The arrest followed weeks of protests outside the hotel.

Neil Hudson, the Conservative MP for Epping Forest, said last month that the protests were a crisis that “risks boiling over”.

Continue Reading

Trending