Footage has emerged of the moment police discovered what they believe to be the body of Clapham chemical attack suspect Abdul Ezedi in the River Thames.
The video shows two officers pulling a body out of the water at Tower Pier, near Tower Bridge and the Tower of London.
It also shows officers working alongside lifeboat crews on the River Thames during the operation.
Image: Police board a lifeboat beside the pier
One witness to the incident, Billy Kither, said he and his friend were on an Uber Boat on the Thames near Tower Bridge on Monday around 4pm when he saw a flurry of police activity.
“Police came on to the boat, I think for random checks,” he told Sky News.
“They were just walking about looking at people, making sure everyone was okay.
“Then the radio went for the boat, saying ‘We can’t stop there is someone in the water’.
“The police radios started going, police boats, the search and rescue pulled up next to us and the police hopped on [another boat]. [There was] panic on their faces.”
Marine police teams had been searching the River Thames in London for Ezedi, who was accused of throwing a strong alkali on his ex-partner and injuring her daughters, aged three and eight.
He is believed to have “gone in the water” a few hours after the south London attack on 31 January.
Police said the crew of a passing boat reported they had seen a body in the water at Tower Pier EC3 around 4pm on Monday.
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How Clapham chemical attack unfolded
The body was recovered by the Met’s Marine Policing Unit and has been seen by detectives investigating the chemical attack.
“Based on the distinctive clothing he was wearing at the time of the attack and property found on his body, we strongly believe we have recovered the body of Ezedi,” Commander Jon Savell said.
“We have been in contact with his family to pass on the news.
“As you may expect after a considerable period of time in the strong current of the Thames, formal identification is not possible visually, nor from fingerprints.
“We will work with the coroner on other ways to complete formal identification, such as DNA testing and dental records. That may take some time.”
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The Metropolitan Police said on 9 February that it was likely Ezedi had entered the River Thames in the area of Chelsea Bridge in London. CCTV showed him leaning over railings just hours after the attack.
Officers said he had probably died.
Image: CCTV image of Ezedi crossing over Chelsea Bridge and entering Battersea Park on 31 January. Pic: PA/Met Police
Police had previously warned his body might never be found, due to the fast winter currents in the river.
A nationwide manhunt had been launched for Ezedi, after his suspected involvement in the Clapham assault.
A corrosive alkaline substance was thrown and also injured police officers who responded to the incident, as well as neighbours on Lessar Avenue, near Clapham Common, who rushed to help the family.
Image: Abdul Ezedi. Pic: Met Police
Police said on Tuesday that the condition of the woman had improved and that she remained in a stable condition in hospital, and was no longer sedated.
A friend of the woman told Sky News the victim is still in critical care, has lost her sight in one eye and that “physically and mentally there is a very, very long road ahead for her and the girls”.
They added that the mother is “desperate to be reunited” with her daughters and is “determined to get out of hospital as quickly as possible”.
The friend described her as the “strongest, most independent person we know”.
More than £44,000 has been raised so far for the woman and her two children in a fundraising drive organised by her friends.
Commander Savell said officers had still not been able to speak to her, but hoped to as soon as she was well enough.
“Our enquiries continue into the attack,” he added.
Ezedi was previously in a relationship with the woman, police believe, but it broke down.
It was considered a possible motive by the force.
The 35-year-old lived in Newcastle after a successful asylum application to stay in the UK – despite being convicted of a sexual offence.
It has become almost impossible to book a driving test on the government website due to bots on the booking system, driving instructors have told Sky News.
The only official way to book a practical car driving test is through the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) website.
New test slots are released by the DVSA at 6am every Monday, but “no matter how fast I am, there’s nothing available”, said Aman Sanghera, a driving instructor based in west London.
Image: Driving instructor Aman Sanghera wants ‘stronger oversight and regulation’ from the DVSA
When asked about the cause, she said: “All of the tests are taken by bots, they are definitely taking over the booking system.”
In this context, bots are automated software designed to mimic human behaviour and programmed to carry out actions like searching for and reserving driving test appointments on the official government website much faster than humans can.
Individuals and companies use bots to block-book driving test slots and then resell them at a profit, which is not illegal, although it is a violation of the DVSA’s terms of use.
Recent data shows the DVSA has closed over 800 business accounts for misuse of its booking service in the past two years.
Image: It takes five months on average for a test in England – unless you pay a middleman
Ms Sanghera, who has been in the trade for over a decade, said the usage of bots started a few months ago “but is now getting out of hand”.
She said: “I’ve actually heard about driving instructors being approached by certain individuals to then take on their IDs to log in and to run this scam.
“I struggle to actually book a test for my students, which means that by the time my students are logging in, they’ve got no chance.”
Driving instructors can book driving tests on behalf of their pupils using a dedicated service, allowing them to bypass the general queue and potentially secure test slots more efficiently.
As a result, Ms Sanghera said students are “forced to go to third-party sites” to secure “the same test dates which are then available later on during the day at a premium rate of like £200-£300”.
She added: “Given that the DVSA is a government-regulated body, one would expect a more robust and fair system to ensure affordability and accessibility for all candidates.”
Image: The long waiting lists and high demand for tests has led some to take advantage
The standard test fee is £62, offered by the DVSA, which is responsible for carrying out driving tests in Great Britain.
The biggest concern for the driving instructors Sky News has spoken to, including Ms Sanghera, is “the fact that students are being exploited”.
When Ahmed Ali struggled to find a practical test on the DVSA website, he turned to third-party sites – a decision he now regrets.
Image: Ahmed Ali started looking for a test two years ago
He said: “I’ve spent about £650 on driving tests, and I’ve sat zero tests. I’ve given all this money to third-parties that look for cancellations so they could try to get you a faster test.”
But the 20-year-old said that despite making the payments, he “didn’t hear back from them again”, which is illegal.
“When you lose all that money, you get to a point where you can’t really afford to find another driving test,” he said.
“I just feel very frustrated because I’ve spent all this money, all this time into driving, and I haven’t sat a single driving test.”
The DVSA urged applicants to only book tests via the official Gov.uk website and told Sky News it “deploys enhanced bot protection to help stop automated systems from buying up tests unfairly”.
“These applications, however, are constantly evolving and changing, and DVSA’s work on this is ongoing,” it said.
From Tuesday, the DVSA will require learner drivers to provide 10 full working days’ notice to change or cancel their car driving test without losing the test fee, up from the current three days.
Also part of the DVSA’s crackdown to reduce waiting times is a consultation expected to launch in spring 2025 “to streamline the driving test booking process” and “tighten terms and conditions”.
Russell Brand has been charged with rape and two counts of sexual assault between 1999 and 2005.
The Metropolitan Police say the 50-year-old comedian, actor and author has also been charged with one count of oral rape and one count of indecent assault.
The charges relate to four women.
He is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday 2 May.
Police have said Brand is accused of raping a woman in the Bournemouth area in 1999 and indecently assaulting a woman in the Westminster area of London in 2001.
He is also accused of orally raping and sexually assaulting a woman in Westminster in 2004.
The fourth charge alleges that a woman was sexually assaulted in Westminster between 2004 and 2005.
Police began investigating Brand, from Oxfordshire, in September 2023 after receiving a number of allegations.
The comedian has previously denied the accusations, and said all his sexual relationships were “absolutely always consensual”.
Met Police Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy, who is leading the investigation, said: “The women who have made reports continue to receive support from specially trained officers.
“The Met’s investigation remains open and detectives ask anyone who has been affected by this case, or anyone who has any information, to come forward and speak with police.”
The last blast furnaces left operating in Britain could see their fate sealed within days, after their Chinese owners took the decision to cut off the crucial supply of ingredients keeping them running.
Jingye, the owner of British Steel in Scunthorpe, has, according to union representatives, cancelled future orders for the iron ore, coal and other raw materials needed to keep the furnaces running.
The upshot is that they may have to close next month – even sooner than the earliest date suggested for its closure.
The fate of the blast furnaces – the last two domestic sources of virgin steel, made from iron ore rather than recycled – is likely to be determined in a matter of days, with the Department for Business and Trade now actively pondering nationalisation.
The upshot is that even as Britain contends with a trade war across the Atlantic, it is now working against the clock to secure the future of steelmaking at Scunthorpe.
The talks between the government and Jingye broke down last week after the Chinese company, which bought British Steel out of receivership in 2020, rejected a £500m offer of public money to replace the existing furnaces with electric arc furnaces.
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The sum is the same one it offered to Tata Steel, which has shut down the other remaining UK blast furnaces in Port Talbot and is planning to build electric furnaces – which have far lower carbon emissions.
Image: These steel workers could soon be out of work
However, the owners argue that the amount is too little to justify extra investment at Scunthorpe, and said last week they were now consulting on the date of shutting both the blast furnaces and the attached steelworks.
Since British Steel is the main provider of steel rails to Network Rail – as well as other construction steels available from only a few sites in the world – the closure would leave the UK more reliant on imports for critical infrastructure sites.
However, since the site belongs to its Chinese owners, a decision to nationalise the site would involve radical steps government officials are wary of taking.
They also fear leaving taxpayers exposed to a potentially loss-making business for the long run.
The dilemma has been heightened by the sharp turn in geopolitical sentiment following Donald Trump’s return to the White House.
The incipient trade war and threatened cut in American support to Europe have sparked fresh calls for countries to act urgently to secure their own supplies of critical materials, especially those used for defence and infrastructure.
Gareth Stace, head of UK Steel, the industry lobby group, said: “Talks seem to have broken down between government and British Steel.
“My advice to government is: please, Jonathan Reynolds, Business Secretary, get back round that negotiating table, thrash out a deal, and if a deal can’t be found in the next few days, then I fear for the very future of the sector, but also here for Scunthorpe steelworks.”