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A man who used a mobility scooter has been stabbed to death in east London.

Jade Anthony Barnett, 38, was attacked on Wednesday afternoon and two men have since been arrested.

Jade Anthony Barnett, 38, was attacked on Wednesday afternoon and two men have since been arrested. The Metropolitan Police said officers were called at 3.38pm on Wednesday to reports of a fight in Rushmore Road, Clapton, and found a man with a stab injury.
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Jade Anthony Barnett

The Metropolitan Police said officers were called at 3.38pm on Wednesday to reports of a fight in Rushmore Road, Clapton, and found a man with a stab injury.

He was treated by London Ambulance Service paramedics but was pronounced dead at the scene.

Tributes on Overbury Street, near the scene in Rushmore Road, Clapton.
Pic: PA
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Tributes on Overbury Street, near the scene in Rushmore Road, Clapton. Pic: PA

Tributes on Overbury Street, near the scene in Rushmore Road, Clapton.
Pic: PA
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Tributes on Overbury Street, near the scene in Rushmore Road, Clapton. Pic: PA

His sister, Simone Barnett, 45, from Hackney, told the PA news agency that her brother was “jolly, cheerful, caring” and he never took anything “too seriously… he laughed everything off”.

A local resident, Paul Edgar, told Sky News that Mr Barnett was “a really good man” and a “thoroughly decent guy”.

He added that the stabbing was “very shocking” and just one other similar incident had happened in the area in the 50 years he had lived there.

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A police officer stands by a police cordon as members of the public lay tributes on Overbury Street, near the scene in Rushmore Road, Clapton.
Pic: PA
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A police officer stands by a police cordon as members of the public lay tributes on Overbury Street, near the scene in Rushmore Road, Clapton. Pic: PA

Another neighbour, Jacquie, said Mr Barnett was a “ray of light” and had a “face that could light anyone’s day”.

She added that he was “super nice” and “a joy to see”. She called him “Mr Sunshine” because “his smile would just lift you”.

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‘He never had a bad bone in his body’ said Mr Barnett’s neighbour

“The community is just devastated because he didn’t deserve that. He was never nasty to anyone, he never had a bad bone in his body,” she told Sky News.

A police tent on Overbury Street near the scene in Rushmore Road, Clapton, east London, after a man in his 30s was stabbed to death. Two men have been arrested. Picture date: Thursday August 29, 2024.
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A police tent near the scene in Rushmore Road, Clapton. Pic: PA

Mr Barnett used to live in Clapton with his mother but his friends said he had moved to the Stratford area.

He is believed to have lost his leg in a motorcycle accident in 2007.

Pic: PA
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Pic: PA

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Pic: PA

Two men, aged 28 and 21, have been arrested and remain in custody at an east London police station.

A black and grey electric wheelchair could be seen standing behind the cordon close to a forensics tent at the scene late on Wednesday evening.

Forensic officers at the scene in Rushmore Road. Pic: PA
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Forensic officers at the scene in Rushmore Road. Pic: PA

Detective Chief Superintendent James Conway, responsible for policing in Hackney and Tower Hamlets, said: “Our investigation is still in the early stages and my detectives are working hard to establish the circumstances of what has happened.

“If anyone has any information about this tragic incident, I urge them to come forward and speak to us, or you can contact Crimestoppers anonymously with any information.

“Our thoughts are with the family of the victim at this difficult time. The public can expect to see continued and significant police activity in the local area as we continue with our rigorous investigation.”

Anyone with any information has been asked to call police on 101 or message @MetCC on X, formerly Twitter, quoting CAD 4793/28AUG.

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MasterChef presenter John Torode sacked

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MasterChef presenter John Torode sacked

MasterChef presenter John Torode will no longer work on the show after an allegation he used an “extremely offensive racist term” was upheld, the BBC has said.

His co-host Gregg Wallace was also sacked last week after claims of inappropriate behaviour.

On Monday, Torode said an allegation he used racist language was upheld in a report into the behaviour of Wallace. The report found more than half of 83 allegations against Wallace were substantiated.

Torode, 59, insisted he had “absolutely no recollection” of the alleged incident involving him and he “did not believe that it happened,” adding “racial language is wholly unacceptable in any environment”.

John Torode and Gregg Wallace in 2008. Pic:PA
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John Torode and Gregg Wallace in 2008. Pic: PA

In a statement on Tuesday, a BBC spokesperson said the allegation “involves an extremely offensive racist term being used in the workplace”.

The claim was “investigated and substantiated by the independent investigation led by the law firm Lewis Silkin”, they added.

“The BBC takes this upheld finding extremely seriously,” the spokesperson said.

“We will not tolerate racist language of any kind… we told Banijay UK, the makers of MasterChef, that action must be taken.

“John Torode’s contract on MasterChef will not be renewed.”

Australian-born Torode started presenting MasterChef alongside Wallace, 60, in 2005.

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Why Gregg Wallace says he ‘will not go quietly’

A statement from Banijay UK said it “takes this matter incredibly seriously” and Lewis Silkin “substantiated an accusation of highly offensive racist language against John Torode which occurred in 2018”.

“This matter has been formally discussed with John Torode by Banijay UK, and whilst we note that John says he does not recall the incident, Lewis Silkin have upheld the very serious complaint,” the TV production company added.

“Banijay UK and the BBC are agreed that we will not renew his contract on MasterChef.”

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Earlier, as the BBC released its annual report, its director-general Tim Davie addressed MasterChef’s future, saying it can survive as it is “much bigger than individuals”.

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BBC annual report findings

Speaking to BBC News after Torode was sacked, Mr Davie said a decision is yet to be taken over whether an unseen MasterChef series – filmed with both Wallace and Torode last year – will be aired.

“It’s a difficult one because… those amateur chefs gave a lot to take part – it means a lot, it can be an enormous break if you come through the show,” he added.

“I want to just reflect on that with the team and make a decision, and we’ll communicate that in due course.”

Mr Davie refused to say what the “seriously racist term” Torode was alleged to have used but said: “I certainly think we’ve drawn a line in the sand.”

In 2022, Torode was made an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours, for services to food and charity.

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David Fuller: Offences committed by hospital worker who sexually abused dozens of corpses ‘could happen again’

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David Fuller: Offences committed by hospital worker who sexually abused dozens of corpses 'could happen again'

An inquiry into the case of a hospital worker who sexually abused dozens of corpses has concluded that “offences such as those committed by David Fuller could happen again”.

It found that “current arrangements in England for the regulation and oversight of the care of people after death are partial, ineffective and, in significant areas, completely lacking”.

The first phase of the inquiry found Fuller, 70, was able to offend for 15 years in mortuaries without being suspected or caught due to “serious failings” at the hospitals where he worked.

Phase 2 of the inquiry has examined the broader national picture and considered if procedures and practices in other hospital and non-hospital settings, where deceased people are kept, safeguard their security and dignity.

What were Fuller’s crimes?

Fuller was given a whole-life prison term in December 2021 for the murders of Wendy Knell and Caroline Pierce in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, in 1987.

During his time as a maintenance worker, he also abused the corpses of at least 101 women and girls at Kent and Sussex Hospital and the Tunbridge Wells Hospital before his arrest in December 2020.

His victims ranged in age from nine to 100.

Phase 1 of the inquiry found he entered one mortuary 444 times in the space of one year “unnoticed and unchecked” and that deceased people were also left out of fridges and overnight during working hours.

‘Inadequate management, governance and processes’

Presenting the findings on Tuesday, Sir Jonathan Michael, chair of the inquiry, said: “This is the first time that the security and dignity of people after death has been reviewed so comprehensively.

“Inadequate management, governance and processes helped create the environment in which David Fuller was able to offend for so long.”

He said that these “weaknesses” are not confined to where Fuller operated, adding that he found examples from “across the country”.

“I have asked myself whether there could be a recurrence of the appalling crimes committed by David Fuller. – I have concluded that yes, it is entirely possible that such offences could be repeated, particularly in those sectors that lack any form of statutory regulation.”

Sir Jonathan called for a statutory regulation to “protect the security and dignity of people after death”.

After an initial glance, his interim report already called for urgent regulation to safeguard the “security and dignity of the deceased”.

On publication of his final report he describes regulation and oversight of care as “ineffective, and in significant areas completely lacking”.

David Fuller was an electrician who committed sexual offences against at least 100 deceased women and girls in the mortuaries of the Kent and Sussex Hospital and the Tunbridge Wells Hospital. His victims ranged in age from nine to 100.

This first phase of the inquiry found Fuller entered the mortuary 444 times in a single year, “unnoticed and unchecked”.

It was highly critical of the systems in place that allowed this to happen.

His shocking discovery, looking at the broader industry – be it other NHS Trusts or the 4,500 funeral directors in England – is that it could easily have happened elsewhere.

The conditions described suggest someone like Fuller could get away with it again.

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MasterChef is ‘bigger than individuals’ and ‘can survive’, BBC says

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MasterChef is 'bigger than individuals' and 'can survive', BBC says

BBC director-general Tim Davie has said MasterChef can survive its current scandal as it is “much bigger than individuals” – but the corporation must “make sure we’re in the right place in terms of the culture of the show”.

On Monday, it was revealed an independent review into “inappropriate behaviour” by MasterChef presenter Gregg Wallace had upheld more than half of the allegations against him.

A few hours later, Wallace’s former MasterChef co-presenter, John Torode, said an allegation he used “racial language” was upheld in the report as part of a review.

After the report was published, Wallace, 60, said he was “deeply sorry” for causing any distress, and never set out to “harm or humiliate”.

Torode, 59, said he had “no recollection of the incident” and said he “did not believe that it happened,” and said he was “shocked and saddened by the allegation”.

Mr Davie said the BBC’s leadership team would not “tolerate behaviour that is not in line with our values,” while BBC chair Samir Shah acknowledged there were still pockets within the broadcaster where “powerful individuals” can still “make life for their colleagues unbearable”.

They said several BBC staff members had been dismissed in the last three months, following an independent review into workplace culture.

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Wallace, who was sacked from MasterChef last week, is not included in that count as he was not directly contracted by the corporation, but employed by independent production company Banijay.

The corporation has yet to decide if the unseen MasterChef series – filmed with both Wallace and Torode last year – will be aired or not.

BBC Broadcasting House in Portland Place, London. Pic: Jordan Pettitt/PA
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BBC Broadcasting House in Portland Place, London. Pic: Jordan Pettitt/PA

News of the findings in the Gregg Wallace report came just hours before the BBC was deemed to have breached its editorial guidelines by failing to disclose that the child narrator of a Gaza documentary was the son of a Hamas official.

Media watchdog Ofcom subsequently launched its own investigation into the programme.

While the 2024-25 annual report showed a small rise in trust overall for the corporation, Mr Davie acknowledged it had been a year which saw the reputation of the BBC damaged by “serious failings” in the making of the documentary.

The BBC boss acknowledged: “It was important that the BBC took full responsibility for those failings and apologised for them,” and later in response to a question, called the documentary – Gaza: How To Survive A Warzone – “the most challenging editorial issue I’ve had to deal with”.

He went on: “The importance of fair balance reporting, the need for high-quality homegrown programming in the face of massive pressure, I think has never, ever been greater. And I believe my leadership and the team I’ve assembled can really help the BBC thrive in that environment and very competitive environment.”

BBC Director-General Tim Davie. Pic: PA
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BBC Director-General Tim Davie. Pic: PA

BBC boss has chair’s ‘full support’

Despite a series of failings in recent months – including livestreaming the controversial Bob Vylan set at Glastonbury last month – Mr Davie insisted he can “lead” the organisation in the right direction.

When asked if he would resign, he replied: “I simply think I’m in a place where I can work to improve dramatically the BBC and lead it in the right way.

“We will make mistakes, but I think as a leadership and myself, I’ve been very clear, and I think we have been decisive.”

He said the organisation was setting a “global standard” for media.

Mr Shah, reiterated his support for Mr Davie.

“Tim Davie and his team, and Tim in particular, has shown very strong leadership throughout all this period and he has my full support.”

The report also revealed its top earners, which saw former Match Of The Day host Gary Lineker top the chart once again.

Meanwhile, Australian children’s cartoon Bluey proved a boon for the broadcaster, and was the most watched show in the US across all genres – with 55 billion minutes viewed.

The top 10 shows watched over Christmas 2024 were also all from the BBC.

Recent annual reviews have been overshadowed by the Huw Edwards scandal and allegations of a toxic environment around flagship show Strictly Come Dancing.

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