A suspected flasher has been found guilty of trying to murder a police officer by stabbing him 23 times with a pair of scissors.
Robert Jenner – a 50-year-old nicknamed the ‘Naked Carpenter’ – was convicted of the attempted murder of Kent police constable Sean Quinn.
Jenner stabbed PC Quinn in the head, face and neck in June 2023, leaving the officer with injuries including a “gaping wound” across his forehead, exposing his skull.
The attack took place at the defendant’s Maidstone flat. During the trial, the court saw body-worn footage of the moment Jenner “launched” himself at PC Quinn, who was seen screaming for help with a bloodied face.
Jurors at Maidstone Crown Court today returned a majority verdict finding Jenner guilty of attempted murder.
He had been released from prison two days before the attack, having been jailed for breaching a court order banning him from wearing see-through clothing.
Jenner believes he is a naturist and has 11 convictions for exposure, as well as two breaches of the court order, jurors were told.
Image: Robert Jenner. Pic: Kent Police
Constables Quinn and Ashley Bates went to Jenner’s home to arrest him on 15 June 2023, after they suspected him of matching a report of a male running naked in a local park, “nipping in and out of bushes, exposing himself to women”.
When they arrived, an “aggressive” and “completely naked” Jenner barricaded himself into his flat and officers decided to force entry into the property, the court heard.
Image: Police bodycam footage shows officers finding a furniture barricade after breaking the door down. Pic: Kent Police
Image: Pic: Kent Police
Once inside, PC Quinn followed Jenner into his kitchen-living room. The door closed behind the pair and PC Bates heard a “cry of anguish”.
When she got into the room, her colleague’s “head was covered in blood and there was a pool of blood just spilling out behind his head, it was horrific,” she said.
When Jenner was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, he asked if PC Quinn was okay and said: “I didn’t mean to do it.”
“F*** oh mate, I didn’t want this to happen, I didn’t want it to come to this,” he added.
PC Quinn was taken to King’s College Hospital in London, where he underwent surgery before being discharged the following day.
Two pro-Palestinian demonstrators have thrown red powder on Tower Bridge – just moments before leading runners in the London Marathon went past.
The protesters were arrested on suspicion of causing a public nuisance and remain in custody, said the Metropolitan Police.
A video shared by Youth Demand, which is calling for a trade embargo on Israel, shows two people jumping over a barrier that separates spectators from the race course.
The pair, wearing t-shirts that say “Youth Demand: Stop Arming Israel”, are then seen standing in the middle of the road on the bridge.
Image: Pic: LNP
They throw red powder in the air as an official marathon car goes past displaying the race time.
A motorbike with a cameraman on board continues along the route, while a second motorbike stops and one of the riders gets off and pushes the pair out of the way, just before the men’s elite runners pass.
Several police officers then jump over the barrier and detain the pair, the footage shows.
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There appeared to be no impact on the marathon.
More than 56,000 participants were expected to take part in the 26.2-mile race through the capital.
Sabastian Sawe of Kenya won the men’s elite race in a time of two hours, two minutes and 27 seconds, while Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa shattered the women’s-only world record in two hours, 15 minutes and 50 seconds.
Assefa beat the previous best of two hours, 16 minutes and 16 seconds set last year in London by Kenyan Peres Jepchirchir.
The Metropolitan Police said in a statement: “At around 10.38am, two protesters from Youth Demand jumped over barriers at Tower Bridge and threw red paint on to the road.
“Marathon event staff intervened to remove the protesters from the path of the men’s elite race which was able to pass unobstructed.”
The force added that they were “quickly supported by police officers who arrested the protesters on suspicion of causing a public nuisance”.
The Met said the paint “appeared to be chalk-based” and was not expected to “present a hazard to runners yet to pass this point”.
Kemi Badenoch has not ruled out forming coalitions at a local level with Reform after the council elections next week.
Speaking to Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, the Conservative leader did however categorically rule out a pact with Nigel Farage’s party on a national level.
“I am not going into any coalition with Nigel Farage… read my lips,” she said.
However, she did not deny that deals could be struck with Reform at a local level, arguing that some councils might be under no overall control and in that case, “you have to do what is right for your local area”.
“You look at the moment, we are in coalition with Liberal Democrats, with independents,” she said. “We’ve been in coalition with Labour before at local government level.
“They [councillors] have to look at who the people are that they’re going into coalition with and see how they can deliver for local people.”
She added: “What I don’t want to hear is talks of stitch-ups or people planning things before the results are out. They have to do what is right for their communities.”
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A total of 23 councils are up for grabs when voters go to the polls on Thursday 1 May – mostly in places that were once deemed Tory shires, until last year’s general election.
It includes 14 county councils, all but two of which have been Conservative-controlled, as well as eight unitary authorities, all but one of which are Tory.
Ms Badenoch has set expectations low for the Tories, suggesting they could lose all the councils they are contesting.
The last time this set of councils were up for election was in 2021, when the Conservative Party was led by Boris Johnson who was riding high from the COVID vaccine bounce.
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.
Counter-terrorism police are investigating after an incident involving a crossbow and a firearm left two women injured in Leeds.
Police were called to Otley Road at 2.47pm on Saturday to reports of a “serious incident involving a man seen with weapons”, West Yorkshire Police said.
Officers arrived at the scene to find two women injured – and a 38-year-old man with a self-inflicted injury. All three were taken to hospital, with the man held under arrest, but their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.
“Two weapons have been recovered from the scene, which were a crossbow and a firearm,” Counter Terrorism Policing North East said in a statement.
The incident happened on the ‘Otley Run’ pub crawl, with one venue saying it was closed for the evening due to “unforeseen circumstances”.
Image: Officers guard one of the crime scenes
Image: Officers inside the cordon in Leeds
Counter Terrorism Policing’s statement added: “Due to the circumstances surrounding the incident, Counter Terrorism Policing North East have taken responsibility for leading the investigation with the support of West Yorkshire Police.
“Extensive enquiries continue to establish the full circumstances and explore any potential motivation.”
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper described it as a “serious violent incident” and said she was being kept updated by police.
“Thank you to the police and emergency services for their swift response,” she said. “My thoughts are with the victims and all those affected by this attack.”
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.