James Bascoe-Smith: Teenager dead for nearly an hour after stabbing beams in court as attackers convicted

Published

2 years ago

September 29, 2022

admin

A teenager who was stabbed and effectively dead for nearly an hour beamed in court as he watched his two attackers being convicted.

James Bascoe-Smith was 16 when the assault, which has left him using a wheelchair and struggling to communicate, took place last year.

Leon Rashid, 20, and Taiquane Lewis, 18, were convicted of conspiracy to murder him.

Rashid was also found guilty of having an offensive weapon.

A third defendant, Stephanie Paez-Lopez, 20, was cleared of assisting an offender by helping to get rid of a Range Rover used in the attack.

James was knocked off his bike, which he was test riding for his mother, and knifed by masked men in Brixton, south London, on 23 February 2021, jurors heard.

He video-called her from his mobile phone as he lay on the ground and he effectively died in the streets near his home before he was saved in hospital.

James was with family members at the Old Bailey to see his attackers convicted.

His mother, Lisa Bascoe-Smith, said: “James did not have any issues with anybody in the area. He is a happy boy, always smiling.

“He is into music, DJ-ing, was studying music technology and has nothing to do with the gang lifestyle.

“When I look back to the day of the incident, I remember James was so eager to help me out and make sure the bike was working.

“He wanted to look out for me. He wanted to make sure it was safe and 100% rideable.

‘My phone rang and I saw James lying on the floor’

“I remember standing on my doorstep waiting for him to come back. My phone rang and I saw James lying on the floor.

“I sunk when I saw him in a pool of blood. I keep asking myself, ‘How can it have happened in that space of a minute out of my eyesight?'”

Ms Bascoe-Smith said James has made some progress in his rehabilitation, adding: “He has gone from a sporty, carefree, happy-go-lucky boy to someone who has been bedridden and is struggling to move or communicate.”

James’s aunt, Rachel Duncan, said: “We truly need to end this cycle of violence that can often become generational. We need to eradicate knife violence on our streets.”

Jurors had been told James was hit by a stolen black Range Rover in Henry Road shortly after 6pm.

‘Brutal and terrible attack’

Prosecutor Edward Brown KC said: “This was a brutal and terrible attack.

“In effect, James Bascoe-Smith had died at the scene and was only brought back to life by the immediate and significant efforts of the treating medical professionals.

“However, he had suffered a significant period during which there was a lack of blood/oxygen to the brain – possibly as much as 50 minutes.”

Even though there was no reason for the attack, it was “very determined and concerted” and “very nearly succeeded” in killing the teenager, Mr Brown said.

A selection of “terrifying” knives discarded by the fleeing attackers included a combat knife, a Rambo-style blade and a Zombie-style machete.

Rashid, from Thornton Heath, south London, and Lewis, of Kennington, south London, were remanded into custody to be sentenced at a later date.

Previously, a fourth defendant, Patrick Fox-Pinto, 18, from Bow, east London, was cleared of all charges after the prosecution offered no evidence.

UK

Meet the last man standing on UK’s loneliest housing estate

Published

3 hours ago

December 29, 2024

admin

Meet the last man standing on UK's loneliest housing estate

A pensioner who is refusing to leave what’s being branded Britain’s loneliest housing estate has told Sky News he is facing bullying and intimidation tactics to force him out.

Nick Wisniewski’s ex-council flat in Wishaw, North Lanarkshire is set to be demolished because the local authority wants to redevelop the area, which has become a derelict eyesore.

The vast area on the outskirts of Glasgow used to have almost 1,000 properties, but slowly the bulldozers have moved in, creating huge mounds of rubble where homes once stood.

The land is overgrown, with all remaining properties boarded up – apart from the retired bank worker’s home, which demolition teams have been unable to touch as he refuses to budge.

‘They’ll basically need to drag me out’

The 68-year-old, whose neighbours were all rehomed in 2023, bought the flat in 2017 under the discounted right-to-buy scheme and is now mortgage-free.

He told Sky News he rejected an initial offer from North Lanarkshire Council of £35,000 plus two year’s rent as it would not be enough to buy a new place.

Contemplating a time in the future when he is forced out, he said: “By law they can smash my door down, they can come in here, manhandle me to get me out. That’s the law, and they’ll basically need to drag me out.”

Asked if he is prepared to go to that length to stop himself being removed, he said: “I am hoping it doesn’t come to that, but if it does then so be it.”

He reveals a compulsory purchase order process is now under way.

A compulsory purchase order is the legal power given to a local council to buy a property without the owner’s consent.

The legal battle will now be resolved by the Scottish government in due course.

He said: “It’s been all intimidation, bullying, lies. They offered me £40,000 over a year ago. I thought they’d have offered me a wee bit more. I would accept, probably, £60,000.

“They had a meeting a couple of weeks ago saying that they are starting legal, which means compulsory purchase order.

“There’s so many stages to that and it’ll take a while for that to come in to force.”

North Lanarkshire Council told Sky News it “completely refutes” any allegations of bullying or intimidation.

A spokesman said: “We are continuing to try and engage with the remaining resident and our focus is on progressing our ambitious plans to transform this area of Gowkthrapple for the benefit of the local community.”

UK

More flights disrupted by thick fog on Gatwick’s busiest day of Christmas holiday period

Published

5 hours ago

December 29, 2024

admin

More flights disrupted by thick fog on Gatwick's busiest day of Christmas holiday period

Thick fog could delay more flights across England today, disrupting Gatwick Airport’s busiest day of the holiday period.

The UK’s main air traffic control provider, Nats, said temporary restrictions will continue on Sunday because of low visibility in airfields.

Gatwick confirmed to Sky News that flights may still be delayed and advised passengers to contact their airline for further information.

The continued disruption follows two days of delays and cancellations at the UK’s busiest airports.

Tens of thousands of passengers saw their Christmas travel disrupted as thick fog descended on airports from London and Cardiff to Edinburgh and Teesside

Patches of thick fog could reduce visibility to just 100 metres in some areas, the Met Office said.

Kiera Quayle and her husband are still stuck on the Isle of Man after visiting his family for Christmas.

On Friday night, their Easyjet flight back was delayed and then cancelled due to Gatwick’s fog.

Their new flight isn’t scheduled to get them back to Gatwick until 5pm on Sunday.

“We’re lucky that we have family we can stay with, but it has been difficult organising travel and where we are staying,” she told Sky News.

“Luckily for us our neighbour has agreed to look after our cat for a few extra days, and we can swallow the extra car park charge at Gatwick,” she said.

The weather is expected to brighten around the UK later on Sunday, according to the Met Office, ahead of a blast of snow and rain towards New Year’s Eve.

The Met Office issued a yellow weather warning for snow and rain in Scotland next week, warning that heavy downpours may bring “significant disruption” in the build-up to Hogmanay.

A yellow weather warning for wind has also been issued for northern England on Monday – with gusts of up to 60mph possible.

The warning is in place from 11am to 6pm and covers areas including Durham, Northumberland, Cumbria and North Yorkshire.

UK

UK weather: Warning over flight delays as fog forces ‘air traffic restrictions’

Published

1 day ago

December 28, 2024

admin

UK weather: Warning over flight delays as fog forces 'air traffic restrictions'

Flight delays are expected as the UK sees more heavy fog.

It comes after 20,000 people were affected by airport disruption on Thursday, according to travel journalist Simon Calder.

“Temporary air traffic restrictions have been put in place due to fog causing poor visibility. Some flights may be delayed throughout the day,” a spokesperson for Gatwick Airport said.

“London Gatwick apologises for any inconvenience. Passengers should contact their airline for further information,” they added.

At Gatwick 35 departures scheduled up to 11am are delayed and 26 flight arrivals are delayed up to the same time. Two flights are cancelled. At Heathrow 20 flight departures scheduled to leave before 11am are delayed. At Manchester airport 16 arrivals are delayed up to 11am.

Speaking to Anna Jones on Sky News Breakfast about the disruption yesterday Mr Calder said: “We had at London City Airport, at London Heathrow, the busiest in Britain, at London Gatwick, the second busiest, more than 40 cancellations in and out from each of those airports.”

The thick fog will continue on Saturday according to the Met Office, with some areas seeing visibility reduced to just 100 metres.

Get the weather forecast where you are

The worst of the fog is forecast to hit the South East and central England, while East Anglia and parts of South Wales will also be affected.

Forecasters have not issued any fog weather warnings yet but the Met Office said it will monitor the situation across the weekend.

Met Office meteorologist Liam Eslick said: “It’s that time of year when people are travelling around the country a lot and there are a lot of people on the roads.

“There is a lot of fog covering much of England, mainly the South East and central England, but the rest of the country is seeing quite a bit of thick fog too.

“It will be pretty murky on Saturday morning and there will still be fog patches that will take a little longer to clear.”

Meanwhile, there is a yellow warning in place for heavy rain in parts of Scotland for Monday and New Year’s Eve on Tuesday, leaving the start of 2025 “distinctly unsettled”.

Edinburgh’s Hogmanay celebrations could face “significant disruption” from rain, with organisers warning audiences to “prepare for all weather, wrap up warm and double-check with your travel operator for the latest updates.”

The yellow warning could see as much as 140mm (5.5in) of rain in places, as other parts of the UK will likely see rain, wind and possibly even snow later on next week.

The Met Office added that “more warnings are likely to be issued”.

At Heathrow, British Airways was forced to cancel a handful of flights due to fog on Friday, while others were delayed.

Flights at both Gatwick and Manchester Airport were disrupted, with delays of up to three hours at Gatwick, and some passengers were diverted to other airports.

“The diversions were absolutely extreme,” said Mr Calder. At Teesside Airport, flights were diverted to Newcastle, Aberdeen and even Dublin.

This could continue into the weekend if the misty weather persists.

A spokesperson for the UK’s main air traffic control provider Nats said it had implemented “temporary air traffic restrictions” at several airports on Friday due to the fog.

Can I get compensation if my flight is delayed?

If your flight is affected by the disruption, you won’t be able to get any cash back, according to Mr Calder, as “bad weather is beyond the airline’s control”.

“However, every airline that cancels a flight is obliged to find for its passengers an alternative flight as soon as possible,” he said.

While the fog likely won’t remain past the weekend, people should not hold out hope for sustained sunshine with wet and windy conditions expected for much of the country, the Met Office said.