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Four boys who died after falling into a frozen lake in Solihull have been named by police.

Brothers Samuel Butler, six, and Finlay Butler, eight; their cousin Thomas Stewart, 11, and Jack Johnson, 10, were identified by West Midlands Police.

Three of the boys, Jack, Thomas and Finlay, died on Sunday after falling into Babbs Mill Lake.

Samuel was taken to hospital in a critical condition, but died yesterday.

In a statement, released through West Midlands Police, the parents of Thomas, Finlay and Samuel, said: “As a family we are devastated at the loss of our beautiful boys Tom, Fin and Sam in such tragic circumstances.

Police divers search the lake in Babbs Mill Park in Kingshurst, Solihull
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Police divers search the lake in Babbs Mill Park in Kingshurst, Solihull

“We would like to thank the emergency services for all they did in rescuing the boys and to the community for their support, it has been overwhelming.

“We would like to pass on our condolences to Jack’s family at this very sad time, and ask for privacy from the media to begin to grieve.”

‘He was a lively little soul’

Thomas’ older brother paid tribute to him and his cousin.

He wrote: “Thomas was such a lively little soul, he had a big heart for such a young kid and he was so beautiful. He loved being outside playing with his mates.

“I love you Tom, big bro will take care of the family and I will see you soon.”

Paying tribute to Finlay, he wrote: “Can’t forget about my dinosaur man Fin, he loved dinosaurs so much and always showing me new things he built on Minecraft and all the new stuff he learnt on it.

“Gonna miss you little man.”

21 Officers from West Midlands Police lay bouquets of flowers and stood in silence near to the scene in Babbs Mill Park in Kingshurst, Solihull,
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Officers lay bouquets of flowers and stood in silence near to the scene in Babbs Mill Park

Friends say the four children were playing around the icy lake on Sunday when one of the boys’ legs fell through.

According to one friend, the other three children fell into the water as they attempted to help him.

The four children were all in cardiac arrest when rescue teams pulled them out and emergency services rushed them to hospital.

Police say Finlay and Thomas died shortly after, and Jack also died on Sunday. Samuel died in hospital on Wednesday, officers confirmed.

Extensive underwater searches were carried out following the incident and have now concluded, police say.

‘A tragedy beyond words’

Superintendent Rich Harris described the incident as a “tragedy beyond words”.

In a statement, he said: “(The) grief is unimaginable for the families and friends of the boys.

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Lake deaths: Paramedics pay respects

“The support from the community has been overwhelming, not just for the bereaved families, but also for the emergency services, for which we are extremely grateful.

“Our officers will remain in the area in the coming days. Please come and speak to us if you need to.”

Premier League stars pay tribute

It comes as Aston Villa stars Tyrone Mings and John McGinn paid their respects on Wednesday to the boys.

The Premier League footballers visited a makeshift memorial, set up near to the scene of the incident.

Aston Villa stars John McGinn and Tyrone Mings pay tribute at a makeshift memorial to the three boys who died after falling into an icy lake in Solihull
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Aston Villa stars John McGinn and Tyrone Mings pay tribute at a makeshift memorial to the boys

Speaking to Sky News at the memorial, Mings said he and McGinn had made a “personal decision” to pay their respects.

Mings said: “I think it has impacted the whole city and we thought it was important to come down on a personal level, just to show that we were supporting.

“Sometimes, as we have seen with other things that have happened across the city, there are things more important than football.

“We thought it was important to come down, show our respects, and show we are thinking about everything that has happened.

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“There will be lots of supporters who will have been impacted by what has happened, and we feel that pain too.”

Villa captain McGinn added: “Solihull has been my home for the past five years.

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Tyrone Mings and John McGinn pay respects at lake

“It was certainly moving for us and we saw John Eustace (Birmingham City’s manager) come down yesterday and myself and Tyrone thought it would be great for us to pay our respects.”

Mings and McGinn spent a few moments in silence looking at the hundreds of tributes, cards, bouquets, children’s toys and balloons which have been laid at the foot of a tree next to Babbs Mill Park.

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Starmer urges anyone with information on Epstein case to come forward – after Andrew misses Congress deadline

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Deadline day for Andrew to respond to Epstein inquiry - but it's hard to imagine why he'd talk

Sir Keir Starmer has urged anyone with information on the Jeffrey Epstein case to come forward after Andrew Mountbatten Windsor missed the deadline to appear in front of US Congress.

US legislators have criticised Andrew for what they describe as “silence” amid their probe into Epstein after he failed to respond to their request for an interview.

When asked about Andrew missing the deadline and whether the former prince should help the case in any way he can, Sir Keir said on his way to the G20 summit in South Africa: “I don’t comment on this particular case.”

He added that “a general principle I’ve held for a very long time is that anybody who has got relevant information in relation to these kind of cases should give that evidence to those that need it”.

Andrew is not legally obliged to talk to Congress and has always vigorously denied any wrongdoing.

More on Andrew Mountbatten Windsor

Sir Keir Starmer spoke to reporters on his way to the G20 in South Africa. Pic: Reuters
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Sir Keir Starmer spoke to reporters on his way to the G20 in South Africa. Pic: Reuters

It comes as Marjorie Taylor Greene, a loyal supporter-turned-critic of US President Donald Trump, said on Friday she is resigning from Congress in January.

Ms Greene’s resignation followed a public falling-out with Mr Trump in recent months, as the congresswoman criticised him for his stance on files related to Epstein, as well as on foreign policy and healthcare.

Members of the House Oversight Committee had requested a “transcribed interview” with Andrew in connection with his “long-standing friendship” with Epstein, the paedophile financier who took his own life in a New York prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking and conspiracy charges.

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Releasing the Epstein files: How we got here

But after saying they had not heard back, Democrats Robert Garcia and Suhas Subramanyam accused Andrew of hiding.

Their statement read: “Andrew Mountbatten Windsor’s silence in the face of the Oversight Democrat’s demand for testimony speaks volumes.

“The documents we’ve reviewed, along with public records and Virginia Roberts Giuffre’s testimony, raise serious questions he must answer, yet he continues to hide.

“Our work will move forward with or without him, and we will hold anyone who was involved in these crimes accountable, no matter their wealth, status, or political party. We will get justice for the survivors.”

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The new Epstein files: The key takeaways

It follows Andrew being stripped of his prince and Duke of York titles earlier this month.

He had previously agreed to stop using his titles, but had expected to remain a prince and retain his dukedom, ahead of the publication of the memoirs of the late Ms Giuffre, who had accused him of sexually assaulting her when she was a teenager – an accusation he denies.

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Girl, 13, arrested on suspicion of murdering woman in Swindon

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Girl, 13, arrested on suspicion of murdering woman in Swindon

A 13-year-old girl has been arrested on suspicion of murdering a woman in Swindon.

Police said the teenager was detained following an incident in Baydon Close, Moredon, in the Wiltshire town on Friday evening.

Officers responded to reports of disorder inside a house. When they arrived, a woman in her 50s living at the address was found to be not breathing. She was declared dead at the scene.

There were no other reported injuries.

Forensic officers are at the scene to collect evidence
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Forensic officers are at the scene to collect evidence

Detective Inspector Darren Ambrose, from Wiltshire Police’s major crime investigation team, said: “This is a serious incident in which a woman has sadly died.

“We have set up a cordon at the address while an investigation is carried out.

“I can confirm that we have arrested a teenage girl in connection with this incident and we are not looking for anyone else.”

Police have asked people not to speculate about the incident online as this could prejudice the case.

A police statement read: “Residents can expect to see an increased police presence in the area while we continue carrying out our enquiries into the woman’s death.

“The suspect remains in custody at this time.”

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Police said anyone with concerns should speak with their local neighbourhood policing team, either by emailing or approaching officers in person.

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Rail fares to be frozen for first time in 30 years

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Rail fares to be frozen for first time in 30 years

Rail fares are to be frozen for the first time in 30 years, the government has announced.

Ministers promised that millions of rail travellers will save hundreds of pounds on regulated fares, including season tickets and peak and off-peak returns between major cities.

The fare freeze applies to England and services run by English train operators.

People commuting to work three days a week using flexi-season tickets will save £315 a year travelling from Milton Keynes to London, £173 travelling from Woking to London and £57 from Bradford to Leeds, the government said.

The changes are part of Labour’s plans to rebuild a publicly owned Great British Railways. Other planned changes include tap in-tap out and digital ticketing, as well as investing in superfast Wi-Fi.

The freeze applies to regulated fares, including season tickets and peak and off-peak returns. Pic: iStock
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The freeze applies to regulated fares, including season tickets and peak and off-peak returns. Pic: iStock

Chancellor Rachel Reeves said the government was introducing a freeze on rail fares for the first time in 30 years, which “will ease the pressure on household finances and make travelling to work, school or to visit friends and family that bit easier”.

“We all want to see cheaper rail travel, so we’re freezing fares to help millions of passengers save money,” Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said.

“Commuters on more expensive routes will save more than £300 per year, meaning they keep more of their hard-earned cash.”

Rail unions and passenger groups welcomed the move, praising how it will make travel more affordable for passengers and promote more sustainable travel alternatives.

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Eddie Dempsey, general secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union, said: “More affordable fares will encourage greater use of public transport, supporting jobs, giving a shot in the arm to local economies and helping to improve the environment.”

TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said the rail fare freeze “will be a huge relief to working people”.

“This is the right decision, at the right time, to help passengers be able to afford to make that journey they need to take, and to help grow our railway in this country, because the railway is Britain’s green alternative – taking cars and lorries off our congested roads and moving people and goods safely around our country in an environmentally-friendly way,” Mick Whelan, general secretary of the train drivers union Aslef, said.

The Tories welcomed the move but said the government was “late to the platform”.

Shadow transport secretary Richard Holden said: “In government, the Conservatives kept fares on the right track with below-inflation rises and consistently called for no further hikes to protect hard-working commuters.”

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