MI5 doesn’t just need spies to battle the UK’s terror threat – it is now recruiting a carpenter to work for the intelligence service and help “keep the country safe”.
MI5 is seeking a “Property Specialist – Carpenter Multi-Skilled Tradesperson”, with a starting salary of £37,396.
The person will “provide specialist building trade services for MI5”, including carpentry, joinery, minor electrical works, and plastering, according the job advertisement.
“This is a tradesperson role unlike any other,” it adds.
“It’s dynamic – requiring you to react quickly to change as your team provides a 24/7 service to keep the country safe.”
While certain qualifications are required, a military or police background could demonstrate an ability to learn on the job.
The role will fall under MI5’s “Operational and Surveillance” department.
The ad says it requires “in-depth training” that will take 18 months and while the promise of deployment for overseas missions is “rare” it “may be required”.
“There’s no formal shift pattern for this role, but you will occasionally need to work out of hours, and at night,” the advert says. “We may also ask you to work away from home for short periods of time.”
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A good level of fitness is also required, with the promise of two hours per week of paid time to help maintain a certain level of health.
But for those who are hopeful of a role at the secret service, it won’t be a quick change – the application process could take up to nine months, including vetting, so MI5 advise not quitting your day job just yet.
A 43-year-old woman has been arrested on suspicion of murder after the death of two children in Stafford.
Police were called to a home on Corporation Street at around 7.30am on Sunday by West Midlands Ambulance Service.
Two children were pronounced dead at the scene, StaffordshirePolice said.
Detective Inspector Kirsty Oldfield said: “We are working hard to understand more about what happened leading up to these two children tragically losing their lives.
“We ask that people do not speculate at this stage as it is distressing for family and friends and could hinder our inquiries.
“We understand that this incident may cause concern in the local community. We don’t believe there is wider threat to the public at this time.”
The 43-year-old woman, who is from the Stafford area, remains in custody.
The force has not confirmed the ages of the two children. Their next of kin have been informed and are being supported by specially-trained officers, police said.
A man has been charged with stalking and possession of a flick knife after allegedly targeting Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey and his family.
Inigo Rowland, 58, of Surbiton, south London, was arrested last Monday, but it was only made public on Sunday.
He appeared at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday and was remanded in custody, the Met Police said.
The offences are alleged to have taken place between June and October.
Sir Ed, the MP for Kingston and Surbiton, lives in southwest London with his wife, Emily, their 17-year-old son John, and his younger sister Ellie.
A spokesperson for the Met Police said: “Inigo Rowland, 58, of Surbiton has been charged with stalking and possession of a flick knife.
“He appeared at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, 7 October and was remanded into custody. He will next appear at the same court on Tuesday, 14 October.
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“He was arrested on Monday, 6 October in relation to the offences, which are alleged to have taken place between June and October.”
A Lib Dem spokesperson said: “We cannot provide any details at this time, Ed’s number one priority is the safety of his family.”
Paedophile Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins has died after being attacked in prison.
Watkins, 48, was serving a 29-year jail term for multiple sexual offences, including serious crimes against young children and babies at HMP Wakefield, in West Yorkshire.
He was attacked with a knife by another inmate on Saturday morning, sources have confirmed.
West Yorkshire Police said two men, aged 25 and 43, have been arrested on suspicion of murder.
Image: A police van outside Wakefield prison. Pic: YappApp
Watkins was pronounced dead at the scene after prison staff reported the assault to police.
The prison went into lockdown in the immediate aftermath of the incident, sources added.
A Prison Service spokesperson said they could not comment while the police investigate.
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Watkins was previously stabbed in an incident at the same prison in 2023, suffering non life-threatening injuries after he was reportedly taken hostage by three other inmates before being freed by prison officers six hours later.
He was sentenced in December 2013to 29 years in prison, with a further six years on licence, after admitting 13 sex offences, including the attempted rape of a fan’s baby.
He also encouraged a second fan to abuse her child during a webcam chat and secretly stashed child sexual abuse videos, some of which he had made himself.
At the time, police described him as a “committed, organised paedophile”.
Having found fame in Welsh rock band Lostprophets, Watkins was arrested after his Pontypridd home was searched on orders of a drug warrant in September 2012.
A large number of computers, mobile phones and storage devices were seized during the search.
When sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court, the singer was told he was being given an extended sentence – and a judge said his crimes “plumbed new depths of depravity”.