Police in London have launched a murder investigation after a prominent gay-rights advocate was killed earlier this week.
Julian Aubrey, who was fifty-five, was pronounced dead at his home in west London, when emergency services attended a call out. They found a man with stab injuries. Police say the attack on him was violent and are calling for witnesses or anyone with information to come forward.
Two men – [A] aged 48 and [B] aged 56 – were arrested at the scene on suspicion of murder; both remain in custody at a west London police station. A third man [C] was arrested yesterday and was been taken to a north London police station for questioning.
Officers were called at approximately 13:45hrs on Monday, 30 October to reports of a man found suffering stab injuries at a residential address at Shaftesbury Place on Warwick Road, W14.
A post-mortem examination took place at St Georges Hospital Mortuary on Tuesday, 31 October and gave the cause of death as multiple stab wounds.
Julian previously worked with London’s Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea LGBT liaison group, he was also a counsellor with victims of sexual abuse.
DCI Luke Marks, said, “I am appealing for anyone who was recently in the area of Shaftesbury Place and who may have heard a disturbance coming from one of the flats to contact us.
“I would also like to hear from anyone who may know why Julian was targeted in his own home in such a violent way.
“Any piece of information, however small, may prove vital to my investigation.”
Anyone with information that could assist the investigation is asked to contact the incident room on 020 8358 0200 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Police in Cumbria are investigating an alleged hate crime against a transgender woman on a bus.
Investigators have released a CCTV still of a person they would like to speak to in connection with alleged verbal abuse hurled at a woman at a bus stop in Barrow in Furness, Cumbria.
According to a statement from the police at around 6:20 PM on Saturday 23 September 2017 a 43-year-old woman from Barrow was sat at a bus stop when she was approached by a man who has been verbally abusive towards her.
The man officers would like to speak with is described as a white, aged in his 60s and around 5ft 6ins tall. He is of medium build with balding hair to the back of his scalp.
At the time of the incident, he was wearing a white shirt and grey or brown trousers.
It is believed that the man has got onto a bus heading towards Holbeck.
Police are appealing for witnesses to this incident and anyone who may be able to identify the man pictured to come forward.
Email: 101@cumbria.police.uk
Call: PC Josh Jones on 101
Or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111
A woman in Wigan has been jailed for the murder of her girlfriend, following a campaign of domestic abuse.
Becky Reid (7/11/84) of Hayward Road, Atherton was found guilty of the murder of Lyndsey Vaux, and section 18 assault relating to another woman, aged 37, after a trial at Manchester Crown Court, Crown Square.
Reid received a life sentence for the murder of her former partner Lyndsey Vaux, 30, a mother-of-one, and will serve a minimum of 20 years.
On Sunday 22 May 2016, Lyndsey Vaux from Platt Bridge was taken to hospital in suspected cardiac arrest, where she sadly died later that morning.
A Home Office post-mortem found that Lyndsey had died from multiple injuries and police launched an investigation into her death.
Campaign of Domestic Abuse
During the trial, the court heard how in 2014 Lyndsey lived with Becky Reid on Sydney Street in Platt Bridge. Over a number of years, Lyndsey was attacked and abused by Reid, with neighbours seeing her around the area with many different injuries including black eyes, cuts to the lip, a cauliflower ear, bruising to the face and body, and a heavy limp.
Specific attacks were also seen with the court hearing how neighbours witnessed Becky Reid attacking Lyndsey in the street more than once.
On one occasion, Lyndsey tried to walk away, but Becky punched her in the face, and she fell to the floor, pleading with her to stop. Becky continued to attack her and stamped on her face and body, whilst Lyndsey lay in the road.
On another occasion, Lyndsey was stood in front of her house and Becky Reid was stood in the doorway. She attacked Lyndsey, punching and kicking her as she lay on the pavement, before dragging her into the house.
The court also heard how mother and daughter, Gillian and Becky Reid also attacked another woman in 2008 causing her facial fractures.
Senior Investigating Officer Bob Tonge of GMP’s Major Incident Support Unit said, “Lyndsey Vaux was subjected to years of horrific domestic abuse at the hands of her girlfriend, and no decision made here today can bring her back.
“Some neighbours knew about this abuse and did nothing. Had they given us the information that they gave us after Lyndsey’s murder then we could have saved her life, and this should act as a stark reminder that we all have a responsibility to stand up to this kind of crime.
“We’re working extremely hard to tackle domestic abuse in the LGBT community, having introduced a specific recording method to track it and taking our frontline officers through training on how best to support victims, but we do need the public’s help to continue to tackle domestic abuse in all of our communities.
“My thoughts are with Lyndsey’s family at this difficult time, and I hope this sentence goes some way to finding them justice.”
Help for Domestic Abuse victims
Lydnsey was a victim of Reid’s “campaign of domestic abuse” she tragically died after being admitted to hospital following one attack.
Victims in the LGBT community, and those worried about member of the LGBT community, can call Galop on 0800 999 5428.
Female victims, and those worried about women, can call the Greater Manchester Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0161 636 7525. Male victims, and those worried about men, can call The Mens Adviceline on 0808 801 0327 or can visit www.mensadviceline.org.uk.
Greater Manchester’s multi-agency response to same-sex DA, has also invested in a specialist LGBT Independent Domestic Violence Advisor, who works from Independent choices.
There is lots of information for victims, offenders, loved ones and practitioners on the end the fear website at www.sittingrightwithyou.co.uk.
Police are searching for a man who wore a dress to rob a shop in the Manchester area.
Police are investigating a robbery in which one of the alleged assailants was wearing a black dress and a yellow and purple silk scarf.
At around 9.30pm on Monday 25 September 2017, police were called to reports of a robbery on Stretford Road.
Two men had entered the McColls shop and threatened three assistants with a knife.
They forced the staff to open the safe, taking money from inside before emptying the cash registers in the shop.
The offenders have then fled the shop through the back door.
Black Dress and Yellow And A Silk Scarf
One of the offenders is described as a black man of a medium build, around 5ft6in tall wearing a black dress and a yellow and purple silk scarf, which he used to cover his face.
The other man is described as an athletic black man, around 6ft tall, wearing a grey hoody, grey tracksuit bottoms and red trainers.
Detective Inspector Gary Smith of GMP’s City of Manchester Borough, said, “These men showed a complete disregard for the people who were simply doing their job, when they used knives to threaten and steal money from the shop.
“It must have been a terrifying experience for them to be met by these two men who set out to take the money using whatever means they could.
“I’m urging anyone who recognises the description of the two men, or saw something that could help with our enquiries, to please get in touch and share what you know.”
Anyone with information should contact police on 0161 856 4402 or 101, quoting incident number 2215 of 25/09/17. This can also be done anonymously through the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Eleven men were arrested this morning, across England and Wales as part of a national investigation into the group National Action.
National Action is an extreme right-wing, homophobic and racist group that was proscribed in the UK in December 2016, which means it is illegal to support or be a member of the group. The group was proscribed in December 2016.
Those who were arrested were aged between 22 and 35 years-old – are all suspected of membership of National Action.
As part of the coordinated activity, officers from Counter Terrorism Policing North East and North West, supported by Wales Extremism and Counter Terrorism Unit and Wiltshire Police have arrested:
Six men from the North West area, one of which has been produced from prison
Two men from South Wales area
Two men from the West Yorkshire area
One man from Wiltshire area
Eleven properties are being searched across a number of force areas in England and Wales.
The arrests follow activity earlier this month by West Midlands Counter Terrorism Unit.
Assistant Chief Constable Russ Jackson, who is responsible for counter-terrorism policing for the North West, said: “We are committed to taking positive action such as this to remove those connected to organisations, such as National Action, from our communities.
“Individuals involved in proscribed organisations who support extremist ideologies bring damaging consequences to local communities but with the help of the public and our partners, we will do everything we can do bring these people to justice.
“All information received will be dealt with in the strictest confidence and can be passed to us anonymously by calling the Anti-Terrorism Hotline on 0800 789 321”
Senior National Coordinator for Counter Terrorism Policing, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu for The Metropolitan Police, said: “CT policing is committed to tackling all forms of extremism that threatens public safety and security. Investigations relating to alleged extreme right-wing activity are pursued with the same level or resource and vigour as other ideologies, in order to bring suspected offenders before the courts.
“Today’s arrests, while resulting from two separate investigations, have been coordinated by our officers across a number of forces. This maximises operational effectiveness for police and minimises disruption for the local communities.”
Arrest Details in Full
A 24-year-old man from Seaforth on suspicion of Preparation Of A Terrorist Act (Section 5 of the TACT 2006), Funding Terrorism (s15 TACT 2006) and Membership Of A Proscribed Organisation (s11 TACT 2006);
A 23-year-old man from Newton-le-Willows on suspicion of Preparation Of A Terrorist Act (s5 TACT 2006), Funding Terrorism (s15 TACT 2006) and Membership Of A Proscribed Organisation (s11 TACT 2006);
A 33-year-old man from Prescott on suspicion of Preparation Of A Terrorist Act (s5 TACT 2006), Funding Terrorism (s15 TACT 2006) and Membership Of A Proscribed Organisation (s11 TACT 2006);
A 31-year-old man from Warrington on suspicion of Preparation Of A Terrorist Act (s5 TACT 2006), Funding Terrorism (s15 TACT 2006) and Membership Of A Proscribed Organisation (s11 TACT 2006);
A 35-year-old man from Warrington on suspicion of Preparation Of A Terrorist Act (s5 TACT 2006), Funding Terrorism (s15 TACT 2006) and Membership Of A Proscribed Organisation (s11 TACT 2006);
A 22-year-old man from Lancashire has been produced from prison for police interview on suspicion of Preparation Of A Terrorist Act (s5 TACT 2006) and Membership Of A Proscribed Organisation (s11 TACT 2006);
A 28-year-old man from Swansea (South Wales) on suspicion of membership of a proscribed organisation under Section 11 of the Terrorism Act and under Section 58 of the Terrorism Act, possession of terrorism material/documents
A 23-year-old man from Sowerby Bridge (West Yorkshire) on suspicion of membership of a proscribed organisation under Section 11 of the Terrorism Act
A 23-year-old man from Swansea (South Wales) on suspicion of membership of a proscribed organisation under Section 11 of the Terrorism Act
A 26-year-old man from Leeds (West Yorkshire) on suspicion of membership of a proscribed organisation under Section 11 of the Terrorism Act
A 30-year-old man from Wiltshire on suspicion of membership of a proscribed organisation under Section 11 of the Terrorism Act.
* This article’s title has been ammended. A previous edit label the group National Action wrongly.
A man has been jailed for a minimum of 39 years for the murder of a man he met on a gay dating site.
The death of 58-year-old Peter Fasoli was originally ruled as accidental
Footage of his torture was uncovered by his nephew
Jason Marshall tried to hide his crime by setting fire to Mr Fasoli’s home.
A 29-year-old man has been jailed, to serve a minimum of 39-years for the murder of a 58-year-old man he met via a gay dating website.
Jason Marshall was found guilty on Wednesday, 9 August at the Old Bailey in London, for the murder of 58-year-old Peter Fasoli. He was also sentenced to five years’ imprisonment for arson, to run concurrently.
Originally it was believed that Mr Fasoli had died accidentally in his own home, it wasn’t until a seven-hour video of him being tortured was discovered that his death was treated as a murder case.
Victim Peter Fasoli was 58 when he died. He met his attacker online and invited him to his home for roleplay.
Torturer
The jury heard how Marshall set up a rendezvous via a gay dating site with Mr Fasoli at his Ealing home and tortured him for a prolonged period before suffocating him. He then committed arson in a bid to hide the evidence of the brutal murder and stole his victim’s credit card using it to flee by plane to Italy a few days after the murder.
Mr Fasoli, aged 58, died on Monday, 7 January 2013, after he was brought out of his burning flat in Rubens Road, Northolt.
His death was originally ruled as accidental.
Police, London Ambulance Service (LAS) and London Fire Brigade (LFB) attended after being called just before 01:00hrs in the morning. The case was originally treated as non-suspicious, following an investigation led by LFB which concluded the fire was accidental, with the most likely cause a faulty light bulb.
Images from Mr Fasoli’s home after Marshall set fire to it to hide his tracks.
A forensic pathologist who examined Mr Fasoli’s body found no evidence of any third party involvement and the inquest held at West London Coroner’s Court on 16 August 2013 returned a verdict of accidental death.
However, around a year later, in autumn 2014, Mr Fasoli’s nephew decided to collect the hard drive of his uncle’s computer, which was being stored on behalf of the family with other belongings that had survived the fire by a friend in Yorkshire.
His murder was captured on webcam
The two men, who met on a gay dating site, take part in a role play that goes terribly wrong. Mr Fasoli is killed by Marshall. Video found on the hard drive of Mr Fasoli’s computer shows the interaction between the two.
His nephew knew his uncle had been interested in the family tree and hoped to find research preserved on the computer system. Instead, he discovered a number of videos featuring his uncle taking part in sexual activities with other men – including the horrific seven-hour film of the encounter with Marshall. Mr Fasoli had unwittingly captured his own murder on the web camera that he had on his computer in the living room.
The film, shown to the jury in court, showed Marshall arriving kitted out with generic police accessories he had purchased on the internet, and he and Mr Fasoli chatting and then engaging in what appeared to be consensual role-playing based on an ‘interrogation’ before Marshall initiated what became a prolonged and violent domination of Mr Fasoli culminating in his murder. This included threatening him at knifepoint, and forcibly injecting him on multiple occasions. Classic FM radio station is playing throughout.
Marshall wears gloves in the footage found on the hard drive of one of the victim’s computers. It was only discovered after his death was ruled accidential.
The audio captures the sounds at the end of the film of Mr Fasoli shouting out to Marshall after his head has been covered and he has been pulled off the bed and out of view of the camera. Marshall remains impervious as he continues to ignore his victim’s increasing and visible distress. After Peter had stopped making any noise at all, Marshall left him lying on the floor and calmly smoked a cigarette before gathering his belongings.
Lighting a fire to cover his tracks
The web camera lead then appears to be pulled out and the sound can be heard of Marshall splashing a liquid around and flicking a lighter. A short time later Marshall is heard leaving the flat and the smoke alarm activates. The next morning he sent a message to Peter via the same dating site apologising for not having turned up the night before in a further attempt to cover his tracks, before using Peter’s bank card to withdraw hundreds of pounds. The day before he fled to Italy he sent further messages accusing Peter of ‘ignoring’ him.
Later enquiries showed that Marshall had contacted and met Peter on at least one occasion in the weeks before 7 January, and had led Peter to think that on the night of the murder he would be bringing another young man along to join them for the evening.
Once the hard drive found by Peter’s nephew and given to West Yorkshire Police was passed to the MPS, the Met’s Homicide and Major Crime Command launched its investigation into Mr Fasoli’s murder on 10 November, 2014.
The MPS formally informed the Coroner of this development. Following enquiries, officers identified Marshall as the key suspect. Police discovered that Marshall was in prison in Italy in late 2014, having been convicted and jailed for a murder and subsequent attempted murder of two men in Rome just weeks after he fled the UK. These also took place in the context of sexual encounters.
A European Arrest Warrant was obtained, and on Wednesday 15 February, officers travelled to Heathrow Airport to meet the flight Marshall was returning to the UK on. He was arrested and later that same day charged with the murder of Mr Fasoli.
Detective Inspector James Stevenson, of the Homicide and Major Crime Command, said, “We are pleased the sentence handed down to Marshall for the brutal killing of Peter. This was a cold-blooded attack, during which Marshall cynically gained the trust of a vulnerable older man to get entry into his home, then subjected him to a horrific and prolonged ordeal and ruthlessly ignoring Peter’s cries for help knowing he was fighting to stay alive. Marshall then did everything he could to evade being brought to justice.
“Anyone affected by this case can get in touch with LGBT agencies such Galop www.galop.org.uk and Camden LGBT forum www.camdenlgbtforum.org.uk who can offer confidential counselling and third-party reporting.”
An HIV-positive former college wrestler from was sentenced in Missouri to 10 years in prison for knowingly transmitting HIV to one man and exposing four others to the virus. Michael Johnson, 25, also known as “Tiger Mandingo,” pleaded no contest to the charges Thursday, reports said. A no contest plea is used in criminal proceedings as… (more…)
Police in Newcastle are investigating a serious assault inside a Newcastle gay bar.
At around 2:30 AM on Wednesday 13th September, a man was assaulted as he prepared to leave the Eazy Street bar in Newcastle’s city centre. The victim was celebrating his 33rd birthday when the attack happened.
The man was seen being punched in the face. He suffered a suspected fractured eye-socket and was transported to a local hospital for treatment.
The victim was celebrating his 33rd birthday in the popular drag and entertainment bar in Newcastle. He was allegedly approached by a man and assaulted.
Eazy Street is a popular bar in Newcastle’s city centre and features nightly drag entertainment.
Enquiries to identify the man responsible are ongoing and police are appealing for anyone who witnessed the assault to get in touch.
Police have released a CCTV image of the man they wish to speak to in connection with the assault. He was in the bar at the time assist their enquiries.
The man, or anyone who knows him, should contact police on 101 quoting log 269 13/09/17.
A third man has pleaded guilty to assaults on men because they were gay.
A gang of men, in Plano Texas, who used gay dating websites to target gay men, have pleaded guilty to hate crime assaults. The three men, Chancler Encalade, Nigel Garrett and Cameron Ajiduah used gay dating sites to arrange meetings with men. once inside the victims’ home they would bound their victim with tape, assault them and verbally abuse them. They would also steal from their homes.
Once inside the victims’ home, they bound their victims with tape, assault them and verbally abused them. They would also steal from their homes.
According to Yahoo News, the men are facing life in prison sentences and a fine of up to $250,000.
Police in Belfast are looking for information in connection with what they say was a homophobic attack in the early hours of this morning.
Police in Belfast have said that two young men were homophobically assaulted in the Beechmount area of Falls Road early Sunday morning. Detectives are appealing for information from anyone who may have been in the area or heard anything.
The two victims were reportedly attacked near the Beechmount area of Falls Road at around 2:50 AM on Sunday morning.
It is believed that the alleged assailants walked towards the Donegal Road/Whiterock area.
If you have information regarding this matter please contact police on 101 quoting reference No 390 of 17/09/2017 or confidentially ring independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Three teenagers who pleaded guilty to attacking two passengers on a train because of their sexuality have been jailed.
Three teenagers pleaded guilty to Violent Disorder against two boyfriends
They were sentenced to six months in Prison
Told to pay the victims just £100 in compensation.
The three male youths, two aged 16 and one aged 17, were each sentenced to six months in prison at Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court on 14 September, after admitting violent disorder and, in one case, possession of an offensive weapon.
In the early hours of 15 February 2017 two men, who are in a relationship, boarded a train from Reading to London and fell asleep. The three defendants, who cannot be named for legal reasons, got on at Hayes and Harlington.
One of the 16-year-old defendants walked through the carriages and spotted the victims asleep and resting on each other. He went back to inform the other two.
The trio then returned and engaged the victims in a conversation before attacking them. They were punched and kicked several times. One was stamped on whilst the other was hit over the head with a glass bottle. The sustained attack left both victims with extensive bruising to the head and face and one lost two teeth.
Following a British Transport Police investigation, the three defendants were charged and later pleaded guilty to violent disorder. One of them also pleaded guilty to possessing an offensive weapon.
Hatred motivated by homophobia
The couple show the results of their horrific attack. The sustained attack left both victims with extensive bruising to the head and face and one lost two teeth.
The CPS argued that the attack was motivated by hatred of the victims’ actual or perceived sexual orientation and asked the court to treat the incident as a homophobic hate crime. This was accepted and each defendant received a four-month prison sentence increased to six months because of the hate crime element. They were also each ordered to pay £100 in compensation to each of their victims.
The prosecution also successfully applied for one of the victims and another witness to give evidence from behind a screen to allay their fears about being targeted or intimidated.
Lauranne Middleton from the CPS said: “This was a violent assault and we successfully argued that it was fuelled by the defendants’ homophobia.
“Where prosecutors have evidence that an attack was motivated by hostility towards someone’s sexual orientation, they will ask the court to consider this as an aggravating factor which deserves a harsher sentence.
“This successful prosecution demonstrates how seriously the CPS treats such cases and our commitment to bringing offenders of hate crime to justice.”
