The couple Peter Matthews and Alistair Dinnie were married at St John’s Church, run by the Scottish Episcopal Church (SEC).
The Scottish Episcopal Church was the first Christian church in the UK to allow same-sex marriage in its churches. The rule change was not mandated however and clergy will not be forced to officiate at those marriages if it goes against their conscience.
The amendment to canon law on marriage, which removed the stipulation that marriage is only between a man and a woman, was carried by the Synod in Edinburgh.
A Brighton church is the first to welcome their first non-binary, trans man minister.
Rev. Peta Evans is to join the church in Brighton as an Associate Pastor. The Village Metropolitan Community Church is a church which was created by LGBT+ Christians, their families, their friends and allies.
The Reverend’s first sermon is due to be given on the 8th October at 6 PM at the Village MCC. In 2010 Peta left Brighton to train a clergy intern in North London and now is returning to Brighton
When not ministering, Peta is a care-worker and tailor.
Rev. Peta said, “Returning to Brighton, I am excited to serve again in the community which first welcomed me and supported me in both my ministry journey and my gender transition. I would love to see the sincere passion and integrity of The Village MCC reach out even more widely to people of all ages, gender identities and walks of life.
“I am also enthusiastic about reclaiming the Bible from those who have tried to make it a weapon against those who are different, and I’m starting a group for Trans people to do just that, ReTranslation, to look at the text for themselves without past interpretations getting in the way. I have a love for Celtic spirituality, which weaves together the practical and the spiritual, finding depth and delight in all things, no matter how mundane, and for creative expressions of spirituality, which I hope to share with The Village in the coming months.”
Rev. Michael Hydes, Senior Pastor of The Village MCC said, “I’m looking forward to working with Rev. Peta. Their rootedness in Celtic Christianity and experience working in the Trans communities are just two of the many gifts they bring to their work. I know we’ll all be enriched by their participation in our church life and leadership within our community of faith.”
Two more organisations have been proscribed by the Home Secretary, Amber Rudd.
Scottish Dawn and NS131 were identified by the Home Office as aliases of National Action, which was proscribed in December 2016. Speaking today, Ms Rudd called National Action a “vile racist, homophobic and anti-semitic group” which glorified violence and that she wouldn’t not allow it continue under different names.
The neo-Nazi group National Action was banned last year following an assessment that it was ‘concerned in terrorism.’ The order laid today means that it cannot operate as Scottish Dawn or NS131, which have been identified as alternate names the group has used.
From the 29th September when the order comes into effect, being a member – or inviting support for – the organisations will be a criminal offence, carrying a sentence of up to 10 years’ imprisonment.
Home Secretary, Amber Rudd, said:
National Action is a vile racist, homophobic and anti-semitic group which glorifies violence and stirs up hatred while promoting their poisonous ideology and I will not allow them to masquerade under different names.
By extending the proscription of National Action, we are halting the spread of a poisonous ideology and stopping its membership from growing – protecting those who could be at risk of radicalisation.
Our priority as government will always be to maintain the safety and security of families and communities across the United Kingdom and we will continue to identify and ban any terrorist group which threatens this, whatever their ideology.
National Action’s online propaganda material featured violent imagery and language, inferring that violent acts, including the attack on the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando and the murder of Jo Cox should be emulated.
Decisions about proscribing or extending the proscription of a particular organisation are taken after extensive consideration and in light of a full assessment of available information.
Last weekend, Worcester played host to the first ever Worcestershire Pride…
Hundreds of people attended the first ever pride in Worcester last weekend. There was a full day of entertainment hosted by local DQ Princx. The show was headlined by X Factor’s Freddy Parker and Ginny Lemon.
The pride took place in The Fountains and Copenhagen Street car park by South Quay and according to organisers took a year in the planning. The pride was also awarded a £9,900 lottery grant to put on the pride.
Entertainment was provided by a slew of wonderful Drag Queens and X Factor’s Freddy Parker, who wowed the audience with his bouncy and energetic set.
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.
Acclaimed musical theatre writer Stephen Clark, who died last year, penned this two-hander play as a vehicle for uber camp legend Julian Clary. The play concerns ageing architect Michael (Julian Clary) who is cooking dinner for a younger man (James Nelson-Joyce) who’s he’s picked up in the pub. As he slices, boils and fries the food in a functional on-stage kitchen he shares his thoughts on sex and death. Naturally. Once Tim arrives it’s not clear whether it’s sex or death that’s on the menu and who is in charge of the situation.
Let’s get some important things out of the way first. Yes, Julian Clary can cook. To be fair, it’s a simple recipe, though. Shirley Valentine had to fry chips and egg. He just chucks a few things in a pan and rustles up a pasta sauce. Can he act, though? Partially. He manages to deliver the tight monologue that forms the first part of the ninety-minute play but once the action heats up he flounders a little. His character’s uptight and rigid persona suits his physical presence and makes the job an easier one.
The main issue here is the play itself. It just doesn’t quite work and although mildly engaging it misses the mark more than it hits it. It’s a fairly relentless onslaught of thoughts about the death of celebrities. What should be sinister feels absurd and what should be absurd feels humdrum. What feels like a calculated move to shock comes across as tedious. It’s also, bafflingly, partly in rhyme and there’s a bizarrely intrusive soundtrack to the piece.
On the plus side, the kitchen is stylish and attractive as is the young actor James Nelson-Joyce. Spoiler alert: expect full nudity. Julian Clary is an interesting spectacle and the faults of the piece aside it’s good to see him tackle something that’s different from his usual milieu.
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.”
Even though TfL has decided to revoke Uber’s license in London, you can still use your Uber account and get a taxi.
Transport for London (TfL) has informed US tech firm Uber that it will not issue it a private hire operator licence after the expiry of its current licence on 30 September. TfL cited the company’s policy on reporting criminal offences, hiring policies and tech software which could bar regulatory organisations for gaining full access to its technology as some of its reasons.
Can I still order a taxi on Uber?
Uber has 21 days to appeal and those appeals could see the battle for Uber on London’s street rage for years into the future. Tfl also noted that Uber had the right to appeal the decision and that it could continue to operate ” until any appeal processes have been exhausted”.
So technically Uber can still continue to offer cars to its customers as Tfl has stated that it can continue to operate whilst any appeals process goes on.
Uber has confirmed it will appeal the decision.
40,000 Unemployed drivers in London?
The blow to Uber could potentially mean the loss of tens of thousands of jobs across London as well affecting over 3.5 million passengers who use the service. The company has around 40,000 drivers in London – but they aren’t considered employees of the company, but self-employed.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said in a statement, “I fully support TfL’s decision – it would be wrong if TfL continued to license Uber if there is any way that this could pose a threat to Londoners’ safety and security.”
In a statement, Uber said, “far from being open, London is closed to innovative companies”.
Why did the TFL ban Uber?
In making its decision to effectively ban Uber TfL said,
TfL has concluded that Uber London Limited is not fit and proper to hold a private hire operator licence.
TfL considers that Uber’s approach and conduct demonstrate a lack of corporate responsibility in relation to a number of issues which have potential public safety and security implications. These include:
Its approach to reporting serious criminal offences.
Its approach to how medical certificates are obtained.
Its approach to how Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks are obtained.
Its approach to explaining the use of Greyball in London – software that could be used to block regulatory bodies from gaining full access to the app and prevent officials from undertaking regulatory or law enforcement duties.
Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan has backed Transport for London’s decision not to renew Uber’s operating license suggesting Uber did not “play by the rules”.
“I want London to be at the forefront of innovation and new technology and to be a natural home for exciting new companies that help Londoners by providing a better and more affordable service.
However, all companies in London must play by the rules and adhere to the high standards we expect – particularly when it comes to the safety of customers. Providing an innovative service must not be at the expense of customer safety and security.
“I fully support TfL’s decision – it would be wrong if TfL continued to license Uber if there is any way that this could pose a threat to Londoners’ safety and security.
“Any operator of private hire services in London needs to play by the rules”.
The blow to the Saudi backed Uber could potentially mean the loss of tens of thousands of jobs across London as well affecting over 3.5 million passengers who use the service.
But don’t worry just yet – those Prius’s could be around for a good few years yet
Transport for London (TfL) has informed US tech firm Uber that it will not issue it a private hire operator licence after the expiry of its current licence on 30 September. TfL cited the company’s policy on reporting criminal offences, hiring policies and tech software which could bar regulatory organisations for gaining full access to its technology as some of its reasons.
The blow to Uber could potentially mean the loss of tens of thousands of jobs across London as well affecting over 3.5 million passengers who use the service.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said in a statement, “I fully support TfL’s decision – it would be wrong if TfL continued to license Uber if there is any way that this could pose a threat to Londoners’ safety and security.”
In a statement, Uber said, “far from being open, London is closed to innovative companies”.
Why did the TFL ban Uber?
In making its decision to effectively ban Uber TfL said,
TfL has concluded that Uber London Limited is not fit and proper to hold a private hire operator licence.
TfL considers that Uber’s approach and conduct demonstrate a lack of corporate responsibility in relation to a number of issues which have potential public safety and security implications. These include:
Its approach to reporting serious criminal offences.
Its approach to how medical certificates are obtained.
Its approach to how Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks are obtained.
Its approach to explaining the use of Greyball in London – software that could be used to block regulatory bodies from gaining full access to the app and prevent officials from undertaking regulatory or law enforcement duties.
Gone from London’s streets?
Uber has 21 days to appeal and those appeals could see the battle for Uber on London’s street rage for years into the future. Tfl also noted that Uber had the right to appeal the decision and that it could continue to operate ” until any appeal processes have been exhausted”.
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.
