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Men who inhaled laughing gas as they went over 130mph in 30mph zone jailed for fatal crash
Two men have been jailed for causing a fatal crash after driving at up to 139mph in a 30mph zone as they inhaled laughing gas.

Uways Hussain, 20, of Marley Road, Manchester, was jailed for 11 years and eight months after admitting causing death by dangerous driving and other offences.

Passenger Usmon Mahmood, 23, of Buller Road, Manchester, was sentenced to 12 years and nine months for aiding and abetting Hussain.

He initially claimed he had tried to warn his friend about the way he was driving a VW Golf GTI, which belonged to Mahmood.

Hussain was behind the wheel when he ran a red light and crashed into another car, killing 50-year-old Sylvester Abayomi, Manchester Crown Court heard on Friday.

The collision happened at the junction of Green End Road and Kingsway in Manchester at 4.30am on 9 March.

The car drove at speeds well over 100mph in 30mph zones throughout the night.

Footage on their phones captured their speeding and showed the pair inhaling nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas, from balloons.

At times, Hussain had only one hand on the wheel.

Greater Manchester Police said it was believed to be one of the first times nationally where a passenger has been convicted for aiding and abetting death by dangerous driving.

The pair were unwittingly recorded in conversation in the moments after the crash by an automated feature on Hussain's Apple Watch.

The collision prompted the device to call 999, then captured audio of them discussing fleeing in an Uber and reporting their car as stolen.

Judge Nicholas Dean KC said the CCTV and camera footage of the incident were "terrifying".

He told the pair: "You drove at extreme speeds, seemingly up to very nearly 140mph, on roads which were by and large subject to 30mph speed limits, far, far in excess of any safe or lawful limit."

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Mr Abayomi's partner, Denise Doyle, told the court: "Sylvester was simply on his way to work. An ordinary hard-working man.

"He should have returned home to me safely that day. Because of your actions he never did."

Addressing the defendants, she added: "You left Sylv to die alone. You did not show him even a shred of compassion or humanity."

The court heard Hussain - a law student - had a previous conviction for drug-driving, while Mahmood had been about to start a Network Rail apprenticeship.


Mother of Archie Battersbee jailed for driving motorist off road
The mother of Archie Battersbee, the 12-year-old who died after a High Court battle, has been jailed for driving a motorist into a tree.

Hollie Dance, 50, tailed the victim for miles before running him off the road in October 2022.

Her son, Thomas Summers, 26, then "rammed into [the man] and sent him into a bush", Basildon Crown Court heard on Friday.

Dance and Summers were jailed for four years and five years respectively.

The incident happened just two months after Archie's life support was withdrawn.

Archie had been found unconscious with a ligature around his head after a "prank or experiment" gone wrong, an inquest later ruled.

The case sparked a national debate, with Dance arguing against switching her son's life support off.

Bibi Ihuomah, for Dance, said her life had been "profoundly damaged" by her son's death.

"The night before the offences she had been assessed regarding her mental health status," he added.

Emily Lauchlan, for Summers, said it was an "impromptu pursuit without forward thinking or planning".

The pair had followed their victim from Southend to Basildon in Essex, the court heard.

Prosecutor Richard Scott said the pair believed the victim had been involved in a bottling incident in which "another member of their family had been hurt".

He said the victim suffered injuries including a fractured and dislocated shoulder, and a fracture to his foot.

Both defendants were found guilty after an earlier trial of causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

Dance pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, and was also found guilty of possessing a prohibited weapon - a gas canister.

Summers pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving, and was found guilty of affray.

Mr Scott said Dance had previous convictions, including for actual bodily harm in 1996 and drink-driving in 2017.

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The judge, recorder Peter Clark, told the defendants the loss of Archie was "desperately sad", but the pair's behaviour had been "completely unlawful".

He acknowledged that Dance's daughter had indeed been hurt in the bottling incident, but the pair had sought "revenge against a person wrongly identified as the perpetrator".

Dance was also banned her from driving for 43 months. while Summers was given a four-year driving ban.

Dance blew a kiss to the public gallery as she was led to the cells on Friday, while Summers made a peace sign when he was led down separately afterwards.


Man, woman and child die after fall from high-rise block of flats in London
A man, woman and child have died after falling from a high-rise block of flats in south London, police have said.

Emergency services were called to the scene on Churchyard Row in Elephant and Castle, following reports that three people had fallen from a height.

Attempts by emergency responders to resuscitate them were unsuccessful.

The Metropolitan Police said their deaths on Wednesday were being treated as unexpected.

"At 7.29am officers, the London Ambulance Service, London's Air Ambulance and the London Fire Brigade attended a high-rise block of flats on Churchyard Row, Elephant and Castle, following reports that people had fallen from height," police said.

The force added: "At the scene, three people - a man, a woman and a child - were found to have sadly died, despite resuscitation attempts by first responders. Their deaths are currently being treated as unexpected."

Officers said there were no other reported injuries.

Work is under way to formally identify the three people who have died.

Their next-of-kin have been informed and were being supported by specialist officers, police added.

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A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: "We sent a number of resources to the scene including ambulance crews, a paramedic in a fast response car, an incident response officer and paramedics from our hazardous area response team (Hart).

"We also dispatched a trauma team in a car from London's Air Ambulance.

"Our first paramedic arrived in around four minutes.

"Very sadly, despite the best efforts of our crews, three people were pronounced dead at the scene."

Police have urged any witnesses with information to come forward.


Donald Trump-affiliated US birthday celebration hit by wave of cancellations
A number of musical artists have cancelled their appearances at a Donald Trump-linked US celebration in Washington DC. 

Martina McBride, Bret Michaels and the Commodores and are among those who have dropped out of the celebrations, which are designed to celebrate the US's 250th birthday.

This summer's The Great American State Fair shows on Washington's National Mall are being organised by Freedom 250.

It is described as a "non-partisan" organisation, but was launched last year by President Trump and is headed by Keith Krach, a first-term Trump appointee for the State Department.

The organisation had only announced the appearances of McBride, Michaelson and the Commodores on Wednesday.

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Why are artists cancelling?

Some of those cancelling their appearances said they were misled about the theme of the shows, or were wary of being affiliated with a political party.

In an Instagram post, Michaels wrote that he had thought his show would be a chance to "honour our veterans, active military, first responders, teachers and hardworking Americans from all walks of life".

But he concluded that the event had "evolved into something much more divisive".

McBride also issued an Instagram statement, saying she had been "presented with an opportunity to perform at a non-partisan event, but that turned out to be misleading".

Young MC, another artist scheduled to perform, expressed similar sentiments in an Instagram post, while the Commodores released a brief statement saying they chose "not to publicly affiliate with any single political party".

Some of those who are still set to perform at the events as of Friday morning include Flo Rida, Vanilla Ice and Fab Morvan of Milli Vanilli, the Grammy-winning duo who were discredited after reports that he and fellow frontman Rob Pilatus did not sing on the records and lip-synced on stage.

Morvan told the AP news agency in an emailed statement that he was "here to entertain and unite people, not divide them".

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A representative for Vanilla Ice said that the "Ice Ice Baby" rapper was "proud to help celebrate America's 250th Anniversary!".

A rocky relationship

Despite gathering some high-profile entertainment industry figures, such as Sylvester Stallone and Nicki Minaj, Mr Trump has had a rocky relationship with many others.

Taylor Swift, Robert De Niro, Billie Eilish and Bruce Springsteen are among those who have endorsed Democrats and or condemned Mr Trump, while Elton John, Kenny Loggins and others have objected to their music being used in Trump rallies or videos.

It's not the only time that President Trump-related plans for the country's 250th birthday have caused headlines.

US Treasury officials said on Thursday that they are preparing to print a new $250 bill depicting the president, pending legislation changes.

Under current mandates, no living person can be depicted on banknotes.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Thursday that his department designed the bill because "we have to be prepared" in case lawmakers decide to pass the stalled bill that would change that.


Why Canadian who admitted aiding ‌suicide by selling ‌deadly chemicals online won't face justice in UK
A Canadian man accused of selling ‌deadly chemicals online to people who took their own lives has pleaded guilty ​to aiding ‌suicide.

Kenneth Law sold the lethal substances across the world, and his products were linked to the deaths of 112 people in the UK.

The 60-year-old was ⁠facing 14 counts ⁠of aiding suicide, all relating to Canadian victims.

He pleaded guilty ⁠under an agreement with ​prosecutors that would see ​murder charges withdrawn.

Law will not be tried in the UK, because prosecutors fear a court may reject his extradition under "double jeopardy" laws - because he will have already been convicted of similar offences in another country.

Specialist Crown Prosecution Service prosecutor Andrew Hudson said including UK victims in the Canadian sentencing process was the "quickest and most effective route" to securing justice.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said 79 UK victims who died as a direct result of purchasing Law's products will form part of the wider case into his offending.

British prosecutors said Law was a "serial offender who callously exploited many vulnerable and innocent people exchanging their lives for his financial gain".

He sold 1,200 packages to 40 countries from Canada-based websites, with 286 individuals in the UK receiving the products.

In a letter to bereaved families, the NCA and CPS said it had been established that Law sent 330 products to the UK in total.

Explaining why the UK victims would be taken into the Canadian case, the letter said: "We recognise that this may be painful to hear, and that some victims and bereaved families may have hoped to see a separate prosecution in England and Wales.

"This difficult decision was reached only after detailed consideration of all available options."

The families of those who died have now called for a public inquiry.

The sister of Aimee Walton, a 21-year-old from Southampton who died in 2022, said "doors have been shut" for families seeking justice.

Adele Zeynep Walton said: "The question for our own country is simpler still - who here will examine how the British state let this happen, and what it will do so that no other family goes through it?

"A foreign sentencing hearing cannot answer that. Only a statutory public inquiry can."

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David Parfett, the father of philosophy student Thomas Parfett, who died aged 22 after taking his own life in Sunbury-on-Thames in Surrey, said: "I am angry, but I am not surprised. For months, we have been told that the system is working and that existing measures are enough. They are not.

"If our own country will not put anyone on trial for these deaths, the very least it can do is hold a proper inquiry into how they were allowed to happen."

Law was also investigated by police in the US, Italy, Australia and New Zealand.

Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK.


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