A selection of recently added stories

Although the summer holidays for us teachers are nearly over, I’ve only just had time to update this site. Here are some of the stories I’ve added:

• ‘Evil killer Wesley Streete sentenced to life after Keeley Bunker’s rape and murder’ (Birmingham Mail). Confirmation that the murderer (and the victim) smoked cannabis: https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/murdered-keeley-bunkers-final-words-22386026. Filed under ‘Murder, manslaughter and infanticide’.
• Callous murderer who spent five days with his victim’s corpse given life sentence (Daily Record). Filed under ‘Murder, manslaughter and infanticide’.
• Teen ‘vampire’ tried to drag girl (16) into woods and threatened to rape her in terrifying Perth attack (Daily Record). Filed under ‘Rape, paedophilia and sexual violence’.
• Cannabis dealer jailed after smashing into police car and leaving drug trail into canal (Daily Record). I haven’t, in fact, added this to the ever-growing ‘Drug driving’ page because it does not state that the defendant was under the influence of cannabis. It is notable, though, for the chasm between the stern words of the judge regarding cannabis and the flimsy punishment he handed out.
• Sunderland thug tried to murder boyhood pal in ‘sickening’ stamp attack (Chronicle Live). These words of the defending barrister are priceless: “It’s a quite extraordinary set of events given he has nothing on his record for violence, just for cannabis, which is usually associated with peaceful activities.” Filed under ‘Violence, abuse and attempted murder’.
• Dangerous knife man jailed for 15 years after “totally unprovoked” attacks on Norwich teenagers (Eastern Daily Press). Filed under ‘Violence, abuse and attempted murder’.
• Members of ‘armed and deadly gang’ convicted of killing Harry Baker (Wales Online). Confirmation that at least two of the seven people convicted smoked cannabis: https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/harry-baker-murder-killers-court-20169214. Filed under ‘Murder, manslaughter and infanticide’.
• I would have missed the cannabis connection to this story from last year, ‘Thugs stamped on unconscious man’s head and testicles in ‘savage’ street attack’, but for this recent interview with the mother of one of the attackers, https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/port-talbot-crime-courts-prison-20851188. Filed under ‘Murder, manslaughter and infanticide’.
• And finally, from Ireland, a dismally common case of violent paranoia: ‘Cork man stabbed flatmate who he believed was going to kill him’. Filed under ‘Violence, abuse and attempted murder’.