#west mids police are apparently investigating as arson

[sunsets-and-phantoms]

so this iconic pub in my hometown was mysteriously closed last week and sold to a private buyer - however as it’s from the 1700s, it’s a listed building which means no demolishing and developing. Conveniently for the buyer, the whole thing burned down the other day, and the fire brigade took longer to get to the entrance because the road was blocked with debris.

I’m really sad.

[gyrlversion]

UKs longest-serving inmate could soon walk FREE

A forgotten serial killer who slayed a priest with an axe may soon be walking the streets freely.

Patrick ‘Pyscho’ Mackay is one of the UK’s longest-serving inmates who confessed murdering up to eleven people, including a four-year-old boy.

Names such as West, Shipman, Sutcliffe, Nilsen, Hindley, Brady, have all dominated the headlines in recent years however, in 1975 it was Mackay that left the UK horrified following a spree of gruesome murders across London and Kent.

Remarkable photos show the various demented faces of the criminal named ‘the most dangerous man in Britain’ at his court trial, a hacked-up body of a priest in a bathtub, and the cold dead eyes of a deranged killer staring directly into the camera.

Portrait of a psychopath: Mackay (left)in a photobooth with chicken he took from his mother, while he poses in a photobooth again (right)

From left to right: Harold, Patrick, Marion and Ruth Mackay at home in the 1950s. Behind the scenes, Harold would abuse his children 

Detective Chief Inspector Peter Croxford (left) with the pry bar used to kill Ivy Davies, one of Patrick Mackay’s victims. Another one of his possible victims, Heidi Mnilk (right), who was stabbed in the neck

The Daily Mail (left) reported the case in the mid 70s and pictured Mackay (right) on the front cover and described him as the ‘mad killer the law let go’

These stomach-churning photos form part of John Lucas’ new book Britain’s Forgotten Serial Killer: The Devil’s Disciple, a detailed and dramatic account of the notorious Nazi-obsessed killer and his victims.

‘Convicted of three killings, suspected of another eight, Patrick David Mackay was dubbed the Monster of Belgravia, the Devil’s Disciple and simply The Psychopath amid a torrent of public anger at the way he had repeatedly slipped through the grasp of the criminal justice system,’ explained Lucas.

‘When the authorities added it all up, Mackay had been incarcerated, sectioned or otherwise detained at least nineteen times before he was finally brought to justice for his horrific killing spree.’

Lucas said it was a cased that left the nation stunned and that Mackay could soon be out walking the streets freely after being allowed to change his name.

A young Patrick Mackay (pictured above) playing with stolen garden gnomes in his garden in Gravesend. It was reported that neighbours also saw him playing with birds 

A ten-year-old Patrick Mackay (pictured above) playing with sand figures while on holiday with his parents. The new book reveals that Patrick had struggled to come to terms with the death of his father and would often tell them he was still alive

On the left, an extract from Mackay’s criminal record shows he was a crook from the age of 11. On the right, Mackay’s charge sheet for the murder of Father Anthony Crean 

‘Yet the extraordinary story of this 22-year-old Nazi-obsessive, who hacked a priest to death with an axe and killed two elderly women during a remorseless robbery campaign on the upmarket streets of West London, was all but forgotten by Christmas of 1975.

‘It had been expected to run and run. Among the unsolved cases Mackay had apparently confessed to in prison – but later denied under questioning – was the murder of a teenage nanny on a train and the heinous double killing of a widow and her four-year-old grandson.

The book also reveals that Mackay had also been suspected of murdering a popular café owner from Essex. Ivy Davis’ body was found at her Westcliff-on-sea home with multiple wounds to her head, as well as a ligature around her neck on 4 February 1975.

In 2006 Essex Police questioned 68-year-old Basildon man who was arrested as part of a cold case review. She was last seen leaving the cafe on the evening of 3 February, 1975 and was discovered by her daughter the following day.

‘While police had taken the initial decision not to charge Mackay with those crimes, it seemed to be only a matter of time before more evidence came to light. But the charges never materialised.

Murder victims Stephanie Britton and her four-year-old grandson Christopher Martin. Mackay allegedly admitted to killing them but later refused to confess

Mackay admitted to killing pensioner Sarah Rodmell whose blood is seen (left) on her doorstep in east London. Police are pictured right searching land close to another victim, Ivy Davies’ cottage

The book cover of ‘Britain’s forgotten serial killer’ (left) written by John Lucas about Patrick Mackay (pictured right in police mugshot)

‘Perhaps it was because, despite his alleged gloating to fellow prisoners, Patrick Mackay did not really kill all those people. Yet while he languishes in prison to this day – still too dangerous to be released – every one of those crimes remains unsolved.’

Mackay was born in 1952 and was raised in an abusive household and regularly beaten by his alcoholic father. It was not long before Mackay was committing criminal acts himself, particularly arson, animal cruelty, theft and stealing garden gnomes.

Medical professions saw that he had psychopathic tendencies and he was sectioned in 1968. He was released four years later and would soon be responsible for the death of at least three people.

The murderer quickly developed a fascination with Nazism and often referred to himself as ‘Franklin Bollvolt the First’ and frequently spoke of his desire to ‘wipe out’ the elderly.

The team investigating the murder of Ivy Davies, who was murdered with a pry bar Around thirty boxes of paperwork were collected

Cafe owner Ivy Davies (left) was battered to death in her front room while widower Isabella Griffiths was murdered after a St Valentine’s Day meal with friends 

Father Anthony Crean (pictured above) was murdered by Mackay after he was walking in a field near to his home

He was convicted of three killings. Mackay’s first identified victim was 87-year-old widow Isabella Griffiths, who was strangled and stabbed at her home in Cheyne Walk, Chelsea. Next was Adele Price, 89, strangled at her home in Lowndes Square, Kensington.

Finally, Mackay killed Father Anthony Crean in a frenzied attack using his fists, a knife and an axe in the picturesque village of Shorne, Kent, leaving the 63-year-old’s mutilated body floating grotesquely in a bath full of bloody water.

Patrick Mackay: A timeline of his killings

Patrick Mackay had between three and 11 victims as not all were confirmed. He was sentenced to prison for life in 1975.

1965: Institutionalised for trying to set fire to a Catholic Church 

1967: At the age of 15 Mackay was diagnosed as a psychopath by a psychiatrist, he was committed to Moss Side hospital for four years

1972: Released from hospital 

1973: Befriends Father Anthony Crean and soon begins stealing from him

1973, July: Kills Heidi Mnilk, an au pair girl, by hurling her from a train near New Cross 

1973, July: Mary Hynes beaten to death in her Kentish Town apartment 

1974, January: Stephanie Britton and her four-year-old grandson were stabbed to death at Hadley Green, in Hertfordshire

1974, January: Tosses a homeless person from Hungerford Bridge 

1974, February: invaded the Chelsea home of Isabella Griffith, strangling her to death and knifing her 

1974: Bludgeoned a 62-year-old tobacconist to death 

1974: Sarah Rodwell, age 92, was beaten to death on her doorstep in Hackney 

1974: Ivy Davies, slain with an axe 

1975: Kills Father Crean with an axe 

1975, March: Strangles Adele Price 

1975 March 23: Arrested  

1975: Confesses, but not all crimes were charged to him  

The date was 21 March 1975. Two days later Mackay was arrested.

But Mackay’s horrifying crimes probably did not end there.

Although he was charged with five counts of murder, Mackay’s convictions were only for three counts of manslaughter due to diminished responsibility.

The other two cases were allowed to lie on file, meaning prosecutors believed they had enough evidence but a trial was felt not to be in the public interest.

The first victim in this group was 73-year-old widow Mary Hynes. She was choked and stabbed at her home in Willes Road, Kentish Town. Second was 62-year-old shopkeeper Frank Goodman. He was battered with a piece of metal pipe at his premises in Rock Street, Finsbury Park.

Finally, there were five unsolved murders, which Mackay allegedly confessed to while in jail, later telling police he was not responsible. The victims in those cases were 18-year-old Heidi Mnilk, Stephanie Britton, Christopher Martin, Sarah Rodmell and Ivy Davies.

Mackay also admitted to killing an unidentified homeless man by pushing him into a canal. The body was never found.

Despite his alarming crimes and the sordid accusations surrounding Mackay, Lucas is concerned that the serial killer may soon be released from prison without the general public’s knowledge.

If he really did kill eleven people, he would be the UK’s fifth most prolific serial killer.

‘Mackay faded into obscurity in the minds of the British public, far more than other serial killers of his era,’ added Lucas.

‘In fact, he has been able to change his name and win the right to live in an open prison – the first step on the road to eventual freedom – without a shred of publicity surrounding the decision.

‘Far from being one of Britain’s most notorious inmates, he is not even recognised as being the country’s longest-serving living prisoner.

‘That title was wrongly held by murderer John Massey before he was released in May 2018, even though he had been jailed seven months after Mackay in May 1976.’

Lucas said that most assume the flamboyant and infamous Charlie Bronson now holds the record, but that is not the case.

‘Instead, it is the forgotten serial killer, Patrick Mackay, who has been inside the longest.

‘It is worth noting that Mackay may have had some influence over his low profile.

‘Unlike other killers such as Dennis Nilsen and Ian Brady, Mackay is not known to have ever replied to a letter sent by ‘fans’ or ‘pen pals’ who would inevitably have sold any response to the newspapers.

‘Perhaps it was a calculated move, perhaps it was a result of poor literacy.

‘The question remains: was Patrick Mackay really one of Britain’s most prolific serial killers, as detectives originally suspected?

‘That mystery is what this book sets out to examine.’

John Lucas’s Britain’s Forgotten Serial Killer: The Devil’s Disciple, published by Pen and Sword Books, is due for release this July.  

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[web-mobile-applications-blog]

Police blotter: Drug charges in Delhi

A Norfolk man faces trafficking charges after police were called to an apartment in Delhi this week.

Norfolk OPP responded Monday around 8:40 a.m. after receiving a complaint about unknown individuals that were located inside the apartment.

Attending officers located a male and a female inside.

Following an investigation, a 30-year-old male was charged with possession of cocaine for the purposes of trafficking, possession of methamphetamine, possession of proceeds obtained by crime, and failure to comply with a probation order.

Attempted theft in Waterford

Three youths fled the scene of an attempted theft in Waterford last week.

Around 12:30 a.m. Thursday, three youths were spotted attempting to make off with a paddleboat. A neighbour in the vicinity came out and scared them away.

Two of the youths were described as white while the third was described to police as Indigenous.

Norfolk OPP are investigating.

Money stolen from bakery

A bakery in Simcoe was the target of a break-in last week.

Taken was a quantity of Canadian currency.

The theft occurred at Nichol’s Bakery on Robinson Street in the early morning hours of Friday.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact the Norfolk OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or Crime Stoppers of Haldimand, Norfolk & Tillsonburg at 1-800-222-8477.

Callers to Crime Stoppers who help solve a crime are eligible for a cash reward of up to $2,000.

Arson in Port Dover

Newspaper boxes were lit on fire in Port Dover in an apparent arson this week.

The incident occurred on Greenock Street West in the area of Richardson Drive in the early morning hours of Monday.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact the Norfolk OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or Crime Stoppers of Haldimand, Norfolk & Tillsonburg at 1-800-222-8477.

Callers to Crime Stoppers who help solve a crime are eligible for a cash reward up to $2,000.

Witnesses sought in truck theft

Police are looking for witnesses after a pickup truck was stolen in Hagersville this week.

The black 2002 Chevrolet Silverado went missing on King Street East sometime between 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. Sunday.

The owner told police the vehicle was locked at the time of the theft.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact the Haldimand OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or Crime Stoppers of Haldimand, Norfolk & Tillsonburg at 1-800-222-8477.

Callers to Crime Stoppers who help solve a crime are eligible for a cash reward up to $2,000.

Purse stolen in Jarvis

A cell phone and cash are missing after a woman’s purse was stolen in Jarvis this weekend.

The theft occurred at Tim Hortons on Main Street North around 5:30 p.m. Sunday.

The victim told police she put her purse beneath the table she was sitting at on the patio. She left the table for a few minutes and – upon her return – the purse was gone.

The purse also contained credit cards and identification.

The theft was captured on in-store video. The suspect is seen entering the patio and grabbing the purse before fleeing to an awaiting vehicle.

The suspect is described as a heavy-set white female in her mid- to late-40s. In the video, her black hair is pulled back into a bun high on her head.

She was wearing black plastic-rimmed sunglasses, a dark pink T-shirt with what appears to be three feathers on the front, blue Bermuda denim shorts with cuffed legs and tears in the fabric, and brown flip-flop style sandals.

The vehicle she entered is described as a black, four-door older model sedan.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact the Norfolk OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or Crime Stoppers of Haldimand, Norfolk & Tillsonburg at 1-800-222-8477.

Callers to Crime Stoppers who help solve a crime are eligible for a cash reward up to $2,000.

Ref: http://www.simcoereformer.ca/2017/08/08/police-blotter-drug-charges-in-delhi

[studentofrhetoric-blog]

Part 1, Thursday, April 13th, 2017

International News:

--- "The United Nations Security Council voted unanimously on Thursday to end its 13-year-long peacekeeping mission in Haiti and replace it with a smaller police, which would be drawn down after two years as the country boosts its own force. The peacekeeping mission, one of the longest-running in the world and known as MINUSTAH, has been dogged by controversies, including the introduction of cholera to the island and sexual abuse claims. The 15-member Security Council acknowledged the completion of Haiti's presidential election, along with the inauguration of its new president, as a "major milestone towards stabilization" in the Caribbean country. "What we now need is a newly configured mission which is focused on the rule of law and human rights in Haiti," British U.N. Ambassador Matthew Rycroft said on his way into the meeting. "Peacekeepers do fantastic work but they are very expensive and they should be used only when needed," Rycroft said. "We strongly support the ending of this mission turning it into something else. And I think we'll see the same thing elsewhere." The shutdown of the $346 million mission, recommended by U.N. chief Antonio Guterres, comes as the United States looks to cut its funding of U.N. peacekeeping. Washington is the largest contributor, paying 28.5 percent of the total budget."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-un-haiti-idUSKBN17F230?il=0

--- "A U.S.-led air strike mistakenly killed 18 members of a Kurdish and Arab militia backed by Washington south of the Syrian city of Tabqa, the Pentagon said on Thursday. The U.S.-led coalition forces struck the position on Tuesday after another partner in the fight wrongly told them its was occupied by Islamic State militants, the Pentagon said, underlining the complex nature of the conflict. "The target location was actually a forward Syrian Democratic Forces fighting position," the statement added...The SDF said its leadership was working with the coalition to investigate the incident and prevent it from happening again. "In the area of military operations near Tabqa and as a result of error, a painful incident took place" causing several casualties, the SDF said in a statement."

Source:  http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-air-strike-idUSKBN17F1OT?il=0

--- "Global chemical weapons investigators have gone to Turkey to collect samples as part of an inquiry into an alleged chemical weapons attack in neighbouring Syria last week that killed 87 people. The fact-finding mission was sent by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in The Hague to gather bio-metric samples and interview survivors, sources told Reuters on Thursday...Samples taken from the poison gas site in Syria's Idlib governorate tested positive for the nerve agent sarin, the British delegation at the OPCW said on Thursday. "UK scientists have analysed samples taken from Khan Sheikhoun. These have tested positive for the nerve agent sarin, or a sarin-like substance," the delegation said during a special session on Syria at the OPCW in The Hague. The UK result confirmed earlier testing by Turkish authorities that concluded that sarin had been used for the first time on a large scale in Syria's civil war since 2013. The OPCW mission will determine whether chemical weapons were used, but is not mandated to assign blame. Its findings, expected in 3-4 weeks, will be passed to a joint United Nations-OPCW investigation tasked with identifying individuals or institutions responsible for using chemical weapons."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-chemicalweapons-idUSKBN17F0TP?il=0

--- "Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said an alleged poison gas attack blamed on his government last week in Idlib province was "100 percent fabrication" used to justify a U.S. air strike, news agency AFP reported on Thursday. Syria's military had given up all its chemical weapons in 2013 after an agreement made at the time, and would not have used them anyway, AFP quoted Assad as saying in an interview."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-assad-idUSKBN17F1NE?il=0

--- "China would step up its protection of North Korea should the isolated state halt its nuclear program, an editorial in a state-backed newspaper said on Thursday, as Beijing tries to ease tensions on the Korean peninsula..."As soon as the North Korea complies with China's declared advice and suspends nuclear activities... China will actively work to protect the security of a denuclearized North Korean nation and regime," said the editorial in the Global Times, which is published by the People's Daily, the Communist party's official paper...China's foreign ministry on Wednesday reiterated Beijing's position of calming the situation via a "dual suspension" of North Korea's nuclear tests and the United States' joint military drills with South Korea."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-usa-china-paper-idUSKBN17F0GD?il=0

--- "China's foreign minister Wang Yi said Thursday military force cannot resolve the situation on the Korean peninsula and he expects an opportunity to return to talks will arise amid current tension. Wang, speaking to reporters following a meeting with the Palestinian foreign minister in Beijing, also said that whoever provoked the North Korea situation would have to assume historical responsibility for it."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-usa-china-minister-idUSKBN17F0MN?il=0

--- "An arson attempt left very minor damage at the Paris building where French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen has her headquarters, a police source said, and Le Pen accused leftist groups of the attack. The police source said the ground floor of the central Paris building was targeted and graffiti mentioning Le Pen's National Front was found nearby. The source said the damage - to a door and a doormat, according to news agency AFP - was likely to be the result of a criminal act and not an accident. The party's premises are higher up in the building. Interior Minister Matthias Fekl condemned the attack. "These are unacceptable acts, the democratic debate must take place in the ballot box," Fekl told RTL radio, without giving any details about the attack itself. "We have been in touch with the National Front candidate's team since last night and will see with them if it is necessary to strengthen security procedures.""

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-france-election-fn-fire-idUSKBN17F0R5?il=0

--- "U.S.-backed forces fighting Islamic State in Syria launched a new phase of their offensive on Thursday, a statement said, but they have not yet begun to attack the militant group's stronghold of Raqqa city in an apparent delay in the operation. The multi-phased campaign by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an alliance made up of Syrian Kurdish and Arab fighting groups, was launched in November and aims ultimately to drive the jihadists from Raqqa, their de facto Syrian capital. Officials in the Kurdish YPG militia, a powerful component of the SDF, said last month that assaults on Raqqa city itself would start in early or mid-April. But the fourth phase of the campaign aims to clear Islamic State pockets from the countryside north of the city, the SDF statement said. It did not say when the assault on Raqqa itself would begin. "We aim to liberate dozens of villages in the Wadi Jallab area and the northern countryside ... and clear the last obstacles in front of us to pave the way for the operation to liberate Raqqa city," it said. The SDF have closed in on Raqqa from the north, east and west."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-raqqa-idUSKBN17F11I?il=0

--- "Poland is working on regulations that would allow it to detain asylum seekers in border camps, the interior minister said on Thursday, arguing such a policy has served Hungary well despite it being criticized by the United Nations. Poland, Hungary and other central European EU member states are opposed to an European Commission plan to distribute migrants from Africa and the Middle East across the bloc. But unlike Hungary, Poland - a country which issued over a million work permits for neighboring Ukrainians last year - has not seen thousands of migrants from Africa and Middle East storm its borders. "My task is to assure the safety of Poles. We must be also prepared for this bad scenario, which I hope will not happen," Blaszczak told state television. "The bad scenario is a wave of migration that could sweep across Poland." Asked on Radio Zet if Blaszczak would place migrants in camps made from shipping containers behind barbed wire, he replied: "This is an idea for an emergency situation which has worked well in Hungary." Hungary, one of the focal points of Europe's migration crisis since 2015, last month approved a law to detain migrants in border camps, a step which the United Nations said violated EU law and would have a "terrible physical and psychological impact" on asylum seekers."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-europe-migrants-poland-camps-idUSKBN17F1I2?il=0

Domestic & International News:

--- "U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday "things will work out fine" between the United States and Russia, a day after he said U.S.-Russian relations may be at an all-time low. "Things will work out fine between the U.S.A. and Russia. At the right time everyone will come to their senses & there will be lasting peace!" Trump said in a note on Twitter."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia-idUSKBN17F1R9?il=0

Domestic News:

--- "The U.S. State Department will maintain a hiring freeze imposed shortly after President Donald Trump took office, even though it was lifted for the rest of the federal government, according to a memo seen by Reuters and a notice to staff. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson informed State Department employees of the decision in a brief memo on Wednesday. A notice to staff on the hiring freeze was also updated on the State Department's website. The decision to keep the hiring freeze comes as Tillerson reviews a reorganization of the agency, which will include staff cuts over several years, two State Department officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity. "Although the Office of Management and Budget lifted the federal hiring freeze effective April 12, 2017, the Department will maintain its hiring freeze in effect for the present time. Any change to this policy will be notified promptly," according to the internal memo obtained by Reuters. A notice to staff on the State Department's website was updated on Wednesday and read: "At this time, the Department's current hiring freeze guidance remains in effect including with respect to hiring under a Family Member Appointment (FMA) or Temporary Appointment.""

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-budget-tillerson-idUSKBN17F1QW?il=0