UK

It will take at least two years – possibly more – to rid the Metropolitan Police of corrupt officers – with some of those facing criminal charges not set to go to trial before 2025, the force has said. Over the same period it is planning to hold 60 hearings a month relating to misconduct

The Met Police has said it has received an allegation of sexual assault against Russell Brand dating back to 2003. It comes after four women made sexual abuse allegations against the comedian between 2006 and 2013 as part of an investigation by The Times, The Sunday Times and Channel 4 Dispatches. Since publication, The Times

The Metropolitan Police has responded to allegations against Russell Brand, saying it encourages victims of sexual assault to contact the force. Four women have accused Brand of sexual assaults between 2006 and 2013 while the comedian was at the height of his fame, in a joint investigation by The Sunday Times and Channel 4 Dispatches.

Russell Brand has appeared live on stage in London hours after being publicly accused of rape and sexual assault. The comedian performed a show at the Troubabour Wembley Park theatre, which began just after 8pm on Saturday – roughly an hour after its scheduled start time, the PA news agency reported. A video of him

Comedian and actor Russell Brand has been accused of rape, sexual assaults and emotional abuse in a Sunday Times and Dispatches investigation – allegations he denies. Four women have made allegations of sexual assaults between 2006 and 2013 while he was at the height of his fame, according to the newspaper. The Sunday Times reports

Lucy Letby, the nurse jailed for murdering seven babies and attempting to murder six others, has filed a formal appeal against her convictions. She was handed 14 whole-life orders after being convicted last month, meaning she will never be allowed out of prison. Letby who was in her mid-20s and working at the Countess of

Lough Neagh, the largest freshwater lake in the UK and Ireland, is being poisoned to death by a toxic blue-green algae on an apocalyptic scale. It is killing fish, birds and dogs and there are serious concerns about public health because the lough provides 40% of Northern Ireland‘s drinking water. Peter Harper, shoreline environment officer

Three people have been charged with the murder of 10-year-old Sara Sharif. Surrey Police said the Crown Prosecution Service authorised charges against Sara’s father, Urfan Sharif, 41, his partner, Beinash Batool, 29, and Mr Sharif’s brother, Faisal Malik, 28, all of Hammond Road, Woking. They have also been charged with causing or allowing the death

The brother of murdered TV presenter Jill Dando says despite the case remaining unsolved 24 years, he has a theory about who could be behind her death. The execution style killing of one of Britain’s best-loved broadcasters in broad daylight on her own doorstep in April 1999 shocked the nation, leaving the press, public and

Emails “threatening violence to children and staff” have been received by a number of schools in Leeds. West Yorkshire Police has launched an investigation – with officers “providing reassurance and safety advice to affected schools”. In messages to parents, one primary headteacher said police had been treating the threat as “credible” – and children were

Sara Sharif’s father, stepmother and uncle have been arrested on suspicion of murder in connection with the death of the 10-year-old girl. In a statement, Surrey Police detective superintendent Mark Chapman said: “Two men, aged 41 years and 28 years, and a woman, aged 29 years, were arrested on suspicion of murder after disembarking a

The King met schoolchildren and chatted in French to some well-wishers as he visited the highest village in highland Scotland. The King, who is on his summer break at the nearby Balmoral estate in Aberdeenshire, visited Tomintoul in the Cairngorms National Park and was welcomed by primary school children and community stalwarts. He wore a

Three adults who British police want to speak to in connection with the death of Sara Sharif are returning to the UK from Pakistan. Her father Urfan Sharif, stepmother Beinash Batool and uncle Faisal Malik were the subject of an international manhunt. Sara, who was 10 years old, was found dead in her home in

The police watchdog has started an investigation into the way detectives handled complaints made by the legal team of a man wrongfully convicted of rape. Andrew Malkinson, who served 17 years in jail for a rape he did not commit, had his conviction overturned by the Court of Appeal in July. The complaints relate to

The Range, the value retail chain, has struck a deal to buy the Wilko brand from its collapsed rival’s administrators. Sky News has learnt that The Range, founded and owned by Chris Dawson, has agreed to pay in the region of £5m for the Wilko name. The deal is expected to be announced later on

BBC Scotland has removed satirical cartoons of politicians from social media following a backlash online. In one of the now-deleted clips promoting Radio Scotland’s Noising Up show, Scottish Greens co-leader Lorna Slater was depicted as “Limo Lorna”. Speaking in a Canadian accent, the caricature said she was the “minister for green skills, circular economy, biodiversity,

A man who plotted to kill the Queen with a crossbow believed his life’s purpose was “to do something dramatic to the Royal Family” from an early age, a court has heard. Former supermarket worker Jaswant Singh Chail, 21, scaled the perimeter of the Windsor Castle grounds with a nylon rope ladder on Christmas Day

Gareth Southgate has blamed people “in our own country” for the mocking Harry Maguire received at the hands of Scotland fans. The England manager launched a staunch defence of the Manchester United defender after his every pass was jeered by home fans during last night’s friendly after he came on as a substitute in the

A 60-year-old man has been arrested after an 11-year-old girl was injured by an American XL bully crossbreed in Birmingham. West Midlands Police said he is being held on suspicion of possessing a dog dangerously out of control. This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the

In an increasingly grim housing market, the chance to own a once-in-a-lifetime home for the price of a £5 ticket seems too good to be true. And that’s because it usually is. But amid a cost of living crisis, it is the chance to “escape from reality” that drives people to continue gambling on a