Upcoming trials and inquests

Trial under way in Northern Ireland

In April 2019 blogger and journalist Lyra McKee was shot dead by the New IRA as she sheltered behind a police vehicle during rioting on the Creggan estate in Derry.

Paul McIntyre was charged with McKee’s murder and related offences in February 2020 and is currently out on bail, awaiting trial.

In 2021 Peter Cavanagh, 33, and Jordan Devine, 21, were charged with her murder.

NOVICHOK INQUIRY (DEATH OF DAWN STURGESS)

Public inquiry under way at the Royal Courts of Justice in London.

Dawn Sturgess was pronounced dead at Salisbury District Hospital on 8 July 2018. The post mortem indicated the cause of her death was Novichok poisoning. The Russian government is believed to have targeted Sergei Skripal at his home in Salisbury. Skripal and his daughter survived.

On 18 November 2021 the Home Secretary announced the government’s decision to establish an inquiry under the Inquiries Act 2005 to investigate the death of Dawn Sturgess.

Baroness Hallett is the presiding judge overseeing the inquiry.

GLASGOW SATANIC CHILD ABUSE RING TRIAL

Sentencing at Glasgow High Court pending

Nine people were convicted of taking part in a child sex ring involving witchcraft, serious violence and neglect. The charges mainly related to three young children – two girls and a boy – between January 2010 and March 2020 at various addresses in Glasgow. One of the young girls was said to have been shut in a microwave during an attempt to kill her. The children were forced to take part in satanic “seances” and made to kill animals.

FISHING TRAWLER SANK – MANSLAUGHTER TRIAL IN JERSEY

Trial pending in St Helier, Jersey

Three men drowned after the fishing trawler L’Ecume II sank off the coast of Jersey on 8 December 2022.

Artur Sevash-Zade, 34. from Ukraine, was charged in July 2024 in St Helier and awaits trial.

On 8 December 2022, the L’Ecume II sank following a collision with Condor’s Commodore Goodwill freight ship. The incident resulted in the deaths of the trawler’s skipper, Michael Michieli, as well as crewmen Jervis Ramirez Baligat and Larry Simyunn.

CBIZ TRIAL IN BERMUDA

Trial pending in Bermuda.

David Osadebay aka CBiz awaiting trial on drugs charges.

NOAH DONOHOE INQUEST

Inquest pending.

Schoolboy Noah Donohoe went missing in Belfast in June 2020. The 14-year-old was found dead in a storm drain six days after he cycled off to meet friends.

His mother Fiona Donohoe is hoping to secure answers to some of the questions surrounding the death of her son through the inquest process. Her supporters are known as Noah’s Army and some of their conspiracy theories are quite outlandish.

Noah was from the Catholic community and some of the conspiracy theories surround loyalist gangs.

The inquest was originally scheduled to take place in 2022 but was delayed after a ruling from coroner Joe McCrisken that it should proceed with a jury, following an application from Noah’s mother.

CORONATION DAY SHOOTING INCIDENT

Inquest in Kent pending (was delayed from Oct 2023)

Mother-of-two Hayley Burke, 36, was fatally injured in a shooting during the coronation weekend and later died in hospital. Jacob Cloke, 29, is believed to have held her at gunpoint and pulled the trigger during a stand-off with police. Cloke later died of self-inflicted injuries. It later emerged that Cloke was facing several charges of violence against Burke and was on bail at the time of the attack. Court records show he had been charged with two counts of assault and one of causing actual bodily harm in three separate incidents between February 2022 and April 2023. At a hearing on 26 April – less than two weeks before the fatal shooting – he pleaded not guilty to the charges at Medway magistrates court and was subsequently released on conditional bail with an order not to contact Burke or to enter Dartford, where she lived. Prosecutors also requested that he be fitted with a GPS-enabled electronic tag to allow police to monitor his whereabouts and keep him from entering the exclusion area. IOPC investigating.

TEENAGE GIRL KILLED IN 2018 GANG SHOOTING

Trial pending at Old Bailey probably in 2025.

In April 2018 Tanesha Melbourne-Blake, 17, was shot dead in Northumberland Park, Tottenham, north London, on Easter Sunday night. Detectives believe she was hit when shots were fired from a car into a group of people. The shooting was part of a feud between N17 (Tottenham) and N22 (Wood Green) postcode gangs. In July 2024 Marcus La-Croix, 36, from Hackney, and Michael Clarke, 34, from Luton, were charged with murder. They await trial.

ATTEMPTED MURDER OF DETECTIVE JOHN CALDWELL BY LOYALIST/NEW IRA GANG

Trial in N Ireland, probably not before December 2024.

Jonathan McGinty, 28, of St Julians Downs, Omagh; Brian Carron, 38, of Claremount Drive, Coalisland; Gavin Coyle, 45, of Killybrack Mews, Omagh; Matthew McLean, 33, Glenpark Road, Omagh; Robert McLean, 29, Deverney Park, Omagh; James Ivor McLean, 72, of Deverney Park, Omagh; and Alan McFarland, 47, of Deverney Park, Omagh, all deny attempted murder of Detective Inspector John Caldwell.

Carron and Coyle stand further accused of belonging to a proscribed organisation, namely the IRA. McGinty, McFarland and Matthew McLean are also charged with preparation of terrorist acts.

NORTHOLT-RAYNERS LANE GANG MURDER REVENGE TRIAL

Trial pending at Stafford Crown Court on 2 Jan 2025.

In October 2020 Tamba Momodou, 20, a drug dealer originally from Rayners Lane in north west London, was shot dead in the car park of the Bridges Business Park in Horsehay, Telford, Shropshire. Momodou, whose street name was Teerose, had been acquitted of murdering Abdullahi Tarabi, aka Teewhiz, in Northolt in 2017. His murder is thought to have been in revenge for that murder. In May 2024 Deria Hassan, 32, and Mahamud Tarabi, 32, were charged with murder. Tarabi is the brother of Teewhiz.

PRISON OFFICER ACCUSED OF HAVING SEX ON VIDEO IN HMP WANDSWORTH

Sentencing at Isleworth Crown Court on Jan 5

In June 2024 a video showing a prison officer having sex with an inmate while being filmed on a smartphone, went viral.

Linda De Sousa Abreu, 30, has admitted misconduct in public office. De Sousa Abreu “wilfully and without reasonable excuse or justification misconducted yourself in a way which amounted to an abuse of the public’s trust in the office holder by engaging in a sexual act with a prisoner in a prison cell”.

DeSousa, who holds a Portuguese passport, has been granted conditional bail.

TRANSGENDER GIRL STABBING TRIAL

Trial at Old Bailey on 6 Jan 2025

Summer Betts-Ramsey, 19, is accused of the attempted murder of an 18-year-old girl allegedly stabbed 14 times on her way to a rollerskating party.

Betts-Ramsey is charged alongside Shiloh Hinds, 18, a 16-year-old girl and a boy aged 17, who all face charges of causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

FOUR VIETNAMESE DIED IN FIRE AT CANNABIS FARM IN DISUSED MILL INQUEST

Inquest pending. GMP still investigating.

The bodies of Cuong Van Chu, Uoc Van Nguyen, Duong Van Nguyen and Nam Thanh Lee were found in July 2022 when work began on demolishing Bismark House Mill in Bower Street, Oldham, which had burnt down in May 2022. Their bodies were repatriated to Vietnam in Aug 2023. Nam arrived in the UK in January 2022 – he last contacted his family on Wednesday 4 May 2022, at which time he said he was residing in “a derelict house” in “Dam”, believed to be Oldham, while looking for work. Four people were arrested by police investigating the fire and a cannabis factory at the site.

‘TRANSPHOBIC’ ATTACK TRIAL

Sentencing at Old Bailey on 15 January 2025.

Summer Betts-Ramsey, 20, Shiloh Hindes, 18, Bradley Harris, Camron Osei, 18, and a boy aged 17 have admitted causing grievous bodily harm to the trans woman, aged 18, who was stabbed in Harrow, north-west London.

During a bail hearing one of the boys was given a bail condition not to use Snapchat.

SOLDIER CHARGED WITH TERROR OFFENCES AND PRISON ESCAPE

Sentencing at Woolwich Crown Court in Jan 2025.

Daniel Khalife, 21, pleaded guilty to escaping from Wandsworth Prison while awaiting trial. He was also convicted of gathering information that might be useful to terrorists or enemies of the UK, believed to be Iran. He was acquitted of planting a fake bomb at an RAF base in Staffordshire.

TEENAGE ONLINE SATANIST BEING SENTENCED

Sentencing at Old Bailey (tbc) on 17 Jan 2025

Cameron Finnigan, now 19, has pleaded guilty to five charges, including possessing a document for terrorist purposes.

He is alleged to have been involved in a pseudo-satanist online group called 764.

He has also admitted communicating online in a manner capable of encouraging or assisting suicide or attempted suicide on or before March 4, 2024.

He pleaded guilty to possession of six category A indecent images of children and one category A video file on March 26.

He also admitted two counts of criminal damage committed in March – cracking the windscreen of someone else’s car, as well as puncturing a tyre and scratching the bonnet, to the value of about £1,000, and covering 13 walls and fences with graffiti to the value of £250.

Finnigan pleaded not guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to an animal on March 26, a count which alleged he manually strangled a cat, and the charge was ordered to lie on file.

SOUTHPORT DANCE CLASS MASSACRE TRIAL

Trial pending at Liverpool Crown Court on 20 Jan 2025.

Axel Rudakubana, who was 17 at the time, from Banks in Lancashire, has been accused of the murder of three little girls who were stabbed to death at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Hart Street, Southport, Merseyside in July 2024.

The victims were Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven. Ten other people – children and adults – survived, some with serious injuries.

Their deaths triggered race riots in Liverpool, Hartlepool, Sunderland, Hull, Rotherham, Tamworth and elsewhere after it was falsely reported on social media that the killer was a Muslim illegal immigrant called Ali Al-Shakti.

Rudakubana, whose parents are from Rwanda, grew up in Cardiff before moving to Lancashire.

In October 2024 he was charged with terrorist offences, including possessing an Al-Qaeda manual and the recipe for making ricin.

HAINAULT SWORD MURDER TRIAL

Trial at Old Bailey on 3 Feb 2025 (3 weeks)

Marcus Arduini Monzo allegedly ran up behind 14-year-old Daniel Anjorin and slashed him in the neck and chest as the youngster was walking to school. He is charged with Daniel’s murder and attacks against four other people, including two police officers. Prosecutor Tom Little KC.

DRILL RAPPER ACCUSED OF ATTEMPTED MURDER AND GUN CHARGES TRIAL

Trial at Old Bailey on 3 Feb 2025

Nathan Tokosi, aka DigDat, 24, (DOB 10.11.99) is accused of attempted murder following a shooting in 2023 which left a man fighting for his life in hospital. The incident in Notting Hill, west London, on 20 Nov 2023 triggered an armed police response.

He is accused of attempted murder, possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life and possession of three 9mm parabellum calibre bullets without a certificate.

In 2019, the BBC lauded Tokosi for helping “shape” drill music with his “witty wordplay”.

The drill rapper went on to perform at London’s Wireless Festival in 2021 and his music videos have racked up tens of millions of hits online.

NOTTING HILL CARNIVAL MURDER TRIAL

Trial at Old Bailey on 3 Feb 2025

Omar Wilson, 31, allegedly punched 41-year-old chef Mussie Imnetu multiple times in the head outside the Dr Power restaurant in Queensway, west London, on August 26.

Mr Imnetu was found unconscious with a head injury at about 11.22pm that Monday and received immediate medical attention at the scene before being taken to hospital, where he died on August 30.

Mr Imnetu was a top chef, who worked under Gordon Ramsay and Marcus Wareing, after allegedly attacking him. He had been visiting the UK on business from Dubai where he lived and worked.

EASTER BANK HOLIDAY SHOOTING TRIAL

Trial at Old Bailey in Feb 2025.

On Easter Bank Holiday 2024 Janayo Lucima, 21, was shot dead at a house in Comeragh Road in West Kensington, west London at 10pm. Khuedr Al-Kurdi, 21, Muktar Said, 22, Issa Siteri, 18, Yusuf Muhudin Abdi, 18, two 17-year-old men and a 16-year-old boy have all been charged with murder and face trial in February 2025. Siteri and Abdi voluntarily returned from Morocco in June 2024 while the 16-year-old boy was extradited from Spain in June 2024. Lucima had been convicted of perverting the course of justice in 2021 after helping in the clean-up operation after William “Blaise” Algar was murdered in Dec 2019 in the so-called Monster Line murder.

https://totalcrime.substack.com/p/why-easter-shooting-has-echo-of-the

HAINAULT SAMURAI SWORD MURDER TRIAL

Trial at Old Bailey on 3 Feb 2025. Plea hearing on 23 July 2024.

Daniel Anjorin, 14, was approached from behind and stabbed to death with a samurai sword as he walked to school in Hainault, north east London. Marcus Arduini Monzo, 36, has been charged with murder. Four other people – including two police officers – were seriously injured in separate attacks, all within 20 minutes around 7am. Mr Monzo, a dual Spanish-Brazilian national living in Newham, east London, awaits trial.

HONG KONG STUDENTS INTIMIDATION TRIAL

Trial at Old Bailey on 10 Feb 2025.

Chi (Peter) Leung Wai, 38, from Staines, Surrey; and Chung Biu Yuen, 63, from Hackney, east London, were charged with offences under the National Security Act.

A third defendant, former Royal Marine, Matthew Trickett, 37, an immigration enforcement officer and private investigator from Maidenhead, Berkshire, was found dead in a park in Maidenhead in May 2024. At their first appearance the prosecution had asked for Mr Trickett to be remanded in custody for his own welfare ahead of his next hearing at the Old Bailey. But he was granted bail and on May 19, Mr Trickett was found dead in Grenfell Park, Maidenhead.

CONSPIRACY TO MURDER OF CAGEFIGHTER, SECURITAS ROBBER TRIAL

Trial at Old Bailey on 10 Feb 2025 (6 weeks). PCMH on 28 Aug 2024.

Two men have denied conspiring to murder cagefighter Paul Allen, who was famously convicted of his role in the Securitas heist. Stewart Ahearne, 45, was charged over the shooting on July 11, 2019, after he was extradited from Switzerland. Daniel Kelly, 45, from Islington, also denies the charge. Allen, 45, was left with serious, life-changing injuries as a result of the incident in Malvern Drive, Woodford Green. During a pre-trial hearing, Ahearne said he “one billion per cent” pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to murder, which Kelly also denied. The charge alleges that between June 26 and July 12 2019 they conspired together with others to murder Allen.

CROSS CHANNEL PEOPLE TRAFFICKING (PLEASURE BOAT) TRIAL

Trial at Plymouth Crown Court on 1o Feb 2025.

Tony Williams, 58, from Lydford in Devon, has been charged with conspiracy to facilitate illegal immigration and assisting illegal immigration. He is alleged to have used a pleasure craft to transport at least ten migrants from Normandy in June 2022. A number of people were seen running to waiting cars after leaving a boat as it moored at Slapton Sands in Devon. His co-defendant is Monet Roberts. National Crime Agency investigation.

BODY CUT UP WITH POWER TOOLS MURDER TRIAL

Trial pending at Old Bailey on 17 February 2025.

Gemma Watts, 48, and Steven Sansom, 44, have ben charged with the murder of Sarah Mayhew, 38, whose remains were found on Rowdown Fields in Croydon in spring 2024. She was last seen alive on March 8, 2024.

Cause of death is unascertained but a post-mortem examination of her body found two small vertebrae were broken in her voicebox and bruising to the skull. Her head had been shaved.

GOLD TOILET THEFT TRIAL

Trial at Oxford Crown Court on 24 Feb 2025

Four men are charged over the theft of a £4.8 million gold toilet from Blenheim Palace. James Sheen, 39, from Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, and Michael Jones, 38, from Oxford, are accused of burgling it in the early hours of September 14 2019. Sheen is also charged with transferring criminal property. Sheen, 35-year-old Frederick Sines from Ascot, Berkshire, and Bora Guccuk, 40, from west London, are also charged with one count of conspiracy to transfer criminal property.

NOTTING HILL CARNIVAL WOMAN MURDER TRIAL

Trial at Old Bailey on 24 Feb 2025

Shakiel Thibou, 20, of Masbro Road, Hammersmith, west London, is charged with attempted murder over the stabbing of Cher Maximen, 32, on August 25. He is also charged with violent disorder and possession of an offensive weapon. Sheldon Thibou, 24, of Star Road, Hammersmith, has been charged with violent disorder, possession of a stun gun and assaulting an emergency worker, while Shaeim Thibou, 21, of Charleville Road, Fulham, south-west London, has been charged with violent disorder and assaulting an emergency worker.

ARISTOCRAT AND BOYFRIEND RETRIAL FOR BABY MANSLAUGHTER

Retrial at Old Bailey on 3 March 2025, after hung jury discharged on 19 June 2024.

Constance Martin, 35, and Mark Gordon, 48, face trial for the manslaughter of baby Victoria. They were convicted at their first trial of concealment of the birth of a child and perverting the course of justice.

The pair, originally from London, went on the run in Dec 2022 after their car broke down on the motorway near Bolton. They were eventually found in Brighton, where they had been living rough. Their child was found dead in allotments nearby.

Trial is before the Recorder of London, Judge Mark Lucraft KC.

MURDER OF DOG WALKER TRIAL (ALSO ACCUSED OF UPSKIRTING)

Trial at Canterbury Crown Court on 3 March 2025

Harrison Lawrence Van-Pooss, 21, of Margate, is charged with murder following the death of 54-year-old Claire Knights. Ms Knights was first reported missing on August 23, 2023, and was found dead in an area between St Nicholas At Wade and Minnis Bay on August 25. He is also charged with voyeurism following an investigation into a separate incident in which “upskirt” images of a woman were covertly taken on August 22 in Birchington, Kent.

88 SUICIDE INQUESTS

Inquest pending in Brighton in March 2025

An inquest into a woman’s death could take years to conclude, as an investigation into 88 deaths continues, in relation to the supply of unlawful substances in assisting suicide.

Imogen Nunn, 25, took a chemical and died in Brighton, East Sussex, on January 1, 2023.

It has been reported the deaf young woman used her TikTok platform to raise awareness of hearing and mental health issues to her 780,000 followers.

Canadian Kenneth Law, 57, was arrested in Ontario and later charged with second degree murder and aiding suicide, after allegedly selling lethal substances to people across the world.

BRIXTON ACADEMY CRUSH INQUEST

Inquest pending. Criminal investigation still ongoing.

Rebecca Ikumelo, 33, and Gaby Hutchinson, 23, were killed when they were crushed at a gig by Nigerian Afrobeats singer Asake at the Brixton Academy in south London. The police said thousands of ticketless fans tried to storm the entrance to the building. Hutchinson worked in security while Ikumelo is believed to have been an Asake fan.

FIRE BRIGADE CHIEF SUICIDE INQUEST

Inquest in Birmingham on March 10, 2025.

West Midlands Fire Service’s Chief Fire Officer Wayne Brown, 54, was found dead at his home in January 2024. An article in The Sun a few days earlier claimed he had lied about having a Masters Degree in order to get the £180,000 a year job. Senior Coroner Louise Hunt heard a brief submission from the partner of Mr Brown, who said she had spoken to him throughout January 23 and messaged him, and he had seemed “very, very low”. It came only weeks after the Chief Constable of Northamptonshire was suspended over false claims about his naval career.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/25464552/fire-chief-lied-masters-degree/

ENCROCHAT DRUGS TRIAL (OPERATION DIREEN)

Trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court in March 2025

Nine people awaiting trial for multiple offences, all of which stem from evidence from Encrochat.

The defendants include Jermaine Ford-Simpson, 37 (04.08.83), of Elizabeth II Avenue, Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, who has been charged with four counts of conspiracy to supply Class A and two counts of conspiracy to supply Class B drugs. Micah Ford-Simpson, 30, (18.06.90) of Southwold Road, Hackney, has been charged with two counts of conspiracy to supply class B drugs. Shaun Ford-Simpson, 35 (17.05.85) of Kit Hill Crescent, Plymouth, has been charged with two counts of conspiracy to supply Class A and two counts of conspiracy to supply Class B drugs. Jamie Ford, 34 (01.06.86) of Viburnum Road, Almondsbury, Bristol, has been charged with two counts of conspiracy to supply Class A and two counts of conspiracy to supply Class B drugs.

DRILL RAP VIDEO MURDERS TRIAL

Trial at Old Bailey on 17 March 2025

Abel Chunda, 27, Eden Clark, 29, Jason Furtado, 26, Lorik Lupqi, and Xavier Poponne are charged with the murder of 15-year-old Leonardo Reid and Shekaj Klevi, 23, on June 29 in Islington, north London during a drill rap music video shoot. They face two counts of murder, attempted murder, and possession of an offensive weapon. Trial originally due to take place in May 2024 but then Poponne was charged and it was put back.

Prosecutor will be Jacob Hallam KC

GANG MURDER TRIAL (CAUGHT IN CROSSFIRE)

Trial at Old Bailey on 31 March 2025.

Marcus La-Croix, 36, from Hackney, is charged with the murder of 17-year-old Tanesha Melbourne-Blake on April 2 2018 who was fatally shot from a vehicle on Chalgrove Road, Tottenham, and possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life. His co-accused, MIchael Clarke, 34, from Luton, faces the same charges.

ENCROCHAT ‘MR BIG’ TRIAL

Trial at Old Bailey on 28 April 2025. T2022-7163.

James Harding, 31, and Jayes Kharouti are charged with conspiracy to murder and drugs offences. Harding was arrested in May 2022 after flying into Heathrow from Dubai. He is accused of conspiracy to murder unknown persons between May 15, 2020 and June 13, 2020. Kharouti was also extradited, from Turkey.

FOLK MUSICIANS FACE TRIAL OVER ALLEGEDLY WHITE SUPREMACIST LYRICS

Retrial at Woolwich Crown Court on 28 April 2025. 6 weeks

Robert Talland, 53, his daughter Rosie Talland, 31, and son Stephen Talland, 33, are accused of stirring up racial hatred and encouraging terrorism. Their first trial in 2023 ended in a hung jury.

BARBER SHOP MURDER TRIAL (CHILD WITNESSED IT)

Trial at Old Bailey on 28 April 2025

Renai Belle, 30, from Edmonton, north London, is charged with the murder of Josh McKay, 33, who was stabbed in a barber’s ship in Lea Bridge Road, Waltham Forest, on July 6, 2024.

CLIFTON SUSPENSION BRIDGE BODIES IN SUITCASE TRIAL

Trial on 29 April 2025 at Old Bailey

Yostin Andres Mosquera, of Scotts Road, in Shepherd’s Bush, west London, has been charged with murdering 62-year-old Albert Alfonso and 71-year-old Paul Longworth between 8 and 10 July 2024 in the London borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. The bodies were found in two suitcases on Clifton Suspension Bridge, near Bristol. He denies murder.

HARROW ROAD BOYS (FREDO v DIGGA D) TRIAL

Retrial at Kingston Crown Court on 6 May 2025.

Jayvon Tison (aka Lil Dotz), Mustafa Abdalla, Romello Briggs-Leon, Yasin Abdulla, Herman Yikalo, Kylann Grannum, Harry Crump and Abraham Safo Frimpong. Also named on the indictment was Bailey McKenzie aka Fredo, who is living in Dubai. The charges relate to attempts to buy a gun, allegedly to use against rival gangs and rapper Digga D aka Rhys Herbert.

P DIDDY SEX TRAFFICKING TRIAL

Trial in New York on 8 May 2025

Sean Combs, 54, previously pleaded not guilty to charges including racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking based on allegations that go back to 2008.

DRILL RAPPER RETRIAL

Retrial at Old Bailey on 12 May 2025. Reporting restrictions. T2023-7130

A drill rapper (BMc) faces a retrial for conspiracy to murder. The case cannot be reported due to reporting restrictions.

See secret records for details

MURDER OF DIRTZ (A TEAM) TRIAL

Third trial at Old Bailey on 19 May 2025.

Melvis Mariano faces a retrial charged with the murder of Kamal “Dirtz” Nuur, who was stabbed to death on the Cally (Caledonian Road) estate in Islington, north London. Abby Lowne is accused of assisting an offender. Michael Lebbie was acquitted in 2023.

RUSSIAN AGENTS ARSON TRIAL

Trial at the Old Bailey on 2 or 4 June 2025.

On March 20, 2024 around 60 firefighters brought a fire under control at an industrial unit in Leyton, east London connected with Ukrainian-linked businesses owned by “Oddisey” and “Meest UK”.

The alleged target of the fire is labelled as “Mr X” in the charges.

Dmitrijus Paulauska, 22, is charged with failing to disclose information to police about terrorist acts.

Four other defendants have also been charged with aggravated arson. They are Paul English, 60, and Nii Mensah, 21, Jakeem Barrington Rose, 22, of Croydon, and Ugnius Asmena, 19.

Dylan Earl, 20, has been charged under the National Security Act 2023 – the first case to involve alleged offences under the new spy laws – with acting on behalf of Russia against Ukrainian businesses in London.

He is accused of being in contact with a handler in the Wagner Group before carrying out reconnaissance of targets “in relation to activity intended to benefit Russia.”

Earl is accused of recruiting and paying others to carry out an arson attack.

Jake Reeves, 22, has pleaded guilty to accepting cash, knowing it was from a foreign intelligence service.

BRADFORD MOTHER PUSHING PRAM MURDER TRIAL

Trial at Bradford Crown Court on 9 June 2025

Habibur Masum, 25, is charged with murdering Kulsuma Akter, 27, who was attacked as she pushed her young son in a pram in Bradford on April 6, 2024.

Masum, a YouTuber who was originally from Bangladesh, was arrested in Aylesbury a few days after the incident.

Due to issues with a psychiatric report being available, the trial has been postponed to 9 June 2025.

NONAGENARIAN ACCUSED OF 1967 MURDER – TRIAL

Trial at Bristol Crown Court on 16 June 2025 (PCMH on Feb 14)

A 92-year-old man is accused of the rape and murder of a woman who was found strangled to death in her home 57 years ago. Ryland Headley, who was 25 at the time, is accused of killing 75-year-old Louisa Dunne. Her body was found by a neighbour inside her home on Britannia Road in the Easton area of Bristol on June 28 1967.

NINE O’CLOCK SERVICE EVANGELICAL RAVE PREACHER SEX CRIMES TRIAL

Trial at Old Bailey OR Inner London Crown Court on 30 June 2025. 10 weeks.

The Reverend Christopher Brain, who led the Nine O’Clock Service, an evangelical movement which was linked to the rave scene, in Sheffield between 1986 and 1995, has pleaded not guilty to 34 charges in relation to 11 women.

Mr Brain, 66, from Wilmslow, Cheshire, denies one count of rape and 33 counts of indecent assault, alleged to have been committed between 1981 and 1995.

The charges relate to allegations of sexual offences committed against women who had joined the movement.

The Nine O’Clock Service was initially held at St Thomas’s Church, in the Crookes area of Sheffield, before moving to Ponds Forge sport complex in the city centre.

The 33 indecent assault charges include some which cover multiple different alleged incidents, including a number involving allegations of assault during massages.

DALSTON RESTAURANT (TURKISH MAFIA) SHOOTING IN WHICH GIRL, 9, SHOT

Trial at Old Bailey on 21 July 2025. PMCH on 19 Nov 2024.

Javon Riley, 32, of Farnborough Road, Farnborough, has been charged with four counts of attempted murder after a shooting outside a Turkish restaurant in Dalston, Hackney, in May 2024 in which a 9-year-old girl was seriously injured.

As of August, the girl remained in hospital in a stable condition. She was having dinner with her family in a restaurant when shots were fired by a man on a stolen motorbike who rode past.

Riley is also charged with attempted murder of Ali Nasser, 42, Kenan Aydogdu, 44, and Mustafa Kiziltam, 37.

The shooting is linked to a feud between Bombacilar (Bombers), a Hackney-based Turkish mafia, and the Tottenham Turks.

US AIRMAN ACCUSED OF RAPE AT RAF BASE

Trial at Northampton Crown Court on 15 Sep 2025

Keiran Lee Bogstad, an American airman, has pleaded not guilty to raping a UK citizen three times between November 2020 and February 2021 at RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire. The original trial was adjourned back of a lack of jurors.

LADBROKE GROVE ATTEMPTED MURDER TRIAL

Trial at the Old Bailey on 22 Sept 2025 (4-5 weeks) PCMH on 10 March 2025.

A man has been charged with two counts of attempted murder after an eight-year-old girl and her father, aged 34, were injured in a shooting in Ladbroke Grove, west London, on 24 Nov 2024.

Jazz Reid, 32, of Kensington, west London, was also charged with possession of a firearm and ammunition. The girl had surgery and is in a stable condition, while her father has been left with potentially life-changing injuries. The pair were with her two-year-old sibling and 32-year-old mother, who were both unhurt, at the time of the attack.

Prosecutor Michael Goodwin KC

News of the attack led news bulletins on Nov 25, 2024.

RAPPER ON TRIAL OVER DRUG IMPORTS

Trial at Kingston Crown Court on 22 September 2025. O1MP1114523

Courtney Freckleton aka Nines is due to go on trial for conspiracy to import cannabis.

CHINA SPIES TRIAL

Trial pending at Old Bailey Woolwich CC on 6 Oct 2025. PCMH in Feb 2025.

Christopher Cash, 29, a researcher, and Christopher Berry, 32, have been charged under the Official Secrets Act. They are accused of giving “articles, notes, documents or information” to a foreign state, namely China. China has called the allegations “malicious slander”.

Mr Berry, from Witney in Oxfordshire, and Mr Cash, of Whitechapel, London, were arrested in March 2023 in connection with the investigation.

It was previously reported that Mr Cash was a parliamentary researcher involved with the China Research Group, and who is understood to have had access to several Conservative MPs.

COLD CASE MURDER TRIAL

Trial provisionally set for 2 Feb 2026 at Old Bailey.

Steve Wright, 66, is charged with the kidnap and murder of 17-year-old Victoria Hall, who disappeared on her way home from a nightclub in Suffolk in 1999.

Judge Martyn Levett

ETHICAL FORESTRY (COSTA RICA) FRAUD TRIAL

Trial pending at Southwark Crown Court on 2 Feb 2026. Plea management hearing 8 Jan 2024.

SFO charged Stephen Greenaway, Paul Laver and Matthew Pickard with two counts each of conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation and one count each of fraudulent trading. They were directors of Ethical Forestry Limited, a Bournemouth company which collapsed in 2015, owing millions to British investors. Between 2007 and 2008 Ethical Forestry Limited operated hardwood tree plantations in Costa Rica. Investors were asked to put in a minimum of £12,000 and were told the fast-growing saplings would be grown, logged and sold, giving them a substantial return on their investment.

ANTIGUA SOLAR FARM BRIBERY TRIAL

Trial pending at Southwark Crown Court in Jan 2027 (!)

Peter Virdee, 50, also known as Hardip Singh, has been charged with bribing a foreign public official. It is alleged that between January 2015 and July 2017 he bribed Asot Michael, a Member of Parliament and Government Minister of Tourism, Economic Development Investment and Energy for Antigua and Barbuda, to benefit PV Energy Ltd, the company he is a director of. PV Energy ltd was simultaneously charged with failing to prevent bribery in relation to the same offences.

HOLLYWOOD PRODUCER INDECENT ASSAULT TRIAL

Trial at Southwark Crown Court (?) in 2024

Former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, 70, has been charged with two counts of indecent assault against one woman in August 1996.

Indecent assault (count 1) on a woman who is now in her 50s between 31st July and 31st August 1996 in London
Indecent assault (count 2) on a woman who is now in her 50s between 31st July and 31st August 1996 in London

OPERATION ARBACIA (NEW IRA) TERRORISM TRIAL

Trial pending in Northern Ireland.

Several people, accused of being members of the New IRA, are awaiting trial following an MI5 investigation, codenamed Operation Arbacia.

They include: Issam Basalat, 62, a GP, from Edinburgh, who is accused of preparation of terrorist acts in relation to his attendance at an alleged meeting of the New IRA at an address at Buninver Road in Omagh, Co Tyrone, on 19 July 2020.

David Jordan, 49, of Cappagh Road, Dungannon, Co Tyrone, who is accused of belonging to a proscribed organisation between February 8 and July 20, directing a terrorist organisation, and preparation of terrorist acts through attending the same meeting at Buninver Road in Omagh, as well as attending a meeting in Sixmilecross on February 9.

Also charged: Sharon Jordan, 45, of Cappagh Road in Dungannon, Co Tyrone, Kevin Barry Murphy, 49, of Altowen Park, Coalisland, Co Tyrone, Damien McLaughlin, 44, of Kilmascally Road, Dungannon, Amanda McCabe, 49, of Ailsbury Gardens in Lurgan, Co Armagh, Gary Hayden, 48, of Tyrconnell Street in Londonderry, and Joseph Barr, 32, of Cecilia’s Walk in Londonderry, Shea Reynolds, 26, of Belvedere Manor in Lurgan, Co Armagh, and Patrick McDaid, 50, of Magowan Park in Derry.

In August 2022 two more men were charged: Gary Gerard MacNally, 62, a decorator from Barnfield Grange in Lisburn, Co Antrim, and unemployed Joseph Donnelly, 51, from Westrock Drive in Belfast, are accused of belonging or professing to belonging to a proscribed organisation, directing a terrorist organisation and preparating terrorist acts.

A detective chief inspector said part of the evidence involves audio dating from August 2020.

The alleged offences occurred between December 31 2019 and August 24 this year and included directing the activities of the Irish Republican Army and attending meetings in the vicinity of Whiterock Leisure Centre in Belfast with the intention of committing acts of terrorism, the court was told.