The morning case file
London Crime Briefing
Significant incidents, hearings, outcomes and public-data changes across the capital.
Topic
southwarkcrowncourt
66 stories, newest first · page 2 of 4.
- Courts · City of London
Russell Brand denies rape and sexual assault charges at London trial
Russell Brand is on trial at Southwark Crown Court accused of attacking six women between 1999 and 2009. The prosecutor told the court Brand is a 'ruthless, calculated and manipulative' predator. Brand denies all charges, including three counts of rape and three of sexual assault.
City of London4 min readTrust 50 · Craft 77 · Hype 65 - Courts · City of London
Housekeeper cleared of stealing princess's jewels
A housekeeper of 11 years has been cleared of stealing jewellery from a Jordanian princess's central London home. Items were found at her Fulham residence, while her nephew is believed to have fled to Colombia.
City of London3 min readTrust 60 · Craft 75 · Hype 20 - Courts · City of London
Civil servant accused of juggling 5 jobs, earning £350k
A civil servant is accused of fraudulently holding multiple full-time government jobs simultaneously, prosecutors told Southwark Crown Court. Kashim Chowdhury allegedly worked up to 183 hours a week and earned nearly £350,000 from eight employers between February 2020 and September 2023.
City of London4 min readTrust 60 · Craft 75 · Hype 45 
Courts · SouthwarkEx-Met officer trained in victim support faces rape trial
A former Metropolitan Police officer, Mark Tyrrell, is on trial at Southwark Crown Court accused of rape and sexual assault. Tyrrell, who admits misconduct in public office and perverting the course of justice, denies 17 charges related to sexual offences against a woman over two years.
Southwark4 min readTrust 50 · Craft 71 · Hype 45
Courts · SouthwarkRussell Brand trial begins at Southwark Crown Court
Russell Brand is due to appear at Southwark Crown Court on Monday for the start of his trial. He faces multiple charges including rape and sexual assault, with the proceedings expected to last up to ten weeks.
Southwark2 min readTrust 48 · Craft 75 · Hype 15- Courts · Croydon
Croydon man convicted of murdering partner Sarah Reynolds
Earlston Bennett, 58, has been convicted of murdering Sarah Reynolds and controlling and coercive behaviour. Ms Reynolds died from blunt force trauma to the head and torso. Bennett is due to be sentenced on December 4.
Croydon3 min readTrust 42 · Craft 65 · Hype 41 - Courts · Westminster
Housekeeper denies stealing princess's jewellery
A housekeeper is accused of stealing valuable jewellery, including custom-made rings, from a Jordanian princess's Belgravia residence over an 18-month period. Some items were allegedly sold at auction, with funds transferred to the defendant.
Westminster3 min readTrust 48 · Craft 67 · Hype 45 
Courts · SouthwarkRussell Brand faces rape trial starting October 12
Russell Brand attended pre-trial hearings at Southwark Crown Court ahead of his trial for rape and sexual assault charges. The allegations span from 1999 to 2009, and Brand denies all charges. His trial is scheduled to commence on October 12 and is expected to run for 10 weeks.
Southwark2 min readTrust 42 · Craft 65 · Hype 41- Courts · Westminster
Mayfair stabbing: Man admits attempted robbery and wounding
A 58-year-old man has admitted stabbing another man in Mayfair during an attempted robbery. Ivan Stringer pleaded guilty to wounding with intent and attempted robbery at Southwark Crown Court. He will be sentenced on October 9.
Westminster2 min readTrust 30 · Craft 57 · Hype 45 
Courts · SouthwarkTommy Robinson faces harassment trial at Southwark Crown Court
Tommy Robinson, also known as Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, appeared at Southwark Crown Court on Friday. He faces two charges of harassment causing fear of violence, related to alleged actions targeting MailOnline reporters Andrew Young and Jacob Dirnhuber in August 2024.
Southwark2 min readTrust 42 · Craft 60 · Hype 41
LatestTeenager jailed for machete-point Rolex robberies
Zacariah Boulares, 19, has been jailed for two years and 10 months for two armed robberies involving Rolex watches. He threatened victims with a machete, including an incident involving TV presenter Aled Jones.
3 min readTrust 42 · Craft 61 · Hype 41- Fraud & Cybercrime · London
Phone smugglers jailed for 25 years for £5.5m network
Three men have been sentenced to a total of 25 years for their roles in the UK's largest phone smuggling network. The operation, dismantled by the Metropolitan Police, involved over 5,000 stolen phones valued at £5.5 million.
London4 min readTrust 78 · Craft 80 · Hype 45 
Courts · CroydonCroydon man jailed for 16 years over illegal arms deals
A 68-year-old Croydon businessman has been sentenced to 16 years in prison for his role in brokering illegal arms deals. David Greenhalgh, along with his business partner, supplied weapons to Sudan, South Sudan, and Libya between 2009 and 2016.
Croydon3 min readTrust 60 · Craft 60 · Hype 40
Courts · City of LondonTim Westwood faces two new sexual offence charges
Tim Westwood has been charged with two further sexual offences, including indecent assault in Hammersmith and Fulham in 1991 and sexual assault in Wandsworth in 2004. The Crown Prosecution Service authorised the charges following a Metropolitan Police investigation. Westwood denies all allegations and is already facing trial for multiple other charges.
City of London3 min readTrust 70 · Craft 77 · Hype 41
Courts · WestminsterActivist cleared of criminal damage over Churchill statue graffiti
A pro-Palestine activist has been found not guilty of criminal damage after spray-painting slogans on the Winston Churchill statue in Parliament Square. The court heard the activist argued the washable paint did not cause damage and his actions were a protest.
Westminster3 min readTrust 50 · Craft 65 · Hype 45
Courts · City of LondonMan jailed for strangling theatregoer had hired hitmen
Malcolm Potier, 75, has been jailed for two years after strangling a theatregoer during a performance. He had previously been imprisoned for attempting to hire hitmen.
City of London3 min readTrust 60 · Craft 77 · Hype 45
Courts · City of LondonMan receives suspended sentence for Liverpool Street sexual assault
Sofiane Belasri, 41, has received a two-year suspended sentence for sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl and attempting to bribe her with a vape near Liverpool Street station. The incident occurred on July 4, 2024, and Belasri was arrested at the scene.
City of London2 min readTrust 60 · Craft 60 · Hype 45
Fraud & Cybercrime · City of LondonHotelier Richard Courtenay jailed for £450k Covid loan fraud
A London hotelier has been sentenced to a suspended prison term for fraudulently obtaining £450,000 in Covid 'bounce back' loans. Richard Courtenay pleaded guilty to fraud and money laundering charges and has repaid the full amount.
City of London3 min readTrust 60 · Craft 71 · Hype 41
Courts · LewishamTwo deny Lewisham murder after nightclub dispute
Two friends who met while studying master's degrees in Scotland have denied murdering Taiwo Ekerin outside a Lewisham nightclub. Chibueze Chukwurah and Maxwell Uguanya pleaded not guilty to murder and manslaughter.
Lewisham3 min readTrust 48 · Craft 65 · Hype 45- Courts · Haringey
Three jailed for minimum of 22 years for Haringey murder
Three men have been sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of Gregory Catillo Volquez in Haringey. Benito Ramirez Kones, Carlos Akum Metumbe, and Luiggi Perelli Santana will serve minimum terms of 23, 22, and 23 years respectively.
Haringey3 min readTrust 70 · Craft 77 · Hype 45