Croydon ‘zombie knife’ sentence overturned

‘Zombie’ knife attacker Joshua Gardner,18, has now been jailed for three years and six months.

He was filmed while he was trying to break a car window with a ‘zombie knife’ in the Croydon area last year.

In November, the teenager was been convicted of three different charges and received a two-year suspended sentence.

However, today on appeal Lord Justice Leveson stated that the previous sentence was extremely lenient and increased Gardner’s sentence.

Joshua Gardner (Credit: Met Police)

FGM case: final statements heard before jury deliberation

Today the jury began hearing a final summary of the evidence for and against the two defendants in the case of female genital mutilation of their 3 ½ year old daughter.

The jury will come to a verdict for each defendant on one of two counts.

The first count is planning and/or carrying out of type 2 female genital mutilation.

The second count is the lesser sentence of failing to protect the child from female genital mutilation.

The female defendant claims the child’s injuries were caused by an accident involving her falling into a door.

The male defendant believes the injuries are the result of an intentional cut with a sharp object but that he was not present or aware of his wife’s plans to commit this act.

Cab driver collision case winds up

The jury has today retired to deliberate the case of a cab driver who seriously injured three pedestrians after mounting a curb in Covent Garden in November 2017.

James Manley, 52, was ruled to have collided with Karen Brown, James Stewart and Andre Straker-Brown on Southampton Street, having accelerated away from a passing transit van and losing control of his vehicle.

He is being accused by Stuart and Striker-Brown of two separate counts of causing serious injury due to dangerous driving.

The prosecution claim Mr Manley is guilty of dangerous driving, with evidence showing the car was accelerating for eleven seconds before crashing to a halt into a lamppost, with no attempt to apply the brakes.

Fitzgerald drugs bust case continues

Daniel Fitzgerald today faced a hearing at Southwark Crown Court after being charged with Class A and Class B drugs possession.

The 35-year-old appeared in front of a judge this morning and pleaded guilty to three counts: possession of cannabis, a class B substance, possession of MDMA and possession of cocaine; both class A drugs.

Mr Fitzgerald’s denial of intending to supply cocaine was disputed by the judge, who questioned his motive for having so much for personal use; however he did admit to being a cannabis supplier, after police found 1.8kg of the drug, with a street value of over £16,000, in his house last March.

In the hearing, Fitzgerald’s previous sentences for drug possession, convictions for burglary and firearm ownership came under scrutiny.

Following a probation assessment, the court will reconvene on February 8.

Image credit: Pixabay/stevepb