The UK riots - My view

By Simon Wright (Personal column)

SO, ‘BROKEN Britain’ lies in ruins after last week’s horrific scenes of rioting and looting across the country.  Note to toy manufacturers, no batteries have been included in these burnt out shops, homes and businesses.  Some shops look like the burnt out shell that was The Loft nightclub after the 2009 fire in Channel 4’s Hollyoaks, whilst others remain open for business as if last week was a storm in a teacup.

     It wasn’t though.  Approximately 3,000 arrests have been made by police, with at least 60 per cent of these having been charged for the crimes.  The damage is likely to end up reaching £1billion pounds and it is a dreadful promotion for the capital city, with the 2012 Olympics now less than a year away.  Chelsea Ives, one of the rioters, was an Olympic ambassador.  That’s an embarrassing image sight for the organisers and I’m pleased the IOC (International Olympic Committee) has backed us.  I’m shocked to realise that we have so many idiots in our country.  London was the worst hit, but there were also severe disturbances in Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool and Bristol, with minor damage reported in Nottingham, Gloucester, Oxford, Wolverhampton, Milton Keynes and West Bromwich.  So, why did we end up all fearing for the establishments we live and love last week in the worst riots seen in this country for many a generation.  Many reasons have been given, which I will go into detail later on in this blog.

     First of all, as I tuned into Sky throughout Monday night last week, I was appalled to see what was happening.  It shook me to a core and I felt sick to the stomach.  Anger was building up inside me; as the pictures saw London look like a disaster movie, with many industries looking as battered and bruised as you would if you’d taken on Mike Tyson in his prime.  I was leaving the country in 48 hours time and when I heard of trouble reaching my own hometown, I started to wonder what I would come back to.  Luckily, it has calmed down since then, but the damage has been done and left so many heartbreaking stories.

    Ashrof Rassle is brave to say he still loves this country and wants to stay.  The Malaysian student is recovering in hospital after he was attacked and robbed on the streets by thugs.  The video was recorded and uploaded to YouTube and is an absolutely disgraceful act.  I feel massively for Trevor Reeves, who could only watch in horror as his local furniture store burnt down in Croydon.  It had survived two World Wars and lived through four generations of family, what a tragic way for the business to end.  Then there’s Richard Bowes, who was attempting to remonstrate yobs that set fires to bins near his home in Ealing, only to be beaten to death in an act of cynical behaviour.  Finally, there are the three young lads in Birmingham, who were protecting their livelihoods (businesses and mosques) and ultimately paid the price, with their lives.  I’m so proud to see the community of Birmingham come together at a time of such overwhelming tragedy.    

     The government has taken a load of stick for their handling of the carnage to have descended on the UK and some of it is fully merited.  More organisation has to be used around holidays, with rotas the only way forward.  I’m sorry, but you cannot have the five main figureheads of the country (Home Secretary, Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, Mayor of London and Chancellor) on holiday at exactly the same time.  The one politician I did feel sorry for was Boris Johnson.  He was heckled in the streets, but he was trying to help and also got involved in the cleanup in Clapham.  It got worse when Boris was bullied in an interview last Tuesday night (August 9) by ITN anchor and Daily Mirror columnist Mark Austin.  Johnson did really well to get his points across, despite Austin’s ignorant attempts to butt into his answers.  The way he handled the interview was very professional and dignified.  As for Austin, it was a foul piece of journalism and a bad example of how to do it.  For me, a respected news anchor dropped the ball here.

     As the week has progressed, I have been deeply unimpressed by the way David Cameron has handled this national crisis.  If I knew he was going to be this bad, maybe he should have stayed in Tuscany after all, sipping his precious cappuccino!  Despite the destruction, he still wants to cut 16,000 jobs on the police front.  What on earth is he doing!  Has he had his eyes shut throughout?  If anything, we need more police on the frontline as the anarchy broke out.  I’m afraid Mr. Cameron has been just as clueless of late as Arsene Wenger!  One message to Dave; I’m sure they do decent deals on priceless coffees at Starbucks if you really are that desperate for a caffeine boost!

     Last Thursday, he did say this in an emergency Commons debate; “And to the lawless minority, the criminals who have taken what they can get.  I say this, we will track you down, we will find you, we will charge you, we will punish you.  You will pay for what you have done.”  At least he has stuck to that, with magistrates working 24 hours a day to send a lot of the criminals into prison cells for their actions.  However, boot camps might have to be the way forward, because it might teach all of them a lesson in how to behave.  Any confidence I had in the coalition government has disintegrated.  Nick Clegg looks like a spare part, George Osbourne would rather be somewhere else rather than the House of Commons half the time and Theresa May is under huge pressure now, probably fighting a losing battle for her job.

     Now onto those who caused so much damage, fear and grief to the innocent.  It is inexcusable what they have done and an utter disgrace.  This was thuggery of the highest order.  Some don’t look sorry at all – I’ve heard stories of them smirking in court and laughing away without a care in the world.  You are a disgrace to society and I only wish we had bigger wheelie bins to tip you into!  I say to the courts, lock them up and throw away the key.  Boo hoo that you can’t afford the latest Nike Pegasus trainers, a Dell laptop or a 4-pack of Carlsberg Special Brew – it’s a tough life and we have all had to make sacrifices in the recession.  If you don’t like it, we don’t need you in the country, bugger off onto another planet!

    Despite some of the compensation packages that have been set-up by the government for affected businesses, it will end up being us that pays for most of the damage, not the loonies who did the damage.  Most taxpayers wouldn’t mind seeing these clowns having benefits and hand-outs being taken away from them.  It might help them learn, though that’s unlikely. 

    The parents need to take some responsibility too for the actions of their children.  For some of the criminals, running back to Daddy is probably the best option.  Oh wait, your Daddy probably encouraged you or is getting smashed out of his head at the local watering establishment!  The parents must take more control of their kid’s actions.  I’m pleased to have seen many parents hand their kids into the police.  Well done to you, no matter how hard it must have been, you’ve done the right thing.  To those parents who are protecting their violent youngsters, hang your head in shame, because you are not much better!

    Historian David Starkey will also probably need to find a new occupation.  His comments on last week’s edition of Newsnight have no place on television and he’d better hope that TalkSport offer him a place on their radio programming for sporting history.  After all, they seem to accept those disgraced professionals who make barbaric comments on TV.  Richard Keys and Andy Gray spring to mind!

     After what has happened last week, I have to ask myself, do I want to be a part of this country anymore?  I have to question it.  Our country might recover – but it will take lots of work to repair the burnt-out buildings and shattered glass windows.  I’m afraid, unless these police cuts are reviewed, the EMA (Education Maintenance Allowance) is restored and parents take more responsibility, this could easily happen again anytime soon.

     Lastly of course, my symphonies go out to those who have lost loved ones and been significantly affected by these devastating riots.

Tottenham riot exposes police failings

THE Metropolitan police faces severe criticism for failing for control a shocking night of violence in North London, which has seen many homes and businesses destroyed by violent gangs.  Around 300 people battled police in Tottenham, which saw looters break windows and steal from businesses in the area.  A bus was also set on fire, as were two police cars, flats and shops, including a large Carpet Right department store.  Today, the carnage on the streets of Tottenham shows the full implications of last night’s rioting, which Downing Street has called “totally unacceptable.”

     Scotland Yard; still trying to defuse the severe criticism it has taken for the phone hacking scandal confirmed that 26 policeman were hurt in the trouble and 42 people have been arrested for a variety of offences.  However, many local residents will feel that the police have not covered themselves in any glory once again. 

BURNT: The remains of a police car before it was attacked last night

      The trouble began in the area on Thursday night, when a father of four, Mark Duggan was shot dead by police near Tottenham Hale tube station.  It was believed that Duggan had possession of a gun at the time.  Tension was rising in the community and yesterday, a peaceful demonstration outside Tottenham police station took place involving family and friends of Duggan.  Approximately 150 people marched in the protest.  However, as darkness fell, the disorder began, with two police cars parked not far away from the station on Forster Road set alight by angry protestors that seemed only interested in causing chaos.  The carnage spread onto the corner of Brook Street and Tottenham High Road, where the Carpet Right shop was smashed into, looted, and then set on fire.  So too was a double-decker bus.  An Aldi supermarket was also torched and burnt to the ground by the angry mob.   

     Today in Tottenham Hale Retail Park, Sky News has caught sensational footage of at least five, possibly more people looting the JD Sports shop in broad daylight, taking trainers and bags of clothing at their disposal, with remarkably, no police.  Eyewitnesses are reported to have seen laptops and televisions taken from a nearby PC World shop too.  Despite all these blunders by the Metropolitan police, Home Office secretary Theresa May continues to back the under-fire force;

    “I condemn utterly the violence in Tottenham last night.  Such disregard for public safety and property will not be tolerated and the Metropolitan Police have my full support in restoring order.”

Adrian Hanstock, a commissioner for the police said; “The death of Mark Duggan was absolutely regrettable.  A peaceful demonstration was hijacked by a small number of a criminal element that used the event for their own gain.  We kept a dignified presence at the vigil.  Our preparation was in place and the contingence we had needed to be proportionate to the levels of concern we had in the community.”

FIRE: Shops were targeted, including an Aldi supermarket

     An enquiry into last night’s trouble has already begun and it will be interesting to see what evidence is found.  Although the actions of the rioters last night can’t be condemned and the violence is utterly disgraceful – to wreck people’s homes and businesses in totally unacceptable, the failings to control the possibility of trouble, especially in such a hostile community over the past 48 hours staggers even myself.  Fingers crossed this is the last of the trouble in Tottenham, though I fear more might come.  

Terrorism hits Norway

OSLO and Utoya Island were the scenes for mass murder on Friday afternoon.  It is thought that 76 people were killed in two separate attacks which have rocked the world.  32-year old Anders Behring Breivik has been arrested and might even face the death penalty, although a long jail term of upto 21 years is more likely.

     On Utoya Island, around 20 miles away from the capital, Breivik dressed up as a police officer, enticed young political activists to him, as he let them know about the earlier carnage he’d caused outside the government buildings in Oslo.  He then went on a shooting rampage, which gave his victims very little chance of escape.  Initially, the death toll stood at 10 and had risen as high as 98.  This has been downgraded today, as in the carnage; it is thought that some bodies were counted twice.  Around 600 young people were estimated to be at the campsite for the summer.

WRECKAGE: A crumpled car lies in ruins after the Oslo explosion

     For those who escaped Breivik’s madness, they have been brought back to Norwegian mainland by the police, completely shocked and traumatised by the whole incident.  Just hours earlier, Breivik had detonated a car bomb outside the offices of Norway’s prime minister, Jens Stoltenberg.  Stoltenberg was due to visit the Utoya Island site on Saturday.  Seven people were killed in Oslo, which saw finance, oil ministry buildings and the PM’s office severely damaged.  Although they remain on high alert, the police have said that they aren’t linking Breivik to an international terrorist organisation, despite Norway’s small presence of army troops in both Libya and Afghanistan.  Instead, they believe that this was the work of a ‘madman.’

     PM Stoltenberg has vowed that the country will stick together.  He told the Reuters news agency; “We are a small country, but a very proud one.  Nobody can bomb us to be quiet; nobody can ever scare us from being Norway.”  Breivik’s apartment in Oslo was searched before his arrest.  A Christian fundamentalist, one of his friends told a media organisation that he was extremely right-wing in political aspects and used websites often to express his strong, unforgiving opinions. 

     Both David Cameron and Barack Obama have expressed their support with the Norwegian people following the trauma.  Obama, who collected his 2009 Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, said that “our hearts go out to them and we will provide any support we can.”  Cameron told Sky News; “The Norwegians are old friends and allies and neighbours of Britain and I know all of Britain will stand with the Norwegian people in the days of sorrow that lie ahead.”

    Norway has always been seen as a friendly, peaceful country with a good society and no sign of any impending trouble.  The tranquil life that Norwegians enjoyed has now been terminally shattered on its darkest day, as the country and the entire world not only mourn the dead and pray for those seriously injured, but face up to the still severe threat of international and domestic terrorism.  

The Manchester bombing - 15 years on

IT WAS the biggest peacetime bomb carried out by the IRA.  212 people were injured on a gorgeous, bright summer’s day that turned into a day of horror.  Thankfully, no-one was killed by the bomb which destroyed Manchester on Saturday June 15^th 1996.  Fifteen years on today, the city will remember the awful events, but can also lookback at the pride and regeneration carried out since the blast, which has turned Manchester into one of the leading cities in the world.

     Whilst today, it is international terrorism that dominates the worldwide scale, it was more of a domestic issue in the mid-90s.  The IRA had struck before in this country, most notably in Warrington in 1993, which killed two young boys.  In 1994, a ceasefire had been agreed by the leaders of the IRA (Irish Republic Army) and the then Prime Minister John Major.  This ceasefire was destroyed by the Canary Wharf bombing in February 1996, which also killed two people.  In the coming weeks, bomb alerts and explosions were becoming the norm again.  The city of Manchester was about to experience one of its blackest days in its history.

     It was a busy Saturday morning, at the height of a summer heatwave for the country.  Euro 96 was also taking place, with the big England v Scotland game at Wembley Stadium due to take place later that same afternoon.  Manchester was also involved in the tournament, with Russia playing Germany in a Group C encounter at Old Trafford only 24 hours later.  At 9.20am, a cargo truck parked on double yellow lines pulled up outside Corporation Street, directly infront of a Marks & Spencer store, close to the Arndale Shopping Centre.  CCTV videos showed two hooded men leaving the vehicle shortly afterwards.  23 minutes later, Granada Television received a phone call from a man, with an Irish accent who claimed that the parked cargo had a bomb in it, which would explode in a hour.  To ensure this was a serious threat, the man also gave out a codeword.  Greater Manchester police now had a job to do.

DESTRUCTION: Was caused, but thankfully, no fatalities

     That job was to evacuate shoppers and workers nearby the vicinity.  Police who had been drafted in for the following day’s Euro 96 encounter were also on the scene to help with the evacuation.  It is believed that between 70,000-80,000 people were in the area at the time.  A bomb squad arrived from Merseyside in an effort to defuse the bomb, but they ran out of time.  At 11.17am on Saturday June 15 1996, the bomb exploded, destroying Marks & Spencer, some neighbouring office blocks and 33% of the Manchester retail space.  Glass and debris flew everywhere, which is how most of the injuries occurred.  Around £700million of damage was caused, with the target simply the economic and infrastructure of the city.  It is still quite remarkable and frankly, a miracle that no-one was killed by the attack.

     Greater Manchester Police immediately suspected IRA involvement.  John Major called it “an act by a handful of fanatics who will be regarded with contempt and disgust around the world.”  US president Bill Clinton said he was “deeply outraged by the explosion.”  Five days afterwards, the IRA claimed responsibility, although they did apologise for causing injuries to civilians.  Luckily, the Good Friday agreement of April 1998 means that although there is still the odd sporadic attack, it is nowhere near as frequent and dangerous as it used to be.

PLAQUE: To remember the blast

     Victims of the bombing received a total of £1.1million in compensation.  Redevelopment work began shortly afterwards, although many buildings were closed for months and some were beyond repair.  The redevelopment of the area was completed around nine years later.  Manchester has risen from a dark day, to become a bustling, friendly and modern city within the UK and the world.  It hosted the 2002 Commonwealth Games with great success, made history by hosting the first ever televised election debate during last year’s General Election and with two successful football clubs in Manchester United and Manchester City, gets stronger with each passing week.  Fifteen years on, and people will remember today and will never forget the events, which fortunately, didn’t have any fatal consequences.

Eight Weeks Behind Bars For George

George Michael’s shocking decline continued on Tuesday, after he was sentenced to eight weeks in jail for crashing his Range Rover, whilst under the influence of cannabis.  Michael has also been banned from driving for five years and has been ordered to pay £1,300 for damages.  The judge at Highbury Magistrates Court told Mr. Michael that he would spend at least four weeks in prison, with the rest on a suspended license.

The latest incident in George Michael’s colourful private life happened on July 4^th, when he hit a pavement and crashed into a photography store in Hampstead, North London.  Police found him slumped at the wheel, and later tests proved that he had taken a high and dangerous doze of prescription and illegal drugs.  At the time of the incident, police were convinced that he had been high on drugs, as his pupils were dilated and there was a constant amount of abuse coming from his slurred mouth.  It isn’t the first time that he has had a brush with the law in recent years, which made a jail term all the more inevitable. 

The former Wham! Star, who became a star for his music in the 1980’s and 1990’s, was famously fined in 1998 for engaging in “a lewd public act” in a California toilet.  This both raised questions about his sexuality and his mental health.  Since then, he has had several other minor accidents, and has been cautioned for being caught possessing drugs.  It is the third time that he has been charged for a similar offense to the one that he finds himself now behind bars.

Fans of the music star turned up outside court on Tuesday afternoon and were devastated when news brokethrough of the sentence.  George Michael has since apologised for this latest act of ungrateful behaviour via a statement on his website, and his defence team at the hearing did admit that he was getting public help for his downward spiral.

For someone who had a fantastic voice, it is sad to see George Michael has fallen from grace.  Hopefully, this stint in prison will make him think about what he does in future.  He has had enough brushes with the law, this might make him think that he has learnt his lesson.   

The Hunt Is Over For Raoul Moat

After a week of chasing and a six-hour gripping stand-off on Friday night, gunman Raoul Moat shot himself, bringing a drama that gripped the nation to a conclusion.

Moat, 37 has been involved in a tense stand-off with the police in Rothbury, Northumberland for a week.  He was released from prison in Durham, after an 18-week sentence for assault last week.  He insisted on his Facebook page that ‘bad things were going to happen.’  In the resulting days, he shot his ex-girlfriend, Samantha Stobbart and killed her new partner, Chris Brown.  PC David Rathband was shot by Moat 24 hours later in Newcastle, whilst sitting in his patrol car.  There is speculation going around that Moat was incensed with the police, believing that Rathband had been having an affair with Stobbart.

After a week of unknown whereabouts, yet a lot of clues to where Moat was hiding out, it all came to a head on Friday night.  The former nightclub bouncer was cornered by police, whilst in his supposed hideout area, not far away from the River Coquet.  Six hours of tense, stand-off negotiations followed, with police from around the area called in, both as negotiators and ready to fire, should Moat, armed with a gun try and shoot his way out of trouble.  In the early hours of Saturday morning, Raoul Moat finally turned the gun on himself, though it has now been discovered that police did fire two stun shots at him.  Examinations have shown that he died from gunshot wounds, which were similar to the bullets he had used on his three victims previously.  After being rushed to hospital, he was pronounced dead at 2.20am on Saturday morning, at Newcastle General Hospital.  Flowers and tributes have been left outside his Newcastle home. 

As the community of Rothbury tries to return to normality, after a week of mayhem, here is a brief lookback at some of the week’s key moments.

THE RAOUL MOAT CHASE

Thursday 1^st July: Raoul Moat is released from Durham prison, after serving an 18-week sentence.

Saturday 3^rd July: Chris Brown is shot dead and Moat’s former girlfriend, Samantha Stobbart is shot twice.  Police launch a manhunt for Moat, believing that the shootings are connected.

Sunday 4^th July: PC David Rathband is shot on a roundabout in Newcastle, whilst sitting in the driver’s seat of a patrol car.  Once again, the shooting is connected to the previous incidents.  Police appeal again for Moat to give himself up again, and the public are warned not to approach this man.

Monday 5^th July: Extra firearm officers from Cumbria and Yorkshire are brought in to help with the search for Moat, a revelation on Moat’s Facebook status suggests the trouble “just got out of jail, I’ve lost everything…Watch and see what happens.”

Tuesday 6^th July: A black Lexus car, believed to be in possession of Moat is found in Rothbury.  Northumbria police warn the public to stay indoors, armed police officers and dogs are now searching almost everywhere for Moat, and an exclusion zone within Rothbury has been set-up.

Wednesday 7^th July: The search intensifies.  Stobbart is no longer in a critical condition and has made a direct appeal for Moat to give himself up.  Police offer a £10,000 reward for information, which could lead to his capture.  They also find a detailed letter in a tent, that Moat had written to Stobbart, which suggests he has been sleeping rough.

Thursday 8^th July: A CCTV image of Moat in a B&Q shop in Newcastle is released to the public.  This was taken one day before the shootings.  Threats have been made towards the wider public; two men are arrested, accused of being “part and parcel” of Moat’s attempt to kill PC David Rathband.

Friday 9^th July: Three mobile phones used by Moat are recovered by the police and a RAF Tornado has joined the hunt, equipped with satellite imaging.  At 7.27pm, the public are encouraged to stay indoors, as a major operation takes place.  Moat is found at 8pm and negotiations begin for him to give himself up.

Saturday 10^th July: After a six-hour stand-off, Moat shoots himself at 1.15am and is rushed to hospital, where he is pronounced dead an hour later.  It is revealed that police involved in the stand-off with Moat fire two taser stun guns at him

The Cumbria Murders - A Community Ripped To Pieces In Shock

Yesterday in Cumbria, it started in bright sunshine and clear blue skies.  By the end of the day, twelve people had been shot dead, twenty-five had been wounded, some still critically ill in hospital and a community had been ripped to pieces in shock and at a loss to explain what had happened. 

52-year old Derrick Bird, a self-employed taxi driver was known to many as a ‘friendly, quiet, likeable guy.’  However, yesterday, he went on a killing spree which has stunned an entire country.  Witnesses say that Bird drove through West Cumbria, shooting people at random.  Today, the names of the twelve fatalities were confirmed by the police.  The first murders that Bird committed, in the Whitehaven area seem to have been linked, including his twin brother, a fellow taxi driver from the same cab firm and the family’s local solicitor.  It is after this that he went on a random shooting spree, firing at whoever he wanted.  Mothers, husbands, sons, daughters, students all targeted, from all ages, in three hours of absolute terror.  Having begun in Whitehaven, Bird drove through the town with a gun hanging out of the car window, then headed south, going through village areas, Seascale and Gosforth.

At around 1.30pm, Mr. Bird drove to the woodland of the central lakes in his taxi, a Citroen Picasso and abandoned it in the Boot area of the town.  It is at this area that he decided to turn the gun on himself, killing him and quite probably, taking the real reason why he committed this random shooting attack to his grave.  Before this, police were desperately searching for him in vain, with helicopters brought in to help the search and residents told to stay indoors and close all windows for their own protection.

Soon afterwards, Deputy Chief Constable of Cumbria Police, Stuart Hyde told the media the following:

"I can confirm that we've found a body in a wooded area near Boot which we believe to be Mr Bird, together with a firearm.

"A formal identification will be made later."

"Our focus now is to try and work out what has caused this and where Mr Bird has been over the last 24 hours and in particular the last few hours.”

"I would plead to anyone who has seen him or has seen any of the incidents, please come forward, speak to us and help us piece together exactly was has happened in this very, very tragic set of circumstances.”

"We have a number of crime scenes across the county, which are being staffed by police officers, and I would ask people to show a little bit of restraint and respect in regard to those scenes as we try and piece together exactly what has gone on."

As the major incident occurred, all routine operations at the West Cumberland Hospital in Whitehaven were cancelled.  ITV postponed its evening 9pm edition of Coronation Street, which involving a siege storyline in the Underworld factory, which would see the shooting of two of the show’s main characters.  It is unclear yet whether this storyline will continue, or be shelved in the wake of these traumatic events.

Rumours are circulating about why Mr. Bird started this venomous attack on such a peaceful and close-knitted community.  There has been talk of Mr. Bird suffering tax problems, rows with his family over the will of his elderly mother and an argument with a taxi driver on Tuesday night, which he may have taken severe offence to.  The police are refusing to comment on this at the moment, and want to carry out a proper investigation, rather than jump to any hasty conclusions.  It is believed that the shootings began at 10.35am, with a double murder at a taxi rank in Whitehaven.  These are believed to be his twin brother, David Bird and close friend and fellow taxi driver Darren Rewcastle.  Another witness spotted Mr. Bird at 6am, lurking outside the house of his local solicitor, Kevin Commons.  Commons was later found dead, having being shot on his own driveway. 

In a shooting spree that lasted the best part of 25 miles, other victims included a cyclist on a normal route, a woman delivering Betaware catalogues, a retired couple and Garry Purdham, a rugby league player, whose brother is the captain of Harlequins Rugby League in Super League.  These were the random people, going about their normal business, but were caught in the line of crossfire.    

At his first Prime Minister’s questions, David Cameron expressed his shock at the events which had taken place and said “the government will do everything it possibly can to help the local community and those affected.”  There have been stiff calls for the laws on possession of firearms to be significantly tightened in the wake of this tragic event.

This is Britain’s worst mass killing since the massacre on a school in Dunblane.  On that February morning in 1996, 14 students and their teacher were shot dead, and led to the banning of all handguns being in possession.  Bird had two firearms in possession, and both were used in the killings.  Today, it has been revealed by police that Mr. Bird has a conviction for theft in the 1990’s, and the weapons he held were valid.  Mr. Bird applied for a shotgun license in 1995 and a rifle license in 2007.  Of the twenty-five injured or wounded, three are still said to be in a very critical condition in hospital.    

Derrek Bird was described by many as a quiet and likeable man, who had just become a grandfather.  He lived in the village of Rowrah, looking after his elderly mother.  Neighbours have been left stunned by this madness.  James Campbell said: “He was a good neighbour, I can’t say much more about him.”  “He was always pleasant and never caused any problems as a neighbour.”        

For the community, it is another blow to their close-knitted society, as it is already mourning the deaths of two teenagers, killed in a school bus crash in the area last week.  This incident has shocked Britain to its core, and many are asking, just why Derrek Bird decided to cause such mayhem and carnage in the peaceful area of Cumbria yesterday.  Only he probably knows, and now because he took the coward’s way out, we probably will never find out the ultimate truth. 

As a trainee journalist, this is no doubt the hardest blog I’ve ever had to publish so far, as this was death that could have easily been avoided, without the usual threats of terrorism and Mother Nature.  This was a cynical attack on a community, which is known for very-low crime rates.  Sadly, it seems like the innocent were in the right place, at the wrong time and have lost their lives undeservedly, as a result. 

My deepest sympathies can only go out to the families of the dead and the injured, and to the community of Whitehaven and Cumbria as a whole, as it attempts to come to terms with Britain’s worst mass killing for fourteen years.