Author: David Pike

Senior Tories criticise Illegal Migration Bill but MPs reject Lords changes Some senior Tory MPs, including former PM Theresa May, have criticised the government’s asylum reforms as MPs overturned changes made by the House of Lords to the Illegal Migration Bill. Dozens of senior Tories have called for a different approach from ministers. Despite the calls, MPs voted to reject revisions peers had made to the bill in the Lords. The bill is important to…

Good for her!

New Renault-Geely engine firm to have headquarters in UK A new global company is set to have its headquarters in the UK. French motor giant, Renault and Chinese carmaker Geely will invest up to €7bn to develop low-emission petrol, diesel and hybrid engines. It will employ around 19,000 workers at its 17 engine factories as well as five research and development hubs. The global motor industry is now shifting its focus to developing electric vehicles. …

Today’s news summary – Paper Talk Wednesday’s front page continues its coverage of the BBC scandal.  BBC sex photo scandal The Sun – which originally broke the story – reports that another young person received texts from the presenter containing hearts and kisses on Instagram when they were 17. The i newspaper also focuses on the new young person, who spoke to BBC News on Tuesday and accused the unnamed BBC presenter of sending “abusive…

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A 23-year-old person has claimed the BBC presenter facing allegations overpayments for sexually explicit pictures broke Covid lockdown rules to meet them in February 2021, The Sun reported.

It is not yet clear if the latest round of allegations come from a third unnamed person.

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The TV personality warned that the BBC is ‘on its knees’.

The woman said: ‘The whole thing cannot have lasted more than a few minutes, but I was so shocked that it had happened, even emotional.’

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Family of youngster ‘paid by BBC star for sex pictures’ says corporation ignored bombshell testimony given 7 WEEKS ago The Sun says THE family of the youngster allegedly paid by a presenter for sex pictures last night accused the BBC of ignoring bombshell testimony given seven weeks ago. Emails seen by The Sun show the stepfather told the Beeb on May 19 of bank statements detailing huge payments from the star. The family also said…

What are the chances?

BBC boss likely to face questions over top presenter photo scandal Tim Davie is set to face questions about the BBC presenter photo scandal in a scheduled media appearance on Tuesday. The BBC director-general Davie is set to be in a briefing over the BBC’s annual performance. The Sun newspaper broke a story last week that a ‘top’ BBC presenter allegedly paid a teenager £35,000 for sexually explicit photos. A lawyer representing the young person…

Tewkesbury school to reopen after teacher stabbing Tewkesbury school is set to reopen later today after being put into lockdown on Monday following the stabbing of a teacher. The teacher has since been released from hospital and a teenage boy has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. The public will see a bigger police presence in the area over the coming days as they attempt to reassure locals that they are safe. They said…

Today’s news summary – Paper Talk Tuesday’s front pages are dominated by continued coverage of the allegations surrounding an unnamed BBC presenter. The morning’s papers question the validity of the allegations after the teenager at the centre of the situation said, through a lawyer, that the claims being made are “rubbish.” Last week, the Sun newspaper led on the claims from a family who said a top BBC presenter paid a then 17-year-old £35,000 for…

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‘Nothing inappropriate or unlawful has taken place between our client and the BBC personality.’

Lilia Valutyte was pronounced dead at the scene (Picture: PA)

A jury has been shown CCTV footage of the moment a nine-year-old girl was stabbed to death in broad daylight during the trial of the man accused of her murder.

Lilia Valutyte died from a single stab wound to the heart as she played outside a shop where her mum was working in Boston, Lincolnshire, last year.

The suspect, Deividas Skebas, is undergoing a trial of facts rather than a traditional criminal trial because he is not fit to plead or stand.

Before the trial began on Monday judge Mrs Justice McGowan DBE told the jury: ‘You are not going to be asked to say guilty or not guilty because this is not a normal trial.

‘The defendant in this case is seriously mentally ill and he is not here and can’t play a proper part in the trial.

‘It has already been decided that he is unfit to plead because of his mental illness.

‘What you are going to be asked to do is not to say whether he is guilty or not guilty but whether he is responsible for the acts.

‘This is a serious and sad case and you will be reminded a number of times to try and put emotion to one side.

‘It is important that when you come to decide whether or not you are sure he did it that however sad you found the case, you put that to one side and make a logical and clear decision.’

She was only nine years old (Picture: PA)

She was playing in the street outside a shop when she was attacked (Picture: PA)

Opening the trial at Lincoln crown court, prosecutor Christopher Donnellan KC showed the jury of six men and six women a video showing a man, alleged to be Skebas, running towards Lilia before stabbing her and running away.

He said Skebas, 23, first came to the UK from Lithuania in 2020, returning to his home country before coming back to the UK in July 2022.

After arriving in Boston he was seen on CCTV buying a paring knife from a Wilko shop in the town centre two days before the killing.

In one clip, moments before her death, Lilia was seen playing outside the shop in which her mother worked, with the man whom the Crown claims was Skebas seen standing at the top of Fountain Lane.

The man, in a grey T-shirt and jeans, was then seen walking towards his victim, with Lilia moving out of the way as he approached before he stabbed her and ran away.

Mr Donnellan said: ‘Just after 6.15pm in the late afternoon, early evening of July 28 last year, Lilia Valutyte, a little girl aged nine, was playing outside a shop where her mother was actually working in Boston town centre.

‘The defendant, Mr Skebas, approached, quickening his pace as he moved towards (her), then reaching behind his back.

‘He pulled out a knife. He continued with his pace. He thrust the knife straight into her chest and through into her heart.

‘Although within less than a minute an off-duty police officer who was just going home and was nearby came to her aid, and was followed by other officers and the ambulance, sadly her life could not be saved and she was formally pronounced dead at 7.11pm that evening.

‘The prosecution case is that he unlawfully killed her with that single stab wound to the chest.

‘You are only deciding whether he did it. You don’t have to decide about his intention or indeed about his mental state.’

Police issued this CCTV image during their appeal for information (Picture: PA)

Lilia’s coffin was covered in butterflies (Picture: PA)

Skebas ran past Detective Constable Andrew Pearson, who was off-duty at the time.

Giving evidence, DC Pearson said he heard a ‘metallic clank’ and was about to chase the man who ran past him before he heard an ‘anguished scream’ from behind him.

Skebas was arrested on July 30 after a public appeal. He was interviewed a day later but gave what Mr Donnellan described as a ‘bizarre’ explanation for the killing.

Mr Donnellan said: ‘He admitted that he had stabbed Lilia. He admitted he has seen (her) playing in the street. He identified himself in the CCTV extracts.’

A search of Skebas’s home in Thorold Street, Boston, found a paring knife deemed consistent with the murder weapon.

The trial is estimated to last two days, but he did not appear on Monday and will play no part in proceedings.

Andrew Campbell-Tiech KC, appointed by the court to mitigate on the defendant’s behalf, told the jury: ‘We have a highly emotive case where the desire to blame runs very high.

‘The more horrendous the case, the greater the desire to blame. The greater the pressure to blame, the greater the risk to attach it to an individual identified.

‘We are not in a position to challenge evidence because we have no instructions.

‘We are appointed by the court to test that evidence.’

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