the times | Tuesday September 15 2020 1GM 15
News
A resident said: “I woke up and just
heard a loud bang. It sounded like an
earthquake.” Another said: “It’s utterly
tragic. My thoughts are with their loved
ones.”
Nathan Hobson, a fire brigade
station commander, said: “It was a
challenging incident. Efforts were
made to free the lorry driver but sadly
he was pronounced dead at the scene.”
Police have started an investigation
into the collision and are appealing for
witnesses and film footage. One theory
is that the lorry driver suffered a medi-
cal episode while behind the wheel.
Detective Constable Neil Webb, who
is leading the investigation, said: “I’m
keen to hear from witnesses and those
with dashcam or CCTV footage of the
incident.”TOM MCNALLY/TRIANGLE NEWSHighlights The Langdale Pikes in the Lake District are illuminated by a team of 30 climbers to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the local mountain rescue service
Assange case
delayed amid
hacking fears
David Brown
A feared hacking of Julian Assange’s
extradition case was investigated yes-
terday after the hearing was interrupt-
ed by a mystery US news broadcast.
Technical difficulties with a video
link to America blighted the hearing at
the Old Bailey into whether the Wiki-
Leaks founder should be sent to the US
to face trial on 18 counts, including con-
spiring to hack government computers
and violating espionage law.
Defence lawyers claim the Obama
administration did not to prosecute Mr
Assange in 2013 for publishing govern-
ment documents because he is a jour-
nalist but he was indicted in 2017 after
the election of President Trump.
Eric Lewis, a US lawyer for the de-
fence, told the hearing via videolink
that Mr Trump was behind the “politi-
cally motivated prosecution”. Mr As-
sange, 49, may receive a 175-year term,
which could be reduced to 100 years for
good behaviour or “if things went bril-
liantly” to 20 years, he added.
The US authorities have said a four to
six-year sentence would be more likely.
The hearing was halted when a US
news report was played through the
speakers amid fears of a hack.
The hearing continues today.An Amazon supervisor has appeared in
court accused of putting incendiary
devices in parcels as part of an alleged
attempt to defraud the internet retailer
out of iPhones.
Ovidijus Margelis, 26, is accused of
using small explosive devices to burn
off the labels of parcels, which con-
tained empty iPhone boxes, and then
Amazon worker accused of sending parcels containing explosives
John Simpson claiming refunds. Mr Margelis, whose
Linkedin profile says that he is an Ama-
zon supervisor, is said to have sent the
packages to random addresses with the
intention of the labels being burnt
before arrival, rendering them untrace-
able.
Officers from the Metropolitan
Police Counterterrorism Command
arrested him in Cambridge on Saturday
on suspicion of attempting to cause an
explosion. The arrest, carried out with
the assistance of officers from the Cam-
bridgeshire force, related to a suspi-
cious package received through the
post at a residential address in north
London.
The police were called last Thursday
morning to reports of a suspicious
package in Cricklewood.
Specialist officers made safe what
was assessed to be a small improvisedexplosive device. Westminster magis-
trates’ court was told that the explosive
is thought to have been able to burn or
damage the package to prevent some-
one from returning it.
A police spokesman said that there
had been no risk to the public.
Mr Margelis’s Linkedin account says
that he is in the third year of a business
management course at Anglia Ruskin
University in Cambridge and had beena postman in his home country of
Lithuania. He faces three charges of
attempting to cause an explosion, or
making or keeping explosives with in-
tent to endanger life or property.
He is also charged with fraud by false
representation, possession of articles
for use in fraud, possessing a false ident-
ity document and using proceeds of
crime. He was remanded in custody
until Monday.The lorry and one of the wrecked cars
Driver dies and boy critically
injured as lorry hits house
Charlie Parker
Parents are charged with
murder of missing girl, 17
one of her friend’s homes, worried
about coming home now that the police
will want to speak to her. I can’t think of
any alternative scenarios, I just can’t.
“I know my baby girl wouldn’t be out
in the open. She’s scared of being out in
the dark alone, that’s what makes me
think she’s at a friend’s house. I just wish
someone would just say she’s here and
she’s safe. I want to cuddle her but right
now I’d accept that she’s safe and well.”
Her father wrote on Facebook last
week: “You can imagine how much we
are both worried. We miss you. We need
to know that you’re safe. We love you.”
On Friday the Bedfordshire, Cam-
bridgeshire and Hertfordshire major
crime unit declared a “no-body”
murder investigation. A court official
said that the Walkers were due to
appear at Peterborough crown court
tomorrow.
Two of Bernadette’s younger broth-
ers and one of her sisters have the rare
condition hereditary multiple exosto-
sis, which causes growths on bones.
Mrs Walker, who had a girl about six
months ago, works in a care home and
her husband is understood to be a lock-
smith. She has spoken to local media
about her children’s health conditions.John Simpson Crime Correspondent
A lorry driver has died and an 11-year-
old boy is critically injured in hospital
after a truck ploughed into a house in
southeast London yesterday.
The vehicle collided with cars and
then hit the front of the semi-detached
house in Kidbrooke at 8am. Neigh-
bours said that it sounded like “an
earthquake”.
The lorry driver, 29, was pronounced
dead at the scene while the boy was
taken to hospital with serious injuries.
Two men were also taken to hospital
and another two people were treated at
the scene.
London Fire Brigade said the lorry
had caused structural damage to the
property in Woolacombe Road. Five
vehicles were severely damaged in the
crash while several others suffered
scrapes.
Images from the scene showed cars
with crumpled bonnets and the
crashed lorry in the front garden. Its
windscreen was shattered and its roof
bent inwards after it careered into the
front room of the property.
The child had been with his father in
a black Land Rover Freelander 2, which
had been struck by the lorry as they
drove to school. The father is said to be
one of the three people in hospital.The mother and father of a 17-year-old
girl missing for two months have been
charged with her murder after making
appeals for her whereabouts.
The parents of Bernadette Walker
put up missing-person posters and
spoke of being unable to sleep or eat.
Scott Walker, 50, and his wife Sarah,
37, from Peterborough, were arrested
on Saturday and Sunday respectively,
on suspicion of murder. They appeared
before the city’s magistrates via video-
link yesterday and were remanded in
custody.
The couple reported Bernadette
missing on July 21. They were said
to have told police that they had last
seen her on July 18 when she ran out
of their car and that she had
texted Mrs Walker two days
later, at 1am on July 20, to
say she would be returning
home “soon”.
Mrs Walker, a mother of
nine, distributed photo-
graphs around Peterbor-
ough as she appealed for
information. She wrote on
social media: “Bernadette
if you can see this, please let us
know that you are safe. You can
set up a new Facebook or Insta-
gram darling and message us,
that way you can let us know
that you’re safe without giv-
ing away your location.”
Mrs Walker previously
said: “I can’t eat or sleep
properly. I miss and love
my eldest princess so
much, she’s missing out
on her baby sister, who
has learnt to smile and
coo already. I have to
think that she is hiding atScott and Sarah Walker wrote appeals
asking Bernadette to say she was safe