Tory peer ‘grabbed woman’s buttocks during massage’
A Tory peer grabbed a woman’s buttocks while she massaged him and asked if she “did extras”, a court has
heard. Lord Christopher Holmes of Richmond, 48, a blind Paralympic swimming champion, denies sexually
assaulting the masseuse on 7 March, 2019. Prosecutor Linda Strudwick told the jury: “He asked ‘Can I see
how you look?’ [She] was unsure of what he meant but assumed that it was whether could he touch her
face.” Ms Strudwick added that the woman agreed, “thinking that this was what blind people do”.
The defendant admitted that he then touched the woman on her face, shoulders, sides and rested his hands
around the level of her hips. Jurors heard that she then tried to move away. At this point, he is alleged to
have stopped her by grabbing her buttocks and to have asked whether he could touch her breasts.
Afterwards, Holmes supposedly asked her if she “did extras”, pointing towards his crotch. Holmes denies
grabbing the woman, pointing to his groin or seeking sexual services, saying he only lightly touched her.
The trial continues.
Fox killer snares animals and skins them in ‘macabre’ trade
Calls to ban snares have been renewed after an investigation found hundreds of foxes are trapped for their
fur each year at a one-man hub in rural Wales. A legal loophole allows a wildlife hunter to snare foxes, kill
them and sell their pelts – even though fur farms are considered so cruel they are banned in Britain. David
Sneade, who sells the fur to dealers in Sweden and the US, clubs the animals to death in a national park, in
what critics condemned as a “grisly” business.
Members of the public who have seen him battering the animals to death said it was “incredibly disturbing”
and left them feeling traumatised. Setting snares is legal in the UK provided the devices are not designed to
kill. The Hunt Investigation Team (HIT), which disclosed Mr Sneade’s trade, says it is unregulated, and
snares should be banned. It claimed he goes into Wildlife Trust reserves, but he denied this. Snaring is
banned in all but five European countries, including the UK.
Police hunt baseball bat gang after teenager murdered
A manhunt has been launched for a large group of males who were seen armed with baseball bats in
connection with the murder of a teenage boy, police have said. Commuters alerted London Ambulance
Service on Tuesday morning after seeing a 16-year-old boy who was unresponsive close to a DLR station in
Newham, London. The boy, who had suffered head injuries, was pronounced dead at the scene, the
Metropolitan Police said.
A murder investigation has been launched into the death and police are working to establish whether the
incident is linked to the group who were seen in the area the day before near Gallions Reach DLR station in
east London. The Met said they sent officers to search the area but could not find any trace of the suspects.
Anyone with information can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at
crimestoppers-uk.org.