PEOPLES DAILY, Thursday, February 15, 2018
Page 22
world news
Freezer body murder: Uncle jailed for Celine Dookhran rape and killing
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n uncle has been jailed for a life for kidnapping, raping and slitting the throat of his niece before putting her body in a deep freezer. Mujahid Arshid, 33, was found guilty of murdering Celine Dookhran, 20, and the attempted murder of a second woman. Arshid, who will serve at least 40 years in prison, snatched the women in July before taking them to a house in Kingston, south west London. His co-accused, Vincent Tappu, 28, was cleared of kidnapping charges. Both defendants were cleared of possession of a firearm with intent for allegedly using a Taser during the abduction, which took place on 19 July 2017. Arshid, of Homefield Gardens, Mitcham, has also been convicted of sexual assault charges against the second woman between 2008 and 2010. Members of Ms Dookhran’s family shouted “yes” when the verdicts were read out. Arshid reacted by shouting that the surviving victim had “killed them all”, while Mr Tappu - in tears - thanked the jury. Image copyright Met Police Image caption Mujahid Arshid denied raping and murdering his niece Celine Dookhran The surviving victim took to the witness box to face Arshid and read her own victim impact statement. She said “flashbacks and nightmares prevent me from moving on” and physical scarring from the attack is a “constant reminder of what Celine and I went through”. A statement from Ms Dookhran’s mother Iman was read out, in which she said her daughter “fell victim to pure evil” and that “coming to terms with her death is likely to be a lifelong assignment”. “She will always be there in the darkness that surrounds us,” the statement added. Prosecutor Crispin Aylett QC said Arshid was obsessed with his niece Ms Dookhran, who worked in a bank. He spent weeks planning to abduct and kill both women in a plot that was as “bizarre as it is terrible”, Mr Aylett said. The court heard there had been unhappiness in Ms Dookhran’s family about a relationship she was in and that she had been staying at a property occupied by Mr Arshid after leaving home.
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Germany coalition talks: Merkel’s conservatives and SPD clinch deal
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everal people have been injured and a suspect was taken into custody after a car crashed outside the US National Security Agency’s headquarters. Gunfire rang out after the black SUV approached the facility in Fort Meade, Maryland, without authorisation. An NSA spokesman said it was unclear if the shots had been fired by law enforcement officers or the suspect, adding that the scene was now secure. NSA officials said the injuries did not appear to be related to the gunfire. They added that several people were taken to hospital from the US Army base, which is about 30 miles (48km) north-east of Washington DC, after Wednesday morning’s incident. Federal officials told local media that the incident does not appear to be terror-related. One local news station, WTOP News, reported that the car was not “targeting” the NSA. CBS News images showed the black sports utility vehicle with what looked like bullet holes in the front windscreen and its air bags appeared deployed. It appeared to have collided into some NSA-stamped concrete barricade blocks outside the installation. NBC News said its helicopter could see police surrounding a handcuffed man sitting on the ground. The FBI’s Baltimore office said
Fort Meade, a US Army installation, is home to the NSA on Twitter that it had sent agents to investigate the incident, and that the situation had been “contained”. Local emergency services also responded to the scene, and schools said they expected a delay as bus routes were affected by increased traffic. Image copyright Reuters Image caption The incident occurred at the checkpoint known as Canine gate The intelligence agency said on Twitter: “NSA police and local law enforcement are addressing an incident that took place this morning at one of NSA’s secure vehicle entry gates.
“The situation is under control and there is no ongoing security of safety threat.” Another statement from the NSA public affairs office said “a security incident” happened at one of its checkpoints known as Canine gate at around 07:00 local time (12:00 GMT). Maryland Congressman Dutch Ruppersberger tweeted that the reported injuries were not from gunshots. US President Donald Trump has been briefed on the incident. “Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone that has been affected,”
said a White House spokeswoman, Lindsay Walters. In March 2015, one person was killed and another seriously wounded after driving a vehicle up to the NSA’s gate, ignoring commands to stop. News reports later suggested the two occupants of the vehicle may have been under the influence of drugs after attending a party. Despite highway signage, it is not unusual for motorists to take a wrong turn and end up at one of the heavily guarded gates to the sprawling NSA complex, where armed federal officers direct them to turn around.
Driver who helped homeless man has fine overturned
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he long-term personal lawyer of US President Donald Trump has admitted privately paying an adult film star $130,000 (£95,000) in 2016, in a statement to US media. It follows US media reports that the porn actress known as Stormy Daniels was paid to sign an agreement stopping her discussing an alleged affair. She first said she had a relationship with Mr Trump in a 2011 interview. The lawyer has previously said Mr Trump “vehemently denies” it occurred. “Neither the Trump Organization nor the Trump campaign was a party to the transaction with Ms Clifford [Stephanie Gregory Clifford, her real name], and neither reimbursed me for the payment, either directly or indirectly,” Michael D Cohen told the New York Times. He said he told the Federal Election Commission the same after a watchdog group filed a complaint about the payment, claiming that it had served as an “in-kind” political contribution to
Porn actress Stormy Daniels alleged in 2011 that she had an affair with Mr Trump in 2006 Mr Trump’s campaign. “The payment to Ms Clifford was lawful, and was not a campaign contribution or a campaign expenditure by anyone,” Mr Cohen said. In a 2011 interview with InTouch magazine, the actress said she began a sexual relationship with Mr Trump in 2006, shortly after Melania Trump gave birth to
his son Barron. The reports re-emerged in January when the Wall Street Journal reported that she was paid to sign a non-disclosure agreement in the run up to the 2016 election, which prevented her from discussing the alleged liaison. Ms Clifford was believed to be in discussion with US media about an television appearance to discuss
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The newspaper says Mr Cohen declined to answer why the “private transaction” was made Mr Trump at the time, the report said. Responding to questions from CNN about why the payment was made, Mr Cohen said: “Just because something isn’t true doesn’t mean that it can’t cause you harm or damage.”