In the aftermath of the incident on the M53 in Wirral, Merseyside, North West Ambulance Service formally declared a major occurrence. This transpired shortly after 08:00 BST, resulting in a female sustaining grievous injuries associated with major trauma. Calday Grange Grammar School in West Kirby acknowledged the involvement of one of their school buses.
The educational institution affirmed that their staff is actively collating pertinent information and providing support to affected students and their families. Local councillor Sherin Akhtar relayed via X that the bus was en route to West Kirby Grammar School at the time.
West Kirby Grammar expressed awareness of the situation, particularly involving the W3 bus service. The school assured that they are in contact with the bus service provider and emergency response units, who have committed to furnishing ongoing updates. They kindly requested cooperation in keeping their phone lines available for seamless communication.
The response saw the dispatch of two air ambulances to the site situated between junction 4 at Bebington and junction 5 in Hooton. The ambulance service relayed that thus far, one female patient with severe trauma-related injuries has been conveyed to the hospital. Furthermore, close to 50 other individuals are undergoing assessments on-site. Collaborative efforts are underway with incident partners to facilitate the relocation of people from the area.
The thoroughfare has been sealed off in both directions, urging motorists to steer clear of the vicinity and seek alternative routes, with designated diversions implemented. Unison reported that healthcare practitioners involved in industrial action promptly resumed duties to extend aid following the incident. A spokesperson conveyed, “Our thoughts are with everyone impacted by this tragic occurrence.”
A teenage boy has been accused of raping a woman and acting as a lookout for his accomplice.
The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared in Belfast Magistrates’ Court on Thursday charged with rape and aiding and abetting rape.
The alleged offences took place in the early hours of Wednesday morning in the city centre.
The court heard that the boy and his accomplice approached the woman as she was walking home. They asked her for directions and then followed her down a side street.
The boy is accused of holding the woman down while his accomplice raped her.
The woman managed to escape and ran to a nearby house for help. The boy and his accomplice fled the scene.
The boy was arrested later that day. He appeared in court on Thursday and was remanded in custody.
In the annals of late-medieval England, Oxford emerged as the epicenter of homicide, notably propelled by the male scholarly populace of its esteemed university, as per recent findings.
This city’s homicide frequency surpassed that of 14th-century London or York by four to fivefold, as illuminated by scholars from the University of Cambridge, who meticulously charted documented instances of medieval England’s lethal altercations.
Professor Manuel Eisner, the distinguished lead investigator behind the Murder Map initiative and head of the University of Cambridge’s Institute of Criminology, expressed to CNN, “It wasn’t surprising, it was what I expected. I knew from previous publications that Oxford had a very high homicide rate.”
Fueled by the Institute of Criminology’s Violence Research Centre, the Medieval Murder Maps project stands as a digital repository, plotting crime scenes based on age-old coroners’ inquiries and examinations. The original 2018 rendition encompassing London has been not only revised but also expanded to encompass detailed mappings of Oxford and York.
Medieval map of Oxford, England circa 12th or 13th century
Cumulatively, the endeavor has meticulously documented 354 instances of homicidal scenes in 14th-century England.
Among the identified culprits within the confines of Oxford, a staggering 75% were denoted as “clericus,” a term that, in that epoch, likely encompassed students or members of the university. Similarly, 72% of the unfortunate victims fell under this classification. This historical elucidation is communicated through a press release.
Literature of antiquity concerning university towns prominently features the notion that “all bore a reputation in the Middle Ages for grappling with issues of student tumult, violence, and unruly conduct,” as articulated by Eisner. He appends that this perception, prevalent in its era, finds affirmation within their amassed data.
‘The perfect storm for violence’
During this juncture, Oxford stood as one of the paramount bastions of erudition in the Western world, magnetizing scholars of international repute. The populace of this citadel approximated 7,000 souls, within which it is conjectured that 1,500 comprised the scholarly aspirants.
“(Oxford) was the ideal confluence for the eruption of violence,” Eisner expounds. The student body of Oxford during this epoch was exclusively male, their age demographic predominantly oscillating between 14 and 21.
Eisner postulates further, underscoring that this demographic of young men would have been subject to minimal societal regulation while retaining unfettered access to both intoxicants and weaponry.
Oxford was one of Europe’s largest and most respected learning centers, attracting male students from across the continent.
“Various elements coalesce, intertwining and giving rise to particular circumstances,” he articulated, noting that students frequently formed cliques based on their places of origin, inadvertently fostering tensions among individuals hailing from disparate regions.
In the process of charting these incidents of fatality, the investigators meticulously scrutinized coroners’ registries, which meticulously chronicled abrupt and dubious demises as ascertained by a jury, predominantly consisting of local denizens. These archives encompassed “names, occurrences, locales, and even the appraisal of instruments of lethality,” as delineated in the communique.
Drawing from their meticulous examination, the cadre approximates that during the late medieval era, the city of Oxford bore witness to a rate of homicide ranging between 60 to 75 per 100,000 inhabitants – an approximation nearly fiftyfold the contemporary incidence in 21st-century urban enclaves of England.
Yet, Eisner counselled against making a direct parallel between then and now.
“In the Middle Ages, the notion of a 999 (911) summons was non-existent. There were no swift-response services, no surgical interventions… or any other modes of addressing wounds,” he elucidated, underscoring that the incidence of mortality surpassed that of contemporary times.
In a poignant plea for assistance, the family of the late Melanie Hall, a murder victim from Wiltshire, express their profound sorrow and grief, marking 27 years since her tragic passing. Featured prominently in an upcoming documentary, Melanie’s father, Steve, and her sister, Dominique, aim to rekindle interest in the unresolved case.
Melanie, a 25-year-old hailing from Bradford on Avon, held a clerical position at Bath’s Royal United Hospital. The final confirmed sighting of her dates back to 1:10 AM on Sunday, June 9, 1996. Seated on a stool at Cadillacs nightclub in Walcot Street, Bath, she was concluding a night out with friends.
It was not until October 5, 2009, that her remains were discovered, carefully placed in a black bin liner near the M5’s northbound slip road at junction 14 in Thornbury. The heartbroken parents, Steve and Patricia Hall, had previously offered a £50,000 reward for any leads that would lead to an arrest and conviction.
In the Channel 5 documentary scheduled for Thursday, September 28, at 9 PM, Melanie’s family recount the profound impact her disappearance had on their lives. Steve reflects, “When Melanie was tragically taken from us, it wasn’t just one life that was shattered, it reverberated through countless others. My own, my wife’s, my daughter’s, my mother’s – somewhere out there, there are individuals privy to Melanie’s fate. If they could come forth with information, offering insight into what transpired that night, we could find some solace, knowing we’ve done all we can for our child. Our family is forever marked by this deep sorrow, an irreplaceable void.”
Dominique adds, “I implore that someone might consider my ageing parents, now nearing 80. Extend a morsel of compassion or empathy for them, and realize that now is the time to provide the answers they yearn for.”
Leading the investigation, Superintendent James Riccio hopes the documentary will evoke memories and stir consciences, urging anyone with information to step forward. He emphasizes, “Even the tiniest fragment of information could be the key to resolving this case and illuminating the truth behind Melanie’s fateful night.”
Riccio sheds light on an E-fit released in 1996, depicting a man seen inside Cadillacs nightclub alongside a woman resembling Melanie. This remains a focal point of their public appeal, and they are eager to identify this individual.
Additionally, there’s interest in an unconfirmed sighting of a woman, potentially Melanie, engaged in an altercation with a man in Old Orchard, near the nightclub entrance, between 1:45 AM and 2:00 AM.
“We have a multitude of leads we’re actively pursuing. This remains an ongoing investigation, and there may be further related developments in the near future.”
For those willing to contribute, you can reach out directly through the Major Incident Public Portal or visit the dedicated Melanie Hall appeal page. Alternatively, contact the police hotline at 10 or reach out to Crimestoppers at 0800 555 111.
