Policing News

Burnley mum Rachel Tunstill found guilty of baby murder at retrial

A mother who stabbed her newborn baby to death with scissors has been found guilty of murder following a retrial. Rachel Tunstill, 28, killed Mia Kelly in the bathroom of her home in Burnley, and placed her body in plastic bags before dumping it in the kitchen bin. Her original murder conviction was quashed in July 2018 after Appeal Court judges ruled a jury should have been allowed to consider lesser charges. She will be sentenced later on Wednesday. Tunstill, who has a degree in psychology and a masters in forensic psychology, killed her baby at a flat in Wellington Court in January 2017.

Crime prediction software 'adopted by 14 UK police forces'

At least 14 UK police forces have made use of crime-prediction software or plan to do so, according to Liberty. The human rights group said it had sent a total of 90 Freedom of Information requests out last year to discover which forces used the technology. It believes the programs involved can lead to biased policing strategies that unfairly focus on ethnic minorities and lower-income communities. And it said there had been a "severe lack of transparency" about the matter. Defenders of the technology say it can provide new insights into gun and knife crime, sex trafficking and other potentially life-threatening offences at a time when police budgets are under pressure. One of the named forces - Avon and Somerset Police - said it had invited members of the press in to see the Qlik system it used in action, to raise public awareness. "We make every effort to prevent bias in data models," said a spokeswoman. "For this reason the data... does not include ethnicity, gender, address location or demographics." But Liberty said the technologies lacked proper oversight, and moreover there was no clear evidence that they had led to safer communities. "These opaque computer programs use algorithms to analyse hordes of biased police data, identifying patterns and embedding an approach to policing which relies on discriminatory profiling," its report said. "[They] entrench pre-existing inequalities while being disguised as cost-effective innovations."

Star Trek Klingon blade seized from Widnes teen's bedroom

A replica of a weapon wielded by a race of alien warriors in the sci-fi TV show Star Trek has been seized by police from a 17-year-old boy's bedroom. The 4ft (1.2m) Klingon bat'leth and other weapons, some of which were homemade, were found after the teen was arrested over an assault in Widnes. A 14-year-old boy was injured in the attack on Queensbury Way, Upton Rocks just after 18:00 on 24 January. Three other boys, aged 14, 15, and 16, were also held after raids on Friday. All four were arrested on suspicion of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and have been released on conditional bail.

Two girls held for gun offence after Liverpool police raid

Two 15-year-old girls have been arrested on suspicion of possessing a firearm during dawn police raids. Police said a 38-year-old woman and 30-year-old man were also arrested for the same offence in Liverpool. A handgun, drugs, £1,500 in cash and a suspected stolen quad bike were seized, a Merseyside Police spokesman said. Officers carried out raids on houses in the Anfield and Walton areas of the city in an operation aimed at disrupting drug dealing. The searches, which began at about 07:30 GMT on Sunday, found the gun, drugs, cash and quad bike after searching properties on Vanbrugh Road. The arrested man is from Walton, the woman and one of the girls are from Anfield while the other girl is from Toxteth.

Battersea stabbing: Murder arrests over teen death

A man and a teenager have been arrested on suspicion of murder after a teen was stabbed to death in south London. The 19-year-old victim was found injured at Wolsey Court on Westbridge Road, Battersea, on Tuesday. Police said officers and paramedics were called just after 19:50 GMT but he was pronounced dead at the scene at 20:36. The two arrested, aged 19 and 27, were held after presenting themselves at a central London hospital. Both have been taken to separate central London police stations for questioning, the Metropolitan Police said. The victim's next of kin have been informed and a post-mortem examination is due to be held.