Most-wanted: Appeal for 12 UK criminals thought to be hiding in Spain

Twelve of Britain’s most wanted criminals believed to be hiding in Spain have been named by officials in a bid to flush them out.

The list – unveiled in a new appeal by the National Crime Agency (NCA) and Spanish officials – includes men wanted for murder and drug trafficking.

Among the most wanted is Nana Oppong, 41, for the drive-by killing of grandfather Robert Powell, 50.

The NCA’s Steve Rodhouse insisted Spain was “not a safe haven” for criminals.

He added: “Fugitives usually continue offending while on the run and these men will be known in criminal circles wherever they are.

He said the last thing their associates would want was both UK and Spanish law enforcement focussing on them.

Many of the suspects would be trying to blend in with Spain’s large British ex-pat community and anyone with information should come forward, he added.

The NCA’s Most Wanted campaign partners with independent charity CrimeStoppers, Spanish law enforcement and UK Police.

The latest appeal – launched in the Spanish capital, Madrid, on Wednesday – comes after a previous campaign targeting fugitives called Operation Captura, resulted in the arrests of 86 offenders.

Among the most wanted are:

Nana Oppong

Wanted by Essex Police for the drive-by killing of grandfather Robert Powell, 50, who was shot eight times on 13 June 2020.

Oppong’s last known address was in Newham, east London, and he has links to Marbella.

Callum Halpin

The 27-year-old is being sought by Greater Manchester Police for the 2018 killing of rival Luke Graham, 31, in a turf war, and the attempted murder of Anton Verigotta.

Halpin, whose last known address was in Beede Street, Openshaw, Manchester, has links to Spain and possibly Turkey.

Jack Mayle

Mayle, who is 30 years old and from Croydon, in south London, is wanted for allegedly selling substances including class A drug MDMA via a phone line in south London, called the Flavour Quest, and on the dark web – a part of the internet only accessible through special browsing software.

Authorities say he was heavily tattooed when he left the UK – including on his neck, one of a diamond under his left eye and another reading “Croydon” on the outside of his left forearm.

His last known address was in Caterham, Surrey.

Asim Naveed

The 29-year-old, described as muscular and 6ft 2in, is accused of being the leader of a drug smuggling gang that brought 46kg of cocaine, worth nearly £8 million, into Wales between February and June 2020.

Naveed, whose last known addresses were in Butetown and Pentwyn, Cardiff, has a surgical scar along his left wrist.

Calvin Parris

Parris, who is aged 32 and alleged to be Naveed’s customer, has gold upper teeth and is accused of selling cocaine in the Welsh capital.

His last known addresses were in Ely, Sully and Barry in Cardiff.

James “Jamie” Stevenson

The 56-year-old Scotsman is wanted by the NCA and Police Scotland following the seizure of about one tonne of cocaine at the Port of Dover in September 2020, and 28m Etizolam “street Valium” tablets in a raid on a suspected pill factory in Kent in June the same year.

He is also being sought in connection with two suspected arson attacks in Lanarkshire and the Forth Valley in May 2020.

Benjamin Macann

The 32-year-old, whose last known address was in Beetley in Norfolk, is wanted by police there for allegedly being involved in a cocaine dealing gang.

He has links to Barcelona.

John James Jones

The 31 year-old, who was last known to have lived in Aughton, Lancashire, is being sought for allegedly stabbing two victims multiple times, causing serious injuries.

It is believed that Jones fled to Madrid directly after the attack, and may now be in Ibiza.

Callum Michael Allan

Allan, 23, is wanted by Northumbria Police for allegedly being involved in drug dealing as well as assaulting an emergency worker, affray and dangerous driving.

His last known address was in South Shields and he has links to Alicante and Marbella.

Dean Garforth

The 29-year-old is being sought by Cheshire Police for being part of a crime gang that sold drugs and guns.

Garforth, whose last known address was in Dingle, Liverpool, has been accused of previously using the secret phone network Encrochat, which was brought down in an international sting, to carry out his crimes.

Joshua Dillon Hendry

Hendy, who is 30 years old and from Liverpool, was allegedly part of a drug dealing gang, trafficking heroin and crack cocaine from Liverpool to Grimsby via a dedicated phone line.

In 2018 Hendy – whose last known address was in Walton, Liverpool – was convicted for conspiracy to supply cocaine, for which he was sentenced in his absence to 10 years in prison.

Mark Francis Roberts

Also from Liverpool, the 28-year-old is being sought for grievous bodily harm (GBH) and attempted robbery in 2016.

With an accomplice, Roberts threatened the victim with a knife on his driveway at 01.30 GMT in a bid to steal his £60,000 Richard Mille watch. When the victim refused to hand it over, the pair stabbed him multiple times, leaving him with a collapsed lung and needing treatment in intensive care.

Crimestoppers’ founder Lord Ashcroft urged people with information about the fugitives’ whereabouts to “do the right thing” by passing it on.

Anyone with information about the fugitives can call Crimestoppers anonymously in the UK on 0800 555 111 or from Spain on 900 926 111, or online at crimestoppers-uk.org/fugitives.

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Donald Trump investigation reveals new details of alleged fraud

Donald Trump’s family business misrepresented the value of some of its biggest assets by hundreds of millions of dollars, according to documents filed by the New York attorney general.

Letitia James accuses the Trump Organization of using “fraudulent or misleading asset valuations” to get loans, insurance and tax breaks.

It is Ms James’ strongest language yet, as she tries to get Mr Trump to testify in her civil investigation.

Mr Trump denies any wrongdoing.

The former president, a Republican, has called the investigation into his business practices a politically motivated witch-hunt by Ms James, who is a Democrat.

She opened a civil inquiry in 2019 into claims that – before he took office – Mr Trump had inflated the value of his assets to banks when seeking loans.

Mr Trump’s lawyers are trying to stop Ms James from questioning the former US president and his children, and he has sued her to try to halt the probe.

Ms James’s civil case is separate to an ongoing criminal investigation in Manhattan into the organisation’s business practices.

Her latest court filing on Tuesday is the first time the allegations being levelled at the Trump Organization have been detailed with specific examples.

They involve six of his properties in New York and Scotland, and the “Trump brand”.

For example, his large property in Westchester county, north of Manhattan, was valued by the Trump Organization at $291m in 2012 (£189m at the time), however an appraisal in 2016 valued it far lower, at just $56m, the court filing says.

The attorney general also alleges that Mr Trump’s lavish three-storey penthouse in New York’s Trump Tower was valued based on a size of 30,000 sq ft (2,800 sq m), but it is in fact 10,996 sq ft.

The court filing claims that at least two false statements were made to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) – the main tax body in the US – that “substantially overstated” the value of two properties to get a tax break.

Ms James says this is evidence that the Trump Organization “used fraudulent or misleading asset valuations to obtain a host of economic benefits, including loans, insurance coverage, and tax deductions.”

The latest court documents are part of legal action the New York attorney general is taking against the former president, his eldest son Donald Trump Jr and his daughter Ivanka Trump to force them to testify and answer questions as part of the civil investigation.

In a statement, Ms James said “the Trumps must comply with our lawful subpoenas… because no one in this country can pick and choose if and how the law applies to them.”

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.View original tweet on Twitter

The initial summons prompted Mr Trump’s lawyers to sue Ms James in an attempt to stop the investigation, accusing her of violating his constitution rights by pursuing a partisan inquiry.

Ms James says she wants to question his children in particular because Donald Trump Jr helps to run the family business and has certified the company’s financial statements, while Ivanka Trump “negotiated and secured financing” for Trump properties.

She has already questioned another of Mr Trump’s sons, Eric Trump, who partly took over control of the company when his father became president in 2017.

IMAGE SOURCE,REUTERS

Image caption,

The latest court filings by New York Attorney General Letitia James detail some of the most specific allegations yet being levelled at Donald Trump’s family business

Letitia James’s inquiry into Donald Trump’s dealings is a civil investigation, meaning it could result in a fine or lawsuit.

The criminal investigation into the Trump Organization is now being run by the new Manhattan District Attorney, Alvin Bragg. He is using some of the evidence Ms James’s team says it has uncovered.

Trump’s taxes: Why they matter to a criminal probe

Trump blasts NY criminal inquiry as ‘witch hunt’

In July, the Trump Organization and its finance chief, Allen Weisselberg, were charged over an alleged 15-year-long scheme of helping executives evade taxes by giving benefits, such as rent and school fees, that were hidden from the authorities.

Lawyers for the firm and Mr Weisselberg have pleaded not guilty to tax fraud.

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Wantage stud farm owner refusing to pay £16k bill to Castle Water

A businesswoman is refusing to pay a water bill of almost £16,000 as she claims the company demanding it did not do enough to help her find a leak.

Grace Muir, who runs a stud farm near Wantage, said she asked Castle Water for help after her bills soared in 2017 but the company was “not forthcoming”.

At that time Ms Muir paid about £4,600 a year for water but it rocketed after a rat chewed through a buried pipe.

Castle Water said it is working with Ms Muir to cut her bill.

Ms Muir, who runs North Farm Stud in Fawley, said she spent £15,000 hiring a private investigation firm last October, which found the main leak after nine days’ work on the 200 acre (81 hectare) site.

Image caption,

Ms Muir found the leak was caused by a rat chewing through a plastic pipe in a stable

Between 2013/14 and 2016/17, she paid an average of £4,600 for her bills, but that jumped to an average of £8,625 between 2017/18 and 2020/21.

Castle Water has demanded a total of nearly £16,000 for 2021/22.

“It’s gone on and on but it’s always worried me and always been on my mind that it can’t be right,” Ms Muir said.

“That’s the reason I phoned Castle Water on many occasions and asked for help.

“I said: ‘I think I have got a leak’ and [Castle Water] said: ‘Well if it’s your side of the meter, it’s your problem.’

“I would say: ‘I’m aware of that so how do I find the leak?’ and they weren’t forthcoming. It was a dead end every time.”

Image caption,

Ms Muir is now monitoring her water use in a detailed log

Ms Muir has refused to pay her outstanding bill until it is cut to something she deems reasonable.

She is now keeping a detailed log of her water usage and is trying to organise a face-to-face meeting with Castle Water.

It supplies businesses, charities and public bodies across England and Scotland.

In a statement, it said it is “sympathetic” to Ms Muir’s situation.

The form said is “working with [her]” to see if the bill can be cut, but has not yet received all of the information it needs, which Ms Muir disputes.

“Castle Water only took over the billing for this premises in April 2017, but we can see from historical records that there have been reports of leaks at this site going back several years and before we took over the billing,” it added.

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Ramaphosa defends judges after minister’s comments

South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa has stressed the need to protect the constitution.

This is after the tourism minister made accusations against judges and attacked the country’s constitution.

Lindiwe Sisulu wrote in an article published by the media that some judges were “mentally colonised Africans”.

She said the constitution had failed to improve the lives of black South Africans living in poverty.

The president on Monday said he was against “attacks on the independence and integrity of our judiciary” and stressed the “need to protect our constitution”.

The remarks by the minister have reignited the debate about leadership wrangles in the ruling party, which is set to hold party elections in December.

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Boris Johnson says ‘nobody told me’ Number 10 lockdown garden party was against the rules

The prime minister is under pressure to resign over multiple parties held at Downing Street and Whitehall while the country was under lockdowns in 2020 and 2021.

Boris Johnson has said “nobody told me” the Number 10 garden party during lockdown was “against the rules”.

The prime minister said he “humbly apologises” to people for “misjudgements” that were made, but he would not have gone ahead with the event, to which 100 people were invited, on 20 May 2020 if he thought it broke the rules.

14:15

He said: “I’m saying categorically that nobody told me, nobody said this was something that was against the rules, doing something that wasn’t a work event because frankly, I can’t imagine why it would have gone ahead, or it would have been allowed to go ahead if it was against the rules.”

The pressure on the PM shows no signs of abating, however, with one Conservative MP telling Sky News politics producer Mollie Malone that things are “nearly there” in terms of reaching the required 54 letters to trigger a vote of no-confidence in his leadership.

They described the past weekend as a “turning point” and said they give the PM “a week” before he is gone.

Boris Johnson has thrown some ‘red meat’ but the drip, drip of damage continues

• 

  Boris Johnson lockdown parties: Dominic Raab denies Downing Street has drinking culture

• 

  Downing Street parties: New partygate allegations could determine Boris Johnson’s future

Another told political correspondent Joe Pike that the PM looked “absolutely beaten” in his latest interview, describing his performance as “awful” and like a “bad amateur dramatics performance”.

Meanwhile, deputy political editor Sam Coates has been told that “lots of conversations” are happening between 2019 intake Tory MPs and there is a “resolve” among them that Mr Johnson should go.

“But there’s a fear if the vote of no confidence comes before the Sue Gray report is out then Boris Johnson might win, and he could be safe for a year. They think things might not move before then,” Coates added.

Mr Johnson’s latest comments come following claims from his former top adviser Dominic Cummings that the prime minister knew in advance about the Downing Street drinks party – which Number 10 has denied.

Mr Johnson said: “My memory is going out into the garden for about 25 minutes, which I implicitly thought was a work event, and talking to staff, thanking staff.

“I then went back to my office and continued my work.

“I carry full responsibility for what took place, nobody said to me ‘this is an event that’s against the rules, in breach of what we’re asking everybody else to do’.”

He added that is exactly what he has told the inquiry into several Downing Street lockdown events by top civil servant Sue Gray, who is due to report back next week.

 

Mr Johnson admitted on reflection he “should have looked around and told people to go back indoors” after realising it was not a work event.

He said he wanted to “repeat my apologies for misjudgements I’ve made” after saying sorry in the House of Commons last week following mounting pressure over attending the event.

Asked about two parties alleged to have taken place on the eve of Prince Philip’s funeral, Mr Johnson looked down and appeared distressed.

“I deeply and bitterly regret that happened, I can only renew my apology to Her Majesty and to apologise for misjudgements made and for which I take full responsibility,” he said.

ANALYSIS: PM KNOWS HOW MUCH TROUBLE HE’S IN

Political editor

Boris Johnson looked beaten, distressed and out of options. His tone was intended to reiterate that humble apology which he says he gave in the House of Commons last week.

But when we drove into the detail about what he did or didn’t know, it was uncomfortable.

He was clear he had no recollection of Dominic Cummings verbally warning him about the event on 20 May going ahead, or that he was warned that it could be in breach of guidelines.

It will be up to Sue Gray to uncover the truth. But where is he right now? It’s clear the prime minister is feeling the pressure and clearly understands the trouble he is in.

For me, the most striking moment of the interview was when I asked him about those parties held on the night before the funeral of Prince Philip. He looked visibility upset about that.

He hung his head and said he deeply and bitterly regretted that that happened. And he apologised to the Queen and to the country.

I asked him repeatedly if it emerges that he misled parliament whether he would resign? He didn’t rule it out. He said he would wait for the Sue Gray report.

He was dodging the question, but it won’t go away – and even then there’s another question: can this PM hold on, or does his party think it’s time to go? That is a very, very precarious position from him to be in.

Mr Cummings yesterday claimed Mr Johnson gave the May 2020 garden party the go-ahead so lied to parliament when he said he did not know, but the PM denied this.

Mr Johnson also said he only saw the email invite for the event from his right-hand man Martin Reynolds the other day, when it was revealed to the media.

The PM is facing calls for his resignation, including from some of his own MPs, over the issue but has said the investigation into the parties must be allowed “space” to be concluded.

Angela Rayner, Labour’s deputy leader, reacting to the PM’s interview, said he “clearly knows it’s the end of the road”.

“He’s the prime minister, he set the rules, he didn’t need anyone to tell him that the party he attended broke them,” she said.

“If he had any respect for the British public, he would do the decent thing and resign.”

FIVE THINGS WE LEARNED FROM JOHNSON INTERVIEW

Political correspondent

• His core defence is now “nobody told me” – the PM argues his team did not tell him Number 10 garden party was against the rules.
• The PM specifically denied Dominic Cummings’s claim that he lied.
• The PM confirmed he personally apologised to the Queen for the raucous Number 10 parties held the night before her husband’s funeral.
• Mr Johnson also confirmed he has spoken to senior civil servant Sue Gray as part of her investigation into rule-breaking parties.
• The prime minister did not rule out resigning.

Senior Tories leave open idea PM would have to resign if code breached

Senior cabinet members have said they believe Mr Johnson, but both Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab and Chancellor Rishi Sunak pointed out the ministerial code “is clear on these matters”.

The code says: “It is of paramount importance that ministers give accurate and truthful information to parliament, correcting any inadvertent error at the earliest opportunity.

“Ministers who knowingly mislead parliament will be expected to offer their resignation to the prime minister.”

Mr Sunak, when asked if he supported the PM unequivocally, got up and left without answering.

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Sunak walks out of interview

Before that, asked if he believed the PM, he said: “Of course I do, the prime minister set out his understanding of this matter in parliament last week and I’d refer you to his words.

“As you know, Sue Gray is conducting an enquiry into this matter and I fully support the prime minister’s request for patience while that inquiry concludes.”

The chancellor said he would not “get into hypotheticals” following Mr Cummings’ claim Mr Johnson lied to parliament.

“The ministerial code is clear on these matters,” he added.

0:49

And Mr Raab told the BBC if a minister lies and it is deliberate it is “normally” a resigning matter, under the ministerial code.

Mr Johnson’s spokesman also said the code “is very clear when it comes to knowingly misleading the House” and the PM “abides by that, and we fully support it”.

Asked if the PM would resign if he misled parliament, the spokesman said: “It’s important not to jump ahead.”

He also denied Mr Johnson had ever lied to parliament.

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