Two Luton teenagers have pleaded not guilty to killing Micah Urquhart, 19, who died of a stab wound to the heart.
The incident happened in Hastings Street on September 13.
Waqar Younis, 18, of Queen’s Close and Paul Lynham, also 18, of Midland Road, denied murder at Luton Crown Court on Friday (December 6).
They were both remanded in custody.
The trial continues.
Suspect Michael James O’Boyle, 41, is wanted on a recall to prison.
He lives in Camden but has links to Luton and the Bedfordshire area. If you see him do not approach him, instead call 999.
Children enjoyed some festive fun on an ice rink in St George’s Square on Saturday.
The icey installation was part of the lighting up Luton event to switch on the town’s Christmas lights.
As the children skated, shoppers got started on their present buying and choirs sang Christmas carols throughout the day.
A 14-year-old was slapped during a robbery in Crawley Road yesterday.
The teenager was grabbed from behind, thrown to the ground and slapped at about 7pm.
The offenders then took the victim’s Samsung S4 before running from the scene towards Telford Way and in to Moor Park.
Both offenders are described as two youths with Asian appearances, approximately 16 years old, 5’8” tall with medium builds. The first wore a black hooded top, a woollen hat, dark trousers and carried a rucksack. The second was also dressed in black with a woollen hat and carrying a holdall.
Anyone with information relating to this investigation can contact Det Con Lucy Arnold, in confidence, at Luton Police Station, on 01582 394471, or Bedfordshire Police on 101, or text information to 07786 200011.
Alternatively, contact the independent crime fighting charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
A man was stabbed several times during an argument at an MOT Centre in Burr Street on Friday.
The 24-year-old was visiting the MOT Centre when he became involved in an argument with another man.
He was threatened before being stabbed several times and is now in hospital receiving treatment to his injuries.
Det Con Rebecca Kitts said: “A 44-year-old man has been arrested in connection with this incident and released on police bail pending further investigation but we believe another man was also involved in the altercation. This incident happened in a busy area of the town when many people would have been making their way home after school and work.
“I would urge anyone who saw the incident to contact the police so officers can continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding this assault.”
Anyone with information relating to this investigation can contact Det Con Kitts, in confidence, at Luton Police Station, on 01582 394319, Bedfordshire Police on 101, or text information to 07786 200011.
Police are investigating a suspected arson attack after two cars went on fire in Kinross Crescent, Luton, at 2.49am today (December 10).
One of the vehicles was a BMW.
A police spokeswoman said: “An investigation is ongoing related to the owner of the seocnd car and how the fires were started.”
Anyone with information is asked to call the police on 101 or ring Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
A flasher targeted an eight-year-old girl in Memorial Park on Saturday.
The man indecently exposed himself to the child who was cycling through the park in West Hill Road with her grandparents at about 3.35pm.
She had cycled a little way ahead of them when a man approached her and said ‘look at me’ before exposing himself.
The child returned to her family and told them what had happened.
The offender is described as a white man with a dark, possibly tanned complexion.
He had stubble or a trimmed beard and was wearing black clothing. It is believed some of the clothing had the ‘Nike’ logo on it.
The office in charge of this investigation, PC Lucy Craddock, is keen to trace anyone who may have seen this man in the area or anyone who can help identify him.
Anyone with information relating to this investigation can contact PC Lucy Craddock, in confidence, at Bedfordshire Police on 101, or text information to 07786 200011.
A gang armed with a machete, a baseball bat and a knife stole a car from a house in Shelley Road on Wednesday.
Four men walked in to the property at about 9.40pm and punched one of the residents in the face and demanded cash.
They took the keys to a blue VX Vauxhall Corsa, registration number BP07 RYV, before leaving the property and taking the car.
It is believed the offenders were followed from the scene by an Audi A4.
Det Con David Elias said: “This was a shocking experience for the residents to have to experience and I would urge anyone who saw anything suspicious in the area that night to contact the police immediately.
“I would also take this opportunity to urge anyone who has seen a car matching this description parked on their road or driving in their area recently to also contact the police, in confidence.”
The first offender is described as a man with a mixed race appearance, approximately 23 years old, 5’7” tall, with brown eyes and a shaved head.
He wore a light hooded top and was carrying a hammer and a machete.
The second offender is described as black man, about 23 years old, carrying a baseball bat.
The third offender is described as a white man, approximately 23 years old, 6’ tall, wearing a ‘Nike’ top and carrying a knife.
Anyone with information relating to this investigation can contact Det Con Elias, in confidence, at Luton Police Station, on 01582 394387, Bedfordshire Police on 101, or text information to 07786 200011.
All right, where were we? Bilbo is a hobbit, Smaug is a dragon – do we really need to go on?
Yes, it’s time for another interminable episode of Tolkein tosh, as if we haven’t already suffered enough.
A slim children’s book has been split and stretched across a tortuous trilogy, and after spending more than two hours watching main man Martin Freeman getting dressed and leaving the house in the first episode here’s your chance to spend another 160 minutes of your life following his progress.
And if you like this sort of thing, there’s plenty more where that came from – the third and final instalment is slated for release next year.
You can probably tell by the tone here that I’ve never had much patience with fantasy fiction in print or on screen, and I blame Tolkein for kicking off the whole overblown genre of goblins and wizards and who knows what else.
I am mildly interested to note that the star-studded cast includes both Freeman and his Sherlock oppo Benedict Cumberbatch.
Here the tables are turned because Freeman has the title role and versatile Ben is the baddy of the piece, although you could say that his dragon character gets a nod in that complicated title, too.
There’s lots more lovely location work in far-off New Zealand for Peter Jackson’s pointy hat rep company including Ian McKellen and Orlando Bloom, and there are also roles for the likes of Stephen Fry and Cate Blanchett.
Fans of the Lord Of The Rings series will doubtless be delighted, but everyone else will be nodding off as the quest unfolds.
It has been announced in the House of Commons today that work on the long-awaited road link to provide fast, direct access from Leighton Buzzard and Linslade to the new junction of the M1 will begin in spring 2014.
During Treasury Questions the Chief Secretary to the Treasury reconfirmed that construction work on the A5-M1 Link will start next year, which is intended to relieve traffic congestion in Dunstable, Houghton Regis and the surrounding villages and give Leighton-Linslade direct access to the national motorway network at a new junction 11A of the M1 north of Dunstable.
Speaking after the announcement South West Beds MP, Andrew Selous, said: “I was delighted to hear the Chief Secretary to the Treasury reconfirm that construction work on this vitally needed road will start in spring 2014.
“That is excellent news for the whole area and will give businesses and local people even more confidence that South West Bedfordshire is a good place to live, work and grow a successful business.”
Speaking in the House of Commons today, Mr Selous said: “Does the Chief Secretary agree that if we are to compete internationally it is essential that we build our infrastructure more quickly?
“Over the past decade or so, progress has been glacially slow. In my constituency, the A5-M1 link road was announced 10 years ago, in 2003, and a shovel has yet to hit the ground.”
Danny Alexander MP, Chief Secretary to the Treasury, said: “I agree very much with my hon. Friend, and that is why part of our national infrastructure plan last week included further improvements to the planning system for major infrastructure projects.
“The A5-M1 link road has been prioritised as a key project and I understand that funding was announced last year and work will start next spring.”
If you lost a sat nav and some baby milk in Luton, Beds Police would like to hear from you.
A man was arrested on the bridge close to Bury Park and Leagrave Road on Thursday at about 9pm.
He had a Tesco bag with the sat nav and baby milk in it and told officers that he had found it 15 minutes earlier.
The officer in charge of this investigation, Detective Constable Rachel Chandler, is keen to trace the rightful owner of the contents of the bag so the items can be returned safely.
Anyone with information relating to this investigation can contact DC Chandler, in confidence, at Luton Police Station, on 01582 394099, Bedfordshire Police on 101.
Two children were assaulted in an attack which left them bruised and missing teeth in Church Road on Friday.
The schoolboys, both aged 11, were outside The Hunt Hotel between 3.30pm-4pm when they were approached by three youths.
The three began to punch the victims in a seemingly unprovoked attack before fleeing the scene, leaving both victims bruised.
One of them lost two teeth in the assault.
The first offender is described as a white boy, approximately 13 years old, 5ft tall with a slim build, freckles and short brown hair. He wore a blue top with a white logo and jeans.
The second offender is described as a white boy, between 11 to 13 years old, 5’2” tall with a slim build, dirty blonde hair and a tanned complexion.
The third offender is described as a white boy between 10 to 11 years old.
One of the offenders had a bicycle.
Call Beds Police on 101, or text information to 07786 200011.
Famlies in Luton who were threatened with eviction are now looking forward to a stress-free Christmas in their homes.
Luton Borough Council has bought 35 properties near M1 Junction 11 from the Highways Agency (HA), who had previously served notice to its tenants.
The Highways Agency bought the houses between 1993-2000 for the motorway widening scheme and rented them out, but in 2009 the houses were no longer needed so were put up for sale.
Terrified tenants have been campaigning all year to avoid being evicted and the council has been trying to negotiate with the HA.
The council has now bought the properties at the market value of £4.6million using capital funds from its general and housing revenue accounts which will save the 27 families who were facing homelessness.
Cllr Tom Shaw said: “We were very concerned that these tenants were going to lose their homes through absolutely no fault of their own. That is why we have been committed from the outset to do what we could to stop this from happening.
“I am delighted that the deal has gone through in time for Christmas which is welcome news for the families who have been through a very stressful ordeal.”
“This investment has also given us more flexibility to prevent or reduce homelessness in the future by avoiding the use of unsatisfactory and expensive bed & breakfast accommodation.”
All of the homes will be refurbished as required and the remaining eight unoccupied properties will be adapted and made suitable for disabled residents in desperate need for housing.
Tenants will pay rent directly to the council.
The properties will continue to be used to provide accommodation in the future for families that would otherwise have to be housed in bed and breakfasts or other private sector temporary accommodation at considerable expense.
It may be the season of goodwill, but for animal charities the work goes on.
And these six cuties are in need of a forever home.
Daisy, below right, is a sweet natured, gentle female about 18 months old. She loves plenty of cuddles and strokes and would suit a quiet home with no young children. She survived a house fire and living with a hoarder. She would be ok to live with a laid back cat but can feel intimidated easily.
Bell, below, is a small, 18 month old, black and white female with a very sweet face. She is a friendly girl who is looking for a quiet home with no other pets or young children where she will be the centre of attention.
Chester, right, is a 10 month old white and tabby male and Connie is a white and black six month old female. These two beautiful babies share the same mother, and are looking for a home together.
Chester is affectionate and playful, Connie is shy but friendly and will need a bit of time to come out of herself.
They get on well with other cats are looking for a quiet home with no young children. They are both neutered and microchipped.
Mia and Maddie, right, were born outside.
They are friendly and will sit on their foster carers lap and be stroked but do not like a lot of handling.
These sisters must be homed together and need an owner who is patient and will allow them to settle in their own time.
Mia and Maddie love their home comforts and get on well with other cats and dogs but need a home with no young children.
Both girls have been spayed and microchipped.
>If you can offer these, or any other of the many cats and kittens a loving and permanent home you can go to the cat rescue websites at www.homelesscatrescuebedfordshire.weebly.com
Or call Luton 01582 529009.
More than 370,000 bus tickets are being issued this week in a bid to help cut burglaries in Luton.
The independent crime-fighting charity Crimestoppers is launching the campaign to get residents to tell what they know about any burglaries or those handling stolen goods - and they could even get a cash reward.
The appeal by the charity follows a crackdown on burglary in Bedfordshire by police which saw more than 60 people arrested in the first month.
Ann Scott Eastern Regional Manager for Crimestoppers explained why tackling those handling stolen goods is just as important as trying to arrest the burglar: “Removing the market for stolen goods removes the incentive for the burglar to commit offences in the first place.
“Burglars rarely give a second thought to the suffering they cause to others and we would ask the public to help us beat them by providing any information they can. If you have purchased or are looking to purchase a mobile phone, laptop, games console or jewellery from someone and the price seems too good to be true then they could be stolen.
“It may be a bargain to you but to the victim it is stolen memories and it continues their trauma. The next victim could be you or your family or friends.
“Burglary can have a devastating impact – at Christmas this can be even more so. Please given any information you have, no matter how insignificant you feel it might be”.
Those who do not want to speak with Bedfordshire Police on 101 can use Crimestoppers’ 24 hour free phone number, 0800 555 111, where they can give information about crime 100% anonymously.
They could even be eligible to claim a reward of up to £1,000 if that information leads to an arrest and charge. Information can also be given online via a secure form at www.crimestoppers-uk.org
David Biles, Chair of Bedfordshire Crimestoppers, added: “We really need the people of Luton to tell us anything they know about burglaries and people handling stolen goods.
“Being burgled is not just about losing possessions, it also robs you of feeling safe in your own home. People should be able to feel secure and confident in their homes. No one has anything to fear by contacting Crimestoppers as you will remain anonymous. We never ask for your name or take any personal details, calls are not traced or recorded and you will not have to go to court or give a statement to the police. In the 25 years that Crimestoppers has been running we have never broken our promise of anonymity”.
Bus tickets will be issued on Arriva buses leaving Arriva The Shire Depot until December 18.
Firefighters were forced to cut two people out of their cars following a collison in Luton this morning.
A male and female were found trapped by Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service after being called to the scene of Lower Harpenden Road at 7.20am.
Six ambulances, two rapid response cars and a paramedic officer joined the two fire engines from Luton and a Stopsley safety rescue unit to help.
An East of England Ambulance Service spokesman confirmed that one of the people involved was suffering from a neck injury and had been taken to Luton and Dunstable Hospital alongside the other victim who had experienced minor injuries.
Beds Fire say the situation was resolved at 8.50am.
A Luton policeman who lost his life in the line of duty was awarded the Queen’s Commendation for Bravery today.
Police Constable Jonathan Henry died in Luton town centre on June 11, 2007 having responded to an emergency report of a man armed with a knife who had stabbed two members of the public.
PC Henry, aged 36 at the time of his death, together with his colleagues, challenged Tennyson Obih.
During the incident PC Henry suffered several stab wounds and died shortly after.
He had joined Bedfordshire Police in May 2004 after working for 10 years as a floor fitter in the Luton area.
He had many friends in the force and was known for his charismatic personality and exceptional sense of humour. PCHenry was married to Mary and has one daughter, Maggie.
Bedfordshire Police Chief Constable Colette Paul said: “I am extremely proud of Jon Henry who gave his life to protect others in the finest tradition of Bedfordshire Police.
“I am sure his family will be sad but very proud of him as we are. He will never be forgotten and this award goes some way to keeping his memory alive.
“Sometimes we forget what police officers and their families do for the community every day. They face danger to protect the public.”
Bedfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner, Olly Martins, said: “This award serves to remind us once again of the dangers police officers routinely face as they go about their daily job to protect the public and make Bedfordshire safer.
“Their courage should never be taken for granted. Sadly, no award can bring Jon back to his family, but it is right that his memory is honoured in this way.”
Frontline policing and officer numbers are to be safeguarded after a tri-force agreement covering Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire.
The move was welcomed by Bedfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner Olly Martins who said: “This is a huge leap forward for us and represents a revolutionary shift in joint public sector working.
“It will help us optimise all our resources so that we’re in a much better position financially and operationally to fight crime and protect our frontline services.”
Police and crime commissioners and chief constables have signed up to a Memorandum of Understanding and will collaborate on issues such as finance, human resurces, training and custody and crime recording. It was recognised that not all services were suitable for sharing.
Local policing, including incident response and neighbourhood policing, will continue to be the responsibilty of individual forces.
Chief constable Colette Paul said: “For me this is about protecting local frontline policing.
“We still have further savings to make and I want to make those savinsg by working together with our neighbouring forces to reduce the cost of organisational and operational support.
“We already know this works but I don’t underestimate the impact on my staff who will be going through even more change.
“This will give us the chance to transform our service.”
Two local charities have benefitted from the season of goodwill so far, after generous residents and businesses donated to the good causes.
Child poverty charity Level Trust received an anonymous £1,000 donation after the Luton News articles about their work and Pictons Solicitors gave an early Christmas present of £2,000 to Age Concern Luton.
Level Trust is working to help children living in poverty in Luton, starting with a project to provide uniform, shoes and winter coats to the 8,500 children thought to be going without since the council stopped the school uniform grant in September.
Jane Malcolm, chair of Level Trust said: “The £1,000 was posted through my office door in cash, in an envelope. It’s going to help us do our first school shoe pilot scheme at St Matthew’s Primary School in High Town. We will be able to give them 50 free school shoe vouchers – without that money we probably wouldn’t have been able to start doing that yet so it’s great.”
St Matthew’s was chosen as they have a very high level of children receiving free school meals –46 per cent – and are a very large, diverse school.
Level Trust has raised £2,500 so far and has another primary school and a secondary school in mind for the next set of vouchers.
As well as funding for breakfast and uniform, Level Trust plans to provide activities for children during the school holidays.
Jane said: “One boy went on our pilot scheme last summer. His family are really struggling with poverty and he spends his entire summer sat at home on the PlayStation because his family can’t afford to do anything else with him.
“He was raving about our activity days and the school said he was much better behaved after that summer.”
Level Trust are holding their first fundraising event at Ramada Encore on December 19. For details go to www.leveltrust.org or call 01582 402200.
Jane said: “It’s not nice to think that in your town people are struggling. Our donations so far show people really do care and want to help.”
The first Percy Jackson adventure, The Lightning Thief, was an underrated little gem, ideally designed for pre-teens.
Three years later, the half-human son of sea god Poseidon pops up again, but in a rather sketchy film barely good enough to fill the void left by the Harry Potter franchise.
Working from the best-selling novels, PERCY JACKSON: SEA OF MONSTERS (PG: Twentieth Century Fox) is set in a world where Greek deities, humans and demigods coexist. Percy (Logan Lerman reprising the starring role) is with his pals at ‘Camp Half-Blood’, the secret retreat of the demigods.
When peace is threatened, they need to recover the legendary Golden Fleece to save the world, leading them to the ominous-sounding ‘Sea of Monsters’ (aka the Bermuda Triangle).
As they dodge obstacles like a giant mechanical bull, a cyclops and the ghosts of Confederate sailors, the story often hits choppy waters and only just about stays afloat.
> Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg are perfectly cast as the wisecracking leads in smart thriller 2 GUNS (15: E1 Entertainment).
They bounce razor-sharp dialogue back and forth as undercover agents embedded in a Mexican narcotics syndicate, unaware of each other’s true identity.
That’s until they’re hung out to dry by their respective American bureaux and a botched bank raid puts a price on their heads.
They become fugitives and reluctantly join forces to take down a drugs kingpin (Edward J. Olmos) and the shadowy organisation (headed by Bill Paxton) that pulls the strings in the background.
This well-paced and action-packed film provides a myriad of plot twists without ever losing sight of the storyline.
> Fact-based haunted house flick THE CONJURING (15: Warner) starts as a potent tale of things that go bump in the night before it turns into a long-winded tribute to The Exorcist.
Before they investigated the notorious Amityville haunting, real-life demonologist Ed Warren and his clairvoyant wife Lorraine supported the Perron family through a supernatural onslaught at their Rhode Island farmhouse.
Here, the Warrens are played by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga, opposite Lili Taylor and Ron Livingston as the new homeowners whose five daughters are first to sense a hateful entity linking back to the Salem witch trials.
Shot with a camera that prowls, then jolts you, there’s a terrific ‘lifting the sheet’ scene, but the spectre turns into a bit of a wet blanket when it becomes clear where this is going, even in the dark.
> ONE DIRECTION: THIS IS US (PG: Sony) takes a behind-the-scenes look at the teen pop sensations who gained worldwide fame after coming third in The X Factor.
But despite having Oscar-nominated documentary-maker Morgan Spurlock (Supersize Me) calling the shots, it reveals little about the quintet their adoring fans won’t already know.
It’s a bog-standard biography full of clearly choreographed backstage japes, wide shots of thousands of screaming fans, and proud, weepy mums hugging their pin-up sons Niall, Zayn, Liam, Louis and Harry.
Interviews with music journalists and Simon Cowell attempt to dissect the group’s success and the role social media played in catapulting the boys to the top is interesting.