Global Trade

Two men have been sentenced to life in prison for the murder of a 30-year-old who was fatally stabbed in a park.

Daniel Larman and Kieran Okocha-Sleight, both aged 21, were found guilty by a jury in January for the murder of Tommy Boom on 18 July last year in Semilong Park, Northampton.

Larman must serve a minimum of 24 years before being eligible for parole, while Okocha-Sleight must serve at least 21 years.

In a victim impact statement read to the court, Kevin Boom, Tommy's father, said: "No sentence will ever bring Tommy back, but we hope his death raises awareness of the consequences of knife crime."

The court heard the men had arranged to meet a woman in Miller's Meadow, just after midnight, to sell her drugs.

When they arrived, Larman stood in front of the woman while Okocha-Sleight sat beside her on a bench, the court heard.

Moments later, Mr Boom and another man approached and questioned their presence in the park.

Larman then pulled out a large hunting knife from his waistband and when Mr Boom told him to put it down, Larman lunged at him, stabbing him twice.

Emergency services were called, but Mr Boom died at the scene.

'All pride and joy has gone'

During their trial, both defendants claimed Mr Boom had been the aggressor and had been armed with a knife.

These allegations were rejected by the jury.

Both were sentenced at Northampton Crown Court on Monday.

Mr Boom's family described their ongoing grief and the loss felt by his young daughter and niece in impact statements read to the court.

His father Kevin Boom added: "All the pride and joy his life had given me has gone. It has been replaced with rage, anger and hatred for the way his life ended."

His mother Joanne said: "My head knows that he's gone, but my heart will not accept it. Instead, I lay flowers where Tommy is laid to rest."

His younger brother Billy said: "I wish I had known that my last conversation with my brother was truly my last.

"I will make sure [the children] know him through us."

Planners at the North York Moors National Park Authority have said they will not object to proposals to drill for gas on nearby land.

Europa Oil and Gas Ltd has submitted a planning application for the temporary plant near Burniston, north of Scarborough.

The "proppant squeeze" project, which would include a 30m (98ft) drilling rig, has prompted demonstrations from local residents.

However, members of the authority said the site's impact on the national park would be "limited" because it was 800m away.

A report added that a "degree of harm" caused by the direct visibility of the development had been considered.

However, it said: "Subject to clarification of certain matters and subject to imposition of appropriate controls, it is however concluded that this relatively short-term development would not lead to significant harm to the delivery of national park statutory purposes, or to national park special qualities."

The committee did ask for clarification on issues including the time that the test rig would be in place, and the proposed route of HGVs visiting the site.

According to the planning application, the site potentially has significant gas resource.

If the tests were successful, a new application would be submitted for a more permanent drill site, it said.

The meeting heard the 30m (98ft) drilling rig would be part of a "proppant squeeze" test project, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Europa Oil and Gas has previously said that a "slurry" would be injected into the well to fracture surrounding rocks, allowing more gas to be recovered.

The technique, which has been described as "small-scale fracking", has been accused by some of being a loophole in the UK's moratorium on the controversial fossil fuel extraction process.

However, proppant squeeze procedures have been regularly used in the UK for a number of years and industry experts consider the technique low-volume, unlike the process formally termed 'hydraulic fracturing'.

About 70 members of the public attended a meeting last month, where members of Burniston Parish Council voted to object to the scheme.

"I just put the boots on and I can drive, I can do the gym I can go hill-walking," says Jeanette.

"I can walk over terrain that is really rough and can walk normally down the street with confidence and strides, when before I had a rolling gait which gave me a really sore back.

"I haven't had any falls since I've been wearing the shoes."

Foot drop, which is also known as drop foot, affects many people who have conditions affecting the nervous system, like MS or cerebral palsy, or people who have had a stroke.

They struggle to keep their toes lifted, making walking difficult and tiring. As a result, they are more likely to fall.

Now researchers at Queen Margaret University (QMU) in Edinburgh have invented a shoe which they hope will tackle this problem by providing the right kind of support to the foot, keeping the wearer upright and safer.

Prof Derek Santos is one of the QMU researchers who designed the shoe.

He says the concept is quite simple but very effective. The use of adjustable Velcro straps helps the shoe to fit each user and support at the ankle.

"You can adjust the elastic depending on your disability," he said.

"If you have a weaker muscle or a totally paralysed muscle you can actually activate the elastic to compensate for these things.

"You can also tighten the elastic more on one side than the other.

"If you have a foot that inverts, sometimes people tend to trip over, so the boot will actually put your foot in a much better position by simply adjusting the tension in the elastics."

The research team believe the new footwear could improve the wearer's walking and prevent hundreds of thousands of falls in the UK.

But as it is a global problem, Dr Kavi Jagadamma, senior lecturer at QMU, says they want to help people around the world and adapt the shoe to individual needs.

A World War Two Spitfire has been forced to make an emergency landing in Kent after losing power.

Spitfire MJ627 came down in a field on Lower Wall Road, West Hythe, on Saturday evening, said its owner Fly a Spitfire.

Kent Fire & Rescue Service said one of the two people in the plane, which saw action over the Netherlands in 1944, was treated by paramedics.

The Air Accident Investigation Branch has launched an investigation into what caused the loss of power.

Fly a Spitfire said: "We have spoken to the pilot who has advised that a precautionary landing was made at a non-airfield site."

The company said the pilot and passenger "are uninjured", adding that it had no further information "at this stage".

The fire service said two fire engines attended the scene at 19:25 BST and made the aircraft safe.

Spitfire MJ627 first entered service on 25 September 1944 and, just two days later, destroyed a Messerschmitt Me 109 over Arnhem.

It was previously involved in an emergency landing in 1998, when its pilot made a "wheels up landing" at Coventry Airport.

Last year, the cockpit canopy detached from the plane during take-off from Biggin Hill Airport.

It was able to land safely and neither of the two occupants in that incident were harmed.

A former pub will not be subdivided into a smaller sports bar and three shops over concerns for the loss of a community facility.

The owners of the Ploughman Pub at the Werrington Centre in Peterborough wanted to transform the building, which has been vacant since early 2024.

Gujjar Investments Ltd said the sports bar was a "financially viable alternative" to a full-size public house.

Peterborough City Council turned down the plan on Wednesday over the loss of the pub and insufficient information about parking and the impact of noise on homes.

Gujjar Investments recently had its plan refused for a taxi booking office between the Ploughman building and Tesco store.

A Staffordshire MP has urged Chancellor Rachel Reeves to back upgrades to a busy East to West Midlands route ahead of the government's spending review.

Burton and Uttoxeter MP Jacob Collier said the A50 and A500 corridor between Stoke and Derby needed "urgent" investment to support the Midlands economy, and major employers like JCB, Toyota and Rolls-Royce.

Collier stated that the road currently faced "severe congestion at key pinch points", particularly in Staffordshire and Uttoxeter, and decisions around upgrades were needed.

"I will continue to push for these essential upgrades to be made," he said. "For our local economy, for local employment opportunities, and for the safety of Uttoxeter residents."

Transport organisation Midlands Connect said that upgrades would enhance the current transport links and connectivity.

Improvements could create around £12bn in economic growth over the next 60 years, according to its report with Fifty500 Midlands Growth Corridor Commission.

"The potential here is vast: 39,000 new jobs, 67,000 homes, and a thriving hub for green transport technology," Collier said.

He added that the A50 and A500 must become a "true catalyst" for economic growth.

A low-traffic neighbourhood (LTN) scheme in south London must be removed with immediate effect, following an order by the High Court.

Lambeth Council was told in May that the way the LTN in West Dulwich had been implemented was unlawful. The ruling was not in relation to the effectiveness or impact of the scheme itself.

LTNs aim to reduce motor traffic in residential areas by using either cameras, planters or lockable bollards.

The West Dulwich Action Group (WDAG), which brought the legal challenge, described the ruling as " a wake-up call to councils everywhere" but supporters such as Better Street Dulwich said the LTN made streets "much safer" for pedestrians and cyclists.

Lambeth Council has been denied permission to appeal against the decision, and must also pay £35,000 towards the legal costs incurred by WDAG.

The action group said questions must now be asked about the revenue raised by penalising motorists who contravened the LTN rules – and whether the more-than £1m total raised in penalty notices will have to be repaid.

A WDAG spokesperson said the group had called upon Lambeth Council to clarify whether it would issue refunds.

"This is not just about legality — it's about fairness and public trust. If the law was broken, the money should be paid back," the spokesperson said.

"This case should never have gone to court. It could have been resolved through proper, respectful dialogue. Instead, Lambeth chose to defend litigation over listening — and the public has paid for it."

'Sense of community'

Reacting to the news, Andrew Hanson from Better Streets West Dulwich said they were "very disappointed".

Mr Hanson, whose partner Anna Goodman is an academic involved in research on LTNs, which was used by Lambeth Council, said: "We are in favour of making travel in the area safer."

Mr Hanson said the group felt the ruling had been made based on "narrow ground", and "a fairly minor point", which he said they hoped the council could rectify before reintroducing the LTN.

He said the restrictions made the area "much safer for children, and for people who are walking and cycling".

He added: "It brings a greater sense of community – it's much easier to talk to your neighbours when there aren't 200 cars an hour going past your front door."

Mr Hanson said the roads within the LTN were "never intended to take these volumes of traffic", adding: "Frankly, I think the LTN has been working fairly well.

"It's a real shame that a small but very vocal group has managed to make enough noise to push us to where we are now."