Will Twigger

The Metropolitan Police is defending the use of drill music lyrics and videos as evidence in criminal trials, arguing that material revealing genuine criminal activity can help secure convictions. A Centre on the Dynamics of Ethnicity report found that drill lyrics were used against 252 defendants between 2020 and 2023. Campaign group Art Not Evidence is urging the Government to establish a presumption that creative expression is inadmissible unless it is genuinely relevant, reliable and not unduly prejudicial, warning that lyrics are often misinterpreted and may reinforce racial disparities affecting young Black people. The debate has also drawn support for the prosecution’s position from the mother of murdered teenager Leonardo Reid, while police acknowledge that safeguards are necessary and that lyrics should not be overused.

Harper Dennis, 19, was sentenced to 10 years in custody after being convicted of manslaughter for stabbing his former friend Khaleed Oladipo five times near De Montfort University in Leicester. The dispute followed alleged financial dealings involving scams and a counterfeit Rolex watch. Dennis claimed self-defence, but the judge found that he had taken a knife to the confrontation and rejected his claims of full remorse, while accepting some remorse and his lack of previous convictions. Oladipo’s family described devastating and continuing grief, and police said the killing was a disproportionate response to a dispute between two young men.

Trevin Campbell was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 30 years for murdering Gary Mayhew outside a silent disco in Brixton in October 2021. Campbell was arrested while attempting to board a flight from Gatwick to Jamaica, but the case initially could not proceed. After further CCTV, forensic and expert-witness work, detectives re-arrested and secured his conviction, which police said demonstrated their commitment to tackling gun crime.

A murder investigation is underway after a young man was fatally stabbed at Brent Civic Centre in Wembley on August 25. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene, and no arrests had been made by the latest update. The civic centre and Wembley Library were evacuated and closed while detectives investigated, with a Section 60 order granting police enhanced stop-and-search powers across several Brent wards. Police said there was no wider threat to the community and no indication that the incident was terror-related.

Former soldier Jeffrey Dean Rose, 46, has been remanded in custody after being charged with manslaughter, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and aggravated burglary following an alleged break-in at Rose and Ronald Smith’s home in Finsbury Park. Prosecutors allege that four men demanded money, assaulted Ronald Smith with a metal pole and caused Rose Smith, 75, to collapse; she died in hospital 24 hours later. A preliminary post-mortem identified a stroke as the cause of death, which prosecutors allege was triggered by the incident. Rose is due to appear at the Old Bailey on September 22, while the family has paid tribute to Rose as a much-loved and sociable woman.

A driver escaped injury after a Tesla Model 3 crashed into the front of a Victorian home on Old Ford Road in Tower Hamlets on August 24. Eyewitness Oliver McGough said the impact appeared to have severely damaged the living room and raised concerns about the building’s structural stability. No injuries or casualties were reported, the police cordon was later removed, and the Metropolitan Police was contacted for comment. A box of Smartwhip nitrous oxide cream chargers was visible near the vehicle.

BBC Weather forecasts a significant chance of rain, thunder and lightning in London on Friday and Saturday of the August bank holiday weekend, while the Met Office predicts rain on Friday but dry conditions and no thunder on Saturday. The Met Office has issued a yellow thunderstorm warning for Wednesday, August 26. Both services expect sunny, mild conditions on Sunday and Monday. The forecast could affect views of the partial lunar eclipse on Friday, when around 93% of the Moon is expected to pass through Earth's deepest shadow.

Havering Country Park in East London is highlighted as an overlooked green space featuring Wellingtonia Avenue, a pathway lined with giant redwoods. The park can be reached via the Elizabeth line to Romford, followed by a bus journey and walking, making it better suited to a full-day outing. Other London locations with redwoods include Giant Redwood Avenue in Edgware and Hampstead Heath, while Kew Gardens offers the greatest concentration of these trees.