Essex News & Investigations

POLICE and ambulance crews attended the area outside McDonald's in Leicester Square this morning after an injured man was found lying on the ground nearby. Police cordoned off an area in front of the fast food chain branch and neighbouring Lego store from about 7am today (October 18 2026) to investigate what is understood to be a suspected assault. The London Ambulance Service (LAS) also attended and the man is believed to have been taken to a hospital for treatment. A police

Three men have been charged following an aggravated burglary in Southwark, south London. Around 02:20am on Friday, 2 October 2026, armed officers attended an address in Rotherhithe Street, after reports the occupants of the property were threatened by suspects with a firearm and items were stolen. No-one was injured and no firearm was recovered. The suspects had fled the scene by the time police arrived, but, following enquiries, officers subsequently arrested three men on su

The Metropolitan Police has arrested more than 700 people and seized hundreds of suspected stolen mobile phones in one month during its largest-ever crackdown on phone theft. The operation saw officers pursue suspects in high-speed chases, reunite victims with their phones, and execute more than 50 warrants, including at second-hand phone shops suspected of handling stolen devices. In one dramatic arrest, CCTV and body-worn footage captured the moment a suspected phone thief

AN attacker is at large after another man was left with life-changing injuries after a brawl in a London gardens. A group fight broke out between suspected drug users in Whitfield Gardens, near Goodge Street tube station, at about 10:40am, yesterday, Thursday, September 3 2026, ccording to sources. Police were seen by onlookers giving CPR to the victim before paramedics arrived. The area was cleared of people with the help of private security firm My Local Bobby and cordoned

A MAN has tragically died after suffering burns inside an Ilford home. Police, paramedics and the London Air Ambulance were called to the Milton Crescent area of Ilford after there were reports a person had been injured at a property. One resident said: "You could see someone being treated. Police also sealed the property off and later on scenes of crime officers turned up to carry out an investigation." A Met Police spokesperson said: "At around 1:45pm on Wednesday, 2 Septem

A man has been charged with manslaughter and aggravated burglary following the death of a 75-year-old woman in Finsbury Park. Police were called to Tollington Park, Finsbury Park at 21:20hrs on Tuesday, 11 August following reports of a burglary. Officers attended alongside the London Ambulance Service. A 75-year-old woman was taken to hospital where she sadly died the following day. She has since been named as Rose Smith. Rose’s family continue to be supported by specialist o

THE Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) is investigating following the death of a man in Met Police custody. At 12:30ham on Friday, 21 August 2026, officers carrying out cell checks at Windmill Road custody suite in Croydon found a 52-year-old man unresponsive after he became unwell. Upon finding the man unresponsive, officers entered the cell, began first aid and called the London Ambulance Service (LAS). The LAS attended to take over medical assistance, but the man

THE remains of a woman have been found in woods after a wildfire. The Met Police has launched a murder investigation following the discovery of human remains in woodland adjacent to Padstow Walk, Feltham. Police were called at 6:35pm on Wednesday, 12 August, 2026, following reports that bones had been discovered in the woodland. Subsequent examinations have confirmed the remains are human. It is believed the remains belong to a woman aged approximately between 25 and 45 years

ROMANIAN thieves who were caught by Met Police officers attempting to tunnel their way into a jewellery shop, in a Hatton Garden-style heist, have pleaded guilty, after an investigation linked the organised crime group to a series of burglaries worth more than £700,000. Body-worn video captures emergency response officers arriving within minutes of reports of a suspected burglary on Mitcham Road, Tooting, at 03:12hrs on Friday, 17 July. One suspect, Laurentiu-Daniel Nitisoara

THREE Romanian men charged with a conspiracy to burgle buildings by breaking in today (omorrow, Friday, August 14 2026) appeared in court. Sergiu Plastin, 42, of Portadown, Craigavon, Laurentiu-daniel Nitisoara, 38, from the Hackney area, but of no fixed abode, and Ioan Lingurar, 39, from Calder Gardens, Edgware, Brent, appeared at Kingston-upon-Thames Crown Court tby video link from HMP Wandsworth. The three each face two identical charges that: They conspired to commit burg