Newsquest Crime & Investigations (Essex) — 4x Weekly Reporter of the Year — 2x Crime & Investigative Reporter of the Year
England
Joined June 2010
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'Amazing'
'Disturbing'
'Astonishing'
'Shocking'
'Like a real life Line of Duty'
The reviews are in. All episodes are out.
A true crime podcast tells how a local newspaper unearthed a shocking paedophile ring cover-up.
Unfinished: Shoebury's Lost Boys - podfollow.com/unfinished-1/
Charles Thomson retweeted
I am sitting waiting to log on for a CVP video hearing in a major case, which has been delayed purely because of this serious technical failure by HM Court Service.
This is why the system is in a mess.
Not because of juries, which this government is still set on attacking in some of the most serious cases to come before the court.
If we solved even the basic flaws in the system, like this, the backlog would shrink overnight.
Cloud Video Platform (CVP) is down across large parts of England and Wales since 10am. Many of us today, both as prosecution and defence counsel, can not proceed with trials and other hearings. Our work to clear backlogs is hampered. Please urgently let the CBA know which court has been impacted. On this thread. (DM for which case please to contain sensitive material). With thanks
@HMCTSgovuk notice:
Charles Thomson retweeted
Excl: New undercover footage shared with the Guardian raises fresh questions about Reform leader’s statement that £5m gift was for security
Farage's claim that the money was a reward for Brexit was "not the line to take from the press office".
The conversation also shows former close aide Dan Jukes say that it is "a bit priced in" by the public that Farage should profit from politics.
Footage via @Verbatim_Media
theguardian.com/politics/202…
Charles Thomson retweeted
I would genuinely love to hear a member of the Newsnight production team, offer a justification of how it made a lick of sense editorially to have the podcasting former banjo player from Mumford and Sons argue tax and economic policy with an actual economist from the Green Party.
"If you want to lift up the poor, you have to create wealth."
"How's that going?"
Podcaster and former Mumford & Sons member Winston Marshall discusses taxes with economist and Green Party supporter Faiza Shaheen.
#Newsnight
Charles Thomson retweeted
Maajid Nawaz is joining GB News. Last year he appeared on Neil Oliver's GBN Originals online show, where he claimed doctors murdered the elderly en masse during the pandemic, and the January 6th Capitol riot was a false flag.
Just the man to "revamp GB News' online presence". 🙄
Dreadful news for Funko Pop collectors who live in central London.
Obviously awful for the staff. But the revived Oxford St HMV was a depressing husk of its predecessor, which was a mecca for movie/music fans. It was basically Forbidden Planet with a few shelves of CDs & DVDs.
HMV to close Oxford Street store after three years | BBC News share.google/jAbCc5bq788sbYo…
Charles Thomson retweeted
The Criminal Bar Association estimates that stripping defendants of their right to elect, combined with the doubling of magistrates’ sentencing powers, will shift 25,000 cases a year away from the Crown court.
Those 25,000 cases are not minor, CBA chair Andrew Thomas said. ‘It includes serious and sensitive cases such as assaults, sexual assaults, child abuse and GBH. Our volunteer magistrates do an excellent job but they are completely unequipped to try complex, multi-day trials.’
Plans to remove a defendant’s right to elect a jury trial, while increasing magistrates’ sentencing powers, have sparked alarm. Volunteers are ‘unequipped to try complex, multi-day trials’.
Monidipa Fouzder reports:
lawgazette.co.uk/news-focus/…
Charles Thomson retweeted
I don’t believe that cases involving death and serious sexual assault should routinely be heard by lay magistrates, or that you should be locked up for 2 years after anything other than a guilty verdict by a jury. This isn’t a right wing or left wing thing. It’s a British thing.
It’s almost as if there had been some sort of concerted, industry-wide effort by national UK newspapers to relentlessly smear and spin against the BBC’s flagship show.
Charles Thomson retweeted
How is this not a bigger story?
NEW: President Trump’s incoming White House press secretary echoed the debunked pizzagate conspiracy theory, accused Hollywood elites of being pedophilic cannibals, and said Michelle Obama had a penis in posts, reposts, and deleted tweets. (And more)
cnn.com/2026/10/12/politics/…
Charles Thomson retweeted
‘Officer X’ of the @metpoliceuk racially abused his girlfriend (also a police officer) and not only KEEPS HIS JOB but has his identity protected.
Another racist, abusive officer allowed to remain a risk to women.
share.google/CndNZBlMpiXVy4k…
Charles Thomson retweeted
When the Guardian went on strike to protest the Observer sale, I became a de facto spokesperson. Later a Tortoise employee I’d never met wrote to me to cancel my 20-year contract. No goodbye & no pay-off. This is how they now take credit for my work..but write me out of the story
Charles Thomson retweeted
We DO NOT in fact have to 'accept severe cyberattacks' as the price of 'freedom'
Sam Altman says society will have to accept severe cyberattacks from open-source AI as the price of preserving freedom
"I support open source models. There is a coming tidal wave of cybersecurity problems that are going to come from these open source models"
"There are people in the industry who say we should ban open source, because otherwise a bunch of systems are going to be hacked"
"We're going to, as a society, I think, have to just accept some fairly severe cyber incidents from open models, in exchange for the liberty that comes with that"
Charles Thomson retweeted
Quelle surprise a super-rich exodus recent story is shown to be complete bollocks
This billionaire said to have quit Britain over fears of a potential Labour wealth tax actually moved to Monaco in 2014 when the Conservatives were in power.
Next.
theguardian.com/news/2026/oc…
Charles Thomson retweeted
Kind words John, and much appreciated 🙏You are right that I did not write the headline, but my concerns about the Beeb’s current leadership are real; particularly when it comes to fostering an environment in which courageous investigative journalism can thrive…
Thoughtful, insightful interview with the excellent Stephen Sackur, given a dog-whistle headline by the Telegraph. Of all the BBC’s cuts so far, Hardtalk has been the most painful, and Sackur himself is badly missed. telegraph.co.uk/books/author…
Charles Thomson retweeted
I’m sorry to say the BBC is committing multiple acts of self-harm. Current senior management do not seem to understand that in the changing media landscape the BBC should still be providing content the commercial sector is unwilling or unable to invest in.
Sorry to inform you that @BBCFreeThinking (and Thinking Allowed) have been cancelled as part of cost-saving measures. Last show will go out in April. bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cmly…
