Knife murder suspect ‘cut man’s throat’

ACCUSED Shane O’Brien A MURDER suspect accused of fleeing to Europe slit a man’s throat before calmly leaving a nightclub, a court has heard.

Shane O’Brien, 31, allegedly slashed Josh Hanson’s neck in October 2015.

Josh, 21, of Kingsbury, North London, died of his wounds at the RE Bar, in Hillingdon, West London.

Police offered a £50,000 reward for O’Brien and he was on Interpol’s mostwanted list for four years.

He appeared via video at the Old Bailey yesterday after his arrest in Romania and return on Friday.

Deanna Heer, prosecuting, said: “He slashed the victim’s neck, causing a wound from ear to chest.”

O’Brien has not entered a plea and is next due in court on June 25. Shop has 160,000 sq ft of retail space New store’s exterior towers over the city A RECORD 5,800 stores that were part of chains shut last year, figures reveal.

The losses were similar to 2017 but there was a dramatic fall in new shops opening up.

A total of 3,372 new high street chain stores opened, a fifth fewer than in 2017.

It meant the net number plunged by 2,481 last year – the biggest fall on record. The steep decline is up sharply from the 1,772 net loss in 2017 and highlights the Mirror’s call for action as part of our High Street Fightback campaign.

The figures came in a report by accountancy firm PwC and the Local Data Company.

The research also revealed the changing face of town centres. For example, 391 bank and financial services branches shut last year and 100 opened, resulting in a net fall of 291.

And the net number of fashion shops dropped by 269, with 110 fewer electrical shops and 107 fewer pubs and bars.

Zelf Hussain of PwC said: “Retail companies looking to survive, let alone flourish, in 2019 face an uphill battle.”