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Man crushed to death by tractor driven by his dog
A farmer died after his dog hit a lever inside the cab of his tractor, putting the vehicle in motion and crushing him as he was building a rookery, an inquest heard yesterday. Derek Mead left the JCB farm loader with the engine running and with the animal inside, as he worked on the structure in his garden. He was crushed against a gate and suffered a fractured vertebrae and traumatic asphyxia in the accident on 4 June 2017. He was found by his son who called the emergency services. Paramedics tried to save him but he died at the scene.
It is thought the small dog may have jumped up to see where the 70-year-old was, and hit the lever, which was apparently as easy to turn on as a car indicator, putting the vehicle into motion, the inquest at Flax Bourton, Bristol, heard. Simon Chilcott, a health and safety inspector who investigated the incident, said: “In the cab of the vehicle was a small dog and whether the dog has put its paws on the door to wait – or been jumping up to see where its master has gone – he has most likely collided with the lever. As he
jumped up to put his paws up to look, he has put machine into a forward motion.”
Eight migrants rescued from dinghy off Kent coast
Eight suspected migrants travelling in an inflatable dinghy were rescued by Border Force patrol officers off the coast of Kent yesterday morning. All eight men told officials they were from Iran, according to the Home Office. The vessel was spotted at 3.30am and was brought in to Dover by a patrol boat.
There were checked over by ambulance staff, but did not require further medical help. A Home Office spokesperson said they would be interviewed by immigration officials. It follows the rescue of 14 suspected migrants travelling in two inflatable dinghies off the coast of Kent on Thursday morning. Each tiny dinghy contained seven people, and all 14 passengers also told patrol officers they were originally from Iran. They are suspected of attempting to enter the country illegally.
Man jailed for trafficking fighter jet parts to Iran
A man has been jailed after shipping fighter jet parts to Iran for an estimated £5m profit, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) said. Alexander George used companies he had set up in Malaysia and Dubai to traffic military items, including Russian MiG and US F4 Phantom parts – in violation of Weapons of Mass Destruction controls.
The 77-year-old, from Long Ashton in Bristol, was jailed at the Old Bailey for two-and-a-half years on Thursday and disqualified from being a company director for nine years, HMRC said. He had purchased the aircraft parts from the United States and then sent them to his companies in Malaysia and Dubai, before illegally sending them on to Iran.
He denied the charges and told police when he was questioned at Heathrow in 2010 that he had been dealing in wheelbarrows, goggles and gloves for the construction industry, rather than aircraft parts.
His conviction follows that of Paul Attwater, 65, and his 66-year-old wife Iris last month, HMRC said. The pair, from Telford in Shropshire, were given suspended six-month prison sentences for sourcing dual-use aircraft parts – those which could be used by both the military and civilian sectors – from the US and shipping them to George’s companies abroad, which then sent them to Iran.
Junk food ads to be banned in London tube stations
Junk food adverts will be banned in tube stations and bus stops from February under new plans to curb the “ticking time bomb” of child obesity.
London mayor Sadiq Khan has set out detailed plans for a crackdown on promotion of foods high in salt, sugar and fat, which will also only permit restaurants and takeaways to promote their healthiest products.
The capital has one of the highest child overweight and obesity rates in Europe, with almost 40 per cent of 10-11-year-olds deemed an unhealthy weight. Obesity cost the NHS more than £6.1bn last year and it is also considered a driver of health inequalities, as children from more deprived areas are disproportionately affected. A child in Barking and Dagenham is almost twice as likely to be overweight as one from Richmond.
Mr Khan said: “Child obesity is putting the lives of young Londoners at risk and placing huge pressure on our already strained health service. It is absolutely imperative that we take tough action against this ticking time bomb now, and reducing exposure to junk food advertising has a role to play in this – not just for
children, but parents, families and carers who buy food and prepare meals.”