https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-11101617/Mother-didnt-leave-house-years-rare-condition-changed-appearance-dies-47.html?login#readerCommentsCommand-message-field

Mother-of-eight who didn't leave the house for years and couldn't look in the mirror due to rare condition that caused her nose to collapse dies at 47 years old

    Nicola Kilby, from Cirencester, sadly passed away last month
    Since her death her son Kieran, 27, has paid tribute to his 'glamorous' mother
    Nicola suffered from Wegener's Granulomatosis (GPA) which attacked her body

By Jessica Taylor For Mailonline

Published: 09:46, 11 August 2022 | Updated: 12:37, 11 August 2022

A mother-of-eight who spent years indoors because she was self-conscious about her appearance has died at the age of 47.  'Glamorous' Nicola Kilby avoided her reflection and refused to be photographed due to a rare illness which affected her entire body and altered the way she looked.  The condition, known as Wegener's Granulomatosis (GPA) attacked Nicola's ears, nose, sinuses, kidneys and lungs. The condition is a type of vasculitis which slows the blood flow to your organs.  Although her cause of death is unconfirmed, Nicola's 27-year-old son Kieran spoke about the way his mother's ailing health impacted her life.  Due to her GPA Nicola, from Cirencester, was deaf in both ears and unable to talk as the condition ate away at her soft palate and collapsed her nose.  After the mother and grandmother passed away last month Kieran, from Sutton Coldfield, paid tribute to the 'amazing person' she was.  Describing her as an adoring woman, Kieran said everyone was always welcome in her house.  He told BirminghamLive: 'She was a very strong woman and even when she was in the worst pain imaginable, she'd never let on.  She didn't want to subject anyone else to what she was going through.'

Nicola leaves behind her husband of 10 years, Kevin, and eight children aged between eight and 27.  Describing his mother's illness, Kieran said it was 'one of the most horrendous things I can imagine anyone going through'.

He said the condition made life very difficult for his mother, who could be severely affected by a common cold meaning the Covid pandemic was a terrible time.  When Nicola was first diagnosed, doctors told her she may be able to live for 10 years with it.  Sadly, Kieran said the condition 'affected her very rapidly' to the point where she couldn't walk up and down the stairs.  As she became self-conscious about her appearance, Nicola stopped leaving the house.  'None of us have any pictures of my mum from the past five years because she wouldn't allow it not even with the grandkids on her birthday,' Kieran explained.

After watching an episode of This Time Next Year, presented by Davina McCall and which followed a woman with vasculitis who was given a prosthetic nose, Kieran said his mother was desperate to look into prosthetics.  While the family tried hard to find somewhere that could rebuild her nose, they didn't have any luck as the clinics were all in the US.  Kieran also described his mother's mental health decline as she became more and more isolated.  At one point she was so lonely she began accepting friend requests on Facebook from people she didn't know, 'so she had some friends to speak to'.

After his mother's death Kieran wants to raise awareness of GPA.  The family has also set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for the funeral costs, a memorial bench for Nicola and the charity Vasculitis UK.  Writing on the fundraising page, which has reached more than half of its £5,000 goal from 121 people, Kieran explained a little bit more about his mother's illness.  He wrote: 'Even a slight cold could turn a sniffle into hospitalisation, it’s far from comfortable. She endured this for over five years holding on until she couldn’t no more.'

Explaining why the family had opted to raise money, he said the cost of the funeral was 'unbelievably expensive'.  He added: 'Although there are many of us the cost just isn’t viable for some and this woman deserves the best send off possible.  Unfortunately we can’t do it alone and that’s the hardest and saddest thing to admit.  The last thing we want is for her to leave this world in the opposite way of who she was a person and in life.  She was a woman of glamour and style. A beautiful wife, a loving mother and the best friend everyone deserves!  She always put others above herself no matter what.'

Kieran wrote: 'The majority of funds will go to the charity fighting for support against this horrendous disease, allowing sufferers to live their life more comfortably and for better research into the detection and prevention of the illness.'

He added: 'If you can donate even the tiniest amount then our mum's life meant something and with the money raised can change/help someone else going through the same as she did knowing that they won’t suffer the way she did.  R.I.P mum this one’s for you xx'

What is Wegener's granulomatosis?

Wegener's granulomatosis, otherwise known as Granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA), is a type of vasculitis, which is a blood vessel disorder.

GPA slows down the blood flow to major organs. The affected tissues can develop areas of inflammation called granulomas, which can affect how these organs work.

Some people who are diagnosed early with GPA can be treated and make a full recovery. However if the condition is discovered late it can be fatal.

Symptoms of GPA include:

    Pus from your nose, stuffiness, sinus infections and nosebleeds
    Coughing, sometimes with bloody phlegm
    Shortness of breath or wheezing
    Fever
    Fatigue
    Joint pain
    Numbness in your limbs, fingers or toes
    Weight loss
    Blood in your urine
    Skin sores, bruising or rashes
    Eye redness, burning or pain, and vision problems
    Ear inflammation and hearing problems

Source: Mayoclinic.org

Two little kids are in a hospital lying on stretchers next to each other outside the operating room.  The first kid leans over and asks, "What are you in here for?"

The second kid says, "I'm in here to get my tonsils out, and I'm a little nervous."

The first kid says, "You've got nothing to worry about. I had that done when I was four. They put you to sleep and when you wake up they give you lots of Jell-O and ice cream. It's a breeze!"

The second kid then asks, "What are you in for?"

The first kid says, "a circumcision."

The second kid says, "Whoa! I had that done when I was born. I couldn't walk for a year!"

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-10903291/Prince-Harry-gone-home-feeling-depressed-hes-given-royal-experts-claim.html

Prince Harry 'would have gone home feeling depressed about what he has given up' after realising he and Meghan are no longer 'centre stage' during Jubilee visit, royal experts claim

    Duke and the Duchess of Sussex missed the Platinum Jubilee Party and Pageant
    made only one public appearance, despite flying in from US with their children
    couple didn't appear on Buckingham Palace balcony during Trooping the Colour

By Jessica Green For Mailonline

Published: 09:12, 10 June 2022 | Updated: 09:22, 10 June 2022

Prince Harry 'must have gone home feeling very depressed for what he has given up' after he and Meghan Markle decided not to be more visible in the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations because 'they did not have centre stage seats', royal experts have claimed.  The Duke, 37, and the Duchess of Sussex, 40, missed both the Platinum Jubilee Party and Pageant as well as the Epsom Derby during the four-day festivities.  They made only one public appearance, despite flying in from the US with their two children Archie and Lilibet.  The couple didn't appear on the Buckingham Palace balcony during Trooping the Colour, and were also seemingly relegated to the second row during the Thanksgiving service.  Vanity Fair's Katie Nicholl told True Royalty TV’s The Royal Beat that the couple weren't at other celebrations because 'they did not have centre stage seats'.  Meanwhile, historian Hugo Vickers added: 'Harry has given up being Captain of the Royal Marines, who were out in force. I think he must have gone home feeling very depressed for what he has given up.'

Katie said: 'I honestly think it’s [because] they knew that they wouldn’t be in that front row.  And why did they leave the Royal Family? They left because they weren’t in the front row. I believe that’s why they weren't at the other celebrations as they did not have centre stage seats.'

Elsewhere, royal biographer and journalist Duncan Larcombe said the Platinum Jubilee celebrations will haunt Prince Harry for the rest of his life, as he and his family were relegated to minor roles and decided not to participate in some events.  He said: 'Those four days will haunt Prince Harry for the rest of his life. They [The Duke and Duchess of Sussex] were relegated to sitting behind the Duke of Gloucester [at the Thanksgiving service].  They didn't take part in any way, shape or form visibly at the Trooping of the Colour [Harry] will be fuming about the way he and his family were treated if it was Prince William and the Royal Family who said, "you’re not coming to the royal box", whilst other minor non-working Royals were at those events.'

Discussing the key images from the celebration, Katie told the programme: 'If you’re going to take one image away from the weekend, it has to be [the one of the Queen and her three heirs standing on the Buckingham Palace balcony].  A Jubilee isn't just a moment to reflect on the 70 years, but to look forward to the future. The Queen’s message is very clear, this is the future and for the first time in history, we have four generations of royalty.  It is extraordinary. Also, it was deliberately engineered. If you watch the sequence of this, Camilla steps to the side, whilst Kate takes the two youngest children, and leaves the Queen with her three heirs.'

A handyman was working for a temple in Allentown, PA, had asked for a raise and was turned down. He decided to quit and went out to look for work.  First he went to a Catholic church and was told that in order to work there he would have to answer one question.  The priest asked, "Where was Jesus born?"

The man answered, "Pittsburgh," and was shown the door.

He then went to a Baptist church. The minister told him that in order to get a job there he would have to answer a question.  He was asked, "Where was Jesus born?"

The man answered, "Philadelphia."

He was dismissed.  Walking away, he encountered the rabbi who was looking for him. The rabbi exclaimed, "The board approved your raise. Please come back immediately."

The man said to the rabbi, "I will come back only if you answer a question. Where was Jesus born?

The rabbi says, "Bethlehem."

"HA!," cries the man. "I knew it was somewhere in Pennsylvania."

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-10659369/Viewers-new-Channel-4-documentary-Edward-VIIIs-treachery-mind-boggling.html

'Edward VIII's treachery is mind-boggling': Viewers of Britain's Traitor King question 'why Duke of Windsor wasn't executed for treason' after he told Nazis to keep bombing England during WWII

    Edward is said to have encouraged the Nazis to bomb Britain into submission
    He then wanted to be re-installed as King of a puppet state in Britain
    Claims were made in Channel 4 documentary Edward VIII: Britain's Traitor King
    Many were horrified by the claims and said his 'treachery was mind-boggling'

By Harriet Johnston For Mailonline

Published: 12:47, 28 March 2022 | Updated: 16:08, 28 March 2022

Viewers of Edward VIII: Britain's Traitor King last night questioned 'why the royal wasn't executed for treason' after learning he told Nazis to keep bombing England during WWII.  The former king, who abdicated in 1936 to marry the divorced American socialite Wallis Simpson, also passed information to Germany that aided the fall of France in 1940, according to the Channel 4 documentary which aired last night.  It used evidence such as captured German documents that are held in the Royal Archives to support the claims.  The damning allegations come after years of academic research into how close to the Nazis the Duke of Windsor was and the effect of his friendships on the war.  Andrew Lownie, upon whose book the documentary was made, explained: 'The Duke definitely believes the continued severe bombing would make England ready for peace.  It is extraordinary here is the former king of Britain saying if you bomb his family and country, it's the best way to bring the pursuit of peace.   He's prepared to go to those lengths to achieve those aims. It's chilling and sinister and very shocking.'

Later the same year, the Germans bombed Buckingham Palace, literally missing the King and Queen by feet.  One stunned viewer commented: 'Mind boggling the treachery and vanity of the man.'

Another wrote: 'Can't believe what I'm waiting. shocking what a traitor to the country he was.'

Appearing in the documentary, A.N. Wilson explained how the Duke was attracted to Hitler who was 'flashy' and 'trendy.'

Anna Pasternak said the former king was 'blinded' by the fact Wallace 'hadn't experienced the pomp of the royal tour.'

He explained: 'He was so susceptible to that kind of flattery and he succumbed.'

Wilson continued: The Duke once said to one of his friends in exile, he didn't have a drop of English blood in him. He was pure German.'

Meanwhile Andrew explained: 'The Duke was very firmly pro-Nazi and a firm supporter of Hitler.'

Wilson added: 'He felt like a wounded child and the person who came into the playground to pick up the wounded child was Adolf Hitler.  In May 1939, the Duke, who had an office in Paris, made a broadcast in which he said Britain should be doing all in its power to come to terms with Nazi Germany and not have a war.'

Anna added: 'He didn't listen to advice that didn't suit him, he was a naive fool.'

In a May 1939 speech which was never broadcast, and accessed by the historian through the BBC Sound Archive reference card, the Duke asked the British to surrender to Hitler before the war began.

Wilson said: 'The BBC were furious, they felt the impartiality of the BBC would be infringed and they felt the Nazis were using the duke for their own propaganda, which they were of course.  No one quite knew what was going to happen in May, but later it was fairly obvious.'

Anna explained the Duke was 'terrifyingly open to Germany and 'what they could offer him.'

Meanwhile Andrew said there were repeated references to the Duke's 'hope to be restored to the throne' by the Germans in telegrams.   Anna explained: 'Anyone who could make him feel powerful and important, he succumbed to that.  His motivation was his sense of rejection from England. i think he never really got over that.'   

The documentary goes on to detail how the Duke gave information on weaknesses in the French military to a Nazi informant.  The former King was living in Paris and had written four reports on the French First Army describing its poor leadership and morale.  The reports were ignored by British officials but captured German diplomatic cables showed that Edward then gave the information to his close friend, Nazi informant Charles Bedaux.  The subsequent German invasion of France targeted the weaknesses Edward had identified.  During the invasion, Edward and Mrs Simpson fled to Lisbon, Portugal where they socialised with German agents and sympathisers.  In another captured diplomatic cable from the German ambassador to Portuguese authorities, the Duke is said to have told representatives of Francoist Spain that 'continued severe bombing would make England ready for peace'.

Andrew said: 'Edward wanted to come back as a pro-Nazi leader. He characterizes himself as a firm supporter of a peaceful arrangement with Germany.  'He was so disloyal to his brother, he was calling for the bombing of Britain as a way of subjugating them.  The Duke encouraged the Germans to bomb London and indeed, that's what they do.'

On 13th September 1940, they bomb Buckingham Palace, literally missing the King and Queen by feet.  He continued: 'Let's look at it in personal terms, this is a man who will stop at nothing to usurp the throne, even if it requires the death of his own brother.'

Meanwhile Wilson added: 'In my mind that is the most appalling thing he ever did to say the people of your own country should be bombed.'

Freddie Sayer, editor of Unherd, questioned if he had a sense 'vindication would be delivered' if the 'whole house of cards come crashing down.'  Then-Prime Minister Winston Churchill removed the Duke from Europe, making him the Governor of the Bahamas.  While travelling there, Edward sent a coded telegram to a Nazi associate saying he was willing to return to Europe.  Dr Lownie argues that this indicates Edward was aware of Operation Willie, the German plan to put the Duke back on the throne as the head of a puppet state.  The allegations are also detailed in Dr Lownie's upcoming book Traitor King, which will be published in May.  The documents used by Dr Lownie as evidence have been in the Royal Archives for decades but a recent policy change allowed greater access for researchers with new documents emerging.  In 1937, Edward and Wallis, met Hitler and his officials during a tour of Germany.  Whilst there, Edward was infamously photographed giving a Nazi salute and later also toured industrial facilities and even a concentration camp, whose guard towers were said to have been explained to him as meat stores.  The former king was reported to have said as late as 1941 that Hitler was the 'right and logical leader of the German people'.

Wallis Simpson and King Edward VIII: A scandal that rocked a nation

January 1931 - Wallis meets Prince Edward in January 1931, after being introduced via her friend Lady Furness

1931- 1934 - The American divorcee and the heir to the throne see each other regularly at various parties

August 1934 - Wallis admits she and Edward are no longer just friends, after joining him on a cruise

January 1936 - King George V dies. Edward asks Wallis to watch the proclamation of his accession with him from St. James's Palace

August 1936 - The pair enjoy a cruise around the Adriatic sea with friends. Details of their relationship appear in the American press

December 11, 1936 - Edward announces his abdication

June 3, 1937 - The couple get married in the south of France. Wallis was formally known as the Duchess of Windsor, but was not allowed to share her husband's title of 'Royal Highness.'

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/breaking-young-rugby-player-dies-26217884?utm_source=mirror_newsletter&utm_campaign=must_reads_newsletter2&utm_medium=email

Young rugby player tragically dies after suffering injury scoring try

Talented young rugby player Jack Jeffery suffered an injury while scoring a try during a match for Evesham RFC against Berkswell and Balsall on Saturday and has tragically died

By Nathan Ridley

12:51, 13 Feb 2022Updated13:28, 13 Feb 2022

A talented young rugby player has tragically died in hospital after he suffered an injury while scoring a try during a match.  Jack Jeffery was playing for Evesham RFC against Berkswell and Balsall in Kenilworth, Warwickshire, when he was hurt on the pitch on Saturday.  He suffered the injury while gaining points for his team and was rushed to Walgrave Hospital.  Jeffery sadly died later that day and has received tributes from Premiership stars Freddie Burns and Elliott Stooke as well as the RFU.  In a club statement, Evesham labelled him "too good for even the All Blacks" as a gifted rugby player, and was also described as "calm, respected and highly thought of."

"It is with immeasurable sadness that we have to report the tragic loss of our beloved Jack Jeffery following our Seniors League fixture at Berkswell and Balsall yesterday, February 12," they added.

"Jack was adding another try to his phenomenal record and during the act and subsequent challenge of scoring he was injured. He was taken to Walgrave Hospital where he tragically lost his fight.  A more committed, loyal 'Clubman' is hard to find. He would often return from London for training and was always at the heart of club activities.  He served his club, his teammates and the county with distinction and provided much satisfaction to the club supporters in knowing exactly where the whitewash was.  As a club, we have been overwhelmed by the messages of support and goodwill from the rugby community. Jack was calm, respected and highly thought of.  Our club and community have lost such a bright light."

Worcester Warriors shared their condolences, with their tribute reading: "The thoughts of all at Sixways are with the family, friends and team-mates of Evesham RFC player Jack Jeffery who tragically lost his life after yesterday's match at Berkswell and Balsall."

The Rugby Football Union then tweeted: "On behalf of everyone at the RFU, we extend our heartfelt sympathies to the family and friends of Jack Jeffery who tragically died yesterday. The thoughts of everyone in the game are with @EveshamRFC, their players, members and the wider rugby community."

London Wasps star Stooke also posted on Sunday: "Thoughts are with the family of jack Jeffery and everyone @EveshamRFC this morning. An old school colleague and team mate of mine."

He was followed by Leicester Tigers fly-half Burns, who said: "So sad to hear about the passing of Jack Jeffery. A young rugby player who sadly lost his life whilst playing the sport we all love. My thoughts are with his family, friends and everyone @EveshamRFC #RIP."

And the North Midlands RFU wrote: "It is with immeasurable sadness that we have to report the tragic loss of North Midlands player Jack Jeffery from Evesham Rugby Club yesterday 12th February 2022. The whole of North Mids sends their sincere condolences to all those who knew Jack and affected by this tragic loss."

https://www.thurrockgazette.co.uk/news/19817778.details-essexs-unsolved-murders-dating-back-60-years/?ref=ebln

2nd January
Details of Essex's unsolved murders dating back 60 years
By Rebecca Creed @Becky_Creed Digital Audience and Content Editor

MULTIPLE murder cases remain unsolved across Essex after many years of investigations.  The lack of closure for families when losing a loved one in such tragic circumstances can be just as devastating as losing them.  Both Essex Police and Suffolk Police say cases are never closed and they are regularly reviewed with the hope of bringing the culprits to justice.  Today we look at some of the unsolved murder cases which still hang over loved ones’ heads.  Anyone wanting to give information on an unsolved case can call 101.  If people are concerned about their safety in reporting crime, they can share information anonymously with the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555111 or crimestoppers-uk.org.

Mary Kriek

Mary Kriek a Dutch au pair was killed in January 1958 after getting off a bus at Foxes Corner in Eight Ash Green at 10.45pm.  The 19-year-old never made the 300 yard walk to her home in Bullbanks Farm and was found dead by a cyclist a 20 minute drive away in Dedham Road near Boxted having been beaten over the head with a tyre lever.  No one has ever been convicted in connection with her death.

Linda Smith

Linda Smith, who lived in Foundry Lane, Earls Colne, was found four days after she disappeared while running an errand on Monday, January 16, 1961. Her body was discovered in a ditch in Hadleigh Heath, Polstead, Suffolk about 12 miles from her village.  Detectives believe the tragic youngster, who was aged 12, had been strangled with her own school scarf.  Linda was killed after leaving her great aunt’s house in Earls Colne to go to the newsagents. She did the errand most days and it would normally take about 15 minutes.  She was seen by a number of people as she made her way down Burrows Road. Linda was also seen looking through the newsagent’s window, but didn’t go into the shop.  Minutes later she had crossed the road and was chatting to a local cobbler.  Although there were many people in the High Street, Linda was not seen alive again.

Ivy Davies

The house was ransacked and a ligature left around her neck, although it was not the cause of death.  The murder weapon, a metal pry bar, was found near her body. No-one has ever been charged with her murder.  Two men were initially questioned on suspicion of carrying out the 1975 murder shortly after her death, but they were never charged.  They remained the prime suspects for more than 30 years until the case took an unexpected turn in 2006 when detectives arrested a third man, aged 68 from Basildon, on suspicion of murder.  He too was later released without charge.

Alison Morris

The trainee teacher, aged 25, was stabbed multiple times in Ramsey as she walked down a footpath to the River Stour, 250 yards from her home in Wrabness Road on September 1, 1979.  The case remains unsolved.  Essex Police did consider whether Peter Sutcliffe may be a possible suspect, however he was ruled out for a number of reasons including his involvement in a crime in Bradford on the same day.

Diane Jones

Diane was the 35-year-old wife of a doctor living in Coggeshall.  On July 23, 1983 the couple went for a drink at their local public house, leaving at about 11 pm to drive to their home.  Diane was last seen at the front gate to their house, having got out of the car whilst her husband parked it.  She was not reported missing until nine days after this event, at which time Essex Police commenced enquiries.  On October 22, 1983, some three months after she was last seen, Diane’s body was discovered in a copse adjacent to the A1093 road at Martlesham, Suffolk.  Mrs Jones, who was two months pregnant, had multiple skull fractures.  Police believed she had been battered with a spiked hammer shortly after she went missing, but the weapon was not found.  Extensive enquiries were made in Suffolk and Essex at the time and the investigation continued in the years since as further pieces of information came to light.  But to date, Diane’s killer has not been brought to justice.

John Marshall

The execution-style murder of Billericay car dealer John Marshall re-mains a mystery as the £5,000 cash he took with him the day he disappeared was left un-touched by his murderers.  The 34-year-old left his home at 10am on May 15, 1996, to finalise a business deal in Kent.  Although his black Range Rover was seen crossing the Queen Elizabeth II bridge at noon, he failed to return home or keep any other appointments that day.  A devoted family man, his disappearance was completely out of character and devastating for his wife Toni and their three children.  Seven days later, on May 22, an officer found Mr Marshall's body under straw in the unlocked boot of his Range Rover, parked in Sydenham, South London.  He had been shot twice in the head and chest, but not with a shotgun.  The Range Rover keys, a grey Head sports bag, two mobile phones and a Patek Philippe 18ct gold watch with a blue face were missing.

Ronald Fuller

 Ronald Fuller was found bleeding to death on his front doorstep after he was gunned down by a motorcyclist.  The painter and decorator was shot several times as he left his house in Parkside, Grays, at 7.45am on August 29, 2000.  The murder was carried out by a lone motorcyclist, who sped off towards the old A13 via King Edward Drive on a modern, step-through motor scooter displaying L plates.  The year before his death, Mr Fuller had been working as a doorman at Epping Forest Country Club and had been arrested for public order offences following the stabbing of Darren Pearman.  Charges were later dropped and police say there is no apparent link between the incidents.

Andrea Daly

Andrea, 40, died of smoke inhalation in the blaze, which broke out at her mid-terrace house in Rochford Road, on November 10, 2005.  Andrea's sons, aged 17 and 20 at the time, jumped from a first-floor bedroom window.  But Andrea became trapped in her bedroom and died as a result of inhaling smoke.  Extensive enquiries have been carried out to try and find those responsible. But despite these efforts, they remain at large and their motives for starting the fire are unknown.  A further appeal for information was made in 2015, on the tenth anniversary of her death, and again in 2017. The killer has still not come forward or been found.

Paul Duckenfield

 Paul Duckenfield, who lived with his wife and two children in Portugal, was 41 when he was last seen alive arriving at Stansted airport on Monday, September 15 2008.  He regularly returned to the UK on business flying from the continent to Stansted or East Midlands and was believed to be involved in dealing steroids used by bodybuilders and athletes.  Mr Duckenfield is believed to have visited gyms and leisure facilities when he visited the Great Saling and Braintree areas.  On the day he was last seen he was picked up from the airport by a business partner he had known for several years.  The last independent sighting of Mr Duckenfield was in the evening of September 15, 2008 at the Palm Trees restaurant in Great Saling.  He had planned to return home to his family on September 19 or 20 by flying from East Midlands Airport to Faro but did not make the flight and has never been seen or heard from since.  Despite the fact Mr Duckenfield's body has never been recovered, detectives believe he was murdered in the Essex area on or around September 16.

Albert Williams

Albert Williams, 67, was found dead in his small flat in Cedar Close, Southend, on August 8, 2015.  Mr Williams had been stamped on, strangled and set on fire.  Two men Simon Smith, of no fixed address; and Anthony Smith, of Ceylon Road, Westcliff were cleared of his murder in December 2016.  However, they were jailed for eight-and-a-half-years each for a violent burglary at his home seven days before his death.  They were said to have exploited his vulnerabilities and targeted him because of it, kicking and punching him taking a box containing £2,000.

Ladi Benson

Shop owner Ladi Benson, 27, was stabbed to death in Chelmsford in November 2015. He was from Westcliff.  The father-of-two ran a shoe and clothes shop called Numero 88, based in Princes Street.  An inquest held into his death in 2016 heard his friends have refused to cooperate with the police.  As a result, they have not been able to follow lines of enquiry and his killer has never been identified.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10409981/Princess-Anne-doesnt-time-security-protection-shot-says-ex-royal-cop.html

'Princess Anne doesn't get full-time security and her protection officer was shot!': Prince Harry is told Met Police is NOT for hire as ex-royal cop warns he 'can't pick and choose when he wants to come to UK'

    Harry 'should not expect bodyguards supplied when he decides to return home'
    Dai Davies said that Anne does not despite her ex-bodyguard being shot in 1974
    It comes as sources suggested Queen will not help her grandson in his attempts
    The insiders claimed the Monarch has no intentions of 'caving into his demands'

By James Gant For Mailonline and Rebecca Camber and Rebecca English and Emine Sinmaz for the Daily Mail

Published: 09:25, 17 January 2022 | Updated: 12:38, 17 January 2022

Prince Harry 'cannot pick and choose' when he wants to visit the UK and receive protection, a former head of royal protection has warned.  The Duke of Sussex should not be expecting bodyguards supplied to him when he decides to return home, Dai Davies said.  The ex-Met Police officer pointed out Princess Anne was nearly kidnapped and her protection officer was shot but she does not get full time protection.  It comes as sources suggested the Queen will not help her grandson in his demand for security personnel when he comes to Britain.  The insiders claimed the Monarch has no intentions of 'caving into his demands' for protection from the Met and Home Office.  Prince Harry faced outrage yesterday over his threat of legal action against Her Majesty's Government.  He is seeking a judicial review of the decision to strip him of his UK police protection team, claiming it is too dangerous to visit without Scotland Yard bodyguards.  Last night there was anger at the unprecedented legal threat against the government as sources hit back saying: 'Scotland Yard is not available for hire'.

Mr Davies, who was Operational Unit Commander for the Royals from 1995, told GMB: 'He chose to go to America, that's his prerogative.  And it's our prerogative to ensure when we look at any aspect of protection, any member of the Royal Family that we actually look and assess it through various security agencies. That's the crux.  And it's been decided in this level, one they won't supply him with protection because the risk at this stage is deemed low.  However should there be a risk when he comes then clearly the Metropolitan Police would be duty bound.'

He went on: 'Clearly it has been reviewed in the same way as so many other royal security have been done.  Princess Anne for instance, his aunt, she doesn't get full time protection we're told now and yet arguably in 1974 she was nearly kidnapped and/or murdered.  Her protection officer was shot. However, with regards to Harry, he can't pick and choose when he wants to come.  There has never been a precedent where somebody pays for their security in this country. If it's required, it will be provided.'

Princess Anne's former bodyguard Jim Beaton was shot three times as he put himself between her and a gunman during the botched kidnap bid in March 1974.  Mr Beaton, who was later awarded the George Cross, was shot in the arm, hand and chest as he stopped Ian Ball, then 26, from kidnapping her from a Rolls Royce.  Lawyers acting for Harry, who stepped down from royal duties two years ago, have written a 'pre-action protocol' letter to the Home Office.  It threatened to go to the High Court if his family are not provided with security while they are in Britain, which they have offered to pay for.  The ultimatum is the culmination of nearly two years of discussions with ministers about his security arrangements, the Daily Mail revealed.  Legal representatives say the duke wants to fund the security himself, rather than ask taxpayers to foot the bill.  But experts pointed out the Met does not have specially trained officers sitting idle, adding: 'You can't just hire the services of Scotland Yard as and when you feel like it.'

Meanwhile the Queen reportedly has no intention of helping her grandson in the case.  A royal source told the Sun: 'This is not a matter for Her Majesty. She certainly won't cave in to his demands.  It is a matter for Her Majesty's government. Who gets protection is not a gift the Queen can decide to give or take away.'

Another insider added: ''Quite frankly, with the Queen's health concerns and Prince Andrew facing a sex-abuse trial, a battle between her grandson and the Government is the last thing she wants to get drawn into.'

Harry, Meghan and their family would automatically be protected by royal security if they were to visit the Queen or were in residence at Frogmore in Windsor.  The issue would be if they wanted to undertake potentially lucrative private business, charitable or social activities elsewhere.  Insiders said it would unprecedented for the judiciary to get involved in matters of royal protection, which are decided by an independent committee and signed off by Miss Patel.  But his lawyers hope a High Court judge will overturn a pivotal review by the Royal and VIP Executive Committee, sparked by the couple's move to America in 2020.  The committee, which determines royal security, is made up of the Home Office, the Metropolitan Police's royalty protection command and palace officials.   Buckingham Palace said yesterday that it was 'a matter for the Home Office and Sussexes', and that they never commented on security matters.

But one royal insider, with more than a hint of exasperation, said: 'Once again, when it comes to the Sussexes, it has to be pointed out that you can't have it both ways.  They have chosen to leave the institution and the country and live their lives as private individuals.  They can't just pick and choose which bits they think should apply to them.'

Another source said the offer to pay for the use of officers while they were here was 'immaterial, as I am sure they know'.

They pointed out that all of the police who had been assigned to them when they were working members of the Royal Family had either left the force when the Sussexes settled in the US, or were moved to other duties.   'The Met does not just have a pool of specially trainers officers on tap for whenever they decide to just pop over the Atlantic,' they said.

Ultimately, the decision to strip Harry and his wife of their taxpayer-funded security was taken by Miss Patel on the basis of the committee's recommendations.  Since then Harry has made no secret of his fury, telling Oprah Winfrey last March that he 'pushed back' at the decision.  The row was reignited when the duke briefly returned from LA last year for the July 1 unveiling of the Diana, Princess of Wales memorial statue.  On June 30 he also met seriously ill young people at a WellChild event in Kew Gardens, west London.  He claims his American security team, who are not allowed to bear arms in the UK or access Scotland Yard's intelligence systems, were 'compromised' after he was chased by photographers.  In a statement released after The Mail on Sunday broke the story, the duke's lawyers said: 'The goal for Prince Harry has been simple to ensure the safety of himself and his family while in the UK so his children can know his home country.   During his last visit to the UK in July 2021 to unveil a statue in honour of his late mother his security was compromised due to the absence of police protection, whilst leaving a charity event.  After another attempt at negotiations was also rejected, he sought a judicial review in September 2021 to challenge the decision-making behind the security procedures.'

Yesterday former head of royalty protection at Scotland Yard, Dai Davies, said: 'You can't just hire the services of Scotland Yard as and when you feel like it.  These are highly trained personal protection officers with access to sensitive intelligence, it is not like when football clubs pay for officers to be at football games.'

Harry has indicated he is unwilling to bring son Archie and baby daughter Lilibet, who is yet to meet her great-grandmother the Queen, to visit from the US without proper protection.   'The UK will always be Prince Harry's home and a country he wants his wife and children to be safe in,' the duke's legal representative said.

The monarch is understood to have been made aware of her grandson's action, which is thought to be the first time a member of the Royal Family has brought a case against her government.  A Government spokesman said: 'The UK Government's protective security system is rigorous and proportionate. It is our long-standing policy not to provide detailed information on those arrangements.'

Scotland Yard said the Met does not comment on royal security.
 
Why can't he understand that giving up his royal role means losing his privileges?

By Ken Wharfe for The Daily Mail

Police protection should not be for sale. Prince Harry has an outrageous cheek, demanding a full royal security detail to be reinstated when he visits the UK.  For the Queen and her government to accede to his demand and set this precedent is unthinkable.  Harry is now a private citizen, domiciled in a foreign count ry entirely by his own choice. None of the royals wanted this to happen, least of all his father and brother, but it has.  If he is granted the services of the Metropolitan's royal protection squad, for which he has magnanimously offered to pay, every visiting Hollywood star and wealthy celebrity may as well expect the same privileges.  Britain would face the humiliating prospect of hiring out our highly trained and armed officers to any reality television narcissist or tinpot dictator's children who can foot the bill.  The Duke of Sussex made a decision two years ago to leave the UK and live a new life with his wife on the other side of the Atlantic.  He thought at first he would be able to keep one foot in the Royal Family, hanging on to his military honours and charity patronages as well as his status as His Royal Highness.  The Queen immediately disabused him of that fantasy. When he left, he knew the score.  The statement he and Meghan issued yesterday made it clear he was also told in January 2020, at the family summit in Sandringham, he would not be permitted to 'pay personally for UK police protection for himself and his family'.

He cannot claim he was not told. For him now to be threatening legal action against the Government, and by extension against the Queen herself, is completely unprecedented for any royal, even one who has abdicated his official duties.  If his mother Princess Diana was still alive and a working royal, I imagine she would actually would back his demands although persuasion, rather than threats of court action, was more her style.  I expect that if he came back without protection, she would tell her own police protection officers to 'go and look after Harry for a few days!' knowing that the palace would be obliged to send more to ensure she was never without security staff herself.

But then, if Diana was alive, this situation would not have arisen. Her influence would have prevented the breach between her sons.  Without the benefit of his mother's loving counsel, Harry has demonstrated an incredible insensitivity. I simply can't fathom what he is thinking.  He's fully aware of all the difficulties Her Majesty must shoulder in this, her platinum jubilee year, which ought to be the crowning celebration of a lifetime of exceptional public service.  Her younger son Andrew is disgraced, stripped of his duties and facing a court case over sex allegations.  She is grieving the death of her beloved husband of 73 years, the Duke of Edinburgh, whom she buried last year.  And Harry has already done lasting damage to the fabric of the Royal Family, with the interview he and Meghan gave to Oprah Winfrey last year in which they alleged a senior royal made a racist remark about the skin colour of their unborn child.  Now he seems to think he can simply turn up in Britain and that royal protection can be turned back on like a tap.  The only justification for armed protection by officers would be if the intelligence services have identified clear dangers to Harry and his family, from terrorists or other criminals while he is on British soil.  I am not convinced those dangers exist. Of course, if there is a credible threat, the police should without question guard against it even if this means warning Harry he should not come to Britain.  But the only security issue during his most recent visit the country, as far as I am aware, came after a charity function when paparazzi photographers tried to get pictures of the Duke.  This is a free country. Press photographers are entitled to do their job, however much of a nuisance that might present to camera-shy celebrities.  Harry's antipathy to the paparazzi is well documented. He holds them largely responsible for his mother's death in a car crash at the Pont de l'Alma tunnel, Paris, in 1997.  Ever since I left the police 20 years ago, I have argued that the press didn't kill Diana. The cause of that tragedy was the incompetence of security staff provided by the family of her boyfriend Dodi Fayed, who was killed with her, and the drunkenness of their chauffeur, Henri Paul, who also died in the crash.  Harry does not need armed police to protect him from the paparazzi. He was given police protection for the funeral of Prince Philip, because that occasion was seen by the security services as a potential terrorist flashpoint.  But he did not have the same protection when, for the unveiling of his mother's statue at Kensington Palace, he returned to Britain three months later. And that evidently rankles.  If he did not realise before, that visit will have taught him his private security staff are not automatically allowed access to UK intelligence. They also will not be given the freedom of royal palaces without the necessary clearance.  In short, it is next to impossible for independent security contractors to match the standards of police protection – and not just because they cannot provide those dramatic moments where motorcycle outriders surround a limousine like mounted knights.  In Britain, unlike America, it is illegal for anyone except police and the military to carry firearms. If Harry arrives in a private jet escorted by men with sunglasses and pistol holsters, they will have to surrender their guns immediately.  There do exist reciprocal arrangements with foreign heads of state, including the US president, which allow their bodyguards to carry guns.  But Harry is emphatically not an official representative of any government. He has gone to extraordinary lengths to shrug off any responsibilities of state.  And I'm sorry to say that, with those responsibilities go the privileges. Yet now he wants those privileges back.  No matter how entitled he and Meghan believe they are, no matter how much money they have banked since leaving the UK, they cannot reclaim what they threw away two years ago. Royalty doesn't work like that.

How Princess Anne's bodyguard took THREE bullets to protect her from kidnapper in 1974

Jim Beaton, a former Metropolitan Police inspector, was shot three times as he put himself between Anne, who was just 23 at the time, and a gunman during the failed kidnap bid in March 1974.  The former security officer, now in his late 70s, who was later awarded the George Cross, the highest civilian honour for gallantry, was shot in the arm, hand and chest as he stopped Ian Ball, then 26, from his attempt to kidnap her from a Rolls Royce in exchange for a £2million ransom.  Reliving the frightening moment their path was blocked on the evening of March 20, Jim told The Times: 'I thought it was somebody who wanted to be a pain in the neck. There was no hint of what was to happen.'

Revealing he was shot straight away, causing him to miss when he shot back and jamming his gun, he explained how the security measures changed immediately after the incident.  He said: 'I had nothing. There was no back-up vehicle. The training was non-existent; but then again, we thought nothing was going to happen. They are highly specialised now, highly trained.'

What it really costs to guard Sussexes

THE Duke and Duchess of Sussex's security team in Canada was made up of at least six £60,000-a-year Scotland Yard protection officers.  But experts say the true cost of each officer would have been closer to £100,000 a year when taking into consideration overtime, flights back and forth to the UK, pension contributions and living expenses.  The couple spent more than three months in Canada before moving to California in March 2020 when they are reported to have hired top-of-the-range security firm Gavin de Becker and Associates (GDBA), used by A-listers including Jeff Bezos, Tom Hanks and Madonna.  The team from GDBA described as a 'secret service for famous people' is rumoured to cost about £7,000 per day, or £2.5million a year.  Harry and Meghan are likely to have been provided a team of six bodyguards, which could include former intelligence officers from the FBI and CIA, who work in rotation, with four on duty by day and two at night.  The couple's American security would have no jurisdiction in the UK or access to intelligence information.