Brit Snaps, Kills Twelve

"CUMBRIA, UK - A trivial row over rivals stealing fares is believed to have sparked a taxi driver's horrific killing spree which left 13 dead yesterday.

"After a heated argument on Tuesday night, Derrick Bird is said to have stormed off saying: `There's going to be a rampage tomorrow.`

"Bird, 52, awoke next morning to commit the worst massacre in Britain since Dunblane in 1996.

"After shooting dead his twin brother, a solicitor and a taxi driver, he calmly unleashed carnage across the area to the west of the Lake District over the following three hours.

"With a shotgun and high-powered rifle pointing from the window of his Citroen Picasso taxi he went on a 20-mile terror drive, killing another nine at random before shooting himself.

"A further 25 were injured with eight still in hospital last night, three of them in a critical condition.

"The tiny Cumbrian police force was so overwhelmed that bodies were still lying in the streets seven hours after the killings."

Source: Daily Mail...

Jumper Left Message In Victim's Blood

"MANCHESTER, UK - A man stabbed his ex-partner's mother to death then left a chilling message in blood before leaping from the top floor of a city centre car park, a police source said.

"His victim was named locally as Carol Berry, 66, who was knifed at her semi-detached bungalow in the Bradley area of Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, at about 6.40pm on Friday.

"He also stabbed her 36-year-old son, named by locals as Andrew Field, who remained in hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

"The 40-year-old attacker, yet to be formally identified by police, then travelled 30 miles to a multi-storey car park in Hanover Street, Manchester, where he jumped to his death from the eighth floor shortly after midnight yesterday.

"Written in blood on a wall was the chilling message: `Fuck you Claire.`

"A source said the message was linked to the murder investigation, and was thought to be directed at the man's ex-partner, named locally as Claire Tootill.

"It was understood the couple had split acrimoniously."

Source: The Independent...

Sad End Of Elderly UK Couple

"Lancashire, UK - A pensioner with mental health problems is believed to have strangled his sick wife and then hanged himself.

"Neighbours raised the alarm and police found the bodies of retired miner John Darbyshire, 70, and his wife Jean, 69, at their home in Whiteside Avenue, Hindley, near Wigan.

"Residents said Mrs Darbyshire had been suffering with Alzheimer's for years. The couple had two sons and a granddaughter. One of their sons, from Blackrod near Bolton, said he was too upset to talk about the deaths.

"A spokeswoman for Greater Manchester Police confirmed detectives were not looking for anyone else in connection with their investigation.

"It is understood the deaths are being treated as a murder and suicide."

From the Manchester Evening News...

Girl, 9, Is Victim In UK Murder/Suicide

"LONDON - Police have launched a murder inquiry after finding the body of a nine-year-old girl in the cab of a grocery lorry, Northamptonshire Police said on Sunday.

"Her body was discovered on Saturday afternoon after a transport firm reported that one of its vehicles had not returned to base. A postmortem found she had been strangled.

"Officers found the body of a man, the partner of the girl's mother, hanged in woodland nearby.

"The Spar delivery lorry was parked at a Jet filling station by the side of the A605 near Warmington.

"`We are investigating the murder of a young girl and the death of a man who was known to her,` said Detective Chief Inspector Tricia Kirk.

"`While we have not at this stage ruled out the possible involvement of a third party, the evidence strongly suggests that it is unlikely that anyone else is involved in the two deaths.`"

Source: Reuters...

Man Kills Mother Of Four, Jumps In Front Of Train

"Hampshire, UK - A mum-of-four was stabbed to death in what police believe may have been a murder-suicide.

"Julie Sudlow’s body was discovered in a house in Maralyn Avenue, Waterlooville, near Portsmouth, on Friday night, just hours after a man was killed by a train in Winchester.

"The 41-year-old, who lived in Berry Croft, Abingdon, had suffered two stab wounds.

"Police in Hampshire said last night they were treating her death as murder and were connecting it to the death of the man in Winchester. They are not looking for anyone else in connection with her death.

"Hampshire Constabulary spokesman Lucy Dibdin said Mrs Sudlow and the man — who had not been identified yesterday — knew each other.

"Miss Dibdin said Mrs Sudlow was a mother of four, separated from her husband and unemployed.

"She said her family had been left extremely distressed by what had happened."

From The Oxford Mail...

Community In Shock

"Hove, UK - A husband who stabbed his wife to death in a frenzied attack and then turned the blade on himself has been named locally as Makram Zakaria.

"The Sudanese man and his wife Magda Bushra’s lifeless, blood-soaked bodies were discovered by their 19-year-old daughter just hours later.

"The deaths at the flat in Hove are being treated as murder and suicide.

"The Sudanese couple were members of a close-knit religious community, which was last night said to be in shock.

"Details about the last minutes of the pair’s lives were yesterday being pieced together by detectives.

"At about 5pm on Tuesday, the couple’s 19-year-old daughter returned home to a housing association flat in Southdown House, Somerhill Avenue.

"She found her mother’s body on the sofa and her father’s body on the floor.

"Mrs Bushra, thought to be 53, had suffered several stab wounds and a blow to the head with what police believe was a blunt instrument.

"Mr Zakaria, said to be 65, also had stab wounds.

"Detectives are investigating reports the couple’s marriage had been under strain and that they had been in the process of a separation."

Source: The Argus...

"Very Normal Man" Slashes Wife, Self

"Nottinghamshire, UK - Two teenagers came home to find their parents dead after a knife frenzy.

"Police believe Sandy Daniel, 44, attacked and killed former partner Fiona Newton during a row before using the same knife to stab himself.

"Sons Nyal, 13, and Jordan, 18, returned from school and college on Tuesday to be faced with the sight of both parents lying dead.

"The boys are thought to have dashed around the corner to alert their uncle - Sandy's brother.

"Neighbour Louise Burrell, 36, saw Nyal outside the death house.

"She said: `He was standing in his school uniform, shaking and sobbing. People were doing their best to comfort him before the police arrived and drove him away.`

"Neighbour Dawn Collier, 46, said: `I saw Sandy on Monday and asked how he was. He stared back and said 'I wish I was fucking dead. I'm sick of this world'.`

"`I was stunned. He used to have the odd mood swing but that's the worst I've ever seen him.`

"Sandy's friend Sean Murphy, 40, said the couple had huge rows before they separated.

"He added: `I used to hear them through the walls. They split up a few years ago but just recently seemed to be getting back together.`

"`Fiona was fantastic. She would pop a Christmas card through the door every year and was always willing to do an errand.

"`The kids were very polite. You would see them in the garden doing weights and playing basketball.`

"Sandy was a refuse collector until he left work two months ago.

"Fiona, 39, nicknamed Fluff, was training as a care worker.

"Last night Nyal and Jordan were being cared for by relatives.

"As flowers were laid at the scene in Broxtowe, Nottingham, the bodies remained inside while forensic scientists continued investigations.

"Cathy and Maggie Powe were among those laying flowers. Cathy said: `I've known Sandy since I was young. He'll be really missed. He'd help anyone and he was always out on his bike telling jokes.

"`They loved each other to bits. It's a shock. Everyone's shocked.`

"Another neighbour said: `He was a very normal man, very friendly with everyone. He seems just incapable of doing something like this.`"

Source: The Mirror...

Death In An Idyllic Cottage

"Yelverton, Devon UK - Police were investigating a brutal double shooting today after the bodies of a man and a woman were found outside a cottage in a picturesque rural village.

"It is believed the man shot the woman before turning the weapon on himself at a property in Dousland near Yelverton, Devon.

"The bodies were found in the front garden and a revolver-type pistol was recovered at the scene.

"Another woman was present at the address and is being treated as a witness.

"The idyllic cottage is owned by Margaret Pawlowski and her husband Phil but police believe the house was being rented out at the time.

"A spokeswoman for Devon and Cornwall Constabulary said detectives are not currently looking for anyone else in connection with the deaths."

Source: Daily Mail...