Baby Serial Killer Nurse Lucy Letby Given Whole-Life Sentence - BBC News

Aug 21, 2023 | Nurse Lucy Letby, who was unmasked as the UK's most prolific child serial killer in modern times, has been given a whole-life sentence with no chance of parole.

The 33 year old was convicted of murdering seven babies and attempting to kill six other infants at the Countess of Chester Hospital. Letby deliberately injected babies with air, force-fed others milk and poisoned two of the infants with insulin.

She refused to appear in the dock for her sentencing hearing. Letby will face the rest of her life behind bars, becoming only the fourth woman in UK history to receive such a sentence.


Lucy Letby sentenced to whole-life jail term after murdering seven babies: Former nurse will never be released from prison as judge describes ‘deep malevolence bordering on sadism’ »

‘Cruel, calculated’ Lucy Letby to spend rest of life in prison: Neonatal nurse Lucy Letby, who is the UK's most prolific child serial killer in modern British history, will spend the rest of her life behind bars. »

Gay Couple Murdered "In the Name of God" | Crime Documentary | Real Stories

Nov 13, 2018 • A morally complex post-colonial tragedy, the story of a murder and of Fiji, a small country divided along ethnic and class lines, told through the eyes of two very different families.

Director of the Fiji Red Cross John Scott and his partner of 20 years, Greg Scrivener were brutally murdered in the name of God by a young indigenous man, Apete Kaisau. John had reached international notice during the coup of 2000 when he assisted hostages seized by coup leader George Speight. He was also from one of the most powerful European Fijian families. The documentary explores a "Pacific paradise" fraught by its colonial history, ethnic and tribal tensions, class differences and political coups.

Extreme US Politics: Murder of an American Nazi
Lesley Stahl reports on the murder of a neo-Nazi leader by his 10-year-old son.

Justice, Even for Princes *
THE GUARDIAN: Britain's conviction of a Saudi prince for the murder of his servant has inspired Saudi Arabians longing for impartial justice

Prince Saud Abdulaziz bin Nasser Al Saud, left, was found guilty of the murder of his servant Bandar Abdulaziz. Photograph: The Guardian
The prince is guilty of murder. That was the verdict rendered against the Saudi prince, Saud Abdulaziz bin Nasser Al Saud, regarding the death of his servant, Bandar Abdulaziz. It is a victory for the people of Saudi Arabia who, for the first time in their lives, can see a "blueblood" royal held accountable for his actions against a commoner.

His trial at the Old Bailey sent a strong message that a Saudi prince and a pauper are the same in the eyes of the law in Britain, and that British justice is superior to the Saudi court system, which claims to uphold Islamic standards.

Many Saudis are cheering the verdict: they know that if this murder had occurred in Saudi Arabia, the killer would not have seen a single day in prison. The victim in this case had no hopes of receiving justice in his homeland, but the British court has upheld the fundamental principle of equality under law.

Millions of people in Saudi Arabia were watching the trial closely, and the outcome gives them hope that the impartial rules of western jurisprudence may one day be emulated in their land. In Saudi Arabia and other despotic regimes, where people are divided into rulers and subjects, the judicial system is guided by the whims of the ruling family and the accused prince would have been given a free pass. This may have been on the mind of detective chief inspector John McFarlane, who summarised the situation: "This verdict clearly shows no one, regardless of their position, is above the law."

The convicted prince is a "Royal Highness" prince – one of the few hundred males eligible by birth to ascend to the Saudi throne. There are two classes of Saudi princes. Male descendents of King Abdulaziz, the founder of Saudi Arabia, are given the title of "Royal Highness", while other princely males have to make do with a mere "Your Highness". It is worth noting that these titles are an anathema to Islam's egalitarian tradition and, in fact, have no foundation in Arab history. They were imported to Saudi Arabia from the United Kingdom in the 1940s.

Bandar Abdulaziz, the prince's victim, was a black man who grew up in a government orphanage with no known parents – the worst possible combination in Saudi Arabia in terms of social worth. In the eyes of many royals, Bandar was just a slave – and it's a view that the Saudi courts usually share. Read on and comment >>> Ali al-Ahmed | Wednesday, October 20, 2010

* "Justice even for princes." Yes, for now, perhaps. But how long will it be before a deal will be done with the royal family of Saudi Arabia to safeguard/secure a contract or two?

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Gay Saudi Prince Faces the Death Penalty in His Homeland
MAIL ONLINE: Prince Saud faces the death penalty over his gay sex life if he ever returns to his home country and may have to apply for asylum when he is eventually released.

His lawyers failed in a last-ditch attempt to stop sordid details of his encounters with male escorts being revealed during the trial.

John Kelsey-Fry QC, defending, said Al Saud had already faced abuse from Islamic fundamentalists being held alongside him at Belmarsh prison.

The court heard that homosexuality remains a capital offence in Saudi Arabia, with the country in which the acts take place having little relevance to the prosecution, under the country's sharia law code.

Families of those accused have been known to push for the most severe penalties because of the perceived shame caused to them by homosexuality.

Saudi nationals have been granted asylum in the UK on the basis they were gay.

Mr Kelsey-Fry had unsuccessfully argued before the trial started to exclude evidence of the gay relationship from the evidence put before the jury.

In a sign of the anxiety about his sexuality becoming public, the prince's lawyers had even initially argued that this legal argument should be held behind closed doors.

He added: 'There have been difficulties in Belmarsh prison already whereby there are Islamists - Islamic fundamentalists - who have already caused difficulties with this defendant.'

Jonathan Laidlaw QC, prosecuting, said that while the defendant might be 'anxious' about this evidence about him, he would not be returning to his home country 'for some time'.

'He knows as he has no doubt been advised that if the time arises that a return to Saudi Arabia is contemplated and there is then a real risk to him suffering, he will be entitled to apply for asylum.' [Source: Mail Online] | Daily Mail Reporter | Wednesday, October 20, 2010



Minimum of twenty years in jail for sadistic, cruel gay Saudi prince >>>

THE GUARDIAN: Saudi prince jailed for life for murdering servant: Brutal death at five-star London hotel was culmination of 'sadistic' abuse for which 'no one is above the law', rules judge >>> Sam Jones and agencies | Wednesday, October 20, 2010

THE INDEPENDENT: Life term for Saudi prince who murdered servant: A Saudi prince who used his servant as a "human punchbag" was jailed for life today for beating and strangling him to death. >>> PA | Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Saudi Arabian Prince Could Never Be Seen to Be Gay
THE TELEGRAPH: A Saudi Arabian prince could never be seen to be homosexual in a country where it is punishable by death.

Ostensibly in a relationship with a woman, Prince Saud bin Abdulaziz bin Nasir al Saud portrayed himself as an upstanding member of the House of Saud. A grandson of King Abdullah, he tended to his royal duties alongside his father, Prince Abdulaziz.

However, when released to go travelling for three months with his manservant Bandula Abdulaziz, Saud was free to embrace a more “effeminate” way of life.

Described as a combination of Nigel Havers and Omar Sharif, he made little secret of the fact he and his aide were sharing a bed in their room at the five-star Landmark hotel in London. Rarely out of each other’s sight, they routinely shopped in Selfridges, Harrods and Harvey Nichols, where on one occasion they spent just eight minutes and bought a £2,005 dress. For whom this was intended was not clear.

The language used by hotel staff to describe the prince was strikingly similar – “effeminate”, “giggling”, “very camp”. Shamsul Arafin, a waiter who delivered him room service, said: “By his gestures and postures, he seemed to be gay.” >>> Caroline Gammell | Wednesday, October 20, 2010

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Saudi Prince Guilty of Murdering Servant in London Hotel
THE TELEGRAPH: A Saudi prince, Saud Abdulaziz bin Nasser al Saud, faces a life sentence for beating and strangling his servant to death in the culmination of a campaign of "sadistic" abuse.

Saud was found guilty at the Old Bailey of murdering Bandar Abdulaziz in a "brutal" assault at their five-star hotel suite.

The prince was fuelled by champagne and 'sex on the beach' cocktails when he bit the 32-year-old hard on both cheeks during the attack in February.

They had just returned from a Valentine's Day night out when Saud launched the ferocious assault.

When he was arrested he at first wrongly believed he had diplomatic immunity but his special status as a Saudi royal could not save him from British justice.

The 34-year-old, a member of one of the world's richest and most powerful dynasties, was found guilty of murder today by the jury after just one hour and 35 minutes of deliberation.

Saud showed no reaction as the decision was announced.

The verdict means a lengthy jail term for the prince and the end to his luxury playboy lifestyle, funded by his wealthy family, in which he dined in fine restaurants and secretly entertained gay escorts in his plush hotel room.

In court his lawyers tried to cover up evidence of his homosexuality.

If he ever returns to his home country he faces the possibility of execution - not because of the killing but because being homosexual is a capital offence there.

The murder of Mr Abdulaziz was the final act in a "deeply abusive" master-servant relationship in which the prince carried out frequent attacks on his aide "for his own personal gratification". >>> | Tuesday, October 19, 2010



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Saudi Prince Slept in Double Bed with Manservant
THE TELEGRAPH: A Saudi prince accused of murdering his manservant in a sexually motivated attack insisted they were “close friends” who only shared a double bed because the sofa bed was inferior, a court heard yesterday.

Prince Saud Bin Abdulaziz Bin Nasir Al Saud told police he was not homosexual and that he and Bandar Abdulaziz were equals who had spent four months travelling the world.

He said the detectives did not understand the Saudi Arabian culture, where men regularly travel together as companions.

The prince’s explanation of the relationship came during his murder trial at the Old Bailey, which has heard how the Saudi royal employed gay escorts and took compromising photographs of Mr Abdulaziz on his mobile phone.

He was arrested only hours after Mr Abdulaziz’s battered body was discovered in the room they shared at the five-star Landmark Hotel in London on February 15 this year.

A post-mortem examination showed that the 32-year-old died from a combination of strangulation and neck and abdomen injuries.

When his body was discovered, Prince Saud tried to explain his wounds by saying Mr Abdulaziz was robbed on the Edgware Road, three weeks before his death, the court heard.

However, as he led detectives on a false walking tour to show them where it happened, other police officers discovered cctv footage of Prince Saud beating up Mr Abdulaziz in the hotel lift.

He was immediately arrested on suspicion of murder but refused to answer questions, instead giving the police a statement in which he explained why the pair shared a room. >>> Caroline Gammell | Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Related: Homosexual Saudi prince in ferocious attack on his manservant >>>

Gay Saudi Prince 'Murdered Servant in Ferocious Attack'
THE TELEGRAPH: A gay Saudi prince killed his servant in a murder of ''ferocity'' which had a ''sexual element'', a court heard today.

Saud Abdulaziz bin Nasser al Saud had previously subjected Bandar Abdulaziz to physical assaults and mistreatment, the Old Bailey was told.

The 32-year-old victim was found beaten and strangled in bed at the London hotel room he was sharing with the prince on February 15.

A series of injuries including bite marks to Mr Abdulaziz's cheeks revealed the ''ferocity of the attack to which he had been subjected'', a jury was told.

The prince at first claimed his aide had been robbed and attacked in Edgware Road three weeks before his death, the Old Bailey heard.

But CCTV footage from a lift at the Landmark hotel in Marylebone where they were staying showed the victim had been subjected to a ''really nasty assault'' by the defendant himself on January 22, said Jonathan Laidlaw QC, prosecuting.

It became clear to police that he had been killed ''in the privacy of the room he had shared with the defendant and when alone with him'', the court heard.

Further searches of CCTV footage revealed previous assaults on the victim by the defendant, Mr Laidlaw said.

The prince was arrested and detectives began trying to establish ''the true nature of the relationship'' between the men, he added.

Saud claimed they were ''friends and equals'' and that he was heterosexual, jurors were told.

But Mr Laidlaw said: ''The evidence establishes quite conclusively that he is either gay or that he has homosexual tendencies.

''It is clear that his abuse of Bandar was not confined simply to physical beatings. There is clear evidence, over and above the bite marks, that there was also a sexual element to his mistreatment of the victim.''

Mr Laidlaw said the covering up of his homosexuality might in other circumstances be explained by embarrassment or fear.

But he added: ''The defendant's concealing of the sexual aspect to his abuse of the victim was for altogether more sinister reasons and it tends to suggest that there was a sexual element to the circumstances of the killing.'' >>> | Tuesday, October 05, 2010

BBC: 'Sexual element' in Saudi prince's servant killing (+ video) >>> | Tuesday, October 05, 2010

Bosnian Serbs Convicted of Genocide Over Srebrenica Massacre
THE TELEGRAPH: Two Bosnian Serbs have been convicted of genocide over the Srebrenica massacre, the first such convictions in Europe since the Second World War.

Vujadin Popovic, left, and Ljubisa Beara wait for the court to hand down judgment at the War Crimes tribunal in The Hague. Photograph: The Telegraph
Vujadin Popovic, 53, and Ljubisa Beara, 70, were sentenced to life imprisonment for their part in the 1995 killing of up to 8,000 Bosnian Muslims, in the harshest verdicts yet handed down by Yugoslavia war crimes judges.

The men were high-ranking security officers with the army that overran Muslim forces and lightly armed United Nations troops in an area supposed to be a safe haven for Muslims fleeing ethnic cleansing. Both men were found guilty of genocide, extermination, murder and persecution. >>> Bruno Waterfield in Brussels | Thursday, June 10, 2010

Bishop's Murder Should Not Hurt Islam Dialogue: Pope
REUTERS: Cyprus - Pope Benedict said on Friday the killing of a leading Catholic bishop in Turkey should not be allowed to hurt dialogue with Islam or stain the image of Turkey and its people.

The pope, beginning a three-day visit to the divided island of Cyprus, also told reporters aboard his plane that he hoped the Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound humanitarian flotilla would not result in lost hope for Middle East peace.

Benedict spoke of his "profound sadness" over the stabbing Thursday of Italian Bishop Luigi Padovese, a leading Catholic official in Turkey, who was killed by his Turkish driver.

"We are still awaiting a full explanation but we don't want to mix up this tragic episode with Islam. It is a case apart which saddens us but should not be allowed to darken the dialogue (with Islam) in any way," Benedict said.

"We must not attribute this to Turkey or to Turks ... the certain thing is that it was not a political or religious assassination. It was a personal thing."

Turkish officials say Padovese, a proponent of dialogue with Islam, was killed by his driver, who they say had shown recent signs of mental instability.

Catholic dialogue with Islam has been rocky at best since the pope, in a lecture in his native Germany in 2006, equated Islam with violence. He later said his words were misinterpreted and Vatican and Islamic leaders have since stepped up dialogue.

"Despite our differences, Muslims are our brothers and we have to encourage a common vision of dialogue with them," he said. >>> Philip Pullella, Paphos | Friday, June 04, 2010

Verbunden mit diesem Artikel:

WELT ONLINE: Türkei: Bischof erstochen – Polizei vermutet psychische Störung >>> Von Boris Kalnóky | Donnerstag, 03. Juni 2010

Lien en relation avec l’article:

LE FIGARO: Un prêtre poignardé en Turquie >>> Par lefigaro.fr | Jeudi 03 Juin 2010

Egyptian Businessman Who Denies Murder Shown Photos of Dead Lover
THE TELEGRAPH: An Egyptian businessman accused of killing his lover, a Lebanese singer, has been shown gruesome photographs of her dead body.

Hishaam Talaat Moustafa, a property and hotels magnate with close ties to the Egyptian government, is being retried on murder charges for which he was sentenced to hang last year.

Opening the case against him in a Cairo court, the prosecution displayed pictures of Suzanne Tamim lying on the floor of her Dubai flat with her throat slit. She also had wounds indicating she tried to defend herself in a struggle.

The court was also shown closed circuit television footage taken from the apartment block, in Dubai's Jumeirah Beach Residences complex.

In it, a man identified as Mohsen el-Sukkari, a security officer working in one of Mr Moustafa's hotels, was seen to enter on the day in July 2008 that Miss Tamim was killed. Prosecutors say that, acting on Moustafa's orders, he gained access pretending to work for the apartment's owners and killed her when she answered her door. >>> Samer al-Atrush in Cairo | Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Related links here and here.

Saudi 'Prince' Charged with Murdering His 'Aide' at London Landmark Hotel
THE TELEGRAPH: A member of the Saudi Arabian Royal Family has been charged with murdering his aide at the five-star Landmark hotel in London, Scotland Yard said.

Saud Bin Abdulaziz Bin Nasir Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, 33, is accused of killing Bandar Abdullah Abdulaziz earlier this week.

He is also accused of committing grievous bodily harm on him, police said.

A post-mortem examination found Abdullah Abdulaziz was strangled and had also suffered head injuries.

Mr Abdulaziz was found dead at the five-star Landmark Hotel in Marylebone, central London. >>> Andrew Hough | Thursday, February 18, 2010

Saudi Prince Quizzed Over Murder of Servant 'Who Slept at Foot of Master's Bed'
MAIL ONLINE: Detectives are continuing to question a Saudi prince over his servant's murder as new details about their relationship become known.

Sources have compared it to a master and servant relationship and it has emerged that the aide may have slept on the floor at the foot of his master's bed.

The prince has been held on suspicion of killing the man at the Landmark Hotel in Central London.

Scotland Yard detectives have also seized CCTV footage of an alleged assault by the 33-year-old multi-millionaire on his aide in a hotel lift last month.

Officers are examining the possibility that the servant was the subject of regular abuse from his master. >>> | Thursday, February 18, 2010

Russian Heir Demands Tsar Nicholas II Murder Investigation
THE TELEGRAPH: The self-proclaimed heir to Russia’s imperial throne has demanded the reopening of the investigation into the murder of Tsar Nicholas II and his family by Bolsheviks in 1918.

Tzar Nicholas II and family. Photo: The Telegraph
The Russian Prosecutor-General has formally closed a criminal investigation into the shooting because too much time had elapsed since the crime and because those responsible had died.

But monarchists said a resumption of the criminal case was essential if Russia as finally to come to terms with its brutal past.

“This case is essential for Russia,” said Alexander Zakatov, who represents Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna, a Romanov who styles herself as the heir to the imperial throne.

“Russians need to know about the fate of the tsarist family and all of the other victims of the Communist regime. There should be a clear legal verdict on this,” said Zakatov, who heads the chancellery of Russia’s so-called Imperial House.

He said lawyers for Mrs Vladimirovna had asked Moscow’s Basmanny court to force prosecutors to reopen the case, which he said was needed to resolve a host of questions about the murder and remains said to belong to the last tsar.

Nicholas II, his wife and five children were killed by a revolutionary firing squad in July 1918 in the cellar of a merchant’s house in Yekaterinburg, 900 miles east of Moscow. >>> The Telegraph’s Foreign Staff | Saturday, January 16, 2010

Cultural Sensitivity, Forced Marriages, Honour Killings, & Murder
TIMES ONLINE: Tulay Goren’s death won’t be the last so long as misplaced cultural sensitivity stops us acting against forced marriages

Twice, in the weeks before she was murdered by her father, Tulay Goren told the police that she feared for her life. And twice she was ignored. Mehmet Goren, who was convicted of murder yesterday, killed his 15-year-old daughter because she had fallen in love with an “unsuitable” older man. To Mehmet, the affair made her a “worthless commodity” who could not be married off for a £5,000 dowry. The authorities did nothing to protect her, even though the police became involved when her father attacked her boyfriend, and even though Mehmet demanded in front of police officers that his daughter take a virginity test. Only a decade after her murder in 1999 has justice been done.

“Honour killings” in Britain? Impossible. To many people the case of Tulay Goren will come as a shock, but not to me. I know from personal experience, and from working with victims, that such “honour” crimes are a huge social problem in this country. The shame is not just that it is happening on such a large scale, but that it is so often covered up for fear of upsetting cultural sensibilities. Serious crimes are being treated as a matter for diversity officers rather than for the police and the courts.

There are measures in place to help potential victims of honour crimes, but they are not being used to anything like the extent that they should be. In 2007 Parliament passed the Forced Marriage Act, which enables magistrates to issue protection orders to stop women and girls being married against their will. If necessary, victims, a third of whom are under 16, can be taken into care. Passports can be confiscated, and parents can be forced to reveal the whereabouts of daughters who have gone missing from school, most likely because they have been taken abroad to be coerced into marriage. According to a recent Home Affairs Select Committee report, 2,500 British girls have gone missing from schools and are believed to be at risk. It is not part of anyone’s culture to be abused >>> Jasvinder Sanghera | Friday, December 18, 2010

TIMES ONLINE: Special protection orders save nine-year-olds from forced marriages >>> Ruth Gledhill, Religion Correspondent | Friday, January 08, 2010

Christenverfolgung: Siebenfacher Mord vor ägyptischer Kirche
WELT ONLINE: Aus einem vorbei fahrenden Auto heraus haben mutmaßlich radikale Islamisten in Ägypten das Feuer auf eine Gruppe koptischer Christen eröffnet. Sie kamen aus einer Messe – die Kopten feiern Weihnachten am 7. Januar. Bei dem Anschlag starb auch ein muslimischer Wachmann, neun Menschen wurden verletzt.

Schenouda III., Papst von Alexandrien und Oberhaupt der koptisch-orthodoxen Kirche in Ägypten, beim Gebet in der koptischen Kathedrale in Kairo. Bild: Welt Online
Muslimische Fanatiker haben vor einer Kirche in Oberägypten sechs koptische Christen und einen muslimischen Wachmann erschossen. Neun weitere Menschen wurden verletzt, als drei Männer aus einem vorbeifahrenden Auto heraus das Feuer auf die Gläubigen eröffneten. Es war der folgenschwerste Angriff auf koptische Christen in Ägypten seit zehn Jahren. Die Angreifer hätten wenig später auch noch ein Kloster beschossen.

Bischof Kirollos von der oberägyptischen Diözese Nag Hammadi (Provinz Kena) sagte, er selbst sei vermutlich das eigentliche Ziel der Mörder gewesen. Der Kirchenmann erklärte, er sei am Abend gegen 23 Uhr nach der Messe zum orthodoxen Weihnachtsfest mit seinem Auto von der Kirche weggefahren. Er merkte, dass ihn ein Wagen verfolgte und kehrte um. Als er vor dem Hintereingang des Gotteshauses eintraf, schossen seine Verfolger auf eine Gruppe von Oberschülern, die vor dem Gebäude miteinander plauderten. Der Bischof erklärte, er habe die Messe aus Sicherheitsgründen früher als sonst abgehalten. >>> dpa/AFP/jay | Donnerstag, 07. Januar 2010

Attack on Coptic Christians in Egypt Leaves 7 Dead
Egyptian Coptic Orthodox members perform prayers at the Coptic Cathedral in Cairo, Egypt, 07 Jan 2010. Photograph: Voice of America
VOICE OF AMERICA: At least seven Coptic Christians were killed and another half dozen were wounded - many seriously - after a Thursday morning drive-by shooting after a Christmas midnight mass in Nag Hamadi in Upper Egypt.



Egypt's Coptic Christian community was celebrating midnight mass on Christmas Day, according to the Coptic calendar, when the shooter sprayed a large crowd in front of the church with a hail of gunfire. Many died on the spot. Others were taken to the hospital, in serious condition.



Eyewitnesses indicate the crossroads in front of the Virgin Mary Church in Nag Hamadi was crowded because of the Christmas ceremony. The shooter escaped during the chaos.

Nag Hamadi is 64 kilometers from the famous Temple of Luxor. It has been racked by sectarian violence since the alleged sexual assault of a Muslim girl by a Christian man, in November. 



Muslim residents of the town ransacked, burned and looted Christian homes and shops for five days after the alleged incident.



Said Sadek, professor of political sociology at the American University of Cairo, says that the region of Upper Egypt where Nag Hamadi is located has a tribal culture and that the crime, or violence, or even sex can often take on a sectarian nature. >>> Edward Yeranian, Cairo | Thursday, January 07, 2010

Germany's Muslims Wary After Headscarf Martyr Trial
TIME: Dozens of reporters from Germany, Egypt and other Muslim countries packed into a Dresden courtroom last week to hear the verdict against the Russian émigré accused of stabbing to death a pregnant Egyptian woman who's since been dubbed the "headscarf martyr" by much of the Arab world. It was a far cry from the attention the killing itself received in July — the crime was scarcely reported by the German media, leading to massive protests in Egypt and the Middle East.

That Alex Wiens was convicted of murdering Marwa el-Sherbini and sentenced to life in prison was not surprising — el-Sherbini was stabbed in front of numerous eyewitnesses in a dramatic attack just after she finished giving testimony in the same Dresden courthouse where Wiens was tried. His trial seemed a mere formality. It was nonetheless closely watched by Germany's 4 million Muslims, as well as the wider Muslim world, as a way of gauging how serious Germany was about confronting what Muslims see as a rising tide of Islamophobia and racism in the country.

The crime was shocking as much for Wiens' brutality as for his brazenness. During the trial, prosecutors said el-Sherbini, 31, was attacked after giving testimony against Wiens in a defamation case — el-Sherbini had accused Wiens of calling her an "Islamist" and a "terrorist" on a playground after she asked him to make way so her son could play on the swings. As she finished testifying, Wiens suddenly lunged at her with a kitchen knife he had smuggled into court and stabbed her 16 times. Her husband, Elwy Okaz, 32, was also repeatedly stabbed before being shot by a police officer who mistook him for el-Sherbini's attacker. El-Sherbini, who was three months pregnant at the time, bled to death in front of the couple's 3-year-old son. >>> Tristana Moore, Berlin | Monday, November 16, 2009

Hundreds Turn Out in Tel Aviv to Protest Murders at Gay Center
HAARETZ: Hundreds of Israelis turned out in Tel Aviv on Sunday to protest an attack on the previous day in which a masked gunman opened fire inside a gay and lesbian youth center, killing two people and wounding 15.

A number of politicians spoke at the event, which took place at the intersection of Rothschild St. and Nachmani St., only meters away from the site of the shooting.

MK Shelly Yachimovich (Labor) told the crowd: "The pistol did not act on its own, the gunman did not act on his own - what stood behind him was incitement and hatred."

"The fact that there are wounded children lying in the hospital whose parents won't visit them says everything."

Nitzan Horowitz, Israel's only openly gay lawmaker, said: "If anybody thinks we'll be afraid, they are wrong. If anybody thinks we'll sit down and take this quietly, they are wrong."

Opposition leader Tzipi Livni also addressed the event, which had been billed as a protest against hate crime and homophobia.

"This should be a day of self reflection, not only for all of you but for all of us," she said. "This is not only a great day of pain for you but it is a day of pain for all of us."

The rally took place as hundreds of police officers scoured the streets of Tel Aviv on Sunday in a door-to-door manhunt for the gunman, who fled the center after the attack.

Outside the center, a bouquet of flowers rested on the curb near barricades erected by police and a sign reading, "Stop Homophobia."

MK Yuli Tamir (Labor), a former education minister, called on the school system to make efforts to fight homophobia.

"Teachers must open their doors and open their ears to these children who need them," she told the crowd.

MK Dov Khenin (Hadash) said the attack highlighted problems within Israeli society.

"A state that expels children should not be surprised when things like this happen... People shouldn't fool themselves to think they live in a protected bubble," he said, referring to a plan to deport migrant workers and their children from Israel. Peres: An enlightened people cannot accept this type of murder >>> Ben Hartman, Yuval Goren, Noah Kosharek and Barak Ravid | Sunday, August 02, 2009

TAGES ANZEIGER: Blutbad in Schwulentreff – drei Tote

Bei einem Angriff auf ein Homosexuellen-Zentrum in Tel Aviv sind gestern Abend drei Menschen getötet und mindestens zehn weitere verletzt worden.

Drei Tote, viele Verletzte: Schwulen-Feindlichkeit als mögliches Motiv.
Bild: Tages Anzeiger
Nach Angaben der israelischen Rettungsdienste starben ein junger Mann und eine junge Frau sofort. Ein drittes Opfer erlag im Spital seinen Verletzungen. Einer der Verletzten schwebte in der Nacht zum Sonntag in Lebensgefahr.

Der maskierte, ganz in schwarz gekleidete Täter konnte unerkannt fliehen. Er hatte mit einer Schnellfeuerwaffe in eine vor dem Treffpunkt stehende Menschengruppe gefeuert. Nach Angaben von Augenzeugen versuchte der Angreifer, auch noch eine nahegelegene Schwulenbar anzugreifen. Wachposten verwehrten ihm jedoch den Zutritt. >>> bru/sda | Sonntag, 02 August 2009

LE FIGARO.fr: Fusillade mortelle dans un centre gay de Tel-Aviv

Un inconnu a ouvert le feu samedi soir dans le sous-sol d'une association homosexuelle fréquentée par des adolescents, tuant deux personnes et en blessant quinze, avant de prendre la fuite. Les organisations gays dénoncent un crime homophobe.

La communauté homosexuelle est sous le choc en Israël après la fusillade mortelle qui a ciblé samedi soir une association gay et lesbienne de Tel-Aviv. Un inconnu a ouvert le feu à l'arme automatique dans le sous-sol de l'association, qui abritait la réunion de soutien hebdomadaire d'un groupe d'adolescents. Un jeune homme de 24 ans et une jeune femme de 17 ans ont été tués sur le coup. Quinze autres participants ont été blessés dont deux grièvement, précise le site du journal israélien Haaretz. Le tireur a pris la fuite à pied, immédiatement après l'attaque. La police le recherche activement et fait du porte-à-porte auprès des habitants de Tel-Aviv.

«Il était 22h40 lorsque quelqu'un, habillé en noir et le visage dissimulé par un masque de ski, est entré dans le sous sol. Au début j'ai pensé à une plaisanterie mais il a immédiatement tiré. Personne n'a crié. On s'est jeté sous les lits et les tables . La salle était petite, hormis la terrasse, on ne peut se cacher nulle part», confiait un des adolescents blessés au Haaretz. «Je suis horrifié de penser que mes parents vont découvrir mon homosexualité à cause de cette attaque», regrette le jeune homme de 16 ans touché au genou et à la poitrine. «Le centre était très convivial, on discutait et on écoutait de la musique».

Des représentants de la communauté homosexuelle se sont déclarés convaincus qu'il s'agissait d'une attaque homophobe, rappelant que dans le passé des croix gammées avaient été peintes à l'entrée du centre. La police israélienne a confirmé que ce club, situé à l'angle des rues Ahad Haam et Nachmani, en plein cœur de la ville, n'avait pas été attaqué par des terroristes. «Nous n'en sommes qu'au premier stade de l'enquête, le centre n'avait pas reçu récemment de menaces», a affirmé le chef de la police de Tel Aviv, le commandant Shahar Ayalon. Voulant éviter tout autre bain de sang, l'officier a décidé la fermeture samedi soir d'un des bars homosexuels voisins et demandé à tous ces établissements de se montrer particulièrement vigilants. >>> C.J. (lefigaro.fr) avec AP et AFP | Dimanche 02 Août 2009

Saudi Beheaded for Murder
THE PENINSULA (Qatar): RIYADH: A Saudi man convicted of murdering a compatriot was beheaded by the sword yesterday, the interior ministry announced.

Salehm Dhibani was executed in Tabuk, in northwest Saudi Arabia, after being found guilty of shooting to death Rafaa Al Hawiti during a dispute, according to a ministry statement carried by the official SPA news agency.

The beheading brought to 19 the number of executions announced since the beginning of the year. [Source: The Peninsula] AFP | Saturday, April 4, 2009

’Vile Murder’
TIMESONLINE: A Muslim teenager who went missing after expressing fears she was being forced by her parents into an arranged marriage was the victim of a “very vile murder", a coroner said today.

Shafilea Ahmed's decomposed body was found by workmen on the banks of the River Kent at Sedgwick, Cumbria, five months after disappearing from her home in Warrington, Cheshire, in September 2003.

Ian Smith, the East and South Cumbria coroner, ruled that the teenager was unlawfully killed. He said he believed the A-level student was murdered, and that the concept of an arranged marriage was "central" to the circumstances leading up to her death.

She was genuinely afraid, rightly or wrongly, that her parents were planning to arrange her marriage, Mr Smith told the inquest at Kendal County Hall at the end of a four-day hearing.

"She was murdered. I’m convinced of that because of the way in which the body was disposed, it had been hidden and she had been taken many miles away from home," he said.

He could not state where she died but he was "very confident" it was not on the river bank. "I do not believe she escaped and ran away. She was taken," he said.

"Shafilea was the victim of a very vile murder. I do not know who did it. There’s no evidence before the court as to who did it.
I sincerely hope in the future inquiries will be carried out by the police and they will one day discover who did it because this young woman has not had justice.

"Her ambition was to live her own life in her own way. To study, to follow a career in the law and to do what she wanted to do.

"These are just basic fundamental rights and they were denied to her." Muslim teenager was victim of ‘vile murder’, coroner says >>> By Lucy Bannerman and agencies

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