Police officer threatens to confiscate 4-year-old girl's bike - because she was riding on pavement

Busted: A police officer threatened to confiscate a 4-year-old's bike

A four-year-old girl cycling to school was left in tears when a police officer threatened to confiscate her bike - because she was riding on the pavement.

Little Sophie Lindley had a helmet on and was riding her 16-inch purple bicycle with stabilisers by the side of a busy main road when a patrol car pulled up.

Her dad Dale, 34, was shocked when the officer threatened to seize the bike if Sophie continued riding it along the path.

Shockingly, the officer even sat in the patrol car and watched Dale struggle with the bike and a sobbing Sophie as he walked a mile up a steep hill to her school.

Ex-serviceman Dale said: "I was gobsmacked when the officer pulled over and threatened to confiscate Sophie's bike.

"He said to me 'She can't be riding on a pavement, it's breaking the law.'

"At first I thought he was joking but he looked deadly serious. I said 'You must be kidding. What do you want me to do, make her ride on the busy road? It's rush hour.'

Pavement Police: An officer threatened to confiscate 4-year-old Sophie Lindley's bike because she was riding on the pavement

"He just shrugged and said 'Look, she must get off the bike and walk and I'm going to sit here and make sure you don't put her back on it. If you do, I'll confiscate the bike.'

"I ended up carrying Sophie, who was in floods of tears, in one hand, the bike in the other and walked up the hill to school.

"By the time I got her into class she was so upset a teacher had to calm her down.

"Poor thing thought she was going to be put in jail. I'm absolutely outraged that a policeman can act in this way.

"The path was totally empty and we walk along it every day. Sophie likes to cycle on her bike. She's got a little saddle on the back which she puts her dolly in.

"We always make sure she wears a helmet and I put a lead on the bike which I hold to make sure she doesn't shoot off.

"We try and cycle to school whenever it's a nice day, it's good exercise for Sophie and she loves it.

"We don't have a car, and it's almost two miles to the school. She can't walk that with her little legs, which is why she's always had the bike.

"Sophie was gutted. Surely the police have better things to do than pick on parents taking their kids to school."

The pair were pulled over as they made their way from their home in Grantham, Lincs., to The West Grantham Academy in the town on March 2.

Dale's partner and Sophie's mum Emma Stephenson, 33, added: "When Dale came home and told me what had happened I couldn't believe it.

"How on earth is my daughter riding her little bike with stabilisers to school a criminal offence? Surely there needs to be some common sense applied."

The couple, who have three other children, Liam, 12, 18-month-old John, and five-and-a-half-month-old Rose, called the police to complain.

Full-time mum Emma added: "One police officer I spoke to said the law applied to everyone - no-one can ride a bike on the pavement.

"But another said it shouldn't have happened, as it's different with children.

"You can't expect a four-year-old to ride in the road, it's not exactly safe. And she has the lead and wears a helmet."

Lincolnshire Police have not yet identified any police officer involved, but said they are investigating.

A force spokesman said: "Safety is our priority and cycling on the pavement is illegal.

"However, common sense obviously prevails and in the case of young children, officers would use their discretion and offer the most appropriate advice for the circumstances."

Mum relives moment son was fatally stabbed by man who boasted: 'I pierced him four times bro'

A mother has spoken of her pain after her son was fatally stabbed in the heart by a man who moments later boasted: “I pierced him four times bro”.

Speaking for the first time since her son Jamie was knifed four times as he walked home from a friend’s birthday party, Dawn Gray, 49, has opened her heart in a bid to deter young people from carrying knives.

Her son was 19 and just 5ft 4ins tall with a “baby face” when he was knifed in the street by Daniel Parr who subsequently “bragged” to his friends about what he had done.

After attacking Jamie, Parr texted his pal the sickening message: “I pierced him four times bro.”

Murder Victim: Jamie Gray was stabbed through the heart when he was just 19

As Jamie lay in the street dying, he went round to a woman’s house and showed her the blood-stained knife he had used to kill Jamie.

While in custody having been arrested for Jamie’s murder, he sent her the threatening message: “Snitches get stitches”.

“It was brazen,” Mrs Gray, of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, said in her first full interview since her son was killed in 2011. “He’s evil.”

She told how her son, a trainee bricklayer, was stabbed four times in his legs and chest in Sheffield in 2011.

He was walking home, having been out celebrating a friend’s 21st birthday.

“The knife blade had pierced his breastbone and plunged into his heart,” she said. “Then he was left to die in the street.

“A passer-by phoned 999 but it was already too late. Mum had to identify Jamie’s body. I couldn’t bear to do it.

“I couldn’t understand why anyone would want to hurt Jamie. He was so gentle.”

Gentle Boy: Mum Dawn Gray pictured with Jamie as a boy

She told how a few hours after Jamie was murdered she started receiving messages – all naming Parr as the perpetrator.

“They said Jamie left the pub early,” she recalled. “They told me he’d been attacked as he walked home alone.

“And they were all naming the same man as my son’s killer.”

Mrs Gray, who is no longer with Jamie’s father, David, said she had never heard of Parr.

“But I couldn’t believe it when I heard he’d been bragging about slaughtering my son,” she said. “I vowed I’d get that monster off the street.

“I had so many questions about what happened to Jamie that awful night.”

But it was not a quick process. A first trial, in January 2012, ended without a verdict.

In October 2013 the family were in Sheffield Crown Court for a re-trial.

The court heard Parr and his cousin, Connor Jessop, had approached my boy as he walked home.

Connor vaguely knew Jamie. According to Parr, the two of them had fallen out that day.

Convicted Killer: Daniel Parr killed Jamie Grey and then boasted about the stabbing to a friend

His mother continued: “I didn’t really believe that, but it was just the start.

“Parr claimed his cousin originally had the knife and was planning to stab a car tyre.

“He said he’d taken it from Connor and put it in his own pocket. He said he didn’t want to stab my son, but panicked.

“He claimed he didn’t know Jamie was stabbed in the chest and he didn’t call an ambulance because he didn’t realise he was badly hurt. It was all lies.

“Shockingly, he’d made calls from jail, threatening witnesses.

“He said, ‘Once I get out, they won’t be opening their mouths. There’s going to be a war starting.’

“He’d threatened to ‘do in’ the poor young woman whose house he’d gone to after the murder. His pal smashed her windows to terrify her.”

Mum's Pain: Dawn, pictured at Jamie's grave, wants young people to think twice about carrying knives

In October 2013 Parr, then 21, of Rotherham, was jailed for 23 years having been convicted of murder and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. This was reduced on appeal to 20 years.

“Now I am continuing with my life,” Mrs Gray said. “I’ll never understand why he was taken from us. My life has been torn APART ."

Bride couldn't tuck into her wedding breakfast 5 years ago - and hasn't eaten ANYTHING since

Brave mum: Nicola Nichols who is fed via a tube into her bowel as her stomach doesn't work

Bride Nicola Nichols couldn’t eat anything at her wedding breakfast five years ago – and hasn’t eaten a single thing since.

But it wasn't wedding jitters stopping her from tucking in.

The 25-year-old's stomach stopped working after a bout of flu two years earlier, leaving her unable to keep any food or liquid down and she would vomit up to 50 times a day.

Doctors suspected she had an eating disorder but she was actually suffering from gastroparesis, which means her stomach cannot empty itself of food normally, and intestinal failure when she was 18.

She has been fed by a tube into her bowel ever since.

At her wedding, everyone else was enjoying succulent duck, beef and a rich chocolate cake for dessert, not one morsel passed the bride's lips.

Cascade

Beautiful bride: Nicola and Ben Nichols on their wedding day

While the mum-of-two faces the very real prospect that she might never eat again, she is determined to stay positive for her children.

She managed to give birth to William, aged three, and daughter Felicity, 10 months, despite her stomach problems.

She said: "Everyone takes eating and drinking for granted — even something simple like having a nice hot cup of tea.

"But once you realise that you can't eat you realise just how big a part of your life it is.

"When it started Ben and I had only been together for two months and we couldn't go out for meals together like dating couples usually do.

"I really struggled with everything at first but the support my family has given me has helped me get through it.

"Ben always says 'believe the impossible' and 'never say never'.

"You never know, maybe one day I'll be able to have a transplant of some kind and eat again.

"As a family we just accept it now — mummy doesn't eat, but daddy, William and Felicity do.

"I couldn't even eat my own wedding breakfast, which was really hard.

"I used to be nine stone but now I struggle to keep my weight above seven.

"But we always say that someone else is always worse off. I'm lucky that I have two beautiful children despite my problem. My two miracles."

Nicola's problem started seven years ago after suffering a bout of the flu.

She said: "It literally came out of the blue. Both my mum and I had the flu at the same time but mine was different and I was constantly sick.

"I was eating every day but everything came back up.

"After a week of the flu I felt a bit better but I still couldn't keep any food or water down.

Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge parties with One Direction member Louis Tomlinson

Live while we're young: Daniel Sturridge and Louis Tomlinson partied together

Daniel Sturridge has been partying with yet more musical stars, this time One Direction member Louis Tomlinson,

The Liverpool hitman Shared a picture of the pair with their arms around each other and joked that they would be strike partners, reports the Liverpool Echo.

Sturridge took to Twitter to Share the snap with his 1.45 million followers and said: “With the boy last night @Louis_Tomlinson. 5 a side strike partner in the summer!!”

It appears that the 25-year-old partied in London’s Libertine club, and that is where he met up with One Direction’s Louis.

The One Directioner isn’t Sturridge’s only famous musician friend as the forward is also pally with rappers Tinie Tempah and Drake.

Just last week when Tinie Tempah was supporting The Script at the Echo Arena, Sturridge took some time out to ‘enjoy tea and toast’ at Liverpool’s Leaf cafe on Bold Street.

Boston Marathon bombing trial: New footage shows bomber fleeing through crowds as device explodes

New footage has emerged of the moment the Boston Marathon bomber pushed through crowds to escape after his bomb detonated.

The clip was shown at the trial of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, which began last week, and shows the suspect fleeing from the blast zone after dropping two bombs close to the finish line of the running race.

In the footage the crowd can be seen staring in shock as the first bomb goes off , but Tsarnaev - wearing a white cap - is quickly heading in the other DIRECTION after detonating a second explosive in the crowd.

Just twelve seconds later, the bomb explodes exactly where he had been seen standing.

His brother Tamerlan Tsarnaev can also be seen in the footage as the pair walk through the crowds of spectators.

Tsarnaev faces 30 charges in US District Court in Boston, including 17 that carry the possibility of the death penalty, for his alleged role in the detonation of two bombs near the Marathon finish line on April 15, 2013.

The prosecution said that Tsarnaev had carried out the attack as a protest against US foreign policy and he “believed what he had done was good, that he is a soldier in a holy war against America and had taken a step to reaching paradise”.

In admitting his role his lawyer Judy Clarke said the bombings were “misguided acts” carried out by his late brother, Tamerlan Tsarnaev.

Reuters

Suspects: Tamerlan Tsarnaev (L), 26 and his brother Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19

“There’s little that we dispute. It was him,” she said of her client.

However she attempted to shift blame to the older sibling, saying he had “self-radicalised” and the younger brother had “followed him.”

"We must hold [Tsarnaev] responsible for the horrible things he did but he took that path because of his brother's influence,” she said.

“Tamerlan didn't put a gun to Tsarnaev's head, but he had huge influence over his brother.”

The two explosions killed three people , including an eight-year-old boy - whose sister also lost her leg in the blast.

Reuters

Blast: The finish line of the Boston Marathon where two bombs were detonated

A further 260 people were injured.

Prosecutors have alleged both brothers joined in the bombings and in the murder several days later of an MIT police officer as they sought to escape.

Tamerlan, 26, died following a gun battle with police and after being run over reportedly by his younger brother.

After the bombings the court heard how Tsarnaev casually returned to his university APARTMENT and partied, went to the gym and played video games.

The trial, which could last until June, continues.

'I want to give dignity back': Meet the kindhearted barber giving out free haircuts to homeless people

Helping up: Warren Flynn and his scissors have been on a one-man mission

A kindhearted barber has taken to the streets in a humble bid to help restore dignity to dozens of homeless people - after slipping and breaking his hand.

Big-hearted Warren Flynn is genuinely a cut above others in the kindness stakes for those who call Dublin’s streets their only home.

Since last year the snipper, 22, and his scissors have been on a one-man mission to cut hair and trim beards to people on the fringes of a society that so often ignores them.

Little did Warren know a slip during a holiday in Spain would lead to him generously giving up his spare time to cut the hair of homeless people, reports the Irish Mirror.

He explained: “I broke my hand when I was on holiday so it meant I couldn’t work for six weeks.

“So I was in and out of town – visiting family, going to the pictures or shops – but I saw how bad the homeless situation was.”

During those weeks a light went on in Warren’s head and he came up with the inspirational idea to use his trade to make people living on the streets feel better.

A cut above: Barber Warren cutting hair on the street

He said: “You always get happy after a haircut – you feel better and I wanted them to feel better, to give them a bit of dignity back.

“The first guy was a young lad aged 27 or 28 called Shane.

"It was around 11am on a Sunday morning – I went to Pearse Street Dart station and he was sitting down on a sleeping bag.

“I went to him and asked him if he wanted a cup of coffee and was sitting down chatting to him for 10 minutes.

“It was the first time he’d had a conversation with someone in a week. He asked about my hair and we got into conversation about that and what I worked at.

“He asked me, ‘Do you like doing that?’ and I said I did.

“Then I told him I had my tools with me and asked him whether he wanted a hair cut.

“At first he kind of giggled to himself and said, ‘Are you messing?’

“Then he said, ‘I’d love one’. He hadn’t had a haircut in about a year.

“When I took the mirror out he said, ‘I always wanted a cool cut’. He couldn’t thank me enough. It made his day.

"It’s a really good feeling.”

Warren, who works at The Dublin Barber, ensures that whether you are a client in or outside his shop, everyone is treated with the same respect.

He said: “The only way I look down on people is when I’m helping them up. We’re all too quick to judge a book by its cover.

“My job from Tuesday to Saturday is to treat people as a VIP when I’m cutting hair. I’ll make them feel like a VIP.

“My job means they leave feeling happy and good about themselves no matter whether you are in a barber’s shop or on the street, that’s the feeling I want to give people.

“That’s been stripped away when you are on the street.”

Donal Moloney

Beard: Warren gives up his spare time to cut the hair of homeless people

After someone took a snap of Warren at work in one of his pop-up street salons his innovative generosity became an internet sensation.

But the humble barber didn’t even tell his close family and friends of his secret good deeds until his kindness was revealed on social media.

Pal Evelyn Doyle, who nominated Warren for the Pride Of Ireland Awards, can’t think of a more worthy winner.

She said: “He’s a great young fella. We didn’t even know he was doing this until we saw it on Facebook .

“He’s a very modest young fella, he just went out and did it off his own bat.”

Evelyn added she was touched by Warren’s kindness and decided to put him forward for the Pride Of Ireland Awards.

She said: “He just wanted to help homeless people, to cheer them up and make them feel better about themselves.

“He wanted to give something back. Warren is very thoughtful and very caring.

“He has Sunday and Monday off from his day job as a barber and spends one of those days dandering around Dublin doing this.”

Evelyn also believes his weekly act of kindness has pricked the consciences of passers-by who often respond by offering to buy Warren’s client a cup of tea or coffee.

She added: “It seems to have a domino effect on people who see him cutting the person’s hair.”

Warren said: “I came out of school five years ago and I knew what I wanted to do. It was a closed shop and extremely hard to get into the trade.

“I just think how hard it is to get into barbering then how hard it is to get off the streets.”

And the articulate barber is particularly cutting in his criticism over the Government’s actions in tackling Dublin’s homeless crisis.

He said: “I think the problem of homeless was highlighted at Christmas but they [politicians] have used it as a distraction for other issues in the country such as the water meter charges.

“They aren’t doing anything about social housing in this country.

“It’s the fellas high up that can change it and it’s selfish not to.

“They can make and encourage the change and they don’t.

“We need to look to start at the top of the Government. All the charities are incredible but they can’t do it on their own.”

Hammer-wielding burglar who terrorised family in home trapped by schoolboy's Find My iPhone app

Terror: Alam broke into the family home shouting "I'll kill you all"

A hammer-wielding thug who carried out a terrifying raid on a family home was caught thanks to a schoolboy's Find My IPHONE App.

Grant Alam, 24, led a band of five criminals who broke into the Maguire household in Bolton, Greater Manchester, and held them captive.

Alam brandished a hammer while demanding MONEY and shouting "I'll kill you, I'll kill you all"

The gang fled with a Mercedes and grey Mini - worth £60,000 and gadgets worth a further £7,700 including IPHONES, iPads, two watches as well as wallets and purses belonging to dad Stephen and mum Kelly.

But their escape was foiled thanks to the couple's brave children Jack, 13, and Olivia, nine.

The schoolgirl dialled 999 to alert police while held in a Room.

And her brother later activated the Find My IPHONE app from a neighbour's house which pinpointed Alam's exact location.

He was arrested and was yesterday jailed for 10-and-a-half-years at Bolton Crown Court.

Andrew Smith, prosecuting, said Mrs Maguire and her daughter Olivia were ordered upstairs while Mr Maguire was told he would be shot if he did not tell the gang where the safe was - despite him telling them there was no safe.

While the family were taken upstairs, their son Jack, came out of his bedroom, where he had been playing on his Xbox, after hearing the disturbance.

He was then kept in his Room by two men.

After the gang fled, Mr Maguire flagged down a passing car and asked the Driver to call police.

Google street view

Locked up: Alam was jailed for ten and a half years at Bolton Crown Court

Mr Smith told the court how Jack realised that he was able to track his IPHONE so went to a neighbour and was able to find the phone on their computer.

Alam was quickly found and arrested with clothes Matching the description given to police.

In a statement read to the court by Mr Smith, mum Mrs Maguire said she now suffers from panic attacks and has been prescribed antidepressants, while Mr Maguire said he now feels guilty for not being able to protect his family.

Mrs Maguire said: "They violated our home and our lives."

The court also heard how since the attack, Olivia and Jack frequently slept in bed with their parents.

Olivia, who was aged nine when the attack occurred, said: "I lie in bed and listen for noise and my brother does the same. I go to bed later as I don't like being upstairs on my own. Sundays are the worst as that is the day it happened."

Sentencing Alam, Judge Peter Davies said: "I have heard a recording of a 999 call made by a nine-year-old and to hear her distress and anguish is harrowing and distressing to all.

"The family's back door was unlocked and why shouldn't it be unlocked? They are entitled to live in their home and feel safe.

"They didn't know that you and your friends, who you have never named, would confront them in their home.

"The invasion was cowardly as you were disguised and you were armed.

"You demanded to know the location of a safe and keys to the family's cars.

"You callously ignored the children and the tears of Olivia who was inconsolable. She was nine.

Manchester Evening News

Disturbing: The Maguire family have been left traumatised by the break-in, the court heard

"Jack was separated from his family and followed in to his bedroom by two men.

"The children could hear you saying 'I will kill you, I will kill you all' and they believed that they and their parents were going to die in their home."

Det Sgt Tammy Woodhouse said: "This young family were subjected to a truly terrifying ordeal at the hands of Alam and his co-conspirators.

"Understandably, the family were traumatised and I can only hope that seeing Alam sent to prison for such a long time gives them some sense of justice, and some peace of mind, as they move forward with their lives.

"I must also praise the young girl who, despite the trauma she and her family were enduring, called 999 while the attack was taking place.

"To do so took incredible guts and courage and helped lead us to Alam. Such bravery in the face of adversity cannot be underestimated.

"No one should ever be made to feel that way in their own home, and anyone who has experienced it will know just how deeply unsettling it can be."