The Labour Party’s Sadiq Khan, is seeking a third term as he runs against 12 other candidates for the Mayor of London. File photo

Voters in England and Wales are going to the polls on Thursday, May 2, to elect a number of local government officials, but the most-watched race is in London, where the incumbent mayor, the Labour Party’s Sadiq Khan, is seeking a third term as he runs against 12 other candidates.

The three other contenders dominating the air waves are Conservative candidate Susan Hall, Liberal Democrat (Lib Dem) Rob Blackie and the Green Party’s Zoë Garbett. Also running is independent candidate, Delhi-born Tarun Ghulati.

 Crime and safety have  been top of the list for voters as has the related topic of confidence in the Met (Metropolitan Police).  On Tuesday a sword-wielding man killed a 14 year old child and injured several other people in London, where blade related crimes are high relative to other cities. The cost of living, especially as it impacts housing and transport costs is another crucial manifesto issue for candidates.

Mr. Khan’s main pledge is free primary school meals. He introduced these at the start of the 2023 school year as an emergency measure to help parents with the cost of living crisis. He is now proposing making the scheme permanent. He has also pledged to increase policing and  is in competition with Ms. Hall over how many new police offers they will deploy.

The incumbent’s other priorities include affordable housing and transport – but with Londoners reeling from higher costs of living than when he assumed office, Mr. Khan has the added task of defending his record so far. A YouGov poll report released on Wednesday said 47% of potential voters planned to vote for Mr. Khan while 25% planned to vote for Ms Hall (1,192 adults surveyed between April 24-30). Nevertheless, respondents  were split on his record to date, with 41% approving and 46% saying he has done a bad job.

One of the messages of the Khan campaign has been that he will be able to achieve much more than in the last few years if there is a Labour Chancelor of the Exchequer and government following the U.K.’s general election later this year.

Ms. Hall, a London Assembly member,  has said that she will increase the number of police officers and  introduce Borough-based policing to tackle crime (i.e., more localised police forces). She has also said she will end the expanded Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) on day 1. The expanded zone, which imposes congestion charges on certain vehicles, was created by Mr. Khan in August last year. The mayor has defended the expansion of the zone and has linked it to better health and environmental outcomes for Londoners.

Ms. Hall has previously courted controversy for her comments on crime in the black community and for her social media style – where she ‘liked’ racist posts, including some involving Mr Khan, who is Muslim.

Reforming the Met is the main priority for the Lib Dem candidate, Mr Blackie, who was the victim of a violent mugging some years ago. “One night I was attacked while walking home from work. My neck was broken, and I was lucky to live,” he said on his campaign page.

Ms. Garbett, who reminds voters repeatedly that she is a home renter (and not owner), is focused on transport fare reform and rent control and regulation in the city.

London:

British Sikh lawyers have come together to set up a new court as a dispute resolution forum for the community caught up in family and civil disputes, a UK media report said on Thursday.

According to ‘The Times’, the Sikh court was launched last weekend at a ceremony at the Old Hall at Lincoln’s Inn in London accompanied by religious chants.

Baldip Singh, a 33-year-old London-based barrister who is one of the court’s founders, told the newspaper that it was not a religious tribunal but aimed at assisting Sikh families in their time of need when dealing with conflict and disputes “in line with Sikh principles”.

The new court will operate remotely and in person, and will comprise around “30 magistrates and 15 judges, of whom most will be women”. The magistrates will mediate between parties to negotiate a settlement, as well as directing them to a course to help them to work on specific issues, the newspaper report says.

Created following discussions with Sikh charities, the courses would cover low-level domestic violence, anger management, gambling and substance misuse, and are available in Punjabi as well as English. If mediation is unsuccessful, a case can be brought in front of a Sikh court judge, who can give a legally binding judgment under the Arbitration Act.

Baldip Singh said that under the rules of the new court both parties in a case would have to consent to participating.

“If we think that there are really significant safeguarding issues that we cannot deal with and should not deal with they will be directed to the appropriate place. We’re not here to take over and upset the English courts,” said Sharan Bhachu, a barrister reportedly sworn in as the “lead family judge” for the new Sikh court last week.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

London:

Two army horses that were seen galloping through central London at rush hour on Wednesday have been contained, police and media reports said.

Photos and video posted on social media and by British news outlets showed the horses running along busy roads, dodging buses, taxis and other traffic.

NEW: Runaway horses are currently on the loose in Central London

One horse is covered in blood after colliding with a bus

Police are working with the Army to locate them pic.twitter.com/yZ10SeiFV3

— Politics UK (@PolitlcsUK) April 24, 2024

Both were wearing saddles and bridles, with one apparently covered in blood on its chest and forelegs.

London’s Metropolitan Police said it was “working with colleagues in the army to locate them”. 

A number of prestigious army regiments have stables in the British capital and horses are a regular sight around government buildings on Whitehall, Buckingham Palace, The Mall and in nearby Hyde Park.

The City of London Police, which polices the Square Mile financial district, said they were called at about 8:40 am (0740 GMT) about the loose horses.

“Our officers have contained two horses on the Highway near Limehouse,” a statement read.

“We’re waiting for an Army horse box to collect the horses and transport them to veterinary care.”

The Daily Telegraph said up to five army horses had thrown their riders while they were being exercised and at least one soldier was injured.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

London:

Satyam Surana, an Indian student, who came to the limelight when he picked up the tricolour from the road, defying the attack at the Indian High Commission in the United Kingdom by extremist elements last year, is now alleging hate and smear campaigns against him during the student union elections at the London School of Economics this year.

Satyam has alleged that, just 12 hours before the voting, a very ‘well-planned’ campaign was launched against him, somehow linking him with the Bharatiya Janata Party and calling him a ‘fascist’ to boycott him and his campaign.

The Pune-born student has also practiced at the Bombay High Court for some months and is pursuing an LLM at the London School of Economics with his course ending later this year.

Elaborating on the whole set of incidents, he said that the LSE elections were declared in February and early March and he filed the nomination for the post of general secretary.

“From March 14-15, we noticed that my posters were being ripped off, torn. We complained to the authorities. After we replaced our posters, on March 16, we saw that some posters were defaced. There were crosses on my face, it was written ‘anyone but Satyam’. I was cancelled out,” Satyam told the news agency ANI.

“On March 17 afternoon, there were messages in all groups of LSE. Indian groups, law school groups. The messages claimed, ‘This Satyam Surana is a BJP supporter, he is a fascist person, an Islamophobe, transphobe’. The messages were so seditious and contentious of the Indian government and the current establishment,” he added.

Satyam alleged that the radical elements also screenshotted his posts on social media handle X, where he had merely praised the BJP government, but his posts were used with a malicious agenda to call him a “fascist.”

He also said that his manifesto had no political points, but merely contained the genuine issues on campus. Even though he initially got overwhelming support, this hate campaign derailed his chances.

“With my entire team, I went through the entire campus. We were reaching out across departments and explaining our policies. I had a very well-written and well-drafted manifesto, which was not at all political. It said how things need improvement at LSE, how there is a need for a grievance redressal portal, having subsidised food on campus. We were getting support and people were saying that they would vote for me,” Satyam said.

“But, out of the three people, it was only me who was targeted randomly. When these messages started coming, my entire team was shocked, we were in a dilemma, and the entire moral conscience of the team was shattered,” he added.

Recalling the episode from the Indian High Commission last year, Satyam said, “Somewhere around early October, I was in the news because I picked up the national flag outside the Indian High Commission among the Khalistani protestors. I was blessed to receive media coverage. I was interviewed by national media channels.”

He further said that he was targeted for calling Khalistanis as ‘terrorists’ in one of his posts.

“See, this is my country. I will always be an advocate for my country. How is Indian politics relevant to the student union elections in the UK? My views and endorsements of my government are entirely my opinion,” Satyam added.

People are now Anti-India because they are Anti-Modi

They attempted to harass me. I was cancelled, I was slurred.

Why?
– Because I supported PM Modi.
– Because I supported BJP.
– Because I spoke up for the truth when the Ram Mandir was built.
– Because I supported the… pic.twitter.com/OArzoof3aN

— Satyam Surana (@SatyamSurana) March 25, 2024

The Indian student said that his photograph with Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis — which was clicked when he was invited by Mr Fadnavis during his India visit — was used by the extremist elements to claim that he is linked to the BJP.

He further pointed out that since the whole smear campaign against him was targeting the ‘right-wing’, Satyam believes that the campaign was planned by ‘left-wing’ groups.

“I was called a Neo-Nazi supporter, Right Wing, out of campus. See, when the message heading was circulated as the right wing out of campus, it is very clear that the campaign was dictated and planned by the left wing,” he said.

On being asked if the hate campaign against him was started by an Indian person or a foreigner, Satyam said that the first message he received was from an Indian and most of those involved in this campaign were Indians only.

He added that this was not a random or personal campaign, but a “well-planned hate and toolkit campaign” involving people who are politically motivated against the incumbent BJP government in India.

Satyam even claims that those who targeted him are part of that group that can’t digest the success of India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership and hence spread such false and malicious propaganda.

“The people of the international community are not aware of what is going on in India. Every international person is looking up to India and looking up to the current Prime Minister as a stalwart legendary politician. Our Prime Minister has the highest approval rating in the entire world, we have shown what we can do during COVID-19, and we are emerging as the third-largest economy. But, sadly these groups who can’t digest this fact are spreading not misinformation, but disinformation,” Satyam said.

However, Satyam was not able to go past the finish line despite gathering support in the initial phase of the campaign. He believes that the way his campaign was targeted and hampered it hurt his goodwill.

He further said that this campaign did have a huge impact on him and his life at the campus, even after the elections were over. But, he also acknowledged that he did get support from many people who stood by him in this hour.

Satyam stated that the point in the episode that hurts him the most is the fact that the majority of people who carried out the hate campaign against him were actually Indians only.

“The only thing that hurts is that these were our fellow Indian students who circulated these messages and questioned the sovereignty of India…how shameless can people be to forward these messages? I can’t believe Indian students forwarding the messages and hampering the sovereignty and integrity of our country,” he added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

London:

Satyam Surana, an Indian student, who came to the limelight when he picked up the tricolour from the road, defying the attack at the Indian High Commission in the United Kingdom by extremist elements last year, is now alleging hate and smear campaigns against him during the student union elections at the London School of Economics this year.

Satyam has alleged that, just 12 hours before the voting, a very ‘well-planned’ campaign was launched against him, somehow linking him with the Bharatiya Janata Party and calling him a ‘fascist’ to boycott him and his campaign.

The Pune-born student has also practiced at the Bombay High Court for some months and is pursuing an LLM at the London School of Economics with his course ending later this year.

Elaborating on the whole set of incidents, he said that the LSE elections were declared in February and early March and he filed the nomination for the post of general secretary.

“From March 14-15, we noticed that my posters were being ripped off, torn. We complained to the authorities. After we replaced our posters, on March 16, we saw that some posters were defaced. There were crosses on my face, it was written ‘anyone but Satyam’. I was cancelled out,” Satyam told the news agency ANI.

“On March 17 afternoon, there were messages in all groups of LSE. Indian groups, law school groups. The messages claimed, ‘This Satyam Surana is a BJP supporter, he is a fascist person, an Islamophobe, transphobe’. The messages were so seditious and contentious of the Indian government and the current establishment,” he added.

Satyam alleged that the radical elements also screenshotted his posts on social media handle X, where he had merely praised the BJP government, but his posts were used with a malicious agenda to call him a “fascist.”

He also said that his manifesto had no political points, but merely contained the genuine issues on campus. Even though he initially got overwhelming support, this hate campaign derailed his chances.

“With my entire team, I went through the entire campus. We were reaching out across departments and explaining our policies. I had a very well-written and well-drafted manifesto, which was not at all political. It said how things need improvement at LSE, how there is a need for a grievance redressal portal, having subsidised food on campus. We were getting support and people were saying that they would vote for me,” Satyam said.

“But, out of the three people, it was only me who was targeted randomly. When these messages started coming, my entire team was shocked, we were in a dilemma, and the entire moral conscience of the team was shattered,” he added.

Recalling the episode from the Indian High Commission last year, Satyam said, “Somewhere around early October, I was in the news because I picked up the national flag outside the Indian High Commission among the Khalistani protestors. I was blessed to receive media coverage. I was interviewed by national media channels.”

He further said that he was targeted for calling Khalistanis as ‘terrorists’ in one of his posts.

“See, this is my country. I will always be an advocate for my country. How is Indian politics relevant to the student union elections in the UK? My views and endorsements of my government are entirely my opinion,” Satyam added.

People are now Anti-India because they are Anti-Modi

They attempted to harass me. I was cancelled, I was slurred.

Why?
– Because I supported PM Modi.
– Because I supported BJP.
– Because I spoke up for the truth when the Ram Mandir was built.
– Because I supported the… pic.twitter.com/OArzoof3aN

— Satyam Surana (@SatyamSurana) March 25, 2024

The Indian student said that his photograph with Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis — which was clicked when he was invited by Mr Fadnavis during his India visit — was used by the extremist elements to claim that he is linked to the BJP.

He further pointed out that since the whole smear campaign against him was targeting the ‘right-wing’, Satyam believes that the campaign was planned by ‘left-wing’ groups.

“I was called a Neo-Nazi supporter, Right Wing, out of campus. See, when the message heading was circulated as the right wing out of campus, it is very clear that the campaign was dictated and planned by the left wing,” he said.

On being asked if the hate campaign against him was started by an Indian person or a foreigner, Satyam said that the first message he received was from an Indian and most of those involved in this campaign were Indians only.

He added that this was not a random or personal campaign, but a “well-planned hate and toolkit campaign” involving people who are politically motivated against the incumbent BJP government in India.

Satyam even claims that those who targeted him are part of that group that can’t digest the success of India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership and hence spread such false and malicious propaganda.

“The people of the international community are not aware of what is going on in India. Every international person is looking up to India and looking up to the current Prime Minister as a stalwart legendary politician. Our Prime Minister has the highest approval rating in the entire world, we have shown what we can do during COVID-19, and we are emerging as the third-largest economy. But, sadly these groups who can’t digest this fact are spreading not misinformation, but disinformation,” Satyam said.

However, Satyam was not able to go past the finish line despite gathering support in the initial phase of the campaign. He believes that the way his campaign was targeted and hampered it hurt his goodwill.

He further said that this campaign did have a huge impact on him and his life at the campus, even after the elections were over. But, he also acknowledged that he did get support from many people who stood by him in this hour.

Satyam stated that the point in the episode that hurts him the most is the fact that the majority of people who carried out the hate campaign against him were actually Indians only.

“The only thing that hurts is that these were our fellow Indian students who circulated these messages and questioned the sovereignty of India…how shameless can people be to forward these messages? I can’t believe Indian students forwarding the messages and hampering the sovereignty and integrity of our country,” he added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

An EVA Air flight (BR67) from Bangkok to London was forced to make an emergency landing at Heathrow Airport on Friday after a passenger attempted suicide inside the airplane bathroom, according to The Metro.

Cabin crew discovered the passenger during the plane’s descent when they noticed someone was still in the restroom. Upon checking on the passenger, they found them in a condition that suggested a possible suicide attempt, as per news report.

The identity of the passenger and the reason behind the attempt remain unknown. Crew members and a doctor onboard provided first aid to the passenger.

The plane landed at around 7:30 pm local time, where medical personnel awaited to transport the passenger to a hospital. There are currently no updates on the passenger’s condition.

EVA Air confirmed the incident but has not provided any further details or responded to requests for comment.

Earlier this year, another incident caused a flight to divert. In January, a Ryanair flight from the UK to Spain was forced to land unexpectedly in Portugal due to a fight among passengers.

According to news report, a group of possibly intoxicated men were harassing female passengers on the flight. The situation escalated when a flight attendant tried to intervene, but was allegedly knocked unconscious by the unruly passengers. This prompted the captain to issue a warning and ultimately divert the plane.

The passenger added that the group didn’t pay any heed to the captain’s warning, and the brawl continued for 20 minutes. Just after it all, in the next 20 minutes, the flight landed in Portugal.

A proof copy of the first Harry Potter book, which was purchased over 30 years ago for pennies at a secondhand bookshop, fetched 11,000 pounds (Rs 11.5 lakhs) at auction, as per a report in ABC News. The original edition of “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone,” which is marked “uncorrected proof copy” on the cover, was purchased in 1997 for a total of 40 pence ($0.50) from a south London bookstore together with two other novels, according to British auctioneers Hanson’s.

The seller, who wished to remain anonymous, stated that she bought the book about the well-known young wizard as a “throw-in” along with other titles and neglected it for years until learning about the high prices some Potter books brought in.

On Wednesday, the book sold for 11,000 pounds at auction, with a sales premium added to make the total price 14,432 pounds. The buyer is an individual in the United Kingdom, according to the outlet. The author’s name was erroneously listed as “J A Rowling” on the copy’s inside title page rather than J.K. Rowling, according to Jim Spencer, head of books at the auction house.

“This book so deserved to do well. This proof copy is where the Harry Potter phenomenon began. This is the very first appearance in print of the first Potter novel,” Mr Spencer said.

Meanwhile, an incredibly rare Harry Potter book bought for 30 pence was sold for 10,500 pounds at an auction in July last year. The first-edition copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was one of 500 produced and was bought by a collector from Staffordshire who died earlier last year, BBC reported. The hardback copy of the book went under the hammer with Richard Winterton Auctioneers at The Lichfield Auction Centre, Fradley Park, on July 10.

Published by Bloomsbury in 1997 with a laminated board cover, the book is one of only 500 first edition first impressions and, of those, one of only 300 sent to libraries. The winning bid was placed online by a buyer from Los Angeles, according to a release by Lichfield Auction Centre. The book was estimated at 3,000 pounds to 5,000 pounds due to its ‘much-loved condition’ as an ex-library book.

London:

Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader Kalvakuntla Kavitha said the Women’s Reservation Bill will inspire many women around the world to come forward in public life and called on women across continents to mobilise around the issue.

During an interaction organised by the think tank Bridge India in London on Friday night, the BRS Member of the Legislative Council (MLC) addressed a diaspora audience at Central Hall Westminster near the Houses of Parliament on the topic of ‘Gender Equality in India’s Political Representation’.

The daughter of Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao, who was virtually mobbed by the cheering diaspora crowds, highlighted the progress made in her own state that is leading the way in the representation of women in politics.

“We are the world’s most populous nation, and we are about 70 crore women; if a very positive change were to happen to the women of our nation, I believe the world should know because that will inspire many, many, many more women to come forward in public life, to become active participants in policy making,” Kavitha told PTI with reference to her London tour.

The Women’s Reservation Bill, which seeks to provide 33 per cent reservation to women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, received the Parliamentary nod on September 21. President Droupadi Murmu gave her assent to the bill on September 28.

“This bill, I’m very confident, will enable that to happen to the women of our nation, India, and India’s progress will see more and more participation of women, that is the hope,” the 45-year-old politician said.

Asked about stronger representation of women within political parties in the country, she admitted that parties have traditionally been slow in addressing the matter satisfactorily.

“I would say India is a much younger democracy, which is 75 years old. There are many democracies across the globe which are 200 years old or more who have still not been able to reach the extent and level of women participation that we have reached today,” she said.

“But that being said, the parties have to take the onus on themselves to make sure more and more women come in. And obviously, it’s not happening, so it is for the Election Commission to step in. It is for more laws to be put in place to protect the places for women,” she noted.

During her charged address that drew applause and cheers from the crowd, Kavitha said it “pained” her to state that inequality in public life is a reality around the world. She traced the journey of the Women’s Reservation Bill that she had been campaigning for and was passed in the Lok Sabha last month – from former prime minister Deve Gowda in 1996 to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2023.

“I sincerely thank all of them from the bottom of my heart for making this bill a reality. This is not just politics, but this is the respect these people have shown to the women of this great nation,” she said.

She added, “When I say Women’s Reservation Bill, it is not only to make 181 women members of Parliament, but it is about billions and billions of women. When we talk about women, countries don’t matter, there are no borders.” “Across the globe, I don’t know how men managed to subjugate us for centuries. Now, the time has come that women across continents should connect, and should take up these issues. Today, if India has this bill and some other country does not, I think it is the duty of Indian women to go help our sisters there,” she said.

During some light-hearted moments in her hard-hitting speech, she acknowledged her very “strong opinions” and cautioned men to get used to hearing many more strong opinions from “our sisters”.

She also referenced the Koh-i-Noor diamond, which has a connection to Telangana, given its roots in the Golconda mines. The MLC said while the discussion over the return of the infamous diamond to India will “go on forever”, “at least give us back Vijay Mallya” – referencing the former Kingfisher Airlines chief based in the UK and wanted in India on fraud and money laundering charges.

Earlier on Friday, Kavitha commenced her tour to the UK with a visit to the Ambedkar Museum in north London and spoke of how she drew great inspiration from the principles of the architect of the Indian Constitution in her fight for gender equality.

MLC Kavitha’s itinerary in the UK includes engagements with Indian diaspora groups, discussions on collaborative initiatives and participation in events to foster cultural exchange between the two countries. 

The iconic Tower Bridge in London was stuck in an open position after it allowed a boat to pass underneath on River Thames on Thursday around 1.15 pm, causing traffic to come to a halt, as per a report in the Independent. At that time, the sailing barge Adieu was supposed to pass beneath the bridge, however, the bridge struggled to close, causing chaos on London’s roads.

According to people present at the spot, the bridge finally closed after more than half an hour. An eyewitness told the outlet, “I first thought it was nice to see the bridge open but then realised something might be wrong due to the different angles. I watched it for a little while. A lot of traffic (built-up) with two tourist buses waiting on the bridge and large crowds.”

He added that people started cheering when the bridge closed after a long waiting time. “I was almost more excited to see a Thames seal which I had never seen before pop up (in the water). There were cheers from the bridge as it eventually closed with bikes first allowed through and then traffic a moment later,” the man said.

As per Metro UK, a vital passage in central London was cut off while the hydraulically driven bascules of the bridge struggled to drop back down.

The movable Tower Bridge is built over River Thames between the Greater London boroughs of Tower Hamlets and Southwark in London, as per Britannica. It is a historic landmark in the city that “complements” the Tower of London, which is located next to it. The bridge was completed in 1894 and has an entrance that is 76 metres (250 feet) broad and 240 metres (800 feet) long. Its twin towers soar 61 metres (200 feet) above the River Thames. There are also two glass-covered walkways between the two towers that are well-liked by tourists.

A popular radio DJ in London was allegedly tortured to death by “sadistic thugs” who inflicted around 94 injuries on him and locked his girlfriend in a bathroom for two days, a court has heard. According to The Independent, 43-year-old Mehmet Koray Alpergin and his girlfriend, Gozde Dalbudak, were kidnapped by six men near Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, last year in October. They were taken to an empty wine bar where Mr Alpergin was allegedly beaten, throttled, scalded with boiling water, stabbed, maimed and violated. 

On Wednesday, the jurors were told that the couple was abducted when they were returning home from an Italian restaurant in Mayfair. The assailants had allegedly installed a tracking device on Mr Alpergin’s car, the outlet reported. They were put in separate vehicles and taken to a bar on White Hart Lane. Mr Alpergin’s naked body was later dumped in Essex woodland and his 34-year-old girlfriend spent two days locked in a toilet before being freed. 

Six men are now on trial at the Central Criminal Court in London. They are accused of murder, kidnap, false imprisonment and preventing the course of justice. 

“It is obvious that before his death Koray Alpergin had been stripped naked and horrifically tortured. From the number and nature of the injuries sustained, the prosecution suggest that it is not hard to envisage a group of sadistic thugs taking it in turns to inflict injury, whether with punches and kicks, hitting him with a bat, scalding him with boiling water, stabbing his feet…” lawyer Crispin Aylett said, according The Telegraph. Mr Aylett also alleged that the attack was connected to “organised crime” and “almost certainly drugs”. 

The jurors were told that the 43-year-old was originally from northern Cyprus. He was a well-known figure in the British Turkish community and owner of a Turkish language radio station in London called Bizim FM. 

On Wednesday the jurors heard that before his death, Mr Alpergin was not his usual “happy-go-lucky” and that he seemed anxious. He was allegedly in debt, including around $40,000 for his car. 

Mr Alpergin’s body was found by a dog walker a few hours after it was dumped in woods on October 15 last year. Mr Aylett said that a post-mortem report identified 94 separate injuries to his body. There were also wounds to the victim’s genitals and an internal injury, the lawyer said. 

Steffan Gordon, 34, Tejean Kennedy, 33, Samuel Owusu-Opoku, 35, Junior Kettle, 32, Ali Kavak, 26, and Erdogan Ulcay, 56, have been accused of murder, kidnapping, false imprisonment, and perverting justice.