John Mackey, 87, was targeted by Peter Augustine after he visited a Co-op store in Manor House, north London, on the afternoon of 6 May.

Earlier in November, an Old Bailey jury found Augustine, 59, guilty of robbery and murder.

He was also sentenced for a theft charge that was dealt with at a magistrates' court.

Augustine did not attend his sentencing at the Old Bailey on Friday, claiming he was suffering from back pain.

Handing out her ruling, broadcast live from the court, Judge Sarah Whitehouse KC said: "I have no hesitation in finding that his non-attendance is voluntary and it is appropriate to sentence him in his absence."

Augustine attacked "gentle, innocent" Mr Mackey "for a box of cornflakes, a pint of milk and a saveloy sausage", Judge Whitehouse said, adding that "I have no doubt that if this defendant was genuinely starving and had asked Mr Mackey for help, this kind, generous gentleman would have" assisted him.

She said: "I have no doubt that the defendant targeted him specifically because he was frail - it was a cowardly act, the defendant has shown no remorse."

Augustine has spent 203 days on remand and therefore has 22 years and 162 days left of his sentence to serve.

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He was sentenced to four weeks' imprisonment for theft and eight years for robbery. All three sentences will be served concurrently.

Mr Mackey's niece, Patricia Schan, described her "perfect uncle" as "funny, charming, mysterious, and very definitely mischievous", and went on to criticise Augustine's behaviour during the trial.

Mr Mackey had set off from his home shortly after 5pm wearing a trilby hat, grey Mackintosh coat and carrying a walking stick and black bag.

At 5.12pm, he went into the Co-op where he bought cornflakes, an own-brand cottage pie and Mirror newspaper, which he put in his bag.

Eighteen minutes later, Augustine started to follow the pensioner.

Mr Mackey went into Manor Kebab at 5.36pm and bought sausage and chips as the defendant loitered outside, the trial was told.

The victim was last seen on camera at 5.50pm and Augustine reappeared on CCTV three minutes later carrying what appeared to be the victim's bag, jurors heard.

Passers-by reported seeing Augustine attacking Mr Mackey and searching his jacket as he lay on the ground.

Another member of the public alerted police after she heard a shout of "give me the bag" and saw Mr Mackey lying motionless on the pavement, the court was told.

Mr Mackey, who was bleeding from his head, regained consciousness but was unable to tell officers what had happened.

He was treated in hospital for bleeding on the brain and broken ribs, but died from his injuries two days later.

Police used CCTV footage to piece together events, but the attack was not caught on camera, prosecutor Jane Bickerstaff KC said.

A later search of the defendant's room uncovered what was left of the pensioner's groceries and wrapping from the cottage pie, and sausage and chips.

Augustine was arrested two days after the assault but showed no remorse for his actions while in custody - making a series of threats, acting violently and throwing hot coffee at an officer, the Metropolitan Police said previously.

Ms Bickerstaff told jurors Mr Mackey was 5ft 5in and weighed less than nine stone.

She previously said: "He would have been largely unable to put up any resistance to the attack due to his age and infirmity."

The prosecutor said at the time Augustine was living in "reduced circumstances" and was effectively homeless.

Ms Schan said: "The defendant's behaviour showed complete disdain, disrespect and disregard for the family throughout the trial and caused even further distress from what was already an extremely traumatic experience.

"His refusal to even attend during the trial caused anguish and uncertainty because we did not know what we would be facing on a daily basis.

"He was constantly turning around and looking at us and shouting at us - and frankly terrifying us - from the witness box, which was just a few metres away."

The National Screening Committee (NSC), comprised of doctors and economists, has told the government the screening is "likely to cause more harm than good".

The decision means the NHS is unlikely to offer mandatory screening for men over the age of 45.

Draft recommendations expected to be published today will instead propose checks for individuals with specific genetic mutations - known as BRCA-1 and BRCA-2.

Those genes can increase the risk of certain cancers.

When the committee last looked at the evidence in 2020, it rejected calls for screening, even though prostate cancer kills 12,000 men a year.

According to the NHS, prostate cancer is most common in men over the age of 50 from a black African or Caribbean background.

Its severity is determined by whether it spreads to other parts of the body.

It does not usually have any signs or symptoms at first, but later signs can include back, hip or pelvis pain, or difficulty maintaining an erection.

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Problems urinating can also be a sign of other prostate problems.

Treatments for prostate cancer include surgery, radiotherapy and hormone therapy.

However, the NHS says it does not always require treatment.

A search is under way for the 76-year-old man who was reported missing from the Marella Explorer 2 on Thursday morning.

Coast guards told Sky News they received an alert yesterday at 9.48am local time from the cruise ship, which was located 16.5 nautical miles northwest of Punta Teno, Tenerife.

Helicopters and patrol boats are taking part in the search.

A statement from Marella Cruises said: "We are deeply saddened to confirm that a guest was seen entering the water while the ship was on passage to La Gomera. Our thoughts are with the individual and their loved ones during this difficult time.

"Our dedicated care team is supporting the family, providing assistance and comfort.

"We are working closely with local authorities and will continue to offer every possible support."

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The boat was crossing between Funchal in Madeira and San Sebastian de La Gomera in Spain's Canary Islands, according to news website Voz Populi.

The incident forced the captain to immediately activate the international "man overboard" protocol, which includes checking cameras, launching marker rafts and search manoeuvres, according to the website.

The Marella Explorer 2, which is operated by TUI and also took part in the search, docked at the port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife at 2.40am local time.

Sky News has contacted the Foreign Office for comment.

Like many in the new generation of right-wing European politicians, he has a neat haircut and sharply cut suits - now add to that glasses and some light stubble.

It's all designed to achieve two things: clean up a historically toxic and racist far-right brand, and disguise his youth.

Bardella is only 30 years old, he has little life-experience outside politics, but he will be the next president of France in 2027 if new polls hold up.

The rebrand is working. For the first time this week, French polling company Odoxa predicted Bardella would win the presidency whatever his competition.

Bardella has a strong social media presence - 1.2 million followers on Instagram, 2.2 million on TikTok. It's attracting a youth following who identify with this young pretender.

"We find that he thinks about us, about future generations, and that he's trying to improve things for us," a young girl told us as she waited for Bardella to arrive at the latest stop on his national book tour.

"We really feel like he's there for us."

"Everything he says is really good," her friend added. "He's got a bit of humour as well."

Neither are yet old enough to vote. They will be by the time the next elections come around, though.

A platform for the presidency

Bardella's new book, What The French People Want, is his snapshot of France today - told through the eyes of 21 ordinary French people, presumably carefully selected.

The collection of short stories paints a picture of a country that has drifted from its national identity. It is Bardella's platform to campaign for the presidency in 2027.

We spent the day with him on his book tour (campaign launch) in the town of Vesoul in eastern France. It's classic new National Rally territory.

The town has voted for the right-wing party in the last two elections, and its MP is another 30-something in the mould of Bardella.

"Sh*t, the enemy," one person remarked when they overheard us speaking English. "Were you at the battle of Waterloo?"

The reception Bardella got, especially among the young, was hysterical. For well over an hour as the rain started to fall, he was surrounded by a crowd shouting his name and barging their way into his line of vision for a valuable selfie.

Bardella took his time, flashing his smile for hundreds of photos, savvy enough to know that each one posted on Instagram or Facebook is free advertising for his campaign.

But not everyone's a fan…

Vesoul is friendly ground for Bardella, but National Rally remains a toxic brand in many people's eyes. Plenty of French do not want to see him become their next president.

As the light faded and Bardella moved from one market stall to another at the town's annual fair he was suddenly attacked by a local schoolboy who threw flour at him.

Bardella was bundled into a nearby gazebo and quickly surrounded by advisers and security.

His assailant, a 17-year-old, was arrested and taken away by police who had otherwise been standing to one side as the circus rolled through.

Bardella's smart blue raincoat was now covered in white dust. The atmosphere turned as cold as the late November evening.

His security tried to stop us filming, flashing lights into our camera and physically threatening us as they escorted their man away through the now largely deserted market stalls.

"Next time I'll beat you," one of them shouted, wielding an umbrella.

Bardella's social media channels would later make no reference to the incident. Follow him and watch them, and you would never know anything happened.

A short time later, cleaned up and in a change of clothes, Bardella was smiling again and posing for more selfies at a hotel in the town centre.

Has France had enough of 'experts'?

Outside, hundreds waited in the cold and drizzle to get their copies of his book signed. The image of long queues around France is one that his social media team has pounced on.

Bardella has little to no experience outside of politics, having joined National Rally as a 16-year-old and dropping out of university. His youth and lack of another career is a criticism he dismisses with a well-rehearsed answer when I spoke to him between signings in a rare interview.

"That's an argument I hear often from my political opponents, but only when it suits them," he says.

"When the mayor of New York is elected at 34, the left applauds. When Gabriel Attal becomes prime minister at 33, the right applauds.

"I don't believe age is any guarantee of effectiveness. For 30 years, our country has been led by people we were told were experts: people from elite schools, people presented to us as the brightest minds in finance. We can't exactly say the results have been outstanding."

Detoxifying the brand

He, and the party, have tried to distance themselves from the openly antisemitic and racist views of its founder, Jean-Marie Le Pen.

Le Pen's daughter, Marine, remains the party matriarch but is banned from running for office after being found guilty of embezzling funds earlier this year. She will appeal but if she loses Bardella is her chosen successor.

Bardella has visited the Holocaust memorial of Yad Vashem in Jerusalem and severed links with the extremist AfD in Germany. But he stills holds what many would regard as extreme views on immigration, classifying it as "a major emergency" and vowing to abolish "droit du sol" - the automatic birthright to French citizenship.

"All European countries, including the United Kingdom, are realising that immigration poses a threat to the major balances of society and to European societies as a whole, because it creates tensions, fuels insecurity, disrupts our identity, and places an economic and social burden on public finances," he says.

Backing for Farage

I put to Bardella the prospect that in a few years, he could be president of France and Nigel Farage could be prime minister of the UK - two of Europe's biggest powers led by far-right leaders.

"I have a lot of respect for Nigel Farage, for his fighting spirit," Bardella replied.

"I think he's extremely solid. He has never wavered in his determination to defend the interests of the British people first, and I truly wish for the UK that he becomes prime minister.

"That's a personal view, I'm not trying to interfere."

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Bardella has stopped short of proposing a "Frexit" but his views on the EU are clear, and Paris's relationship with Brussels will undoubtedly change if he enters the Elysee Palace.

"Every time the European Union gets involved in something, it turns into a disaster," he says.

"We handed agriculture over to the EU, it was a disaster. We handed energy over to the EU, companies are shutting down in France because energy prices and EU pricing rules have soared, especially since the start of the war in Ukraine. We entrusted immigration policy to the EU, again it was a disaster."

He sees the UK as a major player in his vision for a reshaped Europe: "It is a great country, historically and geographically. I believe that in a Europe of nations, the UK would find a new role."

And he is pro-Ukraine, telling me "a peace agreement cannot be made on Russia's terms, because I do not underestimate, and no one should underestimate, President (Vladimir) Putin's intentions and ambitions".

Bardella is capitalising on the dysfunction and deep unpopularity of Emmanuel Macron's administration. Four prime ministers in a little over a year have left the French public frustrated and disillusioned with the current leadership.

The country's debt to GDP ratio is reaching crisis levels.

Bardella certainly presents something different and the French public, however sceptical, might just be fed up enough with the current generation of politicians to take a punt on him in 18 months' time.

Washington DC was still absorbing the news that two young National Guard members had been shot in broad daylight at near-point blank range a block from the White House. One of them, Sarah Beckstrom, 20, has died.

"Late night in the office?" the cab driver said.

"Yes..." I replied, not massively enthusiastic for a chat.

"We'll need to go a different way. The roads are closed because of the shooting." he told me.

"Terrible, eh?" I replied.

"Yes. I just heard the president..." he said pointing to his car radio.

An hour earlier President Donald Trump had addressed the nation from his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

He'd reflected on the shooting, revealed that the gunman was from Afghanistan, blamed former President Biden for allowing him into the country and vowed a massive new immigration crackdown. He singled out Afghans, and then, for reasons that remain unclear, the Somali community in Minnesota.

The alleged gunman had arrived from Afghanistan in 2021. He was among more than 70,000 Afghans brought to America, via a basic vetting process in Qatar, as part of Operation Allies Welcome.

It was part of the fallout from the chaotic American military withdrawal from Afghanistan. As the Taliban regained power, the Biden administration sought to help the thousands of Afghans who had worked with American and other NATO forces for two decades in Afghanistan.

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"I'm Abdullah..." the driver said to me.

I had guessed already that he might be from Afghanistan. He then confirmed it.

"I came to America in 2012," he told me. "I worked with the Americans and the British in Kandahar.

"I prefer the British!" he joked, recognising my accent. "Your language is pure. But America is the dream."

I asked how he felt about the events of the day.

"Well, I understand the president's message. As a leader he is right to want to make his country safe," Abdullah said.

"But I am worried now," he added. "The Afghan diaspora in America is big", he said. "It's scary for us all now..."

America's foreign misadventures over decades have often been coupled with an influx of immigrants from the collapsed nations left behind.

The American dream usually outweighs any bitterness immigrants may have for the mess they left behind.

Abdullah hinted at his role with US forces in Kandahar two decades ago. He said he was a combat medic. Now he is driving an Uber through the night to make ends meet.

"I shouldn't be driving now, after this shooting", he said. "Why?" I asked.

"Because if I get stopped - pulled over for a broken tail light or something - they will probably detain me."

"Arrest first and ask questions later?" I asked.

"Right... you've seen what they have been doing?"

He was referring to the ICE raids - immigration crackdowns across the country to round up suspected illegal immigrants.

As part of the crackdown, people with legal residency, as well as people within the asylum process and even US citizens have been detained.

Abdullah is legally in America. But it's clear from our conversation that this doesn't give him any comfort.

"You know those signs on the metro", he says. "See something, say something…?"

He was referring to a US government public awareness campaign that's been running for years to encourage people to report suspicious activity.

"They will report us now..."

It's not surprising to me that he might be worried about being reported just because of what he looks like. Ever since 9/11 this has been a worry for minority communities. The fundamental difference now is that the authorities no longer guarantee security for those who have done nothing wrong.

President Trump's rhetoric will unquestionably stir xenophobia. His jump from "an evil act of terror" to authorising a dramatic extension to his immigration crackdown came within that first statement on Wednesday night.

He pivoted quickly from Afghanistan, "the hell hole on earth", to the Somali community in Minnesota, despite no connection with the DC shooting. He said the Somalis are "ripping off our country and ripping apart that once-great state", adding that Somalia as a country has "no laws, no water, no military, no nothing".

This president doesn't wait before engaging politically. It's not his style. The emerging facts suggest that Wednesday's gunman worked with an elite Afghan unit alongside the CIA. This would have prompted a layered vetting process. Data also suggests that the suspect was granted asylum under Trump's administration despite entering the country when Joe Biden was president.

The president has now vowed to to "permanently pause" immigration from "third world countries" and to "re-examine every single alien" who has entered the country from Afghanistan.

That would presumably include the man driving me home this evening. Abdullah is a law-abiding legal resident of the United States who fought alongside the Americans in Afghanistan. He should have nothing to fear. But in Trump's America, he does.