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Double killer jailed for '£5 row' murder after near-identical crime in Romania
A Romanian man has been jailed for murder in the UK - just three years after being freed over a similar killing in his homeland.

Illegal immigrant Eugeniu Neamtu, 59, was sentenced at the Old Bailey to a minimum of 27 years over the "strikingly similar" murder.

The construction worker stabbed his flatmate to death in Walthamstow, east London, on 20 February.

Neamtu knifed fellow Romanian Gheorghe Trica, 63, in the heart over what the judge called the "exceptionally trivial fact" the victim had asked to be repaid £5.

It was almost identical to a 2006 killing in which he stabbed his housemate to death in a drunken row over money.

Neamtu served time in a Romanian prison but travelled to Britain in September 2023.

He did not declare his conviction or intention to work and was therefore in the country illegally at the time of his second killing.

Judge Richard Marks KC said the double-murderer had shown "no remorse" and his previous conviction was an "extremely aggravating factor".

The judge told Neamtu: "The fact you killed another person within three years of your release underlines how dangerous an individual you are."

Mr Trica was murdered after both men shouted insults over the disputed £5 in the flat they shared with six other Romanians.

The trial heard the victim was found in a pool of blood after collapsing on the communal balcony and died at the scene despite the efforts of police and paramedics.

Neamtu was seen throwing something over the balcony and a steak knife was later recovered from the garden.

The killer told a 999 operator: "There was an incident here and a person is injured. There was an altercation, a man was cut, and I am the perpetrator."

He later said he had acted in defence and wanted to "scare" Mr Trica, claiming he threatened to kill him, pushed him down the stairs and made throat-slitting gestures.

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In Neamtu's previous killing, in August 2006, he repeatedly stabbed housemate Adrian Vas in the chest in a brandy-fuelled row over rent and work the defendant had agreed to do at the property.

He again claimed self defence, saying he picked up the knife because he was afraid.

Neamtu denied the 2026 murder but declined to give evidence and was helped by an interpreter in court.

The jury found him guilty after three hours of deliberations but were not told his first victim had died until after the verdict.

A Home Office spokesperson said: "The perpetrator has now been rightly convicted and justice has been delivered by the courts. Once sentencing has taken place, we will seek to deport him off British soil."


Sword-wielding attacker wounds several people at school in Sweden
An attacker wielding a sword has wounded several people at a school in Sweden.

Police were called to Brinell School in the city of Fagersta, northwest of the capital, Stockholm, on Friday.

The suspect has been arrested and is being held in custody, authorities said.

Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet reported a suspect carrying a machete had been shot in the leg by police before being detained.

"We received an alarm at 1406 (1.06pm UK time) about suspected deadly violence and sent all available resources to the school," ⁠a police spokesperson told Reuters.

The spokesperson said one person at the scene ​was ⁠later taken into custody and that ‌there was no longer any danger to the public.

Expressen newspaper reported the suspect was an 18-year-old former student, and that police has since raided his home.

Several other schools and ‌public buildings in Fagersta were also placed in lockdown after the sword attack took place.

Pelle Vamstad, a police spokesman, told the TT news agency that authorities would be looking into whether camera footage could be used in the preliminary investigation.

Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, in an online post, lamented a "serious incident" in Fagersta which had happened "right after the summer break."

"There are reports of injured people. We do not yet know what lies behind the act, but we know that the police are working very intensively," he added. "Our thoughts are with all those affected."

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The incident occurred at Brinell High School, which has some 450 students aged 16 to 20. Several other schools and public buildings in Fagersta were placed ‌in lockdown after the sword attack took place.

The attack comes a year after a school shooting in Orebro, also in central Sweden, when a gunman killed 10 ⁠people before turning the weapon on himself, in the worst mass shooting in Swedish history.

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Hunt for 'Chucky-style' masked man who chased woman in Philadelphia
A hunt has been launched for a man who chased a woman while wearing a "Chucky-style Halloween mask" in Philadelphia.

The incident took place at around 5.30am (10.30am in the UK) on 12 August, according to the Philadelphia Police Department, with the victim - a 40-year-old woman - suffering an injury while being chased.

Officers have named the suspect as 22-year-old Zymire Hughes, and said he may have fled Pennsylvania for California and Nevada.

"There is nobody in the world who should be trying to imitate what this scared man, who's running, is doing now," Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner told reporters at a conference.

"He's a punk. I mean, that's the bottom line. He's a punk who scared a lot of people for no good reason, and we're not going to tolerate it."

Philadelphia police Captain Jason Smith added on Thursday that Hughes is alleged to have held up a phone and repeatedly asked the fleeing jogger, "Are you ready to die?"

He then said: "She's startled. He repeats that phrase. She turns around, runs away from him, and in the process she severely injures one of her legs.

"And it's going to require extensive medical treatment, from what I understand, in order to treat the injuries that she has sustained."

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After the chase, Hughes allegedly went into a metro station, where he was asked to remove the mask by police.

"Underneath that Chucky-style Halloween mask, he's got a black COVID-style mask underneath of that, which he never removes," Mr Smith said, referring to the killer doll from the Child's Play horror franchise.

The captain also said it's clear that Hughes is "attempting to the best of his ability to conceal his identity".

Authorities in Philadelphia said they believe Hughes has pulled this stunt previously and are asking other potential victims to come forward.


Ex-car salesman becomes Belgian prince as father officially recognises paternity
A former car salesman has become a prince after his father, Belgium's Prince Laurent, officially recognised him as his son.

Clement Vandenkerckhove was born when Laurent had a relationship with a well-known singer and actress before he married his wife.

The 26-year-old was finally recognised during a brief town hall ceremony in February, according to Belgium's Soirmag magazine.

He and his 62-year-old father both signed to acknowledged paternity and with the stroke of a pen, a new Prince of Belgium was instantly created.

Vandenkerckhove won't hold any official position, enter the line of succession or receive any allowance.

However, he will be entitled to a share of his father's inheritance alongside his three half siblings, Princess Louise, Prince Nicolas and Prince Aymeric.

Vandenkerckhove could also use his father's surname, Saxe-Coburg, but has said he's "proud" of his name and giving it up would "mean betraying everything my mother did for me".

The house of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha is a historic German royal family that ruled several European monarchies in the 19th and 20th centuries - including the UK, Belgium, Portugal and Bulgaria.

The dynasty joined the British royal family when Queen Victoria married Prince Albert in 1840 - meaning King Charles is a distant relative of Belgium's King Philippe.

George V changed the family's name from Saxe-Coburg to Windsor during the First World War, in a bid to distance themselves from their German heritage.

When asked about his new title, Vandenkerckhove told Flemish newspaper Nieuwsblad: "What the law says means little to me.

"What matters most today is that I am a son who has the chance to get to know his father. And we are still getting to know each other every day."

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His mother, Belgian singer and actress Wendy Van Wanten, had a seven-year relationship with Prince Laurent.

In 2003, he went on to marry a British woman - Claire Louise Coombs - now Princess Claire of Belgium - and the couple have three children.

The newly minted prince - who used to be a car salesman but now works in a restaurant kitchen - said he was 16 when he discovered his father's identity.

He told Nieuwsblad he struggled with the stress of keeping the secret and suffered panic attacks and anxiety.

"Four years later, when I was 20, I called him," he said.

"That was my own choice. And last year, when I was 25, I finally came out [revealed Laurent was his father].

"That, too, was one 100% my own initiative. Both my mother and my father supported my decision."

He shared a picture with his dad on Instagram for Fathers Day and the pair are said to have a shared love of cars.


Beau Croucher: Family pay tribute to 'beautiful' boy, 14, who died after being hit by bus
The family of a 14-year-old boy who died after being struck by a bus have paid tribute to their "beautiful" child and said they were "blessed with an angel".

Beau Croucher died in hospital on Wednesday after the incident close to Portsmouth's travel interchange The Hard around 4.25pm on Monday.

The bus driver, a 39-year-old man from Portsmouth, was arrested on suspicion of causing serious injury by dangerous driving before being released on bail until 17 November.

Beau's family have since paid tribute in a statement released through Hampshire Constabulary.

It said: "There are no words that can come close to describing the magnitude of the pain we are living with. It is beyond anything we ever knew was possible to feel. Our hearts are broken in a way we didn't know a heart could break.

"Beau is our absolute world. Our heartbeat. Our obsession. Our beautiful, innocent baby boy.

"To know Beau was to love him. When you got to spend time with Beau it was a privilege. He had a unique way of making people laugh.

"His humour was effortless, his observations were always on point, and he brought joy and laughter to everyone who knew him."

Beau was Portsmouth FC's "number one fan" and watched games at their stadium Fratton Park with his dad and grandad, the family added.

Last week, the family were on holiday in London to celebrate his birthday, before spending time in Cornwall.

The statement went on: "Beau was like sunshine, his light was so strong, and he always stood out in a crowd. It's like we were blessed with an angel.

"It's difficult for us to truly explain how much he meant to everyone and what an incredible boy he was."

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A note left at the scene at The Hard read: "To Beau, RIP Fly High. I will never forget our memories. We had such a good time in science.

"Can't believe what happened. We will all miss you lots. Forever 14."


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