Tag: children

Rotten Rolf Still Rotten

As the majority of the convictions of Rolf Harris are upheld, one of his unhinged supporters, Lizzie Cornish, launches into yet another of her tirades

Yesterday at the Royal Courts of Justice in London, a man labeled a “disgusting creature” by one of his victims, Rolf Harris, failed in his attempt to overturn eleven out of twelve of his convictions for indecent assault against women and children.

Whilst elements of the media seized on one conviction being thrown out, His Honour Judge Brown, Lord Justice Treacy and Mrs Justice McGowan found that “nothing arises which could impugn the safety of [the remaining] convictions.” They specifically noted:

“Stepping back and looking at the totality of the evidence of Counts 2 to 12, including the bad character evidence, we find nothing that causes us to doubt the safety of those convictions… The primary evidence… remained intact, as did the body of bad character evidence.”

Elsewhere, one of the paedophile child abuser Harris’ unhinged supporters, Lizzie Cornish, wrote to The Steeple Times. In a series of rants on our comments pages – which we will not be publishing due to the fact that they would offend genuine victims – crackpot Miss Cornish commented:

“Your putrid words about me make me sick! … [The] case STANK from the very start…and people like you believed it! People like me, Steeples, stood up against them and had to endure the likes of YOU!”

Follow The Steeple Times on Twitter at @SteepleTimes.

November 17, 2017
Bloomberg on Brexit

Billionaire and former Mayor of New York Michael Bloomberg condemns Brexit as “the single stupidest thing any country has ever done” apart from America electing Donald Trump

As Michael Bloomberg opened a vast new European headquarters in London on Tuesday, The Guardian revealed a series of comments he’d made two weeks ago about Brexit.

In a speech to the HUBweek conference in Boston, Bloomberg condemned the election of Donald Trump but also suggested: “It is really hard to understand why a country [Britain] that was doing so well wanted to ruin it” by voting for Brexit.

Separately, on a previous occasion, this wise man also pointed out: “[Britain] didn’t have an immigration problem and they didn’t need control of their borders. They have the English Channel – that gave them control of their borders.” We join those saluting him.

Mr Bloomberg’s comments in Boston follow:

We are opening a brand new European headquarters in London – two big, expensive buildings. Would I have done it if I knew they were going to drop out? I’ve had some thoughts that maybe I wouldn’t have, but we are there, we are going to be very happy.

My former wife was a Brit, my daughters have British passports, so we love England – it’s the father of our country, I suppose. But what they are doing is not good and there is no easy way to get out of it because if they don’t pay a penalty, everyone else would drop out. So they can’t get as good of a deal as they had before.

I did say that I thought [Brexit] was the single stupidest thing any country has ever done but then we Trumped it.

One of the things that is hurting us both in the United States and in the UK is that we have employees, not a lot but some, who are starting to say: ‘I don’t want to work here – can we transfer to some place else? This country doesn’t like immigrants.’

All this talk in Washington – words have consequences. Whether we change the immigration laws or not, there is general feeling around the world that America is no longer an open, welcoming place and a lot of people don’t want to go there, and the same thing is happening in the UK because of Brexit.

It is really hard to understand why a country that was doing so well wanted to ruin it. It was not a smart thing to do and getting out of it is going to be very difficult and is going to be very painful. It will hurt industries. People are already taking space in other cities over there [Europe], us included.

October 24, 2017
Shawn Sullivan (AKA Shawn O’Suilleabhain and ‘The Putney Paedo’)

Putney based Shawn Sullivan fled America after being accused of abusing two girls aged 11 and 14 in the 1990s. He was subsequently convicted of sexually assaulting two 12 year old girls in Ireland in 1997 but then moved to London on an Irish passport. Sullivan then married a Ministry of Justice policy manager named Sarah Smith and after fighting extradition to the US claiming it would be a “flagrant denial” of his rights, has lived freely in the UK ever since. Of this monster, a neighbour remarked: “It is a pathetic joke and makes a mockery of the British justice system. He should be extradited and made to pay for his crimes. He manipulated and cheated girls out of their innocence… It is a disgrace and I fear for any children he will come across in the future.” Shame on our bankrupt lawmakers for continuing to protect this repugnant paedophile.

September 26, 2017
Pauline Amos – What’s on your mantelpiece?

A 20-question interview with Liverpool born artist Pauline Amos; one of her works is for sale for £1.3 million

The Steeple Times shares “wit and wisdom”. What’s your guiding force?

Myself.

“Don’t get even, get medieval” is, in our humble opinion, a great motto. What’s yours?

“If you hesitate, you’ve lost.”

Kerry Katona was considered unacceptable in 2007. Who or what is unacceptable in 2017?

Abū Bakr al-Baghdadi.

Tony Blair misses being Prime Minister. What do you miss most in your life?

My dad.

What might you swap all your wealth for?

Ending cruelty to animals and children.

Donald Trump was once a case of: “If you owe the bank a thousand, they close you down; but if you owe the bank a billion, you own the bank”. What’s your view on the state of the financial system?

A disgrace.

What phrase or word do you most loathe?

Trump.

In the UK, some people consider charity to “begin at home”. What’s your view and what causes do you personally support?

Being charitable is being a good human being. I support Coram children’s charity, Stop Ivory, the RNLI and charities that support war veterans.

The judge in Law Abiding Citizen states: “I can pretty much do whatever I want” before being blown up whilst answering her mobile phone. What’s your view on the appropriate use of such devices?

Use if necessary.

If you could fill a carriage on The Orient Express, who would be your fellow passengers?

Shakespeare, Winston Churchill, Stephen Fry, Oscar Wilde, my husband, my dogs, Hunter S. Thompson and Maya Angelou.

If you were unfortunate enough to end up on death row, what would be your last meal and where would you eat it?

Caviar. On the outside.

What time is it acceptable to consume the first drink of the day?

Blackwell Rum on porridge for breakfast. Every hour is acceptable.

A Negroni, a martini or a cup of tea?

A martini.

Whose parties do you enjoy the most and why?

My own: I choose the guests and the music.

Who is the most positive person you know?

Myself.

What’s your most guilty pleasure?

Charbonnel & Walker salt caramel chocolates.

If a tattoo were to sum you up, what would it be of?

An angel.

If you were a car, what marque would you be?

A Bentley Land Rover hybrid.

Cilla Black presented Surprise, Surprise. Tell us the most surprising thing about you.

One of my paintings is on sale for £1.3 million.

What’s currently sitting on your mantelpiece?

Two silver candlesticks, some invitations and a sign that reads: “Scouse and Proud.”

Born in Liverpool, Pauline Amos is a creative performance painting artist with a unique style of work combining painting, performance and music. Amos has a PhD from Dartington College of Arts and has drawn international acclaim for her provocative, powerful and bold works.

Follow Pauline Amos on Twitter at @paulineamos99 and like her page on Facebook by clicking here.

September 20, 2017
Diana’s Drive

Up-armoured Rolls-Royce used by the late Diana, Princess of Wales to be auctioned in Auburn, Indiana

A 1987 Rolls-Royce Silver Spur I commissioned by the British Foreign Office as part of the British Embassy vehicle pool in Washington D.C. that was used by Diana, Princess of Wales on two occasions is to be sold with an estimate of £35,000 to £42,000 ($45,000 to $55,000, €38,000 to €47,000 or درهم165,000 to درهم202,000).

Just as questions about the late royal’s safety in the Mercedes-Benz in which she made her tragic final journey in Paris in 1997 are again raised, the up-armoured car to be offered is to be sold by Auctions America at their 31^st August to 3^rd September sale in Auburn, Indiana.

The Balmoral Green with tan hide vehicle features laminated polycarbonate in place of glass windows, Kevlar and steel plate in the body, two Motorola mobile telephones and an exterior telecom (as the windows do not roll down). It has 60,300 miles on the clock and also has air conditioning and a working sunroof.

Used first by the then Princess of Wales on 4^th October 1990, the car took her first to a Royal Gala to benefit the London City Ballet at the Department of Commerce in Washington, D.C. and then also to a home for HIV positive children, TERRIFIC, Inc.’s Grandma’s House^®, in what was termed an “historic visit.”

August 6, 2017
Anti-Social Media

The law needs to be updated with regard to what is acceptable on social media; businesses such as Facebook and Twitter need to equally be held to account

Social media, as we’ve already reported, was proven to be anything but sociable in a London courtroom this week. With the jailing of the tweed gilet clad racist Viscount St Davids for 12 weeks for malicious communications came acceptance from the country’s most important magistrate, Senior District Judge Emma Arbuthnot, that “Facebook is not private” and that it is no longer a place where anything can be posted without repercussions applying.

Elsewhere, on Friday, outside of the realms of the law but again very much illustrative of the perils of posting without consideration of impact, the Mirror reported that Stella McCartney is said to be furious with David Beckham – a man known to use European privacy laws to have his own home obscured on Google – after he posted an un-pixelated image of a group of children at his daughter’s birthday party that included amongst others her six year old daughter on Instagram. Ms McCartney, a woman reportedly very protective of her child’s safety, is said to be “spitting feathers,” yet, as the paper concluded: “David Beckham has not taken the [liked by 900,000 individuals to date] post down.”

Previously decisions in civil cases – such as that of freelance journalist Dennis Rice vs. the crowdfunded news site Byline and media personality Katie Hopkins vs. blogger Jack Monroe – have highlighted that irresponsible and defamatory posts can be costly to the parties involved, with damages and legal bills awarded against Hopkins alone said to total some £130,000. Equally, as a contrast, such outcomes as Paul Chambers’ successful appeal against his conviction for tweeting about blowing an airport “sky high,” have also depressingly shown that regulation of what is acceptable is confused and in need of reform.

A most telling factor to consider is that the Communications Act came to statute in 2003 and as such really does not have any specific provision for activities conducted on mediums like Facebook – a for-profit company with revenues of £20.6 billion in 2016 and 2 billion active monthly users as of June 2017 – and Twitter – a for-profit company with revenues of £1.9 billion in 2016 and 328 million active users as of July 2017. Facebook was founded in February 2004 and Twitter in March 2006 and thus, though it is accepted that the Communications Act (2003) was appropriate back in the early noughties, it is now out of date and no longer fit for purpose.

An attempt to update the law with the Malicious Communications (Social Media) Bill in 2016 was likely going to be a step forward, but because of Theresa May’s decision to call a pointless General Election in May 2017, that failed due to it having not even yet reached the House of Lords prior to the 3^rd May. Now, with the ‘Wheat Field Wanderer’ in a position of being nothing but “weak and wobbly” in terms of her political influence, such laws will likely be forgotten. That is entirely wrong and we now call upon politicians of all parties to campaign to right the wrong that allows bullies and trolls to continue to prosper.

A pixelated version of the image David Beckham posted to Instagram of his daughter, Harper, and other children; the Mirror opted (rightly) to obscure the faces of the other children and we do the same here; shown: Princess Eugenie and Harper Beckham

July 16, 2017
Annabel Mullin – What’s on your mantelpiece?

A 20-question interview with criminal justice expert, former police officer and Liberal Democrat candidate for Kensington Annabel Mullin

The Steeple Times shares “wit and wisdom”. What’s your guiding force?

To live every moment to the fullest and make the biggest difference to people’s lives that I can.

“Don’t get even, get medieval” is, in our humble opinion, a great motto. What’s yours?

I love the motto ‘carpe diem’ (seize the day). When I was younger, Dead Poets Society was one of my favourite films.

Kerry Katona was considered unacceptable in 2007. Who or what is unacceptable in 2017?

Brexit.

Tony Blair misses being Prime Minister. What do you miss most in your life?

Currently I’m missing not seeing my children much because I am campaigning so hard.

What might you swap all your wealth for?

Knowing that my children will have a great future.

Donald Trump was once a case of: “If you owe the bank a thousand, they close you down; but if you owe the bank a billion, you own the bank”. What’s your view on the state of the financial system?

One of the things I would like to see in Kensington is more support for small businesses and local shop owners that help to create our community. We are currently facing threats to our local services from business rates and that is something that needs to be addressed.

What phrase or word do you most loathe?

I loathe it when people say things they don’t mean. ‘Strong and Stable’ is currently high up there.

In the UK, some people consider charity to “begin at home”. What’s your view and what causes do you personally support?

I agree. I support that concept. Having worked at Crisis, I continue to support homeless charities. I also love shopping in our fabulous Kensington charity shops.

The judge in Law Abiding Citizen states: “I can pretty much do whatever I want” before being blown up whilst answering her mobile phone. What’s your view on the appropriate use of such devices?

Mobiles are amazingly useful and I’m a bit of an addict to my device. However, there is a time and a place for them.

If you could fill a carriage on The Orient Express, who would be your fellow passengers?

George Orwell, Harriet Harmen, Lawrence of Arabia, Margaret Thatcher, Winston Churchill, Sophie in’t Veld, Hercule Poirot, Hilary Clinton, Charlie Chaplin, Shirley Williams, Paula Radcliffe, Prince and Laura Kuenssberg.

If you were unfortunate enough to end up on death row, what would be your last meal and where would you eat it?

My meal would be steak, chips and red wine followed by tiramisu. I’d rather like to eat it high up in Petra overlooking the wondrous landscape.

What time is it acceptable to consume the first drink of the day?

That depends entirely on which time zone you are going by.

A Negroni, a martini or a cup of tea?

A martini, preferably an espresso martini.

Whose parties do you enjoy the most and why?

Now, dinner parties with close friends but when I was younger, more partying.

Who is the most positive person you know?

My husband.

What’s your most guilty pleasure?

The ‘Archers Appreciation’ group on Facebook… With wine.

If a tattoo were to sum you up, what would it be of?

A dragon.

If you were a car, what marque would you be?

A Mercedes-Benz Gullwing.

Cilla Black presented Surprise, Surprise. Tell us the most surprising thing about you.

That I was an ultra-marathon runner and completed the Marathon Des Sables in 2008.

What’s currently sitting on your mantelpiece?

An elephant – the house is littered with them, candlesticks and birthday cards for my eldest’ fifth birthday.

Annabel Mullin was born and brought up in Kensington and Chelsea. She is mother of three young children, a keen environmentalist and a cyclist. She is a criminal justice expert and has spent most of her life working in London as an analyst, a Metropolitan Police officer in Soho and Mayfair and as an assistant psychologist with prisoners with mental illness. Recently she has worked as a PhD researcher at UCL.

Follow her on Twitter at @annabelmullin and @KCLibDems.

June 1, 2017
Sharon Hodgson MP

Despite being Shadow Minister for Public Health and claiming to be a campaigner to improve children’s diets, Labour’s ‘jolly giant’ Sharon Hodgson is a big fan of kebabs. This Geordie ex-payroll clerk once claimed she’d rescue her handbag if her house were on fire, remarked: “Labour is teetering on the edge of political irrelevance” in 2016 and in 2017 usefully concluded: “Brexit has given us the capacity to look at things differently”. She’s up there with Diane Abbott in terms of her brainbox qualities.

May 31, 2017
Louise Rowntree – What’s on your mantelpiece?

A 20-question interview with public affairs and communications consultant and Liberal Democrat candidate for Chelsea & Fulham Louise Rowntree

The Steeple Times shares “wit and wisdom”. What’s your guiding force?

Treat others the way you want to be treated.

“Don’t get even, get medieval” is, in our humble opinion, a great motto. What’s yours?

You’re not living unless you take risks.

Kerry Katona was considered unacceptable in 2007. Who or what is unacceptable in 2017?

Theresa May.

Tony Blair misses being Prime Minister. What do you miss most in your life?

Time to ‘mong’.

What might you swap all your wealth for?

Being the fastest swimmer in the world.

Donald Trump was once a case of: “If you owe the bank a thousand, they close you down; but if you owe the bank a billion, you own the bank”. What’s your view on the state of the financial system?

It was going quite well in Britain until Brexit.

What phrase or word do you most loathe?

“How are you?” instead of “hello”.

In the UK, some people consider charity to “begin at home”. What’s your view and what causes do you personally support?

With three children, a small business and the General Election, I am conscious that I don’t do enough to help out in the local community currently. Locally, I’m ambassador for the Fulham Cricket Club – which gives free cricket training to children whose parents wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford it, and has linked up with a number of charities including Hammersmith & Fulham Refugees Welcome. More generally, I donate (a modest sum) to Save the Children each month.

The judge in Law Abiding Citizen states: “I can pretty much do whatever I want” before being blown up whilst answering her mobile phone. What’s your view on the appropriate use of such devices?

My late father always said: “You can tell who’s important. They’re the ones without a phone”. When on a train take calls in the corridor, try to avoid taking them when with others but – if you must – ask permission first. Never put your phone on a table if with others.

If you could fill a carriage on The Orient Express, who would be your fellow passengers?

Vincent Cassel, Nancy Wake (‘The White Mouse’), Ian Hislop, Michelle Obama, Mick Jagger, Amy Schumer, Guillaume Canet, Diana Ross, Jimmy Fallon and the entire cast of Saturday Night Live.

If you were unfortunate enough to end up on death row, what would be your last meal and where would you eat it?

Chinese dim sum, on a boat on the River Thames going through Chelsea and Fulham.

What time is it acceptable to consume the first drink of the day?

Any time, as long the occasion fits and you can handle your drink.

A Negroni, a martini or a cup of tea?

A Negroni, but in a glass, not from the bottle.

Whose parties do you enjoy the most and why?

Ours: Because my husband DJ’s and we always have to threaten to call the police at 4am.

Who is the most positive person you know?

Jessica Arora: Fashion guru, co-founder of NotSuchAModelMum and a good friend.

What’s your most guilty pleasure?

Eating a whole box of salt and vinegar Pringles whilst drinking wine in bed and watching American TV series’.

If a tattoo were to sum you up, what would it be of?

A rowan tree: I’m a descendant of Vikings who invaded York over a thousand years ago and took their name from the local rowan tree – which morphed into ‘Rowntree’: Rooted, earth, strong, proud – it sums up both my Yorkshire ancestors and me.

If you were a car, what marque would you be?

A Lada: Old fashioned, rare, traditional and scrubs up surprisingly well with a bit of polish.

Cilla Black presented Surprise, Surprise. Tell us the most surprising thing about you.

I was taught how to fight at the age of five, but thankfully have only once had to.

What’s currently sitting on your mantelpiece?

A Mappin & Webb clock my late father was given when he retired from the bank he ran, a couple of Delft vases from a Belgian flee market, a Limoges egg which belonged to my late grandmother, and my son’s Grade 2 Music Theory certificate.

Louise Rowntree is a lawyer-turned-public affairs and communications consultant who grew up in Chelsea and lives in Fulham. She is married to Raphael, a Belgian lawyer, has three sons and is standing as the Liberal Democrat for Chelsea & Fulham in the 2017 General Election.

Louise worked for several years in Brussels – where she ran Hill & Knowlton’s Trade & Competition department. In 2012 she founded her own, niche, consultancy Rowntree & Associates and moved back to London soon after. She has personally advised heads of state, ambassadors, ministers, multinationals, NGOs and law firms.

Follow her on Twitter at @louise_rowntree.

Photograph by Micki Scupin Rogers.

May 14, 2017
Another Corbyn Calamity

Matthew Steeples reports that Jeremy Corbyn’s attempt to enthuse a child in Harlow didn’t go down well; children and politicians should never mix

Yesterday, Jeremy Corbyn headed to Harlow, Essex. He gave a speech to an assembled audience – including a woman with an upside down Labour poster – and then picked up a child and tried to charm it.

After I noted on Twitter that “the poor kid’ll be scarred for life #Awkward”, the child’s mother, Chloe Pullara, responded: “That’ll be my baby. It was an honour to meet @jeremycorbyn”.

In a video also shared by Ms Pullara, Corbyn is seen asking the child: “Are ya’ alright then?” It hid behind its coat and did not look in the slightest amused.

Chloe Pullara, a lady whose Twitter handle features the caption “proud to be the 48%”, plainly ignores the fact that Jeremy Corbyn’s party is backing Brexit as, in another tweet, she then added:

“So I just got to meet our future PM @jeremycorbyn. The most wonderful man who made time for each and every one of us”.

The incident, which comes in the wake of Theresa May being caught grimacing at children in a classroom, is yet another reminder of only one thing: Children and politicians should simply not mix.

April 28, 2017