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BRITISH LABOUR MP Jo Cox has died after being shot twice and stabbed close to a library near Leeds.
The MP for Batley and Spen had been hosting an advice clinic at a library in Birstall, Yorkshire when she was grabbed by the hair and attacked by a man.
Cox was taken to Leeds General Infirmary in a critical condition immediately after the attack.
West Yorkshire Police spokeswoman Dee Collins told reporters this afternoon that she was “very sad” to report that Cox has been pronounced dead.
https://www.facebook.com/bbcnews/videos/10153681983577217/
A 52-year-old man has been arrested by armed officers. An eyewitness told the Manchester Evening News that the man shouted “Britain First” as he started the attack.
Police chief Dee Collins told reporters, “We are trying to establish what we do know about this gentleman.
At the moment the enquiries have just started. We are not in a position to discuss any motive at this time.
She added, “We are not looking for anyone else in connection with this incident.”
An eyewitness said the man walked “calmly” away from the scene “as if he wasn’t panicking”.
A man in his late 40s or early 50s was also “slightly” injured in the incident.
Witnesses
Clarke Rothwell, a cafe owner in Birstall, told the BBC that he was alerted to the incident by a “loud popping noise that sounded like a balloon burst – a loud balloon”.
“When I looked round there’s a man stood there in his 50s with a white baseball cap on and a jacket with a gun, an old-fashioned looking gun in his hand.
He shot this lady once and then he shot her again, he fell to the floor, leant over shot her once more in the face area.
“Somebody tried to grab him, wrestling with him and then he wielded a knife, like a hunting knife, just started lunging at her with a knife half a dozen times.”
Meanwhile, local restaurant owner Hichem Ben-Abdallah told Sky News he saw a man who runs a local dry cleaners “jostling” with another man. That man then pulled a gun and the witness heard one shot.
When he came back out to look, he saw Cox on the ground with blood on her face.
He said the man had a “gun from World War I”. Other witnesses say the gun looked “homemade”.
He added that the attacker first stabbed and kicked Cox before grappling with a man and shooting Cox twice.
Background
The Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has sent out a statement on Twitter:
Cox was elected to her seat in 2015 and was yesterday part of a flotilla on the Thames backing the Remain side in the Brexit vote. She was with her husband, Brendan, and two young children.
She is a former head of policy for Oxfam and advisor to Gordon Brown’s wife, Sarah.
Cox graduated from the University of Cambridge in 1995, where she first got interested in politics.
She helped to launch the pro-European campaign organisation Britain in Europe, and spent two years with European Parliament member Glenys Kinnock in Brussels.
She then spent a decade working for the aid agency Oxfam in New York, Brussels and war zones as the head of policy and of humanitarian campaigning.
On Twitter she has 10,400 followers and describes herself as: “Mum. Proud Yorkshire Lass. Labour MP for Batley and Spen. Boat dweller. Mountain climber. Former aid worker.”
‘Horrified’
She entered the House of Commons in the May 2015 general election, winning 43.2% of the vote.
Cox co-chairs the newly-formed cross-party parliamentary group on Syria.
She is also part of parliamentary groups working on Palestine, devolution, Pakistan, Kashmir and Yorkshire’s economy.
She was one of 36 of Labour’s 232 MPs who nominated veteran socialist Jeremy Corbyn to become party leader last year.
Like the vast majority of Labour MPs, she was campaigning for Britain to stay in the European Union in the 23 June referendum.
Both sides in the EU referendum campaign have suspended their campaigning for the day and Taoiseach Enda Kenny’s talk to Irish people in Liverpool has also been cancelled.
Foreign Affairs Minister Charlie Flanagan said the attack had “horrified” him.
“The fact that Ms Cox was attacked in this vicious way in the course of carrying out her duties for her constituents is deeply shocking. At this very anxious time, my thoughts are with Ms Cox, her husband, family and Labour colleagues.”
Additional reporting by AFP
Of course it is… But then so is the system that allows billionaires hire the most expensive legal minds in the country, and then dump the costs on the taxpayer when they get off on a tecnicality.
@David Knight: There’s nothing wrong with that to be fair.
@Peter: there’s everything wrong with that
@Michael Hayden:
There a far too many technicalities that get people off but bottom line if you are acquitted in a criminal you shouldn’t be out of pocket, weather your a billionaire or an ordinary person.
@Michael Hayden: think about what you’re saying. If it wasn’t for cost awards to innocent people, innocent people could be ruined financially by a legal case. That would be wrong. If somebody is innocent they shouldn’t be punished financially in order to clear their name.
@Lurfic: Big difference between innocent and getting off on a technicality.
@Peter: are you for real?
@David Knight: So it’s Sean Fitzpstrck’s fault he got off???
Maybe the DPP needs to man up to his level of lawyer.
Maybe the OECD needs to man up to an acceptable level. Both are Government controlled.
@Gareth Cooney: What????
@Peter: Nothing wrong with it if you believe justice can be bought, but paid for by the taxpayer. Hard to believe you put the word fair in there :-)
Free legal aid should only be available a max of 3 times to anyone in a lifetime. After that you are on your own.
@Liam McGowan: Well Liam I have been saying that for years, it is highly unlikely that you will be wrongly accused of a crime more than 3 times but some of our criminal types are getting FLA every week and but O’ Mahony is only interested on those who can afforded to pay for defence. The solicitors and barristers will scream blue murder but I would like to see them in agony over ripping us off. You should not be given FLA to defend yourself if you have refused asylum assuming the hearing or judgment was fair and proper.
@Jho Harris: The vast majority of Free legal aid cases are quick, in and out, in the district and circuit courts. – €20 per client is what is paid to the solicitor. As for representing yourself – would you? If you would, you’ve got a fool for a client.
@Matt Connolly: There’s no such thing as free legal aid. It is means tested and there is payments required for both the solicitor and if necessary the barrister. The costs aren’t huge something like 50 quid . That’s the way it is for non criminal legal aid and I believe it’s the same for criminal but I could be wrong as I’ve never used it or been accused of a crime.
@Matt Connolly: 20 quid per client? Are you having a laugh? Where did you get that price. It’s 120 for the first appearance and 60 for each appearance thereafter. And that is per client.
@Matt Connolly: I don’t want to see even as you suggest even € 20 a week on the dregs of society making sure they can get out and attack another old person to rob them.
@Catherine Sims: I have never used our legal system probably because of the way I was brought up. Respect for others and animals honesty and dicipline among others. However it was reported that a certain individuals lawyer was 40,000 per day instead of 1,796 and so to be fair to the prosecution they got paid the same. How bloody wrong is that. Our top earners seem to have no morals anymore never mind fairness
@Mary Murphy: 40,000 grand per day? Surely that can’t be correct, I know the legal profession know how to charge but that is ridiculous if true
@Mary Murphy: Like yourself I never cost the sate a halfpenny in FLA and I can say the same about my family and my circle of friends. How come one group get no recognition for being law abiding while the dregs get so much assistance? You have to serve time in jail before the state rewards you for “good behaviour”
@Liam McGowan: excellent suggestion!
Free legal aid should be means tested . They should only get it once an once only. End of why should we pay time an time again it’s a pure joke. Ir really is. Just like these multiple claims they should shoulder the costs.
@John Scott: Do you trust the system not to go after easy convictions because someone can’t afford proper representation and just because they were guilty of something in the past?
It’s like disclosing prior convictions to a jury. Even if innocent on that occasion, they are more likely to convict because they’ve been guilty of something in the past.
Fine Gael party line – vilify the poor.
@John Scott: In essence you are saying that you should only have proper access to justice once in your life if you cannot afford it. Thereafter any allegation made against you, you will be guaranteed not to have a fair trial.
The whole system needs changing anyone caught red handed committing a serious crime should not get bail. Nobody should be walking the streets with more than 5 previous convictions. Serious offenders should not be given any time suspended and serve full sentence. Anyone caught with a knife or gun should get a 10 year straight sentence.
That’s just to start with.
@Eddie Byrne:
anyone convicted of a violent crime should be sterilised and repeat sexual offenders should be castrasted completely no need to lock them up after that.
Of course it!
Criminals and Solicitor and Barristers all laugh at the good honest hard working tax paying Irish citizen.
@MyBrokenKnees: What are you talking about. In reality legal aid payments are insignificant. A barrister or solicitor could sit in court all day for a hearing and only earn €50.39. I don’t think practioners laugh at that. Please inform yourself before making ludicrous statements.
Most definitely!…..
@Kate Flaherty: being abused by that barristers and solicitors on top of the accused. No incentive to Clean up the system by everyone involved in it
Jesus, the guts of half a billion euro in 8 years! Seems very, very wrong… Our legal system needs a serious overhaul, including solicitor and barrister costs!
@Brendan McGill: or, to look at it another way, fifty million a year. That’s less than a tenner per person. Is the value that poor, compared to the billions spent on detection, investigation and prosecution of crime?
Anything that’s free to the end user will be abused.
surely the way to go with this is “means testing ” seanie Fitz, should have paid his own legal fees instead of the taxpayer paying it for him and putting huge amounts of money in the solicitors pocket only for the trial to intentionally collapse.
@Martin Ryan:
I very much doubt Seanie Fitz got free legal aid (feel free to correct!). He would have had his expenses paid because he was acquitted which is necessary, had he been convicted he would have to pay his own.
@P.J. Nolan: Well the trial was collapsed so he was never going to have to pay.
@Martin Ryan:
Fair enough Martin, I wasn’t aware of that.
bankruptcy,hmmmmm
@P.J. Nolan: seanie, still has his splendid home in greystones too.
@Martin Ryan:
Was talking to a developer once that was put into NAMA, he was one of the smaller scale guys but that was the deal that was offered to him, cooperate and they wouldn’t touch the family home.
So he still has his enormous Celtic tiger mansion.
I suspect its similar with the bankruptcy courts.
As I said in an earlier, legal aid in this country needs to be expanded to include property disputes and defamation, not reduced. There should also be a system in place that helps pay the costs of a Judicial Review. The problem in this country is that there is a two tier justice system. Proposals such as the one put forward by this blue-shirt senator seek to limit the access to justice and entrench the two tier system.
This senator embodies everything that is wrong with Fine Gael. They seek to punish the most vulnerable and support the most powerful. I wonder what the fees are for appealing the Apple case.
@Darren Gray: property disputes and defamation are civil suits, not criminal. Can’t see why legal aid should be expanded to cover non-criminal courts.
@Paul: Same reasons I’d imagine, to have proper access to justice, especial where there is an inequality of arms.
@Paul: As Bobby said, to ensure that people who cannot afford to vindicate their rights are not precluded from accessing the courts.
Employ a panel of solicitors and curb the costs by having them on set wage.
Yes. It is. I once saw a guy granted free legal aid who had his own courier business, and was my landlord when I was a student. He was up on an assault charge for decking some guy in a pub.
@Niall Sullivan:
It’s entirely possible for someone who is self employed and a property owner to be up to his eyeballs in debt but yes we need proper means testing.
@P.J. Nolan: The judge, in court granted him free legal aid there and then. There was no trawling through finances.
Absolutely
If you are found guilty do you have to pay back the free legal aid or is it free, free?
Apart from that it seems to me free legal aid must be an invention by the legal profession. Because surely its not free, its just that someone else (you & me) are paying for it..
I have more important things to spend my frugal hard earned finances on then helping with the legal bills of degenerates that have stolen from me.
I’d rather someone gets it that doesn’t need it, than someone who needs it not getting it. No one should stand in front of a judge with their lives in the balance without an expert at their side. If they waive that right, that’s their business, and I’ve no problem with seizure of assets if that is deemed necessary afterwards, but if you need a lawyer beside you, you get one.
The entire legal system here is a bit of a crock. Far too expensive even during the recession these companies were still on their own planet on costs. It’s one of the last bastions of auld Ireland that needs taking down. The government will not take them on due to too many conflicts of interest and connections. In the meantime ordinary decent people who need FLA are being pushed to one side by well heeled crims who won’t dip into their own pockets to pay for legal representation that they brought on themselves through criminal activity. Sure you couldn’t make it up!
Irelands whole criminal justice system is being abused.
Tell me a system that isn’t Getting abused by the wealthy in this country
There are certain legal firms in Dublin that make millions every year from FLA. This is exctly why Judges are soft on sentencing and thugs can rack up 100s of convictions without doing time. Judges were solicitors & barristers once. Its a gravy train for the legal cartel at the expense of taxpayers
What are people basing their yes on because i’d bet 90%(poll results atm) don’t even know enough about it to form any opinion. I may assume john o mahony does and if he thinks an investigation needs to be done to access the situation then that’s all i’m gonna agree with. If the free legal aid is supposed to given to people with ‘insufficient means’ and yet people with high means have been awarded it then, that needs to be looked at and it needs to be transparent!
Anyone can make a mistake and maybe err a second time. If a third offence is proved guilty, then legal aid should not be offered. Any future offences costs should be paid for by the accused.
I just wonder what awakened John O’Mahoney, he was in the Dail for a good number of years and made very little contribution there. He must have ambitions of going back there.
If Found guilty = no legal aid paid out. = Simple solution. No win _No fees.
I would be interested to see how the accounts are settled aswell.
How does the state know who is paying who and if those payments are correct?
The whole thing needs a re think.
Im sure a lot of petty crime doesnt need legal representation at all, a Discussion between accused and Judge would be enough.
Who decides if legal representation is actually required?
If you are rich you can afford legal aid . If you are poor, or if you are a drug dealer claiming social welfare ,or a TD playing at being “working class “”the taxpayer funds your legal aid. If you are an average PAYE worker you have no access to justice you just pay for the system
If you require legal aid outside of criminal cases for say divorce or family law then you are mead tests. It’s not free but the payments are relatively low. I can’t understand why criminal legal aid seems to work differently in practise . I’m sure it is means tested but there does seem to be wealthy individuals availing of it. Perhaps it’s because the wealth is not legit and hidden away or temporarily seized or frozen. I’m not sure but it does seem to be a ridiculous system.
@Catherine Sims: A solicitor in another town charges 1 Euro per minute for appearances.
Maybe that’s why he has crocodile skin shoes and an apartment in Turkey.
@eastsmer #IRExit: If I was going to jump on the bandwagon of begrudgery for anyone with new shoes I’d still feel sorry for anyone with any asset in Turkey right now.
@eastsmer #IRExit: €60 an hour then. Thats not a lot. It seems fair. Im an electrician and including VAT we charge about €50 p/hr . I thought a solicitor would charge double that.
Costs are too high.troika told government to reduce judges, barristers, solicitors,fees.they are round to it.
Yes it’s being abused mostly by solicitors
By the judges and solicitors yeah for sure.
Yes if Paul Murphy a td on 80 grand a year can swing free legal aid there is something wrong
Gravy train for legals it will never be changed.
Everything in Ireland needs and overhaul!
Any one before the courts on a regular basis should have a limit placed on access to legal aid ,however the legal profession will do everything to protect their interests .some form of criminal asset stripping should be looked at ,cease whatever goods they have .its become a foolish waste of taxpayers money .
Taxpayers foot the bill so no one cares as it keeps some of the golden circle happy .
I think we should stop having polls on every second article! Are the journo selling this info on or what, and if so, what use is it as most polls are rubbish and irrelevant!
Yes it is being abused 100 precent this law is outrageous and ridiculous
Just take a look at 1 of our TD’s on €90k plus €80 a day in expenses and gets FREE legal aid
WHAT A KICK IN THE ARSE FOR TAXPAYERS
@David Knight..
Remember the seany fitzz trial…
His “free” legal aid cost €10 mill..
Compliments of irish taxpayer.
no such thing as “FREE” when it comes to a service, government should never use this term unless they are on about wind, rain the likes
A blind man could see that it’s being abused! eg: local Scu#bag drug dealer gets arrested, applies for free legal aid despite the fact an array of expensive items, in his name of course, have been removed, huge amount of ‘his’ money has been confiscated etc….. I keep.on saying this, our Irish judiciary system is an antiquated joke!
just scrap it. dont waste good money on useless people
Sure “fingers” Fingleton and “flash” Seanie Fitzpatrick were given “free” legal aid,
It’s not f******G ” free” the arse ridden tax payer has to foot the bill.
have your say