6 things in the news that you need to know about today, Monday 6 March 2023

Mersey Police have appealed for information following stabbing in St Helens

Detectives are continuing to appeal for information following a stabbing in St Helens in the early hours of yesterday, Sunday 5 March.
 
At around 1.15am, emergency services were called to Ormskirk Street after a report that a 20-year-old man had been stabbed. Enquiries have established that the incident took place in an alleyway off Ormskirk Road, near to Natwest Bank.
 
Officers attended and an ambulance took the victim to hospital for treatment where he remains in a stable condition.

Detective Inspector Barbara Hebden said: “Our investigation continues and we are keen to speak to anyone who witnessed the incident or may have been passing on foot or in a vehicle. CCTV or dashcam footage may be vital so please check and send us anything which may assist.

Tributes have been paid following Cardiff car crash

Tributes have been paid to the three people killed in a crash that left two others seriously injured.

Eve Smith, 21, Darcy Ross, 21 and Rafel Jeanne, 24, died in the accident while Sophie Russon, 20, and Shane Loughlin, 32, survived.

All five were in a Volkswagen Tiguan that came off the A48(M) in Cardiff and crashed into trees.

The three women were last seen in Cardiff in the early hours of Saturday having travelled there from Porthcawl. They had earlier been in Newport and were reported missing to Gwent Police.

The two men, who were from Cardiff, were also reported missing by their families.

Tributes have been paid on social media with family members confirming their loved ones had died.

One relative of Miss Smith wrote: “I will not comment on anyone other than Eve Smith to confirm that she has been confirmed as deceased.

“Thank you for your support and shares and I won’t be answering messages please allow us some time as a family to digest this terrible news x.”

Firefighters have accepted a revised pay deal to avert strikes

Firefighters have voted to accept a pay deal aimed at averting strike action, with a union leader hailing the settlement as a “testament to the power of collective action”.

An improved offer was made in February to the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) of a 7% pay rise backdated to last July and a further 5% from July this year.

The union’s executive decided to recommend that members vote to accept the offer in a ballot which opened on February 20 and closed on Monday.

Jurors in Olivia Pratt-Korbel murder trial told to put emotion aside

Jurors have been told not to be influenced by an “emotional reaction” as they were sworn in for the trial of a man accused of shooting of a nine-year-old girl.

Ten men and two women were selected on Monday to serve on the jury at Manchester Crown Court for the trial of Thomas Chapman, accused of the murder of Olivia Pratt-Korbel.

Cashman, 34, is alleged to have been the gunman responsible for the fatal shooting of Olivia at her home in Dovecot, Liverpool, at just after 10pm on August 22 last year.

A campaign has launched to cut deaths of young male drivers on rural roads

A campaign has been launched aimed at reducing the number of young male drivers killed on rural roads.

The Department for Transport (DfT) said its new Think! initiative encourages young motorists to slow down by asking them to consider “Is pushing it worth it?”.

The campaign highlights that speeding leaves 54 young people dead or injured every week in the UK.

Casualty figures show male drivers aged 17-24 are four times more likely to be killed or seriously injured than drivers aged 25 or over.

IKEA highlights plight of homeless people with “Cramped and grotty rooms” on display

Charity Shelter said hostels and bed and breakfasts are the reality for too many families currently “stuck” in temporary accommodation.

Temporary accommodation setups described as “cramped, dangerous and grotty” have gone on display in Ikea stores across the UK to highlight the conditions homeless people are facing.

The organisation said it fears more people will become homeless this year amid the cost-of-living crisis and called on the Government to build good quality social housing.

Shelter said 59% of people think the housing emergency in the UK is worse than it has ever been, with 21% of adults worried about losing their current home and 49% saying if they did they would struggle to find somewhere else to live.

The charity said its poll of 4,000 respondents by Opinium in February illustrated the “devastating consequences of a cost-of-living crisis meeting the housing emergency”.

IKEA Warrington is one of the stores that has launched the displays.