Photo: SPS Miler, wikimedia commons

TfL’s tube strikes which will take place this evening and tomorrow are expected to cost London’s economy £48 million, according to the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry, but east Londoners will be able to avoid the chaos.

There will be minor problems with stations on the East London line that share an interchange with the underground, and the east London line will close before midnight, but apart from some minor disruption, the DLR and London overground are expected to run as usual.

The Rail Maritime and Transport (RMT) and the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA) unions are striking to fight plans to cut ticket office staffing levels, claiming security could be compromised for passengers.

But London Underground (LU) has insisted the plans would mean all stations would still be staffed and has pledged there will be no compulsory redundancies.

To check specific  routes, passengers can check disruptions live on the tfl website.

In east London, the East London line will be closed between New Cross Gate and Crystal Palace/West Croydon after 2300 each night from Monday 6 to Thursday 9 September because of planned engineering works.

The last southbound train to Crystal Palace will depart Dalston Junction at 2300 and the last southbound train to West Croydon will depart Dalston Junction at 2240.

After 2245, valid tickets will be accepted on southbound Southern services between New Cross Gate and East Croydon. Customers for Crystal Palace are advised to take Southern Services from New Cross Gate to Anerley and then local buses 157 or 358 – valid London Overground tickets will also be accepted on these bus routes.

The action will cause “wholesale disruption to services across the entire tube network,” according to Geoff Martin, a spokesman for RMT, but Tfl says there will be minor delays on the following routes:

District line

Circle line

Central line

Bakerloo line

Waterloo & City line

As many as 10,000 of the subway’s drivers, station staff and engineers staging the first of a series of 24-hour strikes over employment cuts. London Mayor Boris Johnson called in 100 extra buses and a 500- berth boat that will carry 10,000 people on the River Thames to help commuters.

Commenting on the strike, the mayor said the strike was politically motivated, adding: “everybody in London understands that at a very difficult financial time,  you need to make essential reforms to the way you run. We are not making  compulsory redundancies…all we are saying is we want to move people out from the counters and onto the concourses where they can help the passengers.”

Colin Stanbridge, Chief Executive of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) said: “This strike action could not have come at a worse time with the capital only just beginning to find its feet after a difficult economic slowdown and many returning to work after the summer break. Londoners will still struggle in to work, aided by the additional transport laid on by the Mayor, but the capital will not be as productive as normal and our reputation as the world’s leading business centre will suffer.”

Photo: Chidorian @ flickr

Concerns have been raised over Croydon council’s decision to stop its school meals services, forcing individual schools to find new caterers .

It will affect 78 primary schools, 11 special schools or referral units and six secondary schools.  From next April, schools will take responsibility for their own commissioning decisions to meet the needs of their own pupils.

However, parents, teacher and catering organisations have warned that the policy could hurt those on low incomes – for whom the school meal is the main nutrition source of the day – and create extra problems for schools on budgets.

Sian Thomas, head teacher of Victoria House Pupil Referral Unit, in Southbridge Place, Croydon, said she felt the decision placed an extra burden on pupils.
She told the Croydon Advertiser: “In principle I think it’s a good idea because it will give us more choice and freedom in meeting pupils’ nutritional requirements.The difficulty we face is the short timescale which has been imposed and the lack of resources at our disposal.
“There is now an expectation on heads to arrange an alternative in a relatively short space of time. My concern is schools will rush into finding alternatives which will not necessarily provide value for money.”

Ms Thomas added: “We feed between 12 to 18 children each day, so to employ a cook is not financially viable. It would hugely cut into resources.”

Beverley Baker, chair  of the Local Authority Caterers’ Association (LACA)  said it was concerned “about the level of fragmentation and dilution any school meals service might potentially face if this type of direction is taken.’’

A spokesman for Croydon Council said: “Research in other local authorities that have taken the decision to support schools in commissioning their own catering service has shown positive results in terms of the engagement and take-up of school meals. There are a number of options available to schools regarding the delivery of a school meals service.”

Croydon said a  Food in Schools team,  a training programme for teachers to enhance their understanding about food in the primary curriculum, will be hosting a series of road shows giving schools further information about their options.

In the run up to the council elections in Croydon in May, the local  Labour Party pledged to provide free school meals for all primary school pupils in Croydon through saving £80,000 by scrapping the free local newspaper published by the council.

By Amy Lacey

Ranjit Nankani and Dwayne McPherson. Pic:Met Police

A Croydon man has been jailed for life for murdering another man by driving his car at him outside the Ministry of Sound nightclub in South London.

Ranjit Nankani, 30, killed Gary Johnson, 25, from Streatham following an argument inside the nightclub in August last year.

After driving his Mitsubishi Shogun at Johnson, pinning him to a wall, Nankani himself miraculously survived an attempt on his own life when Johnson’s friend,  Dwayne McPherson, 28,  from Sydenham, fired four shots at him at close range. McPherson was also found guilty of attempted murder.

Aftab Jafferjee, QC, prosecuting, told the jury at the Old Bailey that the case involved  ”breathtaking lawlessness on the streets of London.”

He said that what had began as  a relatively minor incident had escalated into ”murderous violence.”

The drama began when Nankini accidentally stepped on the toes of Johnson inside the nightclub. He apologised, but there was a violent confrontation between Johnson and McPherson on one side and Nankini and two other men  on the other side. However, bouncers broke up the fight and threw both groups out of the club.

However, Nankini went back to his car and saw McPherson and Johnson walking down the street.

Closed circuit television camera footage played to the court showed the Shogun being driven onto a pavement and knocking over a bollard, before accelerating, hurling Mr Johnson against a wall and killing him instantly. The Shogun then crashed into a taxi containing two woman, who the court heard, were lucky to escape with their lives.

McPherson then pulled out a gun, went over to the Shogun and fired four rounds at close range into the vehicle. Nankini survived with only a small shoulder wound.

The jury rejected Nankini’s defence that he got into the Shogun and then heard gunshots, , ducked down behind the steering wheel and drove off in an attempt to escape being shot but not being able to see where he was heading.

Sentencing him to a minimum of 18 years, Judge Stephen Kramer said his attack must have involved a degree of premeditation. He said: ‘’It was a targeted revenge attack on a crowded public street when people were leaving the club to go home. You waited and you used your vehicle as a lethal weapon in the streets.”

McPherson will be sentenced later. The trial was unable to resolve the question of whether the gun had been smuggled into the nightclub.

Dalton and Chen. Photos: Metropolitan Police

A couple who made more than a million pounds running a cluster of brothels exploiting vulnerable South East Asian women were yesterday sentenced total of five and a half years in prison by a judge at Croydon Crown Court.

Michael Dalton, 44, and Nikki Chen, 56, received the jail terms after being convicted of a string of offences, including conspiracy to traffick within the UK for sexual exploitation.

The court heard how, over a six year period, the two ran four brothels in south and west London, in which young women brought into the UK illegally were ‘controlled’ and ‘obliged’ to prostitute themselves for between £60 and £120 an hour in order to pay off their debts.

Dalton and Chen then used most of the money raised through their criminal activities to fund their own ‘lavish’ lifestyles, which included owning properties in Gloucestershire and Surrey, as well as luxury Mercedes and Lamborghini sports cars.

Yesterday, His Honour Judge Flahive jailed Dalton for three years for prostitution for gain, 21 months for conspiracy to traffick in the UK, and 18 months for money laundering.

Chen received sentences of two and a half years, 18 months, and two years for the same respective offences. All sentences will run concurrently.

The pair were caught after an extended police investigation, codenamed Operation Icefall, during which officers conducted surveillance on the brothels, observing ‘at least a dozen’ customers visiting each day.

The properties were subsequently raided and closed down by authorities.

One of the brothels operated by the pair. Photo: Metropolitan Police

Two accomplices of Dalton and Chen have also been convicted for their part in the scheme. Manjit Singh, 33, and Ian Garrett, 43 were previously found guilty of conspiracy to traffick within the UK for sexual exploitation.

Detective Chief Superintendent Richard Martin, head of the Metropolitan Police Human Exploitation and Organised Crime Command, said: “Chen, Dalton and their co-conspirators had a blatant disregard for the women they had brought into, and moved around the UK, with the promise of a better life.”

“The young women they controlled were exploited and obliged to have sex with in excess of 12 strangers a day, in order to pay off the debts they had accrued in being trafficked to the UK on false passports and visas. Some did not know that they would have to work as prostitutes in the UK.”

“Nikki Chen and Michael Dalton took the vast majority of the cash they made through their illegal activities to fund their lavish lifestyles, living in expensive houses and driving luxury sports cars.”

“Fortunately, their criminality came to our attention and they have now been convicted for the fear and exploitation they caused.”

Case officer Detective Constable Christopher Ansell added: “Nikki Chen and Michael Dalton were partners who exploited young and vulnerable women from abroad, making them work as prostitutes at brothels in the suburbs of London and Surrey.”

“The investigation revealed that some of the women were in debt bondage ranging from £25,000 upwards. This allowed the pair to line their own pockets and sustain a lavish lifestyle over a period of six years.”

“Anybody being violated by criminals like Chen and Dalton should not be afraid to come forward and tell police how they are being forced to live. Their safety and that of their loved ones will be at the forefront of our investigation.”

Photo: Chris Fleming @ flickr

A ‘destitute’ Iraqi Kurdish asylum seeker committed suicide after being turned away by government immigration officers from their office in Croydon.

Osman Rasul, 27, killed himself by jumping off a building in Nottingham on Sunday 25 July,  according to a report in the Guardian.

According to friends, Rasul, a father of two who arrived in Britain in 2001, had become desperate following nine years of legal impasse over his immigration status.

Having once been refused permission to remain in the country, he was engaged in preparing a second application. Prohibited from working, he had been living on charitable donations and sleeping on the streets.

The collapse in June of the charity Refugee and Migrant Justice only worsened his situation, removing hopes of access to legal aid and expert advice.

After the organisation, which aimed ‘to secure justice for asylum seekers and other migrants in the UK who seek protection or need help to secure their human rights under UK law,’ went into administration, Rasul was left with the looming threat of deportation.

In a last-ditch attempt to resolve his situation, he decided to travel to Croydon and throw himself at the mercy of immigration officers, but was met with incomprehension and advised to seek legal assistance.

Nottingham-based charity worker Harry Woolner, who works with the homeless and had sheltered Rasul, told the Guardian: “He felt he was never able to take control of his life.”

“He was frustrated that his case had not been progressed so he decided to go down to the Home Office [immigration centre] in Croydon and ‘hand himself in’, saying: ‘Either send me home or help me’. He felt he was taking control at last. It was a brave thing to do.”

“But when he got there they said ‘Who are you? We don’t know you. Get a solicitor’. In terms of his mental state it was too much to take.”

“In London he stayed with friends some of the time but also slept rough and was not eating well. He was mentally and physically exhausted when he came back. We didn’t realise the severity of the situation,” he added.

“He went out for a bike ride on the Sunday. We thought that was positive. But he did not come back.”

A UK Border Agency spokesperson said: “Any death of this kind is a tragedy and our deepest sympathies are with Mr Rasul’s family and friends.”

“We are working closely with Nottinghamshire police while this matter is being investigated. It would be inappropriate for us to comment further at this stage.”

Photo: Kyle May @ flickr

A taxi driver from Haringey was killed last year after unwittingly drinking a deadly mixture of rum laced with cocaine, a Croydon court has heard.

Lascell Malcolm, 63, died in May last year after consuming the adulterated drink, described as ‘a mixture of such toxicity that a teaspoonful could kill anyone who consumed it.’ It had been given to him by a friend who was unaware of the contents.

Malcolm drank a shot of the Bounty rum alongside a pint of Guinness on 25 May, only hours after receiving the bottle.

At 4am the following day, he called emergency services, complaining that he could not walk, had a headache and thought he was dying.

He was admitted and later discharged from hospital, but collapsed and died soon after, having suffered a heart attack through cocaine poisoning.

Father-of-two Malcolm’s death was the tragic culmination of a chain of coincidences after the 246g dose of cocaine was dissolved in the alcohol in a bid to smuggle it into the country on a flight to Gatwick.

Martin Newman, 50, the alleged smuggler, was the only person who would have been aware of the bottle’s secret contents, which had a potential street value of £15,000. He is appearing at Croydon Crown Court, charged with manslaughter and importing Class A drugs.

The court heard that Newman had given two bottles of the drink to an acquaintance, Michael Lawrence, at an airport in St Lucia, claiming that his own baggage was too heavy.

The two then flew to the UK, where Lawrence planned to return the items. However, Newman was detained by customs officers and Lawrence instead gave the rum to another friend, Antoinette Corlis.

Finally, Corlis gave the rum to Malcolm as a favour for giving her a lift home.

Prosecuting lawyer Oliver Glasgow said: “Corlis, unaware of the dangers posed by the defendant’s bottle of rum, decided to give it to Lascell Malcolm as a thank you for his trouble. It was gratefully received.”

“Corlis was only to realise the full import of what she had done when she tried to contact Lascell Malcolm over the following days.”

The exact cause of Malcolm’s death was discovered when two friends visiting his house to pay respects found the rum and decided to make a toast. The two spat out the liquid, but were hospitalised, suffering seizures.

“Whilst this could never have been the intention of the defendant, the risk [Newman] ran in importing cocaine in such a manner would have been obvious – once the bottle was passed into the hands of someone who knew nothing of its true contents there was the very real danger that anyone could chose to drink it,” Glasgow added.

Newman denies the charges. The trial will last for two weeks.

The cocaine, with an estimated street value of £4.5 million, was smuggled inside this orange suitcase. Photo: Metropolitan Police.

Four men have today been found guilty of involvement in a £4.5 million cocaine smuggling operation that employed corrupt baggage handlers at Heathrow airport.

Mark Oliver, 30, Michael Hopkins, 51, Malcolm Bax, 31, and Andrew Robinson, 46, were part of of a gang of seven criminals, all of whom have been found guilty at Croydon Crown Court of being knowingly concerned in the importation of cocaine.

The group used contacts with Heathrow baggage handlers in a bid to illegally bring 12kg of the Class A drug into the UK from Brazil.

The cocaine was placed inside a large orange suitcase and carried as baggage on a flight in September last year.

Police, who had been conducting a ‘protracted’ surveillance operation on the smugglers, then arrested them in a dramatic swoop – during which one gang member shunted an officer’s car in order to escape the scene.

The gang’s three other members, Anthony Rouse, 53, Charles Oliver, 29, and Anthony Cenci, 24, were all previously convicted after pleading guilty.

The convictions are the culmination of an ‘intelligence led, multi agency operation,’ which saw police cooperating with customs officials, the UK Border Agency and the Serious Organised Crime Agency.

Detective Inspector Robert Boggon of the Metropolitan Police Middle Market Drugs Partnership, said: “More than £4 million worth of cocaine, which was no doubt bound for London’s streets and beyond, has been removed from circulation.”

“This result illustrates the fantastic liaison and cooperation between a number of agencies, to combat the importation of controlled drugs.”

Miah and Choudhury. Photos: Metropolitan Police

A 15-year-old from Croydon has been jailed for murdering his girlfriend and her sister in a revenge-fuelled arson attack on their family home.

Akmol Miah was today sentenced to a minimum of 23 years in prison for the murder of 15-year-old Maleha Masud and her older sister Nabiha, 21, as well as the attempted murder of three other members of their family last summer.

His cousin and accomplice in the crime, Shihabouddin Choudhury, 21, was jailed for life, with a minimum of 21 years, after being found guilty of the same offences.

The sentencing, at the Old Bailey, was the culmination of a six-week trial during which the court heard how Miah had plotted the attack in revenge after Maleha Masud ended a brief ‘relationship’ between the two.

Miah, who was aged just 14 at the time of his crime, proceeded to threaten the family, before recruiting Choudhury, a waiter from Nottingham with no previous connection to the Masud family, to help him carry out the attack.

Maleha and Nabiha Masud were killed in the arson attack. Photo: Metropolitan Police

In the early hours of Sunday 21 June, Miah and Choudhury poured petrol through the letterbox of the family’s home in Tooting. They then set fire to it.

The pair, who were caught in ‘extensive’ CCTV evidence assembled by the police, showing them driving to the house to commit the crime, denied all charges.

Police who searched Miah’s house and computer found that, in addition to searching the internet for the phrase ‘how to burn someone’s house down,’ he had also saved an image of the burnt-out property as a screensaver.

Jonathan Laidlaw QC, prosecuting, expressed incomprehension at Miah’s actions. “Why he should arrive at the extraordinary decision to burn down their house is really impossible to understand,” he said.

Speaking in a statement after Miah and Choudhury were convicted, Zaid Masud, brother of the victims, said: “The verdict was as we expected, however, this does not change the reality of our great loss. We have in effect been given a life sentence without parole and now must live with this.”

Michael Gove has announced plans to pull funding for school buildings. Photo: Conservative Party

The man charged with overseeing schools in Croydon said he is  “disappointed” that three major re-building projects  at borough schools have been scrapped as part of Government expenditure cuts

Renovation money in excess of £30million  promised under Labour’s Building Schools for the Future scheme has been cancelled by new Education Secretary Michael Gove.

Projects at Priory Special School, Selsdon High and The Archbishop Lanfranc School have all been axed as a result.

Councillor Tim Pollard, Cabinet Member for Children, helped the borough get on funding list just last December, at the time saying the BSF money “will be used to transform the standard of schools in Croydon”.

But in an apparent case of last one in first one out the grants have been withdrawn from all of Croydon’s secondary school hopefuls.

Councillor Pollard told EastLondonLines: “The Archbishop Lanfranc School is one of Croydon Council’s top priorities [for renovation]. It was built on a landfill site and has venting and plumbing problems.”

“Selsdon High is also in need of serious restructuring. The initial buildings were only meant to last for 25 years but it’s now double that.”

Since the scheme came into effect in 2003 only five per cent of 3500 secondary schools in England have completed renovations using BSF funding.

Mr Gove’s decision means the end of funding for 715 schools, although 705 rebuilds will still go ahead.

Cllr Pollard is still hopeful that this is not the end of the schools rebuilding program in Croydon, as the Government will be looking at each investment on a case-by-case basis in the future.

He added: “The letter we received from Michael Gove made clear that they haven’t given up on rebuilding schools.”

Although Croydon is not the only borough in London to be affected by the proposed cuts, none of the secondary schools in Lewisham, Hackney or Tower Hamlets had any of their planned renovation works dropped.

Additional reporting by Tom Hilton

Forest Hill school in Lewisham: one of the local schools seeking academy status

More schools in Croydon have registered an interest in academy status than any other of the East London Line boroughs.

Eleven requests for further information by both primary and secondary schools in the area, have so far been registered on the Department For Education website. This is compared to five requests from Lewisham, four from Tower Hamlets and six  from Hackney.

The new academy legislation introduced by Secretary of State for Education, Michael Gove, earlier this month allows state schools to break away from local authorities gaining greater freedom over things like budgets, admissions criteria and curriculum.

Schools that register interest and are rated as ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted will automatically be fast-tracked to academy status by this autumn.

Critics of the new legislation have argued that the introduction of academies will lead to a two-tier education system, where children from the poorest backgrounds will suffer most. Head teachers are being urged to proceed with caution, as once their school becomes an academy, it cannot revert back to the state system.