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Lee Owens is accused of sending threatening emails to minister responsible for tackling violence against womenA man has appeared in court accused of stalking and harassing Jess Phillips, the minister in charge of tackling violence against women and girls.Lee Owens, 47, pleaded not guilty to an offence of stalking the Labour MP for Birmingham Yardley, at Cheltenham magistrates court on Tuesday. Continue reading...

James Heaps was first sentenced in 2023, but verdict was overturned after appeals court found he was denied a fair trialSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxA former University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) gynecologist pleaded guilty to 13 felony sexual abuse charges on Tuesday in connection with the sexual assault of several patients over his career, and was sentenced to 11 years in prison.James Heaps was originally sentenced in 2023 to 11 years in prison after being convicted of five counts of sexual battery and penetration involving two patients. That sentence was overturned by an appeals court in February, which ruled that Heaps was denied a fair trial because the judge did not share with his attorneys a note from the court’s foreman sharing concerns about a juror’s English proficiency. Continue reading...

Regan Prater admits to setting blaze at Highlander center and bid to aid Hezbollah. His sentencing is set for SeptemberSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxA man linked to white supremacist movements pleaded guilty on Monday to setting a fire that destroyed an office at a historic social justice center in Tennessee with ties to champions of the US civil rights movements, a court document shows.Regan Prater also pleaded guilty to attempting to aid a foreign terrorist organization for efforts to provide the militant group Hezbollah “a list of personally identifiable information for individuals purportedly affiliated with the government of Israel”, according to a criminal information filed in February. Continue reading...

Hui Ka Yan expresses remorse in trial proceedings after collapse of world’s most indebted property developerBusiness live – latest updatesA former steelworker who rose to become one of China’s richest people has pleaded guilty to charges including fundraising fraud after the collapse of Evergrande, the world’s most indebted property developer.The property group’s founder, Hui Ka Yan, “pleaded guilty and expressed remorse” in trial proceedings at a court in China’s southern city of Shenzhen against him and Evergrande, the court said in a posting on its official WeChat account. He also pleaded guilty to misuse of funds and illegally taking public deposits. Continue reading...

Architect admitted to strangling eight women, whose remains were mostly found along Long Island’s coastRex Heuermann, a Long Island architect accused of seven murders known as the Gilgo Beach killings dating back to 1993, pleaded guilty on Wednesday – and added an eighth murder to his gruesome tally.Heuermann, who has been held in custody since he was arrested on a Manhattan street in July 2023, appeared in court in Riverhead, Long Island, and changed his plea to guilty in the murders of women whose remains were found years after they disappeared. Continue reading...

Alan Hayward James, who called himself ‘Al Capone’, admitted to rigging bids for IT contracts with PentagonA former US air force master sergeant who nicknamed himself “Al Capone” has pleaded guilty to defrauding the military branch out of $37m by inflating the cost of IT contracts – and giving some of the extra money to an individual he called “Godfather”.Alan Hayward James, from Texas, ran a nine-year scam, beginning in April 2016, which also saw him funnel excess funds to himself, his family and his co-conspirators. Continue reading...