Prison staff fake checks on suicidal inmates, watchdog warns

A prisons watchdog has warned of the “widespread falsification” of records claiming checks on suicidal inmates have been carried out.

A report from the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) Adrian Usher found evidence that prison staff had lied over mandatory welfare checks for prisoners at risk of self-harm.

It comes as prisoner deaths have soared by 35 per cent year on year, with 486 deaths investigated by the ombudsman in 2024-2025, 100 of which were self-inflicted.

This includes 393 deaths in prison, up 106 compared to the previous year, and 73 deaths within 14 days of being released from custody.

There was also a 15 per cent increase in complaints from prisoners as widespread overcrowding puts the system “under strain”, the report found.

“I am concerned about the rise in complaints and deaths we have seen, and we are working closely with the services in remit to understand what the causes may be,” Mr Usher said.

The ombudsman’s report noted the prison population is getting older thanks to longer prison sentences and a significant rise in historic sexual offence convictions.

The report also identified systemic issues around falsified records, particularly relating to at-risk prisoners subject to Assessment, Care in Custody, and Teamwork (ACCT) monitoring.

It comes after checks of prison CCTV proved staff had lied about carrying out welfare checks on a prisoner who died.

“This year, we have been disappointed to identify widespread falsification of records by staff, particularly relating to ACCT checks (intended to provide support to and monitoring of prisoners considered at risk of suicide and self-harm) and routine checks which also serve as an opportunity to check on prisoners’ welfare,” the report said.

“In one case, a review of CCTV on the wing where the prisoner died identified that staff had falsified his ACCT document, recording that they had conducted checks when they had not.”

As a result, the ombudsman recommended that staff who have been found to falsify records face disciplinary action.

The Prison Reform Trust said the findings were “shocking and unacceptable” as they called for urgent reform.

“The findings of the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman’s Annual Report are deeply troubling and highlight the urgent need for reform in our prison system,” chief executive Pia Sinha said.

“The 35 per cent increase in investigations following a death, particularly among older prisoners, is a stark reminder of the human cost of overcrowded prisons and systemic failings.

“The identification of widespread falsification of records, especially in monitoring prisoners at risk of suicide and self-harm, is shocking and unacceptable. ​It underscores the need to support staff with proper training and resources, but also to hold them accountable when standards are breached.”

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “While the majority of deaths are due to natural causes, we take each and every one very seriously and anyone found falsifying records faces disciplinary action and being referred to the police.

“We have also improved observation checks of those at risk of self-harm – ensuring CCTV is properly reviewed.”

If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.

If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call or text 988, or visit 988lifeline.org to access online chat from the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you

Charity warns of ‘lifelike’ AI-generated child sex abuse videos

AI-generated videos of child sexual abuse are now “indistinguishable” from real footage, a leading charity has warned.

The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), which finds and helps remove abusive imagery online, said criminals were creating increasingly realistic and more extreme content, and cautioned that technology could soon enable the creation and distribution of feature-length films of such material.

Highly realistic videos are no longer confined to short, glitch-ridden clips that were previously common with the technology, with perpetrators now using AI to produce videos that often include the likenesses of real children on a vast scale.

New IWF data published on Friday revealed a staggering 1,286 individual AI-generated child sexual abuse videos were discovered in the first half of this year.

Only two such videos were discovered over the same period last year.

A government minister described the figures as “utterly horrific” and said the criminals behind the videos were “just as disgusting as those who pose a threat to children in real life”.

All of the confirmed videos so far in 2025 have been so convincing that they had to be treated under UK law exactly as if they were genuine footage, the IWF said.

More than 1,000 of the videos were assessed as Category A imagery, the most extreme – which can include depictions of rape, sexual torture and bestiality.

The data also showed that AI-generated child sexual abuse imagery was discovered on 210 separate webpages in the first half of this year, compared to 42 webpages in 2024, while confirmed reports of the images to the charity had risen by 400 per cent.

Each webpage can contain multiple images or videos.

The figures come after the IWF previously said 291,273 reports of child sexual abuse imagery were reported last year.

The charity has called on the Government to ensure the safe development and use of AI models by introducing binding regulation that ensures the technology’s design can’t be abused.

Derek Ray-Hill, interim chief executive of the IWF, said: “We must do all we can to prevent a flood of synthetic and partially synthetic content joining the already record quantities of child sexual abuse we are battling online.

“I am dismayed to see the technology continues to develop at pace, and that it continues to be abused in new and unsettling ways.

“Just as we saw with still images, AI videos of child sexual abuse have now reached the point they can be indistinguishable from genuine films.

“The children being depicted are often real and recognisable, the harm this material does is real, and the threat it poses threatens to escalate even further.”

Mr Ray-Hill said the Government “must get a grip” on the issue as it was currently “just too easy” for criminals to produce the videos, and that feature-length AI-generated child sexual abuse films of real children were inevitable.

“The Prime Minister only recently pledged that the Government will ensure tech can create a better future for children. Any delays only set back efforts to safeguard children and deliver on the Government’s pledge to halve violence against girls.

“Our analysts tell us nearly all this AI abuse imagery features girls. It is clear this is yet another way girls are being targeted and endangered online.”

Safeguarding minister Jess Phillips said: “These statistics are utterly horrific. Those who commit these crimes are just as disgusting as those who pose a threat to children in real life.

“AI-generated child sexual abuse material is a serious crime, which is why we have introduced two new laws to crack down on this vile material.

“Soon, perpetrators who own the tools that generate the material or manuals teaching them to manipulate legitimate AI tools will face longer jail sentences and we will continue to work with regulators to protect more children.”

An anonymous senior analyst at the IWF said AI child sexual abuse imagery creators had video quality that was “leaps and bounds ahead” of what was available last year.

“The first AI child sexual abuse videos we saw were deepfakes – a known victim’s face put onto an actor in an existing adult pornographic video. It wasn’t sophisticated but could still be pretty convincing,” he said.

“The first fully synthetic child sexual abuse video we saw at the beginning of last year was just a series of jerky images put together, nothing convincing.

“But now they have really turned a corner. The quality is alarmingly high, and the categories of offence depicted are becoming more extreme as the tools improve in their ability to generate video showing two or more people.

“The videos also include sets showing known victims in new scenarios.”

The IWF has advised the public to report images and videos of child sexual abuse to the charity anonymously and only once, including the exact URL where the content is located.

Gregg Wallace banned from working at BBC as disability charities criticise him over autism defence

Gregg Wallace has reportedly been banned from working at the BBC as disability charities criticise him for appearing to link misconduct claims against him with an autism diagnosis.

The corporation ruled the television presenter is not safe to have in the workplace following an investigation into his behaviour on MasterChef, according to reports.

In the letter of dismissal, sent by head of compliance for BBC Television Claire Powell, the 60-year-old was warned he will not get a job as a BBC presenter again, The Telegraph reported.

Wallace was told executives do not “have the confidence that you can change what seems to be learned behaviour”, with inappropriate jokes he has made in the workplace cited, according to the newspaper. Highlighting that “you were a presenter on a flagship BBC show”, the letter reportedly also noted “the impact that your comments had on the BBC’s reputation”.

The Telegraph reported the investigation is set to clear Wallace of the most severe accusations of groping, but find him guilty of the allegations of making inappropriate comments, which Wallace has insisted were “banter”.

The former MasterChef star’s representatives have been approached for comment.

Wallace is facing multiple accusations, including claims that he made inappropriate sexual jokes, asked for the phone numbers of female production staff, and behaved unprofessionally around female colleagues on set. Wallace has denied these allegations.

In a statement about an investigation into those claims, the former MasterChef host said that he had recently been formally diagnosed with autism, and suggested that his neurodiversity was “suspected and discussed by colleagues across countless seasons” of the show.

He went on to add that TV bosses had failed to “investigate my disability” or “protect me from what I now realise was a dangerous environment”.

A friend of the presenter doubled down on the claims, suggesting Wallace could not wear underwear “because of his autistic hypersensitivity to labels and tight clothing”.

However, Seema Flower, founder of disabilities consultancy BlindAmbition, told BBC News that there was “no excuse” for inappropriate behaviour and asked: “Where does it leave us if we use autism as an excuse to behave in whatever way we like?”

Emily Banks, founder of neurodiversity training body Enna, told the broadcaster that autism “doesn’t absolve anyone of responsibility, and it certainly doesn’t mean you can’t tell the difference between right and wrong”, while Dan Harris from the charity Neurodiversity in Business said that autism “is not a free pass for bad behaviour”.

A National Autistic Society spokesperson said: “Every autistic person is different, just like every non-autistic person is different, so it is important not to generalise or make judgements based on the actions, words or behaviour of any one individual.”

The remarks come just days before the publication of a report on some of the claims made last year. It led to MasterChef production company Banijay commissioning a report on Wallace, overseen by the law firm Lewis Silkin.

The presenter first stepped away from his role on MasterChef nine months ago, after the BBC received complaints about his conduct. Broadcaster Kirsty Wark claimed that Wallace told “sexualised” jokes while they were filming Celebrity MasterChef in 2011, while Location Location Location’s Kirsty Allsopp alleged that he made a comment to her about his sex life, leaving her “so embarrassed” that she thought she “might cry”.

Musician Sir Rod Stewart also claimed that Wallace had “humiliated” his wife, model and presenter Penny Lancaster, when she appeared on Celebrity MasterChef and accused him of being an “ill-mannered bully”.

The presenter initially responded to the accusations of inappropriate behaviour by claiming that they came from “a handful of middle-class women of a certain age”, a comment that sparked considerable backlash.

Wallace later apologised, claiming that he “wasn’t in a good head space” when he shared the comments on social media.

His lawyers, meanwhile, said that “it is entirely false that he engages in behaviour of a sexually harassing nature”.

Wallace was later replaced by Grace Dent on the celebrity edition of the show. He was also dropped as an ambassador for the charity Ambitious about Autism.

On Tuesday (8 July), it was reported that Wallace had been sacked as a MasterChef host before the publication of the investigation’s findings, as BBC News said that it had been approached by more than 50 people with new claims about the presenter.

The claims, which Wallace denies, included allegations that he groped a MasterChef colleague.

On the same day, Wallace launched a lengthy tirade against the broadcaster, claiming that he had decided to “speak out” and share the findings of the months-long investigation into his on-set behaviour, which he described as “full and forensic”.

In a post shared on Instagram, he said that he “cannot sit in silence while my reputation is further damaged to protect others”, and stated that the then-unpublished investigation “exonerates me of all the serious allegations which made headlines last year”.

The former greengrocer said that the report found him “guilty of inappropriate language between 2005 and 2018”. He apologised “without reservation”, adding: “I recognise that some of my humour and language, at times, was inappropriate.”

However, he maintained that the report showed the “most damaging claims” against him, “including allegations from public figures which have not been upheld”, to be “baseless”.

“I was hired by the BBC and MasterChef as the cheeky greengrocer,” he continued. “A real person with warmth, character, rough edges and all. For over two decades, that authenticity was part of the brand.

“Now, in a sanitised world, that same personality is seen as a problem.”

The former Inside the Factory host added that he “will not go quietly” and “will not be cancelled for convenience”.

In response to Wallace’s statement, the BBC told The Independent: “Banijay UK instructed the law firm Lewis Silkin to run an investigation into allegations against Gregg Wallace. We are not going to comment until the investigation is complete and the findings are published.”

TV doctor Robert Winston quits BMA over ‘damaging’ strikes

A TV doctor and IVF pioneer has resigned from the British Medical Association (BMA) over planned strike action by resident doctors.

Professor Robert Winston, a Labour peer who became a household name through his documentaries on child development, told The Times the “highly dangerous” walkout could harm people’s trust in the profession.

Prof Winston, 84, who The Times reported has been a member of the union since he qualified as a doctor more than 60 years ago, said he resigned from the BMA on Thursday.

Earlier this week, the BMA announced that resident doctors, formerly junior doctors, in England would walk out for five consecutive days from 7am on July 25, in a dispute over pay.

Prof Winston, who fronted the BBC documentary Child Of Our Time, told the Times: “I’ve paid my membership for a long time. I feel very strongly that this isn’t the time to be striking. I think that the country is really struggling in all sorts of ways, people are struggling in all sorts of ways.

“Strike action completely ignores the vulnerability of people in front of you.”

He urged the union to reconsider, saying it is “important that doctors consider their own responsibility much more seriously”, and stressed that the walkout could cause “long-term damage” to people’s faith in doctors.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting called for resident doctors to “abandon their unreasonable rush to strike” and said that NHS recovery is “fragile”.

Mr Streeting told the Commons on Thursday: “We have put the NHS on the road to recovery, but we all know that the NHS is still hanging by a thread, and that the BMA is threatening to pull it.”

The BMA has been contacted for comment.

Hero officers who confronted Southport killer honoured for bravery

Three police officers who confronted Southport knife attacker Axel Rudakubana during his killing spree have been honoured for their bravery.

Sergeant Gregory Gillespie, Constable Luke Holden and police community support officer (PCSO) Timothy Parry were the first officers to arrive on the scene at the Taylor Swift-themed workshop on July 29 last year.

Rudakubana, 18, who murdered Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine; Bebe King, six; and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven; and injured 10 others, including eight children, was confronted by the officers as he stood at the top of a flight of stairs holding a large knife.

The Merseyside Police officers were the “overall winners” of the Police Federation of England and Wales’ (PFEW) 2025 bravery awards held on Thursday.

The PFEW said Sgt Gillespie was the first to arrive at Hart Street in Southport and described seeing “chaos”, with “extremely panicked” people in the street.

He directed paramedics to a seriously injured child before being joined by Pc Holden and PCSO Parry.

They witnessed members of the public running away from the dance studio carrying young children.

Armed with a baton and a Taser, Sgt Gillespie and Pc Holden entered the building while PCSO Parry covered the exit.

They found Rudakubana, then aged 17, holding a large knife at the top of the stairs and approached while shouting at him to drop the knife. PCSO Parry also ran in to assist.

Rudakubana, who was jailed for a minimum of 52 years in January, dropped the weapon and was handcuffed and arrested after the trio struck with a baton and kicked the teenager to get him under control.

PFEW national chairwoman Tiff Lynch said of all the winners: “Whether confronting violent attackers, rescuing individuals from life-threatening situations, or making split-second decisions under immense pressure, these officers have shown exceptional courage and selflessness”.

A public inquiry into the attack began on Tuesday to identify changes that urgently need to be made to protect the most vulnerable from other “horrors”, the chairman said.

Chairman Sir Adrian Fulford opened the inquiry at Liverpool Town Hall into what he described as “one of the most egregious crimes in our country’s history”.

In his opening statement, Sir Adrian said: “As a society we are not helpless when confronted with individuals who are known to be contemplating acts of such depravity and although no solution will be foolproof, we can identify all of the robust steps which should be taken to protect ourselves, and particularly the most vulnerable, from horrors of this kind.

“And this must be undertaken at speed, to provide answers for the victims and their families and to identify all of the changes that urgently need to be made.”

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Four crew members killed as Houthi rebels sink cargo ship in Red Sea

Four seafarers were rescued in the Red Sea on Thursday two days after their cargo ship was sunk by Houthi militants, in an attack that killed at least four people.

But 11 people remain missing and several others have been kidnapped following the Yemeni group’s attack on the Greek ship Eternity C.

It is the second cargo ship sunk by the Houthi militia this week, shattering months of relative calm along a critical ocean route for global oil and commodities. The attack has sparked calls to restore safe passage through the sea.

Off the coast of Yemen, the ongoing rescue operation comes a day after the Houthis sank the Eternity C and said they were holding several of the missing crew members.

Ellie Shafik, head of intelligence with UK-based maritime risk management company Vanguard Tech, said the priority is the safety of all remaining crew members and their swift release.

“We remain deeply concerned for the welfare of the crew members in the custody of the Houthis, as well as for those currently unaccounted for,” she said.

Six crew members were rescued on Wednesday after spending more than 24 hours in the water, security companies involved in a rescue operation said, taking the total number of rescued survivors to 10. That includes eight Filipino crew members, one Indian security guard and one Greek security guard.

“This fills us with more courage to continue to search for those missing, as the Greek vessel operator requested, and shows that our search plan was correct,” said an official at Greece-based maritime risk management firm Diaplous.

The Iran-aligned Houthis said they are holding some of the seafarers, and claimed responsibility for the attacks on cargo ship Eternity C. Maritime security sources said the group is believed to be holding six of the ship’s 22 crew and three guards.

Eternity C was first hit on Monday with sea drones and rocket-propelled grenades fired from speed boats. Four people were believed to have been killed in the attacks, maritime security sources say. If confirmed, the deaths would be the first fatalities in the area since June 2024.

By Tuesday morning the vessel was adrift and listing, before being attacked again which forced the crew to abandon it. The ship sank on Wednesday morning.

The United States Mission in Yemen accused the Houthis of kidnapping many surviving crew members from Eternity C and called for their immediate and unconditional safe release.

“The Houthis continue to show the world why the United States was right to label them a terrorist organisation” the mission said on X (Twitter).

The Houthis released a video they said depicted their attack on Eternity C. It included sound of a Yemen naval forces’ call for the crew to evacuate for rescue and showed explosions on the ship before it sank. The Independent could not verify the audio or the location of the ship.

“The Yemeni Navy responded to rescue a number of the ship’s crew, provide them with medical care, and transport them to a safe location,” the group’s military spokesperson said in a televised address.

The Houthis also have claimed responsibility for a similar assault on Sunday targeting another ship, the Magic Seas. All crew from the Magic Seas were rescued before it sank.

The strikes on the two ships revive a campaign by the Iran-aligned fighters who had attacked more than 100 ships from November 2023 to December 2024 in what they said was solidarity with the Palestinians.

In May, the US announced a surprise deal with the Houthis where it agreed to stop a bombing campaign against them in return for an end to shipping attacks, though the Houthis said the deal did not include sparing Israel.

Marco Forgione, director general of the Chartered Institute of Export & International Trade, said the strikes were a “tragic escalation” and an attack on commercial shipping.

“Lives have been lost, and this major trade route is even more dangerous now. After nearly 600 days of disruption, supply chains are stretched thin,” he said.

“We urgently need safe passage restored. These trade routes keep food, medicine, and energy moving across the world. Our members and the integrated global supply chain need a return to peaceful, safe and secure trade routes.”

On Thursday, the Houthis said they had also attacked Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv with a ballistic missile.

The Israeli military said the missile from Yemen was intercepted after air raid sirens were triggered in several parts of the country.

With additional reporting from Reuters

Starmer ‘accepts invite’ to visit Trump during expected Scotland trip

Sir Keir Starmer has accepted an invitation to visit Donald Trump during the US president’s expected trip to Scotland this month, according to sources.

Details, including a specific date, are still being finalised, the source familiar with the plans, who was not authorised to speak publicly, told Reuters on Thursday.

Scottish police said on Wednesday that they were preparing for a possible visit by Mr Trump to Scotland later this month, which would mark his first visit to Britain since the US election last year.

The White House had no immediate comment on the report. The British embassy declined to comment.

Mr Trump and Sir Keir have developed a warm relationship in recent months, and last month signed a framework trade deal on the sidelines of a G7 meeting that formally lowered some US tariffs on imports from Britain.

The deal came after the British prime minister visited the White House in February for a friendly encounter that included an invitation from King Charles for a future state visit, which Mr Trump accepted.

UK media this week reported that Mr Trump would visit his golf clubs in Scotland later this month, though a final date is yet to be confirmed. Sky News said he would visit his Turnberry and Aberdeenshire golf courses.

The cost of policing a potential visit by the US president will be “considerable”, a senior Police Scotland officer said as the force looks to secure extra funding. The visit will require substantial policing resources and likely units to be called in from elsewhere in the UK.

Deputy Chief Constable Alan Speirs told the PA news agency on Thursday that Police Scotland will be discussing costs with the Scottish and UK Governments.

The last time Mr Trump came to Scotland – in between his two terms as US president – he was met with substantial protests.

Mr Speirs said he was confident the force would be able to deal with any protests, urging those who would want to demonstrate to “do it in a fair and reasonable way and within the realms of the law”.

A Scottish government spokesperson said: “The Scottish Government has been working collaboratively with the UK Government to support Police Scotland’s planning for a potential visit to Scotland by the President of the United States.”

Additonal reporting by Reuters