cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/19262761

> >Members of an "anti-establishment cult" have been jailed for up to seven years for storming a court with handcuffs and trying to kidnap a coroner. > > > >Mark Christopher, 59, led the group that tried to shut down Essex Coroner's Court in Chelmsford having accused senior coroner Lincoln Brookes of "interfering with the dead" in April 2023. > > > >Matthew Martin, 47, Sean Harper, 38, and his wife Shiza, 45, were part of the group and believed they could overrule the UK judicial system. > > > >All four were sentenced at Chelmsford Crown Court having been convicted of conspiracy to kidnap and conspiracy to commit false imprisonment. > > > >Christopher, of Claremont Road, Forest Gate, east London was also found guilty of sending a letter or email with intent to cause distress or anxiety. > > > >He was jailed for seven years, while Sean and Shiza Harper, of Benfleet Park Road, South Benfleet in Essex, and Martin, of Evelyn Denington Road, Plaistow in east London, were given 30-month sentences. > > > > Mr Justice Goss said the defendants were part of an "anti-establishment cult" who relied on "non-existent powers" to further their aims. > > > > ... > > > > The defendants were part of what law agencies called an "organised pseudolegal commercial arguments" (OPCA) group, usually defined as one that believes its interpretation of law supersedes a state's legal system. > > > >Members had self-conferred legal powers derived from what they believed to be the "true meanings" of words, the court heard. > > > >The group called itself the Federal Postal Court, also known as the Court of the People. > > > >Christopher was the group's "chief judge", with Martin and Sean Harper as his "sheriffs". > > > >Shiza Harper, a former special constable with the Metropolitan Police, held a "postal inspector" role. > > > > The group had "many followers across the country and the world" who held "delusional beliefs", the court was told. > > > >They were sold online courses for thousands of pounds by Christopher, who acted as the group’s "teacher". > > > >Addressing Christopher, Mr Justice Goss said: "I am satisfied that you are intelligent, persuasive, manipulative and dishonest. > > > >"Your group, of which you are the self-appointed leader, preys on the vulnerabilities of others, particularly those in financial difficulties, who you are able to persuade to pay you significant sums of money and to do your bidding. > > > >"You clearly recruited your co-defendants to your ideology [and] took a considerable amount of money from Sean and Shiza Harper." > > > > The court heard Christopher sent Mr Brookes a series of letters between March 2022 and April 2023, accusing him of being a "detrimental necromancer" who must face corporal punishment, including beating with cattle prods. > > > >Another letter said: "Mark Christopher will seek the death sentence for damage and for insidious conduct delivered at the court by the coroner". > > > > ... > > > > Narita Bahra KC, representing the Harpers, said they were in Christopher’s "thrall" due to "the level of control and dominance he had". > > > >She claimed they had been "on a trajectory of awakening" since the trial. > > > >They were "pressured" to pay more than £30,000 to take part in online courses ran by Christopher, including a “mortgage elimination” scheme, Ms Bahra said. > > > >“The pernicious veil of the first defendant has impacted every aspect of Mr and Mrs Harper’s life,” she said. > > > >In his mitigation, Martin claimed to have been acting with King Charles III’s approval to tackle "state child trafficking" on Christopher’s behalf. > > And previously... > > * 'Cult' members found guilty of trying to kidnap Essex coroner

> The suspect accused of murdering three girls in Southport is facing new charges of possessing terrorist material and producing the highly toxic poison ricin, police have announced. > >Axel Rudakubana, 18, will appear at Westminster magistrates court on Wednesday charged with producing the biological toxin and having a document titled “Military studies in the Jihad against the Tyrants – the al-Qaida training manual”. > >Serena Kennedy, the chief constable of Merseyside police, said the murder of the three girls – Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven – was not being treated as a terrorist incident. She said no evidence pointing to a terrorist motive had been discovered. > > ... > > Ricin was discovered at Rudakubana’s home in the village of Banks, about 5 miles from Southport, in early August, days after the attack. Kennedy said there was no evidence that ricin was present at Hart Space, the scene of the knife attack, and that counter-terrorism police had “not declared the events of 29 July as a terrorist incident”. > >She said: “At this time, counter-terrorism policing has not declared the attack on Monday 29 July a terrorist incident. I recognise that the new charges may lead to speculation. > >“The matter for which Axel Rudakubana has been charged with under the Terrorism Act does not require motive to be established. For a matter to be declared a terrorist incident, motivation would need to be established. > > ... > > The Guardian understands 2,000 riot officers are on standby on Tuesday, fearing the disclosure of the new charges could trigger potential unrest. Robert Jenrick and Kemi Badenoch, who are days away from learning which of them will become the new Conservative party leader, immediately issued statements raising concerns about the approach of the police and Labour government. > >Jenrick said the attack was of “immense public concern” and that people “had a right to know the truth straight away” but that he was “seriously concerned that facts may have been withheld”. > >He added: “Any suggestion of a cover-up will permanently damage public trust in whether we’re being told the truth about crime in our country. Keir Starmer must urgently explain to the country what he knew about the Southport attack and when he learned it. > >“Across the board the hard reality of mass migration is being covered up. We need the truth – and we need to change.” > > ... > > Neil Basu, the former head of the UK’s counter-terrorism policing, also condemned Jenrick, saying such comments might jeopardise justice. “This is irresponsible, and repeating the mistakes of others, failing to calm a very volatile situation which we faced this summer. > >“I think he is stupid, he’s trying to win an election, and he is trying to whip up support among his base. He has made a stupid mistake.”

cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/19302241

> > A special Halloween episode full of new cases to investigate. Danny is joined by Evelyn Hollow and guest expert, celebrated writer and comedian Stewart Lee, a lover of ghost stories and weird folklore. Can they explain these strange real-life stories of the paranormal?

> A special Halloween episode full of new cases to investigate. Danny is joined by Evelyn Hollow and guest expert, celebrated writer and comedian Stewart Lee, a lover of ghost stories and weird folklore. Can they explain these strange real-life stories of the paranormal?

> Safety chiefs have sounded the alarm over a set of Christmas baubles sold by John Lewis that looks just like Quality Street chocolates. Concerns have been raised that the tasty-looking festive decorations could lead to injuries if people confuse them for the edible treats. > > But a nasty surprise awaits anyone who attempts to chomp down on these glass baubles, as they risk getting cuts in their mouths or on their hands. The Office for Product Safety and Standards has issued a recall notice, warning: "The products present a risk of cuts or injuries as they may be mistaken with real chocolates. > > "If the glass baubles are bitten or swallowed the user could receive lacerations to the mouth or hands. The products do not meet the requirements of the Food Imitations (Safety) Regulations 1989 or the General Product Safety Regulations 2005."

>Members of an "anti-establishment cult" have been jailed for up to seven years for storming a court with handcuffs and trying to kidnap a coroner. > >Mark Christopher, 59, led the group that tried to shut down Essex Coroner's Court in Chelmsford having accused senior coroner Lincoln Brookes of "interfering with the dead" in April 2023. > >Matthew Martin, 47, Sean Harper, 38, and his wife Shiza, 45, were part of the group and believed they could overrule the UK judicial system. > >All four were sentenced at Chelmsford Crown Court having been convicted of conspiracy to kidnap and conspiracy to commit false imprisonment. > >Christopher, of Claremont Road, Forest Gate, east London was also found guilty of sending a letter or email with intent to cause distress or anxiety. > >He was jailed for seven years, while Sean and Shiza Harper, of Benfleet Park Road, South Benfleet in Essex, and Martin, of Evelyn Denington Road, Plaistow in east London, were given 30-month sentences. > > Mr Justice Goss said the defendants were part of an "anti-establishment cult" who relied on "non-existent powers" to further their aims. > > ... > > The defendants were part of what law agencies called an "organised pseudolegal commercial arguments" (OPCA) group, usually defined as one that believes its interpretation of law supersedes a state's legal system. > >Members had self-conferred legal powers derived from what they believed to be the "true meanings" of words, the court heard. > >The group called itself the Federal Postal Court, also known as the Court of the People. > >Christopher was the group's "chief judge", with Martin and Sean Harper as his "sheriffs". > >Shiza Harper, a former special constable with the Metropolitan Police, held a "postal inspector" role. > > The group had "many followers across the country and the world" who held "delusional beliefs", the court was told. > >They were sold online courses for thousands of pounds by Christopher, who acted as the group’s "teacher". > >Addressing Christopher, Mr Justice Goss said: "I am satisfied that you are intelligent, persuasive, manipulative and dishonest. > >"Your group, of which you are the self-appointed leader, preys on the vulnerabilities of others, particularly those in financial difficulties, who you are able to persuade to pay you significant sums of money and to do your bidding. > >"You clearly recruited your co-defendants to your ideology [and] took a considerable amount of money from Sean and Shiza Harper." > > The court heard Christopher sent Mr Brookes a series of letters between March 2022 and April 2023, accusing him of being a "detrimental necromancer" who must face corporal punishment, including beating with cattle prods. > >Another letter said: "Mark Christopher will seek the death sentence for damage and for insidious conduct delivered at the court by the coroner". > > ... > > Narita Bahra KC, representing the Harpers, said they were in Christopher’s "thrall" due to "the level of control and dominance he had". > >She claimed they had been "on a trajectory of awakening" since the trial. > >They were "pressured" to pay more than £30,000 to take part in online courses ran by Christopher, including a “mortgage elimination” scheme, Ms Bahra said. > >“The pernicious veil of the first defendant has impacted every aspect of Mr and Mrs Harper’s life,” she said. > >In his mitigation, Martin claimed to have been acting with King Charles III’s approval to tackle "state child trafficking" on Christopher’s behalf.

And previously...

• 'Cult' members found guilty of trying to kidnap Essex coroner

> Kyle Edward Ball, the writer and director behind 2023’s micro-budget horror hit “Skinamarink,” has teamed up with A24 for his next film, “The Land of Nod.” > >Plot details are being kept under wraps, but Ball will write and direct the project, which will be released globally by A24. > > ... > > Speaking to Variety in 2022, Ball teased two ideas for future projects: One is a take on the Pied Piper legend, the other about three strangers who all see the same house in a dream. It’s unclear whether either of those ideas evolved into “The Land of Nod.” > > ... > > “The Land of Nod” joins A24’s slate of upcoming horror movies, including the Hugh Grant-starring “Heretic” and the comedy-horror “Y2K,” directed by Kyle Mooney. Variety also broke news of the studio’s upcoming horror film “Altar,” starring January Jones, Kyle MacLachlan, David Krumholtz, Lily Collias and Hudson Behling.

> The trailer for Mike Wiluan’s historical monster film, Orang Ikan, has been unveiled, ahead of its world premiere in the Tokyo International Film Festival’s Gala section. > >Set in 1942 in the Pacific, the film follows a Japanese soldier named Saito and a British prisoner-of-war named Bronson, who are stranded on a deserted island, hunted by a deadly creature known as the “Orang Ikan.” > > Orang Ikan is directed and written by Mike Wiluan, who also helmed Buffalo Boys, Losmen Melati and co-produced Crazy Rich Asians. > >The film stars actor-musician Dean Fujioka (Fullmetal Alchemist) and Callum Woodhouse (All Creatures Great and Small). > > ... > > The film will have its European premiere at the Trieste Science + Fiction Festival in the Asteroid Competition and its Southeast Asian premiere at the Singapore International Film Festival. > >“Orang Ikan is a creature horror that draws its inspiration from the early monster films such as Jack Arnold’s 1954 Creature from the Black Lagoon combined with a popular Malay Folklore and actual reports of sightings by Japanese occupying forces in East Indonesia during the war,” said writer-director Wiluan. > >“Orang Ikan is an Asian interpretation of the creature theme set during the tragic real life occurrences of WW2. Aside from the horror, the film accentuates the theme of brotherhood and humanity against devastating reality of survival. This particular theme was inspired by John Boorman’s 1968 classic Hell in the Pacific.”

Trailer

IMDb

> Compared with the screaming scare campaigns of the 1990s, anti-drugs messaging is thin on the ground these days. So the casual observer may not realise that Britain has, quietly but surely, lost its “war on drugs”. Amid a steep rise in drug poisonings, a particularly striking statistic emerged last week. Between 2022 and 2023, cocaine-related deaths in England and Wales soared by 30%. The figure is now around 10 times higher than in 2011. > > ... > > What is going on? One culprit is a precipitous rise in purity, which makes it easier to overdose by accident. Once cocaine was sold in a two-tier market: the cheap, heavily adulterated stuff, and the expensive, purer cocaine consumed by models, city traders and members of the Bullingdon Club. Now, according to the latest United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime report, cocaine in Europe has on average a purity of over 60%, compared with 35% in 2009. Today, even street cocaine rivals the top-end stuff of the 1980s. > >This may in part be the unintended consequence of government crackdowns on cutting agents such as benzocaine, a dental anaesthetic. But the result is a drug that is often far stronger than users are expecting. This could be particularly true of generation X – now accumulating health issues – which came of age at a time of much milder cocaine: the highest rate of recent deaths in England and Wales is among men aged 40 to 49. > > ... > > It also means cocaine is more often mixed with other drugs, rather than consumed reverently, by itself, as a treat. This ramps up the danger. It is now so cheap and prevalent that drinkers use it to temper the effects of alcohol, in order to drink more. And to fill the gap left in the higher end of the market, there are complicated cocktails. Liam Payne, who died this month, had “pink cocaine” in his system: a drug that typically includes methamphetamine, ketamine, MDMA and crack cocaine. According to Harry Sumnall, a professor in substance use at Liverpool John Moores University, about 20% of the recently recorded cocaine deaths were in association with alcohol, and a third involved other drugs.

> A former counter terrorism chief has described how he initially wondered if the poisoning of a former spy and his daughter could have been "an act of war". > >Former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were exposed to the deadly nerve agent Novichok in Salisbury in March 2018. > >Neil Basu, who led the counter-terrorism investigation, said the "true horror" of the "colourless and odourless" poison was not knowing how to warn people or what to look for. > >In an exclusive interview with the BBC's Salisbury Poisonings podcast, he said: "To leave that lying around anywhere on foreign soil is the most unbelievably reckless disregard for human life I've ever witnessed."

> Mike Amesbury MP has been suspended from the Labour Party after CCTV footage emerged which appears to show he punched one of his constituents in the face before attacking the victim while he was on the floor. > >The footage, obtained by MailOnline, shows Mr Amesbury squaring up to one of his constituents at 2.15am on Saturday in his constituency of Runcorn and Helsby, Cheshire. > > He proceeds to punch the victim in the face, who then falls into the road. The Labour MP then punches the victim at least six times more while he is on the ground. > >The Labour politician, who has now lost the whip, has claimed he “felt threatened” in the run-up to the exchange and was later filmed telling the victim never to threaten him again as others attended to the injured man. > > ... > > A Labour Party spokesperson said: “Mike Amesbury MP has been assisting Cheshire Police with their inquiries following an incident on Friday night. As these inquiries are now ongoing, the Labour Party has administratively suspended Mr Amesbury’s membership of the Labour Party pending an investigation.’’

Previously:

• Labour MP Mike Amesbury filmed in heated exchange as assault reported

edit: Video footage seems to be exclusive to the Daily Mail.

> About a decade ago, I ventured my opinion that the adult multitudes queueing for superhero movies were potentially an indicator of emotional arrest, which could have worrying political and social implications. Since at that time Brexit, Donald Trump and fascist populism hadn’t happened yet, my evidently crazy diatribe was largely met with outrage from the fan community, some of whom angrily demanded I be extradited to the US and made to stand trial for my crimes against superhumanity – which I felt didn’t necessarily disprove my allegations. > > ... > > Ten years on, let me make my position clear: I believe that fandom is a wonderful and vital organ of contemporary culture, without which that culture ultimately stagnates, atrophies and dies. At the same time, I’m sure that fandom is sometimes a grotesque blight that poisons the society surrounding it with its mean-spirited obsessions and ridiculous, unearned sense of entitlement. > > ... > > Unnervingly rapidly, our culture has become a fan-based landscape that the rest of us are merely living in. Our entertainments may be cancelled prematurely through an adverse fan reaction, and we may endure largely misogynist crusades such as Gamergate or Comicsgate from those who think “gate” means “conspiracy”, and that Nixon’s disgrace was predicated on a plot involving water, but this is hardly the full extent to which fan attitudes have toxified the world surrounding us, most obviously in our politics. > > Elections that decide the fate of millions are conducted in an atmosphere more suited to evictions on I’m a Celebrity …, in which contestants who are insufficiently amusing are removed from office. Saleability, not substance, is the issue. Those who vote for Donald Trump or Boris Johnson seem less moved by policy or prior accomplishment than by how much they’ve enjoyed the performances on The Apprentice or Have I Got News for You. And throughout the UK, we’re now familiar with what a Stephen Yaxley-Lennon fan convention looks like. > >An enthusiasm that is fertile and productive can enrich life and society, just as displacing personal frustrations into venomous tirades about your boyhood hobby can devalue them. Quite liking something is OK. You don’t need the machete or the megaphone. > >Candidly, for my part, readers would have always been more than sufficient.

cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/19191735

> > Fans of the Predator franchise got exciting news this week when it was announced that Predator: Badlands, the next installment in the Predator franchise, would hit theaters in November 2025 but then got even better news when it was revealed that another, secret Predator film was also coming out in 2025 with it also being directed by Prey filmmaker Dan Trachtenberg That’s two Predator films from Trachtenberg next year, but now, a new rumor may be shedding some light on what to expect from that secret, second film and according to Gizmodo, it might just be an animated anthology. > > > > Per their report, the secret Predator movie is looking like it will be an animated feature that will be anthology-like in that it will tell three different stories of different Predators fighting warriors across multiple eras. The report suggests that one could be pirates, one samurai, and a third unknown one.

cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/19191735

> > Fans of the Predator franchise got exciting news this week when it was announced that Predator: Badlands, the next installment in the Predator franchise, would hit theaters in November 2025 but then got even better news when it was revealed that another, secret Predator film was also coming out in 2025 with it also being directed by Prey filmmaker Dan Trachtenberg That’s two Predator films from Trachtenberg next year, but now, a new rumor may be shedding some light on what to expect from that secret, second film and according to Gizmodo, it might just be an animated anthology. > > > > Per their report, the secret Predator movie is looking like it will be an animated feature that will be anthology-like in that it will tell three different stories of different Predators fighting warriors across multiple eras. The report suggests that one could be pirates, one samurai, and a third unknown one.

cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/19191261

> > Newly out from Chaosium, No Time to Scream. This is a collection of three short scenarios for Call of Cthulhu. If you want a little more eldritch horror in your life this spooky season, you’ve come to the right place. These are perfect little nuggets of horror. Each adventure is designed to be played in about two hours or so, and comes with pre-generated characters, full-color maps, and of course, handouts to draw players in. > > > > ... > > > > All of the adventures share a common theme: a racing clock. With that in mind, Keepers will find some extra tools to help keep the game moving, as well as some help for adding more investigators for bigger group play. > > > > Here’s a taste of the three different scenarios: > > > >* A Lonely Thread – Something is wrong with Professor Thomas. Unfortunately, you didn’t know that when you arrived at his charming woodland cabin. Can you act in time your friend? Or will a horrific secret devour all? > >* Bits & Pieces – A doctor’s body lies next to an autopsy table, and the corpse he was examining has vanished! The only clue is a set of bloody footprints. A devilish game of hide and seek ensues – with gory consequences. > >* Aurora Blue – A band of U.S. Treasury agents raid an illegal whiskey distillery hidden in Alaska’s Chugach Mountains. The sun is setting… and that’s when the really bad things come out to play.

> Newly out from Chaosium, No Time to Scream. This is a collection of three short scenarios for Call of Cthulhu. If you want a little more eldritch horror in your life this spooky season, you’ve come to the right place. These are perfect little nuggets of horror. Each adventure is designed to be played in about two hours or so, and comes with pre-generated characters, full-color maps, and of course, handouts to draw players in. > > ... > > All of the adventures share a common theme: a racing clock. With that in mind, Keepers will find some extra tools to help keep the game moving, as well as some help for adding more investigators for bigger group play. > > Here’s a taste of the three different scenarios: > >* A Lonely Thread – Something is wrong with Professor Thomas. Unfortunately, you didn’t know that when you arrived at his charming woodland cabin. Can you act in time your friend? Or will a horrific secret devour all? >* Bits & Pieces – A doctor’s body lies next to an autopsy table, and the corpse he was examining has vanished! The only clue is a set of bloody footprints. A devilish game of hide and seek ensues – with gory consequences. >* Aurora Blue – A band of U.S. Treasury agents raid an illegal whiskey distillery hidden in Alaska’s Chugach Mountains. The sun is setting… and that’s when the really bad things come out to play.

Context

cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/19180940

> > A video has emerged appearing to show MP Mike Amesbury shouting and swearing at a man who is lying on the pavement during an apparent disturbance in Cheshire. > > > >The Labour member for Runcorn and Helsby is seen pointing to the man and saying “you won’t threaten the MP ever again, will you?” in the early hours of Saturday in Frodsham town centre. > > > >It is not clear from the footage, which was apparently filmed by an onlooker, what happened in the moments beforehand. > > > >A Cheshire Police spokeswoman said officers were called to reports of an assault and were examining the circumstances. > > > > ... > > > > Posting on his own Facebook page, the 55-year-old backbencher said: "Last night I was involved in an incident that took place after I felt threatened following an evening out with friends. > > > >"This morning I contacted Cheshire Police myself to report what happened.

> A video has emerged appearing to show MP Mike Amesbury shouting and swearing at a man who is lying on the pavement during an apparent disturbance in Cheshire. > >The Labour member for Runcorn and Helsby is seen pointing to the man and saying “you won’t threaten the MP ever again, will you?” in the early hours of Saturday in Frodsham town centre. > >It is not clear from the footage, which was apparently filmed by an onlooker, what happened in the moments beforehand. > >A Cheshire Police spokeswoman said officers were called to reports of an assault and were examining the circumstances. > > ... > > Posting on his own Facebook page, the 55-year-old backbencher said: "Last night I was involved in an incident that took place after I felt threatened following an evening out with friends. > >"This morning I contacted Cheshire Police myself to report what happened.