The boy was taken to hospital where he later died

A seven-year-old boy has died after being found in water near March in Cambridgeshire. Police were called at around 2pm on Monday (April 6) with reports of concern for a person at Priory Golf Centre, March.

An ambulance, ambulance officer vehicle, rapid response vehicle, and the Magpas Air Ambulance attended. The boy was taken to hospital but died shortly afterwards.

A spokesperson for East of England Ambulance Service said: ““We were called just after 2pm to reports of a child in the water on March Road in Wimblington.

“We dispatched an ambulance, ambulance officer vehicle, rapid response vehicle and the Magpas Air Ambulance. The child was transported by road to Peterborough City Hospital for further treatment.

“We were later informed the child had sadly died. Our thoughts and condolences go out to the child’s family and friends.”

Cambridgeshire Police have confirmed that the death is not being treated as suspicious. A file has been passed to the coroner.

A spokesperson for Cambridgeshire Police said: “We were called at about 2pm yesterday with reports of concern for a person at Priory Golf Centre, March. A seven-year-old boy was taken to hospital but sadly died a short time later.”

They now earn an extra £12k a year than they did working in the police force

A Cambridgeshire couple quit their jobs in the police force to set up their own business picking up dog poo. David and Shauna Wiles launched their professional dog poop cleaning business in October after leaving their £41,000 and £44,000-a-year jobs with Cambridgeshire Constabulary.

In April 2025, they had already set up a window cleaning business but noticed an opportunity for a side-hussle scooping poop, which is already big business in America.

The married couple, from Peterborough, believe that they are one of a small number of businesses across the UK providing this service. They say that is is mainly used by the elderly and disabled, and also includes cleaning cat litter trays.

David, 42 and Shauna, 47, say the poop-picking side of their business is set to make an extra £12,000 a year and could eventually become more profitable than their £30,000-£40,000 a year window cleaning business. The couple decided to leave the police force because of the strain of the job. David has already left, and Shauna will officially leave on April 22.

David, who worked as an emergency call handler, said: “I left the force because, for me, I felt like I was letting people down – I’m one of those who want to help people and I was finding I was struggling to do that. Some want to speak to officers that day and I’m thinking you’ll be lucky if one comes out at all because we don’t have the resources to send out.

“I spent 11 years with the ambulance service before that and suffered from burn out and I just thought I’ve got bigger priorities in my life like my 10-year-old daughter who I wasn’t seeing as much. I just lost faith in the job and the window cleaning and poop scooping just gives me a chance to do what I enjoy and that is making people happy.”

Shauna, a previous domestic abuse advisor, said: “I got to the point where the job was affecting my mental health given the nature of the victims and cases I was dealing with. It just became too much.”

The couple set up their window cleaning company, Nene Window Cleaning whilst they were still working part-time with the police, but they both decided that they wanted to throw themselves fully into their new business ventures. They noticed the need for poop scooping services whilst cleaning windows and noticing the mess in the gardens.

They thought that as people pay for services such as car cleaning, delivering food, cleaners and dog walkers, why not poop scooping?

David and Shanua have since been helping people who struggle physically with the demands of the messy garden job. The couple, who have three children and are pet owners themselves, have roughly 20 regular customers on a subscription and have privoded one-off cleans for another 30 clients.

Shauna said: “We first noticed the need while window cleaning and coming across dog poo in gardens. We found ourselves having to step around a lot but sometimes our hose would get dirty. David then did a bit of research and found this was huge business in the USA but only a handful of companies were doing the same here.

“There were only about four or five nationwide but they seemed to be low budget and amateur, which I do say with respect, but what we offer is a more full professional works. We wanted the van with signage, uniforms, all the right equipment, including disinfecting gardens afterwards – we don’t think there’s many offering the same level of service.

“We use a horse bucket, which we empty into bags which are double bagged and put into the clients wheelie bins. We did query with the council if we would need waste disposal but as long as its bagged and binned with the homeowner’s permission that is fine. We are also DBS checked and have business liability insurance – we’ve put everything into making this as professional as possible.

“We have our own dog Rufus, a Bichon Frisé crossed with a Shih-tzu, so we’re used to picking up mess and you soon get used to it. You do come across some quite neglected gardens which prove quite tricky, but you adapt.

“We set up in October but have only been fully up and running since February. Despite this we already have around 20 regular customers paying us a £50 a month subscription. It is proving very popular already and bringing in on average £1,000 a month.

“We run the window cleaning and poop scooping as two separate companies and we aim to grow and expand to the point where we are employing staff. We have disabled and elderly people as customers but the service is available to anyone. These days people have gardeners, their shopping delivered or their houses cleaned .

“It could just be a job you don’t like doing, and to be honest it is one of the worst jobs around the garden to do, so there’s really no shame in it. We’re also introducing a grass-cutting service too to mow your lawn once we’ve picked up the poo. Some people might frown at it – but it’s a job we’re happy to help with.”

David added: “There is a need for our services and we are helping elderly people and those with disabilities. Those people were struggling and needed our help. As a result it is really rewarding. We have seen comments saying if you can’t pick up after your dog then you shouldn’t have a dog.

“But we have found those animals are very much loved. The big thing for us was to start a business to try and improve our lives. We wanted to get out of shift work and spend more time with our family. We have realised we are genuinely helping a lot of people.

“We wear specialised PPE and footwear and use tools and disinfectant. This service didn’t exist before and we are getting great feedback from customers.”

Police are asking anyone who has seen him to contact the force

Cambridgeshire Police are appealing for the public’s help in finding a missing 15-year-old boy. Alfie Caney, 15, was last seen in Orton, Peterborough, at about 6pm on March 28 wearing a green hoodie, black jogging bottoms and trainers.

He is described by police as white and about 175cm tall with brown hair. He has links to the Chatham area of Kent.

Anyone who has seen Alfie or has information about his whereabouts is asked to quote incident 338 of March 28 and report it through the force website. Anyone without internet access should call 101.

A further two alpacas suffered facial injuries that required immediate veterinary care

Four alpacas have died after a dog attack in a Cambridgeshire town farm. Officers from the Rural Crime Action Team (RCAT) were called to reports of two dogs attacking livestock at a farm in Wisbech St Mary just after 6:30am on Tuesday, March 24.

The attack left four alpacas dead and a further two with facial injuries that required immediate veterinary care. Officers seized the two dogs involved.

An investigation into attacking and worrying livestock is ongoing. Cambridgeshire Police has issued a warning to dog walkers to keep pets under control following the attack.

Sergent Tom Nuttall, from the RCAT, said: “This was an extremely distressing incident for all involved, and I would like to thank the victim and the dog owner for continuing to be cooperative with our investigation.

“Livestock worrying is a criminal offence under UK law. Following the introduction of the Dogs Protection of Livestock Amendment Act 2025 last month, llamas and alpacas are now included in the definition of livestock.

“I would like to remind dog owners to ensure their animals are kept secure and on a lead in the rural areas of our county in a bid to keep all animals safe.”

Cambridgeshire Police has provided some advice for dog owners alongside farmers and landowners.

Advice for farmers and landowners

• Install clear signage to remind walkers of legal requirements;
• Position troughs away from public paths;
• Maintain fencing and consider deterrents like electric fencing;
• Install CCTV or trail cameras to deter and record evidence;
• Photograph injuries and cover carcasses to retain DNA evidence.

Advice for dog owners

• Always keep dogs on a lead near livestock, even if they are well-trained;
• Observe local signage and seasonal rules (e.g. mandatory leads on open access land between March 1 and July 31);
• Ensure fencing and gates are secure to prevent dogs from escaping;
• Be aware of surroundings and only allow dogs off lead in areas free of livestock;
• If your dog is involved in an incident, call 101 immediately.

The crash involved a car and a police van.

A police officer has been injured after being involved in a crash. Cambridgeshire Police were called to reports of a crash on Gilbert Road in Cambridge at around 8.55am on Thursday (April 2).

The collision involved a car and a police van. One officer was injured during the incident. No arrests have been made.

A spokesperson for Cambridgeshire Police said: “We were called at about 8.55am this morning (2 April) to Gilbert Road, Cambridge, to reports of a collision between a car and a police van.

“An officer suffered minor injuries, there were no arrests and officers remain at the scene.”

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The claimant said Cambridgeshire Police had falsified reports after he was involved in a crash

A senior judge has said complaints against the police should not be “swept under the carpet” as he allowed a cyclist’s £4.8 million court battle against three forces to proceed to trial. Sir Geoffrey Vos said that it was ‘critical’ for public confidence in policing that complaints against forces were not ‘ignored’ amid a legal claim over allegations of “misfeasance in a public office”.

Gijsbert van Buuren is suing the Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, and Hertfordshire forces, as well as the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC). He claims that all four bodies helped to conceal Cambridgeshire Police’s falsifying reports after he was knocked off his bike in Histon, near Cambridge, in August 2013.

The crash caused him serious injuries and required him to be taken to hospital by police. While Cambridgeshire Police officers reported that he had fallen off his bike, Mr van Buuren was later told by witnesses that he had been clipped by a passing car.

Mr van Buuren, who has no recollection of the crash and is representing himself, is now suing for £4.8 million in damages. In January last year, he had most of his claim against Cambridgeshire Police thrown out, as well as all of his claim against the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Constabularies and the IOPC.

He challenged the decision at the Court of Appeal, claiming at a hearing last week that the High Court should have ruled in his favour before a trial as he had received no explanation for what had happened and was the victim of “untargeted malice”.

In a ruling on Tuesday, Sir Geoffrey, sitting with Lady Justice Asplin and Lady Justice Elisabeth Laing, said that lawyers for the three constabularies and the IOPC conceded at the hearing that the bodies consented to the claims against them being reinstated.

The judges also separately dismissed Mr van Buuren’s challenge to the High Court’s decision not to rule in his favour before a trial. Sir Geoffrey stated: “I do not think that the defendants have ‘no real prospect’ of successfully defending the claim.”

He said: “There are some concerning allegations about Mr van Buuren’s physical treatment at the scene of the accident and in relation to how and when he was taken to hospital, which I would not discount as necessarily irrelevant at this stage.”

He continued: “I suggested in the course of the hearing that the defendants may not have been taking the allegations made against them sufficiently seriously. This case is troubling. It is critical, if public confidence in the police and in the complaints processes relating to them are to be maintained, that cases of this kind are neither ignored nor swept under the carpet.”

A trial in the claim could take place before the end of the year.

The victim reported the abuse after more than two decades.

A paedophile has been jailed for historic sexual abuse of a young girl that happened more than 25 years ago. Shahid Hussain, 60, abused the victim at an address in Peterborough between 2000 and 2002, starting when she was just seven years old.

The victim decided to report the abuse to the police more than two decades later when she reached her 30s. Hussain was interviewed by officers in April 2023, but denied any wrongdoing and claimed the allegations had been “made up to get at him”.

After a trial at Cambridge Crown Court in November last year, he was found guilty of four counts of indecent assault on a girl under the age of 14. On Friday, March 27, Hussain, of Field Avenue, Oxford, was sentenced to four years in prison. He was also placed on the Sex Offenders Register.

DC Harley Smart, who investigated, said: “First and foremost, I want to recognise the victim’s incredible courage in coming forward after so many years. It takes immense strength to report childhood abuse, and her bravery has ensured Hussain has finally been held accountable for what he did.

“Hussain denied the offences throughout and showed no remorse, but the jury saw through his attempts to avoid responsibility. This sentence sends a clear message that such abuse will not be tolerated. I hope this result provides the victim with some sense of closure and reassurance as she continues to move forward with her life.

“No matter how much time has passed, we will always listen, investigate thoroughly, and seek justice for survivors of sexual abuse.”

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He was dressed all in black, wearing a balaclava and armed with a knife

A man terrified his ex-partner by running at her with a knife while wearing a balaclava. Logan Cook, 24, was subject to a restraining order preventing him from contacting or approaching his former partner of five years.

At about 1.30pm on August 28, 2024, the victim was standing outside near to her home in Peterborough, talking to two people, when a car pulled up. Cook jumped out, dressed all in black, wearing a balaclava and armed with a knife.

According to Cambridgeshire Police, the 24-year-old ran towards the trio shouting, “come on then, come on then”. The group fled into a nearby block of flats before managing to escape into the victim’s home.

Cook, of no fixed address, ran to the building but eventually turned back and returned to the vehicle. The terrified victim, who had been separated from Cook for some years, called the police the following day.

Enquiries revealed the car belonged to Cook’s new partner and he was living in Northamptonshire. A few days later, Northamptonshire officers spotted the vehicle. After a pursuit, Cook fled on foot but was chased down and arrested.

At a hearing earlier this year, he pleaded guilty to harassment, breach of a restraining order, and possession of a knife blade/sharp pointed article in a public place. Cook was sentenced to two years and seven months in prison at Peterborough Crown Court on Tuesday, March 24.

A further charge of threatening a person with a bladed article was ordered to lie on file. He was handed a further four-year restraining order.

During sentencing, Judge Matthew Lowe described Cook as a “troubled man” who had driven to the victim’s home “to intimidate and disguise himself”. “The defendant achieved his objectives by terrifying the victim and her friends,” he added.

DC Igor Simonov, who investigated, said: “Cook deliberately turned up at the victim’s home armed with a knife and disguised, clearly intending to frighten her. His behaviour was terrifying and completely unacceptable. Thanks to swift, coordinated work by officers across two counties, he was identified, located and arrested before he could cause any further harm.“

DC Simonov added: “We hope this sentence brings the victim some reassurance and sends a clear message that we will not tolerate intimidation, harassment or violence. Anyone who chooses to behave in this way will be robustly pursued and brought before the courts.”

Debris from the crash also hit another car

A motorcyclist has died following a crash with a tractor on the A142. The rider of a yellow Yamaha motorbike was travelling from the Block Fen Drove roundabout towards Chatteris when he collided with a tractor travelling in the opposite direction at about 8.11pm yesterday (March 31).

Officers and paramedics attended, but the motorcyclist, a 53-year-old man from March, sadly died at the scene. The driver of the tractor, a 16-year-old boy from Haddenham, was interviewed at the scene and is helping officers with their enquiries. Debris from the crash also hit another car, a Volkswagen Polo, but the driver was uninjured.

An investigation has been launched and officers are keen to hear from anyone who may have witnessed either the motorbike or tractor before the collision, those with relevant dash cam footage, or with any information about the collision.

The public have been urged to report information online here quoting Operation Juniper or incident 485 of 31 March. Call 101 if you do not have internet access.

Alex Harpur-Wyatt breached his Community Protection Notice after a missing teenager was found at his home

A man who had a vulnerable missing teenager in his home, which breached his legal order, has been fined. Alex Harpur-Wyatt, 39, was given a Community Protection Warning (CPW) earlier this year after concerns were raised about his contact with and behaviour towards teenage girls.

Shortly after receiving the CPW, the Cambridge City Neighbourhood Policing Team spotted him talking to three 17-year-old girls. The group also had alcohol with them.

Harpur-Wyatt, of Pathfinder Way, Northstowe, Cambridge, was then issued with a Community Protection Notice (CPN) last month. This a more severe warning that carries a power of arrest if it is ignored.

Harpur-Wyatt breached the CPN less than a month after. On February 27, a missing 17-year-old girl was found at his home. Harpur-Wyatt appeared at Cambridge Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, March 26. He was handed a fine of £120 after he admitted breaching the order.

The CPN will run until February 2027. The order prohibits Harpur-Wyatt from:

• Loitering around the area of the Co-op, in High Street, Longstanton
• Engaging with any young person under 18 without the express permission of that young person’s parents or guardian. This includes face to face communication, communication via social media, text messaging and telephone calls
• Purchasing alcohol on the behalf of any young person under 18
• Not giving alcohol to any young person under 18
• Not giving alcohol or illegal drugs, including Ketamine, to any person
• Not having any children under 18 in his home
• Having no unopened alcohol in a public place

PC Ross Howard, from the force’s Child Exploitation Hub, said: “So far, Harpur-Wyatt has not taken the legal orders imposed on him as a deterrent, but we continue to monitor him closely. Child exploitation can happen anywhere – in any town, any street, and to any family. You may feel it would never affect someone you know, but the reality is that it can, and it does.

“We would strongly encourage parents and carers to learn the signs of child exploitation and speak with their children, or the young people in their lives, about any concerns they may have. Sometimes, a single conversation can make all the difference and please do reach out to us if something doesn’t feel right. Anyone with any concerns a child may be being exploited should report this to us and the local authority.”

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