In the space of a few months, Adam Gemili went from playing for Dagenham and Redbridge academy to becoming World Junior 100m champion and stepping onto the start line at the London 2012 Olympics.

Gemili had left Chelsea’s academy at 15 after training alongside the likes of Ruben Loftus-Cheek, and three years later was racing against Jamaican legends Asafa Powell and Yohan Blake at the Olympics.

Now, as the Londoner announces his retirement from athletics, he will be sharing his wisdom with the current Chelsea youngsters as he joins the Premier League club part-time as a speed coach.

“I dabbled a little bit in athletics, but I didn’t really try properly, and I remember just suddenly getting into the sport in training, and I just picked it up so quickly,” Gemili said.

“I was winning races and next thing I know, six months later, it’s a home Olympics and I’m lining up for GB thinking ‘what am I doing here?’

“Honestly, it the most imposter syndrome I’ve ever had, I was thinking ‘how does this happen to me?’

“Six months prior, no one had ever asked for my autograph or asked for a picture with me and now all of a sudden I’m at a home Olympics.

“Everyone sort of knew who I was, I was the young sprinter on the block, it was a really crazy time, not just for myself, for my family as well.

“I’d seen Usain Bolt, Asafa Powell and Yohan Blake on the TV, then suddenly, I’m in the call room, looking across and Usain’s sitting there.

“I remember thinking to myself ‘lock in, come on, focus’ – I was fangirling.

“I was in the Olympic Village in London walking around and Serena Williams walked in front of me and I was like ‘what’s happening? I was playing at Dagenham five, six months ago’. I didn’t really feel like I belonged.”

Now as Gemili retires with a plentiful collection of medals, including a 4x100m gold from the London World Championships in 2017 and four European golds, he returns to where it all started to help the next generation at Chelsea.

“I’m just a normal guy from Dartford, we didn’t grow up with a lot,” Gemili added. “We just worked hard and I committed to my sport.

“I just hope one or two of them [the academy players] take some inspiration from that and say ‘you know what, it doesn’t matter if I can’t do it in this way, I’ll always find a way to be successful’.

“It doesn’t matter what you do. My story is my own and I hope a lot of these guys can create their own stories.

“I really hope they will go on and become super famous, rich, successful footballers that I can ring up and say ‘oh, I need some tickets for this game’, but the reality is it might not happen.

“But they might then be able to go ‘Adam used to do that and then he became a professional athlete in another sport, maybe I can do that’.

“These kids are so talented, they’re going to be talented no matter what they do – these 12, 13, 14-year-olds, they are just a different breed.

“It’s more brutal to be amongst [academy football] now, social media wasn’t a thing when I was growing up and now everything you do is online.

“Everyone can judge everyone, so the pressure, the performance, you’ve got to be on it.”

Through his background in football and athletics, Gemili can provide a unique perspective on improving your speed and emphasises that while all sports are different, the key is to learn was ‘fast’ feels like.

He’ll be setting up his own ‘academy’ to help sprinters, footballers, and young athletes from other sports learn how they can optimise their speed.

“Knowledge is power and if I’m able to teach these kids everything that I know, I can die happy,” he added.

“I hope even just one or two of them can feel some sort of inspiration from my story because football is very tough sport – like, I never planned to become an athlete.

“For a lot of these guys they won’t make it to the top level, they won’t make it to the top of the Premier League.

“But if I can teach them the skills that I got, one or two of them might even come into athletics, you never you never really know.”

Home World Championships ‘inspire a nation’

The bidding process for the 2029 World Athletics Championships is ongoing, but British Athletics’ bid has been hit by reports West Ham are yet to agree to the London Stadium’s use.

Gemili said the impact of a home championships cannot be missed, as he reflected back on his experience competing in the stadium in 2012 and at the 2017 World Championships.

“It gives athletes a great opportunity, but also it inspires a city, inspires a nation,” he said.

“Who knows in 10 or 15 years, that moment might make the future because there would definitely have been people in that 2017 stadium that were inspired by performances there that are now on British teams.

“I really hope they can come to an agreement, because sport should be celebrated and – football, athletics – there’s so much joy and brilliance that it brings to people.

“It brings such community in it, and especially London, it brings such a city together when especially over the last couple of years, it’s felt quite divided.”

Rob Burrow’s father, Geoff, has died aged 74 following a tireless campaign for motor neurone disease after the death of his rugby legend son.

The Leeds Rhino star passed away nearly two years ago at just 41 from motor neurone disease, having bravely battled the disease for nearly five years.

He had campaigned valiantly to increase awareness of MND and raised more than £15million alongside his close friend and former Leeds Rhinos team-mate Kevin Sinfield in a bid to fund crucial research.

His final wish had been for construction to begin on a new £6m facility based in Leeds and designed to support the needs of people living with MND.

But his tragic death was announced the day before a ground breaking ceremony for the site, leaving his heartbroken father to dig the first hole.

He was watched by the rest of his family and Mr Sinfield, and admitted the poignant moment ‘meant everything’.

On the centre, Mr Burrow added: ‘We’re glad, I wish he could have seen it open. But he will see it through Jackson and the kids, Lindsey. We’re going to make him proud.’ 

The Leeds Rhinos, Rob’s former team, confirmed the sad news of Geoff’s passing with a heartfelt tribute on social media this morning. 

They wrote: ‘It is with deep sadness that the club has learnt of the passing of Geoff Burrow, the father of Rob Burrow.

‘Our deepest condolences go to Geoff’s wife Irene and the whole Burrow family at this time. May he rest in peace.’

Tributes have begun flooding in, from rugby fans and clubs alike.

Hull KR said: ‘Everyone at Hull KR sends our best wishes to the Burrow family at this difficult time.’

Hull FC added: ‘The thoughts and condolences of everyone at Hull FC are with Geoff’s family and friends, and the entire Burrow family. RIP, Geoff’ 

Wigan Warriors added: ‘Everyone at Wigan Warriors sends our love and support to the Burrow family at this difficult time.’ 

Bradford Bulls wrote: ‘Our thoughts and condolences are with Geoff’s family at this difficult time.’ 

Andrew Foster said: ‘Devastating news. Geoff was a hero. The care and time he had for Rycroft and Beau after all he had been through was incredible. What a legacy he has left for both rugby league and the MND community. RIP Geoff. You did Rob and your whole family proud.’ 

Andrew Ball said: ‘Such sad news, although didn’t know him, he came across as such a genuine person. Who carried himself and the family through a terrible time, and did a lot of great work for an important charity. RIP!’ 

Sheron Boyle added: ‘Oh my goodness. I spoke with lovely Geoff a couple of weeks ago as he was fighting for MND new medications for sufferers. His heart was broken by Rob’s death. I hope Irene, the girls and family take comfort that he is reunited with his beloved boy. RIP Geoff.’

Leeds Rhinos, the club Burrow spent his entire 17-year career with and who announced his own tragic passing, staged a tear-jerking tribute at Headingley at the time.

Burrow’s name and a large yellow number seven adorned the pitch while Rhinos players wore a blue and orange jersey for the Super League fixture against Leigh.

The touching pre-match event, which coincidentally took place on Global MND Awareness Day, also saw Burrow’s father address the capacity crowd.

‘It’s a very emotional night especially because Leeds against Leigh was the first home game I took Rob to,’ Mr Burrow, whose voice cracked with emotion, said.

‘He loved every minute.

‘He was cheeky but he was a lovely, lovely lad. And I miss him so much.’

Geoff had previously spoken about how his son had passed away peacefully and ‘on his terms’ surrounded by his family at Pinderfields Hospital near his home in Yorkshire June 2 2024. 

The father-of-three had his devoted wife Lindsey, his three children, his parents Geoff and Irene, as well as his two sisters Joanne Hartshorne and Claire Burnett at his bedside at Pinderfields Hospital in Castleford as he moved on. 

This is a breaking story, more to follow. 

The BBC was on Sunday accused of being ‘anti-British’ over secret plans to slash its TV team behind broadcasts of royal occasions and veterans’ remembrance events.

The broadcaster is understood to be cutting staff numbers at BBC Studios Events Productions to just one member in a desperate bid to save cash.

The team organise coverage of State events, such as the Queen’s funeral, King Charles’ coronation and the annual Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph.

Critics accused the Corporation of prioritising woke events, such as the Glastonbury Festival, over more traditional occasions, including the annual Trooping of the Colour.

A source said the move was being ‘sneaked through’ at a time of turmoil at the Corporation, which currently has no permanent director general in charge.

Boss Tim Davie, who resigned following criticism of the editing ⁠of a Panorama video ​clip of US President Donald Trump, is due to leave this week but new boss, ex-Google executive Matt Brittin, is not due to take over until May. Rhodri Talfan Davies, the broadcaster’s director of nations, will lead the broadcaster in the interim, the BBC said.

A source said the small but experienced BBC Events team – whose coverage of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and funeral has been recognised by BAFTA – already operates with no more than six permanent staff and costs ‘peanuts’ in comparison to the millions the BBC spends every year on sending a 550-strong army of employees to the Worthy Farm music event, in Somerset.

It is understood that news of the job losses came last week – just a day after the team  won a Royal Television Society Award for their live coverage of Holocaust Memorial Day, which marked the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, on January 27, 2025. 

The source said it will be impossible for one individual to organise coverage of historically important occasions, such as the anniversary celebrations of VE Day and D-Day, which take months of coordination, even with the help of freelance workers.

Insiders at Buckingham Palace are also worried about the implications for royal programming if the team is decimated, and fear a knock on in production quality and scheduling prominence afforded to them previously.

‘It’s been sneaked in under the radar while they have no DG,’ says a senior source. ‘They will have one person left to answer the phone but they might as well shut the thing down. These big events can take months of planning.’

The source said bosses had already decided to remove BBC Events from coverage of the State Opening of Parliament, in May, which instead will be staffed by news crews alone.

It also comes after the Corporation announced it would not be broadcasting the famous Oxford versus Cambridge Boat Race on either TV or radio next weekend for the first time in a century.

Earlier this month, bosses axed live coverage of the Commonwealth Day Service, which was replaced on BBC One by an episode of Escape to the Country. The BBC blamed ‘funding challenges’ for that decision, which was branded ‘appalling.’

Former Attorney General Sir Michael Ellis KC, who served as Minister for Arts in Prime Minister Theresa May’s government, said: ‘This is another disgraceful anti-British decision from the BBC.

‘Somehow they can find unlimited resources to send an absurd retinue of 550 staff to the Glastonbury Festival but they want to cut the excellent team who have won awards for their coverage of important ceremonial and key State events in the life of this nation.

‘Their coverage of such wonderful events as Trooping the Colour and the State Opening of Parliament have been enjoyed and admired around the world. Yet that is the department they have chosen to slash.

‘This is another total departure from the principles upon which Lord Reith established the BBC and is yet another reason why forcing the public to pay a licence fee is an anachronism that cannot continue.’

Tory MP and former television presenter Esther McVey described the move as ‘insulting to the memory of veterans.’

She said: ‘It is outrageous that the BBC sees fit to send 550 members of staff to cover Glastonbury, particularly given the controversy around the Bob Vylan performance last year, while at the same time is making cuts to the department responsible for bringing some of the most significant events in history and dates in the diary to the public.

‘Covering occasions, such as the Queen’s funeral, are important for our British-ness and it is insulting and frankly distasteful that they are prioritising a music festival over key dates in the diary, such as Remembrance Sunday, that honour the bravest of the brave who gave their lives for this country.’

While ex-Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith also said he was ‘surprised’ that staff at BBC Events were being axed.

As well as coverage of Royal events, which often pull in billions of global viewers, the team also organises broadcasts of the Easter Sunday service from Canterbury Cathedral, New Year’s Eve fireworks celebration and the annual Christmas carol concert from King’s College, Cambridge.

‘I would ask the BBC to think very carefully about making this decision,’ he said.

‘The BBC’s coverage of royal events, funerals, weddings and other state occasions goes around the world, it is the crown jewels of BBC output. 

‘Britain and the BBC does this kind of pageantry very well, so it seems strange that they want to get rid of these people when they provide some of the most valuable output.’

A spokesman for the BBC insisted viewers would not notice any change in their coverage and claimed the move was part of a drive to be more efficient.

‘As a prudent commercial business with a mandate to maximise returns to the BBC, we regularly look at how we’re set up and where we can work more efficiently,’ the spokesman said. 

‘We’re proposing some changes that will help us stay strong creatively and continue to deliver a range of high-quality programmes – whilst managing our costs in a challenging and fast‑moving market.’

Police suspect a one-year-old baby choked to death after trying to swallow a fake nail belonging to his manicurist mother in a freak accident.

Dante Valentín Bermudes Rumi was rushed to hospital after being found struggling to breathe. He was pronounced dead shortly after arrival despite desperate efforts by medics to save him.

A post-mortem discovered the youngster died of asphyxiation after his airway became blocked with ‘two objects’ that lodged in his throat.

A court probe into the tragedy has since been launched. 

Dante’s mum, Aylin Saucedo told Argentinian media of the drama in Los Polvorines in Greater Buenos Aires.

She said: ‘My son died on March 21. We were at home and I realised he couldn’t breathe.

‘I ran to my neighbour’s place to ask for help but there was nothing she was able to do.

‘Then my aunt arrived and the same thing, so I put Dante in the car and we drove to hospital.

‘It probably took me about 10 minutes in total. My son was dead when we arrived.’

Police were called to the Dr Federico Abete Hospital, the main trauma hospital serving the area 

The baby’s father then arrived and allegedly assaulted Aylin, her new partner and her dad.

She told TV news channel Todo Noticias that her ex then went out of his way to prevent her from attending her son’s wake and funeral by withholding information about the location from her.

Opening her heart up on her loss in a heartbreaking social media post, Aylen said shortly after her son’s tragic death: ‘Today you’re no longer here, and all I have left are your toys, your little moles, and all your things without you.

‘Mum is shattered into a thousand pieces and doesn’t even have the strength to face this pain..

‘I need you with me, I miss you, I need to wake up with you, and it breaks my heart to know we won’t have a morning having breakfast together, my love.’

Her friend, Angeles Belen, offered her support by saying: ‘Dante will always be his mummy’s beautiful prince and you are not alone friend. We love you.’

Numerous other fatalities have been documented resulting from accidental choking incidents. 

Late last month, a two-year-old toddler died after choking on a wine gum during his mum’s birthday party.

Emergency medical responders performed the Heimlich manoeuvre to try to free the chewy sweet from the youngster’s upper airway after racing to the family home.

They managed to remove the fruit chew but were unable to save the child’s life and he was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after relatives phoned 999 to say he couldn’t breathe.

The little boy’s funeral took place on March 2 in the town of Carballo in Spain’s north-west Galician region where the drama occurred

In January, a teenager died in a Costa Blanca holiday resort after a piece of mandarin he was eating as he walked along the street with a friend got lodged in his throat.

Emergency responders were unable to save the 19-year-old’s life after he collapsed to the ground in Playa de San Juan just north of Alicante.

In October last year British grandmother Ceri Ball, 74, died after choking on a piece of steak in a restaurant in the coastal town of Peniscola near Valencia after a day out with her husband Glyn.

Her daughter Lisa Lisseman said Ceri, from Newport, Wales, was quickly assisted by paramedics and rushed to hospital but had been stabbed of oxygen for too long.

Retired pension fund manager Kenneth Edward Cooper died after choking on his lunch on a cruise off the Spanish coast in April last year.

The ship docked and the 83-year-old, from Stow Bardolph, Norfolk, was taken to a hospital in the south-west city of Cadiz where he died on April 11.

A spokesman from Cunard said after his inquest opened the following month: ‘We can confirm that a guest sadly died last month while our ship was in Cadiz.

‘Despite the support from our onboard medical team, the guest later died in hospital.

‘Our heartfelt condolences go out to their family, and our care team remains in touch with them to offer support and assistance.’

MPs and benefit claimants are to receive bumper payments this week to help cushion them from the cost-of-living crisis.

Rachel Reeves last week ruled out blanket measures to help families cope with the energy emergency triggered by the war in Iran.

But MPs are now set to receive a £3,300 ‘cost of living’ adjustment as part of a 5 per cent pay rise.

The payment will apply to ministers as well as backbenchers, meaning it will be received by senior figures including Sir Keir Starmer and the Chancellor.

Unelected members of the House of Lords will also benefit from the hike, taking their tax-free attendance allowance to £390 a day.

Meanwhile, millions of benefit claimants will see their handouts rise by 6.2 per cent – double the rate of inflation.

And next week thousands of jobless families will receive windfalls worth thousands each when Labour scraps the two-child benefit cap. 

William Yarwood, of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, warned that Britain risks becoming a ‘two-tier society’ in which ordinary workers have to shoulder an increasingly unsustainable burden to protect the lifestyles of others.

‘Taxpayers are exhausted from having to repeatedly broaden their shoulders as ministers demand ever more from fewer and fewer people,’ he said.

‘Britain is rapidly becoming a two-tier society, with politicians and benefit claimants protected from economic struggles while a shrinking class of working productive taxpayers shoulder an increasing burden.’

He added: ‘Benefits should be frozen, not increased, given the economic difficulties. And MPs’ pay should be linked to GDP per capita to ensure that politicians’ living standards track the broader population’s.’

Restore Britain MP Rupert Lowe, who donates his salary to local charities, said his Great Yarmouth constituents would be the ‘only taxpayers in the country who will benefit from this MP pay hike’.

He added: ‘I actually wouldn’t mind paying MPs more if they delivered the goods – sadly, we all know that is not the case. The system is entirely broken – designed to protect the cheats, the indolent and the fraudsters. That’s just the MPs.

‘Cut tax, cut the size of the state, cut waste. Brutally. That is the only way to actually get inflation down and tackle the cost of living.’

The 5 per cent pay rise for MPs is far in excess of the current 3 per cent inflation rate. It is also well above the 3.3 per cent offered to nurses.

The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority signed off the increase to £98,599 earlier this month, claiming that the job is getting more ‘complex’ with more ‘intimidation’.

The quango also signalled that salaries for politicians will continue to rise fast, to reach £110,000 by 2029. The decision contributes to a growing divide in pay.

Official figures this month revealed that while average pay in the public sector rose by 5.9 per cent in the three months to January, the figure for the private sector was just 3.3 per cent.

The main rate of Universal Credit, Britain’s biggest benefit, will rise by almost twice that figure, with 6.5million claimants enjoying a 6.2 per cent increase.

The £1.9billion cost is due to be funded by curbs on the ‘health element’ of the benefit.

But the Tories criticised the decision to use the savings from this to fund higher welfare payments elsewhere.

Next week, Labour will abolish the two-child benefit cap at a cost of £3.5billion a year. The cap limited means-tested benefits such as Universal Credit and child tax credit payments to the first two children, costing families a typical £3,455 in lost benefits for each additional child.

Critics of the cap claim it has worsened child poverty, including among low-paid workers with big families. But analysis of official figures shows ditching it will hand thousands of pounds a year in extra benefits to almost 200,000 large families in which no one goes out to work.

Figures suggest the move could result in the largest affected families qualifying for more than £10,000 a year in additional benefits.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson yesterday said that ending the ‘awful’ cap would help with the cost of living.

She told Sky News: ‘There are big cost of living pressures we know that families are facing. And that’s why we are taking action.’

She said measures coming in from this month, alongside the lifting of the cap, included help on energy bills, expanding breakfast clubs and expanding childcare, in order to ‘back the British people’.

Ms Phillipson said the minimum wage is also being increased to help the low paid. And the new state pension will rise by 4.8 per cent next week as a result of the triple lock introduced by the last government.

By JOE ROSSITER, REPORTER

Published: 19:12 EDT, 29 March 2026 | Updated: 22:22 EDT, 29 March 2026

Fugitive Dezi Freeman has been shot dead by heavily armed police in northeast Victoria after seven months on the run. 

Freeman, 56, was shot shortly after 8.30am on Monday after he was reportedly found wrapped in a blanket  inside a structure near Walwa, about 188km northeast of Porepunkah, where he went missing on August 26, 2025.

Daily Mail Australia understands police tried to negotiate with the sovereign citizen before he was killed. 

Police had received a tip-off ‘from someone close to him’ before locating him. 

‘A man has been fatally shot by police at a property in northeast Victoria this morning as part of the operation to locate Desmond Freeman,’ police said.

‘No police officers were injured during the incident.’

Freeman had been on the run since he fatally shot Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson, 59, and Senior Constable Vadim de Waart-Hottart, 34, and injured a third officer at Porepunkah, about 300km northeast of Melbourne, on August 26. 

Victoria Police Commissioner Mike Bush said Freeman was believed to be armed when officers shot him and had been located inside a structure described as ‘a cross between a container and a very long caravan’. 

‘We are examining the sequence of events and we will be able to report on that, but it did result from a stand-off, the deployment of tactics. 

‘He then exited the building. There was an opportunity for him to surrender peacefully which he did not.’

Bush said no one else was on the property at the time of the shooting.

‘It’s a very remote community,’ Bush said.

‘To my knowledge, no one else was in the immediate vicinity, but there may have been people in the wider vicinity.

‘There are vehicles there. Whether he used them or not will be part of the investigation.’

There were no animals on the property.

However, Bush added that there were still questions to be answered about Freeman’s timeline.

‘We don’t know at what point he left the Porepunkah area and transferred to where he was found,’ he said.

Anyone living in the wider area will be spoken to by police.

Bush said the ‘shooting was justified’.

‘The very first people to be made aware of the outcome of this operation were the families of the officers tragically killed on 26 August, and all of the members that were involved on that day.

‘There was a lot to suggest that Freeman had taken his own life. But I can tell you standing here that our investigators, that’s why they’re professionals, keep their mind open to every possible outcome and follow every possible lead.

‘What I can say – should it be confirmed that the deceased is Freeman, this brings closure to what was a tragic and terrible.’

Police are now working to determine how he evaded capture for so long – and whether others helped him.

‘We are very keen to learn who, if any, but I’m sure some, assisted him,’ Bush said. 

‘If anyone was complicit… they will be held to account.’ 

Wayne Gatt, secretary of the Police Association Victoria, said the shooting was a ‘step forward’ for the force.

‘Our members said they would find him. They did,’ Gatt said on Monday.

‘Closure isn’t the right word. This represents a step forward for our members, for the families of our fallen members and for the community.

‘It doesn’t lessen the trauma, give back the futures that were callously stolen, or lessen the collective fear and grief that this tragic event has instilled in police and the wider public,’ Gatt said.

He continued: ‘Today, we won’t reflect on the loss of a coward. We will remember the courage and bravery of our fallen members and every officer that has doggedly pursued this outcome for the community.

‘They have worked tirelessly. During the emergency, in the operation that followed and the months thereafter, members across the state have devoted themselves to this singular pursuit.

‘Days like today offer a sobering reminder that policing happens while you sleep, when the media spotlight on an investigation dims and when everything seems lost and forgotten. RIP Vadim and Neal. Today, we remember you.’ 

The search for Dezi 

Freeman was last seen armed and fleeing into bushland near his Rayner Track property after the fatal shootings on August 26, 2025.

The shot officers were among a group of ten who had attended Freeman’s property to serve a warrant over historical sex abuse allegations. 

The shootings sparked a massive manhunt, with hundreds of officers scouring bushland in and around Freeman’s remote hideout beneath Mount Buffalo.

Search crews combed steep, rocky terrain littered with caves and mineshafts but found no trace of him.

More than 100 homes and properties were searched as police investigated whether anyone was helping Freeman evade arrest.

Police also offered one of the largest rewards in Australia, promising $1 million for information leading to his capture.

Early in the investigation, Freeman’s wife Mali, who police confirmed was present during the fatal shootings, and a 15-year-old boy were arrested on allegations of obstructing police, but were later released without charge.

Several days later, Mali issued a statement urging her husband to surrender. 

Police in December revealed they had shifted their search efforts to locating the body of Freeman, but a five-day operation using cadaver dogs and drones yielded no results.

Who was Dezi Freeman? 

Freeman subscribed to so‑called sovereign citizen ideology and was receiving Centrelink payments in the lead‑up to the fatal shooting.

Followers of the movement typically deny the legitimacy of government authority and argue that laws do not apply to them.

Freeman’s views became more extreme during the Covid pandemic, when he refused to wear masks in shops, rejected vaccinations, and became increasingly vocal in his opposition to government mandates and lockdowns.

‘He was anti everything to do with it,’ one local told the Sydney Morning Herald.

‘He went from being just a pretty ordinary country bloke… a normal dude you’d see at the local footy club all the time to quite a strange bloke. He fell down a bit of a rabbit hole and sort of disappeared and went off the radar.’

Freeman spent years in and out of court, mostly contesting driving offences, often arguing the laws did not apply to him because of his sovereign citizen beliefs. 

In 2021, he was linked to an effort to have then‑Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews charged with treason.

Footage captured Freeman during a November 2024 court appearance in Wangaratta attempting to ‘arrest’ a magistrate and police officers during a dispute over access to a national park.

He also called called police ‘frigging Nazis’, ‘Gestapo’ and ‘terrorist thugs’ and relentlessly targeted a female officer because she pulled him over for speeding.

Freeman lived in the Porepunkah area for years with his wife Mali and their children, and the family was known locally.

Mali had worked in a supermarket and also taught music to children in the community.

Neighbour Zar Saccutelli told the Daily Mail he had long feared Freeman would turn violent, claiming he once threatened to kill his teenage son if he didn’t stop riding his motorbike. 

‘I said to my sister, ‘This guy is a nutcase. He is going to kill someone one day… he’ll shoot someone’,’ he revealed.

Saccutelli said that despite publicly attacking police, Freeman repeatedly called them over minor neighbourhood issues, including early-morning construction noise and small disputes.

Footage appears to show the moment a driver raced away from the scene after ploughing into pedestrians in Derby city centre last night. 

Seven people were seriously injured after a black Suzuki Swift rammed into crowds at around 9.30pm in the Friar Gate area of the city. 

A 36-year-old man, originally from India, was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, causing serious injury, inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent and dangerous driving. 

CCTV footage obtained by the Daily Mail shows the moment a Suzuki Swift is seen racing down the road just moments after the incident, which left several people lying on the ground. 

A silver car can be seen making its way along the road at what appears to be a normal speed, before the black car shoots down the street a few moments later.

After the Suzuki Swift has passed, witnesses stand in the middle of the road to assess what has happened, before appearing to make their way down the street towards the scene of the attack. 

This afternoon, Derbyshire Constabulary said it was leading the investigation ‘with the support of Counter-Terrorism Policing colleagues’.

While it does not currently believe the incident was terror-related, officers are keeping an ‘open mind about potential motives’.

Eyewitnesses described seeing people on the floor after the incident last night. 

Local resident Mark Lucas, 47, told the Daily Mail: ‘It was carnage. There were people lying injured on the ground with blood pouring from their heads.

‘It was a sight I wish I’d never seen. It was sheer horror.’

Roads nearby have been closed off, covering a large area from Curzon Street to Ford Street, and are expected to remain shut for some time. 

The suspect who was arrested remains in police custody.  

Mr Lucas continued: ‘I live around the corner and by the time I got there the street full of bars, clubs, restaurants and takeaways had been sealed off.

‘There was lots of commotion and I could see some people lying injured on the ground, badly injured.

‘A few had blood pouring from them and others were trying to help. The scenes were chaotic and terrifying.

‘Someone said a man had deliberately driven into a crowd of people. It is shocking but not surprising.

‘This neighbourhood has gone downhill over the past months and there are a lot of migrants living in the area, and animosity.

‘I don’t know who the victims or perpetrator are or whether it was a terror style attack but something horrible like this was going to happen soon. It was only a matter of time.’

Mr Lucas told how the streets were ‘always rammed on Saturday nights’ with locals and students.

He said: ‘Friar Gate has lots of clubs and pubs and people milling around outside eating takeaways. Tensions in the area have been building up.

‘There are many migrants here, so many that even the council are trying to rid of some, and a lot of unrest locally.

‘The war in the Middle East has made people even more anxious and troubled. Derby is an unsafe place.’

Another local resident, a woman aged 50, said: ‘Sadly the city, this area in particular, is full of migrants and drug addicts.

‘Whenever you walk around you feel intimidated, threatened and harassed.’

The woman, who declined to be named, said: ‘It’s a horrible place to live now and I can’t wait to move away.

‘People walk around in a zombie-like state, they are very unfriendly and just stare at you.

‘I am not being racist but there are too many migrants living here who don’t integrate and it has divided the city.

‘The incident that happened is shocking and scary. I didn’t see it but I heard all the emergency services as I live up the road.’

Local resident Kate Lowe, who only heard about the incident this morning, described it as a ‘massive shock’. 

‘As a person who has lived in Derby for years, it’s a massive shock… I just don’t know why anyone would want to do that,’ she said. 

A churchgoer who did not wish to be named said: ‘I think it’s unusual for the city.

‘As a church community meeting here together, this is a real shock. This is not what we expect. We are thinking and praying for everyone impacted.’ 

A takeaway owner told of his shock after seeing the aftermath of victims mowed down by the Derby car rampage driver, saying: ‘It was terrible!’

Muharem Celebi, who was busy working at the time, said he heard no shouting and screaming but was alerted to the commotion outside by the sound of sirens.

He said: ‘I ran outside and saw about six people on the floor – on the road and the pavement.

‘Some had blood pouring form their head, it was a terrible thing to see, and shocking.

‘By the time I was outside and offering my help the police and ambulance were already there.

‘Someone else had raised the alarm and the emergency services responded very quickly.’

Mr Celebi, who runs the popular Derby Grill, said: ‘It was a busy Saturday night as it always is, and it’s so sad that people enjoying some fun time end up hurt in this way.

‘It is a scary sign of the times we are living through.

‘Everyone is just thankful police have caught the man believed to be responsible so soon, and he can’t hurt anyone else.’

Medical student Mike McCluskey, whose 60-room accommodation block is at the top of the short street where the incident happened, said: ‘It is an awful thing to have on our doorsteps and in a busy area.’

The mature student, 39, said: ‘It is very scary. I didn’t see anything but heard the sirens and saw blue flashing lights.

‘I thought nothing of it as you often get police sirens sounding in the area. But I realised something bad had happened when a fellow student texted me to say “Hope you’re OK!”

‘It was only when I saw the local news that I found it.

‘We don’t know who the victims are and we hope that no university students are involved but it could be anyone.

‘I often go for runs along these streets to go out shopping and it could easily have been me out there in the wrong place at that time.’

He said he was ‘not aware of any racial tension’ in the area and that no one had ‘any idea of any possible motive’ for the attacks.

The seven victims were treated at the scene and taken to hospital, with a range of serious but not life-threatening injuries.

Chief Superintendent Emma Aldred, who leads policing in Derby, told a media briefing that the suspected driver was arrested on the other side of the city centre seven minutes after the incident.

She said: ‘He was safely stopped in Station Approach, where the bridge crosses over towards Pride Park.

‘This swift action would not have been possible without eyewitnesses who contacted us about the vehicle’s whereabouts as it was driven away from the scene and around the city centre.’

She added that the victims were ‘simply enjoying a night out’ at the time of the attack.

The force believes it was an isolated incident and there is no wider risk to the public.

Derbyshire Police said in a statement: ‘Derbyshire detectives are leading the investigation with the support of Counter Terrorism Policing colleagues, which is common practice for an incident of this nature, and are keeping an open mind about the potential motives.

‘Although Counter Terrorism officers are assisting us with those early investigations, this does not mean the incident is currently being treated as terrorism.’

Catherine Atkinson, Labour MP for Derby North, said she was ‘deeply shocked’ by the incident.

In a statement shared online, she added: ‘My thoughts are with those injured and I’m grateful to our emergency services.

‘Please follow police advice and avoid the area. Anyone who has information should contact them as soon as possible.’ 

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson told the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme: ‘My thoughts are with anyone that’s been affected by this, those who’ve been injured or hurt, and their family members at this really difficult time.’

She added: ‘The police are actively investigating. We don’t believe there is wider cause for the public to be alarmed.

‘The police have made an arrest, and the Home Secretary is being kept updated on this.’

Baggy Shanker, the MP for Derby South, said his thoughts are with ‘everyone who has been affected and with their loved ones’.

Anyone with information can contact Derbyshire Police on their website, via a private message on Facebook or by calling 101, quoting incident 1131 of March 28. 

They can also anonymously contact the independent charity Crimestoppers, on 0800 555 111 or by visiting their website.  

A girl of 16 who died after being found unconscious in the street was stabbed in the back, it emerged today.

Police were called just before 6am on Saturday to reports of a young woman being found unresponsive in the quiet Austhorpe suburb of Leeds, West Yorkshire.

She had suffered serious injuries and was taken to hospital for treatment, but was pronounced dead shortly afterwards.

Today neighbour Wayne Mallows described how he and other residents tried to save the ‘lifeless’ girl, who was named locally as Chloe Watson.

The 64-year-old told the Daily Mail he performed CPR on the teenager on the pavement close to his home.

‘I was called out of the house about 5.50am on Saturday morning by a dog walker,’ he said.

‘She said that my neighbour was outside doing CPR on a young girl. He was getting tired. 

‘I asked if they’d rung an ambulance and then I realised that a phone was on the ground and he had it on loudspeaker. Ambulance control were giving him instructions.

‘I took over until the ambulance arrived 10 minutes later. She had been stabbed in the back and there was quite a bit of blood. Her eyes were just blank.’

Chloe did not live locally but was from Cleckheaton, around 13 miles from the scene, according to police.

A man who answered the door at Chloe’s mother’s home was too upset to comment. Several floral tributes and cards had been left outside. 

Four teenagers – two girls aged 18 and two boys aged 17 and 19 – were arrested on suspicion of the girl’s murder of the youngster and are being questioned by officers.

On Saturday police appealed for information to identify the green-eyed girl, who fixed braces on her teeth, but today announced she had been ‘positively identified’ and that her family were being supported by specially trained officers.

Mr Mallows said he was struggling to get the image of the girl’s face out of his mind.

‘When the ambulance arrived around 6am the paramedics got all the kit out and tried to reactive the heart and they were doing chest compressions,’ he added.

‘They did that for about five minutes and then got her into the ambulance. Police were arriving all the time.

‘In my mind I have a picture of her face.

‘To me she looked very young, younger than 16.’ 

He added that she was wearing a ‘blouse with a little beige coat over it, and a dress and she had thick socks on’.

Kennerleigh Avenue, in the Austhorpe suburb of the city, where Chloe was found, consists mainly of old folks’ bungalows, and is usually very quiet, Mr Mallows said.

‘It is mostly elderly people in the bungalows, they come here to retire,’ he added.

Extensive tributes to the youngster were posted online on Facebook and TikTok.

One read: ‘Rest in eternal peace beautiful girl, u (sic) was loved by many and gunna be missed forever.’

Another wrote: ‘Your bubbly personality, your weird laugh, your cringy jokes will forever be unmatched. You always made sure everyone was feeling litty and loved…it’s truly devastating.’

Detective Chief Superintendent Marc Bowes, who is leading the murder hunt for West Yorkshire Police, appealed for anyone who was in the area and witnessed what happened to come forward.

‘This is an extremely complex investigation where a young woman has sadly lost her life,’ he said.

‘We are treating her death as murder and have arrested four people in connection with it.

‘I am also keen to speak to anyone who was in the Kennerleigh Avenue area in the early hours of this morning, or anyone who may have seen any suspicious activity in the vicinity.’

By JACK TOLEDO

Published: 11:14 EDT, 29 March 2026 | Updated: 12:02 EDT, 29 March 2026