WATCH: Two adrenaline junkies cheat death climbing 784ft London skyscraper
Video by: Syed Bukhari 
Image by: Syed Bukhari
This is the heart-stopping moment two adrenaline junkies climb a 784ft skyscraper above Canary Wharf without safety ropes.
Syed Bukhari, 21, and Owen Reece, 18, scaled the Landmark Pinnacle building, which is set to become the tallest residential building in Europe when completed.
They raced up 75 flights of stairs before walking out to the end of a crane on Saturday afternoon.
After a 20 minute walk the pair can be seen balancing on the end of a crane with their arms in the air, while taking in the view of the City of London.
Syed, who runs dozens of similar urban explorer videos on YouTube channel SyedSB TV, said: “We chose that one because it’s one of the tallest buildings in London.
“The hardest thing is climbing up as your hands start to become tired.
“We stayed up there for an hour taking pictures as the view is one of the best things about doing it.
“People might slate us for doing it but I would just say to them 'you only live once'.
“We’re not playing another person’s life, only ours.
“We don’t want to be restrained and only do things ordinary people can do. We want to push ourselves.
“Anyone who does this sort of thing knows the risks so we know what we are getting ourselves into.”
Owen said: “We were there for a few hours waiting for the workers to go home
“Because it was rainy there were times when I thought ‘Yo this is sketchy to get down’.
“But we had to focus.
“I don’t really get nervous as I’ve been doing this for three years.
“We don’t really joke about.
“When we got to the top the view was incredible.
“We could see the whole of London.
“We could see so much the landscape started to look a bit round.
“I’d love to do something like the Eiffel Tower but we’ve got a few more in the pipeline.”
Image by: Syed Bukhari
The 16-year-old boy convicted of raping and murdering Alesha MacPhail was named in court as Aaron Campbell
Image by: Matthew Newby SWNS
The 16-year-old boy convicted of raping and murdering Alesha MacPhail was named in court as Aaron Campbell.
The depraved teen was given anonymity throughout his trial at the High Court in Glasgow, due to his age.
Scotland gives people under the age of 18 statutory anonymity under Section 47 of the Criminal procedure (Scotland) Act 1995.
But a judge can be requested to lift the ban, if it is considered to be in the public interest, so a criminal can be named and pictured.
Campbell, from Ardbeg, Isle of Bute, was told that the rape, murder and abduction of six-year-old Alesha was among the ‘wickedest’ crimes ever heard at the High Court in Glasgow.
Judge Lord Matthews, who presided over the nine-day trial, held a hearing to decide whether anonymity should be lifted.
Campbell was present at the hearing along with dozens of reporters, and lawyers.
Before September 2015, his identity would have been known to the general public during the trial as anonymity was granted to those under the age of 16.
However, the law in Scotland changed to become aligned with the rest of the UK.
During the trial, Campbell’s identity was protected due to his age - however, he tried to pin the blame on Alesha’s father’s girlfriend, Toni-Louise McLachlan, aged 18.
Campbell cited a special defence of incrimination blaming her for Alesha’s murder.
This was cited as a public interest reason for naming him.
Public interest reasons were cited as the abhorrent nature of the crimes, in which the public will have had ‘substantial interest’, and that the prohibition on identification would end on Campbell’s 18th birthday, on May 16 2020.
It was said that due to the murder conviction, the sentence would cause him to be jailed beyond his 18th birthday, when the anonymity would end.
Image by: Simon Galloway
Crucial to the decision to name Aaron Campbell was the accusations he made against Toni-Louise McLachlan, aged 18.
Representing Scots media organisations urging Lord Matthews to lift the ban, Anthony Graham QC told the court that the allegations Campbell made against Ms McLachlan was a ‘substantial attempt to pervert the course of justice’.
Mr Graham said: “The incriminee enjoyed no statutory protection and was named and photographed and had her photographs published.
“He has introduced the issue of sexual involvement with the incriminee.
“By the very nature of that defence and by finding him party to that defence, the pannel has introduced to the trial adult themes.”
No appeal was lodged by Campbell’s defence, Brian McConnachie QC.
But the brief told the court that Campbell was ‘at risk of attack’.
Mr McConnachie said: “There was a history of self-harm, of anxiety and he had been tested for ADHD and was awaiting further testing due at the time of his arrest.
“As far as he’s concerned, there’s issues both with attack from others and the potential matter of self-harm.
“The onus is on the party seeking to have the prohibition lifted and to satisfy the court.”
Media lawyer Mr Graham said: “It’s naive to think he remains anonymous on Bute, a community in no little part affected by this.”
And he said Campbell would be locked up at HMYOI Polmont in Falkirk until he was 21.
Judge Lord Matthews told the court: “Children don’t usually commit offences of this nature.”
Mr Graham concurred and said: “It’s unusual for a child to be convicted of murder.”
He urged for Campbell’s name, his address, his images, school and ‘such background which is not protected otherwise’ should be allowed to be published.
Granting the application, Lord Matthews said: “I intend to name the accused.”
Image by: Jon Mills
In a closing speech, advocate depute Iain McSporran QC described a “mountain of evidence” against the accused, and said there was not a “solitary piece of evidence” against Toni McLachlan.
A charge of defeating the ends of justice was dropped by the prosecution.
Mr McSporran told the jury: “You have to be satisfied beyond reasonable doubt.
“What does your common sense and experience of life tell you?
“There is so much evidence in this case that there is only one true verdict - of guilty.
“You must set aside any prejudices or feelings you may have.
“You must not be swayed or affected by the emotion of this case.
“I don’t intend to show any more images I believe there’s been shown enough.
“This must be one of the very worst cases for a jury to have to come and sit in.
“The absence of his DNA in Alesha’s bedroom is essentially neutral.
“The evidence proves the accused removed her from her house and raped her.
“If you look at the injuries caused to her it was obvious the injuries were caused in the same way.”
When Mr McSporran described details from the pathology report on Alesha MacPhail’s body, the girl’s mother Georgina Lochrane left the courtroom.
Mr McSporran said: “The fact of the matter is she [Alesha] left that house without anyone hearing.
“She had never even left the house before on her own.
“During the night whoever took her was able to do it without anyone in the house hearing.
“The pathologist showed her nose and mouth could’ve been clearly covered without her making a sound.
“He saw she was taken by someone strong enough to carry her, that someone being [the accused].
“It is very odd someone is abducted, raped and murdered after someone is seen walking along that shoreline.
“The Crown position isn’t that he was smoking, chatting and having sex with Toni McLachlan but abducting Alesha MacPhail.”
Describing the accused as a “confident young man”, Mr McSporran said he had told the police officers who interviewed him ‘a pack of lies’ and ‘spun them a yarn’ after his mother left the room.
Regarding allegations from the accused of Ms McLachlan “fantasising” about killing Alesha, Mr McSporran said: “Nowhere else in this case is there evidence about someone fantasising about killing anyone.
“He introduced that to the case.”
The prosecutor described the “emotional turmoil” the island was in around the time of Alesha’s death, where a young girl was found dead “in the worst circumstances”.
Mr McSporran said: “As the trial progressed it became clearer only one of two people could’ve been responsible for Alesha’s murder, [the accused] or Toni McLachlan.”
He noted that accusations against Toni were introduced by the accused, and no one else.
The brief said: “What a risk to go out an rendezvous with a man who’s not your boyfriend.
“Is that not a risk beyond worth taking?
“To return to the house wearing a stranger’s hoodie, smelling of smoke and carrying a used condom.
“There’s not one single solitary piece of evidence.”
Citing evidence against the accused, he referenced a knife from the boy’s house and clothing found on a beach, the traces of DNA and clothing fibres discovered, and the “lies” the accused told to his mother and the police.
In his closing words Mr McSporran said there was no evidence implicating Toni McLachlan, while there was “a mountain of evidence” against the accused.
Image by: Jon Mills
Defence brief Brian McConnachie QC urged the jury to acquit the teen - telling them the 16-year-old accused ‘did not have to prove’ that Toni McLachlan was responsible for the murder.
Mr McConnachie said: “You can’t let emotion get in the way, you will have to act like judges.
“It’s entirely a matter for you.
“The prosecution don’t just need to prove their case but they need to prove it to a particular standard - beyond a reasonable doubt.
“One of the things you need to understand is it’s not for the accused to prove Toni McLachlan done this - it’s not a who done it.
“You might believe Toni was involved or you might have a doubt.”
He questioned why Alesha did not scream when she was taken from her bedroom.
Mr McConnachie said: “This is a girl who would scream if somebody came into her room.
“The prosecution claim he took her out of the house, down all of the stairs then out of the property without her making a sound or him making a sound.”
Asking them to consider DNA evidence, he said: “The Crown understandably makes something of that.
“When the police comes round and he [the accused] gives his statement he gives them the DNA quite willingly and quite happily.”
And Mr McConnachie referred to a Facebook conversation when the accused and a pal were both aged 14, and discussed killing.
He added: “There are elements of this case where the crown are trying too hard to make something of nothing.”
He described the conversation as “just rubbish” and “teenage fantasy”.
Mr McConnnachie described the Snapchat video showing the teen ‘claiming to have found who done it’ as ‘bad taste’.
He said: “There’s no doubt it was in bad taste.”
And he said DNA and fibre sample evidence connecting the accused to the murder was ‘irrelevent’ due to the possibility of secondary transfer.
Mr McConnachie said: “The verdict has to be one of acquittal.”
The trial has been adjourned until tomorrow when Lord Matthews will direct the jury.
Military flypast held in honour of ten airmen and a British 82-year-old who blames himself for their deaths 75 years ago
Image by: Simon Galloway 
Image by: Simon Galloway
A military flypast was held today in honour of ten airmen and an 82-year-old who blames himself for their deaths 75 years ago.
Tony Foulds was just eight years old when he and a group of friends spotted a B-17 Flying Fortress.
The American plane known as 'Mi Amigo' was returning from a planned bombing raid over Europe after being attacked by the Luftwaffe.
Tony and his pals waved at the plane unaware it was going to try and make an emergency landing in the field they were standing in at Endcliffe Park in Sheffield.
Instead the plane and its crew steered away from them and crashed into trees - killing everyone on board.
Grandfather-of-four Tony has blamed himself for their deaths ever since and spent several decades tending a memorial to the brave crew.
Image by: Simon Galloway
Image by: Simon Galloway
Image by: Simon Galloway
The 10 men killed in the crash:
Pilot Lt John Kriegshauser, pilot from Missouri
2nd Lt Lyle Curtis, co-pilot from Idaho
2nd Lt John Humphrey, navigator from Illinois
Melchor Hernandez, bombardier from California
Harry Estabrooks, engineer and gunner from Kansas
Charles Tuttle, gunner from Kentucky
Robert Mayfield, radio operator from Illinois
Vito Ambrosio, gunner from New York
Malcolm Williams, gunner from Oklahoma
Maurice Robbins, gunner from Texas
The list of aircraft taking part in Mi Amigo memorial flypast over Endcliffe Park in Sheffield:
Mi Amigo
KC -135 Stratotanker
Typhoons x2
CV-22 Osprey
F-15 Eagle x4
Dakota
MC-130
F-15s
RAF firepower
MC-130
B-17 Flying Fortress
Image by: Simon Galloway
Image by: Simon Galloway
But after Tony asked for a flypast for them on the 75th anniversary of the deaths a campaign was launched and his wish came true - with him as the guest of honour.
An emotional Tony speaking on BBC breakfast said: “I have had a guilty conscience all my life, the guilt has grown more and more over the years.
“The men that saved my life they’re my family, they didn’t know who anyone of us on the field that day but they chose to save our lives over their own.
“This fly-past is not about me, this is about those brave men who saved my life. I’ll never stop visiting the memorial.”
Mr Foulds said he and the other children were in the park on February 22, 1944 because boys from two rival junior schools were fighting.
Tony was spotted earlier this year by Dan Walker, BBC presenter who was walking his dog through the park spotted the pensioner caring for the memorial.
Dan shared their exchange online and it instantly won the heart of the nation.
A social media-led subsequently went viral and a fly-past which had been a life-long dream of Tony’s was successfully organised along with new steps and a flagpole for the crash memorial.
Today, thousands of people along with two relatives of the crew members who tragically died 75-years-ago, attended the fly-past involving military aircraft from Britain and the United States.
Crews set off from RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk, which is home to the largest US Air Force base in the UK.
Image by: Simon Galloway
Image by: Simon Galloway
Seven-year-old wows crowd with rendition of ‘This Is Me’ - in sign language
Video by: Michael Deegan
This adorable seven-year-old girl has become an internet sensation after wowing a crowd with a rendition of the song ‘This Is Me’ - in sign language.
Jessica Deegan’s dad Michael posted a video of her performing the song on Twitter, which has attracted over 240,000 views.
The youngster performed the song from the film The Greatest Showman at a talent show last Saturday and won a prize in her category.
Jessica, who is not deaf and has been learning sign at school, entered the open category of Next Step's Got Talent competition in her home of Livingston, West Lothian.
Proud dad Michael Deegan, 28, posted the clip of his daughter on Twitter and received more than 1,700 retweets and 14,000 likes.
Michael said: "It was a local dance group she goes to and they put on a talent show for the kids.
“Jessica chose to go into the open category to do sign language - she had learned it in school and really enjoys it.
“She cares for everyone and wanted to involve something that includes other people and lets others enjoy something different."
On the day, dad of two Michael attended the show with his parents Rose, 55, and Phil, 68, and Jessica's little brother Kobin, aged four.
Michael claimed Jessica was "really confident" and couldn't wait to perform her act which she had been practicising for weeks ahead of the event.
He said: “She had been practising for a couple of weeks before she had to put her entry in.
"She was really confident with no nerves and looked forward to it.
“Her family that went along knew what was happening but apart from that no one else knew.
“Not many people knew what was going on."
Image by: Michael Deegan
The amazing performance received a standing ovation and even moved a judge to tears.
Dad Michael said: “Everyone was getting drawn into it and emotionally attached to it - the place went silent.
“She only had a minute and a half then everybody jumped up in a roar.
“One of the judges said it brought tears to their eyes while watching it.
"She’s had a lot of support and messages since."
Michael, a customer resolution analyst, hopes his daughter will continue to learn sign language, which he believes could benefit her further down the line.
He said: “I’m hoping she does keep it up, she’s enjoying it and I’m hoping the school continue to offer it.
"But if they don't then I will speak to her and if she wants to continue it I will try and find her a tutor.
“I know myself it would be something very useful for her going into a working environment."
Michael said the response from family, friends and online has been "overwhelming".
He said: “Everybody’s over the moon with her and I still can't find the words with how proud I am with her.
“Everybody said it was so good.
“It’s overwhelming for us, never mind Jessica."
He added: "She likes to play with everybody and include others in the group - it shows everyone how much of a caring child she is.”
Image by: Michael Deegan
World-famous 'French Spiderman' free-climbs 475-foot tower in just 25 minutes
Image by: Adam Lockwood
This astonishing video shows a world-famous free-climber, known as 'The French Spiderman', scale the side of a 475-foot tall building in just 25 minutes.
Alain Robert, 57, is famous for his free solo climbing, scaling skyscrapers using no climbing equipment except for a small bag of chalk and his climbing shoes.
The daredevil has climbed a whopping 165 buildings without a safety cord, including the 1,000-foot tall Eiffel Tower in Paris, and Dubai's Burj Khalifah, which stands at a whopping 2,700 feet tall.
And on Wednesday, 24/03/20, Alain was spotted scaling the Agbar Tower in Barcelona, Spain, which stands 475-foot tall (144 metres).
It took the Frenchman just 25 minutes to make it up the building and back down again - watched and filmed by his friend and fellow free-climber Adam Lockwood, 18.
Adam, from Manchester, is also currently in Barcelona to free-climb, and he supported Alain from the roof of a neighbouring building, The Arts Hotel - Barcelona's tallest building, at 505 feet tall.
Image by: Adam Lockwood
Image by: Adam Lockwood
Image by: Adam Lockwood
Adam said: "I knew Alain was here and was going to climb the Agbar Tower, so I climbed to the top of The Arts Hotel last night [Tues] and slept on the roof to watch him.
"It took him about 25 minutes to go up and back down again. When he got back down he got put in the back of an ambulance, and then driven off in a police car.
"Last time he did this he got escorted out the country. I don't know if that's going to happen again now."
Adam added that he has known Alain for about a year - but that Alain has been free-climbing "all his life".
It was the Frenchman's fourth time climbing the Agbar Tower - having previously scaled the 38-storey building in 2006, 2007, and 2016.
Mysterious face has appeared in a cliff following a landslide - and locals claim it could be the head of a mythical GIANT that stalked the area
A mysterious face has appeared in a cliff following a landslide - and locals claim it could be the head of a mythical GIANT that stalked the area.
Louise Coe, 45, was walking the coast path at Bedruthan Steps when she noticed a pair of eyes and a nose staring back at her.
NHS worker Louise and her husband walk the route near Padstow in Cornwall regularly but had not been recently - due to recent landslides that closed the steps.
She suspects the face was caused by the landslides - creating a remarkably detailed carving of a face.
The 'steps' are a natural rock formation said to have been created when the 'Bedruthan Giant' used them as stepping stones to cross the bay.
Some locals have even claimed the face could be that of the mythical giant.
Louise said: "My partner and I were just out walking with the dog when we spotted it.
"We're National Trust members so we quite often walk along the coast near the Bedruthan Steps.
"There had been some rock falls recently we think, but suddenly my partner and I just noticed that the rock face looked like a face looking out to sea.
"The steps are actually closed at the moment because of rock falls, so it might be a new formation - it looks very different.''
Dangerous landslides have been reported there both in December 2019 and on New Year's Day 2021.
Former Tory Minister Rory Stewart claims Boris Johnson is leaking negative stories about Rishi Sunak - because he feels threatened by him
Former Conservative Minister Rory Stewart claims Boris Johnson is leaking negative stories about Rishi Sunak - because he feels threatened by him.
Stewart, 49, a former Tory leadership contender, says the PM is ''probably quite enjoying'' the criticism aimed at the Chancellor and his wife.
Stewart says Sunak is aware the recent ''smear campaign'' is not just from journalists - and ''No.10 is feeding quite a lot of this''.
He says ''it's perfectly possible that people inside No.10 are quite enjoying dripping this stuff through''.
Stewart was speaking on Alastair Campbell's 'The Rest Is Politics' podcast.
He said: "My guess is Boris Johnson is probably quite enjoying this.
I think he feels threatened by Rishi Sunak.
"Rishi was the big challenger to him, and I think when Rishi Sunak is saying it's a bit of a smear campaign, he's not just talking about journalists going after him.
"I think he suspects that No.10 is feeding quite a lot of this.
"I think it's perfectly possible that people inside No.10 are quite enjoying dripping this stuff through.
"Suggesting he's going off on holiday in California, when he probably isn't...
"Drawing people's attentions to questions they might ask about his tax, asking about the green card etc.
"Because I think apart from Rishi Sunak it's difficult to see who really is in a position to challenge Boris Johnson."
Sunak's wife has been slammed for her 'non-domicile' status in the UK.
Both Sunak and Murty have also been criticized for holding US green cards.
Sunak studied at University in California but is a British citizen and was born in the UK.
Stewart added: "Rishi Sunak, I'm not particularly fond of. He's not a guy I particularly got on with while I was in Parliament.
"But I do feel there is something very very disturbing about this sort of political life and what it means psychologically.
"He now in an instant has found his wife under attack, he's basically being accused of being a liar and a criminal when from his point of view he hasn't broken any law at all.
"I was saying to a friend that I felt sorry for him, and my friend just laughed and said that they were enjoying this enormously.
"But obviously as a former politician, I don't enjoy watching this happen to anyone, Labour, Conservative, Lib Dem.
"It's one of the reasons we don't end up with good politicians."
The podcast is here: https://play.acast.com/s/the-rest-is-politics/
