Elizabeth Ash (she/her)

Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy says Russell Brand used his “influence, status and fame” to “prey on and exploit” women. His comments come after the comedian was found guilty of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault. Speaking outside Southwark Crown Court, he says the verdict is a testament to the “extraordinary courage, resilience and determination of the women who came forward". Brand was found not guilty of raping a woman he met at a 1999 Labour Party conference event, of orally raping a woman in a toilet at a bar in London, and of attempting to indecently assault another MTV worker in 2001. Brand, who denied all seven charges, is due to be sentenced on Monday.

Two police officers have been sacked for gross misconduct after an elderly amputee and care home resident Donald Burgess was pepper sprayed, tasered and hit with a baton. Constables Stephen Smith and Rachel Comotto had been called to the care home in St Leonards-on-Sea in June 2022 after the 92-year-old dementia sufferer threatened carers with a knife. Donald Burgess was taken to hospital where he contracted Covid and died three weeks later.