2024 - The Year of Violence
The 22 stories you shouldn't have missed this year in your last newsletter of 2024
Good afternoon.
Thank you for subscribing to The Source.
I’ve titled this newsletter The Year of Violence due to everything happening in the UK and across the world. From Gaza, Sudan, the mass shootings in America, the police brutality in parts of Africa, the women killed by men everywhere or the rioting here in the UK - violence has marked this year both online and offline.
But before you read the last newsletter of 2024, I want to say THANK YOU SO MUCH for your support this year and for giving me the courage to start this venture. You have all been amazing. I wish you all a Happy New Year filled with health, peace, happiness and staying informed.
Without further ado, here are the stories you shouldn’t have missed this year, starting with the most uplifting ones.
What you shouldn’t have missed in 2024
1. Nigerian Adejoké Bakare became the UK’s first Black female chef to win a Michelin star with her west African restaurant Chishuru. Full story.
2. British actress Cynthia Erivo was nominated for a Golden Globe for her role in Wicked playing Elphaba. Reacting to the nomination, the Stockwell-born actress said, “it’s a bit of a dream come true because there was definitely a time but I didn’t think that would ever happen.” Full story.
3. Britain’s ‘oldest nurse’ Daisy Richards, 84, who looks after dementia patients won two awards for her outstanding service. The care home worker who has no plans of retiring said: “I really still enjoy my job. I just go to work, do my work and do my best.’ Full story
4. A father and son from Peckham, London, sold out their homemade Flake Blake Jamaican patties nationwide in just 48 hours, after winning a Channel 4 competition to have them in over 1000 Aldi stores. Mike, 33, and Paul Williams, 54, said they were 'overwhelmed by the number' of people who bought them and 'thrilled to blend their cultural heritage with the diverse culinary landscape.' Full story
HEROES
5. A heroic man, Joel Verite, 25, ran into the dance class to save children who had been stabbed in Southport. The former rugby player for Salford and Wigan bravely went in with police who then apprehended the teenager while he carried the girls who had been stabbed to safety. Full story.
6. A taxi driver who bravely saved an unconscious man from a burning car before ‘getting back on with his fare’ was hailed a hero. Abdul Javeed noticed a vehicle that had smashed into two houses before rushing to the rescue as it burst into flames. Full story.
7. A local councillor was praised for heroically stepping in to extinguish fires and stop the disorder that broke out in Harehills, Leeds. Green Party representative, Mothin Ali said he tried to form a “human shield” along with friends and footage circulating on social media showed him wrestling an object away from a rioter. Full story.
8. A hero security guard says he pinned down a suspect after an 11-year-old girl and a woman, both tourists, were stabbed in Leicester Square. Abdullah, 29, from Pakistan says he saw the man put the girl in a headlock before he intervened and ‘took knife away’, saving the young girl’s life. Full story.
9. A brave man, McArthur Okorocha heroically saved two kids aged four and six who were savagely attacked by a ‘big dog’ described as a Staffie in Orpington, London. A woman was arrested on suspicion of having dogs dangerously out of control and taken into custody. Full story.
STORIES THAT IMPACTED THE MOST
10. The family of 14-year-old Daniel Anjorin who was killed on the way to school thanked people for their donations which reached over £150k. They said they would use it towards a new home which will provide a ‘place of solace’ and be ‘a lasting tribute to Daniel’s legacy.’ Full story
11. Trigger warning: A woman has won her case against a man whom she accused of raping her during a therapy session where he claimed to use sexual penetration as a ‘legitimate therapy technique.’ Ella Janneh has been awarded more than £200,000 in damages after winning a civil case. The CPS had previously decided not to press charges. Full story.
12. A man who murdered a mum and her two girls by pouring petrol through their letterbox and starting a fire had his sentence of 44 years reduced to 38 after judges said the sentence against Jamie Barrow, 32, who showed ‘no remorse’ was ‘manifestly excessive.’ Fatoumatta Hydara, 28, was murdered along with her daughters Fatimah and Naeemah Drammeh, aged three and one. Full story
13. Metropolitan police firearms officer Martyn Blake was found not guilty of murdering Chris Kaba, who was shot on 5 September 2022. Full story.
14. A teacher who held a placard depicting PM Rishi Sunak and Suella Braverman with coconuts under a tree at a beach was charged with a racially aggravated public order offence. Marieha Hussain carried the sign at a Pro-Palestine march calling for ceasefire. She was later found not guilty. Full story
15. Christopher Kapessa, a 13-year-old boy who drowned in a river in South Wales was deliberately pushed, a coroner said. The CPS had previously decided not to bring charges calling it a ‘foolish prank.’ Full story.
16. A Black woman suffering a miscarriage was told by a midwife ‘you people have a high pain threshold’ after asking for paracetamol, while an Asian woman was told her bleeding was ‘completely normal’ when her uterus had ruptured causing the baby to slip through her abdomen. Baby charity Sands says there is a “well-documented problem of systematic racism” in maternity and neonatal care. Full story.
17. Romeo and Juliet actor Francesca Amewudah-Rivers says she ‘didn’t feel safe at work’ after receiving death threats and hate mail when she was cast in the West End play. The star is now calling for industry-wide action to protect Black and Brown actors. Full story.
18. A carer whose car was burned and flipped during riots purchased a new vehicle after finally receiving the money raised through a GoFundMe set up by his employers which surpassed its initial goal by over £50,000. Brendan Nwabichie said although he was “happy”, he claims that bosses attempted to "tarnish his name” and make him seem “greedy.” Full story.
19. A Muslim student who made a ‘modest request’ for permission to pray for five minutes at lunch times lost a High Court challenge against her London school’s ban on prayer rituals. Full story
20. A breastfeeding mum was separated from her six-month-old baby and locked in a cell for 20 hours after staff at Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital had her arrested on suspicion of child neglect when they mistook her son's ‘blue spot’ birthmarks for bruises. Full story.
21. Three women from charity Southall Black Sisters who complained about a violent racist attack on the Tube and were then charged themselves with assault, have had the case against them dropped by CPS after nearly 10 months. Full story.
22. Marcus, 18, was sentenced to one year in prison in the UAE after having sex with a then 17-year-old British girl he met on a family holiday. The teenager’s family said they had sent Foreign Secretary David Lammy “a couple of letters” but did not hear back. Full story.
Before I sign off, I just want to say thank you once again for subscribing.
That is all from The Source, see you in 2025!