Oxford News
Manchester synagogue attacker ‘in Oxfordshire weeks before attack’
Mohammad Bashir, 31, pleaded not guilty on Friday to preparation of terrorist acts and three counts of disseminating terrorist publications on WhatsApp on dates in November and December 2024.
The first charges alleges he drove Jihad Al-Shamie to the UK Defence Academy in Shrivenham, near Faringdon, last August 14 to carry out hostile reconnaissance of the location, weeks before the synagogue attack.
He did so “with the intention of assisting Jihad Al-Shamie to commit acts of terrorism”, the charge states.
The assistance allegedly provided by Bashir was not in relation to the attack on the Heaton Park Synagogue in Crumpsall last October 2.
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Terrorist Jihad Al-Shamie attempted to storm a synagogue in Manchester on the holy day of Yom Kippur in October last year, driving his car at those gathering before attacking others with a knife.
Worshipper Melvin Cravitz, 66, was stabbed to death. Adrian Daulby, 53, who had been holding the main doors of the synagogue shut as Al-Shamie tried to force his way inside, died from a single gunshot wound to the chest fired by a police officer.
Al-Shamie was shot dead by armed police.
Bashir was arrested at Manchester Airport on November 27.
He faces a four-week trial from July 6 at Manchester Crown Court before Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb.
The defendant, of Shaftsbury Road in Manchester, was remanded into custody ahead of a pre-trial review at the Old Bailey on June 5.
Detective chief superintendent Lewis Hughes told an inquest last year that armed officers “discharged several rounds” at Al-Shamie as “he ran towards them aggressively while carrying a knife and wearing what clearly presented as a suicide belt”.
He added: “Al-Shamie sustained multiple bullet wounds and collapsed to the ground.”
Mr Hughes, senior identification manager, said the first shot was fired at Al-Shamie at 9.38am, but he was not pronounced dead until seven hours later because of concerns about potential explosives.
A Home Office post-mortem examination carried out the following day recorded the cause of his death as multiple gunshot wounds, Mr Hughes said.
Giving brief details of the circumstances to the coroner’s court, he said: “Al-Shamie is recorded on CCTV as driving a vehicle into a security guard and the external gate and wall at the synagogue entrance, and then subsequently attacking worshippers and security staff with a knife.
“Armed police attended the incident and discharged several rounds at the suspected terrorist.
“As a result of this incident, three people have lost their lives, which includes two victims and the suspected terrorist.
“Three other victims were very seriously injured, which consisted of a security guard struck by the vehicle, a worshipper completing security duties, outside, who was stabbed, and another worshipper, inside, who also sustained a gunshot injury.
“Whilst all received very serious injuries requiring extensive medical treatment, all are recovering and it is not anticipated that there will be any further loss of life arising from this incident.”
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspected the inpatient child and adolescent mental health wards at Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust in November 2025.
All three of the wards, The Meadow and Highfield units at Warneford Hospital in Oxford and Marlborough House in Swindon received an unannounced inspection from the commission following ‘information of concern it had received’.
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Inspectors found the service was in breach of four regulations relating to person-centred care, safe care and treatment, safeguarding and safe management of the service.
Following the inspection, CQC has changed the ratings for safe, responsive and well-led from good to requires improvement.
The ratings for caring and effective were rated good again.
Serena Coleman, CQC deputy director of mental health in the south, said: “When we visited these CAMHS (child and adolescent mental health services) wards, we found a service where management hadn’t kept a firm enough oversight on some issues and young people in their care were feeling the impact of that.
“All of the young people we spoke with said they didn’t feel involved in decisions about their own care.
“Half of the care plans we reviewed were generic and didn’t reflect individual needs or wishes.
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“We had serious concerns about how restraint was being used. Records didn’t always show that staff had tried other approaches first, and two young people reported negative experiences during restraint.
“Blanket restrictions were also in place across all three wards meaning every young person was subject to rules around accessing snacks, drinks and outdoor space, regardless of their individual circumstances or risk level.
“These are the kinds of restrictions that should only be applied to individuals, and when there’s a clear reason to do so.”
Inspectors found the service had given medication to four young people detained under the Mental Health Act without the correct treatment authorisation in place, and staff did not regularly remind young people detained under the act of their rights.
It was found that eight young people across two wards hadn’t had their rights repeated to them since admission, one of them for six months.
Ms Coleman added: “What makes these findings more concerning is that the trust’s own internal processes hadn’t identified many of them, risking that these concerns will go unaddressed.”
Despite the need for improvement, inspectors did find positives at the trust.
Ms Coleman said: “We also found staff worked well together across different disciplines, and we observed many warm and respectful interactions between staff and young people throughout our visit.
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“Carers spoke positively about the service, and the support available for young people’s physical wellbeing including gym access, yoga, and weekly wellbeing clinics was good.
“At Marlborough House, staff had developed an innovative nature-based therapy programme in collaboration with a local wildlife trust.
“The trust knows where it needs to improve and we will monitor them to make sure young people are safe while this happens.”
The rider of the blue Kawasaki motorbike was involved in a collision on the Wantage Road north of Streatley between Goring and Wallingford.
Emergency services including police officers and paramedics were called at around 7.50am on Friday, April 24.
The motorcycle rider, a man in his 60s, died as a result of the crash. His next of kin have been informed and are being supported by officers, Thames Valley Police said.
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The force has not said what the man hit in the collision. We have asked for further details.
Investigating officer police sergeant Rob Oliver-Clayson, of Thames Valley Police, has urged witnesses to come forward as part of their investigation.
He said: “Firstly, I would like to express my sincere condolences to the family of the man who sadly died in this collision.
“I am appealing to anyone who may have witnessed this collision, or the moments leading up to it, to please get in touch.
“If you saw anything, or have any information that may assist our investigation, please come forward. If you captured dash-cam footage, you can upload it to our dedicated online portal.
“You can contact us by calling 101 or making an online report, via our website, quoting reference number 43260199539.”
The 51-year-old Irish former model and actress is Jeremy Clarkson’s girlfriend and helps run the 1,000‑acre Diddly Squat Farm in Chadlington, Oxfordshire.
Ms Hogan has become a fan favourite for her no‑nonsense approach on the hit series, previously appearing in films such as Fierce Creatures, before stepping back to raise her three children.
She joined Mr Clarkson on the Prime Video show when it launched in 2021 and has since taken on a leading role in the farm shop.
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It was recently announced on ITV’s This Morning that Ms Hogan will be presenting a new show on ITV, Farming for Love.
This will see her play cupid for four single farmers from across the UK who are hoping to find a partner to share both their lives and livelihoods.
Following the major announcement, fans and friends of Ms Hogan have been quick to rally around her with well-wishes and messages of support.
Underneath Fremantle UK’s post on Instagram, one social media user said: “Fab, can’t wait, she’s brilliant.”
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Another added: “Amazing! Love that Lisa is gonna be on our screens more.”
A third said: “What great content! Normal hardworking people, and Lisa is so natural”
“So delighted for lovely Lisa,” another agreed.
Ms Hogan will continue to appear on Clarkson’s Farm, with the first episodes of the new series five due to be released on Wednesday, June 3.
The sixth series of the show has been confirmed for a 2027 release after the update was revealed in new planning documents this week.
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