Oxford News
Three heroes who died in Bicester Motion fire
All three were praised for being heroes on that fateful day on May 15, 2025, for their actions in helping rescue or put out the devastating fire.
Jennie Logan’s mother, father and sister Emilie paid tribute to her “bravery and fearlessness” as they described her as a “force to be reckoned with”.
The 30-year-old was given a full ceremonial fire service funeral, with mourners paying tribute to her bravery, fearlessness and dedication to the fire brigade.
Ms Logan’s coffin, draped in the Union flag, was carried atop an aerial ladder platform fire engine through the streets of Bicester on June 14.
She was the second female firefighter to die on duty in peacetime, following Fleur Lombard, 21, who died in Bristol in 1996.
READ MORE: Mary Berry fans rally around cook after on-stage appearance
The family of Martyn Sadler, 38, said he was “born to be a firefighter” and added: “Coming from a strong fire service family it was always in his blood, but it was significantly more than that with him, it was his life.”
Mr Sadler had just completed 20 years’ service when he died, having joined as a cadet aged 14.
His first full-time post was with Berkshire Fire Service before joining the London Fire Brigade in 2022, and he was also a retained firefighter with the Oxfordshire service.
He was given a full ceremonial fire service funeral on July 31, with mourners paying tribute to his bravery, fearlessness and dedication to Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service.
Mr Sadler’s coffin, draped in the Union flag, was carried atop an aerial ladder platform fire engine through the streets of Bicester.
Hundreds of people gathered along the route of in respectful silence for both firefighters’ funerals while uniformed firefighters marched behind the coffin.
Dave Chester, a 57-year-old father of two, was described by his family as “Bicester born and bred” with a “quirky sense of humour”.
“He was not a victim but a hero,” they said.
“He died the way he lived – helping others and putting them ahead of himself.”
Mr Chester, a businessman from Bicester, died after helping fire crews “without hesitation”, his family said.
The family added: “Dave was always known as the man you went to when you needed any sort of help.
“This is exactly what happened on Thursday evening, he saw firefighters needing assistance and helped without hesitation.
“He was not a victim but a hero, he died the way he lived – helping others and putting them ahead of himself.
“Although he is no longer with us, he will always be in our hearts and his legacy will continue.”
In a statement issued on Thursday, the UKHSA said that its specialists were “working with local authority and NHS partners following three cases of meningococcal infection (meningitis) in young people in Reading”.
According to a GP surgery based in Henley, the person who died with suspected meningitis was a student at Henley College.
Henley College has been approached with further questions, but so far it has not responded.
READ MORE: Waitrose across UK shut due to ‘critical error’
It is understood that the other two cases are linked to schools in the Reading area.
“Dear patients. We have been in contact with the UK Health Security Agency this morning (14th May) regarding the very sad news that a student at Henley College has died with suspected meningococcal disease,” the Hart Surgery said in a statement on Thursday evening.
“They have confirmed that they are actively contacting those who may be at risk due to a close association with the student involved.
“If you have not been contacted by the UK Health Security Agency, then currently you do not require any treatment. Staff and students have been advised they can attend the college as usual.
“The number of confirmed cases is very low so there are currently no plans for a local emergency meningitis vaccination programme.”
In a new statement, Henley MP Freddie van Mierlo said on Friday morning: “My thoughts are with the family and friends of the students affected.
“I’m also urging everyone in the area to re-familiarise themselves with the symptoms and signs of meningitis.”
Nearby Wheatley Pharmacy added: “Due to increased local interest around Meningitis B vaccination, we currently have Meningitis B vaccine in stock at Wheatley Pharmacy.”
Two Voyager planes suffered £7 million worth of damage during the incident at the RAF base in West Oxfordshire on Friday, June 20, 2025.
In an early morning raid, protesters on two e-scooters broke into the military base and used fire extinguishers to spray the aircraft with red paint and also threw crowbars into the engine rotors, it is alleged.
As a result, the planes were taken out of action and the turbines needed to be replaced at a cost of £2 million each, a court was told last year.
Five people were already charged with the incident, including Amy Gardiner-Gibson, 29, of no fixed abode, Jony Cink, 24, of no fixed abode, Daniel Jeronymides-Norie, 35, of London and Muhammad Umer Khalid, 22, of Stockport.
On Friday, May 15, Thames Valley Police said it charged Lara Downes, of Gipsy Hill, Norwood, London, on Thursday, May 14.
READ MORE: Oxfordshire college confirms student died from meningitis
Downes is charged with criminal damage, contrary to section 1(1) of the Criminal Damage Act 1971 and entering a prohibited place for a purpose prejudicial to the United Kingdom, contrary to section 4(1) of the National Security Act 2023.
The 44-year-old was remanded in custody to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday.
A provisional trial date at the Old Bailey was set for six to eight weeks from January 18, 2027.
Two jet engines, one on each Voyager aircraft, had to be replaced following the incident at a cost of £2.5 million per engine, a court heard previously.
Fire extinguishers marked with the words Palestine Action and Palestinian flags were recovered at the scene.
Palestine Action went on to claim responsibility for the incident in a YouTube video which included footage of the incident.
The Government subsequently moved to proscribe the group under anti-terror laws on July 5.
Sir James Eadie KC, for the Home Office, told the court that the ban “strikes a fair balance between interference with the rights of the individuals affected and the interests of the community”.
But in the High Court decision in February, Dame Victoria Sharp, Mr Justice Swift and Mrs Justice Steyn said the ban was “disproportionate”.
Reading a summary of the decision, Dame Victoria said: “The nature and scale of Palestine Action’s activities falling within the definition of terrorism had not yet reached the level, scale and persistence to warrant proscription.”
The ban has remained in place until the conclusion of the Home Office challenge.
The Environment Agency is on a mission to clear 21,000 tonnes of waste that was illegally dumped in one go in Kidlington.
The massive heap of hazardous rubbish, described by an MP as “threatening an environmental disaster”, stretched 150m and was around 20ft (6m) deep in November last year.
Diggers and lorries can now be seen picking up and clearing rubbish from the site next to the A34 and River Cherwell near Kidlington.
However, the sheer scale of the dump, which is nearly 12 metres high in places and contains plastic, foam, tyres and wood, means the substantial operation will take another five months to complete.
The agency, which declared a critical incident into the enormous pile of waste back in November 2025, started the clean up in April this year.
It has said the total operation is expected to cost around £7 million – but the agency is hoping to reclaim this money in court by seizing money from the criminals who illegally dumped the waste.
To date, four men have been arrested as part of the criminal investigation.
The four men include a 52-year-old man from Ashford, Surrey, who was detained in February, a 39-year-old man from Guildford who was held in November, a 69-year-old man arrested at a property in Andover, Hampshire, and a 54-year-old man arrested in Slough, Berkshire, who were arrested in January.
Green party leader Ian Middleton questioned why there has been no charges yet.
He said: “It’s good to see that the clearance of the site is progressing but disappointing that there have still been no prosecutions of those responsible, despite some early arrests.
“As the work is now underway, I think it’s appropriate for some further reflection on the early involvement of the Environment Agency and for us to ask why more direct action wasn’t taken by them at the time.
“To that end I am writing to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs – Emma Reynolds – to ask her to implement a public inquiry at the earliest opportunity.”
The dump was first visited by the Environment Agency in July 2025.
Anna Burns, Environment Agency area director for Thames, said the agency had spent time profiling the waste to ensure it was taken to the correct disposal sites, managing the wildlife, ensuring vehicles could come and go quickly and working with the local community and local authority on traffic management.
Work was also delayed slightly by the heavy rain in February, which made the site waterlogged, but Ms Burns said the team was “back on track now”.
“We have taken time to plan so that we can act quickly, and we hope that over the next few weeks we’ll start to see really rapid removal of the waste, with up to 30 lorry loads a day,” she said.
-
Oxford News4 weeks agoBanbury cake company with 400 year history shut down
-
Crime & Safety4 weeks agoBicester man denies sexually assaulting two young girls
-
Crime & Safety4 weeks agoBicester crash: Motorcyclist ‘seriously injured’ in hospital
-
UK News3 weeks agoTV tonight: Shetland meets CSI in a new drama about a disgraced cop | Television
-
UK News4 weeks agoStarmer says it ‘beggars belief’ he wasn’t told about Mandelson vetting failure as he faces Commons – UK politics live | Politics
-
Crime & Safety3 weeks agoYoung farmers club hosts fun farm competitions in Bicester
-
UK News4 weeks agoV&A faces calls to become living wage employer on eve of Stratford opening | V&A
-
Crime & Safety3 weeks agoOxfordshire ‘hidden trap’ pothole leads to compensation payout