Harold Shipman

 Dr. Harold Shipman (Dr. Death)

Harold Shipman was an English general practitioner. With an estimated 250 victims, he is considered to be one of the most prolific serial killers in modern history. In January 2000, he was found guilty of murdering 15 patients under his care and sentenced to life imprisonment, with a whole life order. In the UK, under a “life sentence” prisoners are eligible for early release after a minimum term set by the judge. 4 years later, Shipman hanged himself in his cell at HMP Wakefield.   

“The Shipman Enquiry” revealed the extent of his crimes and had far reaching consequences for the NHS primary care services. Victims were vulnerable elderly patients of his, who trusted their doctor. He would administer a single fatal dose of drugs (typically morphine or diamorphine) or prescribe excessive quantities of medicines. Shipman was reputedly very close to his mother who developed lung cancer. A doctor administered morphine to her at home where a 17 year old Shipman saw her pain subside, until her death.   

Just a year after taking his first position in general practice, Shipman was fined £600 after being caught forging prescriptions of pethidine for himself. In 1993 he established his own surgery, earning himself a position of respect in the community. When concerns were expressed about the high rate of death amongst his patients, especially the high number of cremation forms for elderly women, insufficient evidence led to police closing the investigation. Shipman took a further 3 lives before the daughter of his final victim raised the alarm. Police began investigating after she told how she and her children were excluded from her mother's will, while Shipman was set to inherit £386,000. An exhumation revealed traces of diamorphine in the deceased woman, to which the doctor responded by alleging she had been an addict. Records he showed as evidence of his claims were found to have been made following her death.   

Following his arrest in September 1998, a typewriter owned by Shipman was identified as that used to make the forged will. Of the deaths Shipman had certified, 15 specimen cases would be investigated, exposing a pattern of his administering lethal doses of diamorphine, signing death certificates then falsifying records to detail their failing health. A lengthy trial ended with guilty verdicts and 15 life sentences, for which he joined 600 of Britain's most high profile criminals at the maximum security facility known as “monster mansion”.   

    It's suspected his suicide was intended to assure his wife's entitlement to an NHS pension and with it her financial security. A year later, Shipman was quietly cremated outside normal working hours, attended by only his wife and four children. The inquiry concluded he had killed at least 218 patients between 1977 and 1998. During this time 459 of his patients died but there was no way to ascertain his culpability, leaving his final victim count at 250 over the 27 year period. £10,000 worth of jewellery was retrieved from Shipman's garage, much of which he is believed to have stolen from his victims. A memorial garden called “The garden of Tranquility” lies within Hyde park.   

    Changes in standard medical procedure in the UK is referred to as the “Shipman effect”. Wary of over-prescribing, changes in dispensing practices have led to many patients struggling with getting adequate pain medication. Single doctor general practices became a thing of the past, replaced by large multiple-doctor surgeries increasing the oversight of decisions. Organising a cremation now requires confirmation that a violent or unnatural death isn't suspected and that further examination of remains is not warranted. 

    For several years, I lived in the shadow of HMP Wakefield, right next to the country's most dangerous murderers, sex offenders and paedophiles. 25 foot high walls, floodlights, barbed wire, electric fences, CCTV cameras and prison service dog-handlers patrol the perimeter 24/7 circling Victorian institution. The sound from a weekly Sunday football match makes the otherwise tomb-like silence more noticeable. Our house sat amid a small terrace, originally built to accommodate the prison guards and their families. Contrary to popular opinion, there are few places as safe to live. Only one escapee has ever made it through the intense security. In 1959, IRA prisoner Sèamus Murphy was the only one of five heading over the wall, to be successful. Numerous people colluded to bring the plan to fruition. But today, many of those detained and their heinous crimes are known by the public, who would be far less sympathetic and prepared to assist them.

     It's rumoured that a number of Shipman's fellow inmate's sought medical advice from him, of which at least two ended up seriously ill in the infirmary. Even if someone tries to kill you in prison, nobody talks about it to authorities. Amongst those condemned to pass their sentences there are:

*Klaus Fuchs. German spy.

*Ian Huntley. Child murderer.

"Colin Ireland. Serial killer.

*Ian Watkins. Lost Prophets. 

*Levi Bellfield. Serial killer.

*Robert Black. Child murderer.

*Mark Bridger. Child murderer.

*Charles Bronson. Most violent.

*Robert Maudsley. Cannibal.

*Jeremy Bamber. Murderer.

*Damien Kendall. Murderer.

*Kamel Bourgass. Police murder

*Sidney Cooke. Serial child killer

*John Cooper. Serial killer

*Jordan Monaghan. Murderer.

*Mick Philpott. Child murderer

*Jack Renshaw. Paedophile.

*Reinhard Sinaga. Serial rapist

*Radislav Krstiç. War crimes.

*Michael Sam's. Murderer.

When murder comes to town

    A murderer in our midst.                 

 In 1994 I was a new mum,  expecting another baby and living in the West Yorkshire city of Wakefield. Exhausted from sleepless nights, I was largely unaware of current affairs. The brutal murder of 51 year old Wendy Speakes on 15th March, who lived about a hundred yards up the street, broke the spell. The whole city was shocked, but for any women that spent even a small part of the day alone at home, the tragedy would change their lives.

    Attractive brown eyed blonde Wendy, had handed in her notice at work where she was an office receptionist. A for sale sign hung from the front of her end terraced house, a ten minute walk from the city centre. Her plan to relocate near to her newly-married daughter in Essex, was well and truly coming together. But within minutes of arriving home on Tuesday March 15th, 1994, Wendy was sexually assaulted and then savagely stabbed to death. Such was the terror that gripped the city, before long the faceless killer acquired the name "The Executioner of Wakefield". Despite being situated in the shadow of maximum security HMP Wakefield, local people believed it to be a safe and friendly place to live. As stunned as we were, the world keeps on turning. Yorkshire people are renowned for their grit and it was needed now more than ever. Yet when reaching home, an eerie reticence compelled us to look over our shoulders.

    Wakefield is technically a city, but as it is in many smaller Yorkshire communities, neighbours stop to talk to one another, and a stranger was just a friend you hadn't met yet. Pit closures that decimated mining communities over the past decade had brought the people of Wakefield closer together, united by their struggles. Working men's clubs remained popular, members only establishments that offered live entertainment, Bingo, cut priced alcohol and Outings for children and the elderly. The immediate theory that Wendy's killer lived in the locality, shook the enduring sense of solidarity as nothing else had yet done.

 

From Ossett, Wendy took the three mile trip on the 126 bus, alighting at Wakefield bus station before making the ten minute walk and arriving home at roughly 6pm. Across the street, a worker at Green's printers spotted a man walking down the side of her house shortly after 6pm. In her slippers, Wendy was seen talking with the man at her front door before he made his way to the back of the house.Uncommonly for the time and where terraces often had only small yards, her house had a spacious conservatory at the rear. She had stood on her low brick wall and peered down the side, but when he reappeared at the front a minute later, she stepped back into the doorway. The man stood on the steps looking around and the printer turned and went back to work. Glancing from his window after about five more minutes, he saw the mystery man leaving Wendy's house, walking for a few yards before breaking into a sprint. 

Wendy's house was next to a pub, but a driveway lay between them, giving access to the rear of her property.

    

 Her absence from work then next day, Wendy's colleague Deborah Crossley and her father drove to check on her. Mr. Crossley found her lifeless body in the upstairs back bedroom. Her killer had bound her hands with black stockings, said to have been bought the previous Monday or Tuesday from the city's Superdrug store, before subjecting her to a sadistic rape. She was stabbed nine times in the back and shoulders and twice in the neck with a four inch knife, then died cowering at the end of the bed. A peculiarity that police hoped would smoke her attacker out lay in the tatty blue mules he had brought with him and forced her to wear. A pair of her black stilettos placed on the bedside table and the theft of another pair of hers from the cupboard, told a story of an unusual predilection with shoes and feet. The rest of the house was undisturbed. As the murderer made his escape, he took three things with him -Wendy's life, the knife he'd used to snuff it out and the missing black court shoes.

     It was believed that the divorced mum of two was killed by a stalker. They must have known when he knocked on Wendy's door that evening, that an 18 stone rugby player wasn't due home. To the side of the house was a narrow driveway where the man had been seen and next to that "The Cliffe Tree" pub. Had he watched her from there? It had been daylight and authorities felt certain that somebody had seen something. Police appealed to the public using a reconstruction on national TV, hoping it might trigger their memories. Due to the fetishist features of the offence, experts warned this man would strike again, if he'd not already. Scrutinising Wendy's life, it was clear she wasn't living a secret life. That made it a very rare occurrence-a stranger murder.

The Cliffe Tree Pub next door to the crimescene.

A vague description suggested they should be looking for a man of 35-45 years, 5ft 8"- 5ft 10" tall with mid brown, receding hair, greyish at the edges. A partial fingerprint had been left on the inside door handle. The killer's blood and plenty of DNA samples at the scene raised hopes, but technology was limited thirty years ago. Time passed without a breakthrough. For Det. Supt. Rob Taylor who captured killer and kidnapper Michael Sams, this was the only unsolved of 40 cases he'd overseen. He vowed that he would not rest until Wendy's killer was behind bars. 

    People had started to lose hope that he'd ever be found, but then there was a knock on our door. When I opened it, I was a bit startled that a trio of police officers was standing there.

 They were going door to door, asking every man to give a DNA sample. What had happened to Wendy could have happened to any one of us and it was good to see this was far from over. Wakefield C.I.D. officers eventually obtained samples from 3,000 men, yet still the years passed as if he'd just vanished into thin air. Wendy had been one of us. She brought her bread from the same shop, trod the same paths and we spoke a language. Going to catering college, I'd pass by her front door and with a heavy heart, imagine her standing there, seeing what was happening, one final time.

       A drunken boast about drink driving in a Bradford pub some two years later, happened to be overheard by a police officer. The drunk was 35 year old Christopher Farrow, a painter and decorator from Cookridge, Leeds. Convicted of the drink driving offence, his DNA, fingerprints and blood type were added to the database. Despite monthly checks on the evidence, it was to be a further four years by the time Farrow became the prime suspect. When his fingerprints were matched with the partial print taken from the scene, police arrested Farrow at the house he shared with his pregnant partner and her kids. He initially denied any involvement, but faced with overwhelming evidence, was forced to finally confess.

Farrow's "bad day" meant that Wendy wouldn't get to see another day.

  

       Farrow told police that he had a "bad day" which drove him to search for a victim. He stalked, planned and premeditated to murder a 24 year old woman who he had been hunting for several days. When she wouldn't open the door to him, his anger boiled over. A belief that he was entitled to have sex where and when he wanted, set him down the path, that would lead to Wendy's grisly murder. The prosecutor told how Farrow said to detectives:

•   "I just saw her get off the bus as I was getting off another bus"
•   "I had been.... thinking how crap my life was. My sex life...was absolute zero and I had a lot of upset and               anger towards my girlfriend."
•   "I decided to do something that day to kill someone. I just wanted someone to suffer the same way I was feeling".

   He also revealed he killed Wendy "as an afterthought". Having walked out of the bedroom to leave, he then realised she would be able to identify him.

   His cold statement was: "I'm a rapist who killed, I'm not a murderer who raped."

   Mr. Justice Moorland ordered that Farrow must serve a minimum of 18 years in prison, for the rape, sexual assault and murder of Wendy. He received an additional four year term for the attempted burglary of another woman in November. But the judge added he would recommend Farrow remains in custody for "very, very many years."

      Wendy's daughter Tracey continues to campaign against Farrow's release from prison and has successfully kept him behind bars so far. Having served the minimum term laid out during sentencing, the case for his release is heard every two years by the parole board. During his 2018 hearing, the parole board recommend Farrow be moved to an open prison in preparation for release, but he was soon returned to a secure facility. Wendy's daughter Tracey Millington-Jones warned he is still a huge danger to society and that he should never be released:

    She said:"They don't send people to an open prison if they don't want to release them at some point. The parole board report praised him for how well he had done and how his risk areas had been reduced."

  "I think he is a dangerous, dangerous man. People need to be reminded of what he has done. Particularly people in Leeds and Wakefield if he is going to move back there."

    "Farrow has never shown any remorse," she said. "He took a pair of my mother's shoes as a murder trophy and has never revealed where he has hidden them. He obviously has a thirst for more as he was out stalking and attempting to get women on their own in their homes within weeks of murdering my lovely mum. In my opinion, this man could have been the next Yorkshire ripper."

     New parole board rules in the UK mean it's possible for public parole hearings to be held in some cases where it's in the interest of justice. The normal position is for parole hearings to remain in private. It's critical that witnesses are able to give their best evidence in an environment where open and honest discussion can take place. Each application will be considered, with representation sought from all parties to the case. The chair of the parole board will decide whether applications will be accepted or rejected. Those decisions are posted on the government website. 

     Ms Millington-Jones has attended every session during which the parole board has been discussing Farrow, the degree of risk he presents and ultimately, decide if he can be released. She submitted an application requesting that the 2023 parole hearing be held in public, due to the serious danger she maintains he presents to the public. Farrow's lawyers objected, claiming that it would prevent him from receiving a fair hearing. Farrow said he would refuse to give evidence in public and it was claimed that he "may experience unnecessary stress", should the case being held in public. Although they declared the concerns of Farrow and his lawyers insufficient to impede the process, the chair of the parole board determined the hearing would take place in private. 

       

     Retired Det. Chief Supt. Paul Johnston has expressed his concerns, about the possibility of a parole  board decision that could see Farrow back in the community. He said "There has been no explanation, no apology, no remorse." While he's deeply concerned, he appreciates that the parole board have a difficult task. He remarked that:

    "Decisions have to be based on risk- risk of the murderer re-offending in some way, shape or form. That risk is often judged by remorse that has been showed, by explanations as to why he did what he did. If I am right, there has been nothing of that nature from him over the last 18 years, I would have to ask what basis can someone say this is a changed man? What's to say this won't happen again?"

    Police said from the time he was locked up, that he would have become a prolific serial killer had he not been caught. The former officer who had led the hunt for Barrow warns "I genuinely believe he poses a significant risk to women if he is released."

  R.I.P. Wendy. Wakefield remembers you with love.

~

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suicide plane crash

20th January 2024.

Suicide Aircrash.

  Over the years, air travel has become the safest way to travel. You're much more likely to die on the road, driving to the airport. The tragic accidents in the skies have such an impact on us that the fear of flying remains a common tendency. 

  From time to time, it's discovered that these catastrophic events are the result of more nefarious intentions. Responsibility is attributed to the very same hands passengers routinely entrust with their lives. Actions like these and the devastating loss of life,  shocks us to the core. 

  Belgium.1933~A fire, possibly started by a suicidal passenger attempting to commit suicide, caused the plane to crash killing all 15 aboard. This is thought to be the first act of sabotage on a commercial airliner. 

  Wilmington, N. Carolina, 1960. ~A  despondent passenger detonated a dynamite bomb in his lap blowing the airliner out of the sky and killing 34 people. He was insured for $1million.

Boston, Mass. 1963~ With engines idling on the ground, a girl committed suicide by running into the No. 2 propeller.

San Ramon, Ca. 1964~ aircraft went into a steep dive and crashed while on a flight from Stockton to San Francisco,Ca. The last message which had to be obtained through laboratory analysis was "Skipper's shot. He's been shot. I was trying to help." Francisco Gonzales, a passenger, who had told several people he was going to kill himself shot both the pilot and co-pilot causing the plane to crash, killing all 44 aboard. 

. . Tokyo, Japan,1982~The aircraft flew into shallow water after a struggle with a mentally ill pilot. During the approach, the captain, known to have mental problems, put the onboard engines into reverse in an attempt to destroy the aircraft while the co-pilot and flight engineer battled to restrain him. 24 of 174 aboard were killed.

   Middletown Pennsylvania,1983 ~

A passenger committed suicide by opening right rear door and jumping out at 3,500 ft.

San Luis, Obispo, Ca.1987~ A fired USair employee, David Burke, after leaving a goodbye message to friends, shot both pilots. The aircraft went into a steep dive and crashed killing all 43 people aboard.  

Finally , not technically suicide, but as good as..

   Bandundu, Congo, 2010~ A passenger brought onboard a crocodile hidden in a sports bag. The crocodile escaped, causing a panic among passengers who all ran to one end of the plane. This caused an imbalance in the aircraft which lost control and crashed.  

For any sick puppies out there, like myself, from "last words":  

1982. Tokyo. Japan.

Pilot engaged number 2 and 3 engine thrust reversers in flight. The first officer and flight engineer were able to partially regain control of the aircraft. Of the 174 people onboard, 24 perished.  

1994. Morocco.

Pilot crashed intentionally by disengaging the autopilot and deliberately causing the plane to crash. 44 people lost their lives.  

1997. Silk air.

The Indonesian Boeing 737 carried 104 souls to their r respective makers. During a routine flight from Jakarta to Singapore, the plane plummeted vertically into a murky, fast flowing river in the island of Sumatra. Disintegrating upon impact, weeks spent searching with boats and divers, yielded just a handful of largely unidentifiable body parts. 93 wooden caskets shared a mass grave in a service that was essentially symbolic as most of the remains were lost. Indonesia lists the cause as "undetermined", but the United States NTSB argued the act was one of suicide. A private investigation later identified a flaw in the plane's rudder, however there's just one way a plane of that size can nosedive with such force. The event was a first in the perfect safety record of Silk air. Free falling from 35,000ft, at sometimes supersonic speed, parts of the wreckage were buried 15ft into the river bed. I think this one feels particularly tragic.  

 1999. Egyptair ~ 

Reserve pilot in command, Gameel Al-Batouti, while alone in the cockpit, disengaged the autopilot and flipped the plane, sending it rocketing towards the Atlantic taking the 217 onboard beneath the waves off Nantucket Island. Reciting the words "I rely on God" over and over, while approaching the speed of sound. Jets like these aren't exactly built for such velocity and will break up, sending anyone and anything not pinned down rattling around the cabin. You can get some idea from the final cvr. All 217 were killed.  

.

   2005. Tampa ~ 

Left alone by his flight instructor,15 year old Charles J Bishop made a break for freedom. Aiming it directly into the Bank of America just 3 months after the 9/11 fracas, inevitably judgement has been meted out. His mother suggested the acne treatment he was using, had led to him experiencing depression and suicidal ideation. It's more comprehensible than him representing Al+Qaeda and being labelled as "America's terrorist". Because drone warfare isn't history's finest example of terrorism. The only life lost was his own.  

  2010. Texas ~

Trailblazing protester Joe Stack posted his manifesto online, set fire to the house he had shared with his wife and steered a single engined light aircraft full of fuel into the Texas IRS offices. His daughter declared on national news, that her father was a "hero" for making the politicians take notice. I can't really question the ideology he advocated for. His destination that day didn't appear to incur much opposition either. Only one person went with him into the void.  

  2013. Mozambique airlines ~ 

The pilot intentionally crashed the aircraft into national parkland in Namibia, after the co-pilot was locked out of the cockpit. A total of 33 fatalities occurred.  

2014. Malaysia Airlines ~

239 people disappeared, never to be seen again, when this Boeing 777 mysteriously vanished from the sights of aircraft control that day. Following an investigation by the Malaysian, it was asserted that the plane had "naturally" flown off course. Several possible explanations have been proposed, but the leading theory among experts is that the pilot, or the co-pilot committed an act of murder suicide.  

  2018. Seattle ~

Baggage handler, Richard Russell, helped himself to a Horizon Air Q400 passenger aircraft, performing aerial acrobatics while fending off the attention of responding military fighter jets. Announcing he had "never really thought about landing it" and done with his joyride, the plane crashed into Kenton island in the South Puget sound. Nobody hurt besides him.  

  2022. China Eastern airlines ~ 

Another spectacular vertical dive plunged 132 passengers and 9 crew members to their demise. Any pilot will confirm that a plane only does this, when a person manoeuvres it in such a way. It has to roll in order to adopt the position for a nosedive, that begins at a cruising altitude of 30,000ft and impacts with the world below in two minutes. At this speed it behaves much like a thermobaric rocket. A fierce fireball that engulfs it as it makes contact with the earth deep in the Guangxi mountains. Assisted in no small part by their failure to drop any fuel in advance. The rapid decent clearly initiated the fuselage breaking up. With debris on both sides of the mountain, it's likely to have broken in half. Hundreds of thousands of small pieces of said debris have been located, as deep as 20m beneath the surface, due to the intense force with which it fell.

You would have better odds of surviving jumping from this height. Believe it or not, an air stewardesses survived being sucked from the cabin of a plane with a gaping hole caused by an explosion. Depressurisation led to her 33,000ft fall. She spent a short time in a coma and broke both legs, but she lives!!

The rumour is that the co-pilot of the Chinese Boeing 737 was a high flyer, but the airline demoted him. Honour is highly valued in the Chinese culture and he supposedly wanted his revenge on them.  

But the West can't survive without a consistent stream of Nike's and iPhones off the back of forced labour. Everyone will have forgotten all about it soon enough.

All hail the CCP and their bounty of suspiciously fresh human organs.  

A few compilations in which there's an overview of intentional plane crashes:  

In 1988, Libyan terrorists put a bomb on a Pan Am flight going from London to New York city. It exploded over Lockerbie in Scotland, while cruising at 31,000ft, breaking up into thousands of pieces. Aboard were passengers and crew totalling 259, all of whom died. 21 houses were destroyed and a further 11 people killed on the ground.

At the time, I was living close to the border of Turkey. That's really not the most comfortable environment, especially on your own. A quiet apparent Brit somewhere they shouldn't be.

It's one way to get killed. 

Oooh! One more thing. Maybe you're familiar with those airport hotels? The ones bang nextdoor to it? Maybe don't bother, eh? I stayed in one when my flight was delayed. It's utterly terrifying!! Every few minutes, a plane comes right for you. They must skim the roof by inches. Even closing the curtains is futile because the room shakes and the noise is deafening. Yeah..no! Wouldn't recommend.

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          After Life 

  On more than one occasion, I have experienced heart failure and was medically resuscitated. I don't tend to discuss my experiences, because I'm not in the habit of trampling over the beliefs (comforts and reassurances) of others. For the majority of people, death is the great unknown- something that nobody can ever describe with any guarantees of accuracy. Thus, having faith in an afterlife offers some hope that the spirit will continue after the physical body expires, decays and decomposes. If this concept provides comfort and reassurance to those who believe in it and it causes no harm, who am I to deride such ideas and deprive an individual experiencing possibly the single most terrifying episode of this life, a modicum of peace in a theory that essentially harms nobody?

   For those who are open to an alternative explanation, I will relate my experiences here, along with a brief discussion of the most commonly held ideas about the mysteries that occur in the event of our death. I am happy to answer any questions you may have, to listen to reported experiences of others and to engage in a discussion of any ideas I raise in this article.

   Firstly, I wish to establish the following facts. On no occasion has there been any "white light", voices calling, or loved ones beckoning to me from the beyond and I did not find myself looking down on my physical body from above. There was darkness. Black, silence. Emptiness. Nothingness. Something worth noting is that arriving in this state after being in a state of extreme pain and trauma, all that was gone. I sometimes describe it as a state of "bliss" and I have spoken to others who have described it in remarkably similar terms.

    Returning to consciousness, I will honestly say that I was furious. While it had been a place of nothingness, there had been no desire to leave and return to this life, with all the chaos and pain, where normality reigns. Those same people who had described their time in the void, had those exact same feelings of anger at being forced to return to reality.

    It's been suggested that I might simply not have been "gone" for sufficient time, to meet with the other worldly occurrences so frequently detailed by believers. I don't deny that this could be a possibility, although the most recent incident caused such extensive hypoxia (lack of oxygen to the brain), that upon waking, I had literally lost all motor function and comprehension of language. In fact, the reason I regained consciousness was because the doctor was removing the ventilator, as once the body regains the ability to breathe independently, such equipment must be withdrawn. So, to my thinking, if that's not sufficient time to have the full experience, I doubt it ever would be.

  I'm aware that there are theories that upon physical death, the brain is flooded with DMT. This is a hallucinogenic substance which occurs naturally in the brain (and in nature, within a large number of species and environments). It's believed to play a major role in the dreams that occur during sleep. As such, it's not impossible that a large quantity of DMT might cause hallucinations in the mind, during a NDE (near death experience). It's also not outside the realms of possibility that already having a degree of familiarity with accounts of others, that their own hallucinations might be of a similar nature.

   It's important to bear in mind how the human brain often allows us to see the very things that we want to see. We are constantly discovering new and astonishing examples of the immense power this organ wields over the body. More complex than any computer, relatively little understood by the finest neuroscientists, much of its capabilities remain a mystery to this day.

   Yet concerning the concept of an afterlife, with around 120 billion people having passed from this life, might it not be rather crowded? What of our animal friends? Why would we be entitled to this eternal existence and they are not? Imagine the struggle for space under those circumstances. Are we to trust in the notion of both a heaven and a hell? In which case, who decides whether each individual meets the required criteria? Are the Muslims correct in their beliefs? Or the Jews? Perhaps it's the Buddhists? Maybe it could even be the Scientologists?

   Providing such peace of mind to the millions of frightened people, each and every one of whom know the day will come, when they will stand at the edge of the great abyss, is a very profitable business. As hard as they try and as many trillions of dollars are thrown at it, there's no cheating death. But one certainty remains. That is how we all have the opportunity to make the best we can of our time here, in this world. Our experiences, values, perspectives and goals will undoubtedly vary, but to a greater or lesser degree, we have some control over the direction out lives will take. Don't waste this, depending on an uncertainty in a future that may not be ours to behold.

    Tuesday 10th January 2023

   Grenfell's legacy.

   Since the tragic tower fire in Grenfell exposed how badly its residents were failed, Scottish lawmakers have introduced additional measures to protect people there from the dangers of fire and carbon monoxide leaks. Many residential areas - especially those around the inner city which are frequently home to a less affluent population - made up of typically older properties, that may not be quite as well maintained as they otherwise would be or  could be.

   Scotland has long been campaigning to claim her independence from the United Kingdom. Legal, Judicial, educational, medical, procedural and fiscal systems very often differ from those in English, Northern Ireland and Wales. 

New requirements mean Scotland will be the first country in the UK  to legislate for such vital, life saving equipment across the board. Another claim those petitioning for national independence can proudly disport. The use of early warning devices in the home, for businesses and in public places saves lives. The statistics are undeniable and they've proven to be so successful, that many insurance providers deem them a necessity to obtain cover.

   Every home will be required to install an interlinked system, meaning when one alarm is triggered and sounds, every device will sound, wherever you are in the property. This system is connected using radio frequencies and doesn't require wi-fi to function. Kitchens will need a heat detector, smoke detectors must be positioned in the most commonly used space (usually a living room), in every hallway and landing and if there are any carbon fuelled appliances, that room will need a carbon monoxide detector (although the latter need not be interlinked). Landlords, local authorities or housing associations will be responsible for equipping rental properties. 

Building regulations demand that  newly built properties, extensions and loft conversions include the provisions. Homeowners will probably find mortgage and insurance providers insist upon compliance. Anyone who has ever had to make a claim against their insurance policy, will appreciate how unlikely they were to be successful, if not adhering too a legal stipulation. It's not an excessive expense given that the operational lifespan is about ten years, reducing the potentially steep human price tag. However, the treasury will be providing the fire service with the necessary finances to assist those most at risk. Loans will be made available to social landlords (local authorities and housing associations) as they will probably need to fit a large number of properties within a limited amount of time.

  Although it is not currently a criminal offence to not have the correct devices fitted, using the interlinked system, it would not be possible to sell the property and local authorities can use their statutory powers, to require work on substandard housing. Undoubtedly should a court of law have to ascribe responsibility following injury, disability or loss of life, any failure to comply with minimum legal standards would be a deciding factor. Systems may be powered by long life lithium batteries or mains powered (with a back up battery). Reusable batteries cannot be used and batteries must be in a sealed, tamper proof unit. The systems are widely available, although the government does not endorse any particular manufacturers. They do however detail specific safety standards with which each device must conform, akin to the CE mark that indicates a standard for toys.

   The UK has been amending legal requirements for providers of rental properties and in building regulations, but this is the first inclusion of the interlinked system within legislation. 

These  groundbreaking measures are a response to the notorious Grenfell tower disaster in 2017. Tower fires are utterly terrifying and (fortunately) a horror few people will ever have to know.

Shortly before 1am on 14th June 2017, a ferocious blaze tore through a 24 storey tower block in Grenfell, Kensington, West London. 74 lives were lost that day and 70 more people received hospital treatment for their injuries, in what was the UK's worst residential fire since WWII and the devastating fires of the blitz. 

The entire nation watched in shock, as the tower was rapidly engulfed, burning for 60 hours. Firefighters were unable to reach many of the victims before they were overwhelmed by smoke, or their exit was made inaccessible. They battled the flames for 17 hours before they could reach the top floor. That no more people perished is a testament to the  efforts of police and firefighters, who worked tirelessly under impossible conditions, gaining control after 24 hours.

A full, formal inquest investigated a catalogue of concerns raised by residents prior to the tragedy. There had been only one staircase to serve all 129 flats. It had been more than four years since any  safety checks had taken place. Many fire extinguishers were inoperable having expired whilst others were marked with the word Condemned. Rubbish had been allowed to amount in corridors, there was only one entrance and a single exit with no sprinklers at all. 

As far back as 12 years prior to the disaster, a report had criticised emergency lighting at Grenfell tower.

Just 12 months before their demise silenced them, residents Nadia Choucair(33) and Mariem Elgwahry(27) had complained after an independent assessor identified 40 serious issues with fire safety in the high-rise. They were threatened with legal action by K.C.T.M.O.; an organisation described described as an "evil, unprincipled, mini-mafia" by the Grenfell Action Group, accusing them of ignoring health & safety laws, saying that: "only a catastrophic event will expose the ineptitude and incompetence of [KCTMO]" adding that they  "predict that it won't be long before the words of this blog come back to haunt the KCTMO management and we will do everything in our power to ensure that those in authority know how long and how appallingly our landlord has ignored their responsibility to ensure the health and safety of their tenants and leaseholders. They can't say that they haven't been warned!".

An electrical fault with a refrigerator on the fourth floor being identified as the source of the fire holds little significance in light of the litany of failures that elicited a perfect storm during the early hours of that June morning. 

Heavy, airtight fire doors and thick walls were intended to contain a fire until fire crews could address it, in which case only residents in the affected unit needed to be alerted or evacuated. Most of Grenfell's 600 occupants were asleep at that hour. Without any kind of warning, they had no way to know the danger they were in until it was far too late. An over-reliance on these features is employed at Grenfell and in buildings the length and breadth of the country, with standard procedures advising occupants to "stay put". Would you feel happy remaining inside a building as the flames are licking at your windows?

Many more lives were lost than should have been, primarily due to the aluminium composite rain screen cladding that had been fitted to the exterior two years earlier in an attempt to improve energy efficiency - or that's where the blame came to a rest anyway.

Harley Facades; the construction company responsible for applying this facia stated that "from a selfish point of view", his company's preference was to use cheaper aluminium Composite material. An alternative cladding with better fire resistance was refused due to cost. High-rise tower blocks are overwhelmingly inhabited by  

72 victims of uncaring policies, punishing the poor 

highly flammable cladding and an air gap beneath it, incurring the stack effect essentially fanning the flames of what had by then, become an inferno. Emergency services were alerted shortly before midnight, when witnesses were woken by residents shouting and screaming for their lives. Accounts of people throwing children from windows and tying bedsheets together to make their escape, make for grim reading. More than anything, the speed with which the smoke and flames took control, shocked everybody. Traumatised survivors told reporters that no alarms had sounded. It's yet ANOTHER example of the lethality presented by capitalist pragmatism. Persistent demands to impose more and more cost cutting measures puts profits before safety and the lives of people. 

The government immediately demanded a public enquiry and I can personally attest to witnessing hundreds of tower blocks nationwide, being stripped of exterior cladding. 

  The Grenfell tower disaster:

How the Grenfell fire unfolded

 ⚠️Video timeline of the Grenfell tower inferno: Watch as 24 floors are gutted within half an hour, by a real-life raging inferno.Keep in mind that parents trapped in their homes on the upper floors, had no other option than to hold their kids, knowing in their hearts how it was the end for each and every one of them.⬇️

Remembering the victims.

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