Summary

  • Closing headlines for Friday 24 July 2015

  • Six men involved in a child sex ring in Aylesbury have been found guilty at the Old Bailey of abusing two schoolgirls

  • An arrest warrant has again been issued for Tina Beloveth Powerful from Milton Keynes, who has failed to appear in court again today

  • Hertfordshire County Council warns of possible flooding later as heavy rain is forecast

  • One person has been seriously injured after a collision in Porze Avenue in Dunstable

  • More news, sport, travel and weather for the three counties from 08:00 on Monday

  1. Have a good weekendpublished at 18:04 BST 24 July 2015

    That's all from us on local live for Beds, Herts and Bucks this week.

    If you're just logging on, here's a summary of the top stories - you can find more from throughout the day by scrolling down:

    Police vans

    We'll be back with you from 08:00 on Monday 27 July.

  2. Very wet weather outlookpublished at 17:59 BST 24 July 2015

    Chris Bell
    BBC Look East weather

    Some heavy rain for a time this evening with localised flooding possible, but rain becoming patchier towards the end of the night. Winds will pick up as well, becoming gusty northwesterly during the early morning hours with lows around 11C (52F).

    Weather graphic shows heavy rain

    Tomorrow will be cloudy with rain clearing eastwards at first leaving bright or sunny spells and the chance of a few showers into the afternoon, but a lot places staying dry from midday.

    Winds blustery at first, but easing from the northwest. Highs around 20C (68F).

  3. Police officer convictions: Thames Valley and Beds Police responsespublished at 17:53 BST 24 July 2015

    Dani Bailey
    Beds, Herts & Bucks Live

    Figures obtained by Freedom of Information (FOI) requests about the number of police officers and community support officers convicted of criminal offences over the last three years have discovered just three officers in the three counties, who did not continue serving.

    Bedfordshire Police headquarters

    Thames Valley Police refused to answer the FOI request on grounds of cost.

    Bedfordshire Police said its searches of the force's Professional Standards Department found no serving officers with criminal convictions.

    Beds Police and Hertfordshire Constabulary said it would exceed costs and time limits under FOI laws, external to retrieve information concerning convictions prior to officers joining the force.

  4. Reports of Watford's 10th signingpublished at 17:51 BST 24 July 2015

    BBC Three Counties Radio

    Before we go, a quick look at some of the other stories making the news today... it's reported, Watford are set to make their 10th signing of the summer taking on Dutch forward Steven Berghuis from AZ Alkmaar.

    Vicarage Road groundImage source, Getty Images

    Berghuis agreed personal terms with Watford last week but the transfer was held up while the clubs negotiated a fee.

    The Press Association is reporting AZ accepted a bid close to £4.6m.

  5. Aylesbury sex ring: Victim's teen listpublished at 17:44 BST 24 July 2015

    Laurence Cawley
    BBC News

    There exists a list of names compiled with a teenager's code of hearts, crosses and letters. The list - written by victim dubbed 'child A' when she was 16 - recounts some of the men she remembered having sex with.

    Clockwise from top left: Vikram Singh, Akbarav Khan, Asif Hussain, Mohammed Imran, Taimoor Khan and Arshad Jani were all found guiltyImage source, Thames Valley Police

    Different sexual acts are denoted with certain letters while 'X' meant she did not like a person and 'CR' meant she could no longer remember exactly what happened.

    Between the ages of 12 and 16, she had sex with about 60 men, nearly all of them Asian. Sometimes, this sex was 'consensual', sometimes it was rape. The six men convicted for a range offences against the schoolgirls will be sentenced in September.

  6. Aylesbury sex ring: Girls just wanted to be lovedpublished at 17:35 BST 24 July 2015

    Jon Brain
    BBC News

    This case follows a similar pattern to cases in other parts of the country. It may not be on the same scale it terms of the numbers of victims of places like Rochdale and Oxford, but the modus operandi of the men involved was very similar

    The men befriended vulnerable girls - girls who say they just wanted to be needed and loved.

    They gave them gifts, gave them alcohol and then they started abusing them. From there, they would pass them on to other abusers.

  7. Aylesbury sex ring: Harrowing evidencepublished at 17:24 BST 24 July 2015

    Jon Brain
    BBC News

    Once again an English town is in the spotlight for failing to protect vulnerable girls in its care.

    The Old BaileyImage source, Googlr

    Both of the victims in this case were known to social services - both were abused over many years.

    The jury here at the Old Bailey had to listen to some harrowing evidence over seven or eight weeks as this trial came to its conclusion.

  8. Aylesbury sex ring: Serious case review in Buckspublished at 17:16 BST 24 July 2015

    Duncan Kennedy
    BBC News correspondent

    Last year, Buckinghamshire County Council was criticised in an Oftsed report which said children were being put at risk by widespread and serious failings.

    Buckinghamshire County Council

    The council has now promised a serious case review following this latest court case.

  9. Aylesbury sex ring: Raid in September 2014published at 17:04 BST 24 July 2015

    Duncan Kennedy
    BBC News correspondent

    The girls' ordeal came to an end last year with this Thames Valley Police raid in September after one of the girls spoke out to say she'd been abused by dozens of Asian men.

    Police leave for Aylesbury raid

    Though some civic leaders in Aylesbury tell me this is not just a problem for Britain's Asian community.

    "The majority of cases are still, police will tell you, statistically, white on white. Any abuse is terrible, all abuse is horrible and all of it should be brought to justice", said former Aylesbury mayor Niknam Hussain,

  10. Aylesbury sex ring: 'I was outnumbered' said victimpublished at 16:56 BST 24 July 2015

    Dani Bailey
    Beds, Herts & Bucks Live

    At the centre of the Aylesbury sex ring were two white schoolgirls in their early teens who, over the course of six years, were sexually abused by men nearly all of whom were of Asian heritage.

    Silhouette of victim

    "I was laying on the bed there with them and obviously he came on to me and I was sort of outnumbered in a sense", one of the girls, whose identity has been protected, told the BBC.

    "Of course, I wasn't going to say no because I always had it in my mind that if I say no, they're going to do what they want anyway. I was like, well, I have to say yes."

  11. Aylesbury sex ring: Victims plied with alcohol and giftspublished at 16:39 BST 24 July 2015

    The court heard evidence from both victims, who came from troubled backgrounds and were befriended by the men who gave them alcohol, DVDs, food and occasionally drugs.

    Aylesbury Market

    One of the victims spent a lot of her time around Aylesbury Market where she was spotted by her first abuser, Vikram Singh. When one girl was 12 or 13, one of the girls was passed between 60 Asian men for sex and had been conditioned to think it was normal behaviour, the jury was told.

    Prosecutor Oliver Saxby QC said the victims were "easy prey for a group of men wanting casual sexual gratification that was easy, regular and readily available".

  12. Aylesbury sex ring: Four men cleared, one undecidedpublished at 16:29 BST 24 July 2015

    Six men have been found guilty of a range of sexual offences for their part in a child sex ring in Aylesbury between 2006 and 2012. Five of them come from Buckinghamshire.

    Four men were cleared and the jury could not decide on charges for one man:

    • Sajad Ali, 34, of Brockhurst Road, Chesham, was found not guilty of sexual activity with a child

    • Sohail Qamar, 41, of St Anne's Road, Aylesbury, was cleared of two counts of rape, and assault occasioning actual bodily harm

    • Faisal Iqbal, 32, of Pixie Road, Aylesbury, was cleared of rape and sexual activity with a child

    • Harmohan Nangpal, 41, of Langdale Drive, Hayes, was cleared of one count of rape, and one count of sexual activity with a child

    • The jury could not decide on charges against Jerome Joe, 35, of Pightle Crescent, Buckingham. He denies one count of rape and a single count of sexual activity with a child.

  13. Aylesbury sex ring: Bradford man guilty of five offencespublished at 16:28 BST 24 July 2015

    Mohammed Imran, 38, of Springcliffe Street, Bradford, was convicted of three counts of rape, one count of conspiracy to rape and one count of child prostitution.

    Mohammed ImranImage source, Thames Valley Police
  14. Aylesbury sex ring: Bucks man convicted of sexual activity with childpublished at 16:20 BST 24 July 2015

    Taimoor Khan, 29, of Highbridge Road, Aylesbury, was convicted of one count of sexual activity with a child between 2006 and 2012.

    Taimoor KhanImage source, Thames Valley Police
  15. Aylesbury sex ring: Bucks man guilty of four chargespublished at 16:17 BST 24 July 2015

    Akbari Khan, 36, of Mandeville Road, Aylesbury, was found guilty of two counts of rape, one of administering a substance with intent and conspiracy to rape.

    Akbari KhanImage source, Thames Valley Police
  16. Aylesbury sex ring: Man guilty of rapepublished at 16:14 BST 24 July 2015

    For his part in the Aylesbury sex ring, Arshad Jani, 33, of Cousins Drive, Aylesbury, was found guilty of rape and conspiracy to rape.

    Arshad JaniImage source, Thames Valley Police
  17. Aylesbury sex ring: Milton Keynes man convictedpublished at 16:12 BST 24 July 2015

    After appearing at the Old Bailey, Asif Hussain, 33, of Hodge Lea, Milton Keynes, was convicted of three counts of rape.

    Asif HussainImage source, Thames Valley Police
  18. Aylesbury sex ring: Man found guilty of five chargespublished at 16:09 BST 24 July 2015

    Vikram Singh, 45, of Cannock Road, Aylesbury, was found guilty of four counts of rape and one of administering a substance with intent, for his part in the Aylesbury child sex ring.

    Vikram SinghImage source, Thames Valley Police
  19. Aylesbury sex ring: Questions raised over social servicespublished at 16:06 BST 24 July 2015

    Laurence Cawley
    BBC News

    Former Aylesbury mayor Niknam Hussain says the case of Child A in the Aylesbury sex ring raises serious questions about how the girl had been handled and treated by social services.

    Niknam Hussein, former Aylesbury mayor

    "They have not come out of this at all well," he said. "The authorities are under severe pressure all of the time, social care is expensive and the county council struggles to keep its social workers and is dependent on agency staff."

    It is understood Child A may have raised issues of sexual abuse previously with social services but nothing was done.

  20. Aylesbury sex ring: How was it discovered?published at 15:54 BST 24 July 2015

    Laurence Cawley
    BBC News

    The Aylesbury child sex ring was not discovered as most would expect - with a victim complaining to the police, a parent voicing concerns or online surveillance. It began with the main victim - known throughout the case as child A - trying to prevent her own children being taken into care.

    Woman holding her head in her hands

    The efforts of Buckinghamshire social services to have Child A's two young sons taken into care were halted when she spoke out about sexual abuse she had suffered.

    The case - heard in the Family Court - had centred on her own fitness to be a mother. The police investigation into Child A's claims started soon after.