'Race to find quake survivors' and a 'scar' on police
BBC NewsStaff
The sentencing of former Met officer David Carrick leads some of Wednesday's front pages. He has been jailed for 30 years after 49 charges, including 24 counts of rape while he was a serving officer, the Metro reports. The paper says Carrick has been condemned as a "scar on our police".
Carrick raped. assaulted and inflicted "irretrievable destruction" on at least 12 women before intimidating them into silence, reports the Guardian. The paper says the firearms officer will spend at least 30 more years in prison as a punishment for offences over 17 years. The paper also features a picture of a father holding his daughter's hand who died in the earthquake in Turkey.
The Telegraph says Carrick's prison sentence is already under review after the attorney general was inundated with complaints that it was too lenient. Just hours after the sentencing, which could see Carrick released when he is in his 70s, a spokesperson for the attorney general said the case was being looked at as part of the Unduly Lenient Sentence Scheme, the paper notes.
Meanwhile, the race to find survivors following the earthquake in Syria and Turkey continues, reports the i. The paper says a baby, still attached to its mother by an umbilical cord, was rescued from the rubble. The death toll has surpassed 7,200 as 400,000 people in Turkey are seeking shelter in shopping centres, sports stadiums and mosques after their homes collapsed, the paper notes.
"Life and death under the ruin" declares the Times as it reports the search continues to find survivors in the rubble after the earthquake. The paper says it is feared more than 20,000 people may have been killed. Rescue workers have had to force their way along wrecked roads in freezing temperatures, amid complaints from residents that help arrived too late, the paper notes.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has broken up the government's business department to sharpen focus on energy and science, despite concerns it could prove costly, the Financial Times reports. The paper says the PM also used the reshuffle to fill the vacant post of Conservative party chair. Hannah White from the Institute for Government said the shake-up would eventually bring focus to priority areas but could cost "well over £100m" and take years, the paper notes.
The Church of England is set to debate whether God could be referred to in "non-gendered" terms, the Daily Mail reports. The paper says Anglican bishops are preparing to launch a major project on gendered language this spring - which might decide to stop using the male pronouns "he" or "him" in prayers.
The headteacher of Epsom College made a call to her sister minutes before she was shot dead by her husband, the Daily Express reports. The paper says Emma Pattison's relatives raced to her aid but they arrived too late and discovered her body.
"BP's spoils of war" declares the Daily Mirror as its says the oil giant sparked outrage after announcing it made record profits of £23bn. The company has been accused of profiting from the war in Ukraine, the paper reports, as millions struggled with the cost of living.
The sitcom Fawlty Towers is set to return, 44 years after it ended, the Sun reports. The paper says John Cleese will be returning to play Basil Fawlty and to write it - also joined by his daughter who will star in the new series.
The Daily Star says 42% of people cannot remember the last time they laughed out loud. The country is in the "grip of chuckle crisis" declares the paper, as it claims experts recommend reading its paper to cheer you up.
