Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Imam at Belmarsh prison arrested for trying to smuggle in £60k worth of drugs

An Imam has been arrested after allegedly trying to smuggle £60,000 worth of drugs into Belmarsh prison.

Mohamed Rawat was stopped at the prison gates and found to have 60 sheets of paper soaked in spice, a synthetic drug which is rampant in UK prisons.


The 49-year-old from North London was under investigation by an anti-corruption unit at the Category A prison which holds some of the country’s most notorious criminals including Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale, who killed Fusilier Lee Rigby in 2013 and Muslim extremist preacher Anjem Choudary was also an inmate there.

Belmarsh holds around 900 prisoners with a quarter believed to be Muslim. Rawat who describes himself as an 'active religious leader', worked voluntarily at the prison but has now been banned from going back until the conclusion of the investigation.

Scotland Yard confirmed: "On Wednesday, November 28, police arrested a man at Belmarsh Prison on suspicion of possession with intent to supply an illegal substance. He has since been released under investigation. Enquiries continue."

Spice is a similar to cannabis but is far stronger and causes some users to become violent and delusional. It is popular with inmates as it cannot be detected in drugs tests and can be sprayed on to sheets of paper. Inmates are no longer given books or letters in case they have been saturated with spice. They are given photocopies instead.

Things got so bad that last year guards at Belmarsh fell ill after accidentally inhaling spice. The jail now has sniffer dogs, a body-scanner machine in the reception area and an ‘itemiser’ that can test for drugs in the post room.

Rory Stewart, the prisons minister said: “Its (spice) widespread use in prisons puts a huge strain on the NHS as ambulances have to be sent to inmates who have overdosed and it has been linked to suicides and violent deaths in cells.”

More For You

F-35B jet

The UK has agreed to move the aircraft to the Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility at the airport.

Indian Air Force

F-35B jet still stranded in Kerala, UK sends engineers for repair

UK AVIATION engineers are arriving in Thiruvananthapuram to carry out repairs on an F-35B Lightning jet belonging to the Royal Navy, which has remained grounded after an emergency landing 12 days ago.

The jet is part of the HMS Prince of Wales Carrier Strike Group of the UK's Royal Navy. It made the emergency landing at Thiruvananthapuram airport on June 14. The aircraft, valued at over USD 110 million, is among the most advanced fighter jets in the world.

Keep ReadingShow less
Ahmedabad air crash
Relatives carry the coffin of a victim, who was killed in the Air India Flight 171 crash, during a funeral ceremony in Ahmedabad on June 15, 2025. (Photo: Getty Images)

Ahmedabad crash: Grief, denial and trauma haunt families

TWO weeks after the crash of Air India flight AI-171 in Ahmedabad, families of victims are grappling with grief and trauma. Psychiatrists are now working closely with many who continue to oscillate between denial and despair.

The crash occurred on June 12, when the London-bound flight hit the BJ Medical College complex shortly after takeoff, killing 241 people on board and 29 on the ground. Only one passenger survived.

Keep ReadingShow less
Starmer apologises for 'island of strangers' immigration speech

Prime minister Keir Starmer delivers a speech at The British Chambers of Commerce Global Annual Conference in London on June 26, 2025. (Photo by EDDIE MULHOLLAND/AFP via Getty Images)

Starmer apologises for 'island of strangers' immigration speech

PRIME MINISTER Sir Keir Starmer has admitted he was wrong to warn that Britain could become an "island of strangers" due to high immigration, saying he "deeply" regrets the controversial phrase.

Speaking to The Observer, Sir Keir said he would not have used those words if he had known they would be seen as echoing the language of Enoch Powell's notorious 1968 "rivers of blood" speech.

Keep ReadingShow less
Sir Sajid Javid leads commission 'tackling social divisions'

Sir Sajid Javid (Photo by Tom Nicholson-WPA Pool/Getty Images)

Sir Sajid Javid leads commission 'tackling social divisions'

A cross-party group has been formed to tackle the deep divisions that sparked last summer's riots across England. The new commission will be led by former Tory minister Sir Sajid Javid and ex-Labour MP Jon Cruddas.

The Independent Commission on Community and Cohesion has backing from both prime minister Sir Keir Starmer and Tory leader Kemi Badenoch. It brings together 19 experts from different political parties and walks of life.

Keep ReadingShow less
​Masum

Masum was seen on CCTV trying to steer the pram away and, when she refused to go with him, stabbed her multiple times before walking away and boarding a bus. (Photo: West Yorkshire Police)

West Yorkshire Police

Habibur Masum convicted of murdering estranged wife in front of baby

A MAN who stabbed his estranged wife to death in Bradford in front of their baby has been convicted of murder.

Habibur Masum, 26, attacked 27-year-old Kulsuma Akter in broad daylight on April 6, 2024, stabbing her more than 25 times while she pushed their seven-month-old son in a pram. The baby was not harmed.

Keep ReadingShow less