Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris has said he will not be standing at the next general election.

The Tory MP said on X, formerly Twitter, it had been an "honour and a privilege to serve and I'd like to thank the good people of Daventry".

He added that he would be continuing to campaign for the Conservatives as the "only party that has and can deliver for the whole of the United Kingdom".

Mr Heaton-Harris has been the Northern Ireland secretary since September 2022.

He announced his intention in a letter to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, which he published on the social media platform on Saturday night.

Published
42 minutes ago

An inmate with a history of self-harm was not properly monitored before he was found dead in his cell, his sister has claimed.

Justin Lewis, 29, who had "seriously" self-harmed before his death, died at Bridgend's HMP Parc in March.

His sister Naomi Lewis, 31, said he had been at high-risk of self-harm and should have been monitored hourly but that he was left alone for hours before he died.

HMP Parc said Mr Lewis' death was being investigated by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman.

Cwm Taf Morgannwg health board, which is responsible for healthcare at the prison, urged Mr Lewis' family to contact them if they had questions about his care.

He is one of nine inmates to die at the privately run Bridgend prison in just over 10 weeks. Four of the deaths are believed to be drug related.

Warning: This article contains distressing content

Mr Lewis, a graffiti artist, had been in Parc for two years after being recalled for criminal damage and was due to be released on 3 May.

An inquest previously heard that his body was found in his cell by prison officers on 16 March.

Ms Lewis said she was very close to her brother and spoke to him most days, but on the day of his death she missed his call as she was in the garden.

“I tried to get hold of him to talk to him but I couldn’t and the next thing there was a knock at the door in the evening from prison staff,” she said.

“I was just in shock and screaming, saying ‘please no, just tell me he’s in hospital’,” she said.

“But they told me Justin was dead. I said to them ‘how could you let him do this?'."

She said that her brother had been hospitalised following a self-harming incident in the weeks before his death.

She claimed that G4S, which runs the prison, had failed in its duty of care and that guards had not checked on Mr Lewis for hours.

“They should have been checking on him every hour. It’s shocking,” she said.

She said that her brother's death was the “most painful thing" she’s had to deal with.

An inquest in March heard how prison officers entered Mr Lewis' cell to administer daily medication but found he was dead at 16:56 GMT on 16 March.

Naomi said she was now planning on taking a group legal action with other bereaved families.

“Justin said the prisoners run the jail and it’s rife with drugs. He said there was spice everywhere,” she said.

“He was so happy when I last spoke to him because he was about to be released, I just can’t get my head around it.

“He must have wanted the guards to find him earlier to be moved back to the hospital wing. He would not have wanted to hurt me like this, because I’ve never felt pain like this in my whole entire life.”

In March, South Wales Police said four of the HMP Parc deaths were believed to be drug related and and two were non-suspicious, including Mr Lewis’ death.

Concerns have been raised in the Senedd and the Commons in recent weeks about the number of deaths at the Category B prison.

Private security firm G4S has managed the prison since it opened in 1997 and it received a 10-year contract to continue operating it in 2022.

Justice minister Edward Argar told MPs at the Commons Welsh Affairs Committee that the facility was "well-run" amid calls for it to be nationalised.

At the time of a 2022 inspection, external, Parc held 1,623 prisoners, making it one of the largest in the UK.

HM Inspectorate of Prisons said it had a long reputation as a "safe and decent prison", but raised concerns that levels of self-harm were too high.

A spokesperson for HMP Parc said: "Our thoughts remain with Justin Lewis’ family and friends.

"As with all deaths in custody, this will be investigated by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman."

G4S said that under the latest contract awarded in summer 2023, the health board provides health and mental health services in the prison.

A spokesperson for Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board said: "As a health board, we are responsible for the provision of primary healthcare at HMP Parc and work in partnership with prison officer colleagues, who take a lead in the operational management of the prison.

"We extend sincere condolences to Mr Lewis’ family and encourage them to make contact with our concerns team if they have any queries about his healthcare during his time at the prison."

If you have been impacted by any of the issues raised in this article support is available at BBC Action Line.

Published
1 hour ago

Jailed Iranian Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi says she is facing a new trial after she accused the security forces of sexually assaulting women.

In a message from Evin prison where she is being held, Ms Mohammadi said the trial relates to an audio post, in which she condemned a "full-scale war against women" by the Iranian regime.

Ms Mohammadi has already served over 12 years in prison due to multiple convictions.

Her lawyer, Mostafa Nili, said the court would convene on Sunday to address the new charges of "spreading propaganda against the Islamic Republic".

There has been no comment on the case from Iranian officials.

In her message, posted on the Narges Foundation website, Ms Mohammadi said it was the fourth time in as many years she had been "dragged to the unjust and farcical courts’ table" due to her "protest and disclosure of the religious regime’s men’s sexual assault against women".

The 52-year old Nobel laureate continued that this time she was being tried for speaking against "the bruising of the body and narrating the assault on [journalist and student] Dina Ghalaibaf", in an audio message.

Ms Ghalibaf was reportedly detained after she accused the security forces of handcuffing and sexually assaulting her during a previous arrest at a metro station.

She was later released.

Ms Mohammadi is calling for a public trial with the presence of independent journalists, human rights activists, women’s rights activists, and her lawyers.

She continued: "Witnesses, along with their lawyers, should be able to attend with guarantees of physical, mental, and legal security, and openly recount their assaults.”

Ms Mohammadi has tirelessly campaigned for women's rights in Iran. She has been in and out of jail for two decades because of her activism.

Her family has said that, as well as 12 years and three months of imprisonment, her sentences also include 154 lashes, two years of exile and various social and political restrictions.

She has not seen her Paris-based husband and children for several years.

Despite the numerous threats and arrests she has kept up her work to campaign against the mandatory headscarf.

She won the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize for her work fighting against the oppression of women in Iran.

Her teenage children accepted the prize, at Oslo's city hall in December, and read her speech which had been smuggled out of prison.

"I write this message from behind the high, cold walls of a prison. The Iranian people, with perseverance, will overcome repression and authoritarianism," Ms Mohammadi said.

She added that young Iranians had "transformed the streets and public spaces into a place of widespread civil resistance", alluding to the protests that began in 2022 following the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody for allegedly wearing her hijab "improperly".

The authorities in the Islamic Republic in recent weeks intensified a crackdown to enforce a strict Islamic dress code on women and arrest those who disobeyed, making use of video surveillance.

Published
50 minutes ago

An extensive search operation is under way after two teenage boys got into difficulty in the River Tyne in Northumberland, police have said.

The youngsters went into the water near to Ovingham Bridge, Ovingham, on Saturday at about 15:30 BST.

Emergency services including ambulance, police and fire and rescue crews are currently at the scene.

"There is a large multi-agency presence in the area, and we would ask the public to not to gather where possible to allow for those at scene to carry out their duties," Northumbria Police said.

The North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) said its crews were called over "reports of concerns of two people in the water".

It said it had also called for support from the Great North Air Ambulance Service.

Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service said it had deployed a number of senior officers, as well as two swift water rescue units from Pegswood.

"We are working with police, the ambulance service and mountain rescue at this time," a spokesperson added.

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Published
15 minutes ago

Israeli forces have recovered the body of one of the hostages from Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has said.

The army confirmed that Ron Benjamin, 53, was found alongside the bodies of three other hostages whose identities were confirmed on Friday.

The 53-year-old had been taking part in a group cycle ride near the Gaza border when the Hamas attack began on 7 October.

About 1,200 people were killed during the unprecedented attack when Hamas gunmen burst into Israel. They took 252 others back to Gaza as hostages.

News of Mr Benjamin's death comes one day after Israeli authorities confirmed they had recovered the bodies of three other hostages - Shani Louk, Amit Buskila, and Itzhak Gelerenter.

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