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Southwark news
75 stories from and about Southwark, mostly crime & safety, council & politics, local news. The most recent ran on 29 October 2026. Page 3 of 4.
Also affecting Southwark
Borough-wide and national stories that name Southwark or bear directly on it.
Local News · City of LondonRussell Brand denies non‑consensual sex as trial hears his past was ‘reframed’
In a Southwark Crown Court hearing, Russell Brand asserted that his history of public kissing and casual encounters has been wrongly portrayed as rape and sexual assault. He denied all six charges, and a charge of indecent assault was altered to attempted indecent assault.
City of London3 min readTrust 70 · Craft 75 · Hype 20
Crime & Safety · EalingAlvin Gitahi jailed for minimum 21 years for Ealing murder
Alvin Gitahi has been sentenced to a minimum of 21 years and three months for the murder of his partner, Vivienne Baraka. Ms Baraka was killed on March 26, 2026, at an address in Riverside Close, Ealing. Detective Chief Inspector Matthew Denby led the investigation.
Ealing2 min readTrust 74 · Craft 79 · Hype 45
Crime & Safety · EalingEaling man jailed for life for strangling partner
Alvin Gitahi has been sentenced to life imprisonment for strangling his partner, Vivienne Baraka, to death in their Ealing flat. Ms Baraka was found dead in a bathroom on March 26, 2024, after attempting to barricade herself from Gitahi. He was ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £228.
Ealing3 min readTrust 74 · Craft 87 · Hype 65
Local News · LondonSouthwark and Borough among UK's top bed bug hotspots
Southwark and Borough (SE1) has been identified as one of Britain's worst affected areas for bed bug infestations. A new analysis of pest control call-outs placed the postcode district 13th nationally among the top 15 hotspots.
London2 min readTrust 52 · Craft 69 · Hype 45- Crime & Safety · London
Southwark records most burglaries as London figures fall
Southwark recorded the highest number of burglaries in London in September 2026, with 224 incidents. This is almost six times the 39 recorded in Kingston upon Thames. Across the capital, 3,829 burglaries were logged, a 3.9% decrease over the previous 12 months. Five boroughs shared the highest burglary rate per capita.
London2 min readTrust 62 · Craft 38 · Hype 70 
Crime & Safety · LondonGang jailed for £137,000 watch robbery in Mayfair
An average of £1 million worth of watches are stolen in the West End each month. Three men have been sentenced for the theft of a £137,000 Richard Mille watch in Mayfair.
London4 min readTrust 74 · Craft 87 · Hype 30
Council & Politics · BarnetTwo jailed for £1.3m NHS prescription fraud
Jignesh Patel, owner of Wise Pharmacy in Angel Edmonton, and Rahil Patel have been sentenced to six years in prison for a £1.3 million NHS prescription fraud. The pair used 1,639 false prescriptions to obtain high-cost drugs between 2015 and 2017.
Barnet4 min readTrust 70 · Craft 74 · Hype 45
Crime & Safety · WestminsterWest End watch thefts cost £1m monthly, court told
An average of £1 million worth of watches are stolen each month in London's West End, a court has heard. The figure from the Metropolitan Police was revealed during the sentencing hearing for three men convicted of a Mayfair watch robbery.
Westminster3 min readTrust 74 · Craft 95 · Hype 30
Transport & TfL · GreenwichGreenwich Council to install 108 new cycle hire bays
Greenwich Council is planning to install 108 new cycle hire parking bays across the borough, expanding services to areas like Eltham and Plumstead. Funding is being provided by cycle hire companies Lime and Forest, alongside Transport for London.
Greenwich3 min readTrust 70 · Craft 74 · Hype 20
Council & Politics · LondonSeven London councils refuse to aid Home Office immigration raids
At least seven London councils have now stated they will refuse to cooperate with Home Office immigration enforcement. Newham Council passed a motion to only cooperate with immigration raids where legally obligated, following similar decisions by six other boroughs.
London3 min readTrust 60 · Craft 70 · Hype 45
Local News · LondonParents in Bexley and Orpington see schools earn top Ofsted ratings
News Shopper reported that five south London schools were recognised in September’s Ofsted inspections. Endeavour Academy Bexley earned Strong Standard in every inspected area, while Newstead Wood School in Orpington secured three Exceptional judgments, signalling high performance for local families.
London3 min readTrust 66 · Craft 54 · Hype 32
Crime & Safety · CroydonCroydon man convicted of murdering partner Sarah Reynolds
Earlston Bennett has been convicted of murdering his partner Sarah Reynolds in Croydon in April 2025. He was also found guilty of controlling and coercive behaviour. Bennett will be sentenced in December 2026.
Croydon3 min readTrust 66 · Craft 95 · Hype 32
Crime & Safety · All LondonUber driver given hospital order for Uxbridge stabbing
An Uber driver who fatally stabbed a council street cleaner and attacked his landlord in Uxbridge has been given an indefinite hospital order. Dawood Safi pleaded guilty to manslaughter by diminished responsibility.
All London4 min readTrust 66 · Craft 95 · Hype 55
Council & Politics · LambethMet Police resist full inquest into Chris Kaba's death
The Metropolitan Police have stated that a full inquest into the death of Chris Kaba, who was shot by an officer in Streatham in 2022, is not in the public interest. A pre-inquest review was held at Southwark Coroner’s Court on 1 October 2026.
Lambeth3 min readTrust 66 · Craft 95 · Hype 48
Crime & Safety · LondonTeen jailed for 34 months for machete robberies
Zacariah Boulares, 19, has been sentenced to two years and ten months in prison for two machete-point robberies in August 2023. The offences occurred after he was released from youth detention.
London2 min readTrust 64 · Craft 59 · Hype 35
Local News · London5,500 London children join Dolly Parton's book scheme
More than 5,500 children across London have signed up for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library since the singer's death. The free book-gifting scheme is now available in seven London boroughs, aiming to provide age-appropriate books to children from birth to age five.
London3 min readTrust 60 · Craft 68 · Hype 45
Crime & Safety · LondonThree jailed for 25 years over London phone trafficking ring
Three men have been sentenced to a total of 25 years in prison for their role in a large-scale operation smuggling stolen mobile phones from London to China. The group trafficked approximately 40 per cent of all stolen phones exported from the capital to China in 2024 and 2025.
London2 min readTrust 64 · Craft 77 · Hype 32
Crime & Safety · LondonOperation Echosteep seizure leads to nine‑year jail terms for phone smugglers
Operation Echosteep dismantled what officials call the UK’s biggest phone‑smuggling ring. Police seized more than 10,000 devices, arrested three men and secured nine‑and‑a‑half‑year sentences, while recorded phone thefts dropped 20% in the year to August 2026.
London3 min readTrust 74 · Craft 95 · Hype 35
Lifestyle & Food · LondonLondon fish and chip shops shortlisted for national awards
Three London fish and chip shops, Chipping Wharf in Bow, Fish! Kitchen in Southwark and Skipjacks in Harrow, have been named among the top 40 contenders for the National Fish & Chip Awards 2027. The final winner will be announced at a ceremony in February at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge.
London3 min readTrust 66 · Craft 95 · Hype 15
Crime & Safety · LondonTim Westwood faces 17 sex offence charges
Former DJ Tim Westwood has been charged with two additional sexual offences, relating to alleged incidents in 1991 and 2004. The new charges bring the total number of offences he faces to 17, involving nine women. Westwood denies all charges and is due to stand trial in January 2027.
London3 min readTrust 78 · Craft 75 · Hype 15