Other News In Brief

Murdered Man Named

Detectives have on Thursday named a man murdered at his home in West Kensington. William John Saunderson-Smith, 58, a property developer of Dewhurst Road, W14, was found dead by the London Ambulance Service at approximately 3.55pm on Friday 21 October. Officers attended and located the body of Mr Saunderson-Smith, while enquiries continue to trace the next of kin. A post-mortem examination, held on Sunday 23 October at Fulham Mortuary, gave the cause of death as a head injury caused by blunt trauma. An inquest is scheduled to open and adjourn at Fulham Coroners Court later on today. An investigation, which is being led by Detective Chief Inspector Howard Groves, Homicide and Serious Crime Command, is underway. DCI Groves, said: "It is believed that Mr Saunderson-Smith was attacked inside his home between 19:00hrs on Thursday 20 October and some time the following morning.

5,000 Convicts Avoid Deportation

Over 5,000 foreign criminals have avoided being deported from the UK, according to an official report published on Thursday. The number who are not deported or cannot be deported at the end of their sentence is increasing, the independent inspector of the UK Border Agency said. John Vine said the majority of successful appeals against deportation were made on human rights grounds. The Home Office said it was deporting foreign criminals more quickly and changing immigration rules.

Teens Die After Falling Into Smethwick Canal

A man aged 18 and a 17-year-old girl, have died after falling into a canal in the West Midlands. West Midlands Ambulance Service was called to a towpath at about 19:20 BST on Wednesday after a report that two people had fallen into the water. The teenagers, from the local area, were taken to hospital but pronounced dead after resuscitation attempts. Police say the deaths were a "tragic accident". The pair were found near Brasshouse Lane in Smethwick. West Midlands Police officers have notified both families and are supporting them. The force said it was trying to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident and investigating the sequence of events leading up to the deaths. An ambulance service spokesman said: "Crews joined firefighters and police to locate two persons who had reportedly fallen into the canal in Smethwick.

(DW/GK)