The family of an elderly couple stabbed to death at their home said the pair were ‘inseparable’.

Haji Ismail Ahmed Leli, 80, and Hajiyani Fatima Ismail Leli, 78, were believed to be found dead by their carers.

Police were called to a terraced home in Blackburn, Lancashire, on Monday where the couple were found with stab wounds. They were pronounced dead at the scene.

A murder investigation was launched and a man in his 40s has been arrested on suspicion of murder and remains in custody. 

Today a family tribute read: ‘On behalf of our entire family, we are heartbroken to share that we have lost our parents, the oldest and most cherished members of our family.

‘Married and inseparable for more than 60 years, they were the very heart of who we are – devoted to one another, loved by everyone who knew them.

‘Their loss left a void that words cannot describe, and we are still coming to terms with what has happened.

‘At this incredibly difficult time, we wish to express our deepest gratitude to the police for their diligence, professionalism and compassion.’

They added: ‘We are also grateful to our local councillors and to the wider community, whose kindness and support have meant a great deal to us.’

It continued: ‘In particular, we thank Masjide Quwwatal Islam, which has been our source of strength, comfort and practical support to our family throughout.

‘We now ask, respectfully that our family’s privacy be respected, so that we may grieve and mourn in accordance with our faith.

‘We would be grateful for the space and understanding of the media and the public during this period.’

Today the street remains cordoned off, and a forensic tent remains in front of the house, while officers searched for clues.

Neighbours woke up to a large police presence with detectives carrying out door-to-door enquiries. 

One couple, who live in the next block of Hardman Street, said: ‘When we got up, just after 8am, we looked outside and it was all there then. It was a bit of a shock.’

Terence, who has lived in Hardman Street for ’30 years’, said police had allowed him inside his home after returning from work to discover a crime scene had been put in place.

He said: ‘It used to be quiet round here but it’s not anymore.’

Another resident said the couple who lived in the property were elderly and were members of the nearby mosque. He described them as ‘very private’.

In a statement issued on Monday, Lancashire Constabulary said: ‘Lancashire Police have launched a murder investigation after two people were sadly found dead inside a house in Blackburn.

‘Our officers were called by the North-West Ambulance Service at 8.22am today to an address in Hardman Street, to a report two people had been found with stab injuries.

‘Very sadly, a man and woman were both pronounced deceased at the scene. Our thoughts are with their loved ones at this distressing time.

‘They have not yet been formally identified and a Home Office post-mortem examination will take place in due course.’

The force said an increased police presence will remain in the area to conduct enquiries and provide reassurance.

They added: ‘Whilst this is a fast-moving investigation, we are at the early stages of establishing exactly what has occurred and why. Detectives are continuing to work to establish a motive for this tragic incident; however, we don’t believe there is a wider threat to the community.

‘In the meantime, if you saw or heard anything suspicious in the area over the last 24 hours, or have captured any CCTV, dashcam, mobile phone or doorbell footage that could help us with our enquiries, please make contact with our officers as soon as possible.’

READ MORE: Couple are found stabbed to death at home in Blackburn: Man in his 40s is arrested 

Plans had been submitted to modernise the property on Sandown Road, Harwood, including converting the garage into living space, rendering the property and changing its windows.

The most distinctive part of the scheme was glazing on the front of the bungalow stretching from ground level to the apex of the roof.

Bolton Council refused permission in April, arguing that the combined impact of the increased glazing and render would harm the character and appearance of the area.

The decision was appealed, with an appeal statement arguing that the council had “very substantially overstated” the significance of what was described as a “modest glazing panel” above the entrance.

It also argued that “residential neighbourhoods are not museum exhibits”.

The statement said established neighbourhoods naturally evolve as homeowners adapt and modernise their properties.

It pointed to other properties in Harwood where contemporary alterations had previously been approved, including a bungalow around 500 metres away on Hough Fold Way and a home on Chale Green.

But planning inspector Martin H Seddon dismissed the appeal after visiting the site on August 18.

The inspector did, however, disagree with concerns over the render.

He noted that a significant number of nearby bungalows already incorporated render and said: “I see no reason why it should not be used as an external material at the appeal building.”

The floor-to-roof glazing proved decisive.

Mr Seddon said there were no other bungalows with full-height glazing in the immediate vicinity and that the proposed front elevation would appear “prominent and out of character in the street scene”.

The appeal had highlighted a triangular window previously approved at the bungalow next door, but the inspector said this was smaller and separated from the doors below.

He concluded that the proposed glazing would be “harmful to the character and appearance of the surrounding area because of its scale and extent”.

The appeal was therefore dismissed.

However, much of the planned makeover can still go ahead, with the council approving an almost identical scheme for the bungalow which retains the rendered elevations but removes the disputed glazing above the entrance.

The lawyer for the Massachusetts woman accused of murdering her three children says he hopes to reach an agreement with prosecutors, after the case ended in a mistrial on Friday.

Kevin Reddington told ABC’s Good Morning America programme that he was upset a lone member of the jury would not acquit Lindsay Clancy.

To find Clancy guilty, jurors had to be unanimously convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that she intentionally killed her children – Cora, Dawson and Callan – and was not experiencing a psychotic break.

On ABC, Reddington also appealed to President Donald Trump to pardon Clancy. Because she was charged by the state, though, only the Massachusetts governor has the power to pardon her.

“I would hope that you [Trump] would consider this young lady, the type of person she is, what she’s been through, and consider a pardon,” Reddington said.

Reddington also said he hoped the district attorney prosecuting the case “would be able to work something out that would be acceptable to both sides”.

The BBC has contacted the district attorney for Plymouth County, Massachusetts.

“I’m willing to listen to Tim,” Reddington said about District Attorney Tim Cruz, calling him a “hard-charging prosecutor”.

The jury – nine women and three men – was weighing a range of options, from not guilty by reason of insanity to manslaughter and first-degree murder.

The 12-member panel appeared to nearly reach a consensus, except for a single holdout who, Reddington said, “would not apply the law of reasonable doubt” as instructed by the judge.

“That’s not right,” he said. “And that’s why I was upset.”

Throughout the trial, prosecutors called dozens of witnesses, including several doctors, seeking to prove Clancy had made a calculated decision to murder her children in the basement of their Massachusetts home in January 2023.

Clancy does not deny killing the three, but says there was no premeditation and she was experiencing psychosis at the time. For her to be convicted of first-degree murder, a jury would have to believe she planned the killings.

The BBC has contacted the governor’s office about a possible pardon request.

Under Massachusetts law, Reddington could also formally ask the judge to rule independently that Clancy was not guilty based on evidence presented during the trial. He has five days to file that motion.

Currently, the case rests with the prosecution, who must decide whether to seek another trial.

With additional reporting from Ione Wells

Former MSP Liz Smith told the Eljamel Inquiry that some patients allegedly had the wrong parts of their bodies removed and were left unable to walk or care for themselves.

Patients of disgraced brain surgeon Sam Eljamel were left with “horrific” disabilities following his operations, a former MSP has told an inquiry.

On its first day of evidential hearings, the Eljamel Inquiry was told some patients allegedly had the wrong parts of their bodies removed. Mr Eljamel was a consultant neurosurgeon at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee from 1995 until his suspension in December 2013.

A public inquiry is taking place after patients of Mr Eljamel raised concerns that he had harmed as many as 200 people. The first day of proceedings began in Edinburgh on Tuesday with an opening address from Jamie Dawson KC, the inquiry’s senior counsel.

This was followed by evidence from the former Conservative MSP for Mid Scotland Fife Liz Smith, who represented patients affected by Mr Eljamel’s practice. She said testimony from her constituents had “upset me greatly” and many had asked “why on Earth this was allowed to happen”.

Ms Smith said she had looked into why Mr Eljamel had been allowed to continue practising despite “deep-seated concerns” being raised about him at earlier stages. She said that as she spoke to patients and their families, she found the situation was more widespread than initially thought.

“I realised this was not an event on its own, there were other patients involved in what became a dreadful scandal,” Ms Smith told the inquiry. She also criticised the record-keeping around Mr Eljamel’s medical practice, saying: “It’s absolutely appalling about some of the things that were happening and the lack of accurate medical notes that they (patients) had a right to be able to see.”

Ms Smith continued: “There are allegations that the wrong body parts were removed, and the physical disabilities – well they’re with the patients for the rest of their lives as we know.

“Some of these disabilities are quite horrific. People have lost their mobility, people have lost their means of looking after themselves.”

Speaking ahead of her evidence session, Ms Smith said the hearings have been a “long time coming”. She told the Press Association: “Those patients, who are here just now, have had to suffer for such a long time, and they’re wanting answers.

“They want to know who’s responsible and why certain things happened, and why nobody has yet been held accountable.

“As a former parliamentarian, (my colleagues and I) have been asking questions about this scandal for a very long period of time and not perceiving the answers that patients absolutely deserve to have.”

Former patient Jules Rose, who led the campaign for a public inquiry, said it has been a “long, arduous and emotional journey” to reach this moment, as the inquiry finally got under way.

“I’m here with my fellow campaigners, some of whom have campaigned for 10 years to get this public inquiry, so that we can get to the bottom of why NHS Tayside allowed and enabled Eljamel to commit the harm on innocent patients for 18 years,” she said.

“He was committing harm with life-changing injuries on patients – why did NHS Tayside allow that? Why did they not intervene and stop this monstrous man? We want to get to the bottom of it. We want answers.

“What we’re expecting from this is we want to see real change and a real time change as and when the damning evidence is unfolded.”

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In his opening address on Tuesday, Mr Dawson said the inquiry had reached a “significant milestone”.

During the first phase, which will last four weeks, Mr Dawson said the inquiry will hear from a wide range of witnesses including representatives of NHS Tayside, the Scottish Government, the University of Dundee, and regulatory or professional bodies.

Phase two, which is due to begin in December, was expected to focus on evidence of former patients of Mr Eljamel and from independent clinical reviews (ICR).

However, Mr Dawson said some of the planned ICR evidence will now need to be pushed back as a result of delays. The inquiry heard more than 110 patients have had their clinical cases referred to an ICR by the inquiry.

However, the inquiry has so far only received one neurological assessment, despite the fact this was due to be heard as evidence in December.

“It is unrealistic to think that reviews will be advanced in sufficient numbers and to a level which would merit consideration at hearings as soon as December,” Mr Dawson said. “The result is a necessary change of plan for December and beyond, the main goals of which are to try to make what progress we can and to seek to maintain stability for patients.

“Accordingly, the intention is that the December hearings will involve patient and possibly patient representative evidence only.”

An additional solicitor has been funded to try and speed up this work. The inquiry, taking place before Lord Weir, continues.

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Prince George has officially started his first term at Eton College.

The 13-year-old, who is second in line for the British throne, was dropped off at the all-boys boarding school by his parents, the Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales.

The future king follows in the footsteps of his father in attending the elite private school, which has taught 20 British prime ministers and where fees are around £65,000 a year.

The BBC’s royal correspondent Daniela Relph explains what the prince is likely to expect at his new school.

A drunk thug launched an ‘animalistic’ attack on a flight to Manchester – biting a crew member for ‘up to three minutes’ and kicking another.

Kevin Healey told staff his dad was ‘very powerful’ and that staff should ‘be afraid of him’. His barrister said he is not a ‘bullyboy’ after he found himself in the dock following the shocking incident on January 13 this year.

The 26-year-old, from Northern Ireland, was on a 12 hour flight from Shanghai, China, to Manchester having previously being in Australia.

Cardiff are facing another difficult injury at the minute, with Barry-Murphy confirming Isaak Davies is unlikely to feature tonight.

Davies felt his hamstring during training on Friday and is expected to miss the visit of the Potters, further reducing Barry-Murphy’s attacking options.

“I imagine he won’t be available on Tuesday,” the Cardiff head coach said.

There is also no imminent boost expected elsewhere, with Barry-Murphy indicating the club’s other injured players are unlikely to return until around the international break.

Captain Calum Chambers remains unavailable, while Dylan Lawlor and Will Fish are also still sidelined.

“The rest of the guys are back around the international break, I think, so I don’t imagine anything will change between now and Tuesday,” Barry-Murphy said.

Chambers’ situation is slightly more complicated, however, with the Cardiff boss unable to put a firm timescale on his return.

“Calum Chambers is in the same bracket as Dylan and Will Fish. He won’t be available for Tuesday, and his timescale is slightly more complicated because of his injury,” he added.

The situation leaves Cardiff particularly stretched with Stoke arriving just three days after the Portsmouth defeat and with only four players having been added to the squad during the summer transfer window.

Barry-Murphy was asked whether he feels his players have enough to cope with another game at such short notice.

“We have no choice,” he replied.

“The players who are here will have our full support to help them try to produce a performance to win.”

Months after effectively banning cockerels from council-owned allotments, the council is being asked to allow show birds to stay with permission.

Cabinet members will consider the proposal on September 16.

The move follows a campaign by allotment holders and poultry enthusiasts who warned the ban could put birds already on sites across the county at risk.

Among those speaking out was 14-year-old Tom Barker Amos, from Bishop Auckland, who launched a petition calling on the council to rethink the ban.

Tom previously told The Northern Echo that his pet cockerel Brian was an “integral part” of his life and that keeping poultry had helped his mental health.

He warned that owners could struggle to rehome birds displaced by the ban, leaving some at risk of being euthanised.

The teenager’s petition drew hundreds of signatures, while campaigners said there was little evidence cockerels caused widespread nuisance and called for tenants to be consulted before restrictions were imposed.

The council had revised its allotment tenancy agreement earlier this year following a public consultation, removing previous exemptions that allowed show cockerels to be kept on allotments with permission.

Councillor Dawn Bellingham, the council’s cabinet member for communities and resilience, said it had listened to concerns raised since the ban was approved.

She said: “Since then, we have had representations from tenancy holders, fellow councillors and organisations highlighting their concerns around the welfare of current birds.

“As a result, we have reconsidered our approach.”

Under the proposal, show cockerels could return to council-owned allotments with the authority’s permission.

But the council said protecting the birds and the wellbeing of neighbours would remain priorities.

If a cockerel causes a statutory nuisance, a ban would apply across the affected allotment site, overriding any policy allowing the birds to be kept.

The Bayeux tapestry is many things: a public statement, a massive work of collaborative art, a staple of the teaching of British history. The 70-metre-embroidered cloth depicts the events of the Norman conquest, culminating in the 1066 Battle of Hastings and the death of Harold II.

Since its creation in the 11th century, the Bayeux tapestry has loomed large in English history and shaped the way we think about the events of 1066. However, the tapestry is other things too.

First, it is not actually a tapestry, but an embroidery. The images on the cloth are not woven into it, but worked in crewel threads (worsted wool yarn – crewel is the old Welsh word for wool) on top of a piece of linen.

We should use the correct terminology if we are going to place this piece into its rightful place in the history of women’s creative labour and especially embroidery. Embroidery may be typically considered a solo pursuit of little political importance but this is not the case, as the Bayeux creation clearly shows.

As someone who researches comics, war and violence, I see the Bayeux embroidery as a prime example of the importance of visual narratives for political myth-making and nation-building.

Needlework as historical record

The Bayeux tapestry was, according to historian George Wingfield Digby, “designed to tell a story to a largely non-literate public; it is like a strip cartoon, racy, emphatic, colourful, with a good deal of blood and thunder and some ribaldry”. It is certainly racy – there are 93 visible penises, most of them belonging to horses.

There are many other works from across the world that tell similar stories in this way. For example, Trajan’s column in Rome, completed in 113 CE, is a 30-metre-tall marble column, topped with a statue of St Peter. It features a 190m spiralling frieze that tells the story of the Roman-Dacian Wars (101-102 CE and 105-106 CE). An impressive monument to military prowess, it demands no deep understanding of Latin and the story it tells cuts across the territories of Rome and her trading partners.

We see this in the modern world too: IKEA flat pack instructions, NHS guidance for people taking medication and aeroplane safety leaflets all work in the same way. Pictures – therefore comics – are used to convey universal information.

But how does this connect to women’s creative practice and embroidery? In my previous research, I looked at the way in which needlework and comics come together. Currently I’m researching comics reading methods in narrative needlework.

How can thinking about comics as a reading method open up useful ways to engage with needlework texts? Using needlework as a way to construct one’s own story and create a tangible record of events – especially in times of trauma – has a long and storied history.

Consider the creation of arpilleras in Chile during the military dictatorship under General Pinochet (1973-1990) – burlap pieces created out of scraps of cloth that memorialise the “disappeared”. Or the Hmong story cloths, colourful embroideries made during the Laotian civil war (also known as the “secret war”, 1959-1975), now seen as important cultural and historical artefacts, especially in Hmong diaspora communities.

Though these two examples are not as widely known or recognisable as the Bayeux tapestry, they have a similar purpose. They pictorialise particular episodes in a history of significant events, choosing what we remember, while excluding other parts of the story.

What is particularly interesting is that these modern works, though separated by time and geography, are giving voice to those who do not have access to mainstream channels. These works are created out of defiance and a need to creative a narrative for their story and to remember those who have been lost.

While the Bayeux tapestry was created as a narrative of victory, it was still created by women who would have had very little voice in their own communities and whose labour sits in the background of the work itself. The work of the women who embroidered the greatness of William I could be seen as the creative precursor of that of the women who embroidered their murdered loved ones in Chile and Laos.

The women who stitched the Bayeux tapestry in the late 11th century knew that pictures were a marvellous vehicle for narrative and this remains true today. Though they did not have creative control over the story, we see the touches of their creativity and humour throughout the piece itself.

Centuries later, their crafting sisters in Chile and Laos took up their needles to tell stories that only they could, becoming fully the creators of pictorial memories, making visual the violences that still mark our history.

Comics is not just superheroes and spandex; it can be public art, telling public stories. And if we widen the definition just a little bit, there are many more stories waiting to be discovered.