Good morning, here are the Liverpool ECHO's latest headlines on Thursday, July 7.
End of days chaos as desperate and dangerous Johnson refuses to quit
Boris Johnson cut a bizarre, unpredictable and dangerous figure on Wednesday night as he plunged the country into a constitutional crisis in refusing to quit.
The besieged Prime Minister remained holed up in Downing Street, desperate to hold on to power despite being urged to leave office by some of his closest cabinet allies and following a remarkable run of resignations from his government.
The latest twist saw Mr Johnson dramatically sack his Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove after his former ally had told him to quit earlier in the day. Members of the Prime Minister's increasingly dwindling inner circle spoke of his defiance tonight in wanting to carry on. A remarkable source quote spoke of a Prime Minister who will 'fight on' and 'call the bluff' of those wanting to oust him.
In reality, things are likely to become academic for Mr Johnson, who many think will be unable to form a working government because of the sheer volume of those who have resigned and the lack of MPs willing to fill those positions - over 40 senior and junior ministers have handed in their resignations.
The wave resignations came after Mr Johnson's handling of the row over former deputy chief whip Chris Pincher was called into question. The Prime Minister had to apologise for appointing Mr Pincher to a government role despite being aware of a previous complaint made against him.
Mr Pincher quit as deputy chief whip last week following claims that he groped two men at a private members’ club, but Mr Johnson was told about allegations against him as far back as 2019.
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DJ needed metal plate in his face after attacker broke his jaw
A DJ was left with a broken jaw after being attacked by his ex-girlfriend's brother outside a bar.
Josh Crimp had to have a metal plate inserted into his face having been punched to the ground by Tom Fairclough and then kicked as he lay injured in the street. The victim's 21st birthday celebrations were "ruined" as he suffered with the agonizing pain from his injuries.
Liverpool Crown Court heard on Wednesday that he had finished a shift DJing at a nightclub in Southport in the early hours of June 20 last year before going to Level 1 on Waverley Street. His former partner was also inside the bar at the time.
Meanwhile, Fairclough had "had four or five beers" and was about to return home when he spoke to his sister on the phone and became aware of Mr Crimp's presence in the club. The 24-year-old confronted the complainant after "difficulties" between the couple before being asked to leave by security staff.
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Alleged killer 'had no plans' to flee UK to evade justice
An alleged killer told a jury he was not planning to flee the country to evade justice after police found him with his passport.
Adam Fletcher told Liverpool Crown Court his passport was in a coat pocket because he had taken it to a bank appointment, and said messages from his girlfriend telling him to “get out the country” were not calls for him to try to evade police.
Fletcher allegedly murdered Mr Stenson on Princess Drive on December 19 - only hours after the two met at a party there. After an argument between the two turned into a scuffle and they were asked to go outside, Fletcher is said to have grabbed a kitchen knife from inside the home before hiding it behind his back, pulling Mr Stenson towards him and plunging it into his side.
Prosecutors say that knife wound inflicted “catastrophic” damage, going straight through Mr Stenson’s heart and causing him to bleed to death quickly. They also say Fletcher, 28, tried to dodge justice for days after the killing with the help of his then girlfriend, Susie Lee, ex Demi Walsh and best friend Nathan Finnegan.
Fletcher admits stabbing Paul Stenson but says he acted in self defence and feared his own life was in danger in the moments before he stabbed the dad-of-two. He stands accused of murder and of possessing a bladed article. Lee, Walsh and Finnegan are all accused of assisting an offender, while Lee also faces an additional charge of witness intimidation. The four deny all the charges and are currently on trial at Liverpool Crown Court.
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