Headline

Cannabis-smoking Mother Bags Life Jail For Drowning Two Sons

Published

5 months ago

April 13, 2025

A cannabis-smoking mother who drowned her two young sons, aged two and five, and tucked them into bed for their father to find has been sentenced to life imprisonment on Friday and will serve a minimum of 21 years, Daily Mail reports.

The 47-year-old mother, Kara Alexander, of Dagenham, East London in the United Kingdom, was found guilty of murdering Elijah Thomas, two, and Marley Thomas, five, in the bath at their home in December 2022.

At Kingston Crown Court on Friday, Justice Bennathan reportedly sentenced Alexander to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 21 years and 252 days.

He also warned that Alexander’s reliance on super-strength cannabis, known as skunk, should serve as a warning that it can ‘plunge people into a mental health crisis in which they may harm themselves or others’.

The boys’ father Selvin Thomas was reported to have found found his sons lying dead on their bunk beds after they were killed by their mother. They had been tucked in but he immediately knew they were dead, describing them as cold and hard to the touch.

Thomas, who had split up with Alexander just three months earlier, reportedly began screaming, “Kara, Kara, Kara. You’ve killed my children.” But she had already fled the house and he called the police.

He was due to have the boys that weekend and was worried because he had not received any messages or calls from Alexander. When he arrived at their home his ex-partner said they were upstairs sleeping before slamming the door in his face.

But after he demanded entry, he reportedly ran to his sons’ bedroom to find they had been murdered, and their bodies lying side-by-side on their lower bunk bed. By the time the horrified father ran downstairs Alexander had fled.

She was arrested about an hour later and later claimed she had left the boys in the bath alone while she smoked cannabis.

“They had the duvet up to their shoulders, only their faces were visible. He touched Marley’s face, on his right cheek, and he was freezing cold and hard. He knew immediately that they were dead and thought they had been dead for some time,” prosecutor Philip Evans reportedly told the court.

The cause of death was drowning or suffocation.

On Friday at Kingston Crown Court, Evans read out the victim impact statement of Thomas, who could not be present due to illness saying.

“The events of December 2022, have obviously had a profound impact on me and my family,” he said in Selvin Thomas’ words.

“Kara ensured there would be maximum impact on me by engineering a situation where I would find Marley and Elijah deceased in bed. I am coming to terms with the fact I dedicated seven years of my life to a cold-hearted, selfish and extremely stupid demon.

“I believe Kara’s intention was to frame me for the murders and somehow present herself as a victim. She was able to brutally end the lives of two innocent children, put them in the bed and wait calmly for me.

“She has shown no remorse or provided any kind of explanation or apology, she did not consider the impact this would have. Despite the correct verdict being handed down, there still remain many unanswered questions. It is a pain that follows me all day, every day and will do for the rest of my life,” he read.

On her part, Alexander had reportedly claimed it was “an accident” when she left the boys in the bath as she smoked cannabis.

The report stated that after deliberating for six hours and 54 minutes, the jury at Kingston Crown Court found Alexander guilty of two counts of murder.

Jailing her on Friday morning, Justice Bennathan reportedly told Alexander, “The heavy use of skunk or other hyper strong strains of cannabis can plunge people into a mental health crisis in which they may harm themselves or others. If any drug user does not know that, it is about time they did.

“On the evening of December 15, 2022, you had been smoking skunk, you had been doing so for weeks before, probably longer. You drowned them both, I cannot reach any conclusion other than by your state at that time you intended to kill them.

“The bath was probably still run from the evening routine and I do not think your dreadful acts were pre-meditated. The next morning their father, worried by your unusual signs, came and found them – the stuff of nightmares.

“I find you were in a psychotic state when you killed your two sons. On the proper medical definition, I accept that it was cannabis induced, even if there were other contributing causes.

“That finding of psychosis is consistent with the jury’s rejection to your defence of diminished responsibility. You had a previous psychotic episode in 2016.

“I also note that in December 2022, you spoke regularly to two members of your social circle about your heavy cannabis use, they both knew you were looking after small children, yet neither of them warned you of any risks.”

The judge added that her “shocking abuse of trust that any small child ought to be able to have in their mother or father” was a significant aggravating factor.

“You not only lack any previous convictions but before that terrible evening you had been a caring mother, that stands as a stark contrast of what normally happens when a child is killed. You may not have been told that your previous psychotic state could be triggered by cannabis.

“Every day you will remember and grieve the little boys whose lives you snatched away,” he was quoted as saying.

Marley and Elijah, also known as Teddy, had previously lived with Alexander and Thomas in Hackney before they split up and she moved to Dagenham with the boys.

Headline

US Commits $32.5m To Support Food Security In Nigeria

Published

1 hour ago

September 3, 2025

Editor

The United States Government has committed $32.5m to the United Nations World Food Programme to support food and nutrition assistance for hundreds of thousands of people affected by conflict in Nigeria.

According to a statement released by the US Embassy in Abuja on Wednesday, the funding will enable WFP Nigeria to reach approximately 764,205 vulnerable individuals in the Northeast and Northwest regions of the country.

These areas have been severely impacted by ongoing insecurity and displacement, with millions struggling to access necessities.

The assistance package includes general food distributions as well as targeted nutritional support.

Among the beneficiaries are 41,569 pregnant and breastfeeding women and girls, and 43,235 children who will receive specialised nutrition support through electronic food vouchers, according to the statement.

“World Food Program Nigeria, with US Government’s contribution of $32.5m, will provide food assistance and nutrition support to internally displaced persons across conflict-affected areas.

“With the US Government’s donation, the World Food Programme Nigeria will provide food and nutrition assistance to 764,205 beneficiaries across Northeast and Northwest Nigeria.

“This includes complementary nutrition top-ups for 41,569 pregnant and breastfeeding women and girls and 43,235 children through electronic food vouchers,” the statement read.

On December 18, 2024, PUNCH Online reported that the United States Agency for International Development has denounced recent media reports misrepresenting US agricultural initiatives in Nigeria, stating that its programmes operate transparently and align with the country’s laws.

In a statement issued by the US Mission in Nigeria, USAID highlighted the significant achievements of its agricultural collaboration with Nigeria, which it claimed has supported over five million Nigerian farmers since 2019.

The agency maintained it has boosted food production and strengthened rural economies across the country through its efforts.

Headline

UK To Ban Sale Of Energy Drinks To Children

Published

3 hours ago

September 3, 2025

Editor

The United Kingdom government has unveiled plans to prohibit the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks, including popular brands such as Red Bull, to anyone under the age of 16 in England.

Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, announcing the move on Wednesday, said the step was aimed at safeguarding young people’s wellbeing.

“By stopping children from buying these drinks, we’re laying the groundwork for healthier and happier generations,” he explained.

Government figures suggest that up to one in three teenagers aged 13 to 16 regularly consume energy drinks, many of which contain more caffeine than two cups of coffee.

While most major supermarkets already enforce a voluntary restriction, the new policy would make it a nationwide rule.

“How can we expect pupils to thrive in the classroom if they’re running on the equivalent of a double espresso every day?” Streeting asked, stressing that the government was responding to concerns raised by parents and teachers. “We’re determined to address the root causes of poor health and educational struggles head-on.”

Headline

Indian Man Gets Death Sentence For Burning Wife Alive Over Skin Colour

Published

3 hours ago

September 3, 2025

Editor

A court in India recently sentenced a man to death for setting his wife, Lakshmi, ablaze alive due to her dark skin colour. This harsh punishment reflects the gravity of the crime and its impact on society.

As reported by BBC on Wednesday, the attack on Lakshmi took place on the night of 24 June 2017, the murder dates eight years back, and the judgment, delivered at the weekend, has made headlines in a country where public obsession with colourism is well documented.

The attack on Lakshmi took place on the night of 24 June 2017, according to the court order seen by the BBC.

Before her death, Lakshmi revealed that her husband, Kishandas, frequently mocked her for being dark-skinned, calling her “kali” and body-shaming her since their marriage in 2016.

On the night of her attack, Kishandas brought a plastic bottle containing a brown liquid, purportedly a skin-lightening medicine.

According to Lakshmi’s statements, he applied the liquid on her body, and when she complained about a strong acid-like smell, he set her on fire with an incense stick.

Adding to the cruelty, Kishandas poured the remaining liquid on her while she was burning and then fled. Her family rushed her to the hospital, but she later died from her injuries.

The judge, Rahul Choudhary, condemned the act as not only a murder but “a crime against humanity,” stressing that Kishandas “broke her trust” and showed “excessive cruelty in throwing the remaining liquid on her” while she burned.

He described the case as fitting the “rarest of the rare” category, saying, “It will not be an exaggeration to say that this heart-rending brutal crime was not just against Lakshmi, but it’s a crime against humanity.”

He added, “It’s a crime that shocks the conscience of humanity, which cannot even be imagined in a healthy and civilised society.”

The public prosecutor called the verdict “historic,” hoping it would serve as “a lesson for others in society.”

He said, “A young woman in her early 20s was brutally murdered. She was someone’s sister, someone’s daughter; there were people who loved her. If we don’t save our daughters, then who would?”

This tragic story highlights the deep-rooted issue of colourism, where darker-skinned women face widespread discrimination and abuse.

Despite ongoing campaigns to challenge these prejudices, the preference for fair skin remains strongly embedded in many areas of life, continuing to cause immense harm. Until societal attitudes change, such heartbreaking incidents are likely to persist.