Harlow fire: Police think home may have been burgled
Police investigating the Harlow house fire in which a man lost his wife and five children think the home may have been burgled beforehand.
Police investigating the Harlow house fire in which a man lost his wife and five children think the home may have been burgled beforehand.
Four people have been arrested on suspicion of murder after a teenager was stabbed to death at a house party.
The funeral of a police officer shot dead as he tried to stop a gunman takes place in Essex
A police force is facing legal action after failing to protect a woman from her ex-boyfriend, despite officers knowing he'd killed before.
Her family say Maria Stubbings would still be alive today if the police had done their jobs properly.
Maria's son Bengee has been speaking to Nick Thatcher, about his memories of his mother.
The son of a woman murdered by her ex-boyfriend has spoken of his shock at finding out that a man he called his 'friend' had killed her.
Maria Stubbings from Chelmsford was murdered by Marc Chivers, who had recently been jailed for assaulting her.
An IPCC investigation found that Essex Police had removed a panic alarm from her home, despite knowing that Chivers had killed a previous girlfriend. Maria's son, Bengi Stubbings, who was 15 at the time, was left with Chivers in the house, not knowing that his mother's body was hidden there.
Chief Constable Stephen Kavanagh of Essex Police said: "I recognise the pain that the Stubbings family are going through but I am absolutely committed to say we are doing things differently to 2008, differently to 2011. But there is a lot more that we need to do."
ITV Anglia's Jonathan Wills questions Essex Chief Constable Stephen Kavanagh about police failings in the Maria Stubbings murder case...
Essex Police has been criticised for failing to protect a woman who was murdered by her ex-partner.
Maria Stubbings, 50, was stranged by Marc Chivers at her home in Chelmsford in 2008.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission says the force missed opportunities to protect her.
Her family is now calling for a public inquiry into how the police deal with domestic violence.
In a statement, Essex Police says it is acting on the report's recommendations.
Chivers was jailed for life for Ms Stubbings' murder.
An officer from the Metropolitan Police has been confirmed as the new Chief Constable of Essex.
Stephen Kavanagh was born in Essex and grew up in the county where he still lives with his wife and son. He will take over in May from Jim Barker-McCardle who is retiring for personal reasons.
Detectives investigating the house fire in Harlow that killed a woman and all five of her children, are now treating the deaths as murder.
The blaze was started by burglars in the lounge, and the flames then spread throughout the house.
There is a £10,000 reward to help catch the killers.
Lauren Hall reports.
Essex police say they've received a number of calls after a TV appeal over the house fire that killed a family of six in Harlow.
Dr Sabah Usmani and her five children died after the blaze last month. It's now being treated as murder.
In a fresh appeal on the BBC's crimewatch programme last night, police asked for information about a laptop stolen from the house on the night of the fire. Detectives described the case as tragic and unprecedented for the force.
For more on this story visit the ITV Anglia News website.
A spokesman for Essex Police said:
"Evidence from fire scientists has indicated that the likely cause of the fire was malicious ignition.
"Detectives know that there was a burglary at the house on the same evening/early morning of the fire and are re-appealing for information and witnesses."
A house fire that killed a mother and her five children in Harlow, Essex, last month is now being treated as a murder investigation, Essex Police said tonight.
Crimestoppers have said it would pay the reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible.
– Ann Scott, the Crimestoppers' eastern regional managerThis is an absolutely heartbreaking incident which has devastated and shocked the entire community.
It is impossible to imagine how Dr Shakoor, who survived the fire, is coping with the loss of his family.
Please come forward to the independent charity Crimestoppers so this truly awful crime can be solved.
Ann Scott added that people had "nothing to fear" by contacting Crimestoppers as all witnesses could remain anonymous.