Friday brief: Second man arrested for murder of Scottish teenager in Northampton
Here's our regular Friday news digest
A Scottish man has been arrested on suspicion of killing a teenager from Motherwell at a house in Northampton.
Khadeem Paris, 16 died after being stabbed at a property in Adnitt Road, on July 7. Fuad Mohamud, 21, was charged with his murder and appeared in court last month and this afternoon Northants Police have said a second man, 20, from the same town as Khadeem, has also been arrested on suspicion of murder.
He remains in custody and as is usual practice, he is not being named.
A 19-year-old man, a 56-year-old man and a 51-year-old woman arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender remain on police bail, pending further inquiries.
It is not clear whether Khadeem had been living in Northampton or visiting at the time of his killing. His family released a tribute after his death which said:
“Khadeem was such a funny, smiling boy. He was always singing, he loved a joke, and he was such a kind son – he had a kindness inside of him.
“He had such strength too. He had coped with such a lot in his young life and he was making plans and so looking forward to the future. He was ready and excited to be starting college in August to study to be a plumber and electrician, and really wanted to make the most of the opportunities open to him.
“He loved computer games and his Play Station, and football was another passion, both playing and supporting his favourite team.
“Khadeem was an amazing brother to his older brother and younger sister, enjoying play fights and spending time playing computer games together. They had fun together and a special handshake marked their friendship and closeness.
“Words can’t explain how we feel at this time. We cannot understand it and we are utterly heartbroken at his loss.”
West Northants Council’s plans to introduce costlier premium parking zones in Northampton have been blasted as ‘ridiculous’.
The changes, which will come into effect in less than two weeks, on August 17, follow a review of on-street parking which found that some streets experience particularly high demand for parking while others are used less often, according to WNC.
The premium zones will include on-street parking on Abington Street, Mercers Row, George Row and St Giles Street. The new charges will see the cost of 30 minutes of parking rise from 80p to £1, and leaving your car for up to 60 minutes will incur a charge of £2, up from £1.60.
The council has said it hopes the measures will improve the availability of spaces, reduce congestion caused by drivers searching for parking, and encourage a better spread of parking demand across the town centre. It added that this follows similar approaches used in other towns and cities across the UK.
But following an increase in the town earlier this year to parking charges, the plans have been criticised.
Steve Partington, owner of Dychurch Lifestyle, said increasing the cost further to £2 an hour – which is a 40 per cent increase on the cost in 2025/26 – would be crossing a line.
“It’s a ridiculous thing to do, I didn’t think our council would do anything as stupid as that,” he said.
“I’ve been observing parking on this street for 15 years and I listen to what visitors and customers say. If you have a town centre that isn’t doing brilliantly and you charge too much for the parking a chunk of people will definitely not come.
“With this Reform council, I really thought they’d have their ear to the ground with the town centre. If a businessman bought Northampton town centre the first thing he would do is not charge for parking – it really should be free for two hours.
“They need to get the money from elsewhere.”
Kathryn Ozlati, owner of the long-standing Saint Gyles Jewellers which has been on St Giles’ Street for 44 years, branded the ‘premium zone’ charges as “short-sighted” and a “quick fix” to plug budget gaps.
Managing director of Montague Jeffrey, Jonathan Williams, said he was “flabbergasted” at the council’s announcement.
He said:
“I’m at my wit’s end, the footfall in the town centre is dreadful. St Giles Street is one of the only shopping streets in the town that has reasonable shops that actually attract people into the town and we’re the ones being penalised.
“Short stay parking for customers and shoppers should be free for two hours maximum. It shouldn’t be ‘premium’ parking. All it’s going to do is bring on the demise of the town centre further.”
Annette King, a retail assistant at Abraxas Cookshop, said she had noticed some of the parking machines had been painted red in the last week, but knew nothing about the reason behind the changes.
“A lot of people come into town just for this street and don’t want to park in the Grosvenor or St Johns. It’s a really really bad move because this is the nicest street in the town and it will discourage people from supporting independent traders,” she said.
She also questioned the timing of the decision, with the recent closure of multiple off-street car parks in the town centre. Over 1,000 spaces in the multi-storey are currently inaccessible due to crumbling concrete and potential health and safety risks, and approximately 160 spaces in Upper Mounts will be taken out of use to allow site investigations to take place for the Greyfriars regeneration scheme.
Leader of the Labour Group on WNC Sally Keeble said:
“Reform seems to have a grudge against Northampton. First there was its botched efforts to increase charges at our parking garages, and now this increase in onstreet parking charges in key areas.“
Cllr Richard Butler, cabinet member for highways and transport, said:
“We know how important convenient parking is for local shops, businesses, residents and visitors. That’s why we’re looking at ways to make better use of the spaces available across the town centre.
“Some areas are in very high demand and can become full quickly, while there is often capacity in nearby locations. By encouraging drivers to use a wider range of parking options, we can help make spaces easier to find and reduce congestion caused by people driving around looking for parking.
“Our goal is simple: to create a parking system that works more efficiently and makes visiting Northampton town centre a better experience for everyone.”
By Nadia Lincoln, local democracy reporter
A teenager from Rushden has been issued with a court order banning him from being in contact with anyone under the age of 18, after police gathered intelligence he was recruiting younger boys to commit crime.
Ethan Hadley, was given an interim Slavery and Trafficking Risk Order at Northampton Magistrates’ Court on July 14, after an application by Northamptonshire Police’s Anti-Social Behaviour Team. It will be in place until January 14 next year, when all parties will return to the court for a full hearing regarding the Slavery and Trafficking Risk Order.
Hadley is also not allowed to enter a designated area of Wymington, be in the company of any child in a private vehicle unless their parent/guardian is present, or possess/use multiple mobile phones, SIM cards, or encrypted communication accounts.
Breaching the conditions of the order is a criminal offence and could result in a prison sentence of up to five years.
Anti-Social Behaviour and Civil Orders officer, PC Lydia Chamberlain, said:
“We take any form of child exploitation very seriously in Northamptonshire and will use our policing powers to tackle this growing issue.
“This order helps us protect children from being exploited and drawn into crime. It also allows us to act against those who pose a risk to our communities before further harm can be caused to some of our most vulnerable members of society.”
If anyone is worried that a child is being exploited, please report your concerns. For more information visit Child criminal exploitation | Child abuse | Northamptonshire Police.
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Just three months into the financial year and North Northamptonshire Council is predicting a £15m overspend on its annual budget.
The overspend on this year’s £432m budget allocation is down to the long standing issues of adult social care, home to school transport and children’s social care costs.
Leader Martin Griffiths said:
“North Northamptonshire Council is taking responsibility for the challenges in front of us and we’re acting now to address them. But it is equally important to recognise that councils across the country are facing the same pressures.
“Demand for social care, children’s services and specialist transport has risen dramatically in recent years. Local government funding needs to reflect that reality. We want to work with Government on a sustainable long-term solution in these demand-led service areas that gives councils the certainty they need to protect services and support residents.”
The West unitary has paused construction works on a new active travel route in Northampton, after members of the community came together to protest against the loss of a mature tree.
In June, West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) started the second phase of a £4.7m project improving walking, cycling and wheeling routes in Abington, along Park Avenue South and Bridgewater Drive.
But this week, a group of local residents, who live primarily in the surrounding streets to Bridgewater Drive, called for an immediate pause in works so they can review the safeguarding of the mature trees in the neighbourhood, which they say form an important community asset.
WNC has confirmed that during the construction of the new Abington Active Travel route’s second phase, unintended damage occurred to the root system of a silver birch tree near the new cycling and walking path. Expert assessment has confirmed that the tree now needs to be removed, as it could otherwise become a safety risk to residents. A local resident has told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) the tree was removed on Thursday (August 6).
West Northamptonshire Council has told the LDRS that it has decided to pause the next section of planned work on Bridgewater Drive between MacLean Close and Trinity Road and review the scheme to ensure no additional trees are damaged.
Work currently underway between Abington Park Crescent and MacLean Close will continue until this section of the scheme is completed. The wider site will be shut down while the review takes place.
Local resident David Gardner said
“It never occurred to [me] that they would be knocking trees down or killing trees”.
“One of the factors in me buying my house was looking out the window and the overlook on those trees,” he added.
Cllr Richard Butler, cabinet member for highways and transport, said:
“Our priority is to deliver improvements for walking, cycling and public transport, in line with the strong support these measures received through our 2023 consultation.
“That said, it’s vital that we protect and even enhance the environment while we carry out this work, to try and make the scheme benefit everyone.
“We will provide further updates as the review progresses and before any additional work resumes on Bridgewater Drive.”
By Nadia Lincoln
Two Northamptonshire hotels did not challenge a police officer posing as an adult looking to share a room with a young person, in an undercover operation.
Northamptonshire Police took part in the national safeguarding test Operation Makesafe last month, which aims to help hotels spot signs of child sexual and criminal exploitation.
Northants Police said that three hotels in the county were tested and only one questioned what was happening when a young person (who had volunteered to be part of the test) booked into a room and then shortly after the under cover officer attempted to share the room.
Police officers gave feedback to the establishments tested, as well as guidance and access to additional training and support.
Detective Inspector Wayne Preece from the Child Exploitation Hub said:
“Child exploitation doesn’t always happen behind closed doors. Sometimes it happens in plain sight, in places we use every day.
“By working together with businesses, communities and our partners, we can identify exploitation earlier, protect vulnerable children and help prevent harm before it happens.”
⚔️A tour of the famous Naseby battlefield is happening tomorrow (August 8). Tickets cost £25 and for times and bookings email enquiries@naseby.com
📖Northampton crime writer Michael Davies is giving a talk about his cosy crime club series at an event on Wednesday (August 12) from 1pm to 2pm at 10 Castilian Terrace, Northampton. Entry is free.