Symeon Brown , News Correspondent

The jury at the trial of England cricketer Ben Stokes has been told that he was verbally abusive to a Bristol nightclub bouncer and mocked two gay men who were leaving the club.  

It’s music which hasn’t even got a name: fusing urban, garage and Afrobeat – but record labels are rushing to sign the latest hot property to go viral online. And one of those rising stars is music super producer Steel Bangles. The DJ and producer first started making music in his prison cell – but…

Traditionally, exclusion from school has been the last resort for pupils who were so disruptive it made teaching others impossible. But according to an MPs’ report out today, rising numbers of young people are being banished from mainstream education for a host of other reasons. They’re concerned the trend is affecting children living in poverty,…

French prosecutors are investigating one of President Macron’s leading officials, who attacked May Day protesters in Paris wearing a police helmet. Alexandre Benella was caught on video dragging a woman down the street, and hitting and stamping on a young man. He was suspended for two weeks following the incident. But opposition MPs are now demanding…

Celebrating the 50th anniversary of Trojan records – the label which brought reggae and ska to the mainstream, along with artists like Bob Marley and Desmond Dekker. We look at the huge influence they’ve had over British music and culture.

Two teenagers have been jailed for more than 20 years each after stabbing a charity worker to death during a violent robbery spree in west London. Nathan Gilmaney, now 19, and Troy Thomas, 18, injured four others as they rode around on a moped, stuffing their pockets with valuables. The judge described CCTV footage of…

It’s a case that touches at the heart of workers’ rights in the UK. Today the Supreme Court ruled that plumber Gary Smith was wrongly classed as self-employed by his bosses and should receive holiday pay. But is this a landmark decision with implications for workers in other types of jobs in the ‘gig economy’,…

Last night police opened the 74th murder investigation in London this year. It’s a horribly familiar story – a man in his thirties who died after he was stabbed outside a tube station in North London. Just down the road a few months ago Kobi Nelson was also stabbed and died. Symeon Brown has been…

The refurbishment of Grenfell Tower, overseen by the local council, turned it into a “death trap”, lawyers for the survivors have claimed. They also criticised the companies who carried out the work for failing, so far, to fully assist the inquiry. In other evidence, the London Fire Brigade described the terrible dilemmas which crews faced…

An 18-year-old woman has been found guilty of plotting a terror attack as part of Britain’s only all-female terror cell. Safaa Boular, from Vauxhall in London, was found guilty of the preparation of terrorist acts. Her sister Rizlaine and their mother Mina Dich have already pleaded guilty to other terror-related offences. The court heard they…

Two German footballers – both of Turkish heritage – have met Germany’s president to “clear up the misunderstandings” – after a row over photographs showing them with Turkey’s President Erdogan. The players, who both play for UK teams, denied accusations that they were effectively endorsing Erdogan in his country’s elections.

You might have noticed that two people will be getting married this Saturday. But the question today is not whether Meghan Markle will take Prince Harry to be her wedded husband, but whether her father will be accompanying her down the aisle. Thomas Markle, 73, has been at the centre of a media storm after…

How do you grieve when you have lost a child to violence and you are confronted with seemingly endless coverage of other young lives being taken? London’s current wave of violence has taken a life on average every other day so far this year. Symeon Brown has been to south east London to speak to…

Hip hop star, protest singer, film director and actor. Ben Drew, also known as Plan B, has been railing against social injustice and political corruption for over a decade. After taking time off when he became a father, he’s now in the middle of a come back, not only performing but also passing on his…

As lead singer of the multi-million selling band Scissor Sisters, Jake Shears found fame – along with critical success – performing a heady mix of glam-rock and queer transgression. But in his new autobiography ‘Boys Keep Swinging’, the focus is on the more challenging parts of his life: his difficult childhood in suburban Seattle, coming…