Ronan Barnard

Ronan Barnard is a court reporter and subeditor, with experience in national, local, and financial news. Currently he reports from the Old Bailey for Central News. Previously, he worked at FDI intelligence, a Financial Times magazine covering major foreign investments.

CityAM •

High-flying barrister Nicola Cain struck off for forging judge's signature in Steele dossier lawsuit

A high-flying barrister has been struck off for forging a judge’s signature, while defending former MI6 agent Christopher Steele against a libel action filed by Russian tech tycoon Aleksej Gubarev. Veteran barrister Nicola Cain was disbarred for giving her client, Christopher Steele, a fake High Court order, on which she had cut-and-pasted a copy of a senior judge’s signature. The forgeries were made whilst Cain was acting as Steele’s defence, after Aleksej Gubarev sued the former intelligence
The Times •

Woman’s father found her stalker, Alexander Rodrigo Kaliszewski, hiding in a bush near home

A wealthy businessman discovered his daughter’s stalker in a bush after he walked five miles through rural Scotland to meet her, a court has been told. Alexander Rodrigo Kaliszewski, 34, faces jail after admitting stalking Honor Weatherall, whose extended family control the conglomerate Jardine Matheson Holdings Limited, and making her feel in “grave danger” for eight months. The case came to court after Kaliszewski posted a picture of her family home.
The Times •

Whitehall workers ignore calls to get back to their offices

Workers failed to return to the office in huge numbers yesterday, and one Whitehall department appeared to operate at a fraction of its capacity even though official guidance to work from home has been dropped. The number of people on the Tube in London was only 6 per cent more than last Monday. Traffic on the roads was broadly unchanged on a week ago. Several large employers confirmed they had adopted a hybrid model of home-office working or were allowing staff to work from anywhere.
The Mirror •

Businessman 'caused £100k of damage to upmarket hotel room in 90-minute siege'

An executive suffering from an acute manic episode caused over £100,000 of damage to a hotel room in a "90-minute siege" at a top hotel, a jury was told. Ofer Tsofan, 52, torched cushions and towels in suite 212 at the Four Seasons Hotel, on Park Lane, on July 24 last year, jurors at Southwark Crown Court heard. Mr Tsofan was seen by security staff at midday demanding to speak to Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and have his family flown to the UK from Israel by private jet, the court was told.
The Mirror •

Music teacher who tried to board Egypt flight with fake Covid test faces jail

A music teacher who tried to board a plane to Egypt with a fake Covid-19 test certificate has been told he could face jail in one of the first cases of its kind. Philip Cunningham was caught out at Heathrow airport when it was spotted by EgyptAir check-in staff that his Covid test number was lacking a digit. Ealing Magistates' Court heard that the 33-year-old insisted that he had taken the Covid-19 test the day before and was negative. But when police contacted the testing company they were t
Court News UK •

Iran is a an 'Islamic fascist bureaucracy' says accused embassy bomber

A dissident accused of trying to set fire to a diplomatic car outside the Iranian embassy with a Molotov cocktail has denied carrying out such an ‘inhuman’ act. Ex-political prisoner Sam Parsa, 60, allegedly planted a bottle of petrol along with a scarf into the exhaust pipe of a BMW parked outside the offices in Knightsbridge. The former Iranian national claimed he was ‘tortured’ by the government in his native country and sought asylum in the UK in 1990. He… This Content is for Members only P
Court News UK •

'Jailhouse murder attack was based on corrupted Islam'

An Islamic extremist accused of trying to murder a prison officer at a maximum security jail was acting on his ‘twisted and corrupted’ ideology, a court heard. Convicted terrorist Brusthom Ziamani, 24, and Baz Hockton, 26, allegedly screamed: ‘Allahu Akbar’ and wore hoax suicide vests as they attacked Neil Trundle at HMP Whitemoor, Cambridgeshire. They ‘lured’ PO Trundle into a cupboard space off-limits to prisoners by asking him to fetch them a spoon before setting upon him with makeshift weapon...
South West Londoner •

'Stop trying to pass the buck to each other': Air pollution causes Southall politician to speak out

Ealing’s London Assembly Member called for government intervention over a Southall gasworks redevelopment which is allegedly causing toxic air pollution. Dr Onkar Sahota said Ealing Council and the Environment Agency should investigate the redevelopment of a former Southall gasworks for causing dangerous air pollution. Dr Sahota said: “I will pursue this case and get them all in the same room to meet the residents. “Stop trying to pass the buck to each other.” The site’s former use as a chem
South West Londoner •

'There is nothing to be gained for us': London's Irish community fear life after Brexit

Britain’s EU Withdrawal Agreement came under fire from London’s Irish community because of fear it could disrupt their lives. Irish nationals living in London expressed fear the agreement could cause deportations for immigrants and would harm Irish businesses operating in the UK. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in Dublin last week: “There is almost no other country in the European Union that is more affected by [Brexit] than Ireland.” The UK’s Withdrawal Agreement was signed
South West Londoner •

Brexit and social media to blame for rise in hate crime say anti-racism orgs

Anti-Racism organisations have said Brexit may have caused a rise in hate crime and triggered including two recent racist acts of vandalism. The first act of vandalism was anti-Semitic graffiti in Hampstead and Belsize Park, where the Star of David and “911” was painted on several shops, a phone box, and South Hampstead Synagogue. The graffiti is thought to be a reference to an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory that Jews planned the 2001 attack on New York’s World Trade Centre. Hampstead Council
FDI Intelligence •

Brexit uncertainty drives auto industry towards Germany

Tesla’s first European 'Gigafactory' will be built near Berlin. The site, located near Berlin Brandenburg airport, is scheduled to begin manufacturing batteries, powertrains and the Model Y car in 2021. Tesla CEO Elon Musk also announced an engineering and design centre will be constructed in Berlin, due to the city’s reputation as a cultural centre. Mr Musk declared to industry website AutoExpress in 2014 that the UK was considered as a potential site for their first European factory, but unce
FDI Intelligence •

Developing nations dominate free zone investment flows

Special economic zones in Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and Emerging Europe receive more FDI investment than the rest of the world combined, according to a study on free and special economic zones by crossborder investment monitor fDi Markets. Since 2015, fDi Markets has recorded greenfield investments into 681 global free zones (GFZs) across the globe. It found that $110.83bn was invested in these GFZs between 2015-2018, $98.47bn of that in Asia-Pacific, the Middle East or Emerging Europe. How
South West Londoner •

Parties clash over NHS in BBC Election debate

The NHS loomed large in today’s debate between the seven major parties, as every party on stage pledged more NHS investment and more staff. Conservative Rishi Sunak, the chief secretary to the Treasury, shifted the debate to his party’s slogan saying the UK can support the NHS by getting Brexit done. However, when pressed Mr Sunak denied allegations his government was privatising the NHS by stealth, angrily telling his fellow debaters to withdraw the charge. Mr Sunak said: “The NHS is not for
FDI Intelligence •

New Zealand tops World Bank Doing Business report

The latest edition of the World Bank’s annual Doing Business report details how 12 different areas of business regulation enhance or constrain domestic business activity across 190 economies. The report documents 294 regulatory reforms enacted between May 2018 and May 2019. Doing Business 2020 found 115 economies improved the business regulatory environment. Togo, Tajikistan, China, India and Saudi Arabia were all held up as significant examples of regulatory reform in the past year.
FDI Intelligence •

Gowling WLG: Europe popular for HQs

European countries are the most popular locations for new corporate HQs, according to a new study by international law firm Gowling WLG. Some 97% of executives considering relocating their HQ are considering an international move, with 46% of those looking at Germany as a potential location. Gowling WLG surveyed 650 board-level executives, and found 26% were considering a relocation, or had already relocated their HQ. There was a significant discrepancy between countries, with only two per cen
FDI Intelligence •

SPI report: UN SDGs will not be met until 2073

The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will not be achieved until 2073 without significant international action, according to the Social Progress Imperative, a Washington DC-based non-profit organisation that publishes the Social Progress Index (SPI). The report found the world is “underperforming” according to its income at several SDGs, with access to water and sanitation underperforming by more than 11 points, more than any other SDG. The world also underperforms in personal rights, nut
South West Londoner •

Global climate strike in London: 'This needs to be something that becomes part of our lives'

Tens of thousands packed central London streets from Trafalgar Square to Westminster Abbey as schoolchildren led a global climate strike yesterday. Teachers marched alongside uniformed pupils in support of the strike, while unions, politicians, and university students came out to show support for the striking children. Students went on strike globally, calling for international action to prevent further climate change. Julia Steinberger, one of the authors of the UN’s latest climate change re