Other UK News In Brief

Two Arrested In Camberwell Fire Investigation

Detectives investigating a fatal fire in Camberwell have arrested two people in connection with the incident. A man, 27, and a woman, 28, were arrested at an address in south London late on Saturday night. They remain in custody at a south London police station. The arrests come after police were called to a fire in the south east of the city. Police, London Fire Brigade, London Ambulance Service and the Air Ambulance (Hems) attended to find the maisonette ablaze. Five people were in the property. Two women, one aged 45 and one aged 23 have been taken to hospital where they remain in a serious but stable condition. The third victim, an 11-year-old girl remains in hospital in a critical condition. The fourth victim is a boy aged four years who remains in hospital in a serious but stable condition. The final victim, a 19 month baby girl, died at hospital. A post mortem will be carried out today. The next of kin have been informed.

Appeal Continues After Girl Dies In Fall

Detectives continue to appeal for information and witnesses following the death of an eight-year-old girl who fell from flats in East London. Officers were called on 11 September by a member of the public who reported seeing a child injured on the pavement. The eight-year-old girl was treated at the scene and was taken to Royal London Hospital by air ambulance but was pronounced dead upon arrival. A Post-Mortem examination gave the cause of death as multiple injuries consistent with a fall from height. An inquest will open at Poplar Coroner's Court in due course. The death is being treated as unexplained at this time.

Three Sentenced For Defrauding Charities

A gang of three have been sentenced after being found guilty of defrauding charities of more than half a million pounds. The charities included the Big Lottery Fund, BBC Children in Need and Comic Relief. Between 2001 and 2005, Kitumbula 'Joseph' Mazambi, 44, Mapendo Kasiba, 40, and Kyalemaninwa 'Jack' Mazambi, 42, conspired to steal from grant-giving bodies and charities by making fraudulent applications for funding. However, instead of using the money for charitable purposes, they used it for their own means. During a seven-week trial at Isleworth Crown Court the jury heard how Kitumbula Mazambi - a biology graduate of the University of Kinshasa - masterminded the fraud. The 44-year-old fled the Democratic Republic of Congo fearing persecution, before entering the UK as an asylum seeker during the mid-1990s. Working alongside his co-defendants, Mazambi created numerous differently constituted bodies to maximize the grants that they could obtain. The group made applications seeking funding of up to £60,000 a time for projects. The three compounded their crimes by selling their fraud expertise to other bogus claimants for substantial sums of cash. A further six defendants were convicted of fraud in a series of four previous trials and are currently serving a combined prison sentence of more than 17 years. The nine together defrauded charities of more than £1 million.