COPS are desperately hunting a woman and an eight-year-old girl who vanished more than three weeks ago.
Sally-Jean, 37, was last seen with eight-year-old Ava in Tilehurst, Reading on August 25.
The pair were reported missing on Monday with a frantic search for them launched immediately.
Police said they are “extremely concerned” for the safety of the woman and the youngster and are appealing for the public’s help finding them.
Ava is described as black with an afro hairstyle while Sally-Jean is white, about 5ft 4in tall, with long brown hair, green eyes and tattoos.
Sally-Jean has links to Reading, Caversham and Tilehurst and has one large and distinctive tattoo on her right lower arm, cops said.
Anyone with information on the whereabouts of either Sally-Jean or Ava is asked to contact Thames Valley Police as a matter of urgency.
Inspector Iain Watkinson said: “We are extremely concerned for the welfare of Sally-Jean and Ava and we have been working hard to find them since they were reported missing on Monday.
“We are now appealing for the public’s help.
“Anyone with information on their whereabouts should call 101 or make a report on our website.”
1
Sally-Jean, 37, was last seen with eight-year-old Ava in Tilehurst, Reading on August 25
SIR Keir Starmer tried and failed to boot Ed Miliband from his Net Zero brief, it was claimed today.
The PM is understood to have asked the Energy Secretary to swap jobs and take over disgraced Angela Rayner’s housing department during Friday’s cabinet reshuffle.
1
Ed Miliband was supposed to be moved to Housing Secretary in Friday’s cabinet reshuffleCredit: Getty
But the former Labour leader dug in, insisting he wanted to keep control over the green agenda.
Sir Keir has vowed to put growth centre stage as he battles to steady Labour amid grim polling.
His reshaped top team points to a shift rightwards, as he braces for a looming challenge from Nigel Farage and Reform.
Mr Farage and his Deputy Richard Tice have made scrapping Net Zero a central pledge of the party.
Reform has vowed to repurpose billions in green funding to tackling illegal migration and restoring law and order.
No10 this morning insisted the PM is “delighted” Mr Miliband will stay on at the Department of Energy and Net Zero, but did not deny Sir Keir initially tried to move him.
The PM’s spokesman said: “The PM has set out his new Cabinet and ministerial team — a team that is going to be focused on delivery, with growth as a relentless focus.
“The Energy Secretary has been central to that growth agenda. Investing in clean energy goes hand in hand with cutting peoples’ bills and boosting growth across the country.
“You can see that with the investments being made into CCUS all across the country, into solar, into wind farms.
“The PM is delighted he’ll continue to do that.”
Labour sources admit the Net Zero push has been stalling activity, while firms quietly hope workers’ rights reforms could be softened or delayed.
New Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden is preparing a fresh assault on the ballooning benefits bill, after Labour MPs scuppered the last attempt.
But Mr Miliband is seen as the head cheerleader for the “soft left” in Sir Keir’s cabinet.
His popularity with party members gives him the power make demands of the PM to ensure he cannot make trouble from the sidelines.
COPS have launched an urgent hunt for a 49-year-old woman who went missing from a popular seaside town.
Claire Bennett was last heard from at around 1.30pm on Monday after vanishing in Cornwall.
2
Cops are hunting for a missing mum Claire BennettCredit: Facebook
Claire, who is from St Austell, is believed to be in the Truro area according to cops.
She is described as a white female, around 5ft 10ins and of slim build, police said.
Claire is also said to have blonde hair which is usually worn down.
Cops confirmed she was last seen wearing a white top and blue shorts.
Searches and enquiries are ongoing, but the force are appealing for anyone who has seen Claire or knows where she is to get in touch.
Anyone who sees Claire or knows of her whereabouts is asked to contact police on 999 quoting log 610 of 11 August.
Issuing a plea to her mum, Claire’s daughter told PlymouthLive: “Mum, if you read this please come home. We aren’t mad at you and we all bloody love you!
“You win at hide and seek. Just even send me a message to tell me you’re ok.
“We can get through this. I promise. I love you.”
Claire’s daughter said her mum was “classed as a high-risk missing person”, according to the outlet.
Her daughter also claimed that items belonging to Claire had been found, reports the outlet.
She said: “We found a bag we believe to be hers at the park by the viaduct In Truro.
“We were asked not to continue looking on foot for her due to the police dogs and scents etc.”
The news of hundreds arrested at Saturday’s Palestine Action protest in London dominates Sunday’s papers. The Observer leads with an image of a large crowd sitting in “peaceful protest” in Parliament Square and holding messages of support for Palestine. The paper says more than 400 people were arrested.
The Sunday Times follows with the photograph of an elderly protester being carried away by police. Elsewhere, the Times reports European leaders are putting forward an alternative peace plan for Ukraine ahead of Donald Trump’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska next week.
A former Guantanamo Bay detainee is among the hundreds of protesters facing terror charges for supporting Palestine Action, reports the Sunday Telegraph.
The Sunday Express says thousands of riot police are bracing for more protests on Sunday. In addition to the Palestine rally, the paper says hundreds of protesters also turned up across the country to rally against the decision to place migrants and asylum seekers in hotels at “the cost of millions to taxpayers”.
The Mail on Sunday features a warning from Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick, who says the small boats crisis has made British women and girls less safe. In an interview with the Mail, Jenrick says he fears for his three daughters “against a backdrop of illegal migrants with ‘medieval attitudes’.”
A Labour MP is vowing to deport thousands of foreign criminals to “free bed and board in our jails”, the Sunday Mirror says. The paper says Alex Davies-Jones promises the plan will “save millions” and “put victims first”.
The Sun leads on Liam Gallagher’s “lift” for his brother Paul, who was charged with rape last month. The paper reports that the Oasis singer flew his brother to the band’s concert in Edinburgh.
The Daily Star reports that the SAS are pushing to sign up more women to the elite regiments. “Sue dares wins” declares the paper as it fills its front page with an image of a female solider in combat.
A frantic search for survivors is under way in central Texas after flash floods killed at least 43 people, including 15 children.
Many were asleep when the Guadalupe River rose more than 26 ft (8m) in less than an hour in the early hours of Friday.
Officials in Kerr County have said 27 children are missing from a Christian youth camp located along the river. Some 850 people have been rescued so far.
Weather forecasts suggest that more rain and, potentially, more flooding could be on the horizon for the area.
Among the areas most severely hit by the floods were mobile homes, summer camps and camping sites where many had gathered for 4 July holiday celebrations.
At a press conference on Saturday afternoon, Texas Governor Greg Abbott said he had signed an expanded disaster declaration to boost search efforts.
He said officials would be relentless in ensuring they locate “every single person who’s been a victim of this event”, adding that “we will stop when job is completed”.
It remains a search and rescue mission, officials said, not a recovery effort.
They said rescuers were going up and down the Guadalupe River to try to find people who may have been swept away by the floods.
Much of the rescue has focused on a large all-girls Christian summer camp called Camp Mystic.
The camp, where 27 remain missing, is on the banks of the Guadalupe River near Hunt, Texas.
Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick told the BBC’s Radio 4 PM programme that of the 27 children missing from Camp Mystic “many of these girls are younger girls under the age of 12”.
He also said that many more people were likely to remain unaccounted for across the region, because some were visiting for the holiday weekend.
In an email to parents of the roughly 750 campers, Camp Mystic said that if they haven’t been contacted directly, their child is considered missing.
US President Donald Trump has said his administration is working closely with local authorities to respond to the emergency.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the president was “devastated” by the loss of life and promised full federal support.
Noem joined Governor Abbott at Saturday afternoon’s press conference and said the federal government would soon be deploying the Coast Guard to help search efforts.
Elsewhere in central Texas, in Travis County, officials say another two people have died and 10 are missing because of the flooding.
Forecasters have warned that central Texas may see more flooding this weekend.
The National Weather Service (NWS) said the area could see 2 to 5in (5cm to 12cm) of rain on Saturday.
Up to 10in of rain was possible in some areas that are still reeling from Friday’s deluge.
Some parents were the lucky ones, having received confirmation on Friday morning that their children were safe.
They awaited their children’s return at the reunification centre.
Rachel Reed drove five hours from Dallas to pick up her daughter. She told the BBC that members of her church and children’s school district were among the girls dead and missing.
“The families of those campers are living every parents’ worst nightmare,” she said. “My heart is just broken for those families, just in pieces. Our whole community is just in pieces.”
“Of course,” she added, “it could have been me.”
Others started returning home in the flooded area, and the damage was enormous.
The floor of Anthony’s apartment in Kerrville was full of mud and debris. His refrigerator fell on the floor, and belongings were not salvageable, except a box holding childhood photos and his baby blanket.
“I lost everything I own,” he told the BBC.
Anthony had sought food supply from a Red Cross shelter; he said he had no family in the area.
POLICE have issued CCTV footage in the hopes of finding a woman who went missing three months ago.
Portia Vincent-Kirby, 33, disappeared on February 21 at around 8.45pm after seeing friends in Hyde Park, London.
4
Portia Vincent-Kirby, 33, was last seen in Hyde Park on February 21Credit: Linkedin
4
CCTV footage showed Portia at the Blind Beggar pub on March 13Credit: Metropolitan Police
4
Police have issued an appeal for any information relating to herCredit: Democracy Club
Portia was reported missing on March 13, prompting police to begin trawling CCTV footage in a bid to trace her
The last confirmed sighting of her was at the Blind Beggar pub in Whitechapel on Friday March 14.
Portia, who is single and lives alone in a flat in North Finchley, is described as slim with blue eyes and shoulder-length dyed blonde hair, but often wears a baseball cap.
The sociable, outgoing young woman ran as the Green Party candidate for Hendon, North London, in 2019 – with her brother saying “she’s not the kind of person who just vanishes“.
Her family are urging her to contact them, after it was revealed by police her phone and bank cards have not been used in weeks.
Her mum, Janina said: “We are all very worried as Portia is very vulnerable.
“Portia has not been in contact with or seen by any family or friends since February.
“We appeal to the public for anyone to please come forward if they know anything about her or her whereabouts.
“We also appeal to Portia directly, please get in touch with any of your family or friends.”
PC Harjinder Kang, from the Met’s north west missing persons unit, added: “We are growing increasingly concerned for Portia’s safety, as this behaviour is out of character for her.
Portuguese police launch new search for Madeleine McCann in the Algarve
“We urge anyone who may have seen her to contact police.
“Officers have been carrying out a number of enquiries in an effort to trace her and we are now turning to the public for help.
“Please get in touch if you can help us locate Portia.”
Speaking previously, her brother Max, 31, said: “She’s got a master’s degree, she’s an intelligent girl, she’s not the kind of person who just vanishes.
“It’s like she’s dropped off the face of the earth.
He added: “She is very much her own person, but she has lots of friends.
“We reported her missing on March 13 after we realised none of her friends had seen her in weeks.
“The police were then able to look at her bank cards and phone, they can check when it was last used unlike using the ticks on Whatsapp to see if messages were delivered.
“They found out that they hadn’t been used for nearly three weeks, since the start of March.
“Who doesn’t need money for nearly three weeks? Even if you’d met someone you’d go out and get coffee or something, it just doesn’t make sense.”
4
Her family said her behaviour is out of characterCredit: Metropolitan Police
Portia also has strong links to Medway, where she is from.
Police would urge anyone with information on her whereabouts to call police on 101 or anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111, quoting 01/7262039/25.
