Man who was abandoned in Gatwick Airport toilet as a baby finally finds his parents 33 years after

NEWS

Man who was abandoned in Gatwick Airport toilet as a baby finally finds his parents 33 years after

A man who was abandoned in an airport toilet when he was a baby has finally found his parents 33 years after.

Steve Hydes was discovered in a toilet in the South Terminal at Gatwick Airport 33 years ago.  He was found by sales assistant Beryl Wright dressed in two babygrows and wrapped in a blanket in the women’s toilets at Gatwick on April 10, 1986, when he was believed to be 10 days old.

No one knew his name or where he was from so he was named Gary Gatwick - the name of the airport’s mascot. He then grew up as a foster kid before being adopted by a family with three sisters.

Over 3 decades after he was found in the toilet, Steve Hydes has finally discovered who he really is, thanks to experts who took DNA samples and have now found who his parents are. Sadly Steve's mother died before he got a chance to meet her. His father is still alive and he has found out that he has siblings, but they did not know he existed.

Announcing the news on Facebook, Steve said: "After 15 years of searching I am happy to confirm that with the very hard work of Genetic Genealogists, CeCe Moore and Helen Riding we have been able to trace and confirm my birth family. Unfortunately, my birth mum has passed away so I am unable to find out exactly what happened and why.

"However I have found my birth father and siblings on both sides, who were all unaware of my existence.

"As you can imagine this is quite a sensitive issue to all involved and very new to us all, but I wanted to take this time to thank everyone for their continued support over the years. The work the Genealogists do is incredible and for years they have worked so hard and it is thanks to them they are solving cases like mine. More people are having their DNA tested every day and I hope this and my story can help raise awareness and prevent other babies from being abandoned.

"Thank you to all those who have been involved and have helped with my search.

Steve began the search for his parents because he wanted to tell his daughters more about his family background and their heritage. He said he never harboured any ill-feeling towards his biological parents, but was curious about his past.

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Afghan journalist and women's rights campaigner, Mena Mangal shot dead in broad daylight

CRIME NEWS

Afghan journalist and women's rights campaigner, Mena Mangal shot dead in broad daylight

 

An Afghan journalist and political advisor, Mena Mangal, who was vocal about women’s rights in the country, has been shot dead in broad daylight, just days after saying she believed her life was in danger.  

Mena Mangal was shot dead on Saturday morning in a public place while she was on her way to work in the capital city of Kabul. 

Nasrat Rahimi, a spokesman for the interior ministry, said one or possibly more assailants had escaped the scene but no one has immediately claimed responsibility for the attack and police say it is not yet clear whether the murder was a terror attack or an attack from someone Ms Mangal knew. 

Women’s rights activists have expressed grief and anger that Ms Mangal was not better protected by authorities despite making her fears clear.  

“This woman had already shared that her life was in danger. Why did nothing happen? We need answers,” Wazhma Frogh, an Afghan human rights lawyer and women’s rights campaigner said in a post on Twitter. Frogh said Mangal had recently posted on Facebook that she feared for her life and was receiving threats. 

Mangal was a highly regarded former journalist who had worked at Tolo TV, the largest private broadcaster in Afghanistan, as well as Shamshad and Lemar television stations. She had also recently become a cultural adviser to the lower chamber of Afghanistan’s national parliament.

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Ex-NAPIMS GGM, Dafe Ejebor, others arrested in US for sex trafficking

METRO NEWS

Ex-NAPIMS GGM, Dafe Ejebor, others arrested in US for sex trafficking

Dafe Sejebor, the former Group General Manager (GGM) of the National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS) has been arrested in the United States alongside dozens of people in an undercover, human-trafficking sting conducted in the Katy area, Houston Chronicle reports.

Houston Police officer, Sgt. John Wall said during a press conference that 22 local, state and federal agencies partnered up for “Operation Tri Point” over the period of March 19-28 to tackle human trafficking in Katy and Fort Bend County.

Wall disclosed that 47 people were arrested in total; 27 of whom were females, 20 were males. Eight were confirmed victims and eight were charged with human-trafficking related offenses.

Wall said other charges such as sexual assault of a child, possession of a controlled substance and unlawful carrying of a weapon were also filed.

“What we know is that human trafficking is occurring. It’s not just an inner-city problem,” Wall said. “It’s occurring out in the suburbs. It’s occurring in smaller communities.”

The youngest victim was 16 years old and another victim was a runaway, according to Wall. He added most of the recruiting occurs online and through social media.

“I would say as much as 90 per cent [occurs online] and through social media,” Wall said. “Young adults spend an enormous amount of time on social media and they are vulnerable…They don’t understand the risk involved.”

Fort Bend County District Attorney Brian Middleton said the sting is a step in the right direction toward eliminating trafficking in the area.

“My office is committed to eradicating this problem in Fort Bend County,” Middleton said. “We realize it’s a serious issue and we are committed to combating it and making sure that Fort Bend County is safe and that these traffickers are run out of our county.”

Wall said the victims uncovered in the investigation will be given the appropriate support and services they need.

“We understand they are scared to come forward but we are going to do everything we can in our power to give them the services they need to move forward with their life,” Wall said.

According to Wall, many of the cases were first-degree felonies that can carry sentence of 20 to 99 years in prison. He said some of the cases will be filed in federal court and can have mandatory sentencing of 20 to 40 years in prison.

Wall said the investigation is still ongoing and other possible victims could be uncovered.

“Through time hopefully we will develop more leads and identity other victims and that’s our goal in this operation. This process could take months”, he added.

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