Thursday, 7 March 2019

'House of Horrors' care home couple who 'kept elderly people "including a Briton" drugged while stealing their life savings' are arrested in Spain after five OAPs died

  • Couple, said to be of Cuban-German origin, arrested on Spain's Costa de la Luz 
  • Pair are accused of keeping foreign OAPs shackled and drugged in a care home 'House of Horrors' while stripping them of their life savings 
  • Police believe the scheme may have seen £1.5illion taken from vulnerable OAPs 
  • Investigators traced the couple after five people died suddenly in their care
A couple accused of drugging and locking up elderly foreigners in a 'House of Horrors' so they could steal their savings have been arrested in Spain.
The pair, said to be of German-Cuban origin, were caught after 101-year-old German woman Maria Babes died suddenly after being left in the couple's care. 
Police then discovered that another four people had died while the couple had supposedly been looking after them, including one person suspected to be British. 
The couple were caught after Maria Babes, 101, went missing from her home in Tenerife and police found her in their care. While in their care, police say her life savings disappeared from her bank account before she suddenly died
The couple were caught after Maria Babes, 101, went missing from her home in Tenerife and police found her in their care. While in their care, police say her life savings disappeared from her bank account before she suddenly died
All of the elderly people had seen their savings dwindle while being 'cared for', and officers believe the couple may have conned more than £1.5million out of them.
Officers did manage to save two OAPs, one Dutch and one German, who had been held prisoner for months in a second villa near the main house while they were drugged and fed with drips.
Another four people have been arrested and nine placed under investigation, accused of playing a part in the scheme.
Investigators believe the perpetrators planned to launder the money into a tourist complex in Novo Santi Petri, where they were caught.
The scheme was uncovered after German investigators asked their Spanish counterparts for help in tracking down Mrs Babes, who had gone missing.
Their search led Spanish police to a retirement home in Chiclana de la Frontera near Cadiz where they interviewed Mrs Babes.
A Civil Guard spokesman said: 'During interviews with her, she told officers she had been locked up for several months in a rented villa and during that time had been shackled.
'During that time, and to the surprise of investigators, she supposedly gave her 'carers' power of attorney and then named them as her heirs.
'The German woman denied agreeing to this, and it happened while she was seriously ill in hospital.
'After the appearance of this couple in her life in October, her bank balance went from £140,000 to just £260 by December.
'Her house in Tenerife was also sold during that time and she never received a penny.'
Officers say the couple ran a 'House of Horrors' care home in Novo Santi Petri (pictured), in southern Spain, where OAPs were kept shackled to bed and at least five people died
Officers say the couple ran a 'House of Horrors' care home in Novo Santi Petri (pictured), in southern Spain, where OAPs were kept shackled to bed and at least five people died
Officers immediately removed Mrs Babes from her carers and took her to a retirement home.
But before they could arrest the couple, they arrived and took Mrs Babes away, and she died just five hours later.
The couple also managed to have her body cremated before officers caught up with them, without carrying out an autopsy.
That means it will now be impossible to establish a cause of death. 
A spokesman for the Civil Guard in Cadiz confirmed: 'Six people have been arrested and nine placed under investigation as the suspected authors of a series of crimes ranging from fraud to forgery, misappropriation and money laundering.
'The operation led to officers tracking down an elderly German woman and removing her from the control of her 'carers', who had stripped her of her assets.
'Tragically, after removing her from the control of this couple, they managed to get her out of the retirement home she had been placed in and five hours later she died suddenly.
'The Civil Guard operation led to the rescue of another two elderly people the detainees were 'looking after' and who were being kept prisoner, drugged, and fed using drips.
'The investigation has revealed another four people who were supposedly being looked after by this couple, had died suddenly after they got their hands on their assets.
'In four years this couple had managed to accumulate assets worth more than £1.54million.' 
Police added that Maria was taken from her retirement home at 11am on Thursday, after being caught on CCTV playing a tambourine and in good health.
Her death was recorded at 4pm with no witnesses present and she was cremated shortly afterwards.  
A funeral parlour manager later today officers that the 'carers' had rushed to have the remains cremated and said they didn't want an urn for them, despite expressing their utmost affection for the dead. 
'During the arrest of the couple and in a search of the villa, police found two airplane tickets to Cuba with a reservation for the Hotel Melia Veradero, which would have made it difficult for them to look after Maria if she had still been alive,' police said.

'Major incident' as high winds battering Britain tear massive scaffolding from four-storey building and onto street near Hampstead Heath

  • A witness at the scene said there was 'an awful lot of screaming' as the large structure collapsed on the street
  • Staff at Royal Free Hospital told staff not to go home because of 'major incident' that occurred this afternoon
  • Emergency services are currently at the scene in Hampstead Heath, London, near the hospital
High winds have torn the scaffolding from from the side of a four-storey building near the Royal Free Hospital in London this afternoon.
A witness at the scene said there was 'an awful lot of screaming' as the structure collapsed with 50 mph winds battering central London today.
Emergency services are currently attending at the incident in Hampstead Heath.
Staff at the Royal Free Hospital were told not to go home because of the 'major incident.'
Hilary Barnes told the Camden New Journal: 'I was going up towards to Hampstead and we stopped outside M&S – thank god.
The scaffolding, located near the Royal Free Hospital, in London, has collapsed, and according to witnesses
The scaffolding, located near the Royal Free Hospital, in London, has collapsed, and according to witnesses 
Emergency services are currently attending at the incident in Hampstead Heath. Staff at the Royal Free Hospital were told not to go home because of the 'major incident.'
Emergency services are currently attending at the incident in Hampstead Heath. Staff at the Royal Free Hospital were told not to go home because of the 'major incident.'
A witness at the scene said there was 'an awful lot of screaming' as the large structure collapsed on the busy London street - just yards from one of the capital's main hospitals
A witness at the scene said there was 'an awful lot of screaming' as the large structure collapsed on the busy London street - just yards from one of the capital's main hospitals
The scaffolding is thought to have been on the building pictured here, near the Royal Free Hospital
The scaffolding is thought to have been on the building pictured here, near the Royal Free Hospital
Firefighters at the scene of the scene of the incident assess the damage which occurred in London this afternoon
Firefighters at the scene of the scene of the incident assess the damage which occurred in London this afternoon
The Royal Free Hospital which is opposite the collapsed scaffolding has said they have not been required to treat any patients in relation to the incident
The Royal Free Hospital which is opposite the collapsed scaffolding has said they have not been required to treat any patients in relation to the incident
In the footage, emergency services can be seen attending the incident and urging people to step back from the mass of collapsed scaffolding
In the footage, emergency services can be seen attending the incident and urging people to step back from the mass of collapsed scaffolding
A large group of people are gathered behind a large cordon
 A large group of people are gathered behind a large cordon'As we were waiting there this whole thing, it goes up the whole of the building, it started to very slowly go outward and then it buckled. It was extraordinary.
'There was an awful lot of screaming. Ambulances were charging down there within seconds. It looked like the wind called the polythene and the scaffolding came away.
'I am sure there will be casualties as it is so busy, with the schools and the Royal Free. There is no way any traffic is coming through there for a while.'
A spokesman for the Met Office said general conditions in the area showed a 55mph gust was recorded in the hour to 3pm, and other gusts between 45-50mph were recorded in the two to three hours around that.
Amon Amouzandeh, 37, was driving past the hospital on his way to visit a friend when he saw the scaffolding frame.
He told MailOnline: 'I turned the corner and saw in my wing mirror the scaffolding which had fallen into the street.
'It was pretty windy and must have just caught it [the scaffolding frame] at the wrong angle. But there were strong winds, no question about it.
'I can't believe it only happened ten minutes prior to my turning up. It had all been cornered off and the people were being controlled.'
A number of witnesses have reported the windy conditions in the area. The Met Office confirmed general conditions in the area showed a 55mph gust was recorded in the hour to 3pm, and other gusts between 45-50mph were recorded in the two to three hours around that
A number of witnesses have reported the windy conditions in the area. The Met Office confirmed general conditions in the area showed a 55mph gust was recorded in the hour to 3pm, and other gusts between 45-50mph were recorded in the two to three hours around thatThe footage shows emergency services ushering members of the public away from the scaffolding. There are not thought to be any injuries, but the nearby Royal Free Hospital is on standby
The footage shows emergency services ushering members of the public away from the scaffolding. There are not thought to be any injuries, but the nearby Royal Free Hospital is on standby
A police spokesman said no injuries have been reported.
A London Ambulance Service spokesman said: 'We were called at 2:45pm today (7 March) to reports of an incident on Pond Street, Hampstead.
'We sent an ambulance crew, an incident response officer, a single responder in a car and an advanced paramedic to the scene. We also dispatched London's Air Ambulance and members of our Hazardous Area Response Team.
'We are working closely with other members of the emergency services and remain at the scene.' 
A spokesman for the Royal Free Hospital said: 'We are on standby following the collapse of scaffolding at a building opposite the Royal Free Hospital.
'To date we have not been required to treat any patients in relation to the incident.
'We are continuing with planned appointments although transport to and from the hospital is affected. 
'Please allow extra time for your journey if you have an appointment.'

'Jeopardy' host Alex Trebek has stage 4 pancreatic cancer, but vows, 'I’m going to fight this'

Legendary "Jeopardy" host Alex Trebek announced Wednesday that he has stage 4 pancreatic cancer.
Trebek shared the news on YouTube, telling his fans, "I have some news to share with all of you and it’s in keeping with my longtime policy of being open and transparent with our 'Jeopardy!' fan base."
"Now, just like 50,000 other people in the United States each year, this week I was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. Now normally, the prognosis for this is not very encouraging, but I’m going to fight this, and I’m going to keep working," he added. "And with the love and support of my family and friends and with the help of your prayers also, I plan to beat the low survival rate statistics for this disease."
In classic Trebek fashion, he closed the video with wit and humor, saying, "Truth told, I have to! Because under the terms of my contract, I have to host 'Jeopardy!' for three more years! So help me. Keep the faith and we’ll win. We’ll get it done."The 78-year-old has been the host of "Jeopardy" since 1984 and is currently in his 35th season fronting the popular quiz show.
He took the job at "Jeopardy" after almost two decades hosting other game shows in his native Canada and in the U.S. with programs like "Jackpot," "High Rollers" and "The $128,000 Question."
 Alex Trebek poses on the set of his game show, "Jeopardy," April 21, 2012, during a special taping in Washington, D.C.
Trebek took a leave of absence from the show last year after he underwent brain surgery for a subdural hematoma, which is blood clots on the brain.
Celebrities and members of the "Jeopardy!" community, including star Ken Jennings, posted well-wishes and messages of support on social media.

Ayodhya Dispute: SC Decision on Court-Monitored Mediation Tomorrow




The Supreme Court will announce its decision on whether to refer the Ayodhya title dispute to mediation at 10:30 am on Friday, 8 March. It will also be announcing whether the writ petitions filed in relation to the case, such as Subramanian Swamy’s for Hindus to be able to pray at the disputed site, will need to be heard by the current five-judge Constitution Bench or a smaller number of judges.
Just a day earlier, the apex court reserved its order. While the Muslim groups were open to mediation, the Hindu groups opposed it.
CJI Ranjan Gogoi has asked all parties to submit to the court the names of possible mediators, as the judges intend to announce their decision shortly.
  • The Centre had on 29 January moved SC seeking its nod to return the 67-acre undisputed acquired land around the disputed site to original owners
  • The bench comprises CJI Ranjan Gogoi and Justices SA Bobde, DY Chandradhud, Ashok Bhushan and S Abdul Nazeer
  • A three-judge bench had in September 2018 refused to refer to a five-judge Constitution bench the issue related to reconsideration of the observation in the SC’s 1994 judgment that a mosque wasn’t integral to Islam

SC to Pronounce Order on Court-Appointed Mediation Tomorrow

The Supreme Court on Friday, 8 March, will pronounce its order on whether to send the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute case for court-appointed and monitored mediation for a “permanent solution”.

Will Pass Order on Constitution Bench for Writ Petitions, Says SC

The Supreme Court on Wednesday, 6 March, said that it would pass an order on whether the Constitution Bench will continue to hear the writ petitions in connection with the case.
This does not directly apply to the Ayodhya title dispute case.

Mediation Cannot Happen, There Will Be No Compromise: Hindu Mahasabha

Hindu Mahasabha advocate Varun Jain told the media that the outfit is against mediation as there an be no compromisre on Lord Ram’s land.


CJI Asks All Parties To Submit Names of Possible Mediators Today

CJI Gogoi asks all parties to submit to the court the names of possible mediators, as the judges intend to announce their decision shortly.

SC Reserves Order

The Supreme Court on Wednesday, 6 March. reserved its order on whether to refer Ayodhya land dispute case to court-appointed mediator.

Mediation Bound by Certain Parameters: Subramanian Swamy

BJP leader Subramanian Swamy argues mediation is bound by certain parameters.

Media Won't Cover Mediation Proceedings: SC

The Bench has clarified that media will not get to cover the mediation proceedings.

Muslim Groups Express Willingness for Mediation

Muslim parties show willingness for mediation. Rajeev Dhavan, representing Sunni Waqf Board, says consent of all parties not required to go mediation.
Advocate Rajeev Dhavan,who is appearing for group of Muslim petitioners in the case says, "Muslim petitioners are agreeable to mediation&any compromise or settlement will bind parties."

'The Past Cannot be Undone:' Justice Bobde

Justice SA Bobde points out that this is pre-judging the outcome, rather than looking at the possibilities for healing and reconciliation.
According to Live Law, Bobde said that what’s done in the past cannot be undone. "We can only decide what happens in the present," he said.

Hindu Groups Oppose Mediation

Hindu parties are opposing the suggestion to mediate, saying the matter is not simply a property dispute. As a result, public may not be satisfied with the result.

SC Commences Hearing on Ayodhya Case

CJI Ranjan Gogoi clarifies that the hearing will be restricted to the limited point of whether or not the case should be referred to mediation.

SC to Decide on Court-Appointed Mediator Today

The Supreme Court is likely to pass an order on whether to refer Ayodhya land dispute case to court-appointed mediator on Tuesday, 5 March.

SC Order: Parties Have Six Weeks to Finalise Documents

Subramaniam Swamy tries to intervene, and when allowed to speak, says that any compromise between the parties will have to include a right for Hindus to pray at the birthplace of Lord Ram.
CJI Gogoi notes that the proceedings can only begin after translated documents are in place over which there is no controversy. He then begins dictating his order, in which he gives the parties six weeks to examine the translations and submit any objections.
The Chief Justice also asks the parties if they will consider mediation, but because Vaidyanathan doesn’t agree, this is not included in the order. The decision to refer the case for mediation will be taken at the next hearing.

Justice Bobde Suggests Mediation Rather Than Court Case

“Even if there is one percent chance for mediation between parties, we should give it an opportunity,” says Justice SA Bobde.
Dhavan points out that mediation was tried by the Allahabad High Court, but this wasn’t successful.
Justice Bobde responds that this has not been tried in the Supreme Court yet, and that the court is thinking of using mediation under Section 89 of the Code of Civil Procedure to settle the dispute between the Hindu and Muslim parties.
Rajeev Dhavan says he won’t oppose this if the judges want to try it. However, CS Vaidyanathan and senior advocate Ranjit Kumar (also appearing for one of the Hindu parties) say they don’t agree with this option.
“Mediation is not possible, not agreeable. Your Lordships may decide the matter as early as possible”, says Ranjit Kumar, according to Bar & Bench.

8-12 Weeks Requested to Review Documents

The CJI then asks Dhavan how long he needs to review the documents. Dhavan and Dushyant Dave, also representing one of the Muslim parties, say they need “8-12 weeks”.

Dispute Over Translations Could Delay Hearing

At the outset, CJI Ranjan Gogoi asked the parties if they have all had a chance to review the official translations of documents for the case. There are several thousand pages of documents which are relevant to the case, and the Chief Justice said they did not want the parties to object to the correctness of the documents later, which would delay the hearings.
Senior advocate Rajeev Dhavan, appearing for some of the Muslim parties, argues that they had not had a chance to review all the translations. Senior advocate CS Vaidyanathan, representing Ram Lalla, objects to this, noting that there has been enough time to review the documents. He also draws attention to the court’s order of December 2017, when the court expressed hope the parties wouldn’t ask for adjournments.
Rajeev Dhavan responds by saying there had been no opportunity to review the documents since the previous hearings had dealt with the question of whether the matter should be referred to a larger bench.
CJI Gogoi: “We are not going to waste our time if disputes are going to be raised over translations of documents.”

SC Begins Hearing Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid Land Dispute Case

The Supreme Court has begun hearing the politically sensitive Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute matter, with the five-judge Constitution bench expected to decide on the date when the hearings will start and come up with a schedule.
. Read more on India by The Quint. RSS & BJP’s Nehru-Netaji ‘Cosplay’: Irony Dies a Thousand Deaths Five cities in North East to have command centres . Read more onIndia by The Quint.

Tuesday, 14 August 2018

Masked youth gangs coordinated the firebombing of hundreds of cars across Sweden via social media, police say as Prime Minister asks 'what the f*** are they doing?'

  • Youth gangs set cars on fire in a series of attacks across Sweden overnight
  • Around 100 cars were set alight in Gothenburg and surrounding cities
  • Another 13 on fire in Stockholm and Uppsala, and cars burned in Malmo
  • Prime Minister Stefan Löfven asked 'what the f*** are you doing?' this morning
  • Police believe attacks were coordinated on social media by the youth gangs
More than 100 cars have been set alight in across Sweden overnight, as gangs of masked youths went rampaging in a series of arson attacks believed to have been coordinated on social media.
Dozens of vehicles burned in Sweden's four major cities - Stockholm, Malmo, Gothenburg and Uppsala - on Monday evening and in the early hours of Tuesday.
Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven reacted with anger and did not hold back during a radio interview on Tuesday morning.
'I'm furious, for real. My question to these people is 'what the f*** are you doing?',' he told Sveriges Radio P1.
Damage: Burned cars are pictured at Frolunda Square in Gothenburg, Sweden, the morning after a series of coordinated arson attacks
Damage: Burned cars are pictured at Frolunda Square in Gothenburg, Sweden, the morning after a series of coordinated arson attacks
Multiple targets: A person walks past burned cars parked at Frolunda Square in Gothenburg, after a night when cars burned in all Sweden's major cities, including Stockholm and Malmo
Multiple targets: A person walks past burned cars parked at Frolunda Square in Gothenburg, after a night when cars burned in all Sweden's major cities, including Stockholm and Malmo
'You're ruining things for yourselves, your parents and your neighbourhoods,' Lofven said, adding the incident 'looked very coordinated, almost like a military operation'.
'Sweden has tolerated this for too long. This must end now,' Ulf Kristersson, leader of the conservative opposition party, the Moderates, wrote on his Facebook account.
In Gothenburg and surrounding towns of Lysekil, Falkenberg and Trollhättan, a total of around 100 cars have been demolished.
In Stockholm, and Uppsala, some 45 miles north of the capital, a total of 13 cars were set alight in a handful locations on Tuesday morning. 
Gothenburg police say they have identified some of the culprits and and two people have so far been arrested.
Dramatic footage has emerged of cars being set alight by masked attackers in Sweden
Dramatic footage has emerged of cars being set alight by masked attackers in Sweden
Police said they were dealing with fires at a car park near a shopping centre and specialist hospital at Frölunda Torg, south-west of Gothenburg.Police said they were dealing with fires at a car park near a shopping centre and specialist hospital at Frölunda Torg, south-west of Gothenburg.
Police said they were dealing with fires at a car park near a shopping centre and specialist hospital at Frölunda Torg, south-west of Gothenburg.
Around 60 vehicles had been vandalised in total, Swedish television reported, with stones also thrown at police by masked men
Around 60 vehicles had been vandalised in total, Swedish television reported, with stones also thrown at police by masked men
'We have already started making calls to the parents of the youths who were taking part in this,' Gothenburg police spokesperson Ulla Brehm told SVT.
'We chose not to arrest anyone on the spot, but have identified them.'
Ms Brehm could not confirm that the series of identical car fires had been orchestrated via social media but said that 'the fact that it has been co-ordinated in so many places indicate it'. 
'What the f*** are you doing?': Prime Minister Stefan Lofven reacted with anger
'What the f*** are you doing?': Prime Minister Stefan Lofven reacted with anger
All culprits in the attacks have been described by witnesses as wearing dark clothing and hoods. 
Dramatic footage showed youths targeting vehicles in at a major shopping centre and hospital car park at Frölunda Torg, south-west Gothenburg. 
The area around Frölunda Torg have seen several deadly shootings in the past two years as local gangs have been at war over drug trade in Gothenburg. 
Due to the criminal gang activity and shootings, Frölunda was last year deemed as one of the more violent areas in Sweden's second largest city.
The two people arrested today, aged between 16 and 21, are both from Frölunda.
The largest group of youngsters apparently gathered in Kronogården in Trollhättan north of Gothenburg where as many as 40 people threw stones and started fires. 
Kronogården has also seen a rise in gang violence in recent years. 
It made international news in 2015, when 21-year-old Anton Lundin Pettersson killed three people at a local school, in a racist attack targeting Kronogården due to its high immigrant population.
Police in Trollhättan have identified three people in connection with last night's violence, but all three are under the age of 15 and have therefore been released into the care of their parents, Aftonbladet reports.
Pictures showed cars on fire in Sweden as authorities tackled multiple blazes in the country 
Pictures showed cars on fire in Sweden as authorities tackled multiple blazes in the country 
There were also reports of young people setting cars on fire in Hjällbo, to the north east of Gothenburg, in Malmo, at the southern tip of the country, and in the city of Helsingborg.
Emergency services were tackling the apparent outbreak of violence with no injuries reported, Swedish police said. 
The violence comes just three weeks before Swedish voters go to the polls in a general election. 
Systematically setting cars on fire has become a associated with gang violence in suburbs in Sweden's major cities. 
Last year, 1,457 cars were 'deliberately' set on fire across Sweden, compared to 1,641 in 2016, according to the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency's figures.
Last year in February, two days after US President Donald Trump's baffling comments linking crime to immigration in Sweden, riots broke out in the immigrant-heavy northern Stockholm suburb of Rinkeby.
Dozens of youths clashed with police after they arrested a suspected drug dealer in Rinkeby. The rioters threw stones at police, burned cars and looted shops.

The first Ford Mustang owner kept the car. It's now worth $350,000

Mustang 080818 Kpm 882DETROIT -- Tom and Gail Wise disagreed about whether a broken-down car should be stored in a family garage for 27 years or sold for junk. He insisted they keep it because, he promised, one day he would find the time to fix the vehicle himself.
It was her skylight blue convertible Ford Mustang, purchased at age 22 in 1964, that their family of six drove for 15 years.
One day, it just stopped running. And there it sat until Tom retired. When he started hunting for car parts on the internet, he discovered a story about someone with a similar car who claimed to be the very first Mustang owner, with a purchase date of April 16, 1964.

“Tom came to me and said, ‘I think you bought the car a day earlier,’ ” Gail Wise recalled. “And, sure enough, he went down to the basement and found the receipt and the owner’s manual. Sure enough, I had purchased the car on April 15.”
They called Hagerty Classic Insurance, experts on collector cars, and learned a paper trail was essential.
“We had everything,” Gail Wise said. “We didn’t know it was anything special. But we kept the new car invoice, the registered owners manual. Tom’s a saver.”
So now, as Ford celebrates production of the 10-millionth Mustang, Gail Wise is back in the spotlight. She was at company headquarters last week and, from Thursday through Saturday this week, her Mustang will be on public display in Royal Oak, Mich.
“It’s like being a movie star at 76,” she said with a tiny laugh. “I felt like a movie star at 22 when I bought the car. I mean, that was 54 years ago and we’re still talking about it.”
Her story, she notes, is filled with luck and mystery.
50 years of Ford Mustangs
'That convertible was for me'
The new third-grade teacher was living at home with her parents on the northwest side of Chicago and sharing her father’s red and black 1957 Ford. But she had accepted a job in the suburbs. So Helen and Cleadis Brown agreed to lend their daughter money for a new car and they headed over to Johnson Ford on Cicero Avenue.
“I told the salesman I wanted a convertible and he said, ‘I have none on the floor.  Come into the back room, I have something special to show you,’ ” Gail said. “There were two Mustangs, one was a hard top. And he didn’t even bother to show me that one. He lifted the tarp and I knew that convertible was for me.”
Back then, new cars always came out at the end of September and Ford wanted to shock the world with an April reveal. The company had distributed Mustangs to dealerships around the country so salespeople would have something to show when Lee Iacocca unveiled the car at the World’s Fair in New York on April 17, 1964.
“This was two days before, and it was all top secret,” Wise said. “But he sold it to me. I drove out of that showroom with everyone waving at me and asking me to slow down. TV ran a lot of advertisements for Mustang but they never showed the car. They just showed the logo and said, ‘It’s coming.’ For this to be out in April was a really, really big thing. People were so happy, giving me thumbs up, even the police. I don't remember having the top down, so it must've been cold. I wanted to keep driving, but I only had to go about 3 miles to get home.”
She married two years later, bought a home and used the Mustang as a family car with four kids.
“You just didn’t go out and buy new cars,” Wise said. “Tom was using it for work. We could fit three kids in the back seat and I’d hold the youngest on my lap. We would go to McDonald’s and eat in the car. And then one day, he pushes it into the garage. I wanted to get rid of it because we needed space for children’s stuff. He kept saying, ‘It’s my retirement project.’ "
He built an addition onto their two-car garage for the Mustang.
Today, the car has just 68,000 miles.Mustang Family2
The Wise family, Tom and Gail with their four kids, shot a Christmas card picture in July 1979 with the Ford Mustang. Shortly after, Tom pushed the car into the garage for 27 years.
Gail Wise
“When I was young and single, I enjoyed driving that car,” she said. “The highways were brand new. We had no traffic and you could fly. The first time I saw that Mustang, I thought it was so sporty, with bucket seats and a transmission on the floor. Usually sports cars were expensive, and I could afford this car.”
Now the fully restored (but not altered or modified) classic pony car that cost $3,447.50 is worth $350,000 to $450,000, according to Jonathan Klinger, spokesman for Hagerty  in Traverse City. 

'Bookends of models'

“It can be difficult to place a specific value on such a unique car and story. A car with significant provenance like this — being the original owner of the first-ever sold Ford Mustang — would likely have a premium of around 10 times the current market price,” he said. “Enthusiasts are drawn to the bookends of models. It is stunning that the first-ever sold Mustang is still owned by its original owner.”
Gail Wise said she only wishes her mom and dad could be here.
“I’d like to ask them questions," she said. "We went out on Wednesday, April 15, 1964, to buy me a car. Right in the middle of the week.They worked such long hours."
Her father worked as a cook and her mother worked as a waitress in their family-owned restaurant near Armitage and Grand avenues. 

Mustang 080818 Kpm 263
The grill on the 1964 Ford Mustang owned by Gail Wise, the first Mustang sold. It is at Ford world headquarters in Dearborn during the event celebrating the building of 10,000,000 Mustangs on Wed., Aug 8, 2018.
Kimberly P. Mitchell, Detroit Free Press
Stories about Mustangs leave even industry analysts a little stunned.

Global sensation

“When Mustang hit in 1964, it created a global sensation,” said John McElroy, a longtime auto industry observer and "Autoline" host. “It created a frenzy. It was a car designed and developed by young people, hotshots. Ford blew through production estimates, selling like 600,000 the first year.”
The insane love for Mustang reflects nostalgia for a time when the muscle car war was just getting going and America had a can-do attitude before Vietnam and Watergate.
“I remember when I was a little kid, Dad worked for Ford and brought it home on a Friday night and I remember getting up on Saturday morning and going and sitting in the car for hours," McElroy said. "I was, like, 11 years old. We lived in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It was the only Mustang in the country, and when we drove, it was like the day the Earth stood still. Everybody was paralyzed looking at this car.”
So it’s no surprise to anyone that Gail Brown stopped traffic in Chicago.
“When you look back at the history of the Mustang, the very first car was purchased by a young professional that totally represented that era. Is there a more perfect person?” said Ted Ryan, Ford historian, whose father had a 1965 yellow Mustang. “America had a sense of optimism. Baby boomers were coming of age. Mustang was this beautiful combination of time and place.”

Invited to Dearborn

Ford invited Tom and Gail Wise to come to Detroit this month to celebrate the Mustang milestone, and the Dearborn, Michigan, automaker shipped the Mustang out from Illinois.
“It’s just amazing that this Mustang has been built continuously all these years,” said Tom Wise, 76, an electrical engineer who served in the U.S. Navy as a submariner in the Atlantic. “Ford builds a reliable car.”
Their garage these days houses a 2013 Ford Escape and a 2015 Ford Edge. They can’t believe that, for so many years, the family stacked lawns chairs on the Mustang.
“Anything you didn’t want on the garage floor, it was piled high on the car,” Gail Wise said. “Tom drives us now. I saw how hard he worked to put this car together. I don’t want to be the one to put a dent in it.”

Cabin crew TIES UP passenger wearing just a black bra outside plane toilets after she started causing havoc on a flight from Russia to Turkey

  • 'Out of control' woman was restrained after drinking too much in duty free bar
  • Woman was 'violent and abusive' and was frightening other passengers
  • Footage shows her partially dressed and banging her head against wall
  • Woman, who for unknown reasons was wearing only her bra, said people were 'trying to kill her'
A partially dressed female air passenger has been filmed with her arms and legs tied together and screaming after she had to be restrained by cabin crew. 
The blonde woman, topless except for her black bra, was restrained after she started 'causing havoc' on a flight from the Russian capital city of Moscow to the resort city of Antalya in south-western Turkey.
Cabin crew said the woman was 'out of control' after drinking too much in the duty free bar at Moscow airport before boarding the flight, and had to restrain her shortly after take-off.
It is unclear why the woman was not wearing a top when she was filmed screaming and banging her head against the wall of the air craftIt is unclear why the woman was not wearing a top when she was filmed screaming and banging her head against the wall of the air craft
It is unclear why the woman was not wearing a top when she was filmed screaming and banging her head against the wall of the air craft
The woman was violent and abusive and her behaviour was frightening other passengers, they said.
They tied her legs together and her hands behind her back, before sitting her on the floor of the plane away from other passengers. It is not known why she was only partially dressed.
Smartphone footage shot by an eyewitness shows her trying to hit her head on the wall of the plane.
The woman can be heard shouting in Russian: 'I am begging you. My arms are tied. I cannot get hold of you, please. You see what is going on. Look at me. Look at my blood. Those are beasts, those are liars, they are trying to trick you.'
The woman had allegedly been abusive and violent after 'drinking too much in the duty free bar. She was restrained by the crew shortly after take-offThe woman had allegedly been abusive and violent after 'drinking too much in the duty free bar. She was restrained by the crew shortly after take-off
The woman had allegedly been abusive and violent after 'drinking too much in the duty free bar. She was restrained by the crew shortly after take-off
The woman claimed she could see invisible people who she said were 'trying to kill her'.
Russian media reports that the woman was released on arrival at Antalya Airport. Turkish police reportedly said they had no interest in charging the woman and let her go free.
Some commentators expressed concern about the passengers health and well-being after seeing the footage.
Netizen 'CrystalNova' said: 'Seriously, they simply let her go? No fines? No black list? No nothing? Just go, get some tan, you drunk woman...'
And 'maimung' added: 'I am always shocked that people like that are even allowed on board. I think drunkards should be fined, as well as the people who let them get on board.' 

'House of Horrors' care home couple who 'kept elderly people "including a Briton" drugged while stealing their life savings' are arrested in Spain after five OAPs died

Couple, said to be of Cuban-German origin, arrested on Spain's Costa de la Luz  Pair are accused of keeping foreign OAPs shackled and...