Leeds news LIVE: Police cordon in place as man arrested on suspicion of rape and kidnap
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West Yorkshire Police have been contacted for more information.
Leeds news Live: Police cordon in place in Kirkstall
Key Events
- Police cordon in place in Kirkstall
- Leeds residents head to the polls
Full police statement - man arrested as police investigate linked sexual assaults
A man has been arrested by detectives investigating two linked serious sexual assaults on women in Leeds.
At 7.49am today, police received a report raising concerns for a woman who had left St Ann’s Lane, Headingley, in a car with a man.
The woman, aged in her thirties, was subsequently found in Armley and reported having been the victim of a serious sexual assault.
As a result of enquiries, a 37-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of kidnap and rape. A scene is currently in place in St Ann’s Lane as part of the investigation.
The man has also been arrested on suspicion of rape in relation to an incident involving another woman in her thirties in Holbeck Park yesterday morning.
He remains in custody and enquiries are ongoing.
Detective Superintendent Mark Swift, of West Yorkshire Police Homicide and Major Enquiry Team, said: “We are now linking both these incidents and are carrying out extensive enquiries to establish the full circumstances.
“We recognise the understandable concern that serious incidents of this nature will cause in the community, but we hope people can take some reassurance from knowing that we have a suspect in custody and are progressing the investigation.”
There is no link to the sexual assault near to Kirkstall Abbey, which is the subject of a separate investigation.
Unconfirmed reports of ‘party that got out of hand’, residents say
Our reporter Joe Cooper is at the scene.
He said: “Residents say the police have been here since around lunchtime.
“Several have spoken of a party that happened in the area last night which got out of hand, but this has not been confirmed.
“Rush hour traffic, which uses the road as a cut through between Headingley and Burley Road, is being forced to u-turn “
Photos from the scene in Kirkstall:
This is the view of the Cordon from St Anne’s Lane:
Police cordon in place in Kirkstall
A police cordon is in place in St Ann's Way in Kirkstall.
West Yorkshire Police have been contacted for more information.
Polling stations have opened for voters to cast their ballots in a set of elections which could shake up British politics and have profound implications for the future of the United Kingdom.
On what has been dubbed Super Thursday, polling stations opened at 7am across Great Britain in the largest test of political opinion outside a general election, with the future of the Labour Party and the state of the Union among the issues at play.
Scottish National Party leader Nicola Sturgeon’s push for a second independence referendum means the stakes are high in the Holyrood contest.
In England, as well as local council and mayoral contests, the Hartlepool parliamentary by-election will indicate what progress – if any – Labour has made in regaining votes in its former northern heartlands.
Hartlepool was held by Labour with a majority of 3,595 in 2019 even as other bricks in the so-called “red wall” crumbled – in part due to the Brexit Party splitting the Tory vote.
Defeat would be a blow to Sir Keir Starmer and provide a rare by-election gain for a governing party.
Boris Johnson sought to manage expectations ahead of the elections, playing down his chances of taking Hartlepool – despite one recent poll putting the Tories 17 points clear and bookmakers making Conservative candidate Jill Mortimer clear favourite to win the seat.
Elections 2021 – when will we know the results?
Voters across Great Britain will head to the polls on Thursday for the first large set of elections since December 2019.
There is a bumper crop of elections this time, as many were postponed from last May because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Every adult in England, Scotland and Wales will be able to cast at least one vote, which is rare outside a general election.
Estimated declaration times have always come with a warning they could be taken only as a rough guide and were subject to change in the light of new information.
However, in the case of the May 2021 elections, they have been especially difficult to produce because of the circumstances of the pandemic, as authorities are unsure how long it will take to count votes while keeping to social distancing requirements.
Although voting ends at 10pm on Thursday, the final results are not expected until Monday.
In the closely watched Scottish Parliament election, there are 73 first-past-the-post (FPTP) constituencies and eight regional proportional representation top-up seats, electing a total of 129 MSPs in a crucial contest which will give an indication of the level of support for the SNP’s push for a fresh vote on independence.
A majority of FPTP seats, 46 in all, are expected to count during the day on Friday, with results due from about lunchtime, peaking in the evening.
They include Aberdeen Central, Aberdeen Donside, Aberdeenshire East, Airdrie & Shotts (where there is an estimated declaration time of noon), Angus North & Mearns (estimated time of 3.3pm), Argyll & Bute (5pm), Ayr (4pm), Banffshire & Buchan Coast, Clackmannanshire & Dunblane (6pm), Clydebank & Milngavie and Coatbridge & Chryston (noon).
Also on Friday, declarations are expected in Cowdenbeath (1pm), Cunninghame North, Cunninghame South, Dumbarton, Dundee City West, East Lothian, Eastwood (4pm), Edinburgh Central, Edinburgh Southern, Edinburgh Western, Ettrick, Roxburgh & Berwickshire (6.30pm) and Falkirk East.
The results are expected on Friday for Fife North East (4pm), Glasgow Anniesland, Glasgow Maryhill & Springburn, Glasgow Pollo, Glasgow Southside, Greenock & Inverclyde, Hamilton, Larkhall & Stonehouse, Inverness & Nairn (7pm), Kilmarnock &Irvine Valley (5pm), Kirkcaldy (1pm), Linlithgow, Midlothian North & Musselburgh (5.30pm) and Moray.
And Motherwell & Wishaw, Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Orkney Islands, Paisley (6pm), Perthshire North, Renfrewshire North & West, Rutherglen, Shetland Islands, Stirling, and Strathkelvin & Bearsden are also expected to declare on Friday.
The remaining 27 FPTP constituencies are understood to be planning to count in the day on Saturday with results due from about lunchtime.
They include Aberdeen South & Kincardine North, Aberdeenshire West, Almond Valley, Angus South, Caithness, Sutherland & Ross, Carrick, Cumnock & Doon Valley (5pm), Clydesdale, Cumbernauld & Kilsyth, Dumfriesshire, Dundee City East, Dunfermline (1pm), East Kilbride, Edinburgh Eastern, Edinburgh Northern & Leith, Edinburgh Pentlands, Falkirk West, Fife Mid & Glenrothes (1pm) and Galloway & Dumfries West.
Glasgow Cathcart, Glasgow Kelvin, Glasgow Provan, Glasgow Shettleston, Midlothian South, Tweeddale & Lauderdale (6.30pm), Perthshire South & Kinross-shire, Renfrewshire South (3pm), Skye, Lochaber & Badenoch, and Uddingston & Bellshill are all also expected to declare on Saturday.
Results from the eight regional PR top-up seats are expected on Saturday night, with Scotland Mid & Fife possibly around 6pm, and Scotland West at 7pm.
In Wales, voting is in 40 FPTP constituencies and five regional PR top-up seats, and counting is due to take place in the day on Friday, with results from FPTP seats expected from about 3pm and peaking about 5pm.
Potential estimated declaration times include Arfon (4pm), Bridgend (5pm), Carmarthen West & Pembrokeshire South (6pm), Clwyd South (7pm), Ogmore (5pm), Vale of Clwyd (2pm) and Wrexham (7pm).
Results from the five regional PR top-up seats are expected later on Friday night.
In London, results from seven FPTP seats may be declared on Friday evening – Bexley & Bromley, Brent & Harrow, Ealing & Hillingdon, Havering & Redbridge, Lambeth & Southwark, North East and West Central.
The remaining seven FPTP seats will be declared on Saturday afternoon and evening, for Barnet & Camden, City & East, Croydon & Sutton, Enfield & Haringey, Greenwich & Lewisham, Merton & Wandsworth, and South West.
The results of the London mayor election, where Sadiq Khan is the bookies’ favourite to retain City Hall, and the London-wide PR top-up seat may come late on Saturday. but could be on Sunday.
There are 12 other mayoral contests taking place in England, with Doncaster counting overnight with the result expected early on Friday morning.
Liverpool is counting during the day on Friday, with the result expected possibly at 2.30pm, with the Tees Valley result at around 5pm.
Eight counts are understood to be planned for Saturday, with results due from about noon – Bristol; Greater Manchester; Liverpool City Region (possibly 12.30pm); North Tyneside (noon); Salford; West of England; West Midlands; and Cambridgeshire & Peterborough.
The Bristol mayoral result is expected in the evening, perhaps around 6pm, following the result of the West of England regional mayoral poll, which could be at noon, while the West Yorkshire count is expected during the day on Sunday.
Elections take place at 143 English councils, with 17 expected to count overnight, with results due early on Friday – Colchester (4.30am); Derby (4am); Dudley (5am); Gateshead (2am); Harlow (3am); Knowsley (3am); Newcastle-upon-Tyne (2am); Northumberland (5am); Nuneaton & Bedworth (4.30am); Oldham (4am); Redditch (3am); Rochdale (2.30am); Rochford (4am); Southend-on-Sea (4am); South Tyneside (4.30am) Stockport (6am); Sunderland (3am); Thurrock (2am).
A majority of the councils, 74 in all, are understood to be counting during the day on the Friday, with most results expected in the afternoon and evening.
They include Barnsley (4pm); Basildon (4pm); Bolton (2pm); Brentwood (5pm); Burnley (1am); Bury (4pm); Cambridge (5pm); Cambridgeshire (5pm); Castle Point (1pm); Chorley (3pm); Cornwall (4pm); Coventry (5pm); Crawley (5pm); Derbyshire (3pm); Devon (noon); Doncaster (5pm); East Sussex (6pm); Elmbridge (5pm); Epping Forest (5pm); Essex (5pm); Exeter (4pm); Gloucestershire (4pm); Halton (4pm); Hampshire (6pm); Hart (5pm); Hastings (6pm); Havant (5pm); and Hyndburn (5pm).
Results are also expected on Friday for Ipswich (3.30pm); Isle of Wight ((5pm); Kent (5pm); Kingston-upon-Hill (7pm); Leicestershire (5pm); Lincoln (8pm); Lincolnshire (5pm); Liverpool (6pm); Maidstone (4pm); Manchester (2pm); North East Lincolnshire (4.30pm); North Northamptonshire (8pm); Nottinghamshire (4.30pm); Pendle (5pm); Peterborough (5pm); Plymouth (5pm); Preston (3pm); and Reading (5pm).
Reigate & Banstead (6pm); Rossendale (2.30pm); Runnymede (7pm); Rushmoor (5.30pm); Salford (5pm); Sandwell (5pm); Sefton (3pm); Sheffield (3.30pm); Solihull (4.30pm); St Helens (5pm); Suffolk (4pm); Surrey (5pm); Swindon (5pm); Tameside (4pm); Three Rovers (5pm); Trafford (3pm); Wakefield (9.30pm); Walsall (5.30pm); Warwickshire ((7pm); West Northamptonshire (9pm); Wigan (2pm); Wirral (6pm); Woking (6pm) and Wokingham (5pm) are all also counting on Friday.
Four councils are expected to count on Friday evening, with results that night: Mole Valley (11pm); Norfolk (after 9pm); Tandridge (10pm); and Worcestershire (11pm).
Two councils are understood to be planning to start counting on Friday and to continue in the day on Saturday: Durham (5pm) and Shropshire (9.30pm).
Thirty-five councils are expected to count on the Saturday, with most results in the afternoon and evening: Bradford (5pm); Broxbourne (1pm); Buckinghamshire (4pm); Calderdale (5pm); Cannock Chase (3pm); Cheltenham (4pm); Eastleigh (2pm); Fareham (5pm); Gloucester (4pm); Gosport (5pm); Hartlepool (5pm); Hertfordshire (1pm); Kirklees (5pm); Lancashire (2pm); Leeds (6pm); Milton Keynes (4pm); North Tyneside (2.30pm); Norwich (5pm); Oxford (2pm); Portsmouth (5pm); Rotherham (5pm); Slough (7pm); Southampton (5pm); Staffordshire (4pm); Stevenage (8pm); Stroud (5pm); Tamworth (5pm); Tunbridge Wells (4pm); Warrington (6.30pm); Watford (5pm); Welwyn Hatfield (8pm); West Sussex (6pm); Wiltshire (5pm); Winchester (5pm); and Worcester (noon).
Ten councils are due to count on the Sunday, with results in the afternoon and evening: Adur (noon); Amber Valley (4pm); Basingstoke & Deane (5pm); Bristol (4pm); Cherwell (6pm); North Hertfordshire (5pm); Oxfordshire (2.30pm); St Albans (2pm); West Oxfordshire (7pm); and Worthing (noon).
Finally, there are elections for 39 Police and Crime Commissioners (PCC) in England and Wales, with counts for six expected during the day on Friday, with results in the afternoon and evening: Avon & Somerset (not before 5pm); Bedfordshire (5pm); Cleveland (2pm); and Staffordshire; North Yorkshire (1.30pm); and Dorset.
Derbyshire is understood to be starting counting from 3pm on Friday with a result due around 7pm.
Thirteen counts are due to take place during the day on Saturday, with results from about lunchtime into the evening: Durham (1pm); Essex (2pm); Humberside; Leicestershire; Lincolnshire; Merseyside (5pm); Norfolk; Northumbria; Nottinghamshire (4pm); Cambridgeshire; Cheshire; Surrey; and West Midlands.
Three of the four Welsh PCC counts are expected to be during the day on Sunday: Dyfed-Powys; Gwent; and North Wales. The South Wales count may also take place then.
Fifteen counts are due during the day on Monday, with results in the afternoon and evening: Devon & Cornwall (2pm); Gloucestershire (2pm); Hampshire (2pm); Hertfordshire; Kent; Lancashire; Cumbria; Northamptonshire; South Yorkshire (1.30pm); Suffolk; Sussex; Thames Valley (4pm); Warwickshire (3pm); Wiltshire (1pm); and West Mercia.