The Kannada community in Britain held a candle vigil condolence prayer for Shivakumara Swamiji, who passed away in Karnataka on Monday after a prolonged illness.
The candlelight vigil was organised in collaboration with the Lambeth Basaveshwara foundation on Monday.
Swamiji, known as 'Walking God' among his countless followers, had donated the foundation stone for the Basaveshwara statue in London. According to Dr Neeraj Patil, the former Mayor of the London Borough of Lambeth, the foundation stone is embedded at the base of the statue.
Dr Patil said Swamiji's contribution to social work and eradication of child poverty in India is unparalleled and will always be remembered.
The 111-year-old head of the Siddaganga Math in Karnataka died Monday after prolonged illness, the seminary said.
His last rites was performed at Tumkur in Karnataka on Tuesday.
Clifford had previously pleaded guilty to the murders of BBC sports commentator John Hunt’s wife and two daughters at their home in northwest of London, in July 2024. (Photo: Hertfordshire Police /Handout via REUTERS)
Crossbow murderer found guilty of raping ex-girlfriend
A 26-YEAR-OLD man who murdered three women in a crossbow and stabbing attack has been found guilty of raping one of them, his ex-girlfriend, a British court ruled on Thursday.
Kyle Clifford had previously pleaded guilty to the murders of BBC sports commentator John Hunt’s wife and two daughters at their home in Bushey, northwest of London, in July 2024.
The attack led to a manhunt before Clifford was found injured hours later in a north London cemetery.
A jury at Cambridge Crown Court on Thursday convicted Clifford of raping 25-year-old Louise Hunt before killing her.
His sentencing for all the crimes is scheduled for Tuesday.
Clifford had admitted to murdering Carol Hunt, 61, and her daughters Louise and Hannah, 28. He had also pleaded guilty to charges of false imprisonment and possessing offensive weapons but denied raping Louise.
During the trial, the court heard that after killing Carol Hunt, Clifford waited for an hour before attacking Louise, tying her up, raping her, and then killing her with a crossbow. He later killed Hannah when she returned home from work.
The prosecution described Clifford, a former soldier, as committing a "violent, sexual act of spite" and said he was "enraged" after Louise ended their 18-month relationship. They told the court that he had "carefully planned" the attack.
Less than 24 hours before the killings, Clifford had searched for a podcast by social media influencer Andrew Tate, according to the prosecution. They argued that the murders were driven by the "violent misogyny promoted" by Tate.
Justice Joel Bennathan called Clifford’s crimes "dreadful" and "almost unspeakable".
(With inputs from AFP)