Rachel Sylvester

Jan 24, 2025 | thetimes.com | Rachel Sylvester

It is 4pm on a bitterly cold Friday afternoon in Salford and things are kicking off. A marauder is on the rampage with a hammer, a car has been stolen and a burglary has been reported by a man who says the thieves are still in his home. In one part of town, the police have been called because a child has stopped breathing and in another area a corpse has been discovered. There is a hostage situation in progress and officers have also been dispatched to a gang-related shooting.

Jan 24, 2025 | thetimes.com | Rachel Sylvester

Jan 19, 2025 | thetimes.com | Rachel Sylvester

Jan 13, 2025 | thetimes.com | Rachel Sylvester

Dec 6, 2024 | thetimes.com | Rachel Sylvester

In many ways the Oasis Restore academy in Kent looks like any other school. It has classrooms, a playground with a basketball hoop, a sports hall, a theatre, an art room and a music studio. But there is a difference. The pupils here are all murderers, rapists, drug dealers, gang members and serious violent offenders. These children are some of the most dangerous and damaged young people in the country and have been convicted or accused of heinous, horrible crimes.