Daily roundup 29 November: Domestic violence, loan sharks, and knife crime

More than 4,000 women and children fleeing domestic abuse face being locked out of refuges under government proposals, a charity has warned. The Independent reports that a survey carried out by Women's Aid suggests that plans announced by Prime Minister Theresa May to place councils in charge of ringfenced funding for supported accommodation could see more than a third of refuges across England forced to close down.


Loan sharks have stood at school gates handing out cards to children as they leave, suggesting mums call them if they need new trainers. The BBC reports that a review by the Financial Conduct Authority, which aims to shed light on criminals' activities, found that illegal money lenders have also stationed themselves outside food banks, in casinos, or outside post offices to wait for pensioners.


A total of 35 children and teenagers have been killed this year as a result of knife crime, the highest figure for nearly a decade. The Times reports that Home Office figures for England and Wales show that the number of people aged 19 and under who died as a result of a knife attack in 2017 is approaching the 42 recorded nine years ago.


A 15-year-old boy has been charged with causing the deaths of five people when a car crashed into a tree in Leeds. The Guardian reports that three boys and two men, who were all travelling in the car, were killed in the crash on a suburban street on Saturday night. West Yorkshire police said the suspect would appear at Leeds magistrates court on Wednesday morning, charged with five counts of causing death by dangerous driving.