Amy Fenton

Former teacher David Brown was sentenced at Preston Crown Court to 11 years in prison after pleading guilty to sexual communication offences involving a child and causing a child to engage in sexual activity. Police found about 700 sexual messages between Brown and the girl on four phones in his classroom. The court heard that he groomed and abused her over several months, including taking her to secluded locations. Brown was also ordered to sign the sex offender register. The victim’s mother described the lasting emotional impact on the family, while police emphasized that grooming is manipulation and a crime.

Lee Mercer, 45, died at HMP Wymott on 14 July 2026 while serving a four-year-and-seven-month sentence for intentional strangulation, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, threats to kill and criminal damage. He had admitted attacking his former partner during two incidents in October 2024, threatening to kill her and her children, and demanding that she buy cocaine. The victim described severe ongoing PTSD and fear following the abuse. The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman has opened an independent investigation, with its final report to be published after the inquest.

An inquest determined that Gemma Freeman died by suicide after leaving letters attributing her decision to the breakdown of her relationship with estranged husband Alan Cooper. Testimony from family members described a pattern of alleged psychological and physical abuse, including an incident in which he reportedly told her to kill herself. Police investigated Cooper for potential manslaughter but concluded the evidence did not meet the criminal threshold, a decision currently under review. The coroner stated that Freeman believed her relationship was the cause of her death and encouraged the family to seek healing moving forward.

Blackpool Tower will be illuminated in blue on July 27 in tribute to murdered toddler Preston Davey, following a request from his biological mother. Preston, who died at 13 months old, was subjected to severe physical, emotional and sexual abuse by adoptive father Jamie Varley, who received a whole life sentence, while John McGowan-Fazakerley was sentenced to 25 years for related offences. The property the pair moved into shortly after Preston’s death is now listed for auction, with the listing noting the seller’s custodial sentence for transparency.

A former home of convicted child killers Jamie Varley and John McGowan-Fazakerley has been listed for sale with a warning to prospective buyers about the occupants' criminal history. The pair moved into the Grimsargh property shortly after being taken into custody for the death and extensive abuse of toddler Preston Davey, crimes later detailed during a lengthy trial at Preston Crown Court. Varley received a whole-life sentence and McGowan-Fazakerley was jailed for 25 years. The five-bedroom house is being auctioned for £370,000, significantly below its purchase price, with the listing openly disclosing the convictions to ensure transparency for potential buyers.