Daniel Rees

David Smith, 44, of Earls Colne, was sentenced to three years and four months in prison after being convicted at Chelmsford Crown Court of controlling and coercive behaviour and criminal damage against his girlfriend. The court heard that he monitored her social media, restricted her contact with others, threatened to burn down her father’s home and exploited her mental-health vulnerabilities. Judge Mary Loram KC described him as a manipulative bully and said he posed a danger to anyone involved with him. Smith was cleared of three counts of actual bodily harm and one count of intentional strangulation.

A major incident at Mersea Island left a teenage girl and a woman dead and another person in serious condition after they got into difficulty in the water. Witness Chris Frost described an extensive emergency response involving coastguard crews, lifeboats, multiple ambulances, and three air ambulances, with CPR efforts lasting about an hour. Emergency services remained at the scene into the night, and concerns were raised about the hazardous sand spits that can be cut off by the incoming tide.