James Podesta

A British collector bought a damaged late-18th- or early-19th-century wooden pendant for less than £100 at a provincial auction. Specialists at Woolley & Wallis identified it as rare Easter Island jewellery, traditionally associated with royalty and ceremonial dances. Despite missing one of its two heads, international bidding drove the hammer price to £60,000 and the final cost to £75,800, while a complete example might have been worth as much as £600,000.

Alexander Hensher, a 48-year-old renewables businessman, pleaded guilty at Weymouth Magistrates' Court to three counts of making indecent images of a child after four illegal images were found on his hard drives. He had taken three hard drives and a phone to a Bournemouth computer repair shop and asked for them to be wiped, but the employee was a police special constable who alerted superiors. The court heard that the images included one Category A, one Category B and two Category C images. Hensher received a 12-month community order with 100 hours of unpaid work, a five-year sexual harm prevention order and a £199 fine; the hard drives will be destroyed.

Residents in a wealthy Bournemouth suburb are protesting long‑term parking of caravans and motorhomes along the clifftop, arguing the vehicles obstruct sea views, reduce parking availability and create safety and sanitation concerns. A large banner criticizing the council’s inaction was removed for being placed without permission. A petition calls for tighter regulation, while van dwellers argue they are being unfairly targeted amid rising living costs. The council acknowledges the issue and is considering designated parking areas with basic amenities as part of a broader seafront policy.