Jessica Hughes

Leroy Douglas, 44, is due to be released next month after spending 20 years in prison for stealing a mobile phone in a 2005 street robbery, despite receiving an original two-and-a-half-year minimum sentence under the now-abolished Imprisonment for Public Protection regime. His sister Natalie says he was lost in the system despite being a model prisoner and completing rehabilitation courses. Douglas, who said he committed the offence to obtain help for drug addiction, will initially be placed in a bail hostel, while his family continues to campaign for him to return home.

Chris Langham, known for The Thick of It and other British television work, has died aged 77 after a private battle with pancreatic cancer. His acting career ended after he was convicted of downloading indecent images of children and served a prison sentence, although he was acquitted of separate allegations involving a teenage girl. He later withdrew from showbusiness, lived with his family in Kent and earned income by renting out a cottage.

Kris Stimson, 44, stabbed a man in the stomach outside a kebab shop in Peterborough after wrongly believing the victim had rung the bell on his e-scooter. The victim required surgery, was placed in an induced coma and received several weeks of treatment before being discharged. Armed police arrested Stimson nearby using Pava spray, and he later admitted assault causing grievous bodily harm without intent and possessing a knife in public. Cambridge Crown Court sentenced him to 16 months in prison, while police praised passersby who helped control the victim’s bleeding.

Everton supporter Michael Flanagan, 57, pleaded guilty to assault after pushing a man in his 60s down 15 rows of the South Stand during Everton's match against Arsenal on 20 December. The victim suffered head swelling, soreness and minor leg scratches. Sefton Magistrates' Court issued Flanagan with a three-year Football Banning Order, 140 hours of unpaid work, £750 compensation, £400 costs and a £114 surcharge. Police and Everton's head of security condemned the dangerous conduct.

Katie Price and Lee Andrews met online, married in Dubai after meeting in person, and quickly became embroiled in pregnancy rumours, travel restrictions, alleged disappearances and arrests. Andrews was detained by UAE authorities over disputed legal and financial matters, while Price said she would not pay his bail or debts. The relationship ended in September 2026 after Price reportedly discovered that Andrews had only £2.22 in his account rather than the £37 million he had claimed, and dumped him by WhatsApp while he remained detained in Dubai.

Teenager Moises Ponce Mendoza died after contracting Naegleria fowleri, a rare brain infection typically acquired when contaminated warm freshwater enters the nose. His mother said he was initially sent home from a hospital in Burlington with severe headaches, but returned the next morning after his condition rapidly worsened. The infection has a fatality rate above 97% and usually causes death within about five days. Experts warn that rising temperatures could expand the amoeba’s range, while a second recent death, eight-year-old Lillian Smart in Louisiana, highlights the infection’s severe impact.