Kirstie Mccrum

Christopher Phillips was sentenced to two years and four months in prison after admitting that he kept his mother Silvia's body in a freezer at their Porthcawl home for nearly three years. He failed to report her death to the Department for Work and Pensions and Bridgend County Borough Council, fraudulently receiving £78,190.92 in benefits. The cause of Silvia's death remains undetermined, and police said the case was especially distressing before her body was finally given a lawful burial.

Bill Oddie, the wildlife presenter, comedian and conservationist best known for The Goodies and BBC nature programmes including Springwatch, has died aged 85. His agent David Foster praised Oddie's intelligence, wit and lifelong campaign for environmental protection, while fans expressed their grief online. Oddie's wife Laura and daughters Bonnie, Kate and Rosie asked for privacy.

Witnesses described attempts to rescue several people who got into difficulty in the water near West Mersea beach, where a teenage girl and a woman in her 40s died and three others were hospitalised. Members of the public administered CPR before emergency services arrived. Essex Police appealed for additional witnesses as the investigation continues, and the ambulance service confirmed multiple resources were deployed but two casualties could not be resuscitated.

Nothabo Zandile Tshuma, 42, and her daughters Natalie, 15, and Nala, five, were found dead at their home in Great Denham, near Bedford. Bedfordshire Police believe they were murdered and are seeking Zandile’s husband, Ndodana Mkhanyisi Tshuma, also known as Mark, who they believe travelled from Heathrow to Zimbabwe on Saturday. Police have issued a CCTV image and are working with national and international agencies to locate him, while relatives, friends and residents have paid tribute at the scene.

The owners of Johnsons of Old Hurst, Andy and Tracey Johnson, have issued their first statement since a three-year-old boy was allegedly thrown into the zoo’s crocodile enclosure on June 18. They thanked staff, visitors, emergency responders and the local community for helping rescue the child, who remains in a stable condition at Addenbrooke’s Hospital with serious injuries and a lengthy recovery ahead. A 30-year-old Norfolk man was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and released on bail while police continue their investigation. The zoo’s Tropical House has since reopened after temporarily closing out of respect for the child’s family.

One person died and several others were injured when two East Midlands Railway passenger trains collided south of Bedford near the Elstow interchange on June 19. A major incident was declared, with police, fire, ambulance and air ambulance crews responding; Bedford Hospital prepared for at least 50 casualties. Passenger accounts described severe injuries and a sudden impact. All lines between Luton, Bedford and London St Pancras were closed for the rest of the evening, with services cancelled or revised. Authorities continued working to establish the cause of the crash.

Mally Stubbings, a 50-year-old woman from Boston, Lincolnshire, with stage-three terminal lung cancer, remains hospitalised in Benidorm after suffering a brain haemorrhage and seizures during a family holiday. Although she has left intensive care, doctors have said she cannot fly because of air-pressure concerns, and the family does not know when she will be discharged. Relatives have extended their stay in Spain, paying £1,000 for emergency accommodation while attempting to claim costs through insurance. A GoFundMe campaign has been launched, as private repatriation quotes reportedly exceed £30,000 and the family is struggling with hospital communication and mounting expenses.

British artist David Hockney has died peacefully at his home aged 88, one month before his 89th birthday, according to his publicist Erica Bolton. Celebrated for his vibrant paintings, portraits, landscapes, stage designs and pioneering use of photography and digital tools, Hockney became one of the most influential artists of the 20th and 21st centuries. His 2018 painting Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures) sold for $90 million, then a record for a living artist. Born in Bradford, Hockney spent much of his career between Britain and California and was also recognised for openly expressing his sexuality during a period when homosexuality was criminalised in England.

The family of 14-month-old Oakley Barnett paid tribute to him after his mother, Emma Barnett, was convicted of his murder at Cambridge Crown Court. The court heard that Barnett gave Oakley milk containing a lethal combination of prescription medication after a family court ruling that he should be taken into care. Oakley's family and father described their grief and remembered his personality, while Detective Inspector James Holmes offered condolences on behalf of Essex Police. Barnett is due to be sentenced on June 5, 2026.

Lloyds Bank and Halifax customers across the UK were unable to access mobile and online banking or make payments during a widespread app outage. Downdetector recorded a sharp rise in complaints, particularly from London, Belfast and Cardiff, with additional disruption reported in several other cities. Both banks acknowledged the problem and said they were working to restore services. Customers are not automatically entitled to compensation, but may have grounds to complain if the outage caused financial harm such as missed payments or credit-score damage; they are advised to keep evidence and submit complaints in writing.

Norfolk Police are investigating reports that two teenage girls were raped on South Beach Parade in Great Yarmouth in the early hours of 16 May 2026. A man in his 30s was arrested in Northamptonshire and remains in custody, while a second suspect described as a white man in his 30s or 40s remains at large. Specialist officers and reassurance patrols have been deployed, and police are appealing for witnesses and information.

BBC Panorama is due to broadcast The Dark Side of Married at First Sight, an investigation in which three women allege sexual misconduct by former on-screen husbands. The men deny the allegations. The programme also examines whether welfare procedures failed to protect contributors. Channel 4 and CPL Productions say the show’s welfare protocols are robust and comprehensive, while Channel 4 said it had not seen the programme and would comment later.

Gogglebox star Ken Harwood has died aged 77 after a short illness. Harwood and his wife Anne, who appeared on the programme from 2020 to 2022, were popular cast members, and Channel 4 will broadcast a tribute at the end of the evening’s episode. The article also recalls several other Gogglebox cast deaths and reports the election of former cast member Josh Tapper as a Labour councillor in Barnet.

Muslim authorities are preparing to sight the Dhul Hijjah crescent moon to confirm the dates of the 2026 Hajj pilgrimage and Eid Al-Adha. Committees in Saudi Arabia and the UAE are expected to conduct observations on May 16, followed by authorities in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh on May 17. Astronomers predict the crescent will be widely visible on May 17. Eid Al-Adha commemorates Prophet Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son and is marked by prayers, the Qurbani livestock sacrifice, sharing meat with family, friends and people in need, and the culmination of Hajj in Makkah.

Direct trains between Stansted Airport and London Liverpool Street will not operate on Saturday 9 or Sunday 10 May because of planned engineering works between Waltham Cross and Stansted Airport. Passengers are advised to travel via Cambridge and London King’s Cross, with limited rail replacement services available. Further disruption is expected on routes around Bury St Edmunds, Cambridge North, Thetford, Peterborough, Bishops Stortford, Hertford East and Waltham Cross. Travellers are urged to check National Rail and Greater Anglia updates before departing.

Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank are expecting their third child in summer 2026, Buckingham Palace has announced. King Charles III is said to be delighted, while their sons August and Ernest are excited to welcome a sibling. The baby will not have an HRH title and will be 15th in line to the British throne, becoming Queen Elizabeth II’s 15th great-grandchild and the couple’s third child.

Fourteen-month-old Noah Sibanda died at Fairytales Day Nursery in Dudley in December 2022 after being tightly wrapped in a sleeping bag, placed face down on a cushion with a blanket over his head, and restrained by a nursery worker. Fairytales Day Nursery Limited admitted corporate manslaughter and a health and safety offence, while owner Deborah Latewood admitted a separate health and safety offence and worker Kimberley Cookson admitted gross negligence manslaughter. The nursery was permanently closed by Ofsted in 2023, and sentencing for the defendants and nursery is scheduled for April 16, 2026.

Dame Jenni Murray, the longtime BBC Radio 4 Woman’s Hour presenter, has died aged 75. Murray joined the programme in 1987 and became its longest-serving regular host before leaving in 2020; she was made a dame in 2011. Tributes from BBC executives, journalists and colleagues praised her intelligence, empathy, fearless journalism and influence on public conversations, while the report also recalls her breast cancer diagnosis and recent hospitalization with COVID-19.

Eighteen-year-old Juliette Kenny died less than 12 hours after being admitted to hospital with meningitis symptoms, one of two deaths linked to a Kent meningitis B outbreak. Her father, Michael Kenny, and the Meningitis Research Foundation are urging the UK Government to expand access to meningitis B vaccination for teenagers and young adults. The UK Health Security Agency reported 15 confirmed cases and 12 further suspected cases, with nine confirmed cases caused by meningitis B. The vaccination programme has been expanded across affected schools, universities, venue attendees and close contacts, while MPs have called for nationwide catch-up programmes and a rapid review of eligibility.

Vincent Chan, 45, was sentenced at Wood Green Crown Court to 18 years in prison after admitting 56 offences involving the sexual abuse of children, indecent images, voyeurism, upskirting and other sexual offences. He worked at the Bright Horizons nursery in West Hampstead from 2007 to 2017, while investigators found offending dating from 2007 through 2024. Police seized 69 devices, reviewed more than 300 hours of footage and identified 20 victims, including four young children subjected to contact abuse or indecent-image offences. Chan had recorded some abuse using nursery iPads and possessed more than one million indecent images. The Metropolitan Police said families had been offered specialist, trauma-informed support, while the NSPCC launched a dedicated helpline. The UK Government is considering compulsory CCTV in early-years settings following safeguarding reviews.

CCTV footage shows Deividas Skebas watching nine-year-old Lilia Valutyte play outside her mother’s embroidery shop in Boston before stabbing her on July 28, 2022. Police footage also documents his movements, the purchase of the knife at Wilko, his subsequent arrest and his flight from the scene. After initially being found unfit to stand trial because of mental health difficulties, Skebas was later deemed fit to plead and was convicted of murder at Lincoln Crown Court on February 5, 2026; sentencing is pending.

Amazon plans to eliminate approximately 16,000 jobs worldwide as part of an effort to streamline operations, with most cuts expected in the United States and an unspecified number affecting UK employees. The announcement follows about 14,000 redundancies three months earlier and comes as Amazon increases its use of artificial intelligence and reduces organizational layers. Amazon also plans to close its remaining Amazon Fresh and Go stores in the US, while previously announcing the closure of 19 Amazon Fresh stores in the UK, affecting around 250 jobs.

Storm Chandra is expected to bring strong winds, heavy rain and snow across much of the UK on January 26–27, with flooding and travel disruption likely. Amber warnings cover parts of south-west England for rain and eastern Northern Ireland for wind, while yellow warnings extend across Northern Ireland, south-west England, northern England and Scotland. Up to 80mm of rain could fall over higher ground in south Devon, and 10–20cm of snow may accumulate in the Pennines, southern Scotland and the Highlands. Authorities have reported widespread flood warnings and alerts, while the Met Office and RAC advised people to monitor forecasts, avoid unnecessary travel and take care on flooded or wet roads.

Tony Keeble, a 61-year-old man from Thetford, died after two armed police officers shot him on the A11 near Thetford on December 28. Officers had responded to reports of a vehicle collision and a man carrying a handgun. The Independent Office for Police Conduct said a provisional post-mortem found gunshot wounds to the chest and abdomen, and a non-police firearm was recovered. The officers are currently being treated as witnesses, with no indication so far that they breached professional standards. Body-camera and dashcam footage are being reviewed, and an inquest date has not yet been set.

King Charles III’s 2025 Christmas broadcast reflects on the royal couple’s Vatican visit, the 80th anniversaries of VE and VJ Day, and the courage and sacrifice of wartime generations. Drawing on the Christmas story and shared values across faiths, he calls for compassion, forgiveness, respect, reconciliation and peace, arguing that community, kindness and resilience can create a more hopeful future.

King Charles III used his Christmas message to urge people in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth to preserve the courage, sacrifice and community spirit associated with the Second World War. Referring to the Bondi Beach shootings and the Manchester synagogue attack, he praised people who risked their lives to protect others and argued that diversity, faith, kindness and reconciliation can help communities overcome division. He also warned about the effects of rapidly changing technology and encouraged people to pause and reconnect with family, friends and faith. The address included references to wartime commemorations, homelessness, pilgrimage and support for Ukraine, while making no mention of his reduced cancer treatment.