Sophie Corcoran

A Leeds man was jailed for five years and three months for defrauding a former colleague of £177,000 through an elaborate romance scam involving fabricated deaths, fake medical emergencies, and impersonation of a nurse. The victim supported him financially for years, believing he was in a relationship and helping with medical and legal expenses, until bank staff intervened and exposed the deception. Much of the stolen money was spent on gambling. The court ordered full repayment and imposed a restraining order, while sentencing highlighted the offender’s long‑standing gambling addiction and troubled background.

Prosecutors told a jury that Scott Silkstone fatally attacked amputee Dwayne Tuohey in his Leeds flat using multiple objects, including Tuohey’s prosthetic leg, before dragging him into a lift and leaving him outside. CCTV footage showed Silkstone before and after the alleged assault, with blood appearing on him following the incident. Forensic analysis indicated the prosthetic leg was used to deliver blows and carried DNA from both men. Silkstone was later seen striking Tuohey repeatedly while the victim was unresponsive. The defendant denies murder as the trial continues.

Kayla Smith, Archie Rycroft and a 17-year-old boy appeared via videolink at Leeds Crown Court charged with murdering 16-year-old Chloe Watson Dransfield, who was found with stab wounds in Austhorpe, Leeds, and later died in hospital. No pleas were entered, and all three were remanded in custody pending a further hearing on May 1; a provisional trial date was set for November 10. Rycroft and the 17-year-old also face separate burglary-related charges. Police said other people arrested in connection with the investigation had either remained in custody or been released on bail. Chloe's family described her as joyful, beautiful and deeply loved.

Holdsworth House in Halifax, West Yorkshire, which hosted Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi during filming of Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights adaptation, has created a replica of Cathy’s bedroom and listed it on Airbnb. Couples can submit booking requests from 20 February, with three winners receiving a free stay, while standard rooms remain available from £154 per night. The feature also highlights the hotel’s historic setting, themed dining and proximity to Haworth and local attractions.

Michael Moore, also known as Michael Doherty, pleaded guilty at Leeds Crown Court to murdering 21-year-old Courtney Angus in Batley, West Yorkshire, shortly before her birthday. Police discovered her body after responding to reports of an armed robbery at an Asda supermarket in Dewsbury, during which Doherty reportedly alerted officers to the house. He also admitted theft and three blade-threat offenses but denied possessing a bladed article and affray. He was remanded in custody and will receive a life sentence for murder, with a future hearing to determine the minimum term before parole consideration.

Heba Muraisi, detained at HMP New Hall while awaiting trial over alleged pro-Palestinian break-in activity, has reportedly gone 61 days without food and says she is losing the ability to form sentences, alongside experiencing weakness, bruising and persistent pain. She is one of several campaigners protesting in solidarity with Palestine Action; two others stopped after becoming seriously unwell. The strikers are demanding bail, unrestricted prison communications and a meeting with the British government. Lawyers have warned of a potential risk to their lives, while Prisons Minister James Timpson and the Ministry of Justice say established prison healthcare and legal processes are operating and ministers will not intervene in individual cases.

Jason Roddis, 37, was sentenced at Bradford Crown Court to 18 months in prison after drinking alcohol on a Jet2 flight from Turkey, threatening cabin crew, behaving abusively and damaging a police van. The pilot considered diverting the aircraft, but it continued to Leeds Bradford Airport, where Roddis was arrested. He admitted being drunk on an aircraft, two counts of common assault, racially aggravated harassment and criminal damage. His barrister cited severe anxiety, depression and an inability to access medication while abroad, while the court emphasized the fear caused to crew and passengers. Four additional months were added for a separate handbag theft from a parked car.

The Leinster Hotel in Dublin’s Georgian quarter is reviewed as a luxurious new property combining 1920s-inspired glamour, Parisian styling and Irish artistic touches. The hotel’s rooms feature bold interiors, local artwork and Irish food and drink, while its Jean-Georges restaurant and Collins Club bar provide high-end dining and jazz-era ambience. Its central location offers easy access to Merrion Square, Dublin’s museums and galleries, Temple Bar and Trinity College Dublin, where visitors can see the Book of Kells. Rooms start at about £258 per night with breakfast, and Aer Lingus return flights are advertised from £95.

Retired engineer Kenneth Armitage, 81, died after falling through an unguarded hole in his bathroom during a wet room conversion in Huntington, York. The hole had been created to access pipework but was left unsecured, and an investigation found that Cooper and Westgate Co. Ltd had failed to provide adequate training, risk assessments and safe working practices. The company was convicted at Leeds Magistrates’ Court and fined £150,000, with a further £50,000 ordered in costs. Armitage’s daughter described him as a deeply loved father and grandfather, while the Health and Safety Executive said the death could have been prevented.

A short trip from the UK takes Sophie Corcoran through Stresa and the scenic Lake Maggiore region in northern Italy. The itinerary includes pasta-making with local hosts through Cesarine, a stay at the luxurious Grand Hotel Des Iles Borromees, wine tasting and dining in Stresa, boat tours of the Borromean Islands, and a train journey through the Centovalli to Locarno in Switzerland. The trip concludes with visits to Lake Orta and San Giulio Island, with the writer praising the area's landscapes, food, historic architecture and ease of access. A seven-night TUI package at the hotel is advertised from £1,235 per person.

Jordan Parlour was sentenced to 20 months in prison at Leeds Crown Court after admitting that he posted Facebook comments encouraging attacks on a Leeds hotel housing asylum seekers and refugees. Although he did not take part in the violence, the judge found that his post was intended to incite others and stir racial hatred; Parlour appeared to blow a raspberry as he was led away. The article also reports separate prison sentences for Sameer Ali and Adnan Ghafoor for attacks during the Leeds disorder.

Natasha Pammant and her partner Liam Leach pleaded guilty at Leeds Crown Court to cruelty offences after leaving Pammant's 58-year-old mother in appalling conditions in their Leeds home. The woman was severely malnourished, covered in pressure ulcers, sitting in a urine-soaked chair and wearing the same jumper for a year. A neighbour's report prompted social-services intervention, which authorities said may have prevented her death. The defendants claimed she had refused help, while the prosecution said Pammant neglected her for financial reasons; their lawyers cited personal vulnerabilities and difficult backgrounds in mitigation.

Zoe Rider and Nicola Lethbridge were found guilty of murdering their neighbour Stephen Koszyczarski after beating, torturing and robbing him while falsely accusing him of being a paedophile. Court footage showed the women taunting him as he suffered severe injuries, including fatal head trauma and haemorrhage. Police found no evidence that Koszyczarski was a sex offender, and both defendants were remanded in custody pending sentencing on June 5.

Richard Dawson was sentenced to seven years in prison after admitting illegal money lending, criminal property offences, assault and kidnapping. He charged vulnerable borrowers interest rates of up to 200% after two weeks, assaulted a mother and her son, and repeatedly forced the son into his car boot to withdraw money. Financial records showed tens of thousands of pounds in transfers involving dozens of people, while the judge said at least 88 customers had been terrorised and that the true scale of the cash-based operation was likely much greater. Dawson was also given a restraining order preventing contact with the two victims. Authorities urged other victims of illegal lending to come forward.

Prison officer Jamie Bellerby pleaded guilty to dangerous driving after using her phone repeatedly during a March 2021 journey on the M62. Her Ford Fiesta swerved into the central reservation and overturned, triggering a wider pile-up in which lorry driver Stuart Murphy, 39, died and several others were injured. The court heard that Bellerby received or made numerous WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and phone communications over 23 minutes, despite denying initially that she had been distracted. She was given a two-year community order, 25 rehabilitation activity requirement days and a five-month electronically monitored night-time curfew.

Adam Towlinski and Ernest Weber were sentenced to life imprisonment with minimum terms of 33 years for torturing and murdering Dariusz Michalowski in Huddersfield in 2011, then concealing his body. Piotr Weber received six years for helping bury the body and perverting the course of justice. Michalowski’s remains were discovered in 2020 after a witness came forward, ending a nine-year search that had left his wife and daughter hoping he would return. The sentencing judge rejected defence claims that the killing was neither premeditated nor sadistic, describing it as deliberate and the result of escalating hostility.

David Lloyd Leisure was fined £2.55 million and ordered to pay £258,355.80 in costs—about £3 million in total—after admitting a serious health and safety breach linked to the April 2018 drowning of three-year-old Rocco Wright at its Leeds pool. The court heard that only one lifeguard was on duty, despite previous staff concerns, and that the lifeguard faced obstructed visibility, inadequate breaks and additional duties. Rocco’s family said the company’s delayed guilty plea prolonged their grief, while CEO Russell Barnes expressed sympathy for their loss.

Tom Longley, a 29-year-old father from Leeds with no known underlying health conditions, was found unresponsive at home by his father on June 24 after spending an hour at a pub with friends. Ambulance workers performed CPR for about an hour, but he died. His family, including his sister Billy-Jo, described him as vibrant and said his sudden death had devastated them. A GoFundMe fundraiser was established to help cover funeral costs and had raised £800 toward a £1,500 target.

Maths teacher Clare Bailey, 44, drove from Dudley to her former lover's family home in Harrogate wearing a red wig and face mask, carrying flowers and a carving knife. She attacked his wife, Emma, causing life-changing injuries to her neck, arms, abdomen and hands. Bailey had previously pursued the married man after he ended their affair and blocked her online. CCTV, vehicle tracking and forensic evidence linked her to the assault. She pleaded guilty to attempted murder and was sentenced at Leeds Crown Court to 22 years and four months in prison, with an indefinite restraining order; the victim continues to suffer physical and psychological consequences.

Damien Bendall was sentenced to a whole-life order by the High Court for murdering his pregnant girlfriend Terri Harris, her children Lacey Bennett and John Paul Bennett, and Lacey’s friend Connie Gent at a home in Killamarsh, Derbyshire. He also pleaded guilty to raping Lacey. The judge cited the exceptionally brutal nature of the attacks, Bendall’s history of violent offending and aggravating circumstances, while treating his guilty plea as the only mitigating factor. Prosecutors said the killings had devastated two families and left the local community in shock.

Damien Bendall admitted murdering his pregnant partner Terri Harris, her children Lacey Bennett and John Paul Bennett, and Lacey’s friend Connie Gent at a home in Killamarsh, Derbyshire, in September 2021. He also pleaded guilty to raping Lacey, including while she was dying from hammer wounds. The court heard that the victims suffered brutal attacks and that Bendall later took John’s Xbox and exchanged it for drugs. The High Court imposed a whole-life order, citing the exceptionally serious nature of the crimes and Bendall’s history of violent offending.

Teachers at North Huddersfield Trust School described Sebastian Kalinowski as a quiet, shy and pleasant child who often appeared lonely and sad but smiled with staff. Leeds Crown Court heard allegations that his mother, Agnieszka Kalinowska, and stepfather, Andrzej Latoszewski, subjected him to months of violent abuse before he was found seriously injured at their Huddersfield home. Latoszewski pleaded guilty to manslaughter, and both defendants pleaded guilty to child cruelty; Kalinowska remained accused of murder. School staff also recounted an intimidating confrontation with Latoszewski and concerns about Sebastian’s withdrawn behavior, although no formal safeguarding report was made.

North Yorkshire Police are urgently searching York for 12-year-old Charlie Sloane, who was last seen leaving an address in the Hull Road area on the afternoon of June 3, 2022. Police said they were concerned for his safety and were searching multiple parts of the city. Charlie was believed to be wearing a red and black jumper, and anyone with information was asked to call 101 and quote reference 12220095625.

Police identified five key errors that led to Wayne Couzens being caught for the kidnapping, rape and murder of Sarah Everard: dashcam and CCTV footage, witnesses seeing the disposal fire, Couzens returning to the body site with his family, inconsistent and implausible explanations to detectives, and forensic evidence recovered from his home and car. Couzens pleaded guilty and received a whole-life prison sentence, while Everard’s family described the lasting devastation caused by her death and the treatment of her body.