There’s also an option to get free unlimited access to Cadbury World, Legoland and Sea Life centres for a whole year

For thrill-seekers, going to a theme park is often a once a year treat. While exhilarating, the experience can be costly, especially when you factor in fuel and spending money for food or merchandise on the day.

Buying tickets on the gate at Alton Towers is often the quickest and easiest way to gain entry, but is typically the most expensive. WIth walk-up passing costing upwards of £60 for children and £68 on the day, the price can quickly add up, especially for families.

Luckily, there’s a way to bag an annual pass for Alton Towers for less than it would cost for a single gate ticket. Merlin Entertainments, the company that owns the Stoke-on-Trent theme park and resort, has dropped a new deal that offers entry for an entire year for £64, previously retailing for £68.

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The Alton Towers Annual Pass offers almost unlimited entry to the theme park for 12 months. It unlocks entry to the park for the main season from March to November as well as for seasonal events on dates in between.

Offering entry on 339 days of the year, the Annual Pass works out to cost just 19p a day. This is far cheaper than if you were to buy tickets to the park every time you visit.

Adrenaline junkies can test their courage on the legendary twists of the Wicker Man or face the sheer vertical drop of the iconic Oblivion. From junior coasters to high-speed mysteries like Th13teen, the park ensures a non-stop day of heart-pounding action for older children and adults alike.

Younger guests will be delighted to explore the UK’s only CBeebies Land, where they can interact with their favourite characters across a variety of colourful, preschool-friendly attractions. Adding to the excitement, the resort has now opened the world’s-first Bluey ride, titled Bluey the Ride: Here Come the Grannies!

For theme park fans looking to try somewhere different, Wowcher’s Theme Park Breaks could be the ideal choice. They’re currently promoting a Gulliver’s Valley Resort Stay and Theme Park Entry deal starting at £139, with options available during school holidays for a family of four looking for an exciting break.

If your family is keen on outdoor adventures, consider a National Trust Family Membership starting at £103 annually. It contains free entry to more than 500 places from houses and gardens to coastlines and countryside.

Shoppers looking to get even more bang for their buck may want to consider purchasing one of the other passes available at Alton Towers. These not only offer entry to the theme park, but offer exclusive discounts as well as entry to other locations owned by Merlin Entertainments.

If you spend a little bit extra on a Gold or Platinum pass, this will include access to more than 20 other theme parks and attractions. These include: Chessington World of Adventures Resort, Legoland Windsor Resort, Sea Life, Thorpe Park, the London Eye, Warwick Castle and Cadbury World, among others.

Merlin Essential Pass, £139:

Get the Merlin Essential Pass here.

• Includes access to Alton Towers Resort, Warwick Castle, Legoland Windsor Resort, Sea Life and more.
• 339 days’ entry to over 20 top UK attractions.

Merlin Gold Pass, typically £239 now £189:

Get the Merlin Gold Pass here.

• 364 days’ entry to over 20 top UK attractions (excludes Alton Towers Fireworks).
• Includes access to Alton Towers Resort, Warwick Castle, Legoland Windsor Resort, Sea Life and more.
• Free parking at Theme Parks and Warwick Castle.
• Up to 20% off retail, food and beverages.

Merlin Platinum Pass, typically £299 now £249:

Get the Merlin Platinum Pass here.

• Includes access to Alton Towers Resort, Warwick Castle, Legoland Windsor Resort, Sea Life and more.
• No exclusion dates.
• Free parking at Theme Parks and Warwick Castle.
• up to 20% off food, drinks, retail, and short breaks.
• Four free bring-a-friend tickets a year.
• 1 free one-shot fastrack per visit.
• Free Coke Freestyle cup and refills.
• 15% off Merlin Holiday Club

With more than two million visitors coming through the park gates every year, many have shared their experiences in TripAdvisor. One five-star review said: “We had an excellent time, lovely clean park, amazing rides (we travelled for nearly 5hrs each way with an overnight stay nearby) and it was thoroughly worth it.

“Staff were friendly mostly, and the rides were mainly operating, with other a few with downtimes. We visited midweek in late April, after Easter but before May bank holiday and there were hardly any queue times. A really great experience, but glad we avoided the weekend crowds.”

Another added: “The rides were amazing. We had a really good time and loved it so much. The staff are really kind and the rides are fabulous.”

One family who stayed in the Stargazing Pods said that they had a “Fab family weekend,” adding: “The pods are really warm, cosy and very clean. The take away breakfast was enjoyed by us all. The shower block was probably the nicest I’ve seen on a camp site.”

Not every visitor experience was quite so positive, with one guest noting: “Felt like the park was overbooked in comparison to other years. Anyone that waits 60 mins for a round child’s rollercoaster is insane and their children must have amazing patience.”

But for some it was a ‘truly awesome’ experience, with another guest sharing: “We stayed at Splash Landings Hotel and it was fabulous. The rooms are beautifully decorated (we had the standard rooms), very clean and great amenities, even an iron and ironing board, and a travel cot.

“Their restaurant is fabulous; the food delicious and plenty of it – best buffet breakfast and dinner we’ve ever had. Lovely evening entertainment for the children too.” Get the Alton Towers Annual Pass for £64 here.

Festival of the week: City of York Roland Walls Folk Weekend 2026, Black Swan Folk Club, Peasholme Green York, today and tomorrow

CITY of York Roland Walls Folk Weekend’s three-day programme of 50 acts continues today and tomorrow with bands, soloists and sessions throughout the pub and in the car park from 1pm each day after last night’s Irish-themed bill in the club room.

Among the performers will be King Courgette, in the return of the original line-up, Leather’O, White Sail, Janglebuddies, Graham Hodge, Monkey’s Fist, Chechelele, Caramba, Holly Taymar, Duncan McFarlane Band, Mary Molloy, Susie Coyle, Soundsphere and Jon Palmer Band. Admission is free, with collections for the Motor Neurone Disease Association.

Lunchtime concert of the week: York Late Music, Stuart O’Hara (bass) and Rob Hao piano), Unitarian Chapel, St Saviourgate, York, today, 1pm

MARRYING words and music, bass Stuart O’Hara and pianist Rob Hao’s performance is based around new settings of Yorkshire poets by local composers: James Else&Alan Gillott, Retratos (world premiere, complete song cycle); Tim Brooks& Lizzi Linklater, New Student In The University Cafe (world premiere); Jenny Jackson& Richard Kitchen, Vessels (world premiere) and Nick Carter& Hugh Bernays: The Water Will Not Remember from Requiem for the Arctic (world premiere)

This afternoon’s recital also includes David Power’s Six Songs, based on the poetry of E.H. Visiak, and two new settings by York St John University student composers Robyn Hughes-Maclean and Matthew Jarvis. Tickets: latemusic.org or on the door.

Poetry and music in motion: The Elysian Singers, York Late Music, Unitarian Chapel, St Saviourgate, York, tonight, 7.30pm

DIRECTED by Sam Laughton, The Elysian Singers’ insightful programme celebrates the musical settings of the poet Gerard Manley Hopkins. Benjamin Britten’s A.M.D.G. will be complemented by works by Samuel Barber (Heaven-Haven), Alan Bullard (The Windhover and Spring Morning), Bob Chilcott (The Bethlehem Star) and Ian Stephens (Pied Beauty).

The première of David Lancaster’s new work, Henry Purcell, featuring Hopkins’ tribute to his own favourite composer, provides an opportunity to revisit Purcell’s Remember Not, Lord, Our Offences and O Lord God Of Hosts. David Power’s quirky and imaginative settings of four E.H. Visiak poems completes the line-up, preceded by Lancaster and Power’s 6.45pm pre-concert talk. Tickets: latemusic.org or on the door.

Recommended but sold out already: Shed Seven, A Maximum High 30th Anniversary Show, The Piece Hall, Halifax, today, gates open at 6.30pm

Shed Seven: Marking 30th anniversary of A Maximum High with one-off concert at The Piece Hall, Halifax

YORK band Shed Seven are marking the 30th anniversary of their hit-laden second album, April 1996’s A Maximum High, with a one-off concert at The Piece Hall, featuring the magnum opus in full plus further Sheds’ hits and fan favourites. Expect a few surprises too. The Guest List (6.30pm) and Seb Lowe (7.20pm) support.

Seaside trip of the week; Madness, Scarborough Open Air Theatre, tonight, doors 6pm

IN their 50th year since forming in Camden, Nutty Boys Madness make their fourth appearance at Scarborough Open Air Theatre after previous seaside visits in 2017, 2019 and 2024.

Drawing on 31 Top 40 hits and 11 Top Ten albums, their timeless blend of ska, pop, punk and music hall will be on show as ever in Our House, It Must be Love, Baggy Trousers, House Of Fun et al. The Beat featuring Ranking Jnr and reggae vocalist Hollie Cook support. Box office: scarboroughopenairtheatre.com.

Thriller of the week: The Spy Who Came In From The Cold, Grand Opera House, York, June 9 to 13, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday matinees

FOR the first time, a John le Carré novel is being brought to life on stage by Chichester Festival Theatre in David Eldridge’s adaptation of The Spy Who Came In From The Cold, a tale that journeys through the fog-shrouded terrain ofColdWar espionage, deception and moral compromise.

Death In Paradise star Ralf Little’s disillusionedBritish intelligence officer, Alec Leamas, is ready to come in from thecold, untilveteran agent George Smiley persuades him to take one final mission against the East German Secret Service. Deep undercover, Leamas finds his convictions tested and his defences breached by Liz Gold, a quietly defiant librarian, whose compassion threatens to thaw his frostbitten heart. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

Literature lessons of the week: Black Treacle Theatre in Educating Rita, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, June 9 to 13, 7.30pm

YORK actors Florence Poskitt and Jamie McKeller team up for the first time under Jim Paterson’s direction in Willy Russell’s warm, witty and moving double-hander about the power of education to change lives. When Rita, a working-class hairdresser hungry for something more, signs up for an Open University literature course, she meets disillusioned academic Frank, whose passion for teaching has long faded.

Their weekly tutorials become a battle of ideas, humour and honesty as Rita’s confidence blossoms and Frank reckons with his own choices and the possibility of a second chance. Change comes with difficult choices for both student and tutor, who must reconsider who they are and who they want to be. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.

Unscripted silliness of the week: Unwritten: The Literary Improv Show, Rise@Bluebird Bakery, Acomb, York, June 11, 8.30pm, doors 7.30pm

YORK troupe The Bluffs take classic short-form improv games and infuse them with storytelling flair in an evening of laughter, silliness and plot twists. Each fast-paced show is shaped by audience suggestions and spontaneous creativity. Expect scenes inspired by classic literature, unexpected character mash-ups and even a fanfiction-inspired musical number.

The Bluffs are drawn from a melange of theatrical, comedy and musical backgrounds, from festival stages to pantomime and competitive Theatresports (CORRECT). Box office: eventbrite.com/e/unwritten-the-literary-improv-show-tickets-1984763723726.

The Old Paint Shop presents: Wright & Grainger Say It & Play it, York Theatre Royal Studio, June 11, 8pm

FRIENDS and working partners since Easingwold schooldays, Wright & Grainger serve a carefully curated evening of stories, poems, songs and gentle chaos. Known for their internationally acclaimed adaptations of Ancient Greek myths, sometimes they do something a tad different.

Say It & Play It will be a set full of Alexander Flanagan Wright & Phil Grainger’s shorter collaborative works, the poems that stand on their own, the beautiful tracks they have been writing. “It’s a gorgeous weave of our home-grown stuff, grown and told on home turf,” they say. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

The UK’s largest warship, HMS Prince of Wales, has experienced a technical issue while docked at a port in Norway, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has confirmed.

The £3.5 billion vessel had set sail earlier this month from Loch Long, Argyll and Bute, Scotland. Its deployment to Nordic waters was intended to provide security across the Atlantic and High North regions.

“A minor technical issue” was identified on the Royal Navy’s most powerful vessel during its latest stop in Stavanger, a port city in south-western Norway, the MoD said.

The aircraft carrier is expected to sail in the coming days, the ministry added.

HMS Prince of Wales also broke down in 2022 while travelling to joint exercises with the US Navy.

An MoD spokesperson said: “HMS Prince of Wales is currently conducting a port visit to Stavanger as part of the Carrier Strike Group’s deployment across the North Atlantic and Arctic, we expect her to set sail in the coming days.”

The Daily Mail quoted a senior Navy source as saying the latest breakdown was ‘devastating for morale’.

The ship, which is generally based in Portsmouth, was joined by Type 45 destroyer HMS Duncan and tanker RFA (Royal Fleet Auxiliary) Tidespring on its way to Nordic waters.

It has worked with Nato and the Joint Expeditionary Force throughout the deployment.

What to know about HMS Prince of Wales

HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Queen Elizabeth are the largest and most powerful vessels ever constructed for the Royal Navy.

HMS Prince of Wales weighs 65,000 tonnes, and has a top speed in excess of 25 knots per hour and a range of 10,000 nautical miles.

It can carry up to 72 aircraft, including a maximum of 36 F-35B fighter jets, and has an expected service life of up to 50 years, according to the Royal Navy.

The ship can operate on a crew of 678, but can accommodate up to 1,600 people.

Commanding officer Captain Ben Power said before it set sail: “HMS Prince of Wales stands ready as the nation’s flagship to demonstrate the United Kingdom’s commitment to Nato and the Joint Expeditionary Force.

“My thanks go to our families who continue to show unwavering support as we deploy for a period away from home waters.”

Commander James Mitchell, commanding officer of the HMS Duncan, added: “As a Type 45 destroyer, HMS Duncan brings world-class air defence capability to the Carrier Strike Group, providing essential protection to HMS Prince of Wales and other high-value units.

“Training alongside our allies in the North Atlantic and High North strengthens our ability to operate as an integrated and resilient force.”

For Phyll Opoku-Gyimah, better known as Lady Phyll, advocacy feels less like a choice and more like something woven into who she is: “Activism really found me, when I didn’t have the language for it, growing up as a Black queer woman.”

She traces the connection back to being 12 years old, when she remembers a British National Party march taking place nearby, and an elderly woman urged her to go into a shop before they arrived as they “didn’t like your sorts”. The comment was directed only at Lady Phyll, not the blonde-haired, blue-eyed friend she was standing beside.

“It made me think there is something very different about me that people don’t like,” she recalled. The moment stayed with her and helped ignite what would become a lifelong commitment to campaigning.

“At my core, activism has always been about dignity and people wanting to feel safe, visible, and worthy of joy.” Joy is a word Lady Phyll returns to constantly throughout the conversation. For her, it’s key to have joyful moments, and it’s an essential part of her work.

That attitude to activism eventually led to the creation of UK Black Pride in 2005, which celebrated its milestone 20th anniversary last August. Lady Phyll now marks her third year as CEO after previously holding the role of executive director, and she has been included in The Independent’s Pride List 2026 for the fourth consecutive year for her decades-long work on race, gender and LGBTQ+ rights.

“UK Black Pride came from a need, frustration and desire to see ourselves in spaces where we could be fully ourselves,” she said. “Without having to fragment parts of our identity of being Black and being queer.”

At the time, she said many Black LGBTQ+ people felt pressured to choose between their Blackness and their queerness. Lady Phyll was then running Black Lesbians UK (BLUK), and organised a coach trip to Southend-on-Sea, which became something much bigger. “It felt joyful, liberating. We understood that shared commonality we had with each other,” she explained.

As they walked back to the coach, Lady Phyll floated the idea of creating a UK Black Pride similar to events in Chicago and Washington DC. A few people laughed it off, thinking it was just a “wacky idea”. The idea, of course, turned out to be anything but wacky.

Building UK Black Pride was far from easy, though. Lady Phyll said she struggled to find support and advice, faced resistance, and even received death threats in the organisation’s early days. Two decades later, she is still frequently asked why a Black Pride is needed at all. “It’s not something I feel the need to justify,” she said.

Part of the problem, she explained, was that Black queer communities often felt invisible within wider Pride spaces, or “tokenised with one Black speaker who’s supposed to speak on behalf of everybody… We’re not a monolith,” she said.

For Lady Phyll, intersectionality remains central to the organisation’s mission, and she’s encouraging people to look further than just the need for ‘diversity’, which she said is important, but doesn’t cover the full picture. “We should not have to separate our identities,” she added, explaining the lived experiences of race, gender, class, disability, age and more all matter.

Now 20 years on, the anniversary event was attended by 25,000 people at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford. Beyond London, events also took place elsewhere in the UK, including Cymru Glitter in Wales, recognising that not everyone can travel to the capital. Queer Britain (the UK’s first LGBTQ+ dedicated museum) also hosted an exhibition showcasing items from UK Black Pride’s archive. “When I walked in, I almost felt like breaking down and crying,” Lady Phyll said.

The anniversary wasn’t just about celebrating the past, but the momentous milestone meant the team began to look at how to sustain this event for the future, and as a result, UK Black Pride will be taking a break this year and will return in 2027. “It’s not because of a lack of sponsors or funding,” she explained. “It’s more about how we sustain UK Black Pride in an increasingly hostile environment, and make sure we can maintain it as a free event for the future.”

Over its two decades, UK Black Pride has grown into the world’s largest celebration for LGBTQ+ people of African, Asian, Caribbean, Latin American, Middle Eastern and Indigenous descent. Though she knew the event would be big, as there was already “the traction and the need for it”, she didn’t envisage it would grow to the size it has done. “What it’s become today, I just think, ‘wow’,” she said, while stressing the importance of the work, efforts and dedication of the wider team behind the event. “I may be the face behind it, but it’s the people that make it happen.”

What moves her most about UK Black Pride’s success is not the scale of the event, but what it represents. “When parents come with their queer children, or seeing generations of global majority people [Black, Asian, brown, dual-heritage or indigenous people] dance together and when trans people feel safe enough to just exhale.”

Lady Phyll also believes Pride must remain political at its core, particularly at a time when some feel events have become overly corporate or sanitised. “Pride can’t just be a party when we’re still fighting to survive… it was born out of disruption from people who had been criminalised and marginalised,” she said. “You can’t take the politics out of Pride.”

Despite growing hostility toward LGBTQ+ communities globally, Lady Phyll, who seems to be endlessly full of positivity and joy, feels hopeful about the future. “I come from communities that have always found ways to survive,” she concluded. Adding that she “finds hope in young people and definitely our trans activists who refuse to disappear.”

In 1966, England won the World Cup- and has never since. During that time, children in the then village of Blackrod held a carnival, one float celebrating the victory.

A picture capturing the event circulated on social media, asking for the names of the children on the float.

Alan Summers, 65 and from Manchester Road in Blackrod, said: “I was five years old at the time and I remember the carnivals going up and down Manchester Road, and various other floats going on.

Alan Summers and his wife Ratna. (Image: Alan Summers)

“We had a jolly carnival on that day.

“I’m on the back row, third from the right as you are looking at it. The “goalie” next to me is Billy Dootson.

“On the front row left to right, as far as I can remember. Phillip Trevor, David Mawdsley, Holding the Cup is Charles Rainer, next to him is Bernard Morgan and on the front right-hand corner is Carl Bullow. 

“I recognise some of the other Lads’ but as 60 years have passed, I’m afraid their names escape me.”

His estimations are based off his memory, and after he saw a colourised image using enhancing software by his grandson.

Blackrod Carnival of 1966 sees some children being named in the picture. (Image: Supplied)

The match played in England from 11 to 30 July 1966, with Wembley Stadium hosting the final.

The final score was England 4–2 West Germany after extra time, with the match level 2–2 after 90 minutes.

English footballer Geoff Hurst scored the first and, so far, only hat‑trick in a World Cup final.

Alan moved to Oxfordshire in 1971 with his siblings and mother, after his parents divorced.

Hit Netflix show Trust Me: The False Prophet laid bare the crimes of Samual Bateman and how he was able to exert control over his ‘followers’, including the parents of his child ‘brides’

Cult leader Samuel Bateman is serving 50 years in jail after taking 20 ‘wives’, some as young as nine years old, as a self-styled ‘prophet’. But he continues to exert his dark control from behind bars.

Indeed, some of his loyal followers have argued that imprisonment has only strengthened his power; he is considered a ‘martyr’ amongst his believers, an idea he reinforces through his daily calls with his ‘wives’.

Bateman’s rise to power within the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has been documented in the hit Netflix series Trust Me: The False Prophet. The series is built around extraordinary material captured in real time by cult researcher Christine Marie and her husband, videographer Tolga Katas as Bateman assembled a polygamous splinter sect that promoted child sex abuse.

Their close proximity to Bateman’s inner circle provided federal investigators with direct evidence of his activities, including a recording in late 2021 in which Bateman described what he called an ‘Atonement’ ceremony, which he said involved “giving away” his “wives” – nine of whom were minors – to his followers and ordering them to have sex while he watched.

Another filmed interaction shows a sweaty Bateman – wearing an Elvis-style white leather jacket – reclining on a sofa, with his wives wearing 19th-century-style prairie dresses, fawn over him, stroking his chest, giggling and addressing him as ‘King’, ‘Master’ and ‘Father’.

Bateman’s ascension within the FLDS – a breakaway sect of the Mormon church – came after its former leader Warren Jeffs was convicted in 2011 of sexually assaulting two girls and sentenced to life in prison. With no leadership structure in place, Bateman proclaimed himself a prophet, and said that Jeffs was now speaking through him.

Followers were encouraged to demonstrate their loyalty through testimony, financial contributions, and, in some cases, by giving Bateman their daughters to be one of his “wives”.

“Through coercion and manipulation, Bateman regularly forced his victims to participate with him in individual and group sexual activities with adults and other children,” the Department of Justice said. “He gave one of the victims to an adult male follower to be sexually abused, and on another occasion transmitted a live video stream of child sexual abuse to his followers. Bateman and others transported the victims between states to facilitate the sexual abuse, which continued until Bateman’s arrest on federal charges in September 2022.”

Bateman was arrested when he was discovered hauling a trailer containing multiple women – and three young girls aged between 11 and 14. Someone alerted authorities after spotting small fingers reaching through the slats of the door. The Netflix series culminates with Bateman being taken into custody and his eventual sentencing. But it also ends with a chilling warning: many of his adult wives still believe he is their prophet.

It’s no surprise to psychotherapist Gillie Jenkinson, who has spent more than 30 years working with former cult members. Gillie was in a cult herself back in the 70s and went on to set up Hope Valley Counselling in 2006 to help others navigate life after leaving. Key for these warped ‘leaders’, she says, is ‘thought reform’ – a process identified by Robert Lifton which is used to break down an individual’s identity and reconstruct it under the cult’s ideology.

“Whether you’re born into it or whether you join it as an adult, they do a job on you with your identity, because you have to be the person they want you to be,” she told the Mirror.

“They’re having to obey, comply, they’re terrified, and they’re, you know, submissive. And if they rebel, and show elements of something other than what’s expected, they get into big trouble. It’s cutting you off from the outside and the idea that so nobody else has the truth. No one else knows in the way we know,” Gillie notes. “So we don’t need to listen to them. And it also includes cutting off communication with yourself.

“That internal conversation gets suppressed, and it’s a control of, so the leadership controls that internal communication. So you start monitoring yourself, this is doubt, doubt is a sin. So you can’t have an internal conversation with yourself.”

By setting up a system where people confess their sins, “followers start being way too open about what they’re thinking, which gives ammunition to the leadership. They only know because you’ve told them. But there’s also an internal confession where you reiterate how sinful and bad you are and so, you know, you do a job on yourself as well as internally and externally.”

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After Bateman’s arrest, the underage girls he had considered to be his ‘wives’ were removed from his custody and placed under state protection. But two months later, he conspired with some of his followers to kidnap the children from protective custody.

Eight of the girls later disappeared from foster care in Arizona, and were found hundreds of miles away in Washington state, in a vehicle driven by one of the adult ‘wives’. Bateman later admitted his involvement in the kidnapping plot.

Furthermore, he continued his pattern of sexual abuse and control even after his arrest. While being held at the Core Civic/Central Arizona Florence Correctional Complex, he was accused of trying to intimidate a government witness and using the jail phone to have “explicit sexual conversations” with children, federal court documents revealed.

During a conversation on November 26, Bateman called a 13-year-old girl identified only as Jane Doe 4 a “sexy darling” and asked if she remembered their “sacred times” together, according to the documents. He also had inappropriate conversations with a 16-year-old girl identified as Jane Doe 11, the filing states.

“Despite Bateman’s knowledge that his non-legal communications are monitored, he brazenly engaged in explicit sexual conversations with children, including with 13-year-old Jane Doe 4,” prosecutors wrote. At the time, Bateman was prohibited from communicating with Jane Doe 4.

Bateman was also alleged to have made calls to some of his ‘wives’, directing them to send “intimidating messages” to a government witness. His phone privileges at the facility were ultimately restricted and he was told he could only communicate with his attorneys. But court documents stated that he had tried to find ways around it by using the pin number of another inmate to make calls.

His adult wives, who were aware of the restrictions, also made new email addresses and got new phone numbers to attempt to contact Bateman, according to the documents.

In April 2024, Bateman pleaded guilty to conspiracy to transport a minor for criminal sexual activity and conspiracy to commit kidnapping, according to the U.S. Department of Justice . He was sentenced in December 2024 to 50 years in federal prison, followed by lifetime supervised release.

At the time of sentencing, Bateman was 48, making it effectively a life term. Federal prosecutors said he will spend the remainder of his days in custody.

Seven of Bateman’s adult ‘wives’ have since been convicted of crimes related to coercing children into sexual activity or impeding the investigation. Some acknowledged they also coerced girls to become Bateman’s spiritual ‘wives’, had witnessed Bateman sexually abusing girls, or joined in kidnapping them from foster care.

Following their imprisonment, former wives like Naomi “Nomz” Bistline and Moretta Johnson, left the FLDS sect, along with Bateman’s underage victims But others continue to communicate with Bateman and support him.

Christine, who along with her videographer husband Tolga helped bring Bateman down, says that his continued access to his followers through daily phone calls helps him maintain control. “That communication with him is like an IV of indoctrination,” she said. “It’s like they’re getting fed certainty right into their veins — their belief that he is talking to God.”

She told Netflix’s Tudum that she is convinced that freedom for these women begins with breaking contact. “Once they break from him and from the other people who believe in him, then they can say, ‘Wait, maybe I’m not so certain. Maybe he did make all this up so that he could get money, power, and sex — like every other cult leader,’” she said.

According to Gillie, while it could take years, many of Bateman’s remaining followers will likely also fall away. “They must take back control of their environment; previously everything was dictated, from what they could wear, what they ate, who they had sex with, how they spent their free time, and their social lives.

“It’s a vital part of understanding for survivors who come out, ex members, to understand this is the system you were part of,” Gillie says. “It’s very often people will be blaming themselves and thinking, “How was I so stupid?”

But both Gillie and Christine know that all the women who came under Bateman’s power deserve a life of freedom. “They deserve to find true love. They deserve to know what reality is. You can’t be free if you’re living in a world of fiction,” Christine says.

Her husband put his arm around her, sharing a caring word or glance, as she relived the worst day of her life. Friday, June 12, 2026 was a day of contradictions.

Although it was a day when she finally saw justice in court in her case, it was also a day to reflect on the untold harm and misery caused by that notorious night more than 20 years ago.

In court that day, while sat feet away from the man who had so brutally and viciously attacked her, the circumstances surrounding her ordeal were rehearsed again.

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This was a man who had not only horrendously violated his victim in what a judge described as ‘direct, physical evil’, but also committed ‘indirect evil’ against an innocent man who found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time.

In 2003, the woman, then 33, had been making her way home through the streets of Little Hulton in the early hours. She had been at her boyfriend’s home, but decided to make her way home on foot. Suddenly, she was swept off her feet and pushed down a motorway embankment.

There, she was subjected to horrors which have remained with her for the rest of her life. She was knocked unconscious, raped, and brutally attacked. What would follow would become one of the worst miscarriages of justice in the English criminal justice system.

Andrew Malkinson, a wholly innocent man, was wrongly picked out as the attacker and ended up serving 17 years in prison before he was eventually cleared.

Paul Quinn, the true attacker, had watched on for almost two decades. His internet search history revealed he was aware of Mr Malkinson’s plight, and was actively researching it as he remained a free man.

‘I live in constant fear’

Judge Mr Justice Bright told Quinn, who remained emotionless throughout his sentencing hearing: “It is utterly clear that you knew, throughout, that another man had been arrested, charged, convicted and imprisoned.

“You knew that his conviction was wrongful. You also knew that it was extremely useful to you. It must have preyed on your conscience that another man was in prison, in effect serving your sentence; it certainly should have preyed on your conscience. But you were only too willing to sit back and take advantage of his misfortune.

“It is true that you never did anything positive to implicate Mr Malkinson. However, but for your offending, he would never even have been questioned.”

The woman said in her victim impact statement: “After 20 years, I now have justice but that does not change the fact that two lives have been impacted in such a way. I am aware that someone has had 17 years robbed as a result of this case and that stays with me.”

For the first time, the victim told in detail how her ordeal has affected her and remained with her every day for those two decades, as she was lauded as a ‘hero’ by the judge.

“Every day I look at my face and see the disfigurement, the scarring,” she said in a statement read on her behalf by prosecutors in court.

“It is a permanent reminder of that night and what I experienced. I have to live with that. I have always been a little reserved, take time to come out of my shell but following those events, everything changed.

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“I live in constant fear that someone is behind me, even in places that others wouldn’t consider a risk, like the supermarket. The permanent state of anxiety which has stopped me feeling able to socialise, always wanting to get home and shut the door as quickly as possible.

“With work, home and a couple of appointments with known individuals being the only places I can muster up enough courage to attend alone. For everything else, I have my family or husband who escort me and reassure me, try and make me feel safe.

“The impact has been massive but the ripple effect on my family has also been hard to watch, not being able to stay more than a couple of hours at family gatherings, wanting to head back to the room after tea on holiday instead of enjoying the scenery, not opening up about how I feel for fear of not being able to put everything back in its box.”

‘I will remember her for the rest of my days’

She was in court as Quinn was sentenced to 21 years in prison after being found guilty of two counts of rape and well as inflicting GBH and a charge of attempting to choke, suffocate or strangle with intent. He will serve two-thirds of the sentence, before he can be considered for release by the Parole Board.

She looked on ahead as Quinn, to her right, wearing a blue navy jumper, white t-shirt and glasses, listened intently. Before passing sentence, the judge paid tribute to the bravery of the victim in Quinn’s case as well as other rape survivors.

He said: “Much has been said in the last several years about how uncomfortable our processes are for people who have endured rape, having to tell their story over and over again, to the police, to the CPS and ultimately to the jury.

“I am well aware that, in fact, there are, nowadays, scores of carefully trained and sensitive professionals, in the police, in the CPS, in witness support, and in several other bodies, who go to great lengths to care for and help the people affected. I wish that the excellent work they do were better publicised.

“Nevertheless, it is an undeniably uncomfortable process. The people who put themselves through it are, in my view, heroic. For me, the only word for them is not complainant or victim; nor, even, survivor. It is hero.

“That is how I choose to think of the woman at the heart in this case. She, not you, Paul Quinn, is the person, from this case, whom I will remember for the rest of my days. She is, truly, a hero.”

‘Insulted’

Mr Malkinson issued a statement after the hearing, telling how he felt ‘insulted’ by the judge’s sentencing and believed Quinn had ‘gotten off lightly’.

He said: “I am insulted that this violent, depraved individual – who was content to let me suffer two decades of vilification and more than 17 years wrongly imprisoned for his crime – has received a softer sentence than was imposed on me, an innocent man.

“I got sentenced to life imprisonment and served more than 17 years inside. Throughout that time I didn’t know if I would ever be released.

“Paul Quinn, who has a track record of violence and sexual offences, and who let me rot whilst he enjoyed his freedom, could now be out after just 14 years, and will certainly be out after 21 years. I hope that this man does not get parole and that he serves longer than me. Anything less is not justice.

“I am also appalled for the victim, who has suffered so gravely and whose real attacker has today gotten off lightly. My thoughts are with her and her loved ones – who I hope today nevertheless brings some peace.”

Just the beginning

Following the conclusion of Quinn’s criminal case, the focus turns to an inquiry set up to examine how such a grave miscarriage of justice took place. The inquiry, led by Old Bailey judge Sarah Munro KC, was paused while Quinn’s trial was ongoing.

An update on the inquiry’s website said: “Now that the Jury at Manchester Crown Court have returned their verdicts on 17 April 2026 in a trial presided over by Mr Justice Bright, the Inquiry can recommence and continue its work to discharge and address the Terms of Reference which will ultimately result in the publication of the Andrew Malkinson Inquiry Report. Further updates will be provided as soon as the Inquiry is able.”

An investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) remains ongoing. The watchdog previously said four retired GMP officers were under investigation for potential gross misconduct in connection with the case. That number is now five. Another officer, who is still serving, is being investigated for possible misconduct.

One of the former officers is also under criminal investigation for potential offences of misconduct in public office and perverting the course of justice.

In an update released following the trial, IOPC director Amanda Rowe said: “A team of highly experienced investigators continues to carefully consider Mr Malkinson’s complaints, relating to the actions of GMP during the investigation and the trial in 2004.

“This is a hugely complex and time-consuming process, in part because of the passage of time and the large amount of evidence and lines of inquiry to consider, but our work is vital to get Mr Malkinson the answers he deserves and give the public confidence that, when things go wrong like this, there will be scrutiny and lessons will be learned.

“Now that the criminal matters have concluded, we will consider how any evidence heard during the trial may affect our investigation and resume paused lines of inquiry, including approaching witnesses we believe may be able to assist us.

“We understand the impact this investigation will have for those involved and we will do everything in our power to conclude matters as soon as possible, while ensuring all of Mr Malkinson’s complaints are thoroughly investigated.”

Appeal for other potential victims

GMP are also investigating whether Quinn may have committed similar offences between 2003 and his prosecution in this case. No evidence has currently been found, but it is a line of enquiry which detectives are pursuing.

After the hearing, Detective Chief Superintendent Rebecca McKendrick, senior investigating officer on the case, said: “When Paul Quinn attacked and raped a lone woman late that night in July 2003, he knew what he had done. He knew his crime was horrific and he knew how cowardly he was for watching another man go to prison.

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“Twenty years later, he denied it – telling us he would have been ashamed of committing such an offence. Well tonight I hope that shame runs deep to his core.

“We know this outcome has come two decades too late for those impacted by this case. However, we will not allow time to be a barrier to justice for anyone who has further information about Paul Quinn and any further potential sexual offending. To commit such a violent attack raises concerns that there may be other victims out there.

“If you believe you have been a victim or have information you have not yet shared with us, please know we want to hear from you. We promise you that we will support you and we will listen to you.”

With this most recent outbreak, US agriculture and health officials have outlined a plan to release hundreds of millions of genetically altered sterile flies to try to halt the population growth, along with using sniffer dogs to identify the parasite in cattle. Some experts questions whether these tactics will be enough to halt the spread, though.

The presenting duo revealed plans for the fresh project during an appearance at SXSW London, where Declan Donnelly hinted that the idea could include a real-time simulcast across television and social media.

Mr Donnelly said: “We’d like to launch something ourselves pretty soon.

“We’re working with ITV closely at the minute.

“We’ve got lots of thoughts and we feel like we may have another live format.

“We’d love to explore the possibility of TV and a social media platform simulcast in some kind of way.

“We just want to reach everybody all at once.”

Ant and Dec in talks for brand new live show

While the details remain under wraps, the news comes as the duo recently announced their latest ITV series, Holey Moley – a family entertainment show centred around a wild and oversized crazy golf course.

Announced earlier this year, Ant McPartlin described the show as a perfect fit for their style of presenting.

He said: “This show is absolutely perfect for us.

“It’s all about pure fun and entertainment for the whole family from start to finish.

“Anyone who knows us knows we are adore golf, but you don’t need to be a golf fanatic to enjoy it, there’s something for everyone!”

The series will feature both amateur and professional players as they take on imaginative obstacles and outrageous physical challenges in a bid to win the Holey Moley golden putter, green plaid jacket and a “fantastic prize”.

Declan Donnelly said: “Holey Moley blends the game with huge entertaining moments that the whole family can sit down together, watch and enjoy.

“It’s epic, bold and full of laughs.

“We’re really excited to bring the show to the UK.”

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Katie Rawcliffe, director of entertainment, reality and daytime commissioning for ITV, said: “We couldn’t be more excited to announce a brand-new entertainment format presented by Ant and Dec.

“Holey Moley is brilliantly competitive and enormous fun, making it a compelling watch for all.”

Charlie Irwin, managing director for Talkback Thames, described the format as “big, funny and unapologetically entertaining.”

MPONDWE BORDER, Uganda (AP) — Leah Masika was on the verge of tears as she thought of her valuable consignment of plantain stuck in a long convoy of trucks on both sides of the Uganda-Congo border. Her cargo, destined for Uganda, was starting to leak water, and would go bad within hours if there was no movement.

The Ugandan trader was awaiting clearance from authorities for trucks to pass through the Mpondwe border post on Thursday after they were prevented from entering or leaving Uganda as part of escalating measures to prevent cross-border Ebola contagion.

“Our things are here rotting,” she said.

On May 28, about two weeks after Congo declared an outbreak of Ebola in the eastern Ituri province, Uganda closed its western border in a decision that reflected growing fears of cross-border contagion. Exceptions were made only in emergency cases, including for the outbreak response, humanitarian, cargo or security reasons.

But in recent days, as the spread of Ebola in eastern Congo appeared to outpace the response, authorities in the Ugandan frontier district of Kasese have tightened the measures.

Traders say they are frustrated by the slow movement of cargo trucks. Some at the Mpondwe border post told The Associated Press that while they knew the tough measures are provoked by fear of Ebola contagion, they felt that holding up the trucks was excessive.

Sylvia Asiimwe, a clearing agent, pointed to the queue of trucks stretching over a mile on the Ugandan side. At least seven were carrying fish imported from China and destined for the Congolese cities of Beni and Butembo.

Asiimwe was adamant those Congolese towns are in the province of North Kivu, not the Ebola epicenter of Ituri. “The fish is going to spoil,” she said. “So much money.”

‘Ebola has wasted our work’

The Uganda-Congo border is several hundred miles long and crossed by numerous footpaths beyond formal border posts. Trade is often booming along the route up to Mpondwe, and there is kinship between the Bakonzo people on the Ugandan side and the Banande on the other side.

Mpondwe is Uganda’s top border post for informal exports that were valued at an estimated $131 million in 2023, according to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics.

After the recent border closure, some shops were shuttered and young men, deprived of casual work, sat on stools dolefully.

“The situation is bad,” said Ismail Mumbere, who often works as a vendor of roadside snacks on the Ugandan side. “A lot of people earn from here, in many businesses. But now the government has told us there is Ebola. Ebola has wasted our work.”

The current outbreak in Congo is suspected to have infected over 1,000 people. The number of confirmed cases is much lower because many suspected victims succumb to their symptoms outside hospitals and without firm proof they had Ebola.

All available vaccines and treatments for Ebola don’t work for patients with the rare Bundibugyo type spreading in Congo, making the outbreak worrisome.

Ugandan authorities are cautious after 15 confirmed cases

Uganda has confirmed 15 Ebola cases, all linked to the outbreak in the neighboring country after some Congolese nationals sought treatment in the Ugandan capital of Kampala before it was known there was an outbreak.

The disease was believed to have been spreading for days or weeks before the outbreak was declared May 15.

Uganda has had multiple Ebola outbreaks of its own since 2000, when the disease killed more than 200 people.

Ebola, named for a tributary of the Congo River, was first discovered in 1976 in simultaneous outbreaks in Congo and present-day South Sudan. Outbreaks are believed to start with the virus spilling over into humans from an infected animal such as a fruit bat. These cross-species infections often happen when people handle and eat wild meat, according to experts.

Once Ebola has infected one person, the virus then spreads through close contact with sick or deceased patients’ bodily fluids, such as sweat, blood, feces or vomit.

Tracing and isolating contacts is seen as key to stopping the spread of Ebola, in addition to getting medical workers proper protective equipment.

Bwambale, the surveillance officer, said the nearest referral hospital in Kasese has an isolation center and is equipped with a lab that can return results on a sample within six hours. In recent days, samples taken from 41 people in the Kasese area tested negative for Ebola, which manifests as hemorrhagic fever.

Still, authorities appeared to be planning more restrictions.

A meeting of the local Ebola task force was likely to come up with “a more restricted way on how both the cargo or the trucks get into the country in a systematic way,” Bwambale said.

That alarms traders for whom the Mpondwe border post is the primary route of business.

Masika, the plantain dealer, said she would not order more goods from Congo until the current outbreak was over. But she would be in trouble if the cargo already in transit didn’t reach various locations in and around Kampala, where the fruits, deep fried or boiled, are a staple of breakfast menus in restaurants.

Masika said she couldn’t countenance a loss of 50 bags, each worth roughly $44.

“We are begging them to help us and open (the border),” she said. “We will not go back to Congo.”

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For more on Africa and development: https://apnews.com/hub/africa-pulse

The Associated Press receives financial support for global health and development coverage in Africa from the Gates Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.