Police have criticised the timing of the government’s decision to let pubs stay open until 05:00 BST on Monday for England’s World Cup match against Mexico.

The National Police Chiefs’ Council said the “late announcement” meant officers would have to be taken away from other duties and work longer hours, even though the team’s likely route through the tournament “has been known for a considerable time”.

It asked fans to be “considerate” and “drink within sensible limits” while watching the crucial last-16 match in which the losing team will be eliminated.

The government has said a previous relaxing of licensing laws for the tournament had not covered the eventuality of England playing so late.

A Downing Street spokeswoman said that after England’s progression was confirmed on Wednesday evening, the government “announced plans as quickly as possible following this”.

The spokeswoman added: “And more broadly, we have engaged with policing partners throughout preparations for the World Cup and we are grateful for their flexibility and professionalism throughout.”

Kick-off for the knock-out game is not until 01:00 in the UK and the match is not expected to end until at least 03:00. It could finish even later if it goes to penalties.

Knock-out games in previous tournaments have led to an increase in violent incidents and domestic abuse, the policing body said.

“This is directly linked to alcohol consumption,” the NPCC’s football and alcohol policing leads said in a joint statement.

“We will continue to work with partners and venues to support a safe and enjoyable evening for everyone.”

Licensing hours had already been extended for the international football tournament and the government had initially said it would not relax the laws further.

But late on Thursday, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said pubs could remain open until the end of the game.

Local Government Secretary Steve Reed told broadcasters the previous measures “hadn’t covered the eventuality of England playing so late in the night”, adding it was “one of the fastest changes in the law that we’ve seen”.

England was not guaranteed to play in Monday’s match, only earning a place in the round of 16 after beating DR Congo 2-1 on Wednesday.

The hospitality sector welcomed the government’s decision. Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association, said: “We all know the best place to watch the match is down the local.”

Michael Kill, chief executive of the Night Time Industries Association, said it was “fantastic news” that would be “hugely welcomed by operators”.

Pub chain Greene King has said more than 600 pubs across England will be staying open late to show the match, while Marston’s has said more than 400 of its pubs will also be open.

Priyesh Bathia, who runs the Elephant and Barrel pub in Stockwell, south London, and said he is “so thankful” for the late licensing on Monday.

“I’m really excited,” he added, and said so far they have had between 100-150 people book tables for the game.

Kjell Nilsson, best known for starring in Mad Max 2, has died aged 76.

The Swedish actor played the main antagonist, gang leader Lord Humungus, in the 1981 action film, which was widely praised.

His subsequent screen appearances included The Pirate Movie (1982) and TV movie Man of Letters (1984). Three years later, he played a nurse in The Edge of Power.

The Gothenburg-born performer was also an athlete, having moved to Australia in 1980 to train for the Moscow Olympics in weight lifting.

Confirming his death, a statement posted to Nilsson’s Facebook page said he died ‘peacefully in his sleep’ on July 2 after several years of health struggles.

‘As many of you know, Kjell had been battling end-stage kidney disease for the past four and a half years, receiving dialysis three days a week,’ the post read.

‘It was a long and painful journey, filled with countless battles to overcome, including the gradual loss of his bodily autonomy.

‘This past Sunday, after much consideration, Kjell made the decision to take back control over his pain and his body by stopping dialysis.’

‘The days leading up to his passing were filled with joy, gratitude, peace, and acceptance. He did it his way,’ added the message.

‘Back in 2022, many medical professionals told Kjell that he would never make it to his first Christmas after kidney failure.

‘He proved them wrong. He celebrated four more Christmases, giving him four precious extra years with the people he loved most.’

A comedian in Turkey has been jailed for insulting President Tayyip Erdogan.

Deniz Goktas has been jailed pending ​trial on Friday for insulting the president and religious values, a court document showed, days after prosecutors opened an investigation into remarks he made on ⁠stage.

Insulting the president is among the charges against him, Goktas’ lawyer Metin Aslan said in a ‌social media post.

The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office said earlier this week it had launched an investigation after identifying what it described as criminal expressions in content shared by Goktas on social media. Police detained him at ⁠Istanbul Airport when he flew back to ​Turkey ⁠from a trip abroad on Thursday.

Prosecutors said the investigation concerned allegations that Goktas insulted religious values during a ⁠stand-up performance in Istanbul on June 1, in which he ​made ⁠references to Erdogan, the Koran and ‌jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu.

The performance quickly went viral ‌online, and attracted more than nine million views on YouTube as of Friday, with clips spreading widely across X, Instagram and other social media platforms.

Several members of ⁠Erdogan’s ruling AK Party and Erdogan’s advisers criticised Goktas on social media, accusing him of mocking Erdogan and the Koran.

In a statement to police, Goktas denied the charges, saying his jokes were not an insult against religious values or the Koran, according to broadcaster Haberturk. He also said that his description of Erdogan as ‌a “dictator” was a political definition and not an insult.

After speculation ​that he had left Turkey to avoid prosecution, Goktas ‌said on social media earlier ⁠this week that he had travelled abroad for a ⁠holiday and intended to return.

“I intend to spend many more years in Turkey ‌and if there ​is a situation demanding my presence, ‌I will return on the ​next flight back,” he wrote.

It comes as US President Donald Trump praised Erdogan ahead of next week’s NATO summit in Turkey, which he is set to attend.

Trump has frequently praised Erdogan, calling him a “hell of a leader” and a good friend. “I would not have gone for most people,” Trump said last week. “But he called me up. He said: ‘Please, I have it in Turkey. You got to be there. The United States has to be in there.’ And so I’m going out of respect to President Erdogan.”

By MIKE KEEGAN, CHIEF SPORTS REPORTER

Published: 13:16 BST, 3 July 2026 | Updated: 14:49 BST, 3 July 2026

This is the moment a woman who killed her ‘kind-hearted’ husband of almost 30 years by stabbing him with a paring knife feigns shock and chillingly asks paramedics: ‘You don’t think I’ve murdered him, do you?’

Daryl Berman, 72, claimed retired businessman David Berman, 84, must have ‘stumbled’ while carrying her lunch tray, causing the ‘little’ blade to penetrate his chest as he fell.

But, following a trial, a jury dismissed her claims that his death was an accident and found her guilty of murder.

Today – as she was jailed for life and told she would spend at least 12 years behind bars before being eligible for parole – police released bodycam footage of Berman taken immediately afterwards.

When a paramedic asks is she is alright, the pensioner says: ‘I’m alright but I’m not.

‘I don’t think it’s hit me yet, but it will hit me because I can’t cry and I’m just covered in blood from doing his heart.’

Spotting a police officer, Berman then adds: ‘Why are the police here? 

‘You don’t think I’ve murdered him, do you?’

David Berman, 84, (pictured) had been married three times and was a great-grandfather

Berman was captured on bodycam footage asking paramedics, ‘You don’t think I’ve murdered him, do you?’ They were called to the home she shared with her husband, David Berman, 84, after she stabbed him with a paring knife

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She then gives an officer her name and asks herself: ‘Why am I so calm?’

Today Judge Tina Langdale handed Berman a life sentence and told her she would have to serve a minimum of 12 years before being considered for release.

The judge said she accepted Berman had not intended to kill her husband but had stabbed him deliberately and meant him serious harm – even though she ‘immediately regretted’ what she had done.

‘I am satisfied that something must have happened that caused you to lose your patience or temper and caused you to attack David with a knife that you had earlier used for your lunch,’ Judge Langdale said.

Manchester’s Minshull Street Crown Court heard that Berman, who was Mr Berman’s third wife, behaved suspiciously and was ’emotionless’ after her husband’s death. 

Relatives were also struck by how ‘matter-of-fact’ she seemed afterwards, the court heard.

She wrote the words ‘bye, bye’ on a wall calendar on the date Mr Berman died and also seemed ‘untroubled’ about going into the kitchen of their £500,000 home in Prestwich, Greater Manchester, where he had bled to death.

Police investigators at the Bermans’ £500,000 detached home in Prestwich, Manchester

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David Berman, pictured at a family celebration, suffered a fatal chest wound near to his armpit

Daryl Berman was convicted of murdering her husband David after 27 years of marriage

It also emerged that she had complained to a neighbour about her husband’s recent dementia diagnosis, saying: ‘This is my life now.’

Police initially treated Mr Berman’s death as an accident and it was only after a pathologist raised concerns about his injuries, including a defensive wound to a finger, that a murder investigation was launched.

In a victim personal statement read to the court, Mr Berman’s son, also called Daryl, said his ‘life had changed dramatically’ since his father’s death.

He said he felt ‘cheated and deprived’ because he had ‘not been able to say goodbye to him properly (which) will always be hard to swallow’.

Mr Berman’s daughter Debbie Davis also said his death had left a ‘massive void.’

‘I feel like I am living in my own nightmare or a television programme because things like this are not normal,’ she said.

Giving evidence at her trial, Berman, the daughter of a wealthy textile merchant, claimed that, at around 2pm on March 13, she heard her husband ‘stumble’ and rushed into the kitchen to find him face down on the floor with ‘globules’ of blood spreading around him.

She said Mr Berman – who had only retired six months earlier from his job as a self-employed joiner – had been carrying her lunch tray when he fell.

He must have fallen on the sharp 4.7ins-long paring knife which she had put with her meal to cut her salad so it didn’t ‘squish all over the place’, she claimed.

David Berman ran his own joinery business from when he was a teenager until he turned 84

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In a 999 call played to the court, Berman was heard telling the operator, who asked her what happened: ‘I don’t know.

‘I was in the other room. He’s carried a tray in.

‘And all I can see is the tray. I think there was a knife, I don’t know whether the little knife that was there has gone into him and stabbed him.

‘I really don’t know what happened.’

During the same call, Berman said her husband ‘slipped’ and that ‘blood is coming from his mouth’.

When paramedics arrived, they found Mr Berman on the kitchen floor, with the tray, the paring knife and a broken plate next to him, the jury heard.

Attempts were made to resuscitate him but he was pronounced dead around 40 minutes later.

The court heard that Berman also called Ms Davis, who had seen her father earlier in the day when he accompanied her and his granddaughter to a soft play centre.

She told her: ‘I don’t know if your dad’s dead or alive and there’s blood everywhere.’

Ms Davis recalled ‘screaming’ after seeing her stricken father being worked on by paramedics and seeing so much blood in the kitchen ‘it was like an abattoir’.

Mr Berman, whose father was killed in action in Egypt during the Second World War, had been married twice before.

He has a daughter and a son by his first marriage.

He wed third wife Daryl Berman – also previously married – in 1997 after the pair met on a blind date, with the marriage described as seemingly ‘loving and mutually supportive’.

Berman had worked in a fine arts shop, then as a dental nurse before working in the fashion industry in a wholesale showroom, the trial heard.

Mr Berman retired aged 84 in September 2024, telling the Jewish Telegraph the decision was based on his health ‘and the fact that work was not coming in as it used to’.

He said joinery work ran in the family but was no longer seen as a job for a Jewish boy ‘as it is too manual’.

Neighbours in Butterstile Lane, a tree-lined street of 1930s detached and semi-detached houses, described him as ‘kind-hearted’, saying they would regularly see him going to buy a newspaper.

‘He was a gentleman, he was really lovely,’ said local Debora Strong, who has lived in the area for over 40 years.

By contrast his wife would ‘keep her distance’, one resident told the Daily Mail, and would ‘hide behind the front door while she was talking – you didn’t see her’.

They spoke of their ‘shock’ at seeing scenes of crime officers sealing off the couple’s detached home days after his sudden death.

Mr Berman was in good everyday health, the trial was told, although he had been diagnosed with dementia, used a walking stick and had been suffering with ‘shortness of breath’.

Berman was convicted following a re-trial last month after a previous jury failed to reach a verdict.

After being arrested on suspicion of murder, Berman told detectives she and her husband had both enjoyed lunch in the lounge before he offered to take her tray into the kitchen.

‘I heard what sounded like a stumble or a fall,’ she said. ‘Straight away I said, ”Oh my God, David, what’s wrong?”.

‘He said: ”It’s okay, I’ve slipped”.

‘And I sort of almost immediately heard another sort of bang, and a sort of groan.

‘So I got up. I screamed and I ran into the kitchen. And I found him face down.

‘He was making the most peculiar sound, I sort of looked down, moved his head a bit.

‘And I thought, ”What on earth is all this gravy? We don’t have gravy”.

‘And it was the amount of blood, I’ve never seen anything like it in my life.

‘I got the shock of my life because I didn’t know where it was coming from. I just… I just couldn’t understand.

‘And I was screaming, I said, ”David, David”… I said, ”You can’t go like this”.’

Asked by her barrister Michael Hayton KC if she had ‘murdered your husband of 27 years’, Berman replied: ‘Why would I do that to the man I love? No.’

‘How do you explain how he came to die?’ Mr Hayton continued.

‘I have absolutely no idea, I wasn’t in the room,’ Berman said, before adding that his death was ‘the worst day of my life’.

She described her husband as ‘very kind, very stubborn, and a lovely guy’.

‘Nobody had a bad word to say about him,’ she added.

Mr Berman had suffered a single horizontal stab wound to the right side of his chest that was around an inch deep.

Forensic pathologist Dr Philip Lumb told the court the force required to cause the injury would have been ‘severe’.

He said an ‘accidental fatal injury is rare’ and the blade would have needed to have been ‘fixed’ in place to have penetrated his chest.

He said the wound was ‘likely to be homicidal due to the injury to the chest’ as well as the ‘defensive’ injury to his right middle finger.’

‘Plainly, putting the two injuries together, I thought it was inconceivable that they were anything other than a homicide,’ Dr Lumb added.

Under cross-examination, the pathologist accepted it was ‘not impossible’ that either injury taken separately could have been sustained by accident.

Giving evidence for the defence, forensic pathologist Dr Richard Shepherd – who told jurors he had worked on the investigation into the death of Princess Diana and the murder of Stephen Lawrence – said he ‘could not exclude accident or homicide’.

The finger injury was in the ‘wrong place’ to be ‘defensive’, he added.

Dr Shepherd said it was possible that Mr Berman had fallen to the floor whilst carrying the tray and the knife, before picking up the knife in his right hand and then falling again as he tried to get up.

Had Mrs Berman stabbed her husband it would be likely that this would be inflicted with ‘less force’ due to their height difference, he added.

However, under cross-examination he accepted the circumstances were ‘unusual and difficult’.

The court heard there was no history of domestic violence in the couple’s marriage.

Andy Burnham is considering giving billions of pounds in tax relief to young people so they can save for a house deposit as part of a major package of policies aimed at helping Gen Z voters.

Allies of the prime minister-in-waiting say one potential plan would involve exempting young people from paying income tax for the first three years of full time employment. The move, which could cost up to £3.5bn, would give young people a chance to build up savings, helping them qualify for a mortgage.

The “major offer” would also include help with rent to buy, as well as rolling out the successful Manchester public transport scheme – which offers free or reduced travel for those aged between 18 and 25 –across England.

One Labour MP close to Mr Burnham told The Independent: “He is going to be a major offer to young people looking at education, employment, tax, public transport, rent to buy – helping them through their lives.”

Another close ally, who has been helping shape Mr Burnham’s policy, said: “He has discussed an income tax exemption for the first three years of employment to help young people save for a deposit for a mortgage.

“It is the sort of imaginative idea he considers to look at how we can do things differently – to try and deal with the problems which nobody seems willing to solve.

“Obviously one of the issues about accessing mortgages is that many young people just cannot save for a deposit to get one. This could help break the logjam.”

The move would be on top of plans Mr Burnham has already announced, including having the biggest social housing building policy since the Second World War.

But tax expert Dan Neidle warned there would be serious pitfalls with the proposal.

He said: “Parents would attempt to divert their earnings through their children so they wouldn’t have to pay income tax either. Mr Burnham would also need to explain where he would raise the approximately £3.5bn the policy would cost.”

While Mr Burnham has been given some good news that the impact of Donald Trump’s war in the Middle East has not hit the UK economy as hard as feared, he will be coming into office with little room for manoeuvre. Sir Keir Starmer, who announced his resignation last week, has left a £4.7bn gap in defence spending plans where the money needs to be found.

Mr Burnham has also committed to not changing Rachel Reeves’ borrowing rules, as well as sticking to Labour’s 2024 election manifesto pledge of not raising VAT, income tax or personal National Insurance contributions. He is looking at a tax raid on companies like Amazon which rely on massive warehouses.

Although specific policy details have yet to be firmed up, the discussions make clear Mr Burnham’s desire to help tackle the generational wealth gap in the UK, with the so-called baby boomer generation born in the aftermath of the Second World War holding much of the wealth and resources.

Experts have discussed how Gen Z – born between 1997 and 2012 – in particular are “caught in a rental trap”, unable to buy their own homes.

While about 74 per cent of baby boomers own their own home, less than 5 per cent of Gen Z do.

The average age of a first time buyer in the UK has climbed to 34, according to the Skipton Group’s annual home affordability index published in March.

Chief executive Stuart Haire warned the results showed “the aspiration of homeownership has been pushed further out of reach for many younger adults, delaying independence and stability”.

The Tony Blair Institute has called for an end of the triple lock protection on the state pension – going up by the highest rate of inflation or 2.5 per cent – to help divert support for the younger generations.

The TBI argued: “Britain’s state pension system was built for a different era. We can’t keep pouring money into a system that is increasingly unaffordable.”

Mr Burnham has yet to say whether he will stick to the triple lock on the state pension going forward.

He has also already made it clear he is prepared to depart from previous Labour orthodoxy to tackle the problem of a million so-called NEETs (young people not in education, employment or training).

On Thursday, he told Andrew Marr on LBC: “I will not defend an education system that is overly focused on the university route and does not pass to a technical qualification for our young people.

“Too many young people get to year 10 at school and they can’t see where school is taking them because the system isn’t focusing on those young people.

“We need an education system balanced between academic and technical and then at 16 I believe we need the guarantee of a work placement for 16 to 18-year-olds and apprenticeships for every 16 to 18-year-old who wants one.”

He argued that these reforms would also bring down the welfare bill much more effectively than simply slashing or removing benefits.

He said: “I’m not going to go with the crude cuts to benefit levels that then just put people who are struggling in even worse poverty.”

Allies have also pointed to plans to roll out the Manchester public transport scheme across England.

Since 2019 in Manchester, under the Our Pass scheme set up by Mr Burnham, 16 to 18-year-olds can travel free on public transport if they buy a travel card for an administrative fee of £10.

Last year, he extended the scheme to allow 18 to 25-year-olds to travel for half price.

The idea was to make it easier for them to go to interviews and travel to work. Mr Burnham has already complained about the cost of a train ticket from the north west to London for young people seeking employment.

He has previously highlighted that the peak “anytime” return fares from Manchester to London were £369.40 which was more expensive than return flights from Manchester to destinations like India (£343), Jamaica (£345), Brazil (£325), or Ivory Coast (£319).

Mr Burnham said in his acceptance speech after winning the Makerfield by-election: “We do need to bring down water bills, energy bills, rail fares, just as we’ve brought down bus fares in Greater Manchester, to make life more affordable for people.”

He has already set a “Makerfield test” for changing the state to help those who he says have previously been ignored.

He has also promised an end to 40 years of economic policy orthodoxy on “trickle down” liberal economic, vowing: “I am going to do things differently.”

The Independent has gone to Mr Burnham’s office for further comment.

A 19-year-old murderer who killed a mum-of-three after driving into her outside a social club in Cardiff has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 17 years.

Kian Bateman, 19 but 18 at the time of the murder, deliberately drove into reiki healer Shelley Davies, 38, and her partner David Bratcher, 40, outside the 4th Glamorgan Homeguard Club in Caerau in a Seat Ibiza Sport on September 27 last year after Mr Bratcher had been involved in a fight with Bateman’s brother.

Bateman was captured in video footage inhaling laughing gas minutes before he mowed down Ms Davies, and the following morning many laughing gas canisters could be seen strewn over the floor near the incident as forensics teams worked at the scene behind a large police cordon. Bateman’s car was later found abandoned with the nitrous oxide canisters on the passenger seat.

Ms Davies had suffered multiple injuries including fractures to her vertebrae, ribs, arm and pelvis, along with internal injuries, and she needed immediate surgery where surgeons attempted to put her pelvis back together, but while in hospital she suffered complications, contracted multiple infections and went into septic shock before she died on October 18.

The full story of Shelley Davies’ death: How a night out with friends ended in tragedy

Following a two-week trial at Cardiff Crown Court in April a jury found Bateman guilty of the much-loved mum’s murder. Bateman had accepted he caused Ms Davies’ death but he denied he deliberately drove at her or intended to cause her serious injury.

Following his arrest Bateman told police his car had been surrounded by people and said he was “frightened”, but prosecution barrister Michael Jones KC told jurors CCTV footage of the scene at the time showed the car Bateman was driving wasn’t surrounded by people.

Bateman, from Heol Muston in Ely, was found guilty of the murder of Ms Davies but was cleared of the attempted murder of Mr Bratcher, although he was found guilty of causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

As he was taken down following his sentencing by Judge Mary Stacey on Friday afternoon cries of “love you Ki” could be heard from the public gallery before shouting broke out outside court.

Ms Davies’ mum Sharon Hillard paid a moving tribute to her daughter in a heartbreaking statement in court. She said: “Shelley was my sunshine on a rainy day, my pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. She was my beautiful, free-spirited girl and the heart and soul of our family. She was the glue that held every single one of us together. She was a diamond.

“She was the most unselfish person I have ever known in my life. She didn’t ask for much – just made do with what she had. It’s hard to look back on that. She deserved so much more than she had and what happened to her.

“When her father and I got divorced she was a tower of strength and swapped roles with us, she supported us through it. She was the architect of the family unit and did so much more than provide a place to gather. She provided everything.

“Not just Christmas and birthdays – she found any excuse to bring us together. Even a Saturday afternoon she made sure everything was done and every detail was taken care of so we could be together as a family.

“She was loud, vibrant, and possessed a dry sense of humour that could light up the darkest room. She wasn’t perfect, she never portrayed herself to be, that was what was so likeable about her. What you saw was what you got. She was just a beautiful soul and a real human being.

“She was fearfully true to herself and had no fear. She was my confidant, protector, my friend and an amazing daughter. I’m so incredibly proud of the woman she was becoming. She wondered all her life what her purpose would be, she knew there was a reason, she just had to find it.”

The court heard Ms Davies was a reiki healer who helped people struggling with addiction, while Ms Hillard said her daughter had helped save the lives of 11 people through her work. Ms Hillard added: “She made me burst with pride.”

The trial heard how Bateman drove at the couple after Mr Bratcher had been involved in an altercation with Bateman’s brother, Kai. Bateman’s aunt Louise was also hit by the car.

Ms Davies had been at an event by ragga artist and DJ General Levy at the social club on the night. Her father Sean Davies told the court how he’d had a conversation with his daughter hours before.

He said: “It was only a couple of hours before this we were outside the front of your house having a laugh and talking about booking a holiday back to France, to Normandy. You were excited about going out that evening.

“Then came the devastating phone call from your sister and it felt like I was hit by a bat. You were in surgery at the time to try and save your life. You gave the best effort to survive and it breaks my heart to say it wasn’t enough.”

Ms Davies’ daughter also wrote a statement which was read to the court by junior prosecution barrister Dean Pullen. She said: “She was our best friend and the most loving person to exist. Now more than ever I feel like a deer in the headlights. It’s hard to comprehend how I am going to manage the rest of my life without her.

“When I see similar car to one that killed my mum I relive it in my head. It’s hard for my siblings to have to grow up without their mother. Going through everything now she’s gone feels like a huge chunk of us has been taken away and left with a gaping hole.

“I see other people spending time with their mothers and I feel envy. The closest thing I have to hugging my mum is hugging her grave. This pain is something no one should have to suffer from, especially from such a young age.”

In mitigation Caroline Rees KC referred to Bateman’s remorse when it came to Ms Davies’ death and her client’s age at the time of the incident – him being just 18 years old. She said there was a lack of pre-meditation and the defendant had no previous convictions.

Judge Stacey sentenced Bateman to life with a minimum term of 17 years. She told Bateman, who wore a black suit and a black tie in the dock, that the time he’d already spent on remand would be deducted from the sentence.

As he was taken down by the dock officers a man and woman in the public gallery could be heard saying: “Love you Ki.” A number of people then left the packed public gallery together before shouting could be heard outside the courtroom.

After sentencing Ms Hillard told gathered press outside the court that she wasn’t happy with the way the case had been handled. She said: “Today’s sentencing marks the conclusion of only one chapter in our fight for Shelley.

“She was the heart and soul of our family—a free-spirited, fun-loving, beautiful, and gifted reiki healer whose life was needlessly and violently stolen from us.

“From the very beginning we have maintained that the investigation was flawed and incomplete. South Wales Police and the CPS took the easiest route possible to secure a single conviction rather than facing the whole truth.

“While a detective superintendent from homicide had the audacity to sit in my living room, surrounded by photos of Shelley, and proudly boast to me, her mother, that they got a great result, we have only ever been met by silence, lies, and attempts to manage, belittle, and disrespect our legal challenges by both the investigating officer and the wider homicide team.

“Our family refuses to accept these half-measures of justice. Shelley was a mother, a daughter, a sister, a beautiful living soul—not a statistic or a tick on a scorecard.

“We do not accept that a single individual bears the sole responsibility for Shelley’s death, and we are currently pursuing a formal Victims’ Right to Review to ensure that everyone involved in the violence that surrounded her death, in whatever part they played, are fully held to account in law, even though we have only been met by silence from the appeals unit so far. Shelley deserves more and we will not stop fighting for her, not until true justice is served.”

After sentencing detective superintendent Mark O’Shea from South Wales Police said: “The evidence that was presented to the Crown Prosecution Service led to them considering in detail the detailed evidence we gathered. The incident itself was largely captured on CCTV, so it’s unequivocal as to what took place.

“It’s the CPS’ responsibility to consider what charges to lay in the circumstances, and in careful and considered analysis of the evidence – supported by King’s Counsel – they decided on the charges. Those charges are then presented to the court and the jury then come to a determination, which they have done.”

He added: “On September 27, 2025, Shelley Davies, a mum of three, went on a night out to watch live music at a local social club with her partner David Bratcher, but tragically never went home after suffering fatal injuries. The court found that Kian Bateman deliberately drove at Shelley and seriously injuring David.

“Shelley was loved dearly, and is greatly missed, by her family and friends. Our thoughts remain with them today as they have been throughout this horrendous ordeal. We would like to thank all the witnesses who assisted the investigation, the Caerau community, as well as the prosecution team.”

Teesside Park will host the event outside Primark and Sports Direct from 11am to 2pm on Sunday, July 5.

Teesside Park is hosting a free family summer fun day this Sunday, with children’s activities, live entertainment and 1,000 free bus fares up for grabs (Image: William Lailey / SWNS)

Activities will include face painting, magic tricks, music from a K-POP tribute act, sand art, balloon modelling, and 3D bus colouring.

Catherine Furlong, centre director at Teesside Park, said: “Bus services are central to how many of our visitors travel to us, with five routes running year-round from Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, and Stockton.

“Our close partnership with Arriva and Stagecoach is essential in ensuring Teesside Park is easy to reach for as many people as possible.

Teesside Park is hosting a free family summer fun day this Sunday, with children’s activities, live entertainment and 1,000 free bus fares up for grabs (Image: William Lailey / SWNS)

“Giving away 1,000 free fares is a great way to encourage more people to choose the bus this summer – and with face painting, games, entertainment, and activities for children on the day, there will be plenty for families to enjoy during their visit too.”

As part of the celebration, 1,000 free bus fares will be given away, including 500 Stagecoach DayRider voucher codes and 500 Arriva Day Passes.

Stagecoach will display one of its new electric vehicles for families to explore, while Arriva will run a children’s treasure hunt on one of its buses.

Representatives from both bus companies will be on-site to discuss travel options, routes, and offer information about free children’s travel this summer.

Adults can take up to three children aged 11 or under for free on both Arriva and Stagecoach services when accompanied by a fare-paying adult.

Steve Walker, managing director at Stagecoach North East, said: “The summer holidays are a busy time for families, and taking the bus can make getting to Teesside Park simple and affordable.

“With 500 free Stagecoach DayRider voucher codes available, visitors can try the journey for themselves, while children will also be able to climb aboard one of our electric buses and see what modern bus travel looks like.”

Richard McGowan, head of commercial at Arriva North East and Yorkshire, said: “Teesside Park is a popular place for shopping, food and family days out, and good bus services give people another easy way to get there.”

He said: “Our day passes are valid for use within a year, so visitors can pick one up at the event and use it when it suits them.

“We’ll also have a bus on site for the children’s treasure hunt, adding another free activity for families on the day.”

Buses from Hartlepool, Norton, Billingham, Middlesbrough, and Stockton all serve Teesside Park, with services running from 7am until 10.30pm.

North Yorkshire Police is appealing for information after a woman was found injured at the junction of Price’s Lane and Bishopgate Street, just outside York city centre.

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“Shortly after midday today, we received a report from the ambulance service that a woman in her 30s had been found with a head injury at the junction of Price’s Lane and Bishopgate Street, next to the city walls.

“She has been taken to hospital for treatment. Enquiries are ongoing,” said a spokesperson for the force.

The road is currently open, but the pavement is closed to pedestrians and road traffic officers are directing at the scene.

They added that they are appealing for anyone with information – particularly any members of the public who assisted at the scene – to contact them on 101.

Please quote reference NYP-03072026-0216.

Strictly professional dancer Neil Jones and Chyna Mills are officially married.

The couple tied the knot in a low-key ceremony at London’s Marylebone Town Hall on Wednesday sharing pictures of their happy day on Instagram on Friday.

In the images, just Chyna and Neil could be seen, following claims the dancer had banned his family from attending after Chyna accused his mother of racism.  

Chyna, 27, looked incredible wearing a Bardot white satin gown, while Neil, 44, looked dapper in a fitted suit. 

The newlyweds, who are planning on a lavish wedding celebration in Italy later this month, were immediately inundated with congratulatory messages from stars.  

Yet, while the couple looked in great spirits on their big day, the wedding has been shrouded by controversy. 

Last year, Love Island star Chyna accused Neil’s mother of ‘bullying, racism, and disrespect’. 

She alleged at the time that the Strictly professional dancer’s family ‘ruined’ their daughter Havana’s baptism by choosing not to attend which was the ‘final straw’ in the bitter family feud that had been ‘brewing for years’.

Last month, reports then emerged Neil had banned his family from attending their big day in Italy, which will follow the legal London ceremony.

It is thought that Neil has not even told his mum, Helen, or sister, Terri, when or where the ceremony is taking place.

A source said: ‘The whole thing is a massive shame. His close and extended family were all there when he married his first wife Katya Jones and felt that was an incredibly special day.

‘It makes it even more painful that they have now been cut out completely. Most of them have been blocked by Chyna and Neil, so really have no idea what is going on in their lives at all, let alone about their wedding.’

The source added to The Sun: ‘Everyone feels like Chyna could have shared her concerns in a different way, but instead it’s turned into a public matter and the whole family have been tarred with the same brush.’

The insider added to the publication that the family ‘don’t want it to seem like there is bad blood’ as it is ‘their big day’ and ‘hope it goes really well’.

Sharing black-and-white photographs on Instagram last December, which showed the couple smiling and hugging their two-year-old daughter during her baptism, Chyna spoke out about the family feud she claims has been ongoing behind the scenes.

In a strongly worded post, she wrote: ‘I’ve faced bullying, racism, and constant disrespect from a so-called MIL since the moment I met her. This year, I decided enough was enough and gave her the chance to discuss whatever one-sided issue she had of course, I was ignored.’

She added: ‘Havana’s baptism was a special day, and his family chose not to attend out of loyalty to her and refused to acknowledge what’s unfolded over the past few years. That’s on them. But I won’t accept negative comments or false narratives about my baby girl’s special moments.’

Soon after Neil’s sister Terri spoke out in defence of their mother – accusing Chyna of lying about the situation.

She told the Daily Mail: ‘I don’t want to comment at this time. If she wants to spin lies, then look, the truth will come out eventually.’

A source previously said of the brewing family tension: ‘This goes back much further than the baptism. Despite Neil’s efforts over time to understand and address any issues, he and Chyna still don’t know why some family members seem to have taken a dislike to Chyna.

‘This has resulted in them being absent from Havana’s life. Chyna felt pushed into a corner to defend herself after some of Neil’s family friends and relatives left unpleasant comments.

‘She and Neil were deeply upset to see private matters being played out so publicly. They never wanted a public back-and-forth, but they also feel it’s difficult to stay silent when Chyna is criticised so openly for everyone to see.’

The Sun reported that Chyna spoke out after seeing comments about his family’s absence on Instagram.

They claimed Chyna replied to a comment from a family friend: ‘To be clear, myself and Neil chose not to invite Helen because of how she’s treated me and lack of acknowledgement for our daughter.

‘We weren’t willing to have that energy around Havana on her special day.

‘At the start of the year, I reached out and asked to clear the air so we could move forward for Havana’s sake, and that request was ignored.

‘To be honest, the lack of effort with Havana has been there from the beginning’.

Strictly dancer Neil, who is 16 years Chyna’s senior, went public with their relationship in 2022, before the couple announced their engagement and welcomed their daughter, Havana, the following year.

Neil, a four-time World Latin Champion, regularly performs on Strictly as a backing dancer. It is often joked on set that he is rarely given a celebrity partner to compete with.

In 2024, he was paired with Toyah Willcox, and in previous series, he has performed alongside Lioness Alex Scott and EastEnders actress Nina Wadia.

He was previously married to fellow Strictly dancer Katya Jones. The pair had been together for over a decade and married for six years before their relationship ended.

Their marriage broke down a year after Katya was caught kissing her celebrity dance partner, comedian Seann Walsh, with many attributing their split to the show’s infamous ‘Strictly curse.’