Adam Atherton sent the victim large sums of money with vile threatening messages attached

Advertisement

A young man has landed in court after he was found to have sent a string of threatening messages to a woman online and having stalked her to the pub.

Adam Atherton, who referred to himself as ‘Slave Adam’, contacted the financial dominatrix and sent her large sums of money, but attached terrifying messages to the payments with violent fantasies about sexually assaulting her and hitting her with a hammer.

The 24-year-old first sent the victim, who worked as a “findom” – a type of dominatrix who financially dominates people – a cash donation in November 2024 under the username ‘Slave Adam’. A meeting was then arranged for two days later, but the victim late received an anonymous message: “Watch out for me in Liverpool. I might rape you”, which caused her to cancel the arrangement and block the account.

The court heard that didn’t deter Atherton whose behaviour continued to snowball. It reached a head when the victim was on a night out with friends in Liverpool city centre and played the “Wetherspoon’s game”, posting her table number and location so followers and fans could send her drinks. Instead, Atherton arrived at the pub and sat on the table behind her, with the victim only being alerted to the fact he was there because of the nature of his continuing messages.

A crown court judge told Atherton: “You are an individual who at this stage in your life had trouble with forming healthy relationships with females. It is clear you embarked on this behaviour in a way that got out of any level of control and resulted in behaviour that, when you look back at the messages, regret and are remorseful for.”

Bethany Leigh, prosecuting, told Liverpool Crown Court on Wednesday that the victim, whose identity is protected as a result of the nature of the messages sent by Atherton, had blocked the account from ‘Slave Adam’ at the first instance of the rape threat but received another message from him a month later.

Around October 2024, Atherton asked for the money back and apologised for his previous behaviour where he said his autism caused him to say things without meaning to, reports Liverpool Echo.

But in March last year, the victim said she was “terrified” when she realised he was sat behind her in Wetherspoons. Ms Leigh told the court she received a message from Atherton which said: “Sorry goddess, the service is slow in here. Do you notice me?”

He followed that with another message which said: “You are so beautiful. I have to see you for myself. I’m sick but I’m trying to become better.” The victim realised at this point the defendant was sitting behind her in the pub. Her friend told the pub staff and Atherton was asked to leave, but continued to loiter outside.

Ms Leigh said Atherton again apologised but later sent further messages telling her he would sexually assault her and it would be her fault. In October last year he also said he would hit her with a hammer.

These messages continued intermittently until he was eventually arrested and interviewed on May 21, 2026, where he made “full and frank admissions”. He told police he made the sexually violent threats because they were the “most extreme thing he could say to get a reaction”, Ms Leigh said.

The victim told the court the impact of Atherton’s actions had been “profound and it’s impacted my sense of safety”. She said: “I have lived with constant stress, anxiety and fear knowing he was threatening me. It left me feeling vulnerable and unable to relax.”

The victim said the most frightening incident was when she was in the pub and Atherton followed her. “He positioned himself behind me,” she said. “This made me feel terrified and trapped…I immediately feared for my safety.”

She said after being asked to leave he remained outside “trapping” her inside the building. “Looking back I genuinely dread to think what would have happened if I had been alone…he was willing to seek me out and harm me.”

The victim said after the pub incident she stopped socialising in Liverpool city centre because of fears he would find her again. She continued: “His behaviour restricted my freedom…as his messages became more threatening I became terrified of what he would do if I encountered him again in person.”

She finished: “I feel this experience has changed me…I have been trapped in a continuous nightmare. No human being should be subjected to the vile misogynistic actions of Atherton. He tried to dehumanise me but by coming forward I have shown him to be the weak one.”

Atherton, of Fisher Avenue in Whiston, admitted stalking causing fear of violence at a plea and trial preparation hearing. He had no previous convictions.

In mitigation, Lloyd Morgan, defending, said: “When the court heard the messages the court could be forgiven for coming to the conclusion this was a very dangerous man, but in my submissions the documents [provided by his family] paint a different picture about the person doing the offending.”

Mr Morgan told the court his client had been open and honest about the offending when interviewed by the Probation Service and there “was no minimisation of his actions or the impact on the complainant”. He added: “He is a young man who recognised what he did was wrong and wanted to do something about it.”

The court heard Atherton had been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and emotional dysregulation, and was on the autism spectrum disorder pathway. Since his arrest he had also been undergoing therapy and counselling and was under the support of Mersey Care.

Mr Morgan added: “He has a stable home, living with his parents, who both work. His brother, who is in court, was employed and his two other brothers’ work. There is no evidence of drug or alcohol abuse. Importantly this crosses over to the realistic prospect of rehabilitation.

“He has been found to show good self-reflection. He was open and showed good motivation to engage with treatment. The author [of the pre-sentence report] considered whether he had suffered trauma but came to the conclusion of no, but found he had been bullied and subject to social isolation.”

The court heard Atherton had ceased paying money to women online “with the assistance of a psychiatrist” after sending around £4,000 in total to various people on the internet. Mr Morgan said Atherton was university-educated, had been employed in a number of jobs in the community and was at the time of his arrest on a council gardening apprenticeship.

Sentencing, Recorder Carwyn Cox: “The complainant was a woman who you had entered into a contact with based upon a relationship you were perceiving for sexual gratification as she was offering her services as a dominatrix for financial domination; something you at that time found gratifying.

“Unfortunately you were not able to control yourself and your behaviour deteriorated to the point you were sending grossly inappropriate messages. The court has heard what was contained in those messages and the extent of the threats made to her.

“Compounding that was an incident which took place when you attend a Wetherspoon public house when [the victim] was on a night out with friends. She was playing the Wetherspoon’s game, when groups post what table they are at and seek people to buy them drinks.

“You became aware, which shows you were still tracking what she was doing, and attended causing her a significant amount of fear. She wanted you removed but you still hung around. Your messaging still continued and you sought her friends to contact her.

“The level of threats is something that is troubling. You have said you would never act on those messages, but you get some gratification from the way you were interacting. All of this behaviour came to an end in April of this year when the police were contacted and you were arrested.”

Recorder Cox sentenced Atherton, who wore a blue suit and sported brown hair in the dock, to 18 months in prison, suspended for two years. Atherton will also have to carry out 20 rehabilitation days and 200 hours of unpaid work. The judge also imposed a restraining order preventing him from contacting the victim for five years.

Atherton, who was supported in court by his brother, thanked the judge after being told: “I hope you never come back here again.”

Ed Miliband is angry. Reports that the former Labour leader has been ditched as Andy Burnham‘s chancellor have apparently turned Red Ed a peculiar shade of puce.

‘His office has been preparing to make the move to the Treasury,’ one cabinet source told me, ‘and all the briefing has been that he’s been lined up for the job. If he loses out now he’s going to be really p****d’.

Another source explained: ‘Ed’s spent the best part of a year talking to Andy about his economic strategy. In the past fortnight he’s been the main person in with him and James [Purnell, Burnham’s chief of staff] over putting together a package to reassure the markets.

‘It’s not that he was specifically promised the job. But he basically assumed he was nailed on. So the reports he’s been ditched have made him pretty angry.’

Miliband should curb his ire a little longer. According to sources close to Team Burnham no decision has yet been taken. ‘The choice genuinely hasn’t been made yet,’ one told me. ‘Andy isn’t going to be bounced into anything. Nothing is going to be finalised until he’s inside No 10.’

If the rumours of a U-turn by our incoming prime minister before he’s even entered Downing Street are true, it will presage chaos when it comes to the appointment of his new government.

The role of chancellor is so pivotal, a change of heart would ripple across the whiteboard being used to chart the alterations. ‘There are some roles you can swap in and out pretty painlessly,’ another cabinet minister told me, ‘but Chancellor is too fundamental. If you reverse your decision on that, the whole plan goes out the window.’

Yesterday, people were casting around for reasons for the possible reversal. Some pointed to opposition from the unions, worried that Miliband’s anti-North Sea drilling, net-zero obsession would find its way into the Treasury. Others claim that, having put discreet feelers out to the City, word had been sent back that Miliband’s appointment would push the markets closer to the edge.

But I was presented with a third theory. ‘Andy knows he’s got a woman problem. He can’t chuck out the most senior female politician in the party [Rachel Reeves] from her job, and replace her with a bloke who already had a run out as leader a decade ago. The women in the PLP (Parliamentary Labour Party) won’t put up with it.’

This is why much of the speculation about Reeves’s replacement is now focused on current Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood. Yesterday, Mahmood’s supporters were in overdrive, briefing that she was ‘nailed on’ as Reeves’s replacement. Another told journalists: ‘I won’t steer you away from that.’

But again, the briefings may be a little premature. The other contender for the post, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, has let it be known she would prefer to remain in her current brief.

But I understand that while Mahmood is regarded highly by Burnham and his inner circle, there are some residual concerns over her lack of economic experience.

One thing is clear, though. The recent speculation that both Miliband brothers could be handed major portfolios – with Ed in the Treasury and David Miliband returning, Cameron-like, to run the Foreign Office – is wide of the mark.

As one Burnham ally said: ‘He’s not mad. Having as many men in the great offices of state from the same family as there are women would see him hung by his privates from Big Ben.’

Burnham recognises he is vulnerable on the thorny issue of gender representation on three fronts. First, since its inception in 1900 Labour has had 19 leaders. And when Burnham is formally appointed the 20th on Friday he will also be the 20th white man to hold the position.

The second is what Burnham’s lot acknowledge as ‘The Demon Eyes’ issue. This was the name of the football team he and James Purnell played for during the Blair years. As one minister explained, ‘All the high-profile New Labour boys were on the team. And it was seen as a big clique. The women were all excluded. There’s a danger that No 10 starts to look a bit like the Demon Eyes dressing room.’

Andy Burnham recognises he is vulnerable on the thorny issue of gender representation

The third major problem is the hang-up from the Starmer era. Rightly or wrongly, among Labour’s women a perception has developed that the No 10 operation run by Sir Keir’s former chief of staff Morgan McSweeney developed into a ‘Boys’ Club’ from which women were at best ostracised, at worst the subject of aggressive and negative briefings.

As one MP close to Burnham metaphorically observed, ‘when Andy goes into Downing Street the lads’ mags and cans of Red Bull are going in the bin’.

But Burnham has one difficulty. He is still a man, and he will be squaring off against the Tories’ fourth female leader in Kemi Badenoch. So his strategy for counteracting her inevitable gender jibes is simple. He’s going to pack his cabinet with as many women he can lay his hands on.

Mahmood and Cooper are nailed on for senior roles. As is Rachel Reeves, if she can be persuaded to accept her withdrawal from the Treasury firing line. Lucy Powell, a key ally – and the party’s deputy leader – will replace David Lammy as deputy prime minister.

Louise Haigh, who masterminded Burnham’s leadership coup, will also be rewarded with a plumb position. Although I’m told she will have to watch her back. Other members of Burnham’s inner circle were apparently irritated with her candour at a question and answer session last week, when she admitted she had been in cahoots with the former Greater Manchester mayor about replacing Starmer for at least a year.

She is also in the sights of Starmer’s vengeful former staffers. ‘Morgan [McSweeney] has some stuff on her,’ one told me darkly, ‘and he’s going to wait for the right moment to drop a bomb on her’.

Other women who are said to be in line for significant portfolios are Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander, who worked with Burnham during her time as an adviser for London Mayor Sadiq Khan, and made the politically astute decision to nominate him for all three of his leadership contests.

And Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson who, though a Starmer loyalist, benefited from being harangued by Kemi Badenoch as a ‘spiteful class warrior’ at a recent PMQs session. ‘Kemi’s made Bridget unsackable,’ a cabinet colleague told me.

A place will also be found for Angela Rayner. Though her influence is seen to have waned as a result of her own manoeuvring during the anti-Starmer plotting. As one member of Burnham’s inner circle revealed, ‘Andy thought he had a deal with Angela. Then found out she was working against him behind her back. So he’ll pay his respects to her. But she’s not going to be a major part of his plans moving forward.’

All of this may seem trite and tokenistic. But inside Labour, where tensions are simmering over the party choosing to anoint yet another male leader, the gender balance – or imbalance – of Andy Burnham’s cabinet is regarded as a defining issue.

Which may mean Ed Miliband is ultimately robbed of the role he covets. But that could be the price Labour pays for finally having a leader who at least knows what a woman is.

Britain came close to blackouts during last month’s heatwave – but energy bosses tried to hide it, whistleblowers have claimed.

Tory energy spokesman Claire Coutinho told MPs yesterday that operators said the grid failed to meet necessary standards as temperatures reached 34C on June 23. 

She added that they claimed that the Neso (National Energy Systems Operator) corporate affairs team had tried to cover up the crisis.

But energy minister Michael Shanks insisted that electricity supplies were maintained and that no customers lost power.

However, he said that Neso – a government body set up by Energy Secretary Ed Miliband – had now ordered an independent investigation into the claims against it.

In an urgent question, Ms Coutinho told MPs that whistleblowers had warned that the country was close to blackouts.

‘I’ve been approached by multiple whistleblowers within our grid operator,’ she said.

‘The allegations are that first, on June 23, the operator failed to meet the grid security standards put in place to prevent blackouts.

‘Second, that the corporate affairs team interfered with operational decisions.

‘That is not something that the minister denied – putting the reputation of the operator above security of supply.

‘And third, that operational decisions are being recorded in live documents with no audit trail. Again, something the minister did not deny.’

She previously accused grid bosses of ‘risking blackouts to protect Neso’s reputation’.

In the run-up to the incident in June, Neso issued an emergency margin call – a request to generators to increase supplies – after forecasting a shortfall.

Government departments were warned about the risk of power cuts.

Mr Shanks said that there had been no blackouts last month and said that there was no kind of ’emergency situation’.

‘Electricity supplies were maintained throughout the June heatwave. No customer demand was disconnected,’ he said.

‘Statutory frequency limits were maintained throughout the whole event, and the largest credible loss that could have occurred was also covered.’

He added that at no point did the country ‘come close to breaching’ the ‘margin’ – the buffer above peak demand.

‘It did not indicate any kind of emergency situation. Demand was met, and those are the facts,’ he added.

He later added that although the electricity demand had been met, ‘I don’t for a second doubt that it was difficult on some of those days, as it was across all of Europe.’

He also said that Neso had instructed a legal firm to conduct an independent investigation into the claims of the whistleblowers.

The report will be delivered to the operator and to regulator Ofgem ‘in the coming weeks’, Mr Shanks said.

But Ms Coutinho dismissed this as a ‘sham’ because there was no guarantee that workers would be granted anonymity.

Her fellow Tory MP Julian Lewis questioned whether the review would be independent because Neso was paying for a law firm to investigate.

Meanwhile, Bill Esterson, the Labour chair of the energy committee, said a director at Neso had told him it was ‘not plausible’ that corporate staff had taken decisions in the control room.

Neso issued its third electricity margin notice of the year last week.

They are the first such notices to be put out in summer and it has issued only two others – both in January last year – since it took charge in October 2024.

Extreme heat puts pressure on the electricity system by making processes less efficient, including generation from nuclear power plants, gas stations and water-cooling systems.

Britain has not suffered a major blackout since 2019 when the Little Barford gas-fired power station in Bedfordshire and the Hornsea windfarm in the North Sea failed at the same time, causing large parts of the grid to automatically shut down.

An unprecedented blackout left Spain and Portugal without electricity for several hours last year, leading to questions about the reliability of the electricity supplies in times of stress.

George the seagull has become part of the family – and even welcomed by two Bengal cats.

An abandoned baby seagull has become an unlikely member of a family – and their Bengal cats have become adoptive parents.

Andrew Moore, 33, from Arbroath, has been raising the gull, named George, after the week-old chick tumbled from the roof above the family’s home and fish shop last month.

The dad who lives above The Fish Hoose with his children, Eva, 13, and Nairn, 10, said the family initially hoped George’s mother would return.

“We had seagulls nesting on our roof and one of the young fell off at about a week old,” he said.

“It was on our balcony, so we just left it because we thought its mum would come back. But she never did, so we decided to feed it.”

Since then, George has gone from strength to strength, thanks to a steady diet of fresh fish from the family’s shop.

“He’s become quite a part of our family,” Andrew said. “We’re keeping him well fed with little bits of fish from our shop. He’s scoffing down everything we give him.

“My son named him George. He had been staying out on the balcony but somehow made his way into the house.

“We even got him a wee paddling pool.”

Advertisement

The biggest surprise has been George’s relationship with the family’s two Bengal cats, Benji and Bow, who have been keeping a watchful eye on the chick.

“They’ve really taken to him, which is quite a surprise because they’re hunting cats,” Andrew said. “They just seem to be intrigued by him.

“They watch everything he does and keep an eye on him. I think they just think he’s part of the family.”

Advertisement

The family has been learning how to care for the gull as they go, relying on online advice while hoping to prepare him for life in the wild.

“We’ve just been Googling how to look after them,” Andrew said. “We just want to bring him up and hopefully he’ll be okay to go on with his life.

“They’re supposed to fly within about six weeks. He has been spreading his wing and jumping around.

“I reckon it’s nearly time to say our goodbyes.”

While Andrew hopes George will soon take to the skies, he suspects the young gull may not become a complete stranger.

He added: “He’ll probably be coming back to see us when he knows he gets food.”

Advertisement

Videos of George’s adventures have attracted plenty of attention online, with viewers charmed by the unusual friendship between the gull and the family’s cats.

“We’ve had a lot of folk messaging us joking about how they can get a pet seagull from our videos,” Andrew said. “I’ve even had customers coming in wanting to see him.”

Get more Daily Record exclusives by signing up for free to Google’s preferred sources. Click HERE.

Joshua Komisarjevsky and Steven Hayes were convicted of killing Jennifer Hawke-Petit and her daughters in the Cheshire home invasion murders on 23 July 2007

One Connecticut family became the target of a horrifying ordeal inside their own home when a brutal killing duo launched a seven-hour rampage of rape, sexual assault and ultimately murder.

Joshua Komisarjevsky and his accomplice, Steven Hayes, were found guilty of murdering Jennifer Hawke-Petit, a nurse, along with her daughters during the terrifying attack on July 23, 2007.

The pair had spotted Jennifer and her daughter at a supermarket and tailed them back to their residence in New Haven, where the family’s harrowing nightmare would begin.

Komisarjevsky memorised their address, returned home to put his own daughter to bed, then came back to the Petit family home in the dead of night while they were sleeping. His original intention was burglary — but this straightforward crime escalated into an act of unspeakable depravity.

The duo subjected the family to hours of torment. They began by beating father William Petit with a baseball bat so severely that he was rendered unconscious as the nightmare unfolded around him, reports the Express US.

His two daughters, 17-year-old Hayley and 11-year-old Michaela, were bound, and Jennifer was compelled to withdraw $15,000 from a bank account after the depraved pair escorted her to a local branch.

Hayes raped and strangled Jennifer, while Komisarjevsky sexually assaulted her 11-year-old daughter, Michaela. Michaela and her 17-year-old sister, Hayley, were tied to their beds and succumbed to smoke inhalation after the house was doused in petrol and set ablaze.

Both Hayley and Jennifer were sexually assaulted, according to Vocal Media. The entire nightmare lasted seven hours.

Jennifer even managed to discreetly alert their bank, who then notified authorities the family was being held hostage, but by that point Komisarjevsky and Hayes had escalated their crimes into a full-blown nightmare. One detective described the crime scene as something that “never leaves your mind.”

The intruders doused the house in accelerant before setting it ablaze. Miraculously, William Petit, the father, managed to survive.

The doctor had been beaten, bound and dragged to the basement, where he drifted in and out of consciousness for several hours.

He managed to break free and crawl to a neighbour’s house to raise the alarm, but was unable to save his two daughters or his wife.

Petit campaigned to retain the death penalty in Connecticut, successfully lobbying state senators to delay repeal legislation while Komisarjevsky was still facing a capital punishment trial.

“July 23, 2007, was our personal holocaust,” Petit said following Komisarjevsky’s death sentence, referring to the day his family was murdered. “A holocaust caused by two who are completely evil and actually do not comprehend what they have done.”

Hayley endured horrific final moments after managing to free herself from her restraints, before collapsing from smoke inhalation. Michaela never made it out of her room.

The killers tried to flee in the Petit family’s car, but were arrested by police almost immediately. Komisarjevsky has since said he considers volunteering to be executed on his darkest days.

In the past 50 years, Connecticut has carried out only one execution — a serial killer who was put to death in 2005 after voluntarily waiving his right to appeal.

“I don’t think I’ll be executed against my will,” Komisarjevsky said in his first interview since his conviction the previous year. “I think if I volunteer, the state will execute me.

“I guess my reaction is not the reaction society expected,” Komisarjevsky said.

Cynthia Hawke-Renn, the sister and aunt of the victims, told NBC she had not anticipated any apology from the killer, according to ABC.

“He doesn’t have nightmares, but I have nightmares and I can’t stop thinking about it,” she said. “I wish I could. And I think it’s really sad that he doesn’t have a conscience and have remorse and apologize to my brother-in-law or my parents.”

Komisarjevsky now passes his days in solitary confinement by drawing, watching television, reading, and responding to both hate mail and letters from supporters.

“Some days you’re just overwhelmed by the isolation and the difficulties in communicating with loved ones, dealing with your own crisis of conscience,” Komisarjevsky said.

Connecticut Governor Dannel P. Malloy signed legislation abolishing the state’s death penalty for future crimes, though the new law does not apply to those already on death row.

“In order for some to swallow this bitter pill, it was inevitable that we would be left out,” Komisarjevsky said.

Micah Richards was told of his father Lincoln’s death just before he went on air for England and Argentina’s World Cup semi-final tie

BBC pundit and ex-England star Micah Richards has revealed he learnt of his father’s death moments before going on air for the Three Lions’ World Cup semi-final against Argentina.

Richards was joined by presenter Mark Chapman, Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney and former Manchester City team-mate Joe Hart in Atlanta, having spent most of the tournament in a studio in Salford.

The BBC’s coverage had shifted to the United States for the latter rounds, just in time to air England’s almighty collapse and bitter 2-1 defeat to Argentina. Anthony Gordon had given Thomas Tuchel’s side the lead on 55 minutes, before they set up shop and conceded two late goals.

However, shortly after the match had concluded, fan-favourite Richards shared that he had been informed of his father’s death just before going on air for the semi-final.

Richards took to social media to confirm his father’s passing, posting: “Not long before going on air today, I received the awful news that my father Lincoln had passed away. His death was unexpected, and he has left us all too soon. He was my greatest fan. He barely missed a game my entire life.

“He would take me wherever I needed to go when I was a kid and he was the proudest parent possible during my professional career. It was so rare for him to not be by my side. I know how much watching England World Cup games means to everyone at home, and how the experience bonds families together across the generations, like nothing else.

“I know, particularly as a proud old-school Yorkshireman, dad would’ve wanted the show to go on this evening. And so it did. Thinking of my siblings and all my wider family today as we remember my father Lincoln, my hero and inspiration.”

Richards has previously spoken of the profound influence his father had on his career path. He said in 2007: “I grew up in Chapeltown, a rough area of Leeds. There was all sorts of stuff – drugs and fighting. There is a point when you are 15 or 16 when you might want to get involved in it. There was definitely a temptation but I stayed grounded.

“I have been able to deal with all the stuff that has come my way. That’s down to Dad. He’s brought me up well. My Dad is a strong character. He is very principled. He’s a Rastafarian. He has set standards for me.

“It’s been great to have that sort of person behind me but at the same time I learned how to be my own man. Dad’s always been here for me. He has missed only one game I have ever played in and that was my debut at Arsenal when I wasn’t even been supposed to be in the squad.”

Tributes from across the sporting world have poured in for Richards. Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher, who works alongside Richards on CBS, was amongst the first to reach out.

“Sending love to you and all the family,” he said. Hart, who had been working beside Richards on Wednesday evening, said: “Sending love Meeks… here for you all. RIP Lincoln.”

“Sorry for your loss Micah,” commented Juan Mata. Ex-England international Jill Scott added: “Thinking of you and your family Micah.” Former Formula 1 champion Jenson Button said: “Praying for you brother, Sorry for your loss.”

A new angle has emerged of Jude Bellingham‘s clash with Argentina’s stars after England‘s heartbreaking exit from the World Cup.

Bellingham was at odds with Valentin Barco, who did not even play in the match, in the aftermath of the Three Lions’ late collapse and 2-1 defeat in Atlanta.

It was clearly an emotional time for Bellingham, who has been one of the best players during the World Cup with six goals, and stood alone after the final whistle. 

The Real Madrid midfielder’s scrap was caught on television and now a new angle from high above has emerged, captured by a journalist from Spanish outlet Diario AS.

In the build-up to the flashpoint, one Argentina player consoled Bellingham before a group huddled near him.

Barco then turned his head to say something – it wasn’t clear towards who or in which language – and shortly after, the England star seemed to snap.

He was also at loggerheads with defender Nicolas Otamendi as other players tried to stop them

Bellingham appeared to initiate the conflict by slapping Barco on the back of the head 

He went over to Strasbourg midfielder Barco and slapped him on the back of the head. 

The full-back then turned around and pushed Bellingham with tempers flaring. Nicolas Otamendi also came over and gave the England man a shove. 

Several Argentinian players attempted to act as peacemakers, but it looked as if, even when they were separated, that Bellingham and Otamendi wanted more head-to-head action.

This came on the back of a highly passionate and rather thuggish game, so it is understandable that tensions were running high.

Ultimately, Argentina remained the calmer side when the going got tough. England took the lead via Anthony Gordon on 55 minutes, but quickly sat off, inviting pressure.

That, and the defensive substitutions made by Thomas Tuchel, proved to be England’s undoing.

Enzo Fernandez struck a peach of a strike from outside the area after 85 minutes, before Lautaro Martinez broke English hearts with a header two minutes into stoppage time.

Bellingham, who has been so brilliant throughout the tournament, appeared pained at that. In seeming frustration at Jordan Pickford, who produced a number of impressive saves, he looked to the sky, stretched out his arms, and appeared to say: ‘It’s in the middle of the goal.’

Tuchel concluded to BBC Sport: ‘We’re disappointed, we were so close but we got too passive after we scored and conceded a lot of chances.

‘We could not turn the ball possession around and then conceded so many crosses, chances and shots. We were close but couldn’t keep the level up after we scored.

‘Of course we wanted to go for the second goal but I did not have the feeling that offensive substitutions would help. We stayed in our 4-4-2 but we became passive, more and more passive.

‘We couldn’t win any balls, we couldn’t keep the ball so I think it was not a structural problem, we changed nothing. But the match changed completely.’

Harry Kane said: ‘I’m gutted for the boys, the team, the staff, the fans. We played a good game for the vast majority of it. Once we went 1-0 up, we seemed to try and hold on. At this level that’s not enough. Just gutted as we worked so hard to be here and the boys gave every last bit of sweat, blood, and tears.

‘We struggled to get pressure on the ball. Frist half, start of second half, we pressed well and put them under pressure. After the goal, whether it was them putting more men forward or us not being able to match them man-for-man, it was wave after wave. lads were putting blocks in but it wasn’t enough.

‘The boys are ready for any moment. When we went ahead, the messaging was to go again and get another goal. Once they scored their two goals, it was to try and find something but we couldn’t get the momentum.

‘We had a lot of good moments in this tournament, a lot of good games. We’re close, we just need to find that missing piece in the final stage of the tournament. thee tournaments take it out of you, so much effort and pressure and mentality. We’re missing that final piece.’

Dan Burn added: ‘Absolutely gutted. I thought we had the gameplan pretty well for the majority of it. But obviously, when we scored, we went a bit passive and dropped off and were ultimately punished for it.

‘We probably conceded too many chances and if you do that, they are going to get goals. Disappointing from us. We have defended games better and seen them out. When you get that close to the World Cup final, that hurts.’

How much is David Beckham set to pocket from his World Cup brand deals? Take on our quiz in our newsletter HERE 

This is the moment Met Police officers rescue a lone Argentina fan from a baying mob of England supporters in Piccadilly Circus.

Police were called into action to help remove the fan from an angry crowd on Regent Street St James’s in central London after Thomas Tuchel‘s team crashed out of the World Cup last night.

Footage from Piccadilly Circus shows Met officers escorting him away from the scene as England supporters can be heard shouting before they are pushed away. 

One officer shouts ‘stay back’ as the cops push England supporters away in an attempt to bring the fan, who is wearing an Argentina shirt, to safety.

Other footage from Piccadilly Circus last night shows the Met trying to control a crowd of hundreds of people.

The Argentina fan is seen being led away by police as one officer holds on to his arm while others have their truncheons drawn, warning England supporters not to try and approach him. 

In one shot, more than half a dozen officers crowd around him to prevent the baying mob from getting face-to-face with him as they appear to shout abuse following England’s crushing 2-1 semi-final defeat at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium. 

The Argentina fan is then brought to safety after he is escorted into a police van as he holds his palms up in the air. 

Hundreds of baying Englsand supporters crowd around the Argentina fan in Piccadilly Circus 

Boos and chants of ‘f*** Messi’ are heard as officers escort the lone fan to safety

Advertisement

Officers shield the van from crowd as chants of ‘f*** Messi’ can be heard as well as synchronised ‘boos’ from England supporters. 

One England fan is captured climbing on top of a telephone box in the iconic central London square. 

Despite the team’s loss, supporters appeared jubilant as they cheered at the cameras filming the chaos while the Met tried to control the crowd. 

Some England supporters attempt to chase the van as it leaves the area but officers hold them back. 

There is no suggestion of wrongdoing from the Argentina fan or baying England supporters. 

The man wearing the Argentina shirt appears to be a YouTube prankster known as Maciej, who in separate footage from last night posted on his TikTok shows him trying to rile up England fans. 

In the short clip, the social media personality, who has over 220,000 followers on the platform, is approached by an English man telling him to ‘get the f*** out of here bro’ before he is pushed.

Another man, wearing an England shirt, asks Maciej where he is from. The prankster replies by telling him he is from Argentina, when calls for him to leave the area are repeated. 

The TikToker has previously posted videos claiming to ‘ragebait’ Tottenham Hotspur fans while wearing an Arsenal shirt.  

He brought to a police van which then drove away from the scene as England supporters attempted to chase after it

Police officers intervene and speak to fans in Atlanta as they try to keep the peace following Argentina’s semi-final victory

He is then approached by several England supporters demanding he leaves, telling him to ‘jog on’ and ‘f*** off’, while a bouncer escorts him away. 

Protesting, he asks: ‘Can I not support Argentina? What am I doing [wrong]?’ 

This is met by calls for him to ‘go home’, with one man telling him: ‘You can support Argentina but it’s not the right time.’ 

Maciej ends the video by talking to the camera, saying: ‘Someone’s crying. Who’s crying?’ 

There were clashes on the streets of Atlanta and Britain following England’s semi-final defeat to Argentina on Wednesday night.

Fights broke out outside the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia after the final whistle confirmed the Three Lions’ 2-1 defeat to Lionel Messi’s side.

Police made multiple arrests as they stepped in to calm the situation, with pictures showing several England fans being detained by armed officers.

Meanwhile in London fans caused chaos as they took to the roads of the city centre. 

A police officer breaks up an argument between Argentina and England fans outside the Mercedes-Benz Stadium

Advertisement

Fans are arrested in Atlanta by armed police looking to separate the two sides

US police stand guard in Atlanta as Argentina fans gather at the fan festival to celebrate

Supporters react when Argentina scored to level the game 1-1

England supporters react near the end as they watch the semi-final football match between England and Argentina at Boxpark Wembley

Advertisement

Tensions had already flared inside the stadium after Argentina took a banner from fans which claimed the Falkland Islands belong to the South American nation.

The Falklands conflict had loomed large in the build-up to the semi-final tie, with rival chants about the war featuring in fan zones around the city.

After the match was over, tens of thousands of fans flooded out of the stadium to the surrounding streets, with some disputes boiling over into violence.

England fans branded the behaviour of Argentina’s supporters ‘absolutely disgusting’ and warned that things will ‘kick off, 100 per cent’.

The Atlanta Police Department deployed extra resources around the city, with officers lining the streets outside bars near the stadium after the crunch clash. 

Argentina and England fans outside bars near the stadium exchanged words – much of it Falklands-related. 

American police officers with large guns were seen placing both England and Argentina fans in handcuffs. 

The disruption is affecting services between Manchester Airport and Blackpool North, with train operator Northern warning that delays, cancellations, and changes to services are likely to continue throughout the day.

Trains through major stations including Manchester Piccadilly, Bolton, Chorley and Preston are being affected, with passengers advised to check before travelling.

Northern said via their website: “We apologise for the cancellation of this service today.

“If the train you have a ticket for is cancelled, you can travel on any Northern, TransPennine Express and East Midlands Railway service within 2 hours before or after your cancelled service was due to depart.

(Image: .)

“If you require any connecting services, please check information screens, visit www.nationalrail.co.uk/journey-planner or speak to a member of staff where available.”

Passengers who are delayed by 15 minutes or more may be eligible for compensation under Northern’s delay repay scheme.

Services that have already been cancelled include the 3.48pm, 4.48pm and 5.48pm departures from Manchester Airport to Blackpool North.

Southbound services from Blackpool North to Manchester Airport at 2.54pm and 3.54pm have also been cancelled, with further delays and cancellations expected as the fault continues to cause problems.

Passengers are being urged to check the latest travel information before starting their journeys, and to allow extra time for travel or consider alternative routes where possible.

Further information and live updates are available on the National Rail website and Northern’s social media channels, including @northernassist on X.

Dear Coleen

THIS is a bit of a delicate one so I need help on how to approach it sensitively. Sadly my father-in-law passed away a year ago, which was devastating for us all. We’ve been incredibly supportive to my mother-in-law but her constant presence in our lives is starting to affect my family.

She lives a few miles away but she’s always at our house, turning up unannounced at all hours and staying for days sometimes. At first it was OK but now it’s very disruptive and we’re always cancelling things for the kids because she doesn’t want to be on her own.

My husband and I have spoken to her friends and suggested social groups that would keep her busy and help her make new friends. We’ve also suggested grief counselling several times, but she won’t hear of it.

My husband’s siblings live abroad so they’re not around to help and she’s reliant on us.

I have so much empathy for her but it’s so hard to deal with and causing arguments between me and my husband. What do I do?

Coleen says

Grief is so different for everyone. Your mother-in-law is feeling lost and grabbing on to what she loves most because it feels scary on her own. It may have been a year but, when you’re grieving a partner, it can feel like no time has passed at all.

It took a long time for my sister Linda to get back on her feet after her husband died. She stayed quite a while with me, then with our other sister and, when she went back home, she had different people staying with her. The difference is, she had therapy and would also call the Samaritans when she needed to vent.

I think the point to gently get across to your mother-in-law is that, while you can carry on being supportive, you’re not professionals and are struggling a bit to know how to help.

It’s probably up to your husband to talk to her and ask how she thinks you can help. Maybe she just needs reassurance that if she’s struggling, she knows you’ll be there.

Reiterate to her friends that she’s struggling and ask them to check in and get involved. Maybe having some things in the diary to look forward to will help. Could your husband’s siblings arrange a visit or invite her over for a few weeks for a change of scene and routine? The hope is she’ll find moments of enjoyment and realise it feels good to start living again.

You can’t force her to have therapy but tell her about bereavement charity Cruse, which might help (cruse.org.uk; 0808 808 1677).

Get more Daily Record exclusives by signing up for free to Google’s preferred sources. Click HERE.