Denice Finnigan asked a judge to jail her saying it was the ‘best place’ for her

A mum asked a judge to be jailed after she tore clumps of a woman’s hair out at a taxi rank. Denice Finnigan was also part of a gang who launched bricks at a shopkeeper after he retrieved a stolen bottle of wine from her and emptied it down the drain.

However, rather than pleading to be released from Styal prison, she “believes it is the best place for her” whilst she attempts to address her drug addiction and “become a better mother”. And a judge granted her wish, telling her that he “hopes she can make a fresh start” when she’s eventually released.

Liverpool Crown Court heard yesterday, Monday, that police attended Bath Street in Southport on August 5, 2024, after receiving reports of fighting, which erupted after Finnigan stole a £6.99 bottle of pinot grigio from nearby Coronation News. Shop owner Jamie Lodge was said to have attended the area following the theft and taken the alcohol from the 37-year-old, of Manchester Road in the town, before emptying it down the drain.

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But Zara Kayani, prosecuting, described how Finnigan responded by threatening to “smash his head in”. A group of up to seven people in her company then began threatening Mr Lodge and a second man, Anthony Baird, with bricks before the latter was shoved to the floor by several women and kicked by a man, leaving him “covered in blood” as a result of injuries to his head and face.

Both subsequently had bricks hurled towards them before they managed to retreat to their van. However, their attackers prevented them from leaving, with the windscreen being smashed as a result of a further brick being thrown at the vehicle, reports the Liverpool Echo.

Then, on April 18 last year, Rachel Rose and her partner had been on a night out in Southport and were walking to a taxi rank on Lord Street when Finnigan’s boyfriend began whistling at them. When the victim’s boyfriend took exception to this, the man was said to have told him: “Go back to where you’ve come from.”

The male then added to Ms Rose that his girlfriend was “going to kill her and do her in” and began “getting in her face, goading her”. It was at this stage that the defendant ran down the road and grabbed the other woman by her hair, dragging her to the floor.

While the couple were able to escape into a taxi, both Finnigan and her partner began kicking at the vehicle, causing a dent to a rear door. Ms Rose was thereafter dragged from the car and kicked to the back of her head, causing a lump.

The complainant detailed in a statement, which was read out to the court on her behalf, that clumps of her hair were also pulled out during the assault while she further had her fingernails ripped out. She added: “This was the most distressing experience I’ve ever been through. I felt completely helpless and terrified.

“After being discharged from hospital, the children witnessed my return home in an injured and distressed state. Seeing their reaction to my injuries was deeply upsetting. Since the incident, I avoid going out and feel extremely anxious in public spaces. Situations that once felt normal now cause me fear and pain. I want the court to understand that this was a serious and violent assault.”

Finnigan has 19 previous convictions for 38 offences, including assaults on emergency services personnel and 21 related to matters of theft. Olivia Belle, defending, told the court: “Unusually, Ms Finnigan wants to remain in custody. This was a defendant living a very chaotic lifestyle, addicted to crack cocaine and heroin and heavily misusing alcohol.

“She has been diagnosed with bipolar and post-traumatic stress disorder and suffers from depression and anxiety. She has only been medicated since coming into custody. She wishes to remain in custody to get the help that she desires. I understand that she is completing a hairdressing course and a catering course in custody.

“I am instructed to ask for a custodial sentence in this case, as it is Ms Finnigan’s view or personal feeling that, if she were to be released into the community at this time, although she would receive help, her drug use is very extreme. She believes that the best place for her to remain abstinent is in custody.

“She tells me that, for the last five weeks that she has spent on remand, she has taken to staff and other inmates very well. She sees herself starting these courses so that, when she is released, she has a brighter future for herself and her daughter. She is 12 years old. Given her drug and alcohol use, she is only allowed phone contact at present. She wishes to become a better mother and become clean of class A drugs. She believes that the best place for her, at present, is in custody.”

Finnigan admitted assault occasioning actual bodily harm, assault, criminal damage, theft and failing to surrender to custody in relation to a date in October last year where she did not attend court. Appearing via video link to HMP Styal wearing a black and grey Under Armour tracksuit top and sporting long brown hair, she was jailed for 10 months.

Sentencing, Recorder Mark Ainsworth said: “You have a poor record, both with regards to dishonesty and offences of violence. I say that to place these events into context.

“You stole a bottle of wine from a shop. When you were confronted by an owner and somebody else, there was an altercation. The victim was pushed to the ground by you. Others joined in. There were kicks and punches. There were references to bricks being used. It is clear that the complainant sustained injury as a result of what happened.”

Turning to the April 2025 assault, Recorder Ainsworth added: “Rachel Rose had been out with her partner. There was a discussion with them which was taken to be banter, but it seemed to provoke some sort of altercation. It is clear that, during the course of that altercation, Ms Rose was seriously assaulted. She was grabbed by the hair, she was pulled to floor, she was kicked.

“Plainly, these are serious matters. I am told something of your background in mitigation. It is said that you have a chaotic lifestyle, which I readily accept. I am told that you have a 12-year-old daughter, who is currently living with her father. I am told, in the past, that you have had difficulties with drugs, including crack cocaine. I am also told that you have mental health difficulties.”

The judge then said of the “progress made while being held at Styal prison”: “That is a significant factor and something that is commendable. It seems that you are free from drugs, you are receiving assistance for your mental health issues and you are undertaking courses in respect of hairdressing and catering.

“In the circumstances, given the progress that you are making at Styal, I am going to accede to that request. What I am hoping is, however we have got to this point, we have reached a point where you can draw a line and, on your release, make a fresh start, hopefully in a much better position and, hopefully, having gained the skills that you have identified Styal prison. Quite what happens on your release will be a matter for you.”

Reports of widespread “dating burnout” and a cultural shift towards heteropessimism – a feeling of disappointment or despair at the state of relations between men and women – have caused panic in the media and dating apps.

Cultural debates have emerged around an alleged “rise of lonely single men” and what it means for society and future generations. Some have suggested that male singleness is a social problem partly caused by women’s supposed reluctance to “settle” in heterosexual partnerships.

For women, singlehood has largely been rebranded as a time for self-love and personal growth. The “single positivity” movement has removed much of the stigma around being a single woman (at least in one’s 20s). Women are allowed to embrace freedom and reclaim singlehood as a chosen identity.

My research on singlehood in Manchester found that single men had equally chosen to be single and were happily so. But they did not feel they could embrace this positivity. Instead, they remain polarised by harmful masculine ideals that misrepresent single men as either carefree bachelors or socially dysfunctional incels (involuntary celibates).

I interviewed ten men, aged 21-55, about their experiences of being single. Lamenting the lack of nuanced or positive portrayals, Simon, in his 40s, commented that single men are typically seen to be “having sex with half the town, or one rejection away from blowing up a school”.

From the playboy trope, characterised by Barney Stinson in How I Met Your Mother, to Theodore in the 2013 film Her, a divorcee who turns to AI for companionship, single men are represented in superficial terms. This can leave men feeling as though they must prove they are neither bachelor nor incel.

Bachelors and incels

Research on men and masculinity has long shown that young men are assumed to experience a period of sexual freedom before eventually “settling down”. Masculine ideals presume men commit to a monogamous relationship only once they have “sown their wild oats”.

On this basis, we might assume that young single men rarely face judgement for being single, and are instead celebrated for pursuing a liberated and carefree lifestyle.

However, in my research, men in their 20s spoke of the challenges they faced being single. Their singlehood was often assumed to be a result of “commitment-phobia” and a reluctance to settle down, rather than their lack of desire for an intimate relationship. In comparison, single women in their 20s did not face the same assumptions, with their singlehood rather understood as “a time to put themselves first” and enjoy freedom from being “tied down”.

Distancing himself from stereotypical representations of single men as “bachelors”, Harvey, in his mid-20s, explained:

You feel like you have to justify being single at times, and it’s because you have to differentiate that you’re not one of those stereotypes, you’re not one of “those guys” who mess girls around.

Several participants noted that masculinity and sexuality felt inescapably linked. Being in a sexual couple was understood as a key marker of masculinity. As a result, some young men worried that, if they were not visibly pursuing a relationship and not regarded as a “bachelor”, they would instead be questioned about their sexuality or desirability.

Stuart, in his early 50s, described how these pressures shaped his experiences in his 30s. He was content being single as it afforded him time to focus on his career and the ability to prioritise his friendships and hobbies. But Stuart’s friends questioned his sexuality and suggested he must be gay or asexual. This experience compelled him to participate in speed dating, not out of personal desire, but to demonstrate that he was “normal”.

Others preferred to remain single as a time to “find themselves” after experiencing difficult relationships, to accommodate caring responsibilities, or simply because they enjoyed their solitude. However, their reasoning was rarely accepted by peers, who failed to accept that their singlehood was by choice.

Pressures on women to couple up are often linked to the biological clock. But accounts in my research suggest that men, too, face age-related expectations.

The expectation for men to settle down in their 30s appears less tied to biology, and more to cultural norms that view coupledom and family life as markers of successful, responsible adulthood. According to my participants, settling down with a partner is seen as conducive to “growing up”.

À lire aussi :
Why being single might feel empowering as a woman in your 20s, but not your 30s

Sexuality and masculinity

While men were expected to display sexual interest, being perceived as too sexually active beyond a certain age was also stigmatised. Evan described how he enjoyed the experimentation of singlehood in his early 20s, but by his late 20s felt that remaining single was no longer acceptable. He felt he was increasingly viewed by peers as “sad” or “desperate”, revealing the narrow norms governing masculinity.

When mainstream culture offers few credible or positive narratives about single men’s lives, the search for recognition and belonging can be redirected elsewhere – sometimes with harmful consequences.

Simon, 41, described joining the online group “Men Going Their Own Way” (MGTOW) in search of community with other men who were single by choice. He quickly became concerned by the group’s misogynistic orientation and its links to the broader manosphere, where MGTOW can act as a gateway to incel communities. However, while Simon recognised the risks and disengaged, he worried that younger men seeking belonging might not.

It’s time we challenged reductive stereotype of singlehood and asked: why is being single treated as a social problem? We must create space for nuanced portrayals of single men beyond the bachelor or incel.

Officers from Cleveland Police attended Lime Crescent in Hartlepool at around 4.35pm, to make an arrest attempt.

The police force confirmed that two 17-year-olds and a 16-year-old were all arrested on suspicion of affray and possession of a firearm.

The 16-year-old was also arrested on suspicion of aggravated burglary in relation to a separate incident.

A Cleveland Police spokesperson said: “A police presence will remain at the scene whilst our investigations continue, but officers are not looking for anyone else.

Unemployment in the UK has increased to its highest rate in five years, according to official figures.

The unemployment rate rose to 5.2% in the three months to December, up from 5.1% in the three months to November, the Office for National Statistics said on Tuesday.

The figure is the highest seen since January 2021, when the country was in a national lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

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The family had visited inland surf destination, The Wave, in Bristol., which Alex recommended for those learning or wanting to surf.

The One Show’s Alex Jones has recommended an outdoor family activity spot ahead of the half term. The presenter shares three children with her husband Charlie Thomson, and often shares their elaborate and active holidays on her social media platforms.

The family have been staying at Villa Farm in Aust, just across the old Severn Bridge. During their stay they’ve been looking after goats, and bathing in a wilderness tub, but Alex also shared on Instagram that her sons and husband were trying out a new hobby.

The family had visited the inland surf destination, The Wave, in Bristol., which Alex recommended for those learning or wanting to surf. For the latest TV and showbiz gossip sign up to our newsletter

She shared: “We’ve come here to The Wave today. Now, this is a man-made kind of beach with guaranteed waves so you can learn to surf, or if you surf already you can.

“I think get some membership here. There’s a cafe, there’s a playground.

“The boys are on dry land at the minute having a lesson. So, yeah let’s see how it goes when they get in the water. Annie and I are going to find a hot chocolate.”

The mother of three showed updates throughout the day of her husband and sons attempting to surf at the Bristol attraction.

After initially mastering their skills on dry land, the three of them headed into the water with the instructor. Alex posted another photo where one of her sons was surfing, she captioned it “we have success!”

Later on she added: “Also, a brilliant place for scooters and balance bikes. There’s an actual skate park too..

“A great time had by all an delicious lunch too. We’ll be back in the summer.”

So, if you’re looking for somewhere to take the kids this half term, The Wave in Bristol is Alex Jones-approved.

It’s just under an hour away from Cardiff, located at Washingpool Farm, which is situated on the northern outskirts of the city of Bristol.

Its website says: “The Wave Bristol is a slice of the ocean inland. Where people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities can experience the joy of waves and their many physical and mental health benefits.

“It’s about getting back to nature, improving health and wellbeing, connecting with other people, enjoying wonderful food and drink, immersing yourself in an incredible day out and having a load of fun in the process!”

It offers a surfing session, surfing lessons, as well as summer bundles, however its opening times vary so it’s best to check the website before heading down. From Thursday, April 2, it will be open seven days a week, but until that point it’s open weekly from Thursday to Sunday.

It even holds events, and this Saturday, February 21 it will be hosting a GB Surfing Expression Session from 6pm until 7pm. Here you can watch the UK’s top pros unleash high performance manoeuvres for free. It will also have Red Bull DJs and a lakeside MC.

You can find more information about The Wave here.

The pub has become world-famous after featuring on the hit Amazon Prime series Clarkson’s Farm.

But the popular pub is now facing a legal battle after being sued by Elizabeth Palmby, 68, following a fall in the Farmer’s Dog car park.

Farmer’s Dog visitor seriously injured after fall at Jeremy Clarkson’s pub

Elizabeth broke her ribs and had to have surgery after tripping and slicing open her hand on “razor sharp” temporary metal covers in the pub’s car park.

Surgeons later had to operate to remove metal fragments (from the carpark) that were left inside her hand.

She has been left with a “horrible” jagged scar as a permanent reminder of when what was supposed to be a “fun” trip to the pub turned into a nightmare.

Elizabeth Palmby broke her ribs and had to have surgery after tripping and slicing open her hand in the Farmer’s Dog car park (Image: Simon Lennon / SWNS)

Elizabeth, from Scunthorpe, said: “It was supposed to be a great fun trip – I really wanted to visit as I enjoyed watching his Amazon show. But it was memorable for all the wrong reasons.

“I bought my most expensive boxes of eggs from the farm shop, but then I fell on them and was left with diddly squat and was badly injured.

“I know Jeremy is a perfectionist and the pub itself was perfect, and the staff were great, but the carpark was a total disaster.

“It is very dangerous and an accident waiting to happen. I am probably scarred for life.

“Luckily, I keep myself fit and healthy and I think that helped me but anyone frail could have been more seriously injured.

“At the minute that carpark is a danger to visitors and needs fixing urgently.”

NHS worker Elizabeth and her husband Darren had made the three-and-a-half-hour journey down from their home in November last year, first visiting the Diddly Squat Farm, then the following day the Farmer’s Dog pub.

Driving rain the previous night had turned the field car park of the pub into a virtual mud bath with large metal sheets/panels covering hidden puddles.

Elizabeth had a soft drink in the pub and visited the on-site Diddly Squat farm shop to buy two boxes of six eggs as a gift, and was carrying them back to the car when she fell.

She added: “It happened in slow motion – I caught my foot on one of the upturned sheets and my feet went from under me.

“I instinctively threw my hand out to save myself and badly banged my knee. I fell flat, landing on the bag carrying the eggs, smashing them all.

“It was really scary as then I was struggling to breathe and was in incredible pain. I knew I had done some damage then and had to go to hospital.”

The fall is being blamed on the metal covers (pictured) in the Farmer’s Dog car park. (Image: Simon Lennon / SWNS)

After reporting the accident to staff in the carpark her husband, a former ambulance worker, rushed her to Witney Community Hospital, where they X-rayed her hand and knee.

It was only then that she saw the full extent of the damage to her hand after it had been cleaned of mud.

Grandmother Elizabeth added: “The first I knew my hand was injured was on the way to the hospital when I touched the door handle and I saw blood, but it was still covered in mud.

“So, I didn’t know how bad it was. But when they cleaned it up, I saw a gaping open and jagged ugly wound. It was horrible and very painful.

“The carpark covers must have been razor sharp to do that sort of damage. The nurse could only put steri strips on where the cut was because she said normal stitches would reopen.”

Elizabeth has been left “scarred for life” following the fall. (Image: Simon Lennon / SWNS)

After being discharged and bandaged, she returned to the pub to fill in the accident book, and after a complimentary meal and new eggs, she returned home.

But after a consultant from the Witney Hospital reviewed her X-rays, he rang, suggesting she go to her local Scunthorpe General Hospital to have metal fragments removed from her hand.

The part-time NHS administrator had shortness of breath, so also had a chest X-ray, which revealed broken ribs.

She was then referred to the nearby Castle Hill Hospital in Cottingham to see a plastic surgeon for hand surgery.

Doctors there spent hours “reconstructing” the wound and removing metal carpark cover pieces, eventually using ten stitches to close the jagged, deep gash.

“I knew something had to be done” – Jeremy Clarkson sued following fall at Farmer’s Dog pub

Elizabeth later returned to the pub with her husband to see if things had improved after her accident and was shocked to see nothing had changed.

She added: “I stayed in the car as my hand was still bandaged and I was embarrassed about what happened.

“But I had to see if it had been made safe, but it was exactly the same.

“Nothing had changed. I at least expected to see a sign saying ‘caution, uneven surface.’ But there wasn’t.

“There appeared to be little or no maintenance of the sheets, they weren’t screwed in or fixed in place. It was very shoddy.

“It was as if nothing had happened to me and business as usual.

“When I saw someone else nearly fall, I knew I had to do something as i couldn’t forgive myself if an elderly person or child was seriously injured and I could have stopped it.”

Elizabeth later wrote to/emailed Clarkson and the Farmer’s Dog pub, highlighting the dangers of the carpark. But she got no reply.

Despite feeling a bit “intimidated” by the former Top Gear and The Grand Tour presenter’s “celebrity persona”, she contacted accident specialists Express Solicitors and started a legal compensation claim.

Accident specialist Jack Klein of Express Solicitors said: “Elizabeth suffered a horrific injury on what should have been a fun day out.

“Celebrities are not above the law, they need to make sure their premises are safe and fit for purpose to protect people visiting their premises inside and out.”

The Farmer’s Dog has been contacted for comment.

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Planning permission for new Farmer’s Dog car park approved

Planning permission to install a permanent hard surface to the Car Park has since been approved by West Oxfordshire District Council last month but work cannot begin until a “detailed” surface water drainage scheme has been submitted and approved in the next few months.

But until then customers still face the temporary metal coverings, which Elizabeth says pose an ongoing hazard.

She added: “It needs fixing now, not later, as more people could be seriously injured in the meantime.”

The county’s police force said Boots in Market Place, Knaresborough was burgled between 2.30am and 3am on Sunday, February 15.

A force spokesperson said perfume and electrical goods were stolen and the store was damaged.

The North Yorkshire Police spokesperson said: “We’re appealing for information about anyone who may have been in and around the Market Place at this time or any local businesses who may have CCTV footage covering Boots.

“Please email beth.long@northyorkshire.police.uk if you have any information that could help our investigation.

“Alternatively, you can call North Yorkshire Police on 101 and ask for Beth Long or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or via their website.

“Please quote reference 12260028781 when passing on information.”

Robert Dorgan, 56, who also goes by the name Roberta Esposito, is thought to have opened fire during the tragic incident

The first images of a suspect believed to have opened fire at a high school ice hockey match, resulting in two death and leaving three others critically wounded, have been released.

Authorities have named the gunman as 56 year old Robert Dorgan, who carried out the attack during a game in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, USA on the afternoon of Monday, February 16, reports the Mirror..

Pawtucket’s Police Chief, Tina Goncalves, revealed that Dorgan also goes by the name Roberta Esposito.

At the time of the incident, the venue was hosting games for several local schools. A livestream of one match captured the terrifying moment when spectators and players hit the deck and sought cover as shots echoed through the arena.

“We have identified the person, the suspect, by a birth name, the birth name was Robert Dorgan,” Goncalves confirmed.

“We have also learned that the person does go by the name of Roberta, also uses a last name of Esposito.”

Footage circulating online shows players scrambling out of the penalty box, discarding their skates, vaulting over the rink’s barrier and sprinting towards the changing rooms.

Among the victims is a young girl, with investigators suggesting earlier that the shooting was targeted and “that may be a family dispute.”

Claims have surfaced that Dorgan’s wife and three children were among those shot. It is understood that Dorgan died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Reports indicate that Dorgan was the father of a senior student at North Providence High School.

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Today, the government is considering accelerating planned increases to defence spending.

The news comes after the PM dropped some heavy hints that he was ready to spend more on defence during his speech at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday.

Katya Adler and James Landale drop by to explain how America is trying to rewrite the global order… and get Europe to sign on and Joe Pike explains why spending more on defence is never politically straightforward.

Plus, Joe and Adam discuss the government’s decision to scrap it’s plans to postpone elections for 30 councils after recieving “legal advice”. They also review the government’s latest proposals to crack down on online safety for children and Starmer’s response to claims that a Labour Think Tank paid a private investigator to look into journalists.

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Brentford edged into the last-eight of the FA Cup after a 1-0 win over Macclesfield

Keith Andrews showed his class as he heaped praise on Macclesfield after the Premier League progressed in the FA Cup with a 1-0 win.

The Bees booked their place in next month’s quarter-final away to top-flight rivals West Ham United after Silkmen defender Sam Heathcote turned the ball home into his own net in the dying embers. Macclesfield were resilient and dogged, ensuring that the team 116 places higher than them in the football pyramid didn’t have an easy ride at Moss Rose.

Luke Duffy and Paul Dawson had efforts that caused Hákon Valdimarsson some concern. The problems that Macclesfield caused the higher-league opposition made for an uncomfortable night for Andrews.

READ MORE: Macclesfield hand Brentford major scare as non-league side’s magical FA Cup run endsREAD MORE: Diego Simeone’s Old Trafford incident, Roy Keane rejection and warning to Man United stars

The Irishman said: “A tricky game for us, for obvious reasons. A lot of respect for the way they play, the spirit they have I think it was very impressive, seeing a lot of their performances over the last few days.

“It’s a testament to John, testament to the coaching staff and the spirit and the character of the football club.

“It was never going to be easy, I didn’t think we made it easy for ourselves in the first half, in the second half, I thought we did it very well, controlled large parts of it and eventually got the goal.”

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Monday’s showdown was the first meeting between the two since 2009, when Macclesfield ran out 2-0 winners during their respective League Two campaigns.

Some eleven years later, in September 2020, the town was ripped of its football club when the High Court wound up the Silkmen before being reborn shortly after, thanks to owner Rob Smethurst.

Six months or so later, Brentford secured promotion to the Premier League for the first time and returned to the top-flight for the first time since 1947.

He added: “A lot of respect for what they’ve achieved and the journey that they’ve been on. It’s only been 17 years since this was a league fixture. I love the English football pyramid, I love what it stands for and the structure of it.

“There’s always journeys that clubs are on and this club are on a really good journey and I like stories like that, it actually fills my heart so I thought they were immense tonight. I thought that they were absolutely immense right to the end.

“They gave us a proper, proper cup tie that most people would have really enjoyed. I can’t say I did. But again, a lot of respect for what they are and what they stand for.”

Despite the disappointment, Macclesfield have landed an eye-watering financial return, period-defining for most clubs, as they continue to strive for a fourth promotion since Rob Smethurst took over the club.

As a result of their FA Cup heroics, which began in August when they overcame Atherton Laburnum Rovers in the Second Qualifying Round, the Silkmen have a backlog of fixtures to catch up on in their quest to secure a playoff place.

Rooney’s side currently sit in the top seven with a one-point cushion over the chasing pack but as many as five games in hand on some of their rivals.

They continue that quest on Saturday when King’s Lynn Town visit Moss Rose.