You may already have this item in your kitchen cupboard

Spider season is officially upon us as homes are invaded by eight-legged friends throughout the autumn-winter months. To help keep spiders at bay this spider season, Emily Green, home maintenance expert at Howarth Timber, has shared four simple solutions to make your home less inviting for the creepy crawlies including one item you may find already in your kitchen cupboard.

Households have been warned that large male spiders will descend on UK homes in search of mates as the temperature drops and the rain begins.

There are plenty of reasons your home may be overrun with spiders as September is the most common time of year for these house guests. But for many they are certainly unwanted.

Spiders like to settle in quiet areas where they won’t be disturbed, so are often found in window frames, on ceilings or in dark corners.

Here are four ways expert Emily Green recommends to prevent spiders from entering your home. Love dreamy Welsh homes? Sign up to our newsletter here

Wipe window frames and corners with diluted lemon juice

Citrus is a highly effective spider repellent, so consider wiping window frames and corners with diluted lemon juice, paying particular attention to potential entry points, as this will discourage spiders from venturing inside your home.

Create a chalk barrier around entry points

Another straightforward approach is to draw a thick, unbroken chalk barrier around areas where spiders might gain access. Spiders are reluctant to cross powdery, alkaline surfaces, meaning chalk can be applied around likely entry points such as windows and doors.

Vacuum corners and hidden spaces regularly

Regular hoovering is one of the most effective ways to stay on top of spiders throughout your home. Running the vacuum over corners, behind furniture and along ceilings helps eliminate webs and egg sacs before they have the chance to develop further.

Seal gaps around your home

Spiders possess small, flexible bodies that allow them to squeeze through the tiniest of gaps, so it is worth sealing any small openings around windows, doors and vents to block their route indoors. This will also prevent other insects, such as flies and ants, that spiders pursue inside for food, from entering.

Silicon caulk can be applied around window frames and doors, while rubber or silicon weatherstripping can be fitted beneath doors to close off any remaining gaps.

Around 3,700 visitors were evacuated from the British Museum in London on 18 September after a fire alarm was triggered by an overheating light, leaving many Bayeux Tapestry ticketholders disappointed after waiting hours in lengthy queues.

Thousands of visitors queuing to view the Bayeux Tapestry at the British Museum in London were left disheartened after the major attraction was evacuated.

The London Fire Brigade reported that a suspected fire prompted the evacuation following reports of smoke at approximately 7.27pm this evening (September 18).

The smoke originated from one of the galleries, not thought to contain the Bayeux Tapestry, but triggered fire alarms and led to the site being cleared, reports the Daily Star.

Fire Brigade officials believe the smoke came from an “overheating light” as roughly 3,700 people were required to exit the premises. The all-clear was issued an hour afterwards once fire crews had examined the building.

A London Fire Brigade spokesman stated: “Crews carried out a systematic search of the building to identify the source of the smoke, which is believed to have been caused by an overheating light.

“Around 3,700 people evacuated the building before firefighters arrived.

“The incident was over for firefighters at 19.27pm, when responsibility for the site was handed back to the building’s management team.”

Numerous visitors had allegedly queued for two hours to gain entry to the British Museum today, with the Bayeux Tapestry drawing larger crowds than normal.

Many turned to social media to express their frustration at the unfortunate episode. One visitor wrote: “Hope everyone’s ok @britishmuseum after the evacuation for a fire alarm. Disappointing for those of who spent an hour and forty minutes after our ticketed time queuing to see the Bayeux Tapestry to get to reach it, and then were told to leave”.

A second frustrated visitor added: “1.5hrs in a queue and now just evacuated from Bayeux Tapestry and British Museum. Soo upset! !”.

While a third recalled: “I was at the British Museum when they started shouting “Emergency!” and “Fire!” and hustled us all outside…! !”

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She is known for her roles in numerous TV shows and films and will now be taking to the ballroom for the latest series of the BBC show.

Here is everything to know about the actress as she prepares to step onto the dance floor.

Who is Jaime Winstone?

Winstone is the daughter of actor Ray Winstone and his wife, Elaine McCausland.

She attended Burnt Mill School in Harlow before studying for a BTEC National Diploma in Performing Arts at the performing arts department of Harlow College.

Winstone began her acting career in 2004 with a role in the film Bullet Boy.

Her early credits include Daddy’s Girl, Donkey Punch, and TV appearances in Murder Investigation Team, Vincent, Totally Frank, Goldplated, and Dead Set.

She made her stage debut in 2009 in The Fastest Clock in the Universe at Hampstead Theatre.

Other film credits include Made in Dagenham, Anuvahood, Wild Bill, Elfie Hopkins, Powder Room, Tomb Raider, Farming, and Knuckledust.

She has also portrayed Barbara Windsor in the BBC biopic Babs, played a young Peggy Mitchell in EastEnders flashbacks, and appeared in Four Lives and Count Abdulla.

What has Jaime Winstone said about being on Strictly Come Dancing?

Winstone was the eighth celebrity announced for the 2026 series of Strictly Come Dancing.

She said: “I am so excited to announce that I will be joining the Strictly Come Dancing cast this year.

“I am no stranger to a dance floor, but the ballroom is a whole new world for me.

“I love a challenge though, so can’t wait to enter my showgirl era and get super sparkly.

“Let’s get physical – see you on the dance floor.”

Get the latest Strictly news and updates for the 2026 series in our guide

Does Jaime Winstone have dancing experience?

Although Winstone is new to ballroom dancing, she does have some dance training.

Her BTEC National Diploma in Performing Arts at Harlow College includes acting, dancing, musical theatre and production skills.

Will you be watching the new Strictly series? Let us know in the comments below.

President Donald Trump has announced an agreement with Greenland, in which the U.S. will take permanent control of the Arctic island’s security.

“I am pleased to announce that the United States of America has entered into an Agreement with The Kingdom of Denmark, and Greenland, that gives the United States permanent control over security, and all other needs, in Greenland, completely addressing ALL of our many U.S. concerns,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Friday evening.

The president has eyed Greenland since before he returned to the White House in January 2025, arguing that the U.S. needed to control the semi-autonomous Danish territory for national security purposes.

Trump said that the agreement means the U.S. “will FOREVER have the complete ability to do what is necessary in Greenland in order to secure and defend the security of Greenland, and the United States of America.”

It’s unclear what exactly is in the agreement Trump claims to have struck with Denmark and Greenland, but he did highlight one major point — U.S. adversaries such as Russia and China will need his approval to work with Greenland militarily and economically.

“From now on, no U.S. adversary can EVER have a base in Greenland, have a military presence in Greenland, or make sensitive investments in Greenland, without our express written approval,” Trump said.

The president had warned Russia and China would take Greenland if he didn’t step in.

“It’s so strategic. Right now, Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place,” Trump claimed during a press gaggle aboard Air Force One in January. “We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security — and Denmark is not going to be able to do it.”

Trump boasted about his role in the new agreement with Greenland that he said would be “cherished by the American People.”

“For over 100 years, Presidents have known the strategic importance of Greenland, but NONE of them were able to do anything about it. I am proud to be the President that permanently and conclusively addressed this very important situation,” he wrote on Truth Social.

“We will immediately begin the process of developing a large Military presence in the appropriate part of Greenland, of which there are many. We will work with the people of Greenland in its development and construction,” he added.

Since Trump began pushing to acquire Greenland, he has been met with opposition, not just from the people of the Arctic island and Denmark, but also from America’s European allies.

“Greenland belongs to its people. It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland,” a joint statement from seven European leaders read.

In the January 6 statement, leaders from France, Germany, the United Kingdom and other U.S. allies said, “We and many other Allies have increased our presence, activities and investments, to keep the Arctic safe and to deter adversaries.”

They said that since Denmark is a part of NATO, “security in the Arctic must therefore be achieved collectively…by upholding the principles of the UN Charter, including sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders.”

Days later, Trump threatened to impose a 10 percent tariff on imports from European allies, several of which were part of the earlier joint statement, “until such time as a Deal is reached for the Complete and Total purchase of Greenland.”

Trump quickly backed down from his tariff threats, claiming to have “formed the framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland” with NATO chief Mark Rutte.

Even with the new agreement between government officials, it is doubtful that Trump will sway those in Greenland opposed to American intervention.

The day Trump threatened tariffs against European nations if he did not strike a deal to acquire Greenland, protesters in Nuuk held Greenlandic flags and a banner that read “Make America Go Away” and “We Are Not Property!”

“I think he should mind his own business,” Greenlander Lars Vintner, a heating engineer, told the Associated Press in January.

“What’s he going to do with Greenland? He speaks of Russians and Chinese and everything in Greenlandic waters or in our country,” he said. “Every summer we go sailing and we go hunting and I never saw Russian or Chinese ships here in Greenland.”

A majority of Americans are also not sold on the idea of gaining control of Greenland.

Fifty-eight percent of Americans oppose a U.S. takeover of the Arctic island while 21 percent favor it and 20 percent are unsure, according to a Pew Research Center poll from January.

After a long and thorough investigation, experts believe they know what happened to the boy known only as ‘Baby Auckland’

During the summer of 2024 a builder working to renovate flats above a takeaway in Bishop Auckland lifted an upstairs floorboard to reveal a haunting secret. Sealed in the dark, untouched for decades, was a tiny, skeletal body.

The baby boy was carefully wrapped in sheets from The Umpire, a long-defunct newspaper dated June 1910, while a piece of brown twine remained knotted around his small throat.

At an inquest area coroner for County Durham and Darlington Crispin Oliver, delivered a devastating verdict: the child, aged between 38 and 40 weeks old, was “garrotted with twine” shortly after his birth, reports the Mirror.

“The conclusion that I am driven to, on the balance of probabilities, is that the twine was applied to Baby Auckland’s neck after he was born and while he was still alive,” Oliver stated, ruling the death was a homicide.

“The most likely explanation for this is that a person in a position to care for him… took the decision to end his life by means of strangulation using the twine as a garrote. As such, this was a homicide.”

“I find that Baby Auckland died in or around 1910, having been garrotted by an unknown third party shortly after the baby was born”, he concluded.

Very little is known about ‘Baby Auckland’, as he is fondly known to locals, and the exact tragic circumstances which led to his short life ending so quickly after it began may never be known.

What is known, is for decades on end at least, Baby Auckland lay undisturbed and unclaimed in an upstairs room, on Fore Bondgate, a bustling historic street with quaint pubs dating back to the Tudor era.

The building where he was placed is now a pizza takeaway, while the flat above has been completely renovated.

Recalling the moment he found the body, builder Peter Moody told the inquest he’d found the “small skeleton of a baby under the floorboards”, and the child had been “about 50 to 60 inches long.”

A statement read aloud by Mr Oliver read: “I took up the floorboards and found the skeleton with some newspapers. The newspapers were very old under the floorboards. I picked up what appeared to be a ball and thought, ‘This is a baby’. I called the council, and they recommended that I call the police.”

Fore Bondgate was a bustling hub of working-class life in 1910, teeming with pubs, shops and some homes, a historic street where, as historian Tom Hutchinson put it, “everybody knew everybody”.

Dating back to Medieval times, it is located in one of the most historically significant places in the town of Bishop Auckland, close to where, in the 14th Century, the Bishop of Auckland built a bridge across the River Weir to reach his hunting estates.

Back then, Bishop Auckland was a wealthy place for the working classes to live, where streets such as Fore Bondgate would have been “well paved and lighted by gas by a company, supplied with water from works”.

At the weekends, the pubs would have been filled with off-shift miners. Many of those living nearby would have been employed in the then-booming coal and iron industries, a number of which had closed down by the depression era of the 1930s. tthen, the sense of community had stuck.

Number 27 operated as a ground-floor shop with a popular cafe, which Tom believes would have been situated on the first floor, catering to working-class people stopping by for a refreshment.

According to the 1911 census, three people lived in the spacious eight-room dwelling upstairs: 53-year-old café owner Elizabeth Adamson, listed as married and head of the household, presumably by that point widowed or with a husband working elsewhere.

She lived with her son, 14-year-old apprentice Earnest Adamson, and a 22-year-old domestic servant named Mary Walker.

Mary, who hailed from around four miles north of Bishop Auckland, had been a single woman at that time, and it was her name that stood out to Tom as he considered the sad death of Baby Auckland.

As the eldest of 14 children from a coal miner’s family, Mary had grown up in a four-bedroom home, where she would have faced the precarious realities of needing an income to survive.

As noted by Tom, when coal miners living in the late 19th and 20th centuries lost their jobs, they also lost their homes, given that these were often owned by the colliery companies. Similarly, unless one of his sons worked at the same pit, even if a miner sadly died, his widow and children could well be thrown out of their own homes.

This made mining life a “very precarious existence”, with pressure put on older children in case disaster struck. As Tom put it: “Get a job – keep it if at all possible. No reason to think that females wouldn’t have the same mindset. That mindset didn’t really start changing until the later part of the 20th century.”

For young women living outside of the family home, there were additional challenges to face, particularly among those potentially left to face pregnancies alone without support. Tom reflected: “Presumably, it would be very shameful, putting it mildly. There aren’t any statistics, so you don’t really know whether other occasions, similar to this, did occur at times.”

Census records showed Mary remained at Number 27 for decades, working as a servant and cook through multiple changes of management until after World War Two. She never married, spent her entire life in Bishop Auckland, and passed away in 1975 at the age of 87.

“You could argue that if Mary Jane was the mother, that she hid them, and maybe, for whatever reasons, she stayed there to make sure it wasn’t discovered,” said Tom.

While Mary didn’t have any known children, the Walker family was a large one, and Tom believes it is likely that she may well have nephews and nieces still living in the area.

He pondered: “Bearing in mind that she lived to 1975, it could well be that there are a few siblings around in the Bishop Auckland area who knew her before she died. If she knew anything about it, she could have mentioned this in passing; their suspicions might have been aroused.”

Though two women claiming to be related to a servant at the address came forward during the investigation, DNA testing didn’t provide a match with the long-dead baby.

With the inquest determining that death took place in 1910, the sheer size of the property explains how it might not have been too difficult to conceal a secret right beneath the feet of those living there.

“You can assume if the premises had eight rooms that there would be rooms that weren’t even used,” Tom said. “The top floor may have been a storeroom, and also possibly where Mary Jane Walker had her room. It would be comparatively easy to hide something.”

Whether the infant belonged to Mary or another resident, the truth remains buried with the past.

But Durham Constabulary ensured the child was not left forgotten, with officers treating Baby Auckland with the respect you would expect for any child of our modern era, giving him the funeral he had been denied.

Speaking at the service in April, Celebrant Gemma Dobson said: “Though we do not know the details of their days, we stand here knowing something simple— this child was here, and this child is worthy of love, dignity, and rest.

“Today, Baby Auckland is not alone. As we gather here to say farewell today, we recognise that Baby Auckland will be part of this place— this quiet, beautiful place— for all time.”

Speaking after the verdict, Detective Chief Inspector Mel Sutherland of Durham Police, who led the investigation, stated: “There were no modern checks available, such as CCTV. We had to think laterally and explore all available techniques, such as forensic evidence and carbon dating.

“Baby Auckland was killed shortly after he was born. He never got the chance to experience anything in life. But there was a heart-warming end to his life at the funeral and the compassion he received.”

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World number one Luke Littler survived a first-round scare in the World Series of Darts Finals before recovering from 3-1 down to beat Dutchman Danny Nopport 6-4.

Faced with a partisan crowd in Amsterdam, the 19-year-old reigning world champion lost three legs in succession but the turning point came after his opponent made a mess of a 44 checkout, allowing the Englishman to level things up at 3-3.

Littler let out a huge roar and put his hands to his ears as he was booed and repeated that reaction when, with the score at 4-4, he produced a 95 checkout to edge ahead again to put him within sight of victory.

He now faces compatriot Nathan Aspinall, a 6-4 winner against Raymond Smith, while former World Series Final winner Gerwyn Price, who almost blew a 5-0 lead before eventually winning 6-4 against Brody Klinge, will take on Jim Long after his a last-leg victory over Adam Leek.

Motomu Sakai beat Callan Rydz by the same score as did James Wade against Damon Heta.

Denmark has handed over permanent control of Greenland’s security to the United States, President Donald Trump has claimed.

The president has made taking control over the territory a cornerstone of his second term in office, and in a Truth Social post on Friday, Trump claimed his efforts were successful.

He said the US has entered into an agreement with Denmark to give the US ‘permanent control over security, and all other needs, in Greenland, completely addressing ALL of our many US concerns.’

‘At my direction, we worked with representatives of Denmark and Greenland to guarantee that the United States will FOREVER have the complete ability to do what is necessary in Greenland in order to secure and defend the security of Greenland and the United States of America,’ Trump wrote, calling it an ‘infinite life’ agreement.

‘Additionally, from now on, no US adversary can EVER have a base in Greenland, have a military presence in Greenland, or make sensitive investments in Greenland, without our express written approval,’ he claimed.

The US will now ‘immediately begin the process of developing a large Military presence in the appropriate part of Greenland, of which there are many’ and will work with the people of Greenland in its development and construction. 

It will not cost the US anything, Trump insisted, as a senior official told Fox News the deal would even remain in effect if Greenland were to ever become an independent country.

‘This solution is a great one for the United States of America, Denmark, Greenland, and all of our Allies,’ he wrote.

Vice President JD Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance tour a US military base in Greenland in March last year. Their tour came amid the President’s push to acquire the island

Trump has framed his push to acquire the island as a national security imperative

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‘We look forward to working with the wonderful people of Denmark and Greenland toward a magnificent future with respect to this large, and highly strategic, parcel of land,’ the president continued. ‘We will be very protective of it!’

‘This is a dream come true for the United States of America, one that is very important, historic, and special,’ he concluded. 

Under the deal, Denmark and Greenland would no longer have to approve any new US military installations on the island, according to Fox News.

But the deal only allows the US and its allies to make ‘sensitive investments’ on the territory, including telecommunications infrastructure, undersea capabilities, ports and critical minerals.

The deal also falls short of ceding control of the territory to the US.

It comes just months after Trump threatened that US forces could be used to take control of the island, which the president has expressed interest in for years. 

The announcement comes after months of closed-door negotiations between US, Danish and Greenland officials that focused on allowing American troops to stay on the island indefinitely, cooperation on extracting the island’s rich natural resources like rare earths and oil and the possible re-opening of a Second World War-era US military base on the southern coast.

Trump has framed his push to acquire the island as a national security imperative, citing Greenland’s strategic position in the Arctic and China’s and Russia’s ambitions to expand their presence in the region.

Northern Command boss General Gregory M Guillot has noted how Greenland could host part of an array of radar stations in the Arctic that includes outposts in Alaska and Canada. 

He has also said that the US seeks a deepwater port and a base for US special forces on the island.

Trump first floated the idea of bringing Greenland into the US sphere of influence during his first term in 2019. 

Since returning to the office, he has repeatedly doubled down on that. 

Yet  

Secretary of State Marco Rubio commended the president for reaching the agreement.

‘This historic deal is a huge win for the United States and the American people,’ he said in a statement to Fox News. 

‘Thanks to President Trump’s vision and leadership, this historic agreement permanently guarantees US security interests in the Arctic at zero cost to the US taxpayer,’ Rubio noted. ‘Greenland will forever be part of the strategic defense area of North America and exclude any adversaries from it and the surrounding area.’

‘This deal permanently and completely addresses our national security concerns in Greenland,’ he added. 

This is a breaking news story and will be updated. 

In a speech to the European Parliament, Canadian prime minister Mark Carney declared that “Europe and Canada are stronger together”. He also backed an offer made by the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, one day earlier for Canada to become the first “associate member” of the bloc.

“Canada welcomes this ambition,” he said. “An alliance for the future is a unique, positive approach that we will define together.” But what might associate membership look like, how significant is von der Leyen’s offer in the history of the EU’s relations with external states, and how likely is it to come into being?

Canada already has a preferential trade deal with the EU in the form of the 2016 Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (Ceta). This type of free-trade agreement is typical of the sort of legal instrument used by the EU to manage relations with its main international partners.

But one way in which the EU could upgrade Ottawa’s relations with Brussels would be to look to the template of the “association agreements” the EU uses to bring neighbouring countries into closer alignment with its policies and programmes.

These association agreements have been a stepping stone to full EU membership for countries like Greece and Portugal. Current candidates for EU accession, including Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova, also all have association agreements with the EU that facilitate the process by which they meet the rules and standards required for EU membership.

Other countries like Norway and Iceland have rejected full EU membership. But their association agreement with the EU – the European Economic Area (EEA) agreement – nonetheless grants them access to the European single market in return for alignment with EU regulations.

Ottawa is not about to engage in a process of regulatory alignment with the EU as if it were preparing for membership. EU law is clear that only “European” states can join the bloc. Currently, Canada’s trade with the US also vastly outstrips its trade with the EU.

Weakening its position relative to its primary market would have much the same effect for Canada as Brexit had for the UK, albeit by aligning with the EU rather than seeking autonomy from it. Nonetheless, Brexit may be instructive here.

Driven by the Boris Johnson administration’s desire for a trade deal with the EU modelled on Ceta, the 2021 EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) is substantively a preferential trade deal cloaked in the legal form of an association agreement.

For the EU, this allows its future relationship with the UK to evolve over time. Enclosing Ceta within the legal wrapper of an association agreement could likewise allow Canada and the EU to strengthen their areas of non-trade cooperation without EU membership and regulatory alignment.

First associate member

The really surprising aspect of von der Leyen’s offer is the idea that Canada would be the EU’s “first” associate member, implying a new legal category. This would be unusual for a highly legalistic bureaucracy that has long preferred the routine application of familiar legal formats.

That said, the proposal is not entirely new. The idea of associate membership gained some traction in the early 2000s around a proposed replacement of the EU’s founding treaties with a single treaty, creating a “Constitution for Europe”.

As this constitution was being drafted, a proposal emerged to create an associate membership status for states that wanted to keep a close relationship with the EU but without accepting the obligations of full EU membership. The proposal did not get off the ground, and the constitution failed when put to referendums in France and the Netherlands in 2005.

Carving out a new legal status of associate membership would entail treaty change, and that comes with significant hurdles. Unanimity among existing EU member states is needed for an amendment to pass.

The range of potential domestic veto players is also extensive. As Canada has discovered, ratification of Ceta is not yet complete in ten EU countries, even a decade on from its signature.

Aside from the legal hurdles, there may also be political pushback against giving Canada associated EU status. Countries currently in accession talks may fear that their drive towards full membership will instead be parked in associate status.

With Russia continuing to oppose Ukraine’s EU membership, for example, granting Ukraine associate membership could be a neat diplomatic solution. But it is one that could disappoint those for whom EU membership is the real prize.

For states like Norway, Iceland and the UK that do not have EU membership in their sights, an associate status could facilitate closer European cooperation without stirring up popular resistance to full European integration.

But for Iceland and Norway, such an arrangement would disturb their existing EEA framework with the EU. The UK’s TCA, on the other hand, allows future cooperation with the EU to be absorbed within its framework. Joining Canada in an outer circle of associate states would need to have demonstrable benefits.

Other international forums – the G7, Nato and the recently formed European Political Community – create opportunities for Canada and the EU to strengthen their alliance but outside of the framework of EU institutions and treaties.

Creating a category of associate membership might seem like a solution in search of a problem.

Daniel Gravell denies indecent assault and three counts of rape

A teenager allegedly raped outside a rugby club desperately tried to get by tapping on a window and then mouthing the word “help”, a court has heard.

The woman is one of three females who accuse former teacher and hotel manager Daniel Gravell of raping them in separate incidents over a 20-year period – accusations the 44-year-old denies.

Gravell is alleged to have raped and indecently assaulted a woman at his home in Carmarthenshire in 2001, to have raped a different woman in a “secluded spot” behind the Carmarthen Athletic rugby clubhouse in 2005, and to have raped a third woman in the Baltic Hotel in Pontyates in 2021.

The defendant, of Porth-y-Plas, Johnstown, Carmarthen, denies all the allegations saying the 2001 incident “simply never happened” and that the 2005 and 2021 incidents were consensual.

On Friday the alleged victim in the 2005 incident appeared in the witness box to give evidence. The jury also watched a recorded police interview with the alleged victim in the 2011 incident. You can read our coverage of the day’s proceedings – which started with a juror being discharged – here.

Here are the key moments from day four of the trial:

• The alleged victim in the 2005 in incident told the jury that Gravell approached her outside the Rose and Crown pub in Carmarthen town centre claiming to know her father. She said he then took her by the arm and pulled her down an alley to a spot near the Carmarthen Athletic RFC clubhouse where he raped her

• The woman said as she was being taken past a window, Gravell pushed her head down so she wouldn’t be seen. She said tried to tap on the window it to get help, saying she knew the window was her “last chance”

• The complainant also said that while Gravell was attacking her a woman walked past and she tried to raise the alarm by mouthing the word “help”. She said she didn’t say the word out loud as she didn’t want Gravell to know what she was doing

• Defence barrister Julia Flangan pointed out that the woman had not mentioned anything about tapping on the window or trying to get help from a passer-by in her original police statement. The barrister accused the witness of “embellishing” her account

• The defence barrister put it to the witness that she had voluntarily gone to the Athletic clubhouse with Gravell and engaged in consensual activity with him there – the witness denied that saying: “I would never choose to do that in a public place”

• The jury also saw the videoed interview with the woman in the 2021 allegation. In her interview the woman described how Gravell was a “random” person on Facebook who started messaging her, and she said they agreed to meet for coffee but he instead drove her to the Baltic Hotel which he claimed to own

• The woman said Gravell showed her around the hotel then took her to one of its rooms, and she said she he was “smug” and she was getting a “freaky vibe” from him. The woman said that Gravell locked the door to the bedroom and then raped her, saying the “horrible” grunting noises he made during the attack have stuck in her mind

The defendant denies one count of indecent assault and three counts of rape, and the trial continues.