Macauley Thomas, 28, attacked his prgenant former partner in a terrifying incident at her home

A man strangled his pregnant former girlfriend in front of her children, a court has heard. Jealous Macauley Thomas entered his pregnant ex-partner’s home and asked her young son: “Where the f*** is you mother? I’ll f****** kill her.”

Thomas, 28, separated from the victim after six weeks as a result of his jealousy and paranoia that she had been unfaithful to him, which caused arguments where defendant would scream and shout at her, reports WalesOnline.

A sentencing hearing at Newport Crown Court on Wednesday heard the victim, who was pregnant, was at her home in Caerphilly borough with her five children when she received a text from Thomas, who said: “I’ll come and batter you now, watch.”

The victim heard the defendant enter her kitchen before he shouted at her son: “Where the f*** is your mother? I’ll f****** kill her”.

He ran upstairs to her bedroom and demanded to see the victim’s phone but she refused. Thomas then straddled the victim on the bed and gripped her throat with both of his hands until she couldn’t breathe.

Prosecutor Elin Morgan said the victim’s children were crying and her son threatened to call the police, which led to Thomas stopping his attack.

The victim grabbed her children and went to a neighbour’s home for refuge and the defendant ran away.

As a result of the assault the victim suffered bruising and red marks to her neck.

In a victim personal statement read to the court by Ms Morgan the victim said: “I was in a relationship with Thomas for a month at the end of 2025. Everything seemed like it was going well initially but cracks started to show. I ended the relationship as I know how toxic people can get when they don’t get what they want, and to safeguard myself and my children.

“He’s done nothing but make my life hell. When I found out he was remanded I did not realise how much of a relief I felt and I slept all night as I felt safe for the first time and not on guard. I still didn’t sleep as well and was constantly trying to process what happened to me in a short period of time.

“I was so stressed during the investigation and my blood pressure has gone through the roof. When I go out, even to the shops, I am constantly on edge and take my friend everywhere with me as a bit of security…

“That day will never leave my mind, hearing my children crying and hearing their voices as they bravely called for help. It was something they should never have had to witness.

“Thomas does not care about the consequences of his actions and will do what he likes. As long as he’s happy he will not care about the pain and fear he puts other people through.”

Ms Morgan said Thomas was also to be dealt with for a series of driving and drug offences.

On September 4, 2025, police stopped a BMW in Newport at 2.50am, which was driven by the defendant. Officers described an “overpowering” smell of cannabis coming from the vehicle and the driver appeared to be under the influence.

Thomas tested positive for cannabis and gave a sample of blood which contained 5.6 micrograms of alcohol per 100ml of blood with the legal limit being two micrograms. He was also found to be driving while uninsured.

On October 6, 2025, the defendant was found asleep at the wheel of a Ford Focus by police following reports the vehicle had collided with a barrier. He appeared unsteady on his feet with slurred speech but he refused to provide a sample of blood to be tested.

How to access free domestic and sexual abuse helplines in Wales

On December 18, 2025, Thomas was driving at speed through Bargoed when he was pulled over by police and found to be driving while disqualified. He was also found in possession of four pots of green matter which was discovered to be 12g of cannabis as well as £500 in counterfeit £20 notes.

On January 21 this year the defendant was a passenger in a Vauxhall Astra which was stopped by police on the eastbound carriageway of the A465. He identified himself as “James Wilkins” but facial recognition software identified him as Macauley Thomas, who was the subject of a warrant.

The defendant attempted to throw an item back into the car, which was found to be 1.2g of cannabis.

Thomas, of Lewis Crescent, Gilfach, Caerphilly, later pleaded guilty to intentional strangulation, drug-driving, possession of cannabis, possession of counterfeit money, driving while disqualified, driving while uninsured, and failing to provide a specimen.

The court heard he has eight previous convictions.

In mitigation Charles Archer said his client had been going through a period of difficulty in his life due to substance misuse, mental health issues, and homelessness, having spent a period living in his car.

The barrister said the defendant had been diagnosed with depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) due to a background of trauma.

Recorder Simon Stephenson sentenced Thomas to a total of 34 months imprisonment.

The defendant was also made subject to a restraining order for five years and disqualified from driving for four years and five months.

Manchester United starlet, JJ Gabriel, has been in talks with Real Madrid over a potential La Liga transfer, and a fresh claim could explain the forward’s behaviour

Jay Bothroyd believes that JJ Gabriel would potentially benefit from a move to La Liga as a result of his build. The pundit also highlighted how he may struggle to thrive in the Premier League like Wayne Rooney and Max Dowman due to the physicality of the English top flight.

The 15-year-old forward has been the talk of Greater Manchester over the past couple of days, as a result of seemingly wanting away from Manchester United, as he looks to continue to develop to the best of his ability through his formative years. It is understood that super agent, Ali Barat, has also helped facilitate talks between the youngster’s family and Real Madrid – as well as Bayern Munich.

Barcelona have also been linked with Gabriel, as his future in Greater Manchester remains up in the air. The academy product could have enjoyed a first-team debut in the EFL Cup against Brighton and Hove Albion last week, with Michael Carrick reportedly planning to include him in the outing.

That would have made Gabriel United’s youngest-ever first-team player. However, that failed to come to fruition as a result of a request made earlier in the week.

Gabriel has also since deleted all pictures on his Instagram profile in a concerning turn of events with no explanation. While United fans will be desperate to retain the forward, who could go on to become world football’s next wonderkid, Bothroyd has considered that a move to Spanish soil could bear a wealth of fruit in terms of prospect and opportunity.

Speaking alongside Simon Jordan and Andros Townsend on Piers Morgan’s Sports Uncensored show, the former Coventry City, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Queens Park Rangers striker said: “At the end of the day, the parents just want what’s best for their son.

“And it’s not like they’re particularly saying, ‘I want him to play right now.’ It’s very much like, ‘We just want him to go in the best possible direction.’

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“Now, when you look at him, his body. We talk about [Florian] Wirtz and we say, ‘He’s lightweight, he’s not ready for the Premier League, he can’t play there.’

“But when you look at JJ Gabriel, there’s not much difference in his body. They may think that he could do better going to Barcelona or Spain, or wherever it may be. At the end of the day, I think we can’t talk about him in a negative way. We can’t talk about the parents.”

After being challenged by Jordan as to who is better served to give advice between Gabriel’s parents and agents or his coaches, Bothroyd added: “I would say the parents, because they know their kid. They know what he’s capable of at the moment.

“And he hasn’t grown into his man’s body yet. We were talking about Max Dowman…I look at Max Dowman, he has similarities to Rooney.

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“Rooney was throwing defenders on the floor at 16 years old. I’m seeing Dowman do the same things. You look at JJ, he’s not the same, he’s more slight.

“He’s got that, kind of, Neymar body where he’s quick. He’s got really quick feet, his acceleration is there. But physically, he’s not going to be throwing no-one to the floor.

“Maybe his family are looking at it and saying, ‘You know what, maybe it’s best that his development can come from abroad like the leagues of La Liga.’”

Two pilots were killed when their helicopter crashed carrying out water drops on a wildfire at Yosemite National Park.

The crew were working with firefighters using ropes to rappel from helicopters to reach inaccessible terrain.

The Super Puma was using a water bucket to help quell the fire when it went down southeast of Ostrander Lake.

The’Dome Fire has been raging for nearly a week in Mariposa County and was reported at 15% containment by Monday.

An investigation has been launched into the crash by the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board.

The names of the pilots were not immediately released.

‘It is with unimaginable sadness and broken hearts that we share the loss of two beloved members of our team,’ Precision, the company the pilots were working for, wrote.

‘We are devastated by this loss and are struggling to find the words. We ask for privacy and compassion for their families and our team as we grieve this tremendous loss.’

Roughly 580 people are fighting the Dome Fire, which started September 15 near Wawona, California, according to the National Interagency Fire Centre.

It’s burning on about 4.7 square miles and is about 15% contained.

The lake near the crash site was roughly 9 miles south of Yosemite’s iconic El Capitan, and about 7 miles northeast of Wawona.

At least 14 people have died while helping with wildfires in the US this year, the most since 2022 when 25 deaths were recorded, according to government reports.

In August, two helicopter pilots died while helping fight a fire in Utah, and a helicopter pilot in Colorado crashed into a reservoir.

Earlier this month, a firefighter suffered a medical emergency while fighting a wildfire in Oklahoma.

Another firefighter in Oregon was hit by a tree that broke while he was cutting it in Mount Hood National Forest.

Also in August, a wildfire officer was killed after getting trapped while evacuating a burning building in a wildland fire in Oklahoma; a firefighter died following a medical emergency during a wildfire in Minnesota; and a bulldozer operator got overrun by flames in Oregon.

MORE: ‘We fled to the sea to escape wildfire surrounding us – ash fell in people’s drinks’

MORE: Human remains found after London wildfire are of mum who vanished seven years ago

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‘It’s a special race for both of us’

In a beautiful moment in 2016, Andy and Anna Gibson got engaged in front of thousands of people at the Belfast City Half Marathon.

They returned to the race in Ormeau Park yesterday to mark the 10-year anniversary of the moment.

On September 18 2016, as they reached the finish line, Andy got down on one knee and asked his then-girlfriend, Anna Brown, to marry him using a ring he’d carried in his water pouch.

The crowds cheered as he popped the ring on her finger, and they crossed the finish line holding hands, getting a time of 2 hours and 3 minutes.

At the time Anna spoke to Belfast Live said: “I was so shocked and really happy – and sweaty.

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“Andy had had it all planned, and I’d had no idea he would pop the question on the half-marathon. I just had no clue. It all happened so fast that when he slowed down, it seemed OK, and I just thought he needed to stop for a second, and we were really close to the finish line.

“But then he leaned over and was on one knee, and it clicked, and I was grinning. He just asked me to be his wife, and of course, I said yes. He slipped the ring on my finger and we kissed and hugged and finished the race.”

Since then, they have tied the knot in a beautiful ceremony in October 2018 and have also continued running.

Andy has run several ultramarathons, including running 100 miles from Dublin to Belfast. He is also on course to have run over 100 marathons by the end of 2027.

We caught up with the couple who ran yesterday’s race in under 2 hours. Andy ran it in 01:21:42, and Anna ran it in 01:55:59, which they were both delighted with and happy they got “the goal”.

The avid runners try to take part in as many of the half marathons as they can, but this was extra special and said: “10 years on here we go again”.

Adding that “Running brought us together from the start, and every year, we aim to do the Belfast Half Marathon together, as that was the very first race we did together back in 2014. We have always enjoyed running together on the roads and in the mountains as well.”

The Belfast City Half Marathon will always hold a special place in their hearts, saying that they ‘don’t think running will ever not be a big part of our relationship, and we will be at the Belfast Half Marathon together for as long as we can. It’s a special race for both of us.”

They were off to Terracota on the Malone Road for a coffee and then on to Bullhouse East afterwards for much-deserved celebrations for the run and the 10-year anniversary of their engagement.

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here

BBC The Split Up will be taking a break from our screens after this evening’s episode picks up from last night’s fall-out.

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The Split Up has arrived but already, the BBC legal drama will be taking a brief hiatus.

Created by Ursula Rani Sarma and executive produced by The Split‘s Abi Morgan, The Split Up debuted on BBC One last night, Sunday, September 20.

Despite hoping to single-handedly take over her father Dhruv Kishan’s (played by Sanjeev Bhaskar) law firm, he unexpectedly announced that Aria (Ritu Arya) would be co-partners with her future husband Neal (Danny Ashok).

This, combined with the return of an ex-lover who she still has lingering feelings for, Aria had a lot on her plate by the end of her engagement party in episode one.

And even though The Split Up is back for the second episode this evening, Monday, September 21, there will be a break before the BBC legal drama once again returns

BBC The Split Up episode release schedule

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The Split Up, which consists of six episodes, is airing every Sunday and Monday night on BBC One. So after tonight, fans will have to wait almost a whole week for episode three which comes out on Sunday, September 27, at 9pm.

And as long as there are no shake-ups to the schedule, The Split Up will conclude on Monday, October 5. Here’s a full breakdown of The Split Up’s episode release schedule:

Episode One: Sunday, September 20

Episode Two: Monday, September 21

Episode Three: Sunday, September 27

Episode Four: Monday, September 28

Episode Five: Sunday, October 4

Episode Six: Monday, October 5

This evening, episode two will take a deep dive into the aftermath of everything that happened the night before. The official synopsis reads: “Following the events of the engagement party, Aria struggles to reach out to Maya.

“But there is plenty on her plate already, with the ripple effects of Dhruv’s shock announcement causing a rift between her and Neal, and throwing obstacles in her path for the company move.”

For those who simply can’t bear the weekly wait, the complete six-episode boxset of The Split Up is already available to stream in full on BBC iPlayer.

The Split Up is available to watch on BBC One and BBC iPlayer

Earl Spencer will ultimately be remembered by the passionate eulogy he delivered at Diana’s funeral in Westminster Abbey.

He reveals how he had pretended to have lost his copy of his speech at the rehearsal, so no one could hear it in advance and try to tone down his stinging criticism of the press and the royals.

After the hounding of Diana by the paparazzi, he says he personally rang tabloid newspaper editors to disinvite them from the Abbey funeral, after their invitations had already been sent out.

She was buried on an island in the Spencers’ Althorp estate, rather than a graveyard – and the book describes how a bishop was brought to consecrate the ground to make it possible.

Much of the interest in this book has been driven by its settling of old scores with the Royal Family. It can feel like medieval barons jousting.

References to King Charles are almost all negative, including the suggestion that he was jealous of his wife’s public popularity.

The book reports a conversation in which it’s claimed the then-Prince Charles complained: “I mean, I’m 43,’ he said, ‘and I employ fifty people’ – he was flushed in the face now – ‘but my parents insist on treating me like – like a child!’”

The King is portrayed as resentful, with a “senior courtier” reporting an alleged comment by the late Queen: “He even resented it when I taught him the alphabet.”

There’s a bizarre account of discussions in the Royal Family about whether the then-Prince Charles’s ears should have been pinned back.

And there’s the allegation that Diana had said the King was in love with his valet, which the author himself says seemed improbable.

What comes across is how close the Spencers were to the royals – but without being friends.

Charles and Diana Spencer went to the same children’s parties as the young royals.

The royals are depicted as the type of children who come round, break your toys and then disappear, in what might be an extended metaphor for how he saw Diana’s story.

There’s also a story about a teenage Prince Andrew smirking in a church service because the priest used the word “womb”.

Speaking to reporters travelling with him on the way to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Burnham linked cost of living pressures to the decision.

“I go back to the point I made about cost-of-living pressures and acting to secure the interests of Britain and the wider region,” he said.

“Because of course Saudi Arabia has been experiencing attacks, is looking at potential further disruption, and we need to keep those pathways open, and hence our agreement to the request.”

Shipping routes through the Red Sea are a vital artery of the world economy.

The Houthis recently seized control of the strategic port city of Mokha and Perim Island, a gateway to the Red Sea – a key shipping route used by Saudi Arabia.

In a BBC interview last week, Nato Secretary-General Mark Rutte hinted that European support for Saudi Arabia was likely.

He said: “I would not be surprised if some phone calls were taking place between European allies, ‘hey, how are we going to deal with this?’.

“Let’s see what happens, and if Nato can help, we will always be helpful.”

Energy Minister Martin McCluskey last week told MPs that the UK was “providing air defence support” to Saudi Arabia through the defence partnership that they have, although would not be drawn on questions of operational military activity.

In January 2024, the UK joined the US in launching air strikes against Houthi targets across Yemen.

Then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the UK “acted in self-defence” following the Houthis’ targeting of ships, including a Royal Navy warship.

He also said the strikes were “necessary, proportionate, and targeted” to protect lives and commercial shipping.

Further joint air strikes from the UK and US followed in 2024, external.

Flights have been ‘paused’ into Philadelphia, Teterboro and Newark

Air passengers in the US are confronting severe travel disruption today as inbound flights to three major airports have been halted following a major equipment outage.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported that services into Philadelphia International, Teterboro, and Newark Liberty International are affected, resulting in widespread delays and cancellations. A ground stop was enacted around 10:00 am EDT (3:00 pm BST) until at least 12:45 pm EDT (5:45 pm BST), leaving dozens of aircraft stranded on runways awaiting departure clearance.

An FAA spokesperson explained that inbound flights were paused due to frequency communication issues at Philadelphia Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON), the facility responsible for managing regional air traffic using radar and radio systems, reports The Express.

According to the FAA website, departures from both Newark and Philadelphia are facing delays of up to 150 minutes. Flightradar24 tracking data shows numerous planes waiting on tarmac areas, while several incoming flights have been forced to divert to alternative destinations.

Authorities have not yet provided an explanation for the technical failure, and it remains uncertain how long operations will take to fully recover.

Passengers due to fly today are being urged to contact their airline regarding its flight status. A spokesperson for Newark Airport said: “Due to an FAA equipment outage, arrivals and departures are currently delayed at EWR. Please contact your airline for flight status.”

Frustrated passengers caught out by the latest air traffic technical glitch have been stuck for hours at UK airports and on planes.

Hundreds of flights were cancelled across airports in northern England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, affecting holiday and work plans for thousands of people.

The latest bout of disruption was due to a ‘technical issue’ affecting the National Air Traffic Services (Nats), the main provider for UK airports, less than two weeks after a similar incident affected around 2,000 flights.

One passenger who has spent all day travelling but is still halfway to his destination is Peter Allison, 39, from Edinburgh.

The director of Woven Whisky was scheduled to fly out from Edinburgh Airport to Bordeaux via Gatwick for a two-day work conference, which he has now missed half of.

Shortly after boarding his 8.15am flight, the passengers were told there was a three-hour delay.

He told Metro: ‘We couldn’t believe it. It sounded like a joke, like we had literally just sat down.’

After waiting for a while, the doors were opened and passengers were told they could disembark, but if they did, they would ‘forfeit any compensation or ability to get back on if and when the plane does leave,’ Peter said.

He continued: ‘People were very frustrated. Hot. Bothered. Kids crying, people getting anxious etc. It was pretty bad.’

Updates from the captain were ‘sporadic and hard to follow’ due to ‘plane jargon and what sounded like excuses,’ while the crew were ‘pretty bad at communicating too’, he claimed.

He was left £100 out of pocket after buying new tickets for a connecting flight to Bordeaux, which has since been delayed until about 9pm.

When asked what he would tell Nats bosses, Peter said: ‘We all have to learn from times we’ve messed up.

‘You messed up a few weeks ago, and it’s happened again. Someone needs to a. figure it out, and b. get their knuckles wrapped.

‘It’s us, the travellers who are having to deal with it. And it’s not very nice on anyone. People rely on you providing dependable services. So sort it out.’

Meanwhile, Finlay Mattheis, 22, from Goole, has spent more than 12 hours at Leeds-Bradford Airport.

The chef’s Ryanair flight to Bratislava, Slovakia, scheduled to leave at 7.55am was delayed until 9.35pm.

He told Metro: ‘I’m only off for three nights as the flights were really cheap and I had intended to go and watch a football game tonight, but obviously that plan has died a death.’ 

When he heard that the flight had been pushed back until later tonight, he thought about going home to wait before finding out he could ‘leave the airport but not come back on the same boarding pass despite only living 50 minutes away.’  

He said his flight was one of the worst affected, with many others being held back for ‘only one or two hours.’  

Disrupted passengers are unlikely to get compensation, the Civil Aviation Authority warned.

This is because technical issues are considered an extraordinary circumstance, which is out of the airlines’ control – as was the case with the disruption earlier this month.

However, airlines are required to look after passengers during delays such as handing out food and drinks.

Several airlines have criticised the air traffic provider, and Ryanair’s chief operating officer, Neal McMahon, called for the Nats boss Martin Rolfe to resign.

While flights in the UK were resuming normal operations, US airports suffered an air traffic control issue, causing ground delays and disruption at many of the country’s busiest airfields.

Affected airports include New York’s JFK and LaGuardia airports, New Jersey’s Newark Airport, Boston’s Logan International, and Pennsylvania’s Philadelphia International Airport.

US Transport Secretary Sean Duffy said Amtrak construction crew accidentally cut into a fiber line in New Jersey, which caused the outage and forced flights to halt across the northeast.

So far, 183 flights have reportedly been axed, and 197 are delayed.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

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