PC Ryan Davis suffered horrific injuries after Richard Quinn, 49, and his son Alex, 20, repeatedly stamped on him. CCTV shows the Quinns’ attacking another man in the centre of Hereford

A thug father and son battered a police officer as he tried to stop them attacking another man.

PC Ryan Davis suffered horrific injuries after Richard Quinn, 49, and his son Alex, 20, repeatedly stamped on him. CCTV shows the Quinns’ attacking another man in the centre of Hereford on March 29, 2024.

PC Davis, who was in plain clothes, was on patrol in the city to protect women and girls from assaults. Footage shows him stepping in to stop a man being repeatedly punched after the Quinns’ attacked him on Union Street.

The Quinns’ quickly turned their attention to PC Davis and repeatedly stamped on him before strangling him on the ground.

PC Davis suffered a dislocated and broken ankle, broken lower leg, multiple fractures and face lacerations including damage to an eye. PC Davis’ colleagues were also attacked by Richard Quinn’s wife Carolynn, who was also with her husband and son. She was convicted of two counts of assault of an emergency worker.

Richard Quinn, 49, of Hereford, was convicted of assault causing grievous bodily harm against PC Davis and a separate assault.He was jailed for four years and three months at Hereford Crown Court on Friday (20/2).

Alex Quinn, 20, of the same address, was sentenced to three years and ten months at a young offenders’ institute for the same offences. After the sentencing hearing, PC Davis revealed the trauma he is still suffering today as a result of the attack.

The 34-year-old officer said: “While I am pleased that justice has been handed out today, I have already been serving my sentence, having spent the past 21 months recovering from this cowardly and brutal attack – and there is still more recovery time for me to get through as I slowly rebuild my life.

“This horrific attack changed who I am. I have struggled with PTSD ever since.

Their actions have put me through so much physical and mental pain, and I really don’t recognise the person I was before it happened. “It left me fearful to go out and I have suffered recurrent flashbacks to the events of that night.

“I feel I have been left to suffer by perpetrators who have shown no remorse.

“Nobody should go out to work and expect to experience anything like this, but I would like to thank my colleagues and West Mercia Police and the Federation for their help and support along the way.”

She later decided to research female entrepreneurs and activists in the country, and “came across this really amazing, tenacious individual who lives in the north-west of Iran, who rides a motorcycle, as the only female motorcycle rider in the region, and she’s delivered 400 kids as a midwife”.

Fakhrul Islam torched the Seventy One Indian in Breck Road, Poulton, in the early hours of December 8, 2024, causing extensive damage to the business and causing it to close its doors until this week.

Fakhrul Islam (Image: Lancashire Police)

While the restaurant was closed and empty at the time, staff members from the restaurant and another family who lived above had to be helped by quick-thinking staff from the nearby Cube nightclub, who heard the alarms go off, spotted the flames and raced to the rescue.

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Islam, who wore a blonde wig to try to disguise himself, was tracked down following an investigation which tracked his movements on the night through CCTV and vehicle movements.

Seventy One, Breck Road, Poulton (Image: Lancashire Police)

Despite him initially denying the offence, claiming he was driving around as part of his work as a taxi driver, Islam pleaded guilty to arson in the face of the evidence compiled.

The 37-year-old, of Hemingway, Blackpool, was sentenced at Preston Crown Court earlier this week to seven years and six months in prison.

During sentencing, the Judge described the incident as a revenge attack motivated by ill feelings between Islam and the restaurant’s new owners.

Seventy One, Breck Road, Poulton (Image: Lancashire Police)

DC Alexa Taylor, of Blackpool CID, said: “I welcome this sentence, which reflects the gravity and reckless disregard for life that Islam showed that morning when he carried out this arson attack.

“I would also like to thank and acknowledge the heroic actions of the staff members from the Cube whose selfless and courageous intervention undoubtedly saved many lives during this incident.”

One train journey takes a staggering 167 hours to complete, with the railway spanning eight time zones to make it the longest in the world

The longest direct train journey in the world stretches a staggering 5,771 miles and takes almost a week to complete. Passengers on board the train undertake a mammoth journey through eight time zones.

The Trans-Siberian Railroad claims the title of the longest single rail system in the world. It connects east and west Russia, running from Moscow to Vladivostok.

To travel the length of the railway, it takes approximately 167 hours and requires no passenger changes. Heading east from Moscow, the train crosses the country to the Pacific Ocean.

There are even non-stop train options, so all passengers remain on board throughout the seven days. If you prefer to get off and explore the local surroundings, passengers can opt for the stopping service.

However, this takes between 14 and 20 days to complete. The Trans-Siberian railway runs through cities such as Moscow, Yaroslavl, Chelyabinsk, Omsk, Novosibirsk, Krasnoyarsk, Irkutsk, Ulan-Ude, Chita, Khabarovsk, and Vladivostok.

There’s also the Trans-Manchurian line, which runs through northern China to Beijing, and the Trans-Mongolian, which heads to Beijing but passes through Ulan Bator.

A famous train on the Trans-Siberian railway is Rossiya (the Russia), which has second-class sleepers, third-class open-plan sleeper bunks, and a restaurant car.

Passengers can pay for four tickets to ensure sole occupancy of a four-berth compartment, even if they’re the only ones travelling. The bunks convert to seats during the day, with toilets and washrooms at the ends of the corridors.

Many tourists who travelled the route chose not to start or end their journey in Russia. Tourists once began in London and made their way to Moscow before boarding the Trans-Siberian Railroad.

Once in Vladivostok, tourists could then head to Korea, Japan, or China without taking a plane. National Geographic also ran tours along the route, offering tourists the chance to travel on “one of the world’s most legendary railways.”

They described the journey: “Set out on an epic train journey across one-third of the world, travelling from Vladivostok, Russia to the heart of Moscow along the legendary Trans-Siberian Railway.

“From the Mongolian steppe to Lake Baikal’s remote shores to the snow-capped Ural Mountains, trace the history of tsars, exiles, and Mongols in the comfort of our luxury train, the Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian Express. Encounter remote cultures and the unique architecture of Siberia’s wooden cottages and Moscow’s onion domes.”

Tours like these have been halted, yet the train is reportedly still being used by Russians. The UK Government warn against all travel to Russia.

Official advice from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office says: “FCDO advises against all travel to Russia due to the risks and threats from its continuing invasion of Ukraine, including security incidents, such as drone attacks, and Russian air defence activity, lack of flights to return to the UK and limited ability for the UK government to provide support.”

Pharmacist Mike Wakeman says regularly waking at 3am could be down to what you’re eating, and specific nutrients including magnesium may help support better sleep

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If you find yourself frequently waking up at 3am, staring at the ceiling when you should be sound asleep, you’re not alone. It’s a frustrating experience, especially if you have a busy day ahead and need to be well-rested.

Mike Wakeman, a researcher, pharmacist and the mind behind Evera Nutrition, explained that this isn’t an uncommon occurrence. For some people, it happens occasionally, whilst for others it’s more frequent, particularly during times of stress, hormonal changes or due to poor sleep habits.

Over time, he warned, it could impact energy levels, mood and metabolic health.

Mike said: “Although compounds associated with sleep, such as melatonin and GABA, usually peak around this time helping to keep us in deep sleep, this is also when the body begins preparing to wake, with levels of the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline slowly starting to rise. If something disrupts the balance, it can trigger waking at this exact time.

“Nutrition matters because the brain runs almost entirely on glucose. If your diet doesn’t provide steady fuel (or key nutrients needed to regulate blood sugar and stress hormones), the body is more likely to trigger this overnight alarm system.

“If blood sugar drops too low while you’re asleep (which can happen after a high-sugar dinner, alcohol, or not eating enough protein, fibre, or healthy fats), the body releases cortisol and adrenaline to bring levels back up. Those hormones can jolt you awake, typically between 2am and 4am and make it hard to fall back asleep.

“Traditional sleep medications can force sedation – but they often alter natural sleep architecture and aren’t ideal for long-term use. Instead, many sleep specialists now advocate supporting the body’s own chemistry. It’s this gap that led myself and the team of scientists at Evera Nutrition to develop Evera Nutrition’s Deep Sleep formulation – a blend of magnesium, vitamin D, folate, L-theanine and calming botanicals designed to support melatonin production and regulate overnight stress responses.”

Vitamins can help you sleep better

Mike added: “Several vitamins and minerals now have clinical evidence linking them to better sleep. Magnesium has been shown to reduce early-morning waking and improve sleep efficiency in trials, while correcting low levels of vitamin D and folate has been linked to better sleep quality and longer sleep duration. These nutrients play key roles in regulating melatonin, calming the nervous system and stabilising the body’s overnight stress response. Clinical trials suggest the amino acid L-theanine can improve sleep efficiency and reduce nighttime disturbances by calming the nervous system and lowering stress-related brain activity.

“However, in the UK around one in five adults are vitamin D deficient, rising to 31% in winter and about one in six have persistently low levels. UK data also suggests more than one in 10 adults have magnesium intakes below recommended levels. Findings also show low blood levels of folate appear across many age groups.”

Herbs are good, too

Mike said: “Herbs such as chamomile, lemon balm and passionflower contain gentle plant compounds that can calm the nervous system and reduce nighttime stress responses that contribute to early waking. Tart cherry provides natural melatonin to support staying asleep and has been shown to extend sleep time in insomnia studies. Other botanicals like ziziphus (Chinese date seed) improved sleep quality in placebo-controlled trials and hawthorn and saffron appear to calm the nervous system and support mood-related sleep pathways.

“Together, they may help reduce early-morning waking by promoting deeper, more stable sleep and reducing overnight stress responses. New Deep Sleep from Evera Nutrition contains all of the above key nutrients and botanicals, which help to regulate sleep. Plus, it’s suitable for long-term use as there are no sleep cycle or sleep architecture disruptions that can often occur with commonly used medications.

“Alongside these key nutrients, foods such as tryptophan-rich proteins, omega-3 fats and complex carbohydrates may help prevent early-morning waking by supporting steady blood sugar, calming the nervous system and strengthening natural sleep hormone production.”

It was one of the most influential games of the PlayStation 1 era but how does Metal Gear Solid stand up almost three decades later? A reader is surprised to find out.

Alaska – Bering Sea. A submarine cuts through the murky ocean depths. Tonally and in terms of production values the score that plays infers that you’re watching a scene from a Hollywood action movie. But this isn’t a movie, although in many respects you get the impression that it wants to be. What I’ve described is the opening cut scene of Metal Gear Solid, a game that I adored many years ago. Since I still have my original twin disc copy of the game I thought I’d replay it from start to finish on a PlayStation 2 [presumably via The Essential Collection – GC]. Would this much revered classic be as good as I remembered?

You are Solid Snake. Your mission: infiltrate a terrorist stronghold, free a couple of hostages and investigate a possible nuclear threat. Do this with the clothes on your back, a CODEC receiver/transmitter, a scope, and a packet of cigarettes. For this mission weapons and equipment are OSP – on-site procurement. In terms of real-world logic our hero’s initial loadout is ludicrous. However, starting out with close to no items in your inventory does turn the game into a big treasure hunt. And in this case that treasure is military hardware: thermal goggles, chaff grenades, C4 explosive, Stinger missiles…

Replaying Metal Gear Solid it took me a while to adjust to the top-down view that it uses, which when compared to the presentation of modern big budget games seems basic and regressive, but provided that you make use of the radar in the top right corner of the screen the gameplay of Metal Gear Solid still works perfectly. Nearly three decades have passed and yet Shadow Moses Island prevails as a wonderous gaming world to immerse yourself in. Who cares about blocky graphics when the interactive picture those graphics paint is so atmospheric and nuanced?

While you sneak around the overrun military base, patrolling enemies yawn, stretch, fall asleep, and follow any footprints in the snow that Snake makes. The warmth of an enemy’s breath shows up as mist. Make a guard suspicious and a question mark appears above their head. Alert a guard and their heightened awareness is indicated by the now iconic exclamation mark.

On this playthrough I surprised some mice in an air vent. Little exclamation marks appeared above the rodents’ heads when they saw me and scurried off. Half the fun of Metal Gear Solid, and the franchise overall, is discovering these quirky and innovative details.

This time around I had problems defeating each and every boss in this game, I expect due to a substantial lack of practise. But the rogue elements of Foxhound are so atypical and entertaining that even when they kill you it’s hard to resent them. The game certainly wouldn’t be the same without their presence.

For instance, Cyborg Ninja still made an impression on me, or rather his introduction did. Walking down a corridor littered with bleeding corpses flung this way and that you feel like you’ve mistakenly strayed into a survival horror game. This part of Snake’s mission flags up another recognisable trait of the Metal Gear franchise, for better or for worse: tonal inconsistency.

Those melodramatic cries on the cool-looking Game Over screen. SNAAAAKE! Are those outbursts meant to be funny? They made me laugh every time I heard them.

Then you’ll get characters that appear to fall in love over the space of an hour or so, having never met. Otacon and Sniper Wolf. This entirely one-sided romance is so phoney, and yet the game tries to tug on our emotional heart strings when one of them dies.

Snake himself seems like a decent bloke. A moral, modest underdog and so it’s easy to side with him. And then the expert operative tells Meryl that she’s got a great butt. Wow. With chat up lines like that Snake how can any woman resist you?

Predictably, since I haven’t attempted this sneaking mission for at least a couple of decades, I had trouble beating Metal Gear Rex near the end of the game. This boss battle has two phases. In-between the first phase and the second phase there’s a cut scene that you’re forced to watch again and again if you keep losing the fight. I couldn’t skip this moment, which made it seem like a sadistic punishment for dying.

After finishing Metal Gear Solid I wanted to play through the game again. To me that’s clear evidence of its quality. The good parts of Solid Snake’s PlayStation debut certainly outweigh what’s bad. But what’s bad about the game is bad with a capital B or rather misjudged to an extent that these flaws clearly stand out.

Saying that, even after recently experiencing them I can tolerate Metal Gear Solid’s annoyances because they’re counteracted with flashes of genius. The location of Meryl’s CODEC frequency. Homing in on your target in first person view with a Nikita remote-controlled missile. Psycho Mantis breaking down the fourth wall and messing with your game console. Cooling down and heating up the PAL card. What other game allows you to sneak around and fast travel inside a cardboard box?

All of that gaming gold is probably worth having to read your way through line after line of CODEC exposition. And sweet as she is, I wish Mei Ling would learn the value of concise verbal exchanges during an active mission. Yes, Mei Ling, I want to save. That’s kind of why I called you. No, please don’t tell me another Chinese proverb, unless it’s one about the benefits of radio silence.

By reader Michael Veal (@msv858)

The reader’s features do not necessarily represent the views of GameCentral or Metro.

You can submit your own 500 to 600-word reader feature at any time, which if used will be published in the next appropriate weekend slot.

Just contact us at gamecentral@metro.co.uk or use our Submit Stuff page and you won’t need to send an email.

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Town Hall leaders plan to make £13.5 million worth of cuts over the next four years, including £3 million in 2026/27 through back office efficiencies and energy savings, to balance the budget. 

Darlington Borough Council said the increase of 2.99%, plus a social care precept of 2% will help fund rising demands in adult and children’s care services. 

Steve Harker, Labour council leader, said: “When we campaigned to win the 2023 elections we said we would tackle the £7.5 million annual overspend left by the Tories. 

“This budget does just that, balanced over the whole four years. 

“It brings to an end the Tory era of massive overspending every single year. It is still challenging, but a significant moment nonetheless.”

Darlington currently has the second-lowest tax rate in the North East, the council said. 

Changes to the government’s local authority funding formula mean Darlington will receive a 14 per cent spending increase over the next four years. 

Yet, despite the latest boost, councillors were told of the need to increase bills as the council’s financial planning remains in a “fragile position”, with forecasted cost pressures of around £27 million over the next four years.

More than £59 million is currently spent on adult social care by the council, with the additional precept raising a further £1.422 million, which the council said is “crucial to meet the overall costs and pressure faced in this service area”. 

Cllr Harker added: “These savings have ensured that we have been able to protect services – services already decimated during the first 10 years of Tory Government.

“We were clear in our election campaign of the need to seek to address the inequalities that had grown during the 14 years of Tory Government. Stabilising the Council budget has been a crucial task to increase our ability to address inequality.

An alternative council tax rise of 4.49 per cent suggested by the Green Party was backed by opposition councillors. 

Jonathan Dulston, leader of the Conservatives, called the latest financial plan a ”lazy budget”. “There is no innovation and all of the issues that this council faces are put to the taxpayer,” he added.  

Cllr Matthew Snedker, leader of the Green group, said: “This amendment shows that we, as a council, are ready to act. It might be a small amount off their bills but it is a sign that we are working for our residents. 

“Our finances are stretched, yes, but many residents are stretched beyond breaking point – and this indicates our willingness to be responsive, reactive and share a little bit of that return onto their bills now. 

“I am aware of the strains on every department in this council, and I really hope that national government is able to improve the settlement in years to come, and we are able to start rebuilding services and roads, giving people the town that they love back to a stronger position.”

But the Labour and Liberal Democrat administration voted against the last-minute bill change. 

Cllr Harker said: “It would be foolhardy of us to entertain a reduction in council tax because to do so would give us less chance to ensure we have adequate funding going forward over the next few years.” 

A Conservative motion, urging the council to introduce a lane rental scheme to minimise road disruption, improve public satisfaction and generate additional income, was also voted down.

The man sent more than 8,000 pages of inappropriate messages to a teenage girl, and took part in sexual activity with her

A church volunteer who groomed a teenage girl he knew from a church in Cambridge has been jailed. Nam Vu, 28, sent more than 8,000 pages of inappropriate messages to a teenage girl, and took part in sexual activity with her.

The teenager’s parents became suspicious and discovered deleted screenshots on her phone of a sexually explicit nature.

The girl, who was under 16, denied any hint of a sexual relationship and said she was just friends with Vu. However more evidence was found including a handwritten note from the girl found in a book, which detailed sexual activity between them.

The girl then confided in police about what had happened to her, saying that Vu had made sexual remarks to her in the messages and encouraged her to take part in sexual activity, as well as touched her inappropriately.

Vu, of Linclare Place, Eaton Ford, St Neots was arrested and interviewed but answered no comment to all questions asked by officers.

His phone was seized and analysed where it was discovered that in six weeks during 2024, there were more than 8,000 messages between Vu and the teenager. Most of these were sexual in nature.

The messages highlighted how Vu began grooming the girl, offered to buy her clothes and complimented her.

On multiple occasions throughout the chat Vu acknowledged the girl was under 16, added that she could ‘ruin him’, said how he could go to jail and how he was ‘putting his entire life on the line’.

Vu continued to deny any wrongdoing however, at Cambridge Crown Court in December, eventually pleaded guilty to six offences. These included engaging in sexual communication with a child, four counts of engaging in non-penetrative sexual activity with a girl under 13-15, and inciting a girl aged 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity.

Vu was sentenced to three years and four months in prison at Peterborough Crown Court on Thursday (February 19).

He was ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register indefinitely and given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), with strict conditions to monitor any future offending and contact with children. Vu was also given a restraining order, to run indefinitely, preventing him from contacting his victim in any way.

Detective Constable Lara Wycherley, of the force’s Child Abuse Investigations and Safeguarding Unit (CAISU), said: “Vu engaged in highly sexualised communication with the victim in this case, whilst acknowledging her age and that he was in a position of trust.

“He groomed a vulnerable child for his own gain and his behaviour was utterly disgusting. I would like to praise the parents in this case who realised something wasn’t quite right, and urge other parents and carers to speak to their children about exactly who they are communicating with. The magnitude of the effect of Vu’s behaviour cannot be underestimated.

“In a victim impact statement given to the judge, the teenager told how the persistent nature of the abuse meant she was never able to truly see the danger she was in. She added that Vu repeatedly told her to keep quiet and conditioned her to believe that his crimes were her fault.

“Also of importance, she told how the abuse had made her lose all trust in men, changed her perspective on people in a direction that isn’t pleasant, stripped her from her childhood innocence and left an irreparable scar.

“We will do everything in our power to protect children from predators like Vu and, as this case demonstrates, bring them to justice for their actions.”

With its grand medieval castle, elegant stone cottages, and centuries‑old church, it’s often hailed as one of County Durham’s most prestigious and picturesque places to live.

Quietly exclusive yet steeped in heritage, Brancepeth is the kind of place where history, elegance, and rural serenity blend seamlessly. For those in the know, it’s considered one of the poshest villages in the region — a title reaffirmed by The Telegraph, which named it among the UK’s poshest places to live in both 2023 and 2024.

A castle with centuries of power and prestige

At the village’s heart stands Brancepeth Castle, a sprawling medieval fortress that has dominated the landscape for nearly a thousand years. Once the seat of the influential Neville family — one of England’s most powerful dynasties — the castle played a pivotal role in the region’s history.

Now privately owned, it opens only occasionally for public tours, giving it a mysterious allure that sets it apart from more commercialised heritage sites. Those lucky enough to step inside describe it as “a fascinating piece of history,” with impressive restoration work underway.

One visitor wrote: “The family that owns it is working hard to restore it and is very welcoming to those who visit. If you are interested in history, this is a fantastic place to see.”

Its limited public access only adds to the intrigue — a historic gem that remains unmistakably authentic and deeply atmospheric.

St. Brandon’s Church – resilience and beauty

A short stroll from the castle stands St. Brandon’s Church, another link to Brancepeth’s storied past. Dating back to the 12th century, the church was almost lost to a catastrophic fire in 1998 but has since been meticulously restored.

Inside, the craftsmanship is breathtaking — stained‑glass windows pour light onto delicate woodwork, creating a space that feels both sacred and timeless. For residents, it’s more than a place of worship; it’s a symbol of endurance and community pride.

The village today – quiet affluence and refined living

Brancepeth’s history may draw visitors, but it’s the village’s enduring elegance that makes it so desirable. Its stone‑built homes, tree‑lined lanes, and serene setting exude understated luxury. Property here rarely comes to market, and when it does, it commands a premium.

The village attracts professionals, retirees, and high‑net‑worth homeowners who value privacy and rural tranquillity but still want proximity to Durham’s fine dining, boutique shopping, and cultural venues.

And for those who enjoy a touch of grandeur, nearby landmarks such as Auckland Castle, Raby Castle, and The Bowes Museum provide cultural outings befitting Brancepeth’s refined reputation.

History, heritage, and high society

Visitors who explore Brancepeth often remark on its distinctive atmosphere — “full of history and grandeur,” as one reviewer put it — and its sense of quiet exclusivity. Another said: “It’s a castle with a difference — still lived in and full of stories, not just another tourist attraction.”

Brancepeth may be small, but its legacy and elegance loom large. Combining heritage, prestige, and rural beauty, it stands as a symbol of County Durham’s most refined side — a place where history meets high society and the past continues to shape a truly luxurious way of life.