Many Britons aspire to leave a positive mark on the world, yet a significant number have not formalised their wishes through a will, new research reveals.

A survey by Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity (Gosh Charity) found that while 61 per cent of people hope to be remembered for their contributions, only 39 per cent have actually drafted a will.

The figures are even lower for charitable bequests, with just 14 per cent including a gift in their will. A further 11 per cent expressed an intention to donate to charity but have not yet updated their will, and 19 per cent are considering it.

Over half (52 per cent ) of respondents emphasised the importance of their lifetime actions benefiting future generations.

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The research was carried out by Opinium and released at the start of Free Wills Month.

The research also found that two-fifths (41 per cent ) of people said they are not currently considering leaving a gift to charity in their will, rising to more than half (51 per cent ) of Baby Boomers (aged 62 to 80) and 44 per cent of Gen-X (aged 46 to 61).

The survey also explored the life moments that prompt people to reflect on the legacy they want to leave behind.

The death of a loved one was the biggest trigger (14 per cent ), followed by becoming a parent or grandparent (12per cent ), reaching a life milestone (10 per cent ) and experiencing a serious illness (9 per cent ).

The research suggests there may be some uncertainty about how accessible legacy giving can be, Gosh Charity said.

Nearly two-thirds (65 per cent ) of people were aware it is possible to leave a gift of any size to charity in a will, while just over a third (35 per cent ) were unaware of this.

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When asked about leaving a small financial gift of up to £100, nearly half (46 per cent ) of people surveyed believe it would make little difference to a charity, and 8per cent believe would make no difference at all.

Gabi Field, deputy director of public fundraising at Gosh Charity, said: “Every legacy gift, no matter the size, helps Gosh Charity fund vital support for families at the hospital as well as ground-breaking research. Together, these gifts ensure seriously ill children get the best chance and childhood possible, now and for generations to come.”

Gosh said patient Ary Patel and his family have seen the impact of that support first-hand. Ary, who is approaching his 10th birthday this year, underwent heart surgery at the hospital when he was six months old.

This month, he is starring in a Gosh Charity TV advert encouraging people to consider leaving a gift in their will.

Ary’s mother Shiva said: “To see Ary approaching his 10th birthday is truly incredible, and something we will never take for granted. When Ary needed surgery, the care we received at Great Ormond Street Hospital was extraordinary – not just the life-saving treatment, but the support and kindness shown to us every step of the way.”

Opinium Research surveyed 2,000 people across the UK in February.

The Anglo-American “special relationship” has hit a low ebb following American strikes on Iran. US president Donald Trump disparaged British prime minister Keir Starmer with a negative comparison to Winston Churchill, making clear his “disappointment” over British reticence to offer logistical support to the American military.

This is the latest in a series of comments Trump has made about Starmer’s authority on foreign policy concerns – particularly the British return of Diego Garcia to Mauritius.

For his part, Starmer has publicly broken from the president on the matter of Greenland, offering “strong support” to Denmark in response to US threats to take over the territory. In January, when Trump disparaged British troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, Starmer called the remarks “appalling.”. Despite Trump’s attempts on Truth Social to smooth the matter over following a “stern” call from Starmer, one controversial exchange has bled into the next. Trump is understood to be very unhappy that the UK won’t join strikes on Iran. Starmer has stood by his decision and insists it is his duty to decide what action is in “Britain’s national interest,”.

This breakdown in relations between the two heads of state is remarkable – but it is not unprecedented. Britain’s refusal to follow America into a foreign conflict has inflamed tensions before. President Lyndon B Johnson and prime minister Harold Wilson endured a breakdown in the 1960s over Vietnam. The way Wilson handled this situation should be Starmer’s guiding light has he charts his own course on Iran.

Vietnam

The UK did not publicly participate in the Vietnam war. At the time it was searching for a way to join the European single market against French wishes and extricate itself from its military bases in the Arabian Peninsula and Southeast Asia. Wilson was seeking to move away from costly military commitments abroad.

Publicly, Wilson pushed for an end to the war, meeting with the Soviet Union’s Alexei Kosygin to try and move negotiations forward. He backed Johnson when the US agreed to what Wilson called “unconditional negotiations” with North Vietnam in 1966. Behind closed doors, Wilson reiterated his private support for Johnson regularly. He also met with the president to justify British reticence to join the war on several occasions, using trips to Washington as a way of trying to bolster the public image of a strong affiliation.

However, the Wilson and Johnson governments clashed over a number of concerns. Johnson faced criticism in Britain for failing to attend the funeral of Winston Churchill in 1965. LBJ was allegedly so infuriated by the lack of British troop commitment to the war that he called Wilson a “little creep” behind closed doors. The Americans also lamented the weakness of the British pound, as Wilson had it devalued by 14.3% in 1967. This threatened the stability of the US dollar and other western currencies.

The White House began to see Britain as a much less valuable – or stable – ally in the ongoing cold war. The British in return felt pushed to acquiesce to American pressure, while also relying on American support on issues such as Rhodesia, which unilaterally declared independence from the UK in 1965.

With this change in attitude, Johnson turned to other allies for public support. The then Australian prime minister, Harold Holt, went “all the way with LBJ,” joining other Pacific allies in sending troops to fight alongside Americans. Johnson lavished support on them, granting Australia its first state visit by a sitting US president in late 1966.

Conversely, he never visited Britain once. Johnson’s antipathy towards the UK is perhaps best summed up by an act of political disrespect towards Wilson in 1965, when he had the White House band play “Plenty of Nuttin’” at a diplomatic dinner following economic talks – a sarcastic rejoinder for Wilson’s lack of what he deemed proper support.

A third way

Ultimately, the “special relationship” cooled significantly during the Johnson-Wilson era. But despite the sometimes-wretched relations between the two leaders, the connection between the two countries in terms of intelligence sharing, training and support on other matters remained intact. Wilson saw the value of American support, travelling to the United States several times during the 1960s despite criticism from anti-war campaigners and from some in parliament. Wilson’s conciliatory approach is mirrored by Starmer’s attempts to carve a third way over the first year of Trump’s government. Starmer was heavily criticised for inviting Trump to carry out a second state visit – the first US president to receive a return invite.

The situation has changed since then, and the Iran strikes have indeed put pressure on the US-UK relationship. But there is precedent for resistance to American pressure in the Wilson-Johnson relationship. The effects were stark – it was not until Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan were in charge that the relationship truly felt “special” once again – but it endured and thrived again despite what had been a severe clash in personalities.

Trump’s climbdown over the criticisms he made of Nato troops in January shows that the United States still values its British ally to some extent. The prime minister should remember that the relationship will endure long after the current occupants of both the White House and 10 Downing Street leave their respective offices.

Many in the crowd saw the Cheshire-born star perform for the first time since his mammoth Love On Tour wrapped back in 2023 – and they came dressed for the occasion

For Harry Styles, Friday night in Manchester marked a long-awaited return to the stage. But for thousands of fans outside Co-op Live, it felt like a homecoming of their own.

Many in the crowd saw the Cheshire-born star perform for the first time since his mammoth Love On Tour wrapped back in 2023 – and they came dressed for the occasion.

Feather boas and cowboy hats – a staple of Harry crowds – had clearly been pulled out of storage, joined this time by a fresh wave of sequins and sparkle inspired by the ‘disco’ promise of his brand new fourth album Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally.

At just £20 a ticket, the show became one of the hottest – and most unusual – gigs of the year. The crowd arriving at the sold-out gig on Friday night (March 6) were met with a unique rule: this would be a strictly phone-free event.

Instead of filming the moment for social media, fans were asked to lock their phones away in special pouches on entry. In their place, concertgoers were handed disposable cameras – a nostalgic twist that encouraged everyone to stay present and soak up the moment.

It felt fitting when Styles eventually emerged to open the night – after a unique synth buildup – with Aperture, the first track on the album. It’s a song made for hugging strangers on a dancefloor – and as fans bounced along to the chant of ‘We belong together’, this quickly became the unofficial motto of the evening.

He appeared donning a bright blue jumper over a floral shirt, with classic Harry yellow suit trousers. He brought the same wild dance moves he teased us with last week at the Brits and, understandably, the crowd went wild.

The phone-free rule seemed to work exactly as intended. Instead of a sea of glowing screens, the arena was filled with fans dancing freely and fully engaged in the performance unfolding in front of them. I’ll admit, I thought the disposables would be a bit of a gimmick, but it was a very special way to immerse yourself in the gig.

The show coincided with the release of Styles’ latest 12-track album, which dropped in the early hours of Friday morning. It was the first chance for fans to hear all of the songs live – and possibly their first chance to hear them at all.

He moved onto American Girls – and despite having only 12 hours to revise the lyrics, fans didn’t disappoint. Track 2 is clearly already a favourite. Ready, Steady, Go! followed, allowing Styles to flex his vocals, bringing a similar undertone of rock to what we heard in his first solo album.

Early impressions suggest Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally continues Styles’ habit of refusing to sit comfortably in one genre. The album blends bits of funk, disco rhythms, pop and softer acoustic moments.

Like much of his previous work, there’s a thread of melancholy running beneath the upbeat production. It sparks the sort of nostalgia that makes you feel sentimental for memories you’re not even sure you have.

The heavy beat and impressive guitar solo of Are You Listening Yet? contrasted to the melancholy feel of The Waiting Game, which followed Taste Back – my favourite track on the album, which blends his older pop style with his newer, more mature lyrics.

Throughout the show, Styles was joined by the House Gospel Choir, who added a rich, soulful depth to several of the new songs. The popular choir – known for their own house anthems and recent appearance alongside Styles at last weekend’s BRIT Awards – helped bring Season 2 Weight Loss to life, with their soaring harmonies transforming the track into one of the evening’s standout moments.

The mood then softened as Styles moved into Coming Up Roses, the album’s most delicate offering, accompanied by a stunning live string section that transformed the arena into a quieter, more intimate atmosphere.

Introducing the song, Styles paused to thank one of his closest collaborators.

“There’s a lot of people in the audience tonight who helped me make this record,” Styles told the crowd, before dedicating a song to his friend Tom. “I wrote a lot of songs and typically the songs I write by myself at home are the ones I assume won’t make it onto the album.

“I want to thank Tom for pushing me to believe in me. That’s the reason why this song exists. It’s one of my favourite things I’ve ever done.”

From there, the mood lifted again as the crowd danced along to the infectious Pop, before the funk-leaning Dance No More saw Styles’ signature dance moves make a welcome return.

The choir and band then rejoined him for the emotional Paint By Numbers, with the crowd swaying in unison as flashes from disposable cameras briefly punctured the otherwise hushed moment.

The Manchester show marks a significant moment for the singer. Born in nearby Cheshire, Styles has always maintained a strong connection to the North West – and on Friday night, that sense of homecoming was unmistakable.

“Good evening Manchester,” he grinned at one point, clearly soaking in the reception. “My name is Harry. It is an absolute pleasure to be here tonight.”

The evening concluded with Carla’s Song, which Styles dedicated to a close friend in the audience.

Just when it seemed the night had reached its end, Styles returned to the stage with a surprise encore.

“We haven’t played that one in a while,” he joked after launching into From the Dining Table from his debut album. “Truth be told, we haven’t played anything in a while.”

Fans erupted as he followed with Golden from Fine Line, before the unmistakable opening notes of Watermelon Sugar sent the arena into a frenzy.

Continuing a tradition from Love On Tour, the crowd gleefully screamed the famous ‘leave America’ line during As It Was, an affectionate chant urging the British star to return to the UK for good.

Reflecting on the atmosphere in the room, Styles told the crowd the community created at his shows is something he treasures deeply.

“The community that you guys have built together in this room, and rooms that I’ve seen around the world, is something so unbelievably magical,” he said.

“In a world that we have today that feels so chaotic it’s so easy to become hopeless – and I see what you create together and there is just so much hope in here.”

“I encourage you to keep being the change in the world that you want to see,” he added.

He closed the night with Sign of the Times, the towering ballad from his debut solo album. Arms wrapped around friends and strangers alike, thousands swayed together as Styles delivered the final chorus – many, myself included, teary eyed.

But there was one final moment left. Returning briefly for a reprise of Aperture, Styles hammered home the message that had opened the night: ‘We belong together.’ As the chorus rang out once more, fans jumped arm in arm, rounding off the show in a full circle moment.

The concert ended the same way it began – united.

For those lucky enough to be in the room, the night felt less like a typical arena show and more like a shared experience. The perfect blend of old and new, it felt like fans had witnessed something really special. Something intimate, despite the scale of the venue.

And thousands of voices sang together, one thing was clear: In that moment, Manchester really did belong together.

Frankenstein’s female creature, also known as “the Bride”, was the first female monster to appear on screen, in the 1935 Frankenstein sequel: The Bride of Frankenstein. An unruly and rebellious figure, she has inspired dozens of adaptations since.

Most recently, the Bride, as a dramatic character, has been part of a series of creative reimaginings through an explicitly feminist lens. For instance, the dark coming of age comedy, Lisa Frankenstein (2024). It imagined the Bride (Kathryn Newton) in the role of the scientist, who accidentally brings to life a young Victorian man (Cole Sprouse).

Released just a year earlier, Poor Things (2023) brought an even more complex exploration of power, agency and consent, set in a retro-futuristic Victorian era. In it, the female creature Bella (Emma Stone) negotiates what it means to be both a scientific object and creator (being created out of the pregnant body of a woman and the brain of the mother’s unborn baby). Bella does not abide by the rules and conventions of polite society, using her body against the purpose of her creator and causing several mental breakdowns for the male characters in the process.

Now, a new movie directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal, The Bride!, brings the character to life in moody 1930s Chicago. Jessie Buckley plays the female creature brought back from the dead to be Frankenstein’s mate. But she is not the sort of creature that is inclined to serve someone else’s purpose. When Frankenstein (now the monster, not the scientist, and played by Christian Bale) calls her “the Bride of Frankenstein”, she replies: “No, just the Bride.”

Although the film promises a “Bonnie and Clyde” story – two lovers and rebels on the run from the law – this Bride refuses to belong to any man. Instead, gun in hand, she demands to be seen and heard on her own terms.

Reanimating the Bride from novel to screen

Since her inception, the Bride’s struggle has been for autonomy. She first appeared in Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein (1818), named after an egomaniac scientist who creates a creature from cadavers. In the novel, Dr Frankenstein begrudgingly agrees to make his male creature a companion, but destroys her before she can live. He is afraid she might reproduce or become even more powerful than the male creature.

Her destruction is the most violent episode in the novel and makes apparent the anxiety that her unruly female body causes to the mad scientist. The erasure of Shelley’s original female creation set the scene for the way she continues to be written out of most adaptations of the novel. This includes, most recently, Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein (2025).

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One hundred years on from Shelley’s novel, the Bride was finally brought to life in James Whales’ The Bride of Frankenstein and played by Elsa Lanchester. Although central to the film’s title, she appears only in the final five minutes. But that was more than enough time to establish her cinematic legacy.

She stands tall, dressed in a white gown, her dark, voluminous hair streaked with lightning. Scars and stitches run around her face. She is both alive and dead, a bride and child, beautiful and monstrous, futuristic and otherworldly. Her appearance defies categorisation, not quite the demure wife she is meant to be.

Even more memorable is the Bride’s defiant scream when she rejects the male creature and the role assigned to her by the film’s title and her creator. Feminist scholars have read this as an assertion of sexual autonomy and agency, a rejection of patriarchal control and a refusal of the role of wife and mother. She is a powerful symbol of defiance, and both costume and voice become tools for future Brides to say no to their fate. Lanchester’s Bride, however, is not able to invent alternative possibilities for herself and is ultimately destroyed by the male creature, punished for her rebellion.

The limitations of patriarchy are made even clearer in later adaptations in which Brides who choose to end their lives, such as Frankenstein Created Woman (1967). Her limited options also show the constraints of a narrative in which she is made a mere character in someone else’s story.

The creature Lily (Billie Piper) in the television series Penny Dreadful (2014-2016) is another Bride who attempts to make her own path. But the memories of her body’s previous life as a sex worker have shown her that the world is rotten to the core – her only solution is to destroy it. Lily chooses destruction over radical change, and while she rejects both Frankenstein and the male creature, the man she does willingly choose ultimately betrays her.

For some Brides, power comes from reclaiming the role of creator. This can be seen in Lisa Frankenstein and Poor Things, but also in an earlier adaptation – the exploitation comedy Frankenhooker (1990). The film ends with the Bride taking revenge on her creator by attaching his head to female body parts.

Poor Things is one of the only films where the Bride is not only invested in radical social change, but also escapes the expectations put onto her body as a scientific and sexual object. Bella actively subverts these expectations by repurposing her body as one of personal scientific enquiry. This extends to the way she uses sex. It puts her in a complicated position in relation to exploitation and empowerment, where she is simultaneously both and neither. Instead, her actions sit somewhere on the outside of our current perceptions of both.

As Jessie Buckley’s new Bride graces our screens, she promises to follow in the footsteps of her rebellious predecessors – and a long horror tradition.

This article features references to books that have been included for editorial reasons, and may contain links to bookshop.org. If you click on one of the links and go on to buy something from bookshop.org The Conversation UK may earn a commission.

When the police arrived, Michelle thought her ordeal was finally over.

She sat shellshocked on the sofa, squinting through a black eye with blood seeping from a cut lip after the latest violent assault at the hands of her abusive partner.

But it was Michelle who ended up in a cell that night after he told officers she hit him first.

Her ex had used the counter-allegation tactic.

It’s one that perpetrators often employ, according to Nadia Hughes, head of criminal justice services at Advance, a charity that helps women who’ve experienced harm through domestic abuse and the criminal justice system.

The ploy is particularly effective when a woman has acted in self-defence or retaliated, so the perpetrator himself has injuries. These are then misunderstood by the police as signs of aggression, rather than the culmination of years of abuse.

Nadia says that besides deflecting the blame from the abuser, the tactic also serves another purpose: ‘It’s a really manipulative way to deter a survivor from calling 999 in the future’.

Once the counter-allegation strategy has been used once, the police have a record that this woman might be violent or abusive. Nadia explains that ‘she’s then less likely to report the abuse she’s been subjected to because there is a distrust of statutory services like the police’.

‘Counter allegations actually become a sort of weaponised way of controlling that survivor. It is something we hear a lot unfortunately.’

Around half of recent referrals to Advance, which works at the intersection of domestic abuse and criminal justice, have stemmed from women being arrested as a result of counter allegations.

Research shows that women are three times more likely to be arrested than their male partners at a domestic abuse incident involving them.

This Is Not Right

On November 25, 2024 Metro launched This Is Not Right, a campaign to address the relentless epidemic of violence against women.

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With the help of our partners at Women’s Aid, This Is Not Right aims to shine a light on the sheer scale of this national emergency.

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Michelle tells Metro she suffered years of abuse prior to her wrongful arrest, beginning when she was pregnant.

‘The second time he hit me was after my son was born and he was in my arms,’ she says. ‘That was horrific.

‘My son had a white baby grow on and there was blood all over him where he broke my nose.’

Michelle suffered appalling injuries, including a broken leg and fractured collarbone, when her ex pushed her from a fourth-floor window.

‘When you’re in it you don’t see how serious it is,’ she says. ‘You just know that you survived it.’

She describes how her homelife hinged on her ex’s moods.

‘He would phone me during the day and let me know how good or bad his day was going,’ she says.

‘That would determine what my evening was going to be like. If it was a bad day, I would be walking on eggshells waiting for him to flip at me.

‘It’s like dying a slow death waiting for that snap to happen.’

Looking back, Michelle can’t even remember what that final argument was about.

When her ex started hitting her again, she instinctively threw her arms up to try and defend herself.

But she caught his face with her elbow while doing so, giving him a bloodied nose.

Despite being the one who called the police, she found herself being arrested alongside him.

She lost her job as a family support worker after missing a key court hearing while in custody.

‘I sent myself to university when I was 30 trying to better my life,’ Michelle says. ‘I got the job of my dreams, and it was taken.’

Beyond the physical and emotional toll, counter allegations can cost women their homes, their children and their jobs.

In the case of Bethany Rae Fields, her killer used counter allegations in the lead up to, and on the day he killed her.

After 21-year-old Bethany reported her ex Paul Crowther to the police following threats he had made against her, her friends and family, Paul turned his finger at her multiple times.

Pauline, Bethany’s mum, calls his actions ‘despicable. She was tiny; 21 to his 35 years.’

Staffing issues meant that Paul’s complaint progressed slowly – as did Bethany’s against him – and a week after filing his ‘case’ with the police, he chased it, and then again four days later.

Despite Paul being reported to the police seven times, despite being known to services after having had two former partners complain about harassment – with one resulting in a conviction, and despite Paul telling mental health services that he wanted to take revenge against Bethany, he was still invited to make a statement after reporting her to the police.

He went into the station on September 12, 2019, to make a statement against her. That same day he killed her.

Pauline now urges police to think of Bethany’s initials – BRF – and to ‘Believe. React. Fast’. That means considering whether the counter-allegation tactic is in play.

For Jessica, the experience of being disbelieved by the police has eroded her faith in the force completely.

‘I don’t believe they have listened to me once, or made me feel safe,’ she tells Metro.

Jessica was abused for years by two of her children and ended up having to leave the family home after being arrested and charged when one of them claimed she was the perpetrator.

She says her son would hold a knife to her throat and her daughter would kick and spit at her.

‘It got to the point where I couldn’t go to the rest of the house really. I was living in a bedroom. It was marked cell number five with my name.’

Jessica adds: ‘I don’t think I could even admit to myself how bad it was until now, when I look at the pictures of the injuries and the pictures of my bedroom door – I thought that was normal.

On the day of her arrest, Jessica says her daughter ‘started on’ her again as she was going into her bedroom.

Like Michelle, she put her hand out to signal she’d had enough – but that was not how it was subsequently reported to the police: ‘Apparently that was attempting to push her down the stairs.’

‘We are finding that women are not speaking up – they are not feeling confident or safe to report.’

Jessica is still haunted by the traumatic experience of being arrested.

‘I was in the bedroom with my other daughter,’ she recalls. ‘We were just laying there. There was a bang on the door.

‘My bedroom door regularly banged from the children anyway, but as I went to open it, I was literally pulled out by force onto the little landing.

‘I didn’t have a clue what was happening – there was no reason for the police to be there. I was put in handcuffs.

‘I was crying, and the two children that did this were sat there filming the whole thing and laughing.

‘It was so daunting, and the way they treat you when you’re going to the cells is just horrendous. I’d never been in one before.’

Jessica adds: ‘Everyone always joked and called me Wonder Woman because I had six children. I was a nursery manager. I was a trusted person.

‘They’ve taken all of that away.’

She spent a year under investigation only for the common assault charge to be dropped at the crown court.

Being made to feel like a criminal has now changed how she views the police.

‘They just don’t seem to understand domestic abuse. They definitely don’t understand child-to-parent violence.’

In addition to being less likely to call the police, a woman subject to counter allegations is also less likely to be referred by them on to specialist support because she is seen as a perpetrator.

Nadia says: ‘If you’ve got perpetrators who are recording a woman using resistance – someone who has been subjected to abuse for a long period of time and gets to the point where she retaliates as a response to that – that becomes an isolated incident away from the long-term abuse and can be used as evidence against her.

‘We are finding that women are not speaking up – they are not feeling confident or safe to report.’

Research shows nearly 70% of women in prison or under community supervision are victims of domestic abuse. For many, that is directly linked to their offending and can take the form of counter allegations, coerced offending or criminalisation by association.

‘I’ve seen quite a number of cases where very coercively controlling men – very manipulative men – are able to set these situations up. It can all be quite Machiavellian and horrendous.’

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The Centre for Women’s Justice is campaigning for a new defence in criminal law that will recognise coercive control as the driver of the offence.

Currently, victims can only rely on the defence of duress – when you are coerced into acting under the use or threat of violence – which has been found to be ineffective in cases of domestic abuse.

Instead, they often depend on the police or Crown Prosecution Service deciding it is not in the public interest to prosecute them.

Harriet Wistrich, founder and CEO of the Centre for Women’s Justice, tells Metro: ‘In a lot of domestic abuse situations, by the time the police have arrived the victim could be very traumatised or hysterical and he’s appearing very calm.

‘If he’s saying, “she’s just a bit mentally unwell and she’s just thrown something at me”, how do the police deal with that situation?

‘And we have seen a lot of situations where the woman has been arrested and she’s really the victim and the police aren’t necessarily able to make a very careful assessment of what’s going on.

‘I’ve seen quite a number of cases where very coercively controlling men – very manipulative men – are able to set these situations up.

‘It can all be quite Machiavellian and horrendous.’

She adds: ‘Our proposed model is based on what we have for victims of trafficking, where it’s recognised that if you’re forced to commit criminal offences that essentially you have a defence if you can show that it’s directly linked with your exploitation.

‘What we’re arguing is that where somebody is in a coercively controlling relationship where they are under control of somebody and they are essentially forced to handle stolen goods or drugs or commit mortgage fraud or whatever it is, they can show circumstances which lead them to commit those acts.

‘Obviously, it’s not necessarily having a gun held to you, but if it’s in that context of the relationship then they should have a defence and be able to argue they are not culpable rather than potentially argue it as mitigation but still be convicted of a crime.’

*Names have been changed

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

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Tanzanian foursome The Rafikiz stunned the panel with their acrobatic performance on the Britain’s Got Talent stage

Britain’s Got Talent judges were left stunned by an acrobatic performance that prompted gasps of “Oh my God!”

Tanzanian quartet The Rafikiz auditioned for Simon Cowell, KSI, Alesha Dixon and Amanda Holden in Saturday’s (March 7) edition of the ITV show. A preview clip from the programme reveals the panel’s astonished reactions as they witnessed the group’s acrobatic routine.

The contestants stripped to their jeans to demonstrate their abilities on the Britain’s Got Talent stage, captivating the judges with complex balancing sequences. During one segment, The Rafikiz formed a human pyramid, with the uppermost performer balancing upside down on his head atop his colleague’s head, reports Belfast Live.

READ MORE: Britain’s Got Talent hit with complaints over act that left viewers ‘physically sick’READ MORE: Britain’s Got Talent’s ‘future uncertain’ as ratings plummet to ‘all time low’

“That is some serious strength!” Alesha observed as the crowd applauded and both Amanda and KSI exclaimed: “Oh my God!”

“What?” presenter Dec asked incredulously, as he watched from the side of the stage alongside co-host Ant. “Wow!” Ant responded as the act transitioned to a one-handed lift. “It’s like the Avengers or something!”

The spectacle intensified as one performer gripped a stand between his teeth and elevated another Rafikiz member into the air, supporting him entirely with his jaw.

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The routine concluded to thunderous applause, with the entire judging panel standing to deliver a standing ovation.

“I am impressed!” KSI declared, whilst Amanda concurred: “It was so thrilling and so dangerous. I literally could not take my eyes off you. At the end I was covered in goosebumps. It was just amazing.”

Alesha expressed that she “loved it”, whilst Simon told them: “It’s a huge yes for me. We saw an act before from Canada.

“Literally, he was just jumping around on the trampoline. They blamed the size of the trampoline because we said no.

“And you don’t have a particularly big staircase, but it doesn’t matter. Because you put on a show.”

For the latest showbiz, TV, movie and streaming news, go to the new **Everything Gossip** website

Britain’s Got Talent airs Saturday 7pm on ITV1 and ITVX

The St Richard Gwyn Catholic High School upgrade is expected to be completed by the end of next year, with the old one completely demolished by December 2028

The Vale of Glamorgan Council has begun work to redevelop St Richard Gwyn Catholic High School – the last of Barry’s four comprehensive schools to undergo such an upgrade. The £67.5m project will see old buildings replaced. Work on the new school is expected to be completed by the end of next year, with the old one completely demolished by December 2028.

Back in 2020, two new school buildings were built at Pencoedtre High and Whitmore High, while Ysgol Gymraeg Bro Morgannwg has been significantly extended.

St Richard Gwyn will now be improved with work by contractor Morgan Sindall. For the biggest stories in Wales first sign up to our daily newsletter here.

The design for the school, which has 1,100+ pupils, includes quiet outdoor spaces filled with greenery, a cycle shelter and repair station to encourage pupils and staff not travel by car.

There will also be provision for children with Additional Learning Needs (ALNs), a 3G sports pitch and Multiuse Games Area which will be available to the school and wider community.

The school hall will feature a full sound system and lighting for performances, while the canteen will get a new snack bar added on offering light meals and drinks.

Vale of Glamorgan Council said sustainability is a key feature of the new buildings, which use eco-friendly materials and energy-efficient systems, maximising solar energy to reduce the reliance on fossil fuels.

This is in line with the council’s Project Zero commitment to become carbon neutral by 2030.

A green roof made of vegetation will help drainage and provide other ecological benefits, the council said.

Meanwhile, work on Ysgol Llyn Derw, a second site for Ysgol y Deri, in Cosmeston between Sully and Penarth continues. Ysgol y Deri, which shares its main site with St Cyres in Penarth, caters for pupils with special educational needs. Ysgol Llyn Derw is expected to be completed by the summer, the council confirmed.

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TOKYO (AP) — This is the Shohei Ohtani effect.

Ohtani put on a giant show in batting practice hours before he hit a grand slam in the second inning — in the first he doubled on the first pitch of the game but didn’t score — as Japan hammered Taiwan 13-0 in Pool C at the World Baseball Classic.

It was Japan’s first game of four in pool play.

Ohtani drew major Western star power to Japan for the game, with actor Timothée Chalamet and pop singer Bad Bunny in the stands.

Ohtani spoke to the crowd after the game.

“I knew it was going to leave the park right away after I hit it,” Ohtani said of his grand slam. “It’s important to score first.”

Bowing and tipping his cap, Ohtani thanked the fans.

“It was a good game and we got off to a good start, so I think it was all because of your support,” he said to rising applause as he spoke in Japanese. “I think the battles will continue, but if the fans and the team can come together and cheer it will encourage us. So please support us.”

Starting and winning pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto also, of course, credited Ohtani in a post-game press conference away from the field.

“This was our first game of the tournament and to score the first run is always difficult,” he said. “But Shohei hit a huge home run to give us the momentum. So I tip my cap to him.”

An early show in BP

Ohtani’s batting practice thrilled many who had traveled from afar to see him.

Lia Chan and her husband How and other family members flew in from Singapore — about a seven-hour flight to Tokyo — just to watch Ohtani play in the World Baseball Classic.

“And baseball is not even popular in Singapore,” said Lia, who was seated a few rows behind home plate. “We know about baseball, we watch it, but when Ohtani came along it’s just gone out of proportions.”

Lia, her husband and other Singaporeans in their group were among some 40,000 in the stadium oohing-and-aahing on Friday, and this was only for batting practice hours before the second Pool C game.

Ohtani knows about drama.

He kept the crowd waiting for perhaps 30 minutes as other Japanese players practiced and hundreds of reporters with cameras, phones and tripods milled around in a penned-off area on the field.

Finally, Ohtani emerged from the dugout and waited his turn around the batting cage, hugged a few players, made small talk, and greeted some fans in an area for sponsors.

Fans in the stands stood to get a better look. But they were asked to sit down by attendants holding signs in Japanese and English that read: “Please watch from your seats.”

Ohtani took about 25 swings, hit about 10 balls out of the park and another few against the outfield wall.

When batting practice ended, he jogged out to thank the batting practice pitcher, bowed slightly, and gathered a few loose balls and tossed them into the hopper. Then with a bat in each hand, he trotted off the field to prepare for the game against Taiwan.

“Who does things like that?” Lia said. “He’s in another league.”

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

The incident took place on Friday afternoon when emergency crews were called to an apparent fall on Arthur’s Seat.

A hiker has been rescued after “falling” from Arthur’s Seat. The alarm was raised shortly before 1.30pm on Friday, March 6 when emergency services were alerted to a climber having ran into trouble at the Edinburgh beauty spot.

Crews including Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) and Scottish Ambulance Service rushed to the peak, located within Holyrood Park, as did the coastguard in desperate attempts to help the individual involved.

The SFRS confirmed they sent two appliances, a height appliance and a rope rescue appliance to the incident, with a Coastguard helicopter also seen circling the skies around the popular site, located near the Scottish Parliament.

Photos taken at the scene show an air ambulance circling the area. A Coastguard spokesperson confirmed that the male hiker was rescued and put into the care of the Scottish Ambulance Service, reports Edinburgh Live.

The name, age and gender of the person is not yet known, nor is the extent of their injuries, how it happened, or whether they required hospital treatment.

A spokesperson said: “At around 2.07pm, HM Coastguard was made aware of a male with injuries sustained in a fall at Arthur’s Seat, Edinburgh.

“An HM Coastguard Rescue Helicopter was sent, and the casualty was rescued and put into the care of Scottish Ambulance Service.”

A SFRS spokesperson added: “We responded to reports of a casualty in Holyrood Park at 1.24pm on Friday, March 6. We had two appliances, a rope rescue appliance and a height appliance in attendance.”

Police Scotland and Scottish Ambulance Service has been approached for comment.

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Devolution in North Yorkshire is ‘not working as planned’, the Mayor of Whitby, Cllr Sandra Turner, has said.

Cllr Turner said that local decision-makers should be properly consulted before North Yorkshire Council (NYC) implements projects across the county.

​Speaking at a meeting this week, Cllr Turner said “things happen in Whitby that we know nothing about” and criticised NYC for a lack of information about it projects.

​The county’s borough and district councils were abolished in 2023, and North Yorkshire Council was created as part of a plan for double devolution, whereby the government hands over decision-making powers and money to regional leaders.

Additionally, parish and town councils gain additional responsibilities.

“When North Yorkshire was first looking to go unitary, one of the biggest drivers of that was that they would work closely and collaboratively with every town and parish council,” said Cllr Turner.

​“But over the last year, we’ve had things happen in Whitby that we know nothing about. We have the infamous wheel on West Cliff that we read about on Facebook. We’ve got the Sunken Gardens that have been altered and improved, which we applaud, but about which we knew nothing.”

Similar concerns have been raised recently by councillors representing coastal areas on North Yorkshire Council.

​Cllr Turner added that elected members on NYC providing updates at town council meetings was not adequate and that more should be done to involve the parish sector.

​“It’s not working the way it was suggested it would in the initial start-up,” the mayor added.

​Cllr Liz Colling, chair of the Scarborough and Whitby area committee, provided a response on behalf of North Yorkshire Council.

​Cllr Colling said that North Yorkshire Council’s pledges included undertaking statutory consultations with the parish sector, engaging with the parish sector on key issues that are likely to affect or be of particular interest to their area, and providing parish councils with “sufficient information to enable them to reach an informed view on matters upon which they’re being consulted”.

​She said: “It’s important to note however that Whitby Town Council remains a consultee among many on such matters and the ultimate decisions rest with North Yorkshire Council.

“Whitby more than pulls its weight in tourism income for this county, with two million visitors a year, and I think out of pure respect, we should be informed when something’s happening in our town.

​“It’s critical that if we are to maintain the Whitby that we all love and portray to be the golden egg of the county, then we need that information coming forward.”

​Cllr Colling said: “There are 729 parishes across North Yorkshire and they don’t all have parish councils or town councils, but there are 430 parish councils that North Yorkshire is dealing with, and I just need to put that in context of your request.”