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Almost a year after she was reported missing, two people have been arrested on suspicion of the Christina Downer murder, the Los Angeles Police Department announced. Downer was the sister of “Saturday Night Live” writer Jimmy Fowlie. Neither of the two has been reported as charged, and the case is at an early stage.

Who has been arrested in the Christina Downer murder case

According to the reports, police arrested Delorean Bijon Brandon, 41, and Kaylee Nicole Markowski, 34, on Thursday. Variety reports that Brandon was arrested in Highland Park and Markowski in Tarzana. Brandon is described as Downer’s boyfriend. Deadline reports that both were booked on suspicion of murder and are being held at Metropolitan Detention Center on $2 million bail each.

The LAPD says detectives identified the pair as the individuals they believe were responsible for the murder, for disposing of Downer’s body and for concealing their involvement. These are allegations made by police. Neither Brandon nor Markowski has been convicted of anything, and the sources include no response from either of them.

How the investigation unfolded

Police say the case began on December 18, 2025, when Downer’s ex-husband requested a welfare check because he had not heard from her for an extended period. The LAPD says Brandon told officers at the time that she had moved out several months earlier, leaving behind her belongings, her car and her dog.

Detectives from the department’s Robbery-Homicide Division took over after Downer’s cellphone was found washed ashore on Santa Monica Beach. Variety also reports that authorities searched an Airbnb property in Joshua Tree, in the high desert several hours from Los Angeles. The search involved K-9 units and the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department. The LAPD’s statement attributes the identification of the two arrested to “various investigative techniques” but gives no further detail.

A family’s public appeal

Fowlie went public days after Downer was reported missing. On December 22, 2025, he posted photographs of his sister and asked for help finding her. Deadline reports he also searched her Koreatown neighborhood with friends and followers, saying they were worried she was not safe.

On April 29 he wrote that the LAPD had told the family Downer was “no longer alive” and that the case had become a homicide investigation. He said the family believed her phone and social media were compromised in the weeks before she disappeared. He alleged that whoever held the phone used it to hide that she was gone, to ask for money and to create a false narrative that she was going “off the grid.” He added that he was sharing her story because he believed whoever was responsible was “hoping to erase her in every way possible.”

What happens next

The LAPD says its Robbery-Homicide Division will present the case to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office for filing consideration. Prosecutors will decide whether to bring charges and, if so, which ones. The police say the investigation is ongoing.

Until that decision is made, the claims about the Christina Downer murder remain police allegations. The arrests do not settle what happened to her, and any questions about guilt would be a matter for a court.

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A man has died and a second has been injured following an assault at a Tralee migrant centre in Co Kerry, and gardaí have launched a criminal investigation after arresting another man at the scene.

What gardaí say happened at the Tralee migrant centre

According to a Garda spokesman, officers responded to a report of an assault shortly after 5.20am on Saturday at a residential property in Ballymullen. The property is an International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS) centre, which houses people seeking international protection in Ireland.

On arrival, gardaí found an adult man with serious injuries. He was pronounced dead a short time later. A second man, aged in his 40s, was taken to University Hospital Kerry. Gardaí said his injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.

One man arrested, no charge reported

Gardaí said another man, also in his late 40s, was arrested at the scene in connection with the investigation. He is being held at a Garda station in Co Kerry under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984. None of the reports say he has been charged with any offence. Nor do they say what the circumstances of the incident were, and gardaí have not described a motive.

The sources do not identify the man who died or the man who was injured. Gardaí have not said what relationship, if any, the three men had to one another.

Investigation under way

Gardaí said the Office of the State Pathologist has been notified and the Garda Technical Bureau has been asked to attend. The scene is being preserved for forensic and technical examination, and a post-mortem examination will be arranged. A senior investigating officer has been appointed, and an incident room is being set up at Tralee Garda Station.

A spokesperson for the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration said the department was responding to a “critical incident” at an IPAS accommodation centre in Tralee on Saturday morning. As the Garda criminal investigation is under way, the department said it could not comment further.

Appeal for information

Anyone with information that could help the investigation is asked to contact Tralee Garda Station on 066 7102300 or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111. They can also approach any Garda station.

Further details about the Tralee migrant centre incident, including the results of the post-mortem and whether any charges follow, are likely to emerge as the Garda investigation progresses.

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The Josh Jacobs allegations have widened after police records released on Friday night showed three other women contacted officers following the Green Bay Packers running back’s May arrest. They gave their own accounts of alleged incidents dating back to 2021. Jacobs’ lawyers describe the claims as “uncorroborated, old, and previously unreported.”

The Hobart/Lawrence Police Department released the material in response to a public records request, and Green Bay station NBC 26 reported it first. The NFL told OutKick that it “will review these allegations as part of the investigation which has remained open.”

What the Josh Jacobs allegations in the records describe

Jacobs was arrested on 26 May, three days after an incident in which a woman said he threw her to the ground. On 10 September he pleaded no contest to misdemeanor counts of battery and criminal damage to property. The new accounts are separate from that case, and the records do not show any charges arising from them.

One woman contacted police in June. She said she had experienced something similar with Jacobs, first putting it around 2023 and later giving the date as 5 January 2022. She told police she had spent about 11 hours at his home after communicating with him for around six months. She alleged that after she said she had not come for sex, he slapped her, threw her phone into a swimming pool, pulled her by the hair and pinned her down. She also alleged he said, “I should kill you right now.” She said she had not reported it earlier because she stayed friends with Jacobs and feared she would not be believed. She came forward, she said, because she saw a pattern resembling the May case.

A second woman described an April 2021 encounter. She alleged Jacobs later removed her from a residence, pushed her against a wall and threw her belongings out. She said she suffered bruising and rib swelling. Police said records they obtained from that incident noted officers saw “no visible signs of injury, bruising or damage consistent with a physical altercation.”

A third woman said Jacobs flew her to a residence in May 2022 after they met on social media. She alleged he grabbed her by the hair, put his hands on her head and neck, dragged her and scratched her chest. She said she did not go to police because she was not a US citizen at the time and Jacobs told her she could be deported.

Jacobs’ response and the NFL’s next step

Jacobs’ lawyers, David Z Chesnoff, Richard A Schonfeld and Clarence F Duchac III, said the Brown County District Attorney’s office had known of the claims “for months.” They said prosecutors and police carried out an “exhaustive investigation” and concluded only two misdemeanor charges were warranted. “Josh has repeatedly expressed his remorse and is honoring the terms of the agreement,” the statement said. The allegations in the records are unproven, and the sources report no charges from them.

The Packers had no immediate comment. The league placed Jacobs on the commissioner’s exempt list in August, and he missed the first six games. He has since returned, scoring two touchdowns in Thursday’s 27-19 win over the Carolina Panthers. It remains unclear how the Josh Jacobs allegations will affect the NFL’s inquiry, though the league could still impose further discipline.

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A Palestine Action protest outside the US Embassy in London ended on Saturday with 139 people arrested, according to the Metropolitan Police, in one of the largest single-day arrest tallies reported at a demonstration linked to the proscribed group. The Met said officers were still on scene and still making arrests when it published that figure on X.

What happened at the embassy in Nine Elms

The demonstration, organised by the campaign group Defend Our Juries, was held in Nine Elms, south-west London. Reporters on the scene said officers began arresting people one by one shortly after 12.30pm. Some were carried to police vans on Ponton Road when they refused to walk. Others sat or lay in front of a police bus. Onlookers applauded and chanted “free, free Palestine” as people were led away, before those detained were transferred to police stations.

Protesters held placards reading “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action”. Expressing support for the group is an offence under the Terrorism Act following its proscription in June 2025. The people arrested have been detained on suspicion only. The sources do not report any charges.

The Met had warned in advance that attendance would lead to arrests. Commander Adam Slonecki said: “All those intending on coming to this event know that supporting a proscribed organisation is unlawful – they are essentially meeting to purposefully commit a crime.” He added that anyone giving logistical support to those holding placards could also expect to be arrested. A Section 35 dispersal order covered parts of London, including the embassy grounds, from 8am to 11pm. It allows people to be ordered to leave the area or face arrest.

Why this Palestine Action protest matters now

Saturday’s protest came days before the Supreme Court hears an appeal on November 4 against the group’s designation. The legal history is contested. In February, three High Court judges ruled that the then-home secretary Yvette Cooper’s decision to ban the group was unlawful, after a challenge by its co-founder, Huda Ammori. In June, five Court of Appeal judges overturned that ruling. They described the ban as a “justified and proportionate” interference with freedom of expression.

Defend Our Juries says more than 4,000 people have been detained since July 2025 for taking part in peaceful vigils backing the group, according to the Independent. The Met has spent £1.3 million on six “Palestine-Israel public order events” in June and July, according to a freedom of information response reported by the Express.

The group chose the US Embassy as its venue, saying the US had “not shied away” from involvement in the Palestine conflict. The US government announced sanctions against Palestine Action in August. A similar demonstration took place outside the US consulate in Edinburgh. Police Scotland said it had opened inquiries to review evidence and identify people wearing clothing or holding banners in support of the group.

Voices from the crowd

Crowd estimates varied. The Standard reported that about 400 people were expected, while the Express said more than 100 took part. If the 400 figure held, the Met’s tally would mean more than a quarter of attendees were arrested.

Charles Allison, a 75-year-old retired lawyer who travelled almost 300 miles from Cumbria, told the Press Association he feared for “our civil liberties”. He said he hoped the Supreme Court justices would take “a long-term view”. Police led him away shortly before 1pm.

Lauren Wallace, 36, brought her four-year-old daughter to watch her own mother hold a sign. She said she wanted to show the child “the power of protest”. Sue Morhall, 79, said she was hopeful, though “pigs might fly”, that Prime Minister Andy Burnham might rescind the proscription. She suggested he might wait until after the US midterm elections.

One man climbed a tree outside the embassy waving a placard in support of the group. He had not been arrested as of 5.30pm, according to The Standard.

With the Supreme Court hearing days away, the legal status of the ban is set for its highest test yet. Police and organisers both expect further demonstrations.

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Footage of a man wading through waist-deep water towards a dinghy while holding a knife has put a violent edge on the return of small boat crossings in the English Channel. The incident was filmed off Hardelot, France, on Friday 30 October, as attempts resumed after a three-week break caused by strong winds and high swells.

The video was captured by the Press Association. It shows the man moving towards the boat in the water, and a person on board trying to fend him off by hitting him with a boot. As he draws back his arm, he appears to drop the knife into the sea.

What the footage shows, and what remains unclear

The sources differ on what happened next. The Evening Standard, citing the PA footage, reported that the man boarded the UK-bound boat moments after the knife appeared to fall into the water. The Express, using the same footage, said he did not appear to board. The reports do not reconcile this.

The Standard also reported that a call of “I will kill you” was heard while French rescue boats hovered a short distance away. The reports do not say who made the call, and none identifies the man with the knife. None mentions an arrest, a police statement or any injury, so his identity, his reasons and the outcome of the confrontation are all unknown.

Small boat crossings restart after the longest pause of the year

The confrontation came as the Channel reopened to traffic. The 21-day gap in arrivals was the longest of 2026 so far. On Thursday 29 October, the Home Office said, 263 migrants reached the UK. Several children were among a large group in life-jackets brought ashore in Dover, Kent, in calmer conditions. PA also saw at least two boats leaving the French coast in the early hours of Friday.

After the three boats that crossed on Thursday, the Home Office put the 2026 total at 21,198. That is 43% lower than at this point last year (36,954) and 29% below the same stage of 2024 (29,867). With just over two months left, and crossings usually falling in late autumn and winter, the figures suggest this year is unlikely to exceed 2025.

Political reaction

The week’s coverage also focused on a boat reportedly painted red, white and green with the golden sun of the Kurdish flag, which launched from Belgium on Thursday. It was not clear whether it was among the boats that completed the crossing. Reports say Iraqi Kurds are believed to be key players in dinghy crossings.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said on X that gangs were “painting the boats their national colours”, adding: “We’re being invaded from Calais, Normandy – and now Belgium too. I will deploy the Royal Navy and stop the boats forever.”

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said Downing Street was not aware of the specific dinghy and had not seen the knife incident. “We are not complacent. We know that there’s more to do,” he said, adding that the government would work with international partners.

A Home Office spokesperson said crossings were “down significantly” and that the department had just recorded its lowest number of summer arrivals since 2020. They said joint work with international partners had prevented more than 50,000 crossing attempts and seized 1,100 boats and engines since the election. The department said it was increasing the number of officers on the ground in France and removing “pull factors”.

The footage is a reminder that the official figures on small boat crossings do not capture what happens on French beaches before boats leave, where people are wading into the water to board overcrowded dinghies. The sources give no further detail on the knife incident, and any investigation or official response has yet to be reported.

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Police Scotland inquiries into the time Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell spent at Balmoral have begun, with the force confirming it has received “information” about the visit. It stressed that the work is at a “very early stage”.

The development was first reported by the Daily Express. In a statement, a Police Scotland spokesperson said: “We have received information and active inquiries are ongoing, but these are at a very early stage. All inquiries are evidence-led, with the needs of victim survivors at the heart of those inquiries.” The force added that it would never confirm details of ongoing inquiries and that further comment would be inappropriate.

What the Balmoral inquiries are said to concern

Police Scotland has not said what the inquiries involve. The Express reported that they relate to claims that women were trafficked to the King’s private Highland estate, a characterisation the force has not confirmed. Epstein and Maxwell stayed at Balmoral in 1999, reportedly as guests of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly the Duke of York. No one has been accused of any offence in connection with the visit.

Photographs released by the US Department of Justice appear to show Epstein and Maxwell outside a log cabin on the estate, thought to be the “Honka Hut” in Ballochbuie Forest. Other images appear to show Andrew and Epstein on a shooting outing. The cabin photograph, which was not date-stamped, was among the exhibits in Maxwell’s US trial. She was convicted of sex trafficking in 2021 and is serving a 20-year sentence. Epstein was convicted in 2008 of soliciting sex from minors and died in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting a federal trial.

Emails and a flight log in the Epstein files

Material from the Epstein files released last year has also drawn attention. One email, signed “A” and sent to Maxwell on 16 August 2001, said the sender was at “Balmoral summer camp for the Royal Family” and asked whether she had found “inappropriate friends”. Another sender, using the name “the Invisible Man”, mentioned having “left the RN”. Andrew left the Royal Navy the month before. The sources do not say police have reached any conclusion about who wrote the messages or what they mean.

Flight logs from Epstein’s jet show Andrew and Maxwell flying from Luton to Edinburgh on 1 September 2006, with Epstein recorded as not on board. In February, Police Scotland said it was keen to hear from anyone with information about that flight.

A wider picture across UK forces

The National Police Chiefs’ Council said Thames Valley Police, the Metropolitan Police and Surrey Police also have investigations linked to the release of the Epstein files. It said there is no national investigation at present. It described the process of identifying any further potential offending, suspects, victims or witnesses as “complex” and one that “will take time”.

Andrew was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office on 19 February, his 66th birthday. The arrest followed allegations that he shared sensitive information with Epstein while serving as a UK trade envoy. That is a separate matter from the Balmoral inquiries. He was interviewed under caution and released under investigation, and the police investigation continues. He denies wrongdoing. Asked about the latest development, Andy Burnham said police investigations “should properly be independent” and that it was not for him to comment.

For now, the Police Scotland inquiries amount to an early-stage assessment of information received, with no suspects or charges announced. Any further detail will depend on what the force chooses, or is able, to say as its work continues.

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Mercury, lead, nicotine and methanol have turned up in counterfeit beauty products seized across the UK, according to testing by Trading Standards. The findings come as new official research suggests growing numbers of young people are knowingly buying fakes.

Cosmetics, skincare and perfumes are now among the 10 most commonly investigated counterfeit goods, Trading Standards says. Reports of the testing say four in 10 seized cosmetics contained potentially harmful substances. The Guardian reports that the tests covered a cross-section of 50 seized products.

What the tests found in counterfeit beauty products

The most striking result was a skincare product containing 13,200 parts per million of mercury. Lipsticks, eyeshadows and contour products carried high levels of lead. One perfume contained nicotine, and a counterfeit fragrance was made up of around 80% methanol, a toxic alcohol that can cause serious poisoning.

The health risks are not always visible. Mercury is increasingly being found in skincare, and repeated exposure through the skin can damage the kidneys and nervous system. Lead can harm the brain, nervous system and kidneys, with particular risks for children and during pregnancy.

Independent toxicologist Rani Ghosh said some reactions, such as irritation, swelling or skin changes, can be seen. “But what concerns me as a toxicologist is what you might not see,” she said, adding that the internal effects of mercury and lead “may not be immediately obvious”. She also warned that the packaging gives nothing away: “You cannot tell from the packaging what chemicals are inside, how the product has been made or what risk it might pose.”

Young shoppers are driving the shift

Around 20% of 18- to 24-year-olds who bought beauty products last year knowingly purchased counterfeits, according to the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) Counterfeit Goods Tracker. In 2023 the figure was 6%. That is more than a threefold increase in two years.

The internet appears to be the main route. Trading Standards surveys found that nearly three in four people who bought counterfeit cosmetics and toiletries did so online. Helen Barnham, the IPO’s head of enforcement engagement, said the sharp rise among young adults is why the agency wants people to understand the risks and “know how to protect themselves”.

Raids and warehouse seizures

Two recent enforcement operations show how much of this material is in circulation. In July, the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit and Greater Manchester Police seized 1,666 counterfeit hair products, including hair extensions, shampoo and conditioners, from a warehouse in Manchester. A separate raid in Bolton by Trading Standards officers uncovered £2m of counterfeit goods at a production facility in a commercial property. The haul included perfume, cosmetics, clothing and vapes.

The sources do not report any arrests or charges linked to these seizures.

Why fakes bypass safety checks

Counterfeit products are more likely to contain harmful substances because they do not have to go through health and safety testing or carry accurate ingredient lists, according to the Guardian’s report. Barnham said fakes “can be made in appalling, unhygienic conditions”, and that counterfeiters “exploit the names and reputations of brands that consumers know and trust, while bypassing the rigorous safety standards that legitimate businesses work hard to meet”.

Dr Emma Meredith, director-general of the Cosmetic, Toiletry and Perfumery Association, set out what legitimate products must meet. Ingredients are tightly controlled, products must be made in clean and hygienic conditions, and each must undergo a safety assessment. Companies carry clear legal responsibilities for what they place on the market. Counterfeits, she said, can bypass all of those safeguards.

What the Face the Fakes campaign advises

The IPO has launched a campaign called Face the Fakes, working with content creators and the beauty industry to highlight the harms of counterfeit beauty products. Its practical advice is to check who is actually selling a product and to buy from trusted sources. The British Beauty Council’s chief executive, Millie Kendall, said safety and trust run through the UK beauty industry, from brands to retailers and professionals.

The message from regulators and experts is that a convincing label is no guarantee of what is inside the bottle. Where a bargain price on a well-known brand comes from an unfamiliar seller, the seller’s identity is the first thing to check.

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A 35-year-old driver has been convicted of murder after a headteacher cycling home from work was dragged for more than a mile beneath his four-by-four. Simon Richardson will be sentenced on Monday at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court.

What the jury heard about the collision

Michael Mullins, 56, a father of two from Northwich, Cheshire, was riding home from Stretford Grammar School, where he was headteacher, on the early evening of 20 April. The court heard he was struck by a Volvo XC90 driven by Richardson on Paddock Lane in Warburton, Greater Manchester. Prosecutors said Richardson drove through give-way markings and into the cyclist’s path.

Mr Mullins fell onto the bonnet and windscreen before being drawn under the vehicle, where he became entangled in the suspension, the jury was told. Richardson, who is of no fixed address, kept driving.

The prosecution case: a deliberate decision to drive on

Phil Barnes KC, prosecuting, told jurors that Richardson knew the cyclist was beneath the car “and he inevitably knew what the consequences of driving on would be, and he did it anyway”. He said that for “a split second” Richardson may have considered getting out to help, but “chose to drive away”. The Crown’s suggested reason was that he wanted to escape the consequences of what he had done.

Key evidence came from Richardson’s front-seat passenger, his cousin Gabrielle Debotte. Giving evidence for the prosecution, she said both of them heard “moaning” from outside as the car pulled away, and that Richardson then said: “He’s under the car.”

The court heard Richardson drove 1.3 miles to a secluded farm track on Wet Gate Lane in Lymm. The Crown said this was an attempt to dislodge Mr Mullins, whom it described as “the single, solid piece of evidence of what he was driving away from”. Richardson twice tried to pull him out, the court heard, before returning to the car and veering sharply from side to side and mounting a grass verge.

Mr Mullins was finally released but was then driven over as Richardson reversed and drove off, the jury heard. A motorcyclist who followed a trail of blood from the collision site found him alone and barely breathing on the verge. Emergency services attended but could not save him, and he died from multiple injuries.

Defence argument and verdicts

Richardson was arrested the following day after a police vehicle pursuit. He denied murder, telling the court he did not realise Mr Mullins was under his car and that he did not get out to try to free him.

In his closing speech, defence counsel Jaime Hamilton KC told jurors they would be likely to hold his client “in contempt”. He acknowledged that Richardson’s actions led to Mr Mullins’s death and described him as having acted in “the most selfish of ways”. He argued, however, that this did not make Richardson guilty of the homicide offences on the indictment. The jury rejected that argument.

Jurors retired on Wednesday and returned at about 11.45am on Friday. Richardson was convicted of murder and was also found guilty of a separate charge of dangerous driving on 21 April, relating to the police pursuit before his arrest. Members of Mr Mullins’s family in the public gallery wept as the verdicts were read out.

Family tribute and what happens next

In a statement, Mr Mullins’s family said: “He was devoted to his family and our lives will never be the same. A gap has been left in our hearts and within his role as a headteacher of Stretford Grammar School.”

The trial judge, Mrs Justice Brunner KC, excused the jurors from jury service for 10 years. She acknowledged the case had been “upsetting” and that some of the evidence may have been distressing. She will sentence Richardson on Monday, when the court is expected to set out the term he must serve after being convicted of murder.

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An IOPC investigation has been launched into how the Metropolitan Police handled a 2019 letter containing allegations about Thomas Markle, the father of the Duchess of Sussex. The Independent Office for Police Conduct said it will examine the force’s “failure to pass on allegations of serious offending” to “relevant overseas authorities at the time”.

The watchdog’s move follows a voluntary referral by the Met itself. No one has been reported as arrested or charged in connection with the underlying allegations, which Mr Markle strongly denies.

What the IOPC will examine

According to the Met, it received a letter in January 2019 addressed to its Protection Command, specifically the Fixated Threats Assessment Centre. The writer said they had concerns about the Duchess of Sussex’s security. Commander Adam Slonecki said the letter contained no information specifically about security, but did include “a number of claims about alleged offending outside the United Kingdom”.

The letter was assessed and then passed to the office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex “for their awareness”. The Met has confirmed the details of the allegations were not shared with other law enforcement agencies. The BBC understands the letter was written by Mr Markle’s first wife, Roslyn Loveless, who divorced him in 1975 and died in 2024.

The IOPC investigation will centre on why that information stayed within the force and the Sussexes’ office. Separately, the watchdog has decided a second matter, an alleged data breach in which information was passed to a third party, should go back to the Met to be dealt with, including under its data breach policies if required. No details of the alleged breach have been given.

Questions over the paper trail

Several outlets have reported that the Met did not keep its own copy of the letter and had to ask the Sussexes for one. The BBC noted that officers sent the letter to the couple’s royal office rather than to Meghan personally. The IOPC will have to consider how the force treated the contents at the time.

There is also a gap in the timeline. The Met says the letter arrived in January 2019, while reports of Meghan’s own account refer to being told of “troubling” allegations in 2018. The sources do not explain the difference, and it is not clear whether the IOPC investigation will address it.

Mr Markle’s granddaughter, Noel Rasmussen, told the BBC she was “deeply troubled” by the questions around the Met’s handling. She said it was reasonable to ask what steps were taken and why the information was not shared.

The Philippines inquiry

The scrutiny of the Met has emerged alongside a separate inquiry abroad. Thomas Markle Jr says he reported material to police in the Philippines and to the FBI. He claims he found it among his father’s belongings. He handed four boxes of items, including computers, phones, hard drives and old videotapes, to police in Cebu. Officers there have now obtained a court warrant to examine the devices. Nothing has been established about what, if anything, they contain.

Thomas Markle Sr, who is reportedly living in Florida after a stroke and a leg amputation, has called the claims “sick lies” and denies ever possessing such material. His daughter Samantha Markle has dismissed the allegations as “fake” and said she believes it is “a set-up”.

What happens next

The Met says it intends to make referrals to relevant overseas law enforcement agencies about the letter’s allegations, a process it expects to finish “in the coming days”. Those referrals do not amount to findings of wrongdoing. The IOPC investigation is about the Met’s own conduct, not about whether the claims against Mr Markle are true. The IOPC has not said how long it will take.

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The wife of Russell Brand has given evidence for the defence at the Russell Brand trial, telling a jury at Southwark Crown Court that the comedian is “caring, kind” and “an amazingly attentive husband”, while accepting that they once split up over his infidelity. Brand, 51, denies all charges. The jury is likely to retire to consider its verdicts on Tuesday, according to the BBC.

What the Russell Brand trial has heard about the charges

Brand is accused of seven offences against six women, relating to a period between 1999 and 2009. The charges are three counts of rape, three of sexual assault and one of attempted indecent assault. He has pleaded not guilty to each of them. The allegations have not been proven, and it is for the jury to decide the case.

Laura Brand’s evidence

Laura Brand, 39, told the court she met Brand at the Edinburgh festival in 2006 after one of his shows. She is the sister of TV presenter Kirsty Gallacher. They began dating that September, she said, and she described him as “very caring, totally at my pace”. Asked by defence barrister Ian Winter KC whether he respected her wishes when she did not want to be sexual, she replied: “Yes, absolutely.”

She was candid about the couple’s early difficulties. She said she knew he “liked women” and learned during that first year that he was seeing others. They split in February 2007. “I was invested, we both had told each other we loved each other, but it was clear it was difficult for him to be monogamous,” she said. They stayed in contact and became friendly again, she said, including after his marriage to Katy Perry ended. Asked whether she knew of his promiscuity while they were apart, she said she read about it in the papers and that he also told her himself.

They restarted their relationship in 2015, married in 2017 and have three children. “We have a very frank, honest and clear relationship and marriage,” she told the court. “I feel very seen by him… I love him very much.”

Limits on a defence witness

The judge, Mr Justice Bennathan, and prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones KC both objected when Winter asked Laura Brand for her view on the truth of the allegations. “She’s not here as an expert witness,” the judge said, and that line of questioning stopped. In cross-examination, Karmy-Jones noted that she had attended much of the trial and taken notes, and questioned her about how much contact she had with Brand after their 2007 split. Reporters noted that Brand smiled and laughed during parts of his wife’s evidence.

Statements from former partners

The court also heard statements from two of Brand’s ex-girlfriends. Elia Alvarez Diaz said they lived together for about a year from 1998 to 1999. She described him as “gentle” and “loving”, and said: “When I said no, however, he accepted it.” She said the relationship ended because he repeatedly cheated. Amanda Alguero Alejos also said he had been unfaithful, calling him “undoubtedly promiscuous”.

Brand’s own testimony

The day before, Brand gave evidence himself. According to the BBC, he told jurors the allegations had a “devastating” effect on his relationships with friends and colleagues. He said he had been promiscuous but regarded sexual consent as “fundamental, essential, necessary and indeed in many ways more important than sex itself”.

For the prosecution, Karmy-Jones has argued that the circumstances of the alleged offending were “as wide and as varied as the defendant’s career”. That is the prosecution’s case, which Brand disputes. The Russell Brand trial continues, with the jury expected to begin deliberating early next week.

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