Police investigating Robert Bush’s Legacy Independent Funeral Directors in Hull found 35 bodies and bags of ashes among a back room of chaos

Shocking pictures show how a callous funeral director treated the deceased – and their ­grieving families – with utter contempt.

Some 35 bodies and the ashes of more than 100 people who Robert Bush was entrusted with sat among rubbish, scrap cars, motorbikes and wine boxes.

The public-facing areas of Hull’s Legacy Independent Funeral Directors featured a perfectly respectable waiting room and chapel. But behind the appearance of order and dignity lay a back room of horror and chaos. 17 of the bodies stored there had putrefied within a dirty cold storage area, reports the Mirror.

Bush, 48, has admitted 67 offences ­including fraud charges relating to giving families the ashes of strangers, and denying 30 people a decent and proper burial.

When police were called to the scene in March 2024 he boasted about his chapel, telling them: “It seats about 70 people, it’s got a lectern, the coffin sits at the front.” He also described how they had a vicar “the same as a crematorium” and a celebrant with a slide show on a screen.

But among the clutter in the back room, bodies were stored on shelves three racks high in an “undignified manner”. As Hull Crown Court heard from the prosecutor this week: “The vast majority were uncovered and in varying states of decomposition.

“There was a further naked body lying on a stretcher on the floor. In addition, there was one sealed wooden coffin and four sealed cardboard coffins. There was evidence of human putrefaction visible on the floor, and a mop and bucket in the corner of the room which contained further evidence of putrefaction.

“Many of the bodies had hospital ID bracelets on their wrists and/or ankles, some had biological hazard bracelets, while others had no identifying markers.”

The workshop, complete with slab and body gurney, also had a sink labelled “dirty area” full of waste and scissors. A Christmas tree was also among the rubbish.

A single comfy chair with a footrest sat in front of a screen in another room. Disturbingly, families have said they feared Bush was watching them as they visited their loved ones.

A book about a road trip to America was also found at the premises, along with motorbikes, four ­sets of motorbike leathers and helmets hanging neatly from the wall. They appeared to have been taken better care of than the bodies stored nearby or bags of ashes lined up on the floor.

Katie Woolston, 28, went to Legacy after her fourth miscarriage and now fears her child was dumped in a bin by Bush. She said: “People’s loved ones were in the building, so why on Earth was he storing motorbikes and cars in there?”

As well as conning around 200 families out of more than £550,000 through fraudulent pre-paid funeral plans, Bush – who spent £42,000 on holidays alone – also failed to pass on donations given by relatives and mourners to charity.

Bush’s sick deception – were uncovered by funeral directors who had been called in to collect a body for him while he was away in the US.

Gary Pickering and Steve Emmerson, of Evergreen Funeral Directors, took immediate action they were so disturbed. The prosecutor said: “Putting it simply, they were shocked by what they saw – but then saw a passing police car which they flagged down and they spoke to a PC.

“The officer described the witnesses as being shaken as they relayed the details to him.

“Three police officers then attended Mr Bush’s premises where they found a large number of human bodies within a cold storage area of the premises.”

The prosecutor added: “There was also evidence of personal possessions with some of the deceased and other personal effects on the floor and on shelving.”

Containers of ashes were found all over the premises, with most “stored in an undignified manner”, according to a report on the conditions in the premises.

Some were stacked chaotically on the floor where damp had caused mould to grow on the boxes. Ash was also found on desk surfaces, in empty and unidentified boxes and, in one room, strewn across the floor.

Many families had complained about a bad smell coming from the ­premises, with one man identifying mould on his gran’s coffin.

Photographs show one room full of wood cuttings after Bush started making his own coffins out of MDF, to save money.

He will be sentenced on Friday, after harrowing victim impact statements are read to the court.

One of Bush’s victims told the Mirror the funeral director went quickly from the “consummate professional” to “Frankenstein”.

Karen Dry said she is praying the fiend is served justice for his crimes. The mum-of-two said she may never know if she actually has her parents’ ashes.

Bush is being sentenced at Hull Crown Court for more than 65 offences spread over 12 years, with hundreds of victims and their grieving families impacted.

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Ms Dry, of Cottingham, Hull, said: “He was charming. He was pleasant and very patient, he was a consummate professional. He had a certain pleasantness about him. He had a nice personality.

“But we realised he was actually a wolf in sheep’s clothing. The truth is you can’t DNA-test ashes. This man has affected hundreds of families. A small village full. There’s probably more Frankenstein’s elsewhere – hiding in plain sight.”

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Some airports scrapped the 100ml rule for liquids, now allowing containers of up to two litres in hand luggage.

This change is due to new technology that allows passengers to keep liquids in their hand luggage.

However, this rule isn’t universal, with only seven UK airports implementing it so far.

Travellers are encouraged to check the latest rules and requirements for their destination, including luggage sizes and passport validity.

Can you pack more than 100ml containers of liquid in your hand luggage?

If you fly from the following airports, liquids are not limited to 100ml containers:

• Heathrow
• Gatwick
• Edinburgh
• Birmingham
• Bristol
• London Southend
• Bournemouth

In fact, these airports now allow passengers to pack liquids in multiple containers up to two litres.

There is no limit on the number of containers, as long as they don’t exceed two litres.

ETIAS: What Brits need to know before travelling to Europe

Metal bottles must be emptied at all airports, so it’s worth using alternative containers for liquids to save you the job.

Which? adds: “The only caveat is that liquids in vacuum flasks must be poured out, as the new scanners can’t penetrate the double layer of insulation.”

Check your passport is valid for travel

Compare the Market has warned Brits who are going abroad to check more than their expiry date when it comes to passports.

That is because some countries operate a strict rule where passports must have a certain amount of time left on them to be accepted into the country.

Recommended reading:

Using HM Passport Office data, the comparison site said that 705,904 British passports have less than three months remaining before they expire.

Countries in the EU’s Schengen Area require UK travellers to have a passport that is valid for at least three months after their planned departure from the Schengen Area.

These passports are still valid, as they have not passed their expiry dates.

Still, some destinations ask visitors to adhere to additional validity requirements, so it’s crucial you know the rules before going away.

Do you prefer the new liquid rules at UK airports? Tell us what you think in the comments.

By PETER HITCHENS, COLUMNIST AND COMMENTATOR

Published: 08:43 BST, 30 July 2026 | Updated: 08:47 BST, 30 July 2026

Wildfires raging across southern France have now forced George and Amal Clooney to flee their home.

The 65-year-old Oscar winner and the 48-year-old human rights lawyer live in Brignoles, located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region of France, which is threatened by fires spreading across France, Greece, Italy and Spain.

Clooney revealed that he and his wife had evacuated their home along with their nine-year-old twins, Alexander and Ella, in a letter to the mayor of Brignoles, Didier Brémond, his representative confirmed to People on Wednesday.

In the short but stirring letter, the actor reportedly vowed to support the French town, which is home to just under 18,000 people, regardless of the impact of the encroaching fires.

The Daily Mail has reached out to George and Amal Clooney for comment but has not yet received a response. 

‘Dear Didier, At this point we have no idea whether our beautiful home makes it through this terrible moment,’ Clooney began.

Wildfires are affecting the southern part of Brignoles and threatening the village of Camps-la-Source, while the neighborhoods of Pelicon and Tombarel are subject to an evacuation order

The Clooneys moved to an estate near Brignoles, which is home to just under 18,000 people, in 2021; the town, which is located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region, is pictured that year

‘As we evacuate Brignoles we want to emphasise 2 things, first we hope you and the people of our city are safe and second that Amal and I are committed to making sure that whatever happens to our village, we are part of this community and we’ll be part of making it whole,’ he wrote. 

‘We love Brignoles and our friends who live there.’ 

On Wednesday, Brémond shared a Facebook post with aerial photos snapped above Brignoles that showed the fires threatening the town. 

‘The fire is less dynamic and is progressing slowly, especially thanks to the wind that has fallen,’ he wrote, via a translation. 

The mayor added that evacuation orders remained in place for affected neighborhoods 

The Clooneys announced their evacuation on the same day that the EU’s emergency response chief warned that wildfires could potentially engulf ‘all of Europe’ within days.

Greece, Italy and Central Europe are now expected to face the highest wildfire risk in the coming weeks, raising fears of fresh disasters even as firefighters continue battling major blazes across southern Europe.

Maria Zuber, head of the EU’s Emergency Response Co-ordination Centre, said the next few days would be ‘very difficult’ and warned the wildfire threat was shifting eastward after devastating parts of France and the Iberian Peninsula.

‘The next risk, it’s already moving to Greece and also Central Europe,’ Zuber told reporters. 

‘Greece for the moment was spared, and now we see that it will go to Greece. 

In a letter to Brignoles mayor Didier Brémond, Clooney shared that his family was evacuating but vowed to support the town as it recovered from the fires

‘As we evacuate Brignoles we want to emphasise 2 things, first we hope you and the people of our city are safe and second that Amal and I are committed to making sure that whatever happens to our village, we are part of this community and we’ll be part of making it whole,’ Clooney continued. ‘We love Brignoles and our friends who live there’

Helicopters have been deployed in an attempt to stem the fires by dropping water from above

Members of the Recherche des Causes et Circonstances d’Incendie – RCCI of the Var department (Fire Causes and Circumstances Investigation) unit are pictured at the site of a suspected reignition point of a wildfire in Ponteves

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On Wednesday, Brémond shared a Facebook post with aerial photos snapped above Brignoles that showed the fires threatening the town. ‘The fire is less dynamic and is progressing slowly, especially thanks to the wind that has fallen,’ he wrote, via a translation; the town is seen in 2021

‘Italy will face risk at the beginning of August, and we will need to see what will happen with the Iberian Peninsula, because if [it is] there as well, we will have all Europe on fire,’ she added. 

The forecast reflects weather conditions that help fires ignite and spread rapidly, such as high temperatures, dry air, wind and a lack of rain.

Europe suffered its worst wildfire season on record last year, with more than two million acres of land burned. Zuber said Europe’s fire situation this year has so far been similar.

‘We have the potential that this is another record,’ she said. 

The Associated Press reported on Wednesday that the wildfires in southern France have now swelled to four times the size of Paris. 

More than 2,200 firefighters are battling the French fires, with 20 aircraft providing support to tamp down the flames. 

Amid efforts to fight the international blazes, three firefighters were killed in Greece.

According to the CBC, more than 330,000 people have been forced to evacuate across France and Spain as of Tuesday.

George and Amal Clooney began eyeing Brignoles as a possible spot to settle down back in 2021, and they purchased their estate for around $9 million later that year.

The American screen star and the British–Lebanese lawyer went on to gain French citizenship for themselves and their children in 2025, even though Clooney had admitted that he was still ‘bad’ at speaking French. 

The couple’s home in Brignoles is just one of their multiple European estates.

More than 20 years ago, Clooney purchased a mansion on Italy’s Lake Como, and he and Amal also have a manor in Berkshire in the United Kingdom.

The birth of their children in June 2017 was announced by Clooney on French TV, and he has frequently stated that he admires the country’s privacy laws. 

The Clooneys announced their evacuation on the same day that the EU’s emergency response chief warned that wildfires could potentially engulf ‘all of Europe’ within days; firefighters battle the blaze near Mirabel-et-Blacons in southeastern France on Tuesday

More than 2,200 firefighters are battling the French fires, with 20 aircraft providing support to tamp down the flames; a plane dropping fire retardant is pictured on Wednesday near Gironde

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The birth of his children in June 2017 was announced by George on French TV, and he has frequency stated that he admires the country’s privacy laws (Brignoles village pictured)  

He told French radio in December 2024: ‘I love the French culture, your language, even if I’m still bad at it after 400 days of courses. 

‘Here, they don’t take photos of kids. There aren’t any paparazzi hidden at the school gates. That’s number one for us.’ 

The couple downgraded their 25-bedroom Italian house with a tennis court on Lake Como to a ‘holiday home’ after purchasing the wine estate, Domaine du Canadel, near the village of Brignoles, in the South of France.

It comes with 425 acres, including an olive grove, vineyard, tennis court and boules pitch. And it seems the peace and privacy that comes with all that space has made it their favorite place in the world. 

Clooney is friendly with the local mayor, Didier Brémond, and last year recorded a New Year message for the people of Brignoles which began: ‘Bonjour, Didier!’ 

It continued: ‘First of all, I would like to wish you all a very Happy New Year. I hope each of you had a wonderful holiday season. We want to thank all of you, because we love spending time in the Var and in Brignoles. And we are very grateful for your hospitality and for the friendship that Didier shows us.’

The couple’s vast property empire also includes homes in Kentucky and New York City. 

The first trailer for Michael Owen‘s fly-on-the-wall Prime Video series has been released, and it offers a glimpse at the former England player’s life as a busy father-of-four.

Since retiring from football, Michael has thrown himself into the world of horse racing, and the venture will take centre stage in their series, titled Meet The Owens.

The six-part docuseries follows a year in the life of Michael, his wife Louise, and their four children Gemma, James, Emily and Jessica, as they juggle a horse racing business while contending with a chaotic home life.

At home, he and wife Louise are preparing for life as empty nesters: youngest Jessica dreams of becoming a showjumping Olympic champion, while Emily, 18, is trying to become the first Owen to go to university, and James, 20, who has a degenerative eye condition, wants to join the family business. 

Meanwhile, eldest daughter Gemma, a presenter and equestrian with millions of social media followers, is balancing her media career with an ambitious new challenge. 

Training at her dad’s stables, the series sees her sights set on racing at Glorious Goodwood.

Michael’s son James also makes a rare appearance, having previously spoken about being considered clinically blind by age 13 after being diagnosed with a rare eye condition

In the trailer, Michael pokes fun at assumptions he is a ‘boring p****k’ while his wife Louise shares how they first met in primary school before going on to date and marry in 2005.

The sportsman’s daughters Gemma and Emily confess their dad can be ’embarrassing’ at times, as it shows his eldest rolling her eyes at her dad’s cheeky behaviour.

Gemma also begins her training to be a jockey ahead of her Goodwood debut, admitting her dad ‘wants’ her to try out the sport.

Michael’s son James also makes a rare appearance in the series, having previously spoken about being considered clinically blind by age 13 after being diagnosed with a rare eye condition called Stargardt disease.

The condition meant James was unable to follow in his dad’s footsteps to pursue a football career, with Gemma previously sharing how she is ‘very protective’ of her younger brother. 

Gemma, who is an international dressage champion, is set to compete in the Markel Magnolia Cup on Ladies Day at Goodwood – a ladies-only charity race on Thursday. 

‘I’m really looking forward to taking part in the Markel Magnolia Cup this year,’ Gemma said. 

‘Believe it or not, I had never sat on a racehorse until a couple of months ago and the training so far has been humbling to say the least.’

The six-part docuseries follows a year in the life of Michael, his wife Louise, and their four children as they juggle a horse racing business while contending with a chaotic home life

Gemma, a presenter and equestrian with millions of social media followers, is balancing her media career with an ambitious new challenge – racing at Glorious Goodwood

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The sportsman’s daughters Gemma and Emily confess their dad can be ’embarrassing’ at times, as the trailer shows his eldest rolling her eyes at her dad’s cheeky behaviour

All six episodes of Meet the Owens will be available to stream exclusively on Prime Video from 28th August 2026

‘Spending more time at Manor House Stables, seeing how a racing yard runs like clockwork and getting out onto the gallops, has been an incredible experience.’

‘It is an even bigger challenge than I initially expected but I’m excited to take part in such a prestigious fundraising event which raises so much money for charities supporting women and children.’

Michael, who played for Liverpool, Real Madrid, Newcastle United, Manchester United and Stoke City, set up Manor House Stables in 2006.

He converted an old arable farm into a state-of-the-art thoroughbred racing yard. 

Meanwhile, Gemma unveiled her romance with Red Morgan last year, as she shared a photo of the pair joined by her father and her mother Louise Bonsall.

A source told The Sun at the time that Gemma and Red had known each other for a while after meeting through their shared passion of equestrian.

Per the 2024 Sunday Times Rich List, Red’s father Steve – who is the founder and chairman of housebuilder Redrow – has a net worth estimated at £915million.

All six episodes of Meet the Owens will be available to stream exclusively on Prime Video from August 28, 2026.

A British Airways flight was just ‘seconds from disaster’ over London after a near-catastrophic error, it has been reported.

Sources claim that the Airbus A320 stalled on its approach to London Heathrow on Flight BA919 from Dusseldorf on July 6 after an air data systems failure.

Following the first officer’s failed attempt to fix the problem, it reportedly required physical intervention from the pilot.

The incident, which took place 4,000 feet above Canary Wharf, has been described as the ‘most serious “near miss” in the UK in years’, a source told The Sun.

‘To recover from this position is difficult, especially so low to the ground,’ the source said.

‘It is unheard of for a captain to physically intervene in the cockpit.’

Senior figures also claimed that the plane almost suffered a ‘hull loss’, which is an aviation term for when an aircraft is seriously damaged or destroyed.

The captain of the flight is now understood to be on ‘stress leave’.

Meanwhile, the incident has been reported as a ‘loss of control in-flight’ and branded as being ‘pilot induced’.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch has now launched a probe into the ‘serious incident’.

British Airways, who operate roughly 19 direct flights per week between Dusseldorf Airport and Heathrow, said it was assisting the investigation.

The Civil Aviation Authority also said it could not comment on an ongoing review.

Metro has contacted British Airways for comment.

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Several other cities were under attack, with missiles reaching western Ukraine, according to BBC Ukraine.

The armed forces in neighbouring Poland said they had mobilised on-duty fighter jets during the strikes, after detecting at least a dozen missiles over western Ukraine that could have posed a threat to Polish airspace.

The closest one was observed about 5km from the Polish border at 03:29, after which it changed direction and headed eastwards.

The military said they had subsequently located a 10m crater with scattered debris on Polish soil – in a field about 2km away from the village of Tarnawa-Kolonia, Lublin province, in the south. The site has been secured.

Police said they had received a report of a powerful explosion in the area.

Ukraine had been expecting the Russian offensive, with Zelensky warning on Wednesday that “there is a high probability that the attack will occur tonight”.

Meanwhile in Russia, a regional official reported an overnight attack on the warehouse of a retailer in the city of Penza.

One person was injured at a Wildberries facility, Regional Governor Oleg Melnichenko posted on Telegram.

Wildberries is often described as “Russia’s Amazon” and its sites have been the target of recent Ukrainian attacks.

The military action follows repeated calls by Ukraine’s president to bolster Kyiv’s anti-ballistic missile defences.

“The protection of people’s lives depends directly on their willingness, or lack of willingness, to provide air defence missiles,” he wrote on X on Wednesday.

The Patriot is one of the few air defence systems able to intercept ballistic missiles, which Russia has increasingly used to bombard Ukrainian cities.

Sarah Wilson dislikes the term ‘grooming gang’. She would prefer the men who stole her childhood to be known less euphemistically. ‘They were monsters: child rapists, paedophiles. To call them “groomers” softens their crimes,’ she says.

For five years, from the age of 11, Sarah was enslaved to Muslim men who plied her with alcohol and Class A drugs until she was insensible, then raped her.

The first assault took place in her primary school playground, where she was forced to perform oral sex on a man; the location emphasising both her vulnerability and – although it was past school home time – the flagrant disregard of the authorities who might have protected her.

Now 34, Sarah’s fight for justice has been long and arduous. It was not until 2024, more than two decades after the first of a series of heinous crimes was committed against her, that she was finally given a voice.

And hers is strident and forthright. Courageously, she re-lived the horror of her abuse to secure the convictions in court of seven of the men – she estimates the true count to be around 100 – who raped and abused her.

She has given evidence in three separate trials at Sheffield Crown Court and her abusers were given sentences of between six and 25 years. The most recent ended in February this year and saw taxi driver Riyasth Hussain, who raped her twice when she was 13 or 14, jailed for 20 years.

Meanwhile, a two-week trial in September 2025 had found Obaidullah Omari, 46 – who had also abused Sarah – guilty of three counts of rape and two counts of indecent assault. He was given a 19-year prison sentence. Her abusers formed part of a notorious criminal network in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, that flouted the law and were ignored by police until the National Crime Agency’s Operation Stovewood in 2014 finally began to bring them to justice.

Between the ages of 11 and 16, Sarah was abused by grooming gangs in Rotherham who plied her with drugs and alcohol. She is seen at 14 years old

Now Sarah, who has waived her legal right to anonymity, is steeling herself for yet another fight. She has been told that under the Government’s new Sentencing Act of 2026 – aimed at freeing up extra space in our overcrowded prisons – Hussain and Omari, perpetrators of sickening abuses against her, as well as other women and children, could be eligible for release in just six and five years respectively.

‘I’m just so angry,’ she tells me. ‘If they’re released this early I’ll have been fighting for justice longer than they’ve spent in prison. I’m actually frightened of Hussain. He’s a very dangerous individual; completely unhinged. He didn’t groom me or try to befriend me, but whenever he saw me, he raped me. I’m frightened that if he comes out he’ll kill me.

‘In my mind he’s the most dangerous of all the men who abused me. I relived the trauma of what I endured as a child in court, and now this is another trauma I’ve got to face. I’ve looked Hussain in the eyes and thought: “In the end I won, you b******.”

‘But if he’s released after six years, he’ll have won.’

Indeed, such is the widespread fury about the early release scheme that last week Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced an ‘urgent review’ of the policy ahead of its planned start in September. While Sarah ‘welcomes’ the review, she fears it will not go far enough. ‘We don’t yet know if dangerous offenders like the men who abused me will be exempt from the scheme,’ she says.

‘Rapists and paedophiles should serve their entire sentences. I don’t care what colour their skin is, what religion they are: if you abuse a woman, man or child you should serve your whole sentence.

‘If it was up to me, Hussain and Omari would never see daylight again. They’re monsters who have never shown any remorse.

‘They would carry on offending if they were released. If you’re attracted to children, you always will be. I was frightened for my life when I was a kid. Now I’m frightened all over again – this time of retribution.’

Sarah was first given hope that justice would prevail when Baroness Jay reported in 2014 on the sexual exploitation of hundreds of girls in Rotherham, by Muslim men.

‘When I started co-operating with the National Crime Agency, I felt sure I’d finally get justice for the little girl no one would fight for. Although I’d been to the police before and been ignored, as a grown woman I knew they couldn’t crush or silence me anymore.’

Indeed, Sarah, who suffers from congenital heart disease, was so determined to testify in court, she begged her medical team to defer open-heart surgery so she could stand in the witness box.

Reluctantly they agreed and, after the last trial ended, she underwent a 12-hour operation. The scar bisecting her chest where her sternum was opened testifies to their ‘wonderful’ work.

‘I knew that every word I said in court was true,’ she continues. ‘I’ve got a strong sense of justice and, when Omari and Hussain were sentenced, I felt I’d achieved it. But now I’m fighting for justice again. We need a system that is weighted in favour of survivors, rather than offenders.’

Obaidullah Omari, 46, was found guilty of three counts of rape and two counts of indecent assault. He was given a 19-year prison sentence

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A trial which ended in February this year saw taxi driver Riyasth Hussain, who raped Sarah twice when she was 13 or 14, jailed for 20 years

Sarah, a mum to two young children, is one of five Yorkshire women who have signed a letter to the Government urging it to exempt perpetrators of sexual abuse from early release.

Today she recalls how her young life descended into hell.

She was 11 when she was introduced by a 14-year-old girl to two young men of Pakistani heritage, and forced to perform oral sex on one of them. Friendless and bullied at school, she was flattered by the attention of the older girl: ‘Today I want to kill that girl. She enticed me and encouraged me. She was told to recruit younger girls because she’d become too old for her abusers. She did what she was told.

‘After the sex act I felt disgusted and dirty, confused. I was too young to consent to anything.

‘But people who haven’t been sexually exploited don’t understand that, at the beginning, you also feel a sense of belonging. You become friends with men who are older than you. Some of them drive cars, they pay you compliments, give you food, cigarettes, then drugs. My mum recalls that I came home with gifts of jewellery and make-up.

‘Suddenly I felt accepted, as if I was part of a group. But you have to give something back: your body.

‘Then it becomes, “We own you” and you’re given heroin, amphetamines, cocaine until you’re dependent. In reality I was just a piece of fresh meat, recruited by an older girl whose so-called “boyfriend” liked having sex with children. Eventually, I was driven round the country, trafficked and gang-raped.’

When she was 12, she lost her virginity through rape to a 30-year-old man. The perpetrator, Mohammed Zameer Sadiq – now 52 – was already serving a 20-year sentence for sexual offences against women and other children when, two years ago, he was convicted of the attack on Sarah and given a 15-year sentence.

Three men violated her in quick succession. ‘I was raped on a bench and it really hurt me. They’d say, “If you don’t do this we’ll take your phone off you.” Or they’d take my phone anyway and leave me stranded.

‘By the time I was 12, I had the numbers of 177 gang members in my phone. When they demanded, I went to them; I didn’t dare disobey. They’d batter me or threaten my family if I did.’

Sarah’s distraught mum Maggie, now 64, a lone mother to four children holding down two jobs, was desperate to wrest her daughter from the abusers.

Maggie confronted one of them: ‘She actually got him by the throat,’ says Sarah. ‘She was horrified but completely helpless. He just laughed in her face when she threatened to report him.

‘Mum really tried her best. She went repeatedly to the police when I went missing. Eventually the police said they’d fine her for wasting their time and being a nuisance. She was told I’d made a “lifestyle choice”, that I was a “dirty little prostitute”.

‘Actually I was a child. Only 12. I had no choice. And I was permanently intoxicated. What else was Mum supposed to do?’

I ask her to pinpoint the worst thing that happened to her: the memories come back as bleak snapshots. ‘I was driven to Birmingham and taken to a house. They marched me upstairs to a room with a filthy mattress on the floor. You’re given drink and more drink. Drugs. Then men raped me, one after the other, maybe 12 of them.

‘I remember focusing on a cobweb in the corner. I made my body go limp and my mind go blank. You do what you have to do to survive. If you don’t, you’re f*****. It all becomes a blur.’

So it was that Sarah’s childhood was stolen.

She was decried as a prostitute but she was never given money. She wonders now if cash did, in fact, change hands among her abusers.

She truanted from school – she left without qualifications, although she wanted to be a nurse, an ambition she still hopes to realise – and, aged 12, was sent to a children’s home for her own ‘protection’.

But the people who were meant to be her guardians actually became facilitators.

‘It got even worse for me because the children’s home didn’t even report me missing. The staff didn’t give a s***.’

By the age of 16, the gangs were tiring of her – she was ‘too old’. Broken, scared and defiled, she was discarded.

Sarah’s life, quiet now, revolves entirely around raising her two sons, and she has rebuilt her relationship with her mother

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It is a measure of her steely resolve that she has since rebuilt her life, resumed her education, written a book about her experiences and is raising her two sons to be thoughtful and caring members of society. She has also rebuilt the relationship with her mum, who is now an integral part of her family life.

Sarah’s manner is warm, her views uncompromising and trenchantly expressed. Her life, quiet now, revolves entirely around the children she so palpably adores. She sets them a good example – does not drink, party, take drugs.

But her vulnerability is evident. She is still prey to flashbacks, nightmares and eating disorders.

‘I either eat too little or too much. I take medication to sleep, pills for anxiety.’

It is smells that awaken the most potent memories: ‘A certain aftershave that one of my perpetrators wore. I get a whiff of it and the reaction is physical. I feel sick. A cherry-scented air freshener in a car. I cannot tolerate it. I cannot get in a car that smells of the air freshener.’

She says she’s speaking now ‘for the children who are our future’.

‘I feel I have no choice but to speak out against this new law,’ she says.

‘I’d say to the Justice Minister who supports it: “Imagine if it was one of your own children who had been abused. It can happen to any child, from all walks of life, if they are vulnerable. Would you want that paedophile rapist freed early to walk our streets?”’

Violated by Sarah Wilson is published by Harper Element.

A British woman whose body was found inside a suitcase in an abandoned building in Athens sent a final text to her family telling them that she wanted to be alone, it emerged today.

Police in Greece believe that the people who killed Elisabeth Jane Ross used her phone to cover up her death by sending a string of misleading messages to her family in a bid to buy time and escape.

Elisabeth, 38, from Scotland, was found dead inside somebody else’s suitcase by a homeless man in the Kypseli district of the Greek capital on Saturday, July 18.

But detectives say that from July 15, three days before her body was discovered, somebody sent messages to her family pretending to be her.

The texts claimed that she ‘needed some time to herself’ and that she ‘wanted to be alone for a while’.

Investigators say the phone, which remains missing, was active in the Athens area until around 24 hours ago, when Elisabeth was formally identified.

A police source told Greek media: ‘The suitcase did not belong to the victim, as she did not have any large luggage with her. This means that it is possible that genetic material or fingerprints will be found in the suitcase that will help the authorities find the perpetrator or perpetrators.’

Officers are poring over CCTV footage from around the building where Elisabeth was found. Due to the weight of the suitcase containing her body, they believe the killers are likely to have been staying nearby.

Pictured: The abandoned building where Ms Ross was discovered 

The alarm was raised around 1pm on Saturday after a homeless man notified the police that he had spotted a suitcase and something coming out of it, which ‘looked like a human limb’. 

The body was later identified as 38-year-old Ms Ross, who had flown from Cyprus to Athens where she was staying with friends. 

She had flown from America to Europe on June 29.

Ms Ross was last seen just before the alleged murder on July 15, and around the time that forensic scientists believe the crime took place.

It has also been claimed that the British woman’s phone was being used up until the point she was identified by media. 

One Greek officer said: ‘The phone was being used. Text messages were even sent obviously with a view to making people believe she was still alive. 

‘We are treating the building as a crime scene.’ 

Authorities are waiting for the result of toxicological tests saying they are likely to uncover how Ms Ross died. 

The initial examination of the body showed no obvious injuries or signs of struggle, while no identification was found on her. 

Greek authorities then took fingerprints but found no match in the national database. They then discovered they were registered in American databases.

According to police, the victim was around 5ft 4in with reddish hair tied in a bun, wearing black shorts and a T-shirt. 

Her shorts bore the name of a French university, prompting Interpol to be alerted.

Her identity was then confirmed by the Interpol office in America, which informed the Hellenic Police that the body belongs to a British woman with the initials E.R, born in February 1988. 

Greek news outlets released photos of the 38-year-old woman on Wednesday.

Investigators have established that the woman flew to Greece on June 29 from the United States after travelling via Cyprus.

Local outlets released a photo of the 38-year-old, as investigations are ongoing to determine her cause of death

The initial examination of the body showed no obvious injuries or signs of struggle, while no identification was found on her

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Police have requested passenger information from the airline she travelled with to determine if she was with anyone, and are checking local accommodation registries for reservations under her name. 

Officers estimated that her death occurred between five and seven days before the body was found.

Elisabeth arrived in Greece from Cyprus around three weeks before she was found dead

One Greek police officer told The Sun that authorities were shocked at the discovery.

He said: ‘To find a foreign national dead in a suitcase here in the heart of Athens is a first. In the history of Greek-British relations, it is unprecedented.’

Greek authorities will be working closely with the Cyprus Police on this investigation, while an autopsy is expected to be carried out to determine the cause of death. 

The British Embassy in Greece and the woman’s father have been notified of her death. 

Police wish to speak to her father to gather information about her recent activities.

An FCDO spokesman told the Daily Mail: ‘Our thoughts are with Elisabeth’s family during this difficult time. We are providing consular support and are in contact with the local authorities.’

A Police Scotland spokesman said: ‘We are aware of the death of a Scottish woman in Athens and are liaising with authorities in Greece. Officers are providing support to her family in Scotland.’

Few things say British summer quite like a cold pint in a sun-soaked beer garden – and from clifftop terraces to remote countryside pubs, some spots offer views and experiences that are hard to beat.

With thousands of pubs across the UK, choosing where to enjoy your next drink can be tricky. But travel site Locals Insider has revealed its ultimate beer garden ‘bucket list’ for 2026, highlighting the standout spots worth visiting this summer.

The ranking looked at pubs across England, Scotland and Wales, scoring each beer garden on its scenery, uniqueness, atmosphere, reputation and overall experience.

‘The UK has an incredible pub culture, and this list highlights some of the beer gardens that deserve a place on every pub lover’s bucket list,’ Locals Insider spokesman Martin Danemaq said.

1. Anchor Inn, Devon

The pub overlooks the Jurassic Coast and Lyme Bay

Set in the aptly named village of Beer is the Anchor Inn which has been crowned the top beer garden to head to. 

The cliffside establishment looks out over the Jurassic Coast and Lyme Bay.

It earned the number one spot for its incredible sea views and traditional fishing village charm. 

The judges also felt it had one of the country’s most impressive pub backdrops. 

2. Tŷ Coch Inn, North Wales

Tŷ Coch Inn, in North Wales, ranked second and is a beachfront establishment

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The beachfront pub Tŷ Coch Inn ranked second overall with its stunning views of Cardigan Bay. 

Situated in Porthdinllaen, the beer garden can be reached via a coastal walk or by boat. 

Locals Insider said the pub narrowly missed out on the top spot. 

3. The Old Forge, Scottish Highlands 

The Old Forge, in the Scottish Highlands, placed third and is surrounded by mountains and lochs

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Known as the most remote pub on the mainland, The Old Forge placed third. It can be found in the small village of Inverie in the Scottish Highlands. 

The pub is surrounded by jaw-dropping landscapes from mountains and lochs to raw wilderness. 

It has been community-owned since 2022 and with little road access, it’s best to reach the pub by foot or ferry.

4. The Gurnard’s Head, Cornwall

The Gurnard’s Head in Cornwall ranked fourth, it’s located between St. Ives and St. Just 

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Located near Zennor, Cornwall, The Gurnard’s Head placed fourth with its Atlantic-facing terrace.

Painted a bright mustard yellow, the pub is hard to miss and is surrounded by Cornish countryside and coastal views. 

It can be found between St. Ives and St. Just.

5. The Perch, Oxford

The Perch, located in Oxford, has a riverside pub garden and placed fifth

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The Perch, in Oxford, is a charming establishment and one of the oldest pubs in the historic city.  

Visitors can enjoy its riverside pub garden beside Port Meadow, which offers a peaceful spot to relax away from the hustle and bustle.

The pub’s website reads: ‘In the summer, our garden is the envy of the whole city.’ 

6. The Ship Inn, Fife

The Ship Inn, in Fife, placed sixth and offers views of Elie Harbour and the Firth of Forth

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Scotland’s second entry – The Ship Inn in Fife – ranked sixth overall. 

The beachfront pub boasts scenic views of Elie Harbour and the Firth of Forth, making it the perfect spot for summer evenings by the sea. 

7. The Pandy Inn, Herefordshire

The Pandy Inn, Herefordshire, ranked seventh and overlooks the Golden Valley and Black Mountains

The oldest pub in Herefordshire, The Pandy Inn, ranked seventh and parts of the building date back to the 12th century. 

It has been serving customers as an inn since the 17th century and boasts a rural pub garden. 

Pub goers can sip a pint as they soak in sweeping views across the Golden Valley and Black Mountains.

8. The Tan Hill Inn, Yorkshire Dales

The Tan Hill Inn, situated in the Yorkshire Dales, ranked eighth and is the tallest pub in the UK

Britain’s highest pub, The Tan Hill Inn, sits 1,732ft above sea level on the Pennine Moors.

It ranks eighth with its beer garden overlooking Swaledale, in the Yorkshire Dales.

The inn dates back to the 17th century and is packed with character, from exposed beams to a stone-flagged floor. 

9. The Stag on the River, Surrey

The Stag on the River, in Surrey, placed ninth overall

Just over an hour from London, The Stag on the River ranked ninth. 

Located in Surrey, visitors can enjoy a pint in its charming beer garden overlooking the River Wey. 

10. The Stackpole Inn, Pembrokeshire 

Rounding off the top 10, The Stackpole Inn in Pembrokeshire makes the list

The Stackpole Inn, in Pembrokeshire, south-west Wales, rounded off the top ten beer gardens. 

Located in a picturesque spot surrounded by national park scenery, it offers a lovely spot for a drink outside. 

The pub is near Barafundle Bay, one of Wales’ most beautiful beaches.