Lindsay Clancy‘s defense attorney Kevin Reddington accused the holdout juror in her trial of having a bias against people with mental illness or disabilities in his ‘Hail Mary’ move to try save his case from a mistrial. 

Reddington filed a last-minute appeal on Friday to the Massachusetts Supreme Court for an emergency stay, attempting to force the jury to continue deliberating the case after it ended in an 11-1 deadlock. Judge William Sullivan declared a mistrial, then said Reddington would have an hour to try and appeal it. 

In his emergency request, Reddington accused the lone juror of holding ‘a bias against those who suffer from debilitating mental illness.’

Reddington insisted in his filing that a ‘mistrial at this point is entirely avoidable, but only if the court does its job.’

The attorney cited the Americans with Disabilities Act in his request to Judge William Sullivan, saying he believes ‘this is a situation that there is a clear and present danger that this individual (the holdout juror) for some reason is taking a position that is intractable, regardless of proof beyond a reasonable doubt.’

The move from Reddington divided opinions, with some questioning how the Disabilities Act was relevant while others praised him for fighting to the end for his client.

‘The Disabilities Act? Reddington is desperate and shameless. I wouldn’t be surprised to hear him ask for sympathy for Clancy because all her kids are dead,’ said journalist Gerry Callahan. 

Cathy Russon, the managing editor of Court TV, countered on X: ‘No one can ever accuse Kevin Reddington of not doing everything he possibly can for his client.’ 

Attorney Jason Goldman, who is representing convicted murderer Bryan Kohberger in his ongoing appeal, told the Daily Mail that Reddington’s efforts were an ‘extreme long shot’ to try and save his case.

‘It’s definitely a hail Mary,’ Goldman said.   

Clancy was charged with murder for strangling her three children, Cora, five, Dawson, three, and eight-month-old Callan in 2023

Goldman explained that Reddington is ‘clearly confident this is an 11-1’ in his favor, and is trying a ‘long shot’ to try and secure a victory. 

Goldman added that the legal precedent for trying to remove a juror at the 11th hour is ‘few and far between’, but ‘there is no downside’ for Reddington at this point. 

‘I can’t imagine it working, but the judge is hearing it to try and protect the record. (The judge) is being extra cautious’ in case of a future appeal, he said. 

Reddington’s last-ditch legal filing came after over 37 hours of deliberations from the jury, which had previously sent notes to Sullivan on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday saying they were unable to reach a unanimous verdict. 

Reddington must now appeal to Massachusetts‘ Supreme Court for an emergency stay. If he is successful, the same jury could be sent back to deliberate the case yet again. If Reddington fails, Clancy faces a grueling retrial.

She is on trial for killing her three children, Cora, five, Dawson, three, and eight-month-old Callan, at her home in Duxbury, Massachusetts, in 2023.

Attorney Jason Goldman, who is representing convicted murderer Bryan Kohberger in his ongoing appeal, told the Daily Mail that Reddington’s efforts were an ‘extreme long shot’ to try and save his case

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She admitted to killing her children but pleaded not guilty to murder by reason of insanity, citing postpartum psychosis as a result of overmedication.

A few moments before the mistrial was declared, Reddington suggested to Judge Sullivan that he still had the power to send the jury back out to deliberate again one final time.

The panel could not agree on whether Clancy, 36, is guilty of murder, manslaughter, or not criminally responsible for her actions by Friday morning.

Prosecutors pushed for a mistrial and will likely want to retry Clancy, but have yet to offer further insight into possible future plans.

During the sensational five weeks of testimony, prosecutors argued the killings were intentional and well planned, not the work of someone who had lost control.

Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform UK, has tried to brush aside the allegation that two of his aides conspired to get around the law against foreign donations, calling the covert filming by Channel 4 reporters “entrapment”.

Mr Farage has spoken dismissively of “a couple of contractors” making an “error of judgement”, which simply will not wash. James Orr and Dan Jukes have been suspended, but are “not coming back” according to Lee Anderson, the chair of Reform. Both were close advisers to the Reform leader. Mr Jukes in particular had been in effect Mr Farage’s press secretary and principal adviser for more than a decade, one of Mr Farage’s “lifers”.

The extent to which Mr Farage himself knew of any willingness to break the law may be established by a police investigation, but Mr Orr’s comment that Mr Farage “doesn’t know, won’t know” and would “rather not know” does not reflect well on him.

The allegations are a serious embarrassment for Mr Farage and his party, at a time when Reform has been losing support in national opinion polls for many months. That decline reflects Mr Farage’s poor handling of legitimate questions about why he failed to declare a £5m personal gift that he received shortly before the general election. Parliament’s rules require the disclosure of any donation “related to … political activities” received in the year before election to the Commons.

And it reflects a more general feeling that Reform is not ready to be a party of government – and that Mr Farage is not ready to be prime minister. The party’s policies are unconvincing. This week’s claim by Robert Jenrick, Reform’s economic affairs spokesperson, that he would cut public spending by £100bn a year in the first 100 days of a Reform government was not endorsed by any independent economists.

This week, too, Mr Farage was embarrassed by his support for Donald Trump when the American president disparaged Britain’s claim to the Falkland Islands.

What is more, Mr Farage’s decline is mirrored by Kemi Badenoch’s rise. She has shown confidence and fiscal responsibility as she has challenged Mr Farage for leadership of the right.

But Mr Farage’s setbacks are also an opportunity for Andy Burnham. He proved in the Makerfield by-election, returning to the Commons, that he can take on Reform on its own turf. He should now do that at the national level.

The prime minister should use this moment, when floating voters are being repelled by Mr Farage’s sleaze and incompetence, to make his pitch on the issues of concern to them. They want firm and fair control of immigration, they want a government that is tough on crime and tough on the causes of crime, and they want competence.

Mr Burnham has done some of the right things. He has backed Shabana Mahmood, the home secretary, in her resolute approach to immigration control. He has strained every sinew to minimise the number of the worst criminals who will be released early as a result of the Conservative government’s mismanagement of the prison system.

But he needs to move further in that direction, and not listen to the siren voices to his left, urging him to focus instead on winning back voters who have abandoned Labour for the Green Party.

So far, Mr Burnham has shown that he can win back voters from the left and centre simultaneously. Mr Farage’s decline has happened at the same time as some of the air has gone out of Zack Polanski’s Green balloon.

Mr Burnham should keep his eye on the prize. Many of Mr Farage’s erstwhile supporters are not ideological right-wingers: they are disillusioned with politics and politicians. Mr Burnham has made a good start in offering hope to the sorts of places where Reform was strong, including working-class communities in the north of England. He should make sure that Mr Farage does not recover.

The death of a businessman whose body washed ashore more than a month after his clothes were found near a beach remains a mystery after a coroner ruled there was insufficient evidence to establish what had happened.

Mark Hadley, 61, went missing on the Easter bank holiday weekend this year and his possessions, including running shoes and a towel, were found in a bag hanging on railings close to a slipway.

The married father of two was a strong and experienced swimmer who took part in triathlons and normally stayed close to land when he went for swims in the sea.

But an inquest heard he had received distressing news shortly before his disappearance which left him a ‘shell of himself’.

His body was found five weeks later on a beach in Walcott, Norfolk, around 13 miles from where his belongings had been left in Beeston Regis, near Sheringham.

The inquest in Norwich heard Mr Hadley, the co-founder of radio communications business Link Radio Services Ltd, had gone alone to his family’s caravan at Beeston Regis Holiday Park after receiving the devastating news as he thought it would be helpful to spend some time alone.

No suicide note was left and there was no other evidence suggesting he intended taking his life.

Decomposition meant it was impossible to establish how he died, with blood and urine unavailable for toxicological testing.

Assistant coroner Maeve Sykes recorded a narrative conclusion this week as there was too little evidence to provide a definitive answer about what happened in Mr Hadley’s final hours.

The mystery began on April 5 when Mr Hadley’s belongings were found at Beeston Regis.

The coastguard launched a search of the area but no one was found and the contents were initially treated as lost property.

It was only the following day when his family reported him missing after not hearing from him for two days that a link was made with the bag.

An extensive search was launched but there was no sign of Mr Hadley.

His remains were finally found by a member of public on the beach at Walcott on May 11 and his fingerprints were used to confirm his identity.

The businessman’s possessions, including running shoes and a towel, were found in a bag hanging on railings close to a slipway at Beeston Regis, near Sheringham in Norfolk

The married father of two was an experienced swimmer and also kept fit running and taking part in triathlons

Mr Hadley, who lived in a £600,000 four-bedroom detached house in Great Ellingham, near Attleborough, set up his business in 1991.

It provides radio communication options for personal, business or leisure use on a local or national level.

He had previously worked in the Royal Air Force for nine years as an airfield communications and radar technician.

The inquest heard the businessman, who described himself as an experienced manager of people and a leader who worked well under pressure, was highly active despite suffering a heart attack and stroke.

He ran more than 60 miles every month, went swimming regularly and took part in triathlons.

Mr Hadley’s family described him as a ‘glass half-full’ character who also enjoyed cycling, eating out and socialising with friends and family, as well as spending time at the family caravan with his wife, Sarah.

But Mrs Hadley, 66, described how he had been left feeling ‘very low’ after receiving bad news – details of which were not revealed at the inquest – and the family believed letting him spend some time alone at the caravan would be of help to him.

Assistant coroner Maeve Sykes recorded a narrative conclusion

They contacted police on April 6 after they were unable to contact him for two days.

His Audi Q4 was parked at the caravan site and his phone, which checks showed had not changed location since he was last in contact with his family, was on a charger inside.

The bag containing the clothes and shoes was then confirmed as belonging to him and checks of his online activity showed he had researched tide times.

Announcing her conclusion on Wednesday, Ms Sykes said: ‘The cause of death could not be established. There was no suspicion of third-party involvement.’

For confidential support, call Samaritans on 116 123, visit samaritans.org or visit www.thecalmzone.net/get-support 

Britain has said its commitment to the Falkland Islands is ‘absolute and unshakeable’ after Argentinian President Javier Milei said his country needed to take them back.

In a national address, Mr Milei reiterated the country’s claim to the islands and said he would impose sanctions on any oil companies operating in the area.

The renewed tensions over the British overseas territory came after President Donald Trump hinted the US would not help the UK in a future Falklands conflict.

Defence Secretary Wes Streeting wrote on social media: ‘Milei’s statement overnight tells us more about domestic politics in Argentina than it does about the Falkland Islands. The Falklands are British because Falkland Islanders choose to be British. Our commitment to the Falklands is absolute and unshakeable.’

A brief history of what’s happening

In a 2013 referendum, the Falkland Islanders voted overwhelmingly to remain a British overseas territory, with 99.8% voting in favour and just three votes against.

Although the US is formally neutral, Washington provided support for Britain’s campaign to retake the islands after the Argentinian invasion in 1982.

It sparked the Falklands War, which saw 255 British service deaths in just over 70 bloody days. It also led to the deaths of 655 Argentinians and three Falkland Islanders.

What is Argentina saying?

In his speech, Mr Milei said: ‘I want to be quite clear with everybody. The Falklands are Argentinian. Historically and legally. There can be no argument. They are part of the Argentine territory.

‘The islanders on their usurped territory do not have a legitimate right to self-determination, and any argument on any such self-determination is invalid.’

He said the UK was facing ‘multiple crises on multiple fronts’ and said he would sign decrees to introduce sanctions against any companies working on oil production in the area.

He added: ‘If we do not act swiftly in a few months, they will have the material capacity to access the oil that lies underneath our sea. Something that has never happened before.’

Does the UK have the power to defend the Falklands today?

Short answer – yes.

After the Falklands War ended, the UK built RAF Mount Pleasant south of the Falklands’ capital.

There are nearly 1,500 military personnel stationed on the Falklands at any given time, and the station has a detachment for small fighter jets, as well as a patrol ship.

Argentina, even with its mounting threats, doesn’t have the military power to take over the territory. Its flailing economy also poses issues if Milei were to choose military options.

Naval Technology notes that currently, the Royal Navy has no nuclear attack submarines at sea.

The UK would likely turn to the Royal Air Force if required to protect the overseas territory.

Why is Trump involved?

The US president on Thursday suggested he would not back the UK in a fight over the territory.

Asked in an interview if he would ‘come to the aid’ of the UK, the US president told GB News: ‘Well look, I was there when they had the first war.
That was a long time ago, and I watched it so carefully, and you comported yourselves very well.

‘You took it back pretty strongly, but it’s a long way away. That’s a big trip; it’s a long way.’

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

For more stories like this, check our news page.

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HBO’s TV adaptation of the J.K Rowling books has finally unveiled the BBC icon portraying loveable house elf Dobby.

HBO has unveiled who will play the role of one of the Harry Potter franchise’s most adored characters in its upcoming reboot.

Today (September 4), HBO announced that the role of Dobby the house elf will be played by actor and TV presenter Lenny Rush. The 17-year-old star is perhaps best-known for his role in comedy drama Am I Being Unreasonable, which earned him a BAFTA for Best Male Comedy performance.

His extensive list of TV credits also includes presenting BBC Children in Need and the BAFTA Awards, as well as an appearance on comedy panel show, Would I Lie to You? He will also star in the BBC’s upcoming six-part series The Reluctant Vampire, expected later this year.

Just moments after his role as Dobby was made public, the star broke his silence about the casting by posting a slideshow of photographs. Among them were two throwback snaps that showed himself as a young child dressed up as Harry Potter taking part in the Warner Bros Studio Tour in London.

Captioning the photos, he penned: “I am over the moon to be joining the magical world of HBO’s Harry Potter series, as Dobby. Even littler me (a massive Harry Potter fan, as you can tell) wouldn’t believe it! Very excited to join this amazing franchise.

“Also, on the fourth slide, it’s only a butterbeer I was drinking, at the Harry Potter Warner Brothers tour, don’t worry!”

The role of Dobby will make an appearance in the second season, with two other key characters also announced. Also joining the season two line-up will be Bonnie Hill as Ginny Weasley, and Billy Barratt as Tom Riddle. As fans of the story may already know, Tom Riddle later becomes the dark wizard, Lord Voldemort.

Fans will have to wait until this Christmas for season one’s premiere. A synopsis teases: “There is nothing special about Harry Potter – or so his Aunt Petunia tells him. But when a mysterious letter of admission to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry arrives, it opens the door to a hidden world of magic, friendship and adventure.

“Yet behind Hogwarts’ enchanted walls lie dark secrets. Harry must find the courage to prove himself against the darkest wizard of all.”

HBO’s Harry Potter series will premiere this Christmas.

Enviromental campaign group Greenpeace said it “unfurled a remote control banner” of Nigel Farage at Reform UK’s party conference.

The campaign group said the poster despiected Farage as ‘Mr Monopoly’ carrying a sack of cash, with the slogan ‘Collect £5 million, burn the planet’.

The banner was displayed for several minutes as deputy leader Richard Tice made his speech, before a member of staff ripped the banner down.

This comes after Tice said Brits should enjoy sparkling wine instead of worrying about the five heatwave summer experienced in the UK, which has claimed hundreds of lives.

Tice previously said: “I’m old enough to remember 1976 – this feels a bit the same. That was 50 years ago. I think when it’s a bit warm, let’s enjoy it. And if it means that English wine and sparkling wine gets better and better, fantastic.”

Amy Cameron, Programme Director for Greenpeace UK, said: “Tice wants to celebrate this summer’s relentless heatwaves and droughts because they’re improving English sparkling wine. But the only thing being toasted in England is our farmland, and the only way you could miss that is if you’re paid not to notice.

“Reform disguise themselves as champions of ordinary people, but they’re funded by billionaires who profit from keeping us hooked on oil and gas, while the rest of us deal with the catastrophic climate consequences.

“When this summer’s searing temperatures give way to winter storms, 90% of homes in Tice’s own constituency, Boston and Skegness, will be at risk of flooding.”

The Greens have suspended a trans woman who was elected to a role on the party’s council as it faces legal action from a portion of its own members over the appointment. 

Eleanora Folan, who describes herself as a communist and ‘anti-Zionist’, won a vote last month to represent the Eastern Region on the council in a women’s role.

Ms Folan, who was previously revealed to have been behind an X account that downplayed the horrors inflicted by Iran‘s extremist regime, was set to contribute to the party’s culture and wellbeing, as well as policy and strategy.

The Greens are facing legal action after gender critical members argued the result appears to be incompatible with the Supreme Court‘s ruling on gender last year that the term ‘woman’ within the meaning of the Equality Act 2010 refers only to biological women.

The ruling also stated this does not mean transgender people are not protected from discrimination, but that this is enshrined in a different part of the law. 

A spokesperson for the Greens has since confirmed to the Daily Mail that Ms Folan has been suspended from the party.

Gender critical members are said to be ‘deeply concerned’ over the appointment, and say this is not an ‘isolated’ case.

The Greens, led by Zack Polanski, are understood to already be facing separate legal action over its policies on sex and gender, with The Good Law Project pledging to defend them.

The Greens, led by Zack Polanski (pictured), are understood to already be facing separate legal action over its policies on sex and gender, with The Good Law Project pledging to defend them

Jude English, director of Green Women’s Declaration and co-chair of Green Party Women, told The Times of Ms Folan’s appointment: ‘Following the Supreme Court judgment, we believe the law is clear about the meaning of sex, yet the Green Party has made no meaningful attempt to review its rules or practices and has instead continued to act as though nothing has changed.

‘This is not an isolated concern. The party is currently facing several court cases because it has repeatedly broken equality law. The leadership cannot simply ignore the law because it disagrees with it, and it cannot claim women’s rights are being protected while allowing a women’s position to be filled in this way.

‘The party has been repeatedly warned about these issues. This is an especially blatant example of why women in the Green Party have lost confidence in its willingness to protect their rights.’

Lesbian Greens, another gender critical group, said her appointment ‘symbolises the change’ in the Green Party and highlighted the support from Greens For Palestine.

Ms Folan was last month revealed to be behind ‘Stats for Lefties’, an X account with almost 100,000 followers.

In posts she made the extraordinary claim that Labour had ‘killed and maimed far more people in the past 20 years than the Iranian regime could ever possibly dream of doing in a century’.

The Iranian regime is one of the fiercest in the world, and is known for its restrictions on women and minorities, including the LGBT+ community.

Homosexuality is still illegal in Iran and intercourse between men carries the death penalty.

Iran is also known to have killed large numbers of its own citizens, including thousands – some estimates say more than 30,000 – this year alone following a brutal crackdown on protests against its regime.

Ms Folan wrote that she urged the left to ‘stand firmly against the British state’s colonial project to topple the Iranian government’ after Britain imposed sanctions for these same killings.

She has also called for Israel to be ‘abolished’. 

Posting on X following her election to the council role, Ms Folan wrote: ‘I know there will be Zionists reading this who are utterly furious that I won. I welcome their hatred.’

She added: ‘Our party has changed, and my election as a proud anti-Zionist trans woman symbolises that change.’

The party is already facing legal action from GWD over its decision to reject an application for the group to hold a stall there, which the group claim amounted to discrimination. A pre-action letter was sent last year.

The Good Law Project announced this week it would defend them over the claim, and launched a fundraiser to cover legal costs. 

The Greens are estimated to be spending almost £200,000 a year on legal costs and external investigations into disciplinary cases.

One such case was brought under the Equality Act by former deputy leader Shahrar Ali, after he was removed as a party spokesperson. 

A judge found the party had unlawfully discriminated against him because of his protected gender-critical beliefs. He was awarded £9,100 compensation – although the judge said he could still have been removed if the party had followed a fair procedure.

A Green Party spokesperson said: ‘All elections to Green Party positions are held in accordance with our rules and constitution, and we always act within the law.

‘We do not accept that the flawed EHRC guidance prevents us from continuing to hold our elections in accordance with our rules, and we remain clear that trans women are women, trans men are men and that non-binary identities exist and are valid.’

Fans said clues hidden in the video point to Celtic FC’s home ground being a venue in the band’s next tour.

A teaser video posted by the band Oasis has triggered speculation they will play at Celtic Park next year after fans decoded a number of cryptic clues apparently contained within it.

The 23-second video, which was posted online on Thursday, shows two boys in a chip shop while the band’s 2002 single Little By Little plays in the background.

It triggered a flurry of responses from fans, who said clues hidden in the video point to Celtic FC’s home ground being a venue in the band’s next tour.

Rumours of a follow-up to the band’s 2025 reunion tour have been rife in recent weeks, but no dates or venues have been formally announced.

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This included speculation the band were favourites to headline next year’s Glastonbury festival – but singer Liam Gallagher quickly took to social media to shoot this down.

Replying to the band’s recent video, fans said combining the numbers on the many posters and stickers around the chip shop gives you the co-ordinates of Celtic Park.

A poster advertising the “Family chippy bundle” has the price 55.84 while one for “The Sol FM” has the numbers 98 92, giving 55.849892 – the latitude of Celtic Park.

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Meanwhile, a sticker on the fridge with “-4”, combined with 2.05 on a poster for the “Daily special” and the numbers 638 on a taxi firm sticker produce -4.205638 – the ground’s longitude.

Fans also pointed out that one of the boys gets a Mars bar from a fridge containing Irn Bru and Barr cans, with a poster reading “We batter anything” stuck on it.

He then hands it to the chippy to be deep fried – a Scottish chip shop delicacy.

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Others have commented that the music video for Little By Little, which is playing on a television set in the background, features Glasgow actor Robert Carlyle.

The band came to Scotland as part of their Live 25 Tour, playing three sold-out shows at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh.

A documentary following the brothers will screen later this month.

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Titled Oasis: Don’t Look Back In Anger, it follows the Gallaghers across the tour that began in Cardiff in July last year.

It will be released in cinemas on September 9 and also on Disney Plus, with the streaming service saying it will highlight the “triumphant reunion tour” from rehearsals to backstage and onstage.

It will also include the first joint interviews with Noel and Liam in more than 20 years.

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An inquest into the death of Morgan Ribeiro has been concluded

The father of a young woman who died after undergoing weight-loss surgery in Turkey has paid a moving tribute to his daughter after an inquest concluded she died from complications linked to the procedure.

Richard Ribeiro described his daughter Morgan Ribeiro, 20, as “a very passionate person” who “cared” as he spoke moments after the hearing reached its conclusion.

Ms Ribeiro, who worked at a nursery supporting disabled children, travelled from her home in Croydon, south London, to Istanbul on January 5, 2024, for gastric sleeve surgery. She was discharged three days later and cleared to return to Britain, The Mirror reports.

However, her condition deteriorated dramatically during the flight home to Gatwick Airport, forcing an emergency landing in Belgrade, Serbia. She was admitted to intensive care but died five days later, on January 13.

South London Coroner’s Court was informed by Assistant Coroner Laura Stephenson that several unsuccessful attempts had been made to contact Morgan’s surgeon, Dr Serkan Bayil.

“It has not been possible to establish contact with the clinic or surgeon who performed it”, she said, adding “I have [therefore] relied on the post-mortem conducted in Serbia, information from the Serbian police..and information from Morgan’s partner about her travel.”

Morgan underwent emergency surgery in Serbia, where medics discovered her intestinal wall had ruptured, the court was told. Ms Stephenson concluded her medical cause of death was peritonitis caused by the rupture, which likely happened as a result of the gastric sleeve surgery.

Medical notes from the private hospital in Istanbul, where Morgan was treated, describe that she was deemed stable and fit for discharge. However, her partner Jamie Brewster told the court she was suffering from abdominal pain and a fever, which worsened when they boarded the London-bound flight.

Sitting beside a friend at Friday’s inquest (September 4), emotional dad Richard said: “Morgan was working in a nursery for disabled children, looking after children with special needs. She was a very passionate person. She cared.”

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Morgan’s mum, Erin Gibson, previously spoke to the Mirror emphasising her need for justice. She said: “It’s wrong, it shouldn’t be happening. My daughter had her whole life ahead of her. It’s hard to adjust. Grief-stricken is an understatement.”

After years of suffering bullying due to her weight, Morgan decided to undertake weight loss surgery. A gastric band operation in the UK costs between £8,000 and £10,000, and Morgan paid £2,500 for the surgery in Turkey, it was previously said.

In 2024, The Mirror confronted surgeon Dr Bayil in Istanbul. He denied botching it, saying Morgan suffered an embolism and insisted he did nothing wrong.

Comedian Elaine Robertson, from Consett, has gone viral after claiming she left a stranger stunned when she discovered she had a flat tyre after leaving a gym, and returning to her car in a Morrisons car park.

Explaining that she was already in the process of swapping the wheel for a spare, Robertson said she became aware of a man watching her from nearby.

“I think I just broke a man,” she said in a post on Instagram, which has raked in 1.9million views.

Elaine Robertson changing a flat tyre in a Morrisons car park in Consett, after a stranger questioned whether she knew how to replace the wheel herself (Image: elainerobertson_ on Instagram)

The 31-year-old said: “It was really flat – and I could sense a man was watching.

“I look at him and I’m like ‘you alright’ and he’s like ‘you’ve got a flat tyre ’, and I was like ‘aye I know’.

“He was like ‘I don’t know if you’re going to be able to drive home on that pet because you’re going to have to get home for your dad or your boyfriend to change it for you’.”

Robertson told the man she planned to fit the spare tyre herself, but he appeared unconvinced despite her already having the car jacked up and the equipment laid out.

 She said: “He asked, ‘Do you even know how to change a tyre?’ – bearing in mind at this point I’d wrenched up my car and I’m under it.

“I took the hubcaps off – I used scissors I’d borrowed from Pets at Home Consett, and I already had all the gear out.”

The content creator, who has performed at Edinburgh Fringe, said she assured the man it was not her first time changing a tyre but claimed he continued to watch as she repaired.

She said: “I thought that was the end of that and I could change my tyre in peace but he just sort of stood and watched me change the whole thing.

“I don’t think he believed that I could change it.”

“When I was finished my business I looked up and he disappeared – I think he literally evaporated in disbelief that lasses can change tyres,” she added.

Elaine Robertson demonstrates how to change a tyre in a follow-up video after her viral Morrisons car park encounter attracted thousands of views online. (Image: elainerobertson_ on Instagram)

Many viewers praised Robertson’s response to the encounter.

One individual said: “You’ve inspired me to learn how to change a tyre just so I can evaporate a patronising man.”

“Love this, why do they think we can’t do normal things?” said another.

Another shared: “I was changing a headlight bulb once and a bloke came over and said I wouldn’t be able to do it and I would need to go to a garage.

“So when I finished changing it I went over and asked if he wanted me to teach him how to change a bulb, all his mates laughed, and he went bright red.”

In a follow-up clip, Elaine showed how to change a tyre. “I’m not a mechanic, I’m just a lass,” she added.

She advises: “You’re meant to loosen the bolts before jacking the car up and tighten them after jacking the car down. Way, way safer.”