Andy Carroll was sexually assaulted by a ‘celebrity mate’ who was later jailed for three years after a ‘humiliating and horrendous’ court case, the former England footballer has revealed. 

In a deeply candid passage in his new book, Owning It, the striker, 37, said he went through the ‘traumatic’ assault a few years ago, and only decided to detail the incident ‘at the last minute’ following lengthy discussions with his publisher.

Andy, who played for England from 2010 to 2012, wrote: ‘Other things I’d quite like to forget but can’t, something happened to me a few years ago that was so traumatic I only decided to include it in this book at the very last minute.’

‘I was sexually assaulted, there I said it. Scary to even think about and only a few people knew about it before now.’

The attacker was found guilty of sexual offences and sentenced to three years in prison. 

Andy explained he was assaulted the evening after he had played a game for Newcastle United when a ‘celebrity mate’ of his former partner invited himself round to watch a boxing match.  

Andy, who played for England between 2010-2012, said he only decided to detail the incident ‘at the last minute’ following lengthy discussions with his publisher

Describing their relationship, he wrote: ‘He was always asking me and my ex to go out with him and even buys me clothes. He is divorced with kids but I can’t shift the feeling he likes me more than a platonic way.

‘Whenever I bump into him at parties he is always with young boys.’

He continued: ‘I was playing down south somewhere and on my way home this guy texts to ask what I am up to.

‘When he texts again to ask if he can come round to watch the boxing with me, my partner tells me to stop pieing him off.

‘He takes over the kitchen, mixing drinks. I start to feel lightheaded and think has he slipped me something. “Right, time for bed,” I say to him, “I’ll order you a taxi.”

‘”Oh no,” he says, “I’ll stay in the spare room.”

He then claims he awoke to the friend sexually assaulting him. 

‘I sleep naked and when I wake up this guy is under the duvet trying to give me a blowjob.’

Andy went on to ‘smack’ him as he ordered him out the house. ‘I smack him as hard as I can and he hits the deck,’ he writes. 

‘I grab hold of his feet and drag him out on the driveway. I go back inside, lock the door and call the police and the nanny. And then it suddenly occurs to me, what if I killed him?

‘He regains consciousness just as the police turn up and immediately starts telling the policed I hit him for no reason. As it is the police arrest him and I have to go to the station as well.’

The attacker was later found guilty of sexual offences and sentenced to three years in prison. He was placed on the Sex Offender Register and banned from entering the village where Andy lived.

Andy described the court case as ‘humiliating and embarrassing and absolutely horrendous’, while the attacker denied the allegations. 

‘The case dragged on for two years. Nobody else knew about it other than my partner and her family and they gave me no support whatsoever.

‘The police called me to say he had been found guilty and I started uncontrollably crying.’

He added: ‘What happened to me affected every facet of my life. I’d think about it every day, making it difficult to focus on anything else, including football…The trauma of what happened to me hasn’t gone away.’ 

After speaking with girlfriend Lou Teasdale, 42, he decided speaking publicly about being assaulted would be ‘worth it’ if it helped others. 

‘Me and Lou spent a lot of time discussing whether to mention it in this book or not. I avoided my publisher for so long that they probably suspected I got cold feet.

‘Scary to talk about but it’s made the person I am today as much as any of the good stuff. And if me talking about it helps just one person then good it will have been worth it.

Andy had reportedly vowed to cut down on alcohol in a bid to save his relationship with Lou Teasdale (pictured), as he confirmed the pair were trying ‘to work through their difficulties’

The ex-Newcastle and Liverpool striker, who now plays for National League South club Dagenham & Redbridge and serves as assistant manager, goes on to talk about his relationship with Lou.

The on-and-off couple, who appear to currently be on, have broken up many times due to alcohol, according to sources.

Andy had reportedly vowed to cut down on alcohol in a bid to save his relationship with Lou, as he confirmed the pair were trying ‘to work through their difficulties’.

‘Lou couldn’t believe how normal I was when she first met me,’ he wrote.

‘I’m not saying I could have had a career like Harry Kane but he is a great example of what kind of career you can have when you live a clean and disciplined life.

‘Don’t drink alcohol, eat the right things and spend hours each week in the gym and recover properly.

‘Contrast, I wanted to live an everyday life. Go out at weekends with friends and go on holiday with friends in the international break.

‘Go to music festivals and have a few too many drinks and a kebab now and again. Make mistakes without appearing in the papers.

‘You could argue trying to live a normal life is incompatible with being a majorly successful sports person.

‘But there is no point spending the rest of my days wishing I had a different mindset. I’m sure I’ve had more fun than your average player.’

‘I tell young players, if you want to party all the time, go for it. But you won’t be as successful in football as you could be but you’re an adult, it’s up to you.’

He added: ‘Strip clubs are very much part of football culture and only when I grew up did I realise how wrong it was to sit around ogling over naked women.

‘It’s incredibly disrespectful and not who I am. But as a young teenager in Belarus I was excited as anyone.’

Reflecting on how his huge salary rise affected his behaviour, he added: ‘Before my weekly wage jumped to £2,500 a week, I was quite sensible.

‘But soon enough I was spending time in bars, strip joints and casinos. If everyone wanted a tray of shots, I’d buy a tray of shots.

‘And while alcohol didn’t turn me into some violent loon, a well known footballer spending time in local establishments was bound to attract trouble.’

The ex-Premier League footballer recently pleaded not guilty to breaching a non-molestation order after being accused of repeatedly calling his reality TV star ex-wife Billi Mucklow.

Andy has formally entered a plea of not guilty to the charge and is due to stand trial next January.

Andy and TOWIE star Billi, 37, were together for 11 years but confirmed their split in September 2024 after secretly separating earlier in the year.

Billi and Andy got engaged in 2014 before marrying in 2022 and share three children. Billi also cares for Andy’s two other children who he had from a previous relationship.

Meta is making a Tamagotchi-style device that can run your life for you, chief executive Mark Zuckerberg has announced.

The device, called the Muse Charm, is a small gadget that can be worn on a string and used to speak to Meta’s newly viral AI agent. Muse was launched in early September and Meta has pushed it as a way of letting artificial intelligence run people’s lives – booking appointments, writing emails and buying things on their behalf.

It marks yet another step in an ongoing attempt by the tech industry to put artificial intelligence into physical devices that can be spoken to at any time. And it is yet another try from Meta to move itself away from its controversial social networks and the rival platforms made by Apple and Google that they run on.

Having once championed the metaverse — the immersive digital world that inspired the company’s name change in 2021 — as the next computing platform, Zuckerberg now sees “personal superintelligence” as the bigger ⁠and more immediate breakthrough, after his previous costly wager failed.

“It is actually quite ​clear ⁠personal superintelligence will not only come first; it will be much bigger and more important,” Zuckerberg said at the company’s annual Meta Connect conference.

“So we have shifted our focus to building the best devices for personal superintelligence,” he said, adding that Muse ⁠would also soon be available across Meta’s smart glasses lineup.

The remarks follow a blockbuster few days for Muse, which has drawn millions ​of downloads ⁠in what some analysts have said could be the biggest ‌app launch in the US since ChatGPT arrived in November 2022 and kicked off the AI boom.

Investors have embraced Muse’s potential to automate tasks ranging from booking flights to filing taxes, lifting shares of partners such as Shopify while dumping companies seen as vulnerable to disruption, including ‌online travel agency Booking and TurboTax software creator Intuit.

Meta’s shares were down about 2 per cent ‌in premarket trading on Thursday after gaining nearly 12 per cent this week.

Muse Charm could resonate with younger consumers at a time when digital cameras, flip phones and MP3 players are enjoying nostalgic comebacks, analysts say.

Gen Z consumers, aged about 14 to 29, treat AI assistants as companions or brainstorming partners rather than simply ⁠search tools. Many interact with technology through voice notes, short videos and AI chatbots, unlike older users who are often more comfortable with PCs and smartphone apps.

“Muse Charm could find some traction among Gen Z and younger consumers. The combination of AI, fashion and personalization could appeal to younger users, especially if it is affordable and easy to use,” said Linda Sui, founder of Smart Analytics Global, a market research firm.

The device features a roughly 2-inch (5-cm) screen that can be navigated with a thumb, with a customizable Muse character at its center. A built-in 5G modem allows access to Muse even without Wi-Fi, though it cannot make calls.

“They are appealing to people who might not want to wear glasses or might ‌not trust glasses,” said IDC director Jitesh Ubrani.

“Some people might remember Tamagotchi and this might evoke that,” Ubrani said, referring to ​colorful virtual pets that became a cultural phenomenon in the late 1990s. “They might be able to run a small language model ‌locally. So you can run AI on such a small package.”

Whether ⁠Muse can sustain its momentum and the device can amplify that appeal is a question for the months ahead.

Similar devices ⁠have had limited success. The Rabbit R1, a handheld generative AI device from startup Rabbit Inc with a screen and a button, had a buzzy launch in early 2024 only ‌to flop because it overpromised on AI ​features and delivered an unreliable experience.

“I would be cautious about its mass-market ‌potential,” Sui said. “Unless Muse Charm can offer unique functions that smartphones, watches, ​earbuds or smart glasses cannot easily replace, it is more likely to remain a nice-to-have device for early adopters than become a mainstream product.”

Additional reporting by agencies

Prince Harry has been called out for making an alleged “embarrassing move” as the royal family drama continues. It comes as the royals have faced a turbulent time

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Prince Harry has been accused of making an “embarrassing move” following a public appearance this week. On Wednesday, September 23, the Duke of Sussex delivered a speech at the Clinton Global Initiative event in New York; however, things did not go entirely to plan, sparking considerable debate.

The incident prompted some to label him an “embarrassment”, with many expressing their views in forthright terms. Following an unexpected turn of events, it is reported that Prince Harry left the stage, prompting a wave of near-identical reactions from those who have since witnessed what unfolded.

The incident occurred as King Charles and the wider royal family continue to endure a difficult period in the wake of Earl Spencer’s new book. It comes after Prince Harry was alleged to have shown his “true colours”.

One social media user wrote: “Prince Harry was making a speech about the DANGERS of AI when his teleprompter stopped working in the middle of talking. He was unable to remember the rest of his speech, so he walked off the stage.”

While addressing the audience, the 42-year-old stated: “We do not have years for what comes next.” He then fell silent for a prolonged moment.

He appeared to stare at the teleprompter, before declaring: “And that’s it.” The audience laughed as the moment played out, and Harry subsequently departed the stage.

Various clips of the incident have since circulated widely across social media, drawing a host of comparable reactions, with opinions divided across X and YouTube.

One observer remarked: “What a tool. Ok fine, the teleprompter fails, but you mean he can’t actually tell us what the gist of the opinion he was meant to read out? He obviously doesn’t know anything.”

Another questioned: “Did he not know his own speech?” A third commented: “He talks about social media and the dangers of it, while his wife continually posts pictures of his children on her open social media account. You can’t make the stuff up.”

A fourth person observed: “Oh this is very embarrassing. Walked off stage because his teleprompter stopped working.”

Nevertheless, some commenters rallied to the Prince’s defence. Across various social media platforms, others appeared to offer their backing.

One social media user stated: “HARRY CAME BACK TO FINISH HIS SPEECH. Teleprompter challenges happen to the best of us.”

Another person wrote: “He just shouldn’t be doing this. He’s not an expert or a thought leader.

“I do feel sorry for him as this is quite embarrassing.” A third suggested: “I thought he dealt with the autocue malfunction quite calmly and in quite an amusing way.

“He probably hadn’t written the speech, which would explain why he had to stop when the words disappeared.” However, reports indicate Harry returned to the stage approximately 40 minutes later to complete his address.

He reportedly joked: “Hello again. So AI got into my speech, so I was asked to come out and finish it. Interesting to see what it was so concerned about in part two.”

It has since been confirmed there was an issue with the teleprompter.

Jack McClure faces charges of arson with intent to endanger life, burglary with intent to steal and possession of drugs including magic mushrooms, herbal cannabis, pregabalin and diazepam

A Co Down man sawed his way into a neighbour’s flat to set it on fire in an alleged revenge attack, the High Court has heard.

Jack McClure admitted starting a blaze which gutted the apartment in Bangor, a judge was told.

He claims to have trashed and then torched the property earlier this month in retaliation for some unexplained harassment.

Details emerged as the 27-year-old defendant mounted an application to be released on bail.

McClure, of Balloo Walk in the town, faces charges of arson with intent to endanger life, burglary with intent to steal and possession of drugs including magic mushrooms, herbal cannabis, pregabalin and diazepam.

Prosecutors said another flat in his building was burning for an hour when emergency services attended the scene at around 5.30am on September 6.

The front door had been sawn off before a bedroom inside was deliberately set alight.

Police called to the scene encountered McClure with his hands and clothes covered in soot, the court heard.

A search of his own apartment recovered a saw and quantities of suspected drugs.

During interviews he admitted breaking into his neighbour’s home to carry out the attack.

“He said he had been drunk, lost his temper, trashed the property and set fire to the bedroom,” a prosecution barrister submitted.

“He said he didn’t intend to harm anyone but wanted the victim to know it was him.”

Opposing bail, counsel argued that McClure had reacted in an extreme way to some form of neighbourhood dispute linked to allegations of harassment.

“The property was almost completely destroyed and there may be structural damage to the building,” the barrister said.

“(McClure) broke in using a saw… and there was a lot of time for him to think about it, but instead he started the fire.”

Even though the victim was not at home when the blaze started, other residents were asleep in adjoining properties at the time.

The judge was told no further explanation has been provided for the acrimony which led to the alleged revenge attack.

Rachael McCormick, defending, suggested there may have been a deterioration in McClure’s mental health.

She contended that because her client has already made admissions he could be released from custody without any risk of interference with the investigation.

Ms McCormick confirmed he was reluctant to give any further reasons for any alleged motive.

The bail application was adjourned, however, amid concerns McClure was seeking to live too close to where the victim is now staying.

Ms Justice Smyth said: “The risk would be more manageable if the address was further away from the injured party at this point.”

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With so many anti-ageing creams promising smoother, firmer, more youthful-looking skin, it can be difficult to know which ingredients are actually worth looking for and which are nothing more than clever marketing.

There’s everything from retinol and peptides to antioxidants and hydrating serums, all promising to keep skin looking youthful. So, to help separate the science from the hype, I spoke to skincare experts Dr Brandon Richland, a board-certified plastic surgeon and Allyse Cirillo, Founder and CEO of SAINT JŌ.

I wanted to find out the key ingredients that can genuinely support healthier-looking skin. Whether you’re looking to soften the appearance of fine lines, improve elasticity or simply give your complexion a boost, these are the ingredients worth knowing about before you add another cream to your routine.

Read more: Best moisturisers for mature skin

What are the most effective ingredients to look for in an anti-aging cream?

“A short list does most of the heavy lifting,” Dr Richland says. “Retinoids (retinol over the counter, or prescription tretinoin) are the workhorse. They speed up cell turnover and nudge your skin into building its own collagen, which is what softens fine lines and evens out tone over time,” he adds.

When choosing an anti-ageing cream, it’s not necessarily about finding one “miracle” ingredient, but rather a formula where ingredients work together to support the skin, Cirillo agrees.

Dr Richland says: “Vitamin C is your morning antioxidant. It mops up the free radicals from sun and pollution before they can do their damage, and it lends a hand with collagen while it’s at it. Niacinamide is the quiet achiever, strengthening the skin barrier and calming the redness and blotchiness a lot of people write off as just their complexion”

He also recommends peptides, which can signal the skin to produce more collagen and are often gentler than retinoids. He adds that hydrating ingredients like hyaluronic acid and ceramides help support the skin barrier, while daily SPF remains one of the most effective ways to protect skin over time.

Read more: Best hyaluronic acid serums, reviewed

Which anti-ageing ingredients have the strongest scientific evidence for reducing visible signs of ageing?

When it comes to the ingredients with the strongest scientific backing for reducing visible signs of ageing, both Dr Richland and Cirillo say that retinoids remain the benchmark, thanks to the long history of research in dermatology.

“They have decades of peer-reviewed research behind them, and the collagen increase is measurable on an actual skin biopsy, not just in a flattering before-and-after under good lighting,” notes Dr Richland.

“Vitamin C, niacinamide, and the alpha hydroxy acids make up a solid second tier of well-supported actives,” he adds.

Both experts also stress that no anti-ageing ingredient beats daily SPF to prevent visible ageing caused by sun exposure.

Read more: Best sunscreens for face

Are any anti-ageing ingredients overhyped?

Cirillo warns that some products promising dramatic before-and-after results can sometimes rely on approaches that “strip or inflame the skin”, which may do more harm than good over time.

She also advises being cautious of “hero ingredient” claims, as well as high-strength acids or retinoids used without enough barrier support. “Effective in the right context, overused in the wrong one,” she says. Cirillo adds that terms like “clean” should also be treated carefully, as they have no legal definition and shouldn’t be relied on alone when choosing skincare.

Topical collagen is one Dr. Richland is wary of, explaining that collagen molecules are too large to penetrate the skin. Instead, they simply moisturise the surface rather than boosting your skin’s collagen production, reiterating the benefits of ingredients such as retinoids and peptides instead.

What age should you start using anti-aging creams?

While Dr Richland reassures that there’s no panic birthday that changes everything overnight in terms of skincare, you should start using anti-ageing creams sooner than you might think, adding that prevention is always cheaper and easier than correction.

“Sunscreen should really start in childhood. A simple antioxidant and SPF routine makes good sense once you’re in your twenties. And most people do beautifully introducing a retinoid somewhere in their late twenties or thirties,” he explains. “The mindset that serves you best is protecting and maintaining the skin you have, rather than ignoring it for decades and then trying to play catch-up once the wrinkles have arrived.”

Best anti-ageing products

Facetheory glow-C daily moisturiser, SPF30

If you’re looking for a budget anti-ageing cream, this Facethetheory moisturiser is a great choice. Beauty journalist Sabine Wiesel wrote: “This is a relatively purse-friendly product that’s also a real multitasker, protecting and correcting signs of ageing like an antioxidant serum, moisturiser, and sunscreen all in one. Its mousse-like whipped texture immediately sinks into the skin, leaving it feeling comfortably hydrated.”

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Read the full Facetheory glow-C daily moisturiser review

Why we love it

• A multi-tasking antioxidant serum, moisturiser and SPF in one
• Powerhouse actives at a fraction of the price
• Brightens and evens skin tone

Take note

• Citrus scented, but also comes unscented
• Slight tackiness on application

Clarins double serum

The Clarins double serum took the top spot in our guide to the best anti-ageing serums. After testing, beauty journalist Sabine Wiesel, wrote that it left her skin “incredibly soft” and looking “smoother and glowier”, and her “pores appear less noticeable”.

Why we love it

• Do-it-all serum
• Boots radiance and hydration
• Softens the look of lines and pores

Take note

• There’s a light texture version also available, which may be more suitable for oily and combination skin types
• It’s not cheap but the results are worth it

Estee Lauder advanced night repair synchronized multi-recovery complex

Another recommendation from Sabine Wiesel in her anti-ageing serums guide, she wrote: “I’ve gone through countless bottles because I know the very next day my skin already feels better hydrated. Estee Lauder was one of the first brands to use hyaluronic acid in their formulations, and they’ve combined it with squalane for a major moisture boost. But it’s peptides that soften the appearance of lines and improve skin firmness that really make skin look more youthful with continued use. It’s a classic for a reason.”

Why we love it

• Multipurpose serum targets lines, skin tone, firmness
• Cult classic beauty product
• Suitable for all skin types – even sensitive

Take note

• Looking to pay less try No 7’s night serum below for similar results

Read more: Dermatologists agree this is the best anti-ageing skincare routine

Meghan Markle has enjoyed a ‘beautiful’ response from the ‘loving’ British public since her return to the UK, her best friend has revealed. 

Kelly McKee Zajfen, who has been staying with Meghan and Harry over the past week, suggested that people they met in the Cotswolds have repeatedly told the Duchess how much she has been missed.

Ms Zajfen, one of Meghan’s closest friends, has also shared the first pictures of the Duchess since her return to Britain around three weeks ago.

Kelly described Meghan as her ‘bestie’ in an Instagram post featuring a photograph of the Duchess smiling while tenderly holding her son, Jack, in a country pub.

In the carousel of photos shared with tens of thousands of her Instagram followers, Harry is also pictured laughing while playing on the floor with the baby boy, who was born earlier this year.

Kelly revealed that she saw that Meghan has received a warm welcome following her return to Britain, adding that the response had deeply touched her friend, who left the UK with Harry in 2020.

She told her tens of thousands of Instagram followers: ‘To everyone we’ve met or bumped into, thank you for being so loving to my friend [Meghan].’

Suggesting that Meghan had repeatedly been told she had been missed, Kelly added: ‘It’s been beautiful to witness. She missed you too!’ 

Kelly described Meghan as her ‘bestie’ in the post, which featured photographs of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex with baby Jack.

It has also been reported in the US that Meghan and Kelly enjoyed a pub lunch with Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi, who recently celebrated their 18th wedding anniversary.

Kelly said she enjoyed fish and chips in the garden, with Jack also having a try.

Another picture showed Kelly playing mahjong with Meghan and close friend, Markus Anderson, one of the Duchess’s closest confidants who has become known as the ‘third wheel’ in her marriage to Harry.

Kelly’s trip included her young son, who was born four years after she tragically lost her nine-year-old son to Covid.

The Alliance of Moms co-founder, 45, has been friends with the Duchess of Sussex for more than 20 years and, until last month, was a near neighbour in California.

They first met through Meghan’s ex-husband Trevor Engelson, but have remained close ever since.

She said of her visit: ‘Family time is just what the heart ordered, with a side of mashed peas and fish and chips. All of it has filled my heart.

‘You’ve been so good to us. We’re leaving with full hearts and definitely leaving a piece of ours here.’

It came as Prince Harry, who flew to New York this week, revealed the ‘most British things’ he and his family do since moving back to the UK.

Speaking to HELLO! at Monday’s WellChild Awards in London, the Duke of Sussex, 42, said his children now enjoy Marmite on crumpets, despite previously ‘dissing’ him for keeping the spread in the house.

Asked about the most British thing he has done with his family now that they’ve moved back from California, he replied: ‘Gone for a walk. Lots of walks. Isn’t that the most British thing?’

He continued: ‘OK yes Marmite on crumpets – please tell me that is a British thing because it has always been in my life and now the kids are eating Marmite on crumpets, which is a big moment for me.’

And asked whether Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five, now enjoy the spread, Harry replied: ‘They do, they do very much.

‘They used to dis me for having Marmite in the house but now we are in the UK that is kind of water under the bridge.’

He added: ‘I already tried beans on toast. That was in California. That was years ago. It didn’t go down very well at all.’

Harry appeared to become emotional during the Royal Lancaster Hotel event, while revealing how becoming a father has changed the way he experiences the charity’s annual event, which celebrates seriously ill children and the families caring for them.

‘Once you become a parent it does change everything,’ Harry said.

‘It is not the fact that all the years I wasn’t a parent, that meeting the kids didn’t matter as much but you suddenly realise how grateful you are to have kids that are not sick.’

Prince Harry told HELLO! what the most British things are that he and his family have been doing since returning to the UK

Harry also spoke about a particularly relatable moment at the breakfast table earlier that day, revealing that Archie and Lilibet had been suffering from the ‘Monday blues’ ahead of school.

‘Breakfast this morning, they had Monday blues,’ he said, comparing it to the ‘Sunday night blues’ he experienced before being sent away to boarding school.

But the duke managed to turn the mood around by explaining what he would be doing at the WellChild ceremony later that evening.

‘You know what you are just being a little bit tricky so I am going to tell you what I am doing tonight and they were genuinely fascinated and interested and had all sorts of questions.’

Harry said he and Meghan want to use their work to help their children understand more about the lives of others, adding that now ‘no longer being 5,000 miles away should make it easier to be more available to support the charities that need us and that we really enjoy working with’.

It comes after Harry and Meghan returned to Britain with Archie and Lilibet in August, with the children beginning school in the UK.

After a false start at one private school due to traffic on the school run, the children are now settled into a new school in the Midlands.

Police, paramedics and crime scene investigators were called to the flat above The Greyhound pub on Parkgate at about 9.15pm last night Wednesday (September 23).

Sadly, a woman was pronounced dead at the scene.

Formal identification has yet to take place, but it is believed to be a woman in her 40s.

Durham Police has now launched an investigation and two men have been arrested – a 44-year-old on suspicion of murder, and a 27-year-old on suspicion of assisting an offender.

Police, CSI and ambulance crews were called to a property above The Greyhound Darlington pub where a police cordon was put in place around 10pm last night (Image: THE NORTHERN ECHO)

Both men have been taken into police custody where they remain.

Specialist crime scene investigators are currently examining the scene, and officers are carrying out enquiries in the area.

Police cordon remains in place on Parkgate in Darlington outside The Greyhound pub (Image: THE NORTHERN ECHO)

A spokesperson for Durham Police said: “A cordon is in place at the scene and is expected to remain for some time.

“Anyone with any information is asked to call Durham Constabulary on 101, quoting incident number 521 of September 23.

“Information can also be passed on to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”

Pictures taken this morning show a police cordon in place while officers guard the scene.

A North East Ambulance Service spokesperson said: “We were called to an incident at a private address in Darlington at 21:15 on Wednesday 23 September.

“We dispatched one ambulance crew, one clinical team leader and one duty officer.”

An airport owner from the West Midlands has been named as the second Briton killed in a plane crash in the Swiss Alps.

Anthony Hall, known as Tony, was on board a Cirrus SR22T propeller-powered aircraft when it came down near the resort of Leukerbad in the southern state of Valais on September 15, killing him and two others. 

The businessman was managing director of construction and recycling company Pegasus, based in Lye, near Stourbridge.

Described by his family as an ‘incredible dad’, Mr Hall also owned Wolverhampton Halfpenny Green Airport, located in Staffordshire.

Officials investigating the fatal crash say the plane took off from Sion airport in the Rhône Valley and crashed high into a mountain slope around 10 minutes later.

Firefighters, police and Valais Rescue Organisation teams raced to the scene in helicopters.

A probe is underway by the Swiss Transportation Safety Board and Valais Police, while the Office of the Attorney General are also investigating, but the cause of the crash remains unknown.

Mr Hall’s family said they were ‘completely heartbroken by the loss of a truly wonderful husband, devoted father and much-loved man’.

Mr Hall pictured with former local MP Suzanne Webb, who paid tribute to the businessman in the wake of his death

In a statement, they added: ‘Tony was an exceptional businessman who achieved great things in the construction/haulage industry, and his commitment to succeed and progress never faltered.

‘He was first and foremost a loving husband and an incredible dad to his daughter, whose family meant everything to him.

‘We will miss him immensely and will remember him as the kind, caring, generous, determined and fantastic character he was.’

Asking for privacy in the wake of their loss, the family said: ‘Our hearts go out to those who also lost their lives in this terrible tragedy.’ 

Former MP for Stourbridge, Suzanne Webb on Thursday said: ‘Tony will always be a legend to me. What he achieved in helping build Pegasus into the success it is today, alongside the other directors, was remarkable.

‘But beyond the business, Tony was great fun to be around and, quite simply, a genuinely good person. I will miss his quick wit and humour.’

Ms Webb also praised Mr Hall’s charity work including his support for the Poppy Appeal and Military Vehicle Parade.

‘Having served in the armed forces, he gave his support willingly,’ she added.

‘His life was tragically cut short, but what he achieved after leaving the army was truly inspiring, and he did it with a passion I was always in awe of.’

A statement posted to Pegasus’s Facebook page read: ‘In memory of Tony Hall. It is with immense sadness that we announce the passing of Tony Hall, founder of Pegasus.

‘Tony built Pegasus from the ground up through hard work, determination and genuine commitment to the business and the people within it.

‘He built a strong team and a business with values and solid foundations, which he was incredibly proud of.

Three people, including two Britons, died after a propeller-powered aircraft crashed in the Alps in southwest Switzerland (Pictured: the scene following the crash)

‘Although a prominent business figure, he was first and foremost a loving husband and an incredible dad to his daughter, whose family meant everything to him.

‘We will miss him immensely and will remember him as the kind, caring, generous, determined and fantastic character he was.’

The Foreign Office has said it is ‘providing support to the families of two British nationals who died in Switzerland’.

‘Our thoughts remain with the families during this difficult time,’ it added.

Last week, engineering boss Owain Davies, 55, was the first Briton to be named as a victim of the crash.

Father-of-two Mr Davies was described by his firm Amcanu as an ‘unstoppable force’ and a ‘very good friend’.

He took over the running of the company in Burry Port, South Wales, in 2000, after it was founded by his father Spencer Davies OBE in 1975.

The company said: ‘He was a familiar face on the factory floor, an unstoppable force, a mentor and, for many people who have spent a significant part of their working lives at Amcanu a very good friend.

‘Above everything else, he was a husband, father and grandfather.’

The tribute went on to describe Mr Davies as ‘a real character’ who was ‘determined, strong-willed, spirited, reflective and immensely proud’.

It continued: ‘There was another side of Owain that not everybody knew about. He loved flying.

‘Owain was an experienced pilot and aviation was a genuine passion – technically, socially and simply for the freedom and enjoyment it gave him.

‘He had a large circle of friends within the aviation community and would fly his helicopter whenever the opportunity arose.

‘He didn’t make a great show of it. In fact, many people who knew him professionally may never have known how important aviation was to him.

‘At the time of the accident, Owain was travelling as a passenger, alongside two of his closest friends.

‘The circumstances of his death are devastating, but flying was something that brought Owain enormous happiness throughout his life.

‘Owain was admired. He was respected. He was sometimes formidable. He was enormously caring.

‘He was a husband, a dad, a grandad, a son, a mentor, a leader and a friend… And he will be missed more than we can possibly express.’

Amcanu added that Mr Davies was ‘a proud Welshman and Welsh speaker’ and had been a trustee of Wales Air Ambulance Charity since 2017.

The charity’s chair of trustees, Dr Kyle Jacques, said he had made a ‘significant contribution to the Wales Air Ambulance and the vital service we provide’.

Engineering boss Owain Davies also died when the Cirrus SR22T plane he was travelling in crashed  in the Swiss Alps

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‘Owain was a valued colleague and friend, whose loyalty and generosity of spirit meant so much to us. He will be greatly missed,’ he added.

An image of the crash site shared by local police showed the wreckage of the plane on a mountainside.

In a statement, the force said: ‘Shortly after 4pm, for reasons yet to be determined, the aircraft collided with the northern slope of a mountain in the Fluhalp area of ​​Leukerbad.

‘Signs of smoke were subsequently reported in the region.’

SlotCatalog: the biggest casino games database, payment methods included

SlotCatalog is a casino and slot database that collects and structures information about games, providers, casinos, payment methods, and individual markets. The platform covers more than 50,000 slots and games, over 1,000 game providers, and thousands of casino reviews, with data connected across the site rather than siloed by category.

SlotRank, SlotCatalog’s proprietary game-popularity ranking, shows how this connected structure plays out in practice. SlotCatalog scans casino sites across more than 50 markets and uses lobby placement to score how visible a given title actually is. ProviderRank applies a similar approach at the studio level, while individual game records carry their own RTP, mechanics, features, and provider details.

Payment methods form a separate layer on top of that. SlotCatalog covers more than 150 options, ranging from Visa and Mastercard to Skrill, Interac, Pix, crypto. Dedicated payment pages document each method on its own, while casino profiles pull that payment information together alongside everything else known about the operator.

SlotRank answers a question about game exposure, RTP describes a technical trait of a game, and a payment record documents a different part of a casino’s profile entirely. None of these get collapsed into a single overall score, since each one is measuring something the others aren’t.

What casino payment methods does SlotCatalog cover?

(Image: SlotCatalog)

SlotCatalog’s payment database includes systems that serve a similar purpose while working in very different ways. Coverage spans several major categories: credit and debit cards such as Visa and Mastercard, e-wallets and digital payment services such as Skrill and Neteller, prepaid options such as CASHlib, regional systems including Interac, UPI, MODO, Pix, and UnionPay, and cryptocurrencies including Bitcoin, USDT, Monero, and Binance Pay.

Those categories are a starting point, not a claim that the methods inside them are interchangeable. Interac and UPI both connect to banking infrastructure, for example, yet they serve entirely different markets and run on different systems underneath. Bitcoin and USDT are both cryptocurrencies, but their price behavior has almost nothing in common.

Transaction type adds a further wrinkle. A method available for deposits isn’t automatically available for withdrawals, and prepaid vouchers are the clearest case of that, since their whole model runs one direction only, unlike an account-based e-wallet or bank transfer that can send money back the same way it came in.

Processing times, transaction limits, fees, and verification requirements also depend on the casino and the payment provider together, not on the payment category alone. That’s why the specific method and the specific operator running it usually say more than the broad category they both sit under.

How SlotCatalog makes 150+ payment methods easier to navigate

A database this size runs into a practical problem: someone researching Interac starts from the payment method, while someone checking out a specific casino starts from the operator. SlotCatalog handles both entry points by linking payment pages and casino profiles together.

A dedicated payment page starts with one specific method and connects outward to relevant casino records, so regional options and less universal services stay identifiable instead of getting buried inside one global list of 150-plus entries. A casino profile works the other way around: the operator is the starting point, and its full set of accepted payment options shows up in that context instead.

Payment method, casino profile, and market form three connected layers of the same underlying data, and the market layer matters most for domestic systems specifically. Interac has a strong Canadian identity, UPI belongs to India, and Pix runs on Brazil’s own financial infrastructure. Each record keeps that geographic identity intact while still connecting into the wider SlotCatalog database.

That structure also stops globally recognizable brands from dominating just because they show up in more countries. A payment system with a narrow regional footprint still gets a clearly defined place in the catalogue rather than getting crowded out.

Credit and debit cards in the SlotCatalog database

Visa and Mastercard are among the most recognizable payment methods SlotCatalog covers. Their international networks give cards a broader geographic reach than most domestic payment systems, which makes cards a useful baseline against the regional methods covered elsewhere in the database.

Availability still varies by casino, issuer, country, and transaction type, and currency conversion can apply when the card and the transaction use different currencies. Deposits and withdrawals also tend to follow different paths: card deposits typically process right after authorization, while withdrawals often go through an extra operator-side processing step before the funds reach the card network at all.

SlotCatalog records individual card networks separately rather than lumping them together. A casino accepting Visa doesn’t automatically accept Mastercard or American Express, and folding all three under one generic “bank card” label would erase exactly the distinction a player needs.e

E-wallets and prepaid payments covered by SlotCatalog

SlotCatalog also covers e-wallets and other digital payment services, including Skrill, Neteller, Quickpay, and CASHlib.

Skrill and Neteller work as account-based wallets, sitting between the underlying funding source and the transaction rather than connecting a card directly to the casino. CASHlib takes a different approach entirely: a prepaid voucher with a fixed value, spent once, with no ongoing account behind it the way a wallet has.

Quickpay is its own separate entry in the database rather than being folded into the e-wallet category, since its underlying model doesn’t match either a wallet or a voucher exactly. Listing Skrill, Neteller, CASHlib, and Quickpay as four distinct records instead of one “digital payments” bucket preserves the fact that their transaction models and underlying infrastructure genuinely differ from each other.

Regional casino payment methods in the SlotCatalog database

(Image: SlotCatalog)

Regional payment systems are where global coverage gets complicated. International cards can operate across dozens of countries at once, while domestic systems are usually built around one country’s own banks or national financial infrastructure specifically.

Market Payment method Payment model

Canada Interac Bank-based payment system

India UPI Instant bank payment infrastructure

Argentina MODO Local digital payment system

Brazil Pix Instant payment system

China / international UnionPay Card and payment network

Interac is the clearest example of the pattern. A casino can list Visa or Mastercard without listing Interac at all, simply because Interac runs on entirely different infrastructure underneath.

UPI connects participating Indian bank accounts through the country’s own instant-payment system. Pix plays a comparable role inside Brazil’s financial infrastructure, and MODO connects to Argentine financial institutions the same way. UnionPay stands apart from the rest of this group, since its network extends well beyond its home market and gets accepted by participating banks and merchants internationally, even though it’s still closely associated with Chinese banking first.

Grouping Interac, UPI, Pix, and MODO under one broad “bank transfer” category would preserve the general payment type while erasing the one detail that matters most about each of them: the specific market their infrastructure was actually built for. That’s also why a worldwide payment catalogue eventually grows beyond the handful of internationally recognizable brands, since adding a new market usually means adding domestic infrastructure with little relevance anywhere else.

Crypto casino payments covered by SlotCatalog

Cryptocurrencies form another major category in SlotCatalog’s payment database, with Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Tether (USDT), Monero, and Binance Pay among the individual options represented.

“Crypto” itself covers several different assets and payment models, and the differences matter. Bitcoin has a market-driven price and records every transaction on a public blockchain. USDT is designed to track the US dollar and generally moves far less than Bitcoin does. Monero uses privacy-focused technology that hides transaction details a transparent blockchain like Bitcoin’s would otherwise expose.

Transaction costs vary the same way. Blockchain fees depend on network conditions at the time, and exchanges or wallet providers can apply their own separate charges on top. There’s also a real difference between a cryptocurrency and a crypto payment service: Bitcoin, USDT, and Monero are digital assets in their own right, while something like Binance Pay is payment infrastructure that can move those assets around. Folding all of them into one “cryptocurrency accepted” checkbox would erase that difference entirely.

SlotCatalog keeps each of these as its own record, so different assets and different payment services stay distinguishable even though they all sit under the same broad crypto umbrella.

How SlotCatalog tracks withdrawal speed across casino profiles

(Image: SlotCatalog)

Knowing which payment methods a casino lists doesn’t describe the full transaction process on its own. Withdrawal times can differ between operators even when two casinos technically support the same payment category, which makes processing speed an operator-level variable rather than a fixed trait of the method itself.

A few real examples from SlotCatalog’s casino reviews show how much that variable actually moves:

Casino profile Listed withdrawal time Payment method Market

Betchan Casino 2 hours E-wallets International

Betchan Casino 24 hours Credit/debit cards International

Betchan Casino 24–72 hours Bank transfer International

CasinoBit.io Within 1 hour Crypto (Bitcoin, USDT, and others) Worldwide (crypto-only)

JugaBet Casino 0–48 hours Multiple payment methods Chile

The Betchan rows alone make the point: one casino, three payment methods, three different withdrawal windows ranging from 2 hours to 72 hours. A short payout time recorded for one casino and one method shouldn’t be read as a universal figure for e-wallets, cards, or crypto generally, since the same casino can post very different numbers for each.

Payment-method pages identify which systems exist in the database; casino-level records show how the transaction conditions around those systems actually play out. Availability and processing time answer two separate questions about the same payment setup.

Comparing one payment method across SlotCatalog’s casino listings

The examples so far all move in one direction: starting from a casino and seeing which payment methods it lists, or starting from a category and seeing why it splits into separate records. There’s a second, more practical use case that runs the other way: a player who already knows they want to use Interac, or USDT, or CASHlib, and needs to compare several casinos that all support it against each other.

That comparison only works cleanly because each payment method has its own dedicated page pulling together every casino connected to it. A player set on Interac doesn’t have to check ten individual casino cashier pages one at a time to find out which of them qualify. The method page already narrows the field, and from there the remaining decision is about game selection, bonuses, or licensing, rather than payment access. Interac, USDT, and CASHlib each support this kind of narrowing differently, since a niche method like CASHlib returns a shorter, more specific list than a near-universal one like Visa would.

How SlotCatalog connects payment data with games and providers

(Image: SlotCatalog)

Payment methods rarely matter to a player in isolation. A more common real scenario looks like this: someone wants a specific provider’s games, on a casino that also happens to take USDT, or wants Interac support alongside a particular RTP range they’re targeting. SlotCatalog’s connected structure is what makes that compound question answerable at all.

A casino record links its game library, its provider list, and its payment methods together, so a search that starts from “USDT casinos” can still be narrowed down by provider or by game once the payment filter has done its job. Without that link, a player would need to cross-reference two separate lists by hand, checking a payment method page against a provider page to see where they overlap. With it, the overlap is already built into the casino’s own record, and the 150-plus payment methods become one more filter layered on top of the game and provider data rather than a separate lookup entirely.

How new payment methods enter the SlotCatalog database

Regional instant-payment systems like Pix didn’t exist in most casino payment stacks a decade ago, and UPI’s casino adoption followed a similar curve once India’s digital payment infrastructure matured. Both point to a common way a genuinely new method tends to reach SlotCatalog’s database: a domestic payment system grows large enough at home that casino players start expecting it, rather than the method arriving as a variant of something already covered.

A method like Brite, a more recent addition to European casino cashiers, gets treated the same way Pix or MODO were when they were newer: as its own record tied to the markets where it’s actually relevant, rather than bundled into “European bank transfers” generally.

Conclusion

Casino payment methods get considerably more varied once the picture moves past international cards. Local systems such as Interac, UPI, MODO, and Pix depend on regional financial infrastructure, while e-wallets, prepaid services, cryptocurrencies, and crypto payment platforms each run on their own separate models.

SlotCatalog organizes more than 150 of these options as part of its wider casino and slot database, and that structure pays off in more than one direction. A player can start from a casino and check what it supports, start from a payment method and compare every casino that accepts it, or start from a specific combination of provider, game, and payment method and let the connected records narrow the field automatically. New systems, from Pix to Brite, have joined the catalogue the same way: as their own record, tied to the market where they actually matter, once domestic adoption made them relevant to casino players there.

For a database covering payment methods across dozens of markets, the useful part isn’t the total count. It’s the structure underneath it: individual records, cross-linked casino and game data, and enough geographic context to keep international and regional systems from blurring into each other.