Emmanuel Sakyi, 31, fled the scene after crashing while drink driving on Bletcham Way in Milton Keynes with his baby daughter dying in the accident, a court heard

A dad is on the run from police after being convicted of killing his baby in a drink-drive crash.

Emmanuel Sakyi, 31, allegedly fled the scene after a collision with an oncoming car, having driven on the wrong side of the road, on Bletcham Way in Milton Keynes in December 2022.

His seven-month-old daughter Emmanuela, who was sitting on her mother’s lap in the passenger seat, suffered serious injuries in the crash and later died in hospital.

Sakyi, of Milton Keynes, did not appear at Aylesbury Crown Court last week for his trial after being charged with causing death by dangerous driving.

On Monday, he was found guilty by a unanimous jury after just over two and a half hours of deliberation, and was sentenced in absentia to 15 years’ imprisonment.

During the trial, jurors heard that Sakyi was driving while twice the legal alcohol limit and “demonstrably far below” the standard of any reasonable motorist.

He drove his grey Peugeot 508 “for a considerable distance on the wrong side of the road” before colliding with a green Fiat 500, the court heard.

Prosecutor Daren Samat said the defendant did not, as he was legally responsible to do, secure his daughter in a car seat or appropriate restraint. It was heard that instead, Sakyi “simply allowed her to be carried in the front seat by her mother”.

Emmanuela was sitting on her mother’s lap with a seatbelt across her stomach, Mr Samat told the court. “We say that in itself was wholly inappropriate and dangerous,” he added.

The defendant failed to respond to the driver of an oncoming Fiat 500, named in court as Shannon Willison, who was flashing her lights and beeping her horn to attract his attention, jurors heard.

“Instead, he carried on straight and despite the other driver’s best effort to avoid a collision, he drove into that Fiat 500,” Mr Samat added.

The prosecutor said the defendant, who it was alleged knew he was responsible for the collision, “wasn’t going to stick around for the police” and fled the scene. He said that the defendant may not have known at this stage how serious the injuries to baby Emmanuela were.

Sakyi was later arrested by police outside his home address, but since he failed to appear for his trial, Thames Valley Police are now appealing for help locating him. He is described as a black man with a medium build, with black hair and brown eyes and is around 5ft 3inches tall.

Lead investigating officer, Detective Sergeant Ed Crofts, said: “Enquiries have been ongoing to locate Emmanuel Sakyi, and we are now appealing for the public’s help in locating him. This is a devastating case where a child’s life has been lost. Our enquiries are focused on ensuring Sakyi faces the consequences of his actions.”

He added that members of the public should not approach Sakyi if they see him, but should instead call 999. Police have asked that anyone with information on Sakyi’s whereabouts should call 101 or make a report online quoting reference 20260622-2396, or anonymously through Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Sakyi, of Milton Keynes, denied but was convicted of causing death by dangerous driving and was sentenced in absentia to 15 years imprisonment, and disqualified from driving for 18 years.

Britain’s Defence Investment Plan (DIP) marks a significant shift in military priorities. Over four years, an additional £15 billion will take spending up to £298 billion overall.

This includes £63 billion to fund nuclear deterrence and £8 billion for future combat aircraft. But its most attention-grabbing headline concerns the maritime domain.

Plans for the Type 83 destroyer to replace ageing Type 45s have been shelved.
Instead, at least six Common Combat Vessels will be acquired, to act as hubs for
uncrewed systems (drones). Alongside them, more than £5 billion will fund air, land and sea drones and autonomous systems across Britain’s armed forces.

The Type 83 was meant to be Britain’s next great destroyer with cutting edge
capabilities. It would have replaced the Type 45 class from around 2035. It would
have operated as part of the Future Air Dominance System (FADS).

It was never intended to be a conventional ship. Instead it was to be a platform for maritime air defence, strike, sensing, command and networking.

Early reports described a minimally crewed warship between 145 and 165 metres long. It would have displaced between 6,000 and 10,000 tonnes. Its planned surface role included maritime interdiction and self-defence against small attack craft.

Defences included a 57mm gun and directed-energy weapons (such as lasers) for
those missions. They also included decoys and directed-energy weapons for close
threats.

Its strike role was more ambitious. Planned capabilities included between 72 and
128 Mk 41 vertical missile launch cells. These could carry air defence missiles and
long-range strike weapons. There was also potential for future hypersonic weapons,
one of the most deadly weapons of the Russia-Ukraine war.

Defending airspace

Air defence was the Type 83’s central purpose. The ship would have protected UK
aircraft carrier strike groups and other allied and Royal Navy groups in places like the North Atlantic, the Norwegian Sea, the Mediterranean, the Gulf, the Red Sea and the Indo-Pacific region. Its mission was to defend against aircraft, drones, cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, and hypersonic threats. Artificial intelligence would help select sensors and weapons against complex raids, from several directions at once.

However, all ships, including destroyers, have their own vulnerabilities. Ukraine has used small naval drones to sink the Moskva missile cruiser. The patrol ship Sergey Kotov was destroyed by Magura V5 uncrewed surface vessels.

In early 2026 Ukraine claimed around 30% of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet combat assets had been
destroyed or damaged. A Type 83 destroyer would be far more capable than any of
those ships. But it may also have had to face hypersonic anti-ship missiles one
day.

Savings from cutting the Type 83 are being spent on a wide variety of drones. These
will cover air, land and sea, ranging from small quadcopters to mine-hunting drones
and one-way attack “Kamikaze” drones. The Royal Navy will develop autonomous
vessels to act as uncrewed missile platforms, and to sense and hunt submarines.
Project Pantheon will trial jet-powered drones operating alongside F-35B aircraft.

The Army will get small Rapstone First Person View (FPV) strike drones and
interceptor drones. Project Nyx aims to have up to 24 armed drones flying as wingmen for Apache helicopters by 2030. Project Corvus adds up to 24 surveillance drones. While the RAF will develop autonomous fighter aircraft, with a demonstrator by at least 2030.

Floating platforms

The range of drones initially looks impressive, but there is no total drone
procurement figure. The DIP has specified small numbers for some higher-end
systems. Ukraine offers an uncomfortable comparison. Britain aims to produce up to
150,000 drones for Ukraine by the end of 2026. In comparison, Ukraine’s defence ministry expects to produce more than seven million drones in 2026.

That difference shows the challenge facing the Ministry of Defence and the UK government. Drone warfare requires massive numbers of low cost, low capability, short range drones. Plus significant numbers of large, medium-range and long-range drones.

So can drones replace Type 83 destroyers? No. Surface drones can be dispersed
and operated across wide areas. But in a maritime environment they need a floating
platform to operate from. The same goes for aerial drones. Neither can replace a
Type 83’s large, portable missile magazines, command facilities, or defence of a
carrier fleet. The Common Combat Vessel will provide some hybrid capabilities.

But it does not carry the strike threat or defensive capabilities of a destroyer.
The timeline to achieving these capabilities also matters. The Storm Shroud
uncrewed electronic warfare vessel is expected this year. Rapstone will receive
extra money over the next 12 months. Nyx and Corvus are aimed at 2030, and
Defence procurement is often hit by delays.

The RAF combat drone demonstrator is due by at least 2030. Common Combat Vessels are expected from the early 2030s. Until then, upgraded ageing Type 45 destroyers will need to meet new challenges. In the meantime, Ukraine is innovating, designing, building, testing and deploying drone systems faster than the UK can currently contemplate.

A heated exchange unravelled at Wimbledon on Tuesday after one British star was confronted amid a furious exchange with the umpire

Tennis player Damir Dzumhur unleashed fury at the umpire during his first-round clash at Wimbledon and accused British wild card Arthur Fery of not being honest. The Bosnian was facing Fery and held a set and a break advantage when he challenged what he believed was an incorrect let call.

The umpire took the brunt of it, but Fery also came under fire during his opponent’s outburst, in which the 23-year-old was urged to “be honest”. The dispute seemed to affect Dzumhur, who watched his chances slip away after expressing his frustration and eventually suffered defeat in four sets on Court 16.

“It was a let,” Dzumhur said to the umpire during the confrontation. As Fery then approached the net, his opponent made clear his annoyance was mainly with the official.

“You played the point, you didn’t stop,” he continued, addressing the Brit. “No, no, no. You won the point, let’s be honest.”

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“I don’t care what he’s saying,” Dzumhur added, gesturing towards the umpire. “Can you be honest and say you didn’t stop?”

Fery, who pulled off a similar shock at Wimbledon last year in the first round, then twice confirmed that he didn’t stop, telling his rival: “I didn’t hear the let.”

“Look in my eyes and say this, you didn’t stop?” Dzumhur asked.

When Fery refused to change his stance, the 34-year-old appeared dismayed. Dzumhur then turned directly to the umpire and asked if they saw the let, to which he was told no.

When he asked if he had heard it, the same response followed. Dzumhur then added: “So you are that bad that you didn’t hear, and everybody heard?”

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“You are that bad? You made the mistake. And he [Fery] stopped.”

Before stepping up to serve again, he turned to Fery and said: “Fair play man, as always.” The British player needed just one of his two break points to draw level at 2-2 in the second set before storming through the next four games consecutively.

The one-sided dominance carried into the third set, which the Brit wrapped up 6-2. He then sealed the victory in commanding fashion, taking the fourth set to complete a 3-6, 6-2, 6-2, 6-1 triumph.

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Fery became the first British man to advance to the second round and only the second British singles player overall to do so this year following a disastrous first day for home players. Katie Swan had led the way, defeating Irina-Camelia Begu 6-4, 6-4.

Fery’s next challenge will be against Otto Virtanen in the second round. The Finnish player caused a major upset by knocking out fourth seed Ben Shelton in a final-set tie-break to set up the encounter.

“Our ambition is ultimately to change how we anticipate patient need”

An NHS hospital trust in Greater Manchester is using a new form of technology to help tackle growing pressure on its emergency department.

Tameside & Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust has introduced an artificial intelligence (AI) tool to identify patients who may need extra support before they end up back in hospital.

The tool looks at information already routinely collected during a visit to Tameside General Hospital A&E and predicts which patients are most likely to return within the next month, allowing staff to step in with community care before their health problem worsens.

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The data includes demographic details, how a patient arrived at hospital, triage information, long-term health conditions and their history of emergency attendances or inpatient admissions.

Patients identified as being at high risk are then discussed by multidisciplinary teams made up of NHS staff and health and social care partners. Together, the trust says they create personalised follow-up support in the community, before health issues develop into emergencies.

The AI tool also monitors high-risk patients to ensure appropriate care has been provided. According to the trust, early results suggest the initiative has reduced emergency department reattendance among high-risk patients by between 33 per cent and 50 per cent, although it says impact has varied from week to week.

The trust says the AI will improve with time as it learns from more data, with plans to introduce further automation across its hospital to reduce pressure on clinical staff while improving patient safety and quality of care.

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Operational Intelligence Lead Liam Brierley said: “The tool allows us to predict emergency department reattendance, rather than simply providing a retrospective analysis.

“Our ambition is ultimately to change how we anticipate patient need, moving from reactive care to intelligent, preventative intervention.

“This project is strong example of how we can take advantage of new, advanced technologies like AI for the benefit of both our patients and staff. The AI tool doesn’t replace clinical judgement but rather empowers clinicians with the insight they need to deliver high-quality care before a crisis occurs.”

Before it was introduced, the model underwent extensive testing, while patient safety specialists helped design the clinical processes surrounding its use. Data security experts also ensured patient information remains protected and is only accessible to authorised staff, the trust said.

The project has also been shortlisted in the ‘Urgent and Emergency Care Safety Initiative of the Year’ category at the 2026 HSJ Patient Safety Awards. Winners are due to be announced on September 28.

Katherine Ryan fell asleep on her husband Bobby Kootsra’s shoulder as they sat centre court at Wimbledon Championships on Tuesday. 

The second day of the tennis tournament saw the historic return of Serena Williams, Iga Swiatek defending her title and a gripping clash between Stan Wawrinka and Matteo Berrettini.

A whole host of stars, including Katherine Jenkins, Mollie King and Cliff Richard, headed to the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club for another action-packed day. 

However, comedian Katherine seemingly struggled to stay awake during one moment in the day, after heading to SW19 for her 43rd birthday. 

Katherine was pictured with her eyes closed and her head resting on Bobby’s shoulder. Sharing the photo on Instagram, she joked: ‘No disrespect to the sport’.  

The couple sat next to David Gandy and Suley Suleyman in the stands. 

It was Katherine’s second day of attending and the TV personality cut a chic figure in a black cardigan, tailored white trousers and cat eye sunglasses. 

Meanwhile opera singer Katherine, who was spotted on Monday in the Royal Box, attended again with her husband Andrew Levitas.

Katherine wore a white summer dress with gold buttons and strappy raffia wedges with a matching bag. 

Mollie King and Stuart Broad opted for matching cream suits.

The radio presenter, 39, and the former professional cricketer, 40, took their place in the Royal Box on Centre Court.

Mollie looked lovely in her neutral skirt suit, which featured black detailing on the cuffs and collar, styled with a black quilted Chanel bag and shades.

Stuart was sporting pale double-breasted linen jacket with matching trousers, over a white shirt and orange tie with brown suede loafers for the occasion. 

The couple, who have two daughters Annabelle, three, and Liliana, 18 months, are regular attendees at the annual tennis event.

Jameela Jamil, who attended day one on her own, was today joined by her long-term partner James Blake for another day of tennis action.

Katherine was pictured with her eyes closed and her head resting on Bobby’s shoulder. Sharing the photo on Instagram, she joked: ‘No disrespect to the sport’

The comedian seemingly struggled to stay awake during one moment in the day, after heading to SW19 for her 43rd birthday

The couple sat next to David Gandy and Suley Suleyman in the stands

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Another returning guest of the club was Katherine Jenkins, who was spotted on Monday in the Royal Box, attending again with her husband Andrew Levitas

The opera singer posed for a photo in a chic white dress 

It wouldn’t be Wimbledon without an appearance from devout attendee Cliff Richard

Sir Cliff, 85, was in great spirits as he arrived arm in arm with a frriend and looking dapper in a blue printed blazer and striped tie

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The singer sat in the Royal Box during the Women’s Singles first round match between Taylor Townsend and Iga Swiatek

Katherine documented her day on Instagram and shared this selfie from the stands 

The couple beamed for a photo. Katherine has been a guest at Wimbledon for the past three years 

It was Katherine’s second day of attending and the TV personality cut a chic figure in a black cardigan, tailored white trousers and cat eye sunglasses

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The second day of the tennis tournament sees the historic return of Serena Williams

Mollie King and Stuart Broad opted for matching cream suits

The radio presenter, 39, and the former professional cricketer, 40, posed for a photo before taking their place in the Royal Box on Centre Court

Jameela Jamil, who attended day one on her own, was today joined by her long-term partner James Blake for another day of tennis action

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The actress cut a stylish figure in a tan and navy polka dot dress, which she accessorised with a pair of cream stilettos and a leather bag.

Another returning guest of the club was Katherine Jenkins, who was spotted on Monday in the Royal Box, attending again with her husband Andrew Levitas.

Katherine wore a white summer dress with gold buttons and strappy raffia wedges with a matching bag. 

Other notable names who were invited to sit in the prestigious box were actresses Celia Imrie and Fiona Shaw.

The veterans of TV and film were spotted catching up, joined by Fiona’s wife Sonali Deraniyagala.

Other guests included TV host and author Richard Osman and his actress wife Ingrid Oliver, who looked chic in a cream and navy pinstripe suit.

Day two is underway at the All England Club, with many first-round matches still taking place after the prestigious competition began yesterday.

Nicola Peltz’s brother Will Peltz, 40, and his new model wife Kenya Kinski-Jones, 33, attended the day after David did – amid the Beckhams’ family feud 

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The newlyweds brushed off the family drama and enjoyed a day out watching the tennis, where Kenya stunned in Wimbledon whites

The actress cut a stylish figure in a tan and navy polka dot dress, which she accessorised with a pair of cream stilettos and a leather bag

Katherine wore a white summer dress with gold buttons and strappy raffia wedges with a matching bag

Emma and Katherine posed in their matching white looks

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Other notable names who were invited to sit in the prestigious box were actresses Celia Imrie and Fiona Shaw (pictured)

The veterans of TV and film were spotted catching up, joined by Fiona’s wife Sonali Deraniyagala

Celia looked lovely in a printed shirt dress and shades

Centre Court features defending women’s champion Iga Swiatek against Taylor Townsend, followed by Alexander Zverev.

The headline event of the day is the singles return of Serena Williams, who is playing her first Grand Slam singles match in four years against Maya Joint.

British interest centres on Katie Boulter and Jacob Fearnley after a difficult opening day for the home players.

Stuart and Molly took their place in the box

Fiona appeared to be very amused by something

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Emma Thynn, Marchioness of Bath, looked stunning in a sleeveless tweed jacket

Lady Amelia Spencer and Lady Eliza Spencer coordinated their looks, posing in their chic coords and cream accessories combos 

Lady Eliza was also spotted arriving with Misse Beqiri, who looked gorgeous in a yellow tweed mini dress and kitten heels 

Jameela caught up with Richard Gadd while at the match with her boyfriend James Blake

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Richard sat alongside Taron Egerton, Christine Egerton and Noah Jupe (L-R) 

Noah looked trendy in utility-inspired shades 

He kept things cool as he reclined in his chair

Taron threw himself into the action as he jeered courtside

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Nicky Hilton Rothschild was summery in a blue and white striped dress for her arrival at SW19 

Range Rover celebrated The Championships at Wimbledon with an exclusive event featuring a host of actors and creatives in partnership with Esquire and Noah was pictured there 

James and Jameela also popped inside the Range Rover event for a photo opp

Jameela looked stunning in her polka dot dress and heels 

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Taron Egerton was suited and booted for the occasion

Paapa Essiedu kept things casual in cargo pants and a denim bomber 

Other Wimbledon guests included TV host and author Richard Osman and his actress wife Ingrid Oliver, who looked chic in a cream and navy pinstripe suit

Greg James looked smart in a navy jacket with camel trousers

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Richard, who was sporting a pale plue suit, waved to fans as he passed by

Chris Robshaw and Camilla Kerslake were also seen arriving at the club

A smiling Dermot O’Leary dressed up in a suit and tie as he posed at the entrance

Jessica Gunning enjoyed the hospitality, looking chic in a navy and white coord

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Traitors star Cat Burns enjoyed the Champagne Lanson suite with her makeup artist and influencer girlfriend Sarah New

A FORMER Royal Navy petty officer lured four teenage boys to his flat and sexually assaulted them in strikingly similar circumstances to how he killed two sailors, a court heard. 

Allan Grimson, 66, was jailed for life in 2001 for the murders of sailors Sion Jenkins, 18, and Nicholas Wright, 20.

He had invited the two young Navy seamen back to his flat and murdered them both with a baseball bat before dumping their bodies on two dates exactly a year apart in the 1990s. 

On Tuesday, a court heard that around the same time of the killings, Grimson sexually assaulted three other young men in the Navy and one teenage boy in the same flat in Portsmouth, Hants. 

The alleged incidents, which are said to involve four teenage male victims, took place between February 1994 and November 1999. Grimson was charged in February 2025. 

Grimson, who denies the offences, is now on trial at Winchester Crown Court, Hants, accused of 11 counts of indecent assault, one count of rape and one count of taking indecent photographs of a child.

Nicholas Wright, 18, and from Leicester, was killed by Grimson on December 12, 1997

Jurors were told Grimson molested the boys at his three-bed Portsmouth flat after inviting them back there, in similar circumstances to the killings of Mr Jenkins and Mr Wright.

The court heard he had been with them at the Portsmouth nightclub, ‘Joanna’s’ – which is also where he had been with his murder victims before taking them to his flat.

One of his four alleged sex attack victims said he could only tell police about the incidents after Grimson was jailed in 2001 because he then felt ‘safe’, it was heard.

Grimson served in the Royal Navy and in 1999 he was a Petty Officer Marine Engineering Mechanic and an instructor at the Royal Navy Firefighting School in Horsea Island, Portsmouth.

The court heard his position ‘brought him into contact with many young males aged in their late teens’ over whom he ‘exercised great authority, by reason of his status’. 

John Price KC, prosecuting, said: ‘In the period with which the trial will mainly be concerned, the late 1990s, he was a man in his late thirties.

‘He had served with the Royal Navy since 1978. He was a big, powerful man and within the service admired as a capable instructor. He was a single man.’

Jurors were told that when his flat and that of his mother’s flat in the north east of England were both searched, images depicting naked men engaging in sexual activity were found on his computer.

The court heard the first alleged victim joined the Royal Navy in 1998 and attended one of Grimson’s firefighting courses – after which Grimson sent him letters and an 18th birthday card.

The pair then went on an evening out with another friend at Joanna’s nightclub in Southsea, Portsmouth.

At the end of the evening the three of them returned to Grimson’s flat and the alleged victim and Grimson shared a bed, with his friend sleeping in another bedroom.

The pair often went out drinking together and on another occasion he went back to Grimson’s flat. Grimson is accused of five counts of indecent assault and one of rape against him. 

Mr Price said the victim claimed said: ‘Grimson tried to kiss me on my lips as we lay in bed. We had both been drinking.

‘I told Allan immediately to stop and that I wasn’t interested in anything like that. Allan stopped immediately and apologised.

‘We then talked about it and Allan told me that he wasn’t certain of his sexuality.

‘I told him that I didn’t have a problem if he was gay as long as he didn’t try anything on with me again.’

He later told police that Grimson had ‘taken advantage’ and ‘put pressure’ on him.

He also told them Grimson had once showed him his baseball bat which he described as his ‘pride and joy’.

Mr Price said: ‘As will be seen, Grimson has sought to portray his relationship towards that teenager as affectionate, if not loving and his towards him therefore as benign and caring.

‘On the other hand, [the victim] describes one which was exploitative, controlling and ultimately sexually abusive, including an act of rape.’

Grimson is also accused of four counts of indecent assault and one of taking indecent photographs of a child aged 14 in the spring of 1999 against another victim. 

On one occasion he took him to Disneyland Paris and on another they watched the 1999 FA Cup Final at his flat in Portsmouth, the court heard. 

The victim said Grimson took photographs of him naked and became angry when he asked him to stop and thought he would kill him were other people not in the flat. 

In April 2001 the alleged victim contacted police and recorded a rape complaint, but found it ‘very difficult’ to speak about it in subsequent interviews.

Telling the jury about Grimson’s murder convictions, Mr Price KC said he killed them in his London Road flat and that ‘those two killings had occurred amidst sexual assaults by him upon them both’.

Mr Wright was killed on December 12, 1997, after he and Grimson had been at Joanna’s nightclub. After attacking him with a bat he put the body in the car before dumping it. 

Two years later he told police where Mr Wright’s remains were then discovered.

Mr Price said: ‘Exactly the same thing occurred, exactly a year later, 1998, also on December 12.

‘Grimson and a man called Sion Jenkins, then aged twenty, left Joanna’s nightclub together and returned to Flat 143A, where Grimson killed Jenkins.

‘Again on his account he used his car to remove the body. 

‘It was not until the evening of December 16, 1999, and after the police had found the body of Wright, that Grimson told them about Jenkins and identified for them the place where his body was concealed, which is where it was found.

‘Grimson told the police in December 1999 that he had killed Wright with a baseball bat, one which he said he had acquired in Diego Garcia, when he was there serving on a Royal Navy ship.’

The trial, due to last four weeks, continues. 

People with terminal illnesses could get earlier and easier access to their pensions

The Government has said one of its ‘clearly outdated’ pension rules could be overhauled as a review is set to take place.

People with terminal illnesses could get earlier access to their private pensions more easily, as the Government said it would revise the rules around how pension schemes work.

Treasury minister Lord Livermore acknowledged there were issues as he said the current definition of terminal illness was ‘clearly outdated’ as he acknowledged the difficulties for people trying to claim their pensions early.

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Lord Livermore had been asked by Labour peer Baroness Martin of Brockley whether current practices would be updated.

At present people with a life expectancy of less than a year may take a Serious Ill Health Lump Sum, but Lady Martin, who was previously Rachel Reeves’ chief of staff, said some people with terminal diagnoses may live up to 10 years or more.

The current scheme allows the sum to be taken tax-free for those below age 75, up to a sum of £1.073 million. Any amounts above that is taxed as income.

Responding to a question in the House of Lords, Lord Livermore said: “While the current rules are intended to provide flexibility, the Government recognises that the permissive nature of these rules means individuals may experience varying hurdles to access depending on their scheme.

“The Government wishes to ensure a fair and compassionate approach to allowing access to pension savings in cases of terminal illness, and will therefore now consider this issue in further detail.”

Lady Martin said: “It’s encouraging to hear the Government will look again at this important issue. The rules on access to private pensions for terminally ill people were designed for an era when terminal diagnoses often meant death within months, but medicine has moved on.

“For cancer alone, around half of patients now survive 10 years or more compared to just one in four in the 1970s.

“Can the minister confirm that when the Government looks at this issue, they will ensure that the access rules will reflect modern, clinical reality, rather than leaving people who may live for many years with a terminal diagnosis, unable to access funds that are rightfully theirs?”

Lord Livermore responded: “I agree with her that the current definition for when someone with a terminal illness can access their pension savings is clearly outdated and does not align with wider legislation, including the (Department for Work and Pensions) standard definition, so I can confirm the Government will now review this.

“Individual private pension schemes also have their own requirements for terminally ill people to access their pensions savings.

“The Government will therefore also examine the access options across these schemes and will consider what changes may be needed to ensure people have appropriate access while safeguarding against the risk of financial hardship later in life.”

He also told Labour peer Lord Pitt-Watson that the Government would consider ensuring the definition of terminal illness in pensions regulations is the same as that for the DWP.

“Although I can’t prejudge it, it would be ideal if there was now one standard definition,” Lord Livermore said.

NEW YORK (AP) — A self-exiled billionaire Chinese business tycoon once believed to be among China’s wealthiest men was sentenced Monday to 30 years in a U.S. prison for a massive financial fraud that a federal judge said cost over 1,000 people worldwide hundreds of millions of dollars.

Guo Wengui, who fled China a decade ago and reinvented himself as a U.S.-based Communist Party critic, was sentenced in a Manhattan courtroom packed with his supporters by Judge Analisa Torres. She said he “preyed on those seeking to bring Democracy to China,” taking their money so he could live lavishly.

Before he was sentenced, Guo protested his treatment in jail, saying he was taken to the hospital early Monday. He disputed a prosecutor’s portrayal of him as a malingerer faking illness, saying he repeatedly vomited as he was returned to jail before being brought to court.

“When I came here, I said: ‘I have a tummy ache, I need to go to the bathroom, I don’t feel well,’” Guo said through an interpreter of his courthouse arrival. Later, Guo wiped his mouth repeatedly with a tissue.

He only briefly addressed the criminal case, defending his intentions by saying in reference to the Chinese Communist Party: “The reason I came to the U.S. was to destroy the CCP.”

The judge, in sentencing him, read snippets of letters she received from victims who described losing their life savings and feeling severely anxious and shamed and having family members turn on them for their poor investment choice.

Torres said Guo “takes no responsibility for his actions and instead insists incredibly his conduct caused no loss and harmed no one.” She said he “has called upon supporters to harass and intimidate those who dare to speak out against him.”

The judge ordered Guo to forfeit $889 million in restitution.

Wei Chen, a victim who testified at trial, told Torres that Guo’s fraud “destroyed my life” and that of her family.

As Guo left the courtroom after the sentencing, supporters applauded and shouted toward him.

Before his arrest and detention without bail three years ago, Guo grew so close to conservative political strategist Steve Bannon that they announced a joint initiative to overthrow the Chinese government in 2020. He lived in a luxury apartment overlooking Central Park and had joined President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Florida golf club.

Prosecutors had requested he serve at least 30 years in prison, saying his “astonishing” fraud from 2018 to 2023 “destroyed hundreds of lives” and left “a wreckage of victims and families who have been devastated financially, emotionally, and psychologically.”

Prosecutors said in court papers that his ill-gotten riches fueled “a lifestyle of extraordinary excess and indulgence, a gilded life of mansions, yachts, race cars, designer clothes and luxury furnishings.”

Guo was convicted of nine of 12 criminal charges during a seven-week trial that prosecutors said showcased his deception of thousands of investors in bogus deals that enabled Guo’s lavish lifestyle.

In a court filing, Guo’s lawyers wrote that he was the victim of the Chinese Communist Party’s “grand, pervasive, and life threatening” pursuit of him. They alleged that the party recruited elites in U.S. business, entertainment and politics to conspire against him.

They said in presentence court papers that a lengthy prison term would only validate China’s smear campaign and “embolden further efforts to eliminate Chinese dissidents from public life” while defendants in similar cases received prison terms of two-to-four years.

The lawyers noted that a court probation officer wrote to the sentencing judge that Guo, also known as Miles Guo and Ho Wan Kwok, had scars and disfigurements from physical torture he endured in China and subsequent surgeries he underwent from 1993 to 2022 to repair the injuries.

Defense lawyers said Guo’s wealth grew as his family became the largest shareholder of China’s largest publicly traded securities company, but he became a target of Chinese government officials as he exposed them as corrupt. Eventually, the lawyers wrote, Guo moved to Hong Kong, London and then New York in 2017.

Chinese authorities accused him of rape, kidnapping, bribery and other crimes, but Guo said those allegations were false.

On Monday, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said they had noted the sentencing, and that Guo is wanted by the Chinese government and has an Interpol “Red Notice” on him. The notice is a request to police forces around the world to arrest a suspect, pending extradition.

Prosecutors say Guo convinced hundreds of thousands of people to invest more than $1 billion total in entities he controlled, including his media company, GTV Media Group Inc., and his so-called Himalaya Farm Alliance and the Himalaya Exchange.

Guo, the government alleged in presentence court papers, was “entirely unrepentant” for his crimes after he took advantage of lax U.S. asylum laws to flourish in America.

In February 2025 Sir Keir committed to raising Nato-qualifying defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027.

The prime minister also announced that the activities of the UK’s security and intelligence agencies would – by 2027 – be classified as Nato-qualifying defence spending. As a result spending would hit 2.6% of GDP by 2027.

The prime minister also stated a “clear ambition” to increase spending to 3% of GDP “in the next parliament”.

At a Nato summit in the Hague in June 2025 the UK and other members committed to spend 5% of GDP on defence and security with 3.5% going to Nato-qualifying “core defence” by 2035.

The alliance’s members agreed that the rest of the 5% (1.5% of GDP) could be made up of spending to “protect critical infrastructure, defend networks, ensure civil preparedness and resilience, innovate, and strengthen the defence industrial base.”

Sir Keir said on Tuesday that the measures in the DIP “takes us to 4.2% under that commitment”.