Omra Wali Jan was abused by her parents in the weeks before her tragic death.

A tot who suffered horrific abuse at the hands of her twisted parents, and later died after she was forcefully shaken by her mum, has been pictured.

Omra Wali Jan was just two-years-old when she tragically passed away with severe brain injuries caused by “extremely forceful shaking”. The little girl was beaten, burnt and bitten over a number of weeks in 2023, before a final attack in November left her fighting for her life in hospital, reports the Mirror.

The two-year-old died on February 9, 2024, when her life support was removed with the permission of the High Court. Her parents finally faced justice when they were today jailed for years for their cruelty.

The court heard that it is not clear exactly what each parent did, with the full extent of the abuse unknown, but Morsal Mohammed Naim, 32, and husband Firooz Wali Jan, 32, both admitted to child cruelty. Naim was accused of murdering Omra, but pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the third day of a trial.

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“Neither parent was kept in the dark,” John Elvidge KC said. “Both enabled and acquiesced in the forcible and deliberate infliction of severe injuries on Omra by one or both, over a period of time. With each extra attack, this complicity inevitably increased, permitting less and less differentiation of roles.”

Following a two-day sentencing hearing at Manchester Crown Court, Naim, of no fixed address, was jailed for nine years, while Wali Jan, of Seymour Grove, Old Trafford, was caged for six years and nine months. The judge made mention of the pair’s “sadistic behaviour” and “multiple incidents of serious cruelty” against the toddler.

While the couple did not detail exactly what they did to Omra, images and videos from Naim’s phone revealed burn injuries to Omra’s right hand, bruising to her cheek and an injury to her lip, the court was told.

On November 30, 2023, Nail was left with the child while Wali Jan went to work and phone records show the mum deleted a number of calls she made to her husband’s family in Afghanistan. Naim sent an audio message to another number at 5.44pm, which was later deleted. She then made a number of unsuccessful calls to other family members before calling a distant relative, reports Manchester Evening News.

The mum carried Omra, who was unconscious and not breathing, upstairs to a neighbour, falsely telling the woman that her child had choked on a biscuit, the court heard. An ambulance was then called. Paramedics banged on the window, but there was no response. They initially thought it was a hoax call.

Eventually, a neighbour answered and medics were able to revive the child but Omra had bruises and marks on her head and body, and was rushed to Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, where a CT scan revealed she had suffered a severe brain injury involving multifocal subdural haemorrhage; extensive hypoxic brain injury; and multiple retinal haemorrhages in the right eye.

The tragic tot was intubated and ventilated, but her life support was removed with the permission of the High Court on February 9, 2024. A post mortem report concluded she died as a result of head injuries.

Mr Elvidge KC, prosecuting, asked for the court to sentence the parents on the basis that ‘all of these injuries were inflicted deliberately in the family home’, adding: “The injuries were caused with an implement used as a weapon or by biting.

“These injuries were not caused by a fleeting contact and they would have caused Omra to flinch or move away, if she could. When inflicted each injury would have caused extreme pain to Omra.” He added: “Neither parent reported these injuries to anyone or sought medical attention for them. Both parents lied about how and when injuries were inflicted and they have lied to protect each other.”

Jailing the pair for their ‘sadistic behaviour’, Mr Justice Turner said of Naim: “Although you pleaded guilty to manslaughter very late in the day, you have never admitted anything about the following – why you attacked your daughter; what form the attack took, when and in what circumstances you did so; and what you did and for how long in the aftermath.”

The judge cited multiple incidents of serious cruelty; sadistic behaviour; use of a weapon; deliberate disregard for the welfare of the victim; and failing to take steps to protect the victim.

Philip Reade, GMP’s senior investigating officer for this case, said: “Everyone who has been involved in this case has been deeply moved by the tragic circumstances of Omra’s death. The last few months of her life must have been truly miserable, being hurt by those who were meant to care for and protect her.

“This has been a challenging investigation spanning more than two years, involving countless medical and forensic experts. I would like to thank everyone for their efforts which have led to justice for Omra.

“Omra was so young, her parents should have been nurturing her, allowing her to grow into the child she would become. Instead, they completely neglected their moral duty to protect her. Their behaviour and attempts to mislead our investigation throughout have made this case even more horrifying, so we welcome the custodial sentences handed down today.

“The investigation team never knew Omra, but we have seen countless images of her when being cared for by others which show a happy, smiling, beautiful child and she is in our thoughts today and always.”

Alan Richardson of the Crown Prosecution Service said: “Morsal Mohammed Naim not only shook her daughter to death, but then lied about what she had done.

“As her mum, Naim should have cared for two-year old Omra Wali Jan, and kept her safe. Instead, she inflicted the catastrophic injuries that caused Omra’s death. It is a killing almost impossible to comprehend in its cruelty and sheer senselessness […] Our thoughts are of Omra – whose young life was cut mercilessly short – and all those affected by her untimely death.”

The chilling videos of a masked man outside Nancy Guthrie’s home in Arizona before she vanished show just glimpses of the suspect, but for investigators they hold a mountain of clues.

And those images — from the suspect’s gloves to his flashlight — could be what’s needed to break the case.

“There’s a tremendous amount of information that this guy left,” said former FBI profiler Clint Van Zandt.

The FBI already has analyzed the videos from Guthrie’s doorbell camera to identify the suspect’s backpack, posting an alert on Thursday with a photo of the brand and model in hopes of narrowing down tips flooding the agency.

It has been nearly two weeks since the mother of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie was believed to have been abducted.

Former criminal investigators say it’s almost certain that authorities are building a physical and psychological profile of the suspect, using the footage released publicly on Tuesday that totals less than a minute.

Whether authorities recovered more footage isn’t known, but technology will allow them to see more than meets the eye.

“Every single thing that is in the video is being digitally enhanced. Everything from the mask to backpack to the jacket,” said Ed Davis, the former Boston police commissioner during the marathon bombing and manhunt in 2013.

Here’s what was captured in the footage and what clues each might yield:

The backpack

It probably didn’t take long to pinpoint the type of backpack the suspect was wearing, Davis said.

Technology available today allows investigators to break down photos and videos to the pixel, he said, giving them images of the stitching and maybe the manufacturer or brand name.

The FBI described the backpack as a black, 25-liter “Ozark Trail Hiker Pack.”

The holster

The FBI says the man on Nancy Guthrie’s porch was armed.

But the video shows he had an unusual holster setup, hanging over the middle of his waist and not on the side. It might be an indication that whoever it was has little experience with firearms.

“I’ve never seen anything like that,” Davis said.

The gloves

The footage gives a close-up view of the suspect trying to cover Guthrie’s doorbell camera, first with a gloved hand and then with part of a plant ripped from the yard.

The black gloves appear to be thicker than most and shimmered in the light.

“I spend a lot of time in Home Depot, and I’ve never seen those gloves,” Davis said. “They’re not very common.”

The clothes

The suspect’s zip-up jacket, pants, shoes and mask don’t immediately stand out. But identifying one or more of those items could be a key.

Because once that happens, investigators can start looking at where those items are sold and combing through receipts and store surveillance cameras, starting with stores in the Tucson area closest to Guthrie’s home, said Van Zandt, who spent 25 years with the FBI.

Going through mounds of receipts and footage will take time and isn’t something that would be done on most cases, but there’s no shortage of people assigned to this one, he said. The Pima County Sheriff’s Department earlier this week said several hundred detective and agents have been assigned to the case.

“If all of the stars line up properly — and they rarely do — I find someone who was in there two weeks prior who bought the jacket, the shoes, the backpack all at the same time,” Van Zandt said.

The flashlight

In one of the videos, the suspect appeared to be holding a small flashlight in his mouth while in front of Guthrie’s door.

Figuring out the type of flashlight might be difficult, but there’s something else to look at there, said David Lyons, a former homicide detective and police commander in Lexington, Kentucky.

Not many people instinctively hold a flashlight in their mouth, but those who work in the trades might — such as an electrician or a plumber, he said.

“That’s a small thing,” he said. “But at the same time, down the road, it could be something.”

The movements

Every step and movement the suspect made on the porch is worth a close look — from the way he walked, to how he seemed unhurried and how he grabbed the plant from the yard, Lyons said.

All of that will likely be used by behavioral analysts to create a profile of the suspect, he said.

“That’s what this will come down to,” Lyons said. “Those small aspects added all together.”

Almost three years after the climactic end to Good Omens season two, Amazon Prime Video has confirmed when it will return for its final outing.

The fantasy series, based on Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett’s 1990s novel of the same name, follows unlikely allies: angel turned reclusive rare bookseller Aziraphale (Michael Sheen) and grouchy demon Crowley (David Tennant), as they face down the apocalypse.

The last episode ended on a dramatic cliffhanger after the chalk-and-cheese duo finally shared a kiss before parting ways once more.

Fans are keen to see the pair reconcile and have their happy ending – and defeat some universe-ending foes at the same time, of course. Now we know the 90-minute finale special will come out on May 13, 2026.

The short teaser shows the lights switching on along the street. We then zoom in on Aziraphale’s bookstore, A.Z. Fell & Co, where the closed sign is flipped around to show ‘open’.

However, since the second season came out, the show has become embroiled in controversy after author Gaiman (who was also an executive producer on the series) had several sexual assault allegations levelled against him – all of which he has denied.

As such, the British author’s career has come to a halt with all his ongoing projects, including The Sandman and Dead Boy Detectives, coming to an end.

After pre-production was initially paused, it was eventually confirmed that the third Good Omens season would be the last and consist of a 90-minute special to conclude the story for fans.

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In October 2024, Deadline also confirmed that Gaiman had reportedly agreed to roll back his involvement from the finale.

During an episode of The Assembly, Doctor Who star Tennant was asked ’someone you’ve worked with, a friend, has been cancelled for some quite serious allegations. How has that affected you?’, further clarifying he was referring to Good Omens.

The 54-year-old Scottish actor responded: ‘We’re doing Good Omens again. We’re going back to do the final. We’re doing a final. There’s been a slight rejig with the personnel.

‘But we still get to tell that story – I think it would have been very difficult to leave it on a cliffhanger. So I’m glad that’s been worked out.’

Meanwhile, talking to The Times in June, Sheen said: ‘I really don’t know what’s going to happen with it.

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‘We were both relieved we finished the story, but that’s within this really difficult, complicated, disturbing context. I hope people get to see it, but that, to a large extent, is out of our hands.’

Filming for the finale took place in Scotland in early-2025 and it seems that a cast and crew screening took place in December.

Sheen took to social media to confirm the screening news, adding: ‘I laughed and I cried. There’ll be bits you absolutely love, and there’ll be things you argue about, of course.

‘It should have been six episodes, but it’s not. Thank God for what it is. Brilliantly directed, beautiful performances, fantastic new looks, incredible work all around.’

Earlier this month, Gaiman returned to social media after a lengthy silence.

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In 2024,  Gaiman was accused of sexual assault and abuse by five women, including the former nanny of his young son with his now estranged wife, musician Amanda Palmer.

At the time, he said he’d ‘never engaged in non-consensual sexual activity with anyone’.

Two years on from the initial statements, he returned to Facebook earlier this month to hit out at the ‘smear campaign’ against him.

He then doubled down on his denial, adding: ‘ The allegations against me are completely and simply untrue. There are emails, text messages and video evidence that flatly contradict them.’

He then claimed his latest project is ‘the biggest thing I’ve done since American Gods’.

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After the allegations first came out, production on the Disney feature adaptation of his YA novel The Graveyard Book also came to a halt.

Good Omens season three arrives on Amazon Prime Video on May 13, 2026.

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The Bangladesh Nationalist party (BNP) has won a landslide majority in the country’s first election since an uprising ended the 15-year rule of Sheikh Hasina in 2024. Results from the election commission confirmed that the BNP alliance had secured 220 seats in the 350-member parliament. The Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami, which was banned by Hasina’s government, came second with 77 seats.

Tarique Rahman, the BNP leader who has spent 17 years living in self-exile in London, is set to assume leadership of the government. Rahman is the son of the former Bangladeshi president and BNP leader, Ziaur Rahman, and his wife Khaleda Zia, who previously served two terms as the country’s prime minister.

In its manifesto, the BNP pledged to build what it calls a “welfare-oriented and prosperous” nation. Commitments include expanded financial assistance for low-income families, strengthening the healthcare workforce, reforming education and boosting climate resilience.

Yet the party’s record is mixed. The BNP boycotted previous elections, including one in 2024, arguing they were neither free nor fair. And during earlier periods in office, the party faced criticism over corruption and governance standards. Regardless, the February 12 vote marks a political reset following one of the most turbulent periods in Bangladesh’s recent history.

The uprising in 2024 began with student protests demanding reforms to the government’s job quota system. But these protests quickly expanded into a broader movement challenging the concentration of executive power in the country. Reports from organisations such as Human Rights Watch during Hasina’s rule raised concerns about media restrictions, opposition arrests and alleged enforced disappearances.

Bangladesh’s security forces responded to the unrest violently, killing as many as 1,400 protesters in a crackdown that Hasina’s critics accuse her of ordering directly – an allegation she denies. The protests continued to swell and Hasina was forced to flee the country, entering exile in India.

An interim administration led by Nobel peace prize laureate Muhammad Yunus was formed to oversee efforts to stabilise state institutions and organise the election. The election, which also saw citizens vote on constitutional reforms aimed at preventing politicians from wielding excessive executive power again, was widely seen as a return to constitutional governance after months of provisional rule.

Banned from contesting

A defining feature of the election was that the interim administration banned Hasina’s party, the Awami League, from contesting. For decades, Bangladeshi politics has centred around rivalry between the Awami League and the BNP. So, removing the Awami League from the ballot fundamentally altered the competitive landscape.

With its principal rival excluded, the BNP became the only party with organisational capacity extensive enough to form a government. Smaller parties lacked comparable reach across constituencies, a structural absence that seems to have encouraged consolidation behind the BNP.

Voter turnout also appears to have been lower than many had anticipated for such a consequential election, with unofficial figures putting participation at 61%. In previous Bangladeshi national elections where all major political parties have participated fully, turnout has typically ranged from 75% to 80%.

Competitive democracy depends on there being a viable opposition. And excluding a major political party from contesting has complicated the interim administration’s claims of full democratic normalisation. Whether the Awami League’s absence is temporary or prolonged will shape Bangladesh’s future political stability.

The referendum on constitutional reforms, which supporters argue are necessary to prevent a return to the centralised authority seen under Hasina, passed comfortably. Eight out of ten voters backed the reforms. However, critics question whether constitutional change in the absence of the largest former governing party can fully reflect broad national consensus.

Regional recalibration

India will have watched Bangladesh’s election closely. In recent years, ties between the two countries have sunk to one of their lowest points in decades. India is widely perceived in Bangladesh as having enabled democratic backsliding by supporting Hasina during her years in power.

That perception led to widespread anti-Indian sentiment during the 2024 protests. And reports since then of military standoffs along the border, disputes over water-sharing agreements and concerns over trade imbalances have only added to public frustration. How the new government manages its relationship with India will shape regional stability and Bangladesh’s economic trajectory.

In its manifesto, the BNP steered clear of adopting positions that might unsettle voters or concern regional players such as India. But, at the same time, it has expressed willingness to engage constructively with India on contentious issues such as border killings, insurgent activity and water sharing.

The BNP holds a powerful parliamentary mandate. But the scale of its victory should not be mistaken for unconditional endorsement. Many votes were shaped by the absence of the Awami League and by a desire for reform after a period of violence and uncertainty.

Whether this moment sets in motion a durable democratic recovery for Bangladesh or another cycle of concentrated authority will depend on how power is exercised in the years ahead.

The text has appeared overnight

A huge billboard appearing to criticise Manchester United owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has gone up outside Old Trafford. The poster, seemingly put up overnight, can be seen outside the stadium close to the Alex Ferguson stand.

It reads ‘Immigrants have done more for this city than billionaire tax dodgers ever will.’

As of yet, it is unclear who is behind the billboard, which follows several controversial comments made by the billionaire businessman, who owns a stake in Manchester United.

Ratcliffe made headlines following an interview with Sky News on Wednesday (February 11), in which he claimed the UK was being ‘colonised’ by immigrants. He later apologised for his ‘choice of language‘, which was widely criticised, and said it was important to ‘raise the issue of controlled and well-managed immigration that supports economic growth’.

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The club also said in a statement that they ‘pride themselves’ on being ‘an inclusive and welcoming club’.

“Our diverse group of players, staff and global community of supporters, reflect the history and heritage of Manchester; a city that anyone can call home,” it read.

Manchester United would have been left with just three players on its starting line-up, and two on its bench without its immigrant players, the Mirror found.

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The Sunday Times Rich List previously estimated that Ratcliffe, who is founder of petrochemicals firm INEOS, is worth £17 billion and was one of the UK’s richest men, the Mirror reported. In 2020, two years after he was knighted for “services to business and investment”, he officially changed his tax residence, switching from Hampshire to Monaco.

He was previously one of the UK’s biggest taxpayers, having contributed an estimated £110 million to the public purse between 2017 and 2018, placing him atop the Sunday Times Rich lists and fifth on the publication’s Tax List.

Monaco is a sovereign city state tax haven outside France, where authorities do not levy taxes on income, wealth or property, and the decision, at the time, was believed to have allowed Ratcliffe up to save up to £4 billion if he stayed there more than 183 days a year.

Manchester United was approached for comment. INEOS declined to comment.

The new series is set to be a ‘horrific’ romance thriller and fans say has the same vibes as Smile

Fans of the popular series Stranger Things have been given a sneak peek at the next big project from its creators.

The upcoming Netflix show, already being hailed by fans as a ‘horrific’ romance thriller, has just unveiled a spine-chilling first look. The new series, titled Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen, is set to premiere on the streaming platform next month.

The brainchild of creator and showrunner Haley Z. Boston, who previously contributed to Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities and scripted episodes for the Al Pacino-led series Hunters, this latest venture promises to be an intriguing addition to her portfolio.

The Duffer brothers, renowned for their work on the 80s-inspired Stranger Things, are on board as executive producers for this atmospheric horror series. The plot revolves around a couple in the week leading up to their doomed wedding ceremony.

Netflix assures viewers that the title isn’t a spoiler but rather a hint of what’s to come. The synopsis provides further insight into the storyline, drawing comparisons with iconic horror films, reports the Mirror.

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It reads: “If Carrie is horror’s version of a girl becoming a woman, and Rosemary’s Baby is the horrific version of a woman becoming a mother, Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen is horror’s take on a woman becoming a wife. Rachel is getting married in five days. Together with her fiancé, Nicky , she embarks on a road trip to his family’s vacation home, secluded in a snowy forest, for the intimate wedding ceremony of their dreams.

“Which really would be so lovely, except, prone to superstition and paranoia, Rachel can’t shake the relentless feeling that something bad is going to happen. Her foreboding doubts, coupled with a series of eerie coincidences and dreadful surprises, force her to ask the question: What makes two people soulmates? And worse, what could be scarier than lifelong commitment to the wrong person?”.

Ahead of the release of the first footage, fans were treated to a tantalising teaser on social media. The sneak peek offers a chilling glimpse of ‘The Night Manager’ star Camila Morrone as Rachel, donned in her wedding dress, proceeding down the aisle at an ominously sinister wedding.

A perplexing sequence of enigmatic images follows, with various characters seemingly whispering apologies to our lead character: “I’m sorry”. A cake mirrors this sentiment, bearing the same message, whilst a handwritten note ominously warns ‘Don’t marry him’.

Viewers won’t have to wait long for the eight-part series, which is slated to stream on Netflix from 26 March. Boston has already hinted at what audiences can anticipate and the mood they aim to evoke with the series.

In conversation with Tudum, she revealed: “(It’s) unsettling, getting-under-your-skin dread. I love to explore characters. I think sometimes that’s lacking in the horror genre. My natural approach is from a place of character and dialogue and humour and then infusing that with unsettling horror … I’m like, ‘I want to be unsettled. I want to be freaked out.’”.

Plenty of viewers have already decided this will be their next horror obsession after watching the preview material. One fan commented beneath the trailer on YouTube: “Trailer gives the same suspense vibes as the movie Smile.”

Another enthusiast declared: “I’m very excited for this. Not a clue what’s going on, but I’m excited. This teaser was enough to get my attention, I won’t be watching the official trailer. Don’t want to know anymore!”

Something Very Bad Is About To Happen is streaming on Netflix from March 26.

**For the latest showbiz, TV, movie and streaming news, go to the new ** Everything Gossip ** website**

Day seven of the Winter Olympics fell on Friday 13th but far from being unlucky, it was the day Team GB’s medal curse finally lifted.

Morale has dropped after a series of near misses, including three fourth-places – one by a fraction of a point – and the day started off badly as Charlotte Bankes fell victim to her own curse, that of the Olympic quarter-final, once again.

But after Blue Monday, Terrible Tuesday, and Worrying Wednesday, and with anxiety swirling over how feasible UK Sport’s target of four to eight medals actually is, Matt Weston arrived to save the day.

Much has been made of how Great Britain, not a traditional winter sports nation, has been a disruptive force at elite level over the last few seasons. GB arrived at this Games with several medal favourites, and some have struggled to cope with the pressure, or simply seen things not go their way on the day. Winter sports can be capricious, tricksy beasts.

But they reckoned without Weston, who has not risen to the occasion so much as bent it to his own will, remaking skeleton in his image.

The 28-year-old has been the dominant force on the World Cup circuit for the last couple of years. He tore his quad eight weeks before the start of the 2025/26 season but he came back from that in utterly imperious form, winning five of the seven World Cup races and becoming the first British man to win three overall titles. He is the reigning world champion, a three-time European champion, and an utterly ruthless operator.

He broke the track record in Cortina d’Ampezzo – where he won the first World Cup of the year, on the brand-new Olympic track – in each of his four runs, even after a minor error early in his first heat on Thursday.

There were no such errors in the remaining three; he was the first to go under 56 seconds, in his second heat, and took an advantage of three-tenths of a second into Friday.

open image in gallery

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1,440m of ice, with 16 curves and chicanes, and a 170m drop in elevation: all tamed by Britain’s first-ever men’s skeleton Olympic champion.

His demeanour after every race has been telling, roaring with delight, full of adrenaline. After setting the ludicrous time of 55.63 seconds after the third heat he celebrated before waving sweetly to the camera, already resetting, laser-focused on the task at hand. The BBC commentary team said the rest of the field “may as well pack up and go home”.

In other disciplines it may have been possible to go for a safe final run, confident of holding onto the lead; in skeleton the margins are razor-thin so that is unwise, but nonetheless Weston is not that kind of character.

As the temperature dropped to -3 degrees in Cortina, making the technical, slightly slow track faster, he took to the track as the last of 24 sliders.

open image in gallery

And the world No 1 delivered: another track record, an astonishing 55.61, and a glittering gold, with his winning time 3:43.33 – 0.88 quickest than his nearest rival and over a second clear of third place.

He leapt into his coach’s arms to celebrate, dropping to his knees on the ice before roaring at the flag-waving British crowd, letting out four years of pain, suffering, frustration and elation in turn.

Beijing silver medallist Axel Jungk of Germany took silver in 3:44.21, while his compatriot, and defending champion, Christopher Grotheer finished in 3:44.30 for bronze, his second Olympic medal.

Weston’s teammate Marcus Wyatt finished in ninth, 2.44 seconds off Weston’s time.

NEW YORK (AP) — Goldman Sachs general counsel Kathy Ruemmler has had a storied legal career. As a federal prosecutor, she helped successfully prosecute Enron executives including Ken Lay and Jeffrey Skilling. She was part of President Barack Obama’s administration, working in various roles for much of his two terms in office, including as White House Counsel.

She was even briefly considered by President Obama as a candidate for Attorney General.

On Thursday, Ruemmler, 54, announced that she plans to resign from the top legal post at Goldman after a trove of emails and correspondence between her and disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein showed the two individuals were especially close, years after Epstein’s 2008 conviction on sex crimes charges, when he became a registered sex offender.

Ruemmler previously downplayed her relationship with Epstein. She called him a “monster” and said she regretted ever knowing him. Ruemmler has repeatedly described their relationship as professional, citing her job as a private defense attorney before she ever joined Goldman Sachs.

But documents released in recent weeks and reviewed by The Associated Press depict a deeper relationship than had previously been characterized by Ruemmler and Goldman Sachs. These included intimate email exchanges, social plans and gifts that went beyond formal legal work.

Roughly 8,400 documents involved Ruemmler or referenced her. Some correspondence shows that Ruemmler was aware of the extent of the allegations that Epstein had faced involving underage girls in Florida. In some instances, she advised Epstein on how he might go about trying to repair his image and defend himself publicly against new claims of misconduct.

The gifts Epstein gave to Ruemmler have been documented in news reports: the spa treatments, the handbags from Hermes, an Apple Watch, a Fendi coat, among many others. But some of the interactions between Epstein and Ruemmler described throughout their correspondence indicates that Epstein and Ruemmler did not simply have a lawyer-client transactional relationship, as Ruemmler previously attested to.

“It makes him happy to see you happy,” Epstein’s assistant wrote to Ruemmler in 2016, after Epstein prepaid for a spa treatment for her.

In October 2018, Epstein directed one of his assistants to send flowers and chicken soup to Ruemmler because she has “not been feeling well.” It would not be the first time that Epstein would send her a small token of appreciation when she was sick. They talked about dating issues, made jokes about both the wealthy and everyday people, and shared laments about their careers and dating lives.

They would message each other about mundane things like their mutual distaste for seeing babies in business class on flights and would repeatedly plan to have dinner or drinks in various places. Epstein even had Ruemmler as a backup executor of his will at one point.

Setting aside the immense wealth and privilege and Epstein’s legal troubles, many of the emails between the two would look no different from the banter that many Americans would share to in their own text messages, emails or group chats.

“Well, I adore him. It’s like having another older brother!” she wrote in an email in 2015.

During her time in private practice after she left the White House in 2014, Ruemmler received several expensive gifts from Epstein, including luxury handbags and a fur coat. The gifts were given after Epstein had already been convicted of sex crimes in 2008 and was registered as a sex offender. Ruemmler was also involved in Epstein’s legal defense efforts after he was arrested a second time for sex crimes in 2019 and later killed himself in a Manhattan jail.

“So lovely and thoughtful! Thank you to Uncle Jeffrey!!!” Ruemmler wrote to Epstein in 2018.

She later joined Goldman Sachs in 2020 and became the investment bank’s top lawyer in 2021.

The firm’s leadership backed her publicly amid the revelations. But the embarrassing emails raised questions about Ruemmler’s judgment. Historically, Wall Street frowns on gift-giving between clients and bankers or Wall Street lawyers, particularly high-end gifts that could pose a conflict of interest. Goldman Sachs requires its employees to get pre-approval before receiving gifts from or giving them to clients, according to the company’s code of conduct, partly in order to not run afoul of anti-bribery laws.

Bloomberg News, The Wall Street Journal and other media outlets reported that Goldman’s partners, who are the firm’s most senior and well-regarded members going back to when the investment bank was privately held, had begun to question why the firm was holding Ruemmler in such high regard when other lawyers were just as qualified to hold the top legal job.

In her statement Thursday, Ruemmler said: “Since I joined Goldman Sachs six years ago, it has been my privilege to help oversee the firm’s legal, reputational, and regulatory matters; to enhance our strong risk management processes; and to ensure that we live by our core value of integrity in everything we do. My responsibility is to put Goldman Sachs’ interests first.”

Goldman CEO David Solomon he respected Ruemmler’s decision to resign. The firm isn’t rushing Ruemmler out the door, saying in a statement that she would wind down her work at the bank “to ensure a smooth transition,” before her last day on June 30.

___

The AP is reviewing the documents released by the Justice Department in collaboration with journalists from CBS, NBC, MS NOW and CNBC. Journalists from each newsroom are working together to examine the files and share information about what is in them. Each outlet is responsible for its own independent news coverage of the documents.

High Coniscliffe, four miles outside of Darlington along the A67, may appear at first glance to be like any other village.

But behind its limestone cottages and village green lies a history stretching back to Anglo-Saxon power struggles and Roman-era remains.

Online travel forums and local walking groups frequently reference the village as a “hidden stretch of the Tees” and “a peaceful base with a lot of history”.

The River Tees near to High Coniscliffe (Image: NORTHERN ECHO)

The Teesdale Way passes along the riverbank below the village, and it is this stretch that appears most often in reviews from visitors and on walking forums like AllTrails.

One walker posting in a North East hiking group described the approach as “one of the prettiest sections of the Tees before Piercebridge”, while another said the village makes “a perfect halfway pause between Darlington and the Roman fort”.

Cyclists travelling the A67 also mention the village green and church as a striking roadside scene, with one rider noting that “the view across the green towards the church tower is worth slowing down for”.

St Edwin’s Church, positioned on the south side of the road above the river, remains the architectural focal point.

The Spotted Dog in High Coniscliffe (Image: NORTHERN ECHO)

Parts of the limestone building date back to around 1170, with a Norman arched doorway, Gothic arch and later medieval tower and spire.

Heritage visitors frequently reference the church’s layered design and elevated setting.

“It feels older than it looks,” one visitor wrote on TripAdvisor.

“The Norman doorway alone is worth the stop.”

High Coniscliffe’s history includes episodes that would not look out of place in a historical drama.

The River Tees (Image: NORTHERN ECHO)

Records suggest that in 761 AD, Oswin, a Bernician nobleman, was killed here amid Northumbrian power struggles.

Later, in 778 AD, a high sheriff named Elduf is said to have died in the village.

In the late 16th century, two Catholic priests from the parish, Richard Thirkeld and Christopher Bayles, were executed for treason due to their faith.

The Spotted Dog in High Coniscliffe (Image: NORTHERN ECHO)

High Coniscliffe has long centred around its green and the junction at Ulnaby Lane.

The Duke of Wellington pub, which closed in 2010 and was later converted into housing, was once known for displaying a portrait of Napoleon on its sign between 1975 and 1988.

The Spotted Dog pub remains a landmark in the village’s story, its name linked to an 18th-century racing foxhound.

Finds in and around High Coniscliffe suggest settlement activity stretching back even further.

Bronze Age tools, Roman pottery fragments thought to be linked to nearby Piercebridge Roman Fort, and Anglo-Saxon carvings incorporated into the church all add to the historic links of High Coniscliffe.

Recent online comments describe it as “peaceful and unspoilt”, “a lovely stop on the Teesdale Way”, and “full of atmosphere if you know the history”.

For Darlington residents, it offers a short escape into the countryside within minutes of town.