The process that should take months, but was telescoped into weeks, resulted in the failure of Peter Mandelson to pass Developed Vetting for one of the most sensitive jobs for Britain in the world.

Its main focus is to exposure liars and anyone vulnerable to blackmail.

The vetting system is intentionally intrusive. It is believed to cost at least £80,000 per person, and involves cross-checking every detail of the subject’s personal lives.

Those who have been through it know that the key is candour when faced with the searching questions in interviews about the use of porn, your sex life, drug and drinking experiences and habits, affairs, kinks, family contacts, travel history.

Agents for the United Kingdom Security Vetting service will use every possible resource, overt and covert, to scrutinise candidates.

Open source information on friendships abroad, foreign contacts, financial relationships, associations with known convicted criminals would emerge. So would gaps in financial reporting, unexplained loans and gifts would be highlighted.

“These are all the necessary parts of making sure that whatever is in someone’s background that makes them vulnerable – we know about it – so that they are less likely to be pressed into betraying their country for financial gain or through blackmail,” said a UK-based former civil servant who has gone through the vetting process.

“You can admit to some quite dodgy stuff and still pass, but lying is a red flag fail.”

Mandelson, who was known anyway to have been friends with Jeffrey Epstein prior to the latter’s convictions for sex crimes, was announced as the British ambassador to Washington on 20 December 2025.

He was in post by 25 February the following year, which meant that his clearance was pushed up the queue ahead of others in less exalted positions.

Typically, security sources have explained to The Independent, that involves the urgent interviewing of close friends and associates of Mandelson by officials from the vetting agency.

They ask probing and, for ordinary civilians, often highly intrusive questions about candidates. These answers are then used to check the honesty of what the candidate says in their own interviews.

Mandelson would, it should be assumed, have been asked to explain the receipt of several payments from Jeffrey Epstein, as well as payments from the alleged people trafficker to his now husband – after Epstein’s conviction.

Mandelson has said publicly that he cannot recall these payments. It is not clear that such an answer would have satisfied UKSV.

He has further denied an impropriety amid allegations, revealed in the Epstein files published in the US, that allegedly suggest he lobbied the UK government on banking and other financial issues that Epstein had an interest in, and that he forwarded market sensitive government material to Epstein while he was business secretary in 2009.

Mandelsom’s flights at Epstein’s expense, his stays on Epstein’s property, would have, or should have, been known about and explained in DV interviews with the UKSV as they were recorded in flight logs.

Emails between the two men, and these other details, led to Mandelson being fired as ambassador to Washington.

Sir Olly Robbins, who was the civil service head of the foreign office when Mandelson took over, has resigned over his department’s decision to overrule the UKSV and give Mandelson access to the most secret of secrets and most secret relationships that any British official could encounter.

Mandelson’s day to day job involved being privy to bilateral intelligence of the kind even hidden from the Five Eyes shared system of the Anglosphere involving the UK, US, Canada, New Zealand and Australia.

He would have been present for, or hosted, informal chats with top American intelligence officials and the heads of British intelligence agencies.

Tories have, inevitably, called for the head of the prime minister Sir Keir Starmer. Tom Tugendhat, Conservative MP for Tonbridge is a former security minister and as an officer in military intelligence and as military assistant to the then Chief of the General Staff, general David Richards, he went through the DV process.

“Our government, rightly, spends millions on vetting. It’s not perfect but it’s the only rational response to the very real threat of espionage, corruption and blackmail,” he said on X.

“It’s intrusive and not pleasant, and it takes months; but it’s necessary. Holding a clearance is limiting but losing one is career-ending, as it should be.

“I’ve been vetted and responsible for vetting as a soldier and minister. I’ve never heard of anyone who failed vetting getting a senior position, or any position of sensitivity.

“Given the essential oversight of the intelligence sharing and commercial relationship between the US and UK, it’s hard to think of a more sensitive position.”

He went on to explain that the kind of waiver that was given Lord Mandelson would, usually, have involved a ministerial sign off.

They are necessarily issued when there is an urgent need to include an unvetted agent into a secret process or include someone in the secret realm when his clearance was in the pipeline.

“It is extraordinary to suggest that our ambassador to the US not only held no ministerial waiver for the temporary absence of his vetting clearance but, worse, had actually been vetted and found to be personally a risk to the security of the UK and appointed anyway,” Tughendat said.

Further disruption is expected this weekend

More than 200 trains were cancelled in two days after overhead lines became damaged at Manchester Piccadilly. It’s understood the wire became ‘tangled’ with a pantograph when an Avanti West Coast service pulled into the station at 11.20am on Thursday (April 16).

Complex repair works have since been taking place, with railway lines due to close for 12 hours from 11pm tonight (Saturday) to complete them. Passengers are being warned to expect continuing disruption at the station this weekend.

Although most services are running as normal today, several have been cancelled, with further cancellations expected. Avanti West Coast is running only one train per hour between Manchester and London, while Northern is running a revised timetable.

Click here to get the biggest stories straight to your inbox in our Daily Newsletter

Network Rail has apologised for the disruption caused by damage to the overhead line, which carries 25,000 volts of electricity to power trains and is a critical part of the infrastructure. Passengers are being urged to check the latest situation for their service before travelling.

Below is a list of services which have been cancelled at Piccadilly so far today, with details currently available up to 10.30am. The list will be updated throughout the day.

Cancelled departures at Manchester Piccadilly on Saturday, April 18:

• 08:14 London Euston: Cancelled
• 08:34 London Euston: Cancelled
• 08:38 Alderley Edge: Cancelled
• 08:46 Stoke-on-Trent: Cancelled
• 08:54 London Euston: Cancelled
• 09:14 London Euston: Cancelled
• 09:38 Alderley Edge: Cancelled
• 09:46 Stoke-on-Trent: Cancelled
• 09:54 London Euston: Cancelled
• 10:14 London Euston: Cancelled
• 10:20 Hazel Grove: Cancelled

Nearly two decades after drug addiction sent him to rehab as a teenager, 36-year-old Michael Nalewaja had settled into a quiet life in Alaska where he worked as an electrician.

That all came crashing down days before Thanksgiving 2025, when he and a mutual friend unknowingly took a lethal cocktail of fentanyl and carfentanil they may have mistaken for cocaine.

“I heard the word ‘autopsy’ and I literally just collapsed to the floor,” his mother, Kelley Nalewaja said, recalling the call she received from his wife. “Even if somebody had been there prepared with Narcan — even if somebody had called 911 in time — he was not going to survive.”

Carfentanil, a weapons-grade chemical that authorities say is 10,000 times more potent than morphine and 100 times stronger than fentanyl, has seen a drastic resurgence across the U.S., killing hundreds of unsuspecting drug users.

The rise coincides with a recent crackdown by the Chinese government on the sale of precursors used to make fentanyl. Those regulations are likely prompting traffickers in Mexico to use carfentanil to boost the potency of a weakened version of fentanyl, according to U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration intelligence bulletins reviewed by The Associated Press.

The surge of a drug so deadly that less than a poppy seed-sized amount can kill a person comes as fentanyl seizures and overall drug overdose deaths continue a multiyear decline.

“You’re talking about not even a grain of salt that could be potentially lethal,” said Frank Tarentino, the DEA’s chief of operations for its northeast region, which stretches from Maine to Virginia. “This presents an extremely frightening proposition for substance abuse dependent people who seek opioids on the street today.”

Carfentanil surge

A decade ago, carfentanil exploded into the North American drug supply, causing hundreds of unsuspecting drug users to overdose, only to see a major dip after China banned it, closing a key regulatory loophole in the U.S.

But the situation has shifted dramatically in recent years.

In 2025, DEA labs identified carfentanil 1,400 times in U.S. drug seizures, compared with 145 in 2023 and only 54 in 2022, according to DEA records viewed by AP.

Traffickers in Mexico may be experimenting with producing carfentanil themselves, authorities say, while others could be procuring it from China-based vendors skirting the country’s regulations by spamming online forums in other countries with ads for the drug.

Complicating matters for the cartels are the extreme dangers associated with manufacturing carfentanil, Tarentino said.

“You can’t just dabble in this,” he said. “This is not some mad scientist on Reddit you’re going to get to go out to a rudimentary laboratory in Mexico to make carfentanil.”

Dip in overdose deaths and fentanyl seizures

U.S. overdose deaths have fallen for more than two years — the longest drop in decades. Experts point to several possible explanations, including the overdose-reversing drug naloxone being more widely available and the expansion of addiction treatment. Some have also tied it to the regulatory changes the U.S. has pressed for in China.

Experts say that even multiple high doses of naloxone might not be enough to reverse an overdose when carfentanil is involved.

Fentanyl seizures, along with several other illicit drugs, have also dipped. U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported that fentanyl seizures plunged to about 12,000 pounds (5,443 kilograms) in 2025 — less than half the amount seized in 2023.

But even as fentanyl numbers fall, it remains a major focus of the DEA. Just recently, the agency’s proposed budget included a $362 million increase centered on cartel-driven fentanyl trafficking.

“Anyone who takes a pill that is not prescribed to them by their doctor is playing a game of Russian roulette with their life,” said Sara Carter, President Donald Trump’s drug czar. “But if those terrorists think they can continue this chemical warfare without consequences, they are wrong.”

Researched as a chemical weapon

While the prevalence of carfentanil still pales in comparison to fentanyl, experts are nevertheless alarmed by the increase of a substance researched for years as a chemical weapon and deployed by Russian forces on Chechen separatists in 2002.

The DEA’s annual quota for lawfully manufactured carfentanil — veterinarians use it to tranquilize elephants and other large animals — is just 20 grams, an amount that can fit in the palm of your hand.

“It’s like a biological weapon,” said Michael King Jr., founder of the Opioid Awareness Foundation. “If the world thinks we had a problem with fentanyl, that’s minute compared to what we’re going to be dealing with with carfentanil.”

In 2024, overdose deaths involving carfentanil nearly tripled compared to the previous year, with 413 deaths across 42 states and Washington, D.C., according to the most recent data available by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Carfentanil definitely has that potential of spreading throughout the United States unless law enforcement really focuses in on carfentanil and they develop intelligence as to how these drug addicts are getting it,” said Mike Vigil, a former chief of international operations at the DEA.

In recent months, the DEA has documented several large seizures of carfentanil. In October, the DEA Los Angeles Field Division found 628,000 pills containing carfentanil, while in September, officials seized more than 50,000 counterfeit M30 pills from a person at a gas station in Washington state that turned out to be a mixture of carfentanil and acetaminophen.

‘All about money’

In some cases, frequent drug users have become tolerant to fentanyl and are seeking out carfentanil, despite the danger, because of the sudden euphoria it promises, explained Rob Tanguay, senior medical lead for addiction services with Recovery Alberta, a health agency in Canada. It appeals to the drug market, he said, because so little of it goes such a long way toward supply.

“The toughest part about all of this,” he said, “is that this is all about money.”

After Michael Nalewaja’s death, his mother decided against a large funeral.

Instead, she organized a town hall in her hometown of El Dorado Hills, California, bringing together local officials along with mothers who had gone through something similar.

As she grieves her son, an adept salesman full of charisma who had recently gotten a national award by the electrical union, she’s pushing for major legislative and judicial changes so others don’t go through what she did because of a drug she said was never meant for humans.

“It’s not an OD; it’s not an overdose,” she said. “It’s a murder weapon.”

___

Associated Press writer Joshua Goodman in Miami contributed.

Previously, the RFU did not have a maternity policy specifically designed for players, with former England prop Vickii Cornborough – the second Red Rose to announce a pregnancy after the update – describing the old policy as “not fit for purpose”.

Cornborough, a Rugby Players’ Association (RPA) representative, helped create the policy through input from the RPA and players themselves.

Following the birth of twins, 74-cap Cornborough announced her retirement from international rugby at the age of 34, saying she did not feel mentally ready to return.

With their babies due this summer, Atkin-Davies and Ward are both aiming to be back playing by the start of next season.

Ward, who played in two World Cup finals with Cornborough, warned her pregnant team-mates that returning will not be straightforward.

“It is amazing to know women have a choice and an option – great if I have played any part in that,” she added.

“There is also pressure, as I hope I have not catfished them into thinking it is easy. Everyone will find out it is not easy.”

Hooker Atkin-Davies has won 74 caps and been a regular since her England debut in 2015.

Having played in the past two World Cup finals, the 31-year-old wants to play at the next World Cup in Australia and have a similar moment to Ward’s 2025 Allianz Stadium celebrations.

“Becoming a mum and having a baby will make me a better person and player,” Atkin-Davies added.

“I know it is going to be really hard, and I am aware of that. I do not just want to come back – I want to come back and be better.

“That is what really drives you as well. It might take time, as your body and mind go through so many changes, but the fire and desire are in me to be at that World Cup in 2029 with a three-year-old.

“Those big moments of running out with my baby at Ashton Gate or Allianz Stadium would be absolutely amazing, but it will be hard.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Treasury Department on Friday extended its pause on sanctions on Russian oil shipments to ease shortages from the Iran war, days after Secretary Scott Bessent ruled out such a move.

The so-called general license means U.S. sanctions will not apply for 30 days on deliveries of Russian oil that has been loaded on tankers as of Friday. It extended a similar 30-day license issued in March for Russian oil that had been loaded by March 11. The extension underscores how the fallout from the Iran war has boosted Moscow’s ability to profit from its energy exports, which had been restrained since the invasion of Ukraine.

Speaking at the White House on Wednesday, Bessent ruled out extending the license. “We will not be renewing the general license on Russian oil, and we will not be renewing the general license on Iranian oil,” he said. The administration did not immediately explain the reversal.

Recent reboots of Scrubs and Malcolm in the Middle have been met with some negative responses from fans.

TV reboots are becoming a poor excuse for a creative drought.

Fans of Malcolm in the Middle were eagerly awaiting the arrival of the revival series, Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair, on Hulu and Disney+.

Nearly two decades after the original series concluded, the sitcom sees Bryan Cranston and Frankie Muniz return to their roles as Malcolm enjoys a contented life with daughter Leah (Keeley Karsten) and girlfriend Tristan (Kiana Madeira), having separated himself from his biological family.

While it did shatter some streaming records, becoming Hulu’s most-watched premiere season of 2026, numerous viewers believed it disappointed devoted fans.

Some went so far as branding it “a monstrosity” and a “horror” in IMDb reviews, describing it as “forced and underwhelming”.

Television schedules and streaming services are presently flooded with reboots of beloved programmes, serving as a flimsy substitute for genuine original content.

Within the span of mere months, two of the most legendary programmes from the Noughties made their comeback in reimagined formats, as the Scrubs reboot premiered before Malcolm in the Middle in February this year.

Devotees of the original Scrubs series were left outraged after it emerged their beloved couple, JD ( Zach Braff ) and Elliot Reid ( Sarah Chalke ), had split up.

While they could have remained in blissful ignorance, for the purposes of drama, their cherished memories were destroyed.

Perhaps one of the most divisive reboot announcements in recent memory is HBO Max’s Harry Potter series, with the casting row making international headlines.

While some Potter fans are enthusiastic about the TV adaptation, for many it embodies the old adage: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

Advertisement

As painful as it is to admit, the axing of Sarah Michelle Gellar’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer revival was likely for the best.

While it’s disappointing that supporters won’t see Gellar return to Sunnydale leading a fresh generation of slayers, the decision not to air the pilot has probably spared the original series from harm.

Devoted fans can take comfort knowing it will remain amongst the greatest cult classics of all time.

It’s not solely dramas and sitcoms facing a catastrophic fate, as game shows such as Deal or No Deal and Catchphrase have also resurfaced with no substantial alterations from the originals.

Why squander a decent telly slot on a recycled, cheesy game show or sitcom when audiences are hungry for something original? It’s perfectly fine to draw inspiration from the best, but copying is simply lazy.

The potential changes would see five streets becoming one-way to traffic

Advertisement

Plans that will see five roads modified to become one-way streets are being considered by Peterborough City Council.

The council’s Highways & Transport department released a draft order this week stating six changes are proposed to take place within the Millfield area, close to Lincoln Road. They will see five roads converted to accommodate one-way only traffic.

The five roads are:

• Cambridge Avenue;
• Gladstone Street;
• Windmill Street;
• Silverwood Road;
• Springfield Road.

The roads will be amended to allow only the following directions of travel:

• Cambridge Avenue: in an easterly direction between its junction with Gladstone Street and Summerfield Road;
• Gladstone Street: in a northerly direction between its junction with Windmill Street and Serjeant Street;
• Gladstone Street: in a southerly direction between its junction with Windmill Street and Cambridge Avenue;
• Windmill Street: in a westerly direction between traffic calming island outside No.14 and the junction of Gladstone Street;
• Silverwood Road: in a northerly direction between its junction with Cambridge Avenue and Springfield Road;
• Springfield Road: in a westerly direction between its junction with Silverwood Road and Gladstone Street.

This will prohibit vehicles from entering Windmill Street from Gladstone Street, entering Gladstone Street from Serjeant Street, or entering Springfield Road from Gladstone Street.

A council spokesperson said the aim of the initiative is to improve the overall safe flow of traffic through the area.

They added: “The proposal to introduce a one-way system within Millfield has arisen from discussions between ward councillors and council officers with the aim of reducing conflicting traffic movements at locations that typically result in congestion.”

A consultation period on the proposals will begin on 16 April and run for three weeks. Residents in the area are receiving letters of consultation to ascertain their views. At the end of the consultation period, officers will review the feedback received in conjunction with the ward councillors to determine how best to proceed.

These proposed plans follow on from a £5.8m upgrade along a stretch of nearby Lincoln Road between Windmill Street and Serjeant Street which was completed earlier this year.

One of those improvements saw a northbound one-way system established between Windmill Street and Stone Lane, something many residents and business owners in the area praised.

“We are happy with the finished work and so are many of our customers,” said Cafer Koc, owner of the Cafe Algarve on Lincoln Road. “Business is picking up and the road looks cleaner and nicer than it was previously.”

BT is dishing out free fibre broadband for three months when customers switch from their current provider.

Advertisement

BT is offering free broadband to new customers who make the switch from rivals such as Sky or Virgin Media. Those who sign up for one of BT’s fibre broadband packages this month will benefit from three months of free service.

The deal applies to BT’s full fibre plans, with download speeds ranging from 50Mbps to 900Mbps, potentially saving customers as much as £131.97. Those selecting the highest speed options will enjoy connections fast enough to download films in seconds and robust enough to support 4K streaming and online gaming at the same time.

Once the initial three-month period ends, standard pricing will apply for the remainder of the 24-month contract. This varies from £31.99 to £43.99 based on the selected package.

BT operates under the One Touch Switch scheme, meaning new customers aren’t required to get in touch with their previous provider to arrange the broadband installation. Switchover dates are typically arranged quickly within a fortnight.

BT additionally includes Norton Security with all its broadband packages to safeguard against viruses and other online dangers. To determine which speeds are accessible in their area, customers should utilise BT’s postcode checker, reports the Daily Record.

Get BT Broadband free for three months

Advertisement

BT is giving new customers free full fibre broadband for three months, with speeds from 50Mbps to 900Mbps.

One drawback is that BT customers will experience a £4 increase to their bills every April. This practice extends to numerous other broadband suppliers, including Virgin and Plusnet, the latter currently enticing customers with a £100 gift card when they register for its 900Mbps package.

Following the 2016 merger between BT and EE, subscribers now have the option to bundle their broadband with various TV packages. By adding an EE TV package to a BT broadband subscription, users gain access to NOW, featuring a variety of Sky channels.

This includes sport and cinema content, alongside Netflix or TNT Sports availability on certain packages. BT has received considerable acclaim from numerous subscribers who have posted positive feedback on Trustpilot.

Advertisement

One customer said: “Amazing service and never had issues.” Another said: “I’ve been with BT for five years and can honestly say they’ve been amazing.

“My bill has never been wrong. My router hasn’t once gone down.”

Some subscribers have taken issue with BT‘s post-sign-up communication, as one review pointed out: “I’ve just had a broadband upgrade and the number of repeated texts, emails, notifications, over and over and over. Was incredibly annoying and frustrating.”

Conversely, other customers have commended the support service, saying: “There was zero wait, which is amazing for any customer service these days. Straight through to the call centre. I got to speak to a knowledgeable person who dealt with my problem with expertise and speed.”

In 2001, Ronnie O’Sullivan won his first World Snooker Championship. Now, a quarter of a century later, he is aiming for a record-breaking eighth title.

The 50-year-old has lifted the trophy seven times, a feat only matched by Stephen Hendry in the 1990s, with no-one in the modern era having more success.

O’Sullivan already holds numerous snooker records, including being the oldest Crucible final winner following his most recent success in 2022, aged 46.

But even after having reached his own half-century, the player dubbed the Rocket is still blasting to new heights.

Last month at the World Open in China he made a break of 153, the highest ever recorded in professional snooker, after benefiting from an early snooker that left him a free ball, which then acted like a 16th red.

He reached the final of that tournament, and Shaun Murphy, who lost 5-3 to O’Sullivan in the last 16, was impressed with how he performed.

“When I played him in Yushan he seemed pretty sharp and it was a very high-quality match,” said 2005 world champion Murphy. “He has not been at his brilliant best this season, but when he gets in and in flow he is still as good as ever.

“It would be great for snooker if he did get to eight and great for him – it’s a story everyone wants to write and it would be an incredible achievement.

“But he is running out of time so he needs to do it sooner or later, but it’s Ronnie O’Sullivan so you wouldn’t put anything past him.”

Mason Crossley, 21, was in the dock to be sentenced for dangerous driving causing serious injury, dangerous driving, driving while disqualified and driving without insurance.

In the evening of March 10, 2024, police spotted Crossley’s black Skoda Octavia as he was refuelling at the Shell service station on Bury Road in Breightmet.

Andrew Mackintosh, prosecuting, said Crossley “quickly turned his back” to the patrolling officers as they passed, which raised their suspicions.

After checking the Octavia’s registration, they found it had no insurance and began to follow the vehicle.

Police dashcam footage played in Bolton Crown Court during the hearing on Monday (April 13) shows Crossley’s car slow down and stop at a junction after being signalled by police.

But seconds after the officer’s car stops – the then-18-year-old accelerates and speeds off, starting a police chase.

Mr Mackintosh said that the police had seen “at least two passengers” and at one point in the footage the car slowed down for one of the back seat passengers to open the door and run off.

Mr Mackintosh said Crossley, of Rosehill Close, had sped through one red light at 60mph causing a van “to brake heavily” and another red at 86mph.

Crossley is then seen to drive the wrong way up an exit slip road onto St Peter’s Way before crashing into a black BMW on entering the dual carriageway.

The crash left Crossley and a BMW driver with serious injuries (Image: Public)

Mr Mackintosh said the driver of the BMW spent four-and-a-half weeks in hospital after suffering multiple broken bones, including seven broken ribs and breaking both feet.

The driver’s wife, who was in the front passenger seat, luckily did not suffer any serious injuries.

In a statement dated July 21, 2024, the BMW driver said: “This incident happened four months ago and I’m still significantly suffering now – I can still hear my wife screaming.”

He said he was unable to work after the crash and “missing out on valuable time” he could be spending with his daughters and grandchildren.

He said: “This is precious time I will never get back”.

Crossley, who was found to be six times the legal limit for a breakdown product of cocaine and 14 times the legal limit for ketamine, suffered a skull fracture and was diagnosed with a severe brain injury.

A year later – on March 30, 2025 – police began following a white Vauxhall Astra after the driver was seen not wearing a seatbelt.

A video of the incident was also played to the courtroom showing the driver speeding away from police through residential streets in Bradshaw.

Mason Crossley (Image: GMP)

Mr Mackintosh said that the Astra had “reached speeds of approximately 100mph” in the chase and “due to the speed of the vehicle, the pursuit had to be abandoned”.

He said the car was later found abandoned on Back Longsight – and CCTV footage showed Crossley leaving the vehicle.

He was interviewed by police and read a prepared statement that said he didn’t own a Vauxhall Astra – and though his parents had, it had been sold.

David James, defending, said that since going into custody on January 30, 2026, Crossley’s family feel his recovery from his brain injury has “regressed”.

Mr James said: “The greatest concern is recovery – traumatic brain injuries are in many ways an unknown and the point around the two-year mark is of great concern.

“Where one is then can be where one is fixed.

“The concern is Mr Crossley was on a programme of therapy with the neurologist dealing with his recovery and being put in a prison environment has curtailed that absolutely.”

Recorder Karen Ridge, addressing Crossley in the dock, said: “You are aware that your dangerous driving is directly responsible for the accident – in addition, you caused yourself serious injuries including a traumatic brain injury.

The crash left Crossley and a BMW driver with serious injuries (Image: Newsquest)

“It’s extremely regrettable that after suffering such serious injuries yourself, some 12 months later you made the poor decision to be involved in a police chase at 100mph.

“It’s extremely fortunate on that occasion you and other road users weren’t injured in that pursuit.”

She said she considered the medical reports before her, but put “more reliance” on the neurologist’s report from October 15, 2025.

The neurologist said Crossley’s “engagement with services has been inconsistent over the last 12 months”.

Ms Ridge jailed Crossley for a total of 26 months and disqualified him from driving for three years after his sentence is complete.