Ping! A message on your phone from your partner. What do you anticipate? A perfunctory request for your ETA for dinner or a kiss-strewn ‘can’t wait to see you – let’s go to our favourite Italian?’

After years together has your phone chat descended to clipped one-word replies and single-letter abbreviations? Or does he send strings of funny emojis and news articles he thinks you’ll be interested in?

And what’s your texting language to him like now – shopping lists, lengthy explanations or heart-felt declarations of love?

As a divorce lawyer, I’ve spent more than 30 years listening to what couples say about each other but I have also learned you can discover a lot about what’s going on in a relationship simply by looking at their texts.

As people return from their summer holidays and re-enter everyday life, I’m anticipating a surge in new divorce inquiries – and one of the first things I’ll do is ask how they communicate. In fact relevant texts and WhatsApp messages very often emerge as part of the legal process. 

Some of those seemingly insignificant exchanges can be surprisingly revealing. They give me a little window into the emotional temperature of a relationship and help me to understand whether there’s warmth, affection and humour, or resentment, distance and simmering anger.

Over the years, countless clients have thrust their phones under my nose and said ‘Look at this! How on earth do I respond?’

I’ve seen them anxious and hurt, often furious, sometimes completely bewildered as they re-read text exchanges, desperate to work out why he’s sent it and what he means. Not to mention agonising over how to reply.

When I’m relationship coaching, meanwhile, I ask couples to show me their everyday messages because they’re such a useful means of unpicking the way they’ve got used to speaking to each other. Quite often the texts (both sent and received) display far less kindness than they realise.

When couples take their eye off their relationship and allow it to drift, it all too often shows up in the pattern of their day-to-day messaging.

The tone and tempo of your text exchanges really do offer tiny but powerful clues about the health of your relationship.

Try for yourself. Open your phone and check the last ten messages exchanged between you. No cherry-picking the anniversary messages from six months ago. Pick the last ten. What do you see?

These messages are not a relationship diagnosis but they do offer hints. You can exchange heart emojis all day and still be miserable or have the most mind-numbingly boring text threads full of domestic logistics and still be madly in love.

Don’t read too much into a grumpy ‘k’ (shorthand for OK and much used among teens). What matters is the bigger pattern and whether the way you communicate on your phones reflects how your relationship feels offline, too. Is there kindness? Collaboration? A sense of fun? Or not…?

Do your texts show two people who actually like each other?

It’s worth checking in with your phone because this apparently mundane interaction could shine a light on relationship tensions in need of a fix.

Purely functional

Does your WhatsApp interaction look like a series of barked instructions from ‘mission control’? ‘Can you pick up milk?’ ‘What time are you home?’ ‘Parents’ evening Thursday’. ‘ETA: 6.30’, ‘Roger that’.

This kind of interaction shows a couple that is highly efficient and organised, with ‘Family Ltd’ running like clockwork.

There’s nothing wrong with practical and functional messages. And plenty of happy couples save the love, laughter and proper chat for when they’re together.

But problems can arise when these messages become your entire relationship chat and the business vibe starts to crowd out affection, curiosity, fun and laughter between the two of you.

Also notably missing is any evidence of the ‘please’ or ‘thank you’ that you might happily proffer to a waiter or at the supermarket checkout, but are apparently withholding from the one you love.

Action plan: Ask yourself: ‘Are we just functional texters or has our whole relationship just become one giant to-do list?’ And if it has, time to put some love back into the chat. Intersperse the functional messages with something funny, or a bit of flirtatious banter. A little bit of ‘sugar coating’ can go a long way to keeping your marriage alive.

If rage-filled, insulting or intimidating messages are becoming a regular feature of your relationship, it’s serious and shouldn’t be brushed off as ‘just anger’

Passive aggressive

Is there a snarky resentful tone creeping into your communications? Does every text come with a sting? ‘Oh, don’t worry then, I’ll do it. Again.’ Or, ‘Well, it must be lovely to have time for the gym’ and ‘I’m glad one of us got a lie-in’ or ‘I’ve only asked you three times already’.

Sarcastic and passive-aggressive texts often indicate resentment bubbling away furiously underneath with nobody actually saying what’s really bothering them.

Action plan: If your texts have become a running scorecard of who did or didn’t do what and who is more exhausted, it’s time to put the phone down and talk instead.

Drop the digs and say what you actually need – kindly and directly. 

Try: ‘I’m feeling overwhelmed and I need more help.’ Or, if they’re the one being pass-agg, let them know you find it hurtful and it’s more corrosive than they think.

Say: ‘I’m upset about this. Can we talk?’

Single words and emojis

Emojis and abbreviations have replaced a great deal of the subtle nuance of our everyday language. Is your line of communication peppered with a monosyllabic run of alternating ‘k’, ‘yep’, ‘cool’ or a thumbs-up emoji and an OK emoji (that’s the hand making a circle with forefinger and thumb).

This doesn’t automatically mean your relationship is in trouble. We’re all busy and distracted. But watch out for one-sided displays. If one of you is reaching out and only getting clipped pictorial replies, this can signal emotional distance – or even an affair. I’ve seen this kind of sudden coldness when someone starts to cheat and their attention and emotional energy has shifted elsewhere.

Action plan: Ask yourself if this is how you’ve always communicated, or has something changed? A few curt texts are not proof of cheating but if the warmth has suddenly vanished, it is time to ask: ‘You seem a bit distant lately. Is everything OK?’

Text messages might be brilliant for the quick stuff but for anything that matters, you need to put down the phones and talk properly. The human voice can soften tone and provide nuance in a way a text message never can.

Emojis and abbreviations have replaced a great deal of the subtle nuance of our everyday language

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Suddenly secretive

Watch out if one partner who once sent loving messages becomes strangely unavailable for long stretches, responding to text inquiries with: ‘Sorry. Busy.’ ‘Meeting’, ‘Phone died’ or ‘Working late – don’t wait up’.

Secretive phone behaviour doesn’t prove an affair either but after decades of dealing with infidelity in my divorce clinic, my alarm bells always ring when I hear about sudden, unexplained text changes. Accompanying red flags include: they’re up late texting, notifications disappear from their lock screen, their phone is always face-down or now accompanies them to the bathroom.

Action plan: Don’t play Sherlock Holmes (no snooping or accusing). The sudden secrecy could be completely innocent. But be alert for marked behavioural change, especially if it comes with defensiveness or emotional withdrawal. 

Ask: ‘I’ve noticed you’ve been different with your phone lately. Is everything OK?’

Walking on eggshells

A series of tentative texts: ‘Sorry to bother you…’, ‘Please don’t be annoyed but..’ or ‘I’ll cancel it if you don’t want me to go’ could be a sign that something is wrong with the emotional climate of your relationship. A healthy relationship should feel emotionally safe – online and off – and both of you should be able to ask a question, raise a concern or make a mistake without worrying about the other’s reaction.

Action plan: Ask yourself if you’re choosing words carefully because you’re considerate or because you’re scared of the reaction. It’s not good if one of you is constantly editing, apologising or worrying about upsetting their partner or how they will react.

One nervous text proves nothing but if this is a repeated pattern, it’s time to talk to someone you trust or seek professional support. If you are genuinely afraid, put your safety first rather than confronting a partner alone.

If you’re getting tentative texts from your partner, turn the question round. Ask yourself, ‘Why are they worried about how I’ll react?’ Be honest. Do you snap, sulk or go cold when you don’t like what’s going on? 

Try saying, ‘You seem worried about upsetting me. I don’t want you to feel you have to walk on eggshells. Is there something I do that makes you feel like that?’ Then comes the hard bit: listen properly, without jumping to defend yourself. You may not like what you hear but those nervous little texts could be giving clues about how your partner feels around you.

Sheela says secretive phone behaviour doesn’t prove an affair but after decades of dealing with infidelity, her alarm bells always ring when she hears about sudden text changes

Text-rage

Watch out if your texts are peppered with rage-filled caps and exclamation marks: ‘YOU NEVER LISTEN’, ‘Here we go again!!’ ‘I’VE TOLD YOU!!’ or ‘I’m sick of this.’

We all get angry and annoyed with each other – that’s normal. But a pattern of texts that looks more like the jabs and punches in a boxing ring is – fairly clearly – not a good sign. This antagonistic form of communication is designed to lash out, hurt back or win. When you’re furious, your phone can become a weapon. Worse still, without facial expressions, tone or touch that can soften a difficult conversation, a text row can easily escalate from nought to nuclear in seconds.

Action plan: Never text angry. If you’re the raging texter, stop before you hit ‘send’ and ask yourself if you’re trying to fix the problem or merely hurt your partner? Pause. Cool off first. Put your phone in another room, go for a walk, take a shower, breathe. Rant into your Notes app if you must but don’t press send.

Once you’ve worked out what’s upsetting you and what you need your partner to understand, talk it through face-to-face.

Start with: ‘I’m really upset about what happened’ rather than ‘You always…’

If you’re on the receiving end of text-rage, don’t get dragged into a furious ping-pong match. When you’re attacked it’s tempting to fire straight back – especially when something feels unfair – but that will only turn up the heat.

Don’t try to win an argument by text. Pause and, if you feel safe to do so, send a simple message saying something like: ‘I can see you’re really angry. I don’t want us to say things we’ll regret, so let’s talk when we’ve both calmed down.’ Then put your phone down and walk away for a while.

And if rage-filled, insulting or intimidating messages are becoming a regular feature of your relationship, it’s serious and shouldn’t be brushed off as ‘just anger’. An aggressive and antagonistic pattern of messaging needs to be addressed. If the tone makes you feel frightened, threatened or controlled, seek support rather than tackling it alone.

Checked out

Text-fighting is a worry, but nothing gets my divorce lawyer antennae twitching more than the emotional indifference that seeps out of bland, non-committal texts. If your phone is peppered with off-hand responses like: ‘whatever’, ‘I don’t care tbh’, ‘do whatever you want’ or ‘let’s just get through the weekend for the kids’, you could be in trouble.

When there are no rows, no questions, no curiosity, it could mean that one of you has stopped fighting altogether and might have emotionally checked out of the relationship.

Action plan: Don’t jump to conclusions over a few flat texts – we all get tired, stressed and distracted. But if warmth, curiosity, affection and desire to connect have disappeared both on the phone and in real life, please don’t dismiss it.

Ask yourself: ‘Have we stopped arguing because things are better or because one of us has stopped caring enough to argue?’ Don’t wait for the goodbye conversation. Have the difficult conversation now.

Try: ‘I feel like we’ve become really distant lately. Are you feeling it too? What’s going on between us?’ 

Sheela Mackintosh-Stewart is a divorce lawyer, relationship coach and author of How to Stay Together: 12 Daily Habits to Strengthen Your Relationship, available to pre-order, published by Octopus on January 21, 2027.

As told to Louise Atkinson

Cruz Beckham rocked Leeds Festival on Sunday amid a busy weekend for his budding music career which saw his parents Victoria and David support him at Reading.

The youngest of the Beckham sons, 21, has had an incredible year touring the UK with his band The Breakers and the two last big summer festivals took place this weekend.

After his family were at the side of the stage cheering him on at Reading Festival on Saturday, he then headed to Leeds to perform with the band – where he rocked a casual T-shirt and denim jeans on stage.

He performed to a packed tent of fans and looked in his element as he sang his heart out and played guitar.

After the two festival shows Cruz took to his Instagram to reflect on the biggest shows of his career so far as he paid tribute to his girlfriend Jackie Apostel, 30, – who is also his music manager. 

He mentioned various members of his team in the post including Victoria’s niece Libby Adams who helps with photography for the band.

After the two festival shows Cruz took to his Instagram to reflect on the biggest shows off his career so far as he paid tribute to his girlfriend Jackie Apostel, 30 (seen together)

Alongside snaps from the weekend, including one where he kisses Jackie, he penned: ‘I am so grateful for everyone around me, not only are they my best friends but they are family, this journey has been so incredible and i have learned so much because of these people.

‘Harry man this tour really wouldn’t be the same without you, from your humour to the incredible content you create, Lib not only are you literally family but you are so incredibly talented and we are so lucky to have you on this journey.

‘Gabi this really wouldn’t be happening without you, you are the reason it all looks so amazing, Caroline you are our core. Dan Telmo and Dario, boys i love you i am so grateful to have you in my life, you have taught me so much already and it’s only the beginning, not only are you incredible musicians but as people i look up to you all so much. 

‘To the fans and everyone who came to the gigs, i am forever grateful for every single one of you, you are the reason this is happening. you are the reason i wake up in the morning and look forward to hanging out with you and chatting i love you. 

‘Last but definitely not least Jackie, you honestly have no idea how lucky we are to have you, not only do you take care of me but this whole operation, from creative to strategy to mgmt. We are a team and would not be doing this without you. i really love you so much.’

Underneath the post Jackie then penned: ‘I love you.’

On Saturday proud parents David and Victoria cheered on Cruz during the major career milestone as he made his Reading Festival debut.

After a summer touring around Europe on their luxury £16million yacht, his parents made sure to jet back from the Amalfi Coast to rainy Reading in time to watch their son play The Canopy stage at the renowned festival. 

Despite the torrential rain, the former footballer, 51, and Posh Spice, 52, were undeterred as they watched intently from the side of the stage, Victoria still donning her shades. 

The youngest of the Beckham sons, 21, has had an incredible year touring the UK with his band The Breakers and the two last big summer festivals took place this weekend

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After his family were at the side of the stage cheering him on at Reading Festival on Saturday, he then headed to Leeds to perform with the band

He performed to a packed tent of fans and looked in his element as he sang his heart out and played guitar

In his post after the shows Cruz mentioned various members of his team including Victoria’s niece Libby Adams who helps with photography for the band

Alongside snaps from the weekend, including one where he kisses Jackie, he penned: ‘I am so grateful for everyone around me, not only are they my best friends but they are family’

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Ahead of the 3pm show he took to his Instagram Story to share his excitement that he would be taking to the stage

Jade Thirlwall was also performing at Leeds Festival on Sunday 

Maisie Peters was also performing on Sunday 

Meanwhile Lola Young performed at Reading on Sunday

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Dave Grohl’s daughter Violet, 20, also performed at Reading over the weekend 

She is the eldest daughter of Foo Fighters frontman and former Nirvana drummer Dave

Cruz’s brother Romeo, sister Harper and Jackie were also watching as they beamed with pride. 

A concertgoer told the Daily Mail: ‘They are all there listening and supporting Cruz and Victoria has been embracing David affectionately while watching.’

Jackie also made sure to support the star as she took to her Instagram Story earlier in the day wearing a bright yellow T-shirt which read: ‘Cruz Beckham sang to me.’  

Cruz became the latest nepo baby to hit the festival stage with Liam Gallagher’s youngest son Gene, 25, performing with his band Villanelle the day prior. 

Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin’s son Moses also played with his band People I’ve Met on Friday and Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl’s daughter Violet is due to take to the stage on Sunday. 

Posting on his Instagram Story before his festival slot, Cruz shared a close up selfie as he penned: ‘Reading, I cannot wait.’ 

The festival run coincides with the release of the Wear & Tear EP.

The tracks are titled: Better Times, WANNABE, Seeing Red, Loneliest Boy and Wear & Tear.

Cruz, says the new EP, which he recorded with his band The Breakers, captures ‘a life lived’ – the good, the bad and all the ‘learning curves’ in between.

He added that he hopes the EP gets across the message that, despite people having different life experiences, they can still share emotions.

The singer mused: ‘We’ve been high, and low, in love and in pain, jealous, upset – we’ve lived and learned. We’ve all got our wear and tear.’

Cruz and his band embarked on their debut headline trek titled The For Your Love Tour in early 2026, playing sold-out shows across the UK and Europe before heading into a North American summer leg.

Thunderstorm warnings are in place for most of the UK as forecasters warned some areas could see 40mm of rainfall within hours.

Yellow alerts came into force at 11am in Northern Ireland, Wales, southern Scotland and most of England as the Met Office warned of winds up to 45mph in some areas.

Heavy showers and thunderstorms could impact driving conditions, delay public transport and cause flooding.

But rain did not stop revellers at events over the bank holiday weekend as partygoers at London‘s Notting Hill Carnival shielded themselves with cardboard and Reading and Leeds Festival fans donned ponchos.

The carnival staged its family day, usually held on Sunday for young people before the main parade on Monday, with many of those marching displaying flags as they braved the rain.

This year marks the carnival’s 60th anniversary since its first outing in 1966 and, while yesterday saw a quieter start with young performers taking to the stage at the traditional Panorama steelband competition, today’s celebrations drew far bigger crowds as the carnival took to the streets.

It comes after music lovers donned ponchos and braved the mud at festivals across the UK over the weekend.

In an online forecast today, Met Office meteorologist Kathryn Chalk said people will ‘need that umbrella at hand’ as showers sweep the country this afternoon.

Those marching in Sunday’s parade were undeterred, with one woman proudly holding the DR Congo flag

The flags of Barbados and Jamaica were also on show as some marched in ponchos down the streets of Notting Hill

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Thunderstorm warnings are in place across most of the country and extend into this evening

She added: ‘Through the rest of the afternoon, there are Met Office yellow thunderstorm warnings in force across much of the UK, so expect some heavy, intense downpours, frequent lightning, rumbles of thunder and also some hail mixed in.

‘The showers mostly focus across the west through the afternoon and becoming a bit banded, so some longer spells of rain, especially across southern Scotland and northern parts of England.

‘Towards the far south and east, that’s where we largely hold on to drier conditions and some sunny spells, but the odd shower can’t be ruled out.

‘Some strong winds as well developing, especially across the south-west, and feeling cool underneath any of these intense downpours.’

Highs of 23C are expected in Norwich on Sunday, along with 22C in London and Hull, 21C in Cardiff and 18C in Glasgow, according to the Met Office.

Monday – which is a bank holiday in England, Wales and Northern Ireland – will see a ‘fine and largely dry afternoon’ with showers in some areas, Ms Chalk said.

It comes after music fans at Reading Festival donned ponchos and umbrellas, and frolicked in the mud after getting caught in downpours over Friday and Saturday.

Friends arrived armed with their rain ponchos for Saturday at Leeds Festival

Festivalgoers sheltered from the rain in plastic ponchos yesterday as they walked through the muddy site at Reading Festival at Little John’s Farm, Reading, Berkshire.

The girls did not seem to have a care in the world as they had fun in the mud

While some were seen flinging mud at each other and playing in puddles, others hid beneath their plastic ponchos as they braved the poor weather conditions.

Elsewhere, England Men’s cricket team had their Test match against Pakistan at Lord’s in London halted by the rain.

Festivalgoers heading to Reading and Leeds, Creamfields and other live music events had previously been warned of unseasonably strong winds.

As of Sunday afternoon, seven areas are covered by Environment Agency flood alerts, meaning floods are possible.

It comes after continued hot weather across the UK, which coincided with extremely dry conditions.

These included the River Stour in Worcestershire, the Tidal Fal estuary and parts of the south Cornwall coast.

The Met Office has previously said the UK is on course for its hottest summer on record after five heatwaves, with temperatures of up to 38.1C recorded in London.

A 46-year-old man suffered injuries to his abdomen in Gainford with police arresting two males, aged 16 and 20, on suspicion of attempted murder

A 16-year-old boy and 20-year-old man have been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after an alleged shooting in County Durham which left a man critically injured.

The 46-year-old suffered “birdshot injuries” consistent with being shot with a shotgun to his abdomen at an address on Balmer Hill in Gainford just after 8.10pm on Saturday, August 29, police said.

Emergency services were called following reports that the suspects had allegedly driven to a property and fired at it from a car before fleeing the scene.

The man was taken to hospital, where his condition has been described as “critical but stable”. No one else at the address was injured and officers remain at the scene today, reports Chronicle Live.

A statement from Durham Constabulary said: “A 20-year-old man and a 16-year-old boy have been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. The boy has also been arrested on suspicion of theft, failing to stop and driving without a licence.

“They both remain in custody. An investigation is ongoing and anyone with information is asked to call 101 quoting incident reference 479 of August 29.”

Crimestoppers can also be contacted anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Kjell Scherpen: Superb save to deny Dalot the opener and crucial touch to deny Mbeumo an easy finish. No chance with the equaliser. 8

Dara O’Shea: Robust defensive display and did well, until Fernandes took control. 6

Issa Diop: Lot of scrambling defence for the former West Ham man but coped OK for the most part and talked the Ipswich rearguard through the game. 6

Jacob Greaves: Composed on the ball and held his position, not getting drawn out when Cunha dropped deep. Probably lacked a bit of class at this level. 6

Leif Davis: Superb pass inside Dalot to release Maeda created one good chance for the visitors. Precise execution for his goal and might have had another. 8

Marcelino Nunez: Busy, in front of defence, wants to get on ball and slot in between centre-halves. Disastrous slip at just the wrong time let Man Utd in for crucial equaliser. 6

Sasa Lukic: Excellent addition to Ipswich ranks. Had the game nous to halt the home side’s momentum, even at the expense of a yellow card. 7

Abdul Fatawu: Skinned Shaw close to the touchline and then had the awareness to pick out a team-mate as Ipswich took the lead. Booked for a poor tackle on Mbeumo but overall really good. 7

Julio Ensico: Held off Shaw and Mbeumo on length-of-field run but no reward as effort lacked power. A real threat. 8

Daizan Maeda: Good early raid down the left was early sign of Ipswich intentions. Shot from angle of area threatened home goal. 7

Emersonn: Tried use his size to pin Maguire and Martinez back and relished the physical tussle with the England man. 6

Subs:

Chuba Akpom (on 46, Emersonn): 7

Exequiel Palacios (62, on for Nunez): 6

Darnell Furlong (on, for Maeda 72): 6

Abdoul Ouattara (on for Lukic 73): 5

Kasey McAteer (83, for Fatawu): 5

Subs not used: Walton, Kipre, Egeli, Clarke

New season but a distinctly familiar script for Manchester United. They could be grateful for that, too. Even after a summer when they have spent £150m on midfielders, their finest remains the same. It is no secret that Bruno Fernandes is by far and away their outstanding individual in the era since Sir Alex Ferguson retired. In the week he was crowned PFA Player of the Year, Fernandes began his bid to retain the award with a reminder of his extraordinary productivity. A third United hat-trick was followed by his first assists of the season. What began as proof of his capacity to spring comebacks turned into a masterclass that inspired a rout.

Recognition from his fellow players came in a campaign when Fernandes was the creator supreme, with a record 21 Premier League assists. Nevertheless, he only scored nine goals. Now, after serving as the scourge of Ipswich, he is a third of the way to that tally already. United, unconvincing initially, were rampant at the end, Fernandes the catalyst for a transformation. An eventual tally of 33 shots was testament to the attacking ambition of Michael Carrick’s team.

It was the first time in five years that United scored five times in a Premier League game; that, against Leeds, also featured a Fernandes treble and came when Carrick was on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s coaching staff. If this scoreline had echoes of the United of old, they showed defensive frailties, a cavalier streak and a willingness to carry on charging forward.

It helped that, in Fernandes, they have a player who rarely takes the safe option in his bid to make something happen. Often the provider in his thirties, he underlined his ability to score different types of goals. He has never possessed raw pace but, when Marcelino Nunez slipped and Matheus Cunha capitalised to feed the ball forward, he ran in behind the Ipswich defence to level with an unstoppable shot.

Fernandes had missed two spot kicks in pre-season. Undaunted, he slotted in a penalty from 12 yards after Cunha was felled by Jacob Greaves; the Brazilian has spent too little of his time as the auxiliary No 9 making driving runs into the box but when he did, it brought a caution for the defender and a goal for United.

Fernandes’ third illustrated his predatory instinct. He was lurking near the penalty spot when Bryan Mbeumo’s misdirected shot fell to him. The Portuguese’s aim was better, finding the corner of the net. It was not Mbeumo’s only piece of faulty finishing – from a yard, he managed to knee the ball against the bar from Marcus Rashford’s volleyed cross – but when he did score, it got Fernandes off the mark in his quest for another 21 assists.

It was classic Fernandes, with the quarterback pass from deep for the advancing runner. With goalkeeper Kjell Scherpen caught in no-man’s land, Mbeumo’s lob went in off the underside of the bar. It was not United’s most audacious effort: that was Fernandes, performing his best David Beckham impression, trying to score from the half-way line and coming very close as he instead found the roof of the net.

United’s other goal came courtesy of his predecessor as captain, even if it was not credited to him. Harry Maguire’s drilled shot put United ahead but if Ipswich were irritated a handball in the build-up was not given, a deflection off the luckless Greaves was the reason and meant it was deemed an own goal.

With that, though, the chance of a first Ipswich win at Old Trafford since 1984 disappeared. The eventual scoreline suggested otherwise but Town were the better side in the first half, United at risk of the wrong sort of double against promoted clubs, following last Saturday’s loss to Hull.

Initially, United were open to the counter-attack and reliant on Senne Lammens to preserve parity, Julio Enciso running clear from his own half to have a shot blocked by the goalkeeper and Daizen Maeda seeing a vicious shot brilliantly tipped wide.

Warnings went unheeded. Ipswich led when Abdul Fatawu, fresh from consecutive relegations with Leicester, nonetheless looked electric as he burst past Luke Shaw to find Leif Davis, whose shot went in off the underside of the bar.

Amid torrential rain in the closing stages, United did not look watertight at the back when Ipswich added a late second, scored by Chuba Akpom after Lisandro Martinez lost the ball to Enciso.

Yet it was a footnote. It was tempting to recall that, in the sunshine before kick-off, United had presented this week’s recruit Carlos Baleba to the crowd. Then, the focus was on the new. By the end, and after the latest episode of the Fernandes show, it was all about the old.

Criminals jailed in August include rapists and burglars

A drug dealer who exploited and raped a teenage girl is among the worst criminals to be jailed in August. It was another busy month for criminals being send to prison.

This month, several paedophiles were put behind bars as well as two burglars who stole hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of jewellery.

Here are five of the worst Cambridgeshire criminals sent to prison in August.

James Conroy

Drug dealer James Conroy, 43, exploited and raped a teenage girl. Conroy, of no fixed abode but from the Ely area, was arrested in September last year following reports he had been grooming the victim.

During a police search of a property in Soham, officers found signs of drug use, along with the victim’s belongings. Conroy was arrested and released on bail with conditions not to contact the victim or anyone under the age of 18.

A month later, it came to light that Conroy had raped the victim. He was arrested again and further bail conditions were imposed, including not going near the victim’s home. Officers also found three bags of white powder and £330 in cash in his car.

However, just days later, Conroy was seen leaving a shop close to where the victim lived and he began sending the victim a series of abusive, degrading and threatening messages across multiple social media platforms.

The victim did not respond to the messages, which included threats to murder people known to her, describing himself as “a martyr”. In further messages, Conroy offered the victim drugs if she met him before subjecting her to further abuse, calling her names, telling her to die and threatening her with a meat cleaver.

The next day, officers stopped Conroy in his car at a garage in Ely and arrested him. A search of the vehicle uncovered 12 bags of cocaine with a street value of about £1000, along with a mobile phone and cash.

Following a trial in April, Conroy was found guilty of rape, engaging in controlling and coercive behaviour, witness intimidation, offering to supply cocaine and supplying a class A drug, namely cocaine.

At Cambridge Crown Court on August 19, Conroy was sentenced to 22 years and five months in prison. He was also given a restraining order, placed on the Sex Offenders Register and handed a sexual harm prevention order.

Marian Cercel and Ionut Craciun

Marian Cercel, 53, and Ionut Craciun, 36, carried out nearly 30 burglaries and stole hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of jewellery from across Cambridgeshire. The pair were part of a gang linked to 27 burglaries in Cambridgeshire and Buckinghamshire.

Jewellery worth more than £130,000 was stolen during the burglaries. The gang’s spree began by targeting a property in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire on November 12, 2025 and it came to an end on January 7 when a Ford Mondeo that detectives linked to them was spotted in the Cambridge area. The car was stopped by police and three men were arrested.

Both men were sentenced at Cambridge Crown Court on Thursday, August 6 after admitting to conspiring to commit burglary. Cercel, of Mount Pleasant Road, London, was jailed for seven years and two months.

Craciun, of Hatherley Road, Walthamstow, London, was jailed for six years and nine months. They also admitted knowingly entering the UK in breach of a deportation order.

Michael Richardson

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Michael Richardson, 49, sent sexual messages to an undercover officer, believing he was communicating with a 12-year-old girl. He started messaging the officer on Kik, a social networking app, on January 28.

He sent sexual messages requesting “she” touch herself inappropriately as well as asking her to send a photo of herself so he could “make a video.”

Richardson was arrested at his home in Money Bank, Wisbech, on March 28 and officers seized his phone, which was found to contain 48 indecent images of children.

On Monday, August 3, at Cambridge Crown Court, Richardson, was jailed, having pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children, attempting to cause/incite a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity (penetration), attempted sexual communication with a child and attempting to cause a child under 13 to watch/look at an image of sexual activity.

Richardson was also handed an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and placed on the Sex Offenders Register indefinitely.

Steven Coulson

A rapist called Steven Coulson, 32, who attacked a teenage girl was sent to prison in August. He got into bed with the girl in the early hours in January 2024 in Cambridge.

He began touching her and she asked him to stop but he continued to touch her. When she tried to get out of the bed Coulson pulled her back and raped her.

Police were informed and Coulson handed himself in at Parkside Police Station on January 10. In interview, he denied raping the victim.

However, on Thursday, August 6, at Cambridge Crown Court, Coulson, of Newton Close, Cottenham, South Cambridgeshire, was jailed for nine years and nine months, having been found guilty of rape and assault a female 13 and over by penetration with part of the body.

Coulson was also handed an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and restraining order as well as being placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life.

Jason Baker

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Jason Baker, 36, supplied Class A drugs, namely heroin and crack cocaine, to two 15-year-old girls in 2025. The convicted paedophile who lived in Soham, appeared at Huntingdon Law Court on Tuesday (August 25) for sentencing.

The girl who ended up in hospital was described as “bright and bubbly”, but she had experienced “trauma” in her life.

Baker had been convicted in 2017 for penetrative sex with a 13-year-old girl and was sent to prison. On Tuesday, August 25, he was sentenced to five years and nine months in prison at Cambridge Crown Court after admitting three counts of breaching a SHPO, two of supplying class A drugs and one of making an indecent image of a child.

Every day on Criminal Record we will be bringing you a round-up of the biggest crime stories of the day.

If you love to read about crime in Scotland – this is the place to be every day.

Here’s what has been making the news across the country on Sunday.

Baby killer mum launches freedom bid

A mum who killed her baby daughter by blasting her with a hairdryer has launched a legal bid to be freed from prison. Courtney Gartshore was jailed for six years this month after being convicted of culpable homicide over the death of three-month-old Dahlia-Rose.

The 28-year-old subjected the infant to “significant and ­sustained heat” on her head and body on September 30, 2023. Emergency services were called to the family home in King Street in Peterhead, ­Aberdeenshire, but the tot had died.

Now Gartshore, the sole parent listed on Dahlia-Rose’s birth certificate, has instructed her legal team to challenge both her conviction and the sentence.

An “intimation of intention to appeal” has been lodged at the High Court of Appeal in Edinburgh, with Gartshore given to October 20 to file papers setting out grounds for her appeal.

But the move has sparked fury among those close to Dahlia-Rose’s family, who have accused Gartshore of showing a “total lack of remorse”.

READ MORE: Evil Scots mum who killed baby daughter with hairdryer launches prison freedom bid

Ex-solider who stabbed fellow pensioner dies in prison

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An OAP who murdered a fellow pensioner he believed had sexually abused a woman has died in jail. Richard Cassidy, 79, stabbed David Furnish 14 times in the savage attack at this home in the Scottish Borders in February 2016.

The former soldier was sentenced to 17 years in prison at the High Court in Glasgow in June of 2017. The Scottish Prison Service announced Cassidy died at HMP Shotts on June 26.

Cassidy suffered a heart attack and stroke while in custody but prison bosses have yet to reveal the cause of death. The court heard that after the murder, Cassidy himself contacted the police and handed himself in.

Cassidy’s defence lawyer Brian McConnachie explained that Cassidy went to visit Parish, 74, at his home and tried to get a confession out of him but had no plans of killing him.

He said the killing was a “moment of madness”, but he described the circumstances as “unique”. McConnachie said most people found it “hard to understand” that the then-70-year-old would be capable of murder.

READ MORE: Ex-soldier who stabbed fellow pensioner 14 times in ‘moment of madness’ dies in jail

Claire Inglis’ parents still waiting for answers five years after murder

The parents of murdered mum Claire Inglis have revealed they are still waiting to be told if there will be a fatal accident inquiry into their daughter’s death.

Christopher McGowan battered, burned and strangled Claire six weeks after being freed to live at the flat she shared with her son. He had 39 convictions, including aggravated domestic assault, but was still bailed to Claire’s Stirling home three times.

After her death, an expert social work report found Claire and her son were “invisible in the system”. But Ian and Fiona Inglis only received a brief summary of the report and have been left fighting for answers for five years.

They want a fatal accident inquiry to expose the failures that contributed to their daughter’s death and ensure vital lessons are learned to protect other women.

Fiona, from Stirling, said: “Claire died five years ago in November and we are still in limbo. We have met Crown ­officials, we have even met with John Swinney. We have written letters and banged every door.

READ MORE: Murdered Claire Inglis’ parents still waiting on answers about FAI into her death

Minnie Merriman’s mum thanks people for ‘incredible support’

Minnie Merriman’s mum said the ‘humanity and support’ shown to her after her daughter’s tragic death will remain with her as she fights for justice.

The schoolgirl died at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee on August 3 after being found seriously injured at Elliot Industrial Estate in the town. The nine-year-old had been camping with her family in the area at the time.

Three other family members were also taken to hospital. Her dad Christopher Rice, 35, remains in custody after appearing at Forfar Sheriff Court charged with murder.

Last week, locals in Arbroath lined the streets as a private ambulance carrying Minnie’s body stopped off at the town’s Victoria Park before travelling to Yorkshire for a private funeral service.

Minnie’s mum, Laurie, stood surrounded with family as the ambulance was escorted into the park by bikers before balloons were released into the sky.

On Saturday night, the devastated mum took to social media to thank the people of Arbroath for supporting her through the ‘worst time in her life.’

READ MORE: Minnie Merriman’s mum thanks people of Arbroath for ‘incredible support’ during ‘worst time of her life’

Man dies after hit and run in Linlithgow

A man has died after a hit and run in the early hours of this morning in Linlithgow.

The 48-year-old male pedestrian was struck by a grey Renault Clio on the town’s Main Street at around 12.20am on Sunday morning, August 30.

Emergency crews scrambled to the scene but sadly the man could not be saved and was pronounced dead by medics. His next of kin have been made aware.

Police Scotland has launched a desperate appeal to trace the occupants of the Clio.

READ MORE: Man dies after midnight hit-and-run in Scots town as police hunt driver

Sitting forlornly on an oak table, three lonely tins of Meghan Markle’s $15 flower sprinkles are all that remain of what was once a lavishly promoted outpost of the Duchess’s Californian empire.

They look almost comically pathetic.

And yet, in this quiet upstairs room at Godmothers bookstore just three miles from the $14.6 million Montecito mansion the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have just quit, they may be the most telling symbol yet of the collapse of the couple’s much-hyped American dream.

I was here late last year when the mood could not have been more different.

Then, amid a flurry of publicity and social media posts, Meghan announced that Godmothers would become the first ‘bricks and mortar’ shop to stock her As Ever brand of overpriced jams, herbal teas, candles and those infamous flower sprinkles.

An entire upstairs room had been devoted to Meghan’s wares with a sign proudly announcing it had been ‘curated by the Duchess herself’. The products were displayed on oak tables, surrounded by sprigs of eucalyptus, while the flower sprinkles were presented almost reverentially in a silver bowl.

It was, in miniature, the Meghan Markle brand made flesh: polished, carefully styled and designed for Instagram.

Today, it looks rather different.

The grand display has gone. The signage has disappeared. And the once-celebrated As Ever collection has vanished from the shelves, save for those three lonely tins.

There is no sign of Harry’s excoriating memoir, Spare, either. I asked a shop assistant if there were any As Ever products available.

Her response was revealing.

‘I don’t think I know that company?’ she said. When I explained that it was Meghan Markle’s brand, she replied: ‘Oh, we don’t stock it any more.’

In Montecito, the sun-drenched enclave of yoga-clad, matcha-drinking multimillionaires, where Meghan and Harry were supposed to create their fabulous new life away from the restrictions of the royal court, it appears the couple have been as quickly forgotten as those sprinkles.

I travelled here, two hours north of Los Angeles, this week, barely a day after the Sussexes’ private jet touched down at Birmingham Airport marking their extraordinary return to Britain.

While Meghan and Harry once presented Montecito as the place where they would finally be free to build an empire on their own terms, the evidence on the ground tells a more prosaic story.

When the couple arrived in July 2020, there was a palpable sense of excitement. The pandemic was raging but I remember my phone lighting up with friends throughout Hollywood buzzing about having ‘genuine royals’ here on our doorstep. There was hushed talk about the bidding war between studios to ‘land’ them – a war eventually won by Netflix, which paid the Sussexes a staggering $100 million over five years.

They were going to conquer America and, as one breathless executive at the streaming network told me, ‘probably the world’.

Meghan’s proud Instagram picture of her range last November, and the much smaller display now

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How different things look now.

The paparazzi, which once gathered on the road outside their Chateau of Riven Rock mansion, have disappeared – much to the delight of one neighbour who gave her name only as ‘Susan’.

She told me: ‘Meghan and Harry never became part of the community. You’d see him out on his electric bike and she’d drive past in a Range Rover but it was always “swish” and you’d miss them.

‘I left a bottle of wine at their gate to welcome them and it was returned to me, unopened, the following day. I’m not sure they ever wanted to hang out with anyone who wasn’t a billionaire or famous or both.’ 

The mood in Montecito last week was one of relief. It is a feeling that I, as a journalist in LA, share knowing that, for the first time since they arrived in 2020, the constant drama of the Sussex circus is now 5,000 miles away.

As one friend who lives in Santa Barbara, the coastal city next door to Montecito, told me: ‘The buzz surrounding them when they arrived has long since disappeared. Americans love success and there has been precious little of that. Their victim narrative became tiresome. America, and particularly this little slice of California, fell out of love with them.’

For a couple who built so much of their lives around attention, perhaps the most wounding thing last week was how little anyone cared about their departure.

Author and long-time Montecito resident Robert Eringer was sipping a cocktail outside The Honor Bar, Montecito’s favourite watering hole.

He said: ‘Personally it matters not one iota to me whether they’re in Montecito or in Britain. I’m out and about in Montecito a lot and never saw them. I doubt anyone would have noticed they’d left if it hadn’t been reported in the news but, since it was, the general impression is, good riddance.’

The Sussexes paid about $14.65 million for their Montecito mansion, which may fetch $40 million now

One neighbour of the royals said: ‘Meghan and Harry never became part of the community. You’d see him out on his electric bike and she’d drive past in a Range Rover but it was always “swish” and you’d miss them’

Another neighbour, who declined to give his name, said the Sussexes left ‘with a whimper, not a bang’.

‘There were no moving trucks, no parties, nothing at all. One day they were here and the next they were back in England.’

Wendy Foster runs an eponymous boutique, which became one of Meghan’s favourites. The duchess was often spotted carrying one of Wendy’s bags and meeting friends in Pierre Lafond, an upmarket deli next door, founded by Wendy’s late husband.

Pierre Lafond is a local landmark whose regulars include Oprah Winfrey, Katy Perry and Gwyneth Paltrow. Wendy said: ‘I’ve been in Montecito for 50 years and we’re used to seeing everyone. Meghan came to my stores quite often and I must say she was always very polite.

‘I understand why she and Prince Harry want to go home. Over here they, and their children, don’t mean much in terms of status. In Britain their titles mean something. I’m sure they want to spend more time with his father.

‘I hope the children get to know their cousins. Their children have American accents so it makes sense that Harry in particular would want them to go to school in England. They’ll have far more social standing there than here. I wish them well.’

Their rapid departure – coming weeks after a summer holiday in Britain which their spokesman described as ‘wonderful’ – has left several lingering questions.

What will happen to Harry’s polo ponies, Meghan’s famous rescue chickens and their 16-bathroom house, which, local estate agents say, could now be worth upwards of $40 million?

David Sigman, the British general manager of the Santa Barbara Polo Club where Harry was often photographed, said that, contrary to speculation, the prince never owned his own ponies.

‘He played here up until about two or three years ago and then he left to play on the private fields of a local billionaire,’ Mr Sigman explained. ‘He never had his own polo ponies – he rented or borrowed them instead.’

His equine benefactor is believed to be Sarah Siegel-Magness, a billionaire heiress who worked as a Hollywood producer on films like the 2009 Oscar-winning Precious.

A source said: ‘Harry and Meghan became known for making friends with people who could help them. Sarah is one of those people. Rich and with lots of polo ponies.’

Cosmetics mogul Victoria Jackson is another of Meghan’s closest friends and co-owns Godmothers bookstore. There were reports the Bombardier Global Express luxury jet they returned home on belonged to Jackson but public records show the $12,000-an-hour aircraft is owned by charter company Planet Nine Private Air.

As for the couple’s sprawling 18,600 sq ft home, which they bought from a Russian businessman for $14.65 million in June 2020, local estate agents fully expect them to cash in. Montecito estate agent Daniel Encell said the property ‘could earn more than $100,000 a month in rent’ but would be worth about $40 million should they sell.

‘It’s one of the best pieces of land on the Riven Rock estate,’ said Mr Encell. ‘It has mostly usable flat land while many nearby properties are on hillsides with less usable acreage. The house next to them is currently up for sale for $30 million with a smaller acreage and much less usable land so Harry and Meghan should be able to clear $40 million for theirs. Their name and being royalty has publicity value, which would bring in a lot more interest.’

As for Meghan’s famous rescue chickens, they remain at the estate in ‘Archie’s Chick Inn’ being cared for by staff which, the MoS has learned, includes at least one full-time housekeeper, ‘a small army of gardeners’ and a pool man.

One person familiar with the home, who asked not to be named, said: ‘People think they upped sticks and left but when you have an estate that size it requires upkeep. That’s an expensive undertaking. They still have a mortgage and property taxes.

‘The word on the street is they are going to sell off-market. The news of them moving back to England has been everywhere so local realtors [estate agents] are already getting calls from interested buyers. It will be quietly sold with no fuss or publicity. Meghan won’t want people snooping around in her closets.’

At Montecito’s bustling Country Mart, an assistant at a clothing store said: ‘I don’t think people care about the duke and duchess leaving. What has he done except learn how to surf?’

When I asked her if she expected a ‘Harry & Meghan open-top bus tour’ would swing by haunts frequented by the couple such as Lucky’s Steak House, she laughed: ‘No-one cares. They came and they’ve gone. We’re indifferent.’

The widow of Hairy Biker Dave Myers is selling some of his belongings at auction – including his motorbike leathers, trademark waistcoats and Strictly Come Dancing outfit. 

Liliana, 59, is parting with around 300 of her late husband’s cherished items in a sale to be held on what would have been his 69th birthday on September 8. 

The auction will include items relating to the celebrity TV chef’s career, personal possessions as well as antiques, paintings and works of art he collected during his colourful life. 

A handwritten letter from Sir Roger Moore is also part of the collection that will be auctioned.

Best known for being one half of the cooking double act The Hairy Bikers alongside Si King, Dave died from cancer aged 66 in 2024. 

The items will be going under the hammer at Special Auction Services in Newbury and the proceeds will partly be going to NSPCC Childline.

Liliana, 59, is parting with around 300 of her late husband’s cherished items in a sale to be held on what would have been his 69th birthday on September 8

Lili spoke on This Morning this week about the sale, saying: ‘I wanted to celebrate his birthday in a special way, and I know that he loved the public and his fans a lot. 

‘He was larger than life, and what better way to celebrate his life than giving some of his precious belongings to the public. It was healing very much so. Grieving is a very personal thing. Grief comes in lots of different shapes.

‘It’s a way of celebrating him, celebrating the fantastic person he was, the explosion of energy he was.’

She also explained that Dave’s Strictly shoes are up for auction, saying: ‘He brought home two pairs, I kept one and one is here. He absolutely loved that experience.

‘The man could not dance, and Karen [Hauer] his dance partner said about him, ‘Dave, you don’t have two left feet, you have seven left feet’. And she had to teach him to walk straight before any dancing steps… he was walking slanted. 

‘She tied him with straps and made him walk straight before anything!’

Last March the final motorbike Dave rode on the BBC programme Hairy Bikers sold for a huge five-figure sum, with the proceeds going to two charities.

Lili told how she wanted his final motorbike – which featured in the BBC’s Hairy Bikers Go West – to go to a good home.

The BSA Goldstar went under the hammer at the National Motorcycle Museum near Solihull and sold for a massive £15,800, with the proceeds going to two charities.

The auction will include items relating to the celebrity TV chef’s career, personal possessions as well as antiques, paintings and works of art he collected during this colourful life

A handwritten letter from Sir Roger Moore is also part of the collection that will be auctioned

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Dave’s Strictly shoes are up for auction

The items will be going under the hammer at Special Auction Services in Newbury and the proceeds will partly be going to NSPCC Childline

Best known for being one half of the cooking double act The Hairy Bikers alongside Si King, Dave died from cancer aged 66 in 2024

Of the sale, Lilian told the BBC: ‘That bike still has his DNA on it… I really really hope that the person who gets it, loves it.’

‘I am really, really happy to see this bike being loved, and I’m sure the person who got it will love it as much as Dave did,’ she added.

The motorbike was sold to Si Harrison, who was friends with Dave, and the funds were donated to NSPCC Childline and CancerCare North Lancashire & South Cumbria.

Harrison said buying the vehicle meant ‘so much’ to him and shared his plans to ride it on Dave Day, which sees the biking community gather to remember Myers.

‘I couldn’t think of a bike that I’d rather be on, and the idea of riding in Dave Day meant so much to me,’ he said.

The first Dave Day took place in June 2024 and saw thousands of motorcyclists travel from London to Myers’ hometown in Barrow-in-Furness to honour the celebrity chef.

The momentous ride, in which 20,000 bikers participated, also raised a staggering £127,000 for charity.