In his former career he dealt with riots, hostage situations, violence and now he says those skills will all help him in the Senedd

In 20 years as a prison guard, it’s safe to say there’s little Paul Marr didn’t see. But at the age of 53 he has a new career where he has switched the corridors of a prison for the corridors of power, as one of the new intake of Reform Senedd members in Cardiff Bay.

One of three boys, he’s originally from Bristol, and aged 20, he joined the prison service. One of his siblings was in the RAF, the other the police. “Uniform was kind of in our blood,” he says.

In his career he worked all over the prison estate, from youth offenders, to the most serious category A prisoners, and a year on a mother and baby unit.

He was riot trained and a hostage negotiator, sent to prisons in the moments reinforcement was needed most.

In 2013, then 40, he was medically discharged after a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis.. And since then has worked in the NHS as a manager of drug treatment services in police custody.

He ended up in Wales after meeting his wife, from Pembrokeshire, and is a dad to grown-up children, and now, in 2026, he is an elected politician in a building he had never set foot in until he was told to attend to take his oath in the days after May 7’s historic Welsh election.

He always wanted to be a prison officer, he says, and spent his career travelling around the prison estate working in a range of sectors.

In his time he worked with drug and alcohol users, women and youths. He dealt with self-harm, violence, and suicide. In 2008, his name appeared in court reports after he was bitten on his inner left forearm by a prisoner.

“There were elements of the job that I loved and those elements were being role models to people.

“When I left the prison service I went on to be manager of drug treatment services in police custody. So again, not being able to get away from custody is one thing, at least there’s no bars here.

“But at least I felt like I was helping people at the lowest point and often people who had been forgotten about in society and often felt neglected,” he says.

His year long spell on the mother and baby unit is something that sticks with him.

“It was really hard because I’ve got daughters myself, and a lot of the women in jail have a horrendous backstory in terms of where they’ve been treated and everything else, and I just found that very difficult.

“The back stories are all unique, but they have a common thing, usually manipulation and coercion,” he says.

“The assaults and everything else, prisons are violent places, they’re volatile places and sometimes people, if you don’t give people the answer they want, then they’ll resort to those sorts of behaviours.

“But prison for me, it wasn’t just about dealing with those incidents there and then, it was about taking that incident and then supporting that person that’s done it, or hoping that the prison service would support that person who’s done that, to understand that it’s wrong and there’s consequences and they learn from that behaviour and change, ultimately.”

There were, within that time, huge success stories.

“I worked on the relapse prevention unit. Prisoners, when they want to get themselves drug-free, they go through the detox unit and then they come onto the relapse prevention unit (RPU).

“I spent a lot of time on RPUs and just seeing that transformation in people, going from career criminals, primarily funded to feed their drug addiction, to actually understanding through better health and being drug-free that they can contribute.

“That if you say simple things to people, like ‘look how well you’ve done, you’ve got yourself drug free, you’re back in the gym, you’re looking really good and now if you apply the same logic to life, getting a job, helping people, it will pay you back in same way and it’s a light bulb moment, you see people just kind of switch on’.

“You’re never gonna be that person to everybody, but if you’re that person somebody, then it makes a difference,” he says.

“In my 20 years there wasn’t one day in the prison service that was the same, so you can be attending an incident where you’ve cut somebody down or somebody’s been seriously assaulted, you go away and do the paperwork and then you go straight into another incident where somebody’s committing self harm or somebody has been sent a Dear John letter [a breakup letter] and they need somebody to speak to. There’s so many different hats you have to put on in the prison service.”

The prison estate in Wales particularly, Parc, is something that has had a lot of media attention in recent years. It’s somewhere he went on both hostage and riot incidents but he says for the staff there, each incident reported isn’t the only story from that prison.

“We have a death in the prison and the press are all over it in terms of what did the prison do wrong, ‘could they have saved that life’, ‘could they have done this’ and yes every service expects to be under scrutiny every public servant expects to under scrutiny but I’ve lost count of the amount of people I’ve cut down that have been hanging given mouth-to-mouth to and then gone on and done my job.

“That never, ever, gets highlighted. The prison service is the forgotten service, it’s the fifth emergency service.”

“There are very good reasons why the public don’t hear everything that goes on in prison, and it’s because it wouldn’t be palatable when you’re having your breakfast over the paper,” he says.

I tell him I raised an eyebrow when I saw him say his riot training and hostage negotiator skills were things he thought were transferable to the Welsh Parliament.

“The way I see it, everybody that’s in this building is in a privileged position where they represent the Welsh people and yes we have very differing views to Plaid on a lot of things, we’re singing on from the same hymn sheet we would just do it in a different way.

“If I think about the hostage negotiation, everything about that was about getting the right outcome for everybody. It’s the same thing here.

“You’ve got two people in that situation. You’ve got the perpetrator, who’s got a completely different outcome to me. My outcome is to make sure people are safe. Their outcome is an agenda, they want something. So it’s about finding that common ground, and that’s what I hope to be able to bring here, he says.

In the weeks since being elected, he has been into Parc along with another Reform UK MS, Gareth Thomas.

“What I would say is, I left the prison service in 2013, so we’re talking 13 years on. Now, there was always a bit of rivalry between Parc and what we call black and white prisons, HMP prisons, because one’s publicly funded, the other one isn’t.

“But what I would say, is yes, Parc prison has come under a lot of scrutiny, and probably rightly so, in some circumstances.

“The same thing can be said for every prison in the country, nowhere is perfect. But what I would say is, the work that I saw that the officers there were doing and the governor and people like that is absolutely fantastic.

“I know it’s different funding and there may be different arguments, maybe a bit of banter going backwards and forwards around who provides the best service, but at the end of the day it’s the same people doing the same sort of job.

“They’re dealing with the same issues and the levels of dedication, commitment and compassion that I saw at Parc were unrivalled and I think for me, when I joined as a 20-year-old if I could have picked up what they had going on in Parc and transferred it back to them…” he says.

I presume his background and early visit to a prison means he will be using his time in the Senedd to campaign, maybe not, he says.

“It’s not a devolved power of justice, but I can see pros and cons for it. From a Reform/Plaid perspective, we’ve got very different views on the sort of devolved powers around crime.”

He does not support decriminalising illegal substances. “(If) you do something like that in a prison environment, you’re going to lose the prison that day, because drug-related crime and violence would go through the roof, and prison officers will have no tools to combat it. Same with the police, same with the National Health Service, you know, so we have very different views.

“But that said, I’m confident that if, if and when it becomes a devolved power, the minister that will be responsible for it, I’ll be able to work with him,” he says.

He left the prison service after being medically retired after his MS diagnosis.

He has relapsed and remitting MS. “The way it affects me can differ from time to time. Mobility can be an issue, stairs, but it all depends a lot of it.

“Fatigue is one of the main elements within it. So if I can control the fatigue side of things, then the other bits tend to follow. I know it sounds weird, but I’ve been very fortunate. It could have been a lot worse,” he says.

He brings his time in the NHS too. When someone arrives in custody, if they have a drug issue, they are offered interventions and support.

He wrote the Drug Education Programme for Bristol, which was implemented across the south West and that was about early intervention and diverting people from future offending custody.

But his entry into politics – his first party, his first election – was because after 20 years in prisons, 13 years with the NHS, “I just got fed up with the decline in public services”.

“I’m affected by it, you’re affected by, and just because I put a uniform on and I went into that area of work doesn’t mean to say that I wasn’t affected by this.

“I saw that decline, but I still saw people with the same amount of passion wanting to do the very best they possibly could being hindered by bureaucracy and being told ‘sorry, we haven’t got the money’.

“Well, when you’re talking about saving lives, that shouldn’t come into it, what should come into it is the fact that we’re going to do everything we can, we’re going to throw every resource in.”

It was Reform that tempted him, and, from Milford Haven, he was placed second on their list in Ceredigion Penfro.

“Everybody’s going to try and find a party that’s most aligned to them and I think, certainly for me, one of the main things that attracted me to Reform was there was just this no kind of, no ambiguity, no messing around type approach to it.

“You look at a manifesto, it’s fully costed., we try and back things up with evidence, make sure it’s evidence based and I grew up, I was a latchkey kid, I grew in the 70s and 80s and I just want Britain to go back to those times where people are safe,” he says.

He tells me the night before, walking from his apartment through the Bay he found a man, 73, who had been assaulted.

“I don’t want that for this country, I would have been perfectly, not perfectly safe, maybe not, maybe I’m naive, but we’d have been a lot safer back in the late 70s, early 80s to be walking around than it is now.

“So for me, it’s about restoring traditional values, making sure that the police are given the proper support to do their job and the authorities are given the proper to do the job, and right through to nursing and everything else, just making sure those public services are properly supported,” he says.

Being elected and arriving at the Senedd for the first time was, he says, “overwhelming” and “really quite emotional”.

“I think when you come here and you can see everything that goes on here, there’s a tremendous weight of responsibility and that hit me the first day that I came here and it’s just not something that I’ll ever take lightly.

“I just see it as a privileged place to be in terms of getting things done hopefully,” he says.

We meet before he speaks in a Reform UK debate about water quality, an issue all around Wales, but it is the beaches of Pembrokeshire which attracted him to Wales – White Sands is his favourite – and he wants people to be able to enjoy them safely.

“For me, whilst it’s great to be in the Senedd, the real work for me is in the constituency, they’re the people that put me there, so I want to do the right job for them,” he says.

One of the first emails in his inbox was from Surfers Against Sewage and it’s something that he wants to tackle.

“I’ve met with local professors that have been testing the water quality, a local citizens group, and it’s just the rising levels of E-coli.

“If you take Broadhaven Beach for example, we’ve got three tributaries going into the ocean. The tributaries aren’t classed as bathing water, but they still attract children all year round to be playing in that water, and that water still ends up going into the sea.

“For me it’s about accountability around things like that.

“The obvious question for me is, you know, this has been going on for so long, people’s health, people are dying, Heather Preen in 1999, [an eight-year-old girl who contracted E-Coli on a Devon beach and died].

“I don’t think enough is being done about it, there’s not enough urgency.

“The Welsh Government is looking at a review I think in 2030, for me that doesn’t reflect the urgency. We’ve got a responsibility to our children, our grandchildren, the future generations, if they’re using our waterways that they’re safe,” he says.

Other things on his list include antisocial behaviour in schools, intercepting escalating behaviour at the earliest point.

“We’re seeing rising incidents of children carrying knives in schools. I want to be meeting with educational authorities, head teachers, to understand one of the questions I’m going to be raising in the chamber over the next few days is what the Welsh Government is going to do to tackle anti-social behaviour in school.

“For me it’s all about early intervention, age group for me it’s key to understand where they’re coming from and to educate them on the consequences,” he says.

First Minister Michelle O’Neill and deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly have today announced the appointment of Jacqui Durkin as the new Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland.

A new Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland has been appointed and will start her role later this week.

Jacqui Durkin has been announced as the new ombudsman by First Minister Michelle O’Neill and deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly, and takes over from Marie Anderson who retired at the end of last year.

Ms Durkin has served as the Chief Inspector of Criminal Justice in Northern Ireland since November 2019 with the Ministers saying she “brings extensive senior leadership experience and a strong track record in oversight, governance and public service.” Ms Durkin will start the role on June 26.

The appointment has been welcomed by Justice Minister Naomi Long who said: “I would like to extend my best wishes to Jacqui in her new position as Police Ombudsman and place on record my sincere thanks for the leadership and expertise that she demonstrated during her tenure as Chief Inspector.

“Jacqui brings a wealth of experience to the role of Police Ombudsman and I wish her every success during her tenure.”

Minister Long continued: “The Chief Inspector of Criminal Justice in Northern Ireland plays a crucial role in fostering improvements throughout the justice sector.

“The inspection programme overseen by the Chief Inspector enables us to develop a more effective and efficient criminal justice system for the people of Northern Ireland and Jacqui will bring a track record of leadership and achievement to her new role.”

The DoJ has said an announcement about Ms Durkin’s replacement at the Criminal Justice Inspection Northern Ireland, an independent public body established under the Justice (Northern Ireland) Act 2002, will be made in due course.

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.

“Chilling is not the right word, it is sinister and scary when you feel that you cannot speak for a variety of reasons.”

A Lisburn councillor has spoken of “sinister paramilitary intimidation” after giving a witness statement to the PSNI.

UUP councillor Nicholas Trimble, whose father David Trimble helped establish the peace process that led to the Good Friday Agreement, revealed a “threat” made to him amid a council motion to defend freedom of speech.

The local authority has now agreed to also lobby the Minister for Justice, the PSNI Chief Constable and Minister for Communities on the matter.

READ MORE: DUP mayor calls for Jeffrey Donaldson to be stripped of Knighthood.

READ MORE: Councillors to post social media clips of chamber decisions avoiding £200K bill.

In the chamber, Councillor Trimble said: “I would like to express my free speech and talk about a time I was affected in that way.

“Chilling is not the right word, it is sinister and scary when you feel that you cannot speak for a variety of reasons.

“What happened to me a couple of years ago I was approached by the police to give a witness statement and I did, as I thought that was the right thing to do.

“Speaking to the police is something that should be encouraged.

“Unfortunately, sometimes we have a hangover of paramilitarism in this country with phrases such as ‘touts out’ and ‘informers will be shot’ and whatever else. That does need to be challenged.

“Shortly after I gave a statement, comments were made to me in a face to face context on why I was making a statement to the police and I found those comments to be intimidating and I felt threatened by them.

“And I did what any self-respecting politician would do at that moment and I left the room very quickly.

“I went home and to my wife and both of our anxieties went a little bit elevated should we say.”

The motion before the chamber was brought forward by independent councillor Gary Hynds.

It has also called for the council to affirm its commitment to freedom of expression, open democratic debate and the right of individuals to express lawful opinions without fear of disproportionate or unnecessary interference.

Councillor Trimble added:”I wish the story ended there but it doesn’t because then when a friend of mine on Facebook tagged me..I responded to comments, saying that this had happened.

“What happened was the same individual who made the comments to me…we had a complaint to the Ulster Unionist Party, a complaint to the Mayor’s Office, a complaint to the Commissioner for Local Government Standards and threatened legal action.

“So, I had to seek legal advice, my blood pressure was through the roof, it was horrible and I have huge sympathy with anyone who feels like they are in a situation where they cannot speak. That is an affront to their freedom of speech

“Thankfully for me it was all resolved as all the complaints were chucked out, there was no substance to them or any legal action. But I still bear those metaphorical scars.

“So, absolutely every day of the week I am going to support freedom of speech…and lawful speech should always be protected.”

Bringing forward the motion, Lisburn North independent councillor Gary Hynds said:”Free speech is not a privilege granted by government, institutions or public bodies. It is a fundamental right and one of the cornerstones of a free and democratic society.

“Across society there is a growing concern that the balance between protecting people from harm and protecting freedom of expression is becoming increasingly blurred.

“Those concerns deserve to be heard, not dismissed.”

Councillor Hynds added:”No one has the right to resort to violence because they dislike, disagree with or claim to be offended by the lawful opinions of another person.

“But I do not believe any institution or authority should decide which lawful opinions are permitted to be heard and which are not.

“Democracy does not require agreement. It requires the freedom to disagree.

“As elected representatives, every member in this chamber has a responsibility to speak on behalf of the people who sent us here.

“And one of the concerns I hear increasingly from ordinary people is that some opinions seem to be welcomed in public debate while others are dismissed, ridiculed or portrayed in the worst possible light.

“The point is that people should be free to hear different views and decide for themselves.”

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.

The United States returns to the pitch for its final World Cup group-stage game with some decisions to make.

The Americans have already won Group D to lock up a spot in the knockout stage and will face winless Turkey in Inglewood, California, on Thursday.

Christian Pulisic returned to training after missing a 2-0 win over Australia, but coach Mauricio Pochettino has to decide how much to use his star player in a game that’s meaningless in the standings and the knockout stage right around the corner.

There are similar decisions to make with Tyler Adams, Folarin Balogun, Chris Richards and Antonee Robinson. They’re all on yellow cards and would miss the first knockout round game if they picked up a second against Turkey.

The U.S. has won consecutive World Cup matches for the first time since 1930. Its six goals in the first two matches are one short of the team record for a World Cup.

Turkey has yet to score a goal in its first World Cup in 24 years and is already eliminated.

Thursday will be the second day with six matches, including Germany looking to win its third straight game, Ivory Coast aiming to make the knockout stage for the first time and Ecuador needing a win to escape the group stage.

What to watch on June 25

— Curacao vs. Ivory Coast , 4 p.m. EDT in Philadelphia (FS1/Telemundo/Peacock)

— Ecuador vs. Germany, 4 p.m. EDT in East Rutherford, New Jersey (Fox/Telemundo/Peacock)

— Japan vs. Sweden, 7 p.m. EDT in Arlington, Texas (Fox/Telemundo/Peacock)

— Tunisia vs. The Netherlands, 7 p.m. EDT in Kansas City, Missouri (FS1/Telemundo/Peacock)

— Paraguay vs. Australia, 10 p.m. EDT in Santa Clara, California (FS1/Telemundo/Peacock)

— Turkey vs. United States, 10 p.m. EDT in Inglewood, California (Fox/Telemundo/Peacock)

Ecuador faces must-win against Germany

Ecuador arrived at the World Cup on a 19-game winning streak.

It could face an early exit if it can’t find a way to beat Germany in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Ecuador opened the World Cup with a 1-0 loss to Ivory Coast on Amad Diallo’s goal in the 90th minute and played to a scoreless draw against Curacao, the smallest nation in the World Cup.

That leaves Ecuador trailing both Germany and Ivory Coast in Group E with one point and needing to beat the Germans, who have already clinched the group but will be without defender Nico Schlotterbeck for the rest of the World Cup because of an ankle injury.

Ivory Coast on the cusp of knockout stage

Ivory Coast has a chance to make history in its fourth World Cup.

With a win already under their belt, the Elephants can clinch a spot in the knockout round for the first time with a win over Curacao in Philadelphia.

Ivory Coast pulled off a 1-0 win over Ecuador and had a halftime lead over Germany before losing 2-1. Ivory Coast’s previous best chance to reach the knockout stage came in Brazil in 2014 when it opened with a win over Japan before losing the next two games.

Curacao still has an outside shot of reaching the knockout round, needing a win and some goal-differential help from Ecuador. Curacao has a goal differential of minus-6, thanks to an opening 7-1 loss to Germany.

Group F winner still up in the air

The Netherlands and Japan will be playing for the top spot in Group F on Thursday night — the Dutch play Tunisia, the Japanese face Sweden — but both teams have said they want no updates on each other as their games are progressing.

“You have to focus on making sure you win the match,” said Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman, whose team has a record World Cup unbeaten streak of 14 matches, excluding penalty shootouts. “We would love to be first in the group and of course the result will have an impact on that, but that’s not the most important thing. Playing this game is the most important thing.”

The Netherlands and Japan both have four points and a plus-four goal differential. Sweden is at three points with its 5-1 loss to Dutch.

To finish first in the group, Sweden has to win and have the Netherlands do no better than a draw.

“It’s literally my first rodeo in terms of a World Cup so it’s going to be new to me,” Sweden coach Graham Potter said. “But yeah, it’s best for us to try to get the positive results and focus on that.”

Paraguay, Australia play for second in Group D

There’s plenty at stake in the final Group D match between Australia and Paraguay.

The Australians will clinch second place in the group and a spot in the knockout round with either a win or draw. Paraguay clinches second place with a win and is almost assured advancement as a third-place team with a draw. The situation will be more tenuous with a loss for either team, with goal differential likely deciding the fate.

The game is a bit of a full-circle moment for Socceroos coach Tony Popovic, who played his final international game as a player against Paraguay in a friendly 20 years ago when he scored his eighth international goal.

“I didn’t score many so I have to remind you of that,” Popovic said. “It was a special way to end my international career. To think that all these years later I’ll be the head coach and we’re up against Paraguay is special. That was a great day and hopefully tomorrow will a special day for Australia against Paraguay once more.”

Australia will be without defender Jacob Italiano and forward Mat Leckie, who are dealing with injuries.

Paraguay will be without midfielder Miguel Almiron, who is suspended after getting a red card for covering his mouth during a confrontation against Turkey. Mauricio will start in his place, coach Gustavo Alfaro said.

More World Cup news

— Switzerland wraps up first place in Group B at the World Cup with a 2-1 victory over Canada

— Bosnia-Herzegovina boosts chances of advancing at World Cup with 3-1 win over Qatar

— Vinícius Júnior scores 2 goals as Brazil beats Scotland 3-0 to win its World Cup group

— Soufiane Rahimi and Gessime Yassine help Morocco rally to beat Haiti 4-2 at the World Cup

— Qatar’s Assim Madibo banned for 5 games after breaking the leg of Canada’s Ismaël Koné at World Cup

— ‘Our idol is back’: Neymar debuts in this World Cup as a sub for Brazil against Scotland

— Turkey coach Montella says he won’t resign after winless World Cup start, admonishes heckling fans

— Ivory Coast eyes knockout stage of World Cup with striker Elye Wahi expected back amid investigation

— Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha seeks new club after World Cup stardom, doesn’t rule out Brazil move

— Day 14 of the World Cup, in photos

Stats of the day

Switzerland has qualified for the knockout phase for the seventh consecutive time in major tournament football (World Cups and UEFA Euros).

___

AP sports writers Dave Skretta, Josh Dubow and Stephen Hawkins contributed to this report.

___

AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup

Eight people remain in a critical condition following a train crash near Bedford

An investigation has found evidence of a fault in a train crash that killed the driver and injured more than 100 people. An East Midlands Railway (EMR) train crashed into another EMR train, which was stationary, shortly after 5pm on Friday, June 19.

Train driver Shaun Burton, 60, was killed and more than 100 people were hospitalised, with eight people remaining in a critical condition. At time of writing, 53 people remain in hospital. Significant damage was caused to both trains, which also partially derailed.

An initial Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) report found that one of the trains was stationary when the crash occurred. The train, the 3.50pm service from Nottingham to London St Pancras, had come to a stop unexpectedly because a fault had developed with the Automatic Warning System (AWS) equipment fitted to it, which caused the brakes to apply.

Forward-facing CCTV (FFCCTV) images shows train 1H46, which was driven by the driver who was killed, passing a yellow (caution) signal – which signifies that the driver can pass the signal but should be prepared to stop at a red signal ahead.

Having entered the Up Fast line, train 1H46 then approached the signal. FFCCTV shows that this signal was displaying a red aspect as the train approached and then passed it, moments before the crash.

The 4.40pm train from Corby then crashed into the back of the Nottingham train at 5.15pm. The train was travelling at approximately 76mph around nine seconds before the collision. Data indicates that the train crashed at a speed of around 49mph.

The RAID said data from the front of the Corby train was still being analysed. This means that it is not yet possible to say what indication the driver received from the AWS equipment on the train or how they responded to this.

RAIB is continuing to work alongside the British Transport Police, the Office of Rail and Road, and the railway companies involved to secure the necessary evidence to support its independent safety investigation.

The Change.org campaign follows the tragic death of 13-month-old Preston Davey in July 2023 at the hands of teacher and adoptive dad Jamie Varley, 37, who was given a whole life order for sexually abusing and murdering the tot.

Varley’s partner John McGowan-Fazakerley, 32, was sentenced to 25 years at Preston Crown Court, convicted of sexual assault, child cruelty and allowing the death of a child.

The appeal, known as “Preston’s Law”, currently has more than 26,100 signatures and aims for new mandatory child protection measures known as the “Preston Trigger”.

The “Preston Trigger” would mean that if two independent safeguarding concerns are raised about an adopted child, an urgent safeguarding review must be automatically triggered.

“Preston’s Law” more broadly calls for mandatory, structured safeguarding follow-ups for all adopted children, monthly for the first six months and then regularly for a minimum of two years.

Dawn Gibson, 32, a residential childcare worker who started the petition after working with vulnerable adults for 14 years, says she had “broken down in tears” after reading the “gut-wrenching” details of the case.

Dawn Gibson started a petition to improve safeguarding for adopted children (Image: Dawn Gibson / SWNS)

Baby Preston was placed with foster parents at just five-days-old, but when he was nine months he was moved to live with Varley and McGowan-Fazakerley, from Grimsargh in Lancashire, who were approved for adoption in April 2023.

During his four months with them he was ill-treated, sexually abused and physically assaulted. His injuries included bruising to his mouth, throat, bowel and bladder along with a healing fracture to his left arm which was deemed to be non-accidental.

Dawn says: “These places [care systems] don’t have enough resources. They don’t have enough staff, they don’t have good enough pay.

“It can’t continue on the way it’s happening, because it will happen again, and that’s what’s frustrating about it.”

Preston Davey (Image: Lancashire Constabulary / SWNS)

The mum-of-two from Stirling, Scotland, adds: “We’ve been in these situations before. It’s so frustrating that we’re hearing about this again and quite frankly, it’s absolutely heart-breaking.

“I have literally broken down in tears thinking about him, I wake up thinking about him.

“I’m sick of it. I want to do something to make a change.”

Preston had been in the sole care of Varley the day he died, until McGowan-Fazakerley returned from work and the couple took the 13-month old to hospital.

Varley told police baby Preston had accidentally drowned and died in a bath, but a post-mortem examination revealed he had 40 injuries and his airways had been obstructed.

Dawn says she started the petition not only because of the impact Preston’s case had on her personally and her work as a carer, but also because she “experienced significant instability” within her own family as a child.

Dawn hopes the petition will have a “massive impact” and that “it would eventually open doorways for better safeguarding for all children”.

The carer says her petition, which was created on June 16, had received 10,000 signatures within two days of it being live.

She adds it is “definitely bittersweet” that the petition has received so much traction.

Read more:

Grandmother of baby murdered by adopted parents ‘wanted to keep him’

Adoptive parent found guilty of murdering 13-month-old baby Preston Davey

Dawn said: “As much as it’s amazing that the petition’s getting all these signatures and things – the petition shouldn’t even have to be a thing.

“I’m so thankful that people are signing it and we’re all coming together, but reading all the comments and seeing everybody talking about how it’s affected them, it’s so sad.

“I think we live in a time where a lot of us don’t talk to each other, we don’t talk about things, we’re quite keen to turn a blind eye, especially with the horrors that go on.

“We turn a blind eye because it’s to protect our own mental health and our own sanity but I think there’s got to come a point where we all just go, no, enough is definitely enough.”

Visit change.org and search ‘Preston’s Law’

A beach that starred in Bill Forsyth’s 1983 film Local Hero and has amazing views over the Cuillin peaks on the Isle of Skye has been named the best in Scotland in a new rundown

Scotland’s finest beach has been revealed.

It’s hot. Really hot.

On Tuesday, Scotland recorded its hottest day of the year with predictions that the country will experience a heatwave later this week. A high of 29C was recorded at Dyce in Aberdeen, beating the year’s previous high of 28.1C at Floors Castle in the Borders on 25 May. Temperatures are expected to peak today.

Given the weather, now seems the perfect time to head to the beach. And there are plenty of beautiful ones to choose from in Scotland. Sandwood Bay in Sutherland is an unspoiled, pink-hued sand beach framed by dramatic cliffs and a massive sea stack, while Portobello in Edinburgh is a popular year-round swimming spot that is easy to reach from Edinburgh city centre.

As excellent as both of these are, they’re not the best in Scotland.

That honour goes to Camusdarach.

“I might be biased because I’m born and raised in Scotland, but you really can’t do much better than Camusdarach. This rugged coastline boasts one of the cleanest beaches on the western coast, with a crescent of pillow-soft white sand hugged by clear-blue waters and framed by dramatic, jagged rocks. Sure, there’s not a lot in the way of facilities, but the nearby town of Morar (an eight-minute drive) offers home comforts in the way of cafés, restaurants and hotels. Drive a little further north to Mallaig where The Jacobite steam train (as seen in the Harry Potter movies) calls by. Have a meal in the old dining cars or even stay over in the restored carriages,” writes Chiara Wilkinson of Time Out, which ranked the beach third best in the UK, and the best in Scotland.

Rather than being one singular expanse of shoreline, Camusdarach is divided into a series of smaller crescent bays, rocky coves, and hidden inlets. During low tide, these individual sandy pockets join together to reveal a sweeping expanse of silvery-white sand.

The beach is situated south of the estuary of the River Morar and has amazing views over the Cuillin peaks on the Isle of Skye, the summits of Rum, and the sea cliffs of Eigg.

The journey from the car park to the water’s edge is a pleasant ten-minute walk that winds through high sand dunes covered in marram grass. It’s only once at the top that you get a full sweeping panoramic view of the turquoise sea and the Hebridean islands beyond.

Camusdarach isn’t well known just because of its good looks. The curve of white shell sand was used in Bill Forsyth’s 1983 film Local Hero. Stand on the sand and the dunes, the curve of the bay, and the islands are the same shot.

Beyond the dunes, stabilised by marram and lyme grass, there are lovely stretches of machair grassland — one of the rarest habitats in Europe. It’s also on Scottish Natural Heritage’s list of Scotland’s most beautiful beaches.

Top ten UK beaches

1. Traeth Llanddwyn, Anglesey: A vast sweep of golden sand backed by dunes, pine forest and mountain views, Traeth Llanddwyn feels blissfully remote, while its tidal island, lighthouse and romantic Welsh history add extra charm.
2. Cuckmere Haven, Sussex: Framed by the dramatic Seven Sisters cliffs, Cuckmere Haven offers some of England’s most cinematic coastal scenery, with unspoilt surroundings, winding river views and remarkably peaceful walking trails.
3. Blackpool Sands, Devon: Sheltered by evergreens and pine trees, this immaculate pebble beach combines crystal-clear waters, excellent facilities and a relaxed atmosphere, making it one of Devon’s most appealing seaside escapes.
4. Camusdarach Beach, Scotland: With dazzling white sand, turquoise water and rugged rocky outcrops, Camusdarach delivers a wild Highland beach experience that feels wonderfully secluded despite its breathtaking natural beauty.
5. Weymouth Beach, Dorset: Golden sands, a bustling promenade and traditional seaside attractions give Weymouth timeless appeal, blending family-friendly fun with historic harbour views and the nostalgic atmosphere of holidays past.
6. Watergate Bay, Cornwall: Famous for its powerful surf and energetic atmosphere, Watergate Bay attracts watersports enthusiasts year-round, while its expansive shoreline and dog-friendly policy ensure broad appeal beyond surfers.
7. Kynance Cove, Cornwall: Turquoise seas, white sand and striking rock formations make Kynance Cove one of Britain’s most spectacular beaches, with hidden caves and smugglers’ legends adding adventure and intrigue.
8. Alnmouth Beach, Northumberland: Stretching beside a colourful village, Alnmouth offers dog-friendly sands, outstanding coastal scenery and excellent birdwatching, complemented by welcoming cafés, pubs and restaurants just moments from the shore.
9. Mwnt, Ceredigion: A sheltered bay overlooked by a historic church, Mwnt combines peaceful coastal scenery with exceptional wildlife watching, including opportunities to spot dolphins in Cardigan Bay’s resident population.
10. Camber Sands, Sussex: Vast dunes and miles of golden sand have made Camber Sands an iconic British beach, offering atmospheric coastal walks, plenty of space and easy access to historic Rye.

Rockstar Games has opened pre-orders for GTA 6, and while the standard edition does not cost £100, there is the Ultimate Edition that’s more expensive.

It’s been two and a half years since the first GTA 6 trailer debuted and despite the second trailer appearing last May we still know virtually nothing about the game, other than it’s set in Vice City and the protagonists are called Lucia and Jason.

We didn’t learn anything new about the game this week either, even though pre-orders went live today at midnight. Prior to that, Rockstar Games announced a new Ultimate Edition, although while the US prices were confirmed shortly after there’s been no UK price tag until now.

Now that pre-orders have begun, we know for certain what the game costs: the standard edition of GTA 6 costs £69.99 and the Ultimate Edition costs £89.99. That’s slightly less than previously feared and certainly not the £100 price tag that had been heavily rumoured.

Where to pre-order GTA 6 from in the UK

When GTA 4 and 5 came out, shops were constantly running out of boxed copies of the game, because downloading games was barely a thing back then. Everything’s very different now though and while online stores are not going to run out of stock there is the question of whether Rockstar manages to break the internet, with everyone trying to pre-order at the same time.

Assuming that doesn’t happen, the most obvious place to pre-order either edition is on the PlayStation Store or Microsoft Store. As a reminder, there is no PC version – at least not this year – and the game is only available on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S – so not PlayStation 4 or Xbox One.

Many other retailers will also be offering pre-orders but the game is so widely anticipated there’s unlikely to be any significant discounts.

There is a physical edition, that you can pre-order from places like Amazon, Argos, and Currys but be aware that it’s just a code in a box and the game won’t be released on disc.

Is there a GTA 6 pre-order bonus?

Yes! If you pre-order the game via any retailer you’ll get both a month subscription to GTA+ and the exclusive Vintage Vice City Pack. Its contents are as follows:

’55 Vapid Stanier – a vintage sedan

Shore Court garage – a personal garage close to Ocean Beach

Exclusive outfits and hairstyles – a red sequin mini dress and curls for Lucia and a linen suit in vintage pastel for Jason

Exclusive weapon pattern – a homage to previous GTA protagonist Tommy Vercetti, with a palm tree design

What extras does the GTA 6 Ultimate Edition have?

As you can see, the Ultimate Edition isn’t that much more expensive than the standard version, and that’s because it’s all fairly minor DLC and cosmetics. It’s not yet clear how the exclusive shops and businesses are going to work but presumably they’ll only be something you can interact with if you own the Ultimate Edition.

If you buy the standard edition and then later decide you want the Ultimate Edition after all you can upgrade to it later, although there’s no price yet for how much that will cost. That means it’ll probably only be available after launch, when presumably it’ll cost £25.

’67 Vapid Dominator buggy and Paradise Garage – intended for use in the ‘backwoods of Mount Kalaga’ this ties in with the Mud Club which you can see in the first trailer.

’95 Grotti Cheetah – this is blatantly an off-brand 90s era Ferrari, complete with retro-future livery.

Vapid Ganado mods – if you own the Ultimate Edition you’ll be able to customise this pickup at Jason’s safehouse, as well as access a Dinka Enduro motorcycle and Crest kayak.

Vehicle mod shops – if you want to customise other vehicles the Ultimate Edition gives access to two exclusive businesses that will allow you to mod most other cars. One is called Rideout Customs, in Vice City, and the other is One-Eyed Willie’s in Lake Leonida.

Classic car collection – this seems to be an exclusive quest line that involves finding and refurbishing a range of classic cars, with four exclusive rides for the Ultimate Edition.

Shitzu Squalo – a pink and blue speedboat that comes with its own weapons crate and is great for fishing.

Hawk & Little Morgan revolver – another nod to Tommy Vercetti, it can be bought from Ammu-Nation once you’ve progressed far enough into the story.

Personalised weapon variants – unique versions of existing weapons with their own engravings, with Jason having a Girardi ES9 pistol and Lucia a Klose K17 pistol.

PTT Youngin$ compound and scores – the description for this one is a bit vague but it seems to be a drug gang whose property you can raid in order to steal ‘special items and distinct contraband.’

Vice City styles – exclusive clothing and tattoos for both Jason and Lucia.

Goodtime Gear – a range of gachapon merch based on in-game TV character Macca the Gator.

Stock 305 clothing store – purveyor of ‘elevated streetwear’, this store offers exclusives cosmetics for Jason and Lucia, inspired by the Stockyard area’s murals and graffiti.

Sara’s Unisex Salon – presumably there’ll be other hairdressers in the game, but this one offers facial hair choices for Jason and makeup and nails options for Lucia.

Electric Fang tattoo – there’s also presumably more than one tattoo parlour, but this one has over 50 exclusive designs for either character.

Will there be a physical collector’s edition for GTA 6?

At the moment, the Ultimate Edition is the only other version of the game there is, so that means no ultra expensive collector’s edition with statues or apparel or whatever. There was one for GTA 5, so that’s a bit surprising – especially as many fans would no doubt jump at the chance to buy one for GTA 6.

It’s possible that Rockstar will release one later, especially as these things often don’t come with the game itself, but so far there’ve been no rumours of that.

Email gamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter.

To submit Inbox letters and Reader’s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here.

For more stories like this, check our Gaming page.

MORE: Top 200 best-selling Nintendo 64 games contain some surprising revelations

MORE: GTA 6 fans ‘devastated’ there’s no disc as Rockstar confirms no online at launch

MORE: Star Fox review – roll out the barrel on Nintendo Switch 2

The cyclist, a 38-year-old man, was seriously injured and taken to James Cook University Hospital affer the crash on Tuesday (June 23).

He remains in a serious condition.

The crash happened around 7.45pm at the junction of Kirkleatham Lane and Broadway East in Redcar.

The driver of the Seat Ibiza, a 40-year-old woman, was arrested on suspicion of causing serious injury by dangerous driving, driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence, and using a vehicle without insurance.

Cleveland Police is appealing for witnesses and are asking anyone with dash cam footage or further information to contact them on 101, quoting reference 121920.