The school has continued to be monitored after its previous inspection

Ofsted has issued an update after a follow up visit to a school rated inadequate. The watchdog carried out its latest monitoring visit at Riverside Meadows Academy in St Neots, and outlined some improvements and some concerns which reamin.

The school, which is on Almond Road and part of Horizons Education Trust, has continued to be monitored by Ofsted after it was rated ‘inadequate’ and ‘requires improvement’ in June 2025. During the monitoring visit in June this year, inspectors recognised that the school had now fully established the new curriculum pathways for pupils however, this was not due to be started until September. Therefore, it was deemed too soon to assess the impact of this work.

The report outlines that the school has “not ensured that the curriculum sets out how pupils’ existing knowledge helps them secure new learning” which means teaching does not link new knowledge to what pupils already know.

The report adds: “Consequently, pupils find it difficult to secure new knowledge and do not learn as well as they should. The school and trust must ensure that the curriculum clearly sets out how prior learning links to new knowledge.”

During the inspection, inspectors identified that the school had not ensured its staff had the needed subject and pedagogical knowledge to teach the curriculum as intended. The education watchdog added: “As a result, teaching does not provide pupils with clear explanations of new information, adaptations that help them engage or suitable activities they need to secure learning.”

According to Ofsted, some strategies to support pupils who struggle to regularly attend school “often lack the focus to directly address individual pupils’ needs and barriers”, meaning some pupils “do not feel adequately supported to return to school”.

The monitoring visit also revealed that staff do not understand why changes are implemented which has led to marked provision differences between the two school sites. However, in terms of leadership and governance, inspectors noticed trustees and leaders continue to move the school forward “on its journey of improvement”.

The trust keeps a close eye on standards and holds leaders to account for their work, Ofsted confirmed. The report stated: “Leaders have had a positive impact in a short period of time on the areas of improvement identified at the last inspection. They have done this despite some recent unforeseen challenges.”

Since the last inspection, the school has moved to having one executive head teacher who oversees both sites. Each site now has a head of school and an assistant head teacher.

Executive Headteacher at Riverside Meadows Academy Kate Lovegrove, said she is “pleased” that the watchdog recognised the school’s “significant progress” in a short period of time. She added: “The report highlights the strength of our leadership, the commitment of our staff and the positive improvements in attendance, behaviour and pupil engagement across both sites.

“We recognise that there is still important work to do, but we are excited about the year ahead and confident that the improvements already in place, alongside our new curriculum, will make an even greater difference for our pupils.”

Riverside Meadows caters for pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs. The school has a capacity of 120, but 119 pupils were on roll at the time of the inspection.

Adam Dabin, CEO, Horizons Educations Trust, said: “We are delighted with the continued progress being made at Riverside Meadows Academy, which has once again been recognised by Ofsted. The commitment and determination of our staff, leaders and trustees is making a real difference for our pupils, and it is particularly encouraging to see improvements in attendance, behaviour and engagement.

“We are proud of the journey we are on and look forward to building on this strong foundation as we work towards making Riverside Meadows Academy a leading SEMH provision in Cambridgeshire.”

Her mum spotted some signs but thought she was ‘being dramatic’

Starting school is a huge milestone for all children – but for one family, their little girl’s first weeks at school came with a devastating discovery. Nina Hinds started in reception at primary school in Peterborough a year ago – but within just a few weeks her mum Sam started to notice some worrying changes.

The family started to worry, but they could have never imagined that just a few tests later Nina would be diagnosed with cancer. Her mum even thought she was ‘being dramatic’ when she took her to see the doctor.

The signs began when Sam noticed large bruises on Nina’s legs, arms and forehead, which she initially thought were normal childhood knocks and bumps. Then, when Nina got an ear infection, she became unusually more tired and pale. Nina’s teacher also raised concerns that she was falling asleep in class,

Sam said: “She just didn’t seem as full of life as she usually is – I couldn’t work out what was wrong with her. I was searching her symptoms and leukaemia kept coming up. But I thought, ‘this doesn’t happen to us, this is what happens to other people’. I thought maybe I was being an overprotective parent and a bit dramatic about it all.”

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After Sam took Nina to the GP blood tests confirmed she had acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), which is cancer of the white blood cells. Sam said: “You’d think when you get told your child has cancer you would just burst into tears. But it was such a shock I didn’t cry at all. Daniel (Nina’s dad) was the opposite, he fell to the floor.”

Nina was referred to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge and began her treatment on her fifth birthday – October 20, 2025. She underwent eight months of intense treatment and now has maintenance chemotherapy treatment until December 2027.

Despite the struggles of her treatment, Sam said Nina never lost her humour. She said: “It was meant to be her birthday party that weekend and she was sad we had to cancel it. The nurses sang happy birthday to her and she replied: ‘Do I look happy?’”

Although her treatment meant she faced restrictions with school, Nina showed remarkable resilience. Sam said: “She’s a really confident little girl and she’s just got on with it. She’s made friends at school and in hospital and will happily talk to people about her leukaemia.

“Now we just want Nina to complete her treatment with as few complications as possible and go on to live her life like any other child. No relapse, no more chemo.”

Nina is taking part in the AllTogether-1 trial, supported by Cancer Research UK. This investigates how to improve survival for young patients with ALL and reduce the risk of long-term side effects.

Sam thought it was “really important” for Nina to take part. She added: “We felt that if we were able to help children in the future by doing these trials, it was very important, because if other children in the past hadn’t taken part in trials, then Nina wouldn’t be on such a good treatment plan.”

Jose Ramos, Cancer Research UK spokesperson for the East of England said the charity is “grateful” to Nina’s family for sharing her experience. Jose added: “Cancer is different in children and young people – from the types of cancers that affect this age group, to the long-term effects of treatment. So, it needs a different and dedicated approach.

“Thanks to our supporters, we’re driving discoveries, developing new drugs and transforming clinical trials to help accelerate a new generation of more effective and less toxic treatments.

“That’s why we’re urging people across Cambridgeshire to get behind our scientists’ efforts to ensure more children and young people like Nina live longer, better lives free from the fear of cancer.”

‘We feel so upset that anyone would think or feel that we are discriminatory’

A pub landlady has apologised following a backlash to her social media comment about a “special bus”.

Debbie Jones, who runs Penarth’s St Fagans Castle pub with her husband Huw, denied making fun of disabled people but told us she was sorry for not wording her comment “correctly”.

The row began after Mrs Jones, using the pub’s Facebook page, posted a photograph of graffiti in its toilets. She also shared a CCTV image of the man she suspected of being responsible for scrawling the tag on the wall.

Mrs Jones wrote: “CCTV always catches them out. They must think we are all thick or blind. Maybe it’s a local colouring competition for people with limited abilities that came in on a yellow-coloured special bus if you know what I mean.”

This remark has sparked hundreds of Facebook comments in the last few days, many of which accuse Mrs Jones of being insensitive to disabled people. One woman wrote: “Would rather be around people with limited abilities than people with views like you.”

Mrs Jones then posted a statement addressing the controversy. “I made a comment about the man that did some graffiti here in the pub,” she wrote from the pub’s Facebook account. “It was about his immaturity and being on a yellow bus.

“Now for some reason people think this has to do with a disability. Everyone that knows us knows that this would never lie within our values.”

This failed to calm the situation as some people accused the pub of failing to take accountability. “You literally wrote ‘people with limited abilities’,” commented one woman. “Take ownership of your comment and apologise properly, not deflect it.”

One customer, Sylvie John, told WalesOnline she was a regular at St Fagans Castle but that she would not return, adding: “I believe language of this nature is demeaning to disabled people and contributes to the stigma and discrimination they can face.”

When we called the pub Mrs Jones denied making any reference to disabled people. We then asked what she had meant by the words “special bus” if not a bus for those with special needs.

She said she would reply by email and shortly afterwards sent us this statement: “We feel so upset that anyone would think or feel that we are discriminatory. However I can see why my comment has been taken that way.

“I should have made sure that it was worded correctly and taken my time to understand how it came across. I send my deepest apologies to anyone that has been offended.

“Unfortunately the original post was about a man that had drawn graffiti on our bathroom wall and during the comments on that thread I wrote about his immaturity to do such a thing as it is childish behaviour… I mentioned him and a yellow bus and what I should have taken the time to write was ‘school bus’ not yellow bus.

“So I totally see how this could have offended people. It was a wrong comment to make and as soon as I realised that I submitted an apology on the pub social media, not that this takes away the comment, but an apology was needed from myself.

“Thankfully we have a lot of loyal customers that know the ‘real’ us and know how much we support the community and various local charities in the three years we have been here.”

She pointed to the pub’s fundraising for Reel Minds. The community organisation, based in Pontypridd, helps people improve their mental health through fishing.

One of those to complain on Facebook explained she had been so upset because some families experience supposed “harmless jokes” about disability on a daily basis and “until you’ve lived it you will never understand”.

Another woman offered a different perspective, writing: “At the end of the day it was an unfortunate comment and should never [have] been made… but the people who know you, like you said, know that you would never intentionally insult a special needs person. The way you are with my SEN [special educational needs] son proves that.

“He can’t wait to see you. Not sure he’s bothered about seeing anyone else to be honest.”

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By LAURA FOX, ASSOCIATE SHOWBUSINESS EDITOR

Published: 16:41 BST, 11 September 2026 | Updated: 16:56 BST, 11 September 2026

Four In A Bed has long been compared to Come Dine With Me, and it seems the Channel 4 hit may have finally found a successor to the show’s viral ‘you won Jane’ moment.

Typically the daytime show sees four different hotel or bed and breakfast owners stay at each other’s establishments, before scoring their experience and paying what they think the room is worth.

The hotel that earns the most when compared to the amount they actually charge for the room is the winner.

The show is no stranger to competitive hotelliers, with some petty enough to score down their rivals for factors from the amount of dust on a shelf, to how crispy their bacon at breakfast is.

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But in a clip that’s gone viral, hotel owner Saban delivered a huge plot twist, in a bid to prevent two other owners from spinning the competition in their favour.

In the episode’s final moments, it was revealed that Saban paid £500 for his stay at Mark and Anne’s B&B – overpaying by a huge £220, which is a rare feat on the show.

A clip from the hit Channel 4 daytime show Four In A Bed has been branded ‘absolute cinema’ by fans, after one contestant made a brutal move in a bid to stop a cheating pair from winning

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In a clip that’s gone viral, hotel owner Saban revealed he’d overpaid his rivals by £220 to ensure that Ami and Mark didn’t win, after realising they were deliberately underscoring

Anne was close to tears as he praised the luxury and attention to detail as his reason for his overpayment, but he then revealed the true nature of his payment by turning to contestants Ami and Mark.

Saban said he made the overpayment having realised that Ami and Mark were deliberately underscoring their stays in a bid to win.

He said: ‘The other reason is, there is no way I can allow you two to win.

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‘It was a game play from the start, the way I see it I cheated to stop the other cheaters winning.’

The clip has since gone viral on social media, with one user calling it ‘absolute cinema.’

Another user noted that it was akin to Come Dine With Me’s famous 2016 clip, which saw Pete Marsh launch into a furious rant after finishing in fourth place. 

Other comments included: ‘the BEST episode ever, he humbled them so bad;

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‘This is what British TV is all about. Gimme more of this petty nonsense where everyone hates each other;’

‘This is TV Gold. What an absolute legend. In the same way that the bloke broke Goldenballs as a gameshow, this guy has done the same here.’

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The clip has since gone viral on social media, with one user calling it ‘absolute cinema,’ while another compared to Come Dine With Me’s famous ‘you won Jane’ moment

Kavan has since spoken about the move in an interview with LADbible, admitting he actually wanted to overpay for his room by even more, but was stopped from doing so by bosses.

‘I just thought, look, you’re not really taking this seriously. You know, you’ve got to be in a position where when you do go to places like this, what did you expect? 

‘Emma Louise had cigarette burns on the carpet. She had no smoke alarms. in the room… but it was £75 a night and you can’t complain much about that but I just thought ”that’s not a reason to knock someone who’s actually trying to put some effort.”

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Kavan runs the Stone Court House Hotel in Maidstone, and said he did see an increase in bookings after his episode aired.

With its brain-boosting omega-3s and high protein, tinned mackerel has long been the smart choice for those on a health kick.

But many canned varieties of the oily fish no longer contain any mackerel at all – and nutrition conscious shoppers will only see half the benefit.

Tinned fish giant Princes – which sells its products in supermarkets including Sainsbury’s, Lidl and Tesco – has switched the contents of its branded mackerel range to Chilean jack mackerel, which despite its similar name is an entirely different fish.

However, retailers are continuing to sell ‘jack mackerel’ products alongside traditional mackerel under signs that conflate the two very different products, according to the Financial Times. 

Jack mackerel belongs to the Carangidae family, while true mackerel belongs to the Scombridae family. 

Prince’s jack mackerel also contains just half the amount of omega-3 as regular mackerel. 

Sue Davies, head of food policy at Which? said, ‘Tinned fish is an affordable and convenient way for households to add important nutrients to their diets and eat the recommended two portions of fish a week, one of which should be oily.

‘It’s a real concern when manufacturers quietly downgrade everyday staples like these as shoppers can end up paying the same price for a product that delivers significantly less nutritional value.’

Omega-3 fatty acids are essential for everything from heart health – helping to remove harmful fats from the blood while increasing levels of good cholesterol – to dementia prevention. 

One study found that people who regularly eat oily fish have healthier blood vessels and lower blood pressure, which may help protect against dementia.

Another found that those who have higher levels of omega-3 in their blood perform better on thinking tests. 

Mackerel provides one of the richest sources of omega-3 per 100g and is ahead of fish such as salmon and sardines.

Demand for tinned fish has soared over the last two years, with sales up nearly a fifth – as money-savvy consumers look for cheap sources of healthy, high-protein foods. 

However, some shoppers say they have noticed changes in taste and texture since switching to the canned variety, reporting that the fish is less oily than traditional mackerel.

‘It smells rather metallic… like cheap rubbish tuna,’ canned seafood reviewer Marcus Ansell said in a recent video posted to his 650,000 Instagram followers. 

The move away from true mackerel has largely been driven by sustainability concerns. 

Waitrose halted sales of fresh, chilled and frozen North Atlantic mackerel in April, due to concerns about overfishing. 

Demand for tinned fish has soared over the last two years, with sales up nearly a fifth – as money-savvy consumers look for cheap sources of healthy, high-protein foods 

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Its canned products are also being phased out as stocks last. 

Lidl, meanwhile, has been transitioning to sustainably sourced Chilean jack mackerel – which it sells under supermarket signs that simply read ‘mackerel in olive oil’. 

And despite ‘jack mackerel’ being roughly a third cheaper than true mackerel, supermarkets including Tesco continue to sell the substitute fish at similar prices, with a discrepancy of just 20p. 

However, the switch is not universal. Supermarket own-brand tinned mackerel still  contains true mackerel.

The mackerel catch in the North East Atlantic has remained 39 per cent higher than recommended limits for more than 15 years. 

As a result any mackerel caught in the area no longer holds a Marine Stewardship Council certification – a sustainability badge required by many major retailers. 

Chilean jack mackerel, however, is certified. 

Until last year, the species could not be labelled simply as ‘jack mackerel’ in the UK.

However, weeks after Princes launched its new tins, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs amended its rules to permit the new labelling. 

But the move has sparked outrage among critics, who say the new rules blur the distinction between true mackerel and jack mackerel, potentially catching out consumers 

‘Consumers will be suffering because pure mackerel is a much better species to eat than jack mackerel,’ Stewart Harper, former managing director of North Atlantic Fishing Company, told the Financial Times. 

Ladybirds are incredibly useful when it comes to controlling aphids, which can suck the sap from plants – and there’s one common kitchen item that may help attract them to your garden this September

Now is an ideal time to draw ladybirds into your garden – and there’s one particular food item that will have them descending on your outdoor space in September.

Depending on conditions, October is typically when these insects begin entering their dormant winter phase. At this point they will be on the hunt for warmth and shelter, frequently in considerable numbers, where they are likely to remain until March or April when temperatures improve once more.

Ladybirds are extraordinarily valuable when it comes to keeping aphids under control, as these pests can drain the sap from plants. A single adult ladybird can consume up to 50 aphids each day, helping to protect vegetables, flowers and ornamental plants from damage.

The insects can also assist in managing other garden nuisances such as mites and small caterpillars.

Horticulturalist Michael Perry, who has featured on ITV’s This Morning and runs the website Mr Plant Geek, says there is one food in particular that could bring ladybirds flocking to your garden. And the chances are most people already have it sitting in their kitchen cupboard, reports the Express.

Writing on his website, he said: “Aphid problem? No worries! Attract predatory ladybirds to your garden by placing raisins in ladybird feeders.”

The method is straightforward. Soak one or two raisins in water for up to five minutes.

Then slice them in half to reveal the moist interior before placing them inside a small wooden box or ladybird hotel. Once the raisins have been consumed, simply repeat the process.

There is one potential downside, however. Raisins are known to attract ladybirds owing to their sweet scent, but unfortunately, they draw ants in as well.

Meanwhile, foxes will visit gardens every evening if you leave one common bedroom item outside.

Foxes are a quintessentially British creature often associated with autumn because of their vivid orange coat, yet they can also prove genuinely beneficial to have in your garden at this time of year. As temperatures drop in September, rats and mice commonly begin seeking shelter in gardens, making it vital to deter them promptly before they develop into a full-blown infestation.

Nobody wants to spot rats darting around their outdoor space and risk them finding their way indoors, but foxes are omnivores well known for preying on rodents, which can go a long way towards keeping them at bay.

Dora Nightingale, founder of the charity Fox Guardians, has revealed that a straightforward way to entice foxes is simply to make them feel at ease by leaving out an everyday household item.

In an online video, Dora said: “This is the foxes’ favourite area. It’s nothing special, really, by our standards, as it’s just a few cold cushions dotted around. What foxes like about this is that it’s comfortable because they are off the ground, and the foxes absolutely love it.”

A Sudanese lorry migrant who stabbed a stranger to death while on police bail over a rampage just 48 hours earlier was jailed for 27 years.

Rasheed Rahman, 21, murdered grandfather Mark Carroll, 55, on April 10, 2024 in a park in Camden, north London.

Just two days earlier Rahman went berserk on a canal tow-path, punching and kicking members of the public but was bailed by the police.

In February two months before those two attacks, he broke Iulian Cavaliuc’s arm with a wooden club and knifed him in the back on a double decker bus in east London.

Mr Cavaliuc reported the attack to police later that day but Rahman remained at large while police officers tried to obtain CCTV footage and find him.

Despite Rahman’s violence, staff at the supported accommodation unit where he lived in Chadwell Heath, east London, handed him a blade a day before the murder.

It was this 5in knife he plunged into Mr Carroll in a frenzied outburst.

Judge John Dodd, KC, at Wood Green Crown Court jailed Rahman for life with a minimum of 27 years, and told him he would be deported.

He said: ‘On the 9th April 2024 you, Mr Rahman, were living in supported accommodation in Romford. 

‘You asked the house manager for the use of a kitchen knife, claiming that you wanted it to prepare some food. 

‘You retained it, and the following day you took it with you when you set off to travel into London.

‘This was a random unprovoked attack by you on a wholly innocent unsuspecting member of the public. You are clearly a very dangerous man. 

‘What you did on that day in April in 2024 was shocking and left Mark Carroll’s family broken and grieving and their lives will never be the same again.

‘That random unprovoked attack was preceded in February by a similar attack without the same tragic result.’

In a victim personal impact statement read to the court Mr Carroll’s daughters, Danielle and Ayisha.

They said: ‘Our Dad was a loving father and a devoted grandfather who meant the world to his family. 

Mark Carroll was a grandfather who took great pride in being with his family his daughters said

Here Rahman can be seen getting the blade which he used to murder Mr Carroll the next day

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‘Becoming a grandad brought him immense happiness. He often told his friends that meeting his grandchildren was one of the greatest moments of his life.

‘The memories we made together, the happiness we shared, and the love he gave so freely are things that we will cherish forever.’

While no one witnessed the attack on Mr Carroll, CCTV filmed Rahman leaving the park at 1.23pm.

Rahman threatened one man he encountered on the street, and later, brandishing his knife, robbed a member of the public of their e-bike.

He was seen carrying a knife in Castlehaven Community park and then putting it in a bin.

Rahman made a successful asylum application in March 2023 and was granted temporary leave to remain in the UK.

Three months later he admitted possession of a Class B drug and possession of a sharp pointed article, namely a broken pub dart.

John Femi-Ola KC, defending, said Rahman was born in Sudan and saw his sister murdered when the Islamic militant group Boko Haram invaded his village.

Rahman broke Iulian Cavaliuc’s arm with a wooden club and stabbed him with a knife on a bus in February 

The murder weapon: This is the 5 inch blade Rahman used to attack his victim at random in a frenzied outburst

Mr Femi-Ola said he fled to Chad and then Libya and then came to the UK in the back of a lorry.

He was found to be living undocumented in Essex in 2021 and was granted temporary leave to remain.

Detective Chief Inspector Phil Clarke, who led the investigation, said: ‘Our thoughts remain with Mark’s loved ones; the personal statements given by his daughters, Ayisha and Danielle, today demonstrate a heart-breaking insight into the lasting impact of his death.’

The judge sentenced Rahman to a further five years concurrent for wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and further concurrent sentences of nine months for affray, six months for assault.

During their trial, four men denied that they arranged, managed or assisted in arranging or managing a meeting in support of the IRA

Two men have been found guilty of charges linked to an illegal dissident republican commemoration parade in Derry over three years ago.

Patrick Anthony Gallagher, 34, of Raftery Close in Derry, was found guilty by Judge Gordon Kerr KC of managing a meeting in support of a proscribed organisation, namely the IRA, on dates between February 28, 2023 and April 11, 2023.

However, Judge Kerr – who presided over the non-jury Diplock-style trial at Belfast Crown Court last year – found Gallagher not guilty of addressing a meeting in support of the IRA on April 10, 2023.

Stephen Martin Murney, 42, of Derrybeg Terrace in Newry, Co Down, was found guilty of addressing a meeting in support of the IRA on April 10, 2023.

But he was found not guilty of managing a meeting in support of the IRA on dates between February and April 2023.

Senior defence counsel for Gallagher and Murney asked the court not to revoke their bail and Judge Kerr agreed to release them on continuing bail ahead of sentencing in two months time following the completion reports.

Derry men Thomas Ashe Mellon, 50, of Glendermott Road and Jason Lee Ceulemans, 53, of Creevagh Heights were found not guilty of two charges they each faced of managing and addressing a meeting in support of the IRA on the same dates.

When they were told by the judge they were free to go, they hugged Murney and Gallagher in the dock before leaving to sit in the body of the court.

During their trial, all four men denied that they arranged, managed or assisted in arranging or managing a meeting in support of the IRA and further denied a charge of addressing a meeting for the purpose of encouraging support for the IRA.

Opening the case in November 2025, a senior prosecution KC said that on Easter Monday, April 10, 2023, an unnotified parade set off from Central Drive in Creggan to walk the half mile journey to the City Cemetery.

The parade was being observed by police and he said that at 2.05 pm footage showed Ceulemans entering a storage container at the rear of the shops and came out holding two flags and placed them against a shop wall.

He claimed Ceulemans was clearly involved in the organisation of the parade and alleged Gallager was noted to be engaging with the crowd.

The colour party – dressed in military style clothing wearing sunglasses and black berets – is seen to gather up in a rear alley way.

At 2.13 pm the colour party sets off with the flags allegedly left by Ceulemans and march past Creggan shops.

“Stephen Murney and Patrick Gallagher were standing in front of the crowd,” said the prosecutor.

“Ceulemans is at the front of the colour party and is noted to be wearing an earpiece and he walked with them. Murney and Gallagher were at the rear of the colour party.”

The court heard that as the parade reached Linsfort Drive it stopped and a PSNI land rover was attacked by masked youths with petrol bombs and masonry before it retreated.

Ceulemans later entered the cemetery followed by Gallagher and Murney. The colour party then entered the cemetery and a male was observed making his way to the rear of the toilet with a number of bags.

The court heard that Gallagher performed as a ‘master of ceremonies’ and invited the ‘Derry Brigade Irish Republican Army’ to come forward and lay a wreath.

Gallagher introduced Ceulemans as a “former republican prisoner” and he read a statement on behalf of republican prisoners in Maghaberry and Portlaoise prisons.

He introduced Murney as a ‘Leading Newry Republican’ and invited him to give the oration.

At the end of his oration, and quoting veteran republican Maire Drumm, Murney said: “It isn’t enough to shout ‘Up the IRA’. The important thing is to join the IRA.”

His words were recorded on video and posted on social media platform TikTok.

Gallagher asked the crowd to stay around to help the colour party “disperse peacefully” which led to people on a sunny day raising umbrellas and shielding the colour party as it made its way to the toilet block where it changed clothes which were then put on a fire.

The following day, police found four viable pipe bombs in a waste bin beside the toilet block which were made safe by Ammunition Technical Officers (ATO).

All four defendants were subsequently arrested for questioning. Murney’s phone was recovered and messages were found between him and Mellon surrounding his speech.

Ceulemans sent Mellon a message stating: “I’ll have Murney’s speech done by tomorrow night and ready for you to bastardise.” Mellon replied with a thumbs up emoji.

Said the senior prosecutor: “It is accepted that Mellon was not present on April 10.

“However, we say he played a fundamental role in the organisation and arrangements of the meetings from the phone material and was influential in the preparation and management of the speeches.

“It is clear from the approved speech of Murney that Mellon knew this was to encourage support for the IRA or to further its activities.

“This was a highly choreographed event. It was staged and stylised and it involved planned violence.

“On one reasonable view from start to finish it was a planned propaganda exercise for the IRA.”

After the conclusion of the prosecution, senior defence counsels for the defendants made written submissions to trial Judge Kerr stating that they had “no case to answer” based on the evidence presented by the Crown to the non-jury trial.

Senior counsels told the court that none of the defendants would not be giving evidence on their own behalf in the trial and they did not intend to call any further evidence in the case.

Their applications to have the case against the defendants was rejected by the trial judge.

In his reserved judgement delivered today (Friday) over 90 minutes, Judge Kerr said of Gallagher: “I am sure that this defendant was actively involved in managing this meeting and that this meeting was in support of the IRA.

“Gallagher invited the ‘Derry Brigade Irish Republican Army’ to come forward and one masked individual from the colour party did come forward and lay a wreath.”

In relation to Murney, Judge Kerr said: “I am sure that he was present as the colour party commenced its march in military style uniform.

“Along the route he was taking photographs and as the parade moved on towards Linsfort Drive he was walking ahead of it.

“As it approached the police land rover a petrol bomb attack commenced. After the police land rover left, the parade continued its journey to the City Cemetery with Murney at times with his co-defendants at the head of the parade.”

Judge Kerr said that in the cemetery Murney saw the masked colour party at the republican plot. Murney was called forward to a give speech by Gallagher in which he referred to “Crown forces including British soldiers continually raiding homes in Derry”.

The defendant told the assembled crowd that the 1916 Rising was “ongoing, it was unfinished business” and he referred to republican prisoners.

Murney also had a message for the ‘British occupiers and establishment which was: “So long as you continue to oppress us you will meet with inescapable consequences.”

The defendant also quoted an historical message from Maire Drumm, stating: “It isn’t enough to shout ‘Up The IRA’. The important thing is to join the IRA”.

Said Judge Kerr: “Before the words ‘join the IRA’, he (Murney) raised his arm with a clenched fist. I am sure that the defendant is guilty of the offence charged (addressing a meeting) and so I find him guilty.”

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Visitors arriving in Stirling by bus or train will be met by a newly decorated Station Square featuring deckchairs, giant interactive games, cheerleaders and the chance to get ready for the festival with glitter face paint.

As the crowds arrive for the all of the fun of Radio 2 Party in the Park, a business organisation is putting on city centre entertainment for those heading into Stirling.

Go Forth Stirling are supporting the star-studded event with entertainment being laid on in Station Square alongside the launch of the new ‘In Stirling’ app giving festival goers up to date information about the city.

This weekend, visitors arriving in Stirling by bus or train will be met by a newly decorated Station Square featuring deckchairs, giant interactive games, cheerleaders and the chance to get ready for the festival with glitter face paint.

Festival-goers are encouraged to download the free app which provides information on the BBC 2 event, travel tips and recommendations of places to stay, eat and visit during their trip.

The digital hub also features offers, alerts, local news and walking trails and can be downloaded now via Google Play or the App Store.

Go Forth have also joined forces with Keep Britain Tidy to help stamp out cigarette waste across Stirling during the weekend through the ‘Bin Your Butts’ campaign.

Go Forth Stirling BID Project Director Danielle McRorie-Smith is thrilled to welcome thousands of Radio 2 in the Park fans, as well as the many musicians and DJs, to Stirling for an unforgettable weekend.

Ms McRorie-Smith said: “We’re ready to host a fantastic weekend filled with music, energy and excitement in Stirling which offers the perfect entertainment venue for Radio 2 in the Park’s first Scottish festival.

“We have great transport links, are centrally located and have so much to offer visitors in terms of our history, heritage and landmark tourist attractions.

“We also boast a wide array of independent and national retailers who will ensure visitors are well catered for with accommodation, bars, restaurants, shops and whatever else they choose to do and experience during their stay.”

She added: “Go Forth are delighted to support the event with entertainment for fans in the city centre; our collaboration with Keep Britain Tidy and, of course, our new ‘In Stirling’ app which is available to download and gives visitors up to date information about the festival and everything else Stirling has to offer.

“We’re all set to give festival-goers a warm welcome to Stirling where they can enjoy some fun and entertainment in Station Square before walking through the city and along Dumbarton Road to City Park for the BBC 2 Party in the Park.”

The Russian army has a “pervasive culture of lying” over battlefield gains which has left Vladimir Putin with a “severely distorted” view of the frontline situation in Ukraine, military analysts have said.

Several Russian military bloggers have offered a bleak picture of the frontline near Lyman in the Donetsk region, where Ukrainian counterattacks are pushing back Russia’s forward positions and exposing misleading military reports from Russian forces.

One milblogger, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), argued that “beautiful reports” – a term milbloggers have coined to refer to the pervasive culture of lying within the Russian armed forces and misinformation about the state of the frontlines – need to be “absolutely forbidden”.

The claims have led the Russian president to have a “severely distorted” view of the frontline situation, which has led him to make “absurd and aggrandising claims of Russian advances”, the ISW said in a daily briefing.

Kyiv’s forces recently seized full control over Svyatohirsk, northwest of Lyman, in the days after Putin had claimed Russia controlled the village.

In a video posted on Monday, the commander of Ukraine’s Third Army Corps Andrii Biletskyi taunted Putin over his recent claim that Russian forces had captured it. Standing in the picturesque monastery town, he declared it was a “rear area for our corps”.

Russian milbloggers have been “increasingly expressing frustration about Russian officials’ false claims of advance”, adding that such false military reports “create operational risks for Russian forces” because they cannot call for offensive operations in locations they have already claimed to control.

The alleged lies make it as far as the White House, the ISW added.

Putin and US president Donald Trump held a phone call on Monday, following a visit by Washington envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Kyiv and Moscow over the weekend in a fresh attempt to find common ground for a peace agreement.

The Russian president likely used the phone call to push his misrepresentation of the battlefield situation on Trump, the ISW said.

Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said Putin gave an “objective and extensive analysis of the current developments in the special military operation”, the latter phrase being Moscow’s euphemism for its aggression in Ukraine.

“Putin likely used the call with Trump to present his distorted picture of the frontline in an attempt to convince Trump that the US should force Ukraine to capitulate to Russia’s demands ostensibly before Ukraine’s battlefield situation worsens,” the ISW assessed.