“This is a very special relationship between a father and his son. Mr Collett was the principal carer for his father before he went into custody.”

A Derry man caught with an assault rifle was refused compassionate bail today to visit his dying father in hospital.

Patrick James Collett, 58, of Rossnagalliagh, is in custody after he pleaded guilty to possession of a Romanian AKM assault rifle and ammunition in suspicious circumstances.

He also pleaded guilty on re-arraignment to possessing the 7.62 assault rifle which had been adapted so that “two or more missiles could be successively discharged without repeated pressure on the trigger”.

Belfast Crown Court heard the carpet fitter mounted the compassionate bail application as his 89-year-old father is in Altnagelvin Hospital suffering from bowel cancer and has been given “months” to live.

Opposing his bid for freedom, a prosecution lawyer said the weapon, ammunition, garden gloves and latex gloves were found in Collett’s car after it was stopped by a specialist police unit on Derry’s Letterkenny Road on May 21, 2024.

She told Belfast Recorder Judge Philip Gilpin that police observed Collett going to the home of his co-accused where the weapon was collected and put in the boot of his car.

“The prosecution does have sympathy for Mr Collett in relation to his father but he no longer enjoys the presumption of innocence after his pleas of guilty to two charges,” said the prosecution barrister.

“He is now facing a minimum of five years in prison for his offending.”

A letter from a consultant in acute medicine at Altnagelvin Hospital was furnished to the court which stated that Collett’s father was seriously ill and had only “months” but it was possible his health could rapidly deteriorate.

The prosecution lawyer said there was no suggestion that death was “imminent” and Mr Collett snr is currently stable in hospital.

“What concerns us is that these compassionate bail applications may be brought back on a regular basis. We say there is no imminency and no urgency. Should his condition deteriorate, then this can be looked at again.”

She said Collett had published a number of photographs on his Facebook page which showed an association with violent dissident republicans in Derry.

“He published a photograph with Jason Ceulemans who has terrorist convictions. We say this is a man who has profound and unshakeable links, ties and support for dissident republicanism.”

The prosecution barrister said there were also concerns around the safety of Collett and his father.

“This was a very significant loss for the New IRA of this weapon and ammunition and we are concerned there could be a reprisal attack,” she added.

Defence solicitor Rory Muldoon said Collett only wanted to be released from Maghaberry Prison for up to six hours to visit his dying father in Altnagelvin Hospital.

“His father is now 89 years old and has bowel cancer. There is nothing that can be done for him. This is an application by my client to say goodbye to his father. Mr Collett senior will either go home for care or go to the hospice.”

He said that prior to his arrest in May 2024, police had no intelligence on Collett who has a completely clean record.

Mr Muldoon said the photographs referenced by the prosecution were taken in a local bar in the Brandywell where he grew up.

The solicitor said Collett’s brother-in-law has put up a £5,000 cash surety and the defendant’s wife has “scraped together” a further £5,000 cash surety to secure her husband’s release on compassionate bail, one of whom would pick up him up from the jail and take him to the hospital and back to custody.

“This is a very special relationship between a father and his son. Mr Collett was the principal carer for his father before he went into custody.

“The idea that he would get involved with dissident republican activity. That just doesn’t hold water,” added Mr Muldoon.

Following submissions, the Belfast Recorder said he agreed with the prosecution that the compassionate bail application was “premature” and refused to grant Collett temporary release to visit his father.

However, Judge Gilpin said the application could be revisited if there was a deterioration in Mr Collett snr’s condition.

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Marco Wanjura, part of the Palestine Solidarity Austria team organising the event, said: “The European Song Contest claims to stand for solidarity, love, diversity, and everything, but in reality… this year’s contest is hosting Israel as a country which is right now committing a genocide in Gaza.

In their decision, delivered on March 13, the LGO concluded that Croydon’s actions caused the family severe physical, emotional and psychological distress. Alongside the financial payout of £7,700 to Miss X, the council was made to issue a formal apology and backdate the mother’s priority status on the housing register.

Trains between York and Leeds are currently blocked following a safety inspection of the track in the Church Fenton area, where a broken rail was discovered.

The disruption was first reported at 4.35pm today (May 15) and delays are expected until the end of the day.

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“A safety inspection of the track in the Church Fenton area means the lines towards Leeds are blocked. Trains running between York and Leeds via Cross Gates may be cancelled, delayed by up to 30 minutes, revised or diverted,” said a spokesperson for National Rail.

Northern trains are not able to run between York and Leeds in both directions, but services between York and Leeds via Harrogate are not affected.

At peak times services that divert may miss Garforth- people travelling there should speak to station staff to ensure that they do not miss their stop.

Tickets can be used at no extra cost on the following services:

• The two CrossCountry services operating before and after your cancelled service
• Transpennine Express services between York and Leeds / Doncaster and Sheffield
• Northern services between York and Leeds / Leeds and Sheffield

National Rail added that if you decide to travel from a different station due to this disruption and need to return to that station later, you will also be able to use your existing ticket to do this at no extra cost.

Road transport has been requested to operate between York and Leeds. 

Darlington Borough Council has developed the plan based on four key priorities, following conversations with residents.  

Other priorities include improving community cohesion as well as tackling drugs and substance misuse, domestic abuse and sexual violence.

It comes as the local authority is working with Durham Constabulary to cut crime across the town and make the area safer. 

A recent residents’ survey found concerns over personal safety had increased in the past year due to a rise in local incidents. Around 78 per cent of respondents to a recent survey felt incidents of anti-social behaviour had increased over the past 12 months. 

Almost 60 per cent of respondents also felt that incidents of overall crime had increased. 

Off-road bikes are at the centre of the majority of residents’ complaints, councillors said. 

Councillor Heather Scott, of Park West ward, said several roads in the area had become “rat-runs” and were frequently used by vehicles. 

She added: “Residents are afraid to go out because of the number of off-road bikes in the area. People have been threatened and abused by these people on off-road bikes. 

“It is a major issue and the police are under great stress to deal with it.”

Darlington’s MP Lola McEvoy previously called for new powers to stop balaclava-wearing gangs plaguing residents and suggested £100 fines be issued to anyone caught wearing face coverings to intimidate people. 

And Jonathan Dulston, Conservative leader and Eastbourne ward member, said the police should step up their work to prevent the complaints. 

He said: “Bikers are driving at high speeds in built-up areas in parks and on pavements.

“The police need to acknowledge that, unless they change their approach and start responding to the threats the public is seeing, they are never going to solve this problem.”

The authority’s latest Community Safety Plan was agreed by members at Thursday’s full council meeting, and covers the period between 2026 and 2029.

What do you think needs to be done to tackle the scourge of off-road bikes? Have your say in the comments.

A social media influencer from Tennessee known online as “Chud the Builder” and for posting racist videos has been given a $1.25 million preliminary bond on charges including attempted murder, officials said Friday.

Dalton Eatherly, 28, is accused of shooting another person in the middle of the day on Wednesday outside the Montgomery County Courthouse during an altercation.

At his arraignment, prosecutors requested that he be held without bond pending a full hearing next week.

Judge H. Reid Poland III rejected that request but imposed a high bond, “based upon the fact of how many people were here in the courtyard or at the courthouse and the seriousness of these felonies.”

In addition to the attempted murder charge, Eatherly faces charges of employing a firearm during a dangerous felony, aggravated assault and reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon.

Poland also noted that Eatherly had previously been released on bond in two other cases. He faces a harassment charge in Montgomery County from November. He was also charged last week in Nashville’s Davidson County with theft of services, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.

In audio shared online after the alleged incident, Eatherly was heard claiming he had acted “in self defense” and claimed the other individual had “hit me and started wailing on me.”

“I will defend my life with lethal force. Do not approach me with intent to threaten bodily harm,” he wrote on his X account last week.

An attorney who was appointed to represent Eatherly on the felony charges Friday, Jacob Fendley, did not return a phone call requesting comment.

Eatherly, who is white, posts videos to social media where he tries to provoke Black passersby by using racial slurs and racist dog whistles. He makes videos in Nashville and in Montgomery County’s Clarksville.

He was being held in the Montgomery County jail on Friday, according to jail records. A full bond hearing is scheduled on May 21, and a preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 26.

Billy Stokoe’s mother handed him over to the police

A teenage e‑bike rider high on cannabis was captured on CCTV fleeing the scene after fatally mowing down a great‑grandmother on a zebra crossing.

The incident, which took place in Sunderland, was described in court as “an accident waiting to happen” as Billy Stokoe, 19, was jailed for six years and nine months after ploughing into 86‑year‑old Gloria Stephenson.

The teen had been scrolling through messages on his mobile phone and was unable to brake with his left hand occupied. The impact killed Ms Stephenson instantly; the devoted mother of four and grandmother of 13 had been out walking her daughter’s dog on May 16 last year.

Footage from roadside cameras shows Stokoe being thrown from his high‑powered £4,000 Sur‑Ron Light Bee X, an off‑road machine being ridden illegally on public roads, before removing his balaclava, approaching his victim, and then climbing back onto the bike to flee, leaving her dying in the road.

Stokoe’s mother handed him over to the police and, after arriving at the local police station, he asked officers, “Is she dead?”

On Friday (May 15), at Newcastle Crown Court, Stokoe was sentenced after admitting causing death by dangerous driving, causing death while driving unlicensed and causing death while driving an uninsured vehicle at an earlier hearing.

He will serve up to half of his sentence before becoming eligible for release, and will be banned from driving for five years after his release.

Ms Stephenson’s family spoke of the devastating loss of a “beautiful, intelligent, fiercely independent” great-grandmother with a “zest for life”. Ms Stephenson, who had been widowed three times, had enjoyed a successful career in the NHS.

She also had four daughters, who described her as fit and active, adding that she was looking forward to a holiday in Lanzarote, where she had a “huge circle of friends”.

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“You, on your illegal defective bike. You, speeding. You, on your phone. You, under the influence of cannabis. Mam didn’t stand a chance,” said Ms Stephenson’s daughter, Lisa Trench.

Her sister, Julie Francis, said: “He ran off and left her like she was nothing. I don’t know what he will do in the future, but he will never ever hold a light to our mum. He is just a coward, thinking only of himself. He left her alone to die like she was rubbish in the gutter.”

The court heard how Stokoe travelled to Wembley Stadium to watch Sunderland play just eight days after killing the pensioner. He then applied for his bail to be amended so he could go abroad on holiday.

The 19-year-old was also condemned for making three Crown Court appearances before entering a guilty plea.

“We had to go to Crown Court three times before he admitted his guilt, which I find disgusting. Obviously, it is traumatic for us but it wastes public money and police time. There is no consideration for the community and for people suffering,” Ms Francis said.

“Ten days after he killed my mother, he actually applied to have his bail changed so he could go and see Sunderland in the play offs at Wembley. And then he applied to go on holiday as well. So this young man showed no remorse whatsoever.

“And that just adds to our trauma and our anger really. We have all seen these bikes on the streets and they are a menace. So the law needs to be changed.”

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Ms Murphy added: “Even when we were planning the funeral, he was asking about the holiday he had booked before he killed our mother. It was like it was an inconvenience, ‘I’ve just killed somebody and I need to go on holiday’. That’s not a remorseful person.”

When Northumbria Police issued a public appeal for information, Stokoe’s mum took him to the nearest police station to hand himself in.

Superintendent Billy Mulligan, of Northumbria Police, who led the investigation, said Stokoe had been seen riding dangerously around Sunderland and weaving through traffic shortly before the collision.

He described it as an “accident waiting to happen”, saying: “These bikes are very fast, they can go from 0 to 60 mph faster than most cars.”

Supt Mulligan said: “He was seen riding the bike at speed for most of the day. Footage before the incident shows him riding without using his hands, without using the brake, weaving in and out of traffic, and going around parked and moving cars.

“Billy ignored the normal route, overtook, and hit Gloria Stephenson on the zebra crossing. The first thing he does is go back, get on his bike and then realise what he has done.

“Members of the public are helping Gloria but he gets back on his bike and leaves the area. CCTV shows him fleeing to an associate’s address, where he hides the bike and walks away as if nothing happened. His own mother tells him to turn himself in. He admitted causing death by dangerous driving.”

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Unai Emery’s Villa, of course, have the small matter of a European final to be thinking about. Tonight’s will be their final outing before they head to Istanbul to face Freiburg in the Europa League final, where victory will send them into the Champions League. However, they are not in wonderful form, with just one win in their last five across all competitions, and will hope to build some momentum here.

The Greater Manchester Mayor declared he would seek permission from Labour’s National Executive Committee (NEC) to contest the by-election after the current MP, Josh Simons, announced on Thursday he would quit Parliament to make way for Mr Burnham.

If successful, Mr Burnham is widely expected to challenge Sir Keir Starmer for the party leadership.

A Labour Party spokesperson said: “Labour’s ruling body, the National Executive Committee has today given permission to Andy Burnham to stand in the candidate selection process in the forthcoming by-election for the Makerfield constituency.”

Yesterday, Thursday, May 14, Mr Burnham issued a statement on X.

It read: “”I can confirm that I will be requesting the permission of the NEC to stand in the Makerfield by-election.

“I grew up in this area and have lived here for 25 years. I care deeply about it and its people. I know they have been let down by national politics. Ten years ago, I decided to leave Westminster. Why? Because, after 16 years, I came to the conclusion that our national political system does not work for areas like ours.

“I learnt this fighting its failure to invest in the Wigan borough, for justice for the Hillsborough families and against its treatment of Greater Manchester during the pandemic. Over the last decade, I have been challenging this failure from the outside and building a new and better way of doing politics.

“We have built Greater Manchester into the fastest-growing city-region in the UK and put buses back under public control, introducing a £2 fare cap to help people with cost-of-living pressures. However, there is only so much that can be done from Greater Manchester.

“Much bigger change is needed at a national level if everyday life is to be made more affordable again. This is why I now seek people’s support to return to Parliament: to bring the change we have brought to Greater Manchester to the whole of the UK and make politics work properly for people.

“Millions are struggling and they need the Labour Government to succeed. It has already made changes to make life better for them in its first two years. After this week, we owe it to people to come back together as a Labour movement, giving the Prime Minister and the Government the space and stability they need as the by-election takes place.

“I want to recognise the difficult decision taken by Josh Simons and the sacrifice he and his family are making. I have worked closely with him as Mayor on issues like flooding and illegal waste dumping and have seen first-hand how effective he has been. He has put the communities of Makerfield first, made a real difference for them and should take great pride in that.

“Finally, I truly do not take a single vote for granted and will work hard to regain the trust of people in the Makerfield constituency, many of whom have long supported our party but lost faith in recent times. We will change Labour for the better and make it a party you can believe in again.”

Aston Villa and Liverpool meet in the Premier League tonight in their quest for Champions League qualification

Aston Villa host Liverpool this evening in Friday night Premier League action at Villa Park.

The two teams meet in the Midlands locked on the same number of points – 59 – with the Reds in fourth place and Villa in fifth thanks to the Merseysiders’ superior goal difference.

Both sides look well placed to secure Champions League football next season but could in theory still be caught by sixth-placed Bournemouth.

The Cherries face a tough test against Manchester City next Tuesday.

A win for either Unai Emery or Arne Slot’s charges tonight would also keep the pressure on third-place Manchester United.

Here is everything you need to know about the clash in Birmingham.

When is Villa v Liverpool?

Villa v the Reds gets under way on Friday, May 15, at 8pm, at Villa Park, Birmingham.

Is the game on TV?

Yes, the game is on TV – Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League are showing this one.

Coverage starts at 7pm on both channels.