His girlfriend’s son has been arrested on suspicion of murder.
Police responded to a 911 call at a property in Tarzana, in San Fernando Valley, at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday morning and found Handy, 81, unconscious in the front yard with a stab wound to his chest.
He was taken to a local hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
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Michael Gledhill, 44, the son of Handy’s girlfriend, who lived at the residence with his mother, has since been arrested.
Gledhill was taken into custody and booked at a Van Nuys jail.
Handy made his film debut in 1981 and also appeared in such well-known movies as Bird, Arachnophobia, The Rocketeer, Logan and Suburbicon.
He also made a string of appearances in popular TV shows like Quantum Leap, Murder She Wrote, Melrose Place, NYPD Blue, The X Files,The West Wing and Alias.
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Hollywood actor James Handy fatally stabbed at Los Angeles home
James Handy, the actor known for roles in films such as Jumanji and Top Gun: Maverick, was stabbed to death at a Los Angeles home on Wednesday, police said. He was 81.
The Los Angeles police said officers from its West Valley division responded to a 911 call indicating “unknown trouble” at a property in Tarzana, in San Fernando Valley, at around 9.30am local time on Wednesday.
They found Handy unconscious in the front yard with a stab wound to his chest. He was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Police identified the suspect as Michael Gledhill, 44.
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Investigators said he lived at the property with his mother, whom they described as Handy’s girlfriend.
Police said Gledhill approached officers responding to the scene and “told them he was the one they were looking for.”
Gledhill was arrested and booked at the Van Nuys jail on suspicion of murder.
Shahana Yasmin has this report.
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Joe Sommerlad5 June 2026 08:45
Good morning
Hello and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of the tragic death of American actor James Handy, who was fatally stabbed at his Los Angeles home Wednesday.
Police have since arrested the son of his girlfriend.
English football’s independent regulator faces a “defining test” as Saudi Arabian government official Turki Al-Sheikh attempts to invest in Derby County, says Amnesty International.
Al-Sheikh, who has previously owned football clubs in Spain and Egypt and is now among the most powerful figures in world boxing, is looking to buy a stake in the Championship side.
As chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority – and someone who is a prominent figure in the close circle of the country’s de facto ruler Mohammed bin Salman – 44-year-old Al-Sheikh has been criticised by human rights groups for his role in alleged ‘sportswashing’ by Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia has been accused of using sport and culture to improve its reputation and to distract from the nation’s poor human rights record, treatment of women, use of the death penalty and its anti-LGBT stance.
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Al-Sheikh will need approval from the independent football regulator (IFR) – a body that was formed only last year to safeguard the future and integrity of the game.
Both bodies, as well as Derby County, have declined to comment on Al-Sheikh’s interest in the Championship side when contacted by the BBC, as have Al-Sheikh’s representatives.
“This is a defining test for English football’s new independent regulator,” said Felix Jakens, head of campaigns at human rights group Amnesty International UK.
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“Will it allow a senior representative of a government directly implicated in mass human rights violations to take control of one of the country’s oldest football clubs? The regulator must ask these questions and answer them transparently.”
With Premier League side Newcastle United already owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Amnesty International said any stake bought by Al-Sheikh “would mark a significant expansion of Saudi Arabia’s footprint in English football”.
Emergency services were called to the incident, which happened at Bag Lane, Atherton, at roughly 11.25pm on Thursday, June 4.
Two fire engines and an enhanced rescue unit attended the scene, with crews staying there for two hours.
It resulted in two people being treated by ambulances and later being taken to the hospital.
(Image: Alan Cunliffe)
A witness, from Atherton, said: “I got off the 132 bus, as I had been out with friends in Tyldesley.
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“The curiosity got the better of me as I walked around the corner and emergency response units, then as I looked down Bag Lane, I saw the car parked in the house.
“All I could see was the fire engines, and I could smell gas. It’s not a well-lit area.”
Emergency services cordoned off Bag Lane, and traffic going through the road had to re-divert around Atherton.
Pictures show that Greater Manchester Police also seem to have attended the scene. They have been approached for comment.
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(Image: Alan Cunliffe)
A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) said: “At around 11.25 pm on Thursday 4 June, two fire engines from Atherton and Hindley and an enhanced rescue unit from Leigh attended an incident on Bag Lane, Atherton.
“A vehicle had collided with a property, and firefighters used specialist equipment to make the area safe.
“Two casualties were treated by partners from Northwest Ambulance Service and taken to the hospital.
His solicitor David Jones addressed Madam Justice McBride and said that whilst this was a case affected by the current withdrawal of services, the arraignment could go ahead.
Mr Jones added: “The accused is aware of the consequences of the action he is about to take and the arraignment can proceed, My Lady.”
From Ardglen Place in Belfast, Hughes was asked to stand by a court clerk who then charged him with the murder of Ms Montgomery.
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When asked how he pleaded to the charge, Hughes replied “guilty.”
Hughes was then charged with ‘intent to destroy the life of a child capable of being born alive by a wilful act, caused a child to die before it had an existence independent of its mother’ on the same date.
To his second charge, Hughes again replied “guilty.”
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Following this, Hughes was addressed by Madam Justice McBride who told him: “In light of the pleas there is only one sentence of imprisonment that I can impose and that is one of life imprisonment.
“Before I can set a Tariff, you may wish to have some further evidence and reports.”
The proposals for two cops in the city comes in the wake of repeated calls for a return to bobbies on the beat to tackle anti-social behaviour and a surge in shoplifting.
Plans are afoot for Police Scotland to have two dedicated officers patrolling Perth city centre Monday to Friday.
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The news comes in the wake of repeated calls for a return to bobbies on the beat to tackle anti-social behaviour and a surge in shoplifting.
At a Perth and Kinross Council committee meeting this week, Chief Inspector Jamie Allen said having a visible police presence was something he feels is “very important”.
According to the latest Police Scotland annual report, shoplifting in Perth and Kinross has more than doubled since 2022/23 and rose by 47 per cent last year alone. Between April 1, 2025 and March 31, 2026 there were 1193 shoplifting incidents compared to 814 the previous year.
On top of shoplifting, a recent Freedom of Information request by the Scottish Conservatives, found there were 49 incidents of retail workers in Perth city centre being assaulted and 27 incidents of retail staff being threatened or abused in 2024/25.
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Calling for action, Mid Scotland and Fife MSP Murdo Fraser met with the local police chief and said: “Crime in Perth city centre is now out of control.”
Last month, Perth and Kinross Council leader and Perth City Centre ward councillor Eric Drysdale met with police officers to discuss anti-social behaviour in Perth City Centre, following concerns which included drunken misbehaviour, vandalism and graffiti.
At a meeting of the Housing and Social Wellbeing Committee on Wednesday, June 3 Independent councillor – and former SNP leader – Grant Laing called for a police presence in Perth city centre.
Addressing senior police officers at Wednesday’s meeting, Cllr Grant Laing said: “I know you’re constricted with workforce and funding. I understand that.
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“We need boots on the ground and, I think, working together, we could do it.”
He added: “We, as a local authority, spend a lot of money on community wardens, who have no power. I speak to them. They can’t enforce a by-law, they can’t take drink off somebody. They can ask them to move on, they can’t do anything about it. They can’t go into a shop and reassure.
“Could we possibly bring something through to address perceived and real issues that they feel are going on in the city centre?”
Chief Inspector Jamie Allen confirmed he would support a funded post and revealed plans were being put in place to have two dedicated police officers patrol Perth City Centre Monday to Friday.
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Ch Insp Allen said: “In relation to the visibility side of things in Perth city centre, we’re very conscious of what the feelings are.
“And, for me, visibility is very important. It goes back to that fear of crime and deterrent factor for people as well.
“We are in the process of having a couple of officers dedicated, Monday to Friday, to be in Perth city centre, to be that link in with the shops. But the most important thing for me is to be that visibility to be seen walking around and engaging with people. That’s just the start of something we are trying to do.
“For me, even two officers dedicated to something like that could have quite a big impact on the city centre.
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“It’s the community policing aspect of it, they’ll know the people going around and will be able to engage with them. Vulnerable people will begin to recognise them and go to them if they see them every day there. So that is something we are doing.”
Manchester City duo Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw and Yui Hasegawa have been shortlisted for the Professional Footballers’ Association’s Women’s Player of the Year award.
Shaw, who was named the Football Writers’ Association Women’s Footballer of the Year in May, scored a league-high 21 goals in 22 matches as Manchester City won the WSL title for the second time.
Japan’s Hasegawa was another key figure for City, who also won the FA Cup.
Arsenal’s Alessio Russo, who finished second to Shaw in the Golden Boot competition for leading scorer, is joined on the shortlist by fellow England internationals Lauren James (Chelsea) and Jess Park (Manchester United).
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Aston Villa forward Kirsty Hanson is the sixth and final nominee, having scored 12 goals in 22 matches for the Villans.
The winner will be announced on 25 August at the PFA Awards ceremony in Manchester.
The controversial moments featured Jeremy Clarkson issuing an apology to audiences following Diddly Squat Farm’s veterinary surgeon Dilwyn Evans performing a post-mortem examination on a sheep discovered in a field.
Following Jeremy’s retrieval of the dead animal to Diddly Squat Farm in his Range Rover, which subsequently stank from the smell, he observed the vet conducting a post-mortem to determine the cause of the sheep’s death.
While examining the sheep’s carcass, the vet inadvertently cut open the animal’s intestines, which then began to emerge.
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Jeremy then spoke directly to Clarkson’s Farm audiences: “We did say we would show farming warts and all on this show, but this is really stretching it.”
He continued by questioning the vet: “Dilwyn, what are you learning from this?” Dilwyn responded: “Yeah, this is well dead.”
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Jeremy and the remaining production staff could be heard chuckling in the background.
Jeremy then faced the camera and stated: “I’d like to apologise on behalf of the entire Clarkson’s Farm team for this scene. I promise we will try to lift the mood.”
Jeremy did succeed in brightening the atmosphere with his chaotic Christmas grotto, which featured goats devouring the Christmas tree and uncooperative Easy Care sheep outmanoeuvring him and Kaleb Cooper.
Nevertheless, viewers had one significant query regarding a missing personality: Richard Ham, who had a substantial presence in series four. Scores of fans took to X (formerly Twitter) to enquire about the pig, who was named after Jeremy’s fellow Grand Tour and Top Gear presenter Richard Hammond.
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One viewer wrote: “Just finished the first 4 episodes of @ClarksonsFarm1. I can’t be the only one wondering what fate has befallen Richard Ham? No mention of him at all!”
A second commented: “Loving season 5 of #ClarksonsFarm but @JeremyClarkson ……what happened to Richard Ham?”
A third added: “Loved the first four episodes of #clarksonfarm @JeremyClarkson last episode with the piggies did Richard Ham even go ? can’t wait for the next instalment [sic].”
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Another user posted: “@JeremyClarkson What happened to Richard Ham?? He’s still a beloved family member right???? RIGHT????”
Yet another enquired: “@JeremyClarkson does Richard Ham remain a family pet or did he cop it with the rest.”
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In devastating scenes, Jeremy faced the difficult choice of selling his rare Oxford and Sandy Black Pigs after discovering they carried too much fat and were only suitable for sausage production.
With the financials simply not stacking up, Jeremy reluctantly sold the pigs, leaving him in tears.
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It remains to be seen whether fan-favourite Richard Ham was spared the same fate or whether he too was among those that left the farm.
Clarkson’s Farm season 5 airs on Prime Video on Wednesdays
The victim worked regular 12-hour shifts and earned more than £12,000, but he was only given £90 by the couple
Two people ran a modern slavery operation that stole thousands of pounds from a man working at a McDonald’s restaurant in Cambridgeshire. Jan Drevenak, 39, and Monika Olahova, 41, exploited a man who worked at a McDonald’s in Caxton Gibbet, taking nearly all of his wages.
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The victim, a man in his 40s from the Czech Republic, was befriended by Drevenak in 2017 after being made redundant. Drevenak told the man that he had family living in the UK and could easily arrange regular work and accommodation.
Detective Sergeant Nick Webber said: “This case once again emphasises that sadly modern slavery can happen anywhere. Drevenak befriended a man who had fallen on hard times and despicably decided to exploit him.
“The victim was sold a dream of a fresh start in the UK, but it turned into a nightmare as he was forced to work long shifts for virtually no pay.”
He organised transport for the victim, on agreement he would pay him back out of his wages once he arrived in the UK. Drevenak initially took the man to Derby early in 2018, before they moved to a property in Bedford where they lived together.
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This meant they were closer to the Cambourne area where Drevenak’s brother and partner lived. The pair used their family connections to gain employment for the victim at McDonald’s in Caxton Gibbet, with online applications and tests completed for the victim to enable the exploitation.
From March until October 2018, the victim worked regular 12-hour shifts and earned more than £12,000, but he was only given £90 by the couple. The man’s wages were paid into a bank account controlled by Drevenak’s partner, Olahova, 41. When he asked for more money, he was told his salary was paying off transport costs and debts for food and accommodation.
Drevenak controlled the man’s passport and ID card, with the victim also reporting being assaulted by him on multiple occasions. In October 2018, the victim decided to leave the property and moved in with Drevenak’s brother who lived closer to the restaurant.
The court heard how Drevenak received £1,000 from his brother due to the change in circumstances and the victim’s wages stopped going into Olahova’s account. Police received information that workers at the restaurant were being exploited in October 2019 and specialist officers spoke to the victim.
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Drevenak, of Crown Gardens, Alconbury, near Huntingdon, and Olahova, of Stone Hill, St Neots, both denied holding a person in slavery and arranging or facilitating travel of another person with a view to exploitation.
They were both found guilty on both counts following a trial at Luton Crown Court. On Thursday, June 4, at the same court, Drevenak was jailed for eight years and Olahova for six years and six months. Both also face deportation – Drevenak after two thirds of his sentence and Olahova after half.
Drevenak’s brother and partner were found guilty of modern slavery offences in 2023 and were jailed for more than 10 years.
On sentencing, His Honour Judge Geoffrey Payne said: “Slavery is a modern-day evil. All humans have the right to dignity and worth. The victim in this case was robbed of those. He was kept in disdainful conditions and treated as property.”
A long-serving BBC presenter has lost his unfair dismissal claim after being sacked for branding a fellow host “sociopathic” in a dispute over comments on Hamas.
Sean McGinty, who worked for BBC Radio Lancashire for over two decades, was dismissed following posts on X in which he criticised the BBC’s coverage of the conflict in the Middle East on social media.
Mr McGinty, who suffers from ADHD and severe anxiety, argued his actions were a result of his conditions and brought a discrimination case against the broadcaster.
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However, the tribunal found his claims were “not well-founded”.
The presenter, who was 63 at the time of his dismissal, had been a broadcast journalist, presenter, and producer at BBC Radio Lancashire since September 2006, with a total of 22 years as a reporter.
It was noted that he had not informed one of his managers about his ADHD diagnosis.
Sean McGinty sent an email to BBC Radio 5 Live presenter Nihal Arthanayake, pictured, labelling him ‘sociopathic’ (PA Archive)
Following the October 2023 Hamas attacks in Israel, Mr McGinty was critical of the BBC and the way it reported on the attack.
The BBC Policy for personal social media use at the time read that staff were not “prohibited from using social media platforms in a personal capacity”.
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“The BBC’s reputation for impartiality and objectivity is however crucial,” it said.
“Staff should take reasonable steps to ensure their activity on social media does not undermine the BBC’s nor their own, professional impartiality or reputation and/or bring the organisation into disrepute.”
Mr McGinty posted numerous times on X regarding subjects including Hamas and expressing anti-trans views.
Mr McGinty later emailed Mr Arthanavake – who recently quit 5Live – and his production team under the subject heading ‘Nihal’s contextualising Murders Book Club’.
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The email read: “I felt I ought to step offline and take some time (a week is just enough) to consider how to express my thoughts on your tweet below…”
“It is remarkable that you have the hubris to instruct me to read a book so I can find out why these animals are such murderous bastards…these are actions of evil monsters…It’s sociopathic of you to suggest anyone should read a book to seek context…I don’t look for context for disgusting excuses for human beings.
“That being said, I am looking forward to your recommending books that give some context and understanding of Lucy Letby, Harold Shipman and the Yorkshire ripper. I hear Stalin had a terrible childhood. You should do your own book club.”
He was later moved to a BBC sounds role but was not happy and believed the “reorganisation was destroying the BBC”.
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Mr McGinty continued to post on X about the conflict in the Middle East and transgender issues, saying that Jewish people were being “forced to leave Israel”.
An investigation began and he took the posts down, saying that he was “under a great deal of stress and anxiety because again BBC bosses are having a pop at me when it is the talent that is the problem”.
He went on long-term sick leave in November 2023.
He was due to return to work in January 2024 but did not turn up, despite being called by colleagues.
In February 2024 he put up more posts criticising the BBC, saying it should “hang your head in shame”.
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In April 2024 he contacted his boss and told him about his ADHD diagnosis, which led to an occupational health report which found him unfit for work.
He was later taken to a disciplinary hearing for his social media posts and was sacked for gross misconduct in July 2024.
During the proceedings he posted on X saying: “I am about to get sacked by the BBC for gross misconduct for stating biological and journalistic truths.”
He later appealed the decision, saying that his behaviour changed because of his mental health condition, but it was unsuccessful.
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It was found that his actions constituted a “failure to adhere to the expected standards regarding impartiality and respect in your public discourse, and your failure to seek the necessary approval before writing publicly about the BBC in your blogs”.
Mr McGinty brought claims of disability discrimination, failure to make reasonable adjustments and unfair dismissal to the employment tribunal in Liverpool.
His claims were all unsuccessful and dismissed.
Employment Judge Dawn Shottey said: “The Tribunal found there was no causal connection between his disability and the gross misconduct Mr McGinty was accused of.
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“[Mr McGinty] says he has a right to hold his views and there is no disputing that he indeed had this right.
“The problem for [Mr McGinty] was communicating his views to the wider public in breach of fundamental constraints imposed on him given the fact he was employed as a journalist and subjected to policies, which if breached, could result in disciplinary proceedings and dismissal.
“The Tribunal found on the balance of probabilities [the BBC] otherwise acted in a procedurally fair manner and the dismissal fell well within the range of reasonable responses.
“The Tribunal found that contemporaneous documents support this analysis, including [Mr McGinty’s] deliberate attempt to circumvent managerial control by failing to inform higher management and the press office of his proposed communications before they were made public because he knew that “they would say no”.
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“Objectively assessed, such behaviour cannot fall under the definition of impulsivity, and for [Mr McGinty] to limit his posts so that they can be read by his followers alone (and not viewed by [the BBC]) suggested calculated conduct and not impulsive behaviour.”
Emergency services have descended on a busy south Manchester road following a crash. Part of Southmoor Road, in Wythenshawe, is closed off between Royal Oak Road and Floatshall Road, either side of Baguley tram stop, this morning (June 5).
The Manchester Evening News understands officers and paramedics are responding to a crash. An air ambulance was seen landing near to the crash scene this morning.
A section of the road has been taped off. Multiple North West Ambulance Service vehicles have been seen in attendance. Transport for Greater Manchester says buses are being diverted in the area.
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A post on the Bee Network website said: “Due to a road traffic collision on Southmoor Road, bus services are on diversion. Services will omit stops on part of Southmoor Road, Ledson Road and Floats Road and Wythenshawe Hospital.”
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