The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued an alert to parents over an illness that ‘spreads faster than the common cold’ and is ‘a lot more serious’.
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In a post on X, formerly Twitter, it said: “Remember believing the wildest playground rumours? Sadly, measles spreads even faster than the gossip. Keep your child protected by staying up to date with their vaccines.”
The update continues: “Playground rumours spread fast, but playground illnesses spread faster. Illnesses like measles can spread a lot faster than the common cold, and are a lot more serious.
“Make sure your child is up to date with their vaccines.” Initial symptoms of measles include a runny or blocked nose, a high temperature, a cough, sneezing, and red, sore, watery eyes.
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A rash typically emerges a few days afterwards, beginning on the face and behind the ears before spreading across the rest of the body. The rash’s spots are occasionally raised and join together to form blotchy patches, and they’re not usually itchy.
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The rash appears brown or red on white skin and may be more difficult to spot on brown or black skin. NHS guidance adds: “It’s unlikely to be measles if you’ve had both doses of the MMRV or MMR vaccine or you’ve had measles before.”
Request an urgent GP appointment or contact NHS 111 if:
you suspect you or your child may have measles
your child is under a year old and has come into contact with someone who has measles
you’ve been in close contact with someone who has measles and you’re pregnant or have a weakened immune system
you or your child have not had measles or two doses of either the MMRV or MMR vaccine and you (or your child) have been in close contact with someone with measles
you or your child have a high temperature that has not come down after taking paracetamol or ibuprofen
you or your child have difficulty breathing – you may feel more short of breath than usual
your baby or young child is not feeding well, or taking less feeds or fluids than usual
you or your child are peeing less than usual (or your baby has fewer wet nappies)
you or your child feels very unwell, or you’re worried something is seriously wrong
Measles can spread to others easily. Call your GP surgery before attending.
They may suggest a phone consultation or make arrangements for you to visit a section of the surgery where you’re kept separate from others.
For years, geopolitical analysts warned us that among the scariest of all scenarios for the world economy was the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Well, now, in practice, that is precisely what has happened. Shipping through this narrow channel, the gateway to the Persian Gulf, has dwindled to close to zero. The worst nightmare has materialised.
And yet the funny thing is that in certain respects the world seems no different to how it was before. The S&P 500, the benchmark share index in America, has barely budged. The FTSE 100 is down a bit, but is still a bit higher than it was a month ago. All of which raises the question: might this not be quite as bad as everyone was fearing?
However, talk to those who understand energy markets and the economic geography of the Gulf and its customers, and a very different story emerges. True, the impact of the closure might take some time to be felt, but it could be totally destabilising, both for the Gulf countries and the wider world.
A harbinger of higher inflation
Starting with the wider world, the sharp increase in gas prices is a harbinger of higher inflation in the coming months. For a long time, countries like the UK had assumed that Qatar would be among the most reliable of all suppliers of natural gas. Now, not only are the LNG tankers that once took Qatari gas out and into the world unable to access the Gulf, but the Qatari gas fields are no longer operational.
For many Asian countries, from India and Pakistan to South Korea and Taiwan, this is a disastrous prospect. Most of them have little if any stockpiles of gas, so in the coming months they will scramble to secure enough methane to keep their power stations running and heating systems working. That, in turn, will chase up prices around the world, including in Europe, which is also dependent on LNG to fill some of the gap left by Russian gas following the shutdown of some of its pipeline supply following the invasion of Ukraine. The longer the straits are closed and the longer Qatar doesn’t pump gas, the deeper this crisis will be.
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Every day items rely on Gulf production
And it’s not just gas. Qatar is also responsible for a third of the world’s helium. Without helium, MRI scanners cannot function and certain quantum computers cannot work, since they depend on the gas to cool their magnets and circuits. The Gulf provides around half of the world’s sulphuric acid, without which you cannot make explosives or refine copper. In short, you can expect the disruption in the Gulf to fan out in the broader world with every day that goes by.
Image: An aerial view of the Iranian shores and the island of Qeshm in the strait of Hormuz in 2023. File pic: Reuters
But the consequences are even more severe for those trapped inside the Gulf. In a perfect world, they would have enough pipelines to get their oil out of the Gulf, but in practice, there is nowhere near enough pipeline capacity. The upshot is that without tankers to ship their oil, the crude coursing up from under the ground in Saudi, Kuwait, Iraq and Abu Dhabi will have nowhere to go.
Ed Conway on what happens when oil doesn’t get out of the Strait of Hormuz.
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Big questions for people and the environment
These nations have only a limited amount of storage for that oil, raising the question: what happens in a matter of days when that storage is exhausted? The short answer is either they will have to shut down their oil fields – something that could damage them permanently – or burn or spill the oil as it emerges.
Then there are the deeper questions for what this implies for a region dependent on immigrants. What happens if and when those immigrants, most of whom never anticipated having to live under threat of aerial bombardment, leave the country? What does that do to the Gulf model?
None of the answers to any of the questions posed above are particularly pretty. None are especially encouraging for the global economy. They are, not to put too fine a point on it, all quite scary. Which is why we should all hope the Straits of Hormuz are not closed for long. Because the longer it stays closed, the more of a nightmare this is likely to be.
Shoppers say the frozen Greggs products from Iceland supermarket taste just as good as the fresh versions from Greggs shops, but some people aren’t convinced that’s the case
Danielle Kate Wroe Senior Social News Reporter
15:18, 06 Mar 2026
There’s nothing quite like a Greggs sausage roll as a lunchtime indulgence when you’re out and about. The golden flaky pastry, the perfectly seasoned meat wrapped inside, what more could you possibly want? And, if you’re a vegan, you don’t have to miss out either, because the one for non-meat-eaters is just as delicious.
However, there’s no denying that they can be a little on the expensive side, and if you’re feeling absolutely starving and fancy a couple of the pastries, it will cost you more than it did previously. That’s why some savvy shoppers were intrigued when they spotted them in supermarket freezers.
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In Iceland, they stock four Greggs-branded sausage rolls for £3.50. If you popped into Greggs, you’d pay £1.35 per sausage roll, which totals £5.40 for the lot.
Plus, when you cook them in the oven yourself, they’re guaranteed to be scorching hot when you take them out.
On the Iceland page for the four sausage rolls, it states: “No one makes sausage rolls like we do! Made to a unique recipe of seasoned sausage meat, then wrapped in crisp, flaky, golden puff pastry. Air Fry in 15 minutes”.
It’s not the only Greggs product they stock, either, as you can buy Steak Bakes, Cheese and Onion Bakes, Bacon and Cheese Wraps, and even Greggs Milk Chocolate Cookies.
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If you fancy, you can buy eight frozen sausage rolls for £5.75. Eight in the shop would cost you £10.80, which is nearly double the price.
Seems to make sense to simply pop them in the air fryer and give them a try, right?
Posting on the Reddit Greggs forum, somebody penned: “Has anyone tried the frozen Greggs stuff you can get in the supermarket? Does it actually taste the same, or am I just setting myself up for disappointment?”
A man answered, stating: “It’s the same as what we get in the shop, lmao, all comes from the same factories”.
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Somebody responded: “This seems so obvious, but it makes so much sense. My mind is genuinely kind of blown, and I’m ashamed that I’ve never considered that this probably applies to many different brands”.
A second declared: “I’ve only ever tried the frozen sausage rolls, and they did in the sense that Greggs sausage rolls don’t taste like what they used to be, but they aren’t necessarily better than any other supermarket brand sausage rolls”.
A third claimed they were “great and cheaper” than purchasing them in Greggs. Some branches do, nevertheless, provide a reduced price if you purchase four cold sausage rolls, so it hinges on whether having them hot matters to you.
A fourth, though, suggested that they “never taste the same” when you prepare them at home yourself as when you purchase them from Greggs directly.
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But another contested this, commenting: “I mean your opinion can be that it doesn’t taste the same; however, objectively it’s from the same production like and is the exact same product, so that invalidates your opinion”.
A Greggs enthusiast shared: “I love a sausage bean and cheese melt, I’ve made some at home, and they’re the same, BUT you have to play around with the cooking times and temps to get it how you want.
“If I cooked mine at the time/temp it said on the box, they come out far too done, and the pastry’s too hard and crispy for me. So try it a couple of times, and once you’ve cracked it, they’re perfect”.
Her determination and resilience has led her to a rewarding career supporting adults with learning disabilities.
Katie Moore’s rewarding career supporting adults with learning disabilities
Sitting in the grounds of Downpatrick’s Downe Hospital, Katie Moore is excited for what the future holds.
In care since the age of nine and later kinship care, with the dedicated support of the South Eastern Trust’s Social Workers and the Personal Adviser 16 plus Service (PA), Katie is very much focused on her future.
The 19-year-old is now in full time employment, working with adults with learning disabilities and that she sees her career path firmly in the Health and Social Care sector.
Katie said: “My Personal Adviser, Emer Supple, has been great and such a help to me. Working with Emer has given me a lot of reassurance, in that I will be ok and nothing bad is going to happen again.
“Emer has helped me in so many ways and it has been a great experience, building that relationship with her. I feel really comfortable talking to and confiding in her, with any problems that I have. It has been such a great support.”
She added: “I am in a full-time job working with adults who have learning disabilities. It is a great opportunity and it has opened my eyes to do more in the Health and Social Care industry.
“Through working with Emer I have a real passion to become a Personal Advisor once I have completed my studies.”
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“My advice to those who are growing up or leaving care is to take whatever opportunities are offered to you. Your Personal Adviser is there for you and they want the best for you. They will push you to achieve that.”
South Eastern Trust Personal Adviser, Emer Supple says she and the team work with young people in care from the ages of 16 up to 25.
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She added: “I first met Katie when she was 18. Katie had just left school and was at a bit of a loss with her life and what to do.
“We explored different avenues and pathways for her and supported her in getting a full-time job and back to education after that. We have built a relationship that is really important.
“Katie and I have shared the importance of educational training and how that can lead to a different life for her. Katie is earning her own money now; she has got a car and she is doing really well for herself.
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“I know the support was there to help her along the way, but what she does is down to her at the end of the day. We are just a guiding tool to hold her hand along the way.”
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Instead, Harrogate Town Council will pay about £5,000 for a new chain that can be worn by the mayor without fear of it being stolen.
The decision has been taken after the council got the original civic chain, which was previously owned by Harrogate Borough Council and dates back to 1894, valued.
Civic leaders have not released the value of the chain but have revealed it is worth a six-figure sum.
The decision to buy a cheaper chain was taken at a town council meeting on Wednesday.
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The current Mayor of Harrogate, Councillor Chris Aldred, said after the meeting: “The chain was created at a time when they were establishing a council for Harrogate, and there were very rich people doing it who helped them to do it in a certain way.
Mayor of Harrogate, Councillor Chris Aldred, wearing the valuable chain.
“I can’t tell you the exact figure of what it is worth, obviously, but it is six figures and it’s towards the top of that six-figure range.”
Cllr Aldred said the council had been told it would cost about £12,000 to insure the chain if it was used regularly for civic events.
He added: “The quotes we got to use it on a daily basis were very high.
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“We’d also maybe have to look at having some kind of additional security, so when the mayor goes out, they’d go out with a bodyguard.
“That’s not something we really wanted to get into as it would be quite extensive, so we took a decision that the actual mayor of Harrogate’s chain would have a very limited usage, of around two days a year — the mayor making ceremony and Remembrance Day, when there will be enough soldiers with guns around to stop anyone making a grab for it.”
Cllr Aldred said the council planned to put the original chain on display in the future.
He said the new chain would cost about £140 a year to insure.
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After the meeting, North Yorkshire councillor for the Ouseburn division, Arnold Warneken, questioned whether a new mayoral chain was needed when the authority had mayoral robes.
“Is it in the interests of the people the town council represents to spend more than £5,000 on a mayoral chain?
“There are people who could really benefit from that money – it should go to people who need it.
“It’s progress that the council voted to put them on display, but is now perhaps the time, given the cost of living crisis and the fact that some of our community are struggling, to consider selling at least some of the family jewels?”
Rice is a cheap and versatile side dish, but it can be bland if not prepared properly. You can easily elevate it with one common ingredient instead of water
Katherine McPhillips and Vita Molyneux Travel reporter
14:23, 06 Mar 2026Updated 14:23, 06 Mar 2026
Rice is an economical and versatile accompaniment that complements numerous meals, yet regrettably, it can prove dull and flavourless if not prepared correctly. Andrea Vaughan, founder of Homemade for Elle, has shared that the secret to transforming rice into something remarkably delicious is to cook it in chicken stock rather than plain water.
She said: “If you happen to love salty, bold, and vibrant flavours, I have a little secret to share with you. Instead of boiling your rice in water, try cooking rice with chicken broth.”
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This everyday kitchen staple enriches rice with deeper flavours, as it contains additional herbs and spices, rendering it far more pleasurable and fulfilling to consume.
Beyond enhancing the flavour, chicken broth can also provide a modest nutritional advantage as it delivers protein, vitamins and minerals.
This represents a swift and straightforward method to introduce greater complexity to your rice without investing extra time in the kitchen or additional expense, reports the Express.
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Should you follow a vegetarian diet or prefer not to incorporate meat into your meals, there’s no cause for concern, as you can readily employ this cooking method using vegetable broth as an alternative.
How to enhance rice flavour with chicken broth
Place the rice in a pot of cold water, but on this occasion, add a stock cube or some broth alongside it. Bring the broth to the boil, then stir the rice thoroughly to prevent it from clumping together.
Cover the pan and lower the heat to a gentle simmer, then allow the rice to soften.
Be sure to follow the packet guidelines for timing, though it should take approximately 15 to 20 minutes.
It truly is that straightforward to transform rice into a far more appealing dish.
You can also incorporate butter and other taste-boosting ingredients, such as crushed garlic or rosemary, into the water.
Including a touch of butter makes rice creamier and enhances its consistency, as it envelops the grains with cooking fat, which contributes to a much lighter, fluffier result.
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That said, you can be as creative as you like with additional ingredients, but substituting broth for ordinary water will ensure that rice becomes a more delicious dish each time you prepare it.
Andrea said: “The chicken broth will leave your rice moist, salty, and for such a simple substitution. Your friends and family will be wondering how you made such tasty rice!”
The Netflix period drama has proved a huge hit with audiences since its arrival last month.
Neela Debnath Screen Time Reporter
14:36, 06 Mar 2026Updated 14:38, 06 Mar 2026
Bridgerton: Everything we now about season five
Bridgerton season four is captivating audiences after Netflix dropped part two recently and sent the Regency period drama soaring back to the top of the Netflix charts globally, with a whopping 28 million viewers devouring the new episodes. The new series has been adapted from American author Julia Quinn’s third Bridgerton novel, An Offer from a Gentleman, and focuses on second son Benedict Bridgerton (played by Luke Thompson) and his scandalous romance with illegitimate maid Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha).
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The new series has all the pop instrumental covers, sumptuous costumes and steamy scenes we’ve come to expect from Bridgerton, however, I’ve got one big gripe: it’s too perfect. Have we finally hit peak Bridgerton? Is it going to be downhill from here on out? The stakes in season four’s love story are far higher than any that have come before it.
Daphne (Phoebe Dynevor) and Simon Basset’s (Regé-Jean Page) romance was a poignant one, given the Duke of Hastings’ tragic childhood, but it didn’t have the same gravitas as the cross-class affair between Benedict and Sophie. Meanwhile, Kate Sharma (Simone Ashley) and Anthony Bridgerton’s (Jonathan Bailey) enemies-to-lovers tale simmered with chemistry, but there wasn’t the heightened sense that their romance could be ripped apart at any point.
Similarly, Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) and Colin Bridgerton’s (Luke Newton) friends-to-lovers romance lacked the same intensity. Even if the pair hadn’t made it down the aisle, she might have happily gone off into the sunset with Lord Debling (Sam Phillips) and continued to write Lady Whistledown in secret while becoming even richer.
But Sophie and Benedict are battling with the rigid rules of society and risk becoming outcasts for the sake of their love for one another. There’s something far more weighty and real-world about their romance that makes the previous central Bridgerton couples pale in comparison. Their love is far more intense, fragile and precious because of the obstacles they face.
Added into this, the upstairs/downstairs element breathed new life into the show with a diverse group of characters with very different struggles – there’s a reason fellow period drama phenomenon Downton Abbey is still captivating audiences to this day.
However, Bridgerton is likely to be moving away from this upstairs/downstairs angle as the lens turns to either Eloise Bridgerton (Claudia Jessie) and her romance with Sir Phillip Crane (Chris Fulton) or Francesca Bridgerton (Hannah Dodd) and her love story with Michaela Stirling (Masali Baduza).
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Both of these stories very much place the focus back on privileged members of the ton and their struggles albeit with much lower stakes.
I fear this may create a void and we may lose a richness that this brought to Bridgerton.
With season five in the works, my hopes for the future of Bridgerton is that they continue to up the stakes for its characters and make us really root for the central couple in a way we hadn’t done before season four.
This year Bridgerton also brought the grit with its first major death. For the first time in the show, audiences were shown a harsher and sombre side to the period drama.
This loss had a profound impact on each member of the Bridgerton clan in different ways, with Eloise reconsidering her decision to be left on the shelf, while Hyacinth Bridgerton (Florence Hunt) was left feeling the opposite.
She became uncertain over marriage after witnessing the tremendous heartbreak Francesca and her mother Violet Bridgerton (Ruth Gemmell) went through.
The consequences of the death was a masterstroke of genius by the writers and it felt like they had really upped their game for season four.
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There’s plenty of grit in Eloise’s novel To Sir Phillip, With Love – which will form the basis of season five or six – involving grief and mental health, so I hope these will be tackled with the weight and sensitivity they deserve.
Francesca and Michaela’s romance will be another one to see play out on screen, particularly since Netflix has gender-swapped Michael Stuhlbargh for Michaela.
How Bridgerton takes on its first same-sex romance will be intriguing, given the amount of scandal Sophie and Benedict’s union nearly caused due to her lowly birthright. Perhaps Francesca and Michaela, too, will face similar challenges.
It’ll be a testament to Bridgerton showrunner Jess Brownell and her writers’ room as to whether they can sustain this high level of storytelling and break new ground with Quinn’s source material. They’ve certainly set the bar high.
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Can anything top season four? This author awaits with bated breath.
David Lammy has caused significant confusion after claiming RAF jets could legally strike at Iranian missile sites if they were considering attacking British targets.
The deputy prime minister and justice secretary was trying to outline the government’s stance over the Iran war on Friday morning.
It comes after the US and Israel initiated joint strikes on Iran last weekend, killing the country’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei.
US secretary of state Marco Rubio said this was a “pre-emptive” attack.
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The UK has made it clear it is not part of any offensive action against Iran.
However, the government has permitted the US to use its military bases to launch defensive, limited strikes against Iran.
Britain is also sending forces to Cyprus after an Iranian drone strike targeted a sovereign UK base for the RAF on the island.
As the conflict threatens to engulf other nations, wider questions are being asked over just how far Britain would go to protect its interests.
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Speaking to broadcasters on Friday, Lammy – who is also the former foreign secretary – tried to define what the government meant by “defensive action”.
While admitting it is “absolutely” related to intercepting drones, the cabinet minister told BBC Breakfast: “It’s important that I don’t get drawn into operational detail.
“There’s a fundamental basis on which we do this, and that is it is legal.
“Defensive action where we are being attacked, it is entirely legal to protect our people and protect our staff.
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“Therefore all operational capabilities available to us in those circumstances.”
Presenter Naga Munchetty said: “So the UK could attack Iranian missile sites from our bases?”
Lammy replied: “I’m not here to act as a lawyer but I think your viewers would understand that in response to being attacked, yes we can take down sites that are anticipating attacking our people across the region.”
“The UK would fire at an Iranian missile base on the suspicion that it was about to fire at us?” Munchetty asked.
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Lammy said: “You will recognise that we have satellite capability, we have intelligence capability, working with our allies…”
The presenter cut in: “It’s about the anticipation – so they wouldn’t have to fire. We could fire at an Iranian missile base because we anticipate that it will fire against us?”
“It is my understanding that that would be legal,” he replied.
The prime minister’s spokesperson later told reporters that this was not a U-turn in the UK’s position.
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He referred to the legal advice published by the government and said defence secretary John Healey had made it clear the focus was on “defensive action”.
When asked if that meant Britain could strike at sites in Iran which have the capability to hit British targets, the spokesperson said: “We have consistently said that we’ll take the necessary steps to prevent future strikes… as we’ve set out over the course of the week, [that] is allowing the US to take out those missiles at source whilst we are defending the skies.
“And that is a consistent position that we have conveyed throughout the week.”
Lammy’s words have also sparked concern among opposition parties.
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Lib Dem foreign affairs spokesman Calum Miller said: “The deputy prime minister is sliding down the slippery slope to full conflict by backing direct UK strikes on military positions in Iran.
“We need an urgent clarification from number 10 on whether this is a change in Britain’s position on involvement in Trump’s illegal war.
“Another Labour government cannot be allowed to pull the wool over the public’s eyes as it follows America into an overseas war with unclear goals.”
Miller added: “British citizens caught up in the conflict, including our brave troops, have to be protected. Any offensive action must be approved by a vote in Parliament. The Prime Minister committed to this.
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“We must not copy Trump’s unconstitutional and illegal approach to war in the Middle East.”
Companies digging up the streets to install cables and other materials have been criticised on claims of damaging the public realm with a “fill a hole” attitude.
Downshire East DUP councillor Uel Mackin said:”I am going to drop the F word and what I mean is about footpaths in Lisburn
“Utility businesses are coming into the city and digging up where they need to and just filling in a hole when they leave. The public realm of the city is suppose to be an attraction to visitors and shoppers and they should be in a good condition.
“Something that we worked on with a good deal of pain to have a good public realm in Lisburn.
“The utility companies are now at it again on Bridge Street. Is there anything as a council we can do about this?”
“The difficulty is that there is an adopted area of the footpaths. I would say that it is not just utility companies, but HGV lorries coming in and off loading with the area left in a poor state.
Bryonie Gawith, 29, and her children Denisty Birtle, nine, Oscar Birtle, five and 22-month-old Aubree Birtle, perished in the fire that was deliberately started by her sister’s jealous ex
A mother and her children faced several terrifying hours before they died in a blaze that tore through their family home. Bryonie Gawith, 29, and her children Denisty Birtle, nine, Oscar Birtle, five and 22-month-old Aubree Birtle, perished in the fire in Bradford in the early hours of August 21, 2025.
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Today (March 6), her sister’s ex Sharaz Ali was handed a whole life term for murdering the family in a revenge attack. Prosecutors said Ali started the fire while “fuelled by drink and drugs” at the time.
Ali began messaging Antonia accusing her of being with another man. She told police in the interview that Bryonie had told her to ignore him and started to fall asleep.
“I never thought he’d come and do that. Why would he do that?” she said to officers at the time. Antonia then heard the doorbell ring downstairs and anxiously headed to the front door.
That’s when she discovered her ex and another man – Calum Sunderland – had kicked the door down. “(Ali) started pouring petrol on me. I was saying ‘please don’t, I love you, I’ll come back, don’t do this’.”
But despite begging, his rampage continued. She told officers how she tried to grab the lighter from Ali’s hands before running out of the house, assuming he would be close behind.
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However, when she turned to look Ali had set the staircase on fire as Bryonie attempted to protect her children by kicking him down the stairs. “I pulled the petrol off him and tried to get him out, and then he hit the lighter. I seen him set on fire, and all the stairs, and my sister,” Antonia said.
The fire erupted fast as Antonia attempted to get her sister out of the house. Antonia said Bryonie, who had rung 999 while coming down the stairs, then threw her phone out of the window and she picked it up, shouting down the line “telling them to send everybody – the police, ambulance, fire brigade”.
“I was just screaming, trying to get back in the house and I couldn’t get in. I couldn’t save them,” she said through tears.
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Ali was quickly arrested as police arrived on scene, but by the time the fire service arrived it was too late to save Bryonie and her children. Antonia recalled how Ali was “controlling” throughout their relationship, and had tendencies to drink and taje drugs.
She had left the relationship weeks earlier, with Ali seemingly blaming her sister Bryonie for being the one to sway her to call it quits. She was asked by prosecutor David Brooke KC about a message Ali had sent her in the days before the fire which said: “I’ll be gone in two days. Remember your so-called friend will not look at you again in two days and that I promise.”
Antonia was asked about another message from Ali which said: “I know who has caused this in my life, whether they meant to or not. Better start praying cos now I’m going to get involved in her life and everyone is going to feel it. I promise you one thing, they’re going to regret it.”
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Antonia replied she thought the messages must have referred to her sister because they had been staying together at the time, and that she felt he “blamed” Bryonie for her part in ending the relationship.
At the sentencing, the judge said Ali was motivated by “revenge and sexual jealousy” and that he is convinced there was “substantial” pre-meditation and planning behind the murders.
Noting the defendant’s severe injuries he says his life would be difficult whether he was in custody or not. “He is the sole author of his own predicament,” he concludes. “It was part of a plan to wipe out a whole family.”
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Calum Sunderland, 26, was convicted of four counts of manslaughter for his part in the crime. He had helped Ali fill up a cannister with fuel, then helped him drive to the home, before fleeing.
Representing Sunderland, who was convicted of four counts of manslaughter, Nicholas Worsley KC repeats his client’s position during the trial that he believed he had been recruited by Ali on the night in question to burn a car.
When he discovered Ali’s true intentions, Worsley says Sunderland turned to Ali and said: “Are you mad?” Noting his client knows he is facing a long term in prison, Worsley reads out a letter of apology Sunderland sent to the Gawith family.
“There is nothing I can say to bring them back, nothing I can say or do to stop the pain or hurt you’re all feeling,” the letter says. “Kicking that door down will forever be the biggest mistake of my life.”
The family of Bryonie, Denisty, Oscar and Aubree have released the following statement: “Today, the judge sentenced the monsters who killed our beautiful family, Bryonie, and her three children Denisty, Oscar, and Aubree.
“But no sentence, no matter how long, can ever heal the pain they caused. No sentence can bring back their laughter, their hugs, their voices, their love. No sentence can bring back four hearts that should still be beating. Every day, our hearts ache with the emptiness they left behind. Every day, we feel the weight of their absence, the joy we lost, the moments that will never come. Every day, we remember them, the love, the light, the life, they gave to us so briefly, so beautifully.
“We carry them in every heartbeat, every tear, every memory, every act of love. They live in us, and through us, they will never be gone. Bryonie, Denisty, Oscar, Aubree, you are forever loved, forever ours, forever remembered and forever young.”
The production arrives in town for one night only on Saturday, March 7 with a 7.30 pm curtain up.
Billed as a high-octane blend of precision Irish step dancing, “jaw-dropping magic”, and a sweeping, cinematic score, Celtic Illusion has built a strong following on tours across Australia and New Zealand.
International stage phenomenon Celtic Illusion will bring its high-energy blend of Irish dance and grand-scale magic to Darlington Hippodrome for one night only on Saturday, (Image: Supplied)
The show is the creation of Australian dancer and choreographer Anthony Street, a former principal dancer in Michael Flatley’s Lord of the Dance.
His vision brings together a cast of champion dancers and world-class musicians in a production that aims to appeal as much to fans of blockbuster magic shows as to lovers of traditional Celtic culture.
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Producers say audiences can expect refreshed choreography, new illusions, and a contemporary soundtrack for the UK run, designed to give the familiar language of Irish dance a bold, modern twist.
Tickets are on sale now from the theatre’s box office at 01325 405405 and on its website.
