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Man raped people with dementia at care home and had indecent images of children

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Cambridgeshire Live

The man was sentenced to over 20 years in prison

A man who carried out “horrific” sexual crimes against vulnerable people with dementia has been jailed for over 20 years. Joshua Springer was handed a 21-year sentence after appearing at Lincoln Crown Court on Friday (February 20).

The 36-year-old was also given a sexual harm prevention order for the rest of his life. Springer, formerly of Cornstall Buildings in Stamford near the Cambridgeshire border, previously pleaded guilty to nine charges of rape at the same court on December 2, 2025.

His offences were against three victims suffering from dementia at a residential care home for elderly people in the Stamford area. A fourth victim was in the North Yorkshire area. Of Springer’s nine charges, six were evenly split between three women at the Stamford care home, while the remaining three charges were connected to a fourth woman in North Yorkshire.

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The care home and area in Yorkshire are not being named to protect the anonymity of the victims. Springer was also sentenced for making indecent images of children, to which he also pleaded guilty.

Detective chief inspector Jennifer Lovatt, of the East Midlands Special Operations Unit, said: “While Springer has been sentenced for his horrific crimes, that does not mean that our investigations have stopped. [The] result shows that offenders will be brought to justice, so if you think you have been affected, please get in touch.”

DCI Lovatt is appealing for anyone else that may have been a victim of Springer, who is also known as Joshua Kearney and Joshua Kearney Springer, to contact police. The DCI added: “Our team has worked tirelessly for some time in bringing Springer to justice, and there may be other potential victims who perhaps have not yet come forward.

“I’d encourage them to contact us – you can call 101 (ask for Lincolnshire Police) and quote Incident 272 of November 28. If you want to remain anonymous, then you can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”

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Trump urged in desperate, 11th-hour pleas not to go through with Iran ‘civilisation will die’ threat

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Trump urged in desperate, 11th-hour pleas not to go through with Iran ‘civilisation will die' threat

At a press conference on Monday, Trump doubled down: “The entire country can be taken out in one night, and that night might ​be tomorrow night,” he said. “Every bridge in Iran will be decimated… Every power plant in Iran will be out of business, burning, exploding, and never to be ‌used again.”

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‘Excellent’ crime drama with Gilmore Girls icon that ‘hooks’ fans now streaming

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Daily Mirror

The crime drama is available to stream in the UK and viewers have already been hooked

The popular crime drama is now available to stream in the UK.

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A forgotten crime drama with a Gilmore Girls icon has landed on UK streaming, with the series gripping fans from start to finish.

Having first been released back in 2013 on CBC, Cracked follows one former SWAT officer, Detective Aidan Black, who was reassigned following a public incident. He was transferred to a newly created psych crimes and crisis unit as the series became a huge hit with viewers.

Starring Gilmore Girls icon David Sutcliffe (who is known for his role as Christopher Hayden), as Detective Black, the show spanned across two seasons before it was cancelled from television screens.

Now, season one is available to stream on Prime Video and is currently trending on the streaming platform. However, the second season has not yet been made available.

Prime Video teases: “Former SWAT officer Detective Aidan Black is taken aback when he learns that his new partner isn’t a cop.

“He’s been assigned to work with forensic psychiatrist Dr. Daniella Ridley in a newly established unit tasked with solving the city’s most horrific crimes. Their contrasting perspectives and methods are meant to help crack even the toughest cases.”

With 13 episodes in season one, Cracked has been dubbed a must watch by viewers.

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One IMDB reviewer wrote: “The First season of CRACKED had the promise of being something TRULY GREAT and the first of its kind on Canadian TV.” They later added: “Its rare that ANY television show has made me care so much for ALL of its characters. Even the weekly antagonist.”

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Another said: “I love the crime show genre, and this one is different enough to stand out from the crowd and entice me to watch every episode. Too many crime shows are built from the same mould.

“This show contains plenty of storyline and plot development, but still has a certain amount of thrill to it…so its not just mindless guts and gore, its not just another Drama, not just another who-dun-it show. I think it dips its toes just enough into each.”

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A third said it was “excellent… excellent… excellent”, adding: ” The show has the suspense and also the drama. I was literally holding on to my pillow as I watched this show, trying not to miss even the tinniest details.”

Viewers may also recognise Stefanie von Pfetten as Dr. Daniella Ridley , Dayo Ade as Leo Beckett and Luisa D’Oliveira as Detective Poppy Wisnefski. Other familiar faces include Karen LeBlanc, Paul Popowich and Brooke Nevin.

Cracked season one can be streamed on Prime Video.

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Ryanair flight aborts after passenger launches into drunken ‘I’m English’ rant

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Daily Record

The Ryanair pilot had to abort his landing because the passenger refused to sit down and fasten his seatbelt

A drunken aircraft passenger has been jailed for 10 months for his aggressive and abusive behaviour on a flight returning to the UK from Poland. Stephen Blofield, 61, was so intoxicated on the Ryanair flight that both crew and fellow holidaymakers feared for their safety.

Bristol Crown Court heard Blofield became disruptive as the plane travelled from Krakow to Bristol on November 11 last year.

He had started drinking doubles at the airport to calm his nerves ahead of the flight and carried on while on board – becoming abusive towards the Polish cabin crew, WalesOnline reports.

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As the flight was on approach to Bristol Airport, the British pilot had to abort his first attempt at landing because Blofield refused to sit down and fasten his seatbelt.

An earlier hearing was told he screamed ‘I’m savage, I drink JD” and “You can’t tell me what to do, I’m English”.

When the plane finally landed, the police were waiting to arrest him.

Ian Fenny, prosecuting, said: “When the officers boarded the flight and approached him, they found him to be drunk, aggressive and confrontational.

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“Because of the confined space within the fuselage of an aeroplane, they were concerned that he might strike out and inflame the situation where they noticed that other passengers were already agitated.

“Eventually he was arrested and handcuffed and indeed during this process he struck out, narrowly missing the passenger to his left.

“The principal officer describes the defendant’s abuse as effectively the worst that he had to endure in 20 years as a police officer.”

Mr Fenny said Blofield’s behaviour was “so alarming and potentially dangerous” that he had to be removed from the plane using an ambulift, which is normally reserved for disabled passengers.

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“As a consequence of the defendant’s behaviour, passengers were effectively marooned on board as the police, and most particularly cabin crew, tried to evacuate the plane quietly and safely,” Mr Fenny said.

“Because of the defendant’s behaviour and because of where he was actually sitting within the plane, that proved very difficult.

“Thus, a number of the passengers had no option but to be further exposed to what was described by the police as the defendant’s vile verbal aggression.”

At a previous hearing, Blofield, of Goshawk Road, Haverfordwest, pleaded guilty to being drunk on an aircraft, using threatening or abusive language to cabin crew, failing to comply with the pilot’s instructions, and an offence under the Public Order Act of using threatening abusive words or behaviour likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress.

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Sam Louwers, defending, explained the defendant had lost his medication for back pain, depression and anxiety ahead of the flight to Poland and turned to alcohol for the trip home.

“Ultimately, Mr Blofield was a man who has come from a difficult background and eventually found himself in Poland due to tracing of family roots,” he said.

“When he found himself in Poland without his medication, he went into a form of withdrawal, confining himself to his hotel room and decided on that basis that he needed to return to the UK earlier than planned.

“When he got to the airport, his anxiety, depression, pain levels were sky high and he became incredibly nervous of flying and so foolishly decided that now would be the right time to settle his nerves, as many do, with a drink at the airport.”

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He said the defendant had “no recollection” of the incident but had seen videos posted on social media of his behaviour.

“He’s never denied his behaviour, he’s never denied his actions, and as he explained to the police the reason he was struggling so much was because of that medical withdrawal,” Mr Louwers said.

“Mr Blofield is distressed by his behaviour, he’s distressed as to what he has witnessed in these videos.

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“He is also distressed as to the fact that he has found himself before you today.

“He understands that his behaviour could have easily, and has, disrupted other passengers and the airline.

“He understands that it could have caused distress to other people, and most importantly, he understands that his behaviour is nothing short of unacceptable.”

Judge Euan Ambrose jailed Blofield, who is on benefits and has a lengthy criminal record, for 10 months.

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“This is a case where only a custodial sentence can be justified,” he said. “It is so serious that no other form of sentence would be appropriate.

“You were drunk when you got on board and you continued to drink whilst on board, becoming increasingly drunk during the flight.

“Your behaviour deteriorated, you became disruptive and aggressive and refused to follow basic safety instructions from the crew, such as being asked to sit down, fasten your seatbelt and matters of that sort.

“You caused great concern and fear amongst fellow passengers and also fear and alarm to the crew.

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“Your behaviour was such that the first attempt at landing into Bristol had to be aborted and when the plane finally did manage to land, police were called and boarded the plane.

“When they approached you, they found you drunk, aggressive, confrontational and extraordinarily abusive towards them.”

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Artemis II astronauts make long-distance call to the space station

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Artemis II astronauts make long-distance call to the space station

HOUSTON (AP) — Still aglow from their triumphant lunar flyby, the Artemis II astronauts put in a call to their friends aboard the International Space Station on Tuesday as they headed home from the moon.

It was the first moonship-to-spaceship radio linkup ever. NASA’s Apollo crews had no off-the-planet company back in the 1960s and 1970s, the last time humanity set sail for deep space.

“We have been waiting for this like you can’t imagine,” Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman called out.

For Christina Koch on Artemis II and Jessica Meir aboard the space station, it marked a joyous space reunion despite being 230,000 miles (370,000 kilometers) apart. The two teamed up for the world’s first all-female spacewalk in 2019 outside the orbiting lab.

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Koch told her “astro-sister” that she’d hoped to meet up with her again in space “but I never thought it would be like this — it’s amazing.”

“I’m so happy that we are back in space together,” Meir replied, “even if we are a few miles apart.”

Houston’s Mission Control arranged the cosmic chitchat between the four lunar travelers and the space station’s three NASA and one French residents.

As Tuesday dawned, Wiseman continued to beam back pictures of the previous day’s lunar rendezvous, which set a new distance record for humanity. The highlight: an Earthset photo reminiscent of Apollo 8’s Earthrise shot from 1968.

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Koch described being awe-struck by not just the beauty of Earth, “but how much blackness there was around it.”

“It just made it even more special. It truly emphasized how alike we are, how the same thing keeps every single person on planet Earth alive,” she told the space station crew. “The specialness and preciousness of that really is emphasized” when viewing the home planet from the moon.

The first lunar explorers since Apollo 17 in 1972, Wiseman and his crew are aiming for a Friday splashdown off the San Diego coast on Friday to wrap up the nearly 10-day test flight.

It sets the stage for next year’s Artemis III, a lunar lander docking demo in orbit around Earth. Artemis IV will follow in 2028 with two astronauts attempting to land near the lunar south pole.

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As for the Orion capsule’s pesky potty, Mission Control assured the astronauts that no repairs were required Tuesday. The toilet has been on-and-off limits to the crew ever since last week’s launch, prompting them to rely on a backup bag-and-funnel system for urinating.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman told the crew following the lunar flyby Monday night: “We definitely have to fix some of the plumbing” ahead of the next Artemis mission.

___

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

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Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich LIVE: Champions League latest score, match stream, goal updates and fan reaction

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Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich: Prediction, kick-off time, TV, live stream, team news, h2h results, odds

As for Bayern, Vincent Kompany’s men are nine clear in the Bundesliga, and are set to retain their German title at a canter once more. How did both sides get here? Real Madrid pieced up Manchester City, beating Pep Guardiola’s side 5-1 on aggregate, while Bayern decimated Serie A outfit Atalanta, emerging 10-2 victors on aggregate.

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Sporting CP vs Arsenal FC LIVE: Champions League latest score, match stream, goal updates and fan reaction

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Sporting CP vs Arsenal FC LIVE: Champions League latest score, match stream, goal updates and fan reaction

Mikel Arteta has said “the most beautiful period of the season” is ahead of his side, though there will need to be an improvement in results and performances in the next 12 days in order to get over the line. Arsenal have been boosted by the returns of Declan Rice and Leandro Trossard, while Gabriel has shaken off a knock to feature but Bukayo Saka, Eberechi Eze and Jurrien Timber remain sidelined.

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Healthwatch- York councillors’ warning over abolition plans

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Healthwatch- York councillors' warning over abolition plans

Councillors have called on the Government to ensure patients and the public continue to have a robust, trusted and truly independent mechanism to voice concerns if Healthwatch is abolished.

City of York Council’s Labour health spokesperson Cllr Lucy Steels-Walshaw said proposals to take the body’s functions in house risked removing the independence which allowed patients to raise concerns about services openly.

Opposition Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Cllr Carol Runciman said some of the worst failures in the NHS and other services were caused by people not being listened to.

The comments come after Labour Health Secretary Wes Streeting said listening to patients must be the core business of the NHS, not an arms-length body.

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Mr Streeting spoke in January in defence of proposals to scrap Healthwatch put forward as part of wider reforms to the way the NHS is run.

The secretary of state first unveiled the plans for the watchdog as part of his 10-year plan for the health service in June.

Current proposals would see the functions of Healthwatch, which launched in 2013, rolled into the Department for Health and Social Care under a new Patient Experience Directorate.

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Local Healthwatch functions would be brought into local authorities and NHS bodies.

The Government has said the changes would reduce complexity and bureaucracy in health services and make them more directly accountable.

But local Healthwatch branches and the national body have called on the Government to reconsider the plans.

The King’s Fund health charity said marginalised voices were at risk of being excluded if the plans go ahead.

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It also warned people’s voices had been ignored in cases of recent high-profile failings including in maternity care.

The Government would need to pass new laws to scrap Healthwatch and the national body and 153 local ones are set to continue operating as normal.

Speaking at York council’s full meeting on Thursday, March 26, Cllr Steels-Walshaw said the concerning proposals represented a profound shift in health services.

The Labour health executive member said: “For more than a decade Healthwatch has been a trusted independent group for people to share their experiences.

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Concerns have been raised about the Government’s plans to scrap Healthwatch (Image: Healthwatch Dorset)

“That independence isn’t a luxury, it’s the foundation that allows people who feel unable to raise concerns directly to do so openly and honestly and it’s what enables transparency.

“We recognise new standards are needed but we must do everything in our power to maintain independence.”

Liberal Democrat Cllr Runciman said there was a risk that patient voices would not be heard if Healthwatch is abolished.

The opposition health spokesperson said: “The Government isn’t tweaking Healthwatch, it’s abolishing it.

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“Some of the worst failings in health services didn’t happen because people weren’t speaking, it’s because people weren’t listened to.

“Not everyone knows how to navigate the system or feels safe speaking to the organisations responsible for their care.”

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Is the US about to commit war crimes in Iran? | US News

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During Operation Epic Fury, the US struck Iran's B1 bridge. Pic: Reuters

Donald Trump has given Iran a deadline and threatened to send the country back to the “Stone Ages” if it does not comply by attacking power plants and bridges.

Crucially, Mr Trump has said the US would hit civilian infrastructure, something that is widely considered a war crime under international law, which sets out what is and isn’t permitted during war.

The Geneva Convention, which the UK is a signatory to, but the US is not, states, “civilian objects shall not be the object of attack or of reprisals”.

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DonaldTrump threatened to send Iran back to the ‘stone ages’ in a press conference on Monday. Pic: Reuters

However, the US president said in a news conference on Monday that “the entire country” could be taken out in “one night, and that night might be tomorrow”.

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He added: “We’re giving them till tomorrow, 8pm EST (1am UK time), and after that, they’re going to have no bridges, they’re going to have no power plants. Stone ages.”

When asked, Mr Trump said he was “not at all” concerned that such an act could be classified as a war crime, before adding, “I hope I don’t have to do it”.

In a Truth Social post on Tuesday, the president went further, saying: “A whole civilisation will die tonight, never to be brought back. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will.”

“Any targeting of civilian infrastructure… is illegal”

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The possibility of targeting civilian infrastructure has been condemned by European leaders, including EU Council president Antonio Costa.

On Monday, Mr Costa wrote that “Any targeting of civilian infrastructure, namely energy facilities, is illegal and unacceptable”.

The possibility of concerted US strikes against civilian infrastructure marks a significant departure from Washington’s previous stance on war crimes and what constitutes them.

Four years ago, it was the US that was accusing Russia of war crimes over the targeting of civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, with president Joe Biden calling Russian President Vladimir Putin a “war criminal”.

Despite Russia not being a signatory to the Geneva Conventions, alleged Russian actions in Ukraine still led to the International Criminal Court (ICC) issuing an arrest warrant for Mr Putin.

The Kremlin said at the time that Russia, which does not recognise the ICC, found the questions raised by the court “outrageous and unacceptable”.

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In the past, those found guilty of war crimes, such as former Bosnian Serb general Ratko Mladic, dubbed the “Butcher of Bosnia”, have been sentenced to life in prison.

Mr Costa has said that the same principle of not targeting civilian infrastructure “applied everywhere,” in the same way that it “applies to Russia’s war in Ukraine”.

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The head of the UN, Antonio Guterres, has openly raised the idea that such an attack, by any party, could be counted as war crimes.

In an interview with Politico in late March, Mr Guterres said: “If there are attacks either on Iran or from Iran on energy infrastructure, I think that there are reasonable grounds to think that they might constitute a war crime.”

Iran has been firing missiles and drones at Israel (pictured) and neighbouring countries in the region. Pic: Reuters
Image:
Iran has been firing missiles and drones at Israel (pictured) and neighbouring countries in the region. Pic: Reuters

Previous power threats

Iran, Israel and the US have all been attacking energy infrastructure since the outbreak of the current conflict.

Responding to those attacks in March, Heba Morayef, Amnesty International’s regional director, said: “There is a substantial risk such attacks would violate international humanitarian law and, in some cases, could amount to war crimes”.

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However, a coordinated campaign targeting power plants, as the US has threatened, would be a significant escalation.

Read more from Sky News:
Popular holiday hotspot airport is out of fuel
Woman’s birth in mid-air creates tricky legal situation

This is not the first time that Mr Trump has threatened to hit Iranian power plants.

On 22 March, the president wrote on Truth Social that the US would “hit and obliterate” Iranian power plants if Tehran did not reopen the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours.

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During Operation Epic Fury, the US struck Iran's B1 bridge. Pic: Reuters
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During Operation Epic Fury, the US struck Iran’s B1 bridge. Pic: Reuters

Iran responded by saying it would attack crucial infrastructure across the Gulf in response to any US attack, including desalination plants.

On Sunday, Kuwait accused Iran of launching an attack which put a water desalination station out of service – such moves may also pass the threshold of being deemed a war crime.

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Doctor Todd’s vile new move paints Emmerdale’s Jacob as obsessed stalker | Soaps

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Doctor Todd's vile new move paints Emmerdale’s Jacob as obsessed stalker | Soaps
Doctor Todd just gets worse (Picture: ITV)

Jacob Gallagher (Joe-Warren Plant) has got himself a bully for a boss in Emmerdale, the formidable Dr Todd (Caroline Harker), and she has plans for her protégé. None of them good.

Her bullying has so far been subtle; undermining his confidence, showing him up in front of others, taking credit for his research, putting him on bedpan duty.

But it’s been enough to make him sick with anxiety. She dropped him in it when she told him she thought Kim Tate (Claire King) had been poisoned by mushrooms, which he relayed to the Dingles and triggered a chain of accusations, only for test results to prove her wrong and her to lay the misinformation blame at Jacob’s door.

He called her out for it, which has only served to enrage the beast. Not that he knows it yet. In fact, he thinks things are pretty hunky dory after they found common ground when she opened up about her dad’s dementia and he his granddad’s Parkinson’s.

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Jacob Gallagher standing with his colleague in the hospital, both looking extremely concerned, in Emmerdale.
Jacob’s struggling to express his issues with Doctor Todd (Picture: ITV)

Things took a nosedive when Todd’s dad’s health plummeted, and Jacob stepped in to keep the guy alive, only to find out he had a Do Not Resuscitate order. Todd was once again given cause to hit the roof. But they managed to sort it out and Dr Todd reassures him everything is fine. But is it?

He believes her because he wants to, but she is concealing the fact that she is recording their conversation and preparing to accuse him of obsessive behaviour.

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Though Jacob doesn’t know her next move is to paint him as a stalker, he is wary and feels wildly uncomfortable around her. He’s less than pleased when he learns that she’s moving in with Vanessa (Michelle Hardwick) in the village.

Jacob witnesses Doctor Todd speaking to Manpreet in the pub in Emmerdale
Doctor Todd claims that Jacob is obsessed with her (Picture: ITV)

Jacob can’t cope with the mind games and arranges a shift swap with Rich to get away, only to discover he’s accidentally switched onto her shift the next day. This surely adds fuel to her fire that he’s obsessed.

It seems though that Todd is just getting started. She manipulates Manpreet (Rebecca Sarker) into believing that Jacob is obsessed with her. It’s moving beyond workplace bullying and seems to be a weird throwback to the days young Jacob was manipulated by Maya.

Will anyone spot the signs and rescue him before Todd shatters his career?

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Games machine rigged to pay out in Scarborough arcade

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Games machine rigged to pay out in Scarborough arcade

North Yorkshire Police has released an image of a man it would like to speak to following a theft at an arcade in Scarborough last month.

It happened at Shaws Amusement Arcade in Newborough at approximately 8.45pm on March 17.


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“It involved an unknown implement being used to manipulate a games machine to pay out money,” said a spokesperson for the force.

Please contact the police if you recognise the man pictured, as he may have information that will assist their investigation.

If you can help, please email Ian.Butterfield@northyorkshire.police.uk, call North Yorkshire Police on 101 and ask for Ian Butterfield, or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or via their website.

Please quote reference 12260048095 when passing on information.

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