The woman in her 80s paid for a year’s cover for her Suzuki Splash car with Swinton Insurance and believed she was complying with the law.

But at a court hearing where she was not present and not represented by a lawyer, she was convicted of keeping a car without insurance because she had accidentally written an F instead of an S when including her car registration number on her insurance application.

That meant the insurance was technically invalid for her car.

The pensioner realised the error after she received a letter from the DVLA saying she was being criminally prosecuted for keeping a vehicle without insurance.

The octogenarian wrote to magistrates setting out the mistake, while her niece also penned a letter explaining that the family was now stepping in to help as they “did not know it had got to the stage where she can’t cope”.

Despite the letters, the pensioner was still convicted of a crime in the Single Justice Procedure, a controversial fast-track court process where magistrates hand out convictions and punishments in private hearings.

After the Press Association highlighted the case to the DVLA, the agency said it will now contact the woman to check her insurance paperwork and will seek to have the conviction overturned if the registration typo was indeed to blame.

The pensioner faced prosecution after it was said her car was uninsured on February 6 2026.

Replying to the Single Justice Procedure notice, she wrote: “I understood my car was fully insured with Swinton Insurance, from April 1 2025 to March 31 2026.

“I did not notice the registration printed wrongly.

“Had an F instead of an S.”

Her niece also sent in a letter, explaining: “All the paperwork for insurance has been found to be one letter incorrect.

“No-one had picked up on this.

“I am now helping her with her paperwork as we (the family) did not know it had got to the stage where she can’t cope.

“She has tried to complete the form as best as possible.”

The Single Justice Procedure was invented in 2015 as a cheaper way of handling low-level criminal cases, allowing a magistrate sitting alone in private to take decisions instead of three magistrates deliberating together in open court.

Cases are decided based on written evidence alone, and there is no prosecutor present to see the mitigation and other correspondence sent in by the defendant.

The design of the fast-track process means prosecutors are unable to review new evidence that has come to light, or take a decision to withdraw a case that is no longer in the public interest.

Teesside Magistrates’ Court (Image: NORTHERN ECHO)

In the pensioner’s case, David Pollard, a magistrate sitting at Teesside Magistrates’ Court, opted to accept the written guilty plea and impose a conviction, rather than asking the DVLA to do further checks on the public interest in the prosecution.

He sentenced her to a three-month conditional discharge instead of a fine, but also ordered her to pay a £26 victim surcharge.

The Labour Government conducted a consultation on possible changes to the Single Justice Procedure system between March and May last year, after a string of media revelations about harsh convictions and injustices involving elderly and vulnerable people.

No plan for change has emerged since the end of the consultation nearly a year ago.

However the Lady Chief Justice Baroness Carr revealed at her annual press conference in March that Lord Justice Green, the Senior Presiding Judge for England and Wales, is leading a “nuts and bolts audit” of the Single Justice Procedure.

A working group, comprising of judges, magistrates, and justice officials, “will soon conclude” the audit, the Judicial Office said, with recommendations set to go to the Interim Magistrates Executive Board.

Two teenagers have been arrested over an arson attack at the Kenton United Synagogue in Harrow, northwest London.

A “bottle with some sort of accelerant had been thrown through the window” at midnight on Sunday and smoke was seen inside a room, a Metropolitan Police spokesperson previously said.

Speaking to the BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Monday morning, Matt Jukes, deputy commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, said a 17-year-old boy and 19-year-old man had been arrested overnight.

“I’m really pleased to say that overnight, we have news of two arrests in relation to that incident,” he said.

“We’ve made over the last weeks, 15 arrests in relation to a series of six incidents that have targeted Jewish premises, the Jewish-led ambulance service and a Persian media organisation.”

Minor smoke damage to an internal room was caused during the synagogue attack, but no injuries or significant structural damage were reported, a Jewish charity, the Community Security Trust (CST), said.

Yehuda Black, the synagogue’s rabbi, said the item was thrown into the medical room.

Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer earlier said in a statement on X, formerly Twitter: “I am appalled by recent attempted antisemitic arson attacks in North London.

“This is abhorrent and it will not be tolerated. Attacks on our Jewish community are attacks on Britain.

“We are increasing visible policing and those responsible will be found and brought to justice. We will not rest in the pursuit of perpetrators.”

Police are investigating Iranian-backed proxies linked to recent attacks on the Jewish community, Mr Jukes told Today.

“I think that’s a very serious line of inquiry in relation to these events, we’ve seen a pattern… people taking cash as it looks like quick and easy money,” he said.

“Teams I led have put in prison individuals like Dylan Earl, who is serving a 17-year prison sentence for acting on behalf of the Wagner group. In that case, Russian connected. But this is part of the modern hybrid war fought by proxies.”

Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis earlier called the synagogue incident “a cowardly arson attack” and said “a sustained campaign of violence and intimidation against the Jewish community of the UK is gathering momentum”.

His statement shared on X said: “This sustained attack on our community’s ability to worship and live in safety is an attack on the values that bind us all together.”

It’s a bold and cute look for the warmer weather

As the weather starts to get hotter, it can be hard to style outfits that keep you feeling cool while also looking chic. If you are looking for some new clothes to wear throughout the summer, you might want to take a trip to Tesco.

The shop’s clothing brand, F&F, has just launched the new F&F Lyocell Rich Gathered Co-ord Midi Skirt in Pink that you can match with the F&F Lyocell Rich Bubble Hem Co-ord Camisole Top in Pink. The midi skirt has an elasticated waistband for a “flattering finish”.

The skirt could be worn with a simple vest for “a balanced look” or the matching top, which would be a “pretty addition” to your wardrobe. The skirt is currently being sold for £22.50 and the top costs £16 meaning the whole outfit costs less then £40.

The pastel co-ord was posted to the Tesco F&F Instagram page, which currently has 890K followers. The post was captioned: “Soft blush, bold statement. The perfect set for every spring occasion. Head into stores now to shop 25% off adult clothing until 19/04. Top, £16. Skirt, £22.50. Sandals, £16.”

Fans of the F&F brand have already started to share their opinions on the co-ord on social media. One commenter said: “Stunning.”

If you want to pick up either the skirt or top, you can head to the Tesco website to browse all of its items. You can also go in person to a Tesco store with a clothing department.

If this set is not what you are looking for, Boden has some co-ords in stock. There are these Belgravia Linen Shorts that reviews say are a “great fit” and can be worn with the matching Sienna Linen Shirt or there is this Occasion Short Linen Dress, which would be good for summer.

New Look also has some options for the summertime. There is this Black Foiled Starfish Embroidered Crop Top that looks great when paired with the Black Foiled Starfish Tiered Midi Skirt or there are these Dark Brown Linen Blend Wide Leg Trousers, which come in a range of different colours.

England’s Matt Fitzpatrick defeated world number one Scottie Scheffler in a dramatic play-off to claim his second RBC Heritage title at Hilton Head on Sunday

Matt Fitzpatrick defeated world number one Scottie Scheffler in a dramatic play-off to claim his second RBC Heritage title.

Fitzpatrick entered the final round at Hilton Head with a three-stroke cushion and maintained that margin through to the 15th tee.

However, playing alongside him, Scheffler reeled off birdies at the 15th and 16th holes, while Fitzpatrick’s mishit chip on the 18th resulted in a bogey, forcing a play-off where he appeared the underdog.

Yet Fitzpatrick produced a magnificent four-iron approach to within 12 feet and calmly sank the birdie putt to secure victory after Scheffler had missed the green with his second shot and chipped to eight feet.

“It was a lot of grit,” the Yorkshire golfer told CBS following his fourth PGA Tour victory and second within 28 days, having triumphed at the Valspar Championship last month.

“I knew Scottie was going to make some birdies down the stretch and I kind of had to hang in there a little bit.

“The only chip shot I found into grain all week was in regulation there (18th).”

Fitzpatrick – who admits the RBC Heritage holds special significance as he spent family holidays at Hilton Head during his childhood – drew comparisons to Rory McIlroy’s remarkable Masters victory last week after similarly seeing his advantage eroded.

McIlroy had surrendered a six-shot halfway lead at Augusta before capturing his second Green Jacket in a thrilling final round. Having fallen short in regulation play, Fitzpatrick reflected: “He (caddie Dan Parratt) actually said, ‘go and get to the tee. We would have taken this at the start of the week’.

“I know Rory said that the other week so I jokingly said to Dan, ‘OK here he is, Harry Diamond (McIlroy’s caddie)’.

“We had a good laugh about that, but I felt I was in a good spot and to hit the four-iron there was out of this world.

“This was a tournament I wanted to win growing up before any of the majors and before I understood about the game.

“To win it twice means the world. To go toe-to-toe with Scottie and win it on the 73rd hole is special.”

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As I’m A Celebrity camp-mates continue to round on under-fire David Haye, the ITV show’s presenters Ant & Dec have taken the rare step of openly criticising a contestant

He’s sparked a sexism storm and has been labelled a ‘bully’ for his cutting comments to Adam Thomas, and now the star names have clearly had enough of David Haye.

On Sunday, the actor shared a heartbreaking post about how the boxer “broke” him during his time on the ITV show in South Africa. Adam suffers with autoimmune illness psoriatic arthritis and requested to sit out a Bushtucker Trial on Friday because he felt unwell and dehydrated.

David, not interested in the reasons why said he wasn’t up for the challenge, said his camp-mate was being “useless” and stated that he “doesn’t like men like that” as he tore a strip off the 37-year-old when he wanted to miss Termite Terror. Adam yesterday released a blunt statement, and if left fans wondering if there’s more to come.

He may have said sorry to him since, but the celebs have already started to round on former world champion David, who last week told the world that his girlfriend Sian had “the personality of a proper ugly bird,” before classlessly adding: “Most ugly girls realise they’re not pretty enough so they tell jokes so people overlook the fact that they’re not aesthetically amazing.”

Ant & Dec

It takes quite something for the show’s presenters top openly criticise a camp-mate.

But both Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly launched into David on ITV1 show’s podcast I’m A Celebrity . . . Unpacked and the pair were clearly uncomfortable with what they were watching.

Ant said on the show: “It’s not a nice watch. He just kind of picks and picks at them. Adam has had a bit of a tough time and he’s not coping well. Clearly the banter has got too much. But David won’t stop.”

Agreeing with his co-star, Dec added. “It’s kind of crossed the line from banter. I don’t find it comfortable to watch.”

Ryan Thomas

The former Emmerdale and Waterloo Road star is a twin and also has an older brother, Coronation Street star Ryan Thomas, 41.

Ryan has been by his side the whole way in the jungle and told him: “I would like to say i would stick up for you in there but hes not the guy to pick a fight with we need to give @tonybellew a call bro!”

His twin Scott told him: “I wish I could have been there for you my brother…it makes me so angry that you went through that…but I’m so proud of how you’ve come out of the other side of all this…the strongest you’ve ever been and on an incredible journey…standing in your power.”

Gemma Collins

Concerned Gemma Collins revealed she had to “protect” Adam in the jungle.

She spilled on I’m A Celebrity: Unpacked. Gemma said: “I think David Haye might have seen a weakness in Adam, there were times where I had to protect Adam in there.

“If I was going full GC mode on David Haye, and a lot of them, then it would’ve been a disaster in there but I had to remain calm and composed and just remember that I’m not here to be performative. I am here as me. I think the fact that I stretched my arms out, I’m sort of saying to ’em all, without biting their heads off, ‘enough’”.

She went on: “I knew if it was ever gonna get too bad I would be taking David on. You know, bring on the next heavyweight champion fighting the world….. because if I feel that something’s too much, I’m not afraid to step up.”

Scarlett Moffatt

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No-nonsence Gogglebox legend and former jungle queen Scarlett Moffatt had to beg David to stop as he ripped into Adam.

We saw the telly favourite, who was left angry and lost for words at the boxer’s sexist rant last week, try to get David to leave Adam alone when he became hellbent on trying to force the struggling star to accept the trial.

Scarlett, clearly in despair at the situation developing, said: “Stop it David, he’s not well!” After Adam took to Instagram to detail his jungle ordeal, she told him: “Adam I bloody love you. You’re one of the kindest men I know, if my little boy ends up being as caring as you then I know I’ll have done a good job a mam.”

Adam’s emotional statement

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On Sunday, he spoke out and alongside an image from the show, which was filmed towards the end of last year, Adam wrote on Instagram: “Not going to lie,this picture breaks my heart, as I know on the inside what I was dealing with and truth be told I thought it was all my fault. I now know that’s not the reality… My time in I’m a Celebrity South Africa was one of the toughest things I’ve ever been through, physically, mentally, and emotionally.

“Watching it back hasn’t been easy at all. There were moments I felt pushed to my absolute limit, and if I’m honest, times I didn’t even recognise myself. Living with arthritis is something I don’t really talk about, as much as I should do…but in there it really took its toll. My biggest fight was pretending to put on a brave face and trying to hide the pain! that can be exhausting within itself.

“There were days my body just didn’t want to keep going, but I did. “I won’t sit here and say I handled everything perfectly, because I didn’t. I wish I spoke up for myself sooner. I wish I stood my ground instead of trying to keep the peace, but I’ve learned that being kind doesn’t mean being weak, and sometimes it takes going through tough moments to find your voice.

“Since coming out, I’ve taken time to process everything, and I’m in a much better place now. I let go of the anger, had the conversations I needed to have, and chose peace.

“What I’m most proud of, is at times like this I wanted to walk, I wanted to quit but I didn’t. Even when I wanted to walk away, even when it felt like too much, I never give up! and that means everything to me. He broke me in there, he pushed me to my limits, and I’ve told David this and he’s apologised and that’s that!”

* I’m A Celebrity…South Africa airs weekdays at 9pm on ITV and ITVX.

US forces have intercepted an Iranian-flagged cargo ship in the Gulf as part of its naval blockade, Donald Trump has said.

The US president wrote on his Truth Social platform that the Touska was seized by the US Navy after failing to respond to a warning to stop.

Iran said it was a violation of the ceasefire and it would retaliate soon for the “act of armed piracy”.

Centcom (United States Central Command) released two videos which have been combined in this edit.

They said one video showed the Iranian ship being warned before shots were fired. The second, they said, showed Marines departing their ship and boarding the Iranian vessel.

Read more here.

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A tsunami warning has been issued after Japan was hit with a huge 7.4 magnitude earthquake, with 10ft waves expected “immediately” following the quake

A tsunami warning has been declared after Japan was struck by a powerful 7.4 magnitude earthquake, with waves of up to 10ft forecast to arrive “immediately”.

The enormous three-metre (10ft) tsunami is anticipated to reach Iwate prefecture and parts of Hokkaido “immediately” following the quake, which was recorded at 4.53pm local time (7.53am UK time).

Further tsunami activity is also anticipated across Aomori, Miyagi and Fukushima within the next hour, though these waves are only expected to reach three feet, according to Japanese media.

The earthquake struck at a depth of six miles, with its epicentre located in the Pacific Ocean. The tremor was reportedly powerful enough to rattle large buildings as far away as Tokyo, hundreds of miles from the quake’s origin.

Japan’s Meteorological Agency (JMA) warned: “Evacuate immediately from coastal regions and riverside areas to a safer place such as high ground or an evacuation building.

“Tsunami waves are expected to hit repeatedly. Do not leave safe ground until the warning is lifted.”, reports the Daily Star.

The office of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has confirmed it has established a crisis management team in response to the earthquake.

There will be 12 famous faces that will be taking on Lord Alan Sugar’s ultimate business challenge.

Celebrities will face a range of weekly business challenges set by Lord Sugar over six weeks.

The winner will be crowned the first Celebrity Apprentice winner and receive £100,000 for a charity of their choice.

First-ever Celebrity Apprentice line-up confirmed

The BBC has confirmed the 12 celebrities taking part in the special series.

They are:

• Alexandra Burke – Singer
• Danny Miller – Emmerdale’s Aaron Dingle
• Gethin Jones – TV presenter
• Jordan Banjo – Diversity dancer
• Kay Burley – Journalist
• Maddie Grace Jepson – Actress and online personality
• Max Balegde – Presenter, podcaster and content creator
• Sheli McCoy – Gladiators star Sabre
• DJ Spoony – UK garage star
• Richie Anderson – TV and BBC Radio 2 presenter
• Laura Smyth – Comedian and writer
• Toni Laites – TV personality

For the celebrity series, the boardroom will relocate to a London City skyscraper, providing a new setting for Lord Sugar’s final deliberations.

On the new series, Lord Sugar said: “We’ve not done anything like this before, and it’ll be entertaining to see these 12 celebrities being put through six weeks of some brilliant business challenges.

“But just because they’re celebrities, it doesn’t mean they’re going to get an easy ride, especially when there’s £100,000 at stake for their chosen charity.”

The news comes just days after Karishma Vijay was crowned the winner of The Apprentice 2026 (regular series).

She beat 19 other candidates to win the popular BBC show, securing a £250,000 investment from Lord Sugar for her skincare brand, Kishkin.

When is The Celebrity Apprentice on TV?

According to reports, filming for the upcoming series started recently, with it expected to air later this year on BBC One.

The BBC said that broadcast details for The Celebrity Apprentice will be confirmed in due course.

Let us know what you think about the show’s line-up in the comments below.

Ant and Dec have spoken out about David Haye’s treatment of Adam Thomas on I’m A Celebrity South Africa

Ant and Dec have waded into the David Haye controversy, declaring that the incident which triggered bullying complaints was “not nice” to witness.

The former boxer had already found himself mired in controversy following sexist remarks he made about his girlfriend and other women, before he then rounded on Adam Thomas after the actor said he was feeling too unwell to participate in Termite Terror.

It was the latest outburst to leave the South Africa camp reeling, with Gemma Collins subsequently revealing she felt compelled to “protect” the actor.

The presenting duo have now spoken out, making the rare decision to openly criticise the behaviour of an I’m A Celebrity contestant.

The Geordie pair say Haye simply does not know when to stop, as his comments from last week continue to cause uproar amongst the show’s viewers, who have firmly turned against the sports star.

Ant shared his thoughts on the ITV1 show’s podcast I’m A Celebrity… Unpacked, making clear his displeasure at Haye’s choice of words.

He said: “It’s not a nice watch. He just kind of picks and picks at them. Adam has had a bit of a tough time and he’s not coping well. Clearly the banter has got too much. But David won’t stop.”

Echoing his co-presenter’s sentiments, Dec said: “It’s kind of crossed the line from banter. I don’t find it comfortable to watch.”

Adam, who lives with the autoimmune condition psoriatic arthritis, had asked to be excused from the Bushtucker Trial on Friday after feeling unwell and dehydrated.

Haye said he was being “useless” and stated that he “doesn’t like men like that”.

Gemma Collins was among the celebrities visibly uncomfortable with David’s remarks, and she opened up about it on I’m A Celebrity: Unpacked.

Gemma said: “I think David Haye might have seen a weakness in Adam, there were times where I had to protect Adam in there.

“If I was going full GC mode on David Haye, and a lot of them, then it would’ve been a disaster in there but I had to remain calm and composed and just remember that I’m not here to be performative. I am here as me. I think the fact that I stretched my arms out, I’m sort of saying to ’em all, without biting their heads off, ‘enough’”, reports the Mirror.

She continued: “I knew if it was ever gonna get too bad I would be taking David on. You know, bring on the next heavyweight champion fighting the world….. because if I feel that something’s too much, I’m not afraid to step up.”

Shedding light on how his condition affects his daily life, Adam had previously explained: “It is an autoimmune disease. Basically means my immune system is attacking my own body. It causes a s**t-load of pain.”

Speaking out over the weekend, Adam shared an image from the show — which was filmed towards the end of last year — and wrote on Instagram: “Not going to lie, this picture breaks my heart, as I know on the inside what I was dealing with and truth be told I thought it was all my fault. I now know that’s not the reality… My time in I’m a Celebrity South Africa was one of the toughest things I’ve ever been through, physically, mentally, and emotionally.

“Watching it back hasn’t been easy at all. There were moments I felt pushed to my absolute limit, and if I’m honest, times I didn’t even recognise myself. Living with arthritis is something I don’t really talk about, as much as I should do…but in there it really took its toll. My biggest fight was pretending to put on a brave face and trying to hide the pain! that can be exhausting within itself.

“There were days my body just didn’t want to keep going, but I did. I won’t sit here and say I handled everything perfectly, because I didn’t. I wish I spoke up for myself sooner. I wish I stood my ground instead of trying to keep the peace, but I’ve learned that being kind doesn’t mean being weak, and sometimes it takes going through tough moments to find your voice.”