Easby Abbey, properly known as the Abbey of St Agatha, was founded around 1152 by Roald, constable of nearby Richmond Castle.

It was only the third Premonstratensian monastery established in England, home to canons known as “White Canons” because of their plain, undyed robes, a title distinguishing them from the black-robed Benedictine monks found elsewhere.

Unlike traditional monks who withdrew from the world, the Premonstratensian canons combined a life of prayer with active pastoral work, preaching, teaching, and serving local parishes, while also having authority to celebrate mass.

Evidence suggests a religious community existed on the site even before the abbey’s founding, likely based around the parish church of St Agatha, itself possibly an Anglo-Saxon minster serving the surrounding area.

Easby Abbey near Richmond. (Image: NORTHERN ECHO CAMERA CLUB)

Wealth, sheep, and Scottish raids

The abbey prospered steadily through the late 12th and early 13th centuries, its endowment growing through more than 100 charters, with sheep farming becoming one of its main sources of income.

Its success allowed the community to found its own daughter house, Egglestone Abbey in nearby Teesdale, in 1198.

That prosperity attracted powerful patrons.

From the 14th century, the wealthy Scrope family of Bolton Castle took over patronage of Easby, funding an expansion of the abbey church and choosing it as their family burial place, with several generations of the Scrope barons interred there, including Richard le Scrope, 1st Baron Scrope of Bolton, who died in 1403.

Like much of the north, Easby also suffered during the medieval period, with the abbey badly damaged in 1346 when English troops were billeted there en route to the Battle of Neville’s Cross.

Easby Abbey near Richmond. (Image: NORTHERN ECHO CAMERA CLUB)

Dissolved by Henry VIII

Easby’s fortunes changed dramatically in the 1530s, when Henry VIII ordered the dissolution of England’s monasteries.

By 1536, the community had dwindled to just 11 canons, and the abbey was closed, its lands leased to Lord Scrope of Bolton for £300.

Within two years, most of the buildings had been stripped of valuable materials and left to fall into ruin, though some treasures were saved, including the abbey’s ornate canopied choir stalls, which survive today inside Richmond’s parish church.

Easby Abbey near Richmond. (Image: NORTHERN ECHO CAMERA CLUB)

From ruin to romantic icon

Ownership of the abbey passed through several families over the following centuries, including the Scropes, the Howes, and the Burtons, before industrialist Robert Jaques bought the estate in 1816.

By this point, the ruins had become a magnet for antiquarians and Romantic-era artists drawn to their crumbling grandeur, most famously JMW Turner, who painted the abbey amid its riverside setting.

The Jaques family retained ownership until 1930, when the ruins were taken into state guardianship, eventually passing to English Heritage, which maintains the site today.

Visiting Easby Abbey today

Visitors can still explore the abbey’s substantial surviving structures, including its magnificent refectory, gatehouse, and the canons’ dormitory, offering a clear sense of the site’s former scale.

Entry is free, with the abbey open daily from 10am to 6pm between late March and October, and 10am to 4pm during the winter months.

Next door, the still-active parish church of St Agatha contains rare 13th-century wall paintings, considered one of the hidden highlights of a visit.

A popular way to experience the site is via the scenic riverside walk from Richmond Castle, a roughly 35-minute route along the Swale that builds anticipation before the ruins come into view.

Celebrity Hunted is back for a new series, with a fresh set of famous faces on the run

Celebrity Hunted viewers suggested part of the show was “set up” as it returned for a new series.

The popular programme – which sees stars on the run and trying to stay hidden while being pursued by specialist trackers – has returned for a new series on Channel 4, with Strictly’s Amy Dowden and EastEnders’ Brian Conley among those taking part, reports the Mirror.

In the first episode, the celebs flew into their starting point in helicopters as they were tracked by members of the team who tried to make them land.

“You must land immediately!” shouted one of the Hunters, as another yelled: “Land now, land now!”

However, one viewer suggested it wasn’t realistic, claiming the helicopters’ flight paths would have already been laid out.

One posted on X: “Has there ever been a more set up show. As if the flight plans for these 3 helicopters weren’t submitted to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) weeks ago and are all flying at the legal mandated speed, height and distance between them in London.”

“Obsessed with how fake this is now,” quipped one viewer, while another questioned: “Hang on… heading east when the lone heli stops the pair but that looks suspiciously like Westminster Bridge under them even though they’ve just flown over the city…”

Someone else suggested the show felt “staged”.

The cast of the series, in aid of Stand Up To Cancer, includes actor and comedian Brian Conley alongside his daughter Lucy and Strictly Come Dancing stars Amy Dowden and Carlos Gu. Joining them are TV personalities Scarlette and Stuart Douglas, Love Island contestants Chris Taylor and Toby Aromolaran, presenters and disability campaigners JJ Chalmers and Sophie Morgan and comedians Jen Brister and Laura Smyth.

“For 14 relentless days they must stay hidden, think fast and trust no one because the moment they leave a trail, the hunt is on,” reads a synopsis.

“Pursuing them is Ray Howard and his elite team of Hunters drawn from policing, military and intelligence backgrounds.

“They have the full arsenal of the modern state at their disposal including CCTV, ANPR, Facial Recognition, helicopters, drones, search dogs, cyber investigations and media appeals. Every clue, every sighting and every mistake can mean a capture.”

Viewers said they “loved” the first instalment, with one posting on X: “Great start, some really interesting fugitive pairings.” “Looking good so far, so full on,” said someone else.

Celebrity Hunted is airing on Channel 4.

Popular YouTube creator Max Gilardi has shocked fans by saying he is planning on traveling to Switzerland to be euthanized. 

Gilardi, 38, from Gloucester, Massachusetts, made the harrowing announcement on Sunday in a pre-recorded video posted to his page, called hotdiggedydemon. 

He told his 2.1 million followers that ‘after considering every option I could think of’ he has decided to pursue ‘doctor-assisted euthanasia’ as his ‘final solution’. 

Gilardi, who makes animated videos and livestreams himself playing video games, explained that he has been struggling with chronic illness for the past few years.  

The creator said he was diagnosed with fibromyalgia in 2024, a condition that causes pain throughout the body which has been limiting his ability to produce more content. 

‘I’m tired all the time,’ Gilardi said. ‘I spend a lot of my time lying down. I get a lot of bad pain in all my joints and my muscles, ankles, shins, hands, knees, hips, neck. I have a lot of difficulty sleeping.’

The creator added that he has also been dealing with a plethora of other health issues that doctors have been unable to diagnose, including a relentless drooling he dubbed ‘slobber mouth’, brain fog, and difficulty speaking. 

‘I would truly describe slobber mouth as maddening,’ he said. 

‘And as you can imagine, when you have slobber mouth and discognition (sic), and shortness of breath, and a scratchy throat that won’t stop producing mucus, and a tongue that feels numb and tingly, it makes streaming hard.’ 

He said the rising cost of his medical bills, including a $900 bill for an MRI which did not lead to a diagnosis or treatment, have compounded his despair. 

Gilardi makes animations, as shown above

‘There’s nothing more expensive than living,’ Gilardi said, adding that he is ‘constantly running out of money’ and has ‘outstanding medical bills’. 

The creator said his decision to seek euthanasia came after more than a year of considering his options, and felt like a ‘natural conclusion’ to his life. 

‘My existence has become one where I suffer and barely scrape by so I can continue to sustain an existence where I barely scrape by and suffer,’ Gilardi said. 

He also gave a lengthy insight into the struggles of living with fibromyalgia, saying he felt like he had ‘brain damage’. 

‘Fibromyalgia could maybe be conceptualized as a sort of non-definitional form of brain damage, if there is such a thing as non-definitional brain damage,’ he said. 

‘There’s a part of your brain called the hypothalamus, and when it’s damaged and it breaks, that’s what causes fibro. It breaks and starts sending out kind of bad signals to the rest of your body.’ 

The outpouring appeared to prompt Gilardi to change his mind, as he wrote on X hours later that he would ‘reassess’ his decision to travel to Switzerland, as shown above 

Gilardi added that he believes he may have developed the condition after contracting Covid-19. 

‘It can be caused by a concussive head injury or a bad viral infection, which, for me, was Covid,’ the creator explained. 

‘I got Covid in the winter of 2023, and then about a month… yeah, about a month and a half later, I got fibro, and I got slobber mouth.’ 

Gilardi’s fans were horrified, with many begging him not to seek euthanasia. 

Many told the creator they loved him and urged him to seek help, while some offered to donate money to cover his medical bills. 

The outpouring appeared to prompt Gilardi to change his mind, as he wrote on X hours later that he would ‘reassess’ his decision to travel to Switzerland. 

‘JEEEEZ you guys okay fine haha jk just kidding!! Nevermind!! Jk just kidding jk jk!!’ he wrote, before adding: ‘Decided I’m not thinking clearly, will reassess’. 

Euthanasia, which is administered by a doctor, is illegal in Switzerland, but assisted suicide, which involves the person who wants to die injecting themselves with a lethal substance, is allowed under certain circumstances. 

Switzerland’s most famous clinic, Dignitas, is based in Zurich and generally only offers euthanasia to those suffering from terminal illnesses.

The country is also home to Pegasos, which has more relaxed rules and offers assisted suicide to anyone suffering ‘a poor quality of life.’

Patients are generally euthanized by drinking a lethal cocktail of barbiturate drugs. 

Gilardi rose to internet fame with his web series called PONY.MOV, a a gory adult parody of the animated TV series My Little Pony. 

He now runs a media analysis series known as Brain Dump, while streaming to fans on YouTube as hotdiggedydemon.  

Hamas’s agreement to US president Donald Trump’s disarmament roadmap is welcome news. It potentially unlocks the stalemate that has kept 2 million Gazans living in catastrophic conditions since the ceasefire was announced more than nine months ago.

But there are concerns. Israel is unlikely to accept the plan, as it will require the withdrawal of the Israeli military from Gaza. The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is likely to try to stall at least until elections are held in late October.

Hamas knows this, and being in no rush to disarm, will also be content to slow-walk the process. If or when there are additional negotiations, each party is likely to object to the details to delay the process further or suspend it altogether.

Some of these hurdles can be overcome through sustained diplomatic engagement and pressure on both parties. But this is far from guaranteed. And an additional challenge that could derail any potential progress looms large beyond Gaza’s borders: the deteriorating situation in the West Bank.

I just returned from a month of fieldwork in the West Bank, meeting with local NGO workers, community leaders and youth activists and documenting settler violence, forced displacement and land seizures. Many people I met, whether in cities, refugee camps or rural areas, said they fear a repeat of Gaza in the West Bank. They fear another major war, another Nakba (meaning “catastrophe”: the term Palestinians use to describe the mass displacement of Palestinians in 1948). One person I spoke with said they felt as if “it’s going to explode”. This is a common view among people in the West Bank.

Pressure cooker

After spending weeks travelling around the territory, it wasn’t hard to see why. I have been visiting the region for more than 20 years, and life in the West Bank has never been easy for its residents. But now, it’s like a pressure cooker.

Travel within the West Bank has become much harder and slower, with additional checkpoints, gates and unpredictable road closures – mostly near expanding settlements – adding hours to simple journeys of less than 20km. On the roads that are open, settlers have lined the pavement with Israeli flags and blacked out the Arabic writing on multilingual road signs with spray paint.

In the cities, petrol stations are out of fuel and hospitals are short of medicine. Civil servants are out of work or earning only partial wages, as Israel continues to withhold much-needed tax revenues to the Palestinian Authority. More people are also being squeezed into urban areas as a result of both Israeli military seizures of neighbouring refugee camps and settler violence against rural communities. This is adding additional strain and tension to urban areas.

For example, I visited Tulkarem, where two refugee camps, once home to more than 33,000 people, now sit like empty ghost towns. In January 2025, the residents were forced out of the camps by the Israeli military. Most are still living in temporary shelters in schools or mosques, or in overcrowded apartments housing 30 to 40 people.

Residents of Jenin Camp were also displaced last year, and in late July, Israeli defence minister Israel Katz instructed the IDF to take control of another refugee camp, suggesting another major offensive and further mass displacement.

Other areas I visited rarely make international headlines, but they are well known within Palestine. For example, the Jordan Valley is a mostly rural area that stretches about 10km wide and 100km long. It hugs the West Bank’s border with Jordan and is comprised mostly of small, simple farming villages. The region is also part of what is referred to as Area C under the Oslo Accords, the peace deal signed between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in 1995. The deal divided the West Bank into three areas with specific levels of security and control. Area C is under Israeli civil and military control.

All of Area C has experienced accelerated Israeli settlement growth, with over 100 new settlements approved by the current Israeli government since 2023. These are illegal under international law but supported by the state of Israel. In the Jordan Valley, there are 30 settlements as well as nine new outposts, which are typically unsanctioned by Israel initially, but usually allowed to develop into formal settlements with Israeli military protection.

Settlement expansion and land confiscation is not new in this area. But episodes of direct settler attacks accelerated after October 7 2023 and have continued to skyrocket across the West Bank, with about 2,500 documented attacks in 2026 alone.

These attacks were described by 600 former senior Israeli officials as terrorism, in a July 28 open letter to the Netanyahu government. Incidents range from harassment and stealing livestock, to arson, property destruction and physical, sometimes deadly attacks. In the Jordan Valley, such attacks have forced more than 45 entire villages to flee.

I visited one village, Ein el Hilweh, that had been home to 150 families. Their homes had been destroyed, and all that remained was a single tent erected by a solidarity group. At the entrance to the village, settlers had painted a picture of Greater Israel, showing the state of Israel extending across the Middle East from the Nile River in Egypt to the Euphrates River in Iraq.

Cycle of violence

The situation in Tulkarem, the Jordan Valley and other parts of the West Bank may appear disconnected from Gaza and Hamas disarmament negotiations. But they are inextricably linked for several reasons.

First, every settler attack risks unleashing an uncontrollable cycle of violence, like an incident in the village of Tal near Nablus in late July in which four Palestinians and two Israelis were killed, sparking days of retaliatory attacks. Many worry that Netanyahu will use a similar incident as a pretext for a broader military operation in the West Bank, and in turn halt negotiations or prevent any withdrawal from Gaza.

Second, even the slim chance that Hamas does disarm in Gaza doesn’t mean that armed struggle will disappear. On the contrary, in the absence of a broader, comprehensive agreement, other groups and individuals will jockey to fill that gap in both Gaza and the West Bank. Moreover, in the face of unsanctioned settler attacks, support for armed resistance as a form of self-defence in the West Bank will only increase.

Third, and deriving from the point above, no disarmament plan for Gaza and/or the West Bank will succeed without a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination. The youth activists I met across the West Bank are hungry for a new political vision, but they do not see one. When I met with youth groups, nearly all of them told me that their greatest fear is that Palestine will cease to exist in any form by the year 2040 or 2050.

Donald Trump’s Board of Peace, which reportedly has negotiated the most recent agreement – and the international community more broadly – should leverage this moment to convince them otherwise. As discussions over potential decommissioning begin, they should be coupled with a commitment to and investment in a negotiated political process to ensure a better future for all of Palestine.

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — A landslide Monday triggered by heavy rainfall in Ethiopia’s Amhara region killed 14 people and injured seven others, while an unknown number of people remain unaccounted for as search and rescue efforts continue.

The landslide occurred at Tsadqane Debre Mitmaq St. Mary Monastery, where hundreds of worshippers had gathered for a holy water cleansing ritual that is popular among people seeking spiritual healing for chronic illnesses.

“The disaster occurred at approximately 7 a.m., and many of those who died had gathered to receive the holy water,” Megabe Hadis Neka Tibeb Ababu, the diocese’s general manager, told The Associated Press.

He said an unknown number of people are still believed to be trapped beneath the debris.

“Of the dead, 11 have already been buried at the monastery, while the remains of the others were sent to their hometowns,” he said, adding that it remained difficult to identify some of the victims.

Those who sustained serious injuries were taken to Debre Birhan, the capital of North Shewa Administrative Zone, about 70 kilometers (43 miles) from the monastery.

The landslide occurred near a mountain, where massive rocks broke loose and crashed onto the worshippers, worsening the disaster.

A team of experts from the local disaster prevention office has been deployed to assist search and rescue operations, the local administration’s communications office said in a statement.

Mudslides and flooding caused by heavy rainfall have become increasingly common in Ethiopia, particularly during the rainy season, locally known as Kiremt, which typically runs from June to September.

In July 2024, a deadly mudslide triggered by heavy rains killed at least 257 people in southern Ethiopia. Earlier this year, more than 100 people also died in a similar mudslide in Gamo, in southern Ethiopia.

The Horn of Africa nation has been increasingly affected by extreme weather events linked to climate change. Poor infrastructure, particularly in rural areas, has left many communities highly vulnerable to flooding, landslides, and recurring droughts, with limited capacity to respond to such disasters.

The surge coincided with high petrol prices

Drivers in Northern Ireland bringing cars back onto the road after they have been declared ‘off the road’ have been warned they could face a £300 fine and penalty points if they make a costly insurance mistake.

New DVLA figures obtained through a Freedom of Information request show that 8,198 vehicles across Northern Ireland were declared off the road through a Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN) in March 2026.

The figures form part of a wider UK increase, with 56,331 cars declared SORN during the month, which represents a 10 per cent rise compared to February and more than double the rate recorded during the same period in 2025.

The surge coincided with high petrol prices, suggesting some motorists chose to take vehicles off the road to reduce running costs.

However, as summer holidays and road trips encourage drivers to bring “hibernating” vehicles back into use, motorists are being warned about the legal requirements before getting behind the wheel.

While drivers can legally take a SORN vehicle without road tax directly to a pre-booked MOT appointment, they must still have valid insurance in place.

Driving an uninsured vehicle on a public road is a motoring offence that can result in a £300 fixed penalty, six penalty points, and the possibility of the vehicle being seized.

Temporary car insurance provider Tempcover said many motorists wrongly believe the MOT exemption also applies to insurance.

Jake Lambert, a temporary car insurance expert at Tempcover, said: “The law lets you drive a SORN car to a pre-booked MOT without road tax, but many mistakenly assume that applies to insurance too. It doesn’t – the moment you take an uninsured car onto a public road, you are breaking the law.

“Relying on assumptions or annual policies that exclude SORNed vehicles is a massive financial gamble. Insuring the car before heading to the garage is vital, and flexible, temporary cover gives drivers a legal, short-term bridge to get tested and taxed without risking fines, points or an impounded car.”

Drivers looking to return a SORN vehicle to the road are advised they must first ensure they have insurance before travelling.

The vehicle can then be driven directly to a pre-booked MOT test, provided the insurance is valid. Once the MOT has been passed, motorists can tax the vehicle before using it normally.

Vehicles detected being driven without insurance can also face further costs if they are seized, including removal fees and daily storage charges.

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.

Donald Trump has had a go at the UK, saying it is ‘sitting on top of gold’with North Sea oil but has chosen the way of ‘loser’ windmills.

Setting up a showdown with new Prime Minister Andy Burnham, he stressed ‘he sounded terrific’ and said the world leaders are ‘going to have a very good relationship’.

Speaking in the White House, Mr Trump said: ‘Two things are killing Europe. Number one is immigration. Number two is energy.

‘When you look at the UK, they have one of the best energy fields in the world, North Sea oil. Now I think your new Prime Minister is going to actually open up the (North Sea), from what I hear.

‘I spoke to him, and he sounded terrific on this subject.

‘But you open it up, you’ll be a wealthy country.

‘You keep it closed, you’re going to be a bankrupt country, which is what you are now. Essentially, you’re a bankrupt country.’

He added: ‘You’re sitting on top of gold, better than gold, and you don’t do anything with it.’

Claiming drilling North Sea Oil could provide free energy for a millennium, he went on: ‘You have your choice. Not every country has that choice. Almost no country has that choice.’

‘They have a problem with energy. They have windmills all over the place. Windmills, you lose your shirt.

‘Any country with windmills is a loser. Okay, you just have to look. If they have windmills, they’re a loser because you lose money with windmills.’

After his first phone call with Trump, Burnham said he would ‘take a pragmatic approach when it comes to the North Sea’.

Labour’s 2024 manifesto said the party would not issue new North Sea licences, but Mr Burnham appeared to indicate a shift in stance.

Ed Miliband, who held the energy and net zero brief under Sir Keir Starmer and was a strong supporter of the election pledge, has now taken the Foreign Secretary role.

His successor as Energy Secretary, Miatta Fahnbulleh, has said the manifesto was clear there is scope to exploit existing licences and that oil and gas are ‘part of the mix’ – but would not be drawn on whether there are plans to go further.

The US president said he is giving Iran a last chance to end the war, claiming that last-gasp talks with Tehran ‘are going on right now’ on Monday, adding that Iran ‘begged’ for the meeting.

‘This is a last chance for them to sign a good document,’ he said after cancelling strikes over the weekend.

On Truth Social, Trump slammed Iran’s ‘unbelievably duplicitous’ leadership, after the regime denied talks were underway.

MORE: Trump wins tournament at his own course with score so good it sounds made up

MORE: Donald Trump’s £10,000,000,000 plan for landmark will hide most of original building

MORE: Trump cracks another awkward joke about Japan and Pearl Harbour

The footage allegedly shows Sharif Ahmadzai wheeling the body of Elisabeth Jane Ross through the streets of Athens.

Harrowing CCTV footage has captured the moment the man arrested over the death of a Scottish woman allegedly wheels a suitcase containing her remains through the Greek streets.

The chilling video reportedly shows Sharif Ahmadzai, 26, lugging the large, black case through the centre of Athens. Dressed in a black T-shirt and shorts and carrying a blue rucksack, Ahmadzai allegedly dumped the bag in an abandoned building in Kypseli before fleeing the scene.

The horror clip appears to show Ahmadzai’s movements on July 16, two days before Elisabeth Jane Ross’ body was discovered by a homeless man.

Elisabeth, also known as Lisa, 38, from Edinburgh was found dead inside a suitcase by a homeless man in an abandoned building in the district of Kypseli on Saturday, July 18.

Ahmadzai has since been arrested and charged in connection with Lisa’s death. Reports from local media state that he faces charges of intentional homicide, robbery and weapons offences. He reportedly confessed transporting Lisa’s body in the suitcase to cops but denies murder, according to the Guardian.

George Kalliakmanis, the honorary president of the police officers’ association in Athens, told the Guardian: “He has admitted to carrying her body in a trolley to the site. Police have CCTV footage of him doing this on the night of 16 July. He has also confessed to withdrawing €10,000 from ATMs using credit cards that belonged to her. But he has denied murder which police do not believe.”

The man, who is a champion boxer from Afghanistan, ran a refugee charity in the Greek capital, is understood to arrived in Lesvos in 2016 as a migrant, and later married US-born Alaina Hall in 2023.

The couple set up a ministry to help refugees in Athens and are believed to have known Elisabeth through their work. the Daily Mail reports. They had a key to the flat she was staying in – which was owned by their organisation, Love Every Nation Athens.

Initial medical reports suggest Elisabeth died from asphyxiation, according to The Times. An autopsy is currently underway with Lisa’s official cause of death unknown until toxicology reports are released.

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Investigators determined that Lisa arrived in Greece in late June and stayed at several locations before renting a ground-floor apartment in Exarchia. The Daily Mail reports cops said the accused had access to her apartment through a set of keys. Lisa was last known to have contacted a friend three days before she was found dead.

Her loved ones became concerned when they continued receiving text messages that appeared uncharacteristic of her writing style.

His wife Alaina is understood to have provided key evidence to the probe including a location-sharing application showing her husband at Lisa’s apartment during the night of July 15 and into July 16. After Lisa’s identity became public, she reportedly suspected Ahmadzai involvement and left their home with her child.

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Alaina is understood to have handed cops a mobile phone and €2,550 in cash that she believed may have belonged to the victim. During questioning, Ahmadzai allegedly claimed he found Lisa dead in the apartment bathroom before placing her body in a suitcase and disposing of it the following night.

But police reportedly allege he later admitted to using the victim’s mobile phone to impersonate her in messages sent to relatives and friends, while also withdrawing money using her bank cards. A search of the suspect’s home on August 1 uncovered a replica Glock-style pistol and a military-style knife, leading to additional weapons charges.

Ahmadzai’s website states his father, a military commander in Kabul, was shot dead in a Taliban ambush when he was four. His older brother was kidnapped by the Taliban five years later.

The rest of his family died in a suicide car bomb when he was 15, the website adds. Ahmadzai travelled to Greece in a small boat and went on to win the Greek super lightweight boxing title in March 2023.

He has been referred to the competent prosecuting authority to face the charges and is reportedly due to appear before magistrates in Athens on Wednesday.

Nathan Owen, 33, told 999 call handlers his car was accelerating on its own, triggering a huge police response that saw motorways closed – but was later discovered to have faked the incident

Bizarre new footage shows the moment a man slams into the back of a police car after faking an emergency to try and have his car written off.

Nathan Owen, 33, collided with a police car 31 times after he phoned emergency services to tell them his electric Jaguar was accelerating on its own and he could not stop, Liverpool Crown Court heard on Monday.

He drove at speeds of up to 86mph on the M58, M57 and M62 in Merseyside for about 35 minutes, over a distance of about 38 miles, during the incident on March 6, 2024.

It triggered a “significant“ police response as officers tried to stop what they were told was a runaway vehicle – but investigations later showed there was nothing wrong with the car, and that Owen was in full control the entire time.

He went on to plead guilty to dangerous driving and two counts of fraud, and sentenced to four years and three months in prison on Monday.

Sentencing him, Judge Ian Unsworth KC said: “You set in train a course of conduct which caused a significant police traffic operation to be deployed, undoubted alarm to the public and very substantial loss and disruption to others.”

The judge said police officers placed themselves in danger because they believed they were dealing with a genuine emergency.

He added: “You, meanwhile, sought to profit from a lie.”

Eric Lamb, prosecuting, said Owen, of Prestatyn, North Wales, had entered into a finance agreement in September 2023 for the Jaguar I-Pace.

He ran into “financial difficulties” and was in arrears with CA Auto Finance by March the following year with about £5,000 left to pay, the court heard.

On the day of the incident, he called loan company Plata to ask if he would be able to borrow more on top of the £3,000 he had already loaned from them, but was told he could not.

Five minutes later, shortly after 2pm, he called 999 claiming his car would not brake and he had no control over the vehicle, which he said was accelerating.

Mr Lamb said: “In fact, his car was stationary at the time of that call.”

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Police responded and the car, which was then travelling at speeds of up to 86mph, had to be boxed off by emergency service vehicles to keep other road users safe before it came to a stop on the M62 near Warrington, Cheshire.

However, investigations found there was no fault with the car, the court heard.

Mr Lamb said: “He had fabricated the events in order to enable him to get rid of the vehicle.

“He had full control of the vehicle and with full control of the vehicle he travelled at excessive and extreme speeds.”

Motorways had to be closed as a result of the incident, the court heard.

Footage of the police pursuit was played in court along with the audio from his 999 call, in which he was heard telling an operator he was “shaking” and the car had “gone crazy”.

When the car was eventually brought to a stop, the brake lights could be seen turning on.

Owen contacted the finance company 40 minutes after the incident.

He was later paid £300 by The Sun and £500 by the Daily Mail for his story, the court heard.

In a statement, Murray Paul, from Jaguar Land Rover UK, said the firm had spent an extra £50 million in marketing to try and counter the publicity from the false allegations, which they said generated 180 pieces of adverse coverage.

Daniel Travers, defending, said Owen’s actions were “frighteningly stupid”.

He said Owen, who had no previous convictions and came from a “successful, stable family”, had been described by his father as a Walter Mitty character who “lives in a fantasy world”.

He added: “He had grand ideas and things just went wrong.”

Owen pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and two counts of fraud in June. He was banned from driving for a period of five years after his release from custody.

Speaking after the sentencing, Merseyside Police’s Detective Constable Michael Doyle said: “It was clear from our investigations that he was in full control of his vehicle throughout the duration of the incident.

“By his own admission there were workers on the hard shoulder of the motorway and he clearly put them and other road users in danger with his reckless actions.”

A charge of causing a public nuisance was ordered to lie on the file.