Considering the current Premier League champions play in the game every season it is surprisingly rare for the Community Shield winners to go on to win the league.

Since the Premier League started in 1992-93, only eight of the 34 winners of the Charity or Community Shield have done so.

Five of those happened in a six-year spell from 2005 until 2010.

Manchester City, in 2019, were the last team to do so – and before that it was Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United in 2011.

Only one of the past 15 winners of the Community Shield have gone on to become champions that season.

Since 1992 the teams who lose the Community Shield have won more league titles that season – 10 in total, including Manchester City for three years in a row between 2021 and 2023.

Last year Crystal Palace beat Liverpool and ended up finishing 15th, although they did go on to win the Conference League. The Reds also had a disappointing domestic campaign, finishing fifth.

Some 47% of the time (16/34) the upcoming season’s Premier League winners had not been involved in the Community Shield – like Arsenal in 2025-26.

And 53% of the time (18/34) the Shield winners have finished above the losers in the league that season.

On 10 occasions the two teams have finished as the top two in the Premier League – with four of those times being the Shield winners top and the losers as runners-up.

Chaos erupted across the US on Saturday, with three separate mass shootings threatening to snuff out dozens in Virginia, Kentucky and Chicago. 

In Kentucky, five people were shot, one fatally, when gunshots rang out in a park near a packed downtown bar district Saturday evening. At least 13 shots sent revelers running for cover, footage posted by a local official showed.

‘My heart is broken. This evening we had a shooting at the park with multiple victims and one fighting for his life,’ ONE Lexington Director Devine Carama wrote.

The shooting took place at roughly 6.45pm at Charles Young Park. 

A four-year-old, a 14-year-old and two adults were shot, police said in a subsequent update. All were taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. 

Another victim was declared dead at the hospital, a Lexington Police Department spokesperson told the Daily Mail. The spokeswoman said the incident remains under investigation.

Both Carama, the director of the mayor of Lexington’s youth gun violence reduction program, and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear used the incident to call attention to high rates of gun violence.  

Meanwhile, a mass shooting was unfolding in Chicago, at around 7.15.pm. It left four injured, two critically, after a car pulled up beside a group walking along a sidewalk in the city’s Gresham neighborhood.

The victims, a 43-year-old man, a 34-year-old man, a 32-year-old woman and a man of unknown age, were all injured, after multiple occupants fired shots out of the windows before driving off. The incident is also under investigation. 

A mass shooting in Chicago at around 7.15.pm left four people injured, two critically, after a car pulled up beside a group walking along a sidewalk in the city’s Gresham neighborhood

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No arrests have been made in either incident.

A 19-year-old suspect was arrested Saturday evening, though, for a shooting that occurred at Virginia State University early Saturday and injured five, including a student.

The school, however, previously said in a statement that the shooting involved ‘multiple suspects.’

That shooting remains under investigation as well.

Suspected gunman Camron Harris is not a student and is from Virginia, Chesterfield County Police said in a statement shortly after making the arrest. Neither were four of the people injured.

The victims’ ages ranged from 17 to 23. Their names have not been released. The shooting occurred just after 1.30am and sent the campus into lockdown. One of the five wounded suffered critical injuries. 

The park plagued by gunfire in Kentucky, meanwhile, was in the midst of an outdoor concert event slated for six to 8pm, the Lexington Herald Leader first reported.   

Gov. Beshear was the first to confirm reports of the shooting, doing so during a speech in downtown Lexington at the Kentucky Democratic Party’s Moving Forward Together at the Hyatt Regency, not far away from the scene.

A 19-year-old suspect has been taken into custody for a shooting that occurred at Virginia State University early Saturday. The shooting injured five, including a student

‘To stop mass shootings, we have got to elect Democrats that will actually do something about it,’ Beshear said. 

Lexington Chief of Lexington Police Lawrence Weathers gave an update at the park as well, revealing that multiple children were among those shot in an update issued at the scene shortly thereafter.

It remains unclear whether a suspect was apprehended.

Weathers told reporters at the scene that he didn’t believe there was a threat to the public, the Herald Leader reported. 

A Lexington Police Department spokesperson told the Daily Mail the investigation was still active early Sunday morning.  

The University of Kentucky HealthCare reportedly sent an email to employees saying it was providing care to ‘multiple patients’ wounded during the ‘tragic shooting at Charles Young Park.’

Police were filmed making a perimeter around the park with their cruisers before sundown as well.

Chief Weathers told reporters: ‘If you know somebody who might be inclined to use a weapon, please do anything you can do to let us know before something happens.

‘Please let us know.’ 

The park plagued by gunfire in Kentucky was reportedly in the midst of an outdoor concert event slated for 6 to 8pm. At least 13 shots were fired, according to the hectic video

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The poster recalled parkgoers performing CPR and lifting young victims who had been shot 

Police descended on the park, where there was reportedly an outdoor concert in place, after witnesses reported gunshots at 6.48pm, police said – adding that they did not believe there was any more threat to the public

Carama, meanwhile, recalled parkgoers ‘trying to help with CPR,’ one lifting a young victim ‘who got shot,’ and ‘EMS responding to multiple victims in real time’ in posts to Facebook.

In the footage he shared, a woman can be heard screaming ‘my baby’ as bullets whiz by. 

‘This is not normal. We come together every year as a family and kick it on the Eastside and we haven’t had something like this happen, EVER,’ Carama added.

The temporary measure took effect on Friday (August 14) and follows a rise in blazes across England and Wales, which have already seen more incidents in 2026 than in the whole of 2025.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham said: “The temporary ban on barbecues, disposable barbecues, comes in today.

“All retailers will be receiving notification of that ban, and we ask them to, obviously, implement it in full until further notice when we can remove it.”

This evening, an Emergency Alert has been sent to people across England and Wales as the wildfire risk remains very high. The request came directly from Fire and Rescue Services.

I was in Stourbridge today and saw first-hand the devastating impact these fires have had on…

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— Andy Burnham (@andyburnham) August 14, 2026

During a visit to Stourbridge where some houses had been destroyed by wildfire, he urged the public to avoid all open flames.

He said: “I would also want to say to the public, you can see what’s happening: 37 significant fires across England and Wales.

“Please do not light an open fire, a bonfire of any kind.”

The ban does not extend to Northern Ireland.

Disposable barbecues have been banned in England, Scotland and Wales, with Northern Ireland excluded (Image: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire)

Which UK retailers have banned disposable barbecues from sale?

Many retailers had already stopped selling the products following advice from the British Retail Consortium and the National Fire Chiefs Council.

These include:

• Asda
• Co-op
• Home Bargains
• Morrisons
• The Range
• Sainsbury’s
• Tesco
• Wilko

Retailers Aldi, Lidl, Waitrose and M&S stopped selling disposable barbecues in 2022.

Why have disposable barbecues been banned?

Government guidance describes single-use barbecues as the cause of “a number of serious wildfires across the country over the summer months”.

This has been exacerbated by the prolonged hot and dry weather experienced recently in the UK.

The Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade said on Friday: “Disposable barbecues cannot be considered a safe product in the context of the ongoing weather and environmental conditions and must not be made available for sale either in store or online at the current time.”

Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said: “We want everyone to enjoy summer safely.

“With wildfire risks exceptionally high, we’re taking common-sense steps to protect lives and the environment.

“Disposable barbecues pose an obvious threat in the extreme conditions we’re experiencing, so we’re telling retailers who haven’t already stopped selling them to do so now.”

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Jon Pearce, Labour MP for High Peak, who campaigned for the ban, welcomed the decision and praised retailers who acted early.

He said: “This is an important step to help protect our countryside, wildlife, homes and communities.

“I will continue to push for action to reduce the risk of wildfires in the Peak District and across the country.”

Have you used a disposable barbecue before? Let us know in the comments.

Emergency services, including police and firefighters, were called to North Railway Street in Seaham after a fire broke out just before 9pm on Friday (August 14). 

Pictures taken from the scene showed roaring flames and thick black smoke pouring from the van, which was located at the back of the supermarket, as the sun went down. 

County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service group manager Jon Singleton said the fire spread to nearby properties and fencing, but the extent of the damage is not yet known.

Two fire engines were sent to the scene and left at 10.30pm.

Mr Singleton said: “The time of call was 8.47pm and it was a van fire near the Aldi in Seaham.

“Two fire engines were sent to the scene because we received a call top say that it had spread to nearby properties and fencing. We left at 10.30pm.”

Flames were spotted pouring from a fire behind Seaham’s Aldi supermarket (Image: CONTRIBUTOR)

Dalton and Dawdon ward councillor Jack McGlenen said he was “saddened and extremely concerned” by the incident, which he described as a “very serious matter”. 

The cause of the blaze remains unknown at this time.

Cllr McGlenen said: “I will be contacting Cllr Chris Fairs and Cllr George Anderson to raise this with the relevant officers at Durham County Council. 

“I will also be speaking with our colleagues in Durham Police to understand what action is being taken and how we can work together to prevent incidents like this from happening again.

“Residents deserve to feel safe in their own community, and I will continue to raise these concerns and push for action. 

“I’ll keep residents updated as soon as I have further information.”

The force has been contacted for more information.

The number of pensioners living in poverty has been climbing steadily since reaching its lowest point in 2013/14, according to a major new analysis from LCP.

And the research suggests single pensioners are facing a particularly serious squeeze, with poverty rates now almost twice as high as among pensioner couples.

The report, Being single in retirement – a key issue for the Pensions Commission?, also found that two thirds of single pensioners living in poverty are women.

Steve Webb, report author and LCP partner, warned that the idea pensioner poverty had largely been dealt with was wrong: “Some of the discussion of the position of pensioners seems to imply that pensioner poverty is largely solved.”

But he said the figures showed the opposite was happening: “Since 2012/13, pensioner poverty has been rising steadily, predominantly amongst single pensioners.”

The overall pensioner poverty rate rose from 15.7% in 2012/13 to 18.6% in 2023/24, based on the consistent figures used by LCP.

Single pensioners face biggest risk

The research found poverty among single pensioners is now nearly double the rate recorded for pensioner couples.

While poverty among pensioner couples has remained relatively stable since 2012/13, it has climbed sharply among those living alone.

The fastest rise has been among people who have never married, followed by divorced pensioners.

There were 1.5 million divorced single pensioners in England and Wales in 2024, triple the number recorded in 2002.

There are also now around 800,000 single pensioners who have never married.

Sir Steve said the figures raise important questions about how the pension system deals with changing relationships and family structures: “Issues such as inadequate pension sharing at the end of a relationship and the continuing gender pension gap mean that women in particular are at higher risk of poverty in old age.”

Women are particularly vulnerable to pension poverty, says the report

With two thirds of single pensioners in poverty being women, LCP said policies aimed at increasing women’s independent retirement income could help reverse the trend.

Sir Steve said there were practical steps the Government could take: “But there are things we can do about this problem, including encouraging couples to share their pension wealth more easily.”

He also highlighted the changing nature of relationships in Britain, particularly the growth in couples who live together without marrying: “We also need to look at social changes such as the growth in cohabitation and understand what these means for later life finances.”

What could change and how could it influence pension sharing rules?

LCP has suggested several measures for the Government’s Pensions Commission to consider.

These include making it easier for a higher-earning partner to contribute to the pension of a lower-earning spouse or partner, with the lower earner potentially benefiting from higher-rate tax relief.

The report also calls for pension-sharing rules to be examined when long-term cohabiting relationships end.

Currently, there is no formal mechanism for pension sharing when an unmarried couple separates.

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Sir Steve said the issue should be given serious consideration as part of the Government’s review: “It is vitally important that the Pensions Commission looks in depth at these issues when drawing up its blueprint for the future of pensions.”

LCP also suggested reviewing whether the introduction of no-fault divorce in 2022 has affected pension sharing, while considering whether joint-life annuities should become the default.

The research comes as pension policy faces increasing scrutiny, with the figures highlighting the potential risks facing people who reach retirement without a partner’s pension wealth to rely on.

If you’re a fan of spaghetti bolognese (spag bol), there’s a simple method to make it even more decadent and flavourful. All you need is a key ingredient to take your dinner to the next level

Spaghetti bolognese (spag bol) is a firm favourite for many — yet there’s a straightforward technique you can use to make it even more delicious. All it takes is a key ingredient to elevate your evening meal to new heights, while simultaneously lending the sauce a far richer, deeper flavour.

For those who love food and take pleasure in cooking, this is a tip well worth keeping in mind, as it can truly transform the finished dish. After all, most of us occasionally seek out simple ways to breathe new life into our favourite recipes, and this particular method is a genuinely brilliant trick to have up your sleeve.

This isn’t the first time such advice has done the rounds, either. Previously, it was also claimed there is an additional ingredient capable of boosting the dish’s flavour considerably.

Allison Brentnall of Slimming World Kitchen believes the secret to a truly outstanding bolognese lies in a single ingredient that could make all the difference. She said: “Adding dried porcini mushrooms to this classic recipe adds depth of flavour in the sauce, and is good if you’re short on time.”

And that, it seems, is all there is to it. The technique is remarkably straightforward, and there’s a very good reason why it works so effectively.

Why it works

Adding dried porcini mushrooms to your spaghetti bolognese can significantly intensify its flavour profile. The ingredient introduces a wonderful umami depth while helping to develop a beautifully rich, complex sauce that is well worth the minimal effort involved.

Bear in mind that the mushrooms must be soaked in warm water prior to use. Upon purchase, the packet will contain instructions detailing exactly what to do.

Once they are ready, drain and roughly chop them before incorporating them into your dish. Adding them to the pot while it is simmering should result in an even more flavoursome meal.

Sometimes the smallest adjustments can have a significant impact on our cooking — and it turns out this is one such instance.

The recipe

You’ll need:

• 1 onion
• 1 pepper
• 1 carrot
• 120g chestnut mushrooms
• 2 garlic cloves
• 50 smoked bacon medallions
• ½ beef stock cube
• 5g dried porcini mushrooms
• 250g beef mince (5% fat or less)
• 200g pasta (wheat)
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 400g chopped tomatoes

The recipe, according to Slimming World, is as follows:

• Peel the onions and finely dice, then deseed the pepper and dice into 1cm squares. Finely dice the carrots into 1cm cubes, and quarter the chestnut mushrooms. Peel and crush the garlic.
• On a separate board, trim any visible fat from the bacon medallions then roughly chop.
• Dissolve the stock in 200ml boiled water, add the dried porcini and leave to soak.
• Spritz a large non-stick frying pan with cooking spray and put it over a medium-high heat. Tip in the bacon and fry for two minutes. Add the mince and fry for five minutes, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until browned all over. Remove the meat from the pan and set aside.
• Meanwhile, cook the pasta in boiling water and then drain. At the same time, scoop the porcini from the stock and finely chop. Put the frying pan back over the heat and fry the onions, pepper, carrots, chestnut mushrooms, garlic, porcini and oregano for four to five minutes.
• Return the bacon and mince to the pan, add the tomato purée and cook for one minute. Pour in the stock and chopped tomatoes, lightly season and simmer for 15 minutes.
• Stir the pasta through the bolognese and serve.

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — It has welcomed marathon runners, rock stars and the first modern Olympic athletes. Now it’s time for a monumental scrub.

Athens’ U-shaped Panathenaic Stadium — made entirely of white marble — is getting its first systematic cleaning in more than a century.

Rebuilt for the first modern Olympics in 1896, the site is the ceremonial send-off point for the Olympic flame, including for Los Angeles 2028.

A fresh look in Athens ahead of LA 2028

The stadium is made of the same glittering marble used on the Acropolis, making the cleanup job delicate.

The work is revealing a monument changed by time, weather and millions of visitors. Cleaners in white and blue overalls move across the stadium’s 47 steep tiers with thin spray lances, using clean water at carefully controlled, low pressure. Machines vacuum up the runoff as they go.

“The goal of cleaning is not to make everything white. It’s to remove the dirt and the first layers of organic material that are deposited on the surface,” said Dimitris Selemis, a senior conservator at the site.

“The idea is to clean all the material that (contains) dirt from the surface, so we have a better understanding of the monument,” he said, noting that there is more weed growth and dirt in areas that receive less direct sunlight.

Dealing with chewing gum, high heels and soft-drink stains

Crews are also using steam to remove blotches of chewing gum, which have turned black over time. Stadium officials say chewing gum, high heels and soft-drink stains are among the main culprits that stain the marble.

Now slowly being revealed, the original gleaming look of the venue earned it the widely used Greek nickname “Kallimarmaro,” or beautiful marble.

“We call it Kallimarmaro because it is made of the finest marble, the best that was ever produced … We are very proud of it,” Isidoros Kouvelos, president of the Hellenic Olympic Committee, told The Associated Press in an interview.

“It needed to be cleaned of everything that has accumulated over all these years,” he said. “This way the Panathenaic Stadium will show all its brilliance and will once again be the foremost monument of humanity for the Olympic Movement.”

Built into a natural ravine, the stadium’s site was used for ancient Greek athletic contests and later Roman spectacles before falling into centuries of disuse.

An African celebration planned in Athens

Since its 1896 revival, it has staged fashion shows, rock concerts, boxing matches and national celebrations — as well as lavish patriotic ceremonies ordered by a military dictatorship in the 1960s.

Today, it’s a popular draw for tourists. Apart from the cleanup, the Kallimarmaro is also getting a new track, upgraded lighting and fresh support facilities. The project is privately funded by a shipping company and overseen by the Hellenic Olympic Committee with guidance from Culture Ministry experts.

The work will continue through 2026 but is currently concentrated on the stadium’s “sling,” or curved end, in time for the next torch-passing ceremony on Sept. 10.

That will be for the Dakar Youth Olympics, scheduled for Oct. 31-Nov. 13 in Senegal, which will be the first Olympic competition ever hosted in Africa.

IOC President Kirsty Coventry, a swimming gold medal winner from Zimbabwe, is due to attend the Sept. 10 ceremony, Kouvelos said.

A reader asks Google what the most essential qualities are for making a good video game, and how it is that Zelda: Breath Of The Wild and Elden Ring get everything right.

I have just been sat in the garden enjoying the sunshine and a question popped into my musings. What is the perfect video game? An interesting and very subjective question.

To start answering this question I went to Google, to see what its AI answer would be. I was a tiny bit surprised by the answer it gave me. The top three were:

• Super Mario World
• The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild
• Elden Ring

I suppose the surprise omission would be Zelda: Ocarina Of Time. The highest rated game of all time, according to Metacritic. Although this has been open to debate recently. But surely it would have featured in the AI response.

Having not much to do today I asked the next question to Google. What makes the perfect video game? This is the answer it gave:

• Great control: the game reacts fast and feels good to play.
• Clear rules: you always know what to do or how to learn.
• No wasted time: levels or worlds are fun to explore from start to end.
• Good style: the art, music, and sound fit the world.

It all seems so obvious. Why aren’t all games following this simple premise?

One of my biggest complaints about one of the most successful games, GTA 5 is the shocking controls. I don’t know how other people feel about them, they must be doing something right with them as it’s so successful, but to me the two main staples of the game are driving and combat and its awful. It does however get the last three right very well.

With the advent of the Soulslike genre, the whole games industry wants to hide the rules and leave it up to you to find out what to do. Some games get it very right, like the two games mentioned, but so many get it oh so wrong. This kind of bleeds into the next heading of no wasted time.

Before I cover that, a bit more on clear rules. Back in the day, we had game manuals. They covered all the controls and also laid out what you need to get on and learn new techniques. Very few companies make the effort to even put stuff on the game website, it’s all YouTube. Watch someone else show you how to proceed. Doesn’t that kind of take the fun away?

Over the winter I got into Path Of Exile 2. I had a lot of fun with that game. To me it really hit the no wasted time. I know it’s not a massive open world like Breath Of The Wild but it was filled to the brim with enemies and bosses, and it was fun to explore.

In comparison, something like Assassin’s Creed’s open worlds are behemoths that become overwhelming with all the map icons. The opening world is normally pretty small and tight, and is fun to explore, but by the end of the game your just worn out. Time is a very precious commodity. We don’t want to waste it riding a horse with dodgy controls for 10 minutes, talk to a character, then wander 10 minutes back.

Good style. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 anyone? That got it pretty right but I think lots of games get this aspect right. There are loads of games where even a small snippet of the music or a bit of artwork can bring back memories. As I read the Google answer, my answer to good style was WipEout. That really blew it out the water. But the games that get it wrong are long forgotten.

There you go gamers, give that some thought and see what conclusions you draw up. Do you agree with Google AI? Should Metacritic be the authority?

By reader Dirtystopout

The reader’s features do not necessarily represent the views of GameCentral or Metro.

You can submit your own 500 to 600-word reader feature at any time, which if used will be published in the next appropriate weekend slot.

Just contact us at gamecentral@metro.co.uk or use our Submit Stuff page and you won’t need to send an email.

MORE: Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls is further proof of the Marvel video game curse – Reader’s Feature

MORE: How I’m dealing with my video game backlog of 48 titles – Reader’s Feature

MORE: The Elder Scrolls 6: Sentinel has been revealed and I’m already disappointed – Reader’s Feature

Here is your round-up of the key cases that were heard before Northern Ireland courts during the week of August 10-14

Cases before the courts this week in Northern Ireland include a man who was sparred jail despite being convicted of causing life-changing injuries to his three-week-old daughter.

Another case saw a man being accused of knocking his partner unconscious with a frying pan during a “jealous rage” which formed part of an alleged five year campaign of domestic abuse.

A 50-year-old Co Down man who was convicted of a violent hammer attack was bailed from prison in order to spend time with his sick father. This was despite 27 previous breaches and reports of reoffending.

Here is your round-up of the key cases that were heard before Northern Ireland courts during the week of August 10-14.

Man allegedly used frying pan to knock partner unconscious in jealous rage

Prosecutors claimed Mindaugas Morkevicius, 39, left a woman bleeding heavily from a serious head injury inflicted during a drunken assault last month. He is also accused of previously scarring her with a knife as part of a five-year campaign of domestic violence.

Morkevicius, of The Old Mill in Killyleagh, remains in custody on charges of causing grievous bodily harm and possessing an offensive weapon with intent to commit an indictable offence. He faces three further counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and a domestic abuse offence.

Police were alerted after the woman attended a shop in the village on July 24, wounded and carrying her young child.

“She was covered in blood, the back of her head was matted and it was dripping out of her hair,” Crown counsel said. The woman claimed Morkevicius had been drinking spirits at home but became angry and jealous when she had to leave for work.

“It then escalated and the applicant hit her over the head with a frying pan, causing a large laceration to the back of her head and knocking her temporarily unconscious,” the prosecutor submitted.

Read the full story here

Man who caused ‘life-changing’ injuries to three-week old spared jail

The defendant, who cannot be named to protect the identity of his now eight-year-old daughter, was handed a sentence of two years and ten months which was suspended for four years. He appeared at Belfast Crown Court where he was sentenced by Judge Mark Reel for causing grievous bodily harm to his baby daughter.

The court heard that whilst he has accepted he was the sole carer of his 22-day-old daughter when she sustained the injuries, he not provided an explanation for how the harm was caused.

On the afternoon of December 30, 2017, the baby’s mother had gone to the hairdresser and left the child with her partner. When the mother left her house, the baby had been fed, changed, was sleeping and was due a feed at around 2pm.

She received a text from her partner saying the baby had not woken for her bottle and she replying by telling her partner to change the nappy at this usually woke the baby up.

The defendant then told his partner that the baby was breathing funny which prompted her to leave the hairdressers early and return home. When she got home, the baby was in her father’s arms and her eyes started fluttering and her lips were smacking.

Read the full story here

Accused who attacked man with hammer and wrecked bar bailed to see sick dad

A Co Down man awaiting sentence for attacking another man with a hammer and wrecking bar has been granted bail to allow him to spend time with his ailing father. The 50-year-old from Jubilee Park in Dromore has admitted charges of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and attempted grievous bodily harm with intent dating back to August4, 2024 and is due to be sentenced next month.

Objecting to McCourt’s release, Crown barrister Kate McKay spoke of 27 previous breaches of bail and re-offending whilst on bail. Saying alcohol appeared to be a “major issue”, Ms McKay said McCourt’s most recent arrest was in Belfast in May after he tried to get into parked vehicles and caused criminal damage whilst intoxicated.

When Judge Reel asked about the incident in August 2024, he was told by a Constable from the PSNI it was a “sustained assault” upon the injured man who said he was beaten with a hammer and wrecking bar in a house in Banbridge.

The police officer also revealed the injured party suffered “considerable injuries” and added: “He is now deceased – not as a result of his injuries but he did pass away in the interim, before the matter was dealt with by way of a plea from Mr McCourt.”

Read the full story here

Man who sought bail for John George search denied bid to holiday in Alicante

Last January Gerald Verner was denied a bail variation sought to enable him to travel to Spain to help in the search for murdered Belfast man John George, whose remains were subsequently discovered on the outskirts of Alicante.

The 37-year old former soldier was back in court today where the application to vary his bail to allow him to go on a four-day holiday with his partner was made and refused.

From Inverary Avenue in Belfast, Verner is facing a number of offences including firearms and drugs charges. Asking for a variation of his client’s bail at Belfast Crown Court, a solicitor told Judge Mark Reel that Verner’s partner had booked a four-day trip to Alicante.

Providing details of the flight plans and the hotel, Verner’s solicitor said dates for the holiday were this Friday to next Monday.

Opposing the application, a Crown barrister raised several concerns including a risk of further offending.

Read the full story here

Four men remanded over alleged £1.7million cocaine bust in Belfast

Brian McMullan, 34, Lee McKee, 26, Michael Moyes, 27, and Abdullah Hassan, 33, were arrested following transportations from a city centre apartment block to two waiting vehicles on Monday evening. All four men appeared at Belfast Magistrates’ Court on charges including possessing Class A drugs with intent to supply.

An investigating detective said police observed the suspected handovers at locations close to a block of flats on McAuley Street. McMullan, of Madrid Street in Belfast, allegedly left the complex with a large bag before carrying out separate interactions with his co-accused in the neighbourhood.

It was claimed that Moyes, of Stanhope Street in the city, received a package containing five blocks of cocaine while he waited in a Renault Clio car.

Mullan also passed a further three blocks into a Mercedes van jointly occupied by McKee, of Alexandra Terrace in Crumlin, and Hassan, from St James’ Crescent in Belfast, according to police.

Read the full story here

Dad-of-seven who carried out sex act in Belfast city centre is jailed

Petru Guti will not be freed from custody as he is expected to be deported back to his home country. The 53-year-old, formerly of Runnymede Parade, in the Malone Road area of south Belfast, appeared at Belfast Crown Court via video link from custody for an arraIgnment hearing before Judge Mark Reel.

He faced two counts of committing a solo sex act which was of a “lewd and disgusting nature and outraged public decency” on August 6, 2025, in Bedford Street. When the charge was put to him by the court clerk through a Romanian interpreter, Guti replied: “Guilty.”

Following his guilty plea, prosecution lawyer David McNeill told the court that the second count of committing a lewd sex act the following day in the same street was being “left on the books in the usual terms”.

Read the full story here

Mum admits causing death of 8-week-old son and attempted murder of daughter

A 34-year-old woman wept in the dock of Belfast Crown Court today (Thursday), where she admitted causing the death of her baby son and attempting to murder her daughter. The woman, who can’t be named due to a reporting restriction, will be sentenced for the two offences later this month.

She stood trial in 2023 on charges of murdering her eight-week-old son and attempting to murder his two-year-old sister. Both children sustained stab wounds inflicted by their mother in their home on July 27, 2021.

They were rushed to the Accident and Emergency department at the Royal Victoria Hospital for Sick Children. Whilst the young girl was successfully treated for a stab wound to her chest, her baby brother was pronounced dead at 9pm.

At the conclusion of the trial in March 2023, the woman was convicted by a jury on both charges, and the following month, she was handed a minimum 20-year sentence.

Read the full story here

Woman burgled house and dressed up in the owner’s clothes, court told

Angel-Louise Horner, 20, of Fairview Park, Articlave in Coleraine, has been in custody on charges of burglary, attempted theft, criminal damage and failing to provide a specimen.

Belfast Crown Court heard that on August 31, 2025, police received a report at 10.45am from the owner of a house on the Kilraughts Road in Ballymoney who said that when she arrived home she found a female in her property.

“The female was in the woman’s downstairs bathroom. Police arrived and spoke to the homeowner who said the female had entered the property through an upstairs bathroom and caused the room to flood,” said prosecution barrister Daniel McCarthy.

“This damaged the floorboards and brought down the ceiling in the kitchen below. The injured party told police the female was wearing the homeowner’s clothes and she found a number of her own belongings in an empty handbag.”

The attempted theft charge related to a vehicle log book, keys, costume jewellery and tobacco found in the handbag.

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Man breached Sexual Offences Prevention Order just days after release

A Co Fermanagh man who breached the terms of a Sexual Offences Prevention Order just days after being released from prison has been handed another custodial sentence. As he imposed a 12-month term upon Emmet Ryan Rice, which was divided equally between custody and licence, Judge Brian Sherrard warned that repeated breaches of court orders would lead to longer prison sentences.

Dungannon Crown Court, sitting in Belfast, heard that Rice was made the subject of a five-year SOPO imposed at Enniskillen Magistrates Court in October 2022.

The 28-year old breached that court order twice last December by having contact with both the mother of a victim of his previous offending and a vulnerable adult.

Police called to Rice’s address at Main Street in Maguiresbridge on December 8, 2025 to investigate claims there had been associations and interactions with a vulnerable female at the start of that month. Whilst at the flat, the mother of a victim of Rice’s was in the property with him.

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Man breached bail by drinking after woman fell off his boat and drowned

Craig Mark David Price, 37, of Ballybeen Square in Dundonald, is currently awaiting trial next month on charges of non-fatal strangulation or asphyxiation and attempted grievous bodily harm with intent. He is further accused, and denies, a domestic abuse offence and threats to damage property.

Belfast Crown Court heard Price is awaiting sentence after pleading guilty to common assault and threatening and abusive behaviour to his ex-partner.

In relation to charges which Price is to stand trial on at Downpatrick Crown on September 28, 2026, prosecution barrister Breige Gilmore said there was an incident on January 1, 2025 in relation to the same female. She said Radius Housing informed police that there had been an activation of a domestic violence alarm relating to Price’s ex-partner.

“Once the alarm is activated it starts to record and operators said they could hear a male person threatening the injured party,” outlined Ms Gilmore.

“They heard the male say: ‘You’re going to get a bullet in the head’.”

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Man who admitted offences aggravated by domestic abuse gets Probation Order

Vincent Brian Francis Kane, who is 24 and from McArthur Avenue in Ballymoney, was told his offending “smacks of immature entitlement.” Dungannon Crown Court, sitting in Belfast, heard all the offences committed last August were aggravated by way of involving domestic abuse.

At 9am on Saturday August 30, 2025 the injured party, who at the time was Kane’s girlfriend of around two weeks, called police from her bedroom requesting Kane be removed from her property.

When officers arrived a short time later, Kane had left but they were informed he had broken into the property via a first-floor window and that the female occupant was frightened of him due to previous violence.

In a further statement, the injured party said she had entered into a relationship with Kane around the second week of August. She spoke of a number of different incidents before she called the PSNI to her home on August 30.

Kane subsequently pleaded guilty to a total of five offences he committed between August 14 and 30 – namely criminal damage, three counts of common assault and one count of domestic abuse.

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Chloe Mitchell’s family welcome judge’s push for murder trial to be listed

The family of Chloe Mitchell have welcomed a judge’s statement that he wants the trial of a man accused of murdering the Co Antrim woman to be listed “as soon as possible”. In a statement, Ms Mitchell’s family described it as a “big step forward”.

A barrister told Belfast Crown Court that the trial is expected to take four to five weeks. The case was mentioned on Friday, where legal teams discussed ongoing psychiatric evaluations of the accused, Brandon John Rainey.

Ms Mitchell, 21, was found dead in Ballymena, Co Antrim, days after going missing in June 2023.

Rainey, 29, formerly of James Street in Ballymena, has been charged with murdering Ms Mitchell and attempting to prevent the burial of her body. He pleaded not guilty to those charges at a hearing in 2024.

Proceedings in the case had already been delayed in March this year when Rainey parted company with his legal representatives.

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