Two police officers who died when a car travelling the wrong way down a dual carriageway crashed into their vehicle have been hailed as heroes by their families.

PC Tom Clough, 38, and PC Matthew Blades, 37, died when a Volkswagen Passat, which officers had been pursuing until seconds before, collided with their marked armed response car on the A66 near Middlesbrough on Saturday.

The Passat’s occupants – Michael Robert Cahill, 23, Jacob Matusiak, 23, Theo Rae, 17, Makai Saddington, 18, and Cole Robert Worthy, 17 – also died.

In tributes released by Cleveland Police, PC Clough’s family said he had been “willing to help anyone”, while PC Blades’ wife described him as “loved beyond words”.

“No words will ever feel like the right words to honour our Matt,” she said, adding that he had been a “beloved husband” and the “most devoted father” to their two young sons who would grow up knowing what an “incredible” dad he had been.

“He gave his life in the line of duty, protecting and serving others with courage, dedication and selflessness,” she said.

“The pain of losing him is beyond words, and our lives will never be the same.

“Neither will the love he gave us ever fade.

“He may have left this world committed to the duty he believed in, but his greatest legacy will always be the love he gave to his family.”

She ended the tribute to her husband: “Forever loved. Forever missed. Forever our superhero. Our Matt and Dad.”

Foundayo is available across the UK from Monday, August 24

A new daily pill that treats diabetes and helps with weight loss will be available in UK pharmacies from Monday. Pharmacists said the move is “particularly significant” for people who cannot use weight loss jabs, but also issued a warning over fake, unlicensed or counterfeit versions of GLP-1 tablets.

Orforglipron, known as Foundayo and made by American pharmaceutical firm Eli Lilly, was authorised by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) earlier this month. The UK is the first country in Europe to give the pill the green light.

Eli Lilly said it is also working with the NHS spending watchdog, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, on its assessment of Foundayo for a potential rollout in the health service in England. The drug is licensed for people with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or above, or those with a BMI of between 27 and 30 and at least one weight-related condition.

It can also be used to improve blood sugars in patients with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes. The pill is taken once a day, at any time, with no food or water restrictions.

Dosage begins at 0.8mg, climbing to 2.5mg, 5.5mg, 9mg, 14.5mg and 17.2mg. Patients will spend a minimum of one month at each dosage level.

Khalil Asmar, vice-president of cardiometabolic health at Lilly Northern Europe, said: “The UK is the first country in Europe where Foundayo is now available.

“We’re pleased that this means there is another oral treatment option for eligible UK patients alongside licensed injectable treatments.”

Henry Gregg, chief executive of the National Pharmacy Association, said: “This is another significant day with a second weight loss pill available from today in certain pharmacies.

“This is particularly significant for patients who cannot or do not want to take an injectable medicine and could make weight loss treatment available to a wider range of patients.

“It is easier for criminals to provide fake, unlicensed or counterfeit versions of oral medications than injectables and patients must make sure they only access weight loss treatments through safe and regulated pharmacies.

“There must now be a redoubling of efforts within Government and the NHS to use pharmacies to make sure more eligible patients in clinical need can get weight loss treatments on the NHS, rather than the current postcode lottery that exists for weight management services via GPs.”

The MHRA approved the first GLP-1 pill for weight loss, a tablet form of Wegovy, in June.

Every day on Criminal Record we will be bringing you a round-up of the biggest crime stories of the day.

If you love to read about crime in Scotland – this is the place to be every day.

Here’s what has been making the news across the country on Sunday.

Car torched as gang war rages on

A car has been torched at a garage linked to the Daniel crime clan amid a new wave of chaos linked to Scotland’s reignited gang-war.

Emergency services were called to Kelvinside Motor Company on Milton Road in Kirkintilloch after the vehicle was firebombed shortly before 11pm on Saturday, August 22.

Daniels kingpin Francis ‘Fraggle’ Green is listed a a former director of the garage at Kirkintilloch Industrial Estate, which has been now been targeted twice in the space of a week. It’s understood a group of thugs wielding machetes turned up at the garage in a previous attack on Tuesday.

A burnt-out hatchback car was seen outside the garage on Sunday morning. No one was injured as a result of the fire, which is being treated as wilful by police.

Read more: Car torched at Daniels-linked garage amid new wave of chaos linked to gang war

Care worker caught ‘having sex’

A care worker has been sacked after allegedly being caught having sex during an overnight shift at a vulnerable client’s home, the Sunday Mail understands.

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A complaint has been lodged with care provider Keane Premier Support Services after the employee was allegedly spotted through a window at a client’s home in Cambuslang last month.

The staff worker is understood to have been on an overnight shift caring for a client.

The other person involved is understood not to have been an employee. Following the complaint, the carer was suspended and then sacked.

Read more: Care worker sacked after being caught ‘having sex’ during overnight shift

Cocaine kingpin snared by Encrochat bust

A gang member who gauded the name “Whiteradio” on Encrochat was jailed for his part in a massive cocaine trafficking operation.

Stuart George played a vital role in the crime which started during the first covid lockdown in 2020.

The then 40-year-old was held after a raid at a drugs factory in Duntocher, West Dunbartonshire.

He was jailed for more than five years after admitting being involved in serious and organised crime at the High Court in Glasgow in April 2023.

Read more: Cocaine kingpin “Whiteradio” snared by Encrochat as mob ran lockdown empire

Elaborate gift card rigging scam

Organised crime gangs are secretly rigging gift cards to “drain” thousands of pounds in hard-earned cash from Scots shoppers in a new high-tech scam.

Gift cards remain one of the most popular ways to give at Christmas, birthdays and anniversaries, with the UK gift card and voucher market worth around £8billion a year.

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With thousands of Scots expected to buy gift cards in the run-up to Christmas, they are being urged to check them carefully and report anything suspicious to store staff.

Police Scotland have now warned that prepaid gift cards are being tampered with in a sophisticated online scam known as “gift card draining”.

Read more: Organised criminals targeting Scots shoppers in elaborate gift card rigging scam

Rise of gang boss Jamie Daniel

He was the boy from Glasgow’s tough Possilpark that rose to the top of the criminal tree from humble beginnings. Jamie Daniel has been described in the past as the head of Scotland’s richest crime family.

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He has even been compared to Harold Shand, the fictional London crime boss in the British gangster epic The Long Good Friday played by the late Bob Hoskins. As a young man Daniel was said to be into shoplifting, loan-sharking, stealing car wheels and scrap metal.

One of his big earners in his early days was melting down aluminium beer barrels stolen from outside pubs. In 1983, at the age of 25, he was jailed for four years in England for heroin smuggling.

Undeterred Daniel was said to have gone on to built an international criminal empire stolen cars, firearms and major drug smuggling and forged links with gangs in London, Manchester and Liverpool.

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Read more: Car torched at Daniels-linked garage amid new wave of chaos linked to gang war

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A council has explained the “mandatory” 15mph speed limit for cyclists on the Cambridgeshire Guided Busway shared path – and readers have been sharing their thoughts

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Readers of CambridgeshireLive have been sharing their views on a proposed 15mph speed limit on the guided busway’s shared path. A council has clarified why a “mandatory” 15mph speed restriction for cyclists has been introduced on a track in Cambridge.

The limit was implemented on the maintenance track running alongside the guided busway, which is used by both cyclists and pedestrians. Cambridgeshire County Council described it as an “important control measure to enable safe active travel for all users of the shared use pathway”, stating it is designed to minimise accidental conflicts between those using the shared track.

Motorcycles have also been prohibited from the maintenance track, and electric bikes capable of exceeding 15mph are not permitted. These measures were put in place in collaboration with the police.

One reader, Scepticalfish, comments: “15 mph seems reasonable… What’s the problem?”

While Whynot2 asks: “How are they going to enforce it? Send a NIPS to the registered bike owner. Does this mean that CCC are going to make it mandatory for cyclists to register their bikes?”

Calumen Nomen replies: “Enforcement, I suspect. Not sure how a cyclist is supposed to know they’re doing 15.1 mph as opposed to, say, 14.8.”

Dragon33 says: “Electric bikes that exceed 15.5mph (without pedalling) ARE motorcycles. They require all the compliance necessary for riding a normal motorcycle. Limit the cycle speed, and you may as well take a car to your destination. The problem is not the speed the cycle goes, it’s the difference in speeds between the users. Separate the cyclists from the pedestrians and avoid speed limits.”

Inner questions: “How many bikes are fitted with speedometers, and if they had them, they wouldn’t use them?”

Throatwobblermangrove writes: “So will a 15mph limit be imposed on other shared-use routes elsewhere? By the council’s logic, those are just as dangerous. Or is this just another excuse to blow more taxpayers’ money on the busway?”

Brexit498 feels: “It will never be enforced. The busway is not wide enough. A part of the problem is cyclists don’t use their bells.”

Rootintootinredux says: “Here it is folks. The very reason that mandatory bicycle license plates and registration need to be implemented. When they freely brag that they act with impunity and claim the law doesn’t apply to them, it’s time to regain control for the safety of our fair city’s pedestrians.”

Over on our Facebook page, Dean L comments: “15mph? That’s faster than the buses.”

Nicola K says: “If they wanted to ask people to please limit their speed to below 15mph as a voluntary, unenforceable request, they could have said that. Pretending that it’s got the same status as limiting the speed of cars on roads just makes them look disingenuous. Those of us who understand shared space already know to limit our speed when near other path users. The people who ride inconsiderately will pay absolutely no attention to this rule while giving vulnerable path users a false sense of security.”

Lynette W thinks: “The statement that electric bikes that exceed 15 mph are banned suggests there is some lack of understanding about the legal definitions. A e-bike can go faster than 15mph, however once it reaches 15mph the electric assistance stops, the higher speeds are 100% attributed to the riders effort. An electric bike that is electric assisted or powered above 15mph is not a bicycle, it is a motorised vehicle that must comply with the law, I.e. registration, driving license for operators, insurance etc.”

Do you think a 15mph speed limit for bikes on the busway shared path is a good idea? Comment below or HERE to have your say.

This summer has seen 175,000 tickets sold for the venue which has staged its biggest ever season of 28 shows.

The final concert was headlined by US soul and disco icons Nile Rodgers & Chic who started their 90-minute seat with party-starter Le Freak before moving into Everybody Dance, Dance, Dance, Dance and I Want Your Love.  

The Saturday night concert continued with I’m Coming Out, Upside Down, We Are Family, Like A Virgin, Lost in Music, Notorious, Get Lucky and Let’s Dance, before the show finale of Good Times.

Acid jazz outfit The Brand New Heavies took to the stage earlier in the evening belting out favourites including Dream on Dreamer, Midnight at the Oasis and Spend Some Time, while, rising soul singer James Emmanuel opened the show.

By ANDREW LEVY, REPORTER

Published: 23:30 BST, 23 August 2026 | Updated: 01:43 BST, 24 August 2026

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex should be allowed limited, temporary security as their relocation to the UK takes shape, former home secretary David Blunkett said on Sunday night.

He said it could be upgraded or downgraded over time depending on the perceived level of threat.

Such a ‘middle-ground’ arrangement would involve one or two protection officers travelling with Harry and were ‘perfectly reasonable’ to offer on a temporary basis.

His comments came as the row over whether taxpayers should fund the couple’s security arrangements – which could cost £5million a year – deepened on Sunday night.

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Labour‘s Dame Emily Thornberry said Harry, 41, Meghan, 45, and their children, Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five, ‘deserved to be safe’, while a Labour peer said they should pay for it themselves.

There was further confusion after a source close to the couple said their move to the UK could last for as little as six months.

A review is already thought to have been concluded by the Royal and VIP Executive Committee (Ravec), which oversees security arrangements for key VIPs in Britain, with Prince Harry reportedly ‘privately pleading’ with Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood for the result.

Lord Blunkett told The Times: ‘There are three areas of security… the fully blown, blacked-out back-up car with two or three close protection – one in the passenger car and the others in the back-up – on a 24-hour basis. 

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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex should be allowed limited, temporary security as their relocation to the UK takes shape, a former home secretary says

Former New Labour home secretary David Blunkett has said Prince Harry and Meghan Markle should get a ‘limited’ level of royal security 

‘There’s then the middle ground… where you have one or two officers who travel with the principal, as they call it. The third is they get a driver with security training.

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‘The middle of that is a perfectly reasonable thing to offer for the time being, and then it could be reassessed in a couple of years.’

Dame Emily, chairman of the Commons foreign affairs committee, said: ‘I would want to be reassured that his family are going to be safe. They deserve to be secure.

‘He is the son of the King, he has made a big contribution to our country through public service – that puts him and his family at risk.’ Fellow Labour MP Mike Tapp, a former Home Office minister, said a ‘clear-eyed assessment of the threat’ was needed for decisions about security.’

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said: ‘He’s the son of the sovereign and that means he has a very high public profile, more than most politicians who get security.’

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But Labour peer Lord Foulkes, a minister under Tony Blair, said the Sussexes’ security was a ‘private matter and they should deal with it personally’. He added: ‘They are wealthy people and I wouldn’t have thought it is something that the taxpayer should be expected to pay for.’

Other non-working royals, such as Peter Phillips, Zara Tindall and Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie do not receive police protection.

Andy Burnham has said the couple’s security was a ‘private matter’.

A Home Office spokesman said last night that it did not discuss private security arrangements.

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A simple baked potato recipe can be transformed with one easy step.

Whenever a fuss-free midweek supper is required, a baked potato is typically the first port of call. Simple to prepare and difficult to surpass, a perfectly cooked baked potato is a genuine comfort food classic.

That said, without proper preparation, they can end up soggy and shrivelled. The exterior should be a deep golden brown and wonderfully crispy, while piercing the skin should reveal a soft, fluffy centre.

Many people simply coat their baked potatoes in oil and wrap them in foil; however, this approach can result in a mushy skin, as the foil locks in moisture.

Instead, ditch the foil and, alongside the olive oil, coat your potatoes in one straightforward ingredient — salt.

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Salt is the secret to achieving that distinctive crackling skin. The coarse flakes draw moisture from the skin during baking, producing a crust that audibly snaps when sliced.

This ingredient also prevents steam from softening the potato, ensuring the olive oil functions effectively, ultimately delivering a considerably crispier skin.

While table salt will suffice, sea salt is the recommended option. Table salt has a finer texture, resulting in a less impressive crust.

Ordinary sea salt works perfectly well, though rosemary sea salt — readily available at M&S — takes the flavour of baked potatoes to an entirely new level. It also works wonderfully with roast potatoes.

How to make tastier and crispier baked potatoes

Ingredients

• One potato
• Olive oil
• M&S rosemary sea salt
• Toppings – tuna mayo, butter, cheese, or baked beans

Method

1. To start, preheat your oven to 200°C Fan, then thoroughly wash the potato under cold running water and dry it as well as possible using paper towels.
2. Next, pierce the skin all over with a fork. Steam can accumulate inside potatoes, potentially causing them to burst in the oven, and piercing the skin allows the steam to escape.
3. Generously drizzle the olive oil over the potato and coat it in the rosemary salt, ensuring every part of the skin is covered.
4. Before placing the potato in the oven, make use of your microwave. You can put your raw potato straight into the oven if you prefer, but this method can take considerably longer to bake, sometimes upwards of an hour.
5. Additionally, pre-cooking the potato in the microwave helps achieve a wonderfully soft and fluffy centre, without resulting in an overly tough skin.
6. It only requires six to 10 minutes, though eight minutes proved ideal for the potato used here. When it’s ready, the skin should just be beginning to wrinkle.
7. Transfer the potato to a baking tray, being sure to use tongs and an oven mitt, as both the potato and plate will be extremely hot at this stage.
8. This potato required 40 minutes in the oven. It should be tender enough for a knife to slide through the skin with ease.
9. Once the potato is cooked through, leaving it in the oven for a further five minutes will help the skin crisp up even more.

Once cooked, I slice open the top and squeeze the sides to open it up, before fluffing the interior with a fork and piling on the toppings.

On this occasion, I went for tuna mayo, though the options are virtually endless — from baked beans and cheese to chilli con carne, sour cream, or simply a generous knob of butter.

It has just been branded the unfriendliest place in the UK – and people living for years in the ‘miserable’ east London town of Barking say they agree.

One grandmother told the Daily Mail she expected not to be helped but instead robbed, should she collapse – and advised others to best ‘keep yourself to yourself’. 

The London borough of Barking and Dagenham has the unenviable ranking in a new study drawing on government data from a community life survey.

The area might have given the world football stars such as Barking’s Sir Alf Ramsey, Bobby Moore and John Terry as well as EastEnders actor Ross Kemp, singer-songwriter Billy Bragg and Lord Carey, former Archbishop of Canterbury.

Meanwhile, Dagenham’s celebrity count includes former Ford Dagenham car plant clerk and later Eurovision winner Sandie Shaw, comedy legend Dudley Moore and TV personality Stacey Solomon.

Yet locals suggest Barking and Dagenham is on the decline – and while some still have hope and pride for the area, others agree with the gloomy new findings. 

This latest report measures how often people chat to neighbours, how lonely they feel, local pride and levels of participation in civic life.

Next up, in order, on the ‘unfriendly’ list are Stoke-on-Trent, then Ashfield and Mansfield – both in Nottinghamshire – before Ipswich in fifth.

Others, however, have spoken about the positive elements Barking does have to offer – with stores such as this still trading on the streets

In contrast, the friendliest place in England was named as the Isles of Scilly, followed by South Hams in Devon, then West Devon, Derbyshire Dales and Richmond-upon Thames in south-west London.

The labelling of Barking came as little surprise to Martha Davis, a grandmother in her late 60s who has lived there for 28 years but spoke of its downturn – and her fears.

She said: ‘Absolutely it’s unfriendly. They spit in your face rather than talk to you.

‘Keep yourself to yourself – best thing to do in Barking.

‘I’m in and out, I wouldn’t spend the whole day here. There are pickpockets – the place is dying.

‘It’s terrible. I feel unsafe. People are so miserable. If I collapsed I think someone would rob me.’

While many the Daily Mail spoke to spoke up for their area, plenty criticised ‘miserable’ and uncommunicative residents for hardly helping its feel and reputation.

The unfriendliness findings come from an Independent Commission on Community and Cohesion study using data from the Government’s Community Life Survey. 

Barking has plenty of history – and famous names born and bred there – though there are concerns amid its main high streets and surrounding areas about more ‘miserable’ people

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The area scored eight out of 100 on the National Conversation’s ‘connection barometer’. 

Ten per cent of locals say they feel lonely ‘often or always’ and only 21 per cent said they could trust their neighbours.

It is a view shared on the street where residents fear being spat on or attacked.

Omar Mukhtar, 40, who has been in Barking for 23 years, said: ‘It depends on your aura.

‘You can interact with anyone. People are approachable – they could smash your face but also ask for directions.’

Local resident Faysal Khan, who has lived in Barking for six years, said: ‘Yes and no on whether it’s unfriendly.

‘It depends on the person basically. People are chatty, every kind of people you find in Barking. Some people are good as gold.

‘I go with the flow – I just try and listen to others instead of debating.’

Barking resident Omar Mukhtar, 40, told of the contrasts in how people you approach behave

Cafe worker Sally O’Brien, 44, said: ‘Our customers are lovely, but the average person out there isn’t.

‘There’s a fear of what might happen. People are rude and obnoxious.

‘The community has gone as well really. People don’t know each other. It’s a lost area.

‘People don’t even smile. They constantly spit out there or they’re on their phones.

‘Our cafe is very friendly but being out there is like another world.’

Martin Whitting, 44, who has run an ice cream van in Barking for several years, said in response to people in Barking being unfriendly: ‘It depends really. If they can speak English and communicate, then it’s a good community.

‘There’s lots of drugs and that’s the trouble. It’s a nice place but a bit unpredictable. You never know what you’ll get.’

Janice, a woman in her 40s, said: ‘It’s just weird – Some people are polite but everywhere I go it is bad mental health: Barking is bad for mental health. People don’t smile. They don’t speak.’

Ice cream van man Martin Whitting called Barking ‘nice’ yet also ‘a bit unpredictable’

Adnan Tariq, a shopkeeper in Barking for 14 years, said: ‘Maybe yes, maybe no. I’m not going to say everyone is horrible.

‘If you walk around, you’ll see yourself people are nice.

‘What you hear and what you see are different – I’m pretty sure there are worse areas than Barking.

‘Barking used to be a bit trickier but a few years passed by and it’s getting better now.

‘There used to be gangs, but they’ve removed bad council estates and they’ve cleaned up Barking.’

Dave Parsons, 45, a delivery driver, felt people were often rude, adding: ‘I think it’s the area that gets people down. They probably don’t think they’ve done well if they’re here.

‘I get a lot of people who simply don’t say thank you – it’s sad really but I am used to it now.’

The National Conversation is run by the Conservative ex-Home Secretary Sir Sajid Javid and former Labour policy coordinator Jon Cruddas – himself a former MP for Dagenham between 2001 and 2024.

Adnan Tariq, a shopkeeper in Barking for 14 years, spoke up for the town – insisting it had improved in recent years and he was ‘pretty sure there are worse areas’

Organisers say it aims to help better understand the country’s state of connection and cohesion to create a vision for how people can live well together. 

The foreword from its first report published last year claimed that ‘communal life in Britain is under threat’ due to declining infrastructure and institutions, a loss in trust in those institutions, growing inequality and chronic neglect from policymakers.   

It also identified threats causing social disconnection such as the mismanagement of immigration, cost of living pressures and social media-driven extremism.

The commission warned the results show that the UK was ‘sitting on a tinderbox of disconnection and division’.

Mr Cruddas said: ‘I nearly choked on my cornflakes when my old area came rock bottom. 

‘I think government stats miss a lot of what really makes an area tick, including my old town. 

‘But that’s why we have developed it, to spark a conversation – because what we really want is your view on your area.’

FOREST GROVE, Ore. (AP) — The bodies of five people were found on a rural property outside Portland and authorities said Sunday it was being investigated as a quintuple homicide.

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office said authorities initially responded early Saturday to reports of a vehicle fire at a property in Forest Grove, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) west of downtown Portland. Responders then found the remains of five people and “several domestic animals.”

Detectives do not believe it was a random act of violence, authorities said, without sharing much detail. No arrests have been made and no one was in custody.

They did not disclose the ages or genders of the people found, how they died or what possible connections they might have with one another. The type of animals found dead also was not specified.

At a news conference Sunday afternoon, Detective Shannon Wilde with the sheriff’s office said they were still working to determine who the victims were.

“Any time you have one person deceased, let alone five, that’s a logistical challenge,” Wilde said, noting the complexity of the investigation and the large crime scene.

When asked by reporters about the amount of time that passed between authorities first discovering the dead bodies and releasing information the following afternoon, Wilde said authorities were trying to identify the victims and notify their next of kin before holding a news conference while also working on a “very active investigation with a lot of moving pieces.” Authorities wanted to ensure they released accurate information in a responsible way, she said.

Sheriff Caprice Massey urged anyone who is familiar with the property or the people who live there to share any information they may have.

“I will say that in my 22 years here, I have not been a part of or witnessed a scene quite this complex involving this type of an investigation,” she said.

Karucha Sripramote, known locally as Monk Kom, says he was walking through a park when a thug started spinning his bike wheel to spray dirt on him – before the situation escalated quickly

A Buddhist monk was hit with a “rapid flurry of strikes” to his face when he was attacked by a balaclava-clad thug riding a bike in a UK park.

Karucha Sripramote, known as Monk Kom by locals in Newcastle, said he was “repeatedly harassed” by a boy on an electric bike during a walk through Hebburn Riverside Park. After he was shouted at and had his path blocked by the lad on a bike, the situation escalated quickly.

The boy flicked dirt on Karucha with his bike wheel last Tuesday (August 18) before punching him repeatedly in the face. Police are now investigating the attack, reports Chronicle Live.

“He began by sounding a horn behind me and shouting,” Karucha recalled. “I was aware of him, but could not hear clearly due to my earphones, so I simply moved aside to avoid his path.

“He then rode in front of me to block my way and continued shouting. I pointed to my earphones and waved my hand to indicate that I had no wish to engage.”

The 34-year-old added: “He then rode closer, turned his bike, and deliberately spun his rear wheel to throw grass and dirt over me. I tried to walk away, but he followed and repeated the action.

“Seeing that he would not leave me alone, I approached him to ask him to stop, but grew concerned he might ride directly at me. I held onto his sleeve to keep distance and reason with him safely, at which point he began punching me repeatedly in the face.”

Karucha, who suspects he may have been attacked as he was wearing his orange monastic robes, said he was punched “multiple times in quick succession” and received “a rapid flurry of strikes” to his face before the boy’s friend appeared from elsewhere in the park and kicked him with “full force” and knocked him to the ground. He estimates that the boys were between 12 and 15 years old.

Karucha said his glasses were damaged in the attack and he sustained a cut to his lip. He hopes that sharing his experience will prevent anyone else from being targeted.

Karucha said: “Groups of youths wearing balaclavas frequently ride e-bikes dangerously close to pedestrians in this area to intimidate them. It has happened to me before, but this was the first time it escalated to physical violence. My only hope in speaking out is to prevent someone else from getting badly hurt.”

He added: “Initially, I intended to let it pass and carry on quietly with my life. However, I realised that staying silent might leave other members of the public, especially elderly residents and families, vulnerable to escalating behaviour.”

Since speaking out about his experience, which happened at around 3.30pm on Tuesday, Karucha has been “deeply touched” by the “overwhelmingly kind and supportive” response from the community. He said he has received many kind messages and even flowers from the community.

In an update and heartfelt thank you to the Hebburn community, he shared on the Dhammakaya Meditation Centre of Newcastle Facebook page.

Karucha wrote: “Following my initial post regarding the incident at Hebburn Riverside Park, I thought the matter would quietly pass. Instead, I have been deeply touched by the outpouring of support, warm messages, and today, a beautiful arrangement of flowers delivered to our centre by a kind resident on behalf of the Hebburn community.

“I am writing this to express my sincere gratitude to everyone and to share a brief update:

“Our Community: I have lived in Hebburn for over six and a half years; I know first-hand how kind, welcoming, and peaceful this town is. This single incident does not change how much I value and appreciate living here.

“Reflections on the Incident: As a Buddhist monk, I contemplate life through understanding, patience, and the principle of cause and effect (Kamma). I hold no anger, resentment, or bitterness towards the young lads. While their actions crossed a line, panic and poor judgement often lead young people to react recklessly.”

Karucha said he has “no lasting injuries” and has now “almost completely healed” following the incident. Northumbria Police is investigating the report.

Karucha added: “My only hope is that these young lads take a moment to reflect on the kind of community they wish to grow up in. The way we treat others inevitably shapes the environment our own loved ones and families live in. Thank you all once again for your immense kindness, care, and solidarity.”