OSLO, Norway (AP) — The coffin of late King Harald V of Norway traveled through the royal palace to its chapel on Monday, with Queen Mette-Marit joining the procession in her first official appearance since assuming the title.

Harald passed away Friday at age 89, and his son, the crown prince, immediately became King Haakon VIII. His wife became Queen Mette-Marit, while his oldest child, Ingrid Alexandra, became crown princess and heir to the throne.

Haakon, 53, will take the oath to Norway’s constitution on Tuesday. His tasks in the near future will include shoring up support for the monarchy following controversies over his wife’s past contacts with deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his stepson’s rape conviction.

Mette-Marit has been largely absent from the public eye in the wake of her lung transplant in June. She was diagnosed in 2018 with pulmonary fibrosis, a progressive disease that damages and scars lung tissue. It can cause serious breathing problems, and there is no known cure.

Mette-Marit and Queen Sonja, Harald’s widow, held hands and walked behind the coffin during Monday’s procession.

Since Harald’s death, the royal family and the country have been in an official state of mourning. Norwegians and visitors expressed their grief over the weekend by laying flowers, writing cards and lighting candles in front of the royal palace in Oslo, where the coffin arrived late Friday from the hospital.

The coffin stayed in the palace’s Red Salon over the weekend before traveling to the royal chapel on Monday, where it will remain until the funeral. The public can go to the chapel to pay their respects to the late king beginning Tuesday, Norwegian broadcaster NRK reported.

The funeral is set for Sept. 9.

The Manchester Evening News has looked back on the cases heard before our region’s courts this month

Besotted prison officers, cowardly murderers and a serial fraudster were just some of the criminals facing time behind bars in Manchester’s courts in August.

Our courts doled out hefty jail terms last month, with dozens of criminals jailed for a range of offences.

Click here to hear the latest from Manchester’s courts in our newsletter

The Manchester Evening News, as always, was on hand to report on the most high-profile cases.

Here is a round-up of the criminals locked up in our region in August…

Marley Murray

A 19-year-old man from Manchester has been jailed for six years after raping a 16-year-old girl.

Marley Murray was sentenced at Manchester Crown Court on Friday (July 31) after he was convicted of rape, threats to kill and three counts of common assault.

Murray was convicted after his victim bravely came forward and reported his crimes to the police.

He made threats to kill the victim whilst holding a knife, and physically assaulted her, causing visible injuries. The 19-year-old also raped the victim, ignoring her repeated refusals.

Marley Murray, of Cotefield Road, Manchester, was sentenced to six years in prison after he was convicted of rape, threats to kill and three counts of common assault. He was also handed a 10-year restraining order and has been placed on the sex offenders’ register.

Read the full story here: Manchester rapist, 19, threatened to kill his victim whilst holding a knife

Jordan McKenzie

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A reveller was left with a broken leg after a robber snatched her bag as she tried to make her way home following a night out.

Jordan McKenzie was on a bike when he grabbed a woman’s bag in the early hours in Manchester city centre. She was dragged to the floor in the process and suffered a serious injury.

But he left empty handed after her friend bravely pursued him and managed to retrieve the robbed handbag. Weeks later, McKenzie was one of a number of burglars who targeted a city centre bar.

Judge Paul Mason said McKenzie had carried out the robbery ‘to raise money to buy more drugs’. He sentenced the defendant to a total of three years and nine months in prison.

McKenzie, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to robbery and burglary.

Read the full story here: She was on a night out when he ‘changed her whole opinion’ of Manchester

Daniel Marsland

A prison officer made a ‘disgusting’ discovery after she felt liquid spray into her mouth and onto her face at Strangeways.

Daniel Marsland, 39, projected the substance which contained urine and faeces towards the officer at HMP Manchester. He has now been jailed – again.

Prosecuting, Amy Weir told Manchester Crown Court that the officer was working on the healthcare wing of the prison on August 15, 2024. Marsland was said to have been carrying out a ‘dirty protest’.

As she stepped in front of Marsland’s cell, she immediately felt a ‘spray of liquid’ hit her in the face. She could smell urine and faeces, and noticed she had been covered in a ‘thick brown liquid’.

Marsland, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to one count of administering a poison or noxious substance. He was sentenced to a year and four months.

Read the full story here: Strangeways lag accepts what he did was ‘disgusting’

Graham Cooke, left, and Joel Wolfenden

A couple of car thieves filmed themselves in a Range Rover they had just nicked. Joel Wolfenden and Graham Cooke, both 26, have been jailed for their part in a criminal operation that saw vehicles stolen from homes in Gorton and Levenshulme in January.

The pair were sentenced alongside Kamran Khan, 36, who was filmed dancing inside a lock-up where stolen cars were kept. The trio were arrested following police raids in Wythenshawe, Stretford, Cheshire and West Yorkshire in March.

Wolfenden, of no fixed address, also admitted two counts of conspiracy to steal a motor vehicle, as did Cooke, of Harley Wood, Todmorden. Wolfenden was jailed for seven years and 10 months and Cooke for eight years and 11 months.

Read the full story here: Dopey car thieves filmed themselves in Range Rover they’d just nicked

Jai Gascoyne, left, and Elle Walton

The discovery of Valentine’s cards, necklaces and bracelets exposed the actions of two ‘corrupt’ prison officers who had inappropriate relationships with two gangster brothers.

Jai Gascoyne, 25, and Elle Walton, 27, shared Valentine’s cards with Dil Nawaz, 30, and Haq Nawaz, 32. The brothers were serving long sentences in HMP Buckley Hall in Rochdale after flooding the streets with up to £3m worth of class A drugs. Gascoyne and Walton were both prison officers at the jail.

Gascoyne admitted to being in an inappropriate relationship with Dil Nawaz between January 20, 2024, and April 4, 2024. While Walton admitted to being in an inappropriate relationship with Haq Nawaz between January 21, 2024, and March 16, 2024. Gascoyne was sentenced to 16 months in prison. Walton was sentenced to 13 months in prison.

Read the full story here: The Moonpig cards, love heart pendants and Amazon bracelets that exposed illicit relationships between prison officer pals and drug gang brothers

Deacon Hart

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A young man has been sentenced to two years in prison after slashing a pensioner across the neck following a row over his motorbike.

Deacon Hart, 21, of Viscount Road, Wigan, pleaded guilty to Section 20 GBH and possession of an offensive weapon in a public place. The offence took place on June 27, 2024 when an elderly man was walking his two dogs off their lead on the pedestrian bridge over the M58 Motorway in Orrell, Wigan.

The man saw Hart on the bridge, and told him that he should not be using his motorbike on the public footpath of the bridge – and after a commotion, the pensioner was slashed on the right side of his neck with a knife and critically lost a substantial amount of blood.

Read the full story here: Wigan man, 21, slashed pensioner across neck after being told not to ride motorbike over pedestrian bridge

Mohammed Al Masri

A young mum tricked into a taxi before being raped by a man who followed her after Christmas night out said she thought she was ‘going to die’.

Mohammed Al Masri, 25, tricked the ‘extremely drunk’ lone woman, telling her he would take her home in an Uber. He in fact took her back to his east Manchester HMO where he raped her as a friend watched and possibly filmed part of the attack.

Al Masri – a political refugee from the Assad regime in Syria – was ruled to be a dangerous offender by a judge as he was jailed for eight years.

Read the full story here: Young mum tricked into taxi before being raped by man who followed her after Christmas night out thought she was going to die

Abubakr Yusaf, left, and Umar Yusaf

Two brothers have been jailed for causing the death of a beloved dad as they raced each other home to Manchester on a busy road in Wales.

Abubakr Yusaf, had just taken a bend on the wrong side of the road when his BMW collided head-on with Rhys Jenkins’ Toyota in November 2024.

Jenkins tragically died and his son, who was in the vehicle with him, was seriously injured. At Mold Crown Court, Abubakr Yusaf, 31, of Esmond Road, Manchester, was sentenced to 14 years in prison.

Read the full story here: Manchester brothers jailed for causing death of much-loved dad in ‘catastrophic’ road race home

Anthony Junior Murray

A murderer who stabbed his sister’s boyfriend to death after they rowed about his dog on New Year’s Eve has been jailed for life.

Anthony Junior Murray inflicted a ‘horrific’ single blow to Joe Burton’s back with a combat knife, causing a fatal injury. Murray, 25, then told a series of lies to police as he tried to save his own skin.

Minshull Street Crown Court heard that In a ‘remarkable stroke of luck’, the murder was captured on a pet camera which Murray had installed in his flat in Bury. At trial, he admitted stabbing Mr Burton but claimed he was acting in self-defence.

A jury rejected his case and Murray was jailed for life. He was ordered to serve a minimum of 18 years behind bars before he can be considered for parole.

Read the full story here: Murderer who stabbed sister’s boyfriend in row over dog jailed for life after killing was caught on pet cam

Ashley Crowder

A cowardly killer refused to attend court to face his victim’s loved ones as a judge sentenced him to life. Ashley Crowder, 37, inflicted ‘prolonged cruelty’ on popular musician and former DJ Graham Cox, 37.

He ‘dominated and exploited’ Mr Cox, repeatedly attacking him and stealing his benefits before killing him, beating and strangling him.

Mr Cox’s death was the result of the ‘cumulative effects’ of the violence inflicted upon him. The ‘final act’ came as he was strangled. A judge said Crowder did that with the intention of killing him.

During the first part of his sentencing hearing on July 29, after being taken to Bolton Crown Court, Crowder refused to go into the courtroom to hear statements from Mr Cox’s devastated loved ones – and a judge sentenced Crowder to life with a minimum term of 25 years.

Read the full story here: Cowardly murderer who tortured heartbroken family of popular former DJ refuses to face them once again as he’s jailed for life

Kie Connor

A man found with 31 stun guns told cops they were ‘just toys’. Kie Connor intended for the weapons to ‘find their way into the hands of criminals’, a judge said as he faced justice.

The 24-year-old was found with a cache of the weapons, ‘of a similar’ type to Taser devices issued to police officers.

When police seized the weapons from Connor’s home in Eccles, Salford, he said they were ‘just toys’. Two of the 31 stun guns were later tested and found to be in full working order. He was sentenced to three years and eight months.

Read the full story here: Shaking as police found 18 black boxes in his living room, he told them his phone PIN was ‘1234’

Warren Barnes, Paul Taylor and Adam Taylor

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A drugs and money laundering gang smashed by cops was led by a fugitive kingpin who called himself ‘Pablo Picasso’, boasting that he was a ‘cocaine artist’.

Warren Barnes, 38, was on the run for four-and-a-half years. He lived the high life in Dubai, Spain and Canada, while continuing to direct his criminal network back in the UK.

Barnes, who was found to go by the username ‘Pablo Picasso’ on encrypted communication platforms, and two associates – father and son Paul and Adam Taylor – have now been locked up.

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Barnes, 38, of no fixed address, was jailed for 10 years and six months. Paul Taylor, 49, of Swinton, Salford, was jailed for five years three months, while Adam Taylor, 25, of Peel Green Road, Eccles, Salford, was jailed for three years.

Read the full story here: ‘A cocaine artist’: Fugitive gang kingpin ‘Pablo Picasso’ lived it up in Dubai while directing lackeys back in the UK

Moven Kajese

A jealous ex with an ‘obsession’ for true crime cases tried to murder his former partner in a horrific attack in her own home.

The woman called 999 and shouted ‘he’s stabbing me’ as Moven Kajese thrusted a knife towards her stomach on January 2 this year. He was so ‘fixated’ on attacking her he did not react when police arrived minutes after the emergency call, and continued to try and stab her, Minshull Street Crown Court heard.

Kajese pleaded guilty to attempted murder. Judge Maurice Greene sentenced Kajese, of no fixed address, to an extended sentence for public protection, branding him a ‘dangerous’ offender. Kajese was told he would serve two-thirds of a 16 year sentence in prison.

Read the full story here: ‘Please don’t go, I think he’s gonna kill me’: True crime drama obsessive tried to murder ex-partner

Deborah Swift

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A debt-ridden mum dubbed a ‘serial fraudster’ has been jailed for the third time. Deborah Swift, 54 – previously known as Deborah Jukes – siphoned money from two businesses.

She has a ‘compulsion’, her barrister said, adding: “She knows she’s going to get caught as she always gets caught.”

Swift’s latest offences saw her swipe more than £5,000 from a golf club near Greater Manchester and more than £20,000 from an equestrian centre in Cheshire, where she was looking after the books. Swift was jailed for two years and eight months.

Read the full story here: The woman who ‘always gets caught’

Carl Threadgill, left, and Josh Threadgill

Two brothers have been jailed after being caught trying to smuggle huge amounts of cannabis through Manchester Airport, as senior police officers warned of the ‘massive increase’ in the crime.

Carl Threadgill, from Wigan, and Josh Threadgill, from Warrington, were both caught carrying suitcases stuffed full of the class B drug. A senior officer from the National Crime Agency revealed that more than 30 tonnes of the drug has been seized since 2022, when the authorities experienced a huge increase in smuggling bids from Thailand after the drug was made legal there.

The brothers had appealed to be spared jail, but a judge said a deterrent sentence was required to put off other would-be smugglers. Carl Threadgill, of Wigan Road, Wigan, was sentenced to 26 months in prison, and Josh Threadgill, of Longshaw Street, Warrington, was sentenced to 24 months in prison.

Read the full story here: Brothers caught at Manchester Airport jailed after customs officers saw them ‘exchanging glances’

Courtney Ambrose Lee

A paranoid thug who launched ‘utterly terrifying’ attacks on women has been jailed for life.

Courtney Ambrose Lee, 29, terrorised his victims in attacks committed within days of each other. His former partner ‘genuinely believed’ that Lee would kill her during an attack, while in the second ordeal his victim was left with life-threatening injuries following an incident in a flat in Salford.

Manchester Crown Court heard that two weeks prior to the attack in Salford, Lee became ‘paranoid’ towards his then partner, aged 25, at a property in Tower Hamlets, London. He demanded to see her phone, and then accused her of ‘betraying’ him. Lee then punched her, causing her nose to bleed.

He prevented her from leaving the bedroom, barricading the door with furniture. Lee punched her again. He locked the door and stopped her from leaving. The judge told Lee that the woman ‘genuinely believed’ he was going to kill her.

She eventually managed to escape and ran for help. The attack on the second woman happened in the early hours of March 29 last year.

Lee had left London and was staying in a flat in Salford with the victim who was unaware of the previous assault in the capital. She began to notice that his behaviour changed after he used cocaine, again becoming paranoid.

He suddenly became violent, grabbing her and throwing her against a door, then throwing her around the room. Lee stabbed her with a kitchen knife, and subjected her to a ‘prolonged’ knife attack. He stabbed her repeatedly.

She begged him to stop, but Lee just continued. He began dragging her around the floor by her hair, and at one point dragged her towards the balcony of the ninth-floor flat.

She managed to escape him and banged on a neighbour’s door to get help before collapsing.

Lee, of no fixed address, was sentenced to life in prison, to serve a minimum of seven years 229 days, after pleading guilty to false imprisonment, intentional strangulation and assault occasioning actual bodily harm in relation to the first attack, and pleaded guilty to wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm in relation to the second.

Read the full story here: Paranoid thug who launched ‘utterly terrifying’ attacks on women jailed for life

Akeel Knight-Pascoe, Lawreem Knight-Pascoe, Ellesse Fricker

Three members of a gang who ran drugs lines named after characters from Sonic the Hedgehog have been sentenced after they were caught targeting university students in south Manchester and huge events such as Parklife.

Akeel Knight-Pascoe, 33, from Whalley Range, known as ‘Knuckles’, was behind four drugs lines named after characters from the popular video game, Sonic, Knuckles, Tails and Shadow. He promoted the lines on Snapchat and also with business cards and lighters which contained contact details.

His team of dealers and accomplices mainly targeted university students living in Fallowfield, south Manchester, but they also supplied a vast array of drugs such as cocaine, ecstasy, 2CB and ‘magic mushrooms’ at large events such as Parklife, Manchester Crown Court was told.

The police investigation, Op Stallion, led police to other members of the gang including Akeel’s brother Lawreem Knight-Pascoe, 27, a father of three who took over management when Akeel was arrested the second time and remanded into custody. Akeel regarded his younger brother as his ‘trusted lieutenant’.

Lawreem, who also had previous convictions including for supplying drugs, was arrested and he told police: “Although I was not pressured to do this, I felt I was looking out for my family by helping my brother.”

Police also arrested another member of the gang, Ellesse Fricker, 27, a mother who worked as a cleaner, at her home in Oldham and immediately found cannabis plants with flowering buds in the front bedroom. Analysis of her phones showed she made efforts to get the drugs line going again when Akeel was behind bars.

Akeel Knight-Pascoe, of Yarburgh Street in Whalley Ranage, was jailed for seven-and-a-half years after he admitted a series of drug crimes including dealing class A drugs and possessing criminal property.

Lawreem Knight-Pascoe, of Bolton Road in Worsley, was jailed for four years after he pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of class A, B and C drugs.

Ellesse Fricker, of Kimberley Street in Oldham, was handed a prison sentence of two years and eight months after she pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of class A, B and C drugs and possessing criminal property.

Read the full story here: Jailed, the drug kingpin nicknamed ‘Knuckles’ who ran ‘Sonic’ line targeting university students and Parklife

Kius Francis

A controlling boyfriend left bite marks on his former partner during a violent assault in which he back-handed her across the face and also forced her to hang half out of an open window.

Kius Francis, 29, subjected his ex-girlfriend to the horrific attack in November 2024 after almost two years of coercive and controlling behaviour towards her

Francis and the victim had been in a relationship from the ages of 13 to 17, then rekindled their relationship in 2022. The victim described the relationship as ‘stressful and abusive’ with defendant Francis ‘having good days and horrible days’

On November 6 2024 the victim woke up at around 6.40am to Francis ‘pulling the pillow’ out from under her head. She went to take it back, at which point Francis said she had ‘hit him in the lip’.

He then backhanded her in the face saying ‘that’s what you get for hitting me’ and told her to f*** off. As she tried to flee, he grabbed her by the neck and pushed her upper body out of the window.

The woman fought back and hit him, after which he spat blood over her. Francis then shoved her into the boiler cupboard and threw her belongings in the hall. She asked if she could put some clothes on and he threw her into the front room.

As she tried to put some clothing on, he forced her to leave naked. Police who attended later observed a deep dark bruise to her right bicep, and three foot prints and a bite mark on her back.

Francis pleaded guilty to possession of a class B substance in November 2024, and was later convicted after trial of assault causing actual bodily harm and coercive and controlling behaviour.

Francis, Cross Street in Sale, was jailed for 26 months.

Read the full story here: ‘You left your footprint on her back’: After two years of controlling behaviour, he launched his horrific attack

Ruben Candiza, Valdo De-Almeida, Marco Veiga, and Emerson Teta

Four fugitives who fled to Portugal days after a teenager died in a fatal gang revenge attack have been handed hefty jail terms.

It came after two rival outfits, Moston-based ‘M40’ gang and the Rochdale and Oldham gang, Representing the Danger (RTD), comprising of 21 young men, clashed on the streets of Moston on November 5, 2020. Sixteen-year-old Alexander John Soyoye, known as John, was killed as part of a revenge attack.

Ruben Candiza, 26; Valdo De-Almeida, 27; Marco Veiga, 25; and Emerson Teta, 25, had gone on trial accused of murder and violent disorder at Manchester Crown Court. Three weeks into the trial, and as their defence cases were due to begin, the four men changed their pleas to guilty and admitted manslaughter. They were all cleared of murder.

Six members of the RTD gang were previously convicted of John’s murder and sentenced in 2022. Francesco Raji, now 24, of Elm Road, Oldham; Christopher Semedo, now 27, of Elm Road, Oldham; Nelson Correia, now 26, of Petworth Road, Oldham; Ismiel Correia, now 24, of Cavanagh Close, Ardwick; Brent Tchipenda, now 23, of Wistaria Road, Gorton; and Octavio Antonio, now 24, of Deepdale Court, Moston were all handed life sentences. Mohammed Al-Jaf, now 25, of Bradney Close, Blackley, was convicted of manslaughter.

The second trial, which began last month, heard that the stabbing of a relative of Francesco Raji, said to be a member of M40, in Piccadilly Gardens in the afternoon of November 5, was the catalyst for the brutal ‘revenge’ attack which resulted in John’s death hours later.

After a ‘call to arms’, RTD members later went to Moston to ‘exact revenge’, with the men becoming involved in a violent melee. M40 gang members became overwhelmed and fled.

John was disarmed and injured in the earlier fight by Brent Tchipenda, and became isolated from the rest of the M40. He was then brutally set upon, being punched, kicked and stabbed, suffering 15 blows to his body. John died at the scene.

The court heard that the four were not involved in the attack, though accepted they were each armed with a weapon.

In the wake of the attack Candiza, De-Almeida, Veiga, Teta and a fifth man fled the country to ‘evade arrest’. They were each 20 at the time, save for De-Almeida who was 21. A fifth man remains in Portugal.

Candiza, of Appleby Walk, Royton, Oldham, was jailed for 10 years and eight months; De-Almeida, of Brierley Street, Oldham, was jailed for 10 years and two months; Veiga, of Burnsall Grove, Royton, Oldham was jailed for 10 years and three months; and Teta, of Chestnut Crescent, Oldham, was jailed for 10 years and five months.

Read the full story here: Fugitives involved in fatal gang revenge attack in Moston finally face justice

Stephen Lee Hallmark

A man groomed a young girl over social media before meeting her and abusing her in her own home.

The girl was just 13 when she was contacted by paedophile Stephen Lee Hallmark on Facebook. He then began messaging her on Snapchat despite her having told him her age.

Hallmark, 28 and from Liverpool, falsely claimed he was 20 and persuaded the girl to tell her family he was just 15, police said. He told officers in interview that he didn’t want her to think he was an ‘old b*****d.’

Just a month after they began speaking, Hallmark arranged to meet her in person and began sexually abusing her when they met at her home.

Sexual activity occurred during three further visits over the following three months, following which he was arrested.

As police investigated his crimes, he tried to discourage the girl from speaking to police, telling her to ‘go no comment’ and threatening to kill himself if she revealed what had happened.

Hallmark, of Allington Street in the St Michael’s area of south Liverpool, was jailed for six years after being convicted of meeting a girl under 16 following grooming and four counts of engaging in sexual activity with a child.

Read the full story here: Girl sexually abused by paedophile who groomed her through social media says ‘my life has been destroyed’

Gabriel Levy

A man who made death threats to two mosques in Manchester days after the Heaton Park synagogue terror attack was jailed for 28 months,

Gabriel Levy, 21, made an anonymous phone call to the Al-Sunnah Mosque in Cheetham Hill on the afternoon of October 4, 2025. Using a withheld number, he told the call receiver: “I’m going to come to your mosque and kill you.”

Police went to his home in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, just a few hours later and seized his mobile device. The CPS said it then emerged that a second threatening phone call was made.

Levy, who is Jewish, called the Iqra Mosque in Longsight on the same day and told a member of staff: “I am going to kill you Muslim”.

In a statement, the CPS said he admitted to being angry after watching news coverage of the October 2 synagogue attack, in which two men were killed at Heaton Park Hebrew Synagogue in Crumpsall. Levy pleaded guilty to making threats to kill and was sentenced on Wednesday at Leeds Crown Court to 28 months in prison.

Read the full story here: ‘Angry’ man made terrifying threats to Manchester mosque two days after synagogue terror attack

Lewis Hanson

A drug dealer who sold cannabis on the streets from the age of 14 has been locked up for attempting to sell a potentially deadly gun.

Lewis Hanson, 20, who was shot in the elbow by a police firearms officer during his arrest in Whitefield, Bury, also sold cocaine.

A judge said it was ‘frankly terrifying’ that someone of his age could run a ‘drugs enterprise’ and seek to sell the weapon – a modified Retay 17 blank firing pistol similar in design to a Glock 17.

Hanson, of Parr Lane, Bury, pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of a class B drug, conspiracy to sell a prohibited weapon, possessing a prohibited firearm, possessing ammunition without a firearm certificate, possession of a class A drug with intent to supply, and possession of a class B drug with intent to supply.

He was sentenced to a total of 82 months – just under seven years – in a young offender institution.

Read the full story here: Dealer who flogged drugs from age of 14 shot by cops during arrest before being caged over gun plot

Kade Cox

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A prolific and violent thief who launched a brutal attack on a biker in broad daylight has been jailed.

Kade Cox, 20, and two other masked individuals were caught on CCTV forcing a biker to crash into a wall on Melrose Avenue, in Sale, on April 17 last year year. As the man fell to the ground, the group launched a violent attack, during which one repeatedly hit him with a machete.

Despite attempting to hold on, the group stole his electric bike and fled. He was left with a number of serious injuries including a severe laceration to his thumb, and cuts to his face.

Cox, who was identified through an extensive CCTV trawl, was also found to be involved in three other thefts or attempted thefts of motorbikes and electric bikes between April and July 2025.

Cox, of Walker Road, was jailed for 10 years after previously pleading guilty to robbery, burglary with intent to steal and a further two counts of burglary where bikes were stolen during both incidents.

Read the full story here: Prolific and violent thief jailed over brutal machete gang attack on biker

Amin Akhoondi

A banned driver with a ‘shocking’ criminal record reached speeds of 128mph on the M56 motorway as he tried to escape from police – before crashing at Manchester Airport.

Amin Akhoondi, 22, who was disqualified from driving at the time, also drove at speeds of 98mph on built-up urban roads with 30mph speed limits in Wythenshawe. He’s now been jailed over what a judge called ‘an appalling example’ of dangerous driving.

Akhoondi ended up smashing the Volkswagen Golf he was driving into a steel barrier at Manchester Airport’s Terminal Two, Manchester Crown Court. He suffered a ‘significant’ spinal injury in the crash and spent 10 days in hospital in the aftermath.

At Manchester and Salford magistrates court on May 16, Akhoondi pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, driving whilst disqualified and driving without insurance. He was committed to the crown court for sentence, where he was jailed for 16 months.

Read the full story here: His criminal record was already shocking, then he did something ‘appalling’ on the M56

Patrick Hartley

A cowboy builder who ‘overpromised and underdelivered’ left damage worth £1m to homes in Greater Manchester and Lancashire. A court heard how Patrick Hartley left homeowners without adequate roofing.

The 40-year-old would take customers’ money before moving on to the next job, leaving work unfinished. His actions put families under strain as they took on more debt to have the work put right, Lancs Live reports.

The court heard Hartley, from Bacup, Rossendale, stung 13 families in a 30-month period from 2020. His fraudulent activity landed him a prison sentence of three years and nine months.

Read the full story here: Cowboy builder overpromised, underdelivered and left families ‘in a state’

Katie Taylor is set to bid farewell to boxing this weekend, as she finally realises her Croke Park dream when she fights Flora Pili.

Taylor, a former Olympic gold medalist and two-weight undisputed champion, boxes on home soil in Ireland as she faces the unbeaten Pili, with all four major super-lightweight belts on the line.

Taylor, 40, brings the IBF, WBA and WBO titles into the iconic Dublin venue, while the vacant WBC strap is also up for grabs.

France’s Pili (12-0, 2 KOs) will aim to become just the second fighter to beat Taylor (25-1, 6 KOs), who is expecting 80,000 adoring fans at her final fight.

Here’s all you need to know.

When is the fight?

Taylor vs Pili will take place on Saturday 5 September at Croke Park in Dublin. The main card is due to begin at 7pm BST (11am PT / 1pm CT / 2pm ET), with main-event ring walks following at approximately 10pm BST (2pm PT / 4pm CT / 5pm ET).

How can I watch it?

Taylor vs Pili and its undercard will stream live on DAZN. You can purchase a subscription here, with plans starting at £15.99 per month. In Ireland, national station RTE will also broadcast the action.

Odds

Taylor – 1/20

Pili – 10/1

Draw – 20/1

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Fight card in full

Subject to change:

Katie Taylor vs Flora Pili (Taylor’s IBF, WBA, WBO super-lightweight titles; vacant WBC belt)

Paddy Donovan vs Tyrone McKenna (welterweight)

Taylor Bevan vs Emmet Brennan (super-middleweight)

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Enjoy 185+ fights a year on DAZN, the Global Home of Boxing

Never miss a fight from top promoters. Watch on your devices anywhere, anytime.

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Joe McGrail vs Matthew Boreland (super-bantamweight)

David Allen vs Thomas Carty (heavyweight)

Molly McCann vs Sylwia Doligala (bantamweight)

Paul Ryan vs Paddy Gallagher (middleweight)

Adam Olaniyan vs TBA (heavyweight)

Bobbi Flood vs Jack Swallow (super-welterweight)

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Dame Emma Thompson, who visited York City Screen last August to catch a screening of the Naked Gun film with friends, has received two Oscars for best actress in Howards End (1992) and best adapted screenplay in Sense and Sensibility (1995), was spotted on a film set earlier this week.

This was during the evenings of Wednesday, August 26 and Thursday, August 27, where she was seen with noted actress Ruth Wilson by The Bear pub on Alfred Street and Oxford University landmark the Radcliffe Camera.

One switched-on observer noted that they had changed one of the street names during the filming to Easterhill Avenue.

Dame Emma Thompson and Ruth Wilson filming the second series of Down Cemetery Road in Oxford in August 2026 (Image: Contributed)

Her co-star, Ms Wilson, 44, is possibly best known for her roles in television series Luther (2010-2019) and The Affair (2014-2018), and has acted alongside Dame Emma before in the 2013 biographical drama film Saving Mr Banks.

They were on the streets of Oxford for the second season of Down Cemetery Road, based on the novels by Slow Horses-author Mick Herron.

Dame Emma Thompson and Ruth Wilson filming the second series of Down Cemetery Road in Oxford in August 2026 (Image: Contributed)

Set in and around the city of dreaming spires, the first series premiered on 29 October 2025 on Apple TV and involves a woman who hires a private investigator after an explosion occurs and a girl goes missing on the same night.

It was well-reviewed at the time with Dame Emma’s performance in particular picked out.

Four books have been published about the Zoe Boehm character, who Dame Emma portrays, all of them written in the noughties with the next book in the series called ‘The Last Voice You hear’.

Currently, it is unknown when the next season will come out.

Dame Emma was also spotted in York when she dropped in to show shop Moda in Pelle in Low Petergate in 2022.

So the appeal is clear for those who manage the financial spreadsheets, but what about everybody else?

US Open organisers have not yet commented in the wake of the Williams-Kenin match, but they have previously argued late scheduling is a benefit to fans.

“Without question late-night matches were heavily discussed and reviewed after the 2022 US Open,” tournament director Stacey Allaster said in 2023, after opting to maintain the late schedule.

“We looked at starting the evening session earlier, instead of 7pm start at 6pm, but it’s not really a possibility because it’s hard for New Yorkers to get here even at 7pm.

“We talked about [changing to] one match at night, but we felt that’s not fair to our fans. One of the realities we have in tennis is that we are not defined by a start and an end time. We can have a short match or we can have a five-hour match.”

And that lack of certainty is where the problems arise. Organisers might not think all matches will run long, but they definitely know it’s a possibility.

A five-set men’s match can easily run for over four or even five hours and a women’s match that goes the distance can comfortably pass the three-hour mark. Put those two matches back-to-back on Arthur Ashe with a short break in-between and suddenly whoever is playing second isn’t finishing until about 3am.

The reason Williams and Kenin started their match so late is that Novak Djokovic’s defeat by Mariano Navone took five sets and over four hours to complete.

By the time Williams and Kenin were finished, the crowd in the 23,933-capacity stadium was sparse.

BUNIA, Congo (AP) — Congo’s authorities said Monday that the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak in history has topped 6,000 cases with 2,911 deaths.

More than 1,360 people have recovered from the virus, in what authorities said was an “encouraging” development.

The outbreak in eastern Congo is spreading under extremely difficult conditions, fueled by insecurity, displacement, a health workers’ strike and intense population movements. The situation is particularly concerning at displacement sites, where residents already live in extremely precarious conditions.

Last week, the virus spilled into two new health zones in the region.

The World Health Organization has said that it remains out of control and is on track to surpass the 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola outbreak, the deadliest on record, which killed more than 11,000 people, primarily in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

On Saturday, an Ebola response team was attacked on the outskirts of the town of Mambasa in Ituri province while responding to a call to secure a body. Young people armed with machetes stormed the site of the funeral, forcing the team to flee and injuring one member, a representative told The Associated Press.

“We demand greater security so we can operate in the field and do our work without endangering our lives,” said Floribert Magene, a member of the response team.

The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, a rare type of Ebola that has no approved vaccine or treatment.

Last week, Congo began vaccinating health and other front-line workers with the Ervebo vaccine that was effective in past Ebola outbreaks caused by a different, more common type called Zaire.

Clinical trials are underway to find a licensed vaccine for the Bundibugyo virus.

Although the current outbreak was declared in mid-May, officials believe it had been spreading since February. It has spread from three health zones to nearly 60, with most cases and deaths occurring outside the network of monitored contacts and within communities.

Efforts to bring the outbreak under control — from limited public gatherings to social distancing and airport closures — have disrupted life in the six provinces, particularly Ituri, which also has been ravaged by rebel violence.

The government has introduced some measures, including installing health and sanitary equipment at some locations, but advocacy groups say more needs to be done to build trust with the community.

While neighboring Uganda declared itself free of Ebola last month, the risk of further cross-border spread remains, the WHO said last week.

Ruben Amorim, January 2025: “The Kobbie position, we need time to understand the players, he was struggling a lot defending as a midfielder.”

Harry Maguire, August 2026: “I think without the ball now, [Kobbie’s] becoming a real monster in there, and I think he wins a lot of second balls. He wins a lot of duels. You won’t want to play against him in there.”

What a difference 18 months can make. So little faith did Amorim have in Kobbie Mainoo as a midfielder that a few days after that quote above, he actually started the academy graduate as a centre-forward.

Amorim wanted Mainoo close to the opposition box because of his quick feet and ability to play in the half spaces. He has a catalogue of goals that would suggest that wasn’t the worst idea, but Amorim’s ulterior motives were also clear. He didn’t want Mainoo near his own penalty area.

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Eventually, with two No.10s and a centre-forward in the building, Mainoo disappeared from view. He was a substitute every week under Amorim and his Manchester United career was hanging by a thread until the Portuguese head coach was dismissed.

You wonder what Amorim makes of this version of Mainoo. The 21-year-old was back in the starting XI on Sunday and delivered another all-round display that marked out his burgeoning talent. A penny for the thoughts of Thomas Tuchel, too.

Mainoo’s off-the-ball work improved last season, when he was immediately restored to the side by Michael Carrick and formed an impressive midfield partnership with Casemiro. But with the Brazilian having left and Carlos Baleba not yet fit, Mainoo played the deepest role against Ipswich and looked every bit an elite-level No. 6.

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While Youri Tielemans and Bruno Fernandes both played 28 passes into the final third, Mainoo had only half that tally. But that wasn’t his role. He was combative, he was physical, he won his battles and he was aware of the danger around him. He certainly wasn’t struggling to defend as a midfielder.

Mainoo won nine of his 13 duels and won possession 10 times. Both were highs among his United teammates. There were also three tackles, two interceptions and two fouls won, a vital skill for a deep-lying midfielder to ease the pressure on his team.

Centre-backs can often be the best judges of those playing directly in front of them, because they see when they are being well protected, and they will notice when they are not. So the fact that Mainoo’s contribution won so much praise from Maguire felt telling.

“I think his work without the ball has improved so much since Michael’s been in. That’s probably credit to Michael and his staff,” he said.

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It was evident last season that, towards the end of the campaign, Mainoo’s defensive work was getting better and better. He has bulked up and improved his physicality, but his positioning and awareness have improved immeasurably as well.

You don’t win possession and win duels as often as Mainoo did against Ipswich without putting yourself in the right position, which is half the battle when playing that role.

In fairness to Mainoo, he was chucked in at the deep end as a teenager by playing in midfield in Erik ten Hag’s second version of United. Having built a stable and defensive side in 2022/23, he tried to move through the gears but left huge holes in midfield that Casemiro and Mainoo struggled to fill.

It’s not a coincidence that that same partnership looked so much more secure under Carrick when the positioning was better, the gaps in the team were smaller, and there was more control.

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Now United have lost the experience of Casemiro, and while Baleba looks like the natural No.6 in this midfield, there should be no concerns around Mainoo filling that role either.

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has ruthlessly sacked her shadow chancellor Sir Mel Stride and replaced him with one of the architects of Liz Truss’s disastrous mini-Budget

New shadow chancellor Andrew Griffith was financial secretary to the Treasury – number three in the department – when Ms Truss’s mini-Budget caused a run on the gilt market and almost bankrupted the country.

He was a strong advocate of the former prime minister’s plans to slash taxes and his appointment appears to be an indication that Ms Badenoch wants the party to take a more aggressive direction after the cautious approach of Sir Mel.

The Tory leader has consistently refused to apologise for the Truss mini-Budget or throw the former PM out of the party.

Now she has put one of her key lieutenants and supporter of the hardcore tax-cutting approach in charge of economic policy as she tries to take on Nigel Farage and Reform.

In a hint that he still supports the Truss approach to the country’s finances, Mr Griffiths pointedly tweeted: “The Conservatives will always back the risk-takers and wealth creators who deliver growth, investment and jobs.”

He tweeted: “It is a huge honour to become shadow chancellor for the party I joined as a teenager under Margaret Thatcher. Working as a team, we Conservatives will deliver an economic revolution.

“We will deliver lower, simpler taxes, get Britain drilling again to bring down energy costs, slash the red tape holding Britain back, and scrap the job-killing measures in Labour’s (Un)Employment Rights Act.”

Lib Dem deputy leader and Treasury spokesperson Daisy Cooper said: “Griffith helped deliver the Truss mini-budget that sent mortgages soaring &the economy into turmoil.

It’s clear Conservatives haven’t learned a thing. His appointment to shadow chancellor shows they’re happy to forfeit any claim to economic credibility in their race to the bottom with Reform UK.”

The move comes as the Conservative leader embarks on her first major reshuffle of her top team amid concerns it has been underperforming and holding the party’s recovery back.

A reshuffle had been inevitable after Sir James Cleverly resigned as shadow housing secretary to run as London mayor and with Julia Lopez shadowing the former science ministry, which has been abolished by Andy Burnham.

The decision to ditch Sir Mel, a former welfare secretary who had been a major critic of Truss’s mini-Budget, comes after she sacked Dame Priti Patel as shadow foreign secretary and replaced her with former security minister Tom Tugendhat.

Shadow health secretary Stuart Andrew has also been shown the exit door after the party made little impression in taking on Labour over its handling of the NHS.

However, after the steady hand of Sir Mel on Treasury policy, Ms Badenoch had been urged within the party to go for a bolder strategy with a new face.

This has been confirmed with the appointment of Mr Griffith, a former Sky News executive.

A senior Conservative source said: “Kemi is changing the way the Conservative Party approaches economic policy and creating a new economic leadership team for the next phase, focused on growth, higher living standards and fiscal credibility.

“The team will be led by Andrew Griffith, a no-nonsense, pro-growth shadow chancellor with real business experience.”

Claire Coutinho, who is due to go on maternity leave, will be Mr Griffith’s deputy across the economic brief, as well as shadow business secretary.

When she returns her task will be to make sure growth translates into higher living standards. Richard Fuller will be focused on fiscal discipline and the savings work which underpins the economic programme.

Ms Coutinho had impressed as shadow energy secretary and was credited in pushing Mr Burnham to look at abandoning some of former energy secretary Ed Miliband’s hard line net zero policies on blocking new drilling for oil and gas in the North Sea.

She is likely to be replaced by Scottish MP Andrew Bowie as shadow energy secretary with rising star Harriet Cross expected to become shadow Scottish secretary.

According to the senior party source, the new Conservative Economic Unit will be the driving force of the shadow cabinet’s business and economic policies.

Sir Mel had started the party on its road to recovery and overseen introducing the policy of scrapping stamp duty. But he had generally urged caution, especially on reversing Labour controversial National Insurance hike which has caused the jobs market to dry up.

In a statement, Sir Mel said: “The Conservative party must continue to champion an approach which is both radical and deliverable. It is essential that the next Conservative government does things very differently, backing business like never before and getting government out of the way. The Conservatives have a good story to tell on this now and one that I know will continue to grow stronger and stronger under Kemi’s leadership.”

Ms Badenoch paid tribute to Sir Mel and Dame Priti in a statement

She said: “Like Priti, Mel came into the job at an exceptionally difficult point for the Conservative Party. He brought experience, seriousness and stability when those things were badly needed.

“He helped us steady the ship, rebuild economic credibility and become an effective opposition, and I am genuinely grateful for his contribution. The Conservative Party would not have got where we are without his work and his very effective skewering of Rachel Reeves and her disastrous time as chancellor.

“Mel has been very supportive of the new economic team and the party, and been exceptionally loyal, and I will always be grateful to him for the work he has done.”

Armed police have raided properties in the Middlesbrough area where a woman and her seven-year-old niece were killed in a suspicious house fire.

Officers armed with rifles were seen aiming their weapons towards homes on Burns Road, Grangetown in the early hours of today.

Witnesses said one person was arrested and a vehicle was seized.

The raid comes after a week of escalating violence thought to be linked to a postcode war between two factions of a local organised crime group, as well as a deadly motorway crash that killed two police officers and five youths.

The young men in the car were said to have been pursuing rival gang members  shortly before driving the wrong way down the A66 and smashing into a police vehicle that PC Matthew Blades and PC Tom Clough were in. 

Michael Cahill, 23, Jakub Matusiak, 23, Makai Saddington, 18, Theo Rae, 17, and Cole Worthy, 17, all died in the crash. Four of them had lengthy criminal records ranging from theft, harassment and assault to drug dealing and knife possession.

A fatal house fire also took place in the small area of Middlesbrough last Wednesday, killing Natalie McDonald, 34, and Valentina Foster, seven. 

While the blaze is thought to be related to local gangs, it has not been linked directly with the car crash at this stage.

Officers were seen aiming their weapons through the doors of one home. Cleveland Police is yet to comment on the raids

Multiple police vehicles were parked in Burns Road in Grangetown, which has been rocked by violence in recent days 

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A 31-year-old man who was arrested on suspicion of murder has since been released without charge. 

A second man, 23-year-old Jaden Wright, is being questioned by police after appearing in court on Saturday charged with grievous bodily harm and strangulation in relation to an incident in Grange Farm Road on Tuesday, August 25.

Fires were seen in local fields after at least five cars were set alight at a balloon release in memory of one of the crash victims.

Anna Turley, the Labour MP for Redcar, who is also a Home Office minister, told BBC News: ‘Seeing illegal bikes and quad bikes rampaging, and fires and fireworks being set off only heightens people’s sense of fear and lawlessness.

‘While I understand people are grieving and upset, we cannot allow illegal activity to be excused and unchecked.’

PC Blades and PC Clough were remembered with a minute’s applause ahead of a match between Middlesbrough and West Bromwich Albion on Saturday, while PC Blades’ sons walked out as mascots with Manchester United yesterday.

Supporters also paid their respects at Seaton Carew’s game against FC Hartlepool. PC Blades had been a junior coach for both teams.

The home of Worthy’s father Gye was ram-raided just hours before the crash. The 39-year-old has no links to criminality. 

PC Matthew Blades, 37, was killed when his police vehicle was struck by a Volkswagen Passat travelling the wrong way down the A66 near Middlesbrough 

PC Tom Clough, 38, also died in the crash, which occurred around ten seconds after a police pursuit of the Volkswagen was called off 

Valentina Foster, seven, and her aunt Natalie McDonald, 34, died in a house fire on Wednesday

The scene of devastation at the home in Grangetown where Ms McDonald and young Valentina died in a fire last week

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It has also emerged that a rival gang rammed the home of Rae’s mother moments before the crash happened. 

A series of subsequent ram-raids on homes across the area are thought to be linked to the incident.

Locals say the atmosphere in Grangetown is tense this week, with some afraid to leave their homes. 

Allan Scott, a 78-year-old retired truck driver, traces much of the unrest back to drugs.

‘Drugs are the biggest culprit. It’s a way of life for them,’ he said. ‘Years ago, people would grass each other up to the police, but they don’t now.

‘People are too scared to go to the police. There is an atmosphere of fear and intimidation.’

One woman, a carer, said: ‘The car crash, the fire, the stabbing, it’s too much.

‘I don’t go out at night. I am too afraid, and I am also scared for my family. There are break-ins, violence, drugs.

‘It’s gang warfare. It’s gangs and drugs and a mixture of everything. I come out during the day, but at 6pm I lock the doors and I don’t leave the house again.’

Makai Saddington, one of the five killed in the Volkswagen, posted videos on TikTok of himself being chased by police and was awaiting trial for racially abusing and assaulting officers

Jakub Matusiak, another occupant of the car that hit the officers, also posted videos of himself driving recklessly

Close friends Theo Rae, left, and Cole Robert Worthy both died in the crash on Saturday

Michael Robert Cahill was one of the five in the VW Passat

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A home in the South Bank area of Middlesbrough was rammed by a car in the early hours of Thursday

Several cars were set ablaze by youths in a field near Haswell in County Durham on Thursday, purportedly during a balloon release for one of the crash victims

Another local added: ‘What’s gone on is just awful. It’s gang-related, and what happened to that little girl, who died in the fire, is just horrendous.

‘Where will this all end? I am worried now that things will escalate further, and there will be a full-blown riot.

‘Whatever the child’s family might have done, she didn’t deserve to die. It’s shocking, awful. There’s always been a problem with gangs in the area, but it’s largely hidden.

Police have been drafted in from across the country to back up the local force, which is one of the smallest in the country. 

Around 200 extra officers have been deployed from other forces, according to Redcar and Cleveland borough council leader Alec Brown, while police also raided a property in nearby Thornaby on Thursday. 

Reports suggest the town has been crying out for additional help in tackling violence for a number of years, with requests from the area’s police and crime commissioner for more funding from the Government falling on deaf ears.

Middlesbrough has a long history of deindustrialisation, and around half of its neighbourhoods rank among the most deprived in England.

The town has one of the highest crime rates in England, second only to central London, and in 2025-26, there were 21.7 homicides per million people, the highest figure recorded by any police force area in that reporting year.

However, the town’s mayor has robustly denied that it is ‘lawless’. 

Chris Cooke said police were doing an ‘absolutely sterling job to round up as many people as possible’, and has claimed crime is on the wane.

The Home Office has since said the force will receive a 3.7 per cent uplift in its funding this year.

Officially, police have made a total of 24 arrests in recent days targeting the wider crime group, including seven more on Friday.

Cleveland Police is yet to make a public statement on the raids earlier this morning. The Daily Mail has approached the force for comment.