Lewis Ross, 35, was part of a group arrested by Border Force officers in August 2024 at Birmingham Airport who plotted to bring £13.8M into the UK.

More than two years on, he was brought to learn his fate before Birmingham Crown Court with three other men.

Several other people involved in the plot, many of them much younger, are still waiting to learn their fates.

Head of Border Force Midlands Command Adam Chatfield said: “These convictions should be a stark warning to anyone considering bringing cannabis into the UK.

“The young people involved now have a serious crime on their records, damaging their job prospects and life chances.

“More than ever, we are working closely with law enforcement partners in the UK and overseas to combat drug smuggling, keep our communities safe and our borders secure.”

The court heard that the couriers each had two suitcases which were both packed with 20kg of cannabis, which amounted to 460kg in total.

Lewis Ross caught on camera (Image: NCA)

Lewis is believed to have carried 41kg of this through the airport.

The couriers had to pay an excess charge at Bangkok Airport to put them in the hold as they were so heavy.

Each suitcase had a thin layer of clothing above the vacuum-packed cannabis, and eight contained Apple Air Tag trackers.

Some of the cannabis that was seized (Image: NCA)

National Crime Agency investigators identified that these were connected to the same Apple ID account.

Suspicions were raised when Border Force linked the seizures to other travellers using connecting flights into Birmingham.

This prompted them to fully staff the ‘nothing to declare’ customs green channel which led them to find the cannabis.

Huge amounts of cannabis were involved (Image: NCA)

One courier was told: “My man gonna be on the other side – don’t leave the airport until you see him leave.

“Even if your bags are there just let them go round on the belt, go toilet etc. etc.”

Ross, of Rupert Street, Great Lever, was brought back to court to be sentenced for being knowingly concerned in evading the prohibition on the importation of cannabis.

Some of the cannabis that was seized (Image: NCA)

He was jailed for two years and eight months.

Alongside him in court were Carsten Kyei, 21, of Denmark Street, Newham, Bradley Lloyd, 27, of Wythenshawe, Manchester, and Nathan Vitorino, 26, of Little Hardings, Welwyn Garden City.

They had also been convicted of being concerned in evading the prohibition on the importation of cannabis.

Ross and Lloyd had both changed their pleas to guilty during the trial, while Kyei and Vitorino were both convicted by a jury.

Kyei was jailed for two and a half years, Lloyd for four years and Vitorino for two years and eight months.

NCA senior investigating officer Paul Boniface said: “These sentences show that drugs couriers can end up paying a high price for smuggling cannabis to the UK.

“It is simply not worth the effort, something that social media influencers promoting this lifestyle frequently overlook.

“With the help of Border Force, we were able to intercept these drugs, deprive the criminal network behind the importation of considerable profits and protect the public from the damaging effects of cannabis.”

Gideon Oluwasetemi Olumoyegun, 26, of Stour Road, Dagenham, Ryan Boachie, 32, of Hendon Road, Edmonton, Jamal Clarke, 22, of the Mile Road, Walthamstow, will be sentenced later.

There is also Claire McCullough, 36, of Meliden Crescent, Wythenshawe, Jaden Ramen, 23, of Myrna Close, Colliers Wood, Paige Crisp, 24, of Pear Tree Drive, Broom Hall, and Tasia Nelson, 22, of Cheviot Road, Newquay.

All are due to be sentenced for being concerned in evading the prohibition on the importation of cannabis on October 22.

Victoria Norman from the Crown Prosecution Service said: “Working with investigators, prosecutors pieced together a picture of a highly co-ordinated effort to smuggle industrial quantities of drugs into the country.

“Ultimately, this strong evidence led to six of the group pleading guilty, with the remainder convicted following a trial.

“The CPS is committed to working with the NCA to tackle organised crime and ensure that those involved with drug smuggling are brought to justice.”

Sabrina Washington has announced a solo headline tour, one week after Mis-Teeq reunited for a sold-out reunion show at Wembley Arena.

The Brit-nominated girl group – comprising Washington, Alesha Dixon and Su-Elise Nash – were one of the most successful acts of the 2000s, achieving a string of major hits including “Scandalous” and “All I Want”.

They split in 2005 to pursue solo careers following the collapse of their record label, then reunited for the one-off show in London on 12 September,

Washington has now announced that, as the group have chosen not to continue with further reunion shows, she will embark on her own headline tour celebrating more than 25 years of Mis-Teeq.

The tour will revisit some of the group’s biggest hits along with songs from her solo career.

Titled “A One Night Stand Just Ain’t Enough”, after a lyric from “Scandalous”, the tour is described in press material as “much more than a traditional greatest hits show”.

“Sabrina wants audiences to feel as though they have stepped straight back into the clubs of the early 2000s, when UK Garage and R&B dominated dancefloors and getting ready for a night out was almost as important as the night itself,” the press release states.

“With DJs, dancers, special guest surprises and other icons from the era joining Sabrina throughout the tour, the show will celebrate not only Mis-Teeq’s music but the wider scene they emerged from.

“Different guests will appear across the run, bringing together some of the artists, records and sounds that provided the soundtrack to a generation and recreating the atmosphere of those nights for 2027.”

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Washington said in a statement: “The reaction to the Mis-Teeq reunion has honestly been overwhelming. We knew there was still so much love for the music, but seeing just how much these songs continue to mean to people 25 years later has been incredibly emotional.

“From the moment Wembley was announced, I was receiving messages from people saying, ‘What about Manchester? Where’s Birmingham? Are you coming to Scotland? What about the rest of the world?’ and I kept seeing people saying that one night simply wasn’t enough. So there really could only be one name for this tour!”

Reflecting on the Wembley show, Washington said it was something she would “never forget” and called it “such a special way for the three of us to celebrate everything we achieved together”.

“These songs changed my life. I recorded them, I wrote many of them and I have so many memories and stories attached to them, as do our supporters. This tour gives me the opportunity to celebrate that music in my own way and get much closer to the public who have supported us for all these years.”

Washington’s tour dates are as follows:

5 February 2027: O2 Ritz Manchester

6 February 2027: O2 Academy Birmingham

26 February 2027: O2 Forum Kentish Town

17 April 2027: O2 Academy Glasgow

24 April 2027: O2 City Hall Newcastle

Tickets go on general sale on Monday 28 September. Pre-sale sign-up is open now.

By JOE ROSSITER, REPORTER

Published: 01:52 BST, 21 September 2026 | Updated: 16:18 BST, 21 September 2026

The barrister now asks the witness about the layout of the hotel bedroom and balcony, and the witness says the defendant mentioned having cocktails on the balcony.

The witness describes how Gravell locked the bedroom door then sat on the bed a couple of feet away from her, and began “inching” towards her. Asked if Gravell called her “lush”, the woman replies “Probably”. The witness describes Gravell as “sleazy”

The witness says Gravell was indicating he wanted sex but she says she told him no as they had only just met.

The barrister puts it to the witness that she stood up and removed her trousers before getting on top of the defendant and having consensual sex – the witness denies that, and says Gravell pulled her trousers off.

Barrister: “Mr Gravell says he took you up to a bedroom, but that it was a room without a balcony.”

Witness: “It 100 per cent had a balcony.”

Barrister: “And you were kissing each other on the bed, and touching each other. And he says you got up and said ‘Let me take my trousers and shoes off’. He took his lowers clothes off.”

Witness: “No.”

The barrister puts it to the witness that she had the defendant had consensual sex, and the witness replies “It was not consensual.”

The UK will see September’s full Corn Moon in a matter of days and it’s expected to be bright in the sky.

The Corn Moon gets its name from farming, as in September, farmers gather their crops as summer ends.

You might also recognise it as the Barley Moon or Harvest Moon, as it has more than one name.

Here’s what we know about the Corn Moon and what to expect in UK skies in September 2026.

What is a Corn Moon?

“September’s full corn moon is so called because this is when crops are gathered at the end of the summer season.

“At this time, the Moon appears particularly bright and rises early, letting farmers continue harvesting into the night.

“This moon is also sometimes named the barley moon, and it is often the nearest full moon to the autumnal equinox, earning the title of ‘harvest moon’”, explains the Royal Museums Greenwich (RMG) website.

When will the Corn Moon be visible in September?

You can look out for the Corn Moon this week as it’s expected to be visible on Saturday, September 26.

Check the sky above you at around 5.49pm to catch a glimpse of the full Moon because this is when it will be visible in London.

Tips for night sky photos on your phone

How to see a full Moon

BBC Sky At Night Magazine explains that “many astronomers will tell you not to bother trying to observe the full Moon, as it’s best seen during the crescent and gibbous phases.”

However, if you’re excited to see a full Moon, it’s suggested that you go to an observing site on a clear night.

The magazine suggests: “It’s all too easy to take the rising full Moon for granted, only stopping to watch if you glimpse it inadvertently rather than treating it as a celestial event in its own right.

“Yet if you can get to an observing site with an unobstructed horizon on a clear evening, there are many fascinating phenomena to catch sight of as the Moon climbs.”

When it comes to photographing a planet on a phone, the magazine adds: “If you want to record the planets as more than just dots, point your phone’s camera down the pre-focused eyepiece of a telescope.

“Known as afocal imaging, this takes a bit of practice and a steady hand!”

When is the next full Moon and when was the last?

The last full Moon was the Sturgeon Moon on Friday, August 28.

After the Corn Moon in September, you can expect to see the Hunter’s Moon.

Recommended reading:

It gets this name as it is “the preferred month to hunt summer-fattened deer and fox unable to hide in bare fields.”

RMG adds: “Like the harvest moon, the hunter’s moon is also particularly bright and long in the sky, giving hunters the opportunity to stalk prey at night.

“Other names include the travel moon and the dying grass moon.”

Will you be looking out for the Corn Moon this weekend? Let us know in the comments.

Manchester Airport confirmed this is due to a technical issue at National Air Traffic Services’ (NATS) control centre in Prestwick, Scotland.

The issue affected airports across northern England, Scotland and Northern Ireland and follows a separate NATS outage earlier this month that led to more than 2,000 flight cancellations.

A Manchester Airport spokesperson said: “An air traffic control system operated by NATS has been affected by a technical issue causing delays to flights from some UK airports.

“Passengers due to travel today are advised to keep an eye out for updates from their airlines.”

The airport later confirmed that the air traffic control issue has been fixed but said some flights still may be affected.

EasyJet, KLM, Aer Lingus and Ryanair were among the airlines cancelling services from Manchester, including flights to Belfast, Amsterdam and Brussels.

Industry leaders and airlines criticised the repeated failures and called for urgent improvements.

Tim Alderslade, chief executive of Airlines UK, said: “Yet another NATS failure is causing delays and disruption for passengers and airlines alike, and comes just days after its report into the most recent major outage.

“Passengers and airlines deserve better and the independent CAA report, together with the forthcoming Civil Aviation Bill, must address the underlying weaknesses in the system so that these failures stop happening.”

EasyJet said: “This, once again, calls into question the resilience of Nats’ systems and demonstrates the need for firm actions to prevent these repeated failures.”

Steve Heapy, chief executive of Jet2, said: “It is simply not good enough for this critical national infrastructure to keep letting customers down.

“Customers work hard to look forward to their holidays and airlines work hard to deliver those holidays.

“What customers and airlines need now is action, accountability and proper resilience, and we need it urgently.”

Ryanair called for the resignation of NATS chief executive Martin Rolfe.

Neal McMahon, chief operations officer for Ryanair, said: “Martin Rolfe has presided over repeated system failures, repeated passenger disruption and repeated failures to deliver an effective back-up system.

“Enough is enough.

“Martin Rolfe should resign today.”

Passengers at Manchester Airport faced delays and cancellations throughout Monday.

Among the affected flights were easyJet’s 7.10am to Belfast and 11am to Amsterdam, KLM’s 11am service to Amsterdam, and Aer Lingus’ 12.40pm to Belfast.

Ryanair’s 8.30pm service to Brussels was also cancelled.

Delays ranged from 40 minutes to more than three hours.

Full list of delayed and cancelled flights from Manchester Airport

Greater Manchester Police and Wigan Council worked together to obtain the order against an address on Poplar Street.

Police said the property had been the subject of ongoing concerns and reports from people living in the local community.

The flat was located on Poplar Street in Tyldesley (Image: Google Maps)

GMP said the case related to “many years of anti-social behaviour, drug related incidents, criminal damage at the property” and a “deterioration in the quality of life” of residents living in and around the area.

The force said the problems had had an impact not just on the property itself but on a number of people living nearby.

A closure order is a legal measure which can be used where premises are associated with nuisance, disorder or criminal behaviour.

Wigan and Leigh Police announced the successful order on Facebook, saying it demonstrated the value of agencies working together to tackle problems raised by residents.

The police page said: “The order follows ongoing concerns and reports from the local community regarding activity linked to the property, which was having a significant impact on nearby residents and the wider neighbourhood.

“This result demonstrates the value of partnership working, with agencies coming together to listen to community concerns, gather evidence, and take positive action to improve the quality of life for those living nearby.”

One of the passengers believed that the driver wanted to ‘show off’, an inquest heard

A teenage boy died after driving a car at an “inappropriate speed” and ending up “fully submerged” in a river, an inquest has heard. Declan Berry and four other teenagers, aged between 16 and 18, were in the car when it entered the River Nene in North Brink, Wisbech St Mary on March 17.

The body of Eden Bunn, 16, from Sutton Bridge, was recovered the following day. The car, a VW Polo, was later recovered from the river. The three other passengers were able to escape the vehicle.

Police were called to Crab March in Wisbech by a local river official on March 31 and a body recovered there was confirmed to be teenager Declan.

An inquest into Declan’s death was held on Monday, September 21 by Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Area Coroner Elizabeth Gray.

Detective Constable Les Ellmer said in court that the vehicle had rolled and entered the river when it became “fully submerged”. One front seat passenger and two rear seat passengers exited the vehicle.

The vehicle was registered to Declan, who had a full driving license and three penalty points. Evidence heard in court revealed the road, which has a 60mph speed limit, had “numerous potholes” and “uneven surfaces along its length”. There had previously been more than 100 reported complaints regarding the condition of the road on North Brink. Works were due to take place to repair the road but subsequently took place following the collision, according to evidence.

The front seat passenger had met the other occupants at a McDonald’s. Witness evidence explained that the front seat passenger believed Declan wanted to “show off”. The passenger reportedly noticed Declan was driving at around 90mph prior to the collision. They said a pothole possibly caused the vehicle to “suddenly lose control”. They heard Declan say “Oh Sh**” before the collision.

A rear seat passenger said the group had driven around Wisbech and met the front seat passenger at McDonald’s. All occupants were wearing seatbelts except one of the rear seat passengers.

A witness statement from one of the rear seat passengers read out in court said there was no music playing which they felt was “unusual”, adding that the atmosphere felt “eerie”. The witness statement explained that the passenger did not express concern of the speed and was “accustomed” to Declan driving fast.

A second rear passenger said they recalled the vehicle “flipping” and “rolled” before entering the river. At one point, the witness believed they “may not be able to escape”.

A nearby local named Thomas, who was adjacent to the River Nene, said he heard a “loud impact”, describing the vehicle as “rolling through the air”. He contacted emergency services and located three of the occupants.

A post-mortem examination determined that Declan’s cause of death was drowning. Coroner Gray concluded that Declan died as a result of a road traffic collision.

The vehicle’s speed was deemed the “most significant” contributory factor, with the presence of potholes acting as another contributory factor. Coroner Gray said the car had been driven at an “excessive” and “inappropriate speed”. The inquest heard that had Declan been driving at a reduced speed, it would have been “unlikely” that the loss of control and rollover would have been so severe.

CNN, Politico and MS NOW have said they will sue the Trump administration after the three US media outlets were barred from the White House.

President Donald Trump announced the ban on Friday, accusing the organisations of writing “fiction or lies” about his team. The companies said their reporters were denied access to the building on Saturday.

In a joint statement on Monday, they said they were pursuing legal action to “defend the principle that the government does not decide what the press reports”.

Major US TV networks later announced they would suspend their White House pooled coverage of Trump, leaving a potential gap as he heads to New York for the United Nations General Assembly.

The First Amendment forbids the government from “abridging” the freedom of the press – language that courts have traditionally interpreted as preventing the government from discriminating against the media based on the content of their coverage.

The statement from CNN, Politico and MS NOW said: “Without notice or process, the White House revoked our journalists’ credentials because it objected to our reporting.

“Left unchallenged, this threatens press freedom and the public’s right to independent journalism free from government interference.”

Posting on Truth Social shortly afterwards, Trump said the White House was not “instituting an assault on the Free Press” and that he was targeting “FAKE NEWS”.

On Monday morning, major US TV networks pulled out of White House pool duties, which sees media organisations share material with each other to save on finance and space when broadcasting presidential events to the American public.

Fox News Washington bureau chief Bryan Boughton, who currently holds a rotating role helping to organise media TV crews covering the White House, wrote in an email seen by the BBC that “effective today, the TV pool will not be covering designated as pool coverage” of President Trump.

The message said the move followed the White House “preventing” CNN from fulfilling its pool duties for Trump’s trip to New York and that “there will be no replacement pool put in place”.

CNN – one of only five US news outlets in the White House press pool for live television – was originally due to cover Trump’s trip to the UN General Assembly in New York on Monday and Tuesday.

But on Monday morning, the five-seat CNN booth in the basement of the White House press area – typically manned throughout the day from the early hours of the morning – was empty and closed. Screens and monitors inside were turned off.

Instead, a CNN crew was outside the secured area of the White House grounds, broadcasting live from a public pavement.

Five TV networks, ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox News and NBC, issued a joint statement: “The public has a vital interest in receiving accurate, independent information about its government.

“No administration should restrict a news organization because it objects to its reporting.”

Those five networks are considered the only ones with the money and infrastructure to distribute live coverage from the White House and presidential events.

For now, the White House media slot has remained vacant and instead the conservative TV outlet, Real America’s Voice, was listed as “secondary” crew on Trump’s trip to New York, where he will meet Mayor Zohran Mamdani and French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday.

Announcing his ban on CNN, Politico and MS NOW last week, Trump did not mention specific stories or reporting that prompted the move, but later said “it’s really just cumulative stories over the last few years”.

The US president added that there “may be others to join them”.

When later asked by a reporter what he meant by this, Trump responded: “Others to come in terms of fake news? Well, you know, the New York Times is fake news, the Washington Post is fake news.”

In February, the White House announced it was taking control of the press pool which has access to Trump and had for more than a century been managed by the White House Correspondents’ Association.

The same month, the administration moved to bar Associated Press (AP) reporters and photographers from spaces where access is limited, such as the Oval Office or Air Force One, because of the outlet’s usage of the term “Gulf of Mexico” instead of “Gulf of America”. AP filed a lawsuit and the case remains ongoing.

Trump has been frequently critical of news organisations and his administration has launched legal action against a series of outlets, including the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and the BBC.

Some of the lawsuits have resulted in media organisations agreeing to pay multimillion dollar settlements. Trump’s lawsuit against the BBC is ongoing.

Police say a suspected bomb has been found at Falmouth Docks with two homes evacuated.

It reads: “Emergency services are responding following the discovery of a suspected unexploded ordnance device at Falmouth Docks.

“The item was located earlier today within the dock area and specialist Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) officers have been contacted and are en-route to assess the device.

“A 150-metre safety cordon has been established around the location, which takes in land and sea, while enquiries and assessment work are carried out. Two homes have also been evacuated.

“Members of the public are asked to avoid the area and follow the advice of emergency services and port officials. The Coastguard are also asking boat users to stay away from area.

“Officers are working closely with partner agencies, including the Fire Services, Port Authority and the Harbour Master to ensure the safety of the public.

“There is currently no information to suggest any wider risk beyond the established cordon. However, the public is urged not to approach the area or enter any restricted zones.Enquiries remain ongoing and updates will be issued when appropriate.”