The woman feared she would die as Christian Philip Mercer, 39, twice got her in a choke hold and applied pressure so that she could not breathe, Recorder Taryn Turner said.
As he did so, he told the woman: “You are going to sleep now.”
Then he punched and smacked her. She saw a knife had been moved from the kitchen into her living room and was near some duct tape and a chair that had been moved from the dining area.
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“You told her you were going to tie her up,” the judge told Mercer. “How terrifying and frightening that must have been for her.”
The woman was continuing to suffer psychologically from the whole experience, the court heard.
The woman had been for a night out with friends and returned home between 3am and 4am on May 4.
“She let herself into the house and there you were, lurking in the pitch blackness, only making yourself known to her when she closed the door and flicked on the lights,” the judge told Mercer.
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He throttled her until she couldn’t breathe, briefly released her and then reapplied the choke hold, the court heard.
“He was applying so much pressure I thought I was gone,” the woman had told a jury, York Crown Court heard.
The judge told Mercer that after leaving the woman’s home he had sent the victim messages that “amply demonstrated your jealous and obsessive nature” and how he had felt humiliated by her telling others their four-year relationship was over.
In a personal statement, the woman told the court Mercer had “changed completely” and “left her in a very dark place”.
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Following the attack, he had tried to make her out to be a liar and to destroy her character in an attempt to protect his own image, she said.
The court heard she suffered bruising to her neck and arm and tenderness to her abdomen.
A probation officer warned the judge that there was a risk Mercer would be violent towards any future partner.
Mercer, of Harrogate, who set up an app to help people with HIV, denied intentional strangulation and actual bodily harm, but was convicted by a jury in October.
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He was jailed for three years and two months and given a restraining order banning him from contacting the woman or going near her home for 15 years, among other conditions.
The couple had broken up a week before the attack. He had moved out of the home where they lived together and was staying at his office, York Crown Court heard.
Mercer’s barrister Eleanor Mitten said he gave his time to charity generously and was advancing in his career.
He had had anxiety and panic attacks since being remanded in custody following his arrest and was being assessed to see if he had attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder. He had also had traumas in his childhood.
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She handed in character references that the judge said showed a different side to Mercer.
Whitby Wildlife Charity Shop will be shut until further notice following the blaze earlier today (Thursday).
The shop supports Whitby Wildlife Sanctuary which was set up 17 years ago and takes in close to 3000 rescues a year with a team of over 170 dedicated volunteers.
Whitby Wildlife Charity Shop will be shut until further notice following the fire (Image: Social Media)
Posting on social media, a spokesperson for the shop said: “As many of you will have seen on social media already, we wanted to update our community following a fire at our shop on Flowergate today.
“The fire is believed to have been caused by an electrical fault and, although it was dealt with very quickly by the fire service, there has been significant smoke damage throughout the shop.
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“The most important thing is that no one was hurt, and we are incredibly grateful for the quick response from the fire service and the actions taken at the time.”
They added: “Unfortunately, the impact of the damage means the shop will be closed until further notice and we are currently unable to accept donations of items for the charity shop.
Whitby Wildlife Charity Shop will be shut until further notice following a fire (Image: Social media)
“A large amount of stock has been affected and cannot be sold and some items, including electrical goods, must be removed and disposed of for safety reasons
“We are now working with our landlord and inspectors and must complete a number of safety checks before we can reopen.
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To make things more challenging, there has also been a delay to our planned storage cabin space for the shop and online sales, which means we currently have very limited capacity for sorting and storage while we recover.
Whitby Wildlife Charity Shop will be shut until further notice following the blaze earlier today (Thursday).
“As a charity, this is a very difficult time for us. The shop plays a vital role in supporting the wildlife we care for, and being closed means a loss of important income.”
They said the charity was in now urgent need of prizes due to an event coming up.
” There were 100s of prizes stored in the shop, so we are in need of prizes such as toiletries, plushies, new and sealed edibles and drinkables, unwanted gifts etc.
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People can also help by making a donatoin at https://gofund.me/30d15e2cf, support online sales where possible. FB Group: ‘Whitby wildlife Online Sales & Auctions’
They added: “Your support truly means everything to us and to the animals we help every day 🦉💚
Thank you for your kindness, patience, and ongoing support — we’ll keep you updated as we work towards reopening.”
The restaurant has earned multiple awards but has now entered voluntary liquidation
An award-winning restaurant in a Cambridgeshire city has announced that it has permanently closed its doors due to entering voluntary liquidation. Amelie at Ben’s Yard, in Ely, confirmed it is closing after “much careful consideration” and “great sadness” on Thursday (April 2).
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The team have said that this follows a “sustained period of challenging economic decisions” . In a post announcing the news, the team said: “From day one, we’ve been so proud to share our flammekueche with you and we’re incredibly grateful to everyone who has supported us, recommended us and helped spread the word – you’ve been amazing.”
Last year, the award-winning restaurant earned two AA Rosettes. It was named Best Regional Restaurant in Suffolk and Cambridgeshire in the Muddy Stilettos Awards and as a ‘Local Gem’ in The Good Food Guide.
Aside from awards, the restaurant also gained a highly appraised reputation online with an average of 4.6 stars out of five on Google Reviews. One customer commented: “I would rank Amelie as my top dining experience in Cambridgeshire.”
Another highlighted the restaurant’s “fantastic food” especially their “famous Flammekueche”.
The Musical Theatre Performance Company is very proud to present this Tony Award-winning, rock musical adaptation of Frank Wedekind’s seminal play, brought to you by the same team that produced The Lightning Thief and Amélie in their 2024/25 season. Led by resident producer Andrew Wright, this production is directed by Louise Roberts, with musical direction from Jordan Li-Smith and choreography by Jess Ellen Knight.
“It was new information quite recently that we received that made it very clear about the decision we had to make”
Tom Burnett Content Editor
22:52, 02 Apr 2026Updated 22:53, 02 Apr 2026
Outgoing BBC director-general Tim Davie has said it became “very clear” the former Radio 2 DJ Scott Mills had to be sacked.
Mr Davie signed off director-general of the corporation on Thursday, just days after the 53-year-old breakfast show host had his contracts terminated after allegations about his “personal conduct”.
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The corporation has since admitted it knew about a police investigation into allegations against Mills of a historical sexual offence in 2017, but said it “acted decisively” after receiving “new information” in the weeks before his sacking.
Mr Davie called the decision a “real shock to the organisation”, as he discussed the incident during an all-staff call on his final day in the role, BBC News reported.
When asked about Mills during the call, Mr Davie reportedly told staff: “We’re trying to act fairly.
“It was new information quite recently that we received that made it very clear about the decision we had to make.
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“When something happens where I think there’s a lot of grief, there’s a lot of shock, I think all I would say is we’re trying to act as the leadership with kindness.
“I think people need to look at the statement; we made (it) as clear as we can.
“We obviously have to be sensitive when you’ve got personal information, and we work carefully through it, but the statement is really clear.”
Mills had his contract terminated on Friday, just days after taking him off air.
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His sacking was announced on Monday.
On Wednesday, the former Radio 2 breakfast host said he had been the subject of “rumour and speculation” since he was fired, and that he “co-operated fully” with the police investigation into allegations of a historical sexual offence.
Mr Davie has been at the helm of the BBC since 2020 and the broadcaster has faced several controversies in recent years.
When asked if staff culture had changed during his tenure, Mr Davie reportedly said: “It’ll never be fully fully fixed, but I think it’s changing, I really do.”
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BBC News reported that he also discussed people in senior positions in the industry “who have had a lot of power”, and said: “If they misuse it, that has not been called out, let’s face it.
“I do think we’ve reached a point where people behaving badly now, you can see we’re not going to tolerate it.”
Following his departure, he will be replaced by interim director-general, Rhodri Talfan Davies, on April 2, before former Google boss Matt Brittin becomes permanent director-general on May 18.
Arsenal will play Sporting CP in the Champions League quarter-final (PA)
Jason Cundy believes Arsenal ‘are not on the same football level’ as Paris Saint-Germain but insists Mikel Arteta’s side can still win the Champions League this season.
Arsenal remain the only unbeaten team in the Champions League this term after their 3-1 aggregate victory over Bayer Leverkusen in the last-16.
The Premier League leaders will now play Sporting CP in the Champions League quarter-final with the first leg of their tie against the Portuguese side to be played next Tuesday
PSG, meanwhile, needed to beat Monaco in the playoffs to reach the Champions League last-16 but Luis Enrique’s side impressed in their 8-2 aggregate win over Chelsea last month.
Cundy maintains Arsenal can still win the Champions League but claims Arteta’s side are ‘nowhere near’ the level PSG have shown.
‘We [the Premier League] are an unbelievable league but the truth of it is the last couple of seasons the league is actually pretty goal,’ Cundy told talkSPORT.
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‘I watched PSG [against Chelsea], all jokes aside, that is a football team, a proper football team. Don’t rely on long balls, don’t rely on set-pieces, don’t rely on long throws, they are a proper team.
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Paris Saint-Germain beat Chelsea 8-2 on aggregate in the Champions League last-16 (Shutterstock)
‘Last season, they were the best side I saw in any competition and they went on to win the Champions League.
‘But that doesn’t necessarily mean to say that Arsenal, who have had their criticism, aren’t capable of going and doing what they’re doing in the Premier League and overpowering teams.
‘I’ve got no love, I hope Arsenal fall at the last every time, but you’ve got to appreciate a good side, you’ve got to appreciate what they do and they do it well, dark arts and all that.
‘I’ve said this, I want my side Chelsea to be more like them. I want to be more like Arsenal. I want the dark arts, go down in the box, throw yourself down, goalkeeper’s holding his head.
Champions League quarter-final draw
Paris Saint-Germain vs Liverpool
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Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich
Barcelona vs Atletico Madrid
Sporting CP vs Arsenal
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‘Arsenal can go on and win this Champions League by being who they are. But if you’re talking about a football club and a football team, PSG have embodied everything, they are just a brilliant team, moving the ball, creativity.
‘Going forward, Barcelona, that’s the beautiful game, the way they move the ball through the thirds, Arsenal are not that team and that’s okay, you don’t have to be like that.
‘What I saw [PSG beating Chelsea] was just an eye opener. They are miles ahead of anything in the Premier League in terms of football, PSG, no team can touch them with the ball at their feet.
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‘And Arsenal, as good as they are, they’re not on the same level as a football team as PSG, nowhere near it, but Arsenal can do it in a different way and they’re going to have to find a way.
‘Liverpool have got to find a way. From what I’ve seen of Liverpool this season and PSG in the Champions League, I don’t think they are capable, I genuinely don’t think they are capable of matching PSG because they have got the lot and they are ruthless, utterly ruthless.’
Andrew Opoku‑Edusei, 28, was found guilty of conspiracy to convey List A articles into prison and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to convey List B articles into prison, facilitating the acquisition, acquisition or possession of criminal property, possession with intent to supply cannabis, possession of cocaine, and possession of ammunition. He was sentenced at Snaresbrook Crown Court on April 2 to four years and six months’ imprisonment.
DALLAS (AP) — Federal prosecutors on Thursday accused rapper Pooh Shiesty and eight others of robbing three men at gunpoint and kidnapping them earlier this year in Texas following a contract dispute involving rapper Gucci Mane ‘s record label.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Dallas declined to name the victims and an indictment only refers to them by their initials. One victim, R.D., is described as the owner of 1017 Records, the label belonging to Gucci Mane, whose legal name is Radric Delantic Davis.
“The victims in this case came to Dallas to conduct legitimate business and they were met with firearms and violence,” Ryan Raybould, the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Texas, said at a news conference Thursday.
Publicists for Gucci Mane didn’t immediately respond to emailed requests for comment.
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The alleged confrontation happened Jan. 10 after the three victims flew to Dallas for what they thought was a business meeting, according to the federal indictment filed in the Northern District of Texas. Prosecutors said Pooh Shiesty, whose legal is name Lontrell Williams Jr., arranged the meeting, allegedly to discuss the terms of his contract with 1017 Records.
“Once these three men were inside the recording studio, Williams Jr. and eight co-conspirators — several of whom traveled from Memphis, Tennessee — executed a coordinated, armed takeover,” said Raybould, who described Pooh Shiesty as the “ringleader of the conspiracy.”
He said eight of the nine were arrested Wednesday. In Tennessee, the FBI in Memphis said Wednesday that it went to a home in the suburb of Cordova to serve court-ordered warrants. Property records show it is owned by Pooh Shiesty.
Once the three victims were inside the studio, Pooh Shiesty allegedly produced an AK-style pistol and forced one of them to sign a release from the recording contract. The other defendants then displayed firearms and robbed the victims of watches, jewelry, cash and other items. One victim was choked to near unconsciousness, prosecutors said.
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Another defendant barricaded the door with his body to stop the victims from leaving.
“Within hours of leaving the Dallas studio, a number of the defendants were on social media displaying some of the items that appeared to be the jewelry that had been robbed from the victims,” Raybould said.
Pooh Shiesty did not immediately return an emailed request for comment. He was on home confinement for a prior firearms conspiracy conviction out of Florida at the time of the alleged confrontation in Texas.
Bradford Cohen, an attorney for Pooh Shiesty during that firearms case, did not immediately reply to an email and phone call for comment from The Associated Press.
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As of Thursday, Pooh Sheisty was still prominently advertised as an artist on the record label’s site.
Gucci Mane is widely regarded as one of the pioneers of trap music alongside fellow Atlanta rappers T.I. and Jeezy. He emerged in the mid-2000s with his breakout single “Icy” and went on to build a vast catalog through a steady stream of mixtapes and albums. He has also helped launch or develop artists including Young Thug and earned a Grammy nomination for his appearing on Lizzo’s song “Exactly How I Feel.”
Gucci Mane has remained active with new music and business ventures, including his 2025 album “Episodes” and his 2017 memoir, “The Autobiography of Gucci Mane,” which reflects on his evolution as a music artist and personal struggles such as being diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. In recent years, he has also publicly emphasized sobriety and stability.
___ Associated Press reporters Adrian Sainz in Memphis and Jonathan Landrum Jr. in Los Angeles contributed to this report.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has asked the Army’s top uniformed officer to step down, the Pentagon said Thursday without giving a reason for the departure as the United States wages a war against Iran.
Gen. Randy George “will be retiring from his position as the 41st Chief of Staff of the Army effective immediately,” said Sean Parnell, the Pentagon’s top spokesman. George has held the post of Army chief of staff, which typically runs for four years, since August 2023 under the Biden administration.
The ouster, reported earlier by CBS News, is just the latest of more than a dozen firings of top generals and admirals by Hegseth since he took office last year. Like many of those other firings, Pentagon officials are not offering a reason for George’s departure, which comes nearly five weeks into U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran and with no clear timeline from President Donald Trump on when the war may end.
George is a graduate of West Point Military Academy and an infantry officer who served in the first Gulf War as well as Iraq and Afghanistan. He also served as Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s top military aide from 2021 to 2022 during the Biden administration before taking on top leadership roles in the Army.
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George made it through the initial round of firings under the Trump administration in February 2025, when Hegseth removed top military leaders, including Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the Navy’s top uniformed officer, and Gen. Jim Slife, the No. 2 leader at the Air Force. Trump also fired Gen. Charles “CQ” Brown Jr. as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Among these departures was George’s deputy, Gen. James Mingus, who was in the post of vice chief of staff of the Army for less than two years when Trump suddenly nominated Lt. Gen. Christopher LaNeve for the position. LaNeve was then serving as Hegseth’s top military aide, having been plucked for that post from commanding the Eighth Army in South Korea after less than a year in the job.
LaNeve will be stepping in as acting Army chief of staff, according to a Pentagon official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the move before it has been announced. It is a meteoric rise for an officer who was only a two-star general two years ago.
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A spokesman for George could not be immediately reached for comment.
___
This story has been corrected to show that Gen. Jim Slife’s name was misspelled Silfe.
The soap star is set to join some famous faces including former Love Island star Tasha Ghouri on BBC Two’s Pilgrimage: The Road to Holy Island
Monde Mwitumwa TV and Celebrity Reporter
22:53, 02 Apr 2026Updated 23:03, 02 Apr 2026
Patsy Kensit “cried a lot” as emotions ran high during the filming of BBC’s Pilgrimage: The Road to Holy Island.
The 58-year-old actress is among the celebrities participating in the eighth series of the BBC reality programme.
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She will be accompanied by six other well-known television personalities of varying faiths and beliefs, as they tackle a 390km network of trails through the heart of North East England, celebrating early Celtic Christian saints while exploring their own spirituality and discovering more about one another along the way.
The celebrities will take in notable landmarks including Whitby Abbey and the UNESCO World Heritage site of Durham Cathedral, before reaching their ultimate destination: the Holy Island of Lindisfarne.
It is evident that the journey proved challenging for Patsy, who openly admitted that she “got emotional a few times.”
When questioned about her favourite landmarks and landscapes, she began by saying:“I loved Runswick Bay on the Way of St Hild.
“I loved being there and then going down to the beach and finding all the rocks. The ammonites. That was really good. It was so dramatic and cinematic being on this beach, and the weather was beautiful.”
She continued: “And I was quite happy there, hammering away, trying to find these rocks with the ammonites in them, which looked like snakes. The story is that St Hilda cast a spell on the area and all the snakes turned to stone. That to me was great. Durham Cathedral, again, amazing.”
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The star added: “Every day I got something good out of it. I cried a lot as well. Yeah, I got emotional a few times.”
Patsy, who was thrust into the public eye at just four years old when she featured in a Birds Eye peas advertisement, shared the experience alongside Diversity star Ashley Banjo, former Love Islander Tasha Ghouri and Cold Feet actress Hermione Norris.
Yet being part of a large group isn’t something she feels entirely at ease with, revealing that “people have hurt me in the past.”
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Reflecting on what she gained from her fellow cast members, she began by saying: “I think it’s fascinating, people’s beliefs. We see sometimes how devoted people are to their beliefs, and suddenly this power would come through. It was just interesting to see people being protective over their beliefs and sharing them so openly and just having a great sense of humour about it.
“These are troubled times and it’s just wonderful. My happiest day on the shoot was one day in the middle, where we all stopped for lunch after this mammoth climb.
“We all sat around just eating sandwiches, and the sun was shining, and we were at the side of this beautiful cliff. It was one of the happiest days of my life. It was so, so great.”
She added: “And Banjo said to me that when he first met me, he felt I had a lot of walls up, that there was something there. And he said it was really nice to see them come down.
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“And I said, you’re absolutely right. I’ve been hurt by people in the past, and so I might tend to find my way a bit awkwardly into a group activity. It was so good for me. I was reborn on the other side of it.”
Pilgrimage: The Road To Holy Island starts on Sunday, April 5 at 9pm on BBC Two and iPlayer
The Army’s top general will be retiring immediately, according to the Defense Department, an unusual departure amid the ongoing war with Iran.
The Pentagon announced Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George’s exit on X.
“The Department of War is grateful for General George’s decades of service to our nation,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell wrote. “We wish him well in his retirement.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly demanded George’s resignation.
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The apparent ouster comes as the U.S. continues to battle Iran, an extraordinary move that changes military leadership during an ongoing conflict and cuts off George’s expected four-year term, which would’ve ended in 2027.
The Army’s top general, Randy George, is retiring effective immediately, after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly demanded his removal (AFP via Getty Images)
Last year, the president fired U.S. Air Force General Charles Q. Brown as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and removed the Navy’s top officer, Adm. Lisa Franchetti.
The president insisted in a major address this week that the U.S. campaign is “nearing completion,” but the White House hasn’t offered a clear picture of how the war will end. Tehran continues to say it hasn’t negotiated any kind of ceasefire with the U.S.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated with new information.
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