Families of six more babies allegedly harmed by Lucy Letby have lost their bid for the serial killer nurse to face further charges.

The infants allegedly collapsed while being treated at the Countess of Chester Hospital and Liverpool Women’s Hospital, where the former neo natal nurse once worked.

The Crown Prosecution Service revealed it was considering further charges against the 36-year-old, serving a whole life term behind bars, in November 2024.

But 14 months on, in January this year, the CPS decided there was insufficient evidence to proceed with new a total of 11 accusations involving nine babies, two of whom died.

Families of six of the babies asked for the decision to be reconsidered under the Victims’ Right to Review scheme – but this week, the CPS revealed its original refusal to charge Letby had been upheld.

Malcolm McHaffie, Head of the Crown Prosecution Service’s Special Crime Division, said: ‘An extensive review of the case by a prosecutor independent of the original decisions, involving a re-examination of substantial evidence and material, has now been completed.

‘Six offences of attempted murder were reconsidered in relation to six babies, but the review upheld the original decision not to bring any further criminal charges.

‘The Crown Prosecution Service has written to the families involved and will offer meetings to answer any further questions. Our thoughts remain with them.’

The CPS emphasised the result of the review ‘represents a final decision’ – adding that prosecutors have offered meetings with the bereaved families to explain our decision in further detail.

Letby is currently serving 15 whole life terms for the murder of seven babies and attempted murder of seven more – one of whom she attacked twice – at the Countess of Chester Hospital, between June 2015 and June 2016.

She injected air into their bloodstreams, or into their tummies via their nasal feeding tubes, overfed them milk, poisoned them with insulin and tampered with their breathing tubes in a bid to kill.

Following her convictions, over two separate trials at Manchester Crown Court, in 2023 and 2024, detectives pledged to continue investigating the ‘footprint’ of her four-year nursing career.

The decision to uphold the January decision not to charge Letby will be welcomed by her new defence team and campaigners, who are convinced she has been the victim of a miscarriage of justice and should be freed.

The potential extra charges, of eight attempted murders and one murder, came after police examined the medical records of around 4,000 babies Letby nursed at the Countess and Liverpool Women’s Hospital, where she trained, and, in July, passed a file of evidence to prosecutors claiming she murdered and harmed more patients.

In January, the CPS said that, ‘following a thorough review,’ the evidence was not strong enough for a ‘realistic prospect’ of conviction by a jury.

Dr Dewi Evans, the former lead prosecution witness at Letby’s original trial, previously told the Mail he had concerns over the deaths of at least three children and the collapses of as many as 15 more, including another baby boy potentially poisoned with insulin and others whose breathing tubes were tampered with.

It is understood that the bulk of the new allegations related to displacement of breathing tubes, but Dr Evans said: ‘Babies can pull out breathing tubes on their own, so this would be very difficult to prove.’

Earlier this year, a source told the Mail that the ‘noise’ surrounding the safety of Letby’s original convictions ‘no doubt’ played into the CPS’s decision, which is likely to have been taken at the highest level.

Letby, formerly of Hereford, has always maintained her innocence but two applications for leave to appeal her convictions have already been refused by the Court of Appeal.

In February last year her new legal team presented reports from a panel of 14 international experts which, they say, casts doubt on the jury’s guilty verdicts.

Led by Canadian neonatologist, Dr Shoo Lee, the panel said no murders took place at the Countess and instead babies collapsed or died because of natural causes or poor care.

In April, their findings, plus that of another 12 experts, were submitted to the Criminal Cases Review Commission, the body that investigates potential miscarriages of justice. It subsequently confirmed it is examining whether her case should be sent to the Court of Appeal for a third time.

Inspectors raised concerns about food preparation for children at the nursery – which has said it is ‘confident’ it can improve

A nursery is “confident” it can improve after Ofsted raised concerns about food preparation. Ofsted carried out an inspection at the Coton Day Nursery and Out of School Club in Whitwell Way, Coton, on June 12.

The nursery was rated as expected standard in four areas, which were: achievement; behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines; curriculum and teaching; and inclusion. However, Ofsted rated the nursery as needing attention in two areas: children’s welfare and wellbeing, and leadership and governance.

Inspectors raised concerns about how staff prepared food for children. The report said: “Staff do not always prepare foods for children in line with safer eating guidelines to help minimise the risk of choking.

“Leaders do not have consistent oversight of food preparation or ensure staff are confident to challenge how food is prepared.” Inspectors did praise staff for serving children healthy food and the fact that they spoke to the children about “making healthy choices”.

For leadership and governance, inspectors said leaders didn’t “consistently have sufficient oversight of the quality of practice across the setting”. The report added: “Although staff complete training, leaders do not oversee practice to ensure staff are following recommended guidelines about safer eating.

“There are occasions when food is not prepared in a way that effectively minimises the risk of choking. The lack of robust oversight means that children’s safety is not always fully assured during snack and mealtimes. There has been a high turnover of staff recently and leaders do not ensure all staff have the necessary skills to fulfil their role.”

A spokesperson for Family First, which oversees the nursery, said the “necessary improvements” are being made at the nursery.

They added: “Ofsted identified two areas requiring further development: children’s welfare and wellbeing and leadership and governance, including aspects of mealtime practice. However, under Ofsted’s new Early Years Toolkit, these are areas where leaders are considered likely to be able to secure the necessary improvements.

“We have already addressed the feedback received and are confident that the changes implemented will ensure best practice is consistently embedded.”

During the inspection, inspectors said children benefitted from a range of activities that supported physical development. The children also “develop positive attitudes to learning and increasing levels of engagement”.

Leaders were praised for creating a calm environment, and they “recognise and praise children’s achievements”. Under curriculum and teaching, leaders were praised for planning and implementing a curriculum that “supports children’s development across the areas of learning”.

Inspectors also identify children who may need additional support through ongoing observation and assessment. They added: “They are committed to ensuring that children and families receive the support they need to achieve positive outcomes.”

The Family First spokesperson added they were “pleased” the nursery has achieved expected standard in four areas. They said: “The inspection highlighted many strengths, including children’s achievement, behaviour and attitudes, curriculum and teaching, and inclusive practice.

“Inspectors recognised that children are happy, engaged, and developing confidence and independence in a nurturing environment, supported by strong relationships between staff and families.”

At least 15 people have been killed, and another 42 are wounded after a huge barrage of missiles sent Kyiv up in flames – with footage showing the city rocked by explosions overnight.

The attack was the latest in a series of large-scale Russian ballistic missile strikes that have become near-routine this summer.

Ukraine has a limited stockpile of interceptor missiles for the U.S.-made Patriot systems, the sole air defence system in its arsenal able to shoot down ballistic missiles, making large volleys like Wednesday’s hard to stop, even as Ukraine has stepped up deep strikes on Russian oil refineries and energy infrastructure.

In the wider Kyiv region around the capital, 14 people were killed and 27 wounded, with fires at multiple locations in Brovary, Bucha and Fastiv districts, Ukraine’s emergency service said. 

Large warehouse fires burned in the city of Brovary and the villages of Velyka Dymerka, Kvitneve and Peremoha. 

A fire involving vehicles at an enterprise in Fastiv district was extinguished.

In Bucha district, crews battled a warehouse fire in the village of Chaiky after putting out a separate fire at a logistics facility in Sofiivska Borshchahivka.

In the capital, one person was killed and 15 were wounded, and emergency crews extinguished all fires sparked by the strikes in the Obolonskyi, Sviatoshynskyi, Holosiivskyi and Desnianskyi districts, the Kyiv City Military Administration said.

Police officers and security guard at the site of the building of a supermarket warehouse hit by a Russian missile strike, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, August 5, 2026

People wait at a bus stop as smoke rising in the distance following massive Russian ballistic missile and drone strikes in Kyiv on August 5, 2026

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Serhii Beskrestnov, an adviser to Ukraine’s president on defence technology development, said the war of attrition has entered a new phase. 

‘The enemy is attacking everything indiscriminately – retail warehouses, food storage facilities, logistics hubs, enterprises, building materials warehouses,’ he said on Facebook.

It comes after Ukraine urged its allies to provide more supplies of U.S.-made Patriot missile interceptors to protect its airspace against Russian ballistic attacks.

On Saturday, Russian attacks on Kyiv and its suburbs killed 10 people and wounded more than 30, while Ukrainian drones sank a huge Russian container ship in the Black Sea.

Drone strikes from both sides have become a regular occurrence, with Ukraine intensifying its attacks on civilian infrastructure, including oil and gas facilities. 

Five people were killed and 10 others wounded in the Moscow region on Tuesday morning in strikes that targeted depots of the Russian e-commerce giant Wildberries.

Ukraine, meanwhile, expressed outrage over a video showing a man chased by a drone in Kherson city, calling it a deliberate ‘hunt’ and ‘safari’ targeting civilians.

Video footage filmed at a market in Kherson on Tuesday morning showed the FPV pilot relentlessly pursuing the innocent food seller before going in for the kill.

The man, 52, is seen running around his van and attempting to hide behind it as the drone circles overhead. 

The terrifying high-pitched whirring of the drone destroyed the peace of the outdoor market, which was already being set up with stall covers, boxes of goods and vehicles being unloaded. 

A fire breaks out following Russian ballistic missile strikes in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv on Wednesday morning 

Footage shows the city of Kyiv in Ukraine rocked by explosions overnight

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Flames fill the sky in Kyiv in the early hours of the morning, with at least one person killed 

After teasing the civilian and pursuing him round his van several times, the drone then honed in and dropped suddenly towards the ground, triggering a large explosion.

Despite Putin’s weapon heading directly for the market seller, Ukrainian authorities confirmed he survived the attack.

He suffered blast injuries, shrapnel wounds and concussion but is expected to recover.

Commentators described it as the latest ‘human safari’ attack by Moscow – a deliberate campaign targeting civilians intended to terrorise Ukraine’s population.

UN human rights monitors have voiced concern about rising numbers of civilian casualties, which have reached their highest level since Russia’s invasion in February 2022.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has said a lack of ballistic missile interceptors ‘only encourages Russia to launch such attacks that take human lives’.

He met his US counterpart Donald Trump last Tuesday, partly to lobby Washington for licences to produce Patriots domestically.

It was a family affair for Matt Damon at the Monday night premiere of The Odyssey in Seoul, South Korea.

The 55-year-old actor was joined by wife Luciana Barroso, 50, and two of their four daughters, Gia, 17, and Stella, 15.

In addition to the teens, the longtime couple share Alexia, 27, and Isabella, 20, who didn’t appear to be present.

Damon looked spiffy as he walked the red carpet in a muted plum-hued suit teamed with a silver shirt and tie.

Meanwhile, Barroso stunned in a low-cut, electric blue gown that was form-fitting throughout before slightly pooling below the knees.

The famous family are known to be extremely close and low-key, leading relatively normal lives in Brooklyn, New York. 

The 55-year-old actor was joined by wife Luciana Barroso, 50, and two of their four daughters, Gia, 17, and Stella, 15

Just last month, Damon revealed the rule that he refuses to break in order to keep his clan close-knit. 

‘We have family dinner every night, and that’s non-negotiable, and it’s always been that way,’ he told People.

Damon admitted that despite the practice, they sometimes struggle to stay present.

He pointed out, ‘One of my daughters said, “Well, family dinner, last night we didn’t talk.” And we realized, “Oh my gosh, you’re right.” We sat down for dinner, and you can get lost in that routine a little bit and not appreciate why you established the routine in the first place.’

‘That’s the kind of family mindfulness we’re all working on,’ he noted. 

Damon and Barroso met at a Miami bar in 2003 before marrying in December 2005. 

Two of their daughters have left home, with the younger two remaining.

‘I feel like we are facing it and embracing the fact that it’s happening,’ the Boston native said about becoming empty nesters in the near future. 

‘We’ve been talking a lot about presence and about really trying to be in the moment, and because you can’t slow time down, the only way to really do it is to really be there and be in it.’

Damon looked spiffy as he walked the red carpet in a muted plum-hued suit teamed with a silver shirt and tie

Barroso turned heads with a matte red lipstick

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In addition to the teens, the longtime couple share Alexia, 27, and Isabella, 20, who didn’t appear to be present

The happy family flashed heart-shaped hands on the red carpet

The Odyssey, directed by Christopher Nolan, recently crossed the $450 million mark at the box office. 

The film is an adaptation of Homer’s ancient Greek narrative of the same name, which sees the titular Greek king embark on a perilous journey home after the Trojan War in a bid to reunite with his wife Penelope.

Damon plays Odysseus, while Anne Hathaway, 43, stars as his devoted queen, who is forced to fend off potential suitors in her husband’s absence.

The leading man revealed in July that in order to emphasize the difference in size between the giants and Odysseus, a female stunt double was enlisted.

The actor remarked on the Happy Sad Confused podcast that Canadian actress and stunt performer Devyn Dalton had ‘the greatest arms I’ve ever seen.’

The project has been called Nolan’s ‘most extreme’ undertaking to date.

Known for his blockbuster movies, his latest could prove to be his most ambitious, with the $250 million budget the most expensive of his career and his first film shot entirely on IMAX 70mm cameras.

Nicknamed Lee-Anderthal by critics, no one thinks leading Reform UK MP Lee Anderson is a wishy-washy liberal.

And on a day trip to northern France‘s largest migrant camp yesterday, a party source claimed in advance that Mr Anderson would spark ‘action’ when confronting charity workers who feed and advise thousands of migrants heading for Britain.

‘He’ll be going up to female volunteers in their 20s and say: “Don’t you know what these migrants do to young women like you in England?” I was told.

The reality, at the bigger-than-ever migrant camp beside a flyover at Grande-Synthe, near Dunkirk, was not so blunt.

As we stood beside a burning pile of plastic rubbish, stinking smoke catching in our throats, just inches from occupied tents, Mr Anderson looked briskly tender as he handed a packet of Smints to a ten-year-old boy.

There were gulps from onlookers as the skinny little boy smiled shyly and said: ‘Thank you, please can you put out the fire?’

The flames were burning too fiercely, however. Even Mr Anderson’s burly, eight-strong security team would have been unable to help. It was a relief when a fire engine promptly arrived and started extinguishing the blaze.

Getting rid of the camp itself is trickier.

Offering: Mr Anderson offers mints to a boy living in the squalid camp

Rude: Hassan, from Somalia, threatens security and Mr Anderson at the camp

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Mr Anderson had last been there three years ago and noted it had grown significantly. The Mail last visited in April. It has grown since then, too.

Now there are 50 portable toilets in the grubby makeshift ‘town centre’ of a camp of hundreds of tents over acres of copses and waste ground.

Most occupants are young men, but Mr Anderson noted a rising number of women and children, too – with several pushchairs evident. Free food was served yesterday to hundreds in long queues. Stallholders sold more meals, SIM cards, phone chargers, cigarettes, bottles of juice.

And Mr Anderson engaged with anyone who spoke English – including agitated Hassan, 22, from Somalia, who called the politician a ‘motherf*****’.

That was after a gift of two cigarettes from security had calmed him down from threatening to ‘stab’ them as well as ‘kidnap’ the only female member of the Reform group.

‘I’m coming to England,’ he told Mr Anderson after he inquired of his plans. ‘I need to be in UK. I’ve paid €1,200 [£1,000]. I’m going to Scotland – I like it, Edinburgh.

‘I’m not going to be a billionaire, I’m not going to be “big big”, I want a normal life.’

Turning venomous again, and clearly aware the Reform politician does not promote dinghy crossings, Hassan gestured with a mutilated finger lacking a tip as he continued: ‘I don’t like what you are doing.

‘We need food. We don’t eat. You don’t need to eat – you just come with car, you go with car, it’s easy for you.

‘I’m black, I’m different to you.’

Mr Anderson reflected: ‘On a human level, you do feel sorry for this chap. But he’s going to be trouble – and cost us a lot of money.

‘Do we want this sort of person in our country? I don’t want him in my village – most people in our country wouldn’t want him living in an HMO [House in Multiple Occupation] near them.’

Lee Anderson talks to camera as migrant becomes aggressive and tries to stop reform bus from leaving

 Free food was served to hundreds of migrants who stood in long queues at the camp

The Reform UK MP visited the bigger-than-ever migrant camp beside a flyover at Grande-Synthe

A group of young men pictured in the hige migrat camp in northern France

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Anderson said the camp had grown significantly since his last visit three years prior

Mr Anderson also found it hard to remonstrate with Amir, 32, who said he had fled violent Iraqi militias, left his wife and children in Istanbul and was now preparing to cross to England.

‘Why doesn’t he stay in France?’ asked Mr Anderson through a translator, a ripped Vietnamese banknote fluttering at their feet. ‘They won’t give me papers,’ said Amir. Then why not stay in Turkey? ‘They accepted my family – they wouldn’t accept me.’

Asked about the danger of the Channel crossing, Amir added: ‘I would rather die in the water than die in Iraq.’

Smints and empathy aside, Mr Anderson was unbending in his belief that the dinghies must be stopped – and blasted the charities supporting the ‘multi-billion pound trade’ centred on migrants.

He spoke just hours after Reform promised its ‘Operation Fortress’ to stop the crossings with a massive Royal Navy force taking dinghy-loads of migrants straight back. France has rejected the plans.

But Reform learned itself yesterday it is not always easy to repel uninvited guests. As the Reform media minibus prepared to leave, a migrant repeatedly tried to step through the open door and join us, saying in Arabic: ‘Take me to London.’

Even those burly security men struggled to dissuade him as he tried again and again. Only swiftly shutting the doors and driving off fast worked.

Not so easy in the middle of the Channel.

By BRIDIE ADAMS

Published: 00:08 BST, 5 August 2026 | Updated: 06:46 BST, 5 August 2026

BANGKOK (AP) — Asian shares surged and oil prices slipped Wednesday after the U.S. stock market rallied to records, helped by strong corporate earnings reports and hopes for a deal setting the stage for talks that might eventually lead to an end to the war in Iran.

Benchmarks jumped more than 3% in Tokyo, Seoul and Taiwan as shares in computer chipmakers and other AI-related companies advanced.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 gained 3.3% to 66,068.24, with chipmaker Kioxia surging 6.3% while chip testing equipment maker Advantest soared 6.9%.

The Kospi in Seoul shot up 4.4% to 6,642.02, led by a 6.7% gain for memory chipmaker SK Hynix. Tech giant Samsung Electronics advanced 4.1%.

Taiwan’s Taiex advanced 3.1% as major chipmaker TSMC gained 3.5%.

“Clearly today the market is rallying on the back of AI stocks. You look across the other sectors, there’s a bit of activity here and there but really the focus has been back on semiconductors, technology and AI,” said Neil Newman, head of strategy for Astris Advisory Japan.

Elsewhere in the region, the Shanghai Composite index picked up 1.3% to 3,873.56, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng edged 0.1% higher, to 25,881.20.

In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.7% to 9,209.00.

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Further declines for oil prices also have buoyed shares.

Brent crude, the international standard, lost 1.2% to $78.43 per barrel early Wednesday. On Tuesday, it sank 5.3% as hopes rose for progress toward a full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Oil prices swung between $72 and $102 through July on uncertainty about when calm in the Middle East would allow oil tankers to freely exit the Persian Gulf again to deliver crude around the world.

Iran and Oman were inching toward a deal to reopen the strait, though that appears to be contingent on the United States lifting its blockade on Iran’s ports.

“All in all, it’s looking much brighter. We’re still not completely out of the woods yet, but I think we’re seeing some route out of this now and it’s been reflected in the markets,” Newman said.

U.S. benchmark crude shed 1.1% to $74.96 per barrel.

On Tuesday, the S&P 500 shot up 1.8%, topping its prior all-time high set in June. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 1.7% to its own record set the day before, while the Nasdaq composite jumped 2.6%.

Profits are piling up for companies as easing oil prices assuage worries about inflation.

Palantir Technologies helped lead the way, surging 29.5% after its CEO Alex Karp said its overall revenue leaped 93% in what he called an “otherworldly” quarter.

Such reports have helped to allay worries over a possible bubble in stock prices because of the AI boom.

Caterpillar climbed 5.6% after the heavy-equipment maker likewise reported stronger profit and revenue than analysts expected. It also is benefiting from the AI boom through increased orders for turbines used to power data centers, among other things.

Stocks of computer chip companies also strengthened. Nvidia gained 2.6%, Broadcom jumped 6.6% and Micron Technology surged 7.6%.

Shares in Chipotle Mexican Group tumbled 9.7%, however, on fears that its future profits could be hurt after the chain removed jalapeños from some of its restaurants following a salmonella outbreak. Chipotle said that Minnesota health officials have no ongoing concerns with it.

Reports on the U.S. economy showed it remains resilient even though inflation is worse than anyone would like. U.S. employers were advertising nearly 7.4 million job openings at the end of June, the Labor Department said, a slight slowdown from May’s level but close to economists’ expectations.

In other dealings early Wednesday, the U.S. dollar slipped to 157.48 Japanese yen from 157.74 yen. The euro rose to $1.1540 from $1.1532.

___

Matt Ott in Washington, Stan Choe in New York, and Mayuko Ono in Tokyo contributed to this report.

The legal showdown between Brad Pitt and his ex Angelina Jolie has taken another dramatic turn.

Pitt, 62, is now asking the court to order Jolie to produce records showing her income from 2017 to 2019, after she claimed to have ‘largely put her career on hold’ and forewent ‘years of compensation’ following their 2016 separation.

Jolie, 51, allegedly agreed to produce financial records from the years 2017 to 2021, but has apparently only produced documents for the years 2020 and 2021.

The Daily Mail has contacted representatives for both Pitt and Jolie for comment. 

In court documents obtained by The Daily Mail, Pitt’s lawyers allege Jolie has been withholding specific financial documents despite agreeing to produce said records.

‘Jolie’s Cross-Complaint alleges that, after the parties’ 2016 separation, she put her career on hold, “forgoing years of compensation”; that Pitt possessed “substantial leverage and control” over her due in part to her financial condition at that time; and that by 2019 she concluded she needed to sell her interest in Miraval to obtain “financial independence” from him,’ Pitt’s filing reads. 

‘On February 23, 2026, Jolie withdrew both her agreement to provide declarations responsive to Request Nos. 81 and 82 for the full 2017-2021 period and her agreement to produce participation statements from that same period.’

They allege she instead provided ‘supplemental responses limiting her production to 2020 and 2021, and later produced profit participation statements and tax returns for those two years only as well.’

They are now seeking to produce documents showing her annual income and profit participation statements from 2017 to 2019.

‘Prior to the IDC [Informal Discovery Conference], Plaintiffs proposed that Jolie stipulate that she was not under economic pressure before January 1, 2020, and that Pitt did not exert economic coercion on her from 2017 to 2019. Jolie declined.

‘At the IDC, the Court then separately proposed limiting the scope of Jolie’s testimony concerning her earnings and compensation. Again, Jolie declined the proposal. Instead, Jolie confirmed at the IDC that she may argue at trial that Pitt used Miraval as leverage to control her and that her decision to put her career on hold bears on why the proposed NDA was allegedly abusive. The parties therefore did not resolve the dispute.’

‘The Requests seek information directly bearing on financial assertions Jolie pleaded: that she forwent “years of compensation,” that Miraval was her “most important asset,” and that Pitt’s control over Miraval distributions gave him “substantial leverage and control” over her during the period leading to her 2019 decision to sell her stake in Chateau Miraval.’

‘Request No. 81 seeks documents sufficient to show Jolie’s earned income during the period between her separation from Pitt through 2019— the year Jolie allegedly decided she needed to sell Miraval—while Request No. 82 seeks documents sufficient to show Jolie’s earnings from the profit-sharing bonuses she received during that period from her earlier acting and directing roles.’

‘Jolie may be able to establish from public information that she held fewer acting or directing roles from 2017–2019 than she did in prior years. But paragraph 23 of her Cross Complaint goes further: it alleges that she forwent “years of compensation.” Documents showing the earned income and profit participation payments she received during those years will permit Plaintiffs to test the accuracy and context of that allegation.’

Yet, in a previous legal filing, Jolie hit back at Pitt’s characterization of her remarks for ‘financial independence’, claiming she was misquoted. 

She also noted she has already provided financial records despite having ‘no obligation to do so.’

Pitt’s side is seeking the records after Jolie allegedly claimed to have ‘largely put her career on hold’ and forewent ‘years of compensation’ following their split 

‘Pitt claims that Jolie has put her entire financial condition at issue going back to 2017 because of her allegation that she was seeking “financial independence.” (IDC Statement at 3:2-6.),’ a documented filed in June stated. 

‘But Pitt’s selective quote misleadingly fails to include the entirety of her allegation. Jolie does not allege that she was seeking financial independence in the abstract; she alleges that she was seeking “financial independence from her ex-husband [Pitt].”’

‘Separating from one’s ex-husband is categorically different from an allegation that one is suffering general financial distress. Jolie has never alleged that she was in financial distress—her allegations are clear that she sought to untangle her financial life from the ex-spouse she was divorcing. That distinction is dispositive.’

It further notes: ‘Pitt also inaccurately ties his demand for a coercive NDA to Jolie’s financial condition, but here too his summaries are not accurate. Appearing to mock her, Pitt highlights that the NDA he proposed “nearly broke her,” and concludes from this, in conjunction with Jolie’s conclusion that she had to sell Miraval to someone else, that Jolie placed her entire financial condition at issue because she felt “financially cornered.” But the phrase “financially cornered” is Pitt’s phrase, not Jolie’s. Jolie never once made that allegation. 

‘And the distinction above applies here too: her ex-husband was attempting to have her sign an NDA to cover up his abuse of her and their children as a condition to him buying her most valuable asset, which was their biggest financial entanglement. The issue is not whether Jolie needed the money—the issue is that she was trying to untangle her life and her finances from her controlling and abusive ex husband. That distinction makes all the difference.’

The former power couple have been embroiled in a messy split for years 

They also allege digging into Jolie’s finances from 2017-2019 pose a ‘serious invasion’ of her ‘privacy rights.’  

‘In short, the entire basis for Pitt compelling these answers is a made-up theory that Jolie did not allege. Nevertheless, to narrow the dispute, and although she feels very strongly that she did not have to do this, Jolie already agreed to produce and has in fact produced her tax returns, and all of her profit participation statements showing any income received, for 2020 and 2021 Although Jolie had no obligation to do so, producing these documents should have ended this dispute. These two years of private financial information—leading up to (2020) and during (2021) – the very dispute that is at the center of this case—already provided Pitt all the insight he needs into Jolie’s financial condition. Going back any further is a serious invasion of Jolie’s privacy rights’.

For a decade, Pitt and Jolie were seen as Hollywood’s ‘It’ couple during their long-term relationship after they met on the set of the 2005 film Mr and Mrs Smith.

They married in August 2014 during a secret ceremony in the South of France and welcomed three children together during their romance: Shiloh in 2006 and twins Vivienne and Knox in 2008.

They also adopted two more, Zahara and Pax, and Pitt legally adopted the son that Angelina had adopted before they got together, Maddox. 

But in 2016, it came to an explosive end after the pair got into an alleged physical altercation while on a private flight with their six children and Jolie later filed for divorce.

The former couple have six children together, but many of the children have dropped their father’s last name

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Jolie later claimed that Pitt ‘choked’ one of the children during the horrifying dispute and ‘struck’ another in the face, leaving her and the youngsters feeling like ‘hostages’ and cowering in fear under a blanket for hours until they landed.

She also alleged that he grabbed her by the head, slammed her against a wall, and violently shook her at one point during the flight – which resulted in her injuring her back and elbow.

Pitt’s representative called Jolie’s account ‘completely untrue’ to CNN at first, but then released an amended statement to the publication that read, ‘Angelina’s story continues to evolve each time she tells it.

‘Brad has accepted responsibility for what he did but will not for things he didn’t do. He has been on the receiving end of every type of personal attack and misrepresentation.

‘Thankfully, the various public authorities she has tried to use against him over the past six years have made their own independent decisions. Brad will continue to respond in court as he has consistently done.’

Since they split, the two stars have been embroiled in one of the most publicized legal battles in Hollywood history over custody of their children, as well as the winery that they once owned together.

In May 2021, after years of duking it out in court, Pitt and Jolie were officially granted joint custody of their six children, but one month later, the judge’s decision was thrown out.

The fallout from their split has gotten progressively uglier.  

Zahara, Vivienne, Maddox, Shiloh and Vivienne have all stopped using their father’s last name. It’s unclear where Pax stands. 

Pitt has since moved on romantically and has been dating jewelry designer Ines de Ramon for the last few years. 

In a statement to Belfast Live, Mr Lavery said that he wanted to “apologise unreservedly” for the error in judgment.

Former Northern Ireland Human Rights Commissioner David Lavery has said he is “disappointed” to be leaving the post after new Secretary of State Sir Chris Bryant terminated his contract with immediate effect after he provided a character reference for his paedophile cousin.

Lavery, who is also the Chief Executive of the Northern Ireland Law Society, was first appointed as the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commissioner in August 2020. He was reappointed to the role for a second three-year term in August 2023, which was due to end later this month.

An independent review initiated by the NI Human Rights Commission found that Mr Lavery had breached their Code of Governance and was capable of bringing the organisation into disrepute.

In a statement to Belfast Live, Mr Lavery said that he wanted to “apologise unreservedly” for the error in judgment.

“The Secretary of State has informed me of his decision to remove me from the Human Rights Commission. I am disappointed to be leaving the Commission after six years, but I accept and understand the decision that he has made,” he said.

“I want to again apologise unreservedly for what I recognise was a serious error in judgement on my part in providing a character reference for my cousin and particularly for any hurt and distress that I caused the victims in this case. I profoundly regret that and I am committed to doing all I can to address it in the time ahead.”

William Lloyd Lavery was convicted by a jury of sexually abusing pupils at an all-girls grammar in Belfast and was handed a two-year jail sentence

The 77-year-old, from Richmond Avenue in Lisburn, will also spend the next ten years on the Sex Offenders Register.

On Tuesday, A Northern Ireland Office spokesperson said: “The public rightly expects the highest standards of integrity and professionalism from those in public appointments.

“An investigation and an independent review were initiated by the NI Human Rights Commission (NIHRC) after public reports revealed that its Commissioner, David Lavery, had given a reference to a relative convicted of historical and serious sexual offences.“This independent review concluded that in providing this reference, Mr Lavery had breached the NIHRC Code of Governance and was capable of bringing the Commission into disrepute and demonstrated a severe failure of judgment regarding public office responsibilities.“Having considered the findings of this independent review, the Secretary of State, as the appointing Minister, has terminated Mr Lavery’s appointment with immediate effect.”

A Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission spokesperson added: “The protection of victims of sexual violence and abuse is of the utmost importance to the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission.

“Following media reports that Commissioner David Lavery had given a reference to a relative convicted of historical and serious sexual offences, we initiated an independent investigation under the Commission’s Code of Governance. That investigation is now complete.

“After receipt of the investigation report the Secretary of State has exercised his statutory powers and removed David Lavery from his post as Commissioner of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission with immediate effect.”

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