In April 2008, Brendan Harris, 15, was sentenced to life at Preston Crown Court alongside his co-defendant Ryan Herbert, 16.

Herbert was released on licence in 2022, 15 years after the attack on the Haslingden woman in Bacup.

Harris, now aged 33, was given a minimum term of 17 years and 106 days before his release could be considered, a point he reached in August 2025.

Harris, Herbert and four other teenage boys “savagely and mercilessly attacked” Sophie’s partner Robert Maltby in Stubbylee Park, during the early hours of August 11, 2007.

Gap-year student Sophie rushed to help her boyfriend as he lay unconscious and shouted at his attackers to leave him alone.

Herbert and Harris then turned on her, subjecting her to a “sustained and vicious attack” which involved her head being kicked and stamped on until she too lost consciousness.

Miss Lancaster never regained consciousness and died in hospital 14 days later.

They were attacked because they looked and dressed differently, and Herbert later told people there were “two moshers nearly dead” in the park, according to court hearings.

The sentencing judge determined the attacks were motivated by hostility towards the victims’ appearance as ‘goths’ or ‘moshers’, constituting a hate crime.

The judge described Harris and the group he was with as being akin to a ‘pack of wild animals’.

Now, the parole board has granted Harris release on licence, with conditions including complying with the requirement to reside at a designated address and to be “of good behaviour”.

Additionally, he must submit to an enhanced form of supervision, including drug testing, a specified curfew, a signing-in time, and alcohol monitoring.

Harris told the Parole Board panel that he had been drinking, and he accepted that he threw the first punch at the male victim. He also accepted that he had been regularly violent.

READ MORE: One of killers of Sophie Lancaster to be freed from jail

READ MORE: Sophie Lancaster’s killer could be released from prison before end of the year

The parole board’s risk assessment said: “Having considered the index offences, relevant patterns of previous behaviour and the other evidence before it, the panel listed as risk factors those influences which made it more likely that Mr Harris would reoffend.

“At the time of his offending, these risk factors had included his way of life and choice of friends. Mr Harris had misused alcohol and drugs, and he had struggled to manage extreme emotions.

“The panel noted that he acted without thinking about the consequences and demonstrated poor problem-solving skills.

“Evidence was presented at the hearing regarding Mr Harris’ progress and custodial conduct during this sentence. The panel noted that Mr Harris had spent some time on his sentence in a secure Mental Health Hospital and had attacked and injured a nurse.

“He was sentenced as a result of this for an offence on GBH in 2013. He returned to the prison estate in 2014 and went on to complete an accredited programme to address his use of violence.

“At the time of the panel’s review, Mr Harris was engaging with a specialist regime designed to help people recognise and deal with a wide range of problems.

“The panel was told that Mr Harris’ behaviour in the prison had been good. The panel was told that Mr Harris had been motivated to do well and address his risk factors. All the witnesses at the oral hearing supported Mr Harris’ release.”

Sophie’s mother, Sylvia, launched a foundation in her memory to stand against violence and prejudice, to which Judge Anthony Russell QC, who presided over the case, donated £5,000 in his will. Sylvia died in 2022, at the age of 69.

A spokesperson for the Sophie Lancaster Foundation said: “The late Dr Sylvia Lancaster OBE responded to enquiries regarding the perpetrators of Sophie Lancaster’s murder in a personal capacity, and not in her role as chief executive of the Sophie Lancaster Foundation. The foundation itself has no comment to make on the perpetrators.

“At this time, we choose instead to remember all victims of hate crime – those, like Sophie, whose lives were taken, and those whose lives have been irrevocably changed by hatred and violence. For many survivors and families, the impact is lifelong.

“We honour Sophie’s memory by reaffirming our mission to Stamp Out Prejudice, Hatred and Intolerance Everywhere, and by continuing our work to challenge hate in all its forms.”

The writer and actor has confirmed that there won’t be a third series of his BBC comedy series.

A BBC star has spoken about concluding his sitcom, acknowledging “it’s healthy to close chapters”.

Mawaan Rizwan introduced his comedy series Juice to audiences in 2023, chronicling his character Jamma as he manages family relationships and his romance with boyfriend Guy (portrayed by Russell Tovey).

The quirky comedy programme, adapted from Mawaan’s 2018 Edinburgh Fringe performance, lasted two seasons, with the second broadcast only last year.

He’s now revealed there won’t be a third series, as he discussed the programme’s future.

Speaking to Radio Times, Mawaan explained: “Five years of my life doing two series, it’s such a privilege being at the epicentre and having creative control of a project like that, but it’s a lot of pressure and a really intense process,” reports the Mirror.

Using a reference from Of Mice and Men, he continued: “You can love the rabbit too much and squeeze it to death.”

He stated: “It will always be my first love and there isn’t anyone involved with that show that I don’t adore, but I think it’s healthy to close chapters.”

In Juice, Mawaan played a young gay man who works at a marketing company and is constantly vying for attention amongst his family, with his real-life mum and brother starring alongside him.

Jamma’s mum Farida is a former movie star who now manages a community century, and often, alongside his younger brother Isaac, outshines him.

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Meanwhile, his dynamic personality contrasts with his older, calmer boyfriend, who is a therapist and seeking more of a stable relationship.

Juice was hailed a “true comedy classic” when it first aired, with one fan writing: “Finally, we have a new British sitcom worth talking about. Juice on BBC3 provided contemporary romantic humour, laugh-out-loud visual gags and hilarious one-liners from the off.”

Another said: “Best sitcom in ages and don’t remember laughing out loud so much since The IT crowd.”

Someone else called it “a worthy and entertaining watch”, while another person said: “A lot of laughs, a lot of heart. Artistic, bold and joyful. Go watch!”

Mawaan previously spoke about how the series, though fictional, had come from “personal” aspects of him.

He told Metro: “I think all art is personal. I write with feeling, I write with stuff that I’ve been through. Even on Sex Education, there was a lot of me in that show. There were experiences that I’ve been through that I’d give to these characters.

“It’s tricky with the show like this because you can’t hide behind it less because you’re in it, so at times it was a bit vulnerable and I think my mum actually surprisingly, helped me be more vulnerable.”

Speaking about Juice, he added: “We had a lot of fun making it because it’s a bit of a visual feast. My character… when his emotions peak, the world around him starts changing literally.

“I wanted to make a character where the physical world around him is like a physical manifestation of his emotions and it meant that we built sets and we did the whole shoot as like a giant playground and we had so much fun, and I really hope that comes across.”

Juice is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

Hector Eccles crashed on his Polaris farm bike after drinking at Roggerham Gate Inn

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A teenage boy tragically died in a crash after he was illegally served alcohol in a pub. Anthony Wiazcek, 65, served Hector Eccles, 16, five pints of strong lager and reportedly knew him since he was a baby.

He had also taken him to football matches when he was younger and knew he was under 18, Burnley Magistrates’ Court heard. LancashireLive reported on the two day trial, where it was heard the Burnley teenager had been drinking in the Roggerham Gate in Worsthorne before leaving on his Polaris farm bike on March 30 2024.

But moments later he lost control and crashed causing fatal injuries. His friend and passenger was thankfully not seriously hurt.

The man who served Hector has been convicted of selling alcohol to a person under 18. Anthony Wiazcek, 65, from Todmorden Road, Burnley was the premises licence holder and the Designated Premises Supervisor at the time and the only person behind the bar that fateful night.

Following the trial he was handed a fine of £660 and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £264 and £650 towards prosecution costs. His personal alcohol licence was also suspended for three months.

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In a victim personal statement Hector’s mum Wendy Eccles said: “My life has been destroyed beyond repair. The day Hector died I died with him.

“We don’t live our lives now we just exist. People say how do you carry on and the answer is you don’t.

“I am just a hollow shell wanting my old life back every minute of every day. I have gone from loving my life to just watching the clock waiting for the day to be over.

“When I go into Hector’s bedroom, I feel every bit of grief flowing through my body I feel panic like you can’t imagine knowing that he’s not coming home. I know the smell of hector in his room is fading every week and I know one day that smell will no longer be there.

“I have panic attacks worrying if he’s scared. Does he know that he’s died?

“Is it dark as he is scared of the dark like most children are. Every morning I wake up and feel like I have been hit by a train.

“I cry numerous times a day every day since that terrible morning when our life’s were destroyed for ever. I don’t like going out of the house seeing people I just walk looking at the floor hoping people won’t stop me.

“Look at me with pity. Wanting to hug me.

“It doesn’t matter what you are doing or where you are it’s a constant panic and wave of grief that comes over you that is uncontrollable. We don’t sleep at night maybe an hour then you wake up in panic.

“Hector’s dad has never slept more than an hour since that terrible morning. He didn’t come to bed to 12 months just stayed in the chair which resulted him to have slip disks in his back and lost two stone in weight.

“Which resulted to medical attention being needed. How do you carry on when your whole world has been taken from you in one night due to lack of duty of care?

“And you know that this could have been avoided if duty of care was practised that night. Hector never got the chance to take his GCSE‘s never attending his school prom.

“We are having to live through the milestones, watching his friends grow and achieve things. Forever thinking what would Hector be doing now.

“How do I get through Christmas and birthdays? Well, I can tell you I don’t.

“Certain things you can never imagine doing again like playing music in the house which Hector and I did every single morning before I took him for the school bus. Waiting for him to come home from school as his first words were “mum you will never guess what” Hector always had a great story from school or on the bus.

“I can never go out of the house when children are going to school and coming home from school as I just break down thinking that should be my boy. Hector was a happy schoolboy loving life.

“How can we carry on building up a business like we have for years for Hector? As farming was all Hector wanted to do and was extremely passionate about it.

“How do we carry on seeing other boys doing Hector’s job. My heart had been smashed and will never be repaired.”

Licensing Sergeant for Burnley, Rossendale, Pendle and Ribble Valley Steve Dundon said: “I welcome the outcome of this trial. Whilst nothing will bring back Hector, this incident serves to highlight the reasons the sale of alcohol is strictly controlled and the consequences that can follow irresponsible sale.

“We will continue to work proactively with licensed premises to ensure compliance, and we will not hesitate to take enforcement action where those responsibilities are ignored.“

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Raducanu last played a match in Indian Wells on 8 March, and has since missed the Miami Open and clay-court events in Linz and Madrid because of her post-viral symptoms.

However, the 23-year-old has been practising in recent weeks at the National Tennis Centre in London and at the Ferrer Academy near Benidorm.

She had been accompanied in Rome by Jane O’Donoghue, a friend and former LTA national coach, and physio Emma Stewart, who perhaps tellingly was with Raducanu during her interviews.

“Coming on to the clay courts is much more physically demanding than potentially other surfaces but I want to come back 100% ready,” Raducanu said.

“I have been building my way up slowly and looking forward to when I get out there.”

We now know she will not be getting out there in Rome this week.

Raducanu has one last chance to play a WTA event before the French Open in either Strasbourg or Rabat in two weeks’ time.

But if she misses the entire clay swing, then Raducanu will have been absent for three months by the time the grass-court season begins.

Even if Raducanu is fit to compete at Roland Garros, which begins on 24 May, she will do so as an unseeded player.

The 2021 US Open champion is currently 30 in the world rankings but only 32 players are seeded – and she will drop several places now she is no longer able to defend the points she earned from a fourth-round run in Rome last year.

Janice Nix, 66, denied killing her stepdaughter Andrea Bernard who died after she suffered 50 per cent burns to her body when she was allegedly forced into the hot bath

A stepmother accused of killing a five-year-old girl with a scalding hot bath allegedly told the child’s young brother that she would not hit him again if he claimed it was an accident, a court has heard.

Janice Nix, 67, has denied manslaughter against Andrea Bernard by punishing her with a hot bath in Thornton Heath, south London, on June 6 1978.

The defendant, of Clapham, south London, has also denied cruelty to Andrea’s brother Desmond Bernard between October 1 1975 and June 6 1978, when he was seven to nine years old.

Andrea’s death was treated as an accident for nearly half a century until her brother contacted police with new information in September 2022, Isleworth Crown Court heard at the trial opening on Tuesday.

During voluntary police interview, Nix gave a “completely different” version of events to the one she provided the coroner in 1978, prosecutor Kerry Broome said. Mr Bernard had approached the force after his sister’s death “had become a burden he could no longer carry”, she added.

The defendant had been in a relationship with the children’s father, also named Desmond Bernard, and was in effect their stepmother, the court heard.

Nix, then called Janice Thomas and in her late teenage years, had the main responsibility for their care as their father was often away working as a chauffeur, jurors were told.

Mr Bernard told police that Andrea “had been blamed for something” on the evening before the bath, but he could not recall what. Consequently, Nix said the girl could not go to school and must stay behind and clean, he claimed.

“Desmond knew this meant Andrea would be beaten, but recalls being relieved it would not be him”, Ms Broome summarised. The boy discovered his sister was at school and assumed she “was no longer in trouble”, the court heard.

“Given what happened later, it may have been… that Andrea had escaped the house and went to school without the defendant’s knowledge, which made her very angry indeed”, the prosecutor said.

Nix was “fuming” when they returned home together – hitting Andrea and shouting that she had told her to remain at home, Mr Bernard told police.

He claimed he went straight to his bedroom and could hear Nix beating Andrea through his bedroom door. He said he then heard her walk into the bathroom next door and water starting to run, around 15 to 30 minutes after the children had arrived.

He allegedly heard Nix call for Andrea to get in the bath, and Ms Broome told jurors: “Desmond could not see what was happening in the bathroom, but he heard Andrea screaming, and saying `it’s hot, it’s hot.

“Janice kept shouting at her to get in. He says `Andrea would not stop screaming and I can’t remember how long it went on for, but then it just stopped’.”

Nix told his sister to wake up before asking him to come into the room, Mr Bernard told police. He claimed she was cradling a “limp” Andrea in a towel and she was not awake.

The prosecution summarised: “Janice seemed scared and asked him to say it was an accident and that Andrea fell into the bath. She promised never to hit him again if he said that, so that is what he did: he told everyone it was an accident, and Janice never hit him again.”

During the inquest, Nix had claimed that Andrea and her brother had looked dirty when they returned from school at about 4pm.

She said she told the children to have a bath upstairs, put on clean clothes and come back to the garden – the boy went first, the court heard.

Andrea was upstairs for about 15 to 20 minutes which “did not really seem a long time to me, she is a bit slow”, Nix said. The girl returned to the garden wearing a dress and complaining of itchy legs, the defendant had claimed.

She added that she “did not hear her call out at all” and it would have been possible to pick that up. Andrea’s skin on her leg was reddish and peeling off as she scratched it, she said.

Nix also told the inquest that Andrea had fainted and an ambulance took her to the Mayday Hospital, Croydon, south London. “She did not say anything on the way to hospital about what had happened to her”, she told the coroner.

Decades later, Nix told police that she had immediately run to the bathroom after hearing Andrea screaming. The girl was scrambling to get out of the bath and Nix lifted her out, she said.

Her neighbour James Henry followed Nix into the house and gave her something to wrap Andrea in, she said. The child had “water blisters” on her skin and Mr Henry drove her to Mayday Hospital, she said.

The defendant also claimed that Mr Bernard made false allegations against her because he felt short-changed by his father’s inheritance.

In addition, she told officers: “Andrea died as a result of a tragic accident caused by a malfunctioning boiler which overheated the water used for the bath.”

It is not disputed that Andrea died in hospital on July 13 1978 as a result of complications from the burn injuries. Silver-haired Nix appeared in court wearing a blue jacket and trousers, a beige blouse, and glasses. For a large portion of proceedings she stared directly at Ms Broome who was speaking.

The trial continues.

Drinking cranberry juice could help boost the antibiotics used to treat urinary tract infections (UTIs) against drug resistant bacteria, a new study has found.

Approximately half of all women in the UK will experience at least one UTI in their lifetime, causing pain or burning when urinating, a frequent need to wee and a high temperature.

Most UTIs are caused by pathogenic strains of Escherichia coli bacteria, and the antibiotic fosfomycin is often prescribed as the first line of treatment. But the rise of antibiotic resistance makes the infection more difficult to treat.

There is no evidence that cranberry juice alone can treat a UTI. However, new research has suggested it may lend a helping hand to antibiotics.

Researchers exposed lab-grown strains of the bacteria that causes UTIs to cranberry juice and findings suggest that compounds in the juice makes resistant strains more sensitive to antibiotic treatment.

Microbiologist behind the study, Dr Eric Déziel at the Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique in Montreal, Canada, cautioned the results are preliminary, and whether cranberry juice offers an antibiotic boost in people requires further study.

He explained the study doesn’t show, for example, if drinking cranberry juice gives the same results. “We don’t know if the metabolites will reach the infection,” he said. But if they could, then juice may increase the efficacy of antibiotic treatment, he added.

The study published in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology found that in 72 per cent of uropathogenic E. coli strains tested, cranberry juice both boosted the antibiotic activity of fosfomycin and suppressed the emergence of mutations related to resistance.

Dr Déziel acknowledged that cranberry juice has long been regarded as a folk remedy for preventing and treating urinary tract infections, but scientists originally attributed the benefit to the high acidity of the juice.

However, researchers have recently linked its effect to compounds in the juice that can block bacteria from attaching to cells lining the urethra. Now, experts have studied how the juice interacts with antibiotics.

Researchers explained that fosfomycin enters bacterial cells through the same entry channels used by the microbes to acquire some sugars. It’s not yet known what, but something in the cranberry juice induces the bacteria to increase its uptake of sugars within one of those channels, which means it also absorbs more fosfomycin.

Dr Déziel noted that the new study doesn’t establish a connection between drinking juice and antibiotic potency, but it is promising enough to warrant more research into new ways to treat dangerous infections.

“With the challenge of multi-drug resistance,” Dr Déziel said, “we need to work from many different directions.”

North Yorkshire Police were called to 86 reports of romance fraud in the region in 2025, with total financial losses reaching £1,509,853.

It comes as national figures showed that people aged 55 to 74 suffered the greatest monetary losses, accounting for nearly a half of the total amount stolen.

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A force spokesperson said: “Nationally, the scale is stark: 10,784 reports and losses of more than £102 million over the same period.

“Although men submitted a higher number of reports overall, women typically experienced greater financial losses.”

‘The criminals target trust and emotional connection’

Romance fraud is closely linked to social media and dating website, where offenders can easily create “convincing” fake profiles.

Police say investigators are also seeing increased use of AI-generated images and messages from fraudsters.

A spokesperson said: “In many cases, romance fraud is linked with fake investment, opportunities, cryptocurrency, in hybrid frauds which further increase the financial risk to victims.

“All this is particularly harmful because the criminals target trust and emotional connection.

“They’ll often spend significant time building what appears to be a genuine relationship before attempting to exploit their victim financially.

“While the monetary losses can be substantial, the emotional impact is often just as damaging.

“This crime can affect anyone, and by reporting it, victims help us build intelligence, disrupt offenders and protect others from harm.”

More information about this can be found here.

Both the Mowbray scheme, proposed for land near East Rounton, between Northallerton and Yarm, and the Bellmoor project, planned on farmland at South Kilvington, near Thirsk, have been given ‘gate one’ status by the National Energy System Operator (NESO).

The listing means the projects no longer have a firm date for connection to the national grid.

Campaigners say the change in status is further reason why the schemes should be rejected.

NESO has reformed its register of planned energy projects to prioritise schemes which are ready for connection.

Schemes which are ready to proceed have been given ‘gate two’ status.

Experts say there are too many BESS projects in the pipeline with more than 200GW of storage planned, which is far more than the UK will need in the coming decades.

Hundreds of people have submitted objections to the planning applications for the BESS schemes, which are currently being assessed by North Yorkshire Council.

Andrew Sheldon-Thomson, from online group Stop Battery Storage – Northallerton & Yarm, which was formed to oppose the Mowbray development, described the scheme as a “zombie project”, adding: “It’s alive on paper but not actually going anywhere in reality.”

Mt Sheldon-Thomson said the gate one listing meant the project was “not demonstrably deliverable”.

He added: “Under the NESO connections reform process, the project has been classified as gate one and removed from the active connections queue.

“As a result, all connection parameters—including the connection date, point of connection, and required network works—are indicative only, and no deliverable connection solution has been identified.”

He said the classification meant the scheme would not fulfil the requirement of being sustainable development and therefore should be refused.

South Kilvington resident Philip Martin is one of the founders of the Thirsk Against Battery Storage (TABS) group.

He said the update from NESO was “good news”, but the group would continue to maintain its opposition.

“We’re really delighted that this project is now undeliverable in this location, but until NatPower withdraws the application we’re going to continue to fight.”

Mr Martin said the developer had been told by the council to prepare an environmental impact assessment and members were waiting for further consultation exercises which would take place if the report was published.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service has contacted NatPower for comment.

BESS plants store electricity from the grid at times of lower demand and release it back to the grid when it is needed most.

NatPower says the facilities make an essential contribution to ensuring reliable, secure and affordable electricity for the country.

A spokesperson said previously that the company was committed to engaging with the local community in the evolution of plans for its Bellmoor and Mowbray energy storage schemes.