Detectives know that Adam Hall, 43, from Washington, Tyne and Wear, travelled to North Yorkshire to meet men he met on the dating app Grindr.

Hall also met men across the North East, including County Durham and Middlesbrough, as well as West Yorkshire, Manchester and London.

Newcastle’s director of public health, Professor Alice Wiseman, has urged people who have had sex with Hall to access confidential health services in their area.

“The sooner that anyone is diagnosed, the better the treatment is,” she said.

“We want to eliminate HIV in the long term, the way to do that is for those who are infected to receive treatment as soon as possible.

“The earlier you are diagnosed, the sooner you can have anti-retroviral therapy, and if you are consistent with your treatment, you can reduce your viral load so you are no longer infectious to those around you.”

A warning has been issued to other public health directors around the country about Hall’s offending and the potential for there to be more victims whom he deliberately infected.

Hall hid his HIV status from partners, failed to take medication to keep his viral load low, then had unprotected sex with men, sometimes raping them.

He was convicted of five counts of rape and seven counts of causing grievous bodily harm – by deliberately infecting younger partners with HIV after meeting them in bars in the Newcastle area or on the dating app Grindr.

Hall’s victims were aged from their late 20s down to just 15, with the schoolboy finding out he had contracted HIV in a phone call from health professionals moments after he stepped off a school bus.

Two of his victims were just 17 and 18.

One of the victims said: “I blame myself for letting the monster in.”

Judge Edward Bindloss deemed Hall “dangerous” before jailing him for life with a minimum term of 23 years and 42 days.

Second person in country to be convicted of deliberately infecting other people with HIV

After a four-month trial at Newcastle Crown Court, Hall became just the second person in the country to be convicted of deliberately infecting other people with HIV.

Hall denied the charges, even claiming some of his victims wanted to be infected with HIV.

He was known on the Newcastle gay and chem sex scene, worked in bars and at a Tyneside sex shop, and had even tried to set up a charity for people with HIV.

He was diagnosed with HIV in 2010 and could have kept his viral load low with modern treatments.

But in 2016, medical professionals became concerned he was not adhering to his treatment, making him infectious to others he slept with.

Despite being warned, Hall had unprotected sex with men between 2016 and 2023, in some cases raping them.

Prosecutors were sure Hall intended to spread HIV, although he continued to deny it.

A little after 2pm on April 8, the Israeli military hit more than 100 targets in Lebanon in just ten minutes. Israel called the attack Operation Eternal Darkness and said it struck Hezbollah command and control centres across Lebanon. The Lebanese government said at least 300 people were killed and 1,000 injured.

The scale of the attack on Lebanon was reminiscent of the early days of the Gaza war in 2023 when Israel retaliated for the October 7 attacks, which killed more more than 1,200 people, with waves of aerial bombardment of Gaza.

Israel has a powerful and lethal army, and it’s been defending itself against attacks from Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran.

But why has it chosen such brutal military aggression?

One historian, Yaron Peleg, believes the answer to this question lies in the early days of Zionism in the 19th century when many Jews who arrived in Palestine were fleeing antisemitism in Europe. In defiance, they began a cultural revolution, emphasising military strength and honouring Biblical Jewish heroes.

Peleg, who is a professor of modern Hebrew studies at the University of Cambridge in the UK and author of the book New Hebrews: Making National Culture in Zion, thinks Israel’s view of itself began to change in the wake of the Holocaust. “There started a really problematic combination of defiance, aggression, and a sense of victimhood  and it’s a very explosive and lethal combination,” he says.

In this week’s episode of The Conversation Weekly podcast, Peleg tracks how he sees Israel’s self‑image changed from self‑reliance to aggressive militarism, and how that history helps to explain the way it wages war today.

This episode of The Conversation Weekly was written and produced by Gemma Ware and Mend Mariwany. Mixing by Eleanor Brezzi and theme music by Neeta Sarl.

Newsclips in this episode from Sky News.

Listen to The Conversation Weekly via any of the apps listed above, download it directly via our RSS feed or find out how else to listen here. A transcript of this episode is available via the Apple Podcasts or Spotify apps.

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A retrospective application by ​Jimmy Corrigan’s Ltd to turn the Casino Royale amusement arcade at 47-48 Sandside, Scarborough, into a coffee shop has been approved by North Yorkshire Council.

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​The site is located on the north side of Sandside, overlooking Scarborough Harbour to the south and southeast.

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The scheme involved the creation of a coffee shop and outdoor seating area at a premise that previously had planning permission for an amusement arcade on the ground floor.

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No objections were made by the highway authority, which said that the change of use would have no material impact on traffic conditions.

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Planners said that the new use and the new shopfront were of an appropriate scale and appearance for the area and preserved the character and appearance of the conservation area, as well as preserving the setting of nearby listed buildings.

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Commenting on the outdoor seating area, officers said the proposed area was of an acceptable scale outside the front of the building, “such that it does not encroach on the highway or cause unacceptable obstruction”.

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North Yorkshire Council said the development presented “a local business which serves the local community and supports the tourism industry”.

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A report prepared by planning officers noted: “The development represents an investment in this business, and such alterations and investments are an essential aspect of keeping such a community facility up to date.

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“The coffee shop is now established in and appropriate to its location, providing services not just to the local community, and the new use is complementing the mix of cafe and retail uses within the harbourside location.”

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Officers concluded that the development would result in a positive enhancement of an existing community facility, and the application was approved subject to conditions.

One of the US and Israel’s justifications for launching the war on Iran was to ensure the regime in Tehran could never possess nuclear weapons, the ultimate deterrent against external attack. But the main lesson that has been taken from the war, according to some commentators, is that Iran’s own geography already provides it with all the deterrent it needs.

The US-Israeli strikes have inflicted massive damage on Iran’s leadership and have destroyed billions of US dollars worth of military and civilian infrastructure. However, this display of force has proved unable to stop Iran from controlling who enters the Strait of Hormuz, a maritime chokepoint through which around 20% of the world’s oil supply flows.

This has led to the suggestion that Iran could emerge from the conflict with a new blueprint for shielding itself against future threats, regardless of whether it agrees to US demands to dismantle or severely limit its nuclear programme.

Geography is arguably Iran’s greatest strategic asset. The Strait of Hormuz is shallow and narrow, with just two-mile-wide navigable shipping channels. There are also a huge number of coves and inlets along Iran’s southern coastline, providing cover for launching small boats to attack shipping or lay mines, as well as anti-ship missiles and drones.

And there is a vast belt of rugged mountains running from Iran’s north-western border with Turkey all the way down to the Strait of Hormuz. Iran can store, conceal, produce and launch more drones and missiles here than it would ever need to threaten Gulf shipping.

However, Iran’s capacity to close the strait is not new. For decades, Iran has repeatedly threatened to respond to any external attack by closing the strait. It has also, albeit in a more measured way, demonstrated the capability to make the strait commercially unusable.

In response to Donald Trump’s “maximum pressure” policy across both his first and second terms as US president, Iran has harassed shipping with fast boats, rehearsed loading mines on to vessels, test-fired anti-ship ballistic missiles and even seized a British tanker. These are all classic forms of deterrence signalling.

Multiple analysts had warned of the catastrophic economic consequences of full-scale war with Iran precisely because of Iran’s ability to close the Strait of Hormuz. The only person who seems not to have understood this is Trump.

When pressed in March on whether Trump had been briefed before the war that Iran would seek to block Hormuz, his director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, would not be drawn. But she acknowledged that it “has long been an assessment of the intelligence community that Iran would likely hold the Strait of Hormuz hostage”.

Another challenge to the claim that geography may replace nuclear weapons as Iran’s primary source of deterrence is that its nuclear programme was never a core part of its deterrence. A 2019 report by Chatham House determined that Iran saw its asymmetric capabilities – particularly ballistic missiles and its ability to mobilise its proxy groups in the region – as essential to its national security. Iran’s ability to exercise control of the Strait of Hormuz is another pillar of this strategy.

There is ample reason to believe Iran was engaged in nuclear “hedging” – preserving the option to build a weapon at some point without crossing the line in a verifiable way. But if nuclear deterrence was the core aim, it is unlikely that Iran would have committed to a 2015 nuclear deal that most of the international community argued blocked its path to a bomb.

Regional implications

If a country is attacked, by definition its deterrence has failed. But the perception of restored deterrence can help create conditions for deescalation by justifying an end to the fighting and convincing an adversary that costs can still be imposed. In this sense, Iran’s control of Hormuz may help bring the current war to an end.

Iran’s confidence in having proven its ability to blockade Hormuz may also provide cover for dialling down its nuclear ambiguity posture. And it could compensate for the degradation of its network of proxies that has enabled Iran to project influence across Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Gaza.

The weakening of this so-called “Axis of Resistance” in recent years has reduced (though far from eliminated) Tehran’s ability to raise the regional cost of any direct attack on Iran. And Hezbollah, which is widely considered the strongest group in this proxy network, has paid a high price for defending Iran since the start of the war.

Iran is highly unlikely to abandon its proxies completely. However, it may now conclude that using them as a form of forward deterrence to avoid being directly attacked has manifestly failed and roll back on the strategy. This would be an extremely positive move for regional stability.

Iran’s demonstrated capacity to close the strait is likely to shape the regional order for some time. But Iran is unlikely to be willing to rely on this single pillar of deterrence.

Its sustained missile strikes on neighbouring Gulf states, and damage to critical infrastructure, had already created an appetite for a negotiated end to the conflict among the US’s Arab allies. Trump himself admitted he did not anticipate this reaction.

This makes forcing Iran to suspend its ballistic missile capability extremely difficult in upcoming negotiations, which will leave its neighbours nervous and anxious about their own lack of any deterrence capacities.

Next week’s state visit from King Charles and Queen Camilla could “absolutely” repair relations with the UK, Donald Trump has said amid a growing rift with Sir Keir Starmer.

Relations between the prime minister and the US president have been fractious in recent months, with the president branding the UK’s approach to the Iran war “terrible” and repeatedly lashing out at Sir Keir – at one point describing him as “not Winston Churchill”.

Asked by the BBC whether the upcoming state visit from the King could help repair the relationship, Mr Trump said: “Absolutely. He’s fantastic. He’s a fantastic man. Absolutely the answer is yes.”

“I know him well, I’ve known him for years,” he added. “He’s a brave man, and he’s a great man. They would absolutely be a positive.”

Mr Trump’s comments will come as a boost to No 10, as there has been hope in Downing Street that Charles and Queen Camilla can help put the UK-US special relationship on firmer footing.

The state visit, which begins at the end of the month, will mark the 250th anniversary of American independence and herald the start of celebrations across the US, with Charles and Camilla marking the milestone at a “block party”.

The first time Charles and Camilla will meet the president and US first lady will be at a private tea only captured by cameras.

This is a breaking news story. More to follow…

Experts say failing to check fences after winter is one of the most common mistakes households make and one that can quickly become expensive.

Damage caused by storms, strong winds and heavy rain can go unnoticed, but even small issues can spiral if left untreated.

As gardens start to dry out in spring, hidden winter damage becomes easier to spot.

But many people miss the warning signs until it is too late.

Problems like loose panels or leaning posts can quickly worsen, turning a small fix into a much bigger job, according to property experts.

Without a fence to mark the boundary, disputes can also become more likely.

Typical repairs can cost as little as £80, but more serious damage can run into the hundreds, especially if entire sections need replacing.

It’s a sunny Bank Holiday weekend so if you are replacing fence panels and your neighbours dispute the boundary, here is some good advice from one of our expert solicitors.
💡 https://t.co/hteI0YUpfa #disputeresolution #boundarydispute #propertydisputes #chesterfield pic.twitter.com/LwE8TOBq4E

— Banner Jones Solicitors (@bannerjones) May 29, 2023

Risk of neighbour disputes

Poorly maintained fences are also one of the most common triggers for neighbour disputes in the UK.

Data from the Ministry of Justice shows property and boundary disagreements remain a frequent source of complaints and legal cases.

If a fence collapses and damages a neighbouring garden, homeowners could even end up footing the bill.

Joe Lytwyn, consumer finance expert at thimbl.com , says small issues are often ignored until they become costly.

“Winter weather can weaken fences without people noticing, especially after heavy rain or strong winds,” he explains.

“A loose panel or damaged post might seem minor, but if you ignore it, the problem can escalate and lead to a much bigger repair bill.”

Recommended reading:

The 5-minute check that could save you money

Experts recommend a quick inspection before starting any spring garden work.

Look out for:

• Loose or leaning fence panels
• Cracked or rotting posts
• Gaps between panels
• Signs of movement after storms
• Damage at ground level

Fixing problems early is usually far cheaper than replacing an entire fence later.

A quick five-minute check now could prevent a much bigger bill later.

With repair costs rising and disputes becoming more common, experts say this is one small job homeowners should not ignore.

Do you know to tell which boundaries on your property are yours to maintain? Tell us in the comments below

Anne Hathaway and her stylist Erin Walsh have made sure her looks for The Devil Wears Prada 2 press tour are worthy of the iconic film itself.

So far she’s posed in sculpted Louis Vuitton, ruffled Valentino and shimmering Stella McCartney.

But that’s not all. For the most recent London premiere, Hathaway stole the show in Versace.

The navy-blue velvet gown had a high-slit skirt with a glittery top and strapless sheer bodice, resembling a deconstructed tux jacket fit with lapels and a row of buttons.

Paired with a statement high-pony with plenty of enviable volume, Hathaway looked fittingly glam and powerful as she, alongside costars Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, Stanley Tucci and even designer Donatella Versace herself, celebrated the long-awaited sequel to the 2006 cult classic film.

What to expect from the film, you ask? Although The Devil Wears Prada 2 won’t be released in UK cinemas until May 1, early critic reviews have indicated fans won’t be disappointed.

After a 20-year wait for a follow-up, the new film sees Anne Hathaway’s Andy Sachs return to Runway magazine, where she reunites with her infamously frosty former boss Miranda Priestly, played by Meryl Streep.

It’s been teased that the sequel will see Andy working alongside Miranda as the fashion titan navigates her career amid the decline of traditional magazine publishing.

We’ll also see the return of iconic character and former colleague Emily Charlton (Emily Blunt) as the now head of a luxury brand that possesses the advertising dollars which could ensure the glossy mag’s survival.

Speaking with People at last night’s premiere, Hathaway reflected on the ways the growth in her personal life mirrors that of her character’s in the new film.

‘I think we’re both more confident,’ she said. ‘I think that 20 years ago Andy Sachs was really worried about getting it right and she really wanted to please her boss.’

She added: ‘I think that 1776958873 she wants to be herself. And I relate to that.’

It’s also been revealed that a cameo from Sydney Sweeney was ruthlessly cut from the final film, with Entertainment Weekly stating it was removed because ‘it didn’t work structurally’.

The outlet reported that ‘the team working on the movie was grateful for her participation, making the decision to remove the bit a difficult one’.

MORE: Who is D4vd? What we know as singer pleads not guilty to Celeste Rivas Hernandez murder

MORE: Celeste Rivas’ family speaks out after D4vd arrested on suspicion of her murder

MORE: Charlize Theron returned to school day after mother killed father in self-defence

A woman has appeared in court over the death of her teenage cousin who was mauled by an XL bully.

Kelcie Reed, 24, attended Bristol Magistrates’ Court accused of being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control, causing injury resulting in death.

It is alleged that the dog, an XL bully named Prince, fatally injured Morgan Dorsett, 19, inside a flat at Cobhorn Drive, Withywood, Bristol, on February 26 last year.

Ms Dorsett suffered fatal bites to her neck during the incident.

The dog was put down afterwards.

Reed, of Bristol, wept as the charge was read to her by District Judge Lynne Matthews on Thursday morning.

She did not enter a plea to the charge against her and the case was adjourned to Bristol Crown Court.

The judge said: ‘I send you now to the crown court at Bristol where you must appear on May 27.

‘Between now and then, you are on conditional bail.’

The bail conditions state that Reed must not own or be in control of any dog, under any circumstances.

Reed will next appear before Bristol Crown Court on May 27.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

Plans have been submitted with North Yorkshire Council for alterations to the former Ken Warne shop in Richmond Market Place.

The application has been submitted on behalf of  Grape Tree, a national health food chain which has more than 175 stores around the country.

The Ken Warne store closed in 2024 after more than 30 years in the town.

The application seeks listed building consent for work on the shop.

Agents for the applicant say a “sensitive internal refurbishment and reconfiguration” is planned to accommodate the new tenant.

Non-original partitions, fixtures, and fittings left by previous tenants will be removed.

A lightweight, non-structural internal partition will be constructed at the rear to form a stockroom.

Existing ceiling tiles will be replaced with lightweight tiles, and electrical services—including lighting, CCTV, fire alarm, and power/data outlets—would be upgraded.

Floors would be upgraded with vinyl tiles on the sales floor and prepared for decoration in the back-of-house areas.

Supporting documents say the historic building would be preserved as part of the work.

They state: “The property comprises a Grade II listed ground-floor retail space dating from circa 1800, under a Welsh slate roof, with a modern shop front. The interior includes timber slats, bare plaster with peeling paint, exposed blockwork (some painted, some unpainted), and mock brickwork columns.

“The proposed works are designed to respect the historic and architectural character of the building while upgrading functionality, safety, and aesthetics.”

Grape Tree was founded in 2012–2013 by Nick Shutts and Nigel Morris, the former owners of the Julian Graves brand which closed in 2012.

The company focuses on health foods, nuts, seeds, and dried fruits.

Grant Hunter threatened the guard while he was in jail on remand for the murder of Webley.

A hitman who murdered Edinburgh gangster Marc Webley has admitted threatening to kill a prison guard. Grant Hunter appeared at Peterhead Sheriff Court on March 23.

The 34-year-old pled guilty to threatening the man at HMP Grampian last August while he was on remand for the murder of Webley.

The court heard he threatened to kill the prison officer after a row about getting medication from the jail’s nurse.

Sheriff Alan Sinclair added three months to the 26-year sentence he is serving for shooting Webley outside a pub in Edinburgh on New Year’s Eve in 2023.

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Marc Webley – who was cleared of two attempted murders in 2023 – was wearing a stab vest when Hunter pulled up in a stolen red Hyundai Tucson car before firing bullets. The hired gunman was captured on camera pulling down a balaclava so Webley could see who he was.

He was locked up for the murder at the High Court in Glasgow in December last year. Hunter was also convicted over the attempted murder of Webley’s pal Stewart Pearson, who was also shot during the drama.

Hunter’s ex-girlfriend Emma McVie, 27, was jailed for four years and six months after she pled guilty to attempting to destroy evidence. Another man, Gary Robertson, 22, was also jailed for six years and six months after admitting attempting to pervert the course of justice.

In the days before the Hogmanay assassination, Webley filmed himself taunting rivals to “come to the pub”. In a pair of videos obtained by the Record, Webley was seen talking directly to the camera.

Speaking in the first video, he said: “You could come to the pub. I’ll only be here a couple of hours. Surely gies you enough time. You’ve had all day to make an effort.

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“Youse talk a good fight so when you’re lying in bed or talking s***e or whatever it is you’re daein, saying ‘we’re gonna get him, we’re gonna get him’, well, here I f***ing am. Stone cold sober. Come and get it. I don’t think you’ll come. You’ve not got the f***ing b*ws. Fire guns, fire windaes. Ha Ha. I’ve never missed. Enjoy your night guys. I will. Come and get it.

“We put the city on the map. Youse deal with the cops. Ha ha ha.”

A second clip shows Webley outside again and addressing the camera. He said: “Still at the pub. We bit drunk so you’d be at an advantage, it would be a good advantage.

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“I don’t see it though. Nah, honestly I don’t. Come and give me a wee tuppence and youse get a strike that ends the show.

“We were brought up with stab wounds. Youse maim people, dinnae want to kill anyone. Don’t blame you for that. You’re just no like us Roysters. We were taught from wild, wild men. One shot can end it all.

“I hate doing social media, but I just like to call youse c****s oot cos you’re f***ing chickens. I’m here mysel tae. F***ing come. Youse will get us. I’ll get one of youse though. One of youse will come to the grave with me, believe it, believe it.

“Ask your boss if you can come. Stay off the crack guys.”

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