Southampton have been charged by the EFL with allegedly spying on a Middlesbrough training session ahead of the Championship play-off semi-final first leg – an independent commission has now set a hearing date that will decide the club’s fate

The independent hearing into ‘Spygate’ is set to take place on Friday, with Southampton’s promotion hopes hanging in the balance.

A panel comprising three legal experts is expected to convene behind closed doors in London to deliberate on the matter.

Southampton have been charged by the EFL with spying on a training session conducted by play-off semi-final opponents Middlesbrough ahead of last week’s Championship play-off first leg.

Southampton overcame Middlesbrough across both legs to secure a place in the final against Hull City.

However, the showpiece occasion, which is worth in excess of £200m to the eventual victors, is at serious risk of being postponed.

The commission will scrutinise the charges and holds the authority to remove Southampton from the competition should they be found guilty.

Such an outcome would, however, prompt a legal challenge from Southampton’s owners ‘Sport Republic’, which would need to be resolved this weekend if the play-off final is to proceed at Wembley on May 23, reports the Mirror.

The EFL have been unable to confirm a kick-off time for the match.

In the meantime, Hull have been left in an agonising state of uncertainty as a consequence of the scandal.

The Tigers have urged their frustrated supporters to remain patient, with fans currently unable to purchase tickets or arrange travel to London.

Tickets will not be printed or made available until the outcome of the hearing has been confirmed.

The Tigers issued a statement indicating that full details regarding ticket sales would be communicated “in due course”.

It stated: “Until then, we kindly ask supporters to refrain from contacting the ticket office while final details are being confirmed. We appreciate your continued patience and support.”

Rico Gedel is said to have attacked the former Lostprophets singer in his cell at HMP Wakefield last year

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A convicted murderer who is on trial for killing the convicted paedophile and former Lostprophets frontman has told jurors he only feels guilt for Ian Watkins’ victims.

Leeds Crown Court has heard Rico Gedel, 25, attacked the disgraced singer in his cell at the high-security HMP Wakefield prison on October 11 last year.

The convicted killer has denied murder, saying he wanted to be relocated from sharing a wing with sex offenders in prison, so decided to take another inmate but did not intend to kill.

Gedel has claimed co-accused Samuel Dodsworth, 44, handed him a makeshift knife prior to the attack.

Richard Wright KC, defending Dodsworth, asked Gedel if he was “pleased” that Watkins was dead to which the defendant replied: “Somewhat.”

Mr Wright asked: “You’re certainly not losing sleep over it?”

Gedel said: “No, not really.

“What I wanted to say is, the only guilt I would feel about this is how his victims felt.

“I know from my own experiences, with friends and family being sexually assaulted, I don’t know if they would have wanted that (Watkins’s death).

“But that’s my only guilt.”

Mr Wright clarified if Gedel meant that Watkins’s victims might have wanted him to have a hard time in prison and would see his “death is an easy option”.

Gedel replied: “I felt a bit guilty for them because they didn’t get that opportunity.”

Jurors heard how Gedel was convicted of murder in his early 20s, which he continued to deny, and he was sentenced to life with a minimum term of 27 years.

Mr Wright pointed out Gedel has changed his defence statement three times, including one he completed only the day before, and questioned why he was now claiming Dodsworth – a convicted rapist – handed him the knife.

Mr Wright said Gedel was now saying that “because it’s convenient and, frankly, it’s good fun”.

Gedel replied: “I did get the knife from Dodsworth.”

Later, the defendant told Tom Storey KC, prosecuting: “I don’t like fighting, in every fight there is a possibility I could lose and I don’t want to end up injured.

“There are serial killers in Wakefield.

“I am around serious people like that, I know the possibility for me could also be death.”

Mr Storey played body-worn camera footage as guards held Gedel in a cell while other officers tried to save Watkins’s life, four minutes after the attack.

Gedel was shown smiling and saying: “Hopefully he goes to sleep.”

Gedel told the court: “There was part of me that wanted him to die, there was another part of me that didn’t want him to die.

“That was a bad concoction.”

He explained why he was grinning, saying he had also smiled during the court proceedings, saying: “Smiling is the only way I mask my emotions in front of other people.”

Gedel, who was initially referred to by police as Rashid Gedel, and Dodsworth both deny murder and possession of a makeshift knife in prison.

Watkins was jailed for 29 years in December 2013, with a further six years on licence, after admitting a string of sex offences – including the attempted rape of a fan’s baby.

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Theo Silverton was murdered last month, and fans of the ITV soap have seemingly ruled out the six named suspects

Coronation Street fans think they may know what happened to Theo Silverton when he was murdered last month – and have ruled out the six named suspects.

It was revealed back in February that one of five Weatherfield villains would end up dead following a grim murder on the famous cobbles. It was confirmed at the time that the body would be found by Betsy Swain on the night of her mum, Lisa Swain’s, wedding to Carla Connor, and it would either be Theo, Carl Webster, Jodie Ramsey, Megan Walsh or Maggie Driscoll.

Fans of the ITV soap went on to see the couple tie the knot in an emotional ceremony, which saw them make history as the first two women to successfully marry in Weatherfield, but Betsy wasn’t seen making her deadly discovery.

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That wasn’t seen until a week later, after an episode of the soap was dedicated to each possible victim, as a horrified Betsy discovered Theo’s lifeless body, stopping her in her tracks as she prepared to head into town to continue her mum’s wedding celebrations.

It came after Corrie viewers saw Theo breaking the condition of an order to stay away from his husband, Todd Grimshaw, who bravely reported his partner to the police after suffering domestic violence at his hands for months. Theo wasn’t pleased to find Todd at their flat, getting ready to leave for Thailand.

After an altercation in the flat, which saw George Shuttleworth helping Todd to escape, despite being hit by the villain himself. But as the police arrived, Theo managed to escape, only to confront Todd once more. Luckily, George Shuttleworth arrived in the nick of time and managed to diffuse the situation.

However, that wasn’t the end. Despite being hit by Theo himself, George kicked off his next plan by pretending that he had a cramp in his leg before he dived out of his seat and towards Theo, managing to drag him into the bathroom while Todd tied a dressing gown cord around the handle to stop him leaving, leaving the pair time to escape.

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But as the police arrived, Theo managed to escape, and later, as the evening set, he found Todd once more. The undertaker had jumped in a taxi to head to the airport for his trip, only to realise he had forgotten his phone. He stopped the taxi and asked the driver to wait while he went back to get it, only to find Theo facing him on the dimly lit street, holding his missing phone.

The next time we saw them was during the victim reveal episode, which aired on May 1, when Todd played a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse to outsmart a vengeful Theo. Todd managed to hide, and he called Christina Boyd to let her and George know what had happened. It wasn’t long before Christina set off to go and find him, warning George to stay at the house.

Meanwhile, Summer Spellman found herself caught in the crossfire when she came face-to-face with a sinister Theo, who forced her to hand over her phone, which he then chucked out of the window. Soon, outside, a jovial Betsy was given the shock of her life as she stumbled across the villain’s body.

It has now left Todd and his loved ones, George, Christina, and Summer, among the possible murder suspects, alongside Gary Windass and Theo’s ex-wife, Danielle Silverton, who could also be guilty of Theo’s demise as DS Lisa Connor-Swain and DC Kit Green’s investigation gathers pace.

But now, Corrie viewers think it’s none of the six profiled, and that the real culprit is Sam Blakeman, as his mental health continues to spiral. @swoosh286 said: “I’m now wondering if Sam was hallucinating thinking he saw Will on the scaffolding and it was actually he who pushed Theo to his death! We did see Sam very briefly in the murder reveal episode looking distressed without really knowing why!” @Audz32129841 replied: “This really could be how Theo died.”

@Her_EvilQueen commented: “Are we going to get a Sam killed Theo storyline. Sus he was in that episode for all of ten seconds, is having hallucinations and it would be a easy cop out.” @libbage55 echoed: “I think it was Sam hallucinating that Theo was Will. I mean, why did they show us a little snippet of Sam in the murder episode?” @rednwhite99 added: “Was that scene of Sam hallucinating with the view of the scaffolding an hint to him being the killer of Theo thinking he was will #corrie.”

John Worboys was a serial sex attacker who lured women to his cab before drugging them

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Black cab rapist John Worboys has been denied parole, in a move that a victim called ‘a relief for women and girls’. The Parole Board confirmed the decision in a statement saying he could still pose a risk.

Worboys is a serial sex attacker who lured women into his cab late at night, falsely pretending to have won money and offering them an apparently celebratory drink which was drugged. His hearing was held behind closed doors.

Mrs Johnson, the wife of former prime minister Boris Johnson, posted on X: “It has been a hugely anxious wait knowing that Worboys was up for parole again. The relief I feel knowing that he will remain behind bars is hard to put into words.

“Women and girls across Britain are safer as a result of this decision.”

Worboys was first jailed in 2009 for 19 sexual offences linked to attacks on 12 victims between October 2006 and February 2008 in London. He was given an indefinite sentence for public protection with a minimum term of eight years.

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In December 2017 a parole board panel decided he was ready for release, sparking a legal challenge by two of his victims that successfully got the decision overturned. Amid outrage over the battle, rules were then changed to allow some parole hearings to be held in public and permit better scrutiny of the processes used.

The publicity around the case led further victims to come forward, and Worboys was charged with more crimes dating between 2000 and 2008, which he admitted. In 2019 he was given two life sentences with a minimum term of six years.

A spokesperson for the Parole Board said: “We can confirm that a panel of the Parole Board has refused the release of John Worboys following a paper review. The panel also refused to recommend a transfer to open prison.

“Parole Board decisions are solely focused on what risk a prisoner could represent to the public if released and whether that risk is manageable in the community. The panel were not satisfied that he no longer posed a risk to the public, and accordingly did not direct his release.

“A panel will carefully examine a huge range of evidence, including details of the original crime, and any evidence of behaviour change, as well as explore the harm done and impact the crime has had on the victims. Parole reviews are undertaken thoroughly and with extreme care. Protecting the public is our number one priority.

“Under current legislation he will be eligible for a further review in due course. The date of the next review will be set by the Ministry of Justice.”

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A jury at Winchester Crown Court returned guilty verdicts for manslaughter to Wilson and fellow defendant Ramarnee Bakas, 23, of London. It also returned guilty verdicts for murder on Abdulrasheed Adedoja, 23, and Israel Augustus, 26, both from London. A sentencing date is yet to be confirmed.

Teams worked overnight after the major pipe failure at the junction of Northgate and Corporation Road on Tuesday (May 13) afternoon.

Water was seen “gushing” across the road surface and even lifting sections of pavement.

Traffic lights were put in place as drivers attempted to navigate the water, and will remain in place while the path is repaired.

North Road will also be closed from 7.30am on Monday (May 18), until Tuesday morning to resurface the damaged road.

A Northumbrian Water spokesperson said: “Our teams have worked through the night to repair the large pipe which burst on the junction of Northgate and Corporation Road.

“The three-way traffic lights will remain in place until Sunday while we carry out repairs to the footpath.

“The size of the burst caused damage to the road surface, and to allow us to repair this fully and safely, North Road will be temporarily closed from 7.30am on Monday, May 18 until Tuesday morning, with clearly signed diversions in place.

“We know this is a busy area, and we’re sorry for the disruption this will cause.

“We’d like to thank road users for their patience while we get things back to normal.”

Northumbrian Water said there had been no disruption to customer water supplies.

Manchester United are ready to pursue hiring Michael Carrick on a permanent basis after a successful interim spell in charge

Manchester United are edging closer to appointing Michael Carrick as their permanent successor to Ruben Amorim. When he arrived on an interim basis in January, few would have imagined Carrick being the frontrunner for the job by the end of the season.

However, it is understood he wanted some assurances the job would be his if he did well enough. At the time, United wisely decided it was best to keep their options open and would therefore not offer those commitments. Carrick was happy to be merely a caretaker if needs be and that was enough to win the race.

Circumstances have since bumped Carrick up the pecking order for the permanent job. United wanted a world class head coach who had been there and done it. This summer, those candidates are missing. Thomas Tuchel committed his future to England, Carlo Ancelotti is happy with Brazil and Julian Nagelsmann is tied to Germany, at least until the World Cup ends.

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Meanwhile, the likes of Luis Enrique and Zinedine Zidane were either unattainable or unrealistic. Andoni Iraola and Oliver Glasner emerged as the only likely alternatives and neither man seems vastly better suited to the role than Carrick. However, it would be unfair to suggest the 44-year-old is the favourite on a technicality.

United’s form since he returned has been remarkable. Carrick has masterminded victories over rival managers Pep Guardiola, Mikel Arteta, Unai Emery and Arne Slot. The Reds have qualified for the Champions League comfortably and the squad finds itself in an overwhelmingly good position.

Carrick deserves the opportunity to have a go next season. However, Ineos cannot repeat the mistakes of the past.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe and co. begrudgingly stuck with Erik ten Hag following the 2023/24 season. Ten Hag delivered a sensational FA Cup triumph over Manchester City that forced their hand.

After way too many weeks of indecision, United continued with Ten Hag but they did not put their full weight of support behind him. Yes, in the summer transfer window the Dutchman was given money to spend.

It was a collective decision to sell Scott McTominay and sign Manuel Ugarte, for instance. However, the Reds were starting to leave him slightly exposed.

This was evidenced by backroom staff appointments. Perhaps the most egregious was the arrival of Ruud van Nistelrooy.

United’s legendary striker made it clear he was not hired to eventually replace Ten Hag but arriving as an assistant, when he had no previous connection to the boss, was odd.

It was no surprise when patience finally ran out with Ten Hag in October 2024, it was Van Nistelrooy who stepped up to be the interim head coach. The backroom staff are arguably just as important as the players who arrive.

You would have never seen Sir Alex Ferguson undermined by backroom staff appointments made by the boardroom. They need to be people who the manager can trust.

In fairness to Ineos, they learnt their lesson when Amorim was appointed. They brought in staff who the Portuguese head coach wanted and backed him to the hills – until they didn’t.

Carrick seems to be getting the same backing now. Steve Holland (assistant manager), Jonathan Woodgate (first-team coach), Jonny Evans (first-team coach) and Travis Binnion (first-team coach) are all expected to be handed contracts, along with Carrick, should he stay.

The club are happy with the blend of experience and personalities in that set up. Sticking with the team that has worked so well up to this point is a good starting point for Carrick.

However, it is just that. A start. Amorim had all the backing but it did not work.

Carrick’s lighter touch has returned United to the Champions League. But only time will tell if he can replicate that success long-term.

Sarah Ferguson opened up about how she truly felt when she visited Buckingham Palace for the first time, in a recently unearthed interview with Ruby Wax

In a recently-republished interview, Sarah Ferguson opened up about her genuine feelings regarding her marriage to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor – known then as Prince Andrew. Speaking candidly from the comfort of her own home, Sarah prepares a pot of tea while discussing what it was like to become part of the Royal Family.

The conversation, recorded in 1994 for the Ruby Wax Meets series, has re-emerged after the American broadcaster shared it on her Ruby Wax YouTube Channel. At that point, Sarah’s public image remained clouded by the controversy surrounding her relationship with American financial manager John Bryan, who had been photographed kissing her feet while she sunbathed topless.

Sarah and Andrew completed their divorce proceedings in 1996, having previously confirmed their separation in 1992. Yet, during her heart-to-heart with Ruby, she continued to speak warmly about her former husband. When questioned about whether she “got what she always wanted” by marrying into royalty, Sarah explained she desired “the man,” rather than the accompanying privileges of royal life.

“Who cares about the furniture when you’ve got the man,” she remarked, “I’m not materialistic.” Entering Buckingham Palace for the first time, she explained, is an overwhelming experience.

“Adrenaline runs overtime, big time,” she remembered, before adding: “It’s absolutely terrifying.”

Andrew and Sarah never actually resided at the Palace, choosing instead to spend their married years at Sunninghill Park — a 665-acre estate near Ascot in Berkshire. Yet she still remembers the rigid rules at the Palace, extending even to how far the windows could be opened

She explained: “In summer, you long to open the windows right up, but you’re only allowed to open them so much, because you must keep the line of the windows at the same level.”

Looking back on her relationship with John Bryan, Sarah acknowledged: “I had the most appalling character judgement, and with John – he’s a very believable person. I didn’t know I was playing with fire.”

She admitted that for much of her life she was “completely unaware” of what was happening around her, saying that she looked back on her earlier behaviour and marvelled at how “silly” she had been.

Sarah attributed many of her previous errors to feelings of “abandonment.” Her parents divorced in 1974, when Sarah was 15, and a year later, her mother Susan departed the UK and moved to Argentina with her new husband, polo player Héctor Barrantes.

She described how, when she travelled to visit her mother in Argentina, she felt intimidated by Argentinian girls of her age, who all appeared to her to be tall, slim and attractive. At the age of 16, she began experimenting with slimming pills and injections. Her initial experience was a strange one, she recalls: “It was in this small village in the middle of South America – can you imagine how crazy I was to do that? – no prescription, nothing.”

She concedes that she has absolutely no idea what she was injected with, yet the slimming drug “changed her into another person.”

Whether or not this was a direct consequence of the medication, Sarah could not say with certainty. However, shortly afterwards, she recalled: “I got so angry with my mum, I nearly drew a knife on her.”

Despite abandoning the slimming treatments after just a few days, Sarah remained firmly convinced that the harmful side-effects of the drugs lingered with her for many years.

Combined with deep-rooted abandonment issues, the slimming treatments propelled her into a destructive downward spiral: “Because I had such self-loathing,” she told Ruby, “I wanted to prove to myself that I was this awful person.”

Ultimately, she revealed, it was her meeting and subsequent marriage to Andrew that proved her salvation. Yet even following the breakdown of that marriage, she still regarded him as her “best friend.”

Tactfully sidestepping the often-discussed question of whether the pair might one day remarry, she said: “I think we just take each day as it comes.”

Now, more than three decades after that intimate afternoon conversation, Sarah and Andrew find themselves more estranged than ever before, with the discredited former prince residing in a Norfolk farmhouse.

Meanwhile, his ex-wife is said to be travelling between health spas around the world, attempting to distance herself from the shame surrounding the former couple’s close friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein — a friendship that has sparked the downfall of the Yorks.

He blamed the “unprecedented” results in part on “the unpopularity of this Government”, adding: “There are many reasons we could point to: from individual mistakes on policy like the decision to cut the winter fuel allowance to the ‘island of strangers’ speech, all of which have left the country not knowing who we are or what we really stand for.”