Author: Darren Smith

A married teacher in Georgia has been charged with sexually abusing six teenage students, with newly filed court documents alleging she was later blackmailed by some students who discovered she ran an OnlyFans account and threatened to expose it unless she gave them higher grades. Maris Nichols, 25, was arrested in May over allegations relating to her time at Alexander High School in Douglasville, Georgia. According to search warrants seen by Fox News, investigators allege Nichols was filmed engaging in sexual activity with a student while wearing a sweatshirt bearing a religious message. The warrants also allege she sent inappropriate…

The London Marathon will expand into a two-day event for the first time in 2027, with organisers confirming the move will double participant numbers to 100,000 after a record 1.33 million people applied for next year’s ballot. The 2027 race will take place over Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 April, with runners split across the two days in what organisers describe as a one-time-only reimagining of the event. Hugh Brasher, chief executive of London Marathon Events, said the expansion was designed to widen participation while delivering a significant financial boost for charities and the wider UK economy. “The 2027 London…

A 17-year-old British tourist has drowned after diving into the sea at a red-flagged beach in Chania, Crete, despite a major rescue operation involving lifeguards, drones and Greek Coast Guard vessels. The teenager was swimming with a friend when both began screaming for help in the rough waters. Six lifeguards rushed to the scene and managed to pull one of the boys from the sea, but the second was unable to be reached in time. Emergency teams launched an extensive search to locate him, deploying a drone over the water and dispatching two Greek Coast Guard boats and a maritime…

An 18-year-old girl has died six days after being struck by a loading vehicle allegedly stolen and driven by a group of teenagers in a park in Southend-on-Sea, Essex Police have confirmed. The victim suffered serious injuries in the early hours of last Saturday at Chalkwell Park and was taken to hospital by paramedics. Police confirmed this afternoon that she had died, with officers continuing to support her family while the investigation into the incident remains ongoing. An 18-year-old man from Westcliff and a 17-year-old boy have both been arrested on suspicion of causing serious injury by dangerous driving. Both…

Three of Britain’s most dangerous prisoners have been handed whole life terms after storming the cell of a notorious child killer at a maximum-security prison and stabbing him to death in a frenzied attack lasting just five minutes. Gangland assassin Mark Fellows, known as “The Iceman,” fellow convicted murderer Lee Newell, and David Taylor ambushed Kyle Bevan, 33, in his cell at HMP Wakefield on 5 November last year. Bevan, who was serving a life sentence for the murder of his partner’s two-year-old daughter Lola James, was stabbed and slashed more than 25 times before his killers arranged his body…

A judge has ruled that Scottish prison guidance allowing some transgender prisoners to be housed according to their gender identity rather than their biological sex at birth is unlawful, in a significant defeat for the Scottish government’s current policy. Judge Lady Ross ruled that sex segregation within prisons must be based on biological sex, citing last year’s Supreme Court ruling that established the legal definition of a woman in equalities law. The case was brought by campaign group For Women Scotland through a judicial review, with the organisation arguing that only those born biologically female should be held within the…

EasyJet has issued a fresh travel warning to British holidaymakers heading to Cape Verde this summer, alerting passengers to a new entry requirement that will see those who fail to complete the correct paperwork in advance face higher costs at the airport from next month. The airline confirmed on its website that an EASE — a Traveller Entry form combined with an airport tax payment — may now be required for anyone travelling to the popular West African island destination. “An EASE may now be required for travel to Cape Verde. You may now need to fill out a Traveller…

A 30-year-old man arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a three-year-old boy ended up in a crocodile enclosure at a Cambridgeshire zoo has been released on bail after being declared not fit for interview by police. The man, from Norfolk, was arrested following the incident at Johnsons of Old Hurst, near Huntingdon, on Thursday, but has now been bailed until 18 September while the investigation continues. Police did not specify the reasons behind his unfitness for interview. The boy, from Cambridgeshire, remains in a critical but stable condition at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge. Officers were called to the zoo…

Norwich is bracing for fresh protests this evening as seven Afghan asylum seekers accused of running a child rape gang appear at Norwich Crown Court, with police preparing for demonstrations both outside the court and later at the city’s City Hall. The defendants, six aged 20 and one aged 21, are expected to enter pleas at the hearing. Collectively they face 40 charges, including 33 counts of rape or conspiracy to rape, against two victims who were in their early to mid-teens at the time of the alleged offences. The offences are said to have taken place in Norwich between…

At least 18 people have been killed in Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon overnight, in some of the heaviest bombardment of recent weeks, casting fresh doubt over the fragile US-Iran peace agreement just days after it was signed. According to Lebanon’s health ministry, the death toll has risen to 18 following Israeli airstrikes and shelling that hit several towns in the Nabatieh district overnight and into the early morning. Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency described the bombardment as among the most intense seen in recent weeks. Residents and local media reported strikes across multiple sites in the area. Israel’s military…