Author: Darren Smith

Nottinghamshire Police are hunting a man after a young woman was allegedly raped in Nottingham city centre in the early hours of Saturday morning, with officers appealing for witnesses who may have been in the area at the time. The force is particularly keen to speak to anyone who saw a man and a woman together on Adams Walk, a city centre alleyway, at around 2.15am on Saturday 13 June. Adams Walk and the adjoining Lace Market Square were both cordoned off with police tape following the incident. The alleged victim is being supported by specialist officers. Detective Sergeant Hayley…

Ukrainian drones struck the Kapotnya oil refinery in Moscow, just ten miles from the Kremlin, in one of the most significant strikes on the Russian capital since the war began, causing fires and sending plumes of black smoke into the sky above the city as all four of Moscow’s major airports suspended flights. The attack, which coincided with the G7 summit in France, saw multiple drones breach Moscow’s layered air defence system despite the deployment of around 130 defence positions in and around the capital, including Pantsir and S-400 batteries. According to the Kyiv Post, the Russian Ministry of Defence…

Seven members of a youth basketball team have been killed in a bus crash in Brazil, hours after the squad had been crowned champions of an under-19 tournament, in an accident that investigators believe may have been caused by the driver falling asleep at the wheel. The bus was travelling through the Taua municipality in the early hours of Monday morning, returning to Juazeiro do Norte from a tournament in Sobral, some 360 miles away, when it flipped and rolled. Emergency services were called to the scene just before 3.30am, and rescuers worked for nearly five hours to recover all…

Scotland’s first World Cup win since 1990 was built on a deliberate shift in approach by manager Steve Clarke, with assistant coach Steven Naismith crediting increased family time and a more relaxed camp atmosphere for the team’s victory over Haiti in Boston. Determined to avoid a repeat of the claustrophobic environment Scotland experienced at their Bavarian base during Euro 2024, the squad are based in Charlotte, North Carolina, for at least four weeks during this tournament. Clarke has actively encouraged players to spend their days off with family members rather than remaining solely focused on football throughout the camp. Naismith…

The detective who led the investigation into the murder of 13-month-old Preston Davey has described his killers as representing “pure evil,” as questions mount over how at least eight separate opportunities to protect the toddler were missed by professionals over the four months he was in their care. Jamie Varley, 37, a textiles teacher who also served as head of year and safeguarding lead at a Blackpool comprehensive school, was convicted of Preston’s murder following a trial at Preston Crown Court, alongside 24 other charges including sexual assault, grievous bodily harm, cruelty, and taking and distributing indecent images. His partner,…

A teenage immigration activist known online as “Young Bob” says he was assaulted and robbed of camera equipment while running a public debate stand in Manchester on Monday afternoon, in an incident he described as an “eye-opener” that has prompted him to seek self-defence training ahead of future appearances. According to his own account, posted alongside video footage that has since been viewed millions of times, the activist, reportedly named Thomas Moffitt and head of an organisation called Project Albion, was running a stand on immigration-related topics on or near Market Street, close to a bubble tea shop, when a…

A poolside dispute between a group of bikini-clad women erupted into a full-scale brawl at an exclusive Bahamas beach club, with around a dozen people seen throwing punches and pulling hair before security staff and other guests stepped in to break it up. Footage posted online shows the fight taking place near the Floating Flamingo pool and swim-up bar at the Royal Beach Club on Paradise Island. The clip shows arms flying as women traded slaps and punches, with several falling to the ground while the brawl continued around them. Three security guards attempted to separate the group as the…

A 16-year-old boy has been charged with non-fatal strangulation, robbery and possession of an offensive weapon after an attack on another teenager in Hedon, East Yorkshire, during which the suspect attempted to steal his victim’s motorbike. Humberside Police were called to Drapers Lane park at around 8.30pm on Friday 12 June, following a report that a teenage boy had assaulted another boy, believed to be known to him, in an attempt to take his orange motorbike. The attack involved an offensive weapon. The 16-year-old suspect, who cannot be named for legal reasons due to his age, has been remanded in…

A secondary school teacher has been found guilty of the murder and sexual abuse of a 13-month-old boy he and his partner were in the process of adopting, in a case that has reignited questions over missed warning signs by social services. Jamie Varley, 37, head of Year 11 at South Shore Academy in Blackpool, faces a life sentence following the death of Preston Davey, who suffocated during sexual abuse on 27 July 2023. His partner, John McGowan-Fazakerley, 32, a sales manager for a finance company, was also convicted of causing or allowing Preston’s death, alongside charges of cruelty and…

Formula 1 fans have been only half-joking this week about a “curse” surrounding a stolen podium towel, after Kim Kardashian’s now-infamous swipe of Kimi Antonelli’s towel at the Monaco Grand Prix was followed, just one race later in Barcelona, by the Italian teenager suffering his first retirement of the season. The saga began at Monaco, where Antonelli took a remarkable win at just 19 years old, with Lewis Hamilton finishing second for Ferrari and Isack Hadjar completing the podium for Red Bull, according to Yahoo Sports. As Hamilton celebrated his result, his girlfriend Kim Kardashian was seen picking up an…