Publication
‘I WANT JUSTICE FOR MY SON’
A GRIEVING mum who is convinced her son was murdered in his Spanish villa is set to protest outside a courthouse in the hope of persuading authorities there to reopen his case. Brett Dryden was found by friends covered in blood and with a large gash...
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PERVERT HELD JOB IN CHILDREN’S SERVICES
A PERVERT who was jailed for sending sexual messages to who he thought was an underage girl was working in children’s services, it can be revealed. Veteran Mark Campbell was snared in an undercover police sting operation while he believed he was...
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‘I HAD TO SAVE THE CHILDREN’
JOHN Henry Sayers has vowed to get on with his life and keep his family safe after being cleared of attacking an arsonist who targeted his home. The dad-of-six returned to Newcastle last night after a jury in London found him and his son, John Henry...
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CLEARED
JOHN Henry Sayers is a free man after he and his son were cleared of causing grievous bodily harm to an arsonist who attacked their home. For three years, the Sayers family had come under sustained attack by the Freeman organised crime group and for...
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WOMAN MAULED BY DOG SHE ADOPTED ONLINE
A WOMAN was left needing surgery after being mauled by her dog – which she had adopted on Facebook three weeks earlier. Charlotte Potts, 32, adopted the one-year-old cane corso cross American bulldog from a breeder on Facebook. Initially, the dog –...
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RAM-RAIDER IS JAILED
A BURGLAR who took part in a botched Newcastle jewellery shop ram-raid that caused thousands of pounds worth of damage has been jailed. Mohamed Khan was part of a group who reversed a van into Sunny Jewellers in the West End of the city in March and...
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‘HER SACRIFICE WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN’
THE family of a 19-year-old who has been honoured with a ceremonial police funeral has spoken of their “unimaginable loss”. PC Jess Turnbull was killed when responding to a collision in June. One of Newcastle’s busiest thoroughfares fell silent as a...
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‘A DANGER TO FEMALES’
A PREDATOR who put a drunk lone young woman he found sitting on the pavement in his car was branded “dangerous” as he was locked up and banned from being alone with “intoxicated females”. Days before Christmas, Kuldip Chahal stalked the streets of...
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In 2024, the Government said that dualling the A1 in Northumberland was: ‘not good value for money’
THE Chronicle is bringing together a coalition of political, business and community leaders to demand the A1 in Northumberland is dualled. We and many others have been campaigning for improved safety on the A1 for more than 30 years. Successive...
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BOY DIED TRYING TO SAVE HIS PAL
A TEENAGER died as he tried to save his friend’s life in ‘one of the bravest acts I have come across in twenty years as a coroner’, an inquest heard. David Ionut Radut, 14, had been swinging on a rope swing near the River Tyne in Ovingham,...
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‘I’LL NEVER FORGET THAT NIGHT’
NEWCASTLE United icon Dan Burn made history at the World Cup and said: “I don’t think I’ll ever forget that night”. The Blyth-born defender played a key role in helping England beat Mexico 3-2 at the famous Azteca Stadium in the small hours of...
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SEREN LEFT A LEGACY OF HOPE
A North East woman is proud that the legacy of the baby she and her partner lost to stillbirth lives on and is helping to drive improvement in maternity care. Amie Evans and Lewis Landells lost baby Seren last autumn. Months on, they have been pushing...
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PENSIONER LOST A LEG AFTER HE WAS HIT BY TAXI DRIVER
A PENSIONER had to have his lower leg amputated after a Blueline taxi driver crashed into him and caused serious injuries. Hasan Goni was behind the wheel of a Ford Mondeo taxi when he turned a corner and crashed into a 68-year-old man who’d been to...
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SHOCK OVER CENTRE CLOSURE
TEACHERS, former pupils and a charity have spoken of their shock and sadness after a council’s decision to close an outdoor education centre. North Tyneside Council announced it would close High Borrans, a beloved institution for many generations of...
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TWO DIE IN HOUSE FIRE
TWO people died in a house fire in North Shields in the early hours of yesterday morning. A man in his 40s and a woman in her 70s were found inside the address on Cragside Avenue, but despite the efforts of emergency services both died at the...
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‘I HAD TO HAVE CHEMO THE DAY MY HUSBAND DIED’
A North East woman has shared her heartbreak after she and her husband were both diagnosed with bowel cancer at the same time. Karen Rhodes, of Cramlington, is hoping to raise funds for the Newcastle Hospitals Charity that cared for and supported...
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ANOTHER TWO YEARS IN JAIL FOR DRIVER WHO KILLED CLAIRE
A DRIVER who caused the death of an adored mum has had his sentence extended for drug dealing. Ryan Scott ripped a family apart when his “unbelievable speed” caused the death of Claire Laybourne, 39. Newcastle Crown Court heard how the 28-year-old had...
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AMMONIA KILLERS LOSE BID FOR FREEDOM
TWO gang members who were jailed for life for the murder of a man who died after having ammonia thrown in his face have lost bids to appeal against their convictions and sentences. Youssef Wynne and Josh Hawthorn were sentenced in July 2024 for their...
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MUM DIES KNOWING SHE WAS ABLE TO HELP OTHERS
A MOTHER-OF-THREE who urged women to go for their smear test after being diagnosed with terminal cervical cancer has died. Danielle Gwyer, from Cramlington, Northumberland, was told she had around a year to live after being diagnosed with the disease...
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SAYERS ‘USED MACHETE TO ATTACK MAN WHO RAMMED HOME’
JOHN Henry Sayers allegedly used a machete to seriously injure an arsonist he caught setting fire to a car which had been deliberately rammed into his home, a court heard. Sayers was at home in Byker, Newcastle, with his children when their restaurant...
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LEGAL CLAIM OVER FLATS ‘DISASTER’
GATESHEAD Council is planning legal action following a “disaster” flood in a town centre high-rise block which left dozens of residents needing to be rehoused. The local authority has confirmed to The Chronicle that it is planning legal action to...
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‘HE LEFT US ON THE BRINK OF EXTINCTION’
NORTH East MPs have begun rallying behind Andy Burnham, with the former Greater Manchester mayor seemingly on course to become the UK’s next Prime Minister. The newly-elected MP for Makerfield confirmed yesterday morning that he would stand for the...
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BOYS AGED 14 AND 16 ON MURDER CHARGE
TWO boys and a man have been charged with the murder of a man who died following a stabbing in Newcastle. Police were called to Shields Road in Byker last Tuesday night following a knife attack. Gino Robb, 25, was taken to hospital with stab wounds,...
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VICTIM NAMED AS POLICE MURDER PROBE GOES ON
A MAN allegedly murdered in Byker has been named as Gino Robb by police. And officers have renewed an appeal for information and witnesses who may have seen an electric motorbike to come forward as their investigation continues. Shortly after 7.25pm...
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NO CAN DO
HUNDREDS of cannabis lollipops, counterfeit cigarettes, illegal vapes and unregulated Thai energy drinks were seized during a crackdown in the heart of Newcastle. Police and Newcastle City Council trading standards officers were spotted around the...
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MURDER PROBE
A MURDER investigation has been launched after a man in his 20s died following a suspected attack in Byker. Emergency services were called to Shields Road on Tuesday at around 7.30pm to reports of an assault. Police, paramedics and the air ambulance...
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FURY AT KILLER’S EARLY RELEASE CHANCE
THE mother of a Newcastle schoolboy who lost his life in a tragic explosion says she is “heartbroken”, after discovering that his killer could be released earlier into his prison sentence. Archie York died in 2024 when his family home in Benwell was...
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GRIEVING MUM: ‘I FEEL BETRAYED’
A GRIEVING mother whose daughter took her own life after being bullied says the Government’s decision to block social media for under 16s has not been thought through properly. Charley Ann Patterson hanged herself at her home in Cramlington,...
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BURGLAR HAD HIS CHANCE – AND HE BLEW IT
A serial burglar left a mum and her young son terrified less than two weeks after being given a chance by a judge. Repeat offender Kieron Hardy had been given a deferred sentence for attempted burglary, common assault and theft, with a judge giving him...
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King’s Birthday Honours shine light on great work
PREVIOUSLY unsung heroes as well as national celebrities are among those recognised in the King’s Birthday Honours. Leading the honours list in the North East are Helen Gordon, chief executive of Newcastle-based Grainger plc, who is made a dame, Chris...
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‘JESS MADE THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE AND WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN’
A YOUNG police officer seriously injured while attending a crash has died in hospital. Northumbria Police’s Chief Constable Vanessa Jardine has paid tribute to PC Jess Turnbull, who passed away yesterday, saying she made the “ultimate sacrifice” to...
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LURED VICTIM TO SEE ‘CUTE TEDDY’ UPSTAIRS
A FORMER Newcastle city councillor sexually assaulted a woman in his bedroom after luring her upstairs to look at a “cute teddy”. Thom Campion met the victim after spotting her on the Only Fans website and contacting her online, Newcastle Magistrates’...
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£37,000 RAID ON JEWELLERS
THE owner of a local jewellery business which was burgled over the weekend said she won’t let thieves win and is determined to “come back stronger”. Jewellery Queen, which is renowned on social media for its random acts of kindness videos, suffered a...
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THREE SENT TO JAIL FOR CRIME SPREE
PORSCHES, Mercedes and BMWs were among the £460,000 haul stolen by a gang of thieves. Homes across Newcastle, North Tyneside and Northumberland were targeted during a spate of offences spanning an eight-week period. Newcastle Crown Court heard many...
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‘WE FEEL LIKE CAGED ANIMALS’
A FAMILY is living in fear after armed police smashed down their front door in the middle of the night following a hoax call. The occupants were enjoying a caravan break away when their Ring doorbell alerted them to cops at their home in Benwell,...
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‘I COULDN’T NOT HELP’
A CRAMLINGTON man has been commended on his swift actions that helped save the life of a man whose heart stopped on a busy Newcastle street. Sam Collard was working in Shields Road in Byker, Newcastle, on Tuesday, as a removal porter at Quicksilver...
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Spud things come to those who wait!
A MUM and daughter had an early start and waited three hours for the opening of a viral jacket potato business. Cheryl Napier, 36, and her 10-year-old daughter Millie were the first in line for the official opening of Spud Bros Express in North...
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‘DISNEYLAND IN A DESERT’
‘vanity arena plan Deputy leader says she asked AI to analyse arena figures – and it said it would be better to leave a hole in the ground But North East’s Labour mayor hits back and blasts ‘absurd’ views end
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COULD EDIE HAVE SURVIVED TRAGEDY AT THE COAST?
THE family of a “deeply loved” Tyneside teenager who died after being swept out to sea fear her chances of survival were affected by “missed opportunities” with the emergency response, an inquest has heard. Edie Smart, 13, died on July 28 last year,...
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SON JUST CAN’T STOP HURTING HIS FAMILY
A DANGEROUS son who put turps in his mum’s wine and assaulted his gran and stepdad has been jailed for throwing boiling salted water over his dad. Daniel Gaunt, who has a history of attacking family members, left his father with burns to his neck and...
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‘HE’D HAVE LOVED IT’
A NATURE trail created in memory of the Newcastle schoolboy killed in a tragic explosion has officially opened, on what would have been his ninth birthday. Family and friends gathered on Friday afternoon to remember beloved Archie York at the Parish...
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£80,000 WORTH OF CARS AND BIKES TAKEN IN RAM RAID
A NEW business had four of their vehicles stolen when they were ramraided overnight. Seven Competitions had two high performance cars and two motorbikes, worth around £80,000, taken from their unit in Hebburn, South Tyneside, during the early hours of...
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Heatwave sparks return of Metro’s leaking problem
SOARING bank holiday temperatures sparked a repeat of problems on the Tyne and Wear Metro’s new fleet. Transport bosses are investigating again after the latest incidents of water leaking from the Metro trains’ air conditioning and ventilation system...
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‘WE AREN’T ALL SCUM’
AFTER seeing the worst side of the community she works in, Kamsha Sivakaran has now seen the best. The Chronicle reported last week how brave Kamsha Sivakaran locked two would-be thieves in her newsagents when they came in to steal from her. The...
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‘WE HAVE TO LIVE IN THE MOMENT’
A NORTH East dad has said that his family has to “live in the moment” after their little boy was diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer. Little Finley Robson, 2, was diagnosed with an Atypical Teratoid Rhabdoid Tumor (ATRT) last June. He had...
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‘HE WAS LIKE A TICKING TIME BOMB’
FOR years, the grieving sister of a woman viciously raped and murdered by Michael Wade warned against his release on parole – but he was allowed to walk the streets again anyway. Now, as Wade is sent back to jail after attacking his own daughter, Joan...
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WHY WAS HAMMER ATTACK THUG NOT IN JAIL?
EVIL hammer attacker Ross Clancy was freed from prison to strike again. The serial criminal was this week jailed for life after admitting launching a savage assault on a couple he did not know in their Newcastle home. Niamh Cunningham, 65, was left...
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RELEASED KILLER BACK BEHIND BARS
A MURDERER who was released from prison after serving 25 years for raping and killing a vulnerable woman is back in jail after attacking his own daughter. Michael Wade, who now also goes by the name George Wilden, was jailed for life for raping mum...
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THE DWP RUINED MY RETIREMENT
A MAN who was left living in his car has slammed the Government for ruining his retirement following a series of errors which included sending him letters saying he had died. Graham Longstaff had planned to spend his retirement in Portugal with his...
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‘SAVAGE AND BRUTAL’ HAMMER ATTACKER JAILED
A SAVAGE hammer attacker who left a woman with catastrophic lifechanging injuries by trying to murder her for money in her own home has been jailed for life. Ross Clancy repeatedly smashed 65-year-old stranger Niamh Michelle Cunningham in the head and...
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SAYERS SLASHED IN THE NECK IN JAIL
A MURDERER will spend a further four years behind bars after slashing the neck of a fellow inmate. John Henry Sayers required hospital treatment after being attacked by Donald Gaote-Oueyeya at HMP Frankland in April last year. Gaote-Oueyeya, 26, was...
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NOT FARE
PRICE increases to parking at Newcastle Airport have been described as an “unjustifiable charge” by taxi companies. The airport increased its parking prices on May 6, including the Express pick-up and drop-off charge, which has gone up from £5 to...
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FIRE EXPOSES DRUGS FARM ON CITY’S BUSIEST STREET
A CANNABIS farm has been discovered in Newcastle city centre following a blaze. Police and firefighters rushed to a fire at a property on Northumberland Street shortly before 9.10pm on Monday evening. The flames were on the first floor of a...
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NURSERY CLOSED OVER ASBESTOS FEARS
A SAMPLE of play sand used at a North Tyneside school is understood to have tested positive for asbestos contamination earlier this week. The sand was then removed as per national guidelines, and The Chronicle understands the school’s nursery was...
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PAEDOPHILE FAKED ILLNESS IN BID TO ESCAPE JUSTICE
A Northumberland paedophile fabricated a disability by feigning an inability to walk or speak in order to evade prosecution for his crimes. Leicester Crown Court was told how John Siddell, 41, attended Elvis Presley evenings at a social club and was...
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CHURCHES AGREE ‘SEX ABUSE’ PAYOUT
TWO churches in North Shields have agreed a £40,000 settlement with a man after allegations of sexual abuse were made towards a former priest. The Church of England organisations have settled the legal claim, which related to abuse the man said he...
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‘NO TIME TO LOSE’, STARMER MUST GO
DOZENS of Labour MPs have now called on Sir Keir Starmer to quit after a local election pummelling. The party lost control of councils including Newcastle, Sunderland, South Tyneside, and Gateshead, sparking fury among many MPs over the direction of...
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PC TELLS OF MACHETE ATTACK HORROR
A POLICE officer said he “could have died” in a machete attack while carrying out a duty he had “probably done thousands of times before”. PC Will Hunter was attacked at a petrol station in Gateshead as he tried to make a routine vehicle stop. The...
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LEADERS GONE AS LABOUR CRUSHED
LABOUR’S council leader in Newcastle has lost her seat as the party haemorrhages votes on Tyneside. Karen Kilgour failed to win election in the Blakelaw and Cowgate ward, where Reform UK secured victory and took all three available seats. She has...
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‘PITCH BLACK AND VERY DANGEROUS’
AN application has been lodged to demolish a former Gateshead High Street bar almost a year after the site was bought by the council. Permission is now being sought to demolish the former Curley’s bar – named after the boxer who was its original...
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MASKED ROBBER IN POLE ATTACK
A MASKED intruder attacked a man with a pole and stole cash and a Hugo Boss watch during a terrifying home invasion. Ryan Armstrong and another masked accomplice raided a home in Gateshead and left a man with a “gaping” head injury. Armstrong and his...
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MAN KILLED HIMSELF AFTER BENEFITS CUT TO £37 FOR MONTH
A NORTHUMBERLAND man died less than a week after telling DWP call-handlers he was going to kill himself following a reduction in his Universal Credit. Andrew Halliday, 41, had struggled with his mental health for many years, an inquest in...
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FOOTBALL COACHES GAVE ME EXTRA TIME
A NORTH Shields dad thanks a pair of heroic fellow football coaches for saving his life - and giving him the chance to see his children grow up. Simon Brown, 62, had a cardiac arrest in December 2017. He was coaching his son Ethan’s North Shields...
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SCARRED FOR LIFE AFTER ATTACK
A NIGHT out in Newcastle ended with an innocent man being scarred for life when a stranger smashed a bottle into his face. The victim was out in the city centre on the night of January 30 this year and left Filthy’s bar, in the Bigg Market, at around...
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‘IT IS NEVER ENDING’
ONE of the murderers jailed for the sadistic killing of disabled Lee Jobling is on the run. Mark Lang was one of two men convicted of murdering Lee, who was subjected to a brutal attack at his Gateshead home in 2006. Lang was locked up for life with...
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‘DANGER HOUSE’
THIS is the property which has been branded a “danger house” by residents in a Northumberland town. The back of the building in Blyth is piled so high with waste that it looks like it could collapse. The other side of the huge property has a number...
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STALKER URGED ATTACK ON POLICE OFFICER EX
A DANGEROUS and obsessed stalker discussed having his police officer expartner attacked with a gun, acid, hammer and knife in chilling messages. Former maths teacher David Wilkinson had already been given a suspended prison sentence for subjecting the...
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WOMAN RAIDED NURSERY BINS FOR DIRTY NAPPIES
A ‘ GROTESQUE obsession’ with soiled nappies has landed a defendant behind bars after they were caught rooting around bins in breach of a court order. Abbie Taylor, who was born male but identifies as female and was referred to in court using female...
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FORMER PUB BOSS JAILED FOR SEX ATTACK
A FORMER pub boss has been jailed for sexually assaulting a woman who ended up curled on the floor crying hysterically. David Prout, who ran a pub in Byker, Newcastle, at the time and also had a taxi licence, made unwanted advances to the victim and...
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BACK FROM THE BRINK
BACK from the brink of death, miracle crash survivor Davide-Daniel Tiblea has today thanked all those that saved his life. The schoolboy’s parents were told he was likely to die or be left permanently disabled after he suffered catastrophic head...
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Thief branded ‘a disgrace’ after using cash belonging to her grandad’s partner to treat herself THIEF STOLE FROM DEMENTIA SUFFERER
A SHAMEFUL thief who fleeced an 89-year-old Alzheimer’s sufferer out of thousands of pounds has been branded a disgrace. Amy Walker exploited the pensioner’s vulnerability for her own personal gain, plundering her account to pay for a holiday and...
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‘MONSTER’
A RAPIST who deliberately infected seven men with HIV with has been jailed for life. Adam Hall shattered the lives of his victims by deliberately passing on the virus and raping some of them. Hall was found guilty of seven counts of inflicting GBH...
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DINER HIT IN ‘RAM-RAID’
A TAKEAWAY left severely damaged after a car smashed into it has been targeted by ram-raiders before, locals have said. The front of New Eastend Diner, on Moulton Place in Blakelaw, Newcastle, was boarded-up after an incident early yesterday...
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HORROR 36-HOUR ATTACK ON MAN – BY HIS ‘FRIEND’
A TORTURE victim who was held captive for more than 36 hours thought he was going to die as he was repeatedly waterboarded, tied up, doused in paint stripper, attacked with a cheese grater and had a cigarette stubbed out on him during a horrific...
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