The Chronicle (South Tyneside and Durham)

BANNED BIKE MENACE JAILED FOR ‘OUTRAGEOUS’ 100MPH CHASE

MOTORBIKE menace Peter Smith has been jailed after speeding along footpaths, tearing over football pitches and racing down a road at more than 100mph. With police in hot pursuit, and already banned from the roads, Smith put lives in danger. Newcastle...

TEEN HAD KNIFE HELD TO THROAT BY PAIR OF KIDNAPPERS

A TEENAGE girl had a knife held to her throat and was dragged into an alley by kidnappers in a case of mistaken identity. The 18-year-old was walking to a shop for a snack with her headphones on when she suddenly became embroiled in a feud between...

MOBILE DELIVERY

A WOMAN from Northumberland who gave birth to her son in a moving car is “still in disbelief”. Michele Hall, from Alnwick, delivered the baby on the A19 while she was being driven from her home to Cramlington Hospital by her partner Lee Mawer, 38. On...

Woman broke back leaping from window to flee violent partner

A WOMAN was so terrified of the “black sheep” of an organised crime group family she leapt out of a first floor window and broke her back and ankle. A court heard Colin Ferry has sought to distance himself from the “family business” of underworld...

UNITED SHOULD STAY IN HEART OF THE CITY

NEWCASTLE’S council leader has reiterated her hopes of a “worldclass stadium at the heart of the city centre”, amid ongoing uncertainty over the future of St James’ Park. Fans of Newcastle United have been waiting to hear whether the club plans to...

WE CAN HOST THE OLYMPICS

NORTHERN leaders led by North East mayor Kim Mcguinness want the North to host the Olympics. A group of 12 mayors and council leaders - from all four main political parties - have written to the Government setting out how the Olympics could be staged...

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LISA’S LEGACY WILL LIVE ON

‘I HAD GIVEN UP ON BEING HAPPY’

A BLYTH mum who survived cancer as a teenager said that before having her daughter she had “given up hope of ever feeling truly happy”. But for Leah Cullen, 25, the birth of little Aria a year ago has transformed her life. Leah had cancer in her...

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‘SHE’S THE LIGHT OF OUR LIVES’

THE parents of a little girl with stage four cancer who “smiles her way through everything” say that they want to make the most of their remaining time with her. Bonnie Spence, six, has been diagnosed with terminal rhabdoid sarcoma cancer, an...

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100,000 FANS EXPECTED IN CITY ON EURO 2028 MATCH DAYS

MASSIVE football fan zones in Newcastle city centre and Exhibition Park are being drawn up for Euro 2028. St James’ Park is due to host five matches at the tournament and city officials have revealed new details of how Tyneside will be transformed for...

‘I COULD HAVE DIED THAT DAY’

A NORTHUMBRIA Police officer was injured in a vicious machete attack, with the man responsible jailed for four years. On August 10, 2024, Roads policing constable Will Hunter was assaulted when he stopped a car at a petrol station in Leam Lane,...

‘WE’LL NEVER FORGIVE HIM FOR WHAT HE PUT US THROUGH’

ROBBED of his dad before he was even born, a teenager is coming to terms with the fact that the killer who changed his life forever is now walking free. Paul Gilbert had been excitedly looking forward to the birth of his first child when he was knifed...

Time for United to throw off those shackles?

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CANCER WAS GONE BEFORE I KNEW I HAD IT

A WOMAN has urged others to attend cervical screening appointments – revealing that attending her own appointments meant heartbreak had been avoided. Diana Smith, 41, said that by the time she found out she had cancer it had already been...

10 YEARS – BUT IT STILL FEELS LIKE YESTERDAY

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‘THE BEST LITTLE BROTHER IN THE WORLD’

A 14-YEAR-OLD lad with a ‘heart for bigger than his years’ has been laid to rest. Aaron Anderson died in hospital on Boxing Day, five days after he was seriously injured when a farm vehicle overturned. A convoy of around 60 trucks accompanied...

‘HEINOUS’ PAIR ATTACKED MAN, 85, IN HIS HOME

HEINOUS attackers left an 85-yearold man lying on the floor injured after tricking their way into his home before punching him and stealing his wallet. The elderly victim had just enjoyed watching Newcastle United’s Carabao Cup win parade on TV when...

22 HELD IN BIG DRUGS CRACKDOWN

SUSPECTED firestarters have been quizzed over a blaze at a Tyneside home. No one was injured in the fire, which broke out at the first floor flat, in Ryton, Gateshead, on Friday night, but police have arrested two men on suspicion of arson with intent...

UP, UP ...BUT SET TO GO UP

THERE’S MORE WORK TO DO

THE mother of murdered teenager Holly Newton has praised ongoing work in Northumberland to tackle dangerous relationships between teenagers, but warned the Government needs to take further action. The county’s safeguarding partnership is running a...

‘HE WAS JUST THERE WITH HIS FRIEND PLAYING’

TRAGIC teenager Aaron Anderson died after building a treehouse with his friend. The 14-year-old passed away in hospital on Boxing Day, four days after he was seriously injured on the County Durham farm where his pal lived. Aaron’s heartbroken family...

NO END YET TO ICY BLAST

FREEZING conditions are expected to remain for the rest of the week across the North East after fresh falls of snow caused school closures and transport problems yesterday. There was a further fall of snow on Sunday night following significant falls...

HAPPY LANDING

A £24m deal to build a new landing that will safeguard the future of the Shields Ferry has been signed. Transport bosses have awarded a contract to design and construct a new ferry landing at the North Shields Fish Quay, after years of frustration and...

FOUR GO TO HOSPITAL AFTER HOUSE BLAZE

FOUR people were taken to hospital after a devastating house fire broke out in Consett. The blaze tore through the roof of the property on Richardson Way in the Berry Edge Estate yesterday morning. Emergency services including Durham and Darlington...

BRIDGE WORK ON TRACK...

NEW YEAR, NEW HOPE

ALMOST six years since a swimming pool in Newcastle closed its doors for the last time, it is now hoped that construction of its longawaited replacement is just weeks away. The old Outer West Pool, in West Denton, shut at the outset of the Covid-19...

‘A CHEEKY CHAPPIE WHO NEVER STOPPED SMILING’

A “CHEEKY chappie who was always smiling” has tragically died just days after a tractor crash at a County Durham farm. Fourteen-year-old Aaron Anderson from Consett suffered lifethreatening injuries when a John Deere Gator overturned at a farm off the...

THANK YOU, MRS POPPY

AN inspirational 86-year-old woman, who has been dubbed ‘Mrs Poppy’ for her selfless fundraising efforts, was “proud” to find out she has received an MBE. Vera Parnaby, who has been involved with the Royal British Legion for eight decades, has been...

THEY WERE USING MY SON’S DEATH JUST FOR VIEWS

CRUEL Tik Tokers heaped yet more agony on the family of murdered Bradley Tams by posting videos about his death. It has now been two years since the young dad was stabbed to death in Newcastle in a crime that left his large family with a lifetime of...

‘WHY DIDN’T THEY CHARGE HIM?’

A JUDGE has blasted police after a drug dealer kept on peddling narcotics while officers took more than four years to charge him. Steven Smith was caught in April 2021 with a car full of cannabis deals, incriminating messages on his phone and weapons....

Howe stands firm behind his players

EDDIE Howe has warned his Newcastle players their recent dominance over Manchester United will count for nothing at Old Trafford on Boxing Day. The Magpies head over the Pennines having won five of their last six games in all competitions against...

A NEED FOR LESS SPEED

Local democracy reporter NEW traffic-slowing measures are set to be installed on a Newcastle street where a 10-year-old girl was tragically killed in a hit-and-run. Newcastle City Council has announced plans to install new restrictions in an effort...

FUTURE PROOFING

NEWCASTLE’S biggest music venue is set to be extended and upgraded as part of plans to invest £65m into creating “an arena fit for the future”. The Utilita Arena in Newcastle has played host to thousands of world famous bands, solo performers and...

VOTE OF CONFIDENCE

A COUNCIL boss has claimed there is now a “healthy” culture at an authority that has faced allegations of bullying and toxicity. Newcastle City Council chief executive Pam Smith told a watchdog committee this week that the Civic Centre has a “very...

POWER CUT

PLANS to build hundreds of new homes on the former site of a Tyneside power station have been dropped. Homes England has withdrawn proposals for a 900-home estate next to the Newburn Riverside Business Park, in the west of the city. The vacant plot...

SCHOOL TRAGEDY

THERE has been a wave of support for the family of a school pupil who died following a “medical emergency” at a school in South Tyneside. A student at St Wilfrid’s RC College in South Shields passed away following the incident at the school yesterday...

WANTED

THESE 12 suspects are wanted by police during the lead up to Christmas. Northumbria Police say they want to see all 12 people in the cells before Santa Claus arrives on December 25. One suspect is wanted on recall to prison while the others are wanted...

LATE-NIGHT LOCK-OUT IF YOU TRY TO DRINK AND RIDE

BREATHALYSERS and cognitive tests are being deployed by Newcastle's e-scooter operator this Christmas because of its “party city” reputation. E-scooter firm Neuron has announced that riders now have to pass an app-based reaction test before hiring one...

ROBBER PUT WIRE AROUND NECK OF 76-YEAR-OLD

BRING IT ON!

A £30 million centre for pioneering cancer research and treatment will be built at Newcastle’s Freeman Hospital. City leaders have approved plans for the new Sir Bobby Robson Institute, which it is hoped will become a world-leading facility for...

WHY DID WE BUILD IT IN THE FIRST PLACE?

GATESHEAD’S doomed flyover has been commemorated in cake form, as council bosses have been urged to crack on with its promised demolition after 12 months of closure. Liberal Democrat opposition councillors unveiled a sponge substitute for the...

‘I MISS THE LOVE OF MY LIFE’

AFTER Barry Dawson was shot dead through his front window in broad daylight, police faced an urgent race against time to get his armed and dangerous killers off the street. And now, after murderers Sean Reay, Kelvin Lawson and Thomas Sterling were...

THIEVES STEAL CHARITY CASH

A SMALL charity that relies on donations is appealing to the North East public to help fill a heartbreaking fundraising gap caused following the theft of collection buckets from a Tyneside bus depot. The boxes are used each year on Stagecoach’s buses...

FAMILY SEEK INQUIRY INTO POISON DEATH OF DAUGHTER

THE family of a Northumberland 22-year-old who died after she ingested poison bought online have questioned why there is no police investigation ongoing into the supplier. Grace Nevens, from Morpeth, died at Cramlington Hospital in November 2024,...

CLAIRE WAS A BEAUTIFUL SOUL, OUR HEARTS ARE BROKEN

THE family of a woman killed on the A19 at Holystone last Friday have paid tribute to a “beautiful soul” who they will miss “beyond words”. Claire Laybourne died on Saturday, hours after being involved in a collision on the A19 at...

ROBBER TRIED TO STAB CHARITY SHOP BOSS

‘SHE MADE YOU SMILE ON THE HARDEST DAYS’

A “DEEPLY-LOVED” North Tyneside mum has died after living with cancer for nine years. Family and friends have paid tribute to the legacy that Sarah Harrison, 44, will leave and they hope to continue her work with the charity Sarah’s Star. Sarah was...

FIVE JAILED OVER ARSON ATTACK

FIVE men have been jailed for a total of 25 years after a car was reversed into John Henry Sayers’ property and set on fire. The arsonists had already torched a car belonging to Sayers two days earlier when they went back to “finish the...

JILTED MAN SET FIRE TO HOME OF EX

A JILTED man carried out a revenge arson attack at the home of his former girlfriend after she ended their week-long relationship. Daniel Lumsden flew off the handle after finding out the victim had spent an evening with her former partner. Newcastle...

SHOPLIFTERS CAUGHT ON CCTV GO STRAIGHT TO COURT

A DEDICATED Northumbria Police operation has been launched to tackle Newcastle city centre shoplifting - with 60 convictions secured to date. Operation Canvas has been created as a way for businesses to make a direct report with CCTV evidence to the...

IT’S TWICE AS BAD AS WE THOUGHT

THE number of repairs needed to restore the Tyne Bridge to its former glory has more than doubled, engineers have discovered. Teams working to fully refurbish the North East landmark in time for its 100th anniversary in 2028 say that they have...

MARKET RETHINK DEMAND

A GROUP of city centre traders have demanded a “rethink” of Newcastle’s Christmas Markets, after accusations that they are hurting neighbouring businesses. The NE1 Hospitality Group, an alliance of food, drink and leisure venues, has claimed the...

VETERANS’ KITCHEN RANSACKED

CASH and produce has been stolen from a North Tyneside veterans’ kitchen after intruders “ransacked” the charity. Anxious Minds community kitchen has had to close following a break-in overnight that left the building damaged and flooded. Around £150...

‘EXCESSIVE TACTICS’

NEWCASTLE United have confirmed they will be raising concerns with Uefa, Olympique de Marseille and French police in relation to the ‘unacceptable treatment’ of the club’s supporters by French police at this week’s game at the Stade...

Victim attacked with ‘a big plank of wood’

A VIOLENT home invader left a woman with an open fracture to her arm by repeatedly hitting her with a plank of wood. The victim was at home with her partner when Connor Searle and two unknown men forced entry in the West End of Newcastle. It was at...

‘HE WAS LIKE A SECOND DAD OR UNCLE’

CHILDREN at a grassroots football club have been left heartbroken following the death of its co-founder. Kelly Scott, 52, set up Newcastle East End FC in Walkergate, Newcastle, with his dad Charlie, 76, in 1995. The pair began 30 years ago with two...

EXTEND THE FREEZE

A FREEZE on rail fares for the first time in 30 years should be extended to the Tyne and Wear Metro, the North East mayor has urged. The Government announced over the weekend that rail ticket prices will be frozen in Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ Budget...

EIGHT HELD AS ‘ATTACK’ PROBED

EIGHT people have been arrested in connection with an attempted murder investigation in Newcastle as a woman fights for her life in hospital. Emergency services were called to reports of concern for a woman and a man at an address on Durham Street in...

NEW TYNE CROSSING PLANNED

A NEW bridge could be built across the River Tyne as part of a huge regeneration project to transform one of the North East’s most prominent patches of derelict land. Eye-catching images have revealed the vision for Newcastle’s Forth Yards riverside...

METRO FARE RISE THREAT

METRO fare hikes could be needed to plug a £5million deficit, a transport boss has hinted. Councillors have been warned the Tyne and Wear Metro is facing a multi-million pound shortfall that means its services will become “unsustainable” without...

ORGANISED CRIME GANG TRIO JAILED

THERE were 1,658 kittiwake nests along the River Tyne this year – down by 18.3% on the 2022 figure of 2,030, This is mainly due to the ongoing works on the Tyne Bridge and to a lesser extent a possible follow-on from summer 2023, when many birds died...

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‘I WANT TO BE ABLE TO GO HOME AND BE SAFE’

A LITTLE girl was left screaming in fear and agony when yobs hurled a firework at her pushchair as her family made their way to a Bonfire Night display. Three-year-old Nevaeh Porterbaggott was lucky to escape serious injury in the senseless attack,...

GIVE LIFE SUPPORT

THE boss at one of Newcastle’s leading attractions has urged the Government to “level the playing field” and offer a vital funding boost. Linda Conlon, long-standing chief executive at the Centre for Life, spoke to The Chronicle about a new campaign...

BOARDROOM SHAKE-UP

NEWCASTLE United have confirmed the exit of commercial chief Peter Silverstone after three years in the boardroom at St James’ Park. The arrival of CEO David Hopkinson has led to a 100-day review at the club but Silverstone has opted to leave for...

BOAT HEROES SAVE MAN’S LIFE

TWO hero boat workers helped save the life of a man who fell from the High Level Bridge into the River Tyne. Tony Scott and Steven Tait work for the firm Sentry Boats, and their job is to ensure the safety of those working on the Tyne Bridge...