The Chronicle (South Tyneside and Durham)

‘If me talking about it helps just one person then it will have been worth it’

FORMER Newcastle United striker Andy Carroll says he was sexually assaulted ‘a few years ago’ in a traumatic attack. Speaking in his new autobiography, the 37-year-old says it’s scary to think about the incident and that he even debated revealing it...

Force’s sad farewell to police horse Pep

TRIBUTES have been paid to a much loved and well respected four-legged member of Team Northumbria Police. Police horse Pep has sadly passed away. Pep, who has helped protect the North East since she joined the force in 2023, has made a lasting...

LACK OF PLAN TO PREVENT VIOLENCE

A CORONER has heard how a mental health inpatient who killed another man in hospital had not received a written care plan and was not allocated a “key nurse” – among other procedural failings. Michael Matthews was violently attacked in his room on the...

‘Tax changes will destroy holiday lettings industry’

THE boss of a major UK holiday letting agency has warned Government plans could unleash a “tidal wave” of destruction on the industry. Richard Bond, the owner of Finest Retreats, said plans for a tourist tax and new rules around council tax could make...

Quayside vision unveiled

Business and Agenda Editor PLANS for an open-air performance area and public park on the Gateshead Quays have been unveiled. The £24m scheme aims to improve the area while authorities try to progress larger proposals for an arena on the site. The...

Speedy e-bike menace left woman with serious injuries

A TEENAGER riding an electric motorbike dangerously through Newcastle city centre left a woman crossing a road seriously injured. Shantho Rahman, who was 17 at the time and was uninsured and had only a provisional driving licence, had turned off the...

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Project draws on Metro fleet for its inspiration

THE original fleet of Tyne and Wear Metro trains are currently featuring in an art project in Newcastle city centre. The urban installation has seen the subway tunnel underneath the 55 Degrees North roundabout be converted into a 75 metre long...

THREE HELD AFTER ‘GUN FIRED IN STREET’

WATCHING on as police carried out fingertip searches on their usually quiet street, neighbours have told of their fears after a gun was allegedly fired outside their homes. Specialist search teams could be seen at work on Henshaw Place in Fenham,...

I THOUGHT I HAD FLU – BUT IT WAS LEUKAEMIA

A MAN who dismissed his loss of appetite and tiredness as the flu was diagnosed with leukaemia. Dan Wright, 33, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) last October. In the weeks prior, he had suffered from flu-like symptoms and assumed he...

Artist’s tribute to Toon legend Keegan

AN artist from Gateshead who was personally inspired by Kevin Keegan is creating a special tribute to the Newcastle United legend. Ronnie Pattison has picked up his paintbrushes to make the emotional artwork, with half of the proceeds going to The Sir...

PM joins record Great North Run field and jokes: ‘I can hardly give up halfway round, can I?’

ANDY Burnham made history on Sunday as the first serving Prime Minister to complete the Great North Run. In a huge surprise for crowds at the Newcastle start line yesterday morning, Mr Burnham arrived to run the world-famous half marathon for a fourth...

Dog of wor in the Lions’ den

NEWCASTLE United fans have their very own ‘football dog’ Arlo, who travels to every away game on a coach driven by his owner John Rush. Operating North East Coach Travel alongside his daughter Jenna, John is able to bring his five-year-old Pointador...

‘My son might be non-verbal, but his mam’s not’

A Newcastle mum led a march through the city centre as part of her push for more funding to support children with mental health difficulties or neurodiversity. Chantelle Connelly said she has herself experienced long waits for care when it comes to...

Little Isla taking on Junior GNR in support of charity

FIVE years ago brave little Isla Turnbull from Kenton underwent a first-of-its-kind-operation. In July 2021, doctors at Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary turned to a surgery normally only used on children with severe neurological issues nearing the...

‘I WANT THEM TO GO BOOM’

A BOMB hoaxer who told police he wanted to blow up illegal immigrants was found with a fake improvised explosive device in his kitchen cupboard. Sean Mccrystal had grown frustrated at watching TV news about people coming into the country while he was...

SAYERS SLASHED WITH TUNA TIN LID BY DOUBLE MURDERER

A DOUBLE murderer slashed John Henry Sayers with a makeshift blade while both men were locked up in a North East prison. Sayers was on remand at HMP Frankland when he was attacked by Hussain Bah last year. Bah, who is serving a life sentence for...

BIRTHDAY PRESENTS DESTROYED

A family from Wallsend have spoken of their devastation after a house fire destroyed a bedroom shared by the two youngest daughters, just weeks after one of their birthdays. The blaze broke out on Edge Way at around midday on Wednesday, when Rebecca...

TIPPING POINT

THREE illegal waste dumps across the North East are being investigated after almost 3,500 tonnes of rubbish was left. The Environment Agency is looking into the three sites at Callerton, in Newcastle, Peterlee, in County Durham, and Hartlepool, all of...

MY LITTLE GIRL COULD HAVE BEEN SAVED

THE Tyneside father of a toddler brutally murdered by her own mother and her new partner has condemned the missed chances to save his “little angel”. Two-year-old Isabelle Welsh died after enduring a ‘sadistic’ campaign of violence and abuse inflicted...

Singer Jamie launches her career with a little help from Sir Paul

FOR 21-year-old Jamie Beth music has been part of her life from the age of four but she is now launching her career after graduating from the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts and receiving song-writing advice from Sir Paul Mccartney. Now under...

Festival-goers forced to make a lightning exit

REVELLERS at a music festival were left frustrated after being evacuated from the site due to concerns over lightning. Those attending Party in the Park in Morpeth were told to leave the event on Sunday evening due to a thunderstorm. They were asked...

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Noughty

THE stars were out in force on Saturday and so were the eye-catching outfits as the rain held off for the return of Noughty 90s festival to Newcastle. And we were there to get some of the best dressed fans who got down early doors. Always a great...

A LIFE FILLED WITH LOVE

MOURNERS came together to say an emotional goodbye to a six-yearold girl who died following a battle with a rare form of cancer. Bonnie-leigh Angela Spence was diagnosed with terminal rhabdoid sarcoma cancer after a lump developed on her arm. The...

JUMPING FOR JOY

STUDENTS across the North East have been celebrating A-level success after receiving their results yesterday. Dame Allan’s School student Eddie Seery is among those celebrating an outstanding set of A-levels after securing a place at the University of...

USE YOUR HEADS

BIKE and scooter-related incidents in the North East have risen by a quarter this summer, ambulance service bosses have said. North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) officials have highlighted a 25.5% jump in calls to people injured when using bikes or...

WE JUST WANT TO HELP OTHER PARENTS

A TWO-YEAR-OLD boy lost his life following a battle with a rare bowel condition. Jaxx Carr, from Felling, Gateshead, was eight weeks old when he was diagnosed with Hirschsprung disease. He struggled to pass bowel movements following his birth and...

THANK YOU

A GOVERNMENT minister has thanked volunteers for their involvement in the nurdle clean-up. Thousands of residents have been cleaning up beaches from Northumberland down to Sunderland since the plastic pellets were spilled into the River Tyne after a...

DRUG-DRIVE DOCTOR FLED AFTER CRASH

A drug-driving GP left a pedestrian with a suspected broken pelvis after he crashed into him on a busy city centre street and fled the scene. Matthew Mccloskey was over the limit for the breakdown product of cocaine when he got behind the wheel of his...

JEWELLERS’ HOME WAS TARGETED AS THEY WORKED

RAIDERS ransacked the home of jewellery shop owners in a £50,000 heist. Mandeep Thiara (pictured) and another man travelled from Yorkshire to target the couple’s home in Darras Hall, Ponteland while they were at work in their shop. The victims...

THANK YOU FOR THE GIFT OF LIFE

A YOUNGSTER who has spent eight years waiting for a heart transplant has finally left hospital after he successfully received the donor heart he has needed for so long. Young Daithi Mac Gabhann is nine years old and has spent most of his life living...

RIVER SAVED FROM A FURTHER 58 TONNES

PORT of Tyne says that the global shipping industry must learn lessons from the spill in the Port of Tyne that has seen billions of tiny plastic pellets enter the river and the North Sea. The spill occurred within five seconds of a collision between...

‘I’M GUTTED – AND I WON’T STAY QUIET’

THE mum of blast victim Archie York has today vowed to fight to keep his killer behind bars. The seven-year-old died almost two years ago after a powerful explosion, caused by a dangerous drugs factory in the flat below, tore through his Newcastle...

OUR AARON WILL LIVE ON

TEENAGER Aaron Anderson asked his parents if his organs could be donated after his death just two weeks before he was killed in a tragic farm accident. The 14-year-old’s heartbroken dad has described his son as an “absolute hero” as he urged other...

THE DEATH THREAT I JUST COULD NOT ALLOW TO LIE

A Gateshead councillor left horrified by a death threat has demanded an end to a “culture war” marring politics. Liberal Democrat Dawn Welsh has spoken out after a threat sent to her and two fellow Low Fell councillors on social media in the aftermath...

Firefighters tackle huge blaze

FIREFIGHTERS were tackling a major blaze in Washington yesterday. Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service said five appliances and an aerial ladder platform were on the scene at a factory fire in Crowther Industrial Estate. They added: “We are...

Newcastle fans thank ‘outstanding’ Eddie Howe and say he deserves ‘the gratitude of the city’

Craig Toft “EDDIE Howe deserves the gratitude of the city, of Tyneside, and of the wider area.” That’s the verdict from one Newcastle United fan among many to tell The Chronicle how “gutted” they are to see the departure of the man who brought a first...

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BACK A WINNER

WE KNOW WE NEED TO PICK IT UP

ONE of the firms involved in the huge ship crash that caused an estimated billion plastic pellets to spill into the River Tyne has admitted that clean-up efforts have “not met community expectations”. Huge numbers of plastic ‘nurdles’ have been...

GANG SAW CRIME SPREE AS A BIT OF SPORT

A GANG of burglars got “perverse enjoyment” from targeting 24 homes and viewed their large-scale plot to steal cars as “sport”. Residents in Newcastle and North Tyneside were left living in fear after falling victim to the thieves, mostly while they...

OUR LUCKY ESCAPE

A NEWCASTLE family had a lucky escape after a bus flipped in a crash during a holiday to Turkey. Christopher Halford was left “shell-shocked” by the incident, which took place on his first family trip abroad with his wife and two young sons. When...

WHAT A RELIEF

A TEENAGER was in so much pain that he was looking into the prospect of having his foot amputated. But now, after becoming the first under-18 in the UK to have a pioneering spinal cord implant fitted, he is pain-free for the first time in years and...

‘WE MIGHT FINALLY BE HEARD’

‘YOU GAVE US BACK OUR PRIDE’

‘YOU gave us back our pride as Geordies’ is one of the many powerful messages among tributes left to club legend Kevin Keegan at St James’ Park following the announcement of his death. Keegan, who played for the club and managed it twice, died on...

KING KEV

Iconic former player and boss dies at 75, as United hail him as ‘the beating heart of the club’ for generations of fans

COUNCILLOR ‘SIMPLY IGNORED’ VICTIM TELLING HIM ‘NO’

A FORMER Newcastle city councillor who sexually assaulted a woman has been spared jail. Thom Campion subjected his victim to a “terrifying” ordeal at his house in March 2023, a court has heard. Newcastle Magistrates’ Court was told on Friday how the...

‘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...

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...

‘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...

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...

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 –...

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...

‘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...

‘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...

In 2024, the Government said that dualling the A1 in Northumberland was: ‘not good value for money’

THE Chronicle is stepping up a long-running campaign for dualling of the A1 that we have been running with our sister title The Journal for more than 30 years. Successive Governments have failed to upgrade the road in Northumberland, which is the only...

BOY DIED TRYING TO SAVE HIS PAL

A TEENAGER who died as he tried to save his friend’s life ‘gave the ultimate sacrifice selflessly,’ an inquest heard. David Ionut Radut, 14, had been swinging on a rope swing near the River Tyne in Ovingham, Northumberland, having travelled there with...

‘I’LL NEVER FORGET THAT PAGES NIGHT’

Newcastle’s Dan Burn makes history – his six clearances after entering pitch in 75th minute is World Cup record for sub Blyth-born defender is key to England’s win over Mexico and tells of his pride at playing for England at tournament

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...

Locals ‘shocked’ at plan to build on green space

NEIGHBOURS have been left outraged after plans emerged to build more than 200 homes next to the “only nice part” of a Newcastle suburb. Hundreds of residents in Newbiggin Hall have spoken out over new proposals to build on green land next to the Outer...

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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‘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...