Teesside Evening Gazette

105 YEARS

FOUR men and a teenage boy who murdered Jordan Hogg in a case of mistaken identity have been handed life sentences. Sidney Bashford, 29, Oliver Connelly, 28, Ryan Moore, 23, Michael Charville, 44, and Kaiden Mciver, 17, will serve a combined 105 years...

DON’T MISS A THING!

NO LABOUR CUTS HERE...

Inspirational 8-year-old’s 100 mile, 100 club challenge!

AN inspirational eight-year-old boy from Redcar has laced up his boots to start a mammoth fundraising challenge of running 100 miles around 100 different football grounds across the country. Bohdi Cartwright kicked off his “100 Miles, 100 Clubs”...

Twins, 20, earn rave reviews for Brit gastropub

CASEY and Cameron Lewis are hitting the mark with their gastropub business, which is attracting people from around the world. Since opening in July, The Brickyard in Brotton has proved a huge success, offering tasty meals, fine dining experiences,...

‘BETRAYAL’

POLITICAL leaders and unions have described reports that Chinese steel will be used for the Net Zero Teesside project as “a slap in the face” for UK industry. It is understood that steel will be imported from a manufacturer in China to create the...

TEACHER JAILED AFTER INTERVIEW HALTED

A former deputy headteacher has been jailed after admitting during an interview for a tutoring position that he was barred from teaching children. Richard Swinnerton’s interview was immediately halted.

Plans for spa and wellness centre agreed

(consisting of cast iron axle boxes installed in 2018, steel water tanks and solid steel wheels installed in 1979). PLANS have been approved to provide a new town centre spa and wellness centre. Proposals had been submitted to Hartlepool Development...

URGENT ACTION NEEDED ON KNIVES

LOVED ones of victims who lost their lives to knife crime have come together to make an urgent plea. Eden Hollis says her life was “ripped apart” when partner Lloyd Donkin died after being stabbed in Stockton in 2024. Eden joined other families of...

‘Let the light she brought live on’

THE heartbroken father of a little girl allegedly murdered in Thornaby paid tribute to his “beautiful” daughter as mourners gathered to remember her. After helping carry her tiny coffin into church yesterday, Josh Welsh spoke about his love for his...

Man extradited and charged with murder

FIVE people have been arrested on suspicion of murder after a man was found dead in Stockton. The 49-year-old man was found at an address on Egglescliffe Close in the Hardwick area on Saturday evening. A 19-year-old man, two 18-year-old men and two...

MAN TOOK £32,000 FROM OWN GRANDAD’S BANK ACCOUNT

A GRANDSON helped himself to thousands of pounds of his grandad’s money while he was in a care home. Jacob Hackett admitted taking £32,000 from his grandad’s bank account over several months. The 28-year-old had been trusted to use the card to buy...

WOMAN KILLED IN HOUSE FIRE

A PROBE has been launched after the body of an elderly woman was found following a blaze at a house in Guisborough on Monday. Emergency services attended the property in Sandwood Park after the fire was reported at about 7.45pm. Neighbours expressed...

‘AN ACHE THAT WILL NEVER GO AWAY’

THE heartbroken family of a young dad allegedly murdered following an incident on New Year’s Eve has paid tribute to him, saying the ache in their hearts will never go away. Aiden Matthews, 31, was taken to the University Hospital of North Tees, in...

A BADGE OF SHAME

MIDDLESBROUGH Council has issued nearly 3,000 fines to people abusing the Blue Badge scheme in the town over the course of six years. Figures show that 2,868 fines were issued by the council between 2019 and 2024 (inclusive) for misuse of disabled...

BLUE BECK PROBE

A BECK which turned an “unusual” shade of blue has caused controversy and confusion on social media. Pictures of Layland Beck were taken on New Year’s Day showing the icy blue-coloured water. The Environment Agency (EA) has confirmed that it has...

New Year, new plan

ONE of Middlesbrough’s most wellknown buildings could have a new lease of life after previous works stalled. Plans have been submitted to Middlesbrough Development Corporation (MDC) that could see Corporation Road’s Vancouver House put to new...

Centre of controversy

THE town centre stretch of Linthorpe Road in Middlesbrough has not often been discussed in positive terms in recent years. Major shops have been closing regularly, leaving more and more units empty on what used to be the town’s prestigious...

LET ABBIE MAKE SOME GREAT MEMORIES

FRIENDS of a young Teesside paramedic diagnosed with incurable cancer have raised thousands to help her live life to the fullest. They want to “give something back” to caring Abbie Tutchings, 31.

REALITY STAR FREED EARLY

EX Big Brother star Simone Reed has been released from prison weeks into a 32-month sentence imposed for her part in a horrific petrol bomb attack by her then-boyfriend.

CRACKING YEAR FOR BLITZ ON CRIME

‘Disrespectful’

CLEVELAND’S top police officer has rebuked Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen, saying his criticisms of the force as “broken” were “wrong and deeply disrespectful”. Victoria Fuller scolded the mayor for “unnecessary criticism” in a letter publicly shared...

Chris Rea 1951-2025

CHRIS Rea found fame in the late 1970s and 80s with huge hits such as Driving Home For Christmas, Fool (If You Think It’s Over) and Let’s Dance. Known for his gravelly voice and latterly for his slide guitar playing, he was nominated for a slew of top...

‘ABSOLUTE WARRIOR’

AN incredible Teesside woman has raised more than £8,000 for the hospital which has supported her gruelling battle with incurable cancer for more than six years. Abbi Hewitson, along with her family and friends, have raised the money for the...

JAMAL WAS LOVED BY SO MANY

HUNDREDS of heartfelt tributes have been pouring in for a popular restaurant-owner who has been cooking up incredible food for Teessiders for three decades. Jamal Chowdhury – owner of Jamal’s Indian restaurant in Middlesbrough – has died suddenly at...

JORDAN’S KILLERS

FOUR men and a 17-year-old boy have been found guilty of murdering Jordan Hogg. The 28-year-old rigger was stabbed and slashed across his neck during an attack in his own home. Following a lengthy trial, Oliver Connelly, Sidney Bashford, Michael...

‘YOU HAVE DECEIVED, YOU HAVE LIED’

A FORMER director turned fraudster from Stockton who made up fictional lorry drivers and billed fake HGV journeys to pay off his drug debt has been jailed. Matthew Eeles, also spelled Eales in court documents, was slapped with a suspended sentence...

‘PEEPING TOM’ SENT TO JAIL

“CLASSIC peeping Tom” Thomas Milton has been jailed after he filmed women and girls getting undressed with a secret spy camera and used an AI bot to create naked photos.

SCHOOL’S OUT

PLANS for a new college in Middlesbrough have been booted out, after being paused for over a year. The proposed free sixth form for 480 students, led by Eton College and Star Academies, was first announced in 2022, with the previous Conservative...

GRESHAM VISION ‘FINANCIALLY UNVIABLE’

A FLAGSHIP £200m regeneration project has been put on hold after being described as “financially unviable” at this time. The Gresham-based development, which was given the name Crown Square this spring, saw work on the proposed hotel, student...

PUBLIC INQUIRY INTO TEWV MENTAL HEALTH TRUST

A PUBLIC inquiry is to be launched into a scandal-hit mental health trust. The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Wes Streeting, announced an investigation will be conducted into the Tees, Esk and Wear Valley (TEWV) NHS Trust. The...

WOMAN HAD 30 DOGS INSIDE HER FILTHY HOME

THIRTY dogs were found living amongst faeces, rotten food and rat droppings in a Teesside home. Ginette Warne, who kept the animals in filthy and hazardous conditions in her mid-terrace Loftus property, has now been banned from keeping animals for five...

I won’t let this go’

A grieving mum has made an emotional appeal for help as she faces another Christmas without her much-loved daughter. Natalie Jenkins vanished on Tuesday, December 10, 2019, after last being seen on Park Road South in Middlesbrough. A body has never...

Residents rally for blaze-hit families

A CLOSE-KNIT community is rallying round to help householders who lost everything as flames ripped through a terraced street of houses. Firefighters battled a blaze in Brotton in the early hours of Sunday morning and occupiers of four homes lost...

Everybody who met Dennis loved him

TRIBUTES have been pouring in for former Gazette street seller and Redcar ‘legend’ Dennis Jenkins, who has died suddenly at the age of 66. Dennis was a popular character in the town and earned the name ‘Disco Dennis’ for his love of dancing in the 70s...

14 YEARS FOR COP’S SHOCKING SEXUAL ABUSE OF SCHOOLGIRL HE BOUGHT THE ‘VULNERABLE’ YOUNGSTER SEX TOYS AND USED HANDCUFFS AND BLINDFOLD DURING SORDID ACTS

A CLEVELAND Police officer who sexually abused a “vulnerable” schoolgirl has been locked up for 14 years. Nathan Henderson asked the girl to play the role of a “seven-year-old child” during the sexual abuse, Teesside Crown Court heard. The...

TEENAGER HUNTED DOWN AND STABBED

TWO attempted murderers hunted down and left a teenager fighting for his life in the street. Tyler Bradley, Wayne Boyd, Leon Keenan and Kaya Azhar chased a 17-year-old boy before stabbing him up to 16 times with a machete in Hemlington. They all...

TRAGIC LUKE ATTACKER DEPORTED AGAIN

A DRUG dealer previously jailed for a ‘pepper spray’ attack on Luke Jobson has been deported again. Edwin Taha was jailed for 21 months for the affray and a further four years and four months after he admitted a string of drug offences. Taha was...

SWIMMING POOL CASINO PLAN FOR TEESSIDE PARK

A FORMER casino could soon be getting a new lease of life. Planning permission is being sought to turn a section of Teesside Park’s Rainbow Casino, which closed in 2016, into a swimming pool. The proposal comes alongside ambitions to enable local...

BP DITCHES HYDROGEN PLANT PLANS

ENERGY giant BP has pulled out of plans for a hydrogen development at the Teesworks site, potentially clearing the way for a data centre to be built there instead. Part of the site near Redcar had been the subject of a tug-ofwar with competing...

KILLER STAYS IN JAIL – FOR NOW

Town sparkles for the festive season

THE countdown to Christmas is officially under way in Stockton after hundreds turned out to join the festive fun. An ever popular winter event, the Stockton Sparkles celebrations got going with the Christmas lights switch-on in the town centre on...

Families set to feel the benefit

MIDDLESBROUGH’S politicians have shared their thoughts on one of the most talked about announcements from the Budget. Chancellor Rachel Reeves confirmed the removal of the two-child benefit limit from April next year. Locally, the policy change has...

‘Our hearts are broken’

THE grieving family of a 23-yearold man allegedly murdered in Hartlepool have said they “can’t believe he is no longer here”. Mohammed Shaan Ali Rasul, who was known as Shaan, died inside a house on Allerton Close, in the Dyke House area of the...

Murder probe

A MURDER investigation has been launched after a man was found dead inside a house in Hartlepool. Police officers and paramedics were called to Allerton Close, in the Dyke House area of the town, shortly before 11am on Sunday. Cleveland Police have...

CANCER SHOCK AFTER LEG BREAK

A TEESSIDE woman discovered she had cancer after breaking her leg on a date. Amy Newton fractured her right femur in two places while on a date indoor climbing in January last year. What she thought was a painful accident turned out to be the start...

RAPIST JAILED FOR 11 YEARS

A FORMER soap extra actor has been jailed for raping two women in separate incidents which happened years apart from each other. Rizwan Khan – known as ‘Riz’ – was also sentenced for causing unnecessary suffering to a child – when he slapped a child;...

HOUCHEN REFUSES TO BACK BENEFIT CAP CALL

NORTHERN mayors have called on Rachel Reeves to abolish the two-child benefit cap. But Tees Valley’s Ben Houchen did not join his fellow regional leaders in signing their joint letter to the Chancellor.

‘Monster’ jailed for 18 years

A MIDDLESBROUGH man who subjected children to horrific sexual abuse, has been handed an extended prison sentence. Connor Wright, 31, was caught after police raided his home and uncovered videos that Wright had filmed of himself sexually abusing...

Hitting the pause button

CANCER CLAIMS LIFE OF PHOEBE, 7

MIDDLESBROUGH has the greatest proportion of highly deprived neighbourhoods out of all local authorities in England. In a 2025 measure, 50% of Middlesbrough’s neighbourhoods have been recorded as highly deprived, meaning it takes the unwanted top...

A big step forward

THE first steps for plans for thousands of new homes in Middlehaven have been outlined in a new report. Middlesbrough Mayor Chris Cooke and his Executive will next week be asked to back plans for the council to partner with “social impact developer”...

‘It’s a miracle no one died’

Future looks bright for Paige

A COURAGEOUS Teesside youngster is standing on her own two feet for the first time as she battles a rare genetic disorder. Brave Paige Headland was born with severe medical issues, including decreased muscle tone, spasticity causing stiff muscles and...

FIRM FINED AFTER WORKER’S DEATH

A HAULAGE firm has been fined £250,000 over the death of a worker who was killed by a falling metal frame in a shipping container. Yard hand Gary Lee James, 30, who did warehouse and forklift truck driving work at Ward Brothers (Malton) Ltd’s depot on...

ARCHIE AND FRANKIE WERE OUR ANGELS

JAILED FOR 15 YEARS

A WOMAN fought for her life after her partner of 30 years emerged from the bathroom and told her she needed to die before stabbing her in the chest. Clint Thompson stabbed, strangled and tried to suffocate his now former partner with a pillow – and...

COUPLE CAUGHT UP IN 185 MPH STORM NIGHTMARE

A BILLINGHAM couple’s trip to Jamaica turned into a nightmare when Storm Melissa hit. Darren Reed, 46, and Jackie Scotchbrooke, 52, ended up trapped in their accommodation for 36 hours, leaning their mattress against the glass patio doors and watching...

Bella’s freedom hopes dashed

TEESSIDE “drug mule” Bella Culley has been told she will receive a twoyear prison sentence after accepting a plea agreement with Georgian prosecutors. The 19-year-old, who is 25 weeks pregnant, will be formally sentenced next week for allegedly...

Stroke of luck

A TEESSIDE NHS worker is urging people to be aware of a condition that can cause severe brain damage if not treated within four and a half hours – after her dad was on the cusp of losing his life. Claire Lambert, who works as a clerical officer at...

A BRIDGE TO THE FUTURE

HUNDREDS of jobs will be created as part of plans to build the UK’S first large-scale plastic-film recycling facility in Darlington. Endolys Ltd has pledged to invest up to £120 million in the region after taking over the former Cleveland Bridge...

Hotel rapist to be caged

A SICK rapist paid another man to have sex with a woman in a hotel room before sexually assaulting her. A bench warrant has been issued for the arrest of David Morrison, who failed to attend court yesterday, to learn his fate. Upon his eventual...

RAM JAM

A DRIVER repeatedly rammed a Mini Cooper driver in an ordeal which left his victim too afraid to pick his own grandchild up from school. Driving a black Land Rover, Steven Lidster continuously followed, bumped and damaged the Mini on roads around...

‘You don’t own these streets’

A SENIOR police chief has warned criminals in a Teesside area that it will be made hostile for them and safer for the public following a night of violence. Ten arrests have been made since trouble erupted in Grangetown seven days ago, with one person...

DRUG MULE GRAN TO BE RELEASED

A TEESSIDE grandmother is set to return to the UK after spending 12 years on death row in Indonesia. Under an agreement signed by the Indonesian government, Lindsay Sandiford will be repatriated alongside fellow Brit Shahab Shahabadi. An Indonesian...

BOY HURT AT PUMPKIN PICK FARM

A ‘LITTLE boy’ suffered a head injury in an incident involving a fairground ride at a popular North Yorkshire pumpkin picking spot. The incident happened at Spilman’s Farm, in Thirsk, on Friday around 7.20pm. Paramedics from the Yorkshire Ambulance...

Father stabbed son then killed himself

A DOUBLE inquest heard how a Teesside dad stabbed his son to death and then killed himself with the same knife in a ‘Japanese Yakuza-style’ fit of remorse. The hearing into the deaths of Peter Cooke senior and Peter Cooke junior was told that on a...

MAYHEM

A NIGHT of chaos erupted in Grangetown with a series of violent incidents. Residents told of the “scary” scenes on Richmond Court and Sandringham Road following a shooting, an arson attack and a home being “driven into” on Thursday night. Police...

MURDER PROBE

A 27-YEAR-OLD man allegedly murdered in Stockton has been named as Macaulay Branighan. Yesterday, Cleveland Police confirmed he had died in hospital on Wednesday, days after an alleged stab attack on Westerton Green. The Stockton man was taken to...

MAN TRIED TO CHECK INTO HOTEL WITH UNDERAGE GIRLS

A MAN who abducted two teenage girls and tried to book a hotel room for the three of them on Teesside has been jailed. Amin Samater was arrested after suspicious hotel staff called police when he “persistently” tried to book a room with the underage...

STOP AND LISTEN

COUNCIL leaders have agreed to pause work on Yarm High Street to consult more with residents and businesses following a petition and calls to halt the work by political opponents. Work on the proposed regeneration scheme was due to start on October 20...

RAPIST JAILED FOR 32 YEARS

A 63-YEAR-OLD rapist who was convicted of 26 horrific crimes against different women has been locked up for 32 years. Even when he is released, Edwin Youll will be on licence until he is 95. One victim worked as a prostitute – Youll controlled her and...

‘We would not be written off’

TEN years ago Teesside was living through some of the darkest days in its industrial history. In 2011, SSI UK – the British arm of the Thai company SSI – took over the mothballed Teesside Cast Products plant in Redcar from Corus, rescuing it from...

TRANS WOMAN JAILED FOR SEX ASSAULT

A TRANS woman who was found guilty of sexual assault after deceiving a man has been locked up. Ciara Watkin, from Thornaby, has been locked up for 21 months by a judge at Durham Crown Court. Watkin was found guilty of three counts of sexual assault...

PETROL BOMB TRIO JAILED

AN arsonist, his girlfriend and his brother have been jailed after an innocent man was left with third-degree burns to his neck, back and face after a petrol bomb attack at a Redcar bar.

TRIBUTES TO ‘TRUE LEGEND’

GRAHAM Harker, known to followers online as Graham Vegas, has been described as a “true legend” as thousands of tributes and heartfelt comments were posted online. The 67-year-old, from Stockton, was diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer in July and,...