The Chronicle (South Tyneside and Durham)

In today’s Chronicle

Weather ...................................................... 8 Beauty ................................................. 19 Puzzles .............................................. 20&21 Family Notices ...................................... 24 Sport...

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...

MURDER PROBE

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...

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,...

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...

£4.

WORTH

‘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...

LURED VICTIM TO SEE ‘CUTE TEDDY’ UPSTAIRS

£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...

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...

‘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,...

‘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...

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...

‘DISNEYLAND IN A DESERT’

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

‘Opportunities missed’ to save tragic drowning victim Edie

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,...

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...

‘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...

£80,000 WORTH OF CARS AND BIKES TAKEN IN RAM RAID

P A G E 1 9

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‘WE AREN’T ALL SCUM’

‘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...

‘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...

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...

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...

Window of opportunity for everyone swotting

A CAFE owner in Jesmond has decided to use his front windows to help students who are cramming for their GCSES. People passing Willi’s on the corner of Clayton Road and Clayton Park Square, will notice the breakfast, lunch and coffee spot is now...

United buy up part of key street to gain stadium plan options

Terms and conditions apply

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...

NOT FARE

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...

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...

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...

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...

‘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...

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...

City leader loses seat as Labour vote collapses

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...

‘PITCH BLACK AND VERY DANGEROUS’

THE scene of a terrifying stranger rape has been in darkness for weeks because damage to a power cable causes all streetlights to go out. Northern Powergrid says lighting should have been restored on the Gateshead side of the Redheugh Bridge by last...

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...

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...

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...

SCARRED FOR LIFE AFTER ATTACK

THE new Bishop of Durham has been consecrated at York Minster ahead of his installation next month. The King approved the appointment of the Venerable Rick Simpson in February and he will be installed at a service in Durham Cathedral on June 7. Mr...

‘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...

‘DANGER HOUSE’

Calls for action on building piled so high with waste it looks like it could collapse

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...

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...

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...

BACK FROM THE BRINK

THIEF STOLE FROM DEMENTIA SUFFERER

‘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...

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...

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...

EIGHT HELD IN DUST-UP AT DAWN

EIGHT men have been arrested following reports of a disturbance in Newcastle city centre. Shortly after 6am yesterday Northumbria Police were called to Barrack Road, where it was reported that a group of men had been involved in an altercation. It...

DEMOLITION OF FLYOVER TO START TODAY

DEMOLITION of the Gateshead Flyover will finally start today. Contractors are going to begin tearing down the crumbling concrete highway, which has been closed since December 2024 because of safety fears. Frustration has built over the ongoing...

JUST TAKE THE TEST – I WISH I HAD

KNIFE THREAT ON MY OWN DRIVE

A CAR-OWNER was threatened with a knife in the street as he tried to stop masked thieves from driving off in his BMW. Tom Dixon says he was forced to stay up all night to protect his own car after the crooks helped themselves to his keys when they...

KICK-OFF IN £1M APPEAL

NEWCASTLE United legend Alan Shearer is kicking off a £1m fundraising drive to help create a second hydrotherapy pool at The Alan Shearer Centre in Newcastle. The Centre, in West Denton, has been supporting families from across the North East for...

WOMAN IS QUIZZED ON SUSPICION OF MURDER

A WOMAN held over an alleged altercation on a bridge that saw a man go into the River Tyne has been questioned on suspicion of murder. Searches yesterday continued under the Redheugh Bridge, which links Newcastle and Gateshead, following an incident...

FAMILY RESCUED AFTER HUGE BLAZE

A WALLSEND family were rescued from their first-floor flat which was engulfed by flames following a suspected arson attack. Northumbria Police officers are investigating after a huge fire broke out at a home in Battle Hill in the early hours of Monday...

MAN DIES AFTER SUSPECTED BURGLARY

A man has been pronounced dead following a “suspected burglary” in Newcastle city centre. A major emergency services response was sparked yesterday morning with police, firefighters and ambulance crews descending near to the Discovery...

TRIBUTES TO A GIANT OF CITY’S POLITICS

BLACKMAILER LEFT HER VICTIM WITH JUST 16P

A WOMAN was left terrified for her life and with just pennies to her name after being targeted by her “wicked” friend in a shocking campaign of blackmail. Jenna Thompson posed as a man and his son while sending menacing messages to a woman she was...

Designer to the stars’ dream to ‘return home’

AN interior designer from here in the North East, who has worked on projects with the likes of Boy George and the Beckhams, is now thriving with his own business. Since graduating from Northumbria University in 2010, Lee Mcnichol, from Whitley Bay,...

‘WE DON’T BLAME HIM’

THE grieving family of an elderly woman who tragically died following a collision involving a police officer did not want him to go to jail, a court heard. Motorcycle pillion passenger Muriel Pinkney sadly died days after being involved in a crash...

GUNS AND VIOLENCE OBSESSIVE JAILED

AN OBSESSIVE fan of guns and fantasy violence films used a 3D printer to manufacture viable parts for a lethal weapon. Paul Dunlavy made upper and lower receivers for a semi-automatic firearm at his home in Newcastle. A court heard he enjoyed making...

‘FOUR YEARS FOR TRYING TO SET PEOPLE ON FIRE?’

A MAN whose flat was damaged in a spate of arson attacks says the fouryear sentence handed to the arsonist is a “grave miscarriage of justice.” Three flats in Dean House, on Tumulus Avenue in Walker, and seven cars nearby were targeted on July 6 last...

A CHANCE TO SAVE YOUNG LIVES

DON’T miss this opportunity to save our kids from social media. That’s the desperate plea of a mum whose 12-year-old daughter took her own life after being bullied. Charley Ann Patterson hanged herself at her home in Cramlington, Northumberland, in...

‘I HOPE MY SON’S DEATH HAUNTS YOU’

Killer Ross Neville

‘I’m so lucky to do this as a job’

SAM Fender is to pick up an award for best live act at a ceremony honouring legendary musicians later this year. The North Shields lad, who has performed to a packed-out St James’ Park on multiple occasions, said he was “so lucky” after learning that...

Pilgrim Poles to light the way in the city centre

THE installation of huge lighting pillars along Newcastle’s main shopping street has begun. As the long-running refurbishment of Northumberland Street finally nears its end, work has now started on the erection of huge Pilgrim Poles designed to pay...

TWO SIPS AND I WAS IN SO MUCH PAIN