The Chronicle (South Tyneside and Durham)

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

BREAK POINT?

NEWCASTLE United fans were left in despair after yesterday’s derby day defeat to Sunderland at St James’ Park. The Black Cats won the lunchtime game 2-1, completing the double over their rivals amid a tense and rowdy atmosphere. Despite reports of...

GOING, GOING... but won’t be gone until October

ANTI-SOCIAL AGGRAVATION

ANTI-SOCIAL behaviour on a North Tyneside estate is so bad that some people don’t feel safe going out at night, as buses have been bombarded with stones and other items. The 307 bus service was withdrawn from the Meadow Well Estate after 6pm on...

Bid to bring historic flag ‘home where it belongs’

THE director of North East Museums says that a Union Flag flown at the Battle of Trafalgar would become a “star exhibit” at the Discovery Museum. Should the organisation’s acquisition of the flag be successful, it would be on display to “hundreds of...

HOWE ABOUT THAT!

EDDIE Howe paid tribute to the “special” Geordie public as the Newcastle United boss accepted the city’s highest civic honour. 12 months on from the club’s historic Carabao Cup final triumph, the NUFC manager has now been presented with the Freedom of...

FORGOTTEN WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO BE WELL

‘I DON’T THINK I’LL EVER GET OVER IT’

A VULNERABLE elderly woman and her dementia-suffering husband were left terrified after marauding armed raiders smashed their way into their home and threatened to behead her and their dog. The couple were in bed in their Newcastle home when Craig...

SHATTERED

FOUR suspects have been questioned after police disrupted 10 potentially lethal cannabis ‘shatter’ labs in the North East. Archie York, seven, died when a dangerous drugs factory set up in the flat below his Newcastle home sparked a huge...

‘YOU WERE AN ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN’

A DRUGGED-UP and “crazy dangerous” driver who killed his young nephew and brother in a horror smash was an “accident waiting to happen”, a bereaved mum told a court. Michael Webb was twice the limit for cocaine and doing almost double the speed limit...

‘WE WERE TOLD SHE WAS MINUTES FROM DEATH’

A SWALWELL mum has spoken of her horror after her little girl was sent home from A&E and told she had a “stomach bug” – when she had a rare infection. Little Haisleigh Finlay, now two years old, was, by the time she was rushed back to hospital later,...

OUR LITTLE BRAVE HEART

A THREE year-old boy is now thriving after battling back from three open heart operations. Sam and Gordon Thompson from South Shields found out at their 20-week scan that their son Bobby had a hole in the heart. Following his birth, medics discovered...

MAYOR’S CASH BOOSTER

THE North East mayor has unveiled a cash injection aimed at salvaging two of the region’s most prominent stalled developments. Plans to build a world-class arena on the Gateshead Quayside and a new film and TV studios on the banks of the River Wear in...

RAPISTS JAILED FOR HORROR ATTACK

TWO friends who raped a young woman at the same time in a “dehumanising” attack have been locked up for a total of 22 years. Taylor Dove and Vieri Chapman violated the woman in a “vile” attack after she rebuffed suggestions of a threesome. After...

WE’VE HAD 80 TRIPS TO DISNEY WORLD!

A ROLLER COASTER mad grandad and his wife have forked out more than £325K on holidays to Disney World which they visit up to four times a year. Retired train driver Phil Taylor, 65, and former bank clerk Melanie, 63, first went to the theme park 27...

‘HE KNEW WHAT HE WAS DOING’

A RAPIST has been convicted of deliberately infecting seven men with HIV. Adam Hall, 43, from Washington, was found guilty of seven counts of inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent in relation to transmitting the virus. He was also convicted of...

HALF PRICE TICKETS

TO THE RANDOX GRAND NATIONAL FESTIVAL

BATH SNATCH RAPIST TO STAY IN JAIL

EVIL bath snatch rapist Peter Voisey will stay behind bars after it was decided he is not safe to be released. The vile predator was jailed for one of the North East’s most terrifying and shocking crimes 20 years ago. Voisey crept into a home in...

KILLER DRIVER FLED SCENE AND SET CAR ON FIRE

A DRIVER who had downed between “eight and 10 pints” at a party killed a talented Durham University student after crashing into her and fleeing the scene. Liam Bowes, who has now been jailed for 12 years, had been drinking pints and shots at a 50th...

THANK YOU FOR THE MUSIC

SATURDAY night was another triumph for North East rock star Sam Fender, who collected two more Brit Awards as the ceremony relocated to Manchester. Sam secured his inaugural Brit seven years ago with the Critics’ Choice award in 2019, the same year...

12 YEARS IN JAIL FOR SEX ATTACKER WHO STRUCK TWICE IN MINUTES

A PREDATOR made the “stuff of nightmares” come true for two lone women by subjecting them to separate terrifying violent sex attacks within minutes. Both victims had been to the Come Together music festival on Newcastle’s Town Moor last summer when...

CHILD KILLER HUNTLEY IN RVI AFTER JAIL ATTACK

CHILD killer Ian Huntley is being treated in a Newcastle hospital after being attacked in prison – the second time he has been set upon while serving his sentence. The infamous Soham murderer was said to be in a critical condition after suffering head...

10 YEARS FOR KILLER DRIVER

KILLER driver Ryan Scott ripped a family apart when his “unbelievable speed” caused the death of an adored mum. Claire Laybourne was returning from taking her mum on a trip to the theatre as part of her Christmas present when their happiness was...

LUCKY ESCAPE FOR NURSE AS CAR CRUSHED

A North Tyneside nurse believes she had a “lucky escape” after a tree fell on her car as she walked her dog. Rachel Alvers, who lives in Wallsend, has been without her vehicle since her BMW ix1 was written off by falling timber on Tuesday. Rachel,...

GUILT T!

A GEORDIE Shore star and a former Miss Newcastle are among seven reality TV personalities who have admitted illegal promotion of foreign exchange trading on Instagram. Scott Timlin, known as Scotty T, appeared at Southwark Crown Court in London...

ROAD SAFETY WORKER CAUGHT DOING 120MPH ON A1

A TRAFFIC management worker employed to help keep the roads safe was caught speeding at up to 120mph while over the limit for cannabis. Yousef Majid put lives at risk while behind the wheel of a luxury highpowered Mercedes on the A1, Newcastle Crown...

‘MACHETE THREAT’ ARREST

A MAN has been arrested after a driver was allegedly assaulted and threatened with what is believed to be a machete before having his vehicle stolen in Newcastle. Just after 5pm on Tuesday armed police were deployed to a report of a car theft in...

MUSIC TO OUR EARS

NEWCASTLE will stage the prestigious Mercury Prize for the second year running after the spectacular success of the 2025 ceremony. There were wild celebrations back in October when Sam Fender landed one of music’s biggest accolades on home turf – and...

I FELT SHEER TERROR ...AND THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO DIE

A MOTHER said she felt “sheer terror” and believed she was going to die when she was strangled by her ex-partner. Rebecca Kew, known as Bex, was grabbed by the throat by Liam Herron, 27, while trying to get him to leave her home in Wallsend, North...

SOMEONE WE LOVED

THE world is officially a better place. Yes, there’s a lot going on at the minute that’s not so good, but Sunday for Sammy is back in Newcastle, so all is well. And what a comeback it made yesterday – with laughs, music, theatre, a few secret star...

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...

STAY INFORMED

WWW.CHRONICLELIVE.CO.UK/SIGNUP

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...

STAY INFORMED

WWW.CHRONICLELIVE.CO.UK/SIGNUP

STAY INFORMED

WWW.CHRONICLELIVE.CO.UK/SIGNUP

‘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...

STAY INFORMED

WWW.CHRONICLELIVE.CO.UK/SIGNUP

STAY INFORMED

WWW.CHRONICLELIVE.CO.UK/SIGNUP

STAY INFORMED

WWW.CHRONICLELIVE.CO.UK/SIGNUP

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?

*Terms & conditions diti apply

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

PLUS OFF GET £5 YOU WHEN £25 IN SPEND STORE

‘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...