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The Guardian
20 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Ex-cricketer Graham Thorpe ‘spiralled into depression' after losing job, inquest hears
The former England cricketer Graham Thorpe 'spiralled into depression' after losing his job as a batting coach in 2022, an inquest has heard. The 55-year-old died on 4 August 2024 after being struck by a train at a railway station in Surrey. His widow, Amanda Thorpe, later said he had taken his own life. An inquest at Surrey coroner's court in Woking on Wednesday heard that Graham Thorpe was diagnosed with anxiety and depression in 2018 and had tried to kill himself in 2022. An incident involving a leaked video in Australia in 2022 had left him distraught, the court was told. According to reports at the time, the video, filmed after a dismal Ashes series in which England lost 4-0 to Australia, showed Tasmanian police breaking up a drinking session involving players from both sides. The video incident had 'caused catastrophic damage' to Thorpe, his father said in a statement to the inquest, adding that he believed those who were responsible for his son's safety and care could have done more to intervene. Amanda Thorpe said that up until 2020 there were no psychological issues in particular, apart from 'a bout of depression' in 2018, which did not affect her husband's job. In a statement to the court, she said her husband 'found lockdown and Covid very difficult, very stressful'. Graham Thorpe shared a video with some friends, which was leaked, and the incident was 'blown out of all proportion', leaving him 'distraught', her statement added. She said it was a 'horrible' time, and the later termination of his employment with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) was a 'real shock to Graham', which was the 'start of the decline of his mental health'. Thorpe was a prominent batter for England between 1993 and 2005 before spending 12 years in coaching roles. He struck 16 test hundreds, including a debut century against Australia at Trent Bridge in 1993, and represented his country 182 times in all formats. Thorpe's father said his son became 'more and more desperate and helpless in the last year of his life'. Reading Geoff Thorpe's statement, the coroner said: 'You felt those who were responsible for Graham's safety and care could've done more to intervene.' Prof Nick Peirce, the ECB's chief medical officer, said in a statement that after Thorpe's employment ended in February 2022 his private health insurance cover was extended until May that year. In May, the ECB was advised that Thorpe had attempted to take his own life, and Peirce explained that 'at no point during Graham's time at ECB had there been any concern regarding a risk of self harm or intent to end life'. The inquest continues. In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@ or jo@ In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at
Daily Mail
20 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
The teenage sex offenders getting away with raping and assaulting children... because police take too long to investigate the crimes
A teenager accused of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old schoolgirl has escaped prosecution because he is now over 18 and would have to be tried as an adult. The boy was 16 when he allegedly attacked the girl but the police investigation took so long that he was 19 by the time a file was sent to prosecutors. Despite the boy admitting the sexual contact took place, it was decided that it was 'not in the public interest' to prosecute him. The victim, from Surrey and named only as Rachel, said: 'I wish I had never bothered to report what happened to me. 'The message here is that if you are a few years from turning 18, you can rape and assault whoever you like without being punished for it.' The Mail has identified another shocking case which suggests teenage sex offenders are escaping justice because investigations take years and prosecutors drop cases when the suspects can no longer be tried as youths. In the second case, the police have failed to even interview a teenage rape suspect two years after the incident was reported – during which time he has turned 18. The proportion of rape cases being dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service has risen from nine per cent in 2022 to 13 per cent in 2024/25, official statistics show. The average wait for a bailed rape trial to conclude is five and a half years after the offence took place, including an average 18-month wait from a charge date to the end of the trial. This is due to investigative delays, a shortage in specialist barristers and a record court backlog of more than 77,000 cases. In Rachel's case, she was allegedly sexually assaulted in September 2021 by a college student who contacted her on Snapchat and arranged to meet near her home. The 16-year-old then groped her, told her to get on all fours before trying to have sex with her and then made her perform a sex act on him – which she said she did because she was frightened. She reported the boy to the police the following day, gave a statement and the suspect was arrested. When he was interviewed, he accepted the sexual activity had taken place but insisted it was consensual. Police also found a number of intimate photos of young girls on the boy's phone, Rachel said. Surrey Police did not send a file of evidence to the CPS until January 2024 – by which time the suspect had turned 19. The day before Rachel's 18th birthday she was told her interview had been 'credible and compelling' and there was enough evidence to charge the suspect with sexual offences. Despite this, a district prosecutor said it was not in the public interest to do so because he would now have to be tried as an adult. In a letter containing the news, the prosecutor wrote: 'The importance of this is that, if he were to be charged with the offences, he is no longer deemed a youth and therefore has lost the right to have his case heard in a Youth Court which means he no longer has the right to have the proceedings held in private, he has lost the right to anonymity and the Youth Court special measures and possible sentences, if convicted, that would have been available to him if he were charged as a youth. 'Although this has been a difficult decision to make, I have concluded that it would not be in the public interest to prosecute the suspect for the sexual activity which took place between you.' Rachel said: 'What happened to me that day was the single most horrific thing in my life, and this experience has just made it so much worse. 'I just cannot understand it. 'The message to young girls who are sexually assaulted by teenagers is 'don't bother reporting what happened to you – it will take so long for something to happen that they will turn 18 and the authorities won't care'. 'It feels like his interests are being prioritised over mine. It is not my fault that so much time has passed. 'And I won't be the only case. If this has happened here then it must be happening all over the country – it's almost like there's a loophole in the law.' Human rights lawyer Harriet Wistrich, who founded the Centre for Women's Justice, said Rachel had been 'failed by the state because of its own delays.' 'She has potentially been denied justice so may have a case under the Human Rights Act,' she added. 'This is not the only case involving an allegation of rape committed by a suspect who has then become an adult while the investigation is dragging on, something which can obviously change things. ' A colleague is working on a case currently where the investigating police force hasn't even interviewed the suspect two years on. 'He has now turned 18, and it seems that part of the reason they haven't bothered is they feel that his behaviour was just a young man being a young man and perhaps they didn't want to ruin his career. 'But this is another victim potentially being denied justice.' A CPS spokesman said: 'We take allegations of sexual offences extremely seriously regardless of the age of the people involved. 'Prosecutors examined the evidence in this case carefully and on review, concluded that there was no realistic prospect of conviction for any rape charge. When considering other potential sexual offences, it was not in the public interest to pursue prosecution. 'We have written to and offered to meet with the complainant and her family to explain our decision-making.' A Surrey Police spokesman said: 'Officers put in significant amounts of work into securing evidence in rape and sexual assault cases which are often complex and can involve multiple agencies. 'Whilst it is not uncommon for suspects under 18 to reach adulthood during an investigation, we understand each case must be individually assessed. 'In [Rachel's] case, charges were secured for underage sexual activity and an appeal was made against the decision not to charge for rape or attempted rape. 'Surrey Police continue to work with the family and liaise with CPS about this case.'
Daily Mail
20 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
MI5 boss warns terrorists will recruit children over school summer holidays after record numbers of teenagers are arrested
The head of MI5 has issued an unprecedented warning that terrorists are seeking to recruit children over the summer holidays after record arrests of teenagers. Sir Ken McCallum appealed to parents today warning online offenders will exploit the school break to draw children into criminal acts, saying just a 'few short clicks' can 'pull young people down a dangerous and potentially life-changing path'. The advisory issued for the first time jointly by MI5, Counter Terrorism Policing and the National Crime Agency comes after a record number of teenage arrests for terrorism offences. The Director General of MI5 said: 'In 2024 I said that 13 per cent of all those investigated by MI5 for involvement in terrorism were under 18. 'That deeply concerning presence of young people in our casework continues to this day. 'In a few short clicks, young people can be speaking to dangerous radicalising terrorists online, consuming violent and extremist content. 'Terrorists who understand online culture are using slick propaganda to pull young people down a dangerous and potentially life-changing path.' Of the 219 arrests for terrorism-related offences in 2023, a record 42 suspects were aged 17 or under. Last year there were 39 youngsters arrested aged 17 or under. Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) is increasingly seeing children being routinely exposed and completely desensitised to extreme and obscene content. Experts fear children will be viewing terrorism content, sexual violence, self-harm and suicide content, extreme gore, animal cruelty and indecent images of children during the summer holidays. CTP senior national coordinator for Prevent and pursue, Vicki Evans, said: 'Unfortunately, every year, we arrest children for terrorism offences, which tend to come about after they are led down the wrong path by extremists seeking to use the internet to target those whose age makes them vulnerable, or as a result of accessing harmful abhorrent content online. 'A significant proportion of their parents were unaware of their child's online activity - who they talked to, the content they viewed, and the sites and platforms they used. 'With the summer holidays now under way and children spending more time online, we're asking parents and carers to have conversations with the young people in their lives about what they are doing online and who they are speaking to. 'None of my colleagues started working in counter terrorism thinking they would be investigating and arresting children as young as 12 for terrorism offences. 'The online environment can be a sanctuary for children to socialise and form strong bonds but for all the benefits it brings, the internet has also globalised extremism. 'It has accelerated the spread of hateful ideologies internationally and made it possible for anyone with an internet connection to reach into the lives of children halfway round the world.' The Met Deputy Assistant Commissioner Matthew Ward said: 'We know parents care deeply about keeping their children safe online and given the ever-developing digital world it can feel like an uphill battle. 'We want parents to empower their children to know what to do if they come across inappropriate content online.' National Crime Agency Director of Threat Leadership Alexander Murray said: 'There is a fast-growing threat from sadistic and violent online gangs, made up predominantly of teenage boys, dedicated to inflicting harm and committing a range of criminality which includes fraud, cyber, child sexual abuse, violence and extremism/terror related offences. 'They are international and operate across multiple channels, including messaging apps, gaming platforms and other online forums. 'We are working closely with our partners in response to this complex threat, but we recommend that adults take time to understand the online lives of young people to help prevent them falling victim to these networks.'
