Ed Sheeran lookalike feared he was going to die after thugs attacked him for looking like singer at major Brit festival
Ty Jones was attending Parklife festival in Manchester a couple of weekends ago when he was targeted by a mob of six men - leaving him with a broken nose and two black eyes.
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The 30-year-old, who is the UK's best Ed lookalike - believes he was targeted because he looks so much like the singer and he heard chants of Ed Sheeran before blacking out, telling us: 'It was horrible, I thought I was going to die.'
The incident, which his step daughter witnessed, has left him terrified to leave his house and scared to work again.
Explaining what happened Ty, who was attending the event for fun and not work, told us: 'As soon as I got there everyone was just mithering me for pictures the whole entire day.
'My step daughter Kelly was going towards the main stage. and I was following, and then when they stopped, I was pushed like mad from the side very aggressively.
'I was like, 'what's going on here?' I thought someone had just pushed someone into me. I didn't think I've done anything wrong.
'And then they pushed me again in my chest, and these girls were asking for pictures.
'I was saying 'there's some trouble with these lads, I need to try and get away. I can't have a picture, basically.
'So I tried to push past him, and as I've done that he's dragged me to the floor.
'And there was another four of them basically behind him, and he just kicked and punched me. And they were like savages. They were just like coyotes.'
'it was terrifying. About six people kicking my head in on the floor, booting it like a football. Punching me all in the back of my head.'
Fortunately a man in the crowd stepped in and pulled them off him and helped get Ty to safety.
Ty believes he was picked on out of jealousy, telling us: 'As I was going through the crowd, people were stopping me and taking videos and photos.
'And then these guys have probably noticed it from the side which I've not even noticed, and then shoved me out, probably jealousy, because they're trying to show off in front of the girls.'
The attack, which Ty says was 'very traumatic', left him with a broken nose, black eyes and concussion.
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But the psychological damage cuts much deeper, with Ty telling us it brought back terrible memories of being bullied at school for his red hair.
' I broke down because it felt like I was a kid again, being bullied like I used to get it back in high school and stuff. So it really touched the nerve, and brought back a lot of trauma,' he says.
One of Ty's biggest concerns was if he would be able to work again - he has been a full time Ed impersonator since the musician burst on the scene.
He's now not sure what the future holds as he struggles to come to terms with what happened.
'It was a terrifying, horrible experience, it really was, " he tells us. 'It scared me quite a lot to the point where it's still terrifying, going out and, doing a gig? I don't think I could do it the same again, because of the anxiety that I feel like what's around the next corner.'
Greater Manchester police are appealing for witnesses, they said: 'Officers are investigating reports of an assault at Parklife Festival on Sunday 15 June.
'No arrests have been made and enquires are ongoing.
'Anyone who may have witnessed the incident or has any mobile phone footage is urged to contact police on 101, quoting the log number 2255 of 15/06/2025.'
I gave birth to 'Ed Sheeran's' baby – I was exhausted but still went to the singer's concert hours later
By Jon Rogers and Liam Coleman
A WOMAN who had a baby with an Ed Sheeran lookalike was at the singer's concert just hours after giving birth.
Ty Jones and his partner Amanda Baron welcomed their first child together in June 2022.
They called their daughter Cherry Rose - in a nod to Ed's wife Cherry Seaborn - and added the middle names Leigh and Sheeran.
And just hours after giving birth, mum-of-five Amanda, from Carrington, Gtr Manchester, was watching her idol in concert.
Having had barely any sleep, the couple went to see Ed perform at Man City's Etihad Stadium.
Amanda was introduced to Ty by pals who met him at one of the star's gigs.
Ty, who looks so like the Shape of You singer that he works full-time as an Ed-alike, said: 'I feel phenomenal. Cherry is beautiful.'
And Amanda, who is an Ed Sheeran superfan, said: 'She's perfect.'
Cherry Rose, who arrived three weeks early, was born at Wythenshawe Hospital weighing 5lb 6oz at 4.08am.
She said of the baby: 'I chose the name Cherry as it's so sweet.
'We also wanted to keep the Ed Sheeran theme in the family.'
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Daily Mail
23 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE My mum wrote a letter in defence of a family friend she thought had been wrongly accused of sexual abuse - little did she know, he regularly raped me from the age of three
A woman has bravely spoken out about the sexual abuse she suffered at the hands of her childminder's son - and told how her own mother came unknowingly to write a letter in his defence. Rachael Smith, 23, from Hertfordshire, was preyed upon at the tender age of three by evil predator, Steven Freitas, 34, who raped and sexually assaulted her for three years. Until the age of six, Freitas raped Rachael in his family home when she went to stay with her childminder, threatening to do it to her younger sister, Katie, if she told anyone. Unbeknownst to Rachael, when she was six, Freitas was arrested and convicted of sexually abusing two other girls under 13. In a shocking twist, not knowing of the abuse her own daughter had faced, Rachael's own mother, Steph, 43, wrote a character witness in Freitas' favour, declaring that he'd 'never do something like that' and said she believed the victims' claims were 'untrue'. It wasn't until over a decade later that Rachael discovered the statement and told her mother about the traumatic abuse she'd faced as a child year earlier, leaving her horrified. Rachael has bravely waived her right to anonymity to encourage other survivors to speak out against their abusers. The recovery worker said: 'For so long I kept this terrible secret. When I found Mum's statement I felt sick to my stomach he'd had other victims. 'Steven had managed to manipulate my own mother into thinking he was innocent. When she found out about what he'd done to me, she was beside herself with guilt. 'I'm just glad he's finally behind bars where he belongs.' In June this year, Freitas was jailed for five years for rape and sexual assault by penetration. Rachael was just four months old when she started being cared for by her childminder, Freitas's mother, who was a close family friend, and said she 'loved' going to her house. Rachael remembers: 'I saw Steven's mother like a second mum. I loved going to her house and playing with the other children.' However, everything changed when Rachael turned three. One day, in 2004, Freitas, then aged 11, coaxed her into the downstairs toilet, in the guise of taking her for a wee. She says: 'While inside, he took off my underwear and started touching my privates. He told me it was "our secret". 'I was only young so thought it was normal and agreed.' The abuse escalated and Freitas began making Rachael sit on his lap, naked, and making her touch him too. Just months later, he raped her for the first time. She recalled: 'I just remember how painful it felt. I wanted to get it over and done with and go back to playing.' Most weeks, while she was being looked after, Freitas took her into the toilet multiple times to abuse her, which also included oral rape. Afterwards, he would offer to plait her hair or play games with her. Rachael said that if she ever told him 'no', he would threaten her, saying he would make her younger sister, Katie, then two, do it instead. Another time when she tried to resist, Freitas said he'd tell her mother to 'hate' her. Rachael (pictured) has described her torment when her mother unknowingly wrote a letter in defence of Freitas 'Desperate' to protect her younger sister, Rachael kept quiet, but remembers: 'It was awful'. Once, aged six, Rachael refused to go with Freitas to the bathroom, but he forced her inside and raped her again. Soon after, Rachael stopped going to her childminder's house. Unbeknownst to Rachael, Freitas had been arrested for sexually abusing two children in his mother's care. In September 2008 then aged 17, he was convicted at St Alban's Crown Court of seven counts of sexual assault of a female child under 13 in respect of two victims, aged 7 and 9. He was sentenced to an 18-month Detention and Training Order. His mother's business subsequently shut down. Over the following years, Rachael blocked out the abuse but when she learned about sex education at school at the age of 10, the memories all came back. At school, aged ten, she learnt about sex education. She says: 'Everything came flooding back and I realised what had happened was wrong. 'I asked my teacher questions like, "how long does sperm live inside you?" and "can kids get pregnant?". I was terrified. 'They should've picked up on those signs, as they're not normal questions for kids to ask.' Afterwards, Rachael developed OCD and Tourettes syndrome - a condition that causes people to make sudden, repetitive sounds or movements. She'd have rituals where she'd wash her hands multiple times and talk to her teddies, telling them 'don't kill my family'. She says: 'I had such intrusive and violent thoughts. I hated my body and felt ashamed and embarrassed. 'I began having nightmares and panic attacks.' In March 2013, Freitas pleaded guilty to another two offences of sexual activity (penetrative) with a female child under 16. He was sentenced to five years custody with an extended license period of eight years. As Rachel grew into her teens, she experienced further problems, entering toxic relationships and finding intimacy painful - and knew it was all down to the abuse. In November 2020, when she was 17, she stumbled across her mum's character witness statement while looking for some documents for a job application - and was 'horrified' and 'felt sick' at what she found. 'I was horrified reading what she'd said about Steven,' Rachael said, recalling the moment she found the statement. He'd convinced her he was innocent. 'The fact that she'd defended him made me feel sick. Knowing he'd had other victims, I felt guilty I'd let him hurt others.' For the next year, Rachael thought carefully about her findings until one day, she plucked up the courage to report Steven to the police. When she confessed what had happened, she said the police were 'so supportive' and the detective in charge believed her 'straightaway'. Two weeks later, she told her mother the truth of what happened via text message. Rachael said: 'She felt so guilty she'd defended him, unknowingly. Was horrified at how monstrous he actually was.' At his trial this month, Rachael bravely gave her evidence, and was horrified when the defence 'asked her what she had been wearing' when she was just three years old. This time, Rachael's mother Steph was called to the stand to give evidence for the prosecution. Steph, 43, said: 'Steven's mother was a registered childminder and good friend of my family. 'She lived opposite my parents. I always thought Steven was immature for his age and behind developmentally and socially. But I had no idea the monstrousness he was capable of. 'When Steven was arrested for the first abuse case, I didn't think the allegations were true. 'I couldn't imagine such a thing happening in a seemingly loving home. His mum was in tears and I felt sorry for her.' Steph wrote a character witness statement for court, after Steven's mother asked for her help and she fully supported the family during the trial. She explains: 'I will always regret doing that now. Receiving Rachel's text made me feel numb. 'I couldn't cope knowing how much he hurt and traumatised her. It breaks my heart I couldn't protect her. I hate him for what he's done.' This June, Freitas, 34, was found guilty of sexual offences against Rachael at St Alban's Crown Court. Rachael, who is now calling for parents to educate their children on their anatomy, boundaries and consent, says: 'Knowing he's been taken off the streets gives me some comfort. 'He's now known as a sex offender so people know what a danger he is. Finally, he's been exposed for the vile creature he is. 'I'm certain he's got more victims out there. I want to let other survivors know, it's never their fault and they should never feel ashamed. 'I'm finally spoken my truth and no longer feel and guilt or shame.'
Telegraph
30 minutes ago
- Telegraph
This is the last Tour de France on free-to-air and cycling will never be the same
When the peloton rolls out of Lille on Saturday for the start of the 112th edition of the Tour de France, it will mark the beginning of the end of one of British sport's great institutions. Nearly 40 years after Channel 4 first screened the highlights of the Tour de France in 1986 – played in by that iconic Pete Shelley theme music – ITV will this year broadcast coverage of cycling's biggest race on free-to-air for the final time. As of next year, the Tour will be behind a paywall in the UK, on TNT Sports. It is the end of an era. 'It's going to be emotional,' admits commentator Ned Boulting who has been part of ITV's coverage since 2003, and who will reprise his role this year alongside David Millar, continuing a line going back to Paul Sherwen and Phil Liggett. 'That's very nearly 40 years of continuity. So that's almost three generations of viewers within families. You know, that's grandparents, parents, and children, all of whom have come through the same very familiar routine. The same faces and voices, the same look and feel, the same style. It's unique in broadcasting.' 'A hammer blow for cycling' Once the emotion dies down, the question is: what does it mean for cycling in the UK, both in terms of viewing figures and participation? Will the sport wither on the vine, stuck behind a paywall where no one will watch it? Will the next generation of potential Geraint Thomases and Tom Pidcocks be starved of inspiration? Or might cycling benefit from being lumped in with bigger sports in the TNT Sports portfolio such as football and rugby, attracting new, crossover fans? It is fair to say fan reaction when the initial announcement was made last autumn that Warner Bros. Discovery, which owns TNT Sports, had bought the exclusive UK rights to the Tour, was not positive. There was sadness at the demise of the much-loved ITV coverage, particularly the daily highlights show. But public opinion really nosedived when WBD announced in January that it was axing Eurosport UK and cycling fans would have to shell out for the full TNT Sports subscription to access bike races in the UK. Not just the Tour, but the Giro d'Italia, the Vuelta a España, the spring classics, the whole caboodle. From £6.99 a month for Eurosport to £30.99 a month for TNT Sports – a price hike of some 400 per cent. Outraged fans – who, a couple of years ago were so spoilt they could get every obscure race under the sun for £5 a month on the GCN+ app, before it was bought and shuttered by WBD – threatened to boycott the channel, while others claimed WBD would get more people into piracy than they would cycling. The debate even reached the Houses of Parliament with Ben Obese-Jecty, the Conservative MP, securing a debate on the merits of free-to-air coverage of professional cycling in Westminster Hall on March 5. In an impassioned speech, Obese-Jecty told of how he had been inspired as a child by the exploits of British mountain bike rider Jason McRoy, whose races were occasionally shown on Eurosport. Describing the channel's demise as 'a hammer blow for coverage of cycling in the UK' he argued that cycling going behind a paywall would have a number of unintended consequences. It would mean children in the UK were not exposed to a sport which was patently good for their health. It would impact on the next generation of wannabe Bradley Wigginses. 'To be popular, a sport must be visible,' he said. 'To be visible, a sport must have a television presence. The Government would never allow the Fifa World Cup, the Olympics or Wimbledon to be put behind a paywall. With an estimated 12 million spectators attending the race each year, the Tour de France is easily the most attended sporting event in the world. 'Will the Government consider how it can inspire a new generation of Froomes and Cavendishes to take up the mantle and consider what they are doing to restore a sporting jewel, in which we have enjoyed such recent success, to the masses, lest its absence from our screens cause the sport to wither on the vine?' Stephanie Peacock, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, replied to say that she was grateful to the honorary member for bringing the matter to her attention, and that she 'sympathised' with his points, but that it was entirely up to the rights holder to determine whether any coverage will be available to free-to-air television in the future. New coverage, but less viewers TNT, understandably keen not to be painted as the villains here, say that is already happening. There is already a new hour-long programme called The Ultimate Cycling Show, hosted by Orla Chennaoui and Adam Blythe, shown on its free-to-air Quest channel, as well as daily highlights shows on the same channel during the recent Giro. The same is planned for the Vuelta a España in August. Only the Tour will remain fully behind a paywall, although a TNT spokesperson suggested the possibility of free-to-air highlights being shown on Quest next year, or in 2027, when the grand depart is once again scheduled to take place in the UK, was under consideration. What might the impact be on UK cycling by then, though? Again, WBD defend themselves. They claim over half of Eurosport viewers already had access to TNT Sports at the time of Eurosport's closure. They maintain that being part of a package which include Champions League and Premiership Rugby will introduce new fans to the sport. They also point out, rightly, that ITV declined to renew its broadcast rights for the Tour, whereas it is investing millions into cycling. Like football and cricket on Sky Sports, they promise to innovate and raise standards. That may all be true. But it does not change the fact that the Tour is disappearing from free-to-air TV and millions of fans will be left without a show which was appointment viewing for three weeks every year. As Obese-Jecty MP said: 'The reassuring tones of Gary Imlach and the encyclopaedic knowledge of Ned Boulting will no longer be staples of cycling fans' summers.' Boulting smiles at that line. 'The fact it got debated in Parliament is insane,' he says. 'David and my names are in the Hansard register now.' He does find the fans' backlash interesting, though, mainly because of how persistent it has been. 'The level of engagement with the topic just doesn't seem to have died down,' he says. 'In fact, the closer we get to the Tour the more it is ramping up. I think it's because, unlike the Ashes, or the Olympics, the Tour is every summer. It's an annual event, which just anchors its place in the rhythm of the year for so many family lives. That, I think, is the reason why the noise around it is so persistent and so loud.' Like many subscription channels, TNT does not release its viewing figures; or say how many new subscribers have signed up since shutting Eurosport down. Even if it did, it would be difficult to tell how many had signed up for cycling as opposed to its other sports. But Boulting stresses he wants the new landscape to be a success, not least because a bigger fanbase will drive more listeners to the Never Strays Far podcast he co-hosts with Millar. New TMS-style podcast planned The pair have big plans for the podcast next year, which they will confirm on Saturday. But essentially they involve Millar and Boulting driving around France in a camper van, with Lizzie Deignan as their co-host, doing live podcasts from the roadside, only looking away from the race, so the cameras watch them watching the action in the style of Soccer Saturday. 'We're going to call it Never Strays Far: Live in France,' Millar says. 'So we'll be on the race, following the race, watching the race, and just relaying as much of it as we can. We'll put it out as video as well, almost certainly on YouTube, but across as many platforms as we can.' 'Think TMS [ Test Match Special ],' Boulting says. 'It will be whimsical, irreverent. We'll chat to fans. We'll broadcast from random squares or places on the route. We won't be rights holders so we won't be able to show race footage. And we won't have accreditation. That's very important. But we can always go see riders in hotels or wherever. 'The Tour de France has always been about much more than the race,' he adds. 'And I think that's one of the things that our ITV viewers really understand and value. And we want to encourage a big percentage of these suddenly disenfranchised viewers to keep the Tour de France in their lives in this new form, where they can. We are very familiar voices and faces to them. And Lizzie will be an absolutely unbelievable addition to our team.' Will they sleep in the camper? Boulting laughs. 'Funnily enough that was Lizzie's first question. No. We're going to have plastic key cards to get into Campanile hotel rooms.. In fact, we might try and do the whole thing in Campaniles. The dream.' One more emotional lap It remains to be seen how it all shakes out; what exactly the loss of free-to-air will do to cycling in the UK. But in the meantime Imlach, Boulting, Millar, as well as reporters Daniel Friebe and Matt Rendell, are preparing for one final, emotional lap of France. 'I think the producers are definitely going to celebrate the heritage,' Boulting reflects. 'You know, it's tricky for ITV because they don't want to put up on great big billboards: 'We're leaving the sport'. But on the other hand, this is a unique programme, a unique event, and a unique association that has gone on for a long time. So they acknowledge that, and they are going to celebrate, you know, in style I think. 'For sure, we're going to hear the Channel 4 theme tune that so many people are nostalgic about. We're going to drill down into all that history, repeatedly, throughout the three weeks. The Tour de France allows us that. It gives us that time to be reflective and to sort of dredge the seabed of memories that people have.' How will he feel when it's over? 'I find it emotional at the best of times. When we sign off on the show each year, when the sun goes down behind the podium and you get the Arc de Triomphe in the background, I always find that a very emotional moment. Because we're tired, we've been on the race for three weeks, we've made it to Paris, and that's it, we're signing off. Signing off for the final time in three weeks will be a very hard thing to get right.'
BBC News
32 minutes ago
- BBC News
Oasis comeback gig in Cardiff was dream come true for fans
It was rock's most eagerly awaited comeback tour and some of the more than 70,000 fans crammed into Cardiff to see Oasis said they were not Mancunian siblings Noel and Liam Gallager walked on to stage for the first time together since 2009 and the crowd went after the concert, Steve from Hertfordshire, who last saw them perform in 2006, said they had lived up to his expectations - but admitted to having had quite a few beers before the for his favourite part, he said: "The beginning, the middle, and also the end." "All of it was fantastic," he said, adding: "We had a really good time, we've come all the way from Hertfordshire to see them in Wales." Morgan, 20 and from Wales, said: "It made my life, honestly, I could get hit by a car and die, and I'd have a smile on my face."Describing himself as an Oasis fan from birth, with his father encouraging him to get into them, he said: "It was unreal, being in that stadium, I'm still shaking, being here tonight is something else." The band split acrimoniously in 2009 after a backstage altercation following a gig in Paris that began with Liam throwing a plum at his older brother's the intervening years, they engaged in a long war of words in the press, on stage and social repeatedly called Noel a "massive potato" on Twitter and, more seriously, accused him of skipping the One Love concert for victims of the Manchester Arena responded by saying Liam was a "village idiot" who "needs to see a psychiatrist". Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
