Latest news with #Brittain
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Brittain's contract situation is nothing new
Callum Brittain's contract situation at Blackburn Rovers has taken a number of twists and turns since the final match of last season at Sheffield United. Links with moves away have been followed by reports of positive talks about a new deal. But, following my conversation with Valerien Ismael on Saturday, it's pretty clear that he, right-back Brittain, sees his future somewhere else. Advertisement "Callum decided not to play today, on his own," the Frenchman said. "I spoke with him, I said clearly that I will pass this game but I hope from next week we have clarity because we cannot do that every week. "Let's see what happens in the next few days, but some clubs are very interested, especially one, in Callum." Ismael could have kept his cards close to his chest, but his communication couldn't have been clearer as to what was happening. He wants a resolution as soon as possible. This situation isn't anything new. Blackburn Rovers have form for key players running down their deals and walking away for nothing. Tyrhys Dolan is currently a free agent after severing ties with the club this summer. Compensation will be the fee for him if he stays on these shores. Advertisement Dom Hyam, Lewis Travis and Sondre Tronstad – three key players are going into their final season under contract and simply can't be allowed to do the same as Dolan, Andi Weimann, Danny Batth, Ben Brereton-Diaz, Joe Rothwell, Ryan Nyambe and Darragh Lenihan have since 2022. The question is… could Blackburn be more proactive when a player has 18 months to two years remaining? They probably could. But the player holds the cards with a year to go. Callum Brittain will be 28 by the end of next season; can anyone begrudge him the opportunity of a bumper contract for his peak years? Ruling himself out of last weekend's friendly at Accrington hasn't gone down particularly well with some supporters who believe that while he's on the payroll, he should be available. But surely every supporter would prefer a fully committed player to be selected, and an asset who wants away should be protected from injury while the clubs thrash out a fee.
Otago Daily Times
04-07-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
She's living locally, working globally
Les Mills International's global events manager Kylie Brittain. PHOTO: SUPPLIED Kylie Brittain is one of those few Queenstowners who can truly say they work on the world stage. The former Destination Queenstown convention bureau manager's been global events manager for Auckland-headquartered Les Mills International for the past three years. The fitness-centric company, founded by Phillip Mills and named after his father, a former Auckland mayor and champion field athlete, is represented in 23 countries. As events manager, Brittain organises three or four global fitness events a year. Once a year, 4000 to 5000 Les Mills personnel also converge for two-day workouts and activations. "One of the cool ones we did last year in Berlin was we set it up like a car wash-type thing." Brittain's also organised events in London, in Los Angeles and Portland in the United States and Riyadh, in Saudi Arabia. Currently she's working on events in Amsterdam and Tokyo. After leaving DQ 10 years go, Brittain was senior experience manager for event company The Orange Group, then formed her own company, Ripple, with Queenstowner Samantha Stirling. "Had Covid not happened, that could still very well be going now." In applying for the Les Mills position, which for the first 15 months was contracted maternity cover, "my first response was, 'obviously, I don't live in Auckland, so I'm assuming that means I wouldn't be a viable candidate"'. "And they were basically like, 'don't let the geography put you off because we have people working remotely all the time'." Brittain, who now works out of Auckland HQ one week a month, says "the coolest thing is when you actually see these events you've spent nine months working on, come to life". "You're so proud of what you do when you see people having a good time at something you've organised, and I think that's the thing that keeps you coming back all the time."
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Callum Brittain hails Rovers 'togetherness' after strong end to campaign
Callum Brittain is 'proud of the group' at Rovers after a strong finish to the campaign at Ewood Park. Valerien Ismael's side took 14 out of a possible 18 points from the final six games, narrowly missing out on the play-offs on the final day. The season appeared to be over after a run of five successive defeats, but the spirited comeback against Sheffield Wednesday proved to be a turning point. Brittain was part of the squad that avoided relegation 12 months prior and insisted it was important to build on their 'togetherness'. The versatile full-back admitted there were more highs and lows this term but hailed his team-mates' commitment. 'I really enjoyed the season and it was obviously a big difference to the season before,' he told RoversTV. 'We were competing at the top end of the table, were putting in some really good performances and scoring some good goals. 'I thoroughly enjoyed it. We built on the solid foundation and the togetherness that dug us out at the end of 2023/24. 'We didn't want to be in that situation again and worked really hard in pre-season to start the campaign really well. We have had the ups and downs of the Championship but we finished the season really well. 'When you start the way we did, that helped us, and I think everyone has been really consistent and we have all worked hard as a group,' he added. 'It has been special to thrive in the team, enjoy it, play for the badge and get the fans off their seats.' Brittain has now spent three seasons at Ewood Park and admits this term has been his most enjoyable. The 27-year-old made 30 starts in the league, scoring in the victories against Portsmouth and Millwall. He also chipped in with five assists. 'My first season here was stop-start due to my injury, the second was a backs-to-the-wall period, but this season has been much better,' he recalled. 'I am really proud of this group we have."
Vancouver Sun
14-05-2025
- Business
- Vancouver Sun
Man jailed for 222 ‘bogus returns' at N.B. Staples after asking for house arrest to avoid deportation
An Indonesian computer expert who processed 222 'bogus returns' at the New Brunswick Staples where he worked to get store gift cards that he exchanged for pre-paid, untraceable credit cards has been sentenced to 15 months behind bars, despite his lawyer's argument that more than six months in jail will get him deported. Soegiono Liem Swie, who has permanent resident status in Canada, raked in between $89,732 and $93,338 as a result of his 'repeated acts of dishonesty,' according to a Fredericton provincial court judge. 'Mr. Swie's large scale employee fraud took on considerable proportions,' Judge Scott Brittain wrote in a recent decision. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. 'The aggravating factors are many and significant while the mitigating factors are, at best, muted.' Swie's lawyer, Sabrina Winters, argued her client should get a conditional sentence of 18 months of house arrest and a year of probation. She also recommended her client be ordered to pay Staples back. 'Laid bare, the thrust of Ms. Winters' sentencing submission is that this otherwise weak case for exceptionality becomes a strong one due to the spectre of 'collateral immigration consequences' that looms for her client,' the judge said in his decision dated May 8. 'I respectfully disagree and reject this suggestion in view of the circumstances of this offence and offender. While the period of incarceration I shall impose on Mr. Swie resides within the temporal range available for a conditional sentence, proportionality, parity, denunciation and deterrence each require that Mr. Swie serve a significant jail term for this offence.' Winters argued that if the judge sentenced Swie to more than six months in jail for the fraud over $5,000, 'his right to appeal a removal order made under the (Immigration and Refugee Protection Act) will be lost and the certain outcome will be deportation.' Brittain 'was unable to find any decisions of the Court of Appeal of New Brunswick where 'collateral immigration consequences' have been considered in the sentencing (or any other) context.' The judge acknowledged 'that the prospect of deportation invites potentially grave consequences for Mr. Swie and his family given that Mr. Swie's wife and two sons are Canadian citizens. In effect, it could ultimately lead to a separation or divide not unlike what they experienced as a family between 2016 and 2018 when Mr. Swie resided in Indonesia while his wife and two sons lived in Toronto.' Crown attorney Darlene Blunston recommended that Swie get a jail term of 12 to 18 months and a year of probation, and be ordered to pay Staples back. 'I substantially agree with the sentencing submissions of the Crown and quite strenuously part company with those put forward on Mr. Swie's behalf,' said the judge. 'In my view, a sentence in the community … even of the longest possible duration with the strictest of conditions, would constitute an unfit sentence because it would be disproportionate to the gravity of the offence and the degree of responsibility of the offender. This is consistently borne out by the sentencing authority from this province for employer theft and fraud.' Brittain pointed out that his 'survey of the broader Canadian sentencing landscape reveals very few decisions where an offender facing 'collateral immigration consequences' has received a conditional sentence for large scale employee fraud.' Court heard Swie, 51, 'has an extensive background in computers. After studying computer engineering at the university level in his native Indonesia for three years, Mr. Swie spent the next 21 years working in the computer sales and service field. Of those 21 years, 16 were spent founding, running and growing his own business. At its height, Mr. Swie's enterprise employed 25 people.' Swie wound up his business in 2017 and joined his family in Canada the following year. He was a sales support supervisor at the Fredericton Staples — one of four management positions at the store — until he resigned Nov. 27, 2022. 'Mr. Swie leveraged the enhanced level of access, responsibility and trust which accompanied his management position to process dozens of fraudulent return and refund transactions,' said the judge. 'His serial misappropriations went undetected for some time and only became known when a customer attempted to return a gaming chair purchased from Fredericton Staples only to have that transaction declined because records reflected her item had been returned and refunded several months before. The customer pressed the issue further because the gaming chair remained in her possession and no refund had ever been made to her. The matter escalated beyond Fredericton Staples to Staples Canada and ultimately triggered an internal investigation which took on increasingly extensive proportions as the layers of dishonesty and deceit associated with Mr. Swie's carefully planned, deliberate and calculated scheme were uncovered.' Authorities were able to recover $25,000 once Swie's fraud was discovered. 'It should be noted the recovery of the aforementioned sum was achieved by having the third-party company which manages the pre-paid gift cards place a stop payment on any unused balances,' Brittain said. Swie 'identified and took advantage of gaps in Fredericton Staples (surveillance) camera coverage of the store to travel undetected between the cash register area at the front of the store and the locked electrical room at the rear of the store' where he turned the cameras off 'for periods ranging from a few minutes to several hours.' Once the cameras were off, Swie returned to the cash register area 'where he processed the fraudulent return and refund transactions,' said the judge. 'To close the loop of deception, Mr. Swie routinely manipulated the inventory data he was chiefly responsible for managing and overseeing as the sales support supervisor to further hide his fraud.' Swie's fraud took place between Dec. 8, 2021, and Nov. 27, 2022. Brittain noted that 'the frequency and magnitude of these bogus transactions increased over the event date range and sharply intensified in the final few months' Swie worked at the store. His 'fraud was prolific, far-reaching, long-lasting and meticulously planned and executed with the benefit of the elevated authority and access that accompanied his management position,' said the judge. On top of the jail sentence, Brittain handed Swie a year of probation and ordered him to repay Staples $64,732. Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Yahoo
Decatur man accused of attempted murder in drive-by shooting
DECATUR, Ill. (WCIA) — A Decatur man is facing a charge of attempted murder after police said he shot at a man in response to a verbal altercation, but missed and hit the wrong person. The shooting happened on April 20 in the area of Church and Division Streets. Five days later, the Decatur Police Department asked for and received an arrest warrant for 21-year-old Caiden Brittain. The warrant charged him with three counts — one of attempted murder, one of aggravated battery with a firearm and one of aggravated discharge of a firearm. Brittain was tracked down in Kankakee and was arrested on May 1. He has since been returned to Macon County and is in custody at the jail. Decatur teen sentenced for accidentally shooting, killing friend In a sworn statement filed in support of the arrest warrant, Detective Clayton Zilz explained that the person Brittain was trying to shoot was a 24-year-old man — they knew each other because the intended target's best friend's ex-girlfriend was now dating Brittain. They had 'a handful of interactions' since the relationship started, including an argument about one year prior to the shooting. The intended target told investigators that on the day of the shooting, he and another friend were riding around Decatur on their motorcycles when they passed the home of Brittain's girlfriend. Zilz said Brittain was on the front porch. '[The target] said that he saw Caiden stand up and yell something at him,' Zilz said. '[The target] said he immediately yelled [expletives] back to Caiden.' The two motorcycle riders then drove to a home on Church Street, parked their motorcycles and stood on the sidewalk near the street. About 10 minutes after the interaction with Brittain, at 3:28 p.m., the 24-year-old said he saw a car driving down Church Street that was 'extremely similar' to the car belonging to Brittain's girlfriend. '[The target] said he observed a white male with his arm out of the driver's window armed with a handgun,' Zilz said. 'This white male then fired three shots at him and [his friend].' The intended target of the shooting was not hit, but his friend was shot in the left leg. Zilz said the friend suffered a fractured femur and needed surgery to put a steel rod into his leg. The 24-year-old would not say if it was Brittain who shot at him, Zilz said. He feared retaliation for 'snitching,' but police were able to identify Brittain as the shooter through other evidence. UPDATE: Man arrested on three charges for Easter Sunday shooting in Decatur The shooting was recorded on a nearby doorbell camera and another home camera recorded the car as it left the area. The license plate reader system also recorded the car, and it was identified as belonging to Brittain's girlfriend. A prior traffic stop in Mt. Zion proved Brittain also uses the car. Zilz said investigators later went to the girlfriend's home but did not find her. They did make contact with her stepfather; Zilz said he told investigators he was aware of the shooting on Church and who was responsible. When he arrived at his home after the shooting, he found Brittain and his stepdaughter there and described them as 'freaking out.' '[The stepfather] stated that [she] and Caiden advised he had shot who he thought was [the 24-year-old],' Zilz said. 'Caiden claimed to have shot out of fear as he advised [the 24-year-old] had 'clutched' for something.' The stepfather told investigators that it had been his stepdaughter's gun used in the shooting. Zilz said she had a FOID card. The stepfather also told investigators his stepdaughter's car was at his garage and that he had assisted in concealing it. '[She] and Caiden stated they wanted to hide it to avoid potential retaliation from the shooting,' Zilz said. '[The stepfather] advised [she] was staying at another address in town to avoid being targeted in retaliation and stated he believed Caiden was in Kankakee.' With consent from both the stepfather and his wife, investigators entered the garage and found the Altima buried under miscellaneous items, 'as if someone was attempting to conceal it.' Man accused of attempted murder in Paxton out on pretrial release, arrested again Zilz added that a check of Brittain's past revealed he had two prior convictions in Kankakee County — a 2022 case of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and a 2023 case of possessing a controlled substance. Since his arrest and extradition to Macon County, Brittain appeared in court for arraignment and a detention hearing. He was denied pretrial release and will remain in the Macon County Jail as his court case progresses. He is due back in court on May 21. Decatur Police told WCIA that the investigation into the shooting is still open and investigators are still looking for information. Tipsters can call either the Decatur Police Department or Macon County Crime Stoppers. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to
