Latest news with #Lovell
Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mirror
DNA site that helped woman find long-lost Japanese brother is now under £30
MyHeritage DNA kit is down to £29 from £79. A DNA testing site that connects people's family trees is currently running a special offer - bringing the price down to £29. MyHeritage has a history of connecting long-lost family members and boasts a whole host of resources to build out their family tree. A woman found her long lost brother through MyHeritage and described their reunion "as a miracle". Sharon Lovell found her lost Japanese brother, Akihiko, with the help of her cousin. "At first, I was in disbelief," Lovell says. "But the evidence seemed undeniable." She explained how her father had searched for years for the child - who he fathered while on military service in Japan - and believed he had been put up for adoption. Lovell recalled: "I saw my father cry many times throughout my life, because he couldn't find his child. His soul never found peace in this regard." Her father died in 2003, "still heartbroken" and "after a long struggle with multiple sclerosis", but many years later, in 2022, Lovell and her long lost sibling - a brother - found each other via her cousin, who had used MyHeritage. If anyone has ever been in the same position, or is curious about their roots, there has never been a better moment to act. For a very limited time, the MyHeritage DNA kit is just £29 down from £79 - giving users over 63% off, and it's the lowest price the brand has ever offered, using this link. People are raving about the test for a number of reasons. The process is simple, users just need to do a quick, painless cheek swab, pop it in the post using the pre-paid envelope and get their results securely online in just a few weeks. Once the DNA is processed, MyHeritage gives users a deep dive into their ancestry - from their ethnic origins to potential DNA matches with relatives they never knew they had. There is also a free 30-day trail of the MyHeritage Complete subscription, unlocking access to over 36 billion historical records, smart family free tools to build lineage and DNA matching to connect with distant relatives. For some other alternatives, shoppers could try Ancestry for prices as low as £79 and it gives detailed insights about family's origins and DNA matches. Another option is Living NDA which is said to be the most detailed ancestry test in the world with one simple cheek swab for £79. Lovell explains that when she met her brother for the first time at the airport, they 'ran to each other and hugged and kissed.' "The bond we built felt instant and profound. It's almost like we grew up together - it feels that way, because we're very close," she says. "It's all so incredible, so remarkable, how we found one another after seven decades of being apart - each one of us on the other side of the world. Thanks to MyHeritage being a global platform for family history research this was possible. You can find what you have been searching for in places you didn't think possible, even in Japan," she enthused, adding: "Every day there is so much bad news from around the world. And here we are giving hope, spreading good news to the world. I see our reunion as a miracle. We make a really good team, my brother and I." MyHeritage has a high 4 out of 5 star rating on Trustpilot from over 67,000 reviews. One person said: "MyHeritage is easy to use, with lots of hints. I also have Ancestry tree as well, and I find they both complement each other." Another said: "My Heritage is loaded with information to access. Get a DNA test and a whole new ballpark comes into action!" Another said: "Trouble logging in to the system. Time delays of hours or 24 hours. Frustrating." "The rep that I spoke to was very knowledgeable about what I was interested in, and gave me a good deal," said another user.
South Wales Guardian
14-07-2025
- Politics
- South Wales Guardian
Former Conservative MP who harassed ex-wife handed community order
Katie Wallis, 41, of Butetown, Cardiff, the MP for Bridgend in South Wales from 2019 to 2024, became the first openly transgender MP in the House of Commons in 2022. Appearing before Cardiff Magistrates' Court on Monday, Wallis, who was previously known as Jamie, was sentenced for harassing her ex-wife, Rebecca Wallis, now known as Rebecca Lovell. The court heard the former MP sent messages accusing Ms Lovell of being 'mean' to them, demanding to know about her new partner, saying she was 'cock hunting,' and calling her a 'c***' and a 'f****** bitch'. On February 25, using an unknown number, the former MP demanded £350,000 be put into their bank account within 15 minutes. In a separate message, Wallis referred to her ex-wife and father as 'prejudiced f******' adding they hope they 'never have a happy moment again'. In total, the former MP sent four messages and left one voice note. The couple split in 2020, with the divorce finalised in 2024. In a victim impact statement, which was read to the court, Ms Lovell said: 'This is the hardest thing I have written, for so long I have had to fight against the tide of Jamie's behaviour, publicly and privately.' She added: 'The woman I used to be is destroyed. I will never understand what I have done to deserve the hurt I have endured.' Ms Lovell described the last six months as 'utterly devastating' and said she was living her life as an 'overstimulated adult constantly in fight or flight'. She said she feared Wallis turning up at her home, leading her to have CCTV installed. Wallis, who was wearing a black dress, looked down as the statement was read to the court. Narita Bahra KC, appearing for the defence, said Wallis uses female pronouns, referring to Jamie as her 'deadname'. She argued it was 'disappointing' the case had come to court, criticising South Wales Police and the Crown Prosecution Service for not dealing with the issue outside the court. Ms Bahra argued it was 'unequivocal' that Wallis had been suffering from mental health difficulties at the time of the offending, partly brought on by their transitioning. She also said Wallis was suffering from PTSD, a depressive disorder and an adjustment disorder. Ms Bahra said Wallis was remorseful and did not seek to excuse her actions. In Wallis's final message to Ms Lovell she asked for help, claimed she was experiencing pain in her temples and said she wanted her father to pay for someone to hold her hand. Wallis was then found by police and sectioned under the Mental Health Act before being arrested and later charged. District Judge Rhys Williams handed Wallis a 12-month community order to be carried out over 12 days and a fine worth £1,264. He also imposed a restraining order for 12 months to prevent Wallis from contacting Ms Lovell. Wallis, who pleaded guilty to leaving the messages at a hearing in June, initially denied the charges, but changed her plea when allegations of having driven by her ex-wife's home were removed from the charge.
Leader Live
14-07-2025
- Politics
- Leader Live
Former Conservative MP who harassed ex-wife handed community order
Katie Wallis, 41, of Butetown, Cardiff, the MP for Bridgend in South Wales from 2019 to 2024, became the first openly transgender MP in the House of Commons in 2022. Appearing before Cardiff Magistrates' Court on Monday, Wallis, who was previously known as Jamie, was sentenced for harassing her ex-wife, Rebecca Wallis, now known as Rebecca Lovell. The court heard the former MP sent messages accusing Ms Lovell of being 'mean' to them, demanding to know about her new partner, saying she was 'cock hunting,' and calling her a 'c***' and a 'f****** bitch'. On February 25, using an unknown number, the former MP demanded £350,000 be put into their bank account within 15 minutes. In a separate message, Wallis referred to her ex-wife and father as 'prejudiced f******' adding they hope they 'never have a happy moment again'. In total, the former MP sent four messages and left one voice note. The couple split in 2020, with the divorce finalised in 2024. In a victim impact statement, which was read to the court, Ms Lovell said: 'This is the hardest thing I have written, for so long I have had to fight against the tide of Jamie's behaviour, publicly and privately.' She added: 'The woman I used to be is destroyed. I will never understand what I have done to deserve the hurt I have endured.' Ms Lovell described the last six months as 'utterly devastating' and said she was living her life as an 'overstimulated adult constantly in fight or flight'. She said she feared Wallis turning up at her home, leading her to have CCTV installed. Wallis, who was wearing a black dress, looked down as the statement was read to the court. Narita Bahra KC, appearing for the defence, said Wallis uses female pronouns, referring to Jamie as her 'deadname'. She argued it was 'disappointing' the case had come to court, criticising South Wales Police and the Crown Prosecution Service for not dealing with the issue outside the court. Ms Bahra argued it was 'unequivocal' that Wallis had been suffering from mental health difficulties at the time of the offending, partly brought on by their transitioning. She also said Wallis was suffering from PTSD, a depressive disorder and an adjustment disorder. Ms Bahra said Wallis was remorseful and did not seek to excuse her actions. In Wallis's final message to Ms Lovell she asked for help, claimed she was experiencing pain in her temples and said she wanted her father to pay for someone to hold her hand. Wallis was then found by police and sectioned under the Mental Health Act before being arrested and later charged. District Judge Rhys Williams handed Wallis a 12-month community order to be carried out over 12 days and a fine worth £1,264. He also imposed a restraining order for 12 months to prevent Wallis from contacting Ms Lovell. Wallis, who pleaded guilty to leaving the messages at a hearing in June, initially denied the charges, but changed her plea when allegations of having driven by her ex-wife's home were removed from the charge.
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- Yahoo
Former Tory MP handed community order for harassing ex-wife
A former Tory MP has been handed a community order after admitting harassing her ex-wife. Katie Wallis, 41, was known as Jamie before she became the UK's . She represented the seat of Bridgend in South Wales from 2019 to 2022. Wallis was sentenced today for harassing ex-wife Rebecca Wallis, now known as Rebeca Lovell. Cardiff Magistrates' Court heard the ex-MP sent messages to her former partner accusing Ms Lovell of being "mean", demanding to know about a new partner, alleging her former wife was "cock-hunting" and calling Ms Lovell a c***" and a "f****** bitch". The court also heard that Wallis had demanded £350,000 from Ms Lovell using an unknown phone number In a different message, Wallis referred to her ex-wife and Ms Lovell's father as "prejudiced f******" and hoped they "never have a happy moment again". In total, the former MP sent four messages and left one voice note. The couple split in 2020 and finalised their divorce in 2024. A victim impact statement from Ms Lovell said: "This is the hardest thing I have written, for so long I have had to fight against the tide of Jamie's behaviour, publicly and privately." She added: "The woman I used to be is destroyed. I will never understand what I have done to deserve the hurt I have endured." Ms Lovell went on to say the past six months had been "utterly devastating", adding that she feared Wallis arriving at her home and had consequently installed CCTV. Wallis, wearing a black dress, looked down as the statement was read to the court. Narita Bahra KC, appearing for the defence, said Wallis uses female pronouns, referring to Jamie as her "deadname". As of last month, the former MP said her name was still legally Jamie, but she used the name Katie. Read more: Wallis's lawyer criticised the police and prosecutors for not dealing with the matter outside of court - adding that it was "unequivocal" her client had been suffering from mental health difficulties during the offending, partly brought on by her transitioning. Ms Bahra said Wallis was suffering from PTSD, a depressive disorder and an adjustment disorder. District Judge Rhys Williams handed Wallis a 12-month community order and a fine worth £1, admitted leaving the messages at a hearing in June, having previously denied the charges. The former MP asked Ms Lovell for help in the final message, and claimed she was experiencing head pain. Wallis was sectioned under the Mental Health Act after being found by police, and was later arrested and then charged. Her plea changed when allegations of having driven by Ms Lovell's home were removed from the charge. Wallis was previously convicted of driving offences in 2022 after crashing a car into a telegraph pole before fleeing the scene.
BBC News
02-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Affordable homes on former Hull council estate approved
Plans for 84 affordable homes on a former council estate in Hull have been scheme on land off Balham Avenue would provide "much-needed affordable family housing" as part of the wider redevelopment of the Ings estate, according to the applicant, proposed properties would range from two to four bedrooms, with 53 available for rent and 31 for shared City Council's planning committee approved the proposals at a meeting on Friday. According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the development would also include open green spaces and parking spaces for each this year, plans were submitted for166 houses nearby on derelict land in Middlesex schemes were part of a major regeneration programme in the area. Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
