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Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
Fire causes major damage to landmark hotel
A serious fire has caused major damage to a landmark hotel overlooking the Gower peninsula. Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service were called to a blaze at the Worm's Head Hotel in Rhossili at 00:51 BST on Monday morning. The property has been significantly damaged by the fire, the cause of which has not yet been identified, the fire service said. It confirmed that no casualties were reported and all occupants were accounted for. The fire service said it responded to a fire within the property's accommodation block, which spread to the block's entire roof space. The fire was extinguished at around 05:30, with crews continuing to monitor the scene before leaving at 09:32. A 25m (82 ft) span of roof had collapsed at the hotel, leaving blackened beams and an exposed chimney stack visible. In a statement, the hotel management said; "Everyone's safe. Thank you for your well wishes. The bar and hotel will be closed pending future updates." The 17-bedroom hotel has sweeping views of the National Trust-owned Rhossili Bay, a designated area of outstanding natural beauty. South Wales Police were also in attendance to the incident.
The Irish Sun
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Mystery of Disneyland ‘child marriage' paedo Jacky Jhaj's hidden fortune as not even COPS know how he funds sick stunts
COPS still don't know how the convicted paedo who staged a 'fake wedding' to a nine-year-old girl at Disneyland Paris is paying for his sick stunts, a court heard today. 9 Jaskarn "Jacky" Jhaj is a convicted paedophile wanted by the Met Credit: MET Police 9 In a sick stunt he faked a marriage in Disneyland Paris with a 9-year-old Credit: 9 Disneyland is a popular holiday destination for children Cops were Around He is currently being held by French cops on fraud, identity theft and money laundering charges. The 39-year-old is a Read more on UK News Jhaj, who changed his name by deed poll last August to 'London JA', was last seen leaving the UK for Milan in November. This morning, cops told a judge at Isleworth Crown Court in West London that the creep organised fake movie shoots and a Leicester Square film premiere costing thousands of pounds to get close to underage girls. But the authorities - who were at court to beef-up a sexual harm prevention order aimed at stopping Jhaj from having contact with kids - still have no idea how the Benedict Scantlebury, representing the Metropolitan Police, said: 'I can't make any submissions as to the provenance of his wealth. Most read in The Sun 'But he's a man who clearly seems to have the ability to draw on significant sums of money and he's willing to use that money to spend hundreds of thousands.' He had registered multiple firms with Companies House to arrange and pay for his films, naming as directors people who 'do not appear to be genuine'. Mr Scantlebury said the police wanted to close a loophole in Jhaj's existing sexual harm prevention order that meant he could hire child actors for his stunts as long as they are accompanied by a chaperone. Moment convicted paedophile wandering street with girl, 6, is snared by cops His long history of bizarre stunts includes renting out the Odeon in Leicester Square for a fake film premiere in October 2023, hiring hundreds of kids to act as his fawning fans. Some of the children, who had been hired from casting agencies, were in primary school. Teen girls said they'd been asked to scream for him and try to touch him. Two years earlier - in 2021 - cops were called over concerns about his behaviour towards a 'young girl' on set. A 999 caller told police Jhaj 'tried to get himself and the female actress in a room together', adding that he left in a hurry saying 'I think I'm about to get arrested.' 9 Jhaj, features in a two-hour film uploaded online called "Dangerous Sexual Predator" 9 Jhaj previously held a similar event in which he hired young girls to pretend to faint as he walked up and down a red carpet in Leicester Square A trailer from the film - shown to the court this morning - showed Jhaj apparently firing a machine gun from the top of an armoured car at National Trust-owned mansion Waddesdon Manor in Buckinghamshire. Jhaj hired around 100 mourners to attend a fake funeral at Brompton Cemetery, West London, in March 2024. He'd booked using a fake name and the actors - including young girls - were unaware he was a sex offender. Three months later, in June, he pulled up in a rented Bugatti supercar outside a dance school in Tower Hamlets, East London, handing out gifts to the students, aged between eight and 14. Jhaj had hired a choreographer to go into the school earlier in the day and hold auditions for another fake production. Then in August 2024 he staged a bizarre shoot near the On Friday, the court was told: 'The crew did not know that he would be naked during the shoot, and one of the drone operators filming the shoot had his children present at the scene.' Jhaj is suspected of uploading videos from his stunts online using anonymous bot accounts on social media sites. Giving evidence at Isleworth Crown Court this morning, Detective Constable Andy Hawes of the Metropolitan Police said he had 'no doubt' the sicko was also responsible for a two hour YouTube video from 2020 showing the topless pervert driving around picking up girls outside schools. One of the girls was in school uniform. The dash cam-shot video described Jhaj in a title card as a 'dangerous sexual predator' and it promised: 'This footage has never before been seen. Until now.' DC Hawes said blowing up a lorry at the O2 was a 'display of defiance towards the authorities'. 9 A disturbing advert used to rope in children for the fake wedding Credit: Facebook 9 A band for the fake guests as the wedding Credit: Instagram/bfmtv And the other bizarre stunts betrayed his sense of 'gratuitous entitlement'. The detective added: 'He surrounds himself with children. He enjoys their attention. He wants their affection. 'Thankfully, when he has hired casting agencies to provide children it is their legal requirement to provide chaperones.' He said: 'All of the stunts or the most recent ones are done in alias names, some wearing prosthetics, so in the future he can regale these stories to other females without it being linked to his true identity.' On Friday, a judge was told that perv Jhaj has never admitted what he does is wrong and has refused to take part in sex offender workshops aimed at treating his sick obsession with kids. Probation officers have previously flagged him as posing a 'grooming risk to female children' and required him to take polygraph - lie detector - tests, police said. Jhaj, of Feltham, West London, was first convicted in 2016 - when he was jailed for four years for molesting two 15-year-old girls he'd tricked into thinking he was a bigshot film producer. He later staged a video of him allegedly being mobbed by adoring teens - played by actors - while coming out of prison. Last July, he got a let-off £500 fine after he admitted breaching sex offender register notification requirements by failing to tell cops about a new passport. He was last seen by cops in November 2024, when he told officers at Hampstead police station that he would be flying to Munich on November 10 and returning the next day. Jhaj in fact jetted to Milan, Italy, and has not been seen since - although he is currently wanted for breaching court orders. The cop responsible for investigating the paedo producer, DC Hawes, said this morning: 'There have been extensive checks and at borders, airlines, all means of trying to locate Mr Jhaj but no success.' 9 A massive fireball near the O2 saw black smoke float across the Thames Credit: X 9 Jhaj (left) walked away from the fire while being naked Credit: Twitter/@gale_hunte He eventually emerged last Saturday, when he was arrested at Disneyland Paris over the sick wedding prank. Mr Hawes told the court: 'This morning, I took a phone call from the National Crime Agency in Paris who stated that Mr Jhaj has been remanded for four months pending a trial. 'He has lodged an application for bail, which has to be heard within 20 days.' On Friday, Judge Martin Edmunds - who said he'd learnt of Jhaj's arrest from news reports - ruled the case could go ahead in his absence. He stressed that the fake wedding in France was not part of the evidence supporting the police's application to extend the Londoner's sexual harm prevention order. But the judge added: 'I am not in a position to determine the rights or wrongs of the events at Disneyland nor do I purport to do so. 'But I do note they appear similar to other attention seeking stunts which are the subject of this application.' He extended the sexual harm prevention order for a decade and updated its requirements, banning Jhaj from unsupervised contact with kids without prior approval from the cops. In his ruling, Judge Edmunds said: 'The total absence of any evidence showing that the defendant is seeking to address appropriately his preoccupation with children means that a lengthy order is necessary.' He added: 'The stunts show absurd, grandiose thinking, access to very substantial funds to feed his attention-seeking behaviour, and persistent work to generate the illusion that he is a film maker.'
Spectator
07-06-2025
- Health
- Spectator
Walking, not working out, is the best exercise
These days almost everyone you meet is a member of a gym, and instead of attending church every week – as they did in days gone by – they make regular visits to these temples of the body beautiful: the new religion of our times. Yet despite these obligatory bouts of body worship, the general health of the nation – physical and mental – does not appear to be improving. The evidence tells us that obscene levels of obesity are at an all-time high, and everyone has heard stories of those struck down in the prime of life by strokes, coronaries or – most common of all – cancer, the plague of our age. Last week, for example, I heard of an acquaintance, thought super-fit by his friends, who wearied his girlfriend with constant demands for vigorous sex, and who suddenly dropped dead in the stairwell of his home – felled by a heart attack that apparently came from nowhere. And who of us has not heard of someone visiting a doctor with a mysterious pain, only to be given a deadly diagnosis of some fell disease and told they had just a few months more to live? Instead of ruinously expensive sessions in a gym, I would recommend a form of exercise that requires no membership fees, no purchase of expensive equipment, and no regular attendance at a given location. I mean the gentle practice of merely putting one foot in front of the other – and just walking. Walking – either alone, with a like-minded companion, or in one of many organised groups – is a safer, cheaper and more beneficial way of staying fit than going to gyms. And you get to see the superb sites of our gorgeous countryside, which you don't when lifting weights. It is the simplest form of exercise known to humankind, and makes no dangerous demands on the cardiovascular system, which gym visits, jogging, cycling or running a marathon entail. Moreover, walking slowly releases endorphins as well as leaving one with pleasantly aching parts of the body at its conclusion. Unless you can afford to keep a horse, walking is by far the nicest and easiest way of viewing our green and pleasant land. Last weekend, for instance, I visited a hill fort that inspired William Blake to pen that famous phrase when he wrote 'Jerusalem' while looking out towards the Trundle, a Bronze Age settlement on St Roche's hill near Goodwood in West Sussex. It is certainly not the north face of the Eiger, but ascending the 676ft Trundle still requires a steady half-hour climb. And it is not as demanding as two other beauty spots in the same area: Kingley Vale, whose grove of yew trees are reputedly older than nearby Chichester Cathedral; and Harting Down, a National Trust-owned area of the South Downs that really does take it out of the calf muscles. It is the simplest form of exercise known to humankind, and makes no dangerous demands on the cardiovascular system Even in overcrowded south-east England, it is still possible to explore hills, woods, fields and forests where you will meet few fellow walkers. And if panting your way up to a hill fort is not your idea of fun, how about a sandy stroll around the beautiful beaches of West Wittering, where only a yapping hound is likely to disturb your peaceful contemplation of the coast I have walked several of the maintained long-distance paths that cater to the more dedicated strollers. The South Downs Way between Eastbourne and Winchester is popular with both walkers and – annoyingly – mountain bikers. The Cotswold Way takes you past some of England's most beautiful towns and villages. More demanding is the South West coastal path around the Cornish peninsula between Poole on the English Channel and Minehead on the Bristol Channel. It features in the current film The Salt Path, about a couple who counter the double whammy of a terminal illness diagnosis and homelessness by simply setting out to walk the 600-mile path. As the poet Thom Gunn wrote in his signature verses 'On the Move': 'Reaching no absolute in which to rest/ One is always nearer by not keeping still.' It has been calculated that completing the South West coastal path is equivalent to ascending Everest three times, but you don't have to be a Hillary or a Tenzing to walk. A stout pair of boots and a map is all that is required. Whether in company or alone, it will certainly make you feel good – and it may even save your life.
West Australian
06-06-2025
- General
- West Australian
Hundreds of historical artefacts unearthed during archaeological dig at Strawberry Hill at Barmup
More than 400 artefacts — including pieces of porcelain, slate and teeth — have been found during an eight-day archaeological dig at WA's oldest colonial farm, Strawberry Hill at Barmup. The project manager of the National Trust-owned site, Michael Wells, said the primary objective of the dig was to locate the flagstones that once formed the floor of old stables that were built almost 200 years ago at the Albany property. 'We didn't succeed in that so it remains a mystery as to whether those flagstones are still there but there was lots of other things found by the archaeologists,' he said. 'I believe there was about 400 artefacts, mostly just small items, that were uncovered and then they're going to be analysed and I'm sure they're going to help us to understand the history of Strawberry Hill at Barmup.' Marbles, fragments of porcelain, glass, slate and what are believed to be horse teeth were among the hundreds of items the team sifted through. Conducted by a team of three architects from May 22-29, the dig was focused on the areas to the west and east of the main house to ensure no heritage items or structures would be damaged during upcoming infrastructure upgrades. As well as the flagstones, the team were searching for remains of an old veranda that was once attached to the main house. The property was established in 1826 as a government farm before being developed into the family home for one of Albany's earliest residents, Sir Richard Spencer. 'What I loved about this whole thing is just the insight that it gives us into what it might've been like there in the 1830s,' Mr Wells said. 'I mean it was a working farm and they didn't have motorcars so of course they had horses. They needed a place to keep the horses so that conjures up all sorts of images and then moving forward in time, the remains of those stables were still there until the late 70s we believe. 'It went through a lot of transitions and it went from being used by horses to being used to repair motorcars and I think possibly to store motorcars, so it's a pretty interesting site which has got a lot to tell us about the long and interesting history of Strawberry Hill.' The site demonstrates many firsts for WA: first farm, first farmhouse, and first two-storey building. Before earning those titles it was a highly significant meeting place for Menang Noongar people, a fact honoured by the presence of Wagyl Kaip Southern Noongar Aboriginal Corporation staff members at the dig, who kept an eye out for any significant Indigenous artefacts that may be unearthed. Mr Wells said though the findings still needed to be analysed, he hoped the artefacts could serve as part of the heritage property's attraction. 'We're moving towards a point next year when Strawberry Hill is gonna be transformed into quite a different place and we're really determined to make it a tourism drawcard the way that it isn't now,' he said. 'Artefacts like these can potentially be put on display and they can help to evoke for visitors that combination of colonial and Aboriginal history.'
Leader Live
06-05-2025
- Business
- Leader Live
Wrexham bakery awarded King's Award for Enterprise
The prestigious award was given to Jones Village Bakery for its impressive short-term growth in exports over the past three years. The bakery has recently expanded into new markets in Australia, the Middle East, France, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Norway. 18 months ago, the bakery's increasing international recognition secured it a contract to supply pancakes to Australia, following a £2 million investment in a new, modern pancake production line. The original agreement was to supply three varieties of American-style pancakes: buttermilk, blueberry and lemon. The pancakes have been such a hit that the bakery has now secured a deal to supply its Australian customers with Welsh cakes and pikelets as well. This is alongside supplying a global network of around 200 M&S stores – reaching as far as Hong Kong and Singapore – with crumpets, scones, pancakes, bagels, rolls, Welsh cakes and pikelets. The increase in exports over the past few years has helped create 100 new jobs at the bakery. The company, which celebrated its 90th anniversary last year, is now targeting Canada and Japan as potential new markets for further growth. This is the third time the Village Bakery has been honoured by King Charles, the first two occasions being before he ascended to the throne. Former company chairman Alan Jones, now retired, baked bread for the then Prince Charles in the old brick oven at Erddig Hall during a visit to the National Trust-owned stately home on the edge of Wrexham in 1977. Then in 2015, the Prince, as he was at the time, officially opened the company's new bakery on Wrexham Industrial Estate, where he and the then Duchess of Cornwall, now Queen Camilla, demonstrated their skill by learning how to flip Welsh cakes on the hot plate. Mr Jones' son Robin, who has led the export drive in recent years alongside his brother Christien, said he was delighted the company had once again been recognised by the monarch. Shareholder Robin said: "We were delighted and humbled to be recognised with a King's Award for Enterprise. "As well as being a hugely proud moment for the Jones family, the King's Award is also a fitting reward for our brilliant and dedicated staff who are the secret ingredient in our ongoing success." Glen Marriott, the company's commercial controller, played a key role in boosting overseas sales and was named an official export champion by the Welsh Government last year. He said: "In 2023, the Department of Business and Trade and Industry brought a delegation here, and that helped spur the growth we've seen in recent years. "Once the Welsh Government knew we were exporting to Australia, they were very helpful,l and that's opened up other doors over there. "They're also helping us quite a bit at the moment with Canada because we are looking at going there next." READ MORE: Why son's diagnosis spurred North Wales family on to set up website on rare disease Further momentum came last year when the company secured investment for a multi-million pound expansion plan from French bakery firm Menissez, a family-run business founded in 1965, a year after the Jones family took over the Village Bakery. Village Bakery CEO Simon Thorpe said: "We are in a very good place in terms of where we're heading. "We are now being recognised as one of the leading exporters in the Welsh food and drink sector. "As well as being a great honour, it is going to be a huge help in a practical sense. "Having the award will open so many more doors from an exporting perspective. "In terms of our standing in the export community, it will be brilliant. "The long term benefits to the business are going to be huge."
