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Burglar ram-raided petrol station for cigarettes and alcohol
Burglar ram-raided petrol station for cigarettes and alcohol

South Wales Guardian

time01-06-2025

  • South Wales Guardian

Burglar ram-raided petrol station for cigarettes and alcohol

Ryan Thomas appeared at Swansea Crown Court after admitting a spree of burglaries in Carmarthenshire which saw him steal cars from two homes before ram-raiding a garage. Thomas broke in to a home on Broad Street in Llandovery in the early hours of April 1, 2023, by reaching through a disused cat flap to open the door, prosecutor Dean Pulling said. He stole a box of Budweiser and the keys to a Toyota Yaris, and a neighbour reported hearing the car driving off at around 1.30am. Thomas drove the car some 18.5 miles, and it was found abandoned in the Llandybie area having sustained 'some damage'. After ditching the car, Thomas broke in to a nearby home on Ammanford Road and stole the keys to a Volvo S80. The court heard Thomas drove the Volvo to Petro Express petrol station on Cwmamman Road in Glanaman, where he committed 'a ram-raid style burglary' at just after 4am. Mr Pulling said Thomas was seen putting what appeared to be plastic bags over his hands and head, before attempting to lift the shutter to the garage's shop. After being unable to lift it, he reversed the car into the shutter 'a number of times', before turning around and driving into it front-on twice. This smashed through the shutter, and Thomas went inside and swiped cigarettes, alcohol, and cash from the tills. After around 40 minutes, the defendant fled in the Volvo. The car was recovered in the Swansea area, Mr Pulling said it had extensive damage and an attempt had been made to set fire to the interior. The ram raid had caused damage worth £17,820 to the petrol station. Thomas' fingerprints were found on the door and cat flap of the first home, as well as on the empty beer bottles left in the abandoned Yaris. He was seen entering the second home on the doorbell camera. However by the time officers were able to link him to the burglaries, he had been jailed for unrelated offences. The defendant, who is currently a serving prisoner at HMP Cardiff, pleaded guilty to three charges of burglary and one of aggravated vehicle taking. The court heard that Thomas, from the Merthyr Tydfil area, had 54 previous convictions and was subject to a suspended sentence and banned from driving at the time of these offences. 'The best mitigation in this case is his credit for a guilty plea,' said Hywel Davies, appearing for Thomas. Mr Davies said it was 'accepted and unavoidable' that the defendant would face a lengthy prison sentence for his offending. He said there had been a year-long delay in the defendant being interviewed, which had also led to a delay in the case coming to court. Mr Davies added that Thomas was now working to address his substance misuse issues in prison and was undergoing weekly drug testing. The judge, Recorder Christopher Felstead, sentenced Thomas to a total of 31 months. He was also banned from driving for five years and three months, and must pass an extended re-test.

Sharon Horgan says she only found confidence after Bad Sisters series two
Sharon Horgan says she only found confidence after Bad Sisters series two

BBC News

time31-05-2025

  • Entertainment
  • BBC News

Sharon Horgan says she only found confidence after Bad Sisters series two

Bafta award-winning actor, writer, producer and director Sharon Horgan has told an audience at the Hay Festival she finally found confidence after the second series of her hit show Bad Sisters came out last star, whose back catalogue includes sitcoms Catastrophe, Pulling and Motherland, said she previously thought "there was a possibility I was just in the right place at the right time, or that I had the right people around. "But I think with Bad Sisters, even though there's a huge team of people, it felt like mine. That feeling I belonged in that room."Bad Sisters, an adaptation of Belgian series Clan on Apple TV+, is a revenge tale about sisters aiming to kill an abusive husband. Horgan also talked about how she first turned to writing because she couldn't land any acting roles, hence deciding to write parts for about penning her first pilot back in the early 2000s with Dennis Kelly for BBC Three show Pulling, about a group of 20-something women and their chaotic love lives, Horgan said: "Comedy was mainly written by men, writing the female parts. I was writing about myself and my friends - flawed women. No-one was really doing it at that point."She said she was concerned that because her female-led sitcom had been picked up, it might mean other women wouldn't get their shows made."It felt like a one-in, one-out kind of system. Like, we've had the female comedy [quota]."She then spent several years "waitressing and doing unsuccessful pilots" before eventually hooking up with Rob Delaney on X (then Twitter) and going on to create Channel 4 show was about a couple who ended up settling down together following an accidental pregnancy after only a week of dating. Horgan said: "We wanted to show how difficult it was to stay in love when you're a parent... and you've got terrible people running around under three foot!" Motherhood was a theme the Irish star returned to when she created the hit BBC series Motherland, alongside Holly Walsh and Graham Linehan. Following a pilot episode aired in 2016, it went on to spawn three hit series, two Christmas specials, and recent spin-off, dark comedy sees a group of mum friends - and one dad - navigate the challenges of middle class told fans at Hay: "I was living it. I would go to my daughter's primary school every day and just feel existential. You have to find your people. and that's what happened to me. I met these two really great women who are still in my life now."It's sort of just getting a group of misfits together. I felt like an outsider. It's a really great, fun show but it's also about how lonely it can be. I experienced that, walking through a park with my pushchair... and seeing a group of mums having a picnic and thinking, 'Why aren't I at that?'" Since then, her career has continued to thrive and she has juggled multiple roles on many of her shows ranging from executive producer to actor to writer and even she admitted her perfectionism had occasionally caused an issue on set."I'm trying to get better at it. It's also about having people around you that you really trust almost as much as you trust yourself. But I remember being pulled up on it by a big star in a show I did, just going: 'Don't you think all of these people can do their jobs? You think you can do your job better than all these people?'"And I remember at the time thinking, 'I can't say this out loud,' but 'yes'!" she laughed. More from the Hay Festival Succession creator Jesse Armstrong is writing about rich people againJacqueline Wilson says she wouldn't return to Tracy Beaker as an adult At the end of her discussion, Horgan is asked which of her characters she'd most like to be. She plumps for Sharon Morris from her obvious success and new-found confidence, Horgan's admiration for Morris, a funny, brave and strikingly honest woman just doing her best, is clear."Even though she's selfish and can be awful... she was just able to articulate how she was feeling," she said."I think that's the great thing about writing. You get to say all those conversations that you have in your head and you wish you'd said. She had all my thoughts, the thoughts I was afraid to say at the time."

More grit than glitz in female motorsport's answer to Drive to Survive
More grit than glitz in female motorsport's answer to Drive to Survive

Yahoo

time28-05-2025

  • Entertainment
  • Yahoo

More grit than glitz in female motorsport's answer to Drive to Survive

Netflix's fly-on-the-wall documentary Formula 1: Drive to Survive has been such a success that sports have fallen over themselves to try to cash in on the back of it. The latest to allow cameras on the grid is F1: The Academy. The stage is almost the same, even if the story is not. The F1 Academy, under managing director Susie Wolff, has been established to nurture young female talent, and the series is produced by Reese Witherspoon's production company Hello Sunshine. Unlike F1, it is not a career in itself. Drivers must be aged between 16 and 25 and are only allowed to race for two seasons, with just the winner awarded a fully-funded seat in GB3 – the next rung in the ladder before the heights of F2, or even F1. The differences between F1 Academy and Formula One are stark. There are no Monaco penthouses and only one clip of drivers cruising to a track in a luxury vehicle. It might be the pinnacle of female motorsport, but there is a long way to go for the drivers to have more than just a taste of the riches on offer. Instead, drivers live with their managers and only a few have the luxury of an entourage. The documentary will leave even those few who believe the sport is open to all convinced of the barriers. Abbi Pulling, the British driver, cannot afford to have her father fly out and watch while merchandise shoots are a necessity – as she bluntly explains, it helps her pay rent. Wolff says she wants F1 Academy to be a 'movement not a moment', but for those in their final season of the competition there is the constant uncertainty of what the future holds. Pulling's story is one of sacrifice, from her father working seven days a week to fund her karting career to an honest reflection that if she does not win in her final F1 Academy year – and therefore misses out on the GB3 place – that might be the end of her racing journey. Pulling, who does go on to win and is now competing in GB3, says: 'I'm a woman in a man's world trying to prove herself. That's why Mulan is my favourite movie.' It is a harsh reality that contrasts sharply with the glitz and glamour that comes with racing in F1 teams' liveries, on the same weekends and at the same track as the flagship races. As Wolff states plainly: 'If you can't cut it in F1 Academy, there's not going to be much of a career in motorsport left for you.' In F1, even drivers who do not make the cut after a year or two are still compensated heavily, but reaching F1 Academy does not pay the bills. Bianca Bustamante, a driver from the Philippines, boasts more than three million followers on social media, and more on Instagram than F1 driver Liam Lawson. She is mobbed at races, with endless requests for selfies, especially when in Singapore, and her McLaren aide worries how her social media posts and marketing affect her racing – her season is one of pitfalls. In a later episode Mercedes's Toto Wolff, in one of a handful of brief appearances by F1 team principals, says: 'This is not an influencer racing series. Only the best ones must survive.' In the seven-part series, only five stories are really explored – Bustamante, Pulling, Mercedes driver Doriane Pin, sisters Hamda and Amna Al Qubaisi from Dubai, and American rally driver turned track racer Lia Block. Those tuning in expecting another version of the abrasive rivalries between drivers and team principles that are the cornerstone of Drive to Survive will find themselves disappointed. The first episode, titled Not here to make friends, is little more than words as the drivers throw each other birthday parties and take group excursions into the desert. On track there is some frustration, but usually by drivers at their own mistakes, and of course there are a few tears as well. Susie Wolff closes off the season by saying: 'I've driven a Formula One car, and fast. I know it's possible and I want to see a young woman on that grid.' Yet the question remains: is it possible?

Female drivers from F1 Academy hope to reach a new audience with Netflix series
Female drivers from F1 Academy hope to reach a new audience with Netflix series

Chicago Tribune

time28-05-2025

  • Automotive
  • Chicago Tribune

Female drivers from F1 Academy hope to reach a new audience with Netflix series

LONDON — Abbi Pulling never thought so many people would want to watch her chase her Formula 1 dream. Following 'Drive to Survive,' which sparked a boom in F1's audience through its mix of on-track action and behind-the-scenes insight, 'F1: The Academy' debuts on Netflix on Wednesday. It's set to bring unprecedented attention to a women-only racing series. The documentary is 'a huge opportunity,' said Pulling, a 22-year-old British driver whose run to the 2024 title forms the backbone of the series. The series follows F1 Academy, a competition that can make or break careers and runs as a support series to F1 Grand Prix races. 'It's definitely changed my life and helped my career progress,' Pulling said. 'Little 8-year-old me that started karting definitely would never have imagined how it's all exploded and become so big.' Operating a women-only racing series has been controversial among some F1 fans. Mocking, even abusive social media comments are part of the scenery for the series and its drivers. For the drivers, it offers funding and an opportunity to build a brand. Pulling, who's shown sharing a house with her manager, says she couldn't have afforded to keep racing if not for F1 Academy or to continue for 2025 if not for winning the title. The atmosphere in F1 Academy also is different in subtle ways. 'No friends on track' is the title of the opening episode of the docuseries, but the drivers are a close-knit group off the circuit. To an audience accustomed to the F1 feuds of 'Drive to Survive,' seeing drivers consoling each other after mistakes and organizing birthday parties is a little different. 'As a woman, it's like you go in there, you have your own safe space,' said Bianca Bustamante, a driver from the Philippines. F1 Academy is part of a wider culture shift in auto racing. In 2018, F1 abolished the role of 'grid girls' — models paid to stand in front of drivers' cars — and while auto racing remains male-dominated, teams increasingly employ more women in engineering and strategy roles. 'Five, 10 years ago … the motorsport world, community, was very, very different,' Bustamante said. 'The only time girls were ever on the grid was if they were grid girls or umbrella girls or podium girls. All these things that we don't see nowadays because of the representation.' No female driver has started an F1 world championship race for 49 years or even entered qualifying since 1992, and the last woman to take part in an official F1 session was Susie Wolff in British Grand Prix practice in 2015. Wolff is now the managing director of F1 Academy. 'I've lived it. I know how tough it is,' Wolff said. 'It's my job to set something up which gives young female drivers opportunity for the future, and from start to end I think we've made a huge amount of progress so far in a very short space of time.' F1 Academy uses modified Formula 4 cars, meaning even the series' best drivers have multiple steps to reach the F1 grid. While it may take years to develop a female driver through F1's ultracompetitive feeder series, Wolff says that's not the only goal. Helping a driver launch a sustainable long-term racing career in any series is a win for F1 Academy, Wolff argues, and so is encouraging more girls to start out in go-kart events or join the increasing numbers of female engineers in F1. 'It's much more welcoming now, compared to how it was when I started back in 2001,' said Alice Powell, who mentors girls in karting series, alongside being Pulling's manager and a development driver in the Formula E all-electric series. She says she's seeing more girls starting out at the grassroots in Britain, and they're having more success too. 'Female drivers are much more accepted,' she said. 'There are a lot more female drivers in the karting paddock, which is really nice to see. A lot more female mechanics are getting involved and helping the younger drivers as well.' It's not always easy to follow what F1 Academy winners do next. The unprecedented attention on F1 Academy compared with other development series means that moving up means leaving the spotlight — at least for now. Pulling's reward for winning the title was a fully funded seat in the British-based GB3 series this year. That costs far more than Pulling could have paid and gives her a much faster car but has a fraction of F1 Academy's audience. Bustamante, who uses her social media influencer skills to keep her career moving, also has raised the funds to join Pulling in GB3, while other former F1 Academy drivers such as 2023 champion Marta Garcia have moved into sportscar racing. Drivers get a maximum two years in F1 Academy, with their costs heavily subsidized by F1. The vast costs of auto racing — which only increase as the cars get more expensive and powerful — mean that failure in F1 Academy easily could end a career. 'I don't shy away from the harsh realities of sport,' Wolff said. 'So failure will become part of the journey for many drivers who are not racing at the front.'

Female drivers from F1 Academy hoping to reach a new audience with Netflix series

time28-05-2025

  • Automotive

Female drivers from F1 Academy hoping to reach a new audience with Netflix series

LONDON -- Abbi Pulling never thought so many people would want to watch her chase her Formula 1 dream. Following on from 'Drive To Survive," which sparked a boom in F1's audience through its mix of on-track action and behind-the-scenes insight, 'F1: The Academy' debuts on Netflix on Wednesday. It's set to bring unprecedented attention to a women's-only racing series. The documentary is 'a huge opportunity,' said Pulling, a 22-year-old British driver whose run to the 2024 title forms the backbone of the series. The series follows F1 Academy, a competition which can make or break careers and runs as a support series to F1 Grand Prix races. 'It's definitely changed my life and helped my career progress,' Pulling told The Associated Press. 'Little 8-year-old me that started karting definitely would never have imagined how it's all exploded and become so big." Operating a women-only racing series has been controversial among some F1 fans. Mocking, even abusive, social media comments are part of the scenery for the series and its drivers. For the drivers, it offers funding and an opportunity to build a brand. Pulling, who's shown sharing a house with her manager, says she couldn't have afforded to keep racing if not for F1 Academy, or to continue for 2025 if not for winning the title. There are also subtle ways the atmosphere in F1 Academy is different. 'No friends on track' is the title of the opening episode of the docuseries, but the drivers are a close-knit group off the circuit. To an audience accustomed to the F1 feuds of 'Drive To Survive,' seeing drivers consoling each other after mistakes and organizing birthday parties is a little different. 'As a woman, it's like you go in there, you have your own safe space,' said Bianca Bustamante, a driver from the Philippines. F1 Academy is part of a wider culture shift in auto racing. In 2018, F1 abolished the role of 'grid girls' — models paid to stand in front of drivers' cars — and while auto racing remains male-dominated, teams increasingly employ more women in engineering and strategy roles. 'Five, 10 years ago ... the motorsport world, community, was very, very different," Bustamante told AP. "The only time girls were ever on the grid was if they were grid girls, or umbrella girls, or podium girls. All these things that we don't see nowadays because of the representation.' No female driver has started an F1 world championship race for 49 years, or even entered qualifying since 1992, and the last woman to take part in an official F1 session was Susie Wolff in British Grand Prix practice in 2015. Wolff is now the managing director of F1 Academy. 'I've lived it. I know how tough it is,' Wolff told the AP. 'It's my job to set something up which gives young female drivers opportunity for the future, and from start to end I think we've made a huge amount of progress so far in a very short space of time.' F1 Academy uses modified Formula 4 cars, meaning that even the series' best drivers have multiple more steps to reach the F1 grid. While it may take years to develop a female driver through F1's ultra-competitive feeder series, Wolff says that's not the only goal. Helping a driver launch a sustainable long-term racing career in any series is a win for F1 Academy, Wolff argues, and so is encouraging more girls to start out in go-kart events or join the increasing numbers of female engineers in F1. 'It's much more welcoming now, compared to how it was when I started back in 2001,' says Alice Powell, who mentors girls in karting series, alongside being Pulling's manager and a development driver in the Formula E all-electric series. She says she's seeing more girls starting out at the grassroots in Britain, and they're having more success too. 'Female drivers are much more accepted. There are a lot more female drivers in the karting paddock, which is really nice to see. A lot more female mechanics are getting involved and helping the younger drivers as well.' It's not always easy to follow what F1 Academy winners do next. The unprecedented attention on F1 Academy compared to other development series means that moving up means leaving the spotlight — at least for now. Pulling's reward for winning the title was a fully-funded seat in the British-based GB3 series this year. That costs far more than Pulling could have paid and gives her a much faster car, but has a fraction of F1 Academy's audience. Bustamante, who uses her social media influencer skills to keep her career moving, has also raised the funds to join Pulling in GB3, while other ex-F1 Academy drivers like 2023 champion Marta Garcia have moved into sportscar racing. Drivers get a maximum two years in F1 Academy, with their costs heavily subsidized by F1. The vast costs of auto racing — which only increase as the cars get more expensive and powerful — mean that failure in F1 Academy could easily end a career. 'I don't shy away from the harsh realities of sport,' Wolff said. 'So failure will become part of the journey for many drivers who are not racing at the front.'

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