News & Features

Law student Joshua Cryer, charged with sending abusive messages to former footballer Stan Collymore on Twitter, has now changed his plea to GUILTY, after initially denying the charge at court on February 14th this year.

Michael Atkinson, who re-painted the St James' Park sign after it was taken down, pictured leaving Newcastle Magistrates Court today, after being fined for his antics..

Joshua Cryer arriving at Newcastle Magistrates court, where he faces charges relating to sending abusive messages to ex footballer Stan Collymore on Twitter.

Peter Copeland at Sunderland Magistrates, where he admitted posting racist comments in relation to a number of Newcastle United players on Twitter ..

Sunderland FC have signed former England left back Wayne Bridge on loan from Manchester City for the rest of the season. The 31 year old former Southampton and Chelsea player is available for tomorrow’s Barclay’s Premier League game against Norwich City.

TV psychic and convicted paedophile Martin Smith has been found hanging in his cell at Strangeways prison in Manchester. He had been jailed for 16 years in March 2011 for raping a girl aged under 16 in Cumbria.

Cassie the nine week old cross breed puppy who had to be freed by firefighters after getting stuck in the back of owner Clare Smalley's washing machine at their home in Hartlepool.

Huge waves tower over Seaham lighthouse as gale force winds batter Britain ..

Care worker Kimberley Walker, 24, who held a fleece over an elderly woman’s face, and a pillow over another resident’s head at Amathea Care Home in Newlands Lane, Workington, Cumbria, has been jailed today for a year at Carlisle Crown Court.

Police at the scene at the foot of Claremont Bridge, part of Newcastle University, today, after a woman was declared dead, after falling from the building.

The Right Reverend Justin Welby is installed as the new Bishop of Durham during a special ceremony at Durham Cathedral today (Sat).

Former professional footballer Gary Parkinson, 43, who starred for Middlesbrough FC's back-to-back promotion winning heroes in the 1980s, now works for the club as a scout, despite only being able to communicate by blinking, after a severe stroke left him with a devastating, paralysing condition called 'locked-in syndrome'.

Lib Dem Councillor at Carlisle City and Cumbria County Council Jim Tootle, 59, who famously tried to get rid of a ‘cursing stone’ he blamed for a series of local disasters, has died suddenly, after a suspected cardiac arrest at the Cumberland Infirmary.

The aluminium smelting plant at the Rio Tinto Alcan complex in Lynemouth, Northumberland is set to close, with the loss of more than 500.  Rio Tinto Alcan is the largest private sector employer in the country – a 90 day consultation process will now take place, involving staff and union representatives.

A retired police officer who swindled HMRC out of £300 million after setting up a bogus mobile phone business has been jailed for ten years. Nigel Cranswick, 47, who was the director of Ideas 2 Go (I2G), falsely claimed to have bought and sold at least £2 billion worth of phones and computer software in just eight months. This included around £300 million of VAT, which had allegedly been charged by the company's suppliers.

51 year old prisoner John Cann died in hospital after being pulled from his cell at Holme House, after a fire .. It is understood that Cann was awaiting sentencing for criminal damage ..

Dr Glyn Howatson from Northumbria University who has led research into cherry juice's ability to improve the length and quality of people's sleep ... The published study shows subjects increased their sleep time by around 25 minutes ...

Maria Topp arriving at Newcastle Crown Court today (pictured with handcuff links on her handbag).. She was appearing after biting off her boyfriend's testicles during a row. Topp sunk her teeth into Martin Douglas's private parts after a drunken disagreement turned physical. Mr. Douglas needed emergency surgery to re-attach his genitals after the attack ...

The scene at South Gare in Middlesbrough, at the mouth of the river Tees, where a fisherman was hit by a large wave, which washed him off the pier into the sea. The fisherman, aged 64, has now been pronounced dead ..

A mysterious white, gelatinous substance, known as 'star jelly', was found around the fells of Patterdale, Cumbria. The phenomenon has baffled scientists for years – with some saying it could be remains of frogs or matter from a meteor showers. A similar case in the 1950s in Philadelphia inspired the film 'The Blob'.

Westlife fanatics are left out in the cold as they camp out to buy tickets for what will now be Westlife's last tour. Camping since Tuesday these super fans have their tickets but are fuming after being first in the queue and being given some of the worst seats in the house.

Pictured is Nigel McMinn, Managing Director of Benfield Motor Group, who will take immediate control of North East Audi, following today's announcement. Benfield have successfully completed the acquisition of North East business Colebrook and Burgess Ltd, who trade as North East Audi, for an undisclosed fee ...

The Vault bar, in Stockton on Tees, has been blasted by Cleveland Police for offering a Jagerbomb for just ONE PENNY on Halloween night..  The police have warned the bar’s owner that he could be in breach of his licence. Home Office legislation prevents the selling of 'large quantities of alcohol for free or at a fixed or discounted price'.

James Wanley from Hartlepool who has spent more than half his life behind bars was told by Judge Gillian Matthews that he could do jail 'standing on his head' - and that she wanted to give him a tougher punishment. The 39-year-old was given a suspended jail sentence with supervision and a month-long curfew and ordered to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work and a drug rehabilitation programme.

Hundreds of protesters set off from Jarrow in South Tyneside on a march to London, organised by Youth Fight For Jobs in protest over rising education costs and lack of jobs.  Their journey follows in the footsteps of the original Jarrow Crusaders from 1936 ..

'Goths' have been banned from posing for pictures on gravestones at St. Mary's churchyard in Whitby, made famous in the Bram Stoker novel Dracula. Gothic-revellers flock to the churchyard during the famous Whitby Goth Weekend, but the church’s authorities have banned photographs, because they say it disrespects the dead buried there.

Claire Moffatt, 24, from Sunderland, is 'shocked and honoured' after being crowned the ugliest woman in the world, when she won the 'Queen of the Gurners' award at the Egremont Crab Fair..!

Danish International striker Nicklas Bendtner has signed for Sunderland on a season long loan deal from Arsenal .. Click on the picture to view a larger image.

Julie Johnston, 25, from Houghton-Le-Spring, near Sunderland, has become the first woman in the country to undergo a pioneering keyhole operation to remove cervical cancer tissue, without losing her womb – so she is able to have more children in the future.

A fed up mum-of-four is furious after being forced to seek treatment for her two broken feet at two separate hospitals.  Julie Elvin's left foot is being treated at the University Hospital of North Tees in Stockton and her right at James Cook Hospital in Middlesbrough.

Detective Constable Mark Fisher, known to colleagues as 'Fish the Flirt,' who has been jailed for four years after being found guilty of misconduct in public office at Carlisle Crown Court, after allegedly offering to pay off a woman's drug debt if she had sex with him..

Sunderland AFC's new signing, winger James McLean from Derry City - the latest addition during a busy summer transfer window for the Black Cats ..

A mother who suffers from Parkinson's disease has revealed that her medication has left her craving sex, shopping and social networking. Vicki Dillon, 40, was diagnosed with the incurable illness four years ago and has been taking prescribed drugs to keep the symptoms at bay. But they have led to bizarre side effects, including an increased libido and spending thousands of pounds on clothes, partying and luxury holidays. Vicki, from Hexham, Northumberland, said: "The drugs heighten the pleasure-seeking parts of your brain.

A seven-year-old girl who had an operation to remove a malignant brain tumour experienced bizarre side effects when she couldn't stop giggling. Brave Enna Stephens, from New Marske, Cleveland, underwent the gruelling procedure after a visit to the opticians in June this year had revealed swelling behind her eye. She had been suffering from dizzy spells and blurriness and had been sick a lot. Doctors had warned parents Dougie and Vana that the operation could leave her feeling upset or angry - but instead they were left with their very own Little Miss Giggles.

Dad of two Darren Peckitt, from Darlington, whose frustration at the lack of leisure facilities available for his children led him to build his own leisure complex to keep his two daughters entertained. Picture with his wife Andrea Peckitt in their new premises Planet Leisure at Newton Aycliffe, County Durham.

Young people from the Tony Blair Sports Foundation visit the Olympic Park in London. The trip was designed to use the Olympic ethos to inspire more children to become involved in sport and to let young people from the North East feel part of 2012.

Lord Peter Mandelson pictured at The Port of Tyne, with Nissan cars waiting for export ...

Olympic legends Steve Cram and Lord Sebastian Coe, who hold nine Gold medals between them, met at the Stadium of Light this week – but this time round they were not competing, but honouring a lifetime of outstanding achievement on and off the track.

Sunderland AFC have completed the signing of defender Wes Brown from Barclays Premier League champions Manchester United. The 31 year-old has put pen to paper on a four-year deal at the Stadium of Light, moving from Old Trafford for an undisclosed fee. Brown becomes the Black Cats’ seventh permanent capture this summer after the arrivals of Keiren Westwood, Sebastian Larsson, Ji Dong-Won, Craig Gardner, Connor Wickham and Ahmed Elmohamady, who agreed a three-year deal in June after an initial 12-month loan spell.

Sunderland FC have signed highly rated England under-21 international Connor Wickham from Ipswich Town for an initial fee of £8.1 million.

Jordan Scott, 11, from Heworth, who was born with a hole in the heart and is now an aspiring footballer who is being courted by both Newcastle United and Sunderland..

PC Martin Lindsley of Cleveland Police with Reg, an 18 hands-high marbled grey police horse who has become a local hero after helping catch a wanted man. In a scene straight out of a Western the horse chased the 28-year-old man through Middlesbrough town centre before catching him near a town centre pub.

Residents of the small Teesdale village of Woodland in County Durham, are being driven mad by a mysterious constant throbbing noise which has baffled scientists and environmental health officers. The dull drone which has been continuing for two months, is keeping much of the three hundred population awake at night and described as torture.

Pictured is Simon Liddle, arriving at Newcastle Crown Court where he faces charges of death by careless driving..

A would-be passenger at Newcastle Airport watches the cancelled flights covering the Departures Board due to the spreading ash cloud from the Icelandic volcano, Grimsvotn, moving south over the skies of northern Britain.

Headteachers fed up with parents turning up at schools in pyjamas have ordered them to get dressed before picking up their kids. The ban was prompted after parents were turning up in the mornings, afternoons and even for meetings with teachers in their nightwear. Eleven primary schools clubbed together to send a firm message to parents who do not get dressed properly to pick up their children.

A dramatic picture of the huge, dark plume of smoke towering above the iconic landmarks around the River Tyne. The smoke cloud, caused by a fire at a scrapyard in Byker, was reported to have been seen as far south as Teesside..

Four people have been arrested on suspicion of murder after 17-year-old Daniel Crowther suffered fatal injuries outside a pizza takeaway. The boy, who died in hospital from injuries sustained outside the fast food outlet, has been named locally as Daniel Crowther, from Stokesley, North Yorkshire. Two 17-year-old males from Guisborough and a 25-year-old man and a 17-year-old female from Middlesbrough are in police custody. The victim was seriously assaulted outside College Pizzas in College Square in the early hours of today, said police.

A group of penguins terrorized by a gang of yobs who broke into their enclosure at a sea life centre have been left so distraught that staff have been feeding them herbal drugs to help them relax. Staff at Scarborough's Sea Life Centre say the birds are so traumatised after three intruders broke in and tried to catch them that they are not sleeping and are on 24 hour watch. Displays Curator Lyndsey Crawford, 33, said she discovered the ten birds in a skittish state following the break-in during which netting around the enclosure was slashed and CCTV cameras broken.

A guide leader drowned in her shallow pond after becoming trapped by a garden ornament, an inquest heard. Ann Newton, 58, a former teacher, died in the freak accident on Feburary 3. Miss Newton had gone outside in her slippers to fill a bird feeder when she tripped and fell into the water, becoming hooked on a carved tree trunk ornament by her blouse. The wooden post dragged her under the water and she drowned after she was unable to pull herself free. She was discovered by her partner of six months, Norman Lunn.

A farmer has spoken of his anger after a man who broke into his home and punched him twice was let off by police with just a caution. Clifford Pearson was punched once in the face and once in the chest during the late night break-in, before he was able to wrestle the 20-year-old to the ground. Police confirmed that the intruder admitted the charges of common assault and trespass, but said he was given a caution because it was his first offence and there had been insufficient evidence to press more serious charges. Mr Pearson, 48, initially praised the police response to his girlfriend's 999 call, but said it was "unbelievable" that a stranger could break into his home and escape punishment. The incident happened at 3am on Sunday after Mr Pearson was woken by unusual noises and found the intruder in the bathroom of his home, at South Thornborough Farm, Thirsk Road, near Northallerton, North Yorkshire.

A baby girl who was said to be 'clinically dead' by doctors has amazed her family by recovering from meningitis. Medics had told Lillie-Mai's devastated parents that it would be best if her life-support machine was switched off. But Belinda Little, 22, and Rupert Jackson, 31, refused to give up on their child who had been struck down by meningoccal septicaemia. Lillie-Mai, now six-months, was 14-weeks old when she contracted the deadly virus and has lost both her legs and an arm to the disease. Despite doctors giving her just two hours to live the tot is now growing from strength to strength with her mum and dad at their home in Maryport, Cumbria.

A family torn apart by the recession have been told they could face up to a five year wait for a council home. Two years ago Kevin Dunworth was made redundant from his post as a transport supervisor with the Co-op after 19 years. Following the loss of his job, he struggled to find new employment and his family's financial situation became crippling. Mr Dunworth, 51, had his own home in Blaydon, Gateshead, shared with wife Joan, 48, and teenage son Karl, 15.

Liberal Democrat local election candidate Neil Hamilton, who sadly passed away after spending the day campaigning.

John and Barbara Jeffery, speaking of their ordeal after the cruise ship they were travelling on was attacked by Somali pirates.

Retired miner Thomas Harwood won £1 million on the EuroMillionaire raffle.

Police at Sellafield on the 3rd May, after five men were arrested in the area.

A COUPLE were horrified to discover how a professional photographer had captured their wedding. Instead of treasured moments of their big day, preserved for ever, Martin and Heidi Shubrook got amateurish shots taken from too far away, snaps of grass, guests’ feet and backs – and strangers. Even worse, the calamitous cameraman’s video of their big day missed the newlyweds signing the register, leaving church, arriving at the reception, cutting the cake and most of the speeches.

A MAN who helped his wife overcome breast cancer later discovered he had the disease – and he beat it too. Barrister Paul Cross was diagnosed last year with the killer condition, which affects just 300 men in Britain each year. Paul, from Gosforth, Newcastle, was sent to the city’s Royal Victoria Infirmary after finding a lump while in the shower. He was diagnosed with a grade two cancer and was quickly booked in for mastectomy. Fortunately, the disease had not spread and he did not require any further treatment.

A painting by Thomas Gainsborough, the influential portrait artist, could have been reworked by a rival, it has emerged. X-rays and infra-red imaging have revealed that the 18th century portrait of Susannah “Suky” Trevelyan has had 80 per cent of it reworked. The picture, which hangs at Wallington, a country house in Northumberland, shares similarities with a work by Sir Joshua Reynolds of Charlotte Walpole, the Countess of Dysart. Lloyd Langley, the house and collections manager at Wallington, said: “It is too early to say the extent to which Reynolds or another artist may have reworked the painting.” The reworking was said to have followed a dismissive comment by a visitor to Wallington who called the work “a painting of a hat and ruffles”. The changes made include adapting Susannah’s dress and repainting an oversized hat — the ghost of which is still visible.

The boats will be coming in at a South Tyneside shipyard after a £3 million revamp in a bid to win new orders. The new West Quay at A&P Tyne’s ship repair and fabrication yard in Hebburn is part of a £9m three year investment programme. Stewart Boak, managing director, said: “These are exciting times for the company, and we now have a first class facility that will allow us to grow the business for the future”.

TRYING to sell a home in these economically troubled times may lead estate agents to use poetic licence... But most would hesitate at lauding the attractions of a location as “being scruffy”, “taking in new smells” and “gazing at pond life”. Agent Ian Bebbington claims he was merely trying to point out the gardening opportunities offered by the £139,950 end-of-terrace home he advertised in a local newspaper. But his pleas held little sway with people living in Prospect View, in the rural town of Northallerton, North Yorkshire. They took exception to his description of the “new things a buyer would enjoy doing”. They included: “Being scruffy. Taking in new smells [manure, compost], smoking out your neighbours, wielding garden tools. Bonding with a good shed. Being boiled in your greenhouse. Gazing at pond life.”

A BIRD has become a real-life Kes after befriending a boy while he walked to school. The jackdaw began landing on the head of Emmanuel Adams and now comes with him into his home, perching on the ten-year-old’s shoulder while he watches television. It resembles the plot of the 1969 film Kes, in which a disillusioned schoolboy develops a relationship with a kestrel that he took from a nest. ‘Anytime I walk to school or come back, it goes on my arm,’ said Emmanuel, from Sunderland. He has named the crow Jack and his mother, Carolyn, says she has been asking experts for advice about what to do.

CHERYL Cole’s brother was yesterday jailed for six years for his part in a terrifying armed robbery. Andrew Tweedy, 30, helped plan the heist and supplied the four-strong gang with an imitation Beretta handgun. Armed with the gun and a machete the gang drove from his home to a post office, where two of them pulled on balaclavas and stormed inside. Customers, including young children, were left petrified as one of the gang member screamed: ‘Give us the money or one of these will get it.’

JOBLESS layabout Stanley Clifton has been branded the UK’s No1 sponger. The 31-year-old alcoholic has never had a job and pockets £400 a month in benefits because he says booze has wrecked his health. But yesterday Judge John Walford said: “He looks perfectly able-bodied to me.” He told Clifton: “It seems to me you are receiving an awful lot of benefit for doing very little and it is time you realised life is about more than sponging off others. “It seems your incapacity benefit no longer should be available – but that’s not a decision I can make.”