Entertainment
UK ‘grooming gang’ trial halted over concerns about jurors watching TV show
The trial of a suspected grooming gang in the United Kingdom has been abandoned after concerns emerged over a WhatsApp group created by members of the jury, The Telegraph reported.
The case — pertaining to the alleged rape and sexual abuse of two teenage girls in Greater Manchester’s town, Rochdale, between 2003 and 2006 — was being heard at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court.
The proceedings against six suspected men began in October last year but were stopped around two months later when one of the 12 jurors informed court officials that several jurors had discussed a television programme about grooming gangs in their private WhatsApp group chat.
Following the development, Judge Matthew Corbett-Jones, during an investigation, reviewed all of the messages exchanged.
The court was told that in one conversation, one of the jurors cautioned others about watching the programme, but despite that, another juror replied, “I’m going to watch it anyway,” followed by a smiley emoji.
Another juror also said they would watch the broadcast, the court was told.
All jurors were later questioned, but they maintained that none of them had actually viewed the programme. Defence lawyers challenged this claim, suggesting the two jurors may not have been truthful, requesting the judge to question them further.
Judge Corbett-Jones declined to question the jurors again and instead agreed with the defence submissions.
“With considerable regret and disappointment, I have reached the conclusion that the multiplicity of problems which have now arisen and the uncertainty as regards these issues means that whatever course of action I take, unanswered questions remain,” the judge ruled.
Delivering his decision, the judge said he regretted having to halt the trial but explained that multiple issues had arisen, leaving unresolved doubts that could not be remedied. He concluded that no reasonable steps could address the situation due to the “layered nature of the problems.”
A retrial has been scheduled for August.
Restrictions preventing the reporting of the reasons behind the jury’s discharge were lifted on Friday following an application by the Manchester Evening News.
The defendants — Tahir Rashid, 54; Mohammed Saleem, 46; Iftaq Hussain, 45; and Sucklane Shah, 46 — all denied charges of rape.
Arshad Mohammed, 55, denied rape and assault by penetration, while Amjad Mahmood, 53, denied allegations including rape, indecent assault, indecency with a child, and assault by penetration. Rashid has also pleaded not guilty to an additional rape allegation dating back to the late 1980s.
Entertainment
Demi Moore pays tribute to Bruce Willis on 71st birthday
Demi Moore has marked Bruce Willis’s 71st birthday with a warm tribute on Instagram, sharing photos of her former husband alongside their granddaughter in a post that speaks to the enduring closeness of their blended family.
Moore, 63, posted the snaps on Thursday, 19 March, with one showing Willis receiving a kiss from two-year-old Louetta, the daughter of their eldest child Rumer, while she sat in his lap.
“All you need is LOVE. Happy birthday, BW!” Moore wrote alongside the post, and shared a further snap on her Instagram Stories with the caption, “Generational birthday love! Happy birthday, BW!”
Willis’s current wife Emma Heming Willis also marked the occasion, using the birthday to shine a light on her newly announced charity, The Emma & Bruce Willis Fund.
“If you’d like to honour Bruce today, please consider supporting the fund or another organisation working in this space, or simply checking in on a caregiver, a small act of kindness that can mean so much,” Emma, 47, wrote in her tribute.
Willis was diagnosed with aphasia in 2022, followed by frontotemporal dementia, and stepped away from acting at that time.
Moore, who received an Oscar nomination this year for The Substance, next appears on screen alongside Keke Palmer in Boots Riley’s I Love Boosters, due in cinemas on 22 May.
She also stars in the Paramount+ series Landman, which has been renewed for a third season.
Entertainment
What happened to Chuck Norris? Actor rushed to hospital in Hawaii
Action movie icon Chuck Norris was hospitalised in Hawaii on Thursday, March 19, following a medical emergency.
The incident occurred days after celebrating his 86th birthday with an outdoor boxing session.
“The Missing in Action” actor was on the island of Kauai when the incident occurred. Although the nature of the medical emergency has not been disclosed yet, sources close to TMZ stated that Norris is in “good spirits” and was cracking jokes with friends shortly before being admitted.
The hospitalization was a surprise to fans, especially after watching Norris spar energetically in a video he posted on his Instagram account on March 10, celebrating his birthday. In the video, the martial artist was seen playfully throwing punches with his trainer under the sun in Hawaii.
In his birthday post, he wrote: “I don’t age. I level up. I’m 86 today! Nothing like some playful action on a sunny day to make you feel young. I’m grateful for another year, good health and the chance to keep doing what I love.”
“Thank you all for being the best fans in the world. Your support through the years has meant more to me than you’ll ever know,” he added.
Norris is married to Gena O’Kelley with whom he shares 24-year-old twins. From his previous relationships, he has five children.
Entertainment
British journalist narrowly escapes Israeli missile strike on live camera
A terrifying moment was recently caught on camera as an Israeli missile targeted a British journalist associated with Russia Today (RT) during live reporting in Lebanon.
Steven Sweeney, who works for the Russian state funded broadcaster, was filming destruction of a bridge and talking about missile attacks from Israel when one targeted him and hit just a few feet away.
Sweeney said yesterday that targeting journalists was a war crime and today he himself got injured in an attack. He was treated at a hospital for his injuries.
The video footage of the incident shows the exact moment when the missile hit near the journalist, both cameraman and the reporter sustained injuries.
RT posted a video of journalist Ali Rida, also injured in the attack, reporting from Southern Lebanon. Ali said that Israeli forces DELIBERATELY targeted them.
About three hours after the attack, the outlet shared a video message of Sweeney. He said: “It was a precision strike from an Israeli fighter jet. If they think that they are going to silence us, they are very, very much mistaken.”
Israel has intensified its unprovoked, illegal military strikes on Southern Lebanon and had repeatedly targeted civilian infrastructure.
Sweeney also accused Israel of attempting to ethnically cleanse southern Lebanon.
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